300 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. birth Until 1852, when he came to the United States and located at Tiffin, Ohio. Remaining a short time in that city, he removed to Crawford county, thence after the lapse of a few years coming to the county of Wyandot where he followed the pursuit of agriculture about seven years on land leased for the purpose. Being a man of thrifty habits and exceedingly economical, he succeeded in saving sufficient money to purchase a small place of his own, selecting a forty-acre tract in section 33, Salem township, which he improved until it became one of thebesttplacess of its size in the county. Frederick Koehler was a man of excellent parts, a good farmer and a Most exemplary citizen. He was honored by being chosen to various offices and took an active part inmatters politicall as a Democrat of the most orthodox type. He was alsoa veryy religious man, having been born and reared in the German Lutheran faith, and he remained loyal to his church to the day of his death. Financially he met with encouraging success and he might have been much better off in this world's goods than he was had he not in kindnessof heartt gone security for several irresponsible parties who caused him to lose a large sum of money. At the time of his death he owned a fine farm of one hundred and ninety-five acres, which with other property represented the labor and savings of many years. He departed this life in 1895, at the age of sixty-nine. The maiden name of Mrs. Frederick Koehler was Magdelene Bender. She was born in Germany, married there and accompanied her husband to a new home and a new destiny in the United States. She is the mother of twelve children and is still living, hale and hearty, at the age of seventy-three. Jacob Koehler was the first born in the above large family. Brought to America when quite small, his boyhood days were spent on his father's farm and when old enough he bore his full share in the family support. On attaining his majority he purchased a separator and engine and engaged in the threshing of grain, and for a period of twenty-six years followed the same in various parts of Wyandot county. Meantime he bought a farm of forty acres in Salem township, which he has since cultivated in connection with. threshing, meeting with good success in both lines of work. Although small, Mr. Koehler's farm is highly cultivated and under his careful and skillful management it is made to yield, more liberal returns than many. places of much larger acreage. Mr. Koehler is a man of industrious and thrifty habits and seldom fails of winning success from everything to which he lays. his hands. His home is a model of neatness and comfort and he now owns a fine farm, consisting of one hundred and forty acres of valuable land, uponwhich aree some of the best improvements in the township. Among his friends and fellow citizens he is held in high favor and at different times he has served his township in official capacities, ..having been trustee two terms, supervisor one term and for a period of six years school director. Mr. Koehler is a Democrat in politics and in religion a member of the Lutheran church. He is enterprising in all the term implies, public spirited in all that pertains to the material prosperity of his township and county and as a farmer, stock and business man occupies a conspicuous place among the leading citizens of the community where he resides. In all relations with -his fellow men his conduct has been BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 301 blameless and it has been his laudable aim to keep his name and character above reproach. Mrs. Koehler was formerly Miss Susan Schoenberger, daughter of George Schoenberger, an early and prominent resident of Salem township. She was born in Wyandot county, October 5, 1853, and has presented her husband with five children: George F.; William H.; Lena M.; Alfred. J. and Callie P., all still under the parental roof except the first born, who is making his own way in the world. Mrs. Koehler is a lady of gentle moral nature, but resolute of purpose. She is an earnest worker in the Lutheran church and stands high in the esteem of the best people of her neighborhood. DR. GEORGE W. CLIFFE. One of the conspicuous figures in the recent history . of Wyandot county is the vent popular and efficient sheriff whose it ne introduces this review. Belonging to one of the pioneer families of Ohio and thus far spending his life within, the boundaries of the state-, he has attained precedence as a citizen and honors as a distinguished public servant. Paternally Dr. Cliffe is descended from English ancestors,. while upon the maternal side, his family history, is traceable to an old and highly respected family, of German origin that. settled many years ago near the . city of Hagerstown, .Maryland. His grandparents, Charles and Mary (Musgrove) Cliffe, were natives respectively of England and Maryland, the former coming to the United States with his parents when a young man, and after his marriage settling in Ashland county, Ohio. It is a matter of local history, that Charles Cliffe was among the earliest pioneers of Ashland county. He came to Ohio when the footprints of the savages were still fresh in the soil and spent the years of his prime amid the wild scenes of the frontier. But few vestiges of civilization were then visible, while tall around his primitive dwelling stretched gigantic forests, standing in their primeval strength and beauty. In the growth and development of Ashland county, he bore a conspicuous part, and he also became prominent in its public affairs, having been a man of strong mentality and much more than ordinary force of character. Educated much beyond the generality of early settlers, he became a leader of thought and moulder of opinion in the community, serving also as an advisor in his neighborhood in legal matters and by his good sense and excellent counsel frequently adjusting perplexing matters without resort to courts of justice. His large and carefully selected library, the greater part of which was brought to this country from England by his father, Stephen. Cliffe, who died during his son's early manhood, was one of the best if not the best in the county and he spent much time in poring over his books. He had a wide and profound knowledge of history and general literature and but few men of his time were better informed on current events. In politics Charles Cliffe was an ardent Whig; he enjoyed the close personal friendship. of President Andrew, Jackson, his ideal in all that constituted human greatness and true statesmanship. Charles Cliffe was successful in the accumulation of worldly wealth, but never placed a very high value upon mere dollars and cents; while he 302 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. was considered highly, educated his wife was equally so. She is remembered as a woman of uncommon power of mind, a great reader of the world's best literature and in this respect was a most remarkable Woman. In common with her husband, she was a close student of history and political economy and a strong friend of the National Union, which at that time began to be assailed in certain sections. Her love for "Old Hickory" bordered almost upon reverence and later she.. became a great admirer of President Lincoln and a believer in the policies he advocated. Mr. Cliffe's death occurred at his home in Ashland county,Ohio, September, 1845. His wife lived to be quite old and departed this life at the old home in Ashland county where they originally settled in 1829. They reared a family of five children, among whom was Joseph C. Cliffe, the father of the subject, whose birth occurred on the old homestead in Ashland county, in 1830. He was reared there and when a young than married Miss Adassa Kidwell, also a native of Ashland county, but whose people fortherly came from Virginia and were of English extraction; her grandfather having served in the war of the Revolution. Joseph C. Cliffe turned his attention to farming and, stock raising, in which he has been successful. He is still a resident of Ashland county, and although advanced in years, he is remarkably active, giving personal attention to his business interests and taking an active 'part in public and political affairs. A representative Democrat of the Jacksonian type for over a half century, he has been more or less interested in the polities of his county. Like his father, he is a man of vigorous intellect, a great reader and, like him also he has served. as arbiter in many complications growing out of misunderstandings among neighborhood friends. His sound judgment and comprehensive knowledge of right and wrong have .been. the means of preventing much useless and expensive litigation and it is a matter of pride that he has never been sued, nor has he ever been a party to- any suit in court. While in a measure genial and popular, he has always been a man of few words; when he speaks, however, he always commands attention and what he says never fails to carry weight and conviction. In religion he adhere's to the Presbyterian creed, and it has always been his aim to make his. life conform to the faith which he professes. Joseph C. and Adassa Cliffe are the parents of eleven children, of whom the subject of this review is the eldest. Dr. George W. Cliffe was born on the paternal homestead in Ashland county, November 6, 1856, and, until his seventeenth year, attended the public schools of his. neighborhood. Later he pursued the higher branches of learning in a normal institution with the object in view of preparing himself for the legal profession; but before carrying out this purpose became a teacher in the public schools. taught a number of terms, earned the reputation of an able and painstaking instructor, and for several years his time was divided between teaching and attending school. Determined to turn his thoughts in another direction, he finally severed his connection with school work and began the study of veterinary surgery under the direction of a very .competent instructor, Dr. William H. Derr, of Wooster, Ohio; later he attended the Veter- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 303 inary College at Toronto, Canada, and became a very proficient prctitioner. In 1886, Dr.. Cliffe came to Upper Sandusky and began the practice of. his profession; he met with encouraging success in the treat'ment of all diseases peculiar to the horse and acquired an enviable reputation as a skillful surgeon. He soon had a large practice and was frequently called long distances to treat obstinate cases or to perform. surgical operations requiring thorough knowledge and :skill. The better to fit himself for his chosen calling and a more extended practice, Dr. Cliffe, in 1892, completed a full course in the Ohio Veterinary College, at Cincinnati, after which he resumed his practice at Upper Sandusky and prosecuted the same with eminent success until his election in the fall of 1899 as sheriff of Wyandot county. Reared and. educated in the school of Democracy, he early manifested decided interest in matters political and on becoming a resident of Upper Sandusky he at once became an active partisan and an untiring party worker. As manager of the party in this county, he displayed remarkable ability and tact and the success of the ticket in several campaigns was largely due to his foresight and generalship. It was in recognition of his services as a successful campaigner that the Doctor was nominated for the sheriffalty and from the moment this honor was given him his success at the polls was a foregone conclusion. In the election that followed he went into the office by one of the largest majorities ever given a candidate for the position. This fact attested his great popularity with the people regardless of party ties and the manner in which he has thus far acquitted himself in one of the most important and responsible stations within the gift of the public shows that he subordinates every . other consideration to the one idea of proving himself capable of discharging worthily the trust with which he has been honored. Realizing that he is a servant of the public, Dr. Cliffe spares no pains to. be agreeable to all having business to transact in his office, while his determination to enforce the law to the letter and bring law-breakers to justice has: made his name a terror to evil doers within his jurisdiction. Determined to carry out the mandates of the court and execute the laws as far has maintaining the peace is concerned; he has been untiring in his efforts, and has brought to the bar of justice a number of hardened criminals, whom to arrest and prosecute involved great personal danger. One of his most fearless deeds was the arrest of five members of the notorious Foster-Lowry gang and the putting an end to the many acts of lawlessness which they for years had committed. So ably has Dr. Cliffe discharged his duties that he was complimented with a renomination and re-election in the fall of 1901, and it can be truthfully said that Wyandot county has never been served by a more capable and faithful official; his high sense of honor and devotion to duty have won for him a place in public esteem of which he feels proud and which he will always retain. Dr. Cliffe was one of the leading spirits in inducing the people of Wyandot county to vote in favor of building a new court house. Such a structure had long been needed, but it was difficult to make certain voters see and understand the necessity of expending the public fund for such an improvement. After being thoroughly discussed, the matter was finally put to vote, 304 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. resulting in the measure being carried by a handsome majority, the subject taking an active and prominent part in the canvass. The temple of justice, an elegant and imposing structure, ,representing a cost of $2o.o,000, stands as a monument to the energy and untiring efforts of the leading public-spirited men of the county, among whom the efficient sheriff occupies a conspicuous place. Dr. Cliffe is a worthy member, of a number of fraternal orders in which he has a high standing. He was united in marriage in 1876, the lady of his choice being Miss Maggie E. Wilson, of Jeromeville, Ashland county, Ohio; their home is cheered by the presence of a daughter, Helen B. Cliffe, a bright and promising girl in whom her parents take great pride. Their other child; a son, died when quite young: Mrs. Cliffe has the distinction of being one of the Most popular ladies of Upper Sandusky. She has always been kind and considerate to those having business at the county jail, as well as to the prisoners while she was matron. Her ancestors figured prominently in the early history of Ashland county, and were among the well-known families of the section of country in which they lived. Paternally Mrs. Cliffe is of Irish extraction; on the niother's side her lineage is traceable to an old and respectable German family that settled in the county of Ashland a. number of years .ago. Dr. George W. Cliffe, like many farmers' sons, is self-made, having had no assistance whatever, except the counsel of a good wife and his own ambition to sustain him during many discouraging events, all of which he has overcome to the satisfaction and pleasure of his many friends as well as to himself. WILLIAM HENRY CASE. To this prosperous farmer of Eden township, Wyandot county, Ohio, allusion is made on another page of this volume in the life sketch of his father, M. B. Case, a part of which is here repeated as pertinent to the biography of William Henry, the subject proper of these remarks. M. B. Case was born in Connecticut, came early to Ohio, and was married in Lorain county to. MisS Lucinda Goodrich,. who was born there. He was a dairyman by calling, and first located in Trumbull county, where he bought a. farm on which he lived until 1846. He then came to Eden township, Wyanclot county, and settled on a farm of sixty acres in section 7, deep in the woods, and at a time when there were only five families in the township. This land he subsequently sold and purchased another tract of forty acres, improved it in all respects, and became a man of mark and great. influence. He was elected a justice of the peace, also township trustee and to some of the minor township offices. In politics he was at first a Whig and later a Republican., He died on his farm in 1864, a member of the Methodist Protestant church, and his widow survived until 1896, when she died in the same faith while in Nebraska. The children born tor M. B. and Lucinda (Goodrich) Case were eight in number and were named : Sarah, who is the wife of Jacob Lowmaster, of Putnam county, Ohio; Augustus; who lost his life in the battle of Resaca, Ga., during the war of the Rebellion, William Henry, whose name stands at the head of this biographical notice; Emery E., who was killed in the second battle BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 305 of Bull Run, Va..; James, who died in 1862; Orvil, who is living in Lexington, Neb..; Anna Maria, wife of F. J. Rosenburg, M. D., also of Lexington, Neb.; and George, M. D., of the,same city. William Henry Case was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, January 28, 1840, and made his home with his. parents until his marriage, in . February, 1862, with Miss Mary M. Weckler, a daughter of John Jacob and Louisa (Fox) Weckler, who were born in Germany and came to America when still quite young. They first located in Crawford county, then in Richland county, Ohio, where the father was engaged in farming for several years, and then came to Eden township, Wyandot county, and here passed the remainder of their lives, Mr. Case and his wife having lived with them sixteen years. May 1, 1864; Mr. Case enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Forty-fourth Ohio National Guard, under Capt. James Gibson and Col. Hunt, and served four months, mostly in Maryland and Virginia, and took part in several skirmishes. He received his honorable discharge September 1, 1864. In 1870; Mr. Case bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in section 6, Eden township, formerly known as the James Leeper place. This farm was partly improved, and since taking possession Mr. Case has fenced and tiled it, rendering it one of the most fertile in the township. The marriage of Mr. Case with Miss Wechler has been blessed with five children, born in the following order : Emery E., who is farming in Eden township and is married to Ella Coon, who has borne him two children, Clarence and Vay; John, also farming in Eden township, is married to Anna Spangler and has. a family of three children, Ray, Vere. and Charlie; Truman W., likewise farming in Eden township, is married to Nava Kinley, and is the father of three children; Fred, Marie and Paul; Daisy V., wife of O. W. Ellis, of Crane township, is the mother of six children, Kenneth, Gilbert, Florence, Gail, Paul and Annabel. Mrs. Mary. M. Case passed away in August, 1874, and on May 6, 1877, Mr. Case wedded Miss Leah Cooperrider. She was born, December 5, 1851, in Perry county, Ohio, and is daughter of Levi and Elizabeth (Klingler) Cooperrider. In her parents' family there were three sons and four da.ughters, of whom but one is deceased. Of those living one is .a resident of Colorado and one of Nebraska, the others all residing in Ohio. Mrs. Case lived in her native county until arriving at womanhood. Her union with Mr. Case has been blessed with the birth of five children, as follows : Maude became the wife of Ward Petty, a lumberman of Sycamore; Jessie, who has completed her education, has obtained a teacher's certificate, and has also purSued a course of in struction in music; Earl Grant and James A. are still in school. Mr. Case is greatly skilled in his vocation and is consequently very successful. His crops consist of the usual products of the surrounding country, such as hay, wheat, corn and oats. He also devotes a great deal of his attention to stock-raising and breeds some choice cattle, sheep and swine, which find a ready market and yield. him a. handsome income. In local affairs. Mr. Case is independent in his political views and votes for the candi- 306 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. date who is, in his opinion, the most competent to fill the office for which he is nominated. Nevertheless, Mr. Case is quite popular, and being known to be trustworthy and well qualified, he has been twice elected township trustee. His religion is that of the Methodist Protestant church (as is that of his wife), and his only fraternal connection is with Jaqueth Post No. 106, G. A. R., at Sycamore. His social relations are with the best people in Eden township, by whom he is highly esteemed for his many personal merits. THOMAS C. DAUGHMER. Thomas C. Daughmer was born June 8, 1841, in Antrim township, Wyandot county, Ohio, on the farm where he now resides. His father, James, was a. son of George Daughmer, Who was born in Amsterdam, Holland, in 1775, but came to the United States where he was :a prosperous distiller in West Virginia. He was married July 25, 1796, to Miss Elizabeth Hartman, who was a native of West Virginia. Among the children born to them was John George Daughmer, the father of our subject. He died July 23, 1828. James Daughmer was born June 7, 1807, in Uppertract, Pendleton county, W. Va., where he greW to manhood. He was joined in marriage with Miss Sarah Bargerhoff, a native of the same state, but of Pennsylvania ancestry. She was born July 18, 1804. Her father, Nicholas Bargerhoff, was a soldier under Gen., Washington in the Revolutionary war, was at Valley Forge and was wounded while in the service. Because of his heroic service his descendants are entitled to membership in that greatest of American social orders, Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. About 1831 James Daughmer came with his wife and family by wagon to Wyandot county, Ohio, and pre-empted one hundred acres of land. He also bought some government land at. two and one-half dollars per acre and at the time of his death, November 20, 1894, had accumulated one hundred and ninety acres. He was active in all 'public works but never took much part in politics. His wife died September 20, 1872,, leaving a family of five children, viz. : Lydia, deceased, who married Daniel Coons.; George N., a farmer and stock dealer of Knox county, Ill. ; Elizabeth, who is unmarried and lives at home; Sarah, also unmarried and re-. siding on the home place with her sister, and Thomas C., the youngest of the family. Thomas C. Daughmer was married in 1864 to Miss Mary Lillie, who died in 1868, leaving one son, George L., who is now married to Miss Minnie McBeth, by whom he has one child, Thomas H. After the death of his wife Mr. Daughmer returned to the parental roof with his. son and remained there after the death of his parents, when the old place came into possession of himself and two sisters. It is a fine piece of property and is located in Antrim and Pitt townships. On it is located one of the finest country residences in Wyandot county. It stands on an eminence commanding a beautiful view and was built in 1885. It is of brick and stone and cost over $6,000. Mr. Daughmer has always been a farmer, and a remarkably successful one. In 1872 he purchased two hundred and sixteen acres of woodland in Antrim township near the farm on which he re BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 307 sides and has improved and-cleared it. He feeds large numbers of sheep and cattle, buying and selling the latter extensively. He is a splendid judge of .a horse and raises some fine animals. He breeds the standard strain. of horses, the Wilkes-Membrino, and at present has in his stables a valuable specimen of this breed. He has a half-mile race track on his farm and speeds his colts there, getting some flattering results. He has been a notable personage and many of the fairs in this state and as a competitor has taken many premiums: His acquaintance in the surrounding counties is extensive and his judgment is often sought by men prominent as horsemen. He is a man who stands well in the community and at one time served as township trustee, making one of the most efficient officials ever entrusted with the place. His father was a member of and liberal contributor to the United Brethren church and a man of sterling integrity and honor. Politically our subject is a stalwart Republican and cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. The name Daughmer is so well known in Wyandot county that it needs no special introduction. The name is of pure Holland origin and was originally spelled "Dahmer." Grandfather John George Dahmer was highly educated and could converse fluently in seN;en different languages. He was of very aristocratic lineage. Our subject and his sisters have in their possession two old parchment deeds, both in an excellent state of preservation. One is dated August 10, 1857, signed by Martin Van Buren and calls for thirty acres, while the other, calling for fifty acres, is dated November .5, 1846, and is signed by James K. Polk. JOHN BUSER. It is the pride of the citizens of this country that there is no limit to which natural ability, industry and honesty may not aspire. A boy born in ignorance and poverty and reared under the most adverse surroundings may nevertheless break from his fetters and rise to the highest station in the land. And the qualities do not have to be of transcendent character to enable him to accomplish this result. It is more the way he does it and his skill in grasping the opportunities presented, than to any remarkable qualities possessed by him.. Accordingly, it is found that very often in this country the president, governor and other high public officials possess no higher ability than thousands of other citizens. They have simply taken better advantage of their circumstances than their fellows. And this truth runs through every occupation. The farmer who rises above his fellow farmers does so because he has found out how to rise above the surroundings which hold others down. Such a farmer is John Buser, the subject of this notice. He was born in Bonsai, Switzerland, July 30, 1827, and is the son of Jacob and Barbara Buser, both of whom were natives of that country and citizens of much respectability. To them were born a family of four children, as follows : Subject ; Barbara, the widow of John Feichter ; Jacob; deceased; and Elizabeth, who married V. Goetz, and upon his death married John Haag. In 1845, when the subject was a young man, he came with his parents to this country in a sailing vessel, spending several weeks on the ocean before being landed in New York. Upon their arrival, after thirty-two days on the  308 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. water, they came to. Canton, Ohio, where they remained for the period of two months. Having by that time taken their bearings and found out where. they were likely to secure the best advantages, they came to Wyandot county and remained, for a time at Little Sandusky. The elder Buser then bought two hundred acres, constituting part of the farm where the subject now lives, and later added to the same by purchase. The tract was then wild and covered with heavy forests of the best varieties of woods, all of which had to be removed before the soil could be cultivated. He went to work with the assistance of his good wife. and his children and in time built up a comfortable home and became one of the best citizens in this portion of the county. He was an industrious, honest and conscientious man of excellent habits, and after a life of much worth passed away aged seventy-four years, having the respect of all who knew him. His son, the subject, came to this county when eighteen years. of age, and remained on his father's farm until 1855, in the meantime laying up for himself considerable property. In the last named year he married Miss Christina Stief, by whom he has four children, as follows : Elizabeth became the wife of Wm. Durer, and bore him four children : Minnie, E., Edward, Irene C. and John O.; Mary, deceased, was the wife of Albert Margraff and the mother of fottr children, Amy C., Clara I., Oscar and Jacob; Catherine died at the age of nine years; Amy died at the age of twenty-five years. After the subject's marriage, at the request of his father, he took charge of the old home farm and there he has resided down to the present time. In 1854 he and his father manufactured the brick used in the house that is still standing. He now owns one hundred and thirty-five acres, of which about one hundred are under a high state of cultivation. His business generally is farming and stock raising. Mr. BUser is in comfortable circumstances, and is one of the most progressive farmers of the county. He has served as school director, supervisor is a Democrat and a member of the German Reformed church. He is well known and highly respected. DANIEL H. FOX. Among the present residents of this county who were born in the state of Ohio and afterward removed here is the subject of this sketch. His birth occurred in Richland county, one of the best in the state, on December 7, 1856. His parents were A.. G. and Louisa (Dome) Fox, the former of whom came, as a boy of six years, with his father from Germany, and located in Richland county. The father's name was John B. Fox. There the latter bought a farm of eighty acres which he farmed, although he was also a skillful blacksmith and a maker of edge-tools. At these two occupations he obtained a livelihood and was thereby enabled to rear and educate his family. His son, A. G., was married in Richland county in r857, and soon afterward moved to this county, locating in Mifflin township, where he pursued the occupation of farming. He owned two hundred acres, all in Mifflin township, and was himself the clearer of much of it froin the virgin forests. After a useful and honorable life, during which he .amassed considerable valuable property and BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 309 was connected with many neighborhood events of importance, he died in September, 1896, his wife having preceded them, to the tomb in 1895. They were of the yeomanry of the. state, steady and reliable in their ideas of right and wrong, friends of education and progress and supPorters of every laudable undertaking .or enterprise that seemed calculated to build up the morality of their community. They left behind them an unblemished name and a multitude of sorrowing friends. Mr. Fox was a stalwart Democrat of the old school, a firm believer in its broad principles, and was identified with the successful action of his party in this portion of the county. At One time he served as trustee of his township, an honor well deserved, and the duties of the office were cheerfully and faithfully performed. He was also an active and consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their children were as follows : Lorinda, the wife of Henry Yager; George W., now residing in Forrest, Ohio, where he farms and conducts an elevator for the farmers grain; Daniel H., the subject of this sketch; Mary, the wife of J. H. Klinger, now living on the cld place in Mifflin township, Franklin M., a farmer of Mifflin township. Daniel H. Fox lived with. his father until he attained the age of twenty-five years. On the 22nd . of February, 1886, he was united in matrimony to Miss. Jemima McLeary, who bore her husband two children, as follows : Grace E. and Ethel. His wife dying, he was later married to Miss Anna Leichtey, and by her has three children : Emory, Elva and David. In 189 Mr. Fox located on his present place, which was then known as the Brown place. At first Mr. Fox owned ninety-five acres, but- he has since added to it until he now owns a total of one hundred and sixty-five acres. He has taken much interest in politics and has shown a fitness for the "give and take" of that important field of operations. Not every man can succeed in politics. It requires special qualities and unusual craft and ability. The subject has served two terms as trustee and is a member of the Democratic party. He is also a member of the Salem MethodiSt Episcopal church of Mifflin township, being a steward of that organization. He received his education at the common schools, and has found more sunshine than shadow in life. PETER TSCHANEN. This is an age in which the farmer stands preeminently above any other class as a producer of wealth. He simply takes advantage of the winds, the warm air, the bright sunshine and the refreshing rains, and applying his own hands and skill to nature's gifts he creates grain, hay, live stock, etc., all of which are absolute necessaries. to the inhabitants of the world. The commercial world has come to. recognize his importance and has surrounded him with many conveniences not thought of one hundred years. ago. The inventor has given him the self-binder, the riding plow, the steam thresher, and many other labor-saving devices. And. the farmer has not been slow to take advantage of the improvements thus invented and offered. Among the up-to-date farmers of this county is the subject of this brief sketch, who. was born near New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas county, Ohio., Oc- 310 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. tober 7, 1841, and is the son of Peter and Magdaline (Stumply) Tschanen, both of the parents being natives of the little republic of Switzerland. They were both the descendants of honest and industrious peal pie and were reared to hard work and thought themselves blest when they had plenty to do. They grew up in their native land, married there and began farming. After a time they learned that they could do better in the great republic across the ocean, and, accordingly, they boarded a sailing vessel, and after a tempestuous voyage of several weeks, landed safe and sound in New York harbor. This was in 1834. They immediately came west and first located at New Philadelphia, Ohio, where the elder Tschanen bought a tract of land, upon which he began farming. He made many improvements and began steadily to get ahead in the world, and by 1855 he had managed to lay aside a comfortable sum. But his operations were somewhat confined in that locality, and so he sold out there, in the last named year, and came. to this county and bought one hundred and forty-seven acres in Eden township, this county, section 36. This farm was partly improved when he bought it, but he continued the good work and soon had one of the best farms in this section of the county. He did an immense amount of hard work and when he at last laid clown the burden of life he had the satisfaction of knowing that his duty to his family and to the state had been well and faithfully clone. He was intelligent, hardworking and thoroughly honest, and the world was better for his having lived. He passed away in March, 1886, his wife having preceded him in November, 1870. Their occupation throughout life was farming-, and their morals and good name stand above reproach.. Mr. Tschanen was a Democrat, but not a seeker of office. Himself and wife were members of the German Reformed church. To Mr. and Mrs.. Tschanen were born seven children, as follows: Benjamin, who married Miss Lydia Ulrich and was a farmer of this township, died March 31, 190o, and his' wife in February, 1897; Mary, who married Joseph Sparks, and upon his death married Benjamin Homey, lives in New Philadelphia; John, who is engaged in farming in Defiance county; Peter, the subject; Elizabeth, who, married Jacob Bardon, a farmer of Antrim township; Christian, who married Rachel Andrews and lives in Van Wert county ; Sarah, 'who married George Holblitzle, a farmer of Van Wert county. Subject remained With his father until he reached the age of twenty-four years. In January, 1866, he married Miss Anna Smally, of Ashland county, who was born October 22, 1847, and died in 1876. His second marriage occurred in March, 1889, to Miss Catherine, daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Bush) Bender, of Westmoreland county, Penn. Mr. Bender was a farmer who came from the Keystone state to Ohio in 1841 and settled in Richland county. To our subject and his first wife five children were born : Francis E., who married Miss Sadie Mooney and is farming in Crane township; Ellis, who married Miss Jennie McCauley and is farming in Sycamore township; William, who married Miss Bertha Hayman and is farming in Sycamore township ; Myrtle E., who married A. P. Wolf, a hardware dealer of Bloomville, Ohio; Maude, who married Francis Hoffman, a farmer in Crane township. After BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 311 his first marriage Mr. Tschanen rented a farm in Eden township for one year, then one in Antrim township for one year, and afterward for ten years in Eden, Pitt and other townships. Immediately succeeding his first wife's death he resided in Nevada for several years, and was engaged in burning brick and tile. In 1888 he bought, in Crane township, part of the old homestead—eighty. acres. He built his house in . 1889 and his barn in 190o. He has made all the improvements on this place, has a fine property and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He is a Democrat and stands very high as a neighbor, citizen and friend. MILFORD H. BRINKERHOFF. "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast," said Shakespeare, and a dealer in musical instruments must be aware that he is in some respects inspired with a love of the divine art, and therefore, like Pan or Orpheus, takes pleasure in 'handling those instruments that "discourse most excellent music." Milford H. Brinkerhoff, dealer in pianos, organs and other Musical instruments at Upper Sandusky, Wyandot county, Ohio, was born in McCutcheonville, in the same county, February 22, 1849, and is a son of the late Dr. Alexander W. and Martha E. (Hall) Brinkerhoff, of whom more particular mention will be made toward, the close of this sketch.. When about eight years- of age Milford H. was brought by his parents to Upper Sandusky; was educated in the public schools, and after he had finished his studies worked from the age of sixteen to twenty years at the painting business. He then became interested with his father in the sewing machine and music business until the death of the latter, and is still interested, in connection with his brother, W. C. Brinkerhoff, in a continuation of the same business. October 24, 1876, Mr. Brinkerhoff married Miss Mary E. Kiskadden, a native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, but then a resident of Iroquois county, Ill., and a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Williams) Kiskadden, the fOrmer now a retired farmer. of this city. This union has been graced with four children, viz : Harry A.; an electrician; Gra.ce M., a student at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a graduate with the class of 1901; Zachariah. K., also a student of Ann Arbor ; and Van Wyck, in the high school of Upper Sandusky. Dr. Alexander W. Brinkerhoff, the father of Milford H., was born near Gettysburg, Penn., March, 4, 1821. He removed with his family to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1834; and was first in Upper Sandusky May 31st of that year, when he slept at the old "Walker Tavern." At the age of twenty-one years, he engaged with Holmes Durboraw, of McCutchenville, to learn the cabinetmaker's trade. His health failed him and shortly afterward he engaged as clerk for James M. Chamberlain, a merchant of McCutchenville. He entered the Ohio Wesleyan University April 14, 1846, but was compelled to abandon his studies on account of ill health and subsequently he taught several terms in the Sycamore schools. In May, 1848, he married Martha E. Hall, of Painesville, Ohio, and three children were the result of this union, two 312 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. of whom, Milford H. and William C., survive. Mr. Brinkerhoff became a resident of Upper Sandusky city in 1856, when he engaged in selling his ' patented inventions. Here his Wife died, and five years later, December 21, 1865, he was married, at Gettysburg, Penn., to Margaret Lott, who survives him. In his fraternal relations Milford H. .Brinkerhoff is a member of Walpole Lodge No. 176, F. & A. M.; also of McCutchen Chanter, and of Marion Commandery, of Marion, Ohio. As a business man Mr. Brinkerhoff has been one of the most energetic and successful that Upper Sandusky can boast of. He was one of the incorporators of the Beery Manufacturing Company, and has also been a director in the First National Bank for the past eight or ten years. He is one of the fakir enterprising men who founded the. Upper Sandusky Telephone Company, of which he is secretary and manager; he is also one of the organizers and owners of the electric plant here. and from the date of organization until the present time has been the president of the company which founded it. In addition to his prosperous and popular musical instrument rooms in Upper Sandusky, Mr. Brinkerhoff has branch establishinents at Marion, Bowling Green and Toledo, Ohio, and.constantly :keeps seven salesmen in his employ.. HENRY HOHWALD. It is well known that among the earliest explorers of the United States the French were the most conspicuous and the most untiring, particularly throughout the interior. Later, in their wars with the English they lost much which they had gained through the hardships of their missionary explorers. After the Revolution, when the country ha freed itself from .English rule, many enn grants of France sought the hospitabl shores of the new world, and from that day to this the great French people have contributed their quota to the swarms of im migrants. The subject of this notice is o French descent, though he was born at Upper Sandusky, September 8, 1847. He is a son of Casper Hohwald, who was born in the province of Alsace, France, on the 9th of March, 1820. In his youth, in his native land, the father learned the shoemaker's trade. Upon reaching the age of twenty years he crossed the ocean to America, locating first in New York, where he worked at his trade. After a time he removed to Syracuse, N. Y., and still later to Utica, still continuing to work at his trade. About this time his parents came to America, having learned from their son of the advantages to be found here. After a while Casper came to Ohio and settled on a farm near Wooster. This was about the year 1844. Later he came to Wyandot county and established himself at his trade in Upper Sandusky, where he continued until 1852, when he purchased one hundred acres of land in Pitt township and remained thereon engaged in farming for the period of one year. In the fall of 1853 he sold out and returned to Upper- -Sandusky and resumed work at his trade. While living there he dealt to a considerable extent in real *estate, buying and selling Muses, lots, farms, etc., and making money readily. In 1848 he bought the farm where the subject now resides, one hundred and sixty acres, for eight hundred BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 313 dollars. He continued to live in, Sandusky, amassing considerable property, until 1865, when he moved to the farm where the subject now resides and here he remained until the date of his death, September 7, 1895. He was a man of great energy and a financier of unusual skill and ability, acquiring a large property in his lifetime. He was a member of the German Lutheran church. In early life he married Miss Mary M. Brunner, and by her had four children : John, who died in 1870; subject the third child died in infancy unnamed; Kate, who became the wife of Michael Stairheim. Mrs. Hohwald was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, and passed away December 3, 1864, after a painful illness of some years. She was a member of the Lutheran church and was an affectionate wife and fond mother. Casper. Hohwald again married, November 18; 1865, taking for his wife Mrs. Catharine (Ackerman) Meister. The latter's former husband, Henry Meister, was a native of Saxony, Germany, and was a carpenter and joiner by trade. He came to the United. States in 1856, was married in Bucyrus, Ohio, and died June 30, 1863. Mr. and, Mrs. Meister were the parents of four whom.children, of Who the. following are living: Lavina is the wife of J. A. Feighner, of Nevada, Ohio; John G., a mechanic, who is married and lives at Bucyrus, Ohio, and Mary E., who received a good common school education and is living at home. When the subject was eighteen years old he came to his present farm and here he has resided since that day. He conducted business in conjunction with his father, and together they made a great deal of money, both being shrewd dealers in stock and skillful farmers. For a short time in 1870 and 1871 he was engaged. in the hardware business in Upper Sandusky. He is now one of the largest land holders of the county. In the home farm are one hundred and sixty acres, and he also owns another farm of seventy-one acres, one of seventy-five acres, one of eighty-five acres, and another of one hundred and sixty-three acres, making a total here of five hundred and fifty-four acres. Besides these tracts he owns eighty acres in Lake county, Mich., city property in Forest, two houses and lots in Upper Sandusky, etc. For a number of years he has been specially engaged in the rearing of sheep; especially the Merinos, or fine wool, at which he has been more than ordinarily suc-' tessful. In politics he is a' liberal Democrat, and in religion a member of the Lutheran church. He has shown an excellent grasp of financial matters, as is proved by the broad acres surrounding him and by his comfortable circumstances. His name is above reproaCh and he is one of the leading farmers and citizens .in this part of the county. GEORGE M. ARMSTRONG, One of the prominent and respected farmers of Eden township, \Vyandot county, Ohio, is a native of Clarion county, Penn., and was born June 3, 1834, near Red Bank Furnace, a son of John and Mary (McCoy) Armstrong, the former of whom was also a native, of the Keystone state, born in Armstrong county, and the latter born in Huntingdon county, that state. John McCoy, the father of Mrs. Mary Armstrong, was.born in. Ireland, came to America when seventeen years of age and loc4ted 314 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. in Huntingdon county, Penn. There he followed his calling of collier and there married Miss McCoy, a country woman of his own and a daughter of John and Susan (Black) McCoy. James Armstrong, paternal grandfather of George M., was also a native of Ireland, where he married Miss Betsy Lemon, who was born in England. They were among the early settlers- of Armstrong county, Penn., where the grandfather engaged in rafting and other river work. His death, however, occurred in Clarion county, Penn. The children born to James and Betsy' (Lemon) Armstrong were eleven in number and were named as follows : Peggy, who resides in Clarion county, Penn. ; Betsy; John—father of our subject; William; James L. ; Andrew ; Thomas; Daniel; Samuel; Joseph, a resident of Butler county. Penn.; and Robert. The children born to John and Mary McCoy numbered nine and were named : John; Thomas; Mary, mother of our subject; Susan, George, James, Michael, William, in Clarion county, Penn., and Betsy. The family of John and Mary (McCoy) Armstrong comprised nine children, namely : James, who died in Belle Vernon, Wyandot county, Ohio; Susan, deceased; Thomas, who was a carpenter, died in Allegheny City, Penn., in May, 'g00; Belle, who is also deceased; William W. is married to Eliza Johnson and resides in Eden township, Wyandot county, Ohio; George M., subject of this sketch, is the sixth born child of the family, John, not yet. married ; Nancy. Widow Of Theodore Foster, lives with. her brother 'John; Rebecca died single; Jeremiah G. is farming in Eden township,: and Samuel W. died unmarried, at the age of thirty-two years. George M. Armstrong was a Mere lad when brought by his parents from Clarion county, Penn., to Wyandot county, Ohio, in 1840. The family came in a wagon, were twelve days in making the journey, and on arriving located in section 22, where they secured possession of the hewed-log house of the Indian chief, Aaron Coon. There they lived among the deeply crowded 'forest trees for three years, and then purchased the present farm of eighty acres in section 10,. Eden township, and later added forty acres in the adjacent section 15. All this land was covered with a heavy growth of maple, poplar and walnuts trees and other hardwood timber, and here they erected at first a round-log house, 24 by 20 feet in dimensions, in which they lived several years, although they had to .go as far as Tiffin, in Seneca' county, to have their grist ground. Of this farm Mr. Armstrong has cleared up all but six acres, which he has left standing as a pleasure resort. He carries on general farming, raising the usual grain crops of his vicinity, and raises hay, as well as cattle, Sheep, hogs, etc. The first marriage of Mr. Armstrong took place in Crawford county, Ohio, to Mrs. Lucy Morris, widow of Thomas Morris and a daughter of John and Sarah Ann (Lea) Foster The latter were natives of` Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio in 1837 and located in Crawford county, where the mother died, and in 1843 the father came to Wyandot county and resided with Mr. Armstrong until called away. Mrs. .Lucy (Morris) Armstrong died in February, 1876, and February 24, 1880, Mr. Arm- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 315 strong married Sarah Ann Lea, slaughter of Thomas and Polly (Miller), Lea, who were also born in Pennsylvania. The father came to Crawford county, Ohio; in 1837, and the mother in 1834, and they lived there the remainder of their lives, he dying June 14, 1873, and she February 15, 1876. Mr. Armstrong has always held a high position in the esteem of his and has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church' since his youthful days. He is regarded as one of the best farmers, in Eden township. He is a very public spirited citizen, and always has the welfare of the people in view when he cast-, . his vote, which 'is given for the best man rather .than for the party. PIETRO CUNEO. The career of Mr. Pietro Cuneo, as given in. the Wyandot County Republican, is such a striking: and instructive example of the result of industrious perseverance in a high purpose and its possibilities under the institutions of American: government, as contrasted with the conditions of life under foreign governments, that we are constrained to make a few extracts therefrom for the education of the youth of Ohio. Mr. Cuneo was born in a small village near Genoa, Italy. He says : "My father had heard good reports of America. A neighbor of his had returned with some money, and his enthusiastic accounts of what he saw here and the opportunities for making something gave my father the American fever. He saw no hope of ever improving his condition over there. Yes, the poor peasant is born in a rude and humble home and there he must die. He cultivates his little hillside and fields of ground, eats his common, course meal, admires the beauties with which nature has surrounded him, but no light of education enters his mind. There were then no rolling mills, factories or Mechanical establishments to furnish him steady labor, or even incite him to industry. He was born poor; poor and uneducated he must remain. Nature has done all she could for him, but he is the victim of cruel tyranny. I tell you, my friends, that it may be, and undoubtedly is, very pleasing to the eye to behold the very elaborate, terraced hillsides and valleys, decorated with grape vines, fig and olive trees, but to reside there and make a living is altogether a different thing. And what is still more unendurable, is the stern fact of having to live under rulers who occupy their positions, not because of 'eminent merits, peculiar qualifications or the voice of the people over whOm they rule,. but simply by the right of hereditary descent, a principle which originated in hell. Then, too, with the knowledge that those very despots are placed over you and your children for life, there is no alternative but to bow and submit. I wish you to think for a moment, and to imagine what feelings would creep over you if you were now to be informed that you had no longer a voice in the making of your laws and the choice of your rulers. In this country the people are the rulers, and the officers mere hired servants.. In Italy a public functionary will pass you with less respect than you would a cow. In this country he will stop to inquire the condition of your health and that of your family, es- 316 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. pecially if he be a shrewd politician, with aspirations for re-election or promotion. He knows that, religiously and politically you stand upon the infallible rock of equality, and he treats you accordingly. Here every citizen worships God as he pleases. If our public servants prove meritorious we honor them by re-election; and if unworthy, we kick them out and repeal the bad laws they have enacted. In Italy, although a man may have the brains of an ignoramus and the heart of a villian, yet if he be the son of a king he becomes heir to the throne; and he who is born poor, although endowed with the genius of a Shakespeare, and the wisdom of a Franklin, he must die as he was born, in obscurity. But in this country, thanks be to God, the noble patriots who established this benign government and the hosts of its living maimed defenders, the fact that a man may have been born in an humble cottage and followed the trade of a tanner, like General Grant; split rails, likeAbrahamm Lincoln; drove a canal boat, like James A. Garfield; or taught a common school, like Millard Fillmore, does not debar him from becoming the honored executive of the nation. Truly, here are no distinctions but such as man's merits may originate. Here, the temple of fame opens its portals alike to all still, it is my experiences that whatever may be a mans surroundings or the country where he resides, the novelty all around will wear off and he in time become the victim of despondency and discontent. The peasant of Italy is ignorant, without ambition, and requires much less to satisfy him. Our own people are ambitious. This is right. A man without ambition is as worthless and powerless as an engine without steam. But the More we have the greater our desire for what w have not. "We take up a poor boy, educate him, make a governor0ff him, send him to Congress and then, instead of feeling grateful; he will growl and even abandon his benefactors because they don't keep him there for life or elect him to the presidency. Th Italian peasant feels thankful and happy, when he has health, sufficient to ea and work; but we keep up the perpetual cry of 'hard times' because we have not thousands of bushels of wheat to sell and piles of greenbacks in the bank. And when we have plenty of wheat we are not happy because the price is too low. Now, my kind reader, when you are disposed to despond, when business is dull, don't fret because you are not in California digging up, nuggets of gold but remember how transcendently superior is your lot when compared with the conditions of the peasants of Italy and the millions of pool and oppressed of other lands. He who fails to find a reasonable degree of happiness, in America is truly to be pitied, for I don't know where he can go. better his condition. It has often seemed to me that the American people do not appreciate their institutions and privileges as they should. I will not say that I prize and enjoyment better than they, but I do say, most emphatically, that I appreciate them far better than if I had not gone through what I have related in these chats. "On March 6, 1849, when thirteen years of age, I accompanied my father to Genoa, from which city we sailed for America. In Sixty days from the time we sailed we reached New York city. There were about one hundred passengers on that little ship. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 317 We were packed. below like criminals and our situation, especially during the prevalence of sea sickness, can better be imagined than described. When I arrived in New York Icould not understand a solitary word of English language, had no trade, and could not read nor write my own name in any language. What to do, was the question. Father was advised to start me out with an organ ; he accordingly rented one. I shouldered it and went to that part of the city called ‘Five Points.' I rested the organ on a cane and proceeded to turn the crank. I gathered a few pennies but soon found that I could not carry it. It was different from those we occasionally see on the streets at the present time. It had a top on it in which were figures that danced to the tunes played. It was too heavy for me and so father had to return it to the owner. I have mentioned this to some kind friends and it got to the cars of some Democratic editors and when they got displeased at me they called me the 'Organ Grinder.' I am guilty, and the worst of it is I did not make a success of it. I gave them the best tunes that the internal machinery of the box and diligent turning of the crank would afford, took such pennies (and they were few) passers by saw fit to give me. If I had been three or four years older I think I would have made, it go. I would have added a monkey to the business after a while. I had the will but not the strength, so I made a failure of it. And I tell you I was discouraged and homesick. From New York I went to Philadelphia and then worked on a farm in Milford, Del., receiving three dollars per month and board. In about two years, on account of sickness, father was compelled to go, back to Italy, expecting me to follow; but I had begun to master the difficulties of the English language and decided to remain in America. For the next four years I drifted from farm to farm in the vicinity of Philadelphia. In 1852, while working on the farm of Mr. Starn, near Camden, N. J., I was urged by .my friends and fellow laborers to go to school and learn to read and write. Mr. Starn told me that if I wanted to go to school he would board :me for what work I could do about the farm night and morning, or, if I wanted to work steadily, he would give me three dollars per month. I accepted the latter offer and promised to try and learn at home in the evenings. The teacher was boarding in the family of Mr. Stain: and offered to teach me; so I purchased a spelling book and tried a few evenings, but soon became utterly discouraged and have the book to a little daughter of Mr. Samuel Ross: A year later, at the age of seventeen, I tried again to get the rudiments of an education and took my first lesson in learning the alphabet. I tried hard tolearn. and the teacher and pupils took particular pains to assist me. The teacher (William Snowden, I think was his name) and the pupils were very kind to me. He became interested in my welfare, arid soon after I began the term he invited me to stand by his side one noon while he was eating his dinner, and spell wards in the book, which he helped me to pronounce. The next day I did not go up. The second day he invited me again. I went up and he asked me why I did not go up the day before. I told him that I did not know that he wanted me to do so. He then explained that he was willing to hear me every noon. I was only too glad to accept. So after that every noon for the 318 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. balance of the winter I stood by his side and spelled a lesson while he was eating his dinner. It was no trouble to him, but a great favor to me. He was one of God's noblest men. On taking my leave of the school I asked my teacher to sell me a copy of `Swann's Instructive Reader,' of which he had several second-hand copies. 'Why,' said he, 'What do you want with it? You can't read it.' Well,' said I, 'I will keep it till I can.' He said I could have a copy for twelve and one-half cents. I took him up and honored my promise, as I kept the book, read and have it yet. I was. fully determined to make a useful man of myself if possible arid decided to work hard during the spring, summer and fall of each year and attend school during the three winter months till I arrived at the age of twenty-one. I had heard good reports of Pennsylvania and in the fall came to Coatesville, Chester county. During the next two winters I began the study of arithmetic and geography. After a while I came to the map of the United States and the question in my mind was: `What does. that mean?' I knew I was in America, but I could not understand what the words 'United' and 'States' meant, and I am free to confess that I never thoroughly understood their meaning till after I had -studied 'Young's Science of. Government,' `De Tocqueville's American Institutions,' `History of American Colonies,' and the `War for American Independence.' One great obstacle in the way of my progress was the fact that I did not comprehend the meaning of so many words. In studying arithmetic I labored under peculiar difficulties, as I could not understand the rules. Well, I purchased a small pocket dictionary, but here I met with new and unexpected difficulties, for when I resorted to it I was as much at a loss to understand the definitions as the words themselves. When I read a book or paper I found so many strange words that I could hardly get any sense of the subject. I finally resorted to this practice: When I found strange words I wrote them on a slip of paper and after I was through reading would examine the dictionary and write the definition opposite the word and carried it in my pocket. When at my work I would reflect over what I had read, and if I could not remember the words or their meaning I would pull the slip from my pocket and read it. To learn to pronounce the words was another great task and one which I never expected to master. "In September, 1856, I came to Canton, Ohio, worked in the shops of Aultman & Company, carrying lumber and doing other manual labor at seventy-seven cents per day. I worked for this firm for the next nine years ; excepting during certain intervals, I worked on the farm for my board and attended school. I gradually mastered, with great difficulty, one after another of the different branches taught in the public schools. until I received notice of my promotion to the high school. From time to time I purchased standard books until I had the nucleus of a library, and in the fall of 1858 taught in a School where I had formerly been a pupil. Through reading the 'Life and Essays of Benjamin Franklin I was stimulated with a desire to become a newspaper editor and entered the office of the Stark County Republican as a printer's `devil' at the age of twenty-two. About five months later my parents arrived in Canton, Ohio, and as I could render them and my sisters no assistance while an appren- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 319 tice in a printing office I was obliged to feturn to Work in the shops. of Aultman & Company. In the fall of 1865, still ambitious to become an editor, I purchased with my savings a half interest in the Medina Gazette. In September. 1866, I sold out my irterest and purchased the Wyandot Pioneer, of Upper Sandusky. I changed its name to the Wyandot County Republican in 1869 and have been its sole editor and proprietor ever since. During the several years I worked in the machine shops I carried books in my pockets and when I arrived at the shops a few minutes before time to begin work I would, seize the books and study them. "Sometimes, when deeply absorbed over those books, some of the shop fellows would throw iron turnings on me, which would come down like vigorous hail. But when. I looked to learn who threw them, no one was to be seen—that is, the guilty fellows were not visible. It was very annoying and unkind to me, but great fun for the boys. When working on the farm I kept a hook in the barn and while the horses ate I read. Thus I gathered a little here and a little there, which has been a great help to me. I had now acquired such a thirst for knowledge, that when I heard of a book, the study of which I thought would assist me, I resolved to have it, if it took the last cent. As continued my readings I found that the great philosopher, Benjamin Franklin, was once a poor printer boy ; the statesman, Roger Sherman, was a shoemaker, and William Wirt was left a poor orphan boy at eight years of age. In fact, I found that a large number of those who have contributed so much to the luster of our nationality and the glory of our institutions began . their careers in obscurity and poverty. Then, too, as I looked among the living I saw men everywhere, who were once poor, in the possession of wealth and stations of honor. This encouraged me, for the idea of poor boys becoming rich was news to me, as I never saw such instances in Italy. The experience of others taught me the fact that, in most every community in thiscountry, the men and women who have made honorable reputations and achieved success in business and mental culture. began in humble circumstances, often at the very bottom of the ladder. Yes,. in the old country men boast of having royal blood flowing in their veins, but in this country we. often point with pride to an humble loge house which we did not own, but paid rent for the priv ilege of living in it as our starting point. True, indeed, that ‘Westward the star of empire takes its way,' and equally true that the heart of the honest and ambitious American lad looks upward and onward in the direction of an honorable career, which is within the reach of every boy gifted, with common sense, integrity, grit and laudable ambition. In conclusion and in all candor; allow me to insure you, reader, that I see nothing in the story of my humble experience to boast of. Indeed, I have never thought and have no intention of applying for a patent for anything recorded above. I claim no merits for myself, have done nothing that any ordinary boy may not do. Every boy born in this country has at once the advantage of learning our language from his mother's lips, and entering the school door at the age of six years. I had a harder struggle: to learn what little I know of the English language than most of our boys have in acquiring a practical common 320 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. school education. In fact, with me progress in the way of acquiring knowledge and property has always seemed slow, hard work, up hill, But there is a pleasure in diligent study, persistent industry and practical management. I wish I could impress upon the minds of my young readers that we are most happy when we ate busily engaged in accomplishing something useful. But may I. not hope that the perusal of this simple narration of facts will cheer the hearts of some lads who are depressed, and whose future seems gloomy, as mine did? Oh, no, I shall not boast, for the long, weary years, the heartaches and gloomy future of my boyhood. and young manhood .are far more vividly impressed on my mind and heart than any joy I ever experienced. No, I claim 'no merits for myself, but attribute what little success may have attended my efforts to the free, common Schools of our glorious country, and have thus briefly related my experience since arriving in America, for the purpose of demonstrating to our young men that they are surrounded by golden opportunities which, if properly improved, will enable them in due time to reap a pleasurable harvest. I close with words and sentiments that I penned a little over eighteen years ago, and which are as warm in my heart now as they were then: The gratitude. I bear toward those who urged me to go to school and gave .me an opportunity. to do so; to the teachers and this benign government which opened the school room doors to me, shall only fade away when my heart shall beat no more. God grant that this, my adopted country, this beloved land, this paradise for men on. earth, this asylum for the oppressed of all countries, this Union of States, and of hearts, may be as lasting and as indestructible as Time." BENJAMIN J. ULRICH. One of the most prosperous and, best-known citizens. of Eden township, Wyandot county, Ohio, is Benjamin J. Ulrich, who Has virtually retired' from. the activities of agricultural life and now lives at ease on his homestead in. section 16., on which he settled in 1865. Benjamin J. Ulrich was born January 12, 1827, in Baltimore county, Md., twenty-five miles west of the city of Baltimore; and is a son of Peter C. and Catherine (Bowser) Ulrich, the former of whom was also a native of Baltimore county, Md., and the latter of York county, Penn.; in, the latter county their marriage took place. Peter C. Ulrich was a carpenter by trade, but was still under age when he enlisted under Colonel Marshall to resist the encroachment of the British on American rights in the war of 1812 and served. one year. He worked at his trade for a long time in the city of Baltimore and then withdrew to his farm of sixty acres, an which he passed his life in the pursuit of agriculture, until 1834, when he came to Ohio and located in Stark county, where he bought and cleared up a small farm of Seventeen acres; on which he resided fourteen years, engaged in farming and Working at his trade. To Peter C. Ulrich and wife were born eight children, namely Sarah, widow of Isaac Thomas and residing in Marshall county, Ind: ; Michael; who was married to Cath- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 321 erine Heistand and is farming in Eden township, Wyandot county; Ohio; Elizabeth, who died unmarried at the age of sixteen years ; Benjamin. J., subject of this sketch; Catherine, deceased wife of James Smalley ; Samuel, deceased; Johanna, wife of Columbus Cowden, of St. Joseph county, Ind. and Amanda, wife of Peter Whitmer, also living in St. Joseph county, Ind: The father of this family died January 8, 1878, and the mother in June, 1881, in the faith of the Dunkard church, and were greatly respected bv all who knew them. In politics the father was a Democrat. In 1846 Peter C. and his two sons,. Benjamin J. (subject), and Michael, came to Eden township, Wyandot county, and here Peter C. ptirchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 24 at the cost of five hundred dollars, and later added eighty acres. All this land. was covered with a dense growth of oak, hickory and elm timber, through which they were obliged to "blaze" a passage, as there was not a roadway in the region, and they :also had to "blaze" the boundary lines of their property. In this wilderness Benjamin J. Ulrich lived two years and then went back to Stark county, where, December 6, 1849, he married Miss Elizabeth Miller, whom he bought to Eden township in a wagon. Mrs. Ulrich was born near Lancaster, Penn., March 4, 1832—the year of the Black Hawk war—hut was only three years of age when taken to Stark county, Ohio, by her parents, Samuel and Leah (Dunwood) Miller, who in 1849 removed to Fulton county, Ind., where they passed the remainder of their days. Mr. Ulrich and his bride lived for five years on the farm with his father and had born to them one child, Emma, who was not, however, long spared to them, as she was called away when but eighteen month's old. At the end of these five years Mr. Ulrich purchased a farm of fifty-one acres in Eden township, improved it and resided on it fourteen years, and then purchased seventy-four acres of his present farm in section 16, which was school land and which was known at that time as the Garrett place. On this land Mr. Ulrich also made all the improvements and from time to time added to it until he now owns a fine estate of two hundred and forty acres, all of which he rents out, but has himself cleared, fenced and ditched about eighty acres. Benjamin J. Ulrich, who was educated in Maryland and in Stark county, Ohio, in both the German and English tongues, was well qualified for his duties as a citizen and as a representative of the interests, of his fellow townsmen in public positions. He is capable of thinking for himSelf and, although his father was a Democrat, our subject votes for the candidate he deems to be fully competent for filling the prospective office. He is himself very popular and has been twice elected to the office of township treasurer, once to that of township assessor, has been a justice of the peace six years, has also been a constable and in 1880 was land appraiser. In religion he is a Dunkard. Mr. and Mrs. Ulrich, have led very in dustrious lives, he working at his trade of cabinetmaker and carpenter, and also doing considerable farming. He stands to-day among the foremost of the ‘citizens of Wyandot county, who honor him for his many personal qualities and keen interest in the well-being of the township. For many years he engaged in the undertaking business in Eden township and 322 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. made the first coffin placed in the Union cemetery. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ulrich attended the log cabin school house,. sat on the slab seats and many a time have they seen deer in the surrounding forests. They are kind hearted and benevolent people. Although having no' children of their own they have taken the fatherless and reared them to years of usefulness as citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Ulrich have passed over half a century as husband and wife, sharing alike the joys and sorrows of life. They are now in their declining years and their sun is fast setting beneath the western horizon of life. Mrs. Ulrich as a faithful' and loving wife has nobly and valiantly stood by the side of her husband in the battle of life. JOHN R. JUREY. John R, Jurey, a leading farmer of Wyandot county, Ohio, was born October 2. 1839, in the township in which he still lives, Antrim, and is a descendant of the first white settler of this section. His immediate ancestors were ;Abner and Priscilla (Winslow) Jurey, who were prominent in the early annals of this county. Samuel Winslow and his wife, Margaret (Woolsey) Winslow, were the first settlers in Antrim township, coming here in 1820, and buying fifty acres of land in section 5, which he improved and made his home during the remainder of his life. They were people of excellent character, members of the Methodist Episcopal church and active workers for the cause, freely giving the use of their house that religious services might be held in the wilderness in which they had chosen their habitation. Priscilla (Winslow) Jurey, mother of cur subject, was born in Ulster county, N., Y., July 3, 1817, and died in Marion, Ohio, March 27, 1899, aged eighty-one, years, eight months and twenty-five days. Her family came to Ohio in 1820, settling near Little Sandusky. She was converted, and joined the Methodist Episcopal church when eighteen years of age. Her father's home was at that time the refuge for Methodist itinerants and there the preaching service was often held. She was married in December, 1836, to Abner Jurey. He died in 1851, leaving upon her the care of seven children. In her last days she was a patient sufferer, and her final words were: "Jesus, take me." She was as a shock of grain fully ripe and ready for the garner. It may be well said of her— "Life's race well run, Life's work well done, Life's crown well won. Now comes eternal rest, the dreamless: sleep." She, was the last of those self-sacrificing pioneers of Methodism, who here laid goon the foundations of a revival church. He loss was deeply felt by the, community aril especially deplored by the. Methodist Episcopal church. Lewis Jurey, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came from Virginia to Ohio in 1817, making his home in the southern part of the state for several years and in 182 came to Wyandot county. Later he moved to Marion county, locating in Grand Prairie township, where he took up land. He was twice married. His first wife died in Vir- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 323 ginia, when he was joined in wedlock to a Mrs. Heaton, who passed away in Marion county; his own death took place in Delphos, Ohio. Abner Jurey was born in Fredericksburg, Va., in the year 1810 and came with his father to Ohio, where he met Miss Priscilla Winslow, whose .charms won his heart and led him to make, her his wife. He was active in all affairs which touched the . interests 0f the community and was elected the first treasurer of Wyandot county, in 1845, when he moved to Upper Sandusky, remaining there two years. He was also elected to the office of justice of the. peace and was a man who was well liked for his upright dealings and the praiseworthy manner in which. he discharged every duty devolving upon him. He was a Whig and gave invaluable aid to the party. He was also an active church worker and an esteemed member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His death, which took place in 1851, was not only deeply felt in his family and the immediate circle in which he moved, but was felt to be a public calamity, so important a place had he occupied in the public service. Seven children were the fruits of their union, .,namely : Henry C., a resident of Toledo, Ohio; John R., whose biography we Present ; Sarah Jane, who died while in Missouri; Margaret, who died in the state of Indiana; Cyrus S., who died at the age of fourteen; Samuel W., who was formerly engaged in the grocery business but is now a farmer of this county ; and Olive, who married Ezra Campbell and lives in Marion county, Ohio. The mother died March 26, 1899, having reached the ripeness of age, eighty-two years.. She was a lady whose Christian virtues will long be remembered and exerted a beneficent influence on the character of those among whom she lived. She was one of whom it may be said, "the world is the better for her having lived in it." John R. Jurey was still at home-when the war became the central topic of conversation, and he was one of the first who volunteered, enlisting April 17, 1861, for a three-months' service, in Company I, Fifteenth Ohio Regiment. He re-enlisted September 17, of the same year, in the Eleventh Ohio Battery and was sent first to St. Louis and from there to various points, taking active part in many of the most hotly contested battles. He participated in the battles at Island No. Ten; two engagements at Corinth; Iuka; siege of, Vicksburg; Champion Hills; Jackson; Little Rock; and a great many minor engagements. During all this time he was not absent from his company twenty-four hours and was never wounded. He was discharged November 6, 1864. He was married October 11, 1866, to Miss Annie Campbell, of Marion county, Ohio, daughter of Michael and Mary (Bibler) Campbell. She was; born September 24, 1841, in Marion county, Ohio, and was there reared and educated. Six children have blessed their union, viz. : Byron C., who was born September 13, 1867, and is now a farmer of Crawford county, Ohio. He chose as his wife Miss Fannie Rex; Ellen, who was born November 8, 1870, died at the age of six months ; Bertha E., born March 31, 1873, married John Merwin, of Marion county, Ohio; Arthur M., born March 24, 1875, resides with his parents ; Lewis R., born May 23, 1877, is also at home; and Maggie, born June 20, 1879, died June 20, 1880. For 324 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. thirty-six years have Mr. and Mrs. Jurey walked life's pathway hand in hand and she has proved an honorable and affectionate wife and an able helpmeet to her husband in the establishment of their home. In the goodness of their hearts they have taken a little girl to rear, Pearl Traxler, and the latter fully appreciates the good home and education which is being given her, for Mr. and Mrs. Jurey give her the same attention a child of their own. would receive. In 1865 Mr. Jurey purchased sixty acres of land in Antrim township and partly improved it, but after his marriage he located in Grand Prairie township., Marion county, this state, where he lived eight years. In 1873 he bought two hundred acres of timber land which he has. cleared and where he now resides. He owns tw0 hundred and sixty acres of land which is well cared for and improved in such a. manner as to reflect credit on the township., He carries on general farming. and. also raises considerable stock and is a leading farmer of Antrim township. He is a Republican .and takes an intelligent interest in the success of the party and is one of the best posted men on current topics of interest that can be found in the township. He was elected trustee of the township in 1875, serving two years with credit to himself and entire satisfaction to the people, and in consequence was twice reelected to the office. He is an honored member of the Grand Army Post,, No. 91, at Upper Sandusky, and is a gentleman whose genial disposition makes him. a general favorite, while his upright and honorable conduct in life has won for him the respect and commendation of all who know him. MICHAEL G. SCHOENBERGER. One of the leading farmers and substantial citizens of Salem township, also one of the large land owners of the county of Wyandot, is the well-known and highly respected gentleman whose name initiates this biographical sketch. As the name implies Mr. Schoenberger is of German lineage, his father, George Schoenberger, having been a native of Hesse Darmstadt, born May 15, 1818, the son .of John M. and Anna Schoenberger. When a young man the aforesaid George learned brewing and worked at the trade at various places in the. country of his nativity until twenty years of age, at which time, in 1838; he came to the United States and secured employment in Pittsburg, Penn. After remaining some time in that city he went to Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, when he took service with a brewer with whom he remained four years; while there he was married, and in August, 1850, came to Wyandot county, and purchasing one hundred acres of land in Salem township, turned his attention to agriculture. Mr. Schoenberger's place, for which he paid the sum of five dollars per acre, was nearly heavily timbered and he began life very much after the manner of the early pioneers, his first dwelling being a diminutive log cabin, roughly finished. and sparingly furnished. With no previous: experience as a farmer, much less as a woodman, he at once addressed himself heroically to the task of clearing his land' and within a couple of years had a considerable area prepared for cultivation. Realizing but meager returns from this land, he removed to Upper Sandusky after the lapse of two years, and again