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Source:
A Centennial
Biographical History
of
Crawford
County, Ohio
- ILLUSTRATED -
"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote
ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride
by remote generations."
- MACAULAY
Publ. Chicago:
The Lewis Publishing Company
1902
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J. H. MALCOLM |
JAMES H. MALCOLM Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 532 |
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CHARLES
R. MARGRAFF, a well known and highly esteemed resident of
Lykens township, was born in Bucyrus, Jan. 4, 1843, his parents
being William H. and Wilhelmina (Reidel) Margraff.
The father was a native of Saxony, Germany. In the family
were nine children, as follows: Augusta, the widow
of the Rev. Robert Graetz, of Bucyrus;
Caroline, the widow of the Rev. August
Michlalis, of Bucyrus; Emeline, deceased wife of
John Linn; Bertha, the wife of John A.
Schaber, of Bucyrus; Julia, who married Adam
Augene, of Lykens township; Charles F.; Lottie,
the deceased wife of August Brause; Sophia,
the wife of Hiram Smith, of Bucyrus; and William H.,
of Fayette county, Iowa. The father was a shoemaker by
trade, and in 1836 came to America on a sailing vessel, arriving
at New York City after a voyage of seven weeks. He thence
made his way by water to Sandusky, and from there drove across
the country with ox-teams to Bucyrus. Establishing a
shoemaking shop, he carried on business along that line with
good success from 1836 until 1850, when he removed to Lykens
township, purchasing the farm upon which Henry Fralick
now resides. He purchased land in the Indian reserve and
eighty acres near his home, making one hundred and sixty acres
in the home farm. He traveled quite extensively in Europe,
and while in this county gave his attention to agricultural
pursuits, whereby he gained a comfortable competence. He
died in January, 1889, at the ripe old age of eighty-three
years, while his wife passed away in 1881, when seventy-three
years of age. They were members of the Lutheran church,
active in its work and deeply interested in the extension of its
influence.
Charles F. Margraff was a little lad of seven
years when he came with his parents to Lykens township, and in
the common schools he acquired his education, which, however,
has been largely supplemented by reading, observation and
experience, until he is now a well-informed man. He
assisted in the work of the home farm until his marriage, when
he began farming on his own account. He rented land from
1868 until 1874, and then with the capital he had acquired
purchased eighty acres of the old homestead, upon which he
resided for four years. On the expiration of that period
he removed to the farm upon which he now resides, and the many
excellent improvements here stand as monuments to his
enterprise, being the visible proof of an energetic, active and
honorable career. He owns hereone hundred and thirty acres
of fine land, of which one hundred acres have been cleared, and
he has elsewhere one hundred and sixty-four acres in Lykens
township. He carried on general farming and stock-raising,
and in both branches of his business is meeting with creditable
prosperity. Honesty he regards as the best policy in all
trade transactions, and his business career is one unassailable.
On the 19th of December, 1867, Mr. Margraff was
married to Miss Leah Miller, and unto them have been born
five children: Armetta, the wife of William C.
Seele o Holmes township; Mary Ellen, the wife of
O. J. Cory, of Tiffin, Ohio; Ida Irene, wife of
Henry D. Miller; Edwin S.,
deceased; and Charles Clarence, a carpenter by trade,
living in Lykens township. The family is one of prominence
in the neighborhood, and the hospitality of the best homes of
this part of the county is extended to the members of the househld.
In politics Mr. Margraff is a Democrat, but not strongly
partisan. For two terms he served as township trustee,
giving excellent satisfaction by his faithful discharge of
duties. He is a member of the Evangelical church and a
worthy representative of an honored pioneer family whose history
has been interwoven with that of Crawford county through many
decades.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 539 |
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HORATIO W. MARKLEY
is one of the progressive and prominent men of Crawford county,
and is a descendant of several of the most distinguished
families of this part of Ohio. Mr. Markley was born in
Liberty township, Crawford county, on July 24, 1848, and
was a son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Stough) Markley.
The paternal great-grandparents were Joseph and Susannah
(Wigley) Markley. They came to what is now Ashland county,
then Richland, Ohio, in 1815, entering about three hundred acres
of land on the present site of the city of Ashland. Here
he erected and later conducted an extensive distillery business,
and as the years passed became one of the substantial men of the
locality. Both he and wife were unusually corpulent, their
accumulated weight being metre than five hundred pounds. Every
year, arrayed in a peculiar riding costume, one feature of which
were beaver hats, they made a horseback trip to the eastern
relatives, where they were expected with pleasure on account of
their many admirable traits of character. They reared a
family of eleven boys and two girls, all of them being of more
than average weight and size. The smallest of the boys,
faceciously called "the runt." weighed two hundred and fifty
pounds. All of the family lived to marry and rear families
of their own. The extraordinary strength of five of these sons
excited general comment, as each one could take a full barrel of
whiskey up in his hands and drink from the bung. Perhaps the
strongest of all was Horatio,
who
was born in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, in 1804, and was considered the strongest
man
in the county. Shortly after his
marriage he came to Craw ford county and entered one hundred and
forty-four acres of land in Liberty township, where his
daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Teel, now resides.
With the assistance of his brother Mathias, who had
preceded him here some years, assisted also by the two wives, a
comfortable log cabin was built and on this farm he spent his
whole life. He became prosperous and was able to leave his
children very well situated, giving each one a farm at the time
of maturity.
He was long one of the
leaders in the English Lutheran church and was known through the
county for his kindness and liberality.
No
call for help was ever disregarded,
and when death came, in 1880, at the age of seventy-six, the
mourners extended far beyond those of his own family.
He
married Nancy Link, who was the
daughter of Adam
Link, also a
remarkable man. He
was born in Wheeling, West
Virginia, where he owned six hundred acres of land on the
present site of the city of Wheeling. Pie was a veteran of the
Revolutionary war. His father was killed by the Indians during
the early days. Being surrounded by Indians, he and a friend
bargained for their lives, and, as the Indians promised safety,
they came out, only to be tomahawked by the savages, who
destroyed everything they could find, tore open feather beds to
see the feathers fly, killed the cattle and cut up the leather
in the tan yards.
Adam Link lived over a
century, dying in 1864, at the advanced age of one hundred and
two years, nine months and twenty-seven, days.
The maternal great-grandparents of our subject were
also well-known: people, John Stough being a
Lutheran minister, who first married Mary Hagmyer,
and later Catherine Troutman. The
great-grandfather, Thomas Charlton, was of English
birth, and married Elizabeth Mercer. John G.
Stough, the maternal grandfather, was a native of Perry
county, Pennsylvania, and came to Crawford county shortly after
his marriage to Sarah Charlton, a native of
Washington county, Maryland. Mr. Stough settled on
the farm now owned by the
Widow
Moderwell, entering one
hundred and sixty acres of forest land, built him a log cabin in
the forest and hung up a quilt for shelter in place of a door.
When
meat was wanted for the larder he
took his gun, stepped a few paces away from his home and soon
shot a deer, so plentiful were they at that time. His family
went through every phase of pioneer life, but in this wilderness
he reared a fine family and remained until advanced in years,
when he moved to Vernon township and died there at the age of
eighty-four years. Both he and wife had been life-long members
of the Lutheran church.
Joseph Markley, the
father of our subject, was born on the old Horatio Markley
homestead, on December 4, 1824. and grew up at home, early doing
his part of work on the farm. His education was
necessarily limited, but through life he was a great reader and
in time became self-educated and was thoroughly informed
concerning the public events of the day. His marriage was
to Elizabeth Stough, in Liberty township, who was
born on October 21, 1827, and she was a daughter of
John G. and Sarah (Charlton) Stough. After his
marriage he located on seventy-two acres of land one and
one-half miles north of the Markley homestead and
during the second year realized enough from the sugar maples on
the farm to pay for it. Here Mr. Markley
resided until his death, in May, 1858. at the age of
thirty-three. His life had been a busy one and he
had succeeded well.
He
was very active in the affairs of
the English Lutheran church, and was a member of the Republican
party. After the death of Mr. Markley his
widow married Peter Rutan and now resides in this
township. One daughter was born of this marriage: Anna,
the wife of Oliver Wheaton, a pattern maker of
Mansfield.
Horatio W. Markley, the bearer of an honored name,
was reared on the home farm and acquired hut a limited
education. He
was married on February 23,
1871, to Miss Maria C. Rader, who was born in Northampton
county, Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of
Aaron and Sabina (Bower) Rader,
both of whom
were natives of Pennsylvania. They
came to Crawford county previous to 1850. After his marriage our
subject and wife went to Columbiana county and located on a farm
belonging to Michael Charlton, but two years later they
returned to Crawford county and purchased a farm of seventy-two
acres two miles north of Sulphur Springs, where the family
resided for four years. Then Mr. Markley
sold that and bought eighty acres in Cranberry township, on
which farm he remained for three years, later selling that also.
For the following nineteen years he successfully operated a farm
of one hundred and sixty acres belonging to his sister-in-law.
Mrs. Julia Rader. In 1884 he bought forty acres
located one-fourth mile south of his present home, and this land
he retained four years and then exchanged it for the farm he now
occupies. This consists of sixty-two and one-half acres and upon
it he has erected a most desirable set of buildings, modern in
construction and attractive in appearance.
He
removed to this place in 1899.
Mr. Markley has been very successful
during these years of industry, has become well known and
esteemed in the county and has reared a most estimable family,
viz.: Franklin A., city solicitor for the B.
&
O. Railroad at Toledo, Ohio;
Hattie E., a millinery trimmer at Toledo; Bert W.,
deceased; Esther B. and Ross W., both at home. In
politics our subject has always been a stanch Republican, and
fraternally he is connected with Liberty Lodge. No. 845, K. of
H. His wife is a member of the L. O. T. M. and of
the Lutheran church.
He
is one of the progressive and
energetic men whose example in a community is for its benefit,
and all through Crawford county live those who most highly
esteem Horatio W. Markley.
Source: A Centennial Biographical
History of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 686 |
H. S. Z. MATTHIAS |
H. S. Z. MATTHIAS
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 104 |
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ALEXANDER McKEAN.
There is not in Jefferson township, Crawford county, Ohio, a man
who is held in higher esteem for all that constitutes good
citizenship than the subject of this sketch. Alexander
McKean was born in Leesville, Ohio, June 27, 1839, a son of
Dr. John and Rebecca (McClaskey) McKean. Dr.
John McKean, detailed account of whose life would be very
interesting reading, was born at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania,
February 10, 1810. Long before that time his father had
carried the ail on horseback between Pittsburg, Pennsylvania,
and Baltimore, Maryland, and in 1819, when the future physician
was about nine years old, the family removed to Calcutta,
Columbiana county, Ohio, where the youth gained a good common
school education and a practical knowledge of business as it was
transacted there at that time. When quite young he began
teaching school, studying medicine in his spare moments and
in that employment he earned money with which to pay for his
professional education. In 1830, equipped with the
necessary diploma and some little experience as a medical
practitioner, he started out on horseback in quest of a location
in which to practice his profession. He passed through
Mansfield, Ohio, which did not appear promising to him, and at
Galion he found only a few log cabins. While taking dinner
at the last mentioned settlement he met the Rev. Robert Lee,
the founder of the village of Leesville, who persuaded the young
physician to locate at that point. For four years he
boarded with the Rev. Mr. Lee and was practically a
member of his household. Then he married Miss McClaskey,
who bore him nine children, the following information concerning
the most of whom will be of interest in this connection.
Their daughter Margaret, who became Mrs. Robert Hall,
is dead. Alexander, who is the immediate subject of
this sketch, was the second in order of birth. William,
Rebecca J. and John L. are dead, Eugenia is
the wife of John Ludlum superintendent of the Barnett
shops at Canton, Ohio. Jacob lives in
California. Emma is the wife of D. G. R. Edwards,
of Los Angeles, California.
Dr. McKean lived in Leesville, Ohio, giving his
entire attention to a growing medical practice, until 1866, and
then removed to Crestline, Ohio, where he practiced his
profession until 1879, when he retired. He died in 1890,
aged eighty years. His wife died in 1886. They were
consistent members of the Presbyterian church, in which he took
great interest. He was well read man who gave much
attention to the world's progress in every department of human
endeavor, and he was a charitable man who gave his professional
services freely even when there was no hope of pecuniary reward.
He rode over the country in all directions from his place of
residence and had hundreds of accounts on his books, but it is
said of him that he never sued on any claim or pressed any
delinquent unduly.
Alexander, his oldest son, was born and reared
and educated at Leesville, Ohio, and at the age of twenty-two
moved upon a farm near that place, where he lived until 1872.
From 1872 to 1889 he lived on a farm near Crestline, and in 1889
he located on his present farm in Jefferson township, Crawford
county. He is the owner of eighty acres of good land and
gives his attention to the production of miscellaneous crops.
He is a Republican, and while not a practical politician he has
been active in promoting all measures tending to benefit the
township and county. Devoted to his church, the Lutheran,
he has been liberal in the support of religious worship wherever
he has lived. His life embraces not only the modern but
the pioneer period of the history of this part of the country
and is rich in reminiscence of the early days. Among other
recollections is one concerning the advent of the first cook
stove at Leesville. Money as a commodity those times was
scarce, and his fathe rhaving secured a load of wheat from the
settlers for medical services, and for the express purpose of
buying a stove, hired John Clements to haul it to
Sandusky City, a distance of sixty miles. Clements
returned with the stove on the evening of the fifth days after
leaving, when every one in the village turned out to see it.
Mr. McKean was married January 1, 1862, to
Margaretta Osborn, w2ho died August 19, 1897. To them
were born ten children, nine of whom are living.
Bernhard the oldest son, is married and lives on the farm.
Sherwood, a railroader, lives in Crestline, Ohio.
Irene died April 4, 1880. Hall and
Claude, both railroaders, reside in Pratt, Kansas.
Grace is the wife of William Thoman, also a resident
of Pratt, Kansas. Pearl is the wife of Elmer
Courter, whose home is in Galion, Ohio, and who is a
railroader. The three youngest Ariadne, Edna and
Philena, live with their father on the old homestead.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 628 |
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JAS. McKINSTRY |
JAMES McKINSTRY
is the oldest living resident of Bucyrus, for he has reached the
ninetieth milestone on life's journey. His has been a
useful and active career, in which there is much worthy of
emulation and little to regret, and now in the evening of life
he receives the veneration and respect of all who know him; and
while he has outlived the friends of his early manhood he yet
has many warm friends and admirers among the younger generation.
He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1811,
and is of Irish lineage and descended from good old
Revolutionary stock. His paternal grandfather,
Nathaniel McKinstry, was a native of Ireland, and on
coming to America located in Pennsylvania, dying in Franklin
county at a good old age. He served his adopted country in
the war of the Revolution, being most of the time engaged in the
powder mills. His sun, John McKinstry, the
father of our subject, was born in Belfast, county Antrim,
Ireland, and when a little lad of three summers was brought by
his parents to the new world, their first home being in
Philadelphia, whence they afterward removed to Franklin county.
He was there married to Miss Mary Patton. a native of
Loudon, Franklin county, and a daughter of James Patton,
who was born in South Carolina and served throughout the war for
independence, being in the command of General
Washington. He then served in the capacity of captain
and did valiant service for the cause of liberty. He was
of English origin, and his ancestors came to this country some
time before the Revolution. The parents of our subject
were married in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and then located
upon a farm there, but subsequently removed to Washington
county, that state, and in 1833 came to Ohio, settling upon a
farm in Marion county. Mr. McKinstry was a
Jackson Democrat in early life, afterward became a Whig, and
later was identified with the Republican party. He held
membership in the Presbyterian church and took an active
interest in its work. He died in Marion county, in his
ninetieth year, and his wife passed away in the same locality in
her sixty-seventh year. They were the parents of seven
children, three sons and four daughters, of whom one died at the
age of five years, while the others reached adult age.
Only three are now living, namely: Thomas, of Pekin,
Illinois, who is now more than eighty-seven years of age; Mrs.
Rebecca Hayes, of Marion county, Ohio: and
James.
The last named was the oldest son and the third child
of the family, and was twenty-two years of age when he
accompanied his parents to Ohio. He had acquired his
education in an old log schoolhouse in his native county, where
school was conducted on the subscription plan. He attended
only through the winter season, while in the summer months he
worked upon the farm. He also engaged in teaming, driving
a five-horse team, in hauling goods from Wheeling to Pittsburg,
Pennsylvania; there were no railroads or canals in those days.
After coming to Ohio he assisted in clearing and improving the
farm in Marion county through several years. He became a
well known and influential citizen of the community, and in 1840
was the Whig candidate for sheriff, lacking only a few votes of
winning the election.
In 1842 Mr. McKinstry was united in
marriage to Miss Rebecca Garberson, a native of Mount
Vernon, Ohio, and of German lineage. Colonel Crawford,
who was burned at the stake, was her great uncle. After
their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. McKinstry located upon a
farm in Marion county, where he carried on agricultural pursuits
and stock-raising. He made a specialty of sheep, keeping
on hand about a thousand sheep in Illinois. He owned six
hundred acres of land, constituting one of the largest farms in
Marion county. In 1863 he rented his property and came to
Bucyrus, purchasing the residence in which he still lives.
About 1871 he sold his farm in Marion county and was afterward
engaged in various lines of business. He conducted a
grocery store and was quite extensively engaged in the purchase
and sale of horses, buying them in Canada and shipping them to
Ohio. At length, after a long and useful business career,
in which he won a handsome competence, he retired to private
life, and is now living in the enjoyment of the fruits of his
former labor.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. McKinstry was blessed
with ten children, namely: One who died in infancy;
John Calvin who died at the age of six years; William
Thomas, a farmer of Bucyrus township; Mary E., who is
the widow of John R. Miller,
who resides with her father; Ann Maria, deceased;
Frances Marion, who has passed away; Amanda, the wife
of Theodore Shotwell, of Detroit, Michigan; James
Briggs, deceased; Mathew, of Kansas City; and
Joseph, who also has passed away. In 1890 Mr.
McKinstry was called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who
died at the age of sixty-eight years. He cast his first
presidential vote for Andrew Jackson in 1832, supported
Henry Clay in 1836 and in 1840 voted for William Henry
Harrison, being an advocate of the Whig party until the
organization of the Republican party, when he joined its ranks
becoming one of its stalwart supporters. He has also held
various church offices. He aided in the organization of
the church at Caledonia and was one of the building committee
having charge of the erection of the house of worship. He
also assisted in the repairing of the Bucyrus church, and he has
contributed liberally to the support of Christian work, doing
all in his power to advance the cause among his fellow men.
He also has a military record, for in 1839 and 1840 he was first
lieutenant of a cavalry company of Marion county. When he
resigned he was succeeded by a Mr. Shaw, who was promoted
to the rank of colonel and was killed at the battle of
Winchester. The company was the only one of the kind in
Marion county, and only two of its members are yet living -
James Kerr, of Marion county, and Mr. McKinstry.
The life record of our subject forms the connecting link between
the primitive past of Ohio and development of the state for
almost three-score years, and now in the evening of life he has
the friendship and veneration which he so richly merits.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 248 |
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BURTON R. MILLER, M. D. Mr. Miller, who occupies an
enviable position as a member of the medical fraternity in New
Washington, was born Nov. 16, 1864, in what was known as the
Half Way House, located midway between Tiffin and Republic, in
Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio. His parents were
Peter and Lovina (Robenalt) Miller. The father was
born Sept. 16, 1833, in Ontario county, New York, and was a son
of Daniel and Anna (Bergstresser) Miller, both of whom
were of German descent and were probably natives of the Empire
state. With their family they removed to Seneca county,
Ohio, in 1837, locating in Scipio township. Subsequently
they removed to Lincoln township, where they spent their
remaining days. The father of our subject was reared under
the parental roof and in early life learned the trade of a
cooper. As the family located in the midst of the vast
wilderness, he also did his share in the work of reclaiming the
wild lands for purposes of civilization, cutting away the trees
and preparing the fields for the plow. On the 2d of March,
1854, he was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Robenalt,
a native of Clinton township, Seneca county, and a daughter of
Solomon and Catherine (Powell) Robenalt, both of whom
were natives of Pennsylvania, but were of German descent.
Coming to Ohio in 1829, they took up their abode in Seneca
county, where they remained until called to the home beyond.
The grandfather of our subject died in 1863, at the age of
sixty-two years, and his wife, long surviving him, passed away
in 1881, at the age of eighty years.
After his marriage Peter Miller and his wife
began their domestic life upon a small farm in the eastern part
of Clinton township. He there built a log cabin and a log
shop, and of evenings and on rainy days when he could not work
in the fields he followed coopering, but in good weather he
worked upon farms, and thus in two years he was enabled to pay
for his property. He purchased the Half Way House, which
he used as a residence. He continued his coopering
business and resided there until 1865, when he exchanged his
property for a dwelling in Tiffin, and in that city he followed
his chosen trade for three years. On the expiration of
that period he purchased the old Robenalt homestead and removed
to the farm, which is located four miles east of Tiffin.
For five years he resided in the old pioneer log house and then
purchased an adjoining farm, upon which he erected a modern and
commodious brick dwelling, making one of the handsomest homes in
the county. He continued coopering until within the past
ten years, but now gives his entire attention to the management
of his extensive farming interests. He is a Democrat in
his political affiliations, and for twelve years he served as
trustee of his township, called again and again to that office
by his fellow townsmen, who recognize his worth and ability.
He is one of the influential men in his district, and wherever
known is held in high regard. Socially he is connected
with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Seneca
Lodge, No. 35, of Tiffin.
In 1887 Mr. Miller was called upon to mourn the
loss of his wife, who died on the 28th of February of that year.
She was an active and earnest member of the Lutheran church, to
which Mr. Miller also belongs, being one of its liberal
supporters and zealous advocates. This worthy couple were
the parents of seven children, of whom six are yet living,
namely: Franklin P. of Morris, Ohio; Orlando A.,
who is living near Lawton, Michigan; Daniel W., who makes
his home in Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio; Alice V.,
wife of Otto F. Swander, of West Lodi, Ohio; Burton R.,
of this review; and Anna May, wife of N. R. Heaton,
of Clinton township, Seneca County.
Mr. Miller pursued his education in the country
schools until he had mastered the common English branches of
learning and later became a student in the Milan Normal, the
Fostoria Normal and in Heidelberg University, at Tiffin, Ohio.
He attended the country schools, however, until he was twenty
years of age, and then successfully passed an examination
entitling him to teach in the country schools. On his
twenty-first birthday he began educational work, and followed
teaching for five terms, during which period his salary was
steadily increased, and when called to the Tiffin schools he
received twenty-five cents more per day than any
other teacher in the township. In the autumn of 1890 he
began teaching as principal of the fourth school district in
Tiffin, where he remained for four years. Determining to
make the practice of medicine his life work, he began reading
under the direction of Dr. H. H. Hershiser in the summer
of 1894, and during the two succeeding vacations he was a
student in the office of Dr. H. B. Gibbon. He
entered the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, in the fall
of 1894, and in the autumn of 1895 matriculated in the Ohio
Medical University, where he was graduated on the 6th of April,
1897. Immediately afterward he took up the practice of
medicine, which he has since followed with good success.
Soon after his graduation Dr. Miller was
married, on the 21st of July, 1897, near Lawton, Michigan, to
Miss Myrtle M. Hooper, a daughter of George and Jennie E.
(Laughlin) Hooper. Her father was born May 20, 1842,
in Brooklyn, New York, and was of English parentage, and on the
1st of November, 1865, he was united in marriage to Jennie E.
Laughlin, whose birth occurred in Berlin township, Erie
County, Ohio. She was a daughter of Milton Laughlin,
whose grandparents were natives of Ireland and came to America
with their family of eleven sons, settling in Georgetown,
Pennsylvania. The date of their emigration is unknown, but
it must have been over a century ago.
John Laughlin, one of the oldest children of
this family, married Elizabeth Hoak, and after a few
years joined the party of adventurers who left Walnut Creek,
Pennsylvania, for the Huron river river. Subsequently he
removed from the bottom lands of the river to Milan, then an
Indian village, where he resided for two years. He became
greatly attached to the Indians and they to him. He was an
excellent hunter and they admired his dexterity. His
children played with the Indian children, and when his little
son Benjamin was taken ill he was doctored by the Indian
medicine man, and when he died was buried by the Indians after
their custom. In 1810 Mr. Laughlin built a small
log house on lot 8, which has since been known as the
Laughlin place, and thee he removed with his family.
One of his six children, Henry, succumbed to fever and
was buried on the high bank of Huron river. The family had
a desperate struggle to get along, owing to the unhealthful
climate and pioneer conditions. While living there news of
Hull's surrender was received, and the settlers,
expecting the Indians to rush down upon them, fled for safety.
Mr. Laughlin and his family started for the old home in
Pennsylvania, and on horseback and on foot made their way
through the almost interminable forests. Soon after
reaching their destination Milton Laughlin was born, the
date of his birth being Christmas of 1813. After two
years, however, the family returned to Ohio, and in 1814 a log
cabin was erected, in which the grandfather resided until his
death. The family experienced all the hardships and
difficulties of pioneer life. Corn was pounded into meal
in a mortar made in a stump hollowed out by fire.
Milton Laughlin was reared amid such surroundings and became
a hard-working, persevering and determined man, yet rather
silent and of undemonstrative habits. The other members of
the family were Katy, Henry, John, Nancy, Benjamin, Anna,
Betsey and Belinda.
On the 28th of November, 1837, Milton Laughlin
married Mary B. Krom, of Wilkesharre, Luzerne county,
Pennsylvania, but formerly of New York city. He arranged
with his father to pay some of hte latter's debts, and in return
he was to receive a part of the old homestead. He worked
on his farm during the summer and in the winter season was
employed in the ship-yard at Milan. He aided in sawing the
timber for the docks on the canal and often made four dollars
and forty cents per day, although the average wages paid were
only one dollar and a half per day. His efforts were
admirably seconded by his wife, and by perseverance, industry
and attention to business he accumulated a handsome competence
and gained the title of West Berlin banker. The children
born of his marriage are as follows: Ransom F., who
was born June 9, 1839, married Sarah Springer on the 8th
of August, 1860, and now resides in Milan township; Nancy L.,
born June 16, 1842, was married Apr. 14, 1868, to William
Squire, of Milan, and died Apr. 19, 1875; Jane E.,
born Jan. 23, 1843, married George Hooper on the 1st of
November, 1865, and resides in Ohio near Tiffin; Frank W.,
born Feb. 5, 1849, enlisted in the Union army and died in the
service in South Carolina, Mar. 2, 1865; Willis M., born
June 29, 1859, was married Aug. 8, 1880, and resides on the old
homestead; Bertha E., born Mar. 14, 1868, was married
June 24, 1890. In the spring of 1883, Mr. Laughlin
removed with his family to Milan where he resided until his
death, which occurred Oct. 16, 1884, when he was seventy-two
years of age. In early life he united with the Methodist
church and was ever a consistent Christian.
After the marriage of George Hooper and Jennie E. Laughlin
they removed to Milan, in 1866, and on the 19th of August, 1873,
went to Van Buren county, Michigan. Subsequently they
became residents of Allegan county, that state, and in the
spring of 1875 returned to Ohio, locating in Berlin township,
Erie county. In 1877, however, they again went to
Michigan, spending the winter in Lawton, and in the spring took
up their abode upon a farm in that state, where they continued
until the fall of 1900, when they located in Seneca county,
Ohio. Mr. Hooper was a member of the Thirteenth
Michigan Infantry during the Civil war and served for three
years and eight months. He was taken prisoner Nov. 14,
1864, when on the march of Sherman to the sea, and was
incarcerated in the prison at Florence, South Carolina, but
after three months was paroled at Goldsboro, North Carolina.
On the 26th of February, 1865, he was sent to Camp Chase and
there discharged. He now owns and operates an eighty-acre
farm, which is highly improved. For five years he served
as a justice of the peace and was also school director for
several years. In politics he is a Republican. He
belongs to the Methodist Protestant church, has served as
class-leader and has been quite prominent in church work.
Dr. Miller, whose name begins this review, is a
stanch Democrat, and in the spring of 1893 was elected treasurer
of Clinton township, receiving the highest vote of any candidate
on the ticket. In 1895 he was re-elected with an increased
majority of over one hundred votes. He was vice-president
of Seneca County Teacher's Institute in the term of 18945, and
was unanimously chosen president in the terms of 1895-6.
In 1896-7 he was city school examiner, but resigned in order to
remove to New Washington, and on the 5th of August, 1897, he
began practice in this place. In 1894, before bidding
final adieu to the profession of teacher, Dr. Miller
succeeded in bringing about the adoption of township supervision
of the schools in Clinton, his native township, the first to
adopt such in Seneca county, four other townships of the county
having adopted the same plan of supervision. He is the
present health officer for New Washington. He also enjoys
a large private practice, and his business is steadily
increasing. He has been correspondent for the Tiffin
Advertiser, the Tiffin News, the Tiffin Tribune, the Tiffin
Times, the Bloomville Independent, the Crawford County News, the
Crawford County Forum, and at the present time sends his
communications to the last named. In 1893 Mr. Miller
visited the World's Fair in Chicago. Socially he is
connected with Pickwick Lodge, No. 175, K. P., of Tiffin;
Cranberry Lodge, No. 441, I. O. O. F.; and Rex Tent, No. 229, K.
O. T. M., while he and his wife are active members of the
Methodist Episcopal church and take a leading part in
Sunday-school work. Both are members of Horace Mann
Commandery, No. 14, and the order of the Red Cross. The
Doctor and his wife are ardent supporters of educational and
other means of advancing intellectual and moral development.
He is president of the New Washington Lecture Association.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 422 |
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ELI MILLER.
A thoroughly representative citizen and successful farmer of
Holmes township, Crawford county, is Eli Miller, who was
born in Richland county, Ohio, on Mar. 13, 1850, a son of
Joseph and Louisa (Hacker) Miller, and belonged to a family
of ten children, nine of whom are living, viz.: Eli,
of this biography; John S., residing on a part of the
home farm; Ceno P., residing with his mother on the home
place; Alva M., of Putnam county; Josiah, of
Putnam county; Joseph F., of Wyandot county; Barbara,
the wife of George Grau, of Whitley county, Indiana;
Dora, the wife of Frank Muchling, of Putnam
county; and Ellen, the wife of Joseph Nickler, of
Liberty township. The parents of Mr. Miller were
married in 1848, and they then located in Crawford county,
purchasing the eighty acres of land which now is included in the
Miller home, and as prosperity came the father purchased
much more land, eighty acres lying to the north of his farm,
eighty on the south and fifty a short distance east, making a
large estate of two hundred and ninety acres in all. The
father died Jan. 28, 1897, and there passed away one of the most
highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township.
Eli Miller, a worthy descendant of most
excellent parents, was carefully reared by them through
childhood, and attended the common schools. He was taught
to be industrious and honest and those lessons have never been
forgotten. On Feb. 20, 1873, he was married to Miss
Julia A. Spahr, a native of this township, a daughter of
George A. Spahr (a sketch of whom appears in another part of
this volume), one of the prominent farmers of this county.
Following his marriage, Mr. Miller purchased fifty acres
of land in the vicinity of the home farm, but finding the
payments too heavy for a beginner he sold the property to his
father and rented land until the spring of 1888, when he removed
to his present home farm, which he had acquired in the fall of
1883. Here Mr. Miller has given his attention most
successfully to general farming and stock-raising, becoming, as
the years have passed, one of the reliable and substantial
farmers of Holmes township.
Five children came to Mr. and Mrs. Miller, the
survivors being: Elmer M., Dennis E.,
Harvey L., and Alfred E., Clarence J. being
the name of the little son that passed early out of life.
With the exception of Dennis, who is engaged in teaming
in Bucyrus, these manly, intelligent sons still remain under the
parental roof. In politics Mr. Miller is a
Democrat, and has taken a great interest in public affairs.
For the past seven years he has been a trustee in the United
Brethren church, of which he has long been a worthy member and
to which his contributions are most substantial.
Holmes township is fortunate in having among its citizens such
honest, energetic and progressive men as Eli Miller.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 607 |
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GEORGE W. MILLER.
As a representative of an honored pioneer family, of the
educational interests of Crawford county and now of the
insurance business, George W. Miller is widely and
favorably known throughout this section of the state. He
has attained to an enviable position in the business world
entirely through his own unaided efforts. Faithfulness to
duty and strict adherence to a fixed purpose in life will do
more to advance a man's interests than wealth or advantageous
circumstances. The successful men of the day are they who
have planned their own advancement and have accomplished it in
spite of many obstacles and with a certainty the could
have been attained only through their personal efforts. It
has been along such lines that George W. Miller has won
and maintained a creditable position in business circles in his
native county, where he is now occupying the position of
secretary of Crawford County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company
and of the Crawford County Agricultural Society.
He was born in Todd township in
1859, a son of John D. and Mary (Kahl) Miller. The
father came to Ohio with his parents in 1837 and located in
Richland county. He was born in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, in 183, and his parents, George M. and
Cartherine (Rex) Miller, were also natives of the Keystone
state. Having arrived at years maturity, 1840 John D.
Miller married Miss Mary Deal, and their union was
blessed with five children, three of whom are yet living:
Nathaniel M., living in California; Annias D., a
resident of Wyandot county, Ohio; and William A., of
Seneca county, this state. Annias D. and William
A. served through the Civil war as defenders of the Union.
The mother of these children died in 1852,and in 1855 Mr.
Miller wedded Mrs. Mary Barga, a widow who had two
children, Albert and Lovina. She was the daughter of
Henry and Susan (Rank) Kahl, who emigrated to Richland
County, Ohio, from Pennsylvania, at an early date. The
subject of this review is the only child born unto this
marriage. His father came to Crawford county in 1852 and
located on a farm just north of Oceola, where both he and his
wife spent their remaining days, the later dying in 1890, at the
age of sixty-six years, and the father in 1896, at the age of
eighty-three. Both were consistent Christian people, and
enjoyed the respect of all who now them.
The childhood days of George W. Miller were
spent on the old homestead which he now owns. His
education was mostly acquired in the common schools,
supplemented by a course in the Northwestern Normal, of
Fostoria, Ohio. Having qualified himself for teaching he
became a follower of that profession and for a number o f years
performed the duties of an instructor in the schoolroom through
the winter months, while in the summer seasons he engaged in
farming. Having the ability to impart readily and with
accuracy to others the knowledge he had gained, and being also
an excellent disciplinarian, he proved a competent educator,
giving excellent satisfaction. During the last three years
of his school work he was employed as principal of the Oceola
schools. He did much to advance the efficiency of the
schools and his labor was attended with gratifying results.
He is now president of the county board of school examiners and
of the Ohio Teachers' Reading Circle of the county, thus keeping
in close touch with the educational interests of this part of
the state.
In 1880 Mr. Miller was united in marriage to
Miss Dell A. Sigler, the youngest daughter of George E.
and Harriet (Horrick) Sigler, of Todd township. Her
parents were among the pioneers of Crawford county, having come
here in the early 40's. They were the parents of four
children: Mary L., Elliot W., Rosamond E. and Dell A.
Mrs. Sigler, who was the daughter of John and Mary
(Grimes) Horrick, died in 1898, but Mr. Sigler is
still living on a farm in Todd township. He is a son of
Jacob and Rachel (Hines) Sigler and is a native of
Pennsylvania, while his wife was born in Ashland county, Ohio.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller has been born but one child,
Minta M., who is in the senior year in the high school of
Bucyrus. In that city her parents have a pleasant home,
justly celebrated for its warm-hearted hospitality.
In 1898 Mr. Miller was elected secretary of the
Crawford County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company, which was
organized in 1877 and now is the strongest farmers' mutual in
the state. In 1899 he was elected secretary of the
Crawford County Agricultural Society, and since his election the
society has introduced the educational feature in their fair and
it has proven one of the best attractions. A new hall has
been constructed especially for this feature, which is filled
each year with the best work from the schools of the county.
Mr. Miller also served for fourteen years as treasurer
and clerk of Todd township. In his political views, like
his father, he is a stalwart Democrat, and takes an active
interest in the work of the party, doign all he can for its
substantial advancement and success. He is a man of strong
purpose, of sterling worth and of unquestioned integrity and
fidelity to duty, and enjoys the high regard of the people among
whom his entire life has been passed.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 59 |
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HENRY D. MILLER
who is engaged in general farming, was born May 25, 1869, on teh
farm in Lykens township, Crawford county, upon which he now
resides. He is a son of Christian Miller, deceased.
He attended the common schools in his youth and also assisted in
the cultivation of the fields upon the old homestead, thus early
becoming familiar with farm work in its various branches.
When eighteen years of age he took charge of the old homestead,
practical experience having well qualified him for the work.
Since that time he has managed the farm, and its well cultivated
fields and neat appearance indicate his careful supervision.
He is an industrious, progressive farmer, and he annually
harvests good crops. He now owns one hundred and seventeen
acres of the old home place in Lykens township and is therefore
numbered among the substantial young farmers of the community.
On the 28th of November, 1895, Mr. Miller was
united in marriage to Miss Ida Margraff, a daughter of
Charles and Leah (Miller) Margraff, and they now have one
child, Donna Blanche, who is a most interesting member of
the household. Mr. Miller is well known in Crawford
county and his fellow citizens of Lykens township have honored
him with office. He served as assessor in 1894 and 1896,
and in his political affiliations he is a Democrat. His
religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Reformed
church, and he holds social relations with the Knights of
Pythias lodge of Lykens. He is a charter member of the
organization and has filled all of its offices. A
wide-awake and progressive farmer, he well deserves mention in
the history of his native county.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page
571 |
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JACOB MILLER.
The well-known citizen of Lykens township, Crawford county,
Ohio, whose name appears above and some account of whose busy
career it will be attempted here to give, traces his ancestry to
Germany. His father, Christian Miller, was born in
the fatherland, in 1824, and acquired the usual public-school
education give to youths in his native land. As soon as he
left school he began an apprenticeship at the shoemaker's trade.
Later he served four years in the German army. In 1849 he
came to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel, which
landed in New York City, fifty-five days after its departure
from its German port.
Going west as far as Ohio, Mr. Miller located at
Republic, Seneca county, where he worked a year as a shoemaker.
Removing then to Lykens township, Crawford county, he bought an
acre of land, upon which he established a home and for five
years carried on a shoemaking business. After that he
bought eighty acres of land near Lykens, where he farmed and
worked at his trade for six years, until he bought his farm on
which he died, Oct. 13, 1879. His wife died Feb. 28, 1889,
at the age of sixty-six years. They were members of the
German Reformed church, and in politics Mr. Miller was a
Democrat. When he arrived in Ohio his cash capital
consisted of fifty cents, but for some time before he died he
was the owner of a fine farm of two hundred acres. In the
best sense of that often-abused term he was a self=made man, and
his character was such that he commanded the respect of all who
knew him. He was the father of nine children, as follows:
Jacob, who is the immediate subject of this sketch:
Catharine, who is the widow of Richard Dewalt, of
Chatfield township; Christian, who lives in Texas
township; John and Mary, who died in infancy;
Lucy who married Otta Weisenaure, of Lykens township;
Sarah, who is the wife of William Kirges, of
Seneca county; Henry D., of Lykens township; and one who
died in infancy.
Jacob Miller was born in Bloom township, Seneca
county, Aug. 9, 1849, and was a year old when his parents
brought him to Lykens township. He remained in his
father's household assisting his father on his farm until he was
twenty-two years old, when he married Elizabeth Stuckey,
daughter of Daniel Stuckey, by whom he has had four
children, Charles F.; Lola E., who married Loren
Hufford, of Seneca county; Cora, who is at home; and
Catharine E., who died in infancy. His wife died
Dec. 13, 1884, and he was married Oct. 12, 1893, to Catharine
Schaffer, who has borne him a daughter named Mabel L.
Miller.
After his first marriage Mr. Miller removed
to the farm on which he now lives, and for ten years he and his
family lived in a building which he now uses as a cow stable.
He owns one hundred and nineteen acres of good land, one hundred
acres of which is cleared, and he has improved the farm until it
was one of the best in the vicinity. He is a member of the
German Reformed church, which he has served faithfully in the
office of trustee. Though not a politician in the accepted
sense of the term, he is not without authority in the councils
of the Democratic party, and has come to be known as a man of
much public spirit.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page
537 |
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JOHN R. MILLER,
deceased, was born in Londondary, England, Nov. 13, 1839, and
when a boy of five years was brought to America by his parents,
Joseph and Sarah (Henry) Miller, who settled in
Stratford, Canada, where their son grew to manhood and was
educated. When about thirty years of age he came to the
United States. He first located in Attica, Seneca county,
Ohio, where he followed his trade, that of carpenter. In
the year 1847 he married Mary E., the daughter of
James McKinstry, whose
sketch is just given. He became a permanent citizen of
Bucyrus about 1876, and followed his trade here at first, but at
the time of his death he was engaged in the sawmill business.
His death occurred Aug. 27, 1884, being killed by a bull he was
leading in the barn-yard of his father-in-law, the bull goring
him to death! Unto his marriage were born four children,
viz.: Carrie Gertrude, James William, Sarah and
John Robert. He followed contracting and building with
success for several years in Bucyrus, and was a well respected
citizen of the place.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 253 |
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MRS.
LOUISA MILLER. Perhaps there is no more highly
esteemed resident of Holmes township than the most estimable
lady whose name introduces this sketch. Born in Dauphin
county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 24, 1825, she has lived a long life
filled with worthy deeds and has exerted an influence for good
through the community. Her parents were Cyrus and
Margaret (Warner) Hacker, both of whom were natives of
Dauphin county who emigrated with their family to Ohio, in 1835.
Father Hacker purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty
township, and settled down to make a living for his family.
The soil was fertile, but it required hard work to clear the
land, and only a portion of it was ready for cultivation when
his death occurred, in1848, when he was but forty-seven years
old. His widow was left with a family of seven children to
rear, under circumstances which would have completely crushed
many a woman; but Mr. Hacker was made a strong nerve,
took up her burden, managed her farm, reared her children to be
capable and self-supporting nd self-respecting men and women and
in her later years found a peaceful home with one of her
excellent daughters in Indiana.
Our subject grew up at her mother's side and was taught
all the household duties of the time, and the art of spinning
and weaving she put into practice in later life, after marriage,
when she wove all the cloth for family use, working frequently
by firelight, and to those early efforts much of the success of
Mr. Miller was due. In 1848 occurred the marriage
of Louisa Hacker to Joseph Miller, and during the
succeeding ten years he farmed for his father, on shares; but in
1858 he came to Crawford county and purchased eighty acres of
land, in Holmes township, where the present Miller
residence is located. The years that followed were years
of hard work, but diligence and perseverance had their final
reward. The land was unimproved, and for eleven years a
pioneer log cabin was the family home. In 1867 Mr.
Miller erected a substantial barn and two years later one of
the best residences in the township. As he prospered the
added eighty adjoining acres to his farm on the south, eighty
more on the north and fifty a short distance east of his home
farm, making his farming lands comprise about two hundred and
ninety acres. During all these years, while life for
Mrs. Miller was at its busiest and most demanding stages,
for she was rearing her son and assisting in every way possible
the business interest of he husband, Mrs. Miller was
making a happy home and becoming a beloved neighbor in the
rapidly growing community. Mr. Miller died on Jan.
28, 1897, a man of sterling worth, with a name which was ever
recognized as good as his bond, and one of the leading members
of the United Brethren church which he had faithfully served as
trustee, class-leader and Sunday-school superintendent for many
years. His early education was neglected because of the
demands made upon him when a child when he should have been at
school.
Joseph Miller was born in Richland county, Ohio,
Sept. 16, 1816, a son of Israel and Rachina (Kitch) Miller,
the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, a blacksmith by
trade, which he followed in connection with farming. His
marriage was in his native state and there his three children
were born; but Joseph, who was the fourth child, was born
in Richland county. Some time about 1816, Israel Miller
removed to Richland county, Ohio, and entered one hundred and
sixty acres of land, in Franklin township, building upon it a
cabin and making other improvements, residing upon it until
1860, when he sold this farm and removed into Todd
township, Crawford county, where he bought a small place of
forty acres, and had his children settled comfortably around
him. Here he remained a number of years, but late in life
removed to Osceola and spent his last days in retirement, dying
on April 30, 1872, at the age of eighty-three years and six
months. The separation was too great to blow to his
devoted wife, and twenty-four hours later she also passed away,
at the age of seventy-six years.
During life Joseph Miller voted with the
Democratic party, having been reared in that faith. Since
his death Mrs. Miller has continued to reside on the
farm, her son, Ceno P., living with her and managing the
estate with ability. Many changes have taken place since
this estimable lady first made this her home, and it is with
satisfaction that she can look back and realize how much of the
improvement is due to her own efforts.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 131 |
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WILLIAM H. MILLER
is now living a retired life in Bucyrus, after long connection
with stock dealing interests, whereby he won a handsome
competence that now enables him to put aside the more arduous
duties of business. He was born Sept. 4, 1844, in
Winchester, Ohio, and is a son of John Miller, who died
during the early boyhood of our subject. The father was a
native of Germany and emigrated to this country about 1830,
settling at Winchester, Crawford county about 1837. The
mother, Mrs. Catherine Miller, is still living.
William Henry Miller acquired his education in
the common schools of his native county and subsequently resided
with his brother-in-law, Jacob Yeaagly, who he assisted
in farm work, receiving as compensation for his services his
board and clothing. He was thus employed until about
seventeen or eighteen years of age, after which he worked for
Ephraim Monnett and G. H. Wright. He afterward
entered the service of William Kinear, with whom he
remained until February, 1864, when he responded to the
country's call for aid, enlisting as a member of Company E,
Thirty-fourth Ohio Mounted Infantry. He was then onlyl
nineteen years of age. His command was known as Captain
Shaw's Company, and after the promotion of Captain
Shaw, Captain Helwig was in charge.
Mr. Miller participated in the battle of Lynchburg
and of Staunton and in the movement in western Virginia.
He was wounded on the 24th of July, at the battle of Winchester,
being shot through the hips. He was then taken from
the field by two comrades, being supported by placing his arms
around their necks, and in this way he was dragged along until
late in the evening, when he was placed on a horse and rode
until about ten or eleven o'clock at night. He was then
put in an ambulance, in which he remained until the next
afternoon, when he was transferred to a freight car with many
other wounded comrades and thus taken to Sandy Hook, Maryland,
where his wounds were dressed in the field hospital. He
there remained for several days, and he and his comrades were
again placed in box cars and sent to Baltimore. While in
the hospital in that city gangrene set in and he also suffered
from fever. Many of his comrades died of flesh wounds,
from the effects of gangrene and blood poisoning, but the best
possible care and attention was given the wounded soldiers.
From Baltimore Mr. Miller was afterward
transferred to Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, where he remained
until the surrender of General Lee, when he
received an honorable discharge and returned to Bucyrus.
Here Mr. Miller worked at various employments
for a time, after which he returned to the service of Mr.
Monnett. After a time he was married and began farming upon
rented land in Marion county, Ohio, which he operated on the
shares, continuing to make that place his home for five years.
He then rented a farm in Crawford county, of Robert
Kerr, giving part cash for the use of the land, and paying
the remainder of the rental in farm products. In a few
years he was able to rent the entire farm of six hundred and
forty acres, for which he gave fifteen hundred dollars a year.
He then began dealing in stock-buying, feeding and selling
cattle, and for about thirteen years he remained upon the Kerr
farm. He then purchased a farm of one hundred and twenty
acres south of Bucyrus, for which he paid nine thousand dollars.
After a year or two there passed he engaged in buying and
shipping stock, in partnership with Samuel Shriber.
After leaving the farm he continued in that business for three
years. He rented the place and took up his abode in Bucyrus,
however, continuing the stock business until the spring of 1900,
when he retired to private life. In 1887 he purchased of
Charles Raymer a farm of eighty acres, for the sum
of three thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars, and in 1896
he purchased another tract of eighty acres on the east, known as
the Morris farm, for which he gave thirty-four
hundred dollars. His business affairs as a stock dealer
were prosecuted so diligently and managed with such keen
discrimination that he was annually enabled to add to his income
and is now the possessor of a handsome competence.
In August, 1866, Mr. Miller was united in
marriage to Miss Lucinda Weirick, a daughter of
Aaron and Margaret Weirick.
Her father was born in Weiricktown, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1814,
and about 1834 emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, where he
purchased and operated a farm. His wife bore the maiden
name of Margaret A. Clark, and was a daughter of
Archibald and Ann Clark. Her birth occurred Apr. 5,
1819. The mother of Mrs. Weirick's paternal
grandmother lived to the very advanced age of one hundred and
three years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been
born four daughters and a son, namely: Josephine, born
Apr. 29, 1867, Ellamina, born Mar. 6, 1869; Margaret,
born Feb. 6, 1871, and died on the same clay; Florence,
born Feb. 11, 1872; and Sanford Aaron, who was
born Apr. 22, 1874, and died Aug. 9, 1882. Mr.
Miller is a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, of Bucyrus, contributes liberally to its support and is
deeply interested in all that pertains to its upbuilding and
advancement.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page
592 |
|
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WILLIAM H. MILLER
is a passenger conductor on the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad
and makes his home in Bucyrus. He was born Mar. 11, 1858,
in Tiffin, Ohio, and is a son of Louis Miller, whose
birth occurred Feb. 6, 1829, in Scheime, Alsace, which was a
province of France prior to the France-Prussian war of 1870-71,
and came to this country with his parents in 1835, locating at
Massillon, Stark county, Ohio, where he acquired his education
and learned the shoemaker's trade, and in 1852 removed to
Tiffin, Seneca county, this state.
He married Eva Zircher, who was born Dec. 16,
1833, in Alsace, France, and was brought to the United States in
1836, the family locating on the boundary line between Seneca
and Crawford counties. Her parents afterward removed to
Tiffin, Ohio, about 1870. Mrs. Miller departed this
life, Apr. 17, 1884, but the father of our subject is still
living.
In the common schools of his native city William H.
Miller, of this review, pursued his education, and on
putting aside his text books at the age of thirteen assisted his
father in the conduct of a meat market. He was concerned
with that business his father in the conduct of a meat market.
He was concerned with that business for about five years and
then turned his attention to farming. For two years he
engaged in operating a threshing machine and sawmill machine,
the former being the second one brought to Seneca county.
On the 5th of January, 1882, he came to Crawford county and
accepted a position as brakeman on the Toledo & Ohio Central
Railroad, making his first trip on the 9th of January of that
year. After acting in that capacity for a year and four
months he was promoted to the position of conductor, in May,
1883, and served on a through freight for three years, when he
was made the first conductor on a working train on the road.
He filled that position for about three months and was then
transferred to a local freight train on the Corning division,
running between Corning and Columbus. After six months he
was transferred to a local freight train on the Bucyrus division
and was on that line for about ten months. Later he was
made passenger conductor, in which capacity he has served to the
present time, covering a period of fourteen years.
MORE TO COME ON 3/26/2021Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page
638 |
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ABRAHAM MONNETT
was for many years a prominent resident of Crawford county, but
the boundaries of the locality in which he made his home were
too limited for the capabilities of such a man. He was a
typical representative of the Aemrican spirit, which
within the past century has achieved a work which arouses at
once the astonishment and admiration of the world.
Crawford county was fortunate in that he allied his interests
with hers, for his labors proved of benefit to the entire
community, as well as resulting to his individual prosperity.
The marvelous development of the middle west is due to such men,
whose indomitable energy and progressive spirit have overcome
all obstacles and reached the goal of success. He was not
so abnormally developed as to be called a genius, but was one of
the strongest because one of the best balanced, the most even
and self-masterful of men, and he acted so well his part in both
public and private life that Ohio as well as Bucyrus has been
enriched by his example, his character and his labor. When
he was called from this life the community mourned the loss of
one of its most valued and honored citizens.
Abraham Monnett was born Oct. 12, 1811, in
Virginia, near the Maryland line, and was a son of the Rev.
Jeremiah and Aley (Slagle) Monnett, who, is 1814,
left the south an dwith their family came to Ohio, locating in
Pickaway county, where Abraham Monnett grew to manhood,
early displaying his active and energetic disposition, his
strong will and decisive character. With few local
advantages he yet obtained a good education, reading,
observation and experience continually supplementing his
knowledge until he became a well informed man. He took an
active interest in local affairs and was made first lieutenant
of a militia company commanded by Captain Berkley.
He aided in everything pertaining to the public progress and
development, and his worth to the community was widely
acknowledged. In early life he purchased forty acres of
land in Scott township, Marion county, Ohio, where he began
farming on his own account. On the 9th of June 1836, in
Pickaway county, Ohio, he was united in marriage to Miss
Catherine Braucher, who in her fourth year was left an
orphan and inherited three thousand dollars, which helped to lay
the foundation of his financial success. This, together
with a small sum received from his father, was the only part of
his large fortune which Mr. Monnett did not accumulate
through his own industry, energy and economy. In 1838 he
began buying stock in Illinois and driving the cattle to his
farm in Crawford and Marion counties, Ohio. His operations
in this line of business proved very successful and he
continually added to his income until he became one of the
wealthiest men in this portion of the state. He assisted
in organizing the Marion County Bank, and was its president from
1864 until 1881. In 1879, in connectionn with Mr.
Hall, he organized the Crawford County Bank, of Bucyrus,
was made its chief officer and acted in that capacity until his
death. The successful conduct of the enterprise was due to
his efforts, his capable management and his keen business
discernment, and he made the institution one of the most
reliable financial concerns in this part of the state. As
the years passed he also increased his landed possessions by
making judicious investments in farm property and became the
owner of over eight thousand acres of land in Marion and
Crawford counties.
By his first marriage Mr. Monnett became
the father of twelve children, namely: Ephraim B.,
who is now living in Bucyrus, Crawford county; Martha,
wife of G. H. Wright, a resident of Marion, Ohio;
Oliver, who also is living in Marion; John T., who
makes his home in Marion county; Elsie, widow of James
H. Malcolm, of Bucyrus; Augustus E., who is living in
Colorado; Mervin J., who makes his home near Central
City, Nebraska; Mary J., wife of J. G. Hull, of
Findlay, Ohio; Madison W., of Michigan; Melvin H.,
who resides in Marion county; Amina J., wife of Judge
J. C. Tobias, of Bucyrus; and Kate, wife of Linus
H. Ross., of Delaware, Ohio. The mother of this
family was called to her final rest Feb. 8, 1875. She was
a woman of sterling qualities of mind and heart, a worthy and
faithful wife, and a most kind, just and affectionate mother.
On the 30th of May, 1877, Mr. Monnett was again married,
his second union being with Mrs. Jane L. Johnston, a most
estimable lady, whose family history is given elsewhere in this
volume. Mr. Monnett was a supporter of the
Republican party, but the honors and emoluments of office had no
attraction for him. He belonged to the Methodist Episcopal
church, and his life was ever in harmony with its teachings and
principles. His history contains many valuable lessons.
It is impossible to keep a man of merit in the background,
although his early surroundings were not such as to win him
prominence. A progressive spirit knows no bounds,
and ability has no limitations of time, place or space.
The man who has no opportunities makes them and molds adverse
conditions to his own ends. Such characterictics
won for Mr. Monnett a place among the most prominent,
successful and reliable business men of his portion of the
state. As a man his business ability was constantly
manifest, and his operations in land as well as the banking
business became extensive. His advancement resulted from
determined purpose, resolute will and keen sagacity, combined
with unfaltering industry, and he won a place among the most
prosperous residents of Crawford county. His affairs were
ever conducted along the line of Legitimate trade, and over the
record of his career there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion
of evil. He passed away Mar. 19, 1881, and the community
mourned the loss of one whom they had learned to respect and
honor.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page
572 |
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MONNETT FAMILY.
The Monnett family is one of the oldest of the pioneer
families of Crawford county. Its origin is traced to the
French Huguenot refugees. One branch came from near Lyons,
France, having been driven from their native country after the
revocation of the Edict of Nantes, A. D. 1685. Many fled
to England, some to Holland, and afterward three brothers
emigrated from England to America and settled in Maryland and
Virginia. A large number of the French families by the
same name are now living in Montreal, many of them keeping up
their native tongue, and others are found in the French
settlements of New Orleans. Different branches of the same
family vary the orthography somewhat, some attaching the final
"e," others omitting one of the "n's," and some of the old
families even spelling it with one "n" and one "t." The
Anglicized or American spelling is with the two "n's" and two "t's,"
and usually accented on the last syllable, but perhaps more
properly with an equal emphasis on the first and last syllables.
The earliest record of accurate data of the Crawford
and Marion counties branch of the family is of Isaac Monnett,
born about 1726, in Westmoreland county, Maryland, where there
is still an old homestead by that name. Isaac and
his wife Elizabeth had children at this place, and among
their immediate descendants was Abraham Monnett, born
Mar. 16, 1748. The latter married Ann Hillary,
daughter of William Hillary; branches of this family are
still found in Virginia, also in Ross and Pickaway counties,
Ohio. Of this Abraham Monnett and Ann were
born the following children, namely: Isaac, Osborn,
William, Thomas, Elizabeth, Margaret, Ann and Jeremiah.
Isaac, Osborn, Thomas and Jeremiah settled in
Crawford and Marion counties. The elder generation all
seemed to have lived to an advanced age and some to extreme old
age, and have everywhere left a highly honorable record.
Abraham Monnett, the father of Jeremiah, moved
into Ohio in 1803, and entered a section of land in Pickaway
county, and also land in Ross county, which sections are in the
neighborhood of Kingston on the border line between Ross and
Pickaway counties, and still bear the name of Monnett
sections. Part of the real estate is now in the possession
of the Downs family.
The Monnett family in religion became Virginian
Episcopalians, but in the pioneer life of Ohio became
Methodists.
The wife of Jeremiah, hereinafter referred to,
and her ancestors were Roman Catholics, - a strange meeting of
the Jesuits and the Huguenots after generations of religious
persecution! It could be truthfully said of the elder
pioneer Monnett family that they were "diligent in
business, fervent in spirit, and odd-style Methodist, and opened
his home at all times generously to the circuit-rider, presiding
elders, and the bishops. Before the days of churches his
home was the "meeting house." His daily family prayer, his
exemplary life and his exhortations, precept and example, have
left their impress upon all who came in contact with him, even
descending to the third and fourth generations. The good
deeds done by Jeremiah Monnett have been to his
descendants an inspiration, and he has, truly, by them been
"sainted."
Jeremiah Monnett was born Sept. 12, 1784, and
his wife Aley (daughter of Jacob and Hannah Slagel)
was born Mar. 1, 1788. They were the parents of seven sons
and seven daughters, two of whom died in infancy. Twelve
lived to mature manhood and womanhood: Jacob, born
Mar. 18, 1806; Isaac, Nov. 16, 1807; Abraham, Oct.
12, 1811; Elsie, Oct. 13, 1813; Margaret, July 11,
1816; Hannah, Dec. 13, 1817; Ann, Aug. 25, 1819;
John, Jan. 11, 1820;; Jeremiah, Jan. 2, 1823; Mary,
Apr. 2, 1824; Thomas J., Jan. 16, 1826; and Martha,
Jan. 21, 1828.
At the marriage of Jeremiah Monnett with Aley
Slagel, at Cumberland, Maryland, a part of the bride's dower
included a number of slaves. All of these so delivered to
him in bondage, he freed, and he early became an abolitionist.
In 1814, accompanied by his wife and young family, he
removed to Pickaway county, Ohio, and located near Kingston, and
thence he moved directly north, in the year 1835, to a point
five miles south of Bucyrus, Crawford county, being half way
between Sandusky City and Columbus. He was a man of great
physical strength, filled with energy and possessed of great
endurance. He not only managed his large landed estate
wisely but also reared his family of twelve children to be
honored citizens wherever they took up their abode for life.
His interest in church buildings and church founding and
education never ceased, and he fill led his posterity with high
ambitions along these nobler lines. Hardly a Methodist
church in fact church building of any denomination, in that part
of the county, but that he assisted financially, as well as
personally, attending their services and admonishing and
exhorting more earnest work for the Master whom he lived to
honor. About the year 1844 he founded and established
Monnett chapel and donated the premises whereon to build the
same. This little spot has been famous in that community
for the number of noble youth, also men and women of more mature
years, who have received their inspiration for a religious life
and their aspirations for a higher social development. In
this year, 1901, as a fulfillment to his request of forty years
ago, we might say, as a fulfillment of his prophecy, a memorial
stone chapel has been contracted for, to supplant the present
church edifice that has, occupied the site so dedicated by him
about sixty years ago. He requested, and frequently
repeated in his last prayers, "that a church would be continued
there to the last generation." This exemplary citizen and
his noble wife each lived to within a few weeks of four-score
years, and are both buried in the cemetery adjoining Monnett
chapel.
Many of his children and part of their families have
chosen this for their last resting place.
Abraham Monnett,
his son, referred to in another part of this work, carried on as
his life work stock-raising farming and banking in Marion
county, and amassed an unusually large estate, leaving at his
death property to about the amount of six hundred thousand
dollars. Mrs. Martha Warner, widow of the R. K.
Warner, is the only survivor of the large family and
occupies a large landed estate adjoining the old homestead.
The descendants of Jeremiah Monnett have made
enviable records also in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,
Nebraska, Missouri and in almost all the western states.
Colleges have been endowed, seminaries named for their
beneficences, and public charities and churches have ever been
remembered by many of these noble sons of a noble sire.
From his family altar and from the hearthstone of this devout
pioneer have gone forth influences that have reproduced
ministers, lawyers, professors, teachers, physicians, railroad
men, bankers, ranchmen, land-owners, - in fact, almost all the
honorable professions and vocations have been honored by the
descendants.
Thomas Jefferson Monnett, the seventh and
youngest son of Jeremiah and Aley Monnett, came with his
parents to Crawford county in 1835, at the age of nine years.
Being the youngest in the family, he had better opportunities
than some of the elder ones for cultivating his natural instinct
and taste for scholarship and literary life; and in addition to
attending the district schools the prepared for college in a
select school held in the neighborhood and afterward attended
the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, to fit himself for the
ministry. He was licensed to exhort as early as 1845.
He prepared for his life-work by teaching school in the winters
and working on the farm in summer, and all the time taking an
active part in church work. After competing his education
he became a member of the North Ohio Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and was stationed at Melmore, Fostoria,
Kenton, Upper Sandusky and other points. He was an
extremely hard worker in his pastorates, finally breaking his
health down in the work of 1860 and 1861, and so severely
injuring his throat that for years he was obliged to retire from
the regular work. In taking up his secular work from 1864
until he retired from active work in 1899, he never failed to
give much time to church and Sunday-school work and educational
enterprises. For twenty years he was at the head of the
Woolen Mills at Bucyrus; for eighteen years he was president of
the Bucyrus Gas Company and owner of the plant, and at the same
time was interested in banking and stock-raising and engaged in
looking after his landed estates. He spurned all sham
methods of accumulating wealth, and his word was considered in
commercial and business circles as good as his bond; and,
notwithstanding his attention give to church and educational
work, he amassed a comfortable fortune, as well as endowing his
children with a liberal education and financial opportunities.
Thomas J. Monnett died of bronchitis May 10,
1901, at his beautiful home in Bucyrus, in the
seventy-sixth year of his age, and was buried at Monnett
Chapel near his parents, brothers and sisters, the spot so dear
to him. He was married Oct. 19, 1847, to Miss Henrietta
Johnston, daughter of Hon. Thomas J. Johnston and
Martha (Walton) Johnston honored pioneers and leaders in
their community and for many years residents of Marion county.
Of this marriage were born seven children, hereinafter referred
to. Mrs. Henrietta Monnett died Nov. 20, 1871, at
the early age of forty-one, leaving five children surviving her.
Mr. Monnett was married the second time, to Miss Sarah
Rexroth, who was at the time principal of the Bucyrus high
school. She was an alumna of Mount Union College and
brought with her a rich Christian experience, a well-trained
intellect and a mind and heart full of noble inspirations.
She gave the best years of her life to the rearing of the family
and fitting them for the more serious duties of life and
training them for high-school and college education, along with
her other arduous family duties. She was a devoted
companion and a ministering angel to Mr. Monnett in his
declining years.
The children of Thomas J. and Henrietta Johnston
Monnett were Webster and Agnes, who died in
childhood; John Gilbert, known among his companions as "Bert."
who died at the age of eighteen years, Mar. 26, 1879.
Orin Bruce, the oldest of the surviving children was born
Sept. 29, 1850, at the farm near Monnett chapel. He
attended school at Kenton and Upper Sandusky, and afterward the
district school, completing his education in the Ohio Wesleyan
University. Bruce spent several years in the
Bucyrus Woolen Mills, was superintendent of the gas works and
was interested in the grocery business for many years. He
retired to one of his farms in Bucyrus township, where he
resides in luxury and ease, surrounded by his happy family.
He was married Nov. 24, 1877, to Miss Anna, daughter of
Charles and Katherine Hoffman. They have two
children, - Ethel Mae and Bessie Monnett.
William Arthur Monnett, the second son, was born at
Fostoria, Jan. 4, 1854, attended the union schools at Upper
Sandusky and the district schools in Crawford county, and
graduated at a commercial college at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in
1873. He spent ten years as one of the foremen of Wood
Brothers in the Union Stock Yards, Chicago. He has
always been a stockman, and for years has occupied the old
family homestead where he still resides. He was married,
Feb. 25, 1875, to Miss Annetta Boyer,
daughter of J. P. and Charlotta (Stough) Boyer.
They have three children - Kay, Grace and Charlotta.
The third son of Francis Sylvester Monnett,
born in Kenton, Hardin county, Ohio, Mar. 19, 1857. He was
educated in the district and select schools and took a
preliminary training under Mrs. Sarah Rexroth Monnett,
his stepmother, who assisted in training him for the high school
and the university. He graduated at the Bucyrus high
school in 1875; took the full Greek classical course at the Ohio
Wesleyan University, graduating in 1880, and received numerous
honors at college in his class, literary societies and in his
fraternity. In childhood he mapped out his career and
stated before he entered the high school at Bucyrus that he
expected to graduate at the high school and at Delaware and take
a course in law at Harvard University. He did not vary
from his self-arranged program, except to substitute the
National Law School of Washington, D. C., for the Harvard Law
School, either one of which he had his choice of entering.
Having several warm friends at the National Law School, and,
preferring the opportunities afforded at the capital city, he
chose the latter and graduated at that institution on June 15,
1882.
He was admitted to practice law in the District of
Columbia in June of that year, under the common-law practice,
and was admitted by the supreme court, in 1882, to practice law
in Ohio. He opened up an office Jan. 1, 1883, at Bucyrus,
thoroughly in love with his profession, and always adopted the
maxim, "Keep thy shop and thy shop will keep thee." He was
never without a substantial clientage, and entered actively into
the social, political and professional life of Bucyrus and its
environments. He was twice elected city solicitor by the
Republican party, a party greatly in the minority in this
Democratic Gibraltar. He was a frequent delegate to the
county, district and state Republican conventions. His young
friends in power in the district urged him to accept the
nomination for congress, but as he had pledged himself to place
in nomination and support "Uncle" Stephen R. Harris, he
declined to betray his friend Harris, placed him in
nomination and assisted in electing the first Republican
congressman ever sent from the district; and in turn Harris's
friends urged his nomination for attorney general of the state
of Ohio, for which place he was nominated at Zanesville, this
state, May 30, 1895, and, being elected, served in that office
from 1896 to 1900.
In this position he carried through to the United
States supreme court the taxation cases against the Western
Union Telegraph Company, the five express companies and the
thirteen national bank cases, winning each and every contest,
and in his second term took up the fight on behalf of the state
of Ohio against the Standard Oil trust, the Tobacco trust, the
Cracker trust, the Beer trust, and was the author of the
anti-trust act passed by the Ohio legislature in 1898.
When he retired from office there were pending upward of
twenty-five cases of ouster against these law violators.
His vigorous campaign against monopoly brought a cyclone of
corporate wrath that hurled him from his office. He
resumed general practice of day following his termination of
office as attorney general, and has a large and remunerative
clientage in the state and federal courts at Columbus and
throughout the state.
Mr. Monnett has campaigned in almost every
county in the state many times, and spoken before the leading
literary clubs of Boston, Philadelphia and several times at New
York City, Chicago and Detroit, and campaigned for the national
committees through the northwest. He is a constant
contributor, on economic questions, to the leading magazines and
newspapers of the country.
He took a trip abroad for pleasure and study in the
summer of 1899, under contract with a newspaper syndicate to
write up municipal ownership of four of the leading cities of
England, which articles were broadly published throughout the
United states in the leading newspapers.
Mr. Monnett was married to Miss Ella K.
Gormly, daughter of James B. and Virginia (Swingly)
Gormly, of Bucyrus, Feb. 16, 1888. Mrs. Monnett was
a pupil of the Cincinnati Musical College after graduating at a
private school at Newburgh, New York, and also took a short
course at the Ohio Wesleyan at Delaware. She took a
prominent position among the club women of the capital city, and
takes a keen delight in public and social affairs. She has
always been a church worker both at Bucyrus and at Columbus.
The fourth child was Miss Effie Monnett, an only
daughter, who was born Dec. 25, 1865. She attended private
school and was fitted for the high school by her stepmother,
graduating at the high school in 1884 and at the Ohio Wesleyan
University in 1888. She was fond of the classical studies
but excelled in her mathematical grades in all her classes.
On Feb. 12, 1891, she was united in marriage to Smith W.
Bennett, an active young attorney of Bucyrus, who was
afterward-selected as special counsel in the office of attorney
general at Columbus, Ohio, under F. S. Monnett, and still
retains the same position under Attorney General Sheets.
Two children were born of this marriage: Hugh Monnett
and Grace Lizetta. Mrs. Effie Bennett failed in
health late in the year 1896, and spent the fall and winter and
the following summer in Alabama, Texas and New Mexico, and
finally succumbed to the dread malady, consumption, on the 27th
of October, 1898, and was buried in Oakwood cemetery, Bucyrus,
Ohio.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 831-838 |
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ORWIN B. MONNETT.
Agriculture forms the basis of all commercial and industrial
prosperity. It is the corner stone of the business
structure and has led to the upbuilding of many nations.
The rich and fertile lands of Ohio have become the place of
residence for th prosperous and contented people who have
established a commonwealth of which they have every reason to be
proud. Among the successful agriculturists and
stock-raisers now identified with the interests of Crawford
county is the gentleman whose name introduces this review and
who was born on one of the old and valuable farms of this
portion of the state - the Monnett homestead, in Bucyrus
township. The date of his birth was Sept. 29, 1850.
His father, the Rev. T. J. Monnett, was a Methodist
minister, and, in accordance with the laws of that denomination,
he was removed from one pastorate to another, so that our
subject spent his youth in various places, including Fostoria,
Kenton and Upper Sandusky. When he was ten years of age
his father retired from the ministry and the family took up
their abode on the old homestead in Bucyrus township where his
birth had occurred and where he remained until nineteen years of
age. In the fall of 1869 he was sent to the Ohio Wesleyan
University, at Delaware, there to supplement his preliminary
scholastic training with ore advanced education. After a
year, however, his heath failed him and he had to abandon the
course. He net, took a course in J. W. Sharp's
Commercial School, at Delaware, and was graduated with the
highest honors of his class. He then became bookkeeper for
the Bucyrus Woolen Mill Company, and after a year spent in that
position he became a partner in a grocery store, the connection
being maintained for a little more than two years.
Mr. Monnett then returned to the farm, but in a
short time became an employe of the American Express Company,
and after a year spent in that position he became a partner in a
grocery store, the connection being maintained for a little more
than two years.
Mr. Monnett then returned to the farm, but in a
short time became an employe of the American Express Company and
assistant ticket agent for the Big Four Railroad Company at
Galion, which service continued for about seven months. In
1876 he returned to the farm and was engaged in its cultivation
until 1882, when he removed to Bucyrus, where he filled the
position of superintendent for the Bucyrus Gas Light & Fuel
Company for four and a half years. His father was
interested in the company, and when he sold out Mr. Monnett,
of this review, again resumed farming on the old home place,
where he has since remained, being ranked among the leading
farmers and stock-raisers of the county. He has been
especially interested in sheep-growing for a number of years,
and keeps on hand several hundred head of sheep. He has
four hundred acres of rich land, divided into highly cultivated
fields and rich meadows, and the work carried on within the
boundaries of his farm brings a good financial return.
In 1877 Mr. Monnett was united in
marriage to Miss Annie Hoffman, a daughter of Charles
F. Hoffman, who many years ago was a well-known business man
of Bucyrus, and is now living a retired life in Houston, Texas.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Monnett have been born two children,
Ethel and Bessie, both of whom are at home. The
family attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mr.
and Mrs. Monnett are members. He has taken quite an
active interest in politics as an advocate of the Republican
party, and was its candidate for county treasurer in 1899.
He made a good race, running ahead of the state ticket, but as
his party is in the minority in the county he was defeated.
He was the candidate for county sheriff in 1901. He is a
member of the Republican executive committee of Crawford county,
and belongs to the Farmers' Institute. For a number of
years he has been a correspondent for the home papers and for
the Ohio State Journal, also the Pittsburg National Stockman and
Farmers' Journal. Under the nom de plume of Tim
Frinx he has written much of a humorous character for the
Forum. His articles are entertaining, fluently written and
many of them are of great value, especially those pertaining to
agricultural and stock-raising subjects, for his wide experience
in these departments of labor and his excellent success have
made his opinions worthy of adoption. Well known in his
native county as a citizen of worth, as a reliable business man,
as a trustworthy friend and as a considerate husband and father,
these qualities have gained him admiration and esteem.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 608 |
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THOMAS J. MONNETT .
The influence which Thomas J. Monnett had upon the
material and moral development of Crawford county was very
great. As a minister of the gospel he labored for the
spiritual welfare of the people, and at the same time he was an
active factor in many movements and enterprises which
contributed to the prosperity and happiness of the people among
whom he lived and by whom he was ever held in the highest
esteem. He departed this life in Crawford county, in May,
1901, and the community thereby lost one of its most valued
citizens.
"His life was noble and the elements
So mixed in
him that Nature might stand up
And say to
all the world 'This was a man' "
Thomas J. Monnett was born in
Pickaway county, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1826, a son of Rev. Jeremiah
and Alcy (slagle) Monnett. When he was nine years of
age his parents removed to Crawford county and settled on "the
plains" south of Bucyrus. They were among the pioneers of
the county and aided in its primitive development, assisting to
lay broad and deep the foundation upon which its present
prosperity and progress rests. In the country schools such
as were common at that time the son of Thomas pursued his
studies, mastering the branches of learning which were taught in
such institutions. He afterward attended the Ohio Wesleyan
University, at Delaware in 1845, and subsequent to his return
home engaged in teaching school. He studied medicine to
some extent, but under the direction of his father, who was a
Methodist minister, he prepared for that holy calling and was at
length licensed to preach for the same denomination. For
many years he proclaimed the "glad tidings of great joy" among
the people of Ohio, acting as pastor of the Methodist churches
at Fostoria, Kenton, Upper Sandusky and other places. At
Fostoria he was associated with G. W. Collier, now
chaplain in the United States army, located at Columbus, Ohio.
In 1861 he became superanuated and thereafter, not being in good
health, his ministerial labors were not consecutive, although he
never lost his deep interest in Christian work and did much to
advance the cause of the church.
In 1861 Mr. Monnett located upon his farm in
Bucyrus township and became a successful and extensive
agriculturist and stock-raiser, but his efforts were not
confined alone to this line. He was interested in the
Bucyrus Woolen Mills, the Bucyrus Gas works, together with other
enterprises, and his business and executive ability made his
advice and management of value in the successful control of such
industrial concerns.
Mr. Monnett was married, in 1848, to Miss
Henrietta Johnston, of Crawford county, and unto them were
born the following named children: Webster, who
died in childhood; Orwin Bruce; William A.; Francis
S.; John G., who died at the age of nineteen years; Effie,
who was the wife of Hon. S. W. Bemalt and died Nov. 20,
1898; and Agnes, who died in childhood. The mother
departed this life Nov. 22, 1871, at the age of forty-two years,
and on the 4th of September, 1873, Mr. Monnett was joined
in wedlock to Sarah Rexroth, who was one of the early
school teachers of the county. In politics he was
always a stalwart Republican and supported his position by
intelligent argument, always keeping well informed on the issues
of the day. During his work in the ministry he was an
earnest, forceful and convincing speaker and his influence was
widely felt. In business he was industrious, determined
and straightforward and thereby won prosperity. During the
last few years of his life he lived retired in Bucyrus. He
was a man whom to know was to respect and honor, and his career
furnishes an example well worthy of emulation.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 584 |
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WALLACE L. MONNETT .
Wallace Lafayette Monnett, the junior member of the law
firm of Scroggs & Monnett, was born at Bucyrus. Ohio.
Sept/ 18. 1871, his parents being Abram Cahill and Jennie E.
(Walwork) Monnett. The ancestry of the Monnett
family can be traced back to Abraham Monnett,
who came to Ohio from Virginia in 1800, taking up his abode in
Chillicothe. He had eight children,—Isaac, Thomas,
Margaret, Jeremiah, John, William, Osborne and Elizabeth.
Isaac married Elizabeth Pittinger, and in 1813
removed to Pickaway county, moving again in 1828 to Crawford
county, where he entered fourteen hundred and forty acres of
land south of Bucyrus and engaged in stock-raising on an
extensive scale.
His son, William, was born in Ross county, Ohio,
Apr. 22, 1808. When about eighteen he taught school a few
terms, and at twenty accompanied his parents to Crawford county,
where he became prominently identified with stock-raising
interests. About the time of his removal to this county he
joined the Methodist church, and when thirty-two years of age
received a license as a local preacher. The same day he
was appointed colonel of the First Regiment, Third Brigade,
Eleventh Division, Ohio militia, and filled this position
acceptably for seven years. In 1851 he moved to Bucyrus
and opened a general store in partnership with Patterson
Marshall, but in 1854 returned to stock-raising,
purchasing four hundred acres of land near Bucyrus. part of
which is now in the city limits, and eleven hundred acres of
land in Cranberry township. This land he continued to
occupy until his death, Mar. 21, 1885. He was prominent in
county affairs and in church work, and lent his influence to all
measures calculated to prove of good along material,
intellectual and moral lines. He was married, in Jan. 11,
1831, to Miss Elizabeth Cahill, a sister of the late
Hon. R. W. Cahill, of Vernon township, and a daughter of
Abram and Nancy (Wallace) Cahill. She was born in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Apr. 12, 1810, and died at
Bucyrus, Ohio, May 3, 1891. Her father resided in Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, and at one time was connected with the
state militia. Colonel Monnett and wife were the
parents of five children: Mary J., wife of Hon. S. R.
Harris; Rachel, wife of W. H. Kinnear, of
Bucyrus township: Sarah L., wife of L. L. Walker,
of Whetstone township; Isaac W., formerly of Walla Walla,
Washington; and Abram C. Of these, Mrs.
Walker is the only one now living.
Abram Cahill Monnett, the father of the subject
of this sketch, was born in Bucyrus township Mar. 31, 1839, and
died in Bucyrus Apr. 17, 1879. He was educated in the
county schools and at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio.
From 1861 to 1864 he was a member of Company E, Thirty-fourth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, of which he was orderly sergeant, and
participated in all the engagements of the Army of Virginia.
He was married, Dec. 11, 1867, to Miss Jennie E. Walwork,
a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Stephens) Walwork, who was
born at Saratoga, New York, June 6, 1840. She was educated
in the Albany State Normal School of Albany, New York, at which
she graduated in 1860, and the following year became a teacher
in the Bucyrus schools, a position she satisfactorily filled for
five years. They were the parents of five children:
Frank E.. Wallace L., Elizabeth, Julia and Rachel.
Frank W. was educated in the Bucyrus schools and at the
Cincinnati Law School, and was admitted to practice in 1893.
He located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he remained until
the breaking out of the Spanish war, since which time he has
been in the army, being now in charge of a company of native
scouts in the Philippines. Elizabeth was educated
at the New England Conservatory of Music and is the wife of
Rev. James M. Cass, a Methodist minister now located at Jay,
Essex county, New York. Julia and Rachel are
graduates of the elocution department of the Cincinnati College
of Music and reside in Bucyrus with their widowed mother.
They are teachers of elocution, of ability, and have an enviable
reputation as public readers, an occupation to which they give a
large part of their time.
Wallace Lafayette Monnett was born
in Bucyrus Sept. 18, 1871. After graduating in the Bucyrus
schools and at Eastman Business College, of Poughkeepsie. New
York, he studied law in the office of Scroggs &
Scroggs and afterward at Cincinnati Law School, at which he
graduated in 1896. Hon. Jacob Scroggs
having meanwhile retired from practice, he returned to his old
office and on Apr. 1, 1897, was admitted to partnership, the
firm since then having been Scroggs & Monnett.
He is now serving his second term as referee in bankruptcy,
discharging his duties in a manner that has won him the
commendation of the profession and the public, and has acquired
a high reputation in his general practice. In politics he
is an aggressive Republican, having been chairman of the county
executive committee. He belongs to but one of the large
secret orders, Demas Lodge, No. 108, K. of P., of which he is
past chancellor and has been county deputy grand chancellor.
Apr. 6, 1897, he was married to Mary Zouck, a
daughter of Jacob and Martha ( Millinder) Zouck, of
Baltimore, Maryland, where the family is widely known in
official and social circles. Mrs. Monnett
was born near Baltimore Dec. 26, 1876, and was educated at
Maryland College, formerly Lutherville Seminary, and at the
Cincinnati College of Music, at which she graduated in 1896.
They are the parents of two children, — Martha Elizabeth
and Margaret Louise.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 271 |
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ANDREW MOORE.
Any adequate account of the life of a self-made man is
necessarily both interesting and instructive. It is always a
story of human ambition, struggles and triumph and as such must
claim the attention of every student of human nature and of the
progress of the people at large; and as an example of what may
be done by industry and perseverance by one actuated by worthy
motives, it is worthy the emulation of all young men who have
their way in the world to make. Such a career as is here
indicated has been that of Andrew Moore, of
Benton, Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio.
Andrew Moore was born in Erie county,
Pennsylvania, February 2, 1847, and when he was six years old,
in 1853, his father died. Not long afterward his mother took her
family to Crawford county, Ohio, and settled in Texas township,
where, at the early age of twelve years, the boy began working
on: farms by the month. This was necessary from the fact that
his mother was-very poor and that as soon as they were old
enough her four sons were obliged: to earn money to be expended
toward her support and the maintenance of their home. The names
of these sons were William, Joseph P., Andrew
and: Henry. Soon after the Civil war began Mrs.
Moore, who was a devout Christian woman of much education
and refinement and of great patriotism, made the following
declaration, which her son remembers word for word: "I know that
this is to be a terrible war and we must make sacrifices to save
the Union and I am willing that my sons should go to the front,
and may-God protect them and bring them back to me." The sons
whom she thus devoted to the service of her country were her
only support. Joseph P., the second son, was the first to
avail himself of this permission. He enlisted in: 1861 as a
private in Company H, Forty-ninth Regiment Ohio Volunteer
Infantry, and was killed at the battle of Stone River, on New
Year's morning, 1862. William, the eldest son, was the next to
enlist and he was color-bearer in the One Hundred and First
Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was killed while carrying
the flag in the front line of battle at Chickamauga, in August,
1863. At that time Andrew was only little more than
sixteen years old, but/without serious objection on the part of
his mother, who believed that it was her duty, if necessary, to
sacrifice her last son old enough to be of any assistance to the
cause of freedom, enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty-third
Regiment of Infantry at Martinsburg, West Virginia. His
first experience of battle was at Newmarket, where he was
dangerously wounded in the left thigh by a minie ball. After
lying for two days in a field hospital he was taken to
Clairsville hospital, in the mountains near Cumberland,
Maryland. After he had been under treatment there three months
he was able to go home on a furlough. He rejoined his regiment
at Kernstown and after that fought at Winchester, Cedar Creek,
and in other engagements and participated in the fighting which
resulted in the fall of- Petersburg and Richmond. After the
evacuation of Richmond the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio
and-the Fifty-fourth Pennsylvania Regiments were detached to
burn the bridge across the river to keep Lee's army from
crossing. When they arrived at the bridge Lee's cavalry was on
the point of crossing the river, and not only succeeded in doing
so, but took about five hundred prisoners of war from the two
federal regiments mentioned, Mr. Moore among them,
who were under guard with the Confederates when Lee surrendered.
After the war Mr. Moore returned to
Benton, Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, where he
remained only a short time, however, before going to Oil City,
Pennsylvania, where he was employed for three years. Returning
to Texas township, he farmed four years and after that sold
agricultural implements for twelve years. After that he was for
five years a buyer for Young & Brother, lumber dealers at
Canton, Ohio. Since that time he has been buying timber on his
own account, cutting it up into saw logs and selling it in that
form to lumber manufacturers.
He is a Republican in politics and is a member of Roberts Post,
No. 672, Grand Army of the Republic, at Benton, Ohio. He has
held the office of township trustee and has otherwise served his
fellow townsmen with ability and credit. His mother, of
Christian and patriotic memory, who was a lifelong member of the
United Brethren church, died at Benton at the age of seventy-one
years.
Mr. Moore was married
June 1, 1868, to Miss Mary J. Haskins, and she has borne
him three children. Their son Earl was accidentally
killed in 1895; while attempting to get on board a moving train
of cars. Their daughter Bertha is now Mrs.
Haskins. Their son Clyde, who is a proficient
stenographer, is a student at the Northern Indiana Normal School
at Valparaiso, Indiana.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 815 |
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ALLEN B. MULFORD. The name will
be recognized by readers of this work throughout Crawford
County, Ohio, as that of a prominent farmer of Texas township,
now living in well earned retiracy after many years of useful
and fruitful endeavor.
Allen B. Mulford was born at Monroeville, Huron county, Ohio,
March 4, 1839, and came to Crawford county with his parents at
the age of twelve years. He received his education in the
common schools near his parents'' home and early became an
assistant to his father in his agricultural enterprises, and
after his father's death he acquired the ownership of the old
family homestead of one hundred and forty-two acres. He
devoted himself to general farming and stock-raising until 1892,
and since that time has rented his farm but has retained his
residence upon it.
During the Civil war Mr. Mulford offered his services
to the country but they were rejected because of his physical
disability. Later he became a member of the home guards,
and as such duties as devolved upon him, regretting that he had
been unable to go to the front and participate in the more
stirring and dangerous scenes of the war. He is a member
of D. A. Roberts Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Benton,
Ohio. In politics he is a Republican, but he never sought
nor accepted office or has been especially active in political
work, but his public spirit has impelled him to further so far
as has been possible all measures having for their object the
enhancement of the public weal. He was married Nov. 16,
1893, to Miss Christine Beard.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford
County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 726 |
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JACOB MUNCH.
One of the most respected citizens and successful farmers of
Vernon township, Crawford county, Ohio, is Jacob Munch,
who was born in Germany, on April 29, 1847, and he was one of a
family of three children born to Nicholas Munch
and wife, who remained in Germany all their days. The former
died. at the age of sixty-eight years, the mother of our subject
having died when her son was but two years old.
Jacob Munch was well taught in the
schools of his native land, and at the age of twenty-one,
according to the laws of his country, he entered the army,
serving faithfully through the Franco Prussian war. In 1873,
after the close of that war, Mr. Munch decided to
emigrate to America, in the hope of bettering his condition. His
landing in the United States was in the harbor of New York,
where he remained one week, coming then to Mansfield, Ohio.
Although he was master of the trade of stone mason, he was
without means,. and it took some time for him to become
accustomed to' the unknown language and different manners and
customs, but his honest face and willingness to work soon made
him friends, and he secured employment in Mansfield after a
short delay. About one year later Mr. Munch went
to Crestline and worked at his trade and also assisted
neighboring farmers in agricultural work.
In 1877, by his industry and economy, Mr.
Munch found himself able to rent a farm for himself. This
was a tract of some sixty acres, in Jackson township, and here
Mr. Munch and his estimable wife bent every energy
to cultivate the land to its highest condition of producing
capacity, and to lay aside means in order to become the owners
of one of the fine farms in this favored part of the state.
Mr. Munch had been married in 1875 to Miss
Christina Riber, who was a native of this township,
and who was a daughter of John Riber, who had come
hither at an early day from Germany and was a pioneer settler of
the township.
For nine years Mr. Munch cultivated the
farm in Jackson township, but. in 1886 he became the owner of
his present home farm, which consists of ninety-three acres, and
here the family has since resided, the efforts of Mr.
Munch having been directed to their welfare. Honest toil has
met with its reward in the case of our subject. It was by no
fortunate speculation that he attained his success, but by the
application of unremitting industry and self-denial he has
changed the condition of a poor German youth, in a strange.
country, to that of one of the most respected and prosperous
land-owners of one of the best parts of the state in which he
has made his home. Six children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Munch, the five survivors of the family being
as follows: Henry: Mary, the wife of Edward
Zimmerman, of Mansfield; John; Frederick
William; and Tracy, while the one removed by death
was named George.
In politics Mr. Munch has become
identified with the Democratic party and his religious
connection is with the German Reformed church. He is one of the
most industrious and practical farmers of this neighborhood, and
his well cultivated land and excellent improvements show his
excellence as an agriculturist.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 858 |
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AUGUST MUTH
is a representative example of the German-American citizens of
Crawford county. The fatherland has furnished to Ohio many
men of worth, whose enterprise and industry have not alone
promoted their own advancement but have contributed to the
general prosperity, and to this class August Muth
belongs. He was born in Germany, Dec. 17, 1850, and spent
the first fifteen years of his life in his native land, after
which he sailed for America, for he had received favorable
reports of the opportunities afforded to young men in the new
world and therefore resolved to try his fortune here. For
three years he was employed as a salesman in a store in
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and on the expiration of that period he
embarked on an independent business venture. For seven
years he ran a huckster's wagon, and then with the capital he
had acquired he established a wholesale produce store in
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, and on the expiration of that period he
embarked on an independent business venture. For seven
years he ran a huckster's wagon, and then with the capital he
had acquired he established a wholesale produce store in
Pittsburg, successfully conducting the enterprise for five
years. In 1885 he purchased his present store in
Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio, and has since carried on
operations as a general merchant. He carries a large and
well selected stock of goods, and his earnest desire to please
his patrons, his energy and his honorable dealing have brought
to him prosperity . He also established the Clear Springs
Creamery, which not only is a source of profit to the owner but
is of value to the farming community by furnishing a market for
the dairy products. He was likewise instrumental in
securing the Short Line Railroad through Chatfield, and is a
progressive citizen deeply interested in everything pertaining
to the welfare of his community.
Mr. Muth has been twice married. He first
wedded Louise Voight, and they had five children:
Mary, Martin, Walter and two who died in
infancy. For his second wife Mr. Muth
chose Miss Caroline Mohrhoff, and they had
seven children, namely: Clara, who died in infancy,
Arnold, Bertha, Annie, Callie, Harry
and Amelia. The family attend the German
Evangelical Lutheran church, of which Mr. Muth has
been a life member. In his political affiliations he is a
Democrat, but has never sought or desired office, preferring to
give his time and energies to his business interests, in which
he has met with creditable and well-deserved success.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History
of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 670 |
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JOHN G. MYERS.
Prominent among the progressive, intelligent and broad-minded
citizens of Holmes township, is John G. Myers, who is
well and favorably known through Crawford county, having been
for many years one of its most popular teachers. Mr.
Myers was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, which is now
included in West Virginia, on Feb. 6, 1826, a son of John L.
and Margaret (Fiser) Myers, and was a member of a family of
eight children, the survivors of whom are: Susan L., the
widow of Nathaniel Heaton, now a resident of Seneca
county, Ohio; John G., of this biography; and Isaiah
and Margaret P., both members of our subject's
household. The father, John L. Myers was born in
Berkeley county, Virginia, a son of Henry and Susan Myers,
natives of the same place, the former being a veteran of the
Revolutionary war. In the fall of 1832, John L. Myers,
with his family of six children, his parents and one sister,
emigrated to Ohio, settling in Richland county, where they spent
the succeeding winter, in the spring of 1833 locating near
Melmore, in what was then a part of Crawford county but now is
included in Seneca county. There Mr. Myers bought
eighty acres of land, upon which was a hewed log cabin and a
recently erected log barn, paying for it five hundred dollars.
Some four acres of the land had been cleared, but the balance
was still virgin forest. Here the father of our subject
passed his life, showing his aged parents a most filial regard
and caring for them until their lives ended, when at advanced
age. John L. Myers died about 1846. His life
had been a busy and useful one. Reared in a slave state,
he always adhered to the belief that the negro could never learn
self-government, and continued all his life a pro-slavery man.
His religious connection was with the Methodist church.
The mother, daughter of Michael Fiser, also was born in
Berkeley county.
John G. Myers grew up in his pleasant home, with
a decidedly studious bent of mind. After completing the
common-school course he was given educational advantages at the
Ashland Academy, and at Republic, where he was under the
instruction of Professor Harvey and also his assistant,
Professor Schuyler, the author of Schuyler's
Arithmetic. A short time was spent at Delaware, but
sickness compelled his return home. Prior to this
twenty-first year Mr. Myers began teaching school and
continued with marked success in this profession for fifteen or
twenty years, teaching in every school in Holmes township except
the one in district No. 3.
In 1855 Mr. Myers purchased eighty acres of land
in section 30, Holmes township, where he resided from 1856 to
1858, in the latter year selling this farm and buying sixty
acres of the present home farm. Some years later he
purchased forty acres across the road from his other
possessions, making his present ownership of land about one
hundred acres.
In politics, Mr. Myers is a stanch Republican
and has twice efficiently served as assessor of the township and
several terms as a member of the election board. He is
held in high esteem in this section and has a wide circle of
friends, both in public and private life.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 112 |
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SAMUEL MYERS
is now living a retired life in Gabon. The rest which
should ever crown years of active connection with business has
been vouch-safed to him, and with a handsome competence acquired
by former toil he is now spending the evening of life in the
enjoyment of a well-earned ease. For forty-five years he
has been a resident of the city, and his career throughout that
period has been as an open book, capable of bearing the closest
scrutiny. A native of Switzerland, Mr. Myers
was born in the land of the Alps, in the year 1837, his parents
being Samuel and Mary (Hildbold) Myers, who came from
canton Aargan, Switzerland, to the United States in the year
1838. After landing on the American seaboard they
proceeded across the country to Crawford county, Ohio, and took
up their abode in Vernon township.
There upon a farm Samuel Myers spent the
days of his boyhood, for he was only but a year old at the time
of the arrival of the family here. He worked in the fields
in his youth, and in the schools of the neighborhood became
familiar with the common branches of English learning. In
Vernon he mastered the trade of wagon-making under the direction
of his twoi brothers, Jacob and John Myers,
who established and conducted business along that line in Vernon
township. The first mentioned of these brothers is now
deceased, but the latter is still living. Mr.
Myers, of this review, with the exception of Adam Howard,
Sr., was the first to engage in the manufacture of buggies
and carriages in Galion. He took up his abode in the city
in 1856 and opened his factory, which he conducted with signal
success until 1882. As the years passed his patronage
increased, his force of workmen was enlarged and the
manufactured articles of his factory were sent widely over the
country. In 1882, after twenty-six years' connection with
the business, Mr. Myers retired, putting aside the
more arduous duties and cares of an industrial life. In
the meantime he had become prominent in public affairs, and was
ever a citizen who gave his earnest support and co-operation to
every measure and movement calculated for the general good.
In 1872 he was elected mayor of Galion and filled the office for
two years. His service in the city council covers a period
of eight years altogether, his last term being in 1893. He
filled the office of justice of the peace for two years,
occupying that position at the same time when acting as mayor.
He has been city marshal, and was constable of Polk township for
four years. Over the record of his official career there
falls no shadow of wrong, for he gave earnest and careful
consideration to the performance of his duty and to the
settlement of questions affecting the weal or woe of the people
whom he represented. At the present writing, in the spring
of 1901, he is again a candidate for the office of mayor.
Mr. Myers was united in marriage, on Jan.
28, 1858, to Miss Catherine Hess, a daughter of
Phillip and Philipina ( Lautenslager) Hess, residents of
Jackson township, Richland county. They were natives,
however, of Germany, coming from Hesse-Darmstadt to the new
world. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Myers has been
blessed with three children, Charles Franklin
being the only one living, and is now a resident of San
Francisco, California. Nettie, the eldest child,
was born Mar. 31, 1859, and died Aug. 4, 1872; William,
the youngest child, was born in December, 1863, and died Nov.
25, 1864. Charles Franklin was born Aug. 23,
1861, attended school in Galion, and in 1888 removed to the
west. He married Miss Anna Archibald,
of this city, and they have two children,—Archibald, who
is now a student in a military school in San Francisco, and
Marleteta.
For a quarter of a century Mr. Myers has
been an exemplary representative of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows, belonging to the lodge in Galion. He closely
follows the beneficent teachings of the society, has several
times passed all of the chairs and is regarded as one of the
most loyal exponents of
the principles. His political support has ever been given
to the Democracy and he does everything in his power to secure
the success of the party at both the state and county elections.
He belongs to the Reformed church and his life record is
consistent with his profession. In an analyzation of his
character
and life work we note many of the characteristics which have
marked the Swiss nation for many centuries, the perseverance,
reliability, energy and unconquerable determination to pursue a
course which has been marked out. It is these sterling
qualities which have gained Mr. Myers success in
life and made him one of the substantial and valued residents of
Galion.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 365 |
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