590 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. 1853, they moved to Wood county, where they bought seventy-four acres of wild land, which they cleared and improved, spending many days at the hard toil which prepared his fertile lands for production. To this union were born five children, three of whom died in infancy. Mary ., our subject's surviving sister, was born September 11, 1856; she married John Phillips February 25, 1877, who is a well-known farmer of Grand Rapids township. David W. Keys attended 'the district schools during boyhood, and assisted his father upon the farm for a number of years. After the death of the latter, which occurred July 12, 1879, he took charge of the homestead for his widowed mother, for whom he cared tenderly until she, too; passed away on August 26, 1894. Since that time Mr. Keys has operated his half of the farm, and on it made many improvements of a substantial nature. On February 23, 1889, he was married to Miss Catherine Courtney, of Grand Rapids, who was born October 8, 1861. They have no children living. Both are greatly esteemed by their neighbors and acquaintances for their sterling qualities of character. Mr. Keys takes no part in politics. He attends strictly to his own business affairs, and his high reputation for good common sense gives proof of his wisdom in so doing. HOWARD CORY is one of Perry township's most prominent farmers and citizens, as well as a descendant of one of its earliest pioneer families. In Section 22, that township, his birth occurred April 18, 1859, and he is a son of Ambrose and Amanda (Kelley) Cory. In the spring of 1832, the paternal grandfather, Samuel P. Cory, removed with his family to Melmore, Seneca Co., Ohio, by the way of the Erie canal to Buffalo, N. Y., by the lake to Sandusky, Ohio, and thence by team. The father started on foot to look up a location, and in Perry township, Wood county, entered eighty acres of land, which was still in its natural state. He erected a cabin, and in the fall of 1832 the family located here. He was born in 1793, and at the time of his death, June 26, 1846, he was comfortably situated. He took considerable interest in politics, voting with the Democratic party, and among other offices, served as the first justice of the peace of Perry township. By his marriage with Surviah Foster, he became the father of the following children-Louisa C., who became the wife of Dr. M. Dana, and died in Fostoria, Ohio; George D., who died on the home farm in Perry township; Ambrose, the father of our subject; Orrin J., who was both a farmer and a painter, and departed this life in Fostoria; Mary E., who was the wife of A. J. Morgan, and died in Freeport, Ohio. The mother of this family lived to the ripe old age of eighty-one, and was buried by the side of her husband in Fostoria. Ambrose Cory was born in Susquehanna county, Penn., May 29, 1825, and was only seven years old when he arrived in Wood county, where he attended the district schools near his. home. He completed his education by two terms' attendance at the Norwalk Academy. At the age of twenty he began teaching in Hancock county at fifty cents per day, and taught in all six terms of school. His father died a few weeks before he reached his majority, and he then started out in life for himself, renting a farm near Melmore, Seneca county, for two years. In Hancock county, on February 14, 1854, was celebrated the marriage of Ambrose Cory and Miss Amanda Kelley, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, September 22, 1829, and is a daughter of Thomas and Catherine (Lorah) Kelley, who located in Washington township, Hancock county, in the fall of 1831. In the spring of 1854, Mr. Cory purchased 200 acres of land in Perry township, of Abraham Weaver, for which he went in debt, and on which he lived for seven years, but in 1871 he removed to Section 31, Jackson township, Seneca Co., Ohio, buying twenty acres, which is now within the corporation limits of Fostoria. The following year he there built his substantial brick residence, where he still lives, though he later bought 160 acres of land in Perry township, this county, which he improved, but still made his home in Fostoria. He now has eighteen acres in that city, while five acres are just outside the corporation. He held many offices of honor and trust in Perry township, is a highly respected citizen of Fostoria, and takes quite an interest in the success of the Democratic party, for which he casts his ballot. In the family of three children our subject is the eldest, and is followed by Kate S., who was the wife of Charles Schaufelberger, and died in Hastings, Neb., October 24, 1893; and T. Harry, a painter and paper-hanger of Fostoria. When only three years old, Howard Cory was taken by his parents to Fostoria, in the public schools of which city he acquired his literary education, while on his father's farm in Perry township he received his instruction in agricultural pursuits. Two years previous to his marriage he built a house upon his present farm of eighty acres in Section 26, Perry township. Only twenty acres at that time had been cleared, but WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 591 now seventy acres have been placed under the plow, and yield to him golden harvests for the labor expended upon them. The place is well drained and supplied with an excellent set of farming buildings, all of which he has erected. The summer of 1883 he spent in Sully county, S. D., where he took up 16o acres of land, which he yet owns. In Jackson township, Seneca county, Mr. Cory was joined in wedlock on March 6, 1884, with Miss Sylvia Cox, a native of that county, and a daughter of Aaron Cox, a farmer. They have one child, Fred, born October 15, 1888. Until 1891, Mr. Cory was a Democrat, but since that time he has been an enthusiastic supporter of the doctrines of the People's party. Religiously, he and his wife are connected with the Methodist Church of Fostoria. W. O. JOHNSTON, a representative and leading farmer of Perry township, is a fair specimen of the sturdy agriculturists, who have so largely assisted in the development of Wood county, and who are drawing from the soil the important elements of their future fortune. His homestead, which embraces eighty-eight acres of rich and fertile land, lies in Section 27, where he first saw the light of day January 18, 1849, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Cove) Johnston. The father, who was of Irish parentage, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1810, and was a member of the large family of John Johnston. When twenty-two years of age he went to Fostoria, Ohio, and entered land in Hancock county, having at that time $300 which had been given him by his father. About 1833, he bought eighty acres of land in Section 27, Perry township, all in its primitive condition. He was a very rugged man and a hard worker, and during pioneer days owned several tracts of land in Hancock county, which he would clear and then sell. At the time of his first marriage he was employed on the farm owned by Charles W. Foster, for whom he worked four years, and later came to Perry township. He lived to be nearly seventy-three years of age, dying at Fostoria, in July, 1883. For many years he was a member of the I. O. O. F., in politics was a Republican, and served as a trustee of Perry township. He was a man of sound judgment and good common sense, and by his well-directed labors secured a comfortable competence. At Fostoria, Thomas Johnston was united in marriage with Mary Myers, by whom he had seven children, but five died before reaching adult age. Elizabeth is the wife of Peter Faylor, of Montcalm county, Mich. John, who was a member of Company H, 49th O. V. I., was shot in the left temple, and carried the ball for two years, when it dropped through into his throat. His death, in October, 188o, was occasioned by his wound. For his ' second wife Mr. Johnston wedded Miss Mary Cove, a native of Stark county, Ohio, and a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth Cove. After her father's death in Stark county, her mother came to western Ohio, and departed this life at Fostoria. Our subject is the eldest of seven children born of the second marriage, the others being Aiden L., who died in 186o; Charles E., of Toledo, Ohio; Hetty A., now Mrs. Frank Culbertson, of Fostoria; Mary E., who is engaged in the insurance business in that city; Thomas L., a glass worker of Fostoria; and George E., a telegraph operator of that place, who died March 4, 1893. . The mother of this family is still living, and makes her home in Fostoria. In the usual manner of farmer boys, our subject was reared to manhood, remaining at home until his marriage, with the exception of a few months in 1872, spent at Denver, Col., where he witnessed many thrilling scenes. On January 10, 1875, in Perry township, J. R. Phillips performed a wedding ceremony that united the destinies of Mr. Johnston and Miss Emily Brandeberry, who was there born July 29, 1855, and is a daughter of James and Jane (Bates) Brandeberry. To them have been born two children Blanche, now Mrs. A. J. Baird, of Perry township; and Blake, at home. Mr. Johnston began his domestic life upon a rented farm in Section 23, Perry township, and then for nine years rented another place in the same township. About 1883 he purchased forty acres of land, which form a part of his present valuable farm of eighty-eight acres. He uses his right of franchise in support of the Republican party, has been trustee of his township, and has held several school offices. As a friend, Mr. Johnston is an ardent and consistent one, and, as a neighbor, does all in his power for those around him. TIMOTHY HAYES, "The Wizard of Fort Meigs, " was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, July 16, 1822. The historic ground named above has been in the Hayes family as lessees, or owners, since 1841. It was here that Harrison and his patriotic pioneer followers hurled back the British and Indians, and gave the death blow to tyranny and barbarity in the United States. It was here, too, that in 1840, during the campaign of "Tippe WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 592 canoe and Tyler, too," was gathered the mightiest host of people ever assembled at any political mass meeting held in this, or any other country, to do honor to their chief, the hero of Fort Meigs Gen. William Henry Harrison, the Whig Presidential candidate of that year. This historic spot, famed in the annals of history, would long since have been wrecked had it not been for the gentleman whose name opens this sketch, and his brothers, whose names appear hereafter. But under their careful watching, not a plowshare has disturbed a grave of the sacred dead whose dust sanctifies this hallowed spot, and makes it dear to every American heart; not a spade has desecrated the embankment that protected the patriots from the English shells. Mr. Hayes takes just pride in the ground he has helped to preserve. As the tourists and travelers, who seek to view the historic spot, find an Irishman-a bachelor-the proprietor and owner, and encounter his tall, angular figure walking over the fields, but see no public monument, they realize that this is indeed the " Wizard of Fort Meigs," whose word has stayed the vandalism of agriculture and the ravages of time, and preserved intact one of the Nation's most noted battle fields. Timothy Hayes is the son of James and Margaret (Fitz Gerold) Hayes, both of. whom were born in Tipperary. The father died in November at about seventy years of age. The mother departed this life at Fort Meigs in r848, when about sixty years old. Their children were: Michael, who was born in 1814, came to America in 1837, and first went to Illinois, and then to Perrysburg. He was a contractor by occupation, doing considerable work on canals, and assisted in building the Maumee and Western Reserve Pike. In 1841 he settled on a farm at Fort Meigs, where he lived until his death, January I, 1894; Johanna, the second child, died in Ireland; Bridget is the wife of James Carey, Turner junction, Ills. ; Timothy is our subject; Anastasia died in this country; Thomas, who was born in 1827, came to America in 1848 (he spent four years, from 1859 to 1863, in California and then returned to Wood county. He married Miss Mary Ann Daily, who was born in Wood county, and died after bearing one child, . James C., who is agent for the Ohio Central railroad, at Dowling). The second wife of Thomas was Miss Ellen Riley, a native of Long Island, N. Y., and they have seven children: Thomas, Timothy, Michael, John, Margaret, Ellen, and Mary; the seventh child of our subject's parents was Ellen, now the wife of Matthew Riley, of Chicago; Margaret is the wife of Felix Conley; the ninth child died in Ireland. Timothy and his brother, Thomas, with the latter's family, all live in the same house on Fort Meigs. They are both Democrats and members of the Roman Catholic Church. The brothers bought Fort Meigs on July 5, 1864, since which time they have been its owners. WILLIAM S. RICHARD, editor and proprietor of the Bloomdale Derrick, of Bloomdale, is one of the most thoroughly representative and best known citizens of Wood county, where probably no other has a wider acquaintance. Mr. Richard is a native of Ohio, born December 16, 1835, in Ashland (then Richland) county, a son of Jacob and Rebecca Richard, and there received his education up to the age of fourteen years. He and his brothers were all hardy, industrious and intelligent lads, well adapted to the arduous task of clearing up the new Richard home in the woods, and assisting the neighbors in similar work. In addition to this, our subject, who was a keen sportsman, earned not a little money (a scarce commodity in those days) by the sale of pelts taken from wild animals, some of which he would trap, bringing others to the ground with his unerring rifle. Even now, though past the sixtieth milestone on the highway of life, he follows his sport with all the enthusiasm of his younger days- but it is simply sport now, without any thought of revenue, that leads him " into the haunts of Diana." Since 1876, with but few exceptions, Mr. Richard has been one of some hunting party or another, starting from Bloomdale for the game haunts of northern Michigan or Colorado, where several enjoyable weeks are spent. But this is a digression. To return to his boyhood, we have said that our subject was fourteen years old when he first set foot in Bloom township, and, after working about the new home a year or two, and attending school, he commenced teaching at Eagleville, Ohio, a profession he followed for several years, earning the well-merited reputation of being a highly successful instructor. Of a naturally studious nature, possessed of brilliant intellect, and somewhat in advance of other boys of his age, he was ambitious enough to increase his store of learning by a course of study at the academy then being conducted at Republic, Ohio, under the scholastic management of Prof. Schuyler. His attendance here, however, was brought to a somewhat sudden termination owing to his eyesight becoming impaired, which necessitated a long rest from study. After the winter of 1866- William S. Richard WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 593 67 he abandoned school teaching, and confined himself exclusively to the occupation of farmer and auctioneer, which latter business he carried on some thirty years with the same degree of success he met with in other undertakings. In 1889 he became editor and proprietor of the Derrick, a lively newsy paper published weekly at Bloomdale. He is also manager of and a large stockholder in the Gas Center Milling Co., of Bloomdale, and is identified with many other enterprises of the village, at the same time carrying on his farm with characteristic energy. During the war of the Rebellion he served his country three months in Company E, 144th O. V. I., during which time the regiment was stationed at Wilmington, Del., doing guard duty. He enlisted May 2, 1864, and was honorably discharged in the following August. On October 11, 1860, Mr. Richard was married, at Perrysburg, Ohio, by 'Squire Ross, to Miss Delilah Bailey, who was born in November, 1841, in Mahoning county, Ohio, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Simon) Bailey, who moved to Bloom township when Mrs. Richard was a girl. She, too, was a school teacher in her youth, having taught two terms, her salary ranging from $8.00 to $13.00 per month, which in those days was considered very fair emolument. After marriage the young couple commenced housekeeping in Eagleville, where Mr. Richard owned a small home, and there resided until July 29, 1866, when, Mr. Richard's father's health failing, they removed to the old homestead in Section 25, Bloom township, at that time comprising eighty acres of land, the residence thereon being a log house that years before had been built by Joseph Urie. On the death of his father, in 1871, our subject contemplated trying his fortune in the West, probably in Iowa; but, rather than leave his aged mother, and the old homestead to be sold, one brother having already sold his share, he concluded to remain at home. He bought in the farm, and with true filial affection cared for his widowed mother the rest of her days, in which he was no less dutifully assisted by his amiable wife, a task that demanded much patience, consideration and care, as the invalid for several years was very infirm. She passed from earth May 6, 1881. In 188o Mr. Richard built an elegant residence on the farm, which by that time had been increased to 110 acres, and is now one of the best improved properties in Bloom township. In October, 189i, he removed with his family into the village of Bloomdale, and they have since made their home there. In February, 1895, he completed his present elegant brick residence on Vine street, where, metaphorically, speaking, he reclines at ease " under his own fig, tree, " having succeeded, with the assistance of: his life partner, and by assiduous perseverance,, industry and economy, in accumulating a com-fortable competence. Children, four in number, have been born to this honored couple, a brief record of them being as follows: (1) Carrie E., born November 1, 1863, in Eagleville, was harried September 17, 1884, to Dr. R. B. Hubbard, and they live in Sandusky, Ohio; they have one child, Vira D., born December 21, 1888. (2) Harry E., born November 1, 1865, in Eagleville, was married October 25, 1885, to Carrie E. Rosendale; he died September 8, 189o, and was buried in the cemetery at Bloom Chapel; he left one son, Stanley, born April 5, 1889. (3) Hollis W., born July 31, 1872, died October 5, 1890, and is buried in the cemetery at Bloom Chapel; he was a promising boy, exceedingly bright, and was beloved by every one. (4) Cora, born October 1, 1881, is an accomplished young lady, still at home. Mrs. Richard is proverbial for her hospitality and philanthropy, a typical Christian woman, tender-hearted and sympathetic, a devoted wife and loving mother. She is a member of the Church of Christ, as is also her husband. A stanch Republican, Mr. Richard manifests a keen interest in the success of his party, in which he is an oft-consulted advisor and counselor in his part of the county. He has filled with zeal and ability various offices of honor and trust, and for many years served as justice of the peace. "Squire Richard," as he is familiarly known, has done a considerable amount of legal business, and many hundreds of couples has he joined in the bands of matrimony. " for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer." Socially, he is a member of Urie Post, G. A. R., at Bloomdale. He is a well read man, an omnivorous student in political economy, physics, metaphysics, etc., all receiving deep research and thought, and, withal, he is possessed of shrewd, sound common sense and excellent judgment. A well-spent, abstemious life makes him bear his three-score years with all the cheerfulness and elasticity of a man half his age. May his shadow never grow less! HENRY LAMBRIGHT, one of the substantial farmers of Perry township, was born in Richland county, Ohio, February 11, 1832, son of John and Elizabeth (Good) Lambright. The father of our subject was born near New Lancaster, Md., March 24, 1805. His father, whose name was also John, came to Richland 594 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. county before the war of 1812, in which he served as a soldier. During his absence in the army, the Indians made a raid through the county, destroying lives and property, and his family, with others, took refuge in a blockhouse on the present site of Mansfield. The family of this ancestor comprised ten children, of whom John, Jr., was the first to die. He was reared in Richland county, and when twenty-four years of age married Miss Elizabeth Good, who was born in Perry county, Ohio, February 5, 18o8, daughter of John Good, a farmer. Her parents removed from Perry to Richland county, and later to Seneca county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. In the fall of ,1835 our subject's parents moved to Jackson township, Seneca county, where the father entered 120 acres of land, all of it in a primitive state, covered with timber through which wild animals roamed in great numbers. In this pioneer home they reared their family of four children, who were as follows: Mary A., married Jacob Rinebolt, and died in Seneca county; Henry, our subject; Susan married George Sours, and died in Seneca county; John was a private in Company B, 57th Regiment, O. V. I., and was drowned at Paducah, Ky., in 1862. He had been confined for some time in #a hospital, and was en route to join his regiment, but being still very weak fell overboard from the steamboat and was drowned. The father and mother made this farm their home until their deaths, which took place when the former was eighty-one years and six months, and the latter sixty-five years old. Both were members of the Lutheran Church, and were very faithful in their attendance on its services. The father was a Democrat originally, but later became a supporter of the Republican party. He was a large, powerful man, an excellent manager, and became quite well-to-do, although his wife was sickly for more than twenty-five years, and he had many obstacles to contend with. Our subject had no opportunity to attend school until he was fourteen years old, and then his advantages were very limited. The school was such as was maintained at that early day by subscription, the school-room a very poor building, and the course of study was of no higher order than the surroundings. As he was the eldest son, his help was greatly needed by his father in a new country, and work was too plentiful to allow him much time for either recreation or study. Game was plentiful, but he was an industrious boy, and spent but little time in hunting or trapping, as many of his fellows did. Mr. Lambright lived with his parents until his marriage, February 17, 1856, with Miss Margaret Johnson, which event took place in Seneca county, the ceremony being performed by Henry Stahl, a justice of the peace. Mrs. Lambright's parents, Henry F. and Margaret (Sprout) Johnson, came from Guernsey county, Ohio, to Seneca county, where Mrs. Lambright was born September 14, 1836. Her father was a mechanic, and worked at various trades, among other things making shoes for his family. He was a great hunter of all kinds of game, and kept his table well supplied with the results of his rifle. He was in limited circumstances, and had a large family of fourteen children in all, of whom ten grew to maturity. Margaret was obliged to assist in the support of the others, and earned considerable money by weaving and spinning for the neighbors. After his marriage Mr. Lambright located on a farm of eighty acres belonging to his father, which he rented for two years, then purchasing it for $1,200, for which he gave his notes. Here he resided until he came to Perry township in 1865, when he bought 120 acres in Sections 27 and 34 for $5,500, going in debt over $2,000. The only building on this land was a small frame house, but since that time many improvements have been made, and it is now a valuable piece of property. - In 188o Mr. Lambright erected a large and handsome brick house and here he and his estimable wife dispense the most generous hospitality to their large circle of friends and acquaintances. He now owns 154 acres in Perry township, and eighty acres in Jackson township, this county, and is one of the wealthy and substantial farmers of this section, an honest, upright man, very industrious and in all respects a most worthy citizen. The family is held in high esteem throughout the community. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lambright are four in number: Samuel F., born October 16,. 1857, married and has two children; John W., born May 12, 1859, is a farmer in Montgomery township, married Hattie Raney, and they have three children; Daniel H., born September 3, 1864, died June 25, 1879, and was buried at Fostoria; E. G., born November 4, 1870, is a farmer in Jackson township, this county, married Miss Ella Keefer, and they have one child. Mr. Lambright has always been a stanch Republican, and has served as township trustee for several years. He has served also as school director, and takes an active interest in the cause of education. Both he and his wife are members of the Union Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has held office ever since his first connection with WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 595 that body. He is one of the most liberal contributors to the Church, and is always ready to assist in any benevolent or other worthy enterprise. Mr. Lambright was in his younger days a member of Company I, of the 49th Regiment Home Guards. During the Civil war they were called to Johnson's Island, where they did guard duty for a time, thence went to Washington, D. C. Here Mr. Lambright hired a substitute for 14o days, and returned home. HENRY CLAGUE, a prominent agriculturist of Webster township, was born near Cleveland, Ohio, June 17, 1836. His parents, James and Mary (Collister) Clague, were natives of the Isle of Man, and, in 1826, settled in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where they reared a large family. Our subject received a good education in his youth, supplementing the instruction of the district school by a little over three years at Baldwin University. He assisted his father upon the farm until 1861, when he enlisted in Battery G, 1st Light Artillery, O. V. He took part in all of the battles fought by the army of the Cumberland, including those of Shiloh, and Stone River (where he was wounded), and the siege of Atlanta. He received an honorable discharge in December, 1864, at Chattanooga, Tenn., whence he returned to Cleveland and remained until 1866, when he returned to Wood county and engaged in the lumber business with his brother Thomas. On his arrival here he bought 140 acres of choice land near Fenton, which he has improved, and made one of the finest farms of its size in that vicinity. In May, 1883, he was married, in Cleveland, to Miss Georgiana Harrison, who was born in Buffalo, N. Y., March 29, 1848. She is a daughter of Thomas Harrison, a well-known foundry man of Cleveland. Two children were born of this marriage : Arthur, August 13, 1886, and Howard, August 16, 1888. In politics, Mr. Clague is a Republican, and he is a member of the G. A. R.-Benedict Post, of Pemberville and while in Cleveland was a member of the I. O. O. F. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Luckey, and she and Mr. Clague take a generous interest in every movement for the public welfare. ADELBERT L. PETTEYS belongs to one of the families that have long been connected with Ohio. He was born in Huron county, February 18, 1850, and is a son of Eli W. Petteys, who was born in New York, in 1824, and was brought to Ohio by his parents during his boyhood. The grandfather, John Y. Petteys, purchased a farm in Huron county, and there carried on agricultural pursuits for many years. In the Empire State he had married Miss Allen, and had five children-Hannah, widow of M. D. Tyler, of Tontogany, Ohio; Harriet, who became the wife of George Spicer, and at an early day removed to Wisconsin; her death occurred near Red Wing a few years later; Daniel H., who died in Gage county, Neb.; David, who died in Tontogany, Wood Co., Ohio, and Eli W. The father of our subject was married in Norwich township, Huron county, Ohio, to Caroline A. Barber, a native of New York, and located on a farm where he lived until removing to Lucas county, Ohio, in the "fifties. " He afterward came with his family to Wood county, but in a short time went to Erie county, locating near Belleview. He afterward moved to Huron, Erie county, and subsequently to Milan township, Erie county, and in the spring of 1864 came to Wood county, Mr. Petteys purchasing 12o acres of land, in Washington township. After two years, he removed to Tontogany, where he continued three years, then traded his property there for a farm in Washington township-a farm which had previously been owned by Gen. Custer's father. The father of our subject lived on this place. for a few years, and then conducted the "Ackerman House," of Tontogany, for a year, when he removed with his family to Toledo. About four years later he took up his abode upon a 160 acre farm in Jackson township, which he had previously purchased, and at once began to clear the land and place it under cultivation. In 1889 he removed with his wife to Weston, where they spent their remaining days. The father died while visiting at the home of Mrs. Ada Maybee, of Toledo, January 19, 1893, and the mother survived him only ten days. They now sleep side by side in Lawnwood cemetery, Toledo. The children of the family are Adelbert L.; David, who died in infancy; one,, who died unnamed; Ada F., wife of Frank Maybee, of Toledo; Hattie D., wife of George Ackerman, of Toledo; and Clara, wife of Dr. I. S. Townsend. of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. Petteys, of this sketch, attended school in Huron and Wood counties, completing his education in Tontogany, Ohio. He remained at home until twenty-two years of age, and then served a one-year's apprenticeship to the tinsmith's trade in Clyde, Ohio. Returning to Tontogany, he took charge of the hardware store of S. W. Whitmore, which he conducted two 596 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. years, when he began to work at his trade in Waterville, Ohio. While there he was taken ill, and returned home. On his recovery he opened a tin shop in Tontogany, which, however, he sold after a few months, and went on a trip for his health through Wisconsin, Iowa, and parts of Kansas and Missouri, finally reaching De Witt, Neb. Liking that place he worked at his trade there through one season. The following winter he spent at home, but in the spring again went to De Witt, where he worked .for a few months. Again he returned to Ohio, and after four years spent in farming once more concluded to remove with his family to Nebraska, where they remained two years, our subject working in a hardware store. On the expiration of that period, Mr. Petteys returned to his native State, and lived on one farm for three years. In 1888 he located on forty acres of land which he had purchased of his father, and which he cultivated until 1892, when he sold out and purchased sixty acres a half-mile west of his present home. After his father's retirement to private life, he removed to the old homestead, where he yet resides. Mr. Petteys was married in Tontogany, Ohio, November 22, 1874, to Miss Sarah C. Tuller, who was born August 12, 1850, and is a daughter of Edwin and Catherine (Kuder) Tuller. Her father died August 29, 1896, at the age of seventy-five years. He was formerly a lawyer with an extensive practice. He had been a second time married, his last wife who survives him, having borne the maiden name of Nellie Paul. Mrs. Petteys is the second in order of birth in a family of six children, and was reared in Washington township, Wood county. She has one child, Charles Claude, who was born in Washington township, October 30, 1880, and is now a student in the Custar High School. Our subject 1i a stalwart Republican in politics; his wife belongs to the Disciples Church, while, socially, he is connected with the Knights of Pythias lodge, of Custar. He is now numbered among the substantial citizens of the community, and has been the architect of his own fortunes. His perseverance and capable management have brought to him financial success, while his upright life has gained him the confidence and good will of many friends. EDGAR L. KINGSBURY, a grocer of Perrysburg, was born in Hartford, Conn., February 28, 1845. The Kingsbury family has long held an honored place in the history of New England, where the first of the line in America settled at an early period. John Kingsbury, the grandfather of our subject, was a lifelong resident of Connecticut, and was engaged in agriculture and at the cooper's trade. His son, Lyman Kingsbury, our subject's father, was born in Hartford, Conn., April 14, 1800, and was married to Miss Almira Brown, a native of the same place, born June 12, 18o6. Her grandfather Brown (given name forgotten) was a Scotchman by birth, and at the time of the Revolutionary war was the owner of. a craft in which he gave what aid he could to the Colonial government. His ship was seized and confiscated by the British; but nothing daunted, the lover of freedom joined the land forces, and fought until independence was secured. For many years after his marriage our subject's father remained in his native place, following farming as an occupation, and in 1854 he moved with his family to the ' I Western Reserve," settling in Lorain county, near Elyria. He was a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife were members of the Episcopal Church. She passed away April 18, 1867, and he died October 23, 1873. They had four children: Horace, born January 21, 1836, died May 18, 1873; Edgar L. (1); born January 17, 1838, died January 4, 1844; Willard, born March 30, 1842, died September 16, 1852, in Connecticut; and Edgar L. (2), the subject of this sketch. Mr. Kingsbury was only nine years old when his parents came to Lorain county, and his edu-cation was secured principally in the district schools there. At the age of twenty-two he came to the Maumee Valley, and cleared a farm in Defiance county, where for some years he followed agricultural pursuits. Becoming interested in the lumber business, he went to Bridgeport, Mich., remaining there four years, afterward returning to Defiance county. In 1877 he disposed of the farm, and came to Perrysburg, where he opened the grocery which he has since conducted with well-merited success. In politics he is a Republican. At the breaking out of the Civil war he first enlisted, as a recruit, in Company I, 9th O. V. I.; but owing to his youth he was not mustered into the service, although taken to Virginia, remaining there from November, 1861, to May, 1862. He then returned to Ohio, and re-enlisted, this time in Company I, 84th O. V. I., Capt. J. H. Winder's company, and Col. W. Lawrence, which regiment was for ninety-days' service, but served for about four months in Maryland and Virginia. While with his regiment Mr. Kingsbury was taken ill with typhoid fever, and was sent to hospital at Cumberland, Md., and left for sometime after the regiment was Edgar L. Kingsbury WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 597 mustered out. There, his mother, who had traveled to Cumberland, came in order to care for him in his sickness. For a year and over, after his arrival home, he was unable to perform any kind of labor, and by the time he recovered, the war was ended. On September 15, 1869, Mr. Kingsbury was married in Toledo, Ohio, to Miss Maria L. Hilton, who was born November 30, 1846, in Defiance county, Ohio. They have no children of their own, but adopted a little six-year-old girl, Mabel Vance Hilton, daughter of Eber E. Hilton, a brother of Mrs. Kingsbury. Mabel was reared to womanhood as the own child of our subject and his wife, was educated and became a graduate of the Perrysburg school. On September 26, 189.4, she was married to Charles L. Maddy, and one child, Edgar Hilton, was born to them; they make their home in Perrysburg, where Mr. Maddy is a dealer in grain, and has an elevator. Mrs. Kingsbury was the daughter of Eber and Elizabeth R. (McMaken) Hilton, the former of whom, a farmer by occupation, was a native of Defiance county, Ohio, born about the year 1815, and died in 1848. He was a son of Joshua Hilton (also a farmer), a native of Maine, and a very early settler of Defiance county-the only " highway " at the time of his coming being the Maumee river, all merchandise, etc., being brought up that stream in small boats. Eber Hilton and Elizabeth McMaken were married in July, 1843, at Fort Wayne, Ind., and they had three children: Joseph J., who was a soldier in the Civil war, and died, in 1863, in Johnson's Island; Maria L. (Mrs. Kingsbury); and Eber E., a civil engineer in Plattsmouth, Neb. Some time after the death of the father of this family, the widowed mother married William D. Haymaker, and by him she had three children: Kidder V., Carrie (deceased), and Mary. Mr. Haymaker died, and his widow is now living in Defiance, Ohio. She was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1821; her mother was a native of Maine, and her father was a soldier in the war of 1812. TAYLOR HALE, one of the prosperous farmers and esteemed citizens of Perry township, was born in Washington township, Hancock Co., Ohio, July 9, 1841, to Robert and Ruth (McRill) Hale, the former of whom was a native of Jefferson county, and latter of Ashland county, Ohio. The paternal grandfather of our subject, Randall Hale, was an early settler of Hancock county, where he carried on farming for many years, and reared a family of five sons and three daughters, of whom Robert was next to the youngest son. Robert became the father of three children, namely: Mary A., who married John Baker, and died in Montgomery township; Taylor, our subject; and Elisha, who was a soldier in Company H, 49th O. V. I., and was wounded at the battle of Stone River, dying nine days later; his remains were brought home and interred in Olive Branch cemetery. The father of our subject died when the latter was only two years old, leaving his widow with three children, of whom the eldest was but four years of age, and with no property except a small farm of twenty acres. The heroic mother struggled along, keeping her little family together by hard work, weaving and doing other work as it came in her way, and succeeded in rearing them carefully to manhood and womanhood. She was one of those brave souls of whom the pioneer days saw not a few, and the story of whose lives of hardship and privation, and courageous sacrifices, account for the manly and successful men of whom Ohio can boast such a large proportion. This excellent woman lived to the good old age of seventy-eight years, and now sleeps in Olive Branch cemetery, in Washington township, Hancock county. Taylor Hale obtained the best education afforded in the district schools of his day, and devoted his time after leaving school to the culivation of the farm for his mother, until the Civil war was well under way, when he felt it his duty to respond to his country's call for more men to aid in putting down the Rebellion. On February 9, 1865, he enlisted at Perry Center in Company G, 189th O. V. I., under Capt. Dennis. This regiment was sent at once to Huntsville, Ala., where they remained on guard duty until the close of the war. During this time Mr. Hale was never absent from his post. On September 28, 1865, he, with his comrades, was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., and discharged at Columbus, Ohio, when he returned home. The marriage of our subject with Miss Zeruiah, daughter of Jonathan and Margaret Leonard, took place in Hancock county, October 15, 1868, and of this union two children were born: William, a farmer in Perry township, and Emma, now Mrs. Charles Kelley, of Hancock county. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Hale owned eighty acres of land in Section 32, Perry township, which he had bought out of his own earnings, and on which the family had been living for some time. He went to housekeeping on this place in a round-log cabin which his mother had built, there, and which stood in a dense forest. From WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 598 this wild land he has succeeded in making a fine farm, and has added to it from time to time until he now owns 166 acres, and is classed among the best and most successful agriculturists of the township. He is one of the oldest residents, also, having lived upon this farm for forty-eight years. Mr. Hale's first wife died October 2, 1873, and was buried at Fostoria. On March 15, 1877, he was united in marriage with Miss Rachel Beightle, who was born in Jackson township, Seneca county, August 21, 1848. Her parents, Martin and Maria (Weightman) Beightle, were natives of Pennsylvania, where her father carried on farming. She was one of ten children. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hale: Bertha, January 19, 1879, and Elva, February 11, 1883. In politics Mr. Hale belongs to the Republican party, but he is strongly in sympathy with the Prohibitionists, as he is an earnest advocate of temperance, and uses his best endeavors to root out the evils of the liquor traffic. He has been a trustee of Perry township two terms, and has frequently been elected supervisor. He has been a school director of District No. 6. He is a trustee and class-leader in the Olive Branch Methodist Church, of which he has been a member since twelve years of age, and to which his wife also belongs. Mr. Hale is highly respected and esteemed as an upright Christian man and an excellent citizen. AARON PHILLIPS. The Phillips family is of German origin. The great-grandfather of our subject, Valentine Phillips, was born in the Highlands of Germany, in 1720. His wife was Mary Phillips. He came to America, and settled near where Phillipsburg, N. J., now stands. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, as was also his son Jacob, who was born in New Jersey in 1758, and who married a Miss Sarah Louk, of Philadelphia. Adam Phillips, the father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794, and died March 20, 1857. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was under General Harrison at Fort Meigs. In 1818 he was married to Catherine Huff, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1797, and died October 6, 1871. They were married in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where they lived seven years, then moved to Pike township, Stark county, and in April, 1833, came to Wood county, arriving on the 11th, and entered 42o acres of land in Center township, part of which is now occupied by the county infirmary. When the township was formed from Portage, the first meeting after organization was held in the cabin of Adam Phillips, who gave the name to the township. There his children grew up, and each child received a piece of land. He was a Whig in politics, and religiously was an exhorter in the Lutheran Church. To him and his wife were born thirteen children. They were: Daniel, who died in Wood county; William, born October 31, 1821, lives in Wood county; Eliza, the widow of Stewart Anderson; Moses, who went to California, and is probably dead; Mary, who died unmarried; Susan, who married John Shiner, and died in 1862; Aaron, our subject; David, who resides in Toledo, was in Company F, 25th O. V. I., for one year; Noah, who was a member of Company H, 67th O. V. I., entered the army in 1861, was taken ill and died. Four of the children died in infancy. Our subject was reared on his father's farm, where he remained until twenty-two years old, attending school in a log school-house for two terms. He was married December 11, 1856, to Miss Anna Crom, whose birth occurred in Center township, Wood county, January 7, 1838. He is a fruit grower, and was born in Pike township, Stark Co., Ohio, March 2,, 1832. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, as follows: Levi C., born December 22, 1857 (he married Emma Duley, and they have five children, Frank, Alma, Earl, Herbert and Adel. Levi is an engineer on the M., K. & T. railroad, in Texas); Mary B., born March 8, 1859, died September 1, 1859; Daniel L., born July 24, 1860, married Ella B. Gray, and they have one child, Harvey A.; Daniel lives in Texas; Martha J., born October 3, 1863, died August 15, 1865; Elsie E., born June 24, 1870, died September 1, 1872; George W., born January 30, 1874, died June 30, 1887. Our subject, after his marriage, settled on a tract of wild land which he improved, and where he lived until 1865, when he sold it. When the Civil war' broke out, Mr. Phillips enlisted, August 17, 1861, and served until honorably discharged September 12, 1864. He was in the army of the Cumberland, and took part in the battles of Shiloh and Mill Springs. He was taken ill, sent to the hospital, and discharged for disability, when he went home, remained there a while, then re-enlisted and participated in the battles of Buzzard's Roost, Jonesboro, and the siege of Atlanta. His company led the charge at Jonesboro. He fought close to the works, and was knocked down by the concussion of a shell. After selling his farm, at the close of the war, he went to Michigan, where he bought a farm in WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 599 Llanawee county, and lived there until 1870, when he moved to Carroll county, Mo. He located in various places at different times, among them being: Fulton county, Ohio; Tuscumbia, Ala. ; Nebraska; Colbert county, Ala.; Portage, Wood Co., Ohio; and finally settled in Bowling Green. He is a member of the G. A. R.,. and is a Republican in politics. He is a member of the Baptist Church. Our subject's wife grew up and was educated in Wood county, and, like her husband, belongs to the pioneer stock of Wood county. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips live in a beautiful home in Bowling Green, where they cultivate fruit, making a specialty of berries. They are hospitable, and are greatly esteemed by their many friends throughout the county. John Crom, the grandfather of Mrs. Aaron Phillips, was a pioneer from Pennsylvania and Ohio, finally locating near Beaver Creek, in Wood county. Her father, Daniel Crom, was born May 10, 18o5, and died May 10, 1864. Her mother, who was a Miss Barbara Oberdorf, was born in 1809, and died February 9, 1892. They were married in 1828, and of the thirteen children born to them the following are mentioned: Elizabeth, Margaret, John, Anna, Joseph, Aaron, Simeon, and Martha. Mr. Phillips states that on the formation of Plain and Liberty townships Dr. Manville gave the name to Plain, and that John Groves, who is yet living, aged ninety-six years, named Liberty township. DICKERSON BOWLES, a farmer of Milton township, was born, November 12, 1836, in Cambridgeshire, England, a son of John Bowles, whose birth occurred in the same country, February 21, 1809. The father was a farm laborer by occupation, and was married, in Cambridge, England, to Jane Dickerson, who was born February 14, 1809. They came to America in 1852, sailing from Liverpool, and took up their abode in Monroeville, Huron Co., Ohio. Four years later they came to Wood county, and the father purchased a farm in Milton township, which he improved, and on which he lived until his death, which occurred in December, 1876. His wife survived him, dying in February, 1892. They had a family of ten children, namely: Anna and William, deceased; John, a farmer of Milton township; Dickerson; Sarah, who died in England; Susan, wife of John W. Chappel; Elizabeth James ; and Charles and Arthur, both deceased. Our subject attended school in England, and came with the family to America, continuing his labors on his father's farm until 1856, when he went to Iowa, and for a short time engaged in the cultivation of rented land. At the expiration of that period he returned home, and continued under the parental roof until 1866. During the war, however, he enlisted, at Napoleon, Ohio, ill Company I, 68th Regiment, O. V. I., under Capt. Poe, and participated in the battles of Fort Donelson, Metamora, Raymond and Champion Hills, and was with Sherman through the Atlanta campaign. He was wounded at the battle of Champion Hills, and again, August 10, 1864, before Atlanta, and after his recovery marched with Sherman to Savannah. He was honorably discharged December 19, 1864. He then returned home, and purchased a farm in Milton township On February 14, 1866, Mr. Bowles was united in marriage with Miss Jane Anness, who was born in Cambridgeshire, England, January 12, 1846. Four children graced this union: Daniel, a farmer of Grand Rapids; Arthur, who aids in the operation of the home farm; Walter, and Albert. In politics, Mr. Bowles is a stalwart Republican. He is a member of the Evangelical Church. Industrious and energetic, his business interests are well conducted, and his duties of citizenship are discharged with the same fidelity which marked his army service., THOMAS ORDWAY, the well-known contractor and builder, of Bowling Green, has identified his name in a lasting way with the growth and prosperity of that town, and many of its finest residences and business blocks stand as evidences of his skill and workmanship. His father, Amherst Ordway, was born October 15, 1815., in Vermont, and came to Ohio in early manhood, locating first at Milan, Erie county, where he was engaged in contracting and building until 1854, when he removed to Householder's Corners, Wood 'county, and remained about five years. He then came to Bowling Green, purchasing a large tract of land, which since his death, October 29, 1880, has been known as Ordway's Addition. He built the first sawmill and gristmill at Bowling Green, and was a leading promoter of many public improvements. He was a Republican in politics, and an active worker in the temperance cause. He married Miss Roxanna Goodell, who was a native of Huron county, being the first white child born in Townsend township. Her birth occurred January 24, 1817, and she died May 6, 1876. Of their seven sons, four served in the army during the Civil war, two losing their lives in the defense of the Union, name- 600 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. ly: Andrew, who died at Athens, Ala., and Hiram, who was killed at Jonesboro, Ga. James returned to Bowling Green after three years of service, and is now a contractor and builder there. Nehemiah spent six months at the front, and then returned home, where he now resides. Of the five younger children, Emma, the widow of W. A. Whitaker, Thomas, our subject, and Sylvester, live at Bowling Green. Frederick resides at Akron, Ohio, and Alice, the youngest, is the wife of Wesley Fox, of Chicago Junction, Huron county. Our subject was born February 5, 1849, near Milan. He received his early education in the district schools near his father's farm in Wood county, and in the high school at Bowling Green. He worked on the farm until the age of twenty-seven, after which he followed the carpenter's trade as a workman until about ten years ago, when he began to take contracts for buildings, and also to construct residences for sale. Among the contracts undertaken are those for constructing the Central school, the East school, and the finishing of the South school building. He has constructed about two-thirds of all the business blocks in the city, some of which are the Royce bank building, Chris. Lehmann's building, the Cunning and Whitehead building, the Lincoln block, the Mowrey block, and the First National Bank building. Although Mr. Ordway is very quiet and unassuming in manner, he has a reputation for great firmness and persistence in any enterprise once resolved upon, and this, with his well-tried ability and integrity, has won for him the entire confidence of the community. He was married in 1880 to Miss Eloria Mounts, who was born in Sycamore, Ohio, in 1859. They have three children, Amherst, Katie and Donald. Politically, Mr. Ordway is a Republican, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F. T. S. BRANDEBERRY, who is successfully engaged as a butcher and in the meat market business in Jerry City, was born in Bloom township, on April 15, 1846, and is a son of William and Anna (Clark) Brandeberry. On the home farm he was reared to manhood, during which time he received a fair English education in the common schools of the neighborhood. On February 21, 1864, although not quite eighteen years of age, he manifested his loyalty to his native land by enlisting in the Union army at Fostoria, Ohio, becoming a member of Company H, 49th O. V. I., with which he served until December 28, 1865. After the surrender of General Lee, the regiment was sent to Texas, and there remained until mustered out at Victoria, that State. Our subject received his discharge at Columbus, Ohio. He was never wounded, but on account of illness was confined for three months in hospitals at Chattanooga and Nashville. On his return home, Mr. Brandeberry worked for his father for a time, and was also employed by his uncle, Isaac Brandeberry, of Perry township, Wood county. In Bloom township, on May 21, 1868, he led to the marriage altar Miss Lucinda E. Fry, a native of Westmoreland county, Penn., and a daughter of Jonas Fry, a farmer. To them have been born four children, one of whom died in infancy; the others are: Carrie E., wife of Reuben Echleberger, of Bloom township; Alwilma, wife of Wallace Simon, of the same township; and Milton O., at home. After remaining upon his uncle's place for several months, Mr. Brandeberry returned to Bloom township, purchasing thirty-eight and a quarter acres in Section 35, and on the place erected good buildings and made other necessary improvements. There he resided until April 4, 1883, when he bought fifty acres in Section 22, which he still owns. He immediately commenced the improvement of his land, which is now in an admirable state of culture, and has become a valuable piece of property, owing to his careful tillage and the neat buildings upon the place. In January, 1895, however, he removed to Jerry City, where he has since conducted a butchering business. Mr. Brandeberry does not care to take an active part in politics, but always stands by the principles for which he fought, and casts his vote with the Republicans every time. He is a leading member of Bronson Post No. 85, G. A. R., of Jerry City, and attended the Encampment at Louisville, Ky., in 1895, and also the dedication services at Chickamauga, Ga., in September of that year. ORRIN STEARNS (deceased). The subject of this sketch, a veteran of the Civil war, was born in Montgomery township, May 9, 1841, and was the fourth son and fifth child of Justus and Sarah A. (Davis) Stearns, mention of whom is made in another part of this volume. Mr. Stearns received a common-school education, and was reared as a farmer's boy. On September 23, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, 55th Regiment, O. V. I.; on June 1, 1864, was promoted to corporal, and on July 8, 1865, was further promoted to the rank of first sergeant. He was mustered out July 11, 1865, at Louis- Orrin Stearns WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 601 ville, Ky. While home on a veteran's furlough in 1864, he was married, on February 4, in the " Hays House, " Fostoria, to Miss Sarah A. Brandeberry, the ceremony being performed by J. V. Jones, a justice of the peace. Mrs. Stearns was born in Perry township, April 25, 1846, and is a daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Fish) Brandeberry, the former of whom was born in Richland county, and the latter in Columbiana county, Ohio. In the spring of 1866 our subject came to his farm, which he had bought in the fall of 1865, and where his widow now lives. It then consisted of 120 acres, on which stood an old frame house and another frame building. Mr. Stearns had saved $1,500 from his army pay, and his wife was given $2,000, so they started in life in comfortable circumstances. In 1876 he built one of the best brick residences in Perry township. Mr. Stearns died, October 23, 1888, from a lingering illness contracted while in the army, and he was buried in the Fostoria cemetery. While not physically strong, he was able to attend to his work, was an excellent business man, dealing extensively in stock, and retired from active life fourteen years previous to his demise. He was a representative citizen and a stanch Republican, and served as director of the Infirmary and as trustee of Perry township. Kindhearted, he was always ready to assist the needy and deserving, and his death was a great blow to the community. He was a member ' of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he held various offices, and to which he was a most liberal contributor. Socially, he belonged to the I. O. O. F., and G. A. R., at Fostoria, and was buried by the latter organization with all its rites and ceremonies. Since her husband's death Mrs. Stearns has taken charge of the farm, which now consists of 23o acres, and is one of the best in the county. She is a woman of considerable business ability, and has improved the place in many ways. She is a devout Christian, and a liberal contributor to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which she has been a member since fourteen years of age. While Mr. and Mrs. Stearns had no children of their own, many others have been given a home with this admirable couple, who took great pleasure in such philanthropic work. ANDREW JOSEPH, the popular manager of one of the departments in the mercantile firm of A. Froney & Co., at Bowling Green, was born September 17, 1866, in Troy township, this county. George Joseph, his father, was born in Baden, Bavaria, January 10, 1812, and came to America in early manhood, locating in Wood county, where he met his future wife, Miss Sophia Hettinger, a native of Sencefeldt, Baden, born December 26, 1823, who came to this county with her parents when she was a child. After their marriage, September 12, 1841, they settled upon a farm in Troy township, three miles northeast of Pemberville, where they lived fifty years, but they have now retired to Pemberville to pass the evening of their lives. They are prominent members of the German Lutheran Church. Their golden wedding in 1891 was a notable occasion, their ten children, all living, making an interesting group. Of those living, May, the eldest, is the widow of M. Hauber, of Freeburg, Ill.; Julia is the wife of David Bingle, of Scotch Ridge; Henry resides in Freeburg, Ill.; George Jr., at Wahoo, Nebr.; John lives at Wahoo, Nebr. ; Louie resides in Center township; Frank is a resident of Luckey; and Emma is at home with her parents. Andrew Joseph, the youngest of this family, was reared upon the farm, and acquired his early education in the district schools near by. In 1891 he came to Bowling Green, and now has charge of the upper floor of the store of A. Froney & Co., managing the cloak, drapery and carpet departments. In this capacity he has shown unusual ability, and proved himself entirely worthy of the trust reposed in him. He is also the fortunate owner of a tract of oil land now being developed by him, in company with others, under the partnership name of Bankey, Joseph & Moore. In politics Mr. Joseph is a Democrat, sharing in this the conviction of his father, who has been for many years a firm supporter of the principles of that party. The subject of our sketch is prominent in the social circles of Bowling Green. J. D. STEARNES, a worthy representative of the old and prosperous family of that name which is well-known throughout Wood county, is a successful farmer of Perry township, where he stands high in the regard not only of his immediate community but also of all citizens in the county who have had business or social relations with him. Mr. Stearnes is the third child of Justus and Mary (Hall) Stearnes, and was born September 1, 1854. His first schooling was obtained at Sugar Grove, in Perry township, and was the best that could be afforded by the district schools in those days. He has seen many changes since then in the methods of education, and has used his influence in the betterment of the schools of 602 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. his locality. No one in the county is a warmer friend of education, or has done more in its interests, than Mr. Stearnes, and the advantages now enjoyed by the children of Perry township are in a great measure due to his untiring efforts in their behalf. Mr. Stearnes was reared upon a farm, and early in life showed such business ability that he was intrusted with matters of great magnitude for one of his youth, and he managed them with discretion and excellent judgment. He remained upon his father's farm until one year after his marriage, and in 1876, removed to the farm on which the "Old Stone House" stands and which is still his home. This old mansion, his first residence, is one of the land marks of Perry township, and was built in 184o by a Mr. Brown. Mr. Stearnes purchased 117 acres here of his father, and at once moved onto it, his entire possessions being conveyed to the place in three loads, such as a one-horse sled could carry. The land was wet, and but little draining had been done, and, with his poor team and still poorer equipment, our subject found an up-hill task before him. His energy and industry were, however, equal to the emergency, and by constant labor and untiring perseverance, as well as good management, he succeeded in bringing it under a fine state of cultivation. He has at present 16o acres of excellent land, and in 1892 built one of the finest pressed brick residences in Wood county. His barns and outbuildings are also of the best, and the entire place bears evidence of careful thrift and labor. Mr. Stearnes has done considerable ditching by contract throughout the county, and, since the discovery of oil and gas in this section, has done a large amount of work in teaming, etc., for the oil producers. Our subject was married September 2, 1875, to Miss Sarah Kyes, who was born August 21, 1855, in Freedom township, this county. Her father, Samuel Kyes, was a native of Lorain county, Ohio, and was a farmer by occupation. He served as a one-hundred-days' man in the war of the Rebellion. His wife, mother of Mrs. Stearnes, was Mary, daughter of John Fish, who died in 1864. Their children were as follows: Sarah, wife of our subject; Caroline, wife of Everett E. Householder, living near Hoytville, Ohio; and Mary A., wife of Albert Addelsperger, of Seneca county, Ohio. On the death of his first wife Mr. Kyes was again married, his choice being Mrs. Mary A. Silverwood, who bore him two sons. Of these, William lives in Bowling Green, Ohio, and Samuel was killed by a falling tree when a lad of seventeen. The father died in Center township, Wood county, when nearly sixty years of age. Mrs. Stearnes was only nine years of age when her mother died, and the children were scattered among different. families, she working for her living until her marriage. She is a most estimable woman, and is a good wife and mother. The following children have come to bless the union of our subject and his wife: Nellie, born June 27, 1876; Alice, who died when three years old; Samuel, born May 11, 1880; Albert B., born December 17, 1882; Sarah A., born April 9, 1885; and Pearl, born June 17, 1888. Mr. Stearnes has always been an ardent Republican, and is a leading member of his party in Perry township. He has served three years as township trustee, and has been a director of School District No. 5 for some nine years. In both these offices he has done much for the growth and welfare of his township, and is looked upon as one of its most valued citizens. By the will of his father, Mr. Stearnes was made one of the administrators of his estate, consisting of over 30o acres of land and $10,000 of personal property. He is a member of No. 445 Lodge, K. of P., at West Millgrove, and both he and his wife belong to the Rathbone Sisters, of Bloomdale. J. M. BAUM, one of the prominent and representative men of Ross township, is engaged in general farming and gardening in Section 33, where he located in 1872, at that time purchasing a partially improved farm of forty acres. He also devotes some attention to fruit-raising, in which he has been quite successful. He is a native of Ohio, born in Northfield township, Summit county, on Christmas Day, 1833, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Purkey) Baum, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania. As early as 1801, however, he accompanied his father, George Baum, to Columbiana county, Ohio, where the latter, at that time, purchased 16o acres of land of the government at $1.25 per acre. The city of Salem is now built on the same. George Baum was a native of Germany, and was born November 17, 1754. At the age of seventeen he sailed for America, but, on account of bad weather, he was six months on the voyage. He landed at Philadelphia, and was "sold'' to a man for three years, to pay his passage, the sum being twelve dollars. In 1783 he was married to Mary Higgin, a native of Pennsylvania. Thomas Baum was married in Columbiana county. In 1821 he became a resident of Northfield township, Summit county, where he purchased a farm eighteen miles from Cleveland, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 603 paying three dollars per acre for same, and there his death occurred December 24, 1862. His wife departed this world on her birthday, June 28, 1855, at the age of fifty-eight. They reared a family of six children: John enlisted in the 111th Regiment, O. V. I., in Williams county, Ohio, and served nearly three years; he died in that county, November 16, 1865. Mrs. Sarah Powell makes her home in Northfield township, Summit county. Mrs. Mary White resides in Jennings county, Ind. Mrs. Martha Horner lives at Akron, Ohio. Mrs. Elizabeth Silver also makes her home in Jennings county, Ind. A. M. Baum completes the family list. During his boyhood and youth our subject attended the district schools of his native county, and assisted his father in clearing up and developing his land. In 1853 he married Maria L. Wetherill, who was born in Vermilion, Erie Co., Ohio, and is a daughter of William and Sarah (Boughey) Wetherill, the former a native of England, the latter of Erie county. The father was one of the first settlers of Plymouth, Huron Co., Ohio, where he opened up a farm; but his death occurred in Ross township, this county. The mother has also departed this life. To our subject and wife two children have been born: William T., who is married, and resides in Ross township, and Rosetta A., wife of Horace Rideout, of the same township. In politics Mr. Baum is a Democrat, and takes considerable interest in all the campaigns of that party. He served as the first justice of the peace of Ross township, and acceptably filled that office for six years. Being very fond of hunting, he used to come to Wood county as early as 1855, when game here was quite plentiful, and engage in that sport. He has always taken a deep interest in everything for the good of the county, and was one of the promoters of the Woodville stone road. JOHN SCHON, a native of Germany, was born in the village of Hontheim, Kreis Wittlich, Beyerk Trier, on the Rhine, April 26, 1836. His father, Casper Schon, who was a farmer of that locality, married Anna Simmons. They spent their entire lives in that village, and to them were born the following named children: Hobartus and Barbara, both now deceased; Margaret, Christina, Mathias, Annie, Mary and Peter, all six deceased; Casper, a farmer of Milton township; and John. The last named was reared as a farmer boy, and acquired his education through attendance at the common schools between the ages of six and thirteen years. At the age of twenty-three he entered the German army, and served for three years. At the place of his nativity, in the year 1862, Mr. Schon was united in marriage with Barbara Steffens, who was also born in that village, and in 1866 they came to America, sailing from Rotterdam to Liverpool, where they spent sixteen days. They were then obliged to return to Rotterdam, on account of the illness of their eldest child; but after two days they took passage on the sailing vessel " Disburk," which reached New York four weeks later. From there they at once came to Wood county, and Mr. Schon purchased twenty acres of wild land in Milton township, on which he built a plank house; then turned his attention to the development of a farm. In 1882 he sold that property, and purchased eighty acres of land on Jackson Prairie; but subsequently he bought his present farm, comprising seventy-eight acres. For this land he gave $5,000, and has since made many excellent improvements upon it, so that he now has one of the most highly developed and desirable country homes in Wood county. The children born to John and Barbara Schon were: Casper, who died at the age of three years; John, a wagon maker, of Michigan; Annie, wife of John Pouff, of Ohio; Frank, a blacksmith, of Milton, Ohio; Mary, wife of Charles Koch, of Milton township; and Clement, of Illinois. The mother of these died in 1873, and was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at Custar. In 1875 Mr. Schon was again married, his second union being with Margaret Schmitz, a native of Germany, born February 2, 1841, and who came to this country in 1873. By this marriage there were six children: Joseph, now of Lorain county, Ohio; Margaret and Nicholas, both at home; Peter, who died in infancy; Peter, the second of the name; and Lena, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Schon are members of St. Louis Catholic Church, of Custar, toward the building of which he was a liberal contributor. ANTON SCHUSTER, a well-known saloon-keeper of Grand Rapids, was born March 4, 1849, in Wirfus, Rhine Province, the only child of Frank and Sophia (Wolf) Schuster. The father was a native of the same place, born September 8, 1810, and came to America in 1863, locating on a farm in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he died April 18, 1864. The mother died when our subject was but a child. For his second wife Frank Schuster married Anna M. Wolf, by whom he had five children: Nicholas, now a resident of Custar; Jacob, a farmer in Milton township; Will- 604 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. iam, who died in childhood; one daughter, who died in childhood; and Peter, now living in Milton township with Anna M. Schuster, his mother. Anton Schuster came to America with his father, and remained in Cuyahoga county until 1870, when he went to Keokuk county, Iowa, and there remained for two years. On his return to Ohio he settled in Custar, where he followed the trade of carpenter eight years; then moved to Weston, and engaged in the saloon business. After two years there he transferred his business to Grand Rapids, where he has since resided. He has prospered, and has built a fine brick business block there. In 1883, Anton Schuster married Miss Mary B. Shamberger, a native of Lucas county, born October 2, 1864, and died July 27, 1884. On November 17, 1885, Mr. Schuster for his second wife married Elizabeth F. Long, who was born December 25, 1858, in Lucas county, and four children have blessed this union: Clare Cecelia, deceased; George C.; Omer F. , and Zgro Ross. In politics Mr. Schuster is a Democrat, and he is a leading member of the Roman Catholic Church, of which his parents were also adherents. RUBELLUS J. SIMON, M. D., the leading and scholarly physician of Pemberville, was born on a farm in Bloom township, Wood Co., Ohio, August 9, 1846, being the next to the eldest son of Levi Simon, whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume. Our subject is one of ten children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Myconius N., March 3, 1845; Rubellus J. (the subject of this sketch); Damiette, December 18, 1847 (she married Frank Ledyard, of Bloom township, and died August 23, 1884); Jerusha, October 10, 1850 (she died November 10, 1872); Belenia, August 6, 1852 (she married D. A. Deal, and died November 11, 1884); Poliander, July 22, 1856 (a remarkable child, and at the time of his death August 30, 1863, was intellectually equal to many of double his years); Montibello and Mettilene (twins) March 28, 1859 (the former now a farmer and dairyman of Bloom township; the latter died September 4, 1863); Phoebe E., June 11, 1861 (an unusually gifted child, possessing mental development far beyond her age at her death, December 30, 1877); and Elma O., February 19, 1863 (now Mrs. Jacob Fischer, of Helena, Montana). The boyhood years of our subject were spent at his father's farm. His early education was obtained under the direction of his parents, both of whom had been teachers, and were well fitted to train him for a life of usefulness and honor. At sixteen he entered the Poland Union Seminary, becoming a student in that institution the same year that Gov. McKinley completed his studies there. After nine months in the seminary, he received a teacher's certificate, and entered that profession, teaching the Mackey school, in Bloom' township. For several terms he taught there and in other districts, then entered the Findlay High School, where he continued his studies for eight months. Later he taught in the grammar school in the same institution for three terms, after which he entered Oberlin College, expecting to fit himself more thoroughly for the profession of a teacher. Two years were spent in study at Oberlin College, but meantime his ambition changed. Noticing that most of those who devoted their lives to teaching remained poor, and having a desire to gain possession of some of this world's goods by honest exertion, he determined to abandon the profession upon which he had entered. However, he taught a few terms afterward, and in that way gained the means with which to prosecute his medical studies. Under Dr. S. B. Emerson, of Eagleville, he began to read medicine, then took a course of lectures at the Eclectic Medical College, of Cincinnati, after which he continued to study and practice with Dr. Emerson for a year and a half. Later he took another course of lectures at the same college, graduating May 13, 1873. In August of the same year he opened an office at Pemberville, and commenced the practice of his chosen profession. On March 4, 1874, Dr. Simon was married to Mary A., daughter of Henry Mohr, of Eagleville. At that time he was in debt $600.00, but success came to him quickly, and at the end of a year he was out of debt and owned a house and lot. From that time to this he has had a large practice, and has acquired a splendid competence. In addition to professional duties, he has done an extensive business in fire insurance, and is medical examiner for two of the leading lifeinsurance companies of the United States-the New York Life and the Mutual Life of New York. He is the owner of 18o acres of fine land in the oil regions, which alone represent a small fortune. His home is a beautiful one, and he also owns other property. Formerly Dr. Simon was identified with the M. E. Church, but there being no Church of that denomination in Pemberville at the time he settled there, he became interested in the Presbyterian faith, assisted in the organization of the Church here, and was for eight years its only Rubellus J. & Mary Simon WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 605 elder. He has served in that office up to the present time, and has always been one of the most active workers, not only in the Church, but also in the Sunday-school, of which he was formerly superintendent. For six years he has been a member of the board of education, during which time the new school building was erected. During his service of four years as a member of the city council, the new city hall was built. In fact, he has been one of the most influential residents of the place, and has been prominent in social, professional and business circles. He is a great lover of fine horses, and is proud of having a team that will not " take dust " from any other team in Wood county. Dr. and Mrs. Simon have had four children, two of whom died in infancy, and one, Ina, when three months old. The only one living is Nina O., a bright and attractive child, now, fall of 1896, about four years old. In politics, the Doctor is a strong Republican, which is also the political faith of ninety-five per cent. of the entire Simon family, now numbering seven or eight hundred members. CHARLES MERCER, a wealthy retired agriculturist of Bowling Green, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, April 22, 1826, but has been for over sixty years a resident of Wood county, where his parents were among the pioneers. His father, William Mercer, was born in Lancaster county, Penn., May 13, 1775. On the 8th of November, 1798, he married Miss Charity Pettit, a native of Lancaster county, born June 17, 1781. Her parents, Daniel and Martha Pettit, both lived to a good old age, the former dying in 1831 at the age of eighty-seven, the latter in 1827, aged seventy-six. For many years after their marriage they lived on a farm in Columbiana county, Ohio, but September 20, 1834, they settled in Wood county upon a tract of wild land purchased from the government, which has since been developed into a fine firm. They were prominent members of the Christian Church, to which all their descendants adhere. The father died March 2, 1839, the mother February 2, 1855. Our subject was the youngest of thirteen children, of whom three are still living. The names with dates of birth and death are as follows: Martha, September 20, 1799, 1830 (married Andrew Pettit); Mary Ann, May 4, 1801, 1875 (married Enos Monehan); George, April 27, 1803, September 1, 1890; William, August 13, 1805, 1849; John, September 9, 1807, March 4, 1890; Daniel, October to, 18o9, August, 1885; Beulah, November 27, 1811, April, 1887 (married William Pike); Caleb, born March 24, 1814, lives in Bowling Green; Charity, April 3, 1816, 1875 (married Samuel Taylor); Lucretia, May 12, 1818, December 17, 1847 (married Henry Groves); Abraham, July 8, 1820, lives at Rudolph, Ohio; Ellis Ann, born April 24, 1822, died at the age of two years; Charles, the youngest, is our subject. Beulah left a great many descendants in the vicinity of DesMoines, Iowa, and Charity left a large family in Lawrence county, Penn., and to the north of Enon Valley. Our subject was but eight years old when he came to this county, and his education was obtained in the public school at Portage. He remained at the old homestead until 1888, when he retired from active work and came to Bowling Green to live. He was married in 1855 to Miss Jane Mominee, who was born in Lucas county, February 28, 1840, the daughter of Anthony and Angeline (De Mars) Morninee. Of the six children of Charles Mercer and wife, three are living. (1) Lenora, born August 3, 1856, died January 6, 1865. (2) Hiram, born December 31, 1857, died January 23, 1867. (3) Abram F., born August 1, 1855, lives at the old homestead. He was married February 26, 1879, to Miss Frances C. Frisbie, who was born in Wood county, November 10, 1859. They have had four children-Clayton, Elmer, Blanche and Leonard, of whom, the eldest died aged ten years. (4) Hamilton, born October 22, 1860, died January 7, 1861. (5) J. D., born March 27, 1863, lives upon a part of the old farm. He votes the Prohibition ticket, while his father and brother are ardent Republicans. He was married April 6, 1884, to Miss Rebecca Aller, a native of Geauga county, born May 5, 1863, and has three children-Lorenzo, Ina, and Hazel. (6) Alnetta, born May 6, 1870, was married January 2, 1891, to H. J. Rudolph, and lives in Rudolph, Ohio. Mr. Mercer united with the Christian Church at the age of eighteen, and has been an active worker in its interests throughout his manhood. Mrs. Mercer's grandfather, Louis Mominee, was born in 1740, in Quebec, Canada. In 1859, immediately after Montcalm's defeat, he came thence to what was at that time the Territory of Michigan, settling in Monroe county, near Monroe. In 1761 he married Leahr Preedom, and twenty-two children were born to them, of whom Anthony Mominee, Mrs. Mercer's father, was the twentieth. He was born January 15, 1785, in Monroe county, Mich., and died July 5, 1854. He served throughout the war of 1812, and during that struggle was taken prisoner by the Indians. 606 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. On February 17, 1817, he married Margaret Duso, and by her had two children. On June 4, 182 r, he wedded Angeline De Mars, who was born October 11, 1800, and ten children blessed their union, seven of whom are yet living. The only son, Peter, enlisted in 1864, in Company A, 130th O. V. I., and served sixty days in the summer of that year. He is now a resident of East Toledo, Ohio. Of the six daughters, Angeline Ducat, Margaret and Matilda McCullock, reside in East Toledo; Mary Edom, in Barry, Ill.; Elizabeth Ducat, and Jane, the wife of our subject, live in Bowling Green. ANDREW J. RICKARD (deceased) was one of the most prominent and influential business men of Milton, and at the time of his decease was serving his second term as mayor of that city. Through his various commercial interests he proved an important factor in the upbuilding of the town, and no one is more missed in the community. He was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., March 20, 1844. His father, Andrew Jackson Rickard, when a young man learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed in connection with farming during the greater part of his life. He married Hannah Rockwell, of Chautauqua county, where they resided until 1852, then they removed to Erie county, Ohio, the father renting a farm in Milan township. In 1862 he came by wagon with his family to Wood county, and settled on a farm near Bowling Green. In 1864, in connection with our subject, he purchased fifty acres of land in Plain township, on which stood an old log cabin which he made his home for a number of years. In 188o he lost his wife by death, after which event he married Maria Porter, widow of Rance Porter. He is now living in a home in Milton, built for him by our subject. Andrew J. Rickard, whose name introduces this sketch, was one of a large family, the others being Ellen, deceased wife of Henry Gross; Zinie, of Erie county, Ohio; George W., of Sandusky county, who was a member of Company D, 34th O. V. I., during the Civil war, and was captured at Harper's Ferry; Orange J., now of Henry county, Ohio; Elizabeth, wife of William Sheets, of Milton, who was a soldier of the 72nd O. V. I.; Isaac, who is living near Leipsic, Ohio; Philip, of Milton; John, of Weston; Liddy, who died at the age of seven years; and Nathan, who died in Milton Center at the age of thirty. Our subject attended school in his native county; but had to pay a tuition fee, and the teachers boarded round among the scholars. He was a lad of eight when the family went to Erie county, Ohio, where he continued his education and was Making preparations to pursue a college course when . the Civil war broke out. In July, 1861, at the age of seventeen, he became a private, in Erie county, of Company D, 34th Ohio Regiment of Zouaves, under Capt. Furney. At Cincinnati the troops embarked on a vessel for West Virginia. At the battle of Princeton, under Gen. Cox, our subject was severely wounded in the leg by a revolver shot. He fell into the enemy's hands, and was sent to a Rebel hospital, where he lay for ten months, when he was paroled and joined his regiment as soon as able. His next battle was at Fayetteville, wherein he received a severe gunshot wound. He was taken prisoner at Rocky Gap, and sent to Andersonville, where he remained until September, when he was transferred to Savannah, Ga., and on the 12th of October sent to the stockades at Milan, Ga. There he was exchanged, and November 19, 1864, boarded a boat on the Savannah river. At Charleston, in the fall of 1863, he had re-enlisted as a veteran, and was finally mustered out at Wheeling Island, July 29, 1865. Mr. Rickard then returned to Weston, and began work in a sawmill for Clark, McDonald, Richardson & Stone. In that place he purchased a home, for he had been married in the meantime. While home on a parole, after his release from Andersonville, he was wedded in Monroeville, Huron Co., January 17, 1864, to Emma Cole, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, August 31, 1843, and on the 9th of August, 1866, Alice, their only child, was born. She is now the wife of David Willier, a resident of Milton township, and has two children. Mr. Rickard traded his property in Weston for a sawmill in Milton, and began business in this place. His new property was afterward destroyed by fire; but with characteristic energy he rebuilt, and later bought out his partner, Mr. Whitaker, continuing alone for a number of years. For a time he conducted two sawmills, and was also the owner of a farm of 120 acres, but this he sold at the time the mill burned in order to acquire the capital with which to rebuild, after a second fire, in which he lost between $6,000 and $7,000 worth of property. In May, 1885, he purchased a drug store, and up to his death conducted a large and profitable business in that line. In addition he operated a planing-mill and sawmill, and was recognized as one of the most progressive and enterprising business men of Wood county, his success being all due to his own efforts. He died at his home in Milton WOOD COUNTY, OHIO - 607 Center, January 16, 1896, of blood poisoning, and the funeral was largely attended by members of the several societies to which he belonged. He was affiliated with Neibling Post, G. A. R., of Weston, also the I. O. O. F. and Encampment, in both of which he filled all the offices, and for nine years was a faithful member of the Presbyterian Church of Milton Center. In political affairs he took an active interest as a stalwart advocate of Republican principles, and for a number of years served as township trustee, while, as already related, he was serving his second term as mayor of this city at the time of his decease. Fidelity to duty was one of the predominating traits of his character, and in all the relations of life he was found true and faithful to the trusts reposed in him, thereby winning the confidence and high regard of all. Generous and kind-hearted, he was ever ready to lend a listening ear, and stretch out a helping hand, to the unfortunate and the needy. N. ALLEN ZIMMERMAN is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born in West Penn township, Schuylkill county, January 13, 1857, a son of Randolph and Hannah (Dunart) Zimmerman, also natives of that county, where they were married in February, 1856. In April, 1857, they removed to Medina county, Ohio, and the father purchased a farm in Homer township, but he afterward left that property and bought ninety-six acres, on which he lived until coming to Wood county nine years later. He here purchased 16o acres of wild land, but afterward sold eighty acres. His first home, a log cabin, was destroyed by fire September 9, 1872, and they lost all their household effects save one bed and a sewing machine. The father died on the old homestead, August 13, 1878, and the mother is now living in Michigan with her son, Gideon P., a farmer. Two children of the family are deceased: Lambert Alfred, who died at the age of two years; and Leanna Elnora, deceased, at the age of twenty-six years. The Zimmerman family is of German origin, and the grandfather of our subject, Samuel Zimmerman, was the first of them to cross the Atlantic to the United States. His parents died when he was very young, and when twelve years of age he came with the family by whom he was reared. Our subject was three months old when his parents removed to Medina county, and he there began his education, afterward continuing his studies in Wood county, acquiring good school privileges. During the summer months he aided his father in the labors of the home farm, and continued under the parental roof until his marriage, which occurred in Milton township, January 1, 1884, the lady of his choice being Miss Elizabeth J. Revenaugh, who was born in Vinton county, Ohio, November 29, 1861, a daughter of John and Catherine Revenaugh. They first located on the old homestead, but in October, 1884, removed to their present home, he trading his interest in the family farm for this property. The greater part of his eighty acres was wild and unimproved; but with characteristic energy he began its development, and soon placed it under the plow. Now well-tilled fields surround a comfortable residence and substantial barn, and the neat and thrifty appearance of the place indicates the careful supervision of the owner. To Mr. and Mrs. Zimmerman were born three children, one son and two daughters, the son being the eldest; he was born July 16, 1891, and died on the 20th of the same month. The elder daughter, born August 26, 1893, died on the 29th of that month. The younger daughter, Ruth Ethel, born February 26, 1896, yet survives. They also have a child known as R. O. Zimmerman, born October 31, 1886, whom they have raised from infancy. In his political views Mr. Zimmerman is a Democrat. His wife belongs to the Presbyterian Church, and both are highly esteemed people who have the warm regard of a large circle of friends and acquaintances. JOHN KIMBERLIN, a well-known pioneer of Grand Rapids township, was born February 16, 1820, in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. His immediate ancestors have been distinguished for their valor and patriotism. His grandfather, George Kimberlin, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war under Gen. Washington; his father, Henry Kimberlin, served in the war of 1812 under Harrison, making a fine record as a soldier. Henry Kimberlin was a native of Pennsylvania, born December 23, 1789, and was married there to Miss Sarah Brewau, who was born August 20, 1795, and by whom he had ten children, all of whom lived to adult age, viz.: Mary A., born October 2, 1816, married George Gilmore, May 6, 1841, and died July 13, 1875; Delilah, born April 21, 1818, married John Dull, December 7, 1843, and died May 4, 1888; John, our subject; Frances, born January 8, 1822, married George Older, August 25, 1860; George, born January 11, 1824, married Adaliza Olney, June 3, 1856, now a prominent citizen of Bowling Green; Jacob, born February 27, 1826, married Sobinah Guyer, November 10, 1853, and is a leading farmer of Grand Rapids township; 608 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Amelia, born August 8, 1828; Eliza, born September 25, 1830; Catherine, born November 22, 1833, married John W. Brown, March 19, 1862, and they reside in Grand Rapids township; and Martha J., born January 2, 1836, and died October 2, 1846. The family moved to Wayne county, Ohio, and four years later came to Wood county. Here the father bought a tract of wild land at the mouth of Beaver creek, which he cleared and cultivated with the help of his children. He died October 25, 1867, the mother June 20, 1878. John Kimberlin obtained his early education in an old log school house in the vicinity, and assisted in farm labor until he attained his majority. After leaving the homestead he worked three years upon a neighboring farm, and then began business as a contractor and builder, in which he was engaged thirty years, building school houses, churches, sawmills, and many private dwellings, including some of the finest in the township. In May, 1864, he enlisted in the one-hundred-days' service in Company I, 144th . O. V. I., Col. Hunt and Capt. McKee commanding, and took part in several of the engagements which make that year notable, among them the battle at Monocacy. His regiment formed part of the force which frustrated Early's designs upon Washington. On receiving his discharge, in the fall of 1864, he returned home and continued to follow his trade until 1878, when he and his two sisters bought the old homestead, consisting of 21o acres of land near Grand Rapids, and began to develop it into one of the finest farms in the township. He has built a handsome brick dwelling house with fine barns and sheds, and planted an extensive orchard. His attention is chiefly given to stock-raising, and he has one of the finest herds of Jersey cattle in the county, some of the animals being registered. His present success is the result of industry and frugality, and furnishes an encouraging lesson. Mr. Kimberlin has never married, but lives happily with his two sisters, each of whom owns a third of the farm. He is a Republican in politics, and has always taken an interest in local affairs, serving at one time as township supervisor. ANDREW J. MUNN, president of the Exchange Banking Company of Weston, and a leading oil producer of this region, was born in Center township, Wood county, Ohio, January 4, 1842. William Munn, father of our subject, was a native of County Down, Ireland, born in 1800, and when a young man came to Wood county, where with the exception of a few years passed in Macoupin county, Ill., he passed the remainder of his life. He had two brothers, who also came to this country, and one of whom went west, the other settling in New York and acquiring a fortune. William Munn kept an inn on the old Munn farm in Center township until his death in 1852, and his house was a favorite resort for the pioneers, who revelled in old songs and stories, and for the local politicians among whom he was a leader. He married Miss Nancy Boosinger, a native of Portage county, Ohio, and had two daughters, who died early in youth, and seven sons, as follows: Robert, deceased; George F., living in Portage; David, murdered in Texas on a sheep ranch; James, who died in Bowling Green; Andrew Jackson, our subject; Matthew, who lives at the old homestead, and William a resident of Bowling Green. A. J. Munn received his early education in the public schools of this county. On June 20, 1862, he entered the tooth O. V. I. for three years or during the war, and was assigned to the 23rd Army Corps, Central Division. Immediately after the battle at Knoxville he was taken prisoner and sent to Lynchburg, Va., being retained there for a few days, then in Libby prison for three weeks, and in Belle Isle for six months. He and his companions escaped through a tunnel, but was captured while cutting loose a canoe. Mr. Munn was beaten over the head with a revolver, all were compelled to crawl back through the tunnel, and as each man's head emerged it was struck with a spade.- While suffering and death reigned supreme in the prison, the captives were aggravated by a gang of thieves among their own numbers, who stole all articles of value which they could secure, and traded them to the Rebels. This gang Mr. Munn assisted in breaking up. Shortly after this was done, he and others were removed to the Pemberton Building, and later to Andersonville, where they arrived March 15, 1864, an attempt to escape from a box car while en route failing, partly because of the breaking of a saw. Mr. Munn and John Cain of the Pennsylvania Cavalry, Kilpatrick's Divison, escaped soon afterward and traveled all night, but at daybreak, while passing a gristmill, they were seen and pursued by the entire neighborhood assisted by bloodhounds. Fortunately the latter followed the winding trail, and did not come up to them until they were in custody of men who fed them and sent them back to the prison in a buggy. The next escape was accomplished while assigned to carrying out the dead bodies from the prison. Twenty-four who made the attempt were re-cap- Andrew J. Munn WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 609 tured, and, after a night around a camp-fire, were taken before the notorious Capt. Wirtz. He ordered all valuables to be taken from them; but as luck would have it' the man who did the searching had an honest and sympathetic heart, and in Mr. Munn's case he reported that he found only two dollars, and, retaining the rest, he afterward expended it for food and other supplies for him. The prisoners were then formed in line and questioned as to their mode of escape, which they refused to reveal. They were threatened with 150 lashes each if they did not re-consider this decision, but while they were debating the matter a dispatch arrived telling how they had escaped. They were then ordered to march to a pile of thirty-two-pound iron balls, each man picking up one and carrying it to the blacksmith's shop, where it was attached to his ankle by a chain. This done, they were started on a run for the prison, the chains cutting deeper into their flesh at every step; but after they were out of Capt. Wirtz's sight they were permitted to take sticks, and, by tying strings to end of stick and in link next ball, carried the balls before them as they walked. They were compelled to hobble up to quarters every morning for inspection, but in a few days Mr. Munn managed to make an open link and detached his weight, replacing it when called to quarters. He finally managed to file the band off, and was ready for another escape. Ten dollars secured him a place on the detail which brought in wood, and, while out, his plan was favored by a terrific rain storm which made the guards return in haste to shelter. Our subject had kept well in the rear, and giving his wood to his companions he ran to an outside building where a friend, Turner Winn, was detailed as cook. On his advice Mr. Munn secreted himself in a marsh near, by to wait for a supply of food, but, although he remained immersed in the water for several hours, he missed his friend and was obliged to start hungry on his journey through the inky darkness and pouring rain. He walked all that night, only to find himself at dawn close to the prison walls, having traveled in a circle. His dismay can hardly be imagined, but he had no time to brood over his mistake, and starting south he met, four miles out, a negro who secreted him and brought him food. That evening our hero started across the fields in a northwesterly direction in a cold, drizzling rain, which chilled him to the heart. Almost despairing, he made several attempts to find shelter and rest in lonely houses, but found each one occupied by sleepers whom he feared to arouse. Just as he was about to throw himself upon the ground and abandon all hope, he heard hogs squealing, and finding their pen he kicked them out of their warm nest and dropped downs into it himself, losing consciousness the moment. he fell. On awakening, he found the sunshine: beaming upon him, and a white-haired negro calling the hogs to feed. When Mr. Munn rose up poor old " Father Buckhorn " stood speechless with astonishment until he learned that the stranger was a '' Yankee soldier. " " Lord bress you," he said, "I thought it was a new Christ come to earth. " He was the overseer of the plantation, and taking Mr. Munn out into an oat field he made him a bed of straw, and soon the colored women supplied him with an abundance of food. The news that "Father Buckhorn" had found a "Yankee" in the hog bed spread far and wide among the negroes, and made that poor old slave the hero of the hour. From all directions the darkies crowded in to look upon the visitor, and they alternately laughed and cried as they made him repeat again and again the story of his adventures and the progress of the war. Their joy at seeing one of their long-hoped for deliverers was pathetic, and such expressions as "God bress de Yankee generation; deys done come at last," were frequent. A Confederate uniform was found for him, and at night a haversack full of food was provided; but he was too weak to carry it, and a darkey offered to carry it, as he was going twenty miles north to see his wife. Hope and strength returning, Mr. Munn walked on through several nights without special incident, resting during the day, but when his food was gone he was again in perplexity. Shouts from a darkey meeting led him safely to a place where a friendly colored man cared for him, hiding him in a barn and giving him a new supply of food. Warned against going north, where the Rebel forces were concentrated, he took a new direction, and met varying fortunes, swimming rivers, walking miles in the bed of a small stream in order to leave no trace for the hounds to follow, and at times subsisting on huckleberries when no colored ally could be found. At one point the negroes warned him against following the road farther, as two neighbors kept bloodhounds who would know that he was a Yankee in spite of all precautions. He tried it, however, on a dark night, mounted on a mule, but the hounds at the first house made such an outcry that he dared not go on. He had many other narrow escapes, his gray suit serving him well on several occasions. Once, when desperate for food, he entered a house and told the lady who met him that he was a Confederate soldier; but WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 610 after some conversation learned that she was a Unionist, and then confessed his own identity. Her husband had gone away rather than fight against the North, and, as both were suspected, she was afraid to do much to help him. In a few hours a Rebel neighbor came in, but so good account did Mr. Munn give of himself that he departed satisfied, and the lady expressed amazement that even a Yankee should be able to invent such a story while he was telling it. When night came she sent him to a Union man near by, who was at first chary of his confidence; but he and his son finally accepted him as "genuine," and kept him up until a late hour telling them the news of the war, accurate intelligence seldom reaching the rural communities. He slept that night in a corn crib, as they were in fear of the Rebels, and the next morning while eating his " corn pone " he was told that the Unionists had taken Rome, Ga., sixty miles away, and had a post at Cross Plains, only fifteen miles from his stopping place. On reaching Cross Plains he found this incorrect. He was well treated there, however, by the negroes, dined in the yard of a .stanch Rebel, and passed the pickets safely. He tried to keep to the mountains in order to avoid the relays and stations on the road to Rome; but having been told by a negro how to pass them safely, he tried to follow the road, but was pursued by a detachment from the next post. After swimming a creek and running a long distance, he fell down exhausted in an oat field, where he lay all night, listening to sounds of battle, by which he decided that the Rebels were retreating. The next morning, Monday, July 4, 1864, he made his way to the Union outposts. But his troubles were not yet over. The most vexatious incident of all his tedious wanderings came through his very accurate " make up " as a Confederate. He was arrested and placed in the guard house with other prisoners, and with difficulty obtained an interview with the colonel in command, who finally became convinced of his loyalty, and offered him a position on his staff. This was declined as Mr. Munn wished to rejoin his company, which he succeeded in doing a few weeks later, at Atlanta. With the regiment he remained until mustered out in September, 1865. On returning home he engaged in the grocery business at Ottawa, later moving to a farm near Portage and establishing a grocery in that village, where he also served four years as postmaster. In June, 1883, he went to Cleveland and entered the commission business; but in 1884 came to Weston and opened a store for general merchandise, which he conducted eight years, and of which he made a success. Following the arts of peace as energetically as he did those of war, he has been a leading factor in many enterprises. He was the chief organizer of the Exchange Banking Company of Weston, and has been its president from the start. With others, he engaged in oil producing, and now has an interest in twenty productive wells, and others in process of development, and holds a number of promising leases besides. When Mr. Munn was seventeen years old he received $500 from his mother as his share of the paternal estate, and on this capital founded the prosperity he now enjoys. He bought eighty acres of wild land in Portage township, and has ever since dealt largely in real estate in Wood and Henry counties. In 1866 Mr. Munn married Miss Louise J. Turner, of Portage, who was born in 1844. They have three children: Arthur, assistant cashier of the Exchange Banking Co.; Maude L., who married J. V. Baldwin, of Weston, and has one son, Andrew Edward; and Jessie M., the wife of Ambrose C. Vedder, of St. Augustine, Fla. (they have one son, Munn C. A. Vedder). Mr. Munn erected his pleasant home in 1892, one of the finest in the county. He is quite a traveler, and recently spent six months at St. Augustine, Fla., where he has a cottage. Socially he is a member of the F. & A. M. and the G. A. R. He was brought up a Democrat, but during the Civil war changed his political opinions, and is now a member of the Republican party. MARION V. COX, a farmer of Milton township, was born in Crawford county, Ohio, near Bucyrus, April 2, 1847. His parents, George and Nancy J. (Young) Cox, were also natives of the Buckeye State, the former born in Harrison county, in 1816, the latter in Guernsey county, in 1826. They were married in Richland county, later removed to Crawford county, and about 1856 became residents of Morrow county. In April, 1861, the father enlisted in Company I, 65th O. V. I., and served until the close of the war. He afterward removed to Hancock county, and in 1871 came to Wood county, where he is now living a retired life in Weston; his wife died there in May, 1893. Their children were Marion V.; Martha, wife of Samuel Wikel, of Wingston; George, a teamster of North Baltimore; Ellen, wife of Jack Wall, of Wingston; Charles, a farmer of Oklahoma; Viona, wife of Albert Hessong, of Milton township, and Virginia, who died at the age of two years. Our subject acquired a district-school education, and was reared as a farmer boy. In 1862, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 611 when only fifteen years of age, he joined the Union army in Morrow county, and became a member of Company I, 85th O. V. I. At the end of six weeks he was transferred to the 87th Ohio Regiment, and was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry, but not long after was paroled. Being now a paroled prisoner, he enlisted in Company C, 54th Battalion, Ohio State Guards, for service in the State. In 1863, although he was fully aware of the great risk he ran, as a paroled prisoner, to re-enlist for active service, yet he joined Company E, 21st O. V. V. I., in which regiment he participated in the battle of Tunnel Hill, and, on July 9, 1864, was wounded by a minie ball in the right arm, which kept him from duty for two months. He then joined his regiment in front of Atlanta, went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea, and was in the Carolina campaign. While at Columbus, Ohio, July 21, 1865, he was honorably discharged. Mr. Cox says he could relate many a heart-rending scene he was an eyewitness to during his war experiences. For a man of his -age during the war, he saw a great deal of hard service. Soon after his return home, Mr. Cox went to the lumber woods of northern Michigan, where he was engaged in making shingles for three years. He then returned to Findlay, Ohio, in 1869, and was there married to Miss Almira Feller, who was born near Findlay, May 26, 1850. They rented the old Foulk farm, in Hancock county, but after a year rented a farm in Wood county. On the latter place they lived for a year, and Mr. Cox then purchased his present place of eighty acres. This, however, he sold after a year, and for six years rented and operated the Samuel Case farm, in Liberty township. He then again purchased the farm in Milton township, and has made excellent improvements upon it, including the erection of an elegant and spacious dwelling. Industry and enterprise are numbered among his chief characteristics, and have been important factors in his success. Mr. and Mrs. Cox have a family of seven children: Rosie, wife of Ira Lance; Ina; Eldon; Clay and Clyde, twins; Blaine and Olive; they also lost one child that died in infancy. The parents occupy an enviable position in social circles, and have many warm friends. Politically, Mr. Cox affiliates with the Republican party; in religious faith he is an adherent of the United Brethren Church, and, socially, he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. His duties of citizenship are discharged with the same loyalty as when a soldier boy he followed the stars and stripes on Southern battle fields. WILLIAM FURRY. Among the old pioneers and representative agriculturists of Lake township, there is probably no more prominent figure than Mr. Furry, who makes his home in Section 27. He is a native of Stark county, born in 1833, and is a son of Jacob Henry and Fannie (Butler) Furry, the latter of whom died August 20, 1885. The father's birth occurred in Pennsylvania, where he was reared and married, and in 1833 he took his family to Stark county, Ohio, but the same year came to Wood county, locating at Stony Ridge. He was employed for a time on the Maumee pike, and later entered land in Lake township, which he made his home until his death in 1866. He was one of the first members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Stony Ridge, and helped to build the first church erected at that place. He and his wife were faithful members of that Church until God called them to a better land. Our subject is the third in order of birth in a family of nine children-five sons and four daughters-the others being as follows: Jacob enlisted in October, 1861, at Stony Ridge, in the 72nd O. V. I., and was discharged at Columbus, Ohio, August 21, 1862; he died at Pemberville, Wood county, in August, 1895. George resides at Stony Ridge. Mrs. James Whitmore lives at Haskins, this county. Mrs. Margaret Jennison died at East Toledo in 189o. Mrs. Catherine McCutcheon makes her home at Stony Ridge. John enlisted at Stony Ridge October 19, 1861, in Company E, 72nd O. V. I., for three years, and was mustered in at Columbus, Ohio; he served in the quartermaster's department until honorably discharged at Louisville, Ky., in 1865; his death occurred at Woodville, Ohio, in 1887. Mary is the wife of Martin Shook, of Stony Ridge. Charles makes his home at Gibsonburg, Sandusky Co., Ohio. The childhood and youth of our subject were passed at Stony Ridge and in Lake township, where he was educated, and he remained under the parental roof until the outbreak of the Civil war, when, in 1861, he enlisted at Stony Ridge, in Company E, 72nd O. V. I., for three years. He was mustered into the United States service at Columbus, and was assigned to the Western army. He participated in the battle of Shiloh and the siege of Vicksburg, where he received a gunshot wound, and at the battle near Ripley, Miss., he was taken prisoner. After three months and a half confinement in Andersonville prison, he was sent to Florence, and later to Lawton, thus experiencing nine months of Rebel prison life. At Salisbury, N. C., he was honorably dis- 612 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. charged in 1865, and returned to his home in Lake township, Wood county, where it took him some months to recuperate. He has since made his home upon his present farm. In 1865, in that township, he wedded Miss Hannah Akersberger, a native of Wood county, and a daughter of George Akersberger, an early pioneer of the township, who died in 1895, but upon the old home farm his widow still resides. Mrs. Furry died in 1868, leaving one child Edgar George. For his second wife our subject wedded, in 1869, Miss Hattie Wicks, a native of Sandusky county. Her parents, John and Sarah (Hartzel) Wicks, were born in Union county, Penn., thence removed to Wayne county, Ohio, and later to Sandusky county, where they were numbered among the earliest pioneers, and in 1868 became residents of Lake township, Wood county, locating upon a farm. In that township the father died in 1887, and the mother in 1891. Mr. and Mrs. Furry have had eight children: Jonas William, who is married and lives in Lake township; John James; Henry B.; Floyd A.; Palmer E.; Irvin E.; Ray R.; and Harry, who died in 1883, at the age of eighteen months. . For sixty-three years Mr. Furry has been a resident of Wood county, during which time he has witnessed its wonderful development, and has been of material assistance in its advancement. On his fine farm of sixty-five acres he is now engaged in general farming, and the place well indicates his careful supervision, enterprise and industry. He takes considerable interest in political affairs, always supporting the Republican party. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Stony Ridge, and are faithful workers in same. JOHN HARTMAN, who is one of the substantial agriculturists and prosperous men of Wood county, was born in Perrysburg, that county, December 18, 1834, the eldest of the eight children of Jacob and Margaret (Lichtenberger) Hartman. The parents of our subject were both natives of Germany, the father born May 24, 1808, in Wurtemberg, and the mother on March 12, 1812, near Strasburg. In 1834 they were married in Stark county, Ohio, and came to Wood county the same year, first locating in Perrysburg, afterward, in 1836, removing to Bowling Green, in which vicinity he carried on farming. The father died April 8, 1890; the mother is still living. Their children are as follows: John; Frederick, a farmer in Plain township; Josephine, wife of F. Nobles, a farmer in Center township; David, a farmer in Plain township; George, also a farmer in Plain township; Elizabeth, who resides with her mother in Bowling Green; Electa, also living at home; and Leonard, living on the old homestead in Center township, Wood county. All of the sons are wealthy farmers, and have spent their lives in the vicinity of Bowling Green. John Hartman was reared to manhood in Center township, and obtained the principle part of his education in the district schools, also attending two years at the Perrysburg High School. When sixteen years old he entered the employ of Lock & Peck, of Bowling Green, as clerk. In the fall of 1854, he studied one term in the college at Berea, and he taught school successfully for six terms. After his marriage, he settled on a farm in Plain township, where he has lived some thirty-eight years. He first bought eighty acres of wild land, and now owns 15o acres, all of which he has brought to a high state of cultivation, and by assiduous labor and careful attention to the details of his work he has become a wealthy man. His example is one that ought to encourage any young man to go and do likewise. When only eighteen years old he was thrown upon his own resources, and he has been the architect of his own fortune. Many of the settlers at that early day depended upon hunting, trapping and fishing for their livelihood, and as the advance of civilization gradually destroyed these means of subsistence, they eventually drifted out to the frontiers, or took up some other desultory method of making a living. Our subject, on the contrary, turned his attention to tilling the soil, and, as the country grew up around him, found a reward for his labors in the products of his fields, and the enjoyments of social life. To-day he ranks among the wealthy and honored citizens of the county who have aided in her growth and progress, and who take pride in the great development of her wonderful resources. He has kept a diary for twenty-three years, on one page recording the weather and directions of the wind, and on the other his business transactions and events of the day. Mr. Hartman was married December 23, 1858, to Miss Estella Sholes, who was born in Huron county, Ohio, January 28, 1841. Her father, Alva Sholes, was of English descent, born December 11, 1815, in Genesee county, N. Y., son of John and Phoebe (Pond) Sholes, who were natives of eastern New York. In 1841 they migrated westward to Illinois, settling in Kane county, where they passed the remainder of their lives, engaged in farming. They had seven children: Solomon, Steven, Roxanna, Alva, Sylvia, David and Hiram. Alva Sholes came to Huron John & Estella Hartman WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 613 county, Ohio, where he was married, December 6, 1839, to Eliza Jane Moore. They became the parents of five children, viz.: Estella (Mrs. Hartman); Leuthera (Mrs. James Mann), of Plain township; Dalinda (Mrs. Frederick Hartman), who died in 1873; Alice J. (Mrs. Dr. Manville), of Bowling Green; and Frank, on the old homestead. Alva Sholes came to Wood county in 1848, settling on a farm in Plain township, where he died in January, 1892. Politically he was a Republican. Mrs.. Hartman's great-grandfather, John Moore, came from Germany to the United States with Lafayette, under whom he served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. Four children have blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hartman, namely: (1) Josephine is the wife of J. W. Underwood, assistant cashier of the First National Bank of Bowling Green; they have two children-Estella and Esther. (2) Ernest. is a graduate of the Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, and is a druggist at Weston, Ohio. (3) Eugene, born April 17, 1869, was educated at Fayette and Wauseon Normal Schools, and was a teacher in the public schools one term; he is now farming at home. (4) Winifred, born March 14, 1877, lives at home with her parents. Mr. Hartman is a Republican in political belief; has served as township trustee and as school director of his district, but he is no office seeker, preferring to devote his attention to his private interests. JOHN LAYMAN, a pioneer agriculturist and lumberman of Webster township, was born November 1, 1839, in Berne, Switzerland. His parents, John and Martha (Jacobs) Layman, were both natives of that place, and were married there. In 1849 they came to Wood county, and purchased eighty acres of unimproved land in Webster township. Our subject's father was a man of great energy and practical ability, a Democrat in politics, and a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. He died in August, 1872, and his wife survived him until August 13, 1893. Their children were as follows: Barbara; Peter, a farmer in Webster township; Chris William; John, our subject; and Anne. Mr. Layman was ten years old when he came to America, and he remembers well the scenes and experiences of pioneer times, when Indians, wolves and mosquitoes kept the settlers in constant dread and discomfort. The first home of the family was a little log cabin, and they nearly starved at times. Their wheat had to be carried thirty miles to mill. When he reached the age of twenty-two, Mr. Layman enlisted in Company I, 111th O. V. I. (Capts. Yeager and Norris commanding). He took part in thirty-two hard fought engagements, the principal ones being Stone River, Allatoona, Resaca, Lost Mountain, siege of Knoxville, Chattanooga, Cedar Rapids, Utoy Creek, Fort Anderson, Raleigh, and Atlanta. He was discharged at Salisbury, N. C., June 27, 1865. Returning home, he bought eighty acres of forest land near Luckey, and erected a sawmill-, which he operated for twenty years. In 1873, he was married to Miss Mary Smith, also a native of Berne, Switzerland. They have four children: Frank, Fred, Mary and Edward. In politics, Mr. Layman is a Republican, and he belongs to Benedict Post, G. A. R., of Pemberville. He and his wife are prominent members of the Evangelical Church at Luckey. JAMES S. SALSBERRY, who is numbered among the boys in blue " of the Civil war, and now follows farming in Milton township, was born in Liberty township, Wood county, November 28, 1838. Jonathan Salsberry, his father, a miller by trade, was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, in May, 1786. He learned his trade in Pennsylvania, and was there married to Catherine Plott, a native of the Keystone State. They afterward removed to Ohio, locating on a tract of wild land in Liberty township, Wood county, where they lived until 1864, when the father purchased eighty acres of land in Milton township, and continued its cultivation until his death in 1883. His wife passed away several years previous. Their children were: Sibylina, wife of W. H. Cotton, of Milton; Salinda Ann, wife of Jonathan L. Wheaton, of Nebraska; Salathiel Edwin, of San Antonio, Texas; Cinderella Phoebe, deceased wife of Langdon C. Hubbard; Stanilaus Rudolph, late farmer of Milton township (now deceased); James S., our subject; Sabina I., deceased wife of Edward Remington; Samaria, wife of Thomas Hill, of Milton township; Samaritan Mortimer, of Norwalk, Huron Co., Ohio; and Salva, who died in infancy. On the old family homestead our subject was reared. While in Liberty township he acquired his education in the old-fashioned log school house, with its fireplace and other primitive furnishings. In July, 1862, he enlisted in the Union army, becoming a member of Company B, 111th O: V. I. Going to the front soon after, his command was engaged in chasing Buell in Kentucky, and on November 16, 1863, he was taken prisoner and sent to Atlanta, afterward to Savannah, and thence to Richmond, where he remained until released, January 1, 1864. He then joined his regiment at Big Shanty, Ga. He WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 614 took part in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain, the Atlanta campaign, also the siege of the city, and was once wounded by a minie ball in the right knee. He was discharged at Salisbury, N. C., and while at Cleveland, Ohio, June 27, 1865, he was mustered out. At once returning home, he resumed farming. On November 11, 1866, in Milton township, Mr. Salsberry was married to Susan D. Castle, who was born near Sandusky, Erie Co., Ohio, August 31, 1847, and is a daughter of Thomas Castle, a farmer, who was born in Greene county, N. Y., in 1818. When a young man Mr. Castle went to Wyoming county, Penn., where he wedded Elizabeth Philo, who was born in that county, March 26, 1821. A year later they came to Ohio, locating on a farm near Sandusky, and in 1855 they arrived in Wood county, making their home in Milton township, where Mr. Castle died July 26, 1892. His widow is still living in Custar. Their children were: Anna, deceased wife of Stanley O. Shaw; Malbon W., who entered the army, and died at Graysville, Ga.; Mrs. Salsberry; Isaac, deceased; Sarah J., deceased wife of Barnett Older; David H., who was drowned at the age of seventeen months; Caroline, deceased wife of David Bredbinner; John F., a farmer of Jackson township; Alice C., wife of James Russell, of Isabel county, Mich. ; and Henrietta, who died in infancy. Upon their marriage, Mr. Salsberry and his wife located in Milton township. A year later they removed to Ironton, Mo., but after six months went to St. Francis county, Mo., where Mr. Salsberry purchased 10o acres of land, on which he lived for a year and a half. He then returned to Wood county, and after a short time took up his residence in Custar, where he engaged in clerking for two years. He next rented land for a few years, after which, in 1883, he purchased fifty acres, twelve of which were cleared. In 1892 he erected his present commodious and comfortable home, and in 1891 he built a large and substantial barn, which was destroyed by fire, August 26, 1895. To him and his wife have been born three children: (1) Elmo Earle, born April 27, 1868, in Missouri; he was married, October 19, 1891, to Fannie E., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Fellers, farming people of Henry township, and to them was born, October 18, 1892, a daughter, named Pearl; Elmo E. Salsberry is now teaching school in North Baltimore. (2) Elda B. (also a school teacher), born November 5, 1871, in Milton township; he was married, September 11, 1890, to Nora B., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Winfield Barber, farming people of Milton township, and to them have been born three children, their names and dates of birth being as follows James W., February 25, 1892; Opal M., April 12, 1893; Malbon E., February 5, 1894. (3) Roland was born November 26, 1880, and is attending school in Custar. The parents are active members of the Disciples Church, and in politics Mr. Salsberry was a Democrat until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he became a stanch Republican. A. J. HARMAN, a straightforward and industrious farmer, is a descendant of one of the old and respected families of Montgomery township, where he was born in Section 30, September 7, 1868, and is the youngest child of William and Mary (Kyser) Harman. He acquired his education in the district schools of the neighborhood- his first teacher being Erasmus Musser-and received a careful home training, remaining. a member of the parental household until he had attained the age of eighteen years, when he entered the stave mill at Prairie Depot belonging to Smith, Hathaway & Co., where he was employed as fireman and at running the engine. In that village, April 21, 1888, Mr. Harman married Miss Amanda Amos, the ceremony being performed by Steve Angus. The lady is also descended from a respected pioneer family of Wood county, who were early settlers of Portage township, where she was born October 18, 1868. However, she accompanied her parents, George and Sarah A. (Jackson) Amos, to Montgomery township when a small child, and was there reared. Three children grace the union of our subject and his wife: Mabel M., born October 31, 1889; Hazel L., born February 27, 1891; and Pearly J., born February 3, 1895, and these compose an interesting little group. After his marriage, Mr. Harman rented four lots of his father in Prairie Depot, where he resided until the fall of 1889, when he located upon the home farm in Montgomery township, and there continued until his present comfortable home was erected in 1893, where they removed on October 5. He has twenty acres of rich and productive land, upon which he has placed many substantial improvements, and no happier or pleasanter home can be found anywhere. For nearly two years he was a pumper for the Hazelwood Oil Company, in which position he remained until January 31, 1896, when he took charge of the oil property for the Stitts, Pool & Harris Oil Co. He is a steady-going young man, destined to become a substantial farmer, and WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 615 bears an excellent reputation throughout the community, where he has always made his home. In political sentiment he is a stalwart Democrat, ever casting his vote in support of the principles of that party. A. B. MILLER. The subject of this sketch stands second to none among the prominent citizens of Jerry City. The place of his nativity is Upper Paxton township, Dauphin Co., Penn., where he was born March 30, 1816; he was christened Amos, but later for convenience took the initial B, and is now known as A. B. Miller. His parents, Daniel and Magdalene (Kanaga) Miller, were of Swiss extraction, their ancestors having come from Switzerland many generations ago, locating in Lancaster county, Penn., during its pioneer days. Our subject was nineteen years of age when the' family left the Keystone State, making the long journey, by way of Pittsburg, to Scipio township, Seneca county, where the father had previously purchased 182 acres of land and erected a cabin. He and his wife came in a carriage, while our subject drove a one-horse wagon containing bedding and provisions, and his brother Simon drove a four-horse team hitched to a covered wagon. It was two years after the parents left their home in Pennsylvania before they located in Seneca county, as they had stopped at Mrs. Miller's father's farm in Stark county, Ohio, there making a temporary home while the father looked up a suitable location. His death occurred in Seneca county at the age of sixty-eight years and nine months, while his wife had reached the very advanced age of ninety-three years and three months, at the time of her death. She was a woman of the greatest vitality, always active up to the time of her death. In the family were five children, namely: Simon, who died in Seneca county when nearly eighty years of age; Elizabeth, who became the wife of George Shaffner, and died when past the age of sixty years; A. B., of this sketch; Fannie, who died in Pennsylvania at the age of thirteen; and John K., of. Seneca county. The early education of our subject was such as the subscription schools of Pennsylvania afforded at that early day, when manual labor was considered of more importance than literary studies. His boyhood and youth were passed on his father's farm, and one of the first important steps toward the establishment of a home of his own, was his marriage which took place in Bucyrus, Ohio, February 23, 1841, his bride being Miss Nancy Shaffner, who was born in Dauphin county, Penn., September 21, 1822. She was the next to the youngest in the family of nine children, three sons and six daughters, born to Martin and Sarah (Flischer) Shaffner. While a resident of Pennsylvania, her father followed tanning; but on locating in Crawford county, Ohio, in 1828, he took up farming, which he followed until his death 9t the age of eighty-four. The mother of Mrs. Miller died in 1824, after which Mr. Shaffner was three times married, and became the father of twenty-one children, one of whom died in infancy, but the others all lived to adult age, the youngest dying at the age of nineteen. The union of our subject and his wife has been blessed by the advent of twelve children, namely: William H., who served for three years during the Civil war as a member of Company H, 101st O. V. I., and is now living in Portage township, Wood county; Isaiah S., a resident of the same township; John W., a merchant of West Millgrove, Ohio; Mary M., wife of John Johnston, Jr., of Portage township; Sarah E., wife of John Reese, of Bloom township; Martha J., now Mrs. Levi Butturf, of Crawford county, Ohio; Amanda, who died at the age of six years; Annie M., who became the wife of John Todd, and died in Portage township; Amos A., who died in infancy; Nannie, who died at the .age of eighteen years, was the wife of Cyrus Johnston; Ida A., widow of Henry Brown, of Jerry City, Ohio; and a son who died in infancy. The family is one of prominence, and its members have become useful and respected citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Miller began housekeeping on an eighty-acre farm in Seneca county, partially cleared, where they made their home until February, 1864, when they came to Section 10, Portage township, Wood county, buying 160 acres of land. There they continued to reside until March 4, 1880, since which time they have found a pleasant home in Jerry City, though they still own fifty-eight acres in Section 32, Portage township. For over fifty-five years they have traveled life's journey together, strengthening each other during the trials and vicissitudes of life, but are now resting after their labors, surrounded by a loving family and many warm friends. Both are earnest Christians, being members of the Radical United Brethren Church. For many years Mr. Miller was a Republican, but now supports the Prohibition party. JAMES SMITH, deceased. The subject of this sketch, formerly a well-known citizen of Bowling Green, was born in the North of Ireland in the year 1815. He came to America when twenty years of age, and for two years lived in New 616 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. York City, but finally located at Little Falls, Herkimer Co., N. Y., where he remained thirty years engaged in merchant tailoring. He married a native of Little Falls, Miss Phally Dennis, who was born August 15, 1824, the eldest daughter of Cornelius and Betsy (Simmons) Dennis. They were natives of Connecticut, but came to New York in early youth, where they met and married. Mr. Dennis was a prominent resident of Little Falls, a millwright by trade. He lived to the age of eighty, but Mrs. Dennis died at the age of forty years. Of their four children, Mrs. Smith is now the only survivor. The others were Thomas, a resident of New York State; Mary, who died in childhood, and Eleanor. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Smith continued to reside at Little Falls, where children were born to them as follows: Edmund, born June 30, 1847, died in childhood; Clarissa, born July 20, 1849, who married George West, and died June 19, 1872, leaving one daughter, Mabel, now Mrs. Strouse, of Fostoria, Ohio; George, born June 5, 1853, who married Miss 'Maggie Tisseur, and died August I I, 1892, leaving three children -Floyd, Laminne, and Marie; Julia A., born March 29, 1858, who married Frank H. Boughton, of Bowling Green, and has three boys, Walter, Solon and LeRoy. Two great-grandchildren of Mr. and Mrs. Smith-Phally and Clara Strouse-live with their parents at Fostoria. After thirty years of active business life at Little Falls, Mr. Smith moved with his family to Bowling Green, where he had made some profitable investments, and spent the remainder of his days there in retirement. Politically he. was a Democrat, and although he was never a politician, he took an intelligent interest in all public movements. His death occurred in 1883, and since that time Mrs. Smith has lived in her own home, only two blocks from her daughter, Mrs. Boughton. Her few remaining relatives take delight in her occasional visits. She has been a member of the Presbyterian Church for twenty years; but her age prevents her from taking an active part in Church work. MRS. MARY CRANKER WILLIAMS, of Perrysburg, the widow of Alfred Gillette Williams, who was for many years a leading business man of Wood county, is a member of one of the oldest families of her vicinity. Her parents, Peter and Margaret (Meagley) Cranker, were honored pioneers of Perrysburg, where our subject was born November 13, 1840, and grew to useful womanhood, receiving an excellent education, and early taking a prominent part in social, religious and philanthropical circles. On December 30, 1866, she was united in marriage with Mr. Williams, a. man in whom all the sterling uprightness and courage of his Welsh ancestry was revealed in daily life. He. was born in Steuben, N. Y., November 21, 1832, but his parents moved to Adrian, Mich., in the following year, and there he remained up to the age of seventeen. Having decided upon a mercantile calling, he served an apprenticeship, by clerking some years, in Fayette, Ohio, and Grand Rapids, Mich., and afterward traveled as a salesman for a firm in Maumee City, gaining valuable experience of which he made good use in later years. In 1860 he came to Perrysburg, and, in partnership with his brother, engaged in the dry-goods business, in which they built a substantial and profitable trade. After some years he withdrew from this firm and devoted his time to other enterprises, notably the oil industry. He was also extensively engaged in the manufacture of wooden-ware, and in the interest of his business he traveled extensively. His efforts in every line were rewarded with success, but his generous nature made him a liberal dispenser of the wealth which flowed in his busy hands. A devout and consistent member of the M. E. Church, to which he gave faithful service as steward, trustee, class-reader and Sunday-school teacher, he was also a ready financial supporter in every emergency. Religion was not with him a form; it was an essential part of his life. In early manhood, while at Maumee City, he had experienced a deep spiritual awakening which left no doubt within him as to the transcendent value of the higher life. It was his delight to serve the cause of the Church in any capacity, and when elected in 1891 as lay delegate from the Central Ohio Conference to the General Conference, he regarded it as the greatest honor of his life. In politics he was a Republican, though his father was a Democrat, and for several years he served on the school board, but was no office seeker. Socially he was a Master Mason. He passed away October 17, 1.892, after a short illness, in full assurance of the faith of Christ. Only the day before his death he exclaimed, his face radiant with happiness, " Oh, I have received such a blessing this week." He left three sons, Alfred R., born September 5, 1868, who married Clara Chappuies, and has two children-Alfred Russell, Jr., and Elbert J.; Ernest Roy, born June I I, 1879, and Arthur G., born October 8, 1882, both of whom live with their mother at the family residence on Second street, a home where Alfred G. Williams WOOD COUNTY, OHIO - 617 all that could minister to culture and refinement is gathered. Mrs. Williams, always a ready helpmeet to her husband in his philanthropies, still continues the work in which he delighted, and gives freely of her means and sympathies to every worthy movement_ MRS. JANE DAVIS: conducts a general mercantile establishment in Dunbridge, and well deserves mention in the history of the county. She was born in Webster township, March 6, 1848, and is a daughter of Hugh and Jennie (Davidson) Stewart, both of whom were natives of Scotland. She attended school in Webster township, and remained , at home until 1872, when she became the wife of William Davis. Of their marriage were born six children-Anna M., who was born July 11, 1874, was educated in Dunbridge and in Ada, Ohio, and was for two terms a school teacher, but now occupies the position of stenographer with the firm of Royce & Coon, of Bowling Green; Margaret J., born August 16, 1876, is at home; Frederick W., born August 19, 1878, and Maurice, born October 19, 1880, operate the home farm; Mary E., born October 13, 1882, and Daisy V., born December 9, 1884, complete the family. Mrs. Davis remained on the farm until 1884, when she removed to Dunbridge and established the store which she still conducts, being one of the first citizens of the place. In addition to the care of the store she manages a farm of ninety-six acres in Webster township, which she owns, and which she has placed under a high state of cultivation. She possesses excellent business and executive ability, is enterprising and progressive in her business methods, and by her true womanliness and helpful spirit has won the respect of all with whom she has been brought in contact. She is certainly a most estimable lady, and is now a valued member of the Woman's Relief Corps and the Daughters of Rebekah. ERASTUS MUSSER, one of the successful educators of Wood county, was born in Section 25, Portage township, April 28, 1849, and is a son of Samuel Musser, a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. His paternal grandfather, Michael Musser, became one of the prominent pioneers of Portage township, where he died in 1852, and his remains were interred at Millgrove. Samuel Musser, the father of our subject was reared and educated in the manner of most farmer lads, and, after his marriage, located on the farm where he still resides. In the spring of 1836 he came to Portage township, and here married Miss Hulda Tefft, a daughter of Ezekiel Tefft, a native of Rhode Island, and they became the parents of five children: Erastus;: subject of this sketch; William, of Portage township; Mercy,., now Mrs. James Waugh, of Webster township;; Wood county; Ezekiel, a mason and farmer of southwestern Kansas; and Albert, who died while. young. In 1856 Mrs. Musser passed away and:& was buried in Millgrove cemetery. For his second wife, Mr. Musser wedded Abbie Mader, who was born in Richland county, Ohio, May 27, 1836, and to them were born five children, namely: Rosetta, who died in childhood; David W., of Portage township; Hulda J.., wife of William Dicken, of Montgomery township, Wood county; Charley, at home; and one daughter who died in infancy. The father died January 6, 1896, at the age of eightyfour years, and is interred in the cemetery at Millgrove. He thoroughly represented the pioneers of the community, as he aided in its development and contributed generously to promote its prosperity. By the aid of his sons he transformed his wild uncultivated land into a highly improved farm. In him the Democratic party had one of its most earnest supporters. The school days of Erastus Musser were mostly passed in District No. 7, Portage township, his first teacher being Marilla Lamson, and there he acquired a good education. Being reared on a frontier farm, he soon became familiar with the arduous tasks incident to such a life,. and received a thorough training as an agriculturist. Since the age of twenty-three, however, he has engaged in teaching, being employed in Portage, Bloom and Montgomery townships, Wood county, and has proved himself a capable and reliable instructor. He has taught every winter, and missed but few summer terms. A man of genuine worth, and more than ordinary intellectual attainments,. he enjoys the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. He is identified with the Democratic party, and on that ticket was elected assessor of Portage township for two years. GEORGE KIMBERLIN. Few men, indeed, are there who live out the period of man's allotted years here on earth, practically with one people, who can look back over an official life of nearly a third of a century, and say that, without an exception, the offices sought him, and not he them. Such is the record of the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, and who is now passing the evening of a well-spent and useful life in a comfortable home, as a retired farmer 618 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. and citizen of Bowling Green Born January 11, 1824, in Huntingdon county, Penn., of parents Henry and Sarah (Brewau) Kimberlin. Our subject on his father's side descended from German ancestors. George Kimberlin, the paternal grandfather, was a member of Washington's bodyguard during the Revolutionary war, after which he settled in what is now Bedford county, Penn., and died in Huntingdon county, same State. He was an orphan, and, with the exception of his nationality and the few facts above mentioned, nothing is known of his family or of his early life. The paternal grandmother was a Miss Wagner, who also died in Huntingdon county. They left a large family, of whom the following are mentioned: John, who became a Methodist minister and removed to New York State; George, who died young; Henry; Michael (deceased), who was a resident of Wayne county, Ohio; and David, whose death occurred in Wood county. Henry Kimberlin, father of our subject, was reared in Huntingdon county, Penn., and took part in the war of 1812, entering from Pennsylvania, and being located at Fort Meigs. Just before the battle by Tecumseh he was taken ill with chills, having been subject to the ague, and was left in the rear, but insisted on going into battle. After the close of the war he went back to Pennsylvania, but in the spring of 1827 removed to Wayne county, Ohio, and in 1831 he came to Wood county, locating on the river just below Grand Rapids, where he died about 1867, at the age of seventy-eight years. He was an Old-line Whig, later a Republican. He was a member of the United Brethren Church, in which he was a local preacher, and was noted among the pioneers as the one who preached the greatest number of funeral sermons. While a man of only a meager education, he was a deep thinker, possessed good hard sense which made him practical in business affairs, and a most useful citizen among the pioneers. His name frequently occurs on the records of the early history of the county. He was one of the justices of the peace who served in Weston township during the period between 1831 and 1841. Sarah, his wife, died in 1878 at the advanced age of eighty-three years. To their marriage had been born ten children, named: Mary Ann (deceased), who was the wife of George Gilmore, of this county; Delilah, who was married to John Dull, and who also died in Wood county; John, now living near Grand Rapids, at the age of seventy-five years; Francis, the wife of George Older, a resident of Michigan; Amelia and Eliza, unmarried; Catherine, the wife of John W. Brown, of Grand Rapids; Martha Jane, whose death occurred at the age of eleven years; Jacob, now of Grand Rapids; and George. George Kimberlin, the subject of this sketch, coming to a new country when a lad, had but meager educational advantages, receiving only such instruction as was usual to the pioneer children of that day. At the age of twenty-five years he received one year's training in the schools of Perrysburg, which, followed by subsequent reading and self application, made him a well-informed and practical business man. His early life was passed on the farm of his father, whom he assisted in the general work incident to pioneers of Wood county. In 1856 he was married to Miss Adaliza Olney, a native of Saratoga county, N. Y., born March 25, 1829, and daughter of Benjamin and Lucy (Emerson) Olney who were one of the pioneer families of Wood county, and whose history appears in the sketch of Samuel R. Junkins, of Bowling Green. Mrs. Kimberlin, who was a woman of many Christian virtues, was identified with the Baptist Church. Her death occurred at Bowling Green, January 15, 1892. There were no children born to the marriage. After his marriage Mr. Kimberlin settled on a farm near Grand Rapids, this county, where he continued in agricultural pursuits until the fall of 1871, when he entered upon the duties of treasurer of Wood county, to which office he had been previously elected. His election was for a period of four years, which term he served out, and a vacancy occurring in 1881 he served another year by appointment. While a resident of Weston township he had for fourteen years been the township clerk; was real-estate assessor of the township in 1870; and in 1890 served similarly in Plain township. So well, and with such care did Mr. Kimberlin serve the people of the township and county in transacting the business intrusted to his care, that, when his term of office had expired, they were loath to give him up, and his successors to the office of treasurer made him their deputy for ten years. Even this did not suffice, for he has been called to assist in the several county offices at periods from that time to the present. He brought to these various branches of county's business, intelligence, fitness, and a popularity that rendered him a most useful and safe official, and a satisfactory one. Possessed of a patriotism inherited from an ancestor of the war of the Revolution, and from his father, a soldier of the war of 1812, Mr. Kimberlin in the dark days of 1864 left the plough in the WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 619 furrow, shouldered his musket, and went to the front to bear an honorable part in the campaign of the command. He enlisted in May, 1864, in Company I, 144th O. V. I. He became second lieutenant of that company, and took part in the bayonet charge at Monocacy, Md. He was discharged in September of that year (1864). Mr. Kimberlin is one of the most widely known and highly respected citizens of Wood county, and a thoroughly representative business man of the community, in which he has mingled so many years. He is identified with the Baptist Church, and in politics is a Republican. He possesses a fine, well-improved farm of nearly 15o acres in Grand Rapids township. A. R. MATHEWS, who has served as agent at Webb for the Pennsylvania railroad since his appointment, on January 5, 1876, is probably the oldest employe on the division, and his longcontinued service certainly indicates his faithful discharge of duty. He is a native of Ohio, born in Ashland county in 1836, and when five years of age was taken to what is now Bryan, Williams Co., Ohio, by his parents, George and Margaret (Hamilton) Mathews. The father was born in Pennsylvania, and was married in Ashland county, this State, where he followed his trade of blacksmithing until his removal to Bryan, in 1841. There he began the cultivation and improvement of a farm, but was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, as he died in the year 1844, leaving two children-our subject, and his brother George, who enlisted in Williams county in 1862, in Company D, 38th O. V. I., and veteranizing served until the close of the war, during which he was twice wounded. He still makes his home in Williams county. In 1847 the mother became the wife of Henry Caszett, who by his first union had four sons-Adam, who was in the three months' service during the Civil war, and now makes his home in Michigan; Franklin and Kerry, also residents of the same State; and John, who died in Williams county, Ohio. By her second union the mother of our subject had two children-Andrew P. and Deborah, both of Isabella county, Mich. Her death occurred' on the old home in Williams county, in 186o. In that county our subject was reared to manhood, and the first school he attended was taught in the old_ log court house of Bryan. On leaving home, in 1854, he went to Boscobel, Wis., where he was employed at rafting lumber down the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers, and during his stay of seven years also went south. He returned to Williams county in 186o, and the following year at Stryker, Ohio, enlisted in the three-months' call, serving with Company E, 14th O. V. I. He later re-enlisted for threeyears' service, this time becoming a member of Company E, 38th O. V. I., and was mustered in at Camp Dennison. He participated in the battles of Phillips, Laurel Hill, Cary's Ford, Wild Cat, Ky., Lyons Cross Roads, Nashville, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Iuka, Tuscumbia, and then went on the march to Louisville. Later he was in the engagements at Milledgeville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Chancellorsville, Missionary Ridge, Lookout Mountain, and at Chattanooga became a veteran of the same company and regiment. He went with Sherman on the celebrated march to the sea, was in the Carolina campaigns, and took part in the grand review at Washington, D. C., after which he received an honorable discharge at Cleveland, Ohio, in June, 1865, and returned to his home in Williams county. For four years he had faithfully followed the old flag on Southern battle fields, enduring all the hardships and privations of army life, but was ever found at his post of duty. In 1865, in Defiance, Ohio, Mr. A. R. Mathews led to the marriage altar Miss Mary Hanna, who is a native of that county, and four children have come to bless their union-J. W., who is married, and is a telegraph operator of Toledo, Ohio; Orlando R., who is also married and is telegraph operator for the Nickel Plate railroad at Bellevue, Ohio; Mrs. Fannie M. Hathaway, of Pemberville, Ohio; and Mamie C., wife of Frank Berndt, of Troy township, Wood county. After his marriage, Mr. Mathews engaged in farming in Williams county until 1871, at which time he removed to Genoa, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where he was in the employ of the firm of Webb and Brown, in their washboard manufactory. He was then sent by that firm to Webb Station, Wood county, where he helped to construct two mills, and, in connection with railroading, also kept boarders for some three years, having as many as forty-four mill hands as well as transient boarders. In 1873 he came to Troy township, where he built a house on railroad land, it being the first dwelling erected at Webb. His present fine residence was erected in 1882. Besides his duties as station agent he is also engaged in the cultivation and improvement of his farm. He bought eighty acres of heavily timbered land in Lake township, Wood county, which he at once began to clear and develop, making it one of the best places in the locality. In politics, Mr. Mathews is an ardent Republican, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 620 and for seventeen years served as postmaster at Webb, when he resigned, and in 1895 the office was discontinued. He has taken an active part in promoting the welfare of the community, and always lends his aid to every worthy enterprise. THOMAS JUNKINS. The subject of this sketch, who is known and revered throughout Wood county as the oldest living pioneer of Weston township, where he has resided for sixty- two years, was born in Fayette county, Penn., April 27, 1822. Samuel Junkins, the father of our subject, was born in Maine, of Scotch and Irish parentage, and when a young man went to Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the manufacture of brick. He was there married to Nancy Smith, and four children were born to them, as follows: Clarissa, the widow of John Pugh, of Weston; Thomas; Julia Ann, the wife of Henry Bernthistle, deceased, and Samuel, deceased. The family afterward removed to Guernsey county, Ohio, where the father died in 1829, when our subject was but seven years old. The mother, with her children, returned to Pennsylvania, and in Washington county was married to John Rice. They then came back to Ohio, in 1833, in, company with John McKee and a man by the name of Storts there being three families in all. They settled in Weston (now Grand Rapids) township, Wood Co., Ohio, where the father of Mr. Rice had taken up land. Here MT. Rice died in the fall of 1833. His widow subsequently removed to the farm owned by John McKee, where she remained until 1838, in which year she moved on the Carson farm, where she died in 1851. Thomas Junkins had only a limited education, and after the death of his step-father, although a mere lad, he had to go to work in order to help support his widowed mother. His boyhood was spent in clearing up a portion of the McKee farm, and a greater part of the Carson farm. Here he spent seventeen years of hard work, and he recalls with gratitude the kind and encouraging words given him by Alexander Brown, who in those days of toil and hardships acted as a father, and cheered the boy in his daily toil. In 1843 Thomas Junkins bought 16o acres of land, being the S. E. I of Section 29, Weston township, where he still resides. On this he placed many improvements, and in 1877 built his present fine residence, most of the lumber used in its construction being obtained from his own timber. For forty years the subject of our sketch resided on this farm, during which long period of time, and even longer, not a single death in the house hold, or family occurred (although they reared a family of six children), Mrs. Junkins being the first to pass away, her death occurring in 1895, forty-two years from the time of her marriage. This is a remarkable record, for which Mr. Junkins expresses his sincere gratitude. About the year 1847 our subject bought 160 acres of land on Hull's Prairie, at seventy-five cents' per acre, which comprised the ground on which the railway station now stands. This he sold for $2,000, and then bought 32o acres from Mr. Bucklin, in Milton township, for which he paid $2,080. Eighty acres of this he sold, and eighty acres of this farm he exchanged for a part of the Ward farm, and the remaining 160 acres he gave to his two sons, Eber W. and Charles L. (eighty acres each), while to Raymond S. he gave a part of the Ward farm. Mr. Junkins has always been a great lover of fine stock, having in his younger days been an extensive breeder of fine Shorthorn cattle, and to him much credit is due, for, through his enterprise, his neighbors and the citizens of Wood county, generally, have reaped rich returns from the improved stock they were enabled to secure, and did secure, from him. Owing to advanced age, and the depreciation of the cattle industry, Mr. Junkins has abandoned the business. When the Civil war broke out, no citizen was more ready to assist the government in its efforts to sustain the Union than the subject of this sketch, and in 1863 he enlisted and was mustered in at Cleveland as a member of Company F, 86th O. V. I., under Col. Charles Lennert and Capt. Squires. He was present at the capture of Morgan, and at the battle of Cumberland Gap; served for eight months, and was mustered out at Cleveland in 1864. As a result of his soldiering he has ever since been afflicted with deafness. Mr. Junkins was married October 7, 1853, at Weston, to Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob Long, who was born October 15, 1827, and who died February 5, 1895. Six children blessed this union, namely: (1) Alzina Adelaide, born July 24, 1854, married April 7, 1874, to James Blackburn; (2) Charlotte Alma, born July 3, 1856, married to William Walters; (3) Eber W., born August 10, 1858, is a farmer in Milton township; (4) Raymond S., born July 28, 1861, is a farmer of Weston; (5) Charles L., born September 25, 1863, is a farmer in Milton township, and (6) Perry C., born August 31, 1866, has the management of the homestead of 218 acres. Among the reminiscences of early days, Mr. Junkins relates that, in 185o, he in company with Aaron P. Treadwell, who was known as "Live Yankey," Thomas & Elizabeth Junkins WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 621 and "Jim " Crago, drove 150 head of cattle from Weston township, Wood Co., Ohio, to Bridgeport, Conn., the trip occupying several months' time. The death of his beloved wife, which was the first one to occur in the family, as above related, was a severe blow to Mr. Junkins. They had been companions for nearly half a century, and she had been to him a faithful helpmeet, sharing his burdens, and by her loving care making his home a blessed retreat from the cares and trials of life. She was a devoted mother, counting no sacrifice too great, if by it she could secure the welfare and happiness of her family. Thoughtful of their comfort, and anxious for their future, she trained her children to become useful citizens and an honor to the parents who did so much for them; and now that she has gone to her reward they rise up and call her blessed." In his political preferences, Mr. Junkins is a Republican, and for three terms he held the office of supervisor. In religious faith, he attends the Universalist Church, and is a consistent Christian. Socially, he belongs to the G. A. R. Post at Weston, and April 28, 1870, was made a Master Mason in Grand Rapids Lodge No. 289, F. &. A. M., Grand Rapids, Ohio, of which lodge he is still a member. He has resided on his present farm since 1855, though he bought it in 1843, and is known and beloved throughout the community, of which he may be called "one of the old land marks." His life has been one of useful endeavor, marked by integrity of purpose, upright dealing and a belief in the Fatherhood of God, and the brotherhood of humanity; and, now that for him the shadow's are lengthening, he can look back over the eventful years with the consciousness of work well-done, and a trust that the future will bring him the reward promised to those who are faithful to the end. RICHARD PRIEST. Among the leading farmers of Troy township is the subject of this sketch, whose name stands high on the military records of the Civil war, as well as in the annals of Wood county. By perseverance and industry in this locality he has gained a foothold in the world. He is a self-made man, having reached his present prosperous condition by his continual struggles from youth. He is pleasantly located on a tract of five acres in Section 28, Troy township, adjoining the village of Luckey. On his arrival in Wood county, in 1854, he located in Webster township, where he owns sixty-four acres of fertile and highly cultivated land. Mr. Priest was born in Little Milton, Oxfordshire, England, in 1842, and is a son of James and Harriet (Wyatt) Priest, both natives of the same shire, and on corning to the New World located in Webster township, Wood county, in 1854, but later removed to Perrysburg township. In the former township, however, the father died in 1881, and his wife passed away in February, 1893. In their family were seven children John, a resident of Webster township, who was in the one-hundred-day service during the Rebellion; Richard, of this review; Charley, of Webster township; William, who was born in this county, and also makes his home in Webster township; Mary, who died in Wood county; Mrs. Ann Walker, of Michigan; and Mrs. Rachel Flowers, of New Zealand. Our subject was about twelve years of age when he left his native land and came to Wood county, and being reared upon a farm has always followed that vocation. While quietly assisting his father, the Civil war broke out, and, filled with patriotic ardor for his adopted country, he enlisted at Perrysburg in August, 1862, becoming a member of Company D, 111th Regiment O. V. I., for three years or until the close of the struggle. He was assigned to the army of the Tennessee, and participated in the following battles-Stone River, Huff's Ferry, Lenoir, Campbell's Station, siege of Knoxville, Ft. Saunders, Dandridge, Strawberry Plains, Blain's Cross Roads, Rocky Face, Resaca, Pumpkinvine Creek, Burnt Hickory, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Nickajack Creek, Chattahoochee River, Decatur, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Utoy Creek, Jonesboro, Stone Mountain, Allatoona, Duck River, Franklin, Nashville, Ft. Anderson, Town Creek, and Raleigh. He was twice slightly wounded, and received an honorable discharge at Salisbury, N. C., and was paid off at Cleveland, Ohio, in July, 1865. In Perrysburg township, Wood county, Mr. Priest was married, in 1867, to Miss Mary Fletcher, a native of Medina county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Mary Fletcher, both born in England. On coming to this country they first located in Medina county, but their last days were spent in Webster township, this county. Seven children grace the union of our subject and his wife-Mrs. Celina M. Myers, of Fostoria, Ohio; Mrs. Emma Limbach, who makes her home with our subject; Robert H., of Dunbridge; Ada, now Mrs. Noss, of Luckey; Ella J.; Clara G.; and Ruth R. Mr. Priest is a strong adherent of the principles of the Republican party, and in Webster township served as a member of the school board. WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 622 Both he and his wife are genial, hospitable people, whose pleasant ways have greatly endeared them to the entire neighborhood, and are faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He takes quite a prominent part in Grand Army circles, belonging to Pemberville Post No. 26, G. A. R., and has attended the National Encampments at Columbus, Milwaukee, Detroit, Boston, Washington, Indianapolis and Louisville. CALEB ROOT. This gentleman is accredited with the ownership of one of the best farms in Troy township, in Section 13, where he located in 1857. It comprises 130 acres, and was then partially improved. It is now well supplied with good and substantial farm buildings, and the machinery is fully in keeping with the enterprise of the proprietor, who also owns another excellent tract of 112 acres on the north side of the ridge, in Section 1, Troy township; also eighty acres in Section 12, and seventy-five on the south side of the pike, making in all nearly 40o acres of rich and fertile land. Besides general farming he also engages in stock-raising, having some fine animals on his place, and this branch of industry proves a profitable source of income. Upon his land are seven good oil wells, which have an abundant flow. Mr. Root came to this county from Milan township, Erie Co., Ohio, the place of his nativity, having there first seen the light on October 27, 1831. In 1821, soon after reaching his majority, his father, Hiram Root, who was a native of Connecticut, located in Erie county, where he married Parthena Tillotson, who was born in the Empire State. In Milan township, that county, his father opened up a farm, which he operated until his death in 1868, and there his wife also died at the ripe old age of eighty-two years. In their family were five children who grew to maturity-Orrin, who died in Erie county in 1882; Eunice, wife of Elias Hughes, of Huron county, Ohio; Eliza, wife of Elisha Hughes, of Erie county; Caleb, of this sketch; and Mrs. Mary Huyck, who makes her home in the West. The subject of this review was brought up a farmer, receiving his education in the schools of Erie county, where he remained until twenty-five years of age, when he came to Wood county, and located upon his present farm. In his native township he was married in 1857, to Miss Martha Jane Nichols, who was born in Oxford township, Erie county, and was a daughter of Enoch and Catherine (Horton) Nichols, both natives of New York. At an early day they had made a settlement in Erie county, where they departed this life. Mrs. Root was called to her final rest in 1888, leaving four children, namely: Mrs. Etta Hanson, of Woodville, Ohio; . Arthur, of the same place; and Horton and Erma, twins, who are both at home. In 1889, in Troy township, Mr. Root was again married, the lady of his choice being Miss Anna Marsh, who was born in Lake township, Wood county, where at an earl day had located her parents, Luke and Sara Marsh. Her father is now deceased, and her mother makes her home upon the farm in Lake township. Two children bless this union, Edward and Grace. Mr.. Root uses his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party, and by his fellow citizens has been called upon to fill the offices of town clerk and justice of the peace of Troy township, where he has made his home for almost forty years, during which time he has taken an active interest in the advancement of the locality. His pleasant, courteous manners have attracted to him many warm friends, and he has the respect of all with whom he comes in contact. C. D. STEARNES, a son of Justus and Mary (Hall) Stearnes, and who resides in Perry township, is in no whit behind his brothers in " push," energy or capacity, for any amount of labor necessary to accomplish the desired result. He perpetuates the characteristics of the family -for thrift and prosperity, and is a wide-awake, up-to-date man, public-spirited, and a citizen of whom any community might be justly proud. His integrity has never been questioned, and his good management has brought him merited success. Mr. Stearnes was born June 14, 1856, in the "old stone house," which stands in Section 14, and was his father's residence for many years. It now belongs to J. D. Stearnes, one of the sons. During his youth our subject attended the district schools of his locality, and then learned the rudiments of agriculture under his father, whose excellent ideas on the subject he has since practiced with beneficial results. At various times he assisted his father in carrying out contracts for ditching, but most of his time until his marriage was spent on the farm. On February 7, 1878, Mr. Stearnes was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth (daughter of William and Anna (Van Nemon) Courtney), who was born in Hancock county, Ohio, April 13, 1858. This union has been blessed with the following children: Sylva, born January 22, 1879; Jay J., born October 5, 1880; William A., born February 9, 1882; Orrin C., born Novem- WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 623 ber 23, 1883; and Joseph H., born September 10, 1886. After his marriage Mr. Stearnes bought from his father 107 acres of land in Section 14, Perry township, and moved a former school house onto it, as there were no buildings of any kind thereon, and there made his home until December 1, 1884, at which time he returned to the old homestead, working a portion of his father's farm for the succeeding five years. He then went back to his first farm, where he resided until August, 1891, at that time taking up his residence on the old Thomas Beach place, which he purchased in 1891, and where he now lives. He has remodeled the house, built a good barn, and otherwise improved the place. He has recently bought the E. O. Meaks place of forty acres in Perry township, and now has 224 acres of land, and is considered one of the best and most progressive farmers in the township. In politics Mr. Stearnes is a stanch Republican, and he is ever ready to work for the interests of his party and for the good of the community. He served one year as assessor, and was a constable for two or three years, filling these offices with much ability and to the satisfaction of the public. S. E. WAGONER, a progressive and enterprising farmer, and assistant postmaster at Stony Ridge, was born on October 17, 1856, on the farm where he still resides in Lake township. His parents, Joseph and Eliza (Conrad) Wagoner, are both natives of Pennsylvania, and the father is a son of Samuel and Catherine (Shook) Wagoner, who were also born in Pennsylvania, and about 1849 came to Lake township, Wood county, where they passed their remaining days. The subject of this biographical notice received his education in the schools of Perrysburg township, Wood county, and was reared upon the home farm. In early manhood he commenced agricultural pursuits for himself, but has also been connected with other lines of business, being interested in the manufacture of tile at Stony Ridge. His fine farm of fifty acres in Lake township is one of the best in the locality, the fields are well tilled and the whole appearance of the place indicates the thrift and energy of the owner. On March 31, 1896, Mr. Wagoner was united in marriage with Miss Carrie E., only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Metzger, of Troy township, the ceremony having been performed by the Rev. John Born, of St. John's Lutheran Church, at Stony Ridge, the marriage taking place at the residence of the bride's parents. Mr. Wagoner takes quite an interest in political affairs, voting with the Republican party, and at present is serving as assistant postmaster of Stony Ridge. The cause of education finds in him a warm friend, and as a member of the board of education he does much for its advancement. He has also acted as supervisor of Lake township, and been a member of the board of election. Religiously he is connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and socially belongs to Fort Meigs Lodge No. 974, I. O. O. F. J. C. WITMORE, a successful farmer and a self-made man of Perry township, was born September 1, 1839, in Franklin county, Penn., son of Jonathan and Catharine (Cover) Witmore. When a boy Jonathan Witmore was bound out to a Mr. Cridler, and learned the shoemaker's trade. After serving his apprenticeship he followed his trade, and often worked nearly all night, sleeping but an hour or two. He received two shillings a day at day labor. In the fall of 185o he and his family of six children came to Wood county in a large covered wagon, " Pennsylvania style, " spending seventeen days en route. They located in Perry township, on eighty acres of land in Section 1, for which the father paid $1,025. He had nearly $1,000, but as utensils were needed he spent part of the money for them, and went into debt for his farm, which was then in its primitive state, Mr. Witmore was married twice in Pennsylvania, his first wife bearing him two children, one of whom died in infancy; the other, Malinda, married John Myers, and died in Wood county, Ohio. For his second wife he wedded Catherine Cover, by whom he had seven children, viz.: One died in childhood; A. B. is a farmer of Perry township; J. C. is our subject; Henry E. is a resident of Hancock county; Jacob is a German Baptist Brethren minister in McPherson, Kans. ; David is a farmer in Webster township; Martha married Jackson Seaman, of Toledo, and died in Fostoria in 1891. For his third wife Mr. Witmore took Miss Susan Smith, who was born in Carroll county, Md., November 29, 1823, daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth (Friese) Smith; the former of whom died when Susan was five years old. In the fall of 1833 the widow came to Seneca county with six children, all girls. They drove all the way from Maryland, locating near Melmore, Seneca county, where Susan was reared and attended the public schools. Mr. Witmore had four children by this wife, namely: Elizabeth A., now Mrs. Jacob Smith, of Cleveland, Tenn. ; Mary A., who mar- 624 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. ried John Castret, of Tennessee; John P., living in the West, and Hattie o., wife of John England, of Perry township. Jonathan Witmore died July 1, 1886, and is buried in Center, Perry township; since his death his widow has been living on the farm of eighty acres left by him. She is a member of the German Baptist Brethren Church, and is one of the highly respected ladies of Perry township. Mr. Witmore was never certain of his age, as his parents died when he was quite young, and he lived with strangers until he became a young man. He had a cruel master to work for, and was often obliged to get out of bed at night and go to work, his employer taking great delight in thus abusing him. His opportunities for education were few; he attended school but little, and secured what knowledge he possessed by reading and studying at home. In political sentiment he was a Democrat, but he seldom voted. He was a minister in the German Baptist Church, and just before his death was ordained an elder in that denomination. He was a self-made man, active and industrious, and through his own efforts he became comfortably situated in life. Our subject was a boy when he came to Wood county, and he received a rather limited schooling. Work was plentiful, and he was kept busy tramping out grain and separating it by hand. At the age of fifteen he had a desire for more schooling, and prepared himself by studying at night, later attending a select school at West Millgrove taught by Alfred Kelley. When nineteen years old he began teaching on his own account, continuing in that occupation for five terms in Wood and Seneca counties. He was united in marriage, November 29, 1862, in Seneca county, to Miss Mary A. Krabill, who was born in that county, February 10, 1843, daughter of John and Hannah (Bear) Krabill, the former of whom was a native of Stark county, Ohio, and was a preacher and elder in the German Baptist Church; the mother was born in Pennsylvania. They had nine children-four sons and five daughters-of whom two sons died when young; the other two are also ministers in the German Baptist Church, and the eldest is an elder. Mr. Witmore settled on his father's old farm in Perry township, which he rented for two years and then purchased. For a while he and his brother A. B. worked it in partnership, but he finally bought his brother out, and has carried it on alone ever since. He has 14o acres of excellent farm land, on which he is successfully and profitably engaged in general farming, and there are two oil wells on the place. In July, 1862, Mr. Witmore joined the German Baptist Church, and is at present an elder and licensed minister, being ordained elder in 1880, and receiving his license to preach about 1865. Mr. Witmore is a well-informed man, obtaining his education by constant study and application. He is a valuable citizen, and a kindhearted, hospitable man, always ready to help the needy, in which work he is cheerfully seconded by his excellent wife. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Witmore, as follows: John H., a farmer of Perry township, who lost his left arm in a coin husker, November 25, 1894; Samantha M., now Mrs. William Caskey, of Perry; Jonathan A., a farmer of Hancock county; and Hattie B., who died when eight months old. EDWIN FARMER, the able and efficient superintendent of the Wood County Infirmary, was born December 16, 1838, at Wantage, Berkshire, England, where his ancestors had lived for more than two hundred years, engaged in the business of cattle dealing and butchering. His grandfather, John Farmer, married a Miss Stagg, and reared a family of four children: Charlotte, who never married, and was a nurse in one family for four generations; John (2), our subject's father; Richard, a butcher at Newbury, Berkshire, England, now deceased; and Mary Ann, who never married, and was in service all her life. John Farmer, the father of our subject, was born in 1804. He married Esther Grimshaw, a native of West Hanney, born in 18o5. Both were members of the Church of England. They had six children, a brief record of whom is as follows: (1) Esther married Benjamin Manus, and died in England. (2) Alfred came to America in 1852, was an overseer in Mississippi for three years, and then returned to England; in 1858 he came again, this time accompanied by by our subject, with whom he engaged in business in Wood county; he died at Millbury in 1888 at the age of sixty years. (3) Joseph followed the ancestral occupation; he died in England in 1855 aged twenty-six years. (4) Mary Ann married Thomas Marsh, a retired soldier of the British army, and one of the gatekeepers at Regents Park, London. (5) Elizabeth died in infancy. (6) Edwin, our subject, is the youngest. The mother died in 1854. She weighed over five hundred pounds at the time of her death, and her daughter Mary Ann, weighed over three hundred pounds. Edwin Farmer received a good education in Edwin & Lottie Farmer WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 625 the schools of his native village during his boyhood. In 1858 he came to America with his brother, intending to go to the valley of the Red river, in Louisiana, but they decided to locate at Millbury. Here they engaged in the lumber business, making a specialty of railroad ties, for which they filled large orders for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad. They also furnished the heavy timbers for the first wagonbridge ever built in Toledo. Mr. Farmer had never been outside of a town until he left home to come to America, and life in the woods was not congenial; but he continued it for ten years, when he returned to his native country on a visit. He was married there, in 1869, to Miss Charlotte Tyrrell, and started with his bride on the way back to America; but after reaching London his aged father, who had long been in ill health, sent him an urgent request to return to him, which he did, remaining until after his father's death, in 1871. In May, 1872, he returned with his wife to Wood county, Ohio, settling at Millbury, and joining his brother on the farm leased by them, in 1859, of A. D. Wait, of Toledo. It may be here mentioned that he and his brother were in partnership from 1855 until 1881, some twenty-six years, with never a written agreement of any kind between them, and always on the best of terms. In 1878 our subject was appointed superintendent of the County Infirmary, and he has now served longer in that capacity than any other man in the State, with one exception. Mr. and Mrs. Farmer have had six children, as follows: A. B., the well-known deputy sheriff of Wood county; Warren Tyrrell, born December 26, 1872; Joseph, born March 19, 1875, who died at the age of fifteen months; Lottie, born in May, 1877; Annie Lottie, born April 15, 1878, and Rosa E., born June 27, 1880. In politics, Mr. Farmer is a Republican; in religious faith he is a member of the Evangelical Church. Mrs. Farmer's parents, John and Anna (Andrews) Tyrrell, were both natives of England, and belonged to an old family in their locality. He was a butcher, a farmer, and a hotel-keeper, was parish clerk of the village of Steventon, Berks, for forty years, and is yet living, at the advanced age of ninety-three. The mother died in 1893. They had ten children-five sons and five daughters: two of the sons, Joseph, of Sterling, Kans., and George, of Bowling Green, Ohio, are the only ones who came to America. One sister, Mrs. Meats, is living at Cape Town, South Africa. Two, John and Elizabeth Day, are deceased. Those still living in Old England are: Mrs. Gerring, at Steventon; Mrs. Butcher, at Wallingford; James, at Leamington, and Henry,, in London. ROBERT L. KEEL, one of the younger representatives of the agricultural interests of Wood county, was born in Seneca county, Ohio, December 13, 1870, and is a son of Henry and Delilah Jane (Keel) Keel, also natives of the Buckeye State. . Upon their marriage they located on a farm in Seneca county, and about 1872 came to Wood county, taking up their residence on a forty-acre farm, for which the father had traded a tract of land in Michigan. He died of smallpox in Jackson township about 1875. In the family were two children, the daughter being Mary, now the wife of Bryan Sweet, of Bloomdale, Ohio. Robert L. Keel was only two years of age when he came with his parents to Wood county, He attended the common schools of Hoytville until sixteen years of age, and then gave his attention to farm work. During his childhood he made his home with his mother, who had married, for her second husband, W. M. Clark. In March, 1892, they removed to Arkansas, where they are now living on a farm. Six children were born of that union, namely; Emma, Della, John, Horace, Hattie and Blanche. By the terms of his father's will our subject inherited the farm, and assumed entire management of the same on attaining his majority. He was also left a house and lot in Hoytville, where he now makes his home. The lady who shares his name and fortunes bore the maiden name of Nettie Looman. She is a native of Wood county, and their marriage, which was celebrated in Liberty township in 1891, has been blessed with one daughter, Lena. In politics, Mr. Keel gives an unfaltering support to the Republican party at State and National elections, but votes regardless of party affiliations at local elections. He is a young man of sterling worth and strict integrity, well known in the community. HIRAM CUNNING, deceased. Among the men who have been instrumental in the development of the rich resources of Wood county, the subject of this sketch held no unimportant position. He operated one of the model farms of Washington township, and was numbered among the popular citizens of that section. Born in Ridgefield township, Huron Co., Ohio, May 7, 1842, he was a son of Hiram and Keziah (Raymond) Cunning, with whom, at the age of twelve years, he came to Wood county. The schools of Washington township afforded him his educational 626 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. privileges, and he remained on the home farm until twenty years of age. After the breaking out of the Civil war, Mr. Cunning enlisted, August 9, 1862, at Tontogany, in the 111th, O. V. I., under Col. Bond and Capt. McGowen, of Perrysburg, and was mustered in at Toledo. He was placed on provostguard duty, and after participating in a number of skirmishes was discharged at Columbus, Ohio, April 8, 1863. On returning to Wood county, he lived on his father's homestead until 1865, when he purchased his late farm of eighty acres, which had been partly cleared, but which he greatly improved, setting out an orchard, and small fruit trees and shrubs; besides general farming, he also raised stock for his own use. In politics he voted the straight Republican ticket; served as school director two terms, and for a number of years was cemetery trustee. He affiliated with Walter A. Wood Post, No. 48, G. A. R., of Tontogany, of which he was senior vice-commander; and also held membership with the K. O. T. M., Tent No. 147, of Tontogany. On August 23, 1896, Mr. Cunning died suddenly. Mr. Cunning was married February 22, 1872, to Ella Tefft, a daughter of L. P. and Phoebe Ann (Adams) Tefft, and to them have come four children: Oreanna, born February 8, 1874, became the wife of S. I. Landers, an agriculturist of Plain township, Wood county, and died of consumption September 28, 1893; Hiram T. was born December 5, 1875; Flavilla was born March 13, 1879; and Irene Myrtle was born July 30, 1883. The three youngest children are still at home. On both the paternal and maternal sides Mrs. Cunning is descended from Gen. Greene, of Revolutionary fame. Her mother's maiden name was Sprague, but as her father died when she was quite young, she took the name of Adams, that of her step-lather, who was a descendant of President John Quincy Adams. She belonged to the Sprague family of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Tefft were married in May, 1851, and four children blessed their union--one who died in infancy; Florence G., who died while young; Lorin P., also deceased; and Mrs. Cunning, who was born in Perrysburg, Ohio, January 20, 1854. Her father was a member of the " Squirrel Hunters, " and during the Civil war manifested his patriotism by enlisting in the Union army as a member of the " hundred-day men." JOHN BAKER, a contractor and farmer of Wood county, was born in Center township, Carroll Co., Ohio, June 11, 1829. His parents were John and Clarissa (Hill) Baker, the former of whom was a native of Maryland, and the latter from Vermont. They were married in what is now West Virginia, and, in 1818, came to Carroll county when it was a portion of three other counties. The father lived in Carroll county until 1836, and then moved to Big Spring township, to which place he went by wagon, the journey of one hundred and fifty miles consuming a week. Mr. Baker owned 160 acres of land in Carroll county which he sold for $1,800, and bought a section of land in Seneca county, which was then in a primitive state. Their first home was in an old school house, where they lived for a while, and then Mr. Baker built a log house at the west end of his farm, and the following children were born: William, who died in Gratiot county, Mich. He was a farmer, and when a boy killed 111 deer the first winter the family was in Seneca county; Mary married George Bottomfield and lives in California; Levi was a farmer, and died in Hardin county, Ohio, in 1861; Charlotte died young; Lizzie married William Harman, and died in Indiana; James was a miller and a merchant at Lincoln, and died in Indiana; John is our subject; Delilah is now Mrs. Daniel Ragen, of Risingsun. Mr. Baker was a soldier in the war of 1812, and fought at the battle of Fort Meigs. He was a Democrat, and held several minor township offices. He died on his farm in Seneca county, at the age of fifty-three years, and was buried at Big Springs. The widow lived on the farm with her children until 1854, and died in Prophetstown, on Rock river, Ill., aged seventy-three years. Our subject was a boy when his parents went to Seneca county, and he attended school in a log school house built by the neighbors. The teacher was paid by the parents according to the number of children in each family. Mr. Baker remained at home until after his father's death, when he started out for himself, and wandered around working at various kinds of employment. He began railroading-laying tracks and getting out timbers on the Mad River road, the first one in Ohio. He was for eight years a brakeman, running between Sandusky and Dayton, on the Mad River line. When a boy he worked on the suspension bridge at Wheeling, which was 960 feet long, and for years the largest bridge in the world. Mr. Baker was married in Big Spring township in 185o, to Miss Louisa Straus, who was born in Sandusky, in 1833, and was a daughter of David Straus, a farmer. The following children were born: Emily, who was married to WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 627 David Kelly, and after his death wedded James Gangway, of Fort Wayne, Ind., now also deceased. She has three children: Almon, of whom see sketch elsewhere; George H., of Risingsun, who has four children; Jane is now Mrs. Samuel Sheller, of Muncie, Ind., and they have two children. Mrs. Baker died in 1863, while our subject was in the army, and is buried in Prairie Depot. Mr. Baker was again married, his second wife being Miss Mary M. Hale, who died in 1869, and was buried in Hancock county. Our subject's present wife was a Miss Catherine Wonders. On March 22, 1861, Mr. Baker came to Montgomery township from Patterson, Hardin county, where he lived on a farm for three years. He bought 16o acres of land in Section 23, Montgomery township, and went in debt to the extent of $1,500. In August, 1861, he enlisted in Co. B, 57th O. V. I., as a wagoner, was taken prisoner at Shiloh in April, 1862, but escaped and returned to his regiment, with which he remained until he was again captured at Wolf River, with seventeen other teamsters, after being pursued for forty miles. While in the enemy's camp news came in December, 1862, of the burning, by Federals, of the little town of Rowley, Tenn., near which they were encamped. The Confederate officer in charge of our subject and his fellow prisoners, swore that if the report was true he would hang six of his prisoners, and for a day each one expected to be one of the doomed six. They were paroled after two days, and our subject still has the Rebel parole that is given him. He joined his regiment at once, regardless of the parole in his inside pocket, which meant death if again captured by the Confederates. This was unfortunately his fate a short time later at Milligan's Bend, Miss. He was taken to Pine Bluff, Ark., and placed in jail, where he remained for eight days. He was tried as a spy, but was liberated and compelled to travel 600 miles through Arkansas. After much suffering from fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat but corn, he finally struck the Mississippi river, loo miles north of Cairo, Ill., came on to Ohio, and paid a visit home. He reported in parole camp at Cole, Ohio, 'and watched his chance to leave. He went out with men going to join Rosecrans at Nashville, but at Louisville he was returned to Cole, then exchanged and joined his regiment in Alabama, where he again took a team and followed with Sherman all through the war, and was present at the grand review in Washington. He was not discharged until August, 1865, at Little Rock, Ark., when he came home, and has since been engaged in building bridges throughout Wood county, and in farming. For over two years he was at Risingsun, where he built a hotel, and was in that business during his stay there. He was a Democrat, but of late has not been a partisan. He and his wife are members of the Disciples Church. Mr. Baker comes of a good family, and is a self-made man, and although well along in years he is in excellent condition, both mentally and physically. He is a respected citizen, and is in comfortable circumstances. WILLIAM L. BROWNELLER, a highly-respected and public-spirited citizen of Wood county, is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Fayette county, September 28, 1860. His father was also born there, and was a son of Samuel Browneller. The father, Frederick Browneller, was a farmer by occupation, and in Fayette county married Margaret Springer, whose birth also occurred there. They were residents of their native locality until 1870, when they removed to Hancock county, Ohio, where the father purchased 120 acres of land in Liberty township, and afterward added to it an additional tract of forty acres. In 1887 the parents removed to Findlay, Ohio, and their son David is now carrying on the old homestead. They were parents of the following named children: Mary, wife of Ellis Foltz, who is living near Findlay; William L.; James, a farmer of Hancock county; David, on the old homestead; Sarah, wife of Jacob Radabaugh, of Hancock county; Elizabeth, wife of Charles Conaway, of Hancock county; Joseph, Callie and Flora, at home. Our subject was only nine years of age when his parents removed to Hancock county. He began his education in his native county, and afterward attended the district schools of Ohio. He completed his education by attendance one term in the Fostoria Academy, attendance two terms at the Findlay High School, and also two terms at the Ada Normal School, at Ada, Ohio. He then returned home and began farming. In Findlay, on the 7th of February, 1882, Mr. Browneller was joined in wedlock with Miss Elizabeth Bolton, who was born in Hancock county, August 8, 1861, a daughter of Michael Bolton, deceased. Mr. Browneller brought his bride to Wood county, and settled on a farm of 153 acres belonging to his father, whereon he resided for seven years. He then purchased his present farm, comprising seventy-nine acres in Jackson township, and since taking up his resi- 628 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. dence here has erected a fine home, built good barns, and made other excellent improvements which add to the value and attractive appearance of the place. He is widely recognized as one of the leading and substantial agriculturists of Wood county. The home has been blessed with five children, but Clyde and Mabel are now deceased. The others are Gracie, Earl and Flossie, all under the parental roof. In his political affiliations, Mr. Browneller is a stalwart Republican; but has neither time nor inclination for public office. He is an active member of the Church of God, of which he is now serving as elder, and has been superintendent of the Sunday-school. J. H. RHEINFRANK, M. D., a leading physician and surgeon of Perrysburg, was born September 28, 1840, in Bridgewater, Michigan. His grandparents, Zachariah and Margaret Rheinfrank, were natives of Bavaria, where John Rheinfrank, father of our subject, was born. The family came to the United States about the year 1830, and located at Detroit., John Rheinfrank was for several years engaged there in mercantile pursuits, but later retired to a farm near Bridgewater, where he spent his remaining days. He was twice married, first to Miss Elizabeth Lindenschmidt, from which marriage resulted four children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest. The brother, George A., lives at the old homestead; one sister, Martha, has her home near Bridgewater; the other sister, Amelia, died in early youth. After the death of his first wife, the father married Christina Gruber, and to this union three children were born, all of whom are now living in Michigan. Our subject attended the graded schools of Ypsilanti in his boyhood, and there early evinced a proficiency in the different lines of study which he pursued. In 1861, he graduated from the classical course of the Ypsilanti schools, and entered the literary department of the University of Michigan. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, he made full preparations to go to the front; but on account of ill health was prevented from enlisting. In 1862, he was enrolled in the Medical Department at Ann Arbor, and two years later, 1864, took his degree of M. D., from that institution. Soon afterward, the Doctor came to Perrysburg, with the intention of making that place his future home, and the scene of his professional career. He endured the usual discouragements of a young practitioner in a strange city, but his high character and mental abilities soon won him a fine standing, as a citizen, while his thorough training secured him a practice which grew with the passing years. Dr. Rheinfrank had not long been launched upon the high road of life when he married Miss Sophia W. Bruckner, a native of Monroe, Mich., and a lady of fine mental gifts and culture. The education of their four children has been the leading object of their lives, and they may well be proud of their efforts. Eva, who was very recently married to C. G. Lampman, of Buffalo, supplemented her fine literary education by a course in music at the Oberlin Conservatory; W. H. graduated from the Medical Department of the University of Michigan, and is now practicing with his father; George B. has studied two years at the same University, and is at present pursuing a course in architecture, to be completed at Philadelphia; and Frederick Eugene has embarked upon a six-years' schooling in the Law and Literary Departments at Ann Arbor. Dr. Rheinfrank is a man of broad and genererous views, interested in all the questions of the day, and thoroughly alive to every progressive movement in his profession. He is fond of literature, and speaks German and English with equal fluency. In politics, he is a Democrat, having always upheld the principles of true Democracy. He belongs to the fraternal orders of the F. & A. M. and the K. of P., and is a member of the Wood county, Northwestern Ohio, Ohio State, and American and International Medical Societies. GEORGE W. SNYDER, a thrifty and successful farmer residing in Section 32, Lake township, was born in Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, January 14, 1846, and is a son of Adam and Margaret (Snyder) Snyder, both natives of Bavaria, Germany, the former born in November, 1800, and the latter in 1809. After their marriage in their native land, they came to America in 1832, locating first at Liverpool, Medina Co., Ohio, in the midst of a forest, and on that farm continued to live until coming to Troy township, Wood county, in 1855. They made a settlement on the Maumee & Western Reserve Pike, where their remaining years were passed, the father dying in 1879, and the mother in June, 1891, in her eighty-second year. In early life they were members of the Reformed Church, but later became connected with the Lutheran denomination, while in politics, Mr. Snyder was a Democrat. To them were born the following children: Mary, deceased wife of William Zacharias; Adam and Daniel, who are both married, and reside on the Maumee & Western Reserve Pike; Frederick,. John H. Frank WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 629 of Michigan; Jacob, of Woodville, Ohio; Catherine; Caroline, wife of William Gartman, of South Cleveland, Ohio; George W.; Lucien, of Troy township; David, of Paulding county, Ohio; and Henry, who is still living on the old homestead in Troy township. Educated in a primitive school house, reared on a farm, with its usual hardships and privations, were the marked features of the early life of our subject. At the age of ten years he had accompanied his parents to Wood county, where he continued his studies, which had been begun in Medina county. He also learned the trade of a carpenter, at which he worked in Perrysburg for a number of years, and -was also employed at the same occupation throughout the county until his marriage. On September 9, 1871, Mr. Snyder was married to Miss Lucy Goss. She was born in April, 1845, on the farm now owned and occupied by our subject, and is a daughter of John and Hannah (Lewis) Goss, both natives of England, who were among the pioneers of Lake township, where the father died in 1871, at the age of sixty-six years, and the mother in 1882, at the age of eighty-two years. They were faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in their family were four children: William, of Troy township; Louis, who resides in Lucas county, near Toledo, Ohio; Mary E., wife of Frederick Snyder; and Lucy, wife our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder have one child, Elsie E., who is attending school. They also reared his nephew, A. G. Snyder, who now practices medicine in Toledo, Ohio. He was educated by our subject, who also sent him to medical college, and gave him a lot in Toledo which he owned. Mr. Snyder devotes his attention to general farming, and having a large amount of industry, perseverance and energy, has made a noble record as an agriculturist, and stands to-day one of the substantial and reliable citizens of the county. Besides his valuable farm, he also owns city property in Toledo. In his political faith he is a stanch and unswerving Democrat; socially is connected with the Masonic fraternity; and religiously is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Stony Ridge, this county. FREDERICK HERRINGSHAW has been a resident of Wood county since the age of four years, and that his life is a well-spent one is indicated by the fact that those who have known him from boyhood are numbered among his stanchest friends. He was born in Huron county, Ohio, May 19, 1856, and is a son of John and Mary A. (Lyon) Herringshaw. He is indebted to the district schools of Liberty township for his educational privileges, and his first teacher was a Mr. Woodbury, an excellent instructor, and a strict disciplinarian. He left school at the age of eighteen, and afterward devoted his entire attention to the work of the home farm until his marriage. In Findlay, Ohio, September 13, 1883, Mr. Herringshaw was joined 'in wedlock with Nora B. Needham a native of Ohio, born September 29, 1863, and a daughter of Amos and Jennie (Edgar) Needham. Her mother died when Mrs. Herringshaw was a small child, and she was reared by strangers, being an inmate of the home of Mr. Dirk, of North Baltimore, at the time of her marriage. Four children have been born to our subject and his wife, namely: John, who was born July 21, 1884; William Frederick, born May 17, 1887; Lula Viola, born June 9, 1892, and Frederick Merl, born August 8, 1896. Prior to his marriage, Mr. Herringshaw had purchased ninety-seven acres of land upon which he has since resided, forty acres lying in Liberty township, the remaining fifty-seven acres in Henry township. . He has made all the improvements upon the place, has cleared his farm of indebtedness, and is to-day numbered among the substantial citizens of the community. His political support is given the Republican party, but he has never sought office. His wife is a member of the United Brethren Church, of Wingston. The cause of education finds in Mr. Herringshaw a warm friend, and he is a thorough gentleman, possessed of many excellent qualities. JAMES STRATSBERY, a prominent agriculturist and fruit-grower of Weston township, was born in Guernsey county, Ohio, March 15, 1830, and is the son of Napoleon B. and Mary (Lowe) Stratsbery. The father of our subject was born in Virginia, of English parentage, and when a young man took up his residence in Guernsey county, Ohio, where he followed farming, and where he was married. Fifteen children were born to him, of whom James is the eldest; the others in the order of their births are as follows: Robert resides in Indiana; Rosanna, wife of Thomas Westbrook, resides in Brown county, Ind.; Ebenezer is a farmer in Wisconsin; Margaret is the wife of Joseph Shipman, of Weston; William is a farmer in Weston township; Mahlon is a resident of Brown county, Ind. ; Elizabeth is the wife of David Kesster, and lives in Michigan; Finlay is a resident of Brown county, Ind.; Joshua is residing in Brown county, Ind.; Sarah Ann (Mrs. John 630 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Palmer) lives in Noble county, Ohio; Wesley is deceased; the other three died in infancy. The father of this large family died in Mercer county, Ohio, in 1867, the mother surviving him until 1895. The subject of this sketch obtained his education in the schools of Noble county, Ohio, and was there employed at the breaking out of the Civil war. In the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company K, 40th O. V. I., under Col. Cramer and Capt. Knapp. The family of Napoleon Stratsbery was well represented in the Union ranks-the father and four sons (James, Robert, Ebenezer and Finlay) all becoming soldiers, and serving throughout the war. Among the battles in which our subject participated were those of Middle Creek and Sand River, at the latter of which he was wounded in both legs, and was sent to the hospital, from which he was discharged in 1863. After recovering from his severe injuries Mr. Stratsbery went to Cambridge, Ohio, and engaged in the manufacture of corn-shellers, in which he met with good success. Later he went into the manufacture of brooms and lath, subsequently taking up contracting on railroad work, building ditches, etc. Among the contracts he carried out were the Jackson cut-off, the construction of six miles of the Nickel Plate, six miles of grading on the Coldwater railway, and six miles on the P. F. & W. railway. In 1879 he purchased twenty-five acres of land in Weston township, to which he has added by degrees until he now owns 115 acres, and has become one of the largest fruit and berry growers in the county. His place is finely improved, having on it a handsome residence, as well as capacious barns and outbuildings, and in the summer season, when luscious berries tempt the palate, and, later, the autumn fruits hang heavy on the boughs, it is a delightful spot to visit. The well-known hospitality of the owner and his interesting family draws to his pleasant home a large circle of friends and acquaintances, and many pleasant reunions take place there. Mr. Stratsbery has been twice married, first time in Guernsey county, Ohio, April 16, 1851, to Miss Mary A. Stoner, and they had four children, only one of whom is now living. A brief record of them is as follows: Flora died when seventeen years old; Ernest E., who was a farmer and speculator in land bonds, and loaned money, died in Wyandot county, Ohio, in 1892; Joseph was a professor of elocution in Valparaiso, Ind., and died in 1888 ; Foster is a baggagemaster on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, at Burlington, Iowa. The mother of these children passed away in 1865, and July 1, 1866, Mr. Stratsbery was married, in Weston, to Miss Anna Lingo, who was born January 7, 1842, and six children have blessed their union: James, a farmer in Weston township; John W., assisting his father in the management of his property, and is an energetic and enterprising young man who has a bright future before him; Fred; Gertrude; and Mary Grace, who died when nine years of age. Mr. Stratsbery is a Republican in politics, and is a loyal citizen. He is a prominent member of the G. A. R., belonging to Neibling Post, No. 20, at Weston. He is affiliated with the Masonic Lodge at Weston, and has taken the third degree; belongs, also, to the I. O. O. F. and Encampment, and to the K. of P., and he and his wife are members of the Order of Rebekah. Mrs. Stratsbery is also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and of the Aid Society, in all these organizations taking a prominent part, and being well known for her efficiency and executive ability. Mr. and Mrs. Stratsbery have witnessed many changes in their lives, and have taken no small part in the progress and growth of the community in which they have so long resided. They are now seeing the results of their labors, and, in the midst of their family and large number of friends, are enjoying a quiet and comfortable life, conscious that their best efforts have been given to their country and their fellowmen. PETER NYSWANDER, a pioneer farmer of Weston township, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, September 6, 1834. The father of our subject, Christian Nyswander, was born in Berne, Switzerland, and came to this country with his parents when he was twelve years of age, they settling in Fairfield county. He married Elizabeth Deering, and six children were born to them as follows: Peter; Mary, who is the wife of Levi Simons, of Bloom township; John E., who died in Bloom township; Sarah, who married Adam Rettick, and lives in Florida, Henry Co., Ohio; Reuben, a resident of Napoleon, Ohio; and Jennie, who married John Long, a merchant of Paulding county. The father of our subject removed to Milton township, Wood county, buying and afterward selling 16o acres of land, thence going to Missouri, where he remained six years, at the end of which time he returned to Bloom township. His death occurred December 31, 1893, at Florida, Henry Co., Ohio. The mother died in Bloom township in 1881. , Peter Nyswander went to school in Milton WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 631 township in the old log school house, which was the temple of learning in those early days, and was instructed in the branches then taught, which, it is safe to say, did not extend far beyond the " three R's. " He worked for his father until he was nineteen years old, and then started in life for himself. For the next six or seven years he was employed in clearing up land for other people, at the close of that period buying sixty acres of unimproved land on which was built a log cabin, and devoted himself to its improvement. In the course of time he added some thirty-two and a half acres to it, and as the result of hard and patient labor he has to-day a valuable property under a good state of cultivation. The log house is supplanted by a handsome residence, and the rude outbuildings by fine barns, while modern machinery lessens the work of the farmer. In this pleasant home Mr. Nyswander is reaping the reward of his early years of hardship and toil, and, with his interesting family about him, is taking life easily and comfortably. Our subject was married at Napoleon, Ohio, 1871, to Susan Beverson, who was born February 6, 1853. Her. father, Samuel Beverson, was a shoemaker by trade, and also followed farming. He married Maria Weaver, and twelve children were born to them. He and his wife, both of whom have reached a good old age, are now living in Fulton county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Nyswander six children have been born as follows: Jennie May, April 22, 1872; Sarah E., September 26, 1873; Edward, March 31, 1876; Reuben, January 9, 1878; Ella M., January 18, 1886; and Jacob, April 17, 1889. In politics our subject is a Populist. He has been a school director for a number of terms, and is a man highly regarded by his fellow citizens for his integrity, good common sense and liberal-minded views. DAVID GIRTON (deceased) was a native of the Keystone State, born in Columbia county, on July 19, 1813, and, as his mother died when he was quite small, he was reared by a maternal aunt. When a young man he removed with relatives to Ashland county, Ohio, where he met the lady who now bears his name. In Orange township, that county, on May 21, 1844, he was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Fast, who was there born May 7, 1825, and is a daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Rex) Fast. Her paternal grandfather, Christian Fast, was one of the wellknown pioneers of Ashland county, in whose life many interesting incidents occurred, which have appeared in print many times. At one time he was taken by the Indians, and held in captivity for eighteen months. For seventeen years, Mr. Girton resided in Orange township, Ashland county, and on coming to Wood county, in 1861, was still in debt for his farm of eighty acres there. He was a hard-working, energetic man, and all that he had was secured through his own labors. He drove through to Wood county, bringing his family, which then comprised nine children, and in Perry township purchased eighty acres of land in Section 10, and twenty acres in Section 11. Eight acres of the amount only had been cleared, and the improvements consisted only of a log cabin and pig pen. A heavy growth of timber covered the place, and the land was mostly under water, especially in the spring, the only means of going to the neighbors being to walk on the logs in order to keep from getting wet. Mr. Girton continued to improve and cultivate his land until his death, which occurred April 3, 1869, and his remains were interred at Perry Center. In height he was five feet eight inches, weighed only 135 pounds, was never very strong, and his health was quite poor the last two years of his life. In politics he was a Democrat, and as a citizen had the respect and confidence of all who knew him. At his death he left the widow with a family of ten children, and a debt of $60o upon his place. With the help of her sons, Mrs. Girton was able to keep her home, and to-day has 120 acres of as good land as can be found anywhere in the township. The place is neat and thrifty in appearance, the buildings are of substantial character, and all the improvements found thereon have been made by members of the family. The education of Mrs. Girton was such as the subscription schools of her neighborhood afforded; but at that time it was considered unnecessary for girls to have much of an education. She has reared a family, of which she may justly be proud; her sons have become prominent and enterprising citizens of the various communities in which they reside, while her daughters have become good housekeepers and faithful wives, and they always acted under her instruction, seeking her advice until they started out in life for themselves. Religiously she is connected with the Evangelical Church, and she is one of the most highly respected ladies of Perry township.. Her children are as follows: Perry Girton, born March 14, 1845, lives in Gratiot county, Mich.; Sarah J., born November 12, 1846. is now Mrs. Jonathan Snyder, of Gratiot county, Mich.; John G., born July 19, 1848, is a farmer of Perry township; Mary M., born January 18, 682 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. 1850, is the wife of George Castrit, of West Millgrove, Ohio; David K., born May 13, 1852, resides in Scott township, Sandusky Co., Ohio; Jacob I., born April 28, 1854, died in Perry township January 23, 1869; Hudson P., born April 1, 1856, lives in Johnson county, Mo.; Wilson W., born February 27, 1858, died March 23, 1883, in Perry township; Martin G., born June 27, 1860, is a farmer of Perry township; and Flora E., born March 16, 1866, is now Mrs. Amos Bowers, of Montgomery township, Wood county. EDWARD W. DE VERNA, one of the honored pioneer settlers of Wood county, was born on Westminster, in London, England, December 14, 1829. Edward De Verna, his father, also born in England, was of French descent. By profession he was a surgeon, and for a number of years governor of a penitentiary. He married Cecelia Sarvis, a native of England, and they became the parents of two sons: Edward W., and Henry A., a farmer of Ottawa county, Ohio. Crossing the Atlantic, the family located in Chatham, county of Kent, Ontario, Canada; where the father was given one thousand acres of land in recognition of services rendered his country. He died there in 1859, surviving his wife six years. George De Verna, grandfather of our subject, was a captain in the British army the greater part of his life; while an uncle, Major Crane, was in the same service, losing a limb at some engagement-in fact many of Mr. DeVerna's relatives were military men, and he has inherited not a little of their martial air, being still quite erect, though sixty-seven years old, taking also much delight in drilling a company of cadets at Dunbridge. Our subject was baptized in the grand and historic structure which has played an important part in England's history-Westminster Abbey. He is entirely self-educated, but is to-day a very well-read man. At the age of twelve he came with his parents to Canada, where he was employed on a farm until 1857, after which he worked his uncle's farm three years on Hull Prairie, in Wood county; he then purchased eighty acres of timber land, and built a log cabin. During those early days the hardships and trials of pioneer life were many and arduous; so much so that he saw his children crying for bread, his wife crying to see them cry, and he himself had nothing; but as time passed he has added, to his possessions, and now owns 340 acres of valuable land, much of which lies in Perrysburg township, and is operated by his sons. He erected a fine rsidence at a cost of $3,500, which was destroyed by fire. In 1888 he purchased twenty acres of land in Dunbridge, erected thereon a comfortable dwelling, and now has one of the best improved farms in the locality, in addition to general agriculture, operating a threshing machine, feed-mill, corn-sheller and clover-huller. In October, 1852, at Chatham, Canada, Mr. De Verna married Eliza Barfoot, who was born in London, England, June 20, 1827. The following is the record of their family: Emma, born September 1, 1854, is the wife of Henry Shubb, of Perrysburg; Frank was born in May, 1856, and Edward in June, 1858; Mary A., born in November, 186o, is the wife of George Chamberlain; Eliza, born in 1863, is the wife of William Cloar, an engineer in Michigan; Abraham, born in 1864, is a farmer of Perrysburg township; Florence, born in 1868, is at home; and George B., born in 1871, is an agriculturist of Perrysburg township. During the war of the Rebellion, Mr. DeVerna enlisted in Perrysburg township, September 24, 1862, in Company L, 3rd O. V. V. C., which was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 14th . Army Corps. For two years and ten months he faithfully defended the old flag and the cause it represented, being honorably discharged August 4, 1865, at Edgefield, Tenn., having served two years and eleven months. He never lost a day from his regiment owing to sickness, was never wounded or taken prisoner, and, though a private during his entire service, he was often detailed to take charge of small expeditions, thereby seeing much active service. On one of his expeditions he captured two beautiful blooded horses from bushwhackers; on another, he had the pleasure of knocking, with his saber, a horn out of the mouth of a Rebel, who was going to call for help, while Mr. De Verna's comrades were helping themselves in the smoke house. At the battle of Atlanta, he partially lost his hearing. He is a loyal, devoted citizen, a member of the American Protective Association, of Toledo, Ohio, and of the Loyal Orange Association, of Canada; he is also connected with Phoenix Lodge, No. 123, F. & A. M., of Perrysburg. For five years he served on the board of education, and he is a liberal member of the Presbyterian Church of Dunbridge. The day he was married Mr. De Verna commenced to keep a diary of the daily events of his life, which is still unbroken save some leaves he sent home while he was in the army, and which were lost, and a portion destroyed by fire when his home was burned. In his own language we will here RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE