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BIOGRAPHIES
 Source:
A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.
1896
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Jacob B. Haller |
JACOB
B. HALLER is one of the old and greatly respected
citizens of German township, Allen county, Ohio, who has seen it
transformed from a dense forest into one large fertile field, and
has done his part in the way of bringing about this great change.
Mr. Haller was born January 15, 1810, in Lancaster county,
Pa., is the third son and third-born child, and the only one now
living of a family of five children, three sons and two daughters,
born to SAMUEL and Elizabeth (Beck) Haller, who were both
natives of Lancaster county, Pa., where they both grew to man and
womanhood, were there married and resided for a number of years,
when they sold their possessions and removed westward, locating
for a time at Lancaster, Ohio, and later came still farther west
and located in German township, Allen county, and settled in the
almost unbroken forest, where they lived the life of pioneers,
experiencing all its hardships and privations. They became
the parents of the following named children: John,
Samuel, Jacob B., Catherine and Betsey, now Mrs. Plummer.
Mr. Haller was a mason by trade in early life and the
after part of his life was prominently identified as a farmer and
stock dealer; he was a democrat in politics and prominent wherever
known. He and his wife both died on their homestead farm in
German township and were greatly missed among those with whom they
had associated during the stirring scenes of the settlement of
this wild country.
Jacob B. Haller, the subject of this mention,
was but a mere lad when his father moved to Lancaster, Ohio, and
still quite young when they came to Allen County, where he
finished his education in the common schools. He took an
active part in assisting to redeem the home farm from the
wilderness and remained under the parental roof until arriving at
his majority, when he began business life nearly or quite
empty-handed. Mr. Haller had been taught industry in
his youth and knew well its effectiveness in the affairs of life;
thus did he willingly put his shoulder to the wheel and began in
earnest to make himself a home. His first purchase of land
was eighty acres, now a part of the homestead, farm which he
redeemed from the forest and put under a good state of cultivation
He, like others, who located in Allen county at an early day,
erected the round-log cabin which formed a shelter for himself and
his family for several years, and from the beginning, he prospered
and soon added to his first purchase of land, so that the home
place now consists of 117 acres. In 1855 he erected a fine
brick residence, which took the place of the first, or his pioneer
home, and this is the home that has been known for its generous
and hospitable entertainment dispensed for several decades.
Mr. Haller affiliates with the democratic party, and is a
stanch adherent to its principles, and by said party was elected
to fill the office of county commissioner for two terms in
succession, and it an be said that he filled the office with
credit to himself and all his constituents. He has also
filled many of the local offices of his township, in each proving
himself a safe and conservative official and one well worthy of
the trust imposed in him.
Jacob B. Haller chose for his life-companion,
quite early in life, Miss Leah Myers, who was a native in
Cumberland county, Pa., born, July 13, 1815. The union of
Mr. and Mrs. Haller has been blessed by the birth of eleven
children, viz: Jacob M., deceased; Christian L.,
a merchant of New York City; John F., deceased; Mary E.,
wife of Milton Carter, of Lima, Ohio, who is a machinist by
trade; Catherine, wife of Lawrence Holzfoster, who
now lives upon the home farm; Sophia, deceased; the other
five children all died in infancy. Mrs. Haller died
May 13, 1888, having been a consistent member of the Lutheran
church the greater part of her life, and a fond and loving
companion as well as mother. Mr. Haller is one of the
prominent members in the Lutheran church as well as the education
of the young and rising generation, and is one of the prominent
and highly esteemed citizens in the community where he has resided
for over half a century.
Mr. Holzfoster, a son-in-law and
husband of Catherine Haller, is a hardworking and
industrious citizen now residing on the homestead farm and for the
past five years has been in the employ of a refining company at
Lima, Ohio. He was born in Union county, Ohio, June 28,
1862, and is a democrat in politics, while in religion he is a
worthy member of the Lutheran church.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 296 |
Theo. A. Handel &
Mrs. Theo. A. Handel |
THEODORE A. HANDEL,
an old settler and a prominent farmer of Marion township, Allen
county, Ohio, and a veteran of the late Civil war, is a native
of the Buckeye state and was born in Granville, Licking county,
May 1, 1834, and descends from Revolutionary ancestors of German
extraction.
JOHN HANDEL, grandfather of our subject, was the
founder of the family in America, and was descended from
progenitors who had been grist-millers for generations. In
the old country, in his early manhood, he was employed by his
father to traverse the country and buy grain from the farmers.
While on one of these excursions, with four companions as aids
or assistants, the five were seized by the military authorities,
impressed, and their services transferred to George III,
of England, who was then waging his war for the subjection of
the revolutionary colonies of America. These mercenaries
have always been stigmatized as Hessions. On arriving in
Boston harbor, John Handel and his four companions evaded
the vigilance of their captors and made their escape by swimming
to an American vessel, immediately enlisting in defense of
liberty and right. John Handel fought through the
entire Revolution, seeing much service in the navy, and after
the close of the heroic struggle went to Baltimore, where he
found employment as a miller. He married in Maryland,
settled in Virginia on the Shenandoah river, about twenty miles
above Harper's Ferry, where his first child, Nicholas,
was born, his only other child being Elizabeth, as far as
can be remembered. John Handel probably died
at his mill-residence at the age of about eighty years. It
is also related that John Handel was of the same
family from which descended the world-famed musician, Handl.
NICHOLAS HANDEL, son of John, also
became a miller, and in the early days hauled his product down
the Potomac river banks as far as Alexandria, Va., but prior to
this, at the age of eighteen years, had enlisted for the war of
1812, in which he did gallant service until the end. It is
related of young Handel that, when a raw recruit, he
infringed on the dignity of Gen. William H. Harrison
while in camp. The general was taxing a walk for exercise
when young Handel, off duty, joined him. The
general, to try the younger’s nerve, gave him a blow. The
blood of the young soldier was aroused, and in the tussel which
followed Harrison was knocked flat. On going to his
quarters the general caused the arrest of his private, and on
the ensuing examination of the young soldier inquired what he
had enlisted for. The response was, “To fight.”
“Your superior officers?” inquired the general. “Any body
who attacks me," replied young Handel. “Go back to
your quarters,” ordered the general, “and be a good soldier,”
but ere they parted drank a glass of gin together.
Nicholas did prove to be a good soldier, and in after years
frequently met his old commander, who was always delighted to
recall the reminiscences of the war for free trade and sailors'
rights.
Nicholas Handel, after the war, returned
to Virginia, but soon after relinquished his milling business in
that state and came to Ohio, and for forty years was chief
miller in the Bassett mills on Raccoon creek, near
Granville, Licking county— buying ill the grain and shipping all
the flour. There he married Myla Hayes,
daughter of ALANSON and Rhoda (Slater) HAYES, of New York
state, but of New England descent. Alanson Hayes
was a well-to-do farmer, and he and wife were the parents of the
following children: Alanson, Nelson, Rhoda,
George, Myla, Amanda, and Cynthia.
Alanson Haves came to Allen county, Ohio, about
the year of 1848, and settled on the farm now occupied by Col.
Bliss, of whom mention is made on another page.
Mr. Hayes and his eldest son, Alanson, cleared
up from the woods about 300 acres, and here the father died at
the age of over eighty years. Nicholas Handel,
who passed the declining years of his life to a great extent
with his son, Theodore A., returned to Granville, Ohio,
just before his demise, and died at the greatly advanced age of
eighty-six years, in the faith of the Baptist church.
Theodore A. Handel, the principal subject of
this biographical reminiscence, received a common-school
education in his native village of Granville, Ohio, and at the
age of ten years came to Allen county, which has since been his
home. From the age of fourteen years until twenty-one, he
worked on the farm of Orrin Kephort, and Apr. 5,
1857, he here married Angelina Harris, who was
born Oct. 13, 1836, at Lockland, Hamilton county, Ohio, a
daughter of Calvin and Edith (Bunn) Harris. Mr.
Harris was born in Olean, N. Y., was a son of Samuel
Harris, of English descent and a boat-builder.
Calvin learned the trade of wagon-maker in Cincinnati,
having been brought by his parents to Hamilton county, Ohio,
when six years of age. At the age of twenty-four he
married Miss Dunn, then twenty-two years old and a
daughter of Beracha and Mary (German)
Dunn. In 1847 Mr. Harris sold out his
shop in Lockland, bought and ran a boat on the Miami canal, then
traded the boat for 120 acres of partly cleared land in Amanda
township, Allen county, on which there was a log cabin; here he
made a good home. He became a township trustee and
township clerk. He was a deacon in the Baptist church for
many years and a trustee, and a member of the grange. He
and wife were parents of nine children, viz: Mary A.,
Edith R. (died in infancy), Clifford S. (died an
infant), Calvin W. (died at twenty-six years of age),
Charles F. (died at two years of age), Rosco B.,
Florence B., and Burton E. (died in infancy).
Mr. Harris died on his farm Jan. 28, 1892, aged
eighty-one years, eight months and twenty-eight days, and his
wife died Dec. 9, 1881, aged sixty-eight years, nine months and
sixteen days.
After his marriage Theodore A. Handel settled on
their present farm under a lease for live years— selling a tract
of forty acres in Amanda township— but he has since owned as
many as 200 acres at one time. Aug. 8, 1861, Mr. Handel
enlisted, at Wapakoneta, Ohio, in company I, Thirty-fourth Ohio
volunteer infantry, for three years, and was honorably discharged
at Columbus, Ohio, in September, 1864. He took part in
thirty-five general engagements, beside many skirmishes, and
among these may be mentioned Chapmanville Gap, Louisburg,
Fayettville, Trenton, Fayetteville again, Charleston, Red House,
Mud Ridge, Cloyd Mountain and Greenbrier, all in West Virginia;
James River, Lynchburg, Staunton, Paw Paw Station, Stone Spring
House, Shenandoah Valley and Winchester, all in Virginia;
Martinsville, W. Va., then in a battle on the banks of the
Potomac river; Fredericksburg (two battles), Monocacy Junction,
Va.; Charleston, W. Va.; Kernton, Cedar Creek, Va.; between
Hallton and Charlestown, W. Va., then in another battle near
Winchester, Va., which closed the active military career of
Mr. Handel, whose term had expired. He was wounded in
his first battle, Chapmanville Gap. His companion, in line
of battle, fell by his side, and in the act of laying him down,
Mr. Handel was shot in the ankle, being the second
man of the company to be wounded, but he did not leave the
battle-field. Mr. Handle was always an
active soldier, was in all the battles, skirmishes and marches
of his regiment, was never confined in hospital, and for
meritorious conduct was promoted to be corporal, but acted as
deputy sergeant for more than two years; he was one of the best
soldiers recruited from Allen county, and served his country
with bravery and fidelity.
Returning to his wife, after his discharge from the
army, Mr. Handel resumed the occupation of farming, and
succeeded, by industry and intelligent direction of his labors,
in increasing his acres to 200, and in this task he has been
aided effectually by his willing and faithful wife. In the
kindness of their hearts Mr. and Mrs. Handel have reared
four adopted children, and have given them all full school
advantages, and to his adopted son, Earnest, has deeded
forty-live acres of good farming land. In politics Mr.
Handle is a republican, but has never sought notoriety or
emolument as an office holder; in religion he and wife are
Baptists, and Mr. Handel has been a deacon in his
church for more than twenty years, and a church trustee almost
as long. They are also members of the Patrons of Husbandry
and Mrs. Handel has served as overseer of his grange and
as lecturer. He is also a member of Renel post, G. A. R.,
at Delphos, and is highly esteemed by his comrades. His
fine farm now comprises 200 acres, is excellently well improved
and highly cultivated, and is the result of his own labor and
good management, he being a self-made man, in the full
acceptation of that term. He has met with many
difficulties in life, but his indomitable will and strenuousness
have overcome them all and success has crowned, at last, all his
undertakings. Mr. and Mrs. Handel stand at the head
of a long line of social acquaintances and are deservedly
respected by all in the line as well as by the community at
large.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 299 |
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JOSHUA HARDESTY,
one of the thriving and well-to-do farmers of Perry township,
Allen county, Ohio, was born in Brown county, June 2, 1833,
received a good practical education in the common schools, and
was reared to the hard work of farming, on his father's
homestead.
Stephen Hardesty, father of Joshua, our
subject, was also a native of Brown county, Ohio, and was born
in 1817. He there married Nancy Ellis, daughter of
Isaac Ellis, of Brown county, and in 1835 came to Perry
township, Allen county, and purchased fifty-eight acres of new
land, of which he afterward made a good home. The children
born to Stephen and Nancy Hardesty, were born an named in
the following order: Isaac now of Paulding county,
Ohio; Joshua, the subject of this mention; George,
of Auglaize township, Allen county; Elizabeth widow of
J. C. Monahan; Henry of Beaver Dam, Ohio; and Stephen L.
of Lima. Stephen Hardesty in addition to the first
tract of land he had purchased in Perry township, bought an
adjoining farm, and on this he passed the final years of his
life, dying in 1867; his wife departed Feb. 12, 1884, and the
remains of both husband and wife lie interred, side by side, in
the cemetery of the Methodist Episcopal church of Auglaize
township.
Joshua Hardesty, after passing his youth and
early manhood on his father's farm, married Miss Sarah J.
Comstock daughter of Charles Comstock, of Perry
township, six children being the result of the marriage, viz:
Clora, wife of William H. McCoy, of Van Wert county;
Leola, still at home; William A., who married
Miss Jessie Tapscott; Lena; Minnie, deceased; Edwin
and Walter C. Mr. Hardesty, having no fear of rebel
bullets, in 1864 joined the One Hundred and Fifty-first regiment
of Ohio volunteer infantry for the 100-day service and
faithfully served out his term of enlistment; after passing
through the various engagements in which his regiment took part
he returned to Perry township and purchased the old homestead,
which now comprises 106 acres. Mr. Hardesty is
recognized at this day as one of the most scientific
agriculturists of Perry township, and his farm shows in every
respect the evidences of his skill and good management. As
a member of society he is considered to be useful and altogether
desirable; as a member of the Methodist Episcopal church he is
consistent and sincere, and as a republican, he is loyal in his
adhesion to his party.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 302 |
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WILLIAM H. HARPER, M. D., a
retired physician, of Lima, Ohio, is a son of Thomas and Mary
(Sirlott) Harper. The Harper family is an
ancient and distinguished one in American History, some
distinguished for one thing and some for another, but for all
for something creditable.
The grandfather of William H.
Harper was named JOHN, and his
ancestry settled early in Maryland. He is said to have
been a descendant of the Harper after whom Harper's Ferry
in Virginia was named. By occupation he was a farmer and
followed that honorable calling through life. About 1814
he removed to Greene county, Ohio, and settled on the bank of
Masses Creek. Upon the farm selected here, in Greene
county, Mr. Harper spent the remainder of his life, dying
in 1823. His wife was a Miss Thomas, of Welsh
extraction, and survived her husband, dying when she was nearly
100 years old. The children of this pioneer and his worthy
wife were as follows: John, Elijah, Thomas, Joseph;
Sarah, who married Francis Brush; Nancy, who married
David Larkins; and Eliza, who married Daniel
Barkdell, and all of whom died in Green county.
THOMAS HARPER, the third of the
above mentioned children, and the father of Dr. William H.
Harper, was born in Maryland, near Harper's Ferry, about the
year 1800. With his parents he came to Ohio, remaining
with them on their farm until he grew to mature years.
Then he purchased a tract of land adjoining his father's farm,
and upon his purchase passed the remainder of his life, engaged
in agricultural pursuits and hunting game, as was customary to a
greater or less extent with all the pioneers. He married
Miss Mary Sirlott, and by her had the following children:
Mary, wife of Charles Metheany; George; Minerva A.,
who married Nathan McFarland and is now deceased;
Henry, and William H., the latter the subject of this
sketch.
William H. Harper was born Mar. 29, 1819, in
Greene county, Ohio, upon the old homestead farm. His
boyhood days were passed in a manner similar to those of the
children of all pioneers, working on the farm in summer time,
and attending school as far as was possible for him in the
winter season. The school-house was built of logs and
chinked to keep out the cold. Desks were arranged around
the sides of the room and seats in front, the scholars sitting
with their backs to the inside of the room. The
fireplace was at one end of the house, and the chimney was made
of sticks and clay. Logs and large chunks of wood were the
fuel, and the learning obtained was as crude as the facilities
provided. At the age of twenty-one he began the study of
medicine with Drs. John Dawson & Winans, and afterward
took a course of study at the Medical college at Louisville, Ky.
Later he attended Starling Medical college at Columbus, Ohio,
graduating there in 1852. In 1843 he began the practice of
medicine at Fairfield, Greene county, later removing to
Bellbrook, Greene county, where he remained two years, and in
1845 finally located in Lima, where he continued to practice
until 1893, when he retired. Dr. Harper has been
one of the successful physicians of his day, and stands high as
a professional man in the esteem of the entire community.
He is a member of the Allen County Medical society and was for
some time its presiding officer. He organized the
Northwestern Medical society and was its first president.
He was one of the original stockholders of the Lima National
bank, was one of its directors and served until the bank failed.
Under President Andrew Johnson he was postmaster of Lima,
and has been a republican since the organization of the party in
1854. His membership is in the Christian church and his
life has been consistent with its precepts.
Dr. Harper married Miss Clarissa Winans,
of Green county, Ohio, by whom he has had the following
children: Mary A., wife of R. K. Cyphers; Thomas
W., an attorney at law of Terre Haute, Ind.; James H.,
who enlisted in the Ohio volunteer infantry at the age of
fifteen years, was taken prisoner, and died in Andersonville,
within a short time after his enlistment; Fannie,
deceased; Vennie, wife of William Annat, of
Wooster, Ohio, and William H., Jr., cashier in a bank of
Ottawa, Putnam county, Ohio.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 302 |
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T. S. HARRISON
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 303 |
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ABRAM
HARROD, a prominent citizen of Allen County, was born in
Mercer county, Ohio, April 27, 1750, and is son of
DAVID and Jane (Reckmire) Harrod.
DAVID HARROD was born in Knox county,
Ohio, in 1792, and his wife in the same county in 1794.
After their marriage they located, in 1837, in Mercer county,
Ohio, near Fort Recovery, on a farm, where they lived until
1852, when Mr. Harrod, in company with a party of
neighbors, went west to look for a location suitable in their
minds for a settlement. While on board a steamboat on the
Missouri river he was taken ill with cholera and died in 1853.
His widow remained on the old homestead in Mercer county until
he death in 1873.
Mr. Herrod was in politics a democrat, and held
many of the minor offices of his township, among the minor
offices of his township, among them that of justice of the
peace, which he filled for twenty-two years. The
confidence of his neighbors he enjoyed to a remarkable degree,
and was highly respected and esteemed by all. He and his
wife were members of the United Brethren church, and both stood
high in church circles. They were the parents of nine
children, as follows: Mahala, wife of George
Shroyer, a farmer of Mercer county; Mary, wife of
Christian Bientz, a farmer and carpenter of Mercer county,
Ohio; Cynthia, deceased; Nancy, wife of
Thompson Stettler, of Mercer county, Ohio, a farmer;
James, who enlisted in company K, Forty-sixth Ohio volunteer
infantry, and died from a gunshot wound received at the battle
of Shiloh; Elizabeth, wife of Adam Cully, of
Geneva, Ind.; Abraham, the subject of this sketch;
Catherine, deceased, and an infant, deceased.
Abraham Harrod was educated in the common
schools and remained at home with his mother, managing the home
farm, until her death. Then he spent one year in traveling
through the western states, including California, and returning
to his home, in Mercer county, he married, May 15, 1875, Miss
Harriet Smith, who was born in Van Wert county, Mar. 11,
1856, and who is a daughter of David and Jane (Hartzog) Smith.
He then removed to Geneva and engaged in the furniature and
undertaking business, which he there followed for nine years,
and he removed to Portland, Ind., and engaged in the sale of
agricultural implements, which he continued for four years.
On Jan. 3, 1886, he engaged as salesman for H. Parham,
who was an agricultural implement agent, and remained with him
six eyars and eight months, at which time he was nominated for
county recorder, and at the ensuing election was elected by a
majority of 615 votes. He took possession of his office in
January, 1894, and has most acceptably filled it ever since.
He and his wife Harriet are the parents of three
children, as follows: Bert G., deputy recorder of
Allen county; Robert, clerk in the Columbian shoe store,
and Viola May, deceased. In politics Mr. Harrod
is a democrat, and he and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. He is also a member of the
Knights of Maccabees.
BERT G. HARROD, deputy recorder
of Allen county, was born in Geneva, Ind., Aug. 29, 1876, and
received his education in the schools of Portland, Ind., and
Lima, Ohio. In the latter city, on Mar. 21, 1894, he was
married to Miss Luella Moore, who was born in Dayton,
Ohio, Jul. 19, 1877, and is a daughter of J. H. and
Laura (Chambers) Moore. Mr. Harrod is a democrat,
represents Bradstreet's commercial agency, and is a prominent
young politician, popular and recognized in society as a
splendid young man. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 304 |
| |
H.
CLAY HART, M. D., physician and surgeon of Spencer
township, Allen county, has been a resident of Allen county
since 1851. His birthplace was Troy, Ohio, where he first
saw the light of day July 19, 1841. He is a son of
LEVI and Sarah Sewell (Tullis) Hart, natives of New Jersey and
Virginia. The Harts date back directly to the
signers of the declaration of independence. The father of
Dr. Hart was one of a family of seven children and
followed the calling of a mechanic until he came west, when he
located on a farm and remained upon it until his death in 1865.
He was a true Christian in life and a member of the society of
Christians, to which he gave his time and money freely.
The mother died February 26, 1886. Their family consisted
of four children - Francis C., Dorisa Ann, Clay (our
subject) and John B., who died in infancy.
Dr. Hart's early life was spent on the
farm and he was educated in the schools of Delphos. After
his school-days were over, he became a book-keeper, but at the
breaking out of the war he enlisted - August, 1862, in company
F, One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, and was
mustered out at Evansville, Ind., July 6, 1865. He held
the office of post-adjutant for nearly a year and a half.
Owing to poor health he was he was held on detached service and
was once given his discharge by President Lincoln, but
refused to accept it, and, as an outcome of his refusal,
received a letter from the executive, praising and commending
him for his patriotism. After the war he tried farming,
but after a year or so of experiment found the work was not
congenial, but began reading medicine and took a course of
lectures in the Philadelphia university, gradating in the spring
of 1869. In April of the same year he came to
Spencerville, Ohio, and engaged in the practice of his
profession. After remaining here twenty years he went to
Monticello, Van Wert county, Ohio, were he spent two years, but
his health failing he returned to his farm in Spencer township,
which he had purchased in 1884, and which consisted of 160
acres. When Dr. Hart bought this land there were
but three acres cleared, but at the present time 110 acres are
under good cultivation. Upon this he erected a pretty
house and good and ample barns for stock and grain, devoting the
place to general farming.
In April, 1889, the doctor was married to Elizabeth
V. Rathgeber, daughter of Jacob Rathgeber, of Spencer
township. In politics the doctor is a stanch and active
republican and desires nothing better in the way of a political
creed than his party offers. While living in Spencerville,
he was member of the council, a member of the board of
education and chairman of the building committee when the
present school-building was built. Nothing more need be
added than that Dr. Hart is an all-around useful man, and
as such he is regarded in the community in which he lives.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 305 |
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CHARLES
FREDERICK HARTER, a member of the Delphos (Ohio) city
council and one of the leading citizens of that place, is a native
of Weingoten, Baden, Germany; and was born on February 1, 1849.
His parents were Charles Frederick and Elizabeth (Hecker)
Harter, both of whom were natives of Baden. In May,
1854, they came to America, locating at Sandusky city, Ohio.
The father was a cabinet maker by trade, which trade he followed
in Sandusky city until his death, which occurred in 1864, in his
forty-fifth year. The mother died in 1883. To the
parents eight children were born, five of whom are still living.
Charles F. Harter was five years old when
brought to America. He was reared in Sandusky city, and
received a German education. At the age of fourteen years he
began the trade of Chair making and the painting trade, but after
learning them he became tired of them, and took a position in a
wholesale furniture store in Sandusky city. In 1865 he went
to Evansville, Ind., where he spent several months.
Returning to his old home he went to work in a spoke
manufactory, where he learned that business, remaining there to
work two years; he went next to Toledo, where he took charge
of a spoke room, and remained there about six months. In
January, 1873, he came to Delphos and went to work for the Ohio
Wheel company , taking charge of the spoke department of that
factory, where he has since continued. Mr. Harter has
always taken an active interest in public affairs, and in 1891 was
placed on the ticket by the republican party as a candidate for
city councilman from the Fourth ward, and was elected. He
was re-elected in 1893, and his term will expire in 1896, the
terms being for two years each. He has served on different
committees, and is now chairman of the finance committee.
Fraternally, Mr. Harter is a member of the National Union
and Knights of Pythias.
Mr. Harter was married February 1, 1876, to
Miss Martha Lillilan Waterburg, the daughter of George
Oscar and Louise (Harpel) Waterburg. Mrs. Harter was
born in Delphos March 30, 1860. George O. Waterburg
was a native of Connecticut, and came to Delphos in 1841, when
this city was known as section No. 10. His wife was born in
Pennsylvania. He was a member of Company D, Seventy-eighth
Ohio volunteer infantry, enlisting September 24, 1864, and died in
the service on March 22, 1865. His wife died June 11, 1892.
To Mr. and Mrs. Waterburg nine children were born, six of
whom are living. To Mr. and Mrs. Harter Five children
have been born, as follows: Lucile and Cliphord
Raymond. Mr. and Mrs. Harter are members of the
Presbyterian church.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 306 |
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MERRIT
HARVEY, one of the old and highly respected citizens of
Spencerville, Allen county, Ohio, was born at Bennington, Vt.,
Oct. 20, 1824. APPOLIS, the father of our subject,
was born in Massachusetts in 1796 and his mother, Mary
(Rockwood) Harvey, also a Bay sate woman, was born in 1800.
After their marriage they moved to Vermont, where Merrit
Harvey, of this biography, was born.
APPOLLIS HARVEY of this biography,
was born. Appollis Harvey was of English descent,
being a direct descent of John Harvey, of good old
Puritan stock and was one of three brothers, John, Jonathan
and Benjamin, who emigrated to America during the
colonial history, about the time the Mayflower came over. After
many years of active business life in the east, where he was
engaged in extensive operations of various kinds, he came to
Cincinnati, in 1843, in the employ of land syndicate. In
Piqua, Ohio, he rented an oil-mill and operated it successfully
for some time. Later, after many business ventures, he
purchased a canal-boat, which ran between Cincinnati and Fort
Wayne, Ind., and for two years did a flourishing business, but
en route from Cincinnati to Fort Wayne, in December, 1847, his
boat was frozen solid in the canal at Spencerville, where he
unloaded a part of his goods, and took the rest to Delphos,
Ohio. Owning to constant exposure and hardships he contracted
pneumonia, and from its effects died February 29, 1848. He
was a man with a career, and his lie deserves a place in the
best history of the state, but limited space forbids more than
brief mention here. Six children were born to him:
William R., Parmelia, Merrit (our subject), Sarah A.,
Albert H. and Mary J.
Merrit Harvey came to Ohio with his father in 1843,
and remained with him until his death, assisting him in his
varied work. His education was obtained in the public
schools and at Brunswick seminary. After the decease of
his father he closed up his business and engaged in the grocery
trade at Spencerville, opening the first store of the kind in
the village, In 1850 he sold out and taught his first
public school in Spencerville, being at that time one of the
best educated men in the country. He taught thirty terms
and was the one authority on all questions requiring special
thought and judgment. In vacations he employed himself
variously, sometimes purchasing a boat-load of produce and
running it to Cincinnati, where he would sell it and return for
a new venture, being always open to a good deal. He had a
genius for operations requiring risk, and his life has been
characterized by transactions of this kind. When the
village of Spencerville was incorporated he was elected city
clerk, and he drew up all the ordinances for government, and a
few years later was elected mayor of the little city three times
in succession. He has been notary public for a number of
years, a member of the city council, and in truth a father to
the town. Prior to the organizing of the banks, he was
engaged in buying and selling notes and securities, loaning
money, etc., and for four years operated the mail and express
delivery; he has always worked for the best interests of the
city and vicinity, and has never lost sight of its prosperity or
future weal.
In September, 1864, he manifested his patriotic spirit
by enlisting in defense of his country in company E, One Hundred
and Eightieth Ohio volunteer infantry, and participated in a
number of engagements, doing active duty until his term of
enlistment expired, and being mustered out in June, 1865, at
David Island. He is one of the worthy members of the G. A.
R. post, No. 322. Mr. Harvey, having been a
resident of Spencerville since its organization, has been one of
its leading representative men from every standpoint, starting
first as a teacher in the public schools, then becoming the
first grocery merchant of the town, and, being favored in his
early life with the advantages sufficient to secure a good
education, was fitted to be one of its most useful citizens.
Mr. Harvey has been twice married; the first
marriage occurred in 1852, when he chose for his companion
Miss Rebecca A. Wicks, who died in March, 1864, in early
womanhood. In August, 1865, he married Mrs. Eliza A.
Wicks, the widow of Harvey A. Wicks, and this union
was blessed by the birth of five children, four of whom died in
early childhood; James M., the only one surviving, is now
a resident of Spencerville. Frank M., son of
Mrs. Harvey by her first husband, has adopted the name of
Harvey and is also a resident of Spencerville.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
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ALBERT HEFNER
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Page 309 |
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JOHN HEFNER
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Page 310 |
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PERRY F. HEIDLEBAUGH
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Page 308 |
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JAMES G. HELSER, a practical
and progressive farmer of Jackson township, Allen county, Ohio,
was born in Thorn township, Perry county, Ohio, Sept. 21, 1846,
and since eight years of age has been identified with the
township and county in which he now resides having been brought
to Allen county by his parents, Elijah and Eliza (Eversole)
Hesler.
ELIJAH HELSER, a native,
also, of Perry county, Ohio, was born Oct. 20, 1815, a son of
John Helser, a native of Virginia, who married Mary
Reisen of the same state, and both of German descent.
John Helser and wife were early settlers of Perry county,
Ohio, and were the parents of nine children, viz.:
William, John, Daniel and Catherine (deceased),
Elijah, George, Peter, Levi and Mary. Of this
family, Elijah received a good common-school education,
was reared a farmer and in early youth learned the trade of
carpenter and cabinet maker, which he followed in his native
county for about fourteen years, saving his earnings sufficient
to purchase a farm of 240 acres in the woods of Allen county,
and here removed with his family in 1854. He placed his
land under a high state of cultivation, and in 1860 erected a
large frame barn, which at the time, was the finest in the
township. In 1875 he erected a fine brick residence, the
second of the kind the township had seen. He has been
largely engaged in stock growing and is a most substantial
farmer. His marriage took place, in 1841, to Miss Eliza
Eversole, and to this union were born nine children, viz.:
John W., married to Milly A. Sivitz; James G., the
subject of this sketch; Lemuel L., husband of Esther
Isham; Daniel O., of whom further mention will be made;
Sarah A., deceased wife of F. R. Thompson, M. D., of
Nebraska; Melvina, deceased; George E.; Verda
Leatherman; Jennie F. and Peter F., both deceased.
The father of these children, Elijah Helser, is a Patron
of Husbandry and a member of Jackson grange; in politics he is a
democrat and cast his first presidential vote for Martin Van
Buren. Socially he stands very high in the esteem of
the residents of Jackson township, whose material interests he
has done so much to promote.
DANIEL O. HELSER, a younger
brother of our subject, James G., was born in Perry
county, Ohio, December 25, 1853 (Christmas day), received a good
common-school education, and was reared a farmer. October
21, 1880, he married Miss Nellie Grant, a daughter of
Squire and Eva (Hall) Grant, and born May 1,
1861. Squire Grant is a successful farmer of
Liberty township, Hardin county, but is now a widower. The
children born to Daniel O. and Nellie Helser are two in
number, are named Clyde O. and Gelna M., and are
both attending school. Mr. Helser owns a model farm
of eighty acres, improved with a modern two-story frame
residence, commodious barn and windmill, and he and his father
own the only silo in the township; Mr. Helser also owns
and operates a first-class saw-mill on his farm. Mr.
and Mrs. Helser are both members of Jackson grange, No. 341,
of which he has been secretary and treasurer, and both are
highly esteemed in the social circles of Jackson township.
JAMES G. HELSER, the subject proper of this biography,
since he has begun his career as a farmer, has made a specialty
of sheep raising, giving special attention to Spanish Merinoes,
and for the past five or six years to Delaines. He has
sold many head for breeding purposes at high prices, and has
made a grand success in his enterprise. His homestead
comprises 200 acres, and he owns, beside, an eighty-acre tract,
distinct from the homestead. The latter is a very fine
farm, improved with a modern frame dwelling, two large barns and
all other necessary out-buildings, all of which is the result of
his own industry, with the exception of eighty acres.
Mr. Helser married, in 1870, Miss Sarah Long, a
native of Holmes county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and
Esther Long, who came from Pennsylvania and were early
pioneers of Ohio, but both now deceased. The union of
Mr. and Mrs. Helser has been blessed with three children,
viz.: Charles W., Thomas (deceased) and Louis O.
Mr. and Mrs. Helser are charger members of Jackson grange,
and have always been leading members, Mr. Helser having
been its purchasing agent since its organization - and this is
considered to be the finest grange in Ohio. Both are
members of the Lutheran church, which they liberally aid, and
Mr. Helser is a member of Sager lodge, No. 315, F. & A. M.,
and for five years has been its secretary. In politics he
is a democrat, and, though frequently solicited, has always
refused to accept nominations for office. He is public
spirited, and no man in the county stands higher in the esteem
of his neighbors than he.
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 311 |
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ALPHONSO D. HESSER
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Page 312 |
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LUCIAN E. HESSER
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Page 313 |
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DR. SALATHIEL A. HITCHCOCK
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 314 |
Rev. A. I. Hoeffel
St. John's Catholic Church, Delphos, Ohio
|
REV. FATHER A. I. HOEFFEL
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 318 |
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ISAAC
HOOVER, a well-known agriculturist of Marion township
Allen county, Ohio, was born in Fairfield county, August 29,
1833, and is an ex-soldier of the late Civil war. His
great-grand-father, Jacob, was a Pennsylvania - German,
was a patriot of the war of the Revolution, and reared a large
family to cultivate the soil and develope the resources
of the new-born republic. His son Jacob,
grandfather of our subject, was born in Lancaster county, Va.,
was a pioneer of Fairfield county, Ohio, married Mary Peters,
and became the father of a large family.
JOSEPH HOOVER, son of Jacob
and father of Isaac, our subject, was born in
Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1808, was a member of the State
militia when a young man, married Mary Sockrider, and
became the father of eight children, named as follows:
Michael, Catherine, Elizabeth and Ann (twins),
Isaac, and then the triplets, Jacob, Lydia and
Susannah. The prolific mother of this family died in
Fairfield county, and Mr. Hoover next married Mary
Neff, this union resulting in the birth of five children,
viz: Abraham, William Emeline, John and Sallie
In 1840 Joseph Hoover moved to Henry county, Ohio,
bought eighty acres of woodland and cleared up a good farm.
Here his second wife died, and for his third wife he secure
Mary Babcock, but to this union no children were born.
Mr. Hoover, who was a weaver was well as farmer,
accumulated quite a competency. He was a member or the
Patrons of Husbandry, a democrat in politics, a strong Union
man, and died in Henry county, in 1890, at the age of eight-one
years.
Isaac Hoover, being but three years of age when
he lost his mother, was placed in the care of his uncle, John
Sockrider, a black-smith and farmer of Wyandot county, Ohio,
with whom he remained until about fourteen years old; he then
went to work on a railroad, and made his living at various
occupations until, at the age of twenty-eight o twenty-nine
years, he enlisted, at Gomer, Allen county, Aug. 8, 1862, in
company E, Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, and served
until honorably discharged at Salisbury, N. C., June 24, 1865.
He fought at Perryville, Ky., at Stone River, at Tullahoma, and
in the second battle of Nashville; at the battle of Stone River
he was injured by a fragment of an exploding shell and for a
short time was confined in hospital, the result of the wound,
hover, being almost deafness and blindness.
In August, 1866, Mr. Hoover married Mrs. Anna
Hill, widow of William Hill, a member of the
Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteers, who was killed at the battle of
Stone River. This lady is a daughter of Jacob and
Hannah Roush, natives of Pennsylvania, and the parents of
six children, viz: Henry, Mary, Eliza, Joseph, Anna,
and Amelia. The first wife of Mr. Roush died
in Pennsylvania, and his second marriage took place in that
state to Eliza Holezapplle, by whom eight grew to
maturity, viz: Jane, Ellen, George W., Susan, Janet,
Charles, William and Ida. Mr. Roush
became a settler of Amanda township, Allen county, cleared up a
good farm from the woods, and died April 8, 1894, at the
advanced age of eighty-one years, a member of the United
Christian church. Two of his sons, Henry and
Joseph, were volunteers in the late Civil war serving in the
Ohio infantry.
After his marriage, Mr. Hoover settled on forty
acres of land in Marion township, Allen county, and this tract
has cleared from the woods, making a profitable farm and a
comfortable home. He has been blessed with two children -
John R. and Nettie, and has a very happy home. In
politics he is a democrat. In religion he and wife are
somewhat diverse in their faiths, one being a member of the
United Brethren church and the other of the United Brethren
church and the other of the Lutheran denomination, but their
domestic felicity is not marred by this difference in faith, and
both are sincere Christians,
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van Wert
Counties, Ohio -
Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 - Page 315 |
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M. J. HOSLER
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 316 |
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JOSEPH HOTZ
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 316 |
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HENRY HUBER
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Page 326 |
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EVAN HUMPHREYS
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SAMUEL HUNSAKER, J. P.,
one of the pioneer farmers of Allen county, Ohio, and an early
settler in Marion township, his present place of residence, was
born in Fairfield county, Ohio, May 20, 1832, and descends from
a very old Swiss family who settled in Pennsylvania in the early
colonial days.
The great-grandfather of our subject was one of the
original settlers of what is now known as Allegheny county, Pa.,
and both he and wife were slaughtered by Indians who made an
attack on their settlement, and, beside scalping the parents,
took prisoners three of their children, Jacob, Isaac and
a daughter whose name is not remembered by the present
generation. The scalps of the parents were sold or,
rather, presented at the headquarters of the British commandant
for the bounty offered; Jacob, the son, was finally
exchanged; Isaac, the second son, made his escape, and
later settled in Kentucky, but the fate of the daughter has ever
remained a mystery.
Jacob Hunsaker, grandfather of our subject and
the unfortunate Indian captive named above, was born where the
city of Pittsburg, Pa., now stands, about the year 1783, and was
about eight years of age when made a captive, he was taken to
Canada and turned over to an Indian chief named McKee,
who kept a trading post near the Falls of Niagara. Nine
years later, at the death of McKee, he was exchanged as a
prisoner and returned to Pennsylvania. About the year 1804
Jacob married Eliza Hoffman, a native of Lancaster
county, Pa., whose father had been a soldier under "Mad"
Anthony Wayne in his gallant expedition against the
tubulent Indians of the western part of what is now known as the
state of Ohio, and was killed in battle, below Fort Defiance, on
the Maumee river, in August, 1794. Shortly after their
marriage, in the same year, 1804. Jacob Hunsaker
settled in Rush Creek township, Fairfield county, Ohio, where he
and wife died in 1853 and 1854 respectively. There had
been born to Jacob and his wife three sons and three
daughters.
George Hunsaker, the eldest son of Jacob and
Elizabeth (Hoffman) Hunsaker, was born May 12, 1809, and
married, June 16, 1831, Mary Stemen, who was born Aug.
26, 1806, in Fairfield county, Ohio, her parents having come
from Greene county, Pa., in 1803, and in October, 1841, moving
to Sugar Creek township, Allen county, where the mother died
Aug. 23, 1844, and the father in October, 1855. George
Hunsaker and wife lived in Fairfield county three years, and
their son Samuel was born. In 1834 George
Hunsaker and wife moved to Perry county, where the remainder
of their children, four daughters and one son, were born - the
son dying in infancy, Apr. 25, 1849. In the year 1852,
George, wife and children - one son (Samuel) and four
daughters - came to Allen county and settled in the woods of
Marion township, three miles east of Delphos, on the land now
occupied by their son Samuel, our subject, and there
George and wife passed their remaining years, George
dying Jan. 9, 1877, and his widow June 12, 1883, both members of
the Baptist church in which Mr. Hunsaker had been a
deacon for many years, and a licensed preacher. He and
wife were among the founders of the present Baptist church in
Marion township, but their remains lie interred in the Mennonite
cemetery in Sugar Creek township. In politics Mr.
Hunsaker was a democrat, and for about twelve years served
as justice of the peace, was township supervisor, and for many
years member of the school board, and in every way a prominent
citizen.
The children born to George and Mary Hunsaker
were named as follows: Samuel, our subject; Elizabeth,
who died in 1881, mother of four children: Lydia, now
Mrs. Herring; Annie, now Mrs.
Brenneman; Mary, now Mrs. Chamberlin,
and Henry, who died in infancy. In his young
manhood, George Hunsaker was a school-teacher,
gave instruction in |both the German and English languages, and
followed the profession for two years after he had married.
He was a typical pioneer and frontiersman. He cleared up
his first farm of 144 acres in Perry county, Ohio, and on coming
to Allen county cleared up from the woods, near the Auglaize
river, all but twenty acres of a tract of 270 acres, assisted by
his son Samuel. He added to his property until he
owned 320 acres in one body in Marion township and eighty acres
in Amanda township, Allen county, and 160 acres in Van Wert
county—a total of 560 acres—all of which he had accumulated by
his industry and good management. He was a gentleman of
extended acquaintance and was well informed on all
subjects—especially the law— and had the confidence of all
neighbors, who frequently intrusted him with the management of
their legal affairs, and no man in Marion township was ever more
sincerely respected or more conscientiously honored than he.
Samuel Hunsaker, the gentleman whose name opens
this memoir, was educated in the district schools for a course
of home study and the reading of good, solid, standard books,
which were always at his command; and he was also a close
student of the Bible. He was reared to farming on the home
place in Perry county, Ohio, and when about twenty years of age
came with his father to Allen county— Oct. 20, 1852— he being
the only living son and consequently the constant companion of
his father. On reaching his majority, the two entered into
a business compact by which it was arranged that the son should
receive a percentage of the crops. Samuel Hunsaker
was united in matrimony, Dec. 13, 1866, with Miss
Petronella Huyssman, who was born Mar. 10, 1844, in the
province of North Brabant, in the southern part of Holland, and
is a daughter of Henry and Petronella (Kortier) Huyssman.
Her father, Henry Huyssman, came from Holland to America
in 1848, and settled in Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio,
where he cleared up from the woods a good farm of 120 acres.
He and wife were members of the German Reform church, and reared
a respectable family of children, viz: Wilhelmina, Mary,
Aaron, Walter, Petronella and Andrico,
all born in Holland, and Cornelius and Hern, born
in America. After his marriage, Mr. Hunsaker
first settled on a 100-acre farm adjoining his father’s
land, and on this he resided fifteen years and then moved on the
original homestead and into the old dwelling, which had been
erected by his father in 1855. He now owns 300 acres of
fine farming land and is in a very prosperous condition
generally. In religion Mrs. Hunsaker is a
Methodist, but Mr. Hunsaker is independent in
matters spiritual; he is, nevertheless, very liberal in his aid
to the churches in a pecuniary sense. As a pioneer he has
taken great interest in the schools of the township and in the
construction of good roads. In politics he is a democrat,
has been a member of the board of education ten years, has been
its president five wars, and has been supervisor of the township
three years; in 1893 he was elected justice of the peace, and
now holds court in the same room where his father dispensed
justice wars ago for twenty-two years he has been a Patron of
Husbandry and has held all the offices in his grange, except
that of master.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Hunsaker is been
made happy by the birth of ten children, as follows: Augusta,
born Nov. 1, 1867, the wife of John W. Miller, and the
mother of one child; Nellie W., born Jan. _, 1860, wife
of Edward Porter and the mother of three children
(one deceased); George H., born Sept. 29, 1870, and
married to Annie Myers; Louisa, born Mar.
12, 1872; Mary, born Jan. 3, 1874, now Mrs.
Joseph Tilden and the mother of two children; Emma
H., born Jan, 27, 1876; Samuel, born May 2, 1878 and died
Sept. 1, 1878; Aaron, born Mar. 11, 1880; Lydia E.,
born Sept. 11, 1882 and William Clarence, born
Sept. 6, 1885.
Squire Hunsaker has always been a public
spirited gentleman, and ever ready to advance all undertakings,
whether of a private or public character, in which the interests
of the public at large are benefited. He inherites
the enterprising and liberal nature of his father, George
Hunsaker, who was one of the early stockholders in the
First National Bank, of Delphos, and the National bank of
Delphos, and our subject was a stockholder even in the days of
his father.
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