BIOGRAPHIES.
Source:
A Portrait and
Biographical Record of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio
containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative
citizens :
together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents
of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Ohio.
Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896
< CLICK HERE
TO RETURN TO 1896 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
< CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO
LIST OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES >
D. J. Hale
Mrs. David J. Hale |
DAVID J. HALE
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 366 |
| |
GEORGE A. HALL,
of Van Wert, elder bother of G. M. Hall, whose biography will
be found below, was born Sept. 17, 1836, was educated in the schools
of Germany and also under his parents, who were highly intelligent
and well informed, and especially skilled in music. Apr. 2,
1853, our subject sailed from Rotterdam, in the packet-ship Margaret
Ems, carrying a crew and passenger list reaching 600 souls, and
landed in New York June 19, of the same year. After a
detention of four days in that city, he went, via Albany, Buffalo,
and Sandusky city, to Carey, Wyandot county, Ohio, then to Kirby,
where he worked on the P., Ft. W. & C. road as water boy, at $8 per
month, from June till the latter part of November, 1853, changing
from point to point; then as hostler at the Gault house in Carey
until February, 1854; April, 1854, he went to Hancock county and
there worked on a farm, at $6.25 per month, until August, when he
was taken sick, when he went to an uncle, Peter Rader,
at Upper Sandusky, where he remained until recovery: then went to
Upper Sandusky Plains, where he worked on a farm until November 29,
when he flagged the train at Kirby, and finally reached Van Wert
county, Ohio, Nov. 29, 1854, and worked for a Mr. Hertel
in Liberty township, for his board and two months' schooling; then
took jobs at clearing and general labor until Jan. 1, 1856, from
which time until 1859 he clerked for T. S. McKim, of Van
Wert, for $75 the first year and $300 the second; he was then sent
to New York to buy a general stock of merchandise, and was given a
half-interest in the store, and, under the firm name of McKim
& Hall, did business until late in 1863. In April,
1864, he enlisted in company H, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth, O. N.
G. for 100 days, was elected second lieutenant of his company, and
served four months in the Shenandoah valley and Point Lookout.
On his return home he was employed as book-keeper by A. B.
McCurdy & Co., in 1865 and in 1866—in the latter part of 1866,
going to Vernon county, Mo., and becoming interested in a saw-mill
for a year and a half; he then traded his interest in the mill for
200 acres of land in that county, and came back to Van Wert and
re-entered the employ of Mr. McKim, with whom he
clerked until 1871; he then clerked for J. S. Brumback & Co.
in 1871 and 1872, and again for T. S. McKim from 1872 till
1880. In the latter year he engaged in farming in Pleasant township,
where he resided two and a half years, and from 1883 until August,
1888, clerked with G. M. Hall; he then went to Paulding,
Ohio, and engaged in the dry-goods business, in which he still
continues, although he makes his home in Van Wert.
Mr. Hall was first married, in Van Wert
county, to Miss Emma Chaffin, on May 2, 1861,
the union resulting in the birth of two children—William,
deceased, and Charles E., now in the real estate business in
Hutchison, Kans. Mrs. Hall died June 23, 1865,
and Mr. Hall was next married, Jan. 26, 1869, to
Fannie Bennett, who bore three children, as follows:
Edward, of Utah; Leo, with his father, and Hattie V.,
at home. The mother of these children was called home May 15,
1875, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church; the third marriage
of Mr. Hall occurred July 10, 1876, with Villa E.
Little, who was born in Greene county, Ohio, July 30, 1854, a
daughter of Rev. Cyrus and Susanna (Dalby) Little, and to
this union have been born two children—James C. and
Frederick H. Mr. Hall has been steward in the Methodist
Episcopal church for twenty-five years and was organist eleven
years; his wife has been a member of the choir at least twenty-five
years, and of the latter his daughter is also a member. He has
been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1878 and is likewise a member
of the National Union. He is the owner of six city lots and
other valuable real estate and stands high in social as well as in
business circles.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 270 |
| |
GEORGE M. HALL, of Van
Wert, elder brother of G. M. Hall, whose biography will be found
below, was born Sept. 17, 1836, was educated in the schools of
Germany and also under his parents, who were highly intelligent and
well informed, and especially skilled in music. Apr. 2, 1853,
our subject sailed from Rotterdam, in the packet-ship Margaret
Ems,
carrying a crew and passenger list reaching 600 souls, and landed in
New York June 19, of the same year. After a detention of four
days in that city, he went, via Albany, Buffalo, and Sandusky city,
to Carey, Wyandot county, Ohio, then to Kirby, where he worked on
the P., Ft. W. & C. road as water boy, at $8 per month, from June
till the latter part of November, 1853, changing from point to
point; then as hostler at the Gault house in Carey
until February, 1854; April, 1854, he went to Hancock county and
there worked on a farm, at $6.25 per month, until August, when he
was taken sick, when he went to an uncle, Peter Rader,
at Upper Sandusky, where he remained until recovery; then went to
Upper Sandusky Plains, where he worked on a farm until November 29,
when he flagged the train at Kirby, and finally reached Van Wert
county, Ohio, Nov. 29, 1854, and worked for a Mr. Hartel in
Liberty township, for his board and two months' schooling; then took
jobs at clearing and general labor until Jan. 1, 1856, from which
time until 1859 he clerked for T. S. McKim, of Van Wert, for
$75 the first year and $300 the second; he was then sent to New York
to buy a general stock of merchandise, and was given a half-interest
in the store, and, under the firm name of McKim & Hall, did
business until late in 1863. In April, 1864, he enlisted in
Company H, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth, O. N. G. for 100 days, was
elected second lieutenant of his company, and served four months in
the Shenandoah valley and Point Lookout. On his return home he
was employed as book-keeper by A. B. McCurdy & Co., in 1865
and in 1866 - in the latter part of 1866, going to Vernon county,
Mo., and becoming interested in a saw-mill for a year and a half; he
then traded his interest in the mill for 200 acres of land in that
county, and came back to Van Wert and re-entered the employ of
Mr. McKim, with whom he clerked until 1871; he then clerked for
J. S. Brumback & Co., in 1871 and 1872, and again for T.
S. McKim from 1872 till 1880. In the latter year he
engaged in farming in Pleasant township, where he resided two and a
half years, and from 1883 until August, 1888, clerked with G. M.
Hall; he then went to Paulding, Ohio, and engaged in the
dry-goods business, in which he still continues, although he makes
his home in Van Wert.
Mr. Hall was first married, in Van Wert county, to
Miss Emma Chaffin, on May 2, 1861, the union resulting in the
birth of two children - William, deceased, and Charles E.,
now in the real estate business in Hutchison, Kans. Mrs.
Hall died June 13, 1865, and Mr. Hall was next married,
Jan. 26, 1869, to Fannie Bennett, who bore three children, as
follows: Edward, of Utah; Leo, with his father,
and Hattie V., at home. The mother of these children
was called home May 15, 1875, a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church; the third marriage of Mr. Hall occurred July 10,
1876, with Villa E. Little, who was born in Greene county,
Ohio, July 20, 1854, a daughter of Rev. Cyrus and Susanna (Dalby)
Little, and to this union have been born two children - James
C. and Frederick H. Mr. Hall has been steward in
the Methodist Episcopal church for twenty-five years and was
organist eleven years; his wife has been a member of the choir at
least twenty-five years, and of the latter his daughter is also a
member. He has been a member of the I. O. O. F. since 1878 and
is likewise a member of the National Union. He is the owner of
six city lots and other valuable real estate and stands high in
social as well as in businesses circles.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 275 |
| |
PETER HALL, trustee of Union
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and an old and highly
respected citizen of the same, is a native of Muskingum
county, Ohio, and son of Peter and
Sarah Hall. The father was born in Fauquier
county, Va., in the year 1774, his ancestors having been
among the early English settlers of the Old Dominion.
PETER HALL, SR., was reared on a Virginia
plantation, early learned the carpenter's trade, and about
the beginning of the present century moved, in company with
another family, to the county of Muskingum, Ohio, settling
in Zanesville, when that city was a frontier village of
about a dozen log cabins. Here he worked at his trade,
until disabled by a fall from a horse, after which he
followed shoemaking. His wife, whose maiden name was
Sarah Gutridge, was born about 1795, and she
bore her husband ten children, only three of whom are now
living, viz: Rebecca, wife of James Gabriel;
Peter, the subject of this sketch, and Mrs.
Abigail Rutan. In politics Peter Hall
was conservative, but generally acted with the democratic
party; he was a charter member of one of the Oldest Masonic
lodges of Virginia, and for many years was a member of the
Baptist church, to which his wife also belonged; he died, in
1850, at the age of seventy-six years; his wife survived him
until 1878, at which time she departed this life at the age
of eighty-five.
Peter Hall, the immediate subject of this
biography, was born May 26, 1828. His education
embraced a few years’ attendance in the public schools of
Muskingum county, and when a lad in his teens learned the
potter's trade, at which he worked until his thirty second
year, making frequent flat-boat trips down the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers, in the meantime, to dispose of his
wares. In 1861 he came to Van Wert county, Ohio, and
purchased 120 acres of woodland in the township of Harrison,
upon which he erected a small log cabin and began the task
of clearing the almost impenetrable forest, by which his
place was covered. Here he lived for twenty-two years,
during which time he developed a good farm, drained and
otherwise improved his lands, erected a modern residence and
other buildings, and made his place one of the best in the
neighborhood. In 1883 Mr. Hall disposed
of his farm in Harrison township, and purchased his present
place in the township of Union.
In 1862, Mr. Hall enlisted in the
national guards, company C, for five years’ service, and in
May 1864, his company volunteered and entered the regular
United States army. His command was at once sent to
Point Lookout, where he did guard duty the greater part of
the time until the expiration of his term of enlistment.
In 1857, he was united in marriage to Hannah Christy,
daughter of William and Rosanna (Hostler) Christy, of
Mahoning county, Ohio, a union blessed with the birth of two
children: Emerson, of Fort Wayne Medical college, and
Wilson, who lives on the home farm. Mrs.
Hall was born in the county of Muskingum, Ohio, in
1826, and died in 1880. She was a consistent member of
the Presbyterian church, and had a large circle of friends,
wherever her lot was cast. In 1883 Mr. Hall
wedded Mary Bryant, daughter of Enos and
Mary (Newman) Bryant.
Mr. Hall has been an active member of the
Presbyterian denomination for nearly forty years, the
greater part of which time he has been an elder in the local
congregation to which he belongs. He is a prominent
member of the Masonic fraternity, being a knight templar
Mason, and also is a leading Odd Fellow, and an active
member of the Patrons of Husbandry. While somewhat
conservative in politics, he keeps well posted upon the
great political questions of the day, and supports the
democratic party's national platform, but in local affairs
votes for the man best fitted for office, irrespective of
party affiliations; he was elected trustee of Union township
in 1892, discharged the duties of the position in a man her
highly satisfactory to all concerned, was nominated by
acclamation, and re-elected, in the spring of 1895, by a
large majority.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 276 |
| |
ANDREW HARP, a native of
York township, Van Wert county, Ohio, was born Oct. 30,
1854, a son of Jonas and Mary (Putman) Harp, and was
early taught the lessons of industry, thrift and
agricultural skill on his father's farm. Although his
early school advantages were slight, he has been a close
observer of men and things, and his knowledge of books is
self-aquired. On reaching the years of maturity he
wedded Loretta North, a daughter of Daniel North,
of whom an extended biography appears in this work, his
residence being now in Ridge townshp. To Mr. and
Mrs. Harp have been born five children, named as
follows: Goldie M., William E., Stella R., Gracie
I. and Alma S.
Mr. Harp is the owner of 120 acres of fertile land,
which he has wrested from the wilderness, improved with
commodious and substantial farm buildings, and thoroughly
underdrained with tile, and whose blooming fields are now
the admiration of all beholders. This beautiful farm
is the result of Mr. Harps own laborious exertions,
and much credit should be given him for the magnificent
result which he has produced, especially when it is
remembered that the land was in the wildest possible
condition when he first applied the ax. In politics
Mr. Harp is a democrat, but has never sought public
office, being content to exercise his franchise, and never
neglecting to attend the polls. In his social position
Mr. Harp stands with the best people of the township,
and like all other members of his family, enjoys the highest
respect of the citizens of the community in which he lives.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 772 |
| |
WILLIAM HARP, a native of
Van Wert county, Ohio, was born in 1861 on the farm he now
occupies, which farm his father settled upon in the
wilderness forty years ago. Here William Harp
grew to manhood, assisting his father, and in 1887 he
married Margaret R. Putman, daughter of Isaac and
Sophia Putman who were born and grew to manhood and
womanhood in Mercer county, Ohio, and became the parents of
the following children: Hughey, Solomon, Alexander,
Fidelia, wife of Jesse King; Mary, wife of
Date Krick; Rosa, wife of Charles Agler; Margaret,
wife of William Harp; Laura and Frank, both
deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. William Harp have
been born two daughters - Rosa, who died in infancy,
and Blanche, now four years of age. Mrs.
Mary Harp at present makes her home with our subject,
her son. Mr. Harp is the owner of 120 acres of
very fertile land, eighty acres of which lay in Liberty
township; this land is thoroughly underdrained. Mr.
Harp having laid over 2,500 rods of tile, the whole
being now under a high state of cultivation. In
politics Mr. Harp is an uncompromising democrat.
JONAS HARP, the father of William Harp,
our subject, is a native of Miami county. He has
always been a farmer, and married Mary Putman, to
which union were born five children, viz: Commodor;
Rosanna, wife of Henry Flager; Andrew, of whom an
extended notice is given elsewhere; Lydia, married to
Henry Brunni, William, who married Margaret
Putman. Jonas Harp first located here when the
country was a wilderness and here his family were reared; he
was in politics a democrat, was an honest, hard-working man,
and died on his farm Dec. 25, 1861. The Putman
family were early settlers of this county, also, and were
greatly respected by all the pioneers. Mrs. Harp
was born in Somerset county, Pa., in the year 1829, and
was but eleven years of age when brought to Van Wert county
by her parents; she did all the work of a man - grubbed,
hoed corn, picked brush and cooked by an old walnut stump
that stood in her present door-yard, and, having no table,
the family ate their frugal means on an old wooden chest.
This lady is still living, vigorous in mind and body, and is
still capable of doing a hard days' work. Of such
material as the Harp family were the early pioneers
of Van Wert county, who have wrought out through hard toil -
the toil of which their descendants have but the faintest
idea - the beautiful fields that now embellish the country,
and have erected the elegant mansions that dot the landscape
as far around as the eye can reach.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 284 |
| |
JOHN H. HARR, a deceased pioneer farmer
of Van Wert county, Ohio, was born December 30, 1818, in Fairfield
county of the same state. His father, JOHN HARR, was born
in Lancaster county, Pa., was of German descent, became an early
settler of Fairfield county, Ohio, and there married Miss Martha,
daughter of John and Catherine (Wise) Stolter. To the
marriage of John Harr adn Martha Stolter were born two children
- John H., and Elizabeth. After marriage, John
Harr, Sr., located with his wife on a farm in Fairfield county,
where he resided until his death.
John H. Harr, the subject of this sketch was
reared on the home farm, but was a young man when his father died.
In 1843, when twenty-five years of age, he came to Van Wert county
with his mother and her sister, Fannie, making the journey with
horses and wagons. Here, in 1837, he had entered 160 acres in
the woods, the deed being signed by M. Van Buren, president of
the United States, in August, 1837. This land, after undergoing
the usual hardships and privations of frontier life, he succeeded in
converting into a blooming farm, improved with modern and substantial
buildings, that are furnished with all the latest invented
conveniences. The property has also increased to 180 acres and
it is all uner a high state of cultivation.
In December, 1850, Mr. Harr married Miss
Nancy Henney, daughter of William and Mary (Sands) Henney.
The father, William Henney, was a pioneer of Van Wert
county, having settled in Tully township in 1838. To Mr. Harr's
union with Nancy Henney there were born thirteen children, viz;
William W. , who died in infancy, and twelve that grew to
maturity and were named: Wilson R. Corwin, Uriah S.,
Alice L., Abraham L., Adanirum, Franklin (deceased), Newton,
Emma, John, Perry and Mary E. Of these, Wilson R.
married Etta Leslie, is now a resident of Parsons, Kans., is a
machinist, and the father of two children; Corwin is the
husband of Della Bronson, and has one child; Uriah S.
married Bell Watters, is an employee, in the railroad shops at
Parsons, Kans., and is the father of four children; Alice L. is
the wife of Benjamin Brittson, a farmer of Harrison township,
Van Wert county, Ohio, and is the mother of one child; Abraham l.,
now on the home farm, married Mary Seekings, who has borne him
four children; Adanirum, a carpenter married Nettie Lockman,
who is now deceased, and is the father of one child; Frank M.,
a photographer, died in Chicago, and Mary E., is the wife of
Ellsworth Snyder, a farmer of Harrison township.
John H. Harr was a stanch republican, always
enjoyed the confidence of the people of Harrison township, and for two
terms served them as township assessor. He was an honored member
of the Lutheran church for many years, and for a long time an elder.
He was one of the founders of the Harrison township congregation,
contributed liberally towards its church edifice, and was a member of
the building committee. His wife was also a devout member of the
same congregation. Mr. Harr was one of the first
auctioneers of his part of the county and as such became widely and
favorably known. He was recognized as a man of the strictest
integrity and as a truly public spirited citizen. He died
October 2, 1895, deeply mourned by the community in which he had so
long lived and whom he had done so much to serve.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 290 |
|
|
LEWIS A. HARVEY, the
genial superintendent and manager of the Grange warehouse of
Van Wert, Ohio, was born in Union township, Van Wert county,
Aug. 31, 1851, a son of JAMES and
Wilhelmina (Rees) Harvey, natives of Hoaglin township in
the same county, where Lewis A. was reared on his
father's farm. He made his home at the residence of
his parents until 1884, although for a number of year prior
to this date he had been employed in job carpenter work and
bridge building. He was education in the country
schools of his township and also took private lessons in
mathematics of S. B. Devore for a year. In
April, 1884, he came to Van Wert and was employed as
superintendent of the Patrons of Husbandry warehouse and
held the position until 1887, when he was elected auditor of
Van wert county, assumed the office in September, 1888, and
most satisfactorily filled the position for six years and
five weeks, having been twice elected by the democratic
party, of which he is a stanch member - the first time by a
majority of 198 votes and the second time by 891 majority, a
fact which speaks for his integrity and ability louder than
words. Since 1888, also, he has been engaged as
superintendent and manager of the warehouse, in which he has
two-thirds interest; in 1890 he began to traffic in hay, and
in 1894 handled over 150 carloads; he is also connected with
the Ohio City warehouse and purchases grain at Convoy,
Scott, Dixon, Middlepoint and Venedocia, and handles
about 450 carloads per year. He has been a member of
the Hoaglin grange since 1874, and in all respects is a
shrewd business man, with a reputation that has never been
impugned nor tarnished. Fraternally he is a member of
the Improved Order of Red Men, and socially he holds a very
high position among the citizens of Van Wert city and
county.
JAMES HARVEY, of Hoaglin
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is a son of William and
Sallie (Watson) Harvey, was born in Richland county,
Ohio, Apr. 21, 1828, and was thirteen years of age when
brought to Van Wert county. Since that early age he
has been identified, more or less, with the history of his
township. He was educated in one of the pioneer log
school-houses of his day, containing the rudest and most
primitive improvised furniture within, and surrounded
without with wild woods infested with savage beasts of prey
and abounding in game. He became an intelligent and
sturdy farmer, and married, Oct. 24, 1850, Wilhelmina
Rees, born Aug. 31, 1826, a daughter of
Christopher and Char lotta (Quasy) Rees, natives of the
kingdom of Bavaria, in the empire of Germany. The
Rees family came to America in 1840, located in
Montgomery, Ohio, for a year, and then, in 1841, moved to
Van Wert county, where they hewed out a farm of 280 acres.
The children, who were all born in Germany, were named as
follows: Frederick, Henry, Wilhelmina,
Lewis (died in Germany), Caroline, August
(died in Germany); those who reached this country are
now also deceased, with the exception of Mrs.
Harvey.
James Harvey was married in Union
township, lived there five years on a rented farm, and then
moved to Hoaglin township, where Mr. Harvey
now owns a fine farm of ninety nine acres, well drained and
cultivated, and improved with a good, new, modern, frame
residence, good barn and outbuildings, and stocked as a
specialty with registered Poland China hogs - all realized
through his own hard labor. Following are the names of
the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Harvey: Lewis A.,
ex-county auditor for six years; George H.; Amanda
and Miranda, deceased; James M.; Francis D.;
Clara A., and Perry H. In politics Mr.
Harvey is a stanch democrat. Of the children
enumerated above, James M. resides on the old
homestead and cares for it generally
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 296-297 |
Josiah Hattery
Elizabeth Hattery |
ELIZABETH HATTERY,
widow of Josiah Hattery, late of Pleasant township,
Van Wert county, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, Apr.
27, 1822, a daughter of Joseph and Anna (Montgomery)
Ritter. The father was a native of Pennsylvania,
born in 1787, of Dutch parentage. He was educated in
his native state and in early life learned the trade of a
millwright, and subsequently owned and operated a mill.
About the year 1912 he married Anna Montgomery,
daughter of James and Anna (Brady) Montgomery.
Top their union were born the following children; Martha,
deceased wife of Hezekiah Bennett; Elizabeth, of this
mention; John, deceased; Sarah, widow of
James Hoghe; Joseph, deceased. The mother
of these children died in 1854 and the father in about 1884.
Elizabeth Hattery, subject of this memoir, was
reared on a farm, and received a limited education in the
common schools of her early days, and in 1841 was united in
marriage to Josiah Hattery; to them were born the
following children; Martha, wife of Jacob Mohr
of Hoaglin township; Joseph S., of Waterloo,
Iowa; Mary, now at home with her mother; Dr. John
E., of Celina; Esther E., widow of John
Montgomery; Thomas, of Dubuque, Iowa.
JOSIAH HATTERY, the husband and
father, was born in Virginia, in 1821, the son of Andrew
and Rachael (Smith) Hattery, of old Virginia stock.
When a boy Mr. Hattery came with his parents to
Carroll county, Ohio, in wagons, by an overland route, and
here was educated in the common school, and in early manhood
learned the trade of cabinet-making. For three years
following his marriage he lived in Carroll county, where he
followed his trade. In 1844, he moved to Van Wert,
then a small village, and soon established himself as the
first cabinet-maker of the town, and thence carried on the
business for a number of years, until failing health
compelled him to abandon his trade and adopt farming as the
means of a livelihood. About 1854, he purchased the
farm on which his family now resides, then a strip of wild
woodland. This he proceeded to clear and improve, and
from that time until his death he was associated with the
agricultural interests of the county, in addition to which
he was a contractor and builder, and many of the better
buildings of his home community are monuments of his
handwork. Mr. Hattery was one of the
progressive and enterprising men of his day, a thorough
agriculturist, and one in whom the confidence of the people
was never betrayed. Politically he espoused the cause
of the republican party and was a stanch supporter of the
principles he advocated. He took an active interest in
the welfare of the community in which he lived, and no
enterprise that was for the good of the community or county
at large passed by him without his endorsement and support.
He was a skilled workman and was quite successful in all his
pursuits in life, upright and honorable in all his dealings
with men, and had the respect and esteem of all who knew
him. His death occurred Jan. 27, 1880, and in his
death, a kind and indulgent father and husband was taken
away, as well as a good citizen. HE and his wife were
worthy members of the Presbyterian church. Mrs.
Hattery still resides upon the old home farm with her
daughters, having passed the allotted period of three score
and ten, and with complacency looks back upon a long and
useful life.
Source: A Portrait and
biographical record of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 378 |
William Heath |
WILLIAM
HEATH,
an experienced and respected farmer of York township, Van Wert county,
is a native of Auglaize county, Ohio, and was born December 29, 1824,
son of John and Nancy (Tomlin) Heath. John
Heath came to what is
now Van Wert county, in the year of 1836, and entered 240 acres of
land in the wildest of wildernesses, which he succeeded in converting
into one of the finest farms of the township, now owned by our
subject. Eighty acres, however, on which our subject now resides
were entered by an uncle, John Tomlin, William Heath, our subject,
relates that his father caught many wolves, on his settlement here,
and made it a profitable business, as the government was at that time
paying $4.25 for wolf scalps, although Mr. Heath was a farmer and
followed that vocation until his death at the age of eighty-nine
years, his wife having reached four-score years. This worthy
couple reared a family of four sons and five daughters, who were
named, in order of birth, as follows: Lovis, Betsy, James,
Jane, Melchia, Mary, Joseph, William and
John, all now deceased with the
exception of our subject (William), and Betsy, widow of
John Bevington.
At the age of twenty-six years William Heath, the
subject of this sketch, wedded Adeline Crook. She was a true and
faithful helpmate and died a sincere Christian. In February,
1889, Mr. Heath took for his second, wife, Mellie
Devoe, and to this
union were born six children, named in order of birth as follows:
Nancy, William, Harrison, Emma (deceased),
Reed and James. Mr.
Heath is a prosperous farmer, now owning 1,160 acres of land, the
greater portion of which he has brought to a high state of
cultivation. Mrs. Heath is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, with which Mr. Heath also affiliates. In politics Mr.
Heath is a republican, and considers it his duty to vote for his party
at each and every election, although he is by no means an office
seeker. Mr. Heath has been one of the most enterprising citizens
of York township, and has won the respect of all with whom he has come
in contact, being especially esteemed for his honesty and for his
interest in all enterprises that would tend to the public good.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 325 |
| |
WILLIAM
HENDERSON, a retired manufacturer of Van Wert, Ohio,
was born near Cannonsburg, Washington county, Pa., Sept. 28,
1814, a son of William and Elizabeth (Harpe) Henderson.
The father, William, was also a native of the
Keystone state and was reared in Washington county, there
learned the wheelwright's trade, and there married
Elizabeth Harper, a native of Ireland, by whom he became
the father of five children, viz.: Robert, deceased;
William, our subject; Jane, Elizabeth and
John, deceased. Mr. Henderson followed his
trade in Pennsylvania until 1815, when he came to Ohio and
settled in Jefferson county, where he died in 1857 and his
wife in 1837, both devoted members of the United
Presbyterian church.
William Henderson, the subject of this
biographical notice, was but six months old when his parents
settled in Jefferson county, where he was reared, until
nineteen years of age on the home farm; he then apprenticed
himself to learn carriage and wagon making, for three years
to George Hott, his compensation for the whole term
to be $100 and board and washing. When he had finished
his apprenticeship he had saved $85 of his $100. He
then assisted on the home farm for a year, and the following
two years he engaged in carriage making on his father's
place; he then moved to Martinsburg, Knox county, Ohio,
where he was successfully engaged in carriage and wagon
manufacturing from 1840 until 1872, when he came to Van Wert
county, and, in company with William Scott,
established a stave and heading manufactory at Convoy, which
was profitably conducted until the spring of 1873, when the
partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Henderson
purchased the ground and erected the fine residence which he
still makes his home, at the corner of Wall and Caroline
streets in the city of Van Wert. In 1874 Mr.
Henderson, whose nature would never permit him to lead a
life of inactively as long as health and strength were his,
and being a man of foresight and enterprise, established a
factory for the making of wooden stirrups at Van Wert, which
he conducted until he had the misfortune to lose his wife,
when he retired.
Mr. Hendeson was married in Knox county, Ohio,
Feb. 14, 1841, to Miss Rachael Kerr, a native of
Washington county, Pa., and a daughter of John and Sarah
(Scott) Kerr. Four children were born to this
union, but the fell destroyer, Death, invaded the household
and carried away three of the children in infancy, and the
eldest child, Sarah E., at the age of forty-six
years. The wife and mother was called away in 1882,
dying in the faith of the United Presbyterian church, of
which she was a pious member, and to which church Mr.
Henderson also belongs.
In his earlier days Mr. Henderson was a
Jacksonian democrat, but later changed his views and became
an ardent republican; yet he has never been an office
seeker. Mr. Henderson formerly owned large
tracts of land in Ohio, Iowa and other states, but these he
has disposed of for other real or personal property.
His present real estate consists of r\forty acres in Van
Wert county and valuably city property, and he takes much
interest in the building and loan association of the city.
Mr. Henderson has always been an enterprising an
energetic business man, and is public spirited and
philanthropic, and no undertaking designed for the
well-being of the people of the city or county goes without
help from his willing hand or assistance from his freely
opened purse.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 325 |
Wilson F. Hire |
WILSON FLETCHER
HIRE, of Van Wert, Ohio, formerly a most extensive
dealer in tobacco and cigars, and now in the grocery trade,
was born in Van Wert county May 6, 1847, and is a son of
JEREMIAH and Sarah (Summersett)
Hire. The father was born in Clarke county, Ohio,
Feb. 22, 1818, and was a son of Abraham Hire, a
native of Germany, the former born in 1795. He and
wife came to America separately, met in New York, and were
there married in 1812, and located in western Pennsylvania,
where they lived on a farm until 1834, when they came to Van
Wert county, Ohio, and cleared up a farm in Washington
township, on which they resided until called from earth.
They were the parents of six children, named Mary,
Jeremiah, John, Elijah, Peter and Josiah.
The father of our subject, Jeremiah Hire,
was sixteen years old when he came with his parents to Van
Wert county, and here he resided with them on the frontier
farm until twenty-one years of age, when he went to farming
in Washington township, worked hard until 1892, when he
retired to Van Wert and died in peace in May, 1894, leaving
120 acres of finely improved land. His marriage took
place in Washington township, 1843, to Sarah Summersett,
who was born in West Virginia Jan. 13, 1822, a daughter of
John and Rachael (Shillenbarger) Summersett, and by
this union were born the following children: Mary
J., wife of Charles Davis, of Ridge township;
John A., deceased; Wilson F., our subject;
Loraine E., married to Charles Crosby, a merchant
of Van Wert; Rachel A., wife of John Addison,
an employee of the Standard Oil company at Van Wert; M.
R., a stae manufacturer; William G., chief clerk
for Lewis Graves, proprietor of the "Hub" grocery;
Frances, deceased; Lucy, wife of James Davis
of Ridge township; and Lincoln, Sullivan and
Ophelia, all three deceased. The mother and father
of this family died respectively Jan. 27, 1870, and May15,
1894, both respected members of the Methodist Episcopal
church.
William Fletcher Hire was reared on the farm in
Washington township and remained with his parents until
1865, and then went to work in the Eagle Stave works,
laboring until March, 1885, when with a capital of $25, he
embarked in the tobacco business in a small room on North
Washington street; July 15, 1887, he moved to South
Washington street, and in May, 1894, secured the fine large
room adjoining the Marsh hotel, where he carried a stock
valued at $15,000, and did a large wholesale trade in
northern Ohio and eastern Indiana, and also a retail trade
that required the constant attention of one salesman.
Mr. Hire was first married in Van Wert, Apr. 7, 1872,
to Mary C. Bowers, a native of Allen county, Ohio,
born Apr. 6, 1851, and to this union were born three
children, viz.: Carrie C. (deceased), Lola
(deceased), and Hazel. The mother of these
children was called to her last rest Jan. 15, 1892.
Mr. Hire is a member of the I. O. R. M., of the National
Union and of the I. O. O. F., and in his politics is a
republican. He has been industrious, enterprising and
sagacious in his business, now owns considerable real
estate, and is emphatically a self-made man. On June
6, 1895, Mr. Hire sold his tobacco business, and Nov.
28, purchased one-half interest in the grocery and provision
trade with L. E. Crosby, and under the firm name of
Crosby & Hire. Mar. 18, 1896, Mr. Hire
was united in marriage with Elizabeth M. Erler, a
native of Van Wert.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 320 |
| |
CHRISTOPHER HOFFMAN,
of Liberty township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and the
well-known gentleman, whose name introduces this biography
is an American by adoption, and has had a long and varied
career as soldier, official and citizen. His father,
Adam Hoffman, was a wealthy farmer of Bavaria,
Germany. He was a liberal in politics, and on account
of his radical opinions he incurred the displeasure of the
government during the troublous times of 1848, in
consequence of which his property was confiscated. He
married Caroline Schaffer, daughter of Christopher
and Magdaline (Schoffer) Schaffer, and became the father
of one child, the subject of this sketch. Christopher
Schaffer was a prominent man in Bavaria, was chosen for
two terms of six years each as representative in the
legislature at Frankfort on the Main, and for twenty years
served as mayor of the city of Thuncen; he became quite
wealthy and lived to the unusually great age of 105 years.
Christopher Hoffman was born May 31, 1831, in
Bavaria, attended the high school in his native country, and
at the breaking out of the Revolution of 1848, entered the
patriotic army and participated in two desperate battles.
His property, which was by no means inconsiderable, was also
confiscated, and he only escaped with his life by concealing
himself in a dry-goods box, which was shipped from Frankfort
to Moentz. On arriving at that city, he was unloaded
so roughly that his shoulder was dislocated, and he received
other injuries, which for some time rendered his life most
miserable. He soon afterward took ship at Rotterdam
and escaped to America, having been forty-nnie days making
the voyage on a sailing vessel. Immediately after
landing on the shore of the new world, Mr. Hoffman
made his way to Richland county, Ohio, where he soon became
interested in local politics, identifying himself with the
democratic party. He made a canvass of the township in
which he located, speaking at all public points, and carried
the same by a majority of seventy votes, the township having
formerly been strongly republican. In recognition of
his services in this campaign, Mr. Hoffman was
appointed to the office of deputy sheriff, which position he
resigned at the end of eighteen months in order to become
clerk with a steamboat company at Sandusky, Ohio.
About this time the country was visited by the terrible
cholera scourge, during the prevalence of which he did much
to assist the sufferers, fearlessly devoting his life to
their comfort. He helped to care for the sick and
assisted in burying the dead during that dread period, but
excaped the disease himself.
During the three succeeding years Mr. Hoffman
was engaged in agricultural pursuits in the county of
Richland, and in 1853 came to the city of Van Wert, where
for thirteen years he carried on the bakery business, in
which he was very successful, realizing thereby the
foundation of the comfortable fortune which he now enjoys.
In 1865 he located on his present farm in the vicinity of
Ohio City, where he purchased valuable land, the greater
part of which he recently sold for $100 to $150 per acre.
He retained a small farm of forty-five acres, upon which he
expects to pass the remaining years of his life. As
already stated, Mr. Hoffman is a democrat, and as
such has done yeoman service for his party in Van Wert
county. He served nine terms as assessor of his
township, discharged the duties of real estate appraiser two
terms, and for a period of eighteen years served as a member
of the school board. He planned and superintended the
construction of the large modern school building near where
he resides, and has done much for the cause of education in
Liberty township. He is a man of progressive ideas, has been
successful in his various undertakings, and stands high in
the estimation of his fellow-citizens of Van Wert county.
In religion he is a Lutheran; his wife belongs to the
Methodist church.
Mr. Hoffman was married Nov. 25,
1856 to Margaret Hofman, daughter of Peter and
Mary (Wendle) Hofman. The father and mother of
Mrs. Hoffman were natives of Germany, but immigrated to
America many years ago, and in 1857 located in Van Wert
county, Harrison township, where Peter Hofman is now
a leading farmer. The following are the names of the
children born to Christopher and Margaret Hoffman:
Charles P., Christopher J. C., Benjamin F., Philip A.,
Callie C., Emma C. and Mary M.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 778 |
| |
ABRAHAM
HOGHE, deceased, formerly a prosperous farmer and a
prominent citizen of Van Wert county, Ohio, and was born in
Schuylkill county, Pa., June 16, 1810. Both of his
parents were natives of Pennsylvania, and with time he came
to Ohio in 1826, they locating in Pickaway county, where
they engaged in farming and lived until death.
Abraham Hoghe removed to Van Wert county in
1843, locating on what has for many years been known as the
Hoghe farm, in Liberty township. There he
became the owner of 200 acres of land, a part of which he
preempted from the government, and a part of which he
purchased. At the time Mr. Hoghe came to Van
Wert county, the greater part thereof was still a
wilderness, and where the city of Van Wert now stands there
were but two cabins, and as it is but natural to infer, he
endured all the privations and hardships known to pioneer
life; but in his old age Mr. Hoghe was dintinguished
for many things. He was the first man in the county to
make a distribution of bibles, selling to those able to buy,
and giving to those too poor to buy, and he found the latter
class largely in the majority. On Feb. 20, 1842, he
was married in Franklin county, Ohio, to Eliza Caldwell,
a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Cogan) Caldwell,
both natives of Tuscarawas county, and at the time of his
marriage to their daughter, residents of Franklin county.
By trade and occupation Mr. Caldwell was both a
farmer and a carpenter, and he was unusually successful in
life. Mrs. Caldwell died in 1847 and Mr.
Caldwell some few years later.
Mr. Hoghe lived on his farm in Liberty township
until his death, but toward the latter part of his life he
did not engage actively in any kind of business or labor.
For many years he was a true and consistent member of the
Presbyterian church, and in politics he was one of the
old-time democrats. His death occurred Feb. 4, 1891,
when he was eight-one years old. Mrs. Hoghe,
his widow still survives, is living with her son, Clinton
A. She is a member of the Presbyterian church and
is seventy-four years of age. She and her husband were
the parents of the following children: Clement R.;
Andrew W., deceased; Charles Merrit, deceased;
Elizabeth A., wife of George Copeland, a resident
of Lima; Sarah Jane, widow of Milton Curtis;
Clinton A.; Alice, wife of D. O. Cooper, and
Irene, wife of J. A. Vance, all residents of Van
Wert county.
Clinton A. Hoghe was born Apr. 2, 1851, on the
old homestead. His boyhood was spent at home in
acquiring such education as the country schools then
afforded. With the exception of three years, 1877-80,
inclusive, he has lived upon the home farm, those three
years having been spent in Kansas. Apr. 10, 1882, he
married Alice B. Watt, a daughter of W. N. and
Margaret T. (widow) Watt, a biography of the
former of whom appears on another page in this volume.
Mr. Hoghe is one of the most successful farmers of
the county, and is one of its best citizens. He has
160 acres of land of his own four miles from Van Wert.
To his marriage with Miss Alice B. Watt, three
children have been born, viz: Hallie A.; Earl C.,
and Willie Guy. In politics, like his
father, Mr. Hoghe is a democrat, has served on the
school board of his township, and is in every way a
representative citizen, worthy of and receiving all respect
from his fellow-men.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen &
Co., 1896 - Page 780-781 |
| |
DELCINA
C. HOGHE, widow of Clement R. Hoghe, and daughter of
William A. and Nellie (Jones) Warner, is a
native of Tennessee, where her birth occurred Mar. 22, 1843.
The father was a native of North Carolina and a son of Frederick
Warner, a descendant of an early English family of that state
and a tailor by occupation. WILLIAM A. WARNER
was reared and educated at Winston, N. C., was reared and educated
at Winston, N. C., and when young learned the tailor's trade with
his father, who was a skillful workman. After becoming
proficient in his trade he went to Sullivan county, Tenn., where, in
1841, he married Nellie Jones, who bore him the following
children: DELCINA C.;
Penelope A., wife of Gideon Miller; Decatur F., of
Richmond, Ind.; Mrs. Mary Miller and William A., all
deceased except Decatur and the subject of this sketch.
In 1848 Mr. Jones returned to his home in North Carolina,
where he spent the remainder of his life, dying in the town of
Winston in 1852. He was a man of deep religious convictions,
belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church, and succeeded well in
his business affairs, leaving his family a comfortable share of this
world's goods. In 1857 Mrs. Nellie Jones entered into
the marriage relation with Thomas Fetter, of North Carolina,
by whom she had one child, a daughter, Alice (deceased).
Mr. Jones was born about the year 1820 and was called from
the scene of his early labors in March, 1868.
Delcina C. Warner received a good education at
Salem academy, Winston, N. C., and after the death of her father,
which sad event occurred when she was ten years of age, made her
home for some time with an uncle, Henry Runnager. In
June, 1865, she went to the town of Hope, Ind. where the year
following she was united in marriage to Clement R. Hoghe, a
union blessed with the birth of seven children, whose names are as
follows: Harry W., of Van Wert; Carry W., of
Pleasant township; Perry R., who resides on the home farm;
Nettie E.; Terry D.; Abraham C. and Princess L.
Clement R. Hoghe was born in Tuscarawas county,
Ohio, in 1843, and was a son of Abraham and Eliza (Caldwell)
Hoghe, both parents of German descent and early pioneers of the
above county. When a small boy Mr. Hoghe was brought by
his parents to the county of Van Wert, in the common schools of
which he acquired in fair English education, and, until the breaking
out of the late Civil war, assisted his father on the farm. In
1862 he entered the army, enlisting in October of that year in
company B, Tenth Ohio cavalry, with which he served for sometime in
the eastern army and afterward saw much active service in Tennessee,
Georgia and other states. During his period of service he
participated in some of bloodiest battles of the war, including
Gettysburg, Nashville, Jonesboro, Chickamauga, Lost Mountain,
Kenesaw Mountain, and numerous other engagements of the Atlanta
campaign, in all of which his conduct was that of a gallant defender
of the nation's honor. He was early wounded at Mossy Creek,
and at the close of the war was honorably discharged in 1865.
On quitting the service Mr. Hoghe returned to Van Wert county
and engaged in the pursuit of agriculture, which he followed with
encouraging success until his death, which occurred on the 21st day
of November, 1893. In all the essentials of true manhood
Mr. Hoghe was not wanting, a few citizens of Pleasant township
stood as high in the estimation of the people as he. He
wielded an influence for the democratic party, the principles of
which he ever intelligently defended. and more than once was honored
by his fellow citizens with official positions, in the discharge of
the duties of which he proved himself worthy of the confidence
reposed in him. He belonged to the G. A. R., was an active
worker in the Van Wert grange, of which his wife was also a member,
and in his death his family lost a kind husband and indulgent
father, and the community one of its most esteemed and highly
respected citizens.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record
of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W.
Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 323 |
| |
THOMAS
HUGHES, a prosperous farmer of York township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, is a native of Wales, was born Oct. 14, 1818, and is a
son of EDWARD and Elizabeth Hughes.
At the age of twenty-eight years, in 1845, Thomas Hughes,
his wife and one child, Dorothy, came to America, and passed
a year near Emmittsburg, Md., where he pursued his trade of masonry;
he then went to Armstrong county, Pa., where he remained a year and
a half in Cincinnati, Ohio, whence he came to Van Wert county, where
he had previously entered 160 acres of his present farm, all then in
the wild woods. This land he has cleared and improved and
added to until he owned 280 acres, but of this he has disposed of
eighty, keeping 200 for his own use; he married Margaret Thomas,
daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Jones) Thomas, the union
being blessed with ten children, viz: Dorothy, the wife of
Obadiah Hundly, a farmer of Washington county, Ore.; Richard
T., a conductor on the Panhandle railroad, married to Nancy
Clover, and residing at Bradford, Ohio; Elizabeth, who
died Aug. 16, 1879, at the age of thirty years. Edward,
who was also a conductor on the Panhandle railroad, married
Rachael Tomlinson, made his home at Columbus, Ohio, and died
Feb. 5, 18i92; David, who resides on a farm joining his
father's, was married Dec. 4, 1879, to Sarah Slentz, who died
Feb. 2, 1892, David next marrying Jane Baltzell; Joseph,
who owns a farm joining that of his brother, David, and
was married to Ellen Kiggens; John, who married Martha
Archer, and is now superintendent of his father's farm; Mary,
wife of Samuel Simpson, of Van Wert; Martha E., the
wife of Thomas Miller, a farmer of Union township, Mercer
county, Ohio; and Margaret, the wife of William George,
a farmer of York township, of Van Wert county. For twelve
years Thomas Hughes has held office as trustee of his
township, and has also served as land appraiser and assessor.
Mr. Hughes and his family have been strict supporters of the
Calvinistic church, of which he has been treasurer for twenty-three
years and deacon seventeen years. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes
are the grandparents of forty-three children and eight great
grandchildren. Mr. Hughes is one of the honored and
most respected citizens of Van Wert county, is a man who never knew
guile, and whose character is spotless as newly fallen snow.
Mr. Hughes is like many other of his nationality, who are noted
for their industrious and economical habits as well as for being
good citizens. He is a moral, upright man, and at all times
found to be in the right, and casts his influence in behalf of the
education of the rising generation, as well as the up-building of
the morals of the community. Socially he and wife are very
popular wherever known, and their home is noted for the hospitality
they dispense at their beautiful home in York township.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen and Van Wert
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 340 |
Willis M. Hunter, M. D. |
WILLIS M. HUNTER, M. D.,
a prominent and rising young physician of Middlepoint, Washington
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, was born in York township, in the
same county, March 29, 1867. His grandfather, Dr. John Hunter,
came from France, became one of the most eminent of the physicians of
West Virginia, was a slave owner, and lived to be quite an aged man.
WILLIAM H. HUNTER, the only child born to Dr.
John Hunter and the father of our subject, was born in West
Virginia, March 1, 1844, and two weeks later lost his mother; he was
then placed by his father, the doctor, with the family of Hesekiah
Clemons, the compensation being worth $2,700, for the rearing of
the motherless child. In 1845, Mr. Clemons removed to
Greene county, Ohio, taking with him his young charge, then but a year
old, and the latter here received a common school education. At
the age of about seventeen, William H. Hunter enlisted from
Greene county in company I, Thirty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, for
three years or during the war, served out his time and received an
honorable discharge. Among the many hard-fought battles in which
he participated were Missionary ridge, Stone River, Lookout Mountain,
and although he was active in the performance of his duty in each and
every march, campaign, battle and skirmish in which his regiment was
engaged, he was neither sick nor wounded, nor taken prisoner.
He came from Greene county to Van Wert county, Ohio,
and, May 22, 1866, the marriage of Mr. Hunter took place, in
Van Wert county, to Miss Eliza J. Demint, who was born in
Greene county, Ohio, February 20, 1850, a daughter of James and
Mary (Hillyard) Demint. James Demint was a soldier in
the Seventy-fourth Ohio volunteer infantry, was transferred to company
B, Seventh reserves, August 12, 1864, while in the service, leaving
the following children: Jesse, John, Cynthiana, Eliza J., and
Susanna. To this marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hunter
have had born three children, viz: Willis M., Frank J., and
Ida E. Both parents are devoted members of the Methodist
church. In politics Mr. Hunter is a republican, and is a
member of Zeller-Hamilton post G. A. R., No. 260, at Middlepoint, and
is also a charter member of the Willshire lodge of I. O. O. F.
After the war had closed, in 1865, he settled on forty
acres of wooded land in York township, Van Wert county, Ohio.
This tract he cleared up and sold, and then moved to Washington county
and purchased eighty acres; this tract he also cleared up and sold,
and then, in 1890, moved to Wilshire township, where he has now a fine
farm of 180 acres, under excellent cultivation and improved in every
essential. He is a gentleman of high social position, and is
prominent as a citizen, and in this capacity is as faithful to his
duty as he was as a soldier during the dark days of the Rebellion.
Dr. Willis M. Hunter was educated preparatively
at the Western Ohio Normal school, at Middlepoint, began the study of
medicine with Dr. L. E. Ladd in 1888, and next attended the
Baltimore Medical college, of Baltimore, Md., from which he graduated
in 1892. He immediately began the practice of his chosen
profession at Wren, Van Wert county, where he was very well received,
and remained six months; then sought a broader field, and for two
years and a half was in active practice at Worstville, Paulding
county; he there met with phenomenal success, was elected coroner of
Paulding county in 1894, on the republican ticket, with a plurality of
746 votes and finally located in Middlepoint, where he has a large
scope for the exercise of skill, and where his professional abilities
are now fully recognized. Dr. Hunter is here associated
with his former preceptor, Dr. L. E. Ladd, and their success is
most flattering. In politics Dr. Hunter is a republican,
and socially he has drawn about him a host of friends.
Source: A Portrait
and biographical record of Allen and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W.
Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 337 |
| |
NOAH
HYATT, a prominent citizen of Van Wert, and an ex-soldier of
the Union army, was born Oct. 20, 1840. His father John
Hyatt, was of Irish descent, and was born in 1820 in
Pennsylvania on a farm, was educated there in the common schools,
was reared a farmer, and followed agricultural pursuits until his
death, which occurred in 1880. John Hyatt was a
republican in politics, and was married in Pennsylvania to Miss
Nancy Lawhead of that state. She was a member of the
Christian, or, as it is sometimes called, the Campbellite church,
and died in Clinton county, Ohio, in 1845. John Hyatt,
when he removed from Pennsylvania to Clinton county, Ohio, came with
an old gray horse and twenty-five cents in his pocket. With
his small capital, behind which, however, was plenty of energy and
pluck, he began life there for himself. At first he purchased
a piece of timbered land, seventy-five acres, entirely on credit,
which would be a difficult thing to do at the present time.
This land he cleared, improved and paid for, and lived upon it till
his death. By his marriage to Miss Nancy Lawhead he
became the father of the following children: John Henry
married and living in Iowa; Noah, the subject of this sketch;
Mary Ann; Sarah Jane; George W.; Marshall and Elizabeth.
Of these six, two are still living, viz: Noah and
Sarah Jane After the death of the mother of these
children, John Hyatt married Miss Myra Winpigler of
Clinton, Ohio, by whom he had the following children: Barney,
married and living in Illinois; Emma married and living in
Clinton county, Ohio, and Louis, deceased.
Noah Hyatt, the subject of this sketch, was born
in Clinton county, Ohio. Educated in the common schools, he
remained at home with his father on the farm until the breaking out
of the war, when he enlisted in company F, Eighty-eighth Ohio
volunteer infantry, under Maj. Stiles, on July r, 1863, and
served until July 4, 1865, precisely two years. During
these two years of service he saw much hard fighting, and did a
great deal of marching. In 1864 he was taken sick and was in
the hospital three months. His disease was measles, and
afterward varioloid, which left him paralyzed to some extent, and he
has suffered from paralysis ever since. For his services and
disease he is receiving a pension from the government of $6 per
month.
After returning from the war he went to Clinton County,
he began farming and was married to Miss Eliza Emry Anson Moore
of that county. To this marriage there were born three
children, viz: Eliza Marion, born Mar. 23, 1872; Harris,
born in March, 1873, and Jennie, born in 1878. In 1872
Mr. Hyatt came to Van Wert county, settled on a farm, and worked
it until old age and infirmities compelled him to retire from active
life. He is a republican and a member of the Christian church.
CALEB MOORE, father of Eliza Emry Anson Moore,
was born in Pennsylvania. By occupation he was a farmer, and
followed that calling all his life. He removed from
Pennsylvania to Clinton county, Ohio, where he bought a farm on
which he lived the remainder of his life. He was the father of
the following children: John, William, Harris, Ellen,
and Emry, all of whom are living but Ellen, who was
married to David Osborn and was a member of the Quaker
church. Those that are living are all married. The first
wife died, and Mr. Monroe then married a Miss Miller,
of Clinton county, Ohio, and to this marriage there were born two
children, viz: Lena, married and living in Canton,
Ohio, and Herbert, married and living in Iowa. The
second wife of Mr. Moore died in Clinton county, Ohio, in
1885. Mr. Moore is a republican and takes great
interest in public affairs, realizing that it is necessary for all
good men to look to the welfare of their party, in order that those
who are not so good shall not control its destinies, which in all
cases means defeat to the party. He is a member of the
Friends' church, and adheres strictly to the precepts of his
religion in his daily life.
Source: A Portrait
and biographical record of Allen and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W.
Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 347 |
NOTES: |
