500 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. his country in, the war of 1812. Her mother was Mary (Miller) Otis, whose ancestors came from England or Holland in 1733 to the Georgia Oglethorpe colony, fostered by Whitfield and the Wesleys, founders of Methodism. Ezekiel Otis and Mary Miller were pronounced "one" in 1815 and began home life near Sandyville, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and had two daughters, Marilla and Louisa, and four sons, Edward, Hampton, Merrel and Reason. They lived on a good farm, loved and cared well for their family and itinerant preachers, with a preference to those ministering to the Winfield Baptist church, of which they were long faithful and honored members, and near which they now sleep, his age at death being sixty-five, hers seventy-six. Dr. Wm. Welty always had a good library, and for forty years took at least half a dozen papers, reading on an average three hours a day for sixty years. He had good lungs, brains and memory, and in his prime could talk on medicine, agriculture, politics or theology until listeners forgot the passing of time, and in his early debates he struck hard against vice, intemperance and immorality. He dealt sledge-hammer blows on the anti-slavery question, which had made his blood boil from his boyhood, until, "Father Abraham," the Thunder of his nation's 'Jehovah, melted her bonclmen's fetters by that lightning stroke of his pen January I, 1863. With due honor to the father for his integrity and his ability to instruct and bring up his boys, as soon as they could value and appreciate pennies and dimes, the mother, in whose veins also flowed three generations of ancestral Christian blood, for a small money consideration contracted for their absence from saloons and their refusal to even, taste liquors while minors: Then when time decreed "two new men in the home" and the twins turned their majority under their breakfast plates they each found a twenty-dollar greenback and this note : "Accept this expression of your mother's love to her son, for his temperance loyalty." This was the largest payment of her money contract, and at twice that age her twins had not, nor would they, taste liquor-for five times; said purchase. Her other three sons, each in turn, won his prize and their mother hoped they would always be loyal, that her five Christian daughters might always be proud of their five temperate Christian brothers. Mrs. William Welty's affectionate counsel and assistance was an invaluable aid to her husband and family. She was a conscientious, careful mother, full of the sunshine of God's love, and, each year of her married life was thus spent in scattering bouquets, not a few to encourage and reward well doing, so that at her golden wedding, August 5, 1888, her neighbors and friends crowned her not only "Queen of her Home," but also "Queen of all Hearts." December 11, 1893, for the tired mother, "God gave his and our beloved, sleep," surrounded by Nevada's evergreen shade trees and' marble sentinels, her age being seventy-six. The children which were born to Dr. Wm. Welty and this noble woman were: Ellen T., who resides with her father, was born. January 25, 1840, and is the widow of Virgil Pease, deceased in 1875. To her union was born Elverda, now Mrs. Wm. Haver, her husband being an up-to-date liveryman of Hicksville,. Ohio, and by whom BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 501 she has one daughter, Helen Josephene. Mary, born August 5, 1841, was the wife of Joseph Kieffer and died October 3, 1867, at Nevada, Ohio. She left three children, Elmer, deceased, of Nevada, Ohio, whose three children are, Archie, Hazel and Harley. Vioma, unmarried, and Lona, now Mrs. L. A. Palmer, of Mansfield, Ohio. The latter's four children are Howard, Walter, Helen and Majorica. Louisa J., born May 26, 1843, lives. on the corporation line of Nevada, Ohio, is mistress of. two farms, and is an excellent superintendent. She is the widow of Smith Gregg, who twice enlisted in the Rebellion, and died in 1878, aged thirty-six years, from camp exposure. She has two sons, Albert, who is a popular dentist and councilman of Nevada, Ohio, and Fred, who is a successful educator. The latter was professor for two years in the Alabama Tri-State Normal, one year in a college at Clinton Mo., and for several years has occupied a chair in the college at Wayne, Neb. He married Miss Cockrell, of Washington C. H., Ohio, by whom he has a daughter, Genevieve. Henry C., a twin, born March 1, 1845, married Miss Carrie Stewart, of Nevada, Ohio, and is located at Boulder, Col., an oil, gold and silver mining district, where he is engaged in supplying mining timber. He has four children, Jessie, Grace, Elma and Howard. James O., the other twin, who is unmarried, was for a number of years a farmer in Jackson county, Kan., but several years ago returned to help care for his aged father and hopes to be a Nevada merchant. He is a member and trustee of the Nevada A. C. church, and is also a trustee, with Joseph and John Burke, of the Burke church, built by the Presbyterians in 1856 and owned successively by Methodists and United Brethren, and now by the neighborhood, without Christian organization. There the Baptist father..of his youth, Cyreno Burke, for years carried on the first Broken Sword Sunday school. The Baptist . organization of that day and place has been for many years extinct. The password into it now is, "We come not for your money, not for our own glory ; but for the glory of God and the good of the neighborhood.". George W. Welty, born May 17, 1847, tarried long under the parental roof, farmed and preached the gospel and they folded his arms March 17, 1894, and he now sleeps in Nevada's beautiful Eden cemetery. Marion, born June 6, 1849, married Elverda Pool, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, a farmer, and has five children: Minnie (Mrs. Frank Larick), 'deceased ; Lola married Newton Link, of Nevada, Ohio, by whom she has two children : Thayer; Cleo ; and Nina. Josephene, born November 5, 1852, is the widow of Frank M. Morris, who superintended his farm and was a merchant and railroad agent when killed by the cars at Mark Center, Ohio, June 17, 1886, aged thirty-two. She has two children, Daisy and Lillian, and with them lives Father Welty, Sumner Fremont Welty, an intuitive physician, born April 30, 1854, is a prominent and successful practitioner, an eclectic graduate of Cincinnati, now located at Hicksville, Ohio. He married Miss May Wort and has two children, Scudder and Donald. He owns several farm properties, has a mercantile interest, is president of a building and loan association and is a stockholder and vice-president of a bank. Florence, born October 9, 1859, the youngest of the ten children, married John A. Hires, who owned a good farm 502 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. Center, Ohio, where she died February 23, and was a successful merchant of Mark 1899. She sleeps in Forest Home cemetery, Hicksville, Ohio. Here four boys are Charles, Welty, Negley and Fred. William Welty taught the first term of school on Broken Sword, at the Upper Wyandot Indian chief's house, in the winter of 1847. Since then his ten children have taught in or out of the county from one to thirty terms each, and after the meridian of, life the father continued his church, Sunday school and literary work mostly through them and increased his sixty-acre government Indian land sale purchase of 1845 to over two hundred acres. He loaned his twin boys four months in 1864 to battle for his country. He practiced medicine (the botanic and water-cure systems) twenty-five years for the public and fifty years for his family, and he worked hard on his farm until his eighty-fourth year. He has an iron , will and never knew fear of man. All the devils out of Tophet could not supplant him when he knew or even thought himself in, the right. Now he would like to donate a ten-thousand-dollar consolation whisper to Wyandot county devisors and devisees. Long ago he made a will he thought would stand. Ten years later he established his sanity by a. board of doctors and remade his will in duplicate, constituting his heirs a legislative and an executive body and had a majority of them sign it. Then, by the laws of the great state of Ohio, in the presence of its attorney general, he swore it must stand and confirmed the oath by deeding his lands to them in single lots and groups, or a certain tract to a group of heirs, the division having or to have an appraised value per acre, plus or minus any all other kind of estate when its accrued or to accrue obligations are met, and the toal divided by the number of heirs will decide who of them will have to contribute some money out of his own pocket to get his estate when the will or contract calls for it. The devisor reserving only a life dourer in each deed for himself, and he now pays taxes on them in his heirs' names and yet rules these lands as ever, their only czar, so that when life's spark goes out his estate is supposed to be settled. He has unwavering faith in God and, With the majority of his family (who represent a half dozen sects), believes all men mortal, and unconscious in death, and after the resurrection and judgment the wicked will be burned to ashes and remain eternally unconscious in a second death as though they had. not been, and the righteous will put on immortality and henceforth live forever, not in heaven but on this old earth made new (see Malachi 4 :1-3, 1st Corinthians 15:45-58; Revelations, ch. 21 and 22). In this family review, from great-grandfather to great-grandson we find thirty-five descendants of William and Marilla Welty, whom they thus exhort and to whom their last words would be, "Beloved, honor God, home and. country," and subscribes, good night. for her and adieu for himself, by his own hand on this his eighty-sixth birthday, March 13, 1902. WILLIAM WELTY. CHRISTIAN BROOKS. The pioneer element of Salem township is still represented by a few gray-headed sursvivors of the early day, among whom is BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 503 Christian Brooks, who by continuous residence is one of the oldest citizens of Salem township now living. Like , many of the substantial men of northern Ohio, he is of foreign birth, but since his nineteenth year has been to all intents and purposes: an American in all that constitutes true and loyal citizenship. Mr. Brooks first saw the light of day in Nasseva, Germany, July 12, 1825. His childhood and youth were spent near the place of his birth and until nineteen years old he attended. school and worked, at.differ ent vocations in the vicinity of his ancestral home. Thinking to better his worldly condition in. the great country beyond the waters, whither so many of his countrymen. had preceded him, young Brooks, in May, 1844, shipped aboard a sailing vessel bound for New York, which .port he reached after a tedious and stormy voyage of thirty-four days' duration. From that city he proceeded by water to Sandusky, Ohio, thence by wagon to Mansfield, where he hired to a stone mason at eight dollars per month. In summer and autumn he assisted his employer in laying stone, but when winter render&l such labor impossible he found plenty to do in a quarry from which the material for many of the buildings in Mansfield was obtained. After spending two years at the above place he came to Wyandot county and entered forty acres of land in Salem township, intending at some future time to improve the same and make it his home. To obtain Means to carry out such intention he began working at stone masonry in Tiffin, where he remained the greater part of one year, at remunerative wages. During summers of several years: that 'followed he worked at his trade in Upper Sandusky and in the winter time labored early and late clearing his land and preparing the soil for tillage. Mr. Brooks took quite a number of important contracts and did much of the stone work in Upper Sandusky down to the year 1860. His reputation as a skillful and rapid workman became quite widely known and not infrequently was he awarded remunerative contracts in.other places. In the meantime he purchased a home in the city and continued as formerly to devote the inclement seasons, to improving his place in the country. Early in the sixties he disposed of his city property and carried out a desire, of long standing by taking up his residence in the rural diStricts, purchasing for the purpose the farm of eighty acres in Salem township, upon which he has since lived. Prior to his removal to the farm no improvement of any kind had been made thereon further than a rude dwelling and a small "patch" of cleared land. Addressing himself resolutely to the task before. him Mr. Brooks was not long in enlarging the area of cultivable land and in due time a house more in keeping with the demands of the family took. the place of the original structure. At intervals the meanwhile he continued to take contracts and, by this means, earned sufficient money to hire much of the farm work done. By the year 1866 he found the farm demanded all of his attention and since that time he has done nothing worthy of note in the way of his trade. He succeeded well as an agriculturist and in due time found himself the possessor of a competence sufficiently liberal to render the remainder of his days, free from care and anxiety. In common with the majority of his countrymen Mr. Brooks is a man of great 504 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. industry and he has never know what idlelness meant when able to work. Until recently his life was one of almost incessant, activity, but of late he has been able to rest somewhat and enjoy the fruits of his many Years of toil. He has been a practical farmer and by familiarizing himself with the most scientific agricultural methods has seldom failed to realize abundant returns from the amount of time and energy expended upon his work. Few men have accomplished as much as he from such a modest and unpretentious beginning. He came to. Wyandot county with little capital save his two strong arms, backedby a determination to succeed and how well he has realized this laudable purpose is attested by his present standing among the most enterprising and substantial men of the advanced farming community in which he has had his residence for so long a term of years. As a citizen, alive to all that interests and benefits the public, he has also taken advanced ground, having always been a factor in moulding sentiment and a leader in uplifting his fellow men and directing them into correct ways of living. In his political views Mr. Brooks is a Democrat and in religion a Catholic. He belongs to St. Joseph's congregation, in Salem township, and 'as an earnest and devoted follower of the Man of Nazareth has spared no pains to bring up his children in the way they should go. The other member's of the family also belong to the above church and are numbered among its most active and aggressive workers. Aside from being school director Mr. Brooks has not held nor sought official honors of any kind, being content to look after his farming and business interests and let others assume the responsibility of public station. Mrs. Brooks, formerly Miss Mary Everly, was born in Ohio and came to Wyandot county when quite young. She bore her husband seven children and departed this life in August, 1866. The following are the names of the four sons and three daughters comprising the family of Mr. Brooks: John, Frank, Joseph, Henry, Mary (wife of Philip Myers, of Fostoria, this state), Emma (Wife of Solomon Kritz, of Toledo), and Rdse, who married Adam Jackson, of Fostoria. All of the sons are residents of Wyandot county and in their respective communities occupy prominent positions as successful farmers and intelligent and progressive men of affairs. Mr. Brooks has reared his children well and they have profited by his influence and instructions. He has always aimed to do his duty as a neighbor and citizen and as such his reputation is above reproach. The lives of such then—self-taught and possessing untiring energy and will power—wield a large influence in moulding the character of others and are always worthy of emulation. JOEL W. GIBSON A varied and interesting career, both as a patriot and civilian, attaches to this history of Joel W. Gibson, of Upper Sandusky. If a man's usefulness in the world is judged by what he has done, the subject is entitled to worthy mention as one of the prominent citizens of Wyandot county. As a citizen whose life has been noble BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 505 and upright, one over which falls no shadow of wrong, called to high station as a public official he made an humble record, and as a brave soldier on one of the most sanguinary fields of the great Rebellion, he proved his loyalty to the flag by mingling his blood with the soil of the southland. Mr. Gibson's paternal ancestors were Irish. His great grandfather came to America from the Emerald Isle at a very early period and settled near the city of Dover, Del. in that state was born, about 1786, Robert Gibson, who in1805 migrated westward to what is now Fairfield county, Ohio, which was then a wild country largely in possession of the hostile red men. He located near the present site of Bremen and took an active part in developing the country's resources; remaining where he originally settled until 1822, when he disposed of his effects and came to the county of Wyandot. Shortly after his arrival here he entered land and built a cabin in Tymochtee township, north of the Indian reservation, and the year following brought his family to the new home; and began living in true pioneer style. He was among the earliest settlers of Tymochtee and is remembered as a typical frontiersman and pioneer and as a man of great physical energy and strong decision of character. He cleared and developed a large farm and in time became quite well-to-do, owning at the tine of his death four hundred acres of valuable land, a large share of which was improved by his own labor. When the war of 1812 broke out he entered the service under General Harrison and took part in a number of campaigns and battles, proving himself a brave and gallant soldier. He was a successful man, for the times in which he lived, and did well his part in preparing the way for the civilization which his descendants and others of a newer generation now enjoy. The death of this stanch old pioneer occurred at the advanced age of ninety-three years. James Gibson, son of the aforementioned Robert, and father Of the subject of this review, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 6th day of March, 1806. When a lad of 'six:teen he came with his parents to Wyandot county and assisted in clearing the home farm, attending at intervals the meanwhile such indifferent schools as were then taught in this part of the state. Subsequently, at the sale of the Indian reserve he bought a tract Of land in what is now Mifflin township, which he improved and on which he spent the remainder of his life. James Gibson was well known throughout Wyandot county, and earned the reputation of an honorable arid upright citizen. He belonged to the large and respectable class that in a quiet way did so much to promote the material interests of the great west and make the country attractive to homeseekers. When a young man he walked to Delaware to visit the ancestral homestead and met With many interesting adventures both going and coming. In 1839 Mr. Gibson was married to Miss Mary Beam, daughter of John Beam, who settled in Tymochtee township as early as 1832. By occupation John Beam was a millwright and built and operated for several years one of the first mills in. Wyandot county. Subsequently he went to Michigan, in which state his death occurred at an advanced age. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson were the parents of seven children, of whom two died quite young. The following are the names 506 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS of those who grew to mature years : Joel W., the subject of this biography ; Delila J. married Thad McGinnis.; Emma, wife of John Bowser, of this county ; Cornelius, a prosperous farmer and stock raiser of Mifflin township, owning and living upon, the old homestead ; he is now serving his second term as county commissioner and it was largely through his influence that the present handsome court house was erected. The youngest member of the family is. Julia, now the wife of Jacob C. Miller, of Crane township. The father died in January, 1893, aged eighty-seven years; the .mother preceded him to the grave, dying when. but thirty-six years old. Joel W. Gibson was born in What is now Salem township, Wyandot county (then Crawford county), on the 19th of December, 1842. He grew up, on a farm and when old enough entered the district school near his home which he attended until seventeen years of age. As a student he made commendable progress and before his eighteenth year took charge of a school in Mifflin township, teaching the same two terms. When the: war cloud settled over the country and tested the patriotism of the young men throughout the north Mr. Gibson reL. sponded to the call for volunteers, enlisting August 19, 1862, in Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Infantry, for the three years service. The regiment formed part of the Army of the Potomac and entered upon a long period of active Service in West Virginia. After taking part in several minor erigagementS in. 1862 Mr. Gibson, on June 15, of the following year, participated in the bloody battle of Winchester, where he was severely injured, musket ball shattering his right thigh, causing a most painful and dangerous wound. A part of the One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, including all of Company F, fell into the hands of the enemy, Mr. Gibson being- held a prisoner about three months. The serious nature of his injury rendered necessary the amputation of the limb, which operation was performed at Taylor hospital, Winchester, by Federal surgeons within the Confederate lines. He suffered much from his wound and remained in the hospital until the capture of Winchester by the Federals. Sometime later he was permitted to return home and on the IIth of February, 1864, received an honorable discharge from the service. On account of hasty and unskillful treatment while in the hospital his injury became so painful that it was found necessary to perform a second operation. This was done with happy results some time after his return, and from that time forward his recovery was rapid and satisfactory. When sufficiently recovered Mr. Gibson, in the spring of 1864, took a commercial course in Bryant. and Stratton's Business College, Cleveland, and later in the same year, in partnership with Franklin Slye, engaged in buying and shipping live stock. He was also elected justice of the peace about that time and during his incumbency attended to more business than any of his. predecessors in the office. In 1866 he was deputy collector of internal revenue for Wyandot county. He proved a capable and faithful official and the records show that during the time he held the position the collections amounted to one hundred thousand dollars per year. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 507 With the election of Gen. Grant in 1869, Mr. Gibson resigned the collectorship and was elected justice of the peace of Crane township. He also served as township clerk and city clerk and in 1873 was elected probate judge of Wyandot county. He held this office acceptably for three terms, being re-elected in 1876 and again in 1879. He had devoted considerable attention to the study of law and before the expiration of his last term as probate judge he was admitted to the practice of law at the Wyandot county bar. After retiring from office he formed a partnership for the practice of his profession with Robert McKelly, with whom he has since been associated. Mr. Gibson is the only attorney in Upper Sandusky who makes the matter of pensions a specialty and he does a large and lucrative business in that line. He also has a remunerative general, practice and is considered one of the able counsellors and sound advisers of the Upper Sandusky bar. His knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and the ability to apply the same. to cases in hand have brought to him a large amount of important business and he finds almost all of his time .occupied with clients from all parts of the county. Mr. Gibson was married. October 25, 1866, to Lucinda Condray, daughter of Peter and Rachel (Hodges) Condray, the union resulting in six children, two living, namely : Virgil H., a veterinary surgeon and liveryman of Upper Sandusky, whose birth occurred November 20, 1868, and Robert McKelley, a bright youth of twelve years. For a number of years the subject has been one of the Democratic leaders in Wyandot county and as such has rendered his party valuable service. He was twice honored by being elected mayor of Upper Sandusky and in every position to which his fellow citizens have called him he has acquitted himself in an able and praiseworthy manner. He is a member of the Knights of Honor, Royal Arcanum and Ancient Order of United Workmen, being an active worker in all these societies. In addition to his legal business he pays considerable attention to agriculture and stock raising, owning a farm near Upper Sandusky and several valuable properties in the city. The life of Mr. Gibson calls to mind the well-known truth that it is better to begin one's career in moderate circumstances, with industry and virtue, than in wealth with indolence and vice, and that he alone can wisely use and fully enjoy worldly wealth and honors who has himself earned them. The better part of the results of a successful life is not the gold accumulated; but the riches of experience. Denied many privileges in youth, Mr. Gibson at last surmounted the obstacles that blocked his way and, strengthened by the effort, he has won a prominent place in the confidence and esteem of the public. Returning from the war crippled and maimed for life, he did not set down and idly bemoan his lot, but with remarkable energy and well-defined purpose formulated plans for the future and carried them to successful issue as the years went by. Like all self-made men, he is imbued with the spirit of self-reliance and every interest intrusted to his care is managed with judgment and tact. As a citizen he is eminently respected and in every relation of life his career has been marked by devotion to duty. He is one of Upper Sandusky's enterprising and progressive men, whom to know is to respect. 508 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. CHARLES TETER, D. D. S. A skillful dental surgeon and a gallant soldier of the late Spanish-American war, Dr. Charles Teter is accounted one of the valued and progressive citizens of the city in which he makes his home. His father, Rev. Joseph, H. Teter, a learned and widely known minister of the Protestant Methodist church, is a native of Hamilton. county, Ind., and at the present time pastor of the congregation at Roseville, Ohio. Joseph Teter was reared on a farm and after securing a common school education became a student of Wheaton College, where he pursued a higher course of study preparatory to entering the ministry. He began preaching at an early age and while attending college ministered to several congregations for the purpose of obtaining funds to enable him to complete his education. Since engaging in the work of the ministry he has had charge of churches in Indiana and Ohio, removing to the latter state in 1882 for the purpose of becoming pastor of the congregation in the town of Africa. After remaining six years at that place he was transferred to a church near Pataskala, Licking county, where he preached two: years and during the five succeeding years he was pastor of the congregation at West View. From West View he changed his residence to Westerville, affording his children the advantages of a higher education in Otterbein University, and while residing at Westerville exercised the duties of his holy office in the southern part of the state for six years and then moved to Coshocton, Ohio., and from thence to Roseville, 'where he now resides. Rev. Teter is one of the distinguished divines of his denomination, a scholarly and eloquent preacher, whose life has been unselfishly devoted to the moral and spiritual good of his fellow man. His wife, formerly Miss Sarah Howard, of Tennessee, has borne him five children, the subject of the review being the next to the oldest. Dr. Charles Teter was born in the town of Westville, Hamilton county, Ind., September 25, 1875. His youthful years were passed in the various places where his father preached, but the greater part of his early manhood was spent in the town of Westerville, Ohio. His early .educational training was imparted by the public schools; upon the completion of which he entered Otterbein University, in which institution he continued his studies for five' years. With a mind well fortified by severe intellectual discipline, the Doctor became a student of the Ohio Medical University, at Columbus, where he prosecuted the study of dental surgery, completing a three-years course and graduating April 28, 1900. Meantime he had devoted considerable attention to his profession and for some time practiced in Westerville and Coshocton before finishing his medical studies. In October, Iwo, he opened an office in Upper Sandusky, since which time. his skill in every line of the profession has won for him a large and lucrative practice. Dr. Teter has attained precedence in his chosen calling and by close application has already earned, much more than ordinary repute. His parlors are well-equipped with the latest and most approved professional appliances used and he aims to make the superior quality of his work his most effective advertisement. A diligent student, BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 509 he keeps in touch with the times. in all pertaining to dental surgery, while his pronounced ability inspires the confidence of the public to the extent of attracting a large and intelligent class' of patrons belonging to the best families in Upper Sandusky. Al-. though a young man of limited practice, his mental and professional endowments have won for him an abiding place in the confidence of the people of the city and the future has in store much that is hopeful and encouraging. He is a gentleman of kindly manners and pleasing address, and his genuine worth professionally and otherwise makes him a favorite with a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Dr. Teter was united in marriage on the 28th day of February, 1900, to Miss Etta May Bush, of Galena, Ohio: To this union has come one child, Howard B., born April 12, 1901. Mrs. Teters was formerly a professional nurse, having fitted herself for that noble work by taking a full course of training in the Protestant Hospital, Columbus. She was graduated with honors from that institution and became skilled in her profession, earning a flattering reputation for intelligence and efficiency in ministering to the wants of suffering humanity. The Doctor's military career began at the breaking out of the late Spanish-Arnerican war, when he enlisted in Company A, Fourth Ohio Infantry, with which he served for a period of eight months. During .that time he was with his command at Chickamauga and Porto Rico and took part in four engagements, in one of which the regiment was ambushed in the mountains and suffered severely from the galling fire of the concealed enemy. Later the entire brigade, engaged and it was during the progress of the fight that news of peace was received, which at once put a stop to further hostilities. Mr. Teter proved a brave and gallant soldier and no doubt would have distinguished himself had not circumstances prevented further movements against the enemy. Returning home at the close of the war he resumed the prosecution of his professional work and has since devoted his time and attention to the more satisfactory, if less exciting, vocations of civil life. The Doctor and his wife are popular with the best element of Upper Sandusky society and have formed many happy acquaintances since coming to the city. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, active in all the work of the congregation and earnest and self-sacrificing in all they undertake for the cause of God and humanity. DR. GEORGE F. COLE "The young may die and the old must die," is an old, and trite saying and is true. When a young man of good family, pleasant environment and possessed of good education, brilliant talents and bright prospects of a brilliant life passes away, it seems hard that he should be cut down just at the commencement of a useful life. Such is the life of Dr. Cole, a rising young physician who had taken up the medical profession as a livelihood. He was born in Eden township, Wyandot county, Ohio, July 2, 1865, a son of Barret and Rachel (Knitz) Cole, who are prominent citizens of that township. He had been a resident of this county all his life. He was :of a studious nature and secured a good practical education, for a short time following the profession of a teacher. His mind ran into the medical field and in 510 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. the year 1889 he graduated from the Western Medical College at Cleveland, Ohio. In 1888 he wedded Miss Minerva Mathews, and to this union a little daughter was born, Helen by name, who is a solace and comfort to her mother in her lonely life. In 1889, after his graduation, Dr. Cole located in Nevada, Ohio, and from that time till the. date of the commencement of his fatal illness was, busy with the cases and duties of a constantly increasing practice. He located here as a young physician and his many noble and manly qualities speedily won for him a just and satisfactory recognition, a recognition that gave him a prominent place in the Minds and hearts of the citizens of Nevada. As a physician he was known tc; have been. not only capable, skillful and deserving, but as well to have been possessed of the highest sense of honor and strict integrity in all his designs: He was, moreover, one of the hardest working, most industrious and indefatigable men who have ever made this place his home. His industry was a striking characteristic of the man, and at any sacrifice of personal comfort, even to the detriment of his own health, he was ever ready to answer every call made on his strength, skill and time. While affable, friendly and .under all circumstances dignified and gentlemanly, he was not what the world calls a society than. Although by nature and acquirement fitted for any position in society, and held in universal esteem, it Was still his wont to devote almost his entire time to work and study, and in fact the demands made on him almost precluded any other disposition of his time and circumstances, as well as inclination, tended to make his life one of great usefulness to those about him. Dr. Cole had traveled to different localities in order to regain his health, but the fell reaper, Death, had marked him and his young life was cut off in the beginning of manhood. The funeral oration, which \vas pronounced by Rev. M. DeWitt Long, of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian church, of Columbus, Ohio, a former instructor of Dr. Cole. while the latter was a student in the academy at Fostoria, Ohio., was an admirable effort, and was replete with many brilliant passages. The text was taken from the 64th chapter of thebook of Isaiah, and sixth verse: "We do all fade as a leaf." The body was consigned to its final resting place in Oak Hill cemetery at Upper Sandusky. The following gentlemen were the pall bearers: Dr. Wirebaugh, Dr. S. S. Barret, Edward Althouse, Finley Morris, M. Grubb and H. L. Kuenzli. By universal consent the life of young Dr. COle was held a spotless one, his character' was .above re proach. and his. like is difficult to replace. He is gladly given a Cordial. remembrance in the memoirs of Wyandot county, Ohio. WILLIAM HENRY KRAMER. A citizen of the United States can wear no greater badge of honor than the distinction of having served the government in the four years. of war between the states. It is a sacred family inheritance of renown, to be prized like a jewel bey all future descendants and kept bright and untarnished by other acts of valor, patriotism and loyalty in the interests of free government. Even in this day, when there are many of the old soldiers still living, no one can see one of them dressed up in his faded uniform with- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 511 out feeling a glow of pride and without showing him studied deference. But the anks of the. old phalanx are fast.going down before the shots of death, and ere long none will be left to recount the actual experiences of that bloody time. In the meantime, while they are still with us, let us pay suitable Honor to their sacrifices, patriotism and sufferings. The subject of this memoir is one of these old soldiers whom it is a pleasure to praise and honor. William Henry Kramer was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, March 12, 1839, and is the son of John W. and Maria T. (Busse) Kramer, both natives of Germany. To these parents were born a family of six sons and four daughters. In 1852 the family removed to Wyandot county and located in Crane township, where the father bought eighty acres of woodland, erected thereon a log cabin, in which his family were domiciled, and began to clear off the dense timber. Here he. and wife lived and labored until their respective deaths, his occurring, in 1880, at the age of seventy-eight years, and hers in 1889. Both were exemplary people and members of the Lutheran church. William Henry was fourteen years old when brought to this county. He assisted his father to clear up the place, working hard during the summers and attending the district schools during the winters. Soon after the war broke out, October 19, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company K, fifty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for three years, and a few months later with his regiment was sent to the front. The first engagement in which he participated was that of Moorfield, W. Va., in February, 1862. From this time forward until the close of his term of service he was almost constantly engaged in marches, campaigns, skirmishes and battles, showing great hardihood, patriotism and bravery, and suffering intensely from the fevers of the camps and the wounds of the battlefields. With his regiment he participated in one form or . another in the following engagements: Moorfield, McDonald, Cross Keys, Cedar Mountain, Freeman's Ford, Sulphur Springs, Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, where he was wounded in the left thigh by a minnie ball and passed forty-eight hours in a field hospital. He was then sent to the government hospital at Washington, where he remained six months, taking a thirty days' furlough home at the end of that time. He was a corporal when wounded. When recovered he rejoined his regiment and was present at Bridgeport, Ala., Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Charleston, Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Caassville, Burnt Hickory, Lost Mountain, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, siege of Atlanta, Turner's Ferry, the battles around Atlanta, in Sherman's famous march to the sea, at the siege of Savannah, and many others of lesser note. About this time his term of enlistment expired, and seeing that the war was nearly ended he returned home and settled down again to farming. During his three years of service he bore a splendid part in helping to crush the Rebellion and in saving the union of the states. He was honorably mustered out at Savannah December 20, 1864, holding the offite of sergeant when discharged. Upon his return Mr. Kramer took charge of the old farm and conducted the same for six years, when he bought the place where he now resides. He bought eighty acres, of which twenty,two were cleared. On February 9, 1865, he married Miss Martilla, BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 512 Vangundy, by whom he had three children, two living: George W., who married Miss Dolly M. Keller and has four children, three living : Hazel, Maria and Doris, all on the farm with subject; Annie M., wife of P. L. Campbell, who has; three children living : Lester, Mildred and Florence. Mr. Campbell lives in Upper Sandusky and is the traveling agent for the Milwaukee Harvesting Company: Mr. Kramer was a member of the board of education for nine years, is a Democrat in politics and a member of Post No. 91, G. A.. R. He is intelligent and progressive and has the utmost respect of the community in which he lives. His splendid war record make's him a conspicuous character at all public gatherings. HENRY VOGEL The name of Vogel has long been prominently associated with the commercial history of Upper Sandusky and the subject of this sketch is now one of the leading business men of the city, successfully conducting an extensive mercantile establishment in partnership with his brother, John B. Vogel. Henry Vogel is a native of Ohio, born in the city where he now lives, on 'the loth day of February, 1861. Given the best educational advantages the graded sch6ols afforded, he pursued his studies with commendable zeal until old enough to turn his attention to business affairs, when he entered his father's clothing store. Becoming familiar with every detail of the business he soon developed remarkable ability as a, salesman; and it was while thus engaged that he decided to turn his attention to tailoring and became an expert cutter. To carry out his plans he took a year's course of instruction in the city of, Cleveland and after becoming proficient in the trade he returned to Upper Sandusky and formed 'a partnership with his father and brother, John B. Vogel, under the firm name of Frank Vogel & Sons. After the father's death, in. 1883, the brothers purchased the interest owned by their father and have since conducted the business themselves under the firm name of Frank Vogel Sons. This establishment has long been the leading clothing house in Upper Sandusky and to:day ranks with the best in northern Ohio. Under the present management the volume of business has been greatly enlarged, while the reputation of the firm for honorable, upright dealing and success in. its every department is most enviable. The members are wide-awake, energetic arid accommodating gentlemen and the store is splendidly equipped with a large and carefully selected stock of all articles in the line of general clothing and gents' furnishing goods demanded by the trade, in addition to which there is also a tailoring department where are made, according to the latest and most approved styles, wearing apparel to suit the most critical and exacting taste. The latter department is under the personal supervision of Henry Vogel, who keeps himself abreast the times in all matters pertaining to the art of cutting and making fine garments of all kinds, his reputation as a master of his calling being such as to attract the best class of customers. in Upper Sandusky and others living at distances from the city. From the beginning he has been remarkably prosperous, his career, owing to unabating industry, scrupulous integrity, sound judgment and honorable business methods, being one of continued and BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 513 unabating success. For some time Mr. Vogel was a stockholder and director in the large brewery in Upper Sandusky; and he has also figured prominently as one of the leading promoters of the oil industry in this part of the state. He was also a stockholder in the Ohio Thresher Works of this city. While thus laboring for his own interests and sparing no reasonable effort to build up and maintain large business enterprises, Mr. Vogel has not been unmindful of his duties as a citizen. He has given his aid to all progressive measures for the improvement and advancement of the city and taken. an active part in formulating the policy of the municipality. His genial. and gentlemanly deportment and sincere interest in his felloW men. and the public welfare have made him very popular and it is doubtful if there is to-day a man in the city who enjoys in larger measure the esteem and confidence of the people. In politics. Mr.. Vogel has always been an ardent. Democrat and at this time he is one of the most influential leaders of his party in Wyandot county. He has served on the county central committee several times and as custodian of the, funds of that body did judicious and effective work in winning success in a number of hotly contested campaigns.. His Popularity with all classes of people, irrespective of party, led to his election as city treasurer two terms, and his ability in discharging the duties of the office was highly creditable to himself and satisfactory to the public. He proved a most capable and obliging public servant, and his faithfulness to the trust reposed in him demonstrated his ability to discharge worthily still higher and more important duties. Mr. Vogel is as highly esteemed for his social qualities and for his fidelity to the duties of citizenship as he is for his career as' a far-seeing, successful business man. His honorable record in every relation of life and the broad and comprehensive view he takes of men and affairs have won him a conspicuous place on the roster of Wyandot county's representative citizens, while his success in the past is an earnest of what ,the future still has in store for him., He was elected in 1901, by an overwhelming majority, to the office of treasurer of Crane township.. Mr. Vogel has a beautiful and elegant home, presided over with queenly dignity by his wife, a lady of culture and refinement and a popular favorite in the best social circles of the city. Her maiden name was Anna Roelle and she was born June 13, 1866, at Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Her marriage with Mr. Vogel was solemnized at St. Peter's church, Upper Sandusky, October 23, 1888. She is an accomplished musician and she and her husband are leading members of St. Peter's church. She has presented her husband with four children, whose names are Alice, Robert, Edward and Mary Estella, all still members of the home circle. Mr. Vogel and family belong to the Catholic church of Upper Sandusky, being among its most active and influential members. JOHN B. VOGEL Frank Vogel Sons, the firm with which the subject of this sketch is identified, has long been the leading clothing house in Upper Sandusky and also does' the largest busi- 514 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. ness in the lines of hats and caps, gents furnishing goods and merchant tailoring in the city. Frank Vogel, father of John B., the founder of the business, was a native of Germany, born in Baden, June 28, 1829. In early life he became a tailor and worked at his trade in Germany until 1853, when he came to the United States and settled in Mansfield, Ohio, where for a period of four years he was employed as salesman with a mercantile firm. About 1856 he removed to Upper Sandusky and for a couple of years thereafter worked at his trade in the principal tailoring establishment of the city. He then began business for himself in the merchant tailoring line, borrowing sufficient, capital to purchase a stock of goods, as he came to the place with no means beyond that which he had previously earned as a journeyman. By strict attention to business, as well as by the high grade of his work, he soon established a flourishing trade and in due time repaid the amount of money borrowed besides accumulating sufficient means to enable him greatly to enlarge the volume of his business. Such was Mr. Vogel's Success that in 1879 he erected a large three story brick building at a cost of about seven thousand dollars, and it was about that time his stock represented a value of nine thousand dollars, in addition to which he had come into possession of considerable city property which is still owned by members of his family. Mr. Vogel honestly earned the title of "self-made man," as he left his native country with means barely sufficient to pay his passage to New York. It is reliably stated that on landing he had not a single penny in his pocket and that he was forced to the humiliation of borrowing ten cents to purchase a loaf of bread to relieve his hunger. Making his way as best he could westward, he secured employment and as we have seen, started a business of his own, from which dates his remarkable success as one of the leading merchants of northern Ohio. His career in .the various lines of his enterprise was exceptional to that of the majority of men and the large wealth which. was his at the time of his death was the result of a life of incessant toil, directed and controlled by correct business and moral principles. Mr. Vogel was married in Sandusky City, soon after landing upon American soil, to Miss Susan Fleck, the ceremony which made them man and wife being solemnized on the 7th day of November, 1853. Like her husband, Mrs. Vogel is also a native of Baden, Germany. Her marriage resulted in the birth of twelve children, of whom the following are living : Frank, John B., William, Henry, Anthony, Joseph, Katie, August, Edward and Lena. The deceased are Susannah and Elizabeth. Some time before his death. Mr. Vogel admitted his sons, John B. and Henry, into partnership with him, at which time the name was adopted by which the firm has since been known. In politics he was a Democrat and in religion a Catholic. He served as member of the common council and in many ways was active in promoting the commercial and general interests of Upper Sandusky, earning the reputation of one of the most successful business men' and leading citizens the city has ever known. He departed this life in the year 1883, at the .age of fifty-four. His widow still survives, having reached her seventy-first year. John B. Vogel, whose name introduces this article,. was quite small when his par- BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 515 ents took up their residence in Upper Sandusky. He grew to manhood's estate in the city, received a good education in both English and German, and while still a youth became familiar with business as an 'assistant. in his father's store. At the age of fwenty-four he became a member of the firm of Frank Vogel Sons and since that time has been identifled with the commercial interests of Upper Sandusky as one of the city's most active and enterprising young business men. As indicated in a preceding paragraph, the establishment with which he is connected is the most extensive of its kind in Wyandot county and compares well with the largest and most successful clothing and tailoring houses in northern Ohio. The store is commodious, neat and well arranged, and the stock, carefully selected to meet the demands of the trade, contains full lines of clothing, all articles in the way of gents furnishing goods and a tailoring department where the most fastidious can. be accommodated in the latest and most approved styles of garments, cut and made. under the personal supervision of one of the most skillful and experienced tailors in this section of the state. A well deserved success crowns the efforts of the present partners, who are men of well-known business ability, reliable and straightforward in all their dealings. The subject of this sketch is a man of resourceful capacity, quick to note and utilize an opportunity, while his energy and foresight have enabled him to work his way steadily upward until to-day he stands among the foremost representatives of mercantile interests in the county of Wyandot. Politically he yields allegiance to the Democratic party, though by no means an active partisan, preferring to devote his time and energies to the claims of his. business. He was reared in the faith of the Catholic church and is still a member of that religious body, and an active worker in the Upper Sandusky congregation. Mr. Vogel is a married man and the father of children as follows: Agnes, Hilda, deceased, Francis, Charles, John P., Isabelle and Irene S., twins. Mrs. Vogel, formerly 'Miss Kate O'Brien, of Upper Sandusky, is an estimable lady who shares with her husband the high esteem in which he is held. ALBERT REBER One of the first families to come to. Ohio at its earliest settlement was Reber. This was when the state was still a comparative wilderness, and many of the counties were not formed nor organized. Valentine, Reber, the grandfather of subject, was born in Berks county, Penn., in 1777, and soon after his marriage, which occurred in 1805, to Miss Magdalene Van Reed, he came to Ohio, locating in Fairfield county. Their children were as follows : Thomas; John, born October 8, 1807; Ann, born May 20, 1809; Charles, born June 20, 1811 ; James, born July 8, 1813; Samuel, born February 24, 1815 ; Sally, born January 13, 1817; Joseph, born February 19, 1819; Eliza; Mary, born December 7, 1822 ; Pauline, born August 24, 1824; Henry, born April 9,,1826. Valentine Reber lived near Royalton, and it was there' that his death occurred, September 12, 1828. His widow survived him for many years, dying' at. an advanced age July 3, 1860. Thomas, the eldest son, was 516 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1806, and upon reaching manhood was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Allen, the nuptials being celebrated June 24, 1830. They had eight children, as follows: Felix, born in 1831, died March 11, 1887, was a farmer and resided in Marion county ; Sarah, born October 3o, 1832; Minerva, born March 5, 1834, died in 1875, married A. C. Bell and became the mother of nine children, all of whom are now living: Mary A., born February 7, 1836, became the wife of William Homrighouss, and now resides at Shelbyville, Ill.; John, born January 2, 1839, now lives in Wood county ; Lenox, born October 31, 1841, lives in Marion. county (he erected the well-known Reber hotel, of Marion) ; Albert, subject, borne October 23, 1845; Lucy, the wife of John Remmlee, lives in Tiffin. Succeeding his marriage Thomas Reber began farming by renting land and working it on shares or for cash rent, continuing thus for thirteen years. Previous to his marriage, when he was about nineteen years old, he went to Wyandot county, and there for a time was engaged in herding cattle. He came here to stay in 1853,and settled on the farm where subject lives, which tract, of land he had long before entered from the government, buying the same at a general sale of land. While in Fairfield county Thomas Reber served his county as surveyor, and later was one of the organizers of the First National Bank, of Upper. Sandusky, becoming the first president of that institution in 1865. It was one of the first hanks established in the state under the national banking law. He was a man of strong intelligence and great force of character, much above the average, and in his lifetime amassed a large landed and personal property. His home farm consisted of seven hundred acres. He also owned six hundred acres near Marion, Ohio, and in fact at one time owned between four thousand and five thousand acres in this and other states. His life was filled with stirring events and he exerted a powerful influence upon his surroundings. He possessed sufficient native ability to have made his mark in any field of human endeavor. He was a natural leader of men and took advanced views on all questions of public or private importance. He passed away December 15, 1895, having lived a useful, active and distinguished life;leaving ann unblemished name to his descendants. Albert Reber, the immediate subject of this memoir, was eight years old when the family moved to this county. He grew up on his father's farm, participating in all the various occupations incident to farm life and receiving at the district schools an ordinary education. Upon reaching manhood he made such arrangements with his father that the two were associated in farming and stock raising until the death of the father, during which time subject accumulated a large property. He now owns seven hundred acres of the old home farm, and besides owns three hundred and seventy-two acres in Pitt township. He is engaged extensively in stock raising and is particularly successful With cattle and sheep. Much of the money of the family, in fact, has been made from this branch of husbandry. At the present time Mr. Reber is one of the directors of the bank, established largely by his father in 1865. He lives two and a half miles from. Upper Sandusky, and in 1897 he remodeled the Reber hotel in that city. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 517 The family is one of the most prominent in this portion of the state. It came to Ohio . almost as soon as it was formed, and has witnessed all the wonderful changes which the years have brought. Through the transmutations of time and the jugglery of civilization the family has maintained its excellent reputation and handed down to descendants a just renown. Our subject traces his lineage to Pennsylvania Gernian stock, a people whose influence is felt throughout the United States. On the maternal side some of his ancestors were heroes in the war for American independence,. which fact entitles Mr. and Mrs. Reber to membership in that greatest of American social orders, Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution. April 6, 1898, Mr. Reber married Miss Mattie J. Bowman and to their union has come a son, Thomas Albert, a bright little fellow and the hope of his loving parents. Mrs. Reber was. born March 3, 1857, and is the daughter of Thonias and Eliza (Gibson) Bowman. The couple were worthy people and were of the pioneer class. They were the parents of four sons and three daughters and also had an adopted daughter, all of whom are yet living. Of these we note as follows: George attended Oberlin College and is now an attorney at Omaha; eb. William is a college professor in Indiana. Mrs. Elizabeth Cook was, prior to her marriage, a teacher. Isaac A. is a graduate of the Columbus Medical College and is practicing medicine and surgery at Upper Sandusky. Thomas Bowman; father of Mrs. Reber, was born in 1819 in Pennsylvania and died February 5, 1892. He was a teacher for years, but also followed agriulture. In his political sentiments he was a Whig and afterward a Republican. He voted for "Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," and, years afterward, for Benjamin Harrison. He was a pillar of the Presbyterian church, having held the office of elder. He was a public-spirited man and one universally respected. Eliza (Gibson) Bowman, also a native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1819 and died August 3, 1894. She was a consistent Christian and a sweet and affectionate mother whose home was her paradise. Mrs. Albert Reber was reared in Wyandot county and completed her education at Oberlin College. She took the literary course and also a course in music. For twenty years she was a successful teacher in. Wyandot county. She is a lady of strong personality and grace of Character and her beautiful. and comfortable home is a, haven of rest and good cheer for their many friends. This worthy couple stand, high in the esteem of the citizens of Upper Sandusky and are deserving of representation in a volume of this character. The fact may be worthy of note that Mr. Reber has in his possesSion eleven of the old parchment deeds, one, the oldest in Wyandot county, dated March 15, 1809 and signed by President James Madison. It is also noteworthy that land in Wyandot county secured by some of these deeds has never passed out of the Reber family. JOEL STRAW, DECEASED. Although this old pioneer has been dead many years, his memory is still fresh to the minds; of the old settlers who were his neighbors during his lifetime and who were the recipients of his greetings and friendship. 518 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. He was born in Montpelier, Vt., August 11, 1808. but was brought by his parents to Wyandot county at an early age, the family settling in Pitt township. He received the usual educational advantages afforded in that day and was brought up to a knowledge of hard work on the farm. Upon reaching manhood he chose for his wife Miss Mary Swayze, a native of New Jersey, born December 5, 1808, the daughter of Besherer and Rachel Swayze. To these parents were born the following family of children Louisa, who died in 1855; Rachel, the widow of Thomas Hughes, living at present in Lawrence, Kan.; John, who died in 1842; Andrew J., who died February 18, 1843 ; George W., who died February 3, 1864; Orren F., who lives in California; Amanda, the wife of Columbus Melhorn ; Angenette, the wife of Volney Williams, of Pitt township. At the age of nineteen years Joel Straw passed the examination required of teachers, secured his certificate and began to teach his first term of school. Being of a studious disposition and much interested in educational affairs he continued this occupation for several years, besides working at his trade of shoemaking, saving therefrom sufficient money to enter from the government a tract of land, located in Mifflin township. Upon this farm he erected a tough log cabin containing one room, into which he moved in 1845 and there continued to reside until 1856, when he 'came to the farm where his daughter, Mrs. Melhorn, now resides. Here he passed away January 28, 1867. During his lifetime he was active in all movements for the public welfare; and was at all times generous and broad-minded. He served as trustee of his township, and as a neighbor and citizen commanded the respect of all. He was one of the leaders of the township in all matters of improvement, particularly in education and religion. On the subject of religion he took very wise and broad views. He believed that God was a being of love, and as such could not condemn to eternal punishment those who sinned but who repented. Accordingly he affiliated with the Universalist church., of which he was a member and. in which he became one of the pillars in this. community. In. politics he was a Republican, though previously a Whig, and took great interest in all movements to strengthen his party and render it successful at the polls. At the time of his death he owned a large landed estate, consisting of five hundred and sixty acres of the home farm and one hundred and twenty acres in Marseilles township. Besides these tracts he owned a half interest in seven hundred and twenty acres located in Lake county, Ind. He carried on extensively farming and stock raising and was more than ordinarily successful, as is shOwn by his large landed property. He was wholly self-made and always took pride in the fact that his own unaided endeavors had made him what he was and had brought him his success in life. JAMES T. CLOSE This worthy member of the Wyandot county bar has achieved distinction as a learned and erudite lawyer, and for a number of years has occupied a conspicuous place in the front rank of Upper Sandusky's successful professional men. He was born in Alexandria City, Va., October 27. 1856, the son of Col. James T. Close, who migrated from the state of New York to the BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 519 Old Dominion in 1850. Col. Close married Ann E. Sherman, whose father, Elisha Sherman, moved to Virginia from Bridgeport, Conn., in an early day. In 1861, when Alexandria was a thriving city of 12;000 inhabitants, the Colonel, with but thirty-two fellow citizens, voted. viva' voce against the Ordinance of Secession at the polls, guarded by Confederate soldiers., causing much adverse comment and changing many friends for the time being into bitter enemies, and until the end of the Civil war he literally carried his life in his hands in times. that truly tried men's souls. He served as state. senator of the restored government at Wheeling and helped to create West Virginia and save it from the Confederacy, and also organized, equipped and . commanded the only Union regiment which went from East Virginia to the Union army during the war of the Rebellion. President Lincoln appointed him United States marshal, for the eastern district of Virginia, which position he filled with great energy and his well-known devotion to the Union made him a marked man, the Confederate government at Richmond offering at one time ten thousand dollars in greenbacks for his capture, dead or alive, and the celebrated partisan, Col. Mosby. making several raids to effect his capture. He was a man of great force of character, a natural leader and achieved much prominence by the activity he displayed during the troublous times when the country as in the throes of Civil war. He died in 1869, while a member elect of the Virginia legislature from Alexandria county, at the early age of thirty-nine years. The boyhood days of James T. Close were spent in Alexandria during the stirring scenes of war times and the excitement of the period left impressions upon his mind which have never been eradicated. After securing a knowledge of the elementary branches in the schools of his native place, he attended the Whitesboro Academy, at Whitestown, N. Y.; and subsequently finished his studies at Gonzago College, Washington, D. C. Having decided to enter the legal profession, he began the study of the law in 1874 with Judge Michael Thompson, one of the leading jurists of the District of Columbia, and also attended lectures at the National University. Subsequently he concluded his three-years course in the office of Capt. David L. Smoot, of Alexandria, since prosecuting attorney of San Francisco, Cal., and in 1877 was admitted to the bar in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Close practiced law at the national capital until 1878,. when he came to Wyandot county, Ohio, and located at Nevada, until he effected a copartnership with his old preceptor, Judge Thompson, at St. Louis, Mo. He continued in that city until 188o, when he visited the South. for the purpose of studying. the workings of the courts, and at one time he seriously contemplated locating in Natchez, Miss., but the stronger predilections for Ohio and its superior institutions drew him back to Ohio. Mr. Close was married in September, 1880, to Miss Loraine Seaton, an estimable young lady of Nevada, this county, and during. the winter of 1880-81 was employed in the war department at Washington. He there made a creditable record in the delicate work of digesting claims against the government and, at the same time, continued his legal studies in the offices of Col. Robert G. Ingersoll, America's great agnostic and distinguished orator. Returning to Nevada 520 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. upon a leave of absence, love for his profession caused him to resign his position in the war department and in September, 1882, having moved to Upper Sandusky, he formed a partnership with the late Hon. Moses H. Kirby, and continued the practice with Mr. Kirby until the latter's death. In 1884 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Wyandot county, filling the office two terms, having been re-elected in 1887, making the record of a strong and successful official. .In 1891 he was appointed by Judges C. H. Norris and Allen Smalley official stenographer of the second subdivision of the tenth judicial district of Ohio, composed of Marion, Crawford and Wyandot counties, and has since, under successive re-appointments by the judges, discharged the duties of that position, in connection with the practice of his profession, earning much more than local repute as an expert legal reporter. His career from the beginning presents a series of successes ; his knowledge of the underlying basic principles of jurisprudence, his energy and capability as an expert stenographer and devotion to the interests of his patrons winning him a large and lucrative business in the courts of his sub-district, and extending into other states. Mr. Close is a Jeffersonian Democrat of the old school, and in politics has long been a well-known factor in this part of the state: Socially he is a, most . companionable gentleman, a fine conversationalist, liberal-minded and popular, and being an eloquent and effective speaker he has been called upon to make many public addresses. Fraternally he belongs to the Masons, Elks and other orders, and all movements having for their object the good of the ,community find in him an earnest, though quiet, advocate and, to the extent of his ability, a liberal patron. Mr. and Mrs. close have six children, the oldest being Charles F., who was appointed. two years ago to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. He passed the examinations and entered the academy, but by reason of ill-health he was obliged to resign the cadetship and since his return home has been studying law under the direction of his father. He graduated at the Walworth Institute of New York as a stenographer and is how, at the age of twenty years, his father's assistant in stenographic work, reporting cases in court to the satisfaction of the bench and bar. Anna M., the second in order of birth, is a bright young lady, has graduated from the Upper Sandusky high school, and will follow school teaching. The others are James T., Jr., Irnogen M., Loraine S., and John Sherman, the youngest, named in honor of the late Hon. John Sherman, of whom the subject's mother is a relative. Mr. Close is a man of marked domestic tastes, whose life is devoted to his wife, children and home. In the family circle he finds his chief happiness and all his interests are centered therein. Mrs. Close is a lady possessed of, qualities which have retained her the love and grateful appreciation of her loved ones. While in her the social instinct is strong, yet society is secondary to home, and to her faithful devotion to her husband may be ascribed much of the success which has attended him. GEORGE W. SCHWILK. The two most strongly marked characteristics of both the east and the west are combined in the residents of the section of BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 521 county of which this volume treats. The enthusiastic enterprise Which overleaps all obstacles and makes possible almost any undertaking in the comparatively new and vigorous western states is here tempered by the stable and more careful policy that we have borrowed from our eastern neighbors, and the combination is one of peculiar force and power. It has been the means of placing this section of the country on a par with the older east, at the same time producing a reliability and certainty in business affairs which is frequently lacking in the west. This happy combination of characteristics is possessed by the subject of this brief sketch, George W. Schwilk, who has spent his entire life in the city of his nativity. Mr. Schwilk was born in Upper Sandusky, Wyaridot county, Ohio, on the 15th day of November, 1861. He is the son of John and Wilhemina Schwilk, who were both born in Germany, and with the hope of bettering their fortunes emigrated to the "land of the free." Our subject's boyhood days were spent in the .parental home and he received a fair education in the public schools. He was not permitted to complete the entire curriculum, for at the age of fourteen years he commenced the active struggle of life, and for two or three years. was engaged here in hauling coal. Then for a period of three years he was employed as a clerk in a hardware store at Upper Sandusky for Gen. I. M. Kirby. Then he engaged in hauling coal and ice for about a year, but finally resumed his former position in the hardware and implement store and while there engaged became acquainted and thoroughly versed with the Altman, Miller & Company's reaper and mower, and in 1884 he went into the employ of that company at Akron, Ohio, the well-known manufacturers of binders and mowers. Our subject traveled for this firm during the summer seasons and. at various times was given employment at the factory. He was energetic and capable, and as he possessed a good knowledge of machinery he was sent to Texas by the firm in the capacity of an expert, and was afterward sent into Pennsylvania. In 1886-7 he was traveling in Ohio, and the spring of 1889 he spent in Pennsylvania in the interest of the company. In the fall of that year our subject and a brother bought an ice outfit and operated it in Upper Sandusky until Noember, 1892, at which time the brother sold his interest to W. A. Swan: The new partnership continued in the same line of business, also adding coal to their stock and were fairly successful. However, at the end of about two and a half years our subject purchased his partner's interest in the business and has ever since conducted the business alone. He was active in promoting the general business interests of his city and is a member: and director of the board of trade. 0n June 24,, 1887, George W. Schwilk was united in the holy bonds of wedlock to Miss Emma Paessler, a resident of Bucyrus, Ohio, and to him she has proved a worthy helpmate. Politically Mr. Schwilk is a stanch adherent to the policies and principles of the Democratic party, but has never been induced to accept any public office. Fraternally he is a member of Wyandot Lodge, No. 174, K. of P., of this city; and also belongs to the Uniform. Rank, No. 94, of which organization he was. captain for three years. 522 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS He also belongs to the National Union. Religiously our subject and his wife are members of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Schwilk's career contains in it many lessons, demonstrating the fact, as it does, that under many disadvantageous circumstances and disheartening conditions success may be secured if he who strives for it, fortified by a laudable ambition, courage, perseverance and integrity, plus a certain amount of business acumen and honesty of purpose. He is a public-spirited and progressive citizen, deeply interested in the welfare of the community, and all that contributes to its educational, social and moral advancement. His business efforts have been crowned with a degree of success richly merited and he to-day occupies an enviable standing among his acquaintances. MILES C. JOHNSON. This gentleman, one of the best known residents of Tymochtee township, Wyandot county, Ohio, was born in Bucks county, Penn., February 9, 1825, and is the son of Jacob and Ann (Telford) Johnson, who were also barn in the Keystone state Jacob Johnson was, a son of Joseph Johnson, who married a Miss Slack. Jacob Johnson, the father of Miles C., was reared a blacksmith and was married in Bucks county, Penn. He went to Philadelphia, where he lived eight years.. In 1838 he went by water to New York, city, then up the Hudson river to Albany, by canal to Buffalo, N. Y., and thence, via Lake Erie by steamboat, came to Fremont, Ohio, and from there to McCutchenville, Wyandot county, by wagon, being two weeks on. the last named trip. He bought eighty acres of land a half mile south of McCutchenville, which. land, was partly cleared. He here erected a blacksmith shop and worked at his trade, in connection with farming, until his death, June. 4, 1857. His wife is also. dead ; both were devout members of the Presbyterian church. To Jacob and Ann (Telford) Johnson were born five children, viz. : Eliza, who was married to Gabriel Ludwig, and both of whom are now deceased ; Miles C., the subject of this sketch; Atty Ann, deceased wife of Joseph Sterner ; Martha, Ann, widow of Samuel Bistline. In politics Jacob. Johnson was a Democrat, and was a hard-working man who won the respect of all with whom he became acquainted. Miles C. Johnson acquired a limited education in the primitive log school house of his boyhood days, until twenty years old lived with his parents, of whom he took filial care in their latter days. In 1852 he worked for the Big Four Railway Company for a year and May 19, 1853, was united in marriage with Hannah Brundidge, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio., and is a daughter of Thomas and Osee Brundidge, natives of New York state and early settlers in Seneca county, Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Miles C. lave been born five children, namely: Thomas, farming in Tymochtee township and married to Flora F. Corfman ; Alvin., farming in Seneca county, and married to Mollie Houck; Edward, a carpenter at Fostoria, Ohio, and married to Ettie Haines; Annie, wife of George Sampson, M. D., of Upper Sandusky ; and Hiram, who married Amanda Sprow and is living in. Seneca county. Mr. Johnson took charge of the old place and managed it until it was sold. He bought BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS - 523 his present farm of sixty-five acres, which he has increased to about eighty-one acres, a part of which he rents out. For several years he operated a brick and tile yard, and in 1876 built his cozy dwelling house, and has also made all the necessary improvements on his place for the profitable pursuit of agriculture. He is a successful raiser of mixed crops, with sufficient live stock for his own use and an overplus for the market. In politics Mr. Johnson is a Democrat and was for several years a township trustee and for two terms township treasurer. He is a very public-spirited citizen and delights in aiding, financially and otherwise, all projects designed for the improvement of the public works of the township and the development of its resources. In religion Mr. Johnson is a devoted Methodist and is a liberal contributor to the funds of the Methodist Episcopal church at McCutchenville, and in other ways works for its benefit. Fraternally he is, a member of Wyandot Lodge, No. 314, F. & A. M., at McCutchenville, and in the social circles of Tymochtee township he and wife are always welcome guests. Mr. Johnson has always been a hard working and frugal citizen, has through his own exertions earned all he owns, and may well be styled a self-made man, in the business sense of the term. His high standing in the esteem of his fellow-citizens has been accorded him through his own personal merits. SOLOMON A. BEERY. The general public has ever taken great pleasure in tracing the history of a man who started upon life's career handicapped in many ways, but who, notwithstanding innumerable obstacles pushed forward manfully and finally reached the goal of success set before him. The career of the widely known and public-spirited citizen, whose name, appears above affords an impressive. example of what energy, directed and controlled by correct moral principles, can accomplish in overcoming an unfavorable environment and lifting its possessor from a. comparatively humble origin to a position of usefulness and affluence. Mr. Beery is too well known in Upper Sandusky and throughout Wyandot county to need an elaborate formal introduction to the people of either city or county. Eminently a self-made man, having carved his own way in, the world, educating himself and honestly earning every dollar in his possession, he ranks with the most enterprising and successful of his compeers and has won: a name and reputation which place him among the representative citizens of his native state. Solomon A. Beery was born August 7, 1829, in Fairfield county, Ohio, and spent the years, of his youth and early manhood amid the routine of . labor on his father's farm. His first educational training was received in the common schools of his neighborhood, but by far the greater part of his mental growth and development is the direct result of long and active experience in. the business affairs of the world. He remained with his father, assisting in the work of the farm and contributing to the support of the family until his marriage, after which he, purchased land of his own and turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and the breeding of fine live stock. For the latter he early manifested a decided preference and in the course of a few years his interest in 524 - BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. tilling the soil began to decline, the stock business gradually absorbing the greater part of his time and attention. As a breeder of high grade cattle and blooded horses he soon acquired much more than local repute and as a. dealer he was not long in realizing the results of his sound judgment and superior business tact in liberal financial returns. Mr. Beery continued raising thoroughbred and running horses in his native county until 1882, when: he disposed of his interests in that part of the state and changed his residence to the county of Wyandot. On coming here he purchased a beautiful home within the corporate limits of Upper Sandusky to which was soon after added an adjoining tract of two hundred acres, the whole, under his careful management, being converted into one of the finest and most highly improved stock farms in Ohio. Prior to leaving the county of Fairfield Mr. Beery met with financial success such as few attain. Since becoming a resident of Upper Sandusky Mr. Beery still conducts his farm, and ,also deals somewhat in stock, but not so extensively as he did before leaving.his native county. For two years, while living in Fairfield county, he was under contract to supply the state penitentiary with cattle, aside from which he devoted his attention almost exclusively to the stock business, continuing as formerly to make a specialty of the best grade of thoroughbred horses. His efficiency as a judge of horse flesh and his skill as a breeder have brought his name prominently to the notice of the leading stock men throughout the United States, the result being a great and constantly increasing demand for the animals raised upon his farm. Though denied the advantages of finished scholastic training in his younger days, Mr. Beery is a man of strong mentality, his active, capable intellect proving equal to every understanding, while quickness: to foresee and wisdom to plan and execute have enabled him to win success where many would have retired defeated and abashed. The sterling virtues of his character and the undeviating integrity of his business career have made his name respected wherever known, while his pleasing personality, combined, with an eminently sociable disposition., have rendered him a popular favorite with the people of his city and county. Mr. Beery was united in marriage February 8, 1855, to Miss Eliza Hammack, of Fairfield county, Ohio, a lady of culture and refinement whose memory is cherished by all who were so fortunate as to form her acquaintance. She presided with quiet but queenly dignity over a home of comfort and elegance and proved a valuable counselor to her husband in his various business transactions and contributed not a little to the remarkable, success which has crowned his efforts. A sweet moral natUre, united with strong religious convictions, made her indeed a valued member of society, while among the poor and unfortunate her name will, always be revered by reason of many acts' of charity unselfishly performed. Mrs. Beery was a devout member of the Methodist church, and her whole life was a grand epitome of duty bravely and uncomplainingly done. She ever tried to realize her highest ideal of noble, consecrated womanhood and her death, on the.22d of October, 1899, not only caused a void in the once happy home, but was. felt as a personal bereavement by her many warm friends in the city