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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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HON. JAMES MACKENZIE
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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JOHN M. MARSH, M. D.
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
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BENJAMIN F. MARSHALL
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J. R. MARSHALL
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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SUMNER F. MASON,
now a practical and well-to-do farmer of Bath township, Allen
county, Ohio, and an ex-soldier of the late Civil War, was born
in Remsen township, Oneida county, N. Y., in the year of 1831,
and was but three years of age when brought by his parents to
Allen county, Ohio.
Jarvis Mason, father of our subject, was born in
Massachusetts, Jan. 6, 1789, and was a son of Elisha Mason,
who lived and died in that state, served as a soldier in the war
of 1812-15. He married, in New York state, Miss
Elizabeth Hall, who was born June 10, 1799, a daughter of
Enoch Hall, and this union resulted in the birth of fifteen
children, as follows: Eliza, wife of Almond S.
Harrington; Franklin, Lorrie, deceased wife of George
Long; Jane was married to NAthan Hartshorn and who is
now a resident of Defiance county, Ohio; Janet deceased
wife of John Shinaberry of Mercer county, Ohio; Julia
and Eugenia, deceased; Summer F. our subject;
Alden, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased wife of James
Boyd; Zalmon R., of Bath township; Marcus D.;
Sarah H., deceased; Nancy A., wife of Philip
Roush, of Bath township, and Sarah H., wife of
James Neily. After living in New York state a
number of years, Jarvis Mason removed to Cheshire,
Mass., but subsequently returned to the Empire state, where he
resided until 1834, when he came to Ohio and entered eighty-nine
acres of land in Bath township, Allen county, and here cleared
up an excellent farm. In 1854 he made a visit to
Massachusetts, and on his way homeward contracted cholera, from
which he died at his home July 21, 1854, Ins remains being
interred in Blue Lick cemetery, Bath township. He was a
warm member of the Methodist church, and in politics a democrat,
serving for a number of years as supervisor of Bath township.
His widow survived him until November, 1895, dying at the home
of her son, our subject.
Sumner F. Mason was reared on the home farm in
Bath township until eighteen years of age, when he began
learning the carpenter’s trade, which he followed until the
breaking out of the Civil war in 1861, when he enlisted in
company B, Eighty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, under Col.
Thomas Morton. He fought at Pittsburg
Landing, Iuka, and Corinth. Later, with some comrades, he
was detailed to bring some supplies to camp, and while in the
performance of this duty was captured by guerrillas at the mouth
of Duck river, Sept. 1, 1862, was held there for three months
and then exchanged, when he rejoined his regiment at Corinth,
Miss. Mr. Mason also participated in all the
engagements of the Atlanta campaign, including Dalton, Buzzards’
Roost, Snake Creek Gap, Resaca, Big Shanty, Kenesaw Mountain,
Rossville, Decatur, Atlanta (July 22 to 28), Jonesboro, Lovejoy
Station, East Point, all in Georgia, and was in a number of
minor engagements and lively skirmishes, was in the grand review
at Washington, D. C., and was finally mustered out July 21,
1865, at Camp Dennison, Ohio, receiving an honorable discharge.
In 1873 Mr. Mason married Marilla,
daughter of Peter Snyder, of Allen county, and
this union has been blessed by the birth of one child,
Alfonso, who lives with his father in Bath township, where
Mr. Mason owns a hue farm of eighty acres, which
he has greatly improved and beautified and rendered profitable.
Mr. Mason was a brave, true and faithful
soldier, and as a citizen has manifested the same commendable
qualities, performing his full duty in all his relations to his
fellow-men.
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
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EDWIN E. McCALL
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ROBERT W. McCLURE,
an enterprising and progressive young farmer of Jackson
township, is a son of the first white child born in Allen
county, Ohio, and is a grandson of one of the earliest pioneers
of the state.
Samuel McClure, grandfather of our subject,
Robert W., was a native of Harrison county, Ky., born Nov.
17, 1793, was there reared to manhood, and served from that
state as a private in the war of 1812. The war being ended
he moved to Ohio and located in Champaign county, where he
engaged in farming and was first married to Margaret Watt, who
was born July 6, 1800, the union resulting in the birth of
twelve children, viz.: Sarah A., Nathaniel, Mary, Thomas,
Moses, Elizabeth, Nancy, Cynthia, Margaret, Samuel, Robert,
and an infant that died unnamed. Mr. McClure came
to Allen county Nov. 17, 1825, and by a second wife, who was
born in 1834, had born to him eleven children, viz.: John,
Catherine, Isabel, James, Esther, Eliza, Joseph, Newton,
Alexander, Benjamin and William The father,
Samuel McClure, was a man of generous impulses, was an
active member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and exercised a
wide influence for good in the communities in which he had
lived.
Moses McClure, father of Robert W., was
born Dec. 1, 1826, and, as intimated above, was the first white
child born in Allen county, and is sitll living within sight of
his birthplace in Jackson township. He has always been
engaged in agricultural pursuits, and has accumulated many
acres, still owning a large farm, although he has generously
aided his children with gifts of land. His first marriage
took place July 23, 1848, the bride being Elizabeth Murray,
who was born in Highland county, Ohio, Feb. 8, 1831, a daughter
of John Murray. This lady died Mar. 7, 1855, the
mother of two children - Martha (now deceased) and
Margaret T. The second marriage of Moses McClure
was solemnized Oct. 18, 1855, with Elizabeth K. Greer, of
Montgomery county, Ohio, a daughter of Joshua and Rebecca
(Pierson) Greer, and born Jan. 18, 1836. Mr. and
Mrs. Greer were originally from New Jersey, but afterward
lived in Kentucky a number of years, and in 1841 settled in
Allen county, Ohio. To the second union of Mr. and Mrs.
McClure have been born eight children, in the following
order: John M., who is married to Clarissa
Dotson; Isaac, married to Margaret Dotson; Rebecca,
wife of J. Sweeter; Robert W., the subject of this
mention; Samuel L., Joshua G., Moses A. and Cynthia A.
The father of these two families of children, Moses McClure
is one of the most prominent citizens of Jackson township, and
has done much to promote its progressiveness. He is a
stanch republican in politics and a pillar of the Christian
church. In addition to his large farming interests he
gives some attention to financ__ering, and is a stockholder and
director in the Metropolitan bank of Lima.
Robert W. McClure, whose name opens this
biography, was born in Jackson township, Allen county, Ohio,
June 20, 1863, received a very good common-school education and
has always been a farmer. Nov. 23, 1884, he was united in
the bonds of matrimony with Miss Cora B. Bresler who was
born Oct. 7, 1866, a daughter of Henry and Lovey (Woolet)
Bresler of Bath township- the happy union being now blessed
with five children, viz: Lovey G., Silva M., Harvey E., Clara
M., and Fary In politics Mr. McClure is
a thorough republican. He is very energetic in his
industry and has a model farm of seventy acres, improved with a
good new barn and all other necessary out-buildings and a tasty
cottage. He largely shares the respect of which the family
is held by the community, and his present prosperity augurs well
for the future.
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
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WILLIAM McCOMB, JR.
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
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McCULLOUGH FAMILY
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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A. J.
McFARLAND was born at Sandyville, Tuscarawas County,
Ohio, May 31, 1835. Remaining on the farm until 1859, he
was then married. During 1861 and 1862 he served in the
home guard, and in August, 1862, he enlisted for three years in
company E, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio volunteer infantry,
which was assigned to the army of the Potomac. He was in
nineteen regular battles, and by a concussion lost the use of
one ear. On the morning of May 6, 1864, he was wounded in
his left leg by a piece of shell, lay on the field all that day
and the following night, and on the morning of the 7th was
captured by the Twenty-sixth Georgia Confederate infantry, and,
with 800 others, was taken to Lynchburg, Va. He was
bayonetted by one of the guards, taken to Danville, and two
weeks later, to Andersonville, where he was stripped of clothing
and of everything of value. Six months afterward he was
taken to Florence, S. C., where he remained until the close of
the war. Returning home he remained four months, then went
down to Columbus, where he was honorably discharged.
Generally he was a farmer and a teacher before the war. and for
some time after. He served as township clerk, and as
postmaster at West Cairo about nine years, during the
administrations of Garfield and Harrison.
Elected councilman, he served in that capacity for some time,
and also as clerk of the council about twelve years. Since
1881 he has been a notary public.
A. J. McFarland is a son of John and Margaret
(Shuse) McFarland, respectively of Pennsylvania-Dutch and
Scotch descent, the former a farmer by occupation, and in
politics a Henry Clay whig and then a republican, dying
at Sandyville in October, 1876. He was married twice, the
subject being the third child by the first marriage. A.
J. McFarland was married to Miss Sarah Craig, a
daughter of John and Susan Craig, the former dying in
1893, the latter still living at the age of seventy-seven.
To this marriage there have been born no children, but Mr.
and Mrs. McFarland have reared three orphans, one boy and
two girls. Mr. McFarland has always been a
republican, and both he and his wife are members of the
Christian church.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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DAVID
McPHERRON, one of the most successful agriculturists of
Perry township, Allen county, Ohio, is the eleventh child of a
family of fourteen children born to William and Jane (McCamish)
McPherron, of whom further mention will be made a little
further on, thus permitting a few remarks touching the ancestral
history of the subject of this sketch.
JAMES McPHERRON, the paternal grandfather of our
subject, was a native of Ireland, probably of the northern part of
that island, and undoubtedly of Scottish extraction, as his name
would imply. However, he came to America prior to the revolt of
the colonies against the tyranny of the British government, and
settled in Greene county, Tenn., bringing with him his wife and
three children who were born in the old country, he having there
married and having had born to him the following children —some of
Irish birth and some of American nativity: James, John,
Robert, William and a daughter, Betsey, who
was married to David Logan.
WILLIAM McPHERRON, father of our subject, was
born in 1781, doubtless in Tennessee, where he learned the
blacksmith's trade, which for many years he carried on in
connection with the making of gunbarrels, at which he was an
expert, and also engaged in farming and distilling while still a
resident of Tennessee. In 1835 he came to Ohio and located a mile
and a half east of the village of Liberty, then in Champaign
county, but, by division of territory, now in Montgomery county,
where he followed his trade for two years, and then, in 1837, came
to Allen county purchased eighty acres of land in section No. 10,
Perry township, and here laid the foundation of a fortune. He
first erected his blacksmith shop, then cleared up his farm, which
he wrought out from the wilderness and made to '' blossom as the
rose." He made a name and fame for himself throughout the
surrounding country as a gunmaker and was probably the best
blacksmith that the township of Perry saw for many years. As a
farmer he had few equals, and no one, in that early day, was more
active than he in advancing the interests of his township. In
politics a democrat, he served his fellow citizens as township
trustee, and was a most public-spirited citizen in all respects.
In religion he was an adherent of the New School Baptists, and in
that faith he died on his farm in 1844, lamented and honored by
his family and an extended circle of friends. The children who
blessed the prolific union of William and Jane (McCamish)
McPherron were named in order of birth as follows: James,
who died in Illinois; Elizabeth was married to David
Logan and died in Indiana; William also died in
Indiana; Margaret, who became the wife of William
Goetz, ended her days, also, in the state of Indiana; John
died in Dayton, Ohio; Thomas died in Indiana; Samuel died
in Miami county, Ohio; Susan, wife of Samuel
Crossley, died in Perry township, Allen county, Ohio;
Andrew, the ninth child, died in Indiana; George died
in Perry township, Allen county, Ohio; David is still
living in the township last mentioned; where Alexander, the
twelfth child, passed away his life; Martha, now Mrs.
Wilson, is a resident of Terre Haute, Ind., where the
fourteenth child, Mary A., ended her days, the wife of
Henry Lippincott.
David McPherron, the subject of this
memoir, was born Oct. 12, 1823; in Greene county, Tenn., and
came with his father to Ohio in 1835, and, being a mere lad at
that time, received the greater part of his education in the
pioneer schools of Tennessee—log structures that they were, but
filled with a spirit of struggling ambition to acquire knowledge.
He was early inured to the toil of farm life, became a thorough
agriculturist, and on reaching his majority purchased the home
farm and filially cared for his beloved mother until her death in
1854. He then purchased forty acres in Perry township, which he
cleared up and turned into a neat and comfortable farm, but did
not long hold his residence there, as he chose to go to Indiana,
where he bought 130 acres in the northern part of the state, and
also purchased 360 acres across the border line in
Michigan. After a residence of four years in Indiana, however, he
returned to Ohio and purchased a farm of eighty acres in Perry
township, Allen county, and here has since made his home.
The first marriage of Mr. McPherron was
with Miss Mareitta P. Lippencott, who
died Mar. 10, 1869, leaving three children, viz: Morgan;
Elizabeth, wife of John Scott, and Rillia,
wife of John Burgess. The second choice of Mr.
McPherron as a helpmate was Mrs. Mary
Logan, who bore the maiden name of Graham, and whom he
married in 1870. In his politics Mr. McPherron
has always been a democrat, and by that party has been elected to
fill all, or nearly all, the offices of his township; in religion
the Christian church recognizes in him a true and faithful member.
In his farming industry he has always made a success, although for
several years he added brick making to his agricultural pursuits,
and from that industry also derived a handsome income. He is today
one of the most prominent citizens of Perry township, which he has
seen developed from a wilderness into a central home of modern
civilization, this happy consummation being the result, to a great
extent, of his own personal efforts.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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JAMES B. McWILLIAMS, M. D.
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ELI MECHLING,
one of the most successful farmers of Perry township, Allen
county, Ohio; was born on his present homestead in October,
1836, and is of Pennsylvania-German origin, his ancestors having
been among the prominent settlers of Westmoreland county, Pa.,
and their descendents are still eminent in the professional and
mercantile world of western Pennsylvania.
William Mechling, grandfather of our subject, in
1812 came from Westmoreland county, Pa., to Perry county, Ohio,
and purchased a quarter-section of land in Hopewell township -
this being a part of fourteen quarter-sections his
father-in-law, Mechling, had entered some time
previously. William had married, for his wife, a
Miss Mechling, to which union were born Joshua William,
Louisa, Jacob and Samuel. To his second
marriage, which was with mrs. Catherine Rice or Ryson,
who bore the maiden name of Saum, were born the following
children: Elizabeth, Mrs. P. Richards; Sheppard,
deceased; John, who died in Perry township, Allen county,
Ohio; David, of Illinois; Tena, who became Mrs.
Joans Bibler; Levi, who served in the late war in an
Indiana regiment, but died in Illinois; Jonas, who was
killed in LaFayette (Ohio) stave factory.
William Mechling, who died in 1855, aged
seventy-one years, had entered, in 1832, in sections Nos. 18 and
30, in Perry township, Allen county, 1,168 acres, which he gave
to his children, parceled as follows: To Joshua, 206
acres; to John, 100 acres; to Elizabeth Richards,
100 acres; to David, 100 acres; to Samuel, 200
acres; to Hannah, 105 acres; to Louisa, 267
acres; to Levi, 100 acres. The father, William
Mechling, was a very prominent as a democrat and for some
years served as a justice of the peace. He carried on
farming on a very extensive scale and was moreover a very
liberal man and sincere Christian, and donated to the township
an acre of land in the southeast corner of section No. 18 for
church and school purposes.
Joshua Mechling, son of William and
father of Eli Mechling, was born in Westmoreland county,
Pa., in 1809, and came to Perry county, Ohio, with his father.
He was here reared to farming, received a common-school
education, and was married, Mar. 27, 1834, to Miss Sophia,
daughter of Gotfried Weimer, who came from Somerset
county, Pa., to Perry county, Ohio, having been born Oct. 8,
1810. Apr. 17, 1836, Mr. Mechling moved to Perry
township, Allen county, and settled on the farm owned and
occupied by his son Eli. This farm he cleared up
from the woods and passed on it the remainder of his life, dying
Dec. 17, 1879, his remains being interred in the Lutheran
churchyard.
His widow survived until 1893, when she, too, passed
away from this homestead, on which fifty-nine years of her life
had been spent, in the enjoyment of as much happiness as usually
falls to the lot of mankind. The children born to
Joshua and Sophia Mechling were named as follows: Harriet,
widow of John Brentlinger, who died from exposure while
serving in the army; Eli, our subject, now living on the
old homestead; Hannah, who was married to George
Ridenour, she and her husband being now both deceased;
William L., living in Lima, Ohio; Elizabeth, died in
infancy; Simon, who died in Kansas, in 1893; Maria,
wife of W. T. Rimes, of Shawnee township, Allen county,
Ohio; Martha, wife of Aaron Alberts, and
Sophia, wife of E. V. Ridenour.
Eli Mechling, the eldest son of Joshua
Mechling, is the gentleman whose name opens this
biographical memoir, and was educated in the public schools of
Perry township, Allen county, Ohio, where he was reared to
farming on his native homestead, to sixty acres of which he fell
heir; he subsequently purchased forty acres of the old farm,
thus making a compact but spacious place of residence, on which
he has erected a handsome dwelling and substantial farm
buildings, necessary for the successful prosecution of his
calling—in which he stands at the head. In politics he is
a stanch democrat, and is very popular as well as influential
with his party, with whom he has actively worked and served for
years, and in the local management of which he is a prime
factor. He has filled the positions of township trustee and
clerk, and Mar. 13, 1895, was appointed county infirmary
director. In religion Mr. Mechling is a Lutheran,
and was one of the founders of the Lutheran society of Perry
township, to the erection of whose church edifice, in 1856, he
contributed very liberally; he has served as church trustee and
for years has been a deacon, and in every way has taken an
active part in advancing the prosperity of the organization, and
has shown in his daily deportment the sincerity of his faith in
its teachings.
Mr. Mechling was united in wedlock with Miss
Sarah Ridenour, daughter of John Ridenour, born May
27, 1842, of which family further may be read in the biography
of S. O. Ridenour, on another page of this volume.
The children that blessed the union of Mr. and Mrs. Mechling
were two in number, and were named Louis L., deceased,
and Milton A., who married Ollie Hoskins, and now
manages the home farm. This farm, beside being under the
highest possible state of cultivation, and being a model from an
agricultural point of view, has within its bounds no less than
nine producing oil wells, which are a source of considerable
income. Mr. Mechling is a pushing man of
business and has an extended circle of acquaintances, while as a
politician he is far-seeing, sound, shrewd and loyal to his
party.
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ROBERT MEHAFFEY
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JOHN MERICLE
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CHARLES A. METHEANY
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JOSEPH MEYER, of
Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is prominent as a carpenter
and contractor, as well as saw-mill proprietor, of Landeck, and
also a successful farmer of the township. He was born in
the village of Willmergen, in the canton of Aargau, Switzerland,
Feb. 2, 1858, of German stock.
JACOB MEYER,
father of our subject, was also a native of Switzerland, was
town clerk of Willmergen, and married Miss Elizabeth
Kock, who became the mother
of three children Josephine, John and
Joseph. The father of this family died in his native
canton about the year 1864, when about fifty years of age, being
a devout member of the Catholic church; his widow still resides
in her native mountain village, at the age of sixty-five years.
Joseph Meyer, our subject, was six years
old when he lost his father, but received a very good education
in the excellent common schools of the little republic of
Switzerland. In 1872, at the age of fourteen years, he
left home in company with his brother, John, and came to
America under the auspices of Rev. Father Brem, also a
native of Switzerland and the pastor of the Catholic church at
Landeck. Father Brem sometime afterward
became nearly blind and returned to Switzerland, where he passed
a blessed life to eternity. He had been greatly loved by
his congregation in Landeck and left many friends there to mourn
his loss. Mr. Meyer, now about fifteen years
old, first worked out as a farm hand, and then learned the
carpenter’s trade and in an incredibly short time engaged in
contracting and building on his own account. He married
Miss Emma Shaffer, daughter of John and
Julia (Sheeter) Shaffer, and this union has been crowned by
the birth of four children, named Loretta, Bertha,
Martha, and Oswald. The father
of Mrs. Meyer, John Shaffer, is one
of the oldest settlers of Landeck and is the father of seven
children, to-wit: Jacob, Mary, Louis, Frank, Emma, Henry
and Peter. Mr. Shaffer is now seventy-eight years
of age and is greatly respected for the purity of his character
and honored as one of the founders of the town.
After his marriage Mr. Meyer settled in
Landeck, where he has since made his home. He engaged in
the saw-mill business in 1884, buying out Jacob
Shaffer, and this he has since continued in connection with
his contracting and building, and has been very prosperous, as a
result of his honest and liberal method of doing business.
In 1892 he bought sixty acres of farming land, and has it
already - well improved and tilled. His town residence,
how ever, he erected in 1889, and this is one of the most
tasteful and convenient in Landeck. In religion Mr.
Meyer and family are all devoted Catholics, and in
politics Mr. Meyer is a democrat. He is
still a young man, and success as a business man results from
his indomitable industry, correct judgment and mechanical skill
chiefly, but a great deal of it may be awarded to the strict
honesty which characterizes his every transaction-and the
absence of all desire to avail himself of petty advantages that
may offer in the execution of a contract. His
fellow-citizens have indeed learned that "his word is as good as
his bond.”
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Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
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JOHN MILL
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
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THE MILLER FAMILY
- One of the most distinguished families of Allen county is that
whose history is here briefly traced. The founder of this
family in America was Stephen Miller, a native of
Holland, who in 1750 left that country and settled in Vermont,
subsequently removing to Brock's Gap, Va., with several of his
children, where he continued to live until 1806, when he and one
of his sons were killed by Indians. While facts in regard
to the lives of his children are somewhat meager, yet it is
known that four of them, William, George, Abraham and
Daniel, removed with him to Virginia. The family was
afterward separated, part going to Pennsylvania, while the
others removed to Ross county, Ohio, with the exception of
Daniel, who remained in Virginia.
GEORGE MILLER
was born in 1762 in
Vermont and it is with his descendants that this sketch has to
deal. After the arrival of the family in Virginia, he
married Miss Mary Custer of that state, in which state
for sometime he pursued the trade of tanner, but at length, as
has been intimated above, removed to Ross county, Ohio, where he
lived until his death. He and his wife, Mary were
the parents of the following children: Stephen,
Ferdinand, Benjamin, Joseph, George, Mary, who became
Mrs. Murphy; and Rachel, who married a Mr. John.
Ferdinand, the second son of George, was
born in 1795, was reared in Virginia, was by occupation a
carpenter and farmer, and served in the war of 1812 as a colonel
from commencement to the close. He married Miss Keturah
Carr, by whom he had the following children:
Charles; Israel; Isaac, who died in Ohio; Joseph, who
served as a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and also died
in Ohio; Austin, who was a veteran in the same war, and
who now lives in Van Wert; Jesse, also a veteran in the
Rebellion and who died in Allen county; William; Curtis,
all of whom served in the Rebellion except the first named son;
Solomon, who now lives in Allen county; Sarah,
wife of John Heisler, of Kansas; Keturah, wife of
Samuel Herring; Kesiah, wife of William Lettle.
Ferdinand Miller settled in Amanda township, Allen county,
he coming to Fort Amanda in the winter of 1823-4 and there took
up eighty acres of government land, which he subsequently sold
and purchased eighty acres more. From this fact it may be
readily inferred that he was one of the early settlers of that
township, and upon his land he lived and labored in the manner
of the pioneer the remainder of his days, dying in Amanda
township, his wife Keturah having died some years
previously.
JOSEPH MILLER, the third son of
Ferdinand, who is mentioned above as a soldier in the war
of the Rebellion, was born in October, 1823, in Ross county,
Ohio, but was reared in Allen county, educated in the common
schools and learned the trade of a carpenter. In 1864 he
joined what is known as the home guards, and served ninety days.
He settled on eighty acres of land, which he entered in section
No. 26, forty acres of which he subsequently sold, and purchased
forty acres in section No. 34, adjoining. Upon this farm
he lived, improving it into a good and fertile piece of
property, and died in May, 1883. Politically Mr. Miller
was a republican, and was an active worker for his party's
success.
Joseph Miller married Miss Minerva J. Shock,
daughter of Samuel Shock, of Allegheny county, Pa., who
settled in Amanda township, Allen county. To this marriage
there were born eight children, viz.: Azariah D., Mary
A., Elizabeth, William F., of Lima, Ohio; Hanibal, of
Fort Worth, Texas; Solomon, of Lima, Ohio; Wilson C.
and Charles W. both of whom are living on the old farm.
AZARIAH D. MILLER, eldest son of
Joseph, was born June 18, 1853, upon the homestead in
Amanda township, and received his education in the common
schools. So well did he improve his opportunities that he
began teaching at the age of sixteen years, in district school
No. 7. He was devotedly attached to the profession of
teaching and followed it successfully for twenty-five years, and
closed his career in this line of labor in the same district in
which he began. With the exception of one term, when he
taught in Elida, he taught the entire twenty-five years in
Amanda township. During the many years thus spent,
however, Mr. Miller spent some time attending the schools
at Lima, and also in the National Normal school at Lebanon,
Warren county, Ohio, in order that his own education might be
more complete and that he might be better qualified for the
performance of his duties; and it is doubtless owing in part to
this course that he met with such extraordinary success.
In 1871 - 2 he was book-keeper for the agent of the Pennsylvania
Railroad company, in its freight and express business, at Elida,
and at the same time was clerk for Rice & Leist, and
afterward for G. W. Moore, merchants at that place.
In 1876 he married Darthula Place, daughter of James
and Susan Place, soon afterward purchasing a farm in Amanda
township. In 1877 he was elected assessor of that
township, and in 1878 was elected justice of the peace, filling
the latter office for five years. While he was engaged in
teaching he had made a special study of the law books from the
office of McKenzie & Robb, and in 1885, as a member of
the firm of Remington & Miller, began the practice
of that profession, which hs continued until 1887, when,
being burned out and losing all his law library, he discontinued
the practice, and retired to his farm. From his time on
until Feb. 9, 1894, he was engaged in farming and
contracting, but on the latter date he was appointed clerk of
the probate court, and has continued to fill this position until
the present time. Politically Mr. Miller is a
democrat and always takes great interest in his party's
prosperity. He has been a member of the county central
committee for several years, and once filled the office of
secretary, as such practically managing the campaign in 1890 in
Allen county. Fraternally Mr. Miller is a Knight of
Pythias, of which lodge he was one of the charter members - also
a charter member of Mount Lebanon lodge, of Lima. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is altogether one
of the most prominent men in Allen county. Mr. and Mrs.
Miller are the parents of the following children:
Lehr E., Fredia G., Susan A., James J. and Mabel, all
bright and intelligent children.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
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Page 393 |
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BENJAMIN MILLER,
of Beaver Dam, Allen county, was born in Highland county, Ohio,
about 1825, and is the eldest of twelve children born in
Christopher and Esther (Fullerton) Miller, both natives of
Ohio. Christopher Miller, was a wealthy farmer, who
removed from Madison county, Ohio, to Allen county, in 1833.
Here he entered eight acres of land, to which the following fall
he moved his family, and began clearing and improving.
Continuing to improve and to add to his estate, he at length
came to be worth $75,900, notwithstanding he began with less
than $500. Following are the names of his children:
Benjamin, Alexander, Andrew, Peter, Mary S., Elizabeth,
Lydia, John W., Dichia, Christina, Josiah and Barbara.
Of these only Benjamin, Barbara and Peter now
survive. The father of these children died in 1875, the
mother having died some years before.
Benjamin Miller has been married twice - first,
to Eliza Tipton, by whom he had six children, as follows:
Freeling H., Mahala, Commodore D., Mary E., Elia E., and
William T. The mother of these children died in
1875, and Mr. Miller married, in 1877, Mrs. A. Davis,
a daughter of Jonathan Lewis, an early settler of the
county. To this second marriage there were born no
children. Mr. Miller is a republican in politics
and a member of the United Brethren church. His eldest son
and one of his brothers enlisted in the army of the Union during
the Civil war, the son being killed in battle and the brother
dying of wounds received in defense of his country.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen &
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896
- Page 570 |
Hon. John J. Miller |
HON.
JOHN J. MILLER,
mayor of Spencerville and notary public, was born in Spencer
township, Allen county, May 27, 1857, and was the son of
Joseph R. and Sarah (Berry)
Miller. The mother is now
dead, but the father lives in Spencerville. John J.,
was reared on the farm and educated in the common schools and
began teaching when twenty years of age, which vocation he
followed for twelve years during the winter, farming in the
summer. During this time he was elected to the office of
justice of the peace of Spencer township two different times,
and resigned the last term in order to move to Spencerville.
He was also elected to fill the office of township trustee when
but twenty-four years of age. In 1889 he was elected land
appraiser of Spencer township, decennial appraiser in 1890; in
1890 was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of John H.
Dunathen as mayor, and the following spring was elected to
the office and has twice been elected since. Mr. Miller
has made an excellent mayor, and his incumbency has been
characterized by marked advancement and improvement in the
government of the town, as well as in material improvements.
He aided in organizing the Cooperage company of Spencerville in
1892 and incorporated it with a capital stock of $10,000, and of
this he has always been secretary. He has also been
secretary of the Home and Savings association since 1893.
Meanwhile he does a lively insurance business, both of life and
fire, and is withal one of the busiest men in the town. He
owns fifty-eight acres of good oil-producing property, and also
a neat place in Spencerville. His real estate transactions
are heavy, doing an extensive business at home and abroad.
Farm loans are likewise a specialty with him, and he is in every
respect an all-around business man - such a one as is necessary
in every community. He is a member of the Knights of
Pythias lodge, No. 251, also a member of U. R. of K. of P.,
Spencerville division, No. 60, having passed the chairs of the
subordinate and was a representative to the grand lodge in 1892,
at Columbus, Ohio.
Dec. 24, 1878, Mr. Miller was married to Miss
Naoma Hullinger, daughter of Eli and Nancy A. (Russell)
Hullinger. She was born in Perry township.
Mayor Miller and wife are the parents of six children -
Jesse E., Sallie, Russell Ray, Cannor, Homer, and Willie
(deceased). Both are members of the Christian church
and active workers in the society. Politically Mayor
Miller is a democrat and is a wheel-horse of his party.
That Spencerville prospers goes without saying when it can bosat
of such men as the one of whom this sketch is written.
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Page 394 |
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WILLIAM FINLEY MILLS
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Henry J. Moennig |
HENRY J. MOENNIG
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Page 513 |
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FRANK MOENTER
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Page 399 |
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JOHN HENRY MOENTER
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Page 398 |
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THOMAS MONTAGUE
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EDWARD MOORMAN,
the representative of the Moorman family in Allen county,
Ohio, was born Feb. 15, 1856, in Amanda township. He is a
son of William and Nancy (Arnold) Moorman, both of whom
are now deceased. They came to Allen county from Fayette
county, Ohio, in 1830. The great-grandfather of Edward
Moorman, our subject, was a native of Ireland; the father of
"Ed.," as he was familiarly called, was a gun and
blacksmith by trade, following these pursuits the greater part
of his life. When he came to this country he settled in
section No. 32, Amanda township, where he made his home for a
fifth of a century, during which time he erected the Hartford
Christian church, furnishing material and building it at his own
expense, and at its completion donating it to the society.
He was engaged in the ministry of the Christian church for
nearly forty years prior to his death, riding on horseback as
far as forty miles to preach. At Vaughnsville, Ohio, he
filled the pulpit for ten years, where he had a large and
nourishing church. He was distinguished as having preached
more funeral sermons than any other clergyman in the conference,
and received the largest salary, but returned it all back to the
church. He lived in Spencerville for six or seven years,
and during this period donated the site and $700 toward the
erection of the Christian church, and also gave his labor in
building the same. He aided in building many Christian
churches in the country and was the first minister in this
society who held service in Delphos, Ohio. He was an
untiring laborer in the vineyard of Christ, and a pioneer
and advance guard in many good and Godly works. In 1871 he moved
with his family to the farm on which Ed. Moorman,
our subject, now lives, in section 29, Amanda township.
The original plat contained 300 acres, which the
father sold off, and in the year 1884 moved to Spencerville,
where he died, Feb. 14, 1885. His active pursuit was that
of milling, and he owned a flour and woolen-mill in the village.
As justice of the peace he served a number of terms extending
over a period of twenty-one years. He was twice married;
the first time to Miss Walters, who died early in
life, leaving one child, a daughter, Elizabeth, also
deceased. His second wife was Miss Nancy
Arnold, who bore him eleven children, and died in 1886.
The following are their names: Calvin, a farmer of
Spencer township; Louisa, wife of William Bice, Jr.,
of Spencerville; Levi, Samantha, Mary and
Rebecca, deceased; James, of Amanda township;
Edward; John, a barber in Spencerville; Lucetta,
deceased; and Patience, the wife of C. Purdy, of
Spencerville.
Our subject was educated in the public schools, and
when he arrived at majority began life for himself, choosing
farming ns an occupation, and working his father’s place,
uniting
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Page 402 |
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JOHN P. MORGAN
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Page 404 |
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RICHARD J. MORGAN
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Page 403 |
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EDWARD MORRIS
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Page 405 |
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JAMES T. MORRIS
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DAVID B. MOYERS,
one of the thrifty and well-to-do farmers of Sugar Creek
township, Allen county, Ohio, was born on his present farm
Dec. 6, 1842, received a good education in the district
schools, was reared to farming, and served as a volunteer during
the late Civil war.
Henry Moyers, the grandfather of our subject,
was of German descent, was a farmer of
Frederick county, Va. , where he married and reared the
following children: Elizabeth, John, Isaac, Daniel, Jacob and
Henry H., of whom Isaac, Daniel and Henry
became settlers of Ohio, and Jacob of Illinois, near
Whitehall, and all of whom lived to advanced ages, and all
reared families excepting Daniel. Henry, the
father, died on his native farm, also at a good old age.
Henry H. Moyers, father of our subject, was born
in Frederick county, Va., in January, 1809, was reared a farmer,
and came to Ohio about 1829, with some friends, and settled in
Fairfield county. He there married, Apr. 3, 1832, Miss
Elizabeth Ward, who was born in that county, Dec.
1, 1806, a daughter of William and Catherine B. (Herring)
Ward. William Ward was a native of Pendleton
county, Va., was born May 26, 1780, and in 1800 came to Ohio and
located in Pickaway county, whence he moved to Fairfield county,
where he farmed for forty-six years, and then, in the fall of
1851, came to Allen county, where his death took place Mar. 21,
1852. His wife was horn in Pennsylvania Apr. 9, 1788, came
to Ohio and located when a young woman in Fairfield county, and
there died Nov. 5, 1850. The Ward family
were of Scotch-Irish descent. Mr. and Mrs. William Ward
were the parents of the following children: Elizabeth,
James (who died of disease during the battle of Corinth),
Nancy, William, George, Sarah, Jacob,
Peter and Lydia— to each of whom the father
donated 160 acres of land, with the exception of William,
who was killed during the Rebellion.
Aft marriage Henry H. Moyers came to Sugar Creek
township, Allen county, Feb. 13, 1833, making the journey in
wagons and cutting a road through the forest from Bellefontaine.
He settled on 160 acres which had been donated by his
father-in-law, Mr. Ward, but which land was in a
deep woods and on which not a stick had been cut. But
Mr. Moyers put up his log cabin, set industriously to
work, underwent all the hardships of pioneer life, and added to
his estate until he owned 360 acres and eventually became one of
the most substantial and respected farmers of the township.
Here were born his children, in the following order: Jacob,
William, Catherine B., Samuel, Harrison, David B., Eliza J.
and Frederick A. T. Of these children five sons served in
the Civil war viz: Jacob and William in the One
Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry— Jacob
serving three years until the close of the hostilities, and
William dying at Knoxville, Tenn., from effects of over
exertion at the battle of Mossy Creek; Samuel and
Harrison were in the 100-day service, in the One Hundred and
Thirty-second Ohio volunteers— Harrison serving his full
time, although under fire, the greater part of it, in front of
Petersburg. Va., and Samuel dying in hospital at
Columbus, Ohio, from the effects of wounds accidentally
inflicted by the Union cavalry and resulting in typhoid fever.
The brief military record of David B. will be given
further on.
Henry H. Moyers, the father of these brave boys,
had in his politics been a whig in his earlier days, but later
became a strong Union man and a republican. His death took
place Sept. 5, 1885, at the ripe old age of seventy-six years,
his wife having preceded him to the grave Sept. 6, 1883, and
certainly there were never two more honored pioneers within the
bounds of Allen county.
David B. Moyers, with a record of whose birth
this biography opens, was enrolled at Lima, Ohio, May 2, 1864,
in company C, One Hundred and Fifty-first Ohio volunteer
infantry, for the 100-day service, he being at that time a
member of company D, Thirty-third Ohio National guards, in which
he had enlisted for five years, and being called out with the
regiment and assigned to duty, as above mentioned, under
Capt. J. L. Booth. While in active service Mr.
Moyers was about four months on guard duty at Washington, D.
C., was under fire at the time of Jubal Early’s
raid on that city, July 13, 1864, and was also on guard duty at
Fort Sumner, Fort DeRusse and Fort Simons. He was ever a
cheerful and active soldier and prompt in his attention to duty
on all occasions.
The marriage of David B. Moyer took place, May
17, 1870, to Miss Malinda Miller, who was born in Hocking
county, Ohio, Nov. 19, 1844, a daughter of David and Rebecca
(Rader) Miller. The father, David Miller, was a
native of Virginia, of German extraction, and when a young man
came to Ohio and located in Fairfield county, where he first
married. He later moved to Hocking county, where he for
some time was employed in farming, when he removed, in 1889, to
Huntington county, Ind., where he still resides. To his
first marriage were born three children—Mary A.,
Malinda and Laura. After the death of his first
wife, Mr. Miller married Elizabeth Perry,
and to this union has been born one child—Perry C.
Mr. and Mrs. D. B. Moyers, after their marriage, settled
down to farming on the old homestead, his birthplace, where
until the death of Mrs. Moyers they passed their lives in
connubial felicity. Through his industry and economy,
Mr. Moyers has succeeded in purchasing the interest of the
other heirs to the place, and he now owns eighty acres of choice
farming land. Here, in 1892, he erected a tasteful modern
dwelling, and has otherwise greatly improved the place.
Here, also, have been born his five children, named Perry C.,
Charles G. (who died at about the age of twenty-two years),
Della, Elizabeth A. and Henry D. The death
of Mrs. Moyers took place Jan. 17, 1882. She
was a devout member of the Christian church and a lady of many
Christian virtues, whose loss was deeply deplored by her
immediate family and a large circle of earnest and sincere
friends.
In politics Mr. Moyers is a stanch
republican, has served as township trustee and has been a member
of the school board; in religion he is a devout Christian and
has always aided this denomination liberally of his means, as
well as other religious societies of his neighborhood. He
is a thoroughly practical farmer and stock raiser, and is a
useful and highly respected citizen.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co., 1896 -
Page 407 |
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THOMAS C. MOYERS,
a veteran of the Civil war and a substantial farmer of Sugar
Creek township, Allen county, Ohio, was here born on his
father's farm Feb. 21, 1837, and is of old Virginia-German
stock.
Isaac Moyers, father of our subject; was born in
Rockingham county, Va., and when a young man came to Ohio and
located in Fairfield county, where he married Sarah
Ward, the union resulting in the birth of ten children, all
of whom, with one exception reached mature years, and were named
as follows: John, Nancy, Lydia, Matilda, Thomas,
Catherine, Joshua, May J., William (twin of Isaac,
died young) and Isaac. The father, Isaac
Meyers, came from Fairfield county, Ohio, to Allen county,
as one of the early pioneers and located in the southern part of
Sugar Creek township, on the old boundary line between Allen and
Putnam counties, where he cleared up a farm of eighty acres and
continued to add to his land until he owned in the two counties,
420 acres, becoming one of the most substantial and wealthy
farmers of the neighborhood, and leaving, at his death, a farm
for each of his children. He lived to be seventy-three years of
age, and died in the faith of the Baptist church—an upright
citizen and one of the most respected pioneers of Allen county.
Of his sons, three served in the late Civil war - John,
Thomas and Joshua. John served a full
term in the 100-day service, One Hundred and Fifty-first Ohio
national guard; Joshua enlisted for three years in the
One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, served six
months, and died of disease in Kentucky; Thomas C., who
has been reared to farming, enlisted at Lima, Allen county,
Ohio, Sept. 12, 1861, for three years, in company E.
Eighty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, Capt George A. Taylor,
served out his time and veteranized, in 1868, for another term
of three years in the same company, and received his second
honorable discharge at Louisville, Ky., in July, 1865, for the
reason that the war had closed. Among the many battles in
which Mr. Moyers took part may be mentioned those
of Shiloh, Corinth (siege and battle), Tuscumbia, Dallas, the
Atlanta campaigns, in which the troops were under fire, night
and day, for nearly four months; Resaca, Snake Creek Gap,
Kenesaw Mountain, Rome Cross Roads; the fight in front of
Atlanta, where the gallant McPherson fell, was at
Jonesboro, Ga., recruited at Rome and then started on the famous
march to the sea; was at Savannah, Ga., Goldsboro, and
Bennettsville, N. C., and so on to Washington, D. C., where he
participated in the grand review of May, 1865. He was an
active and faithful soldier, and escaped the hospital, excepting
for a week or so at Franklin.
The marriage of Mr. Moyers took place in
Sugar Creek township, Allen county, Ohio, Apr. 10, 1866, with
Miss Lovina Snyder, who was born Apr. 10, 1848, a daughter
of Benjamin Snyder, of Pennsylvania, and an early settler
of Monroe township, Allen county, Ohio, file also had two sons
in the Civil war — Levi and Oliver the former of
whom, while serving in the One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio
infantry, was struck by seven rifle balls during the battles of
Resaca, but still lives. After marriage Mr.
Moyers settled on his present farm of 115 acres, of which he
has purchased from the co-heirs about sixty-five acres, making
one of the finest places in the township. To this marriage
have been born five children, viz: Clinton, who died in
his twenty-first year; Minnie, who died at the age of
eighteen years; Daisy, who died at the age of two years,
and Walter and Lance. In politics Mr.
Moyers is a democrat, and in religion, with wife, is a
member of the Christian church, of which he is a trustee, and no
family in the township is more respected.
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JOHN MUELLER
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DANIEL MULLENHOUR
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JULIUS CURTIS MUSSER
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DANIEL MYERS,
one of the oldest and most favorably known residents of Allen
county, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, May 1, 1827, and was
the son of Abraham and Sarrah (Conrad) Myers, the father
dying in Fairfield county. The mother died in German
township, Allen county, in 1877, at the ripe age of
seventy-seven years. She had been married five times.
Mr. Myers, our subject, came with his mother and
stepfather to Allen county in the year 1829, and grew up in the
woods, his playmates being the Indians, from whom he learned to
shoot the bow and arrow to a nicety. Much of his time was
spent in hunting and fishing, killing wild animals, such as
deer, wolves, etc., not needing to leave the door-yard to kill
deer and squirrel. When not ten years of age he began the
tug of life for himself on his own hook, working by the day and
job. He once took a contract of clearing eighty-five acres
in German township, cutting cord wood at eighteen cents per
cord, and made rails at the same price per hundred. After
completing this big job, he worked for William Knittle
for twenty-five cents per day, with which earnings he purchased
his first tract of land - forty acres of timber in Sugar Creek
township.
Mr. Myers remained single until twenty two years
of age, and on Apr. 19, 1849, he married Miss Rebecca
Spangler, daughter of Samuel and Polly (Marts) Spangler.
After this marriage he cleared eleven acres of land for
William Smith in German township, for which he received $90,
which money he had used to fit up his home and purchase the
necessary articles for housekeeping. But while earning
this money he must needs take care of his bride, but in default
of having money to build a log house and furnish it, they fitted
up an old disused pole sheep pen on Mr. Smith's farm,
making their bed out of poles, the bottom of which was platted
bark, on which they placed their straw tick. Their chairs
were little benches made from split logs, with wooden pins put
in for legs; their table was an old chest, which Mr. Myers
has to-day in his possession, and their cooking utensils a
frying pan and a dutch oven. Here they lived until they
had cleared the eleven acres of land, and after clearing another
five acres on contract they moved into their own home on his own
land, which he partially cleared, and after three years sold it
and moved into Elida and with $33 capital started a store and
with $40 bought a lot. He “ kept grocery" four years, when
he traded his city property for eighty acres of land, on which
he lived for a year and a half. The career of Daniel Myers
was a busy one, full of stiring incidents and episodes peculiar
to a pioneer life in the west, but, with a competence gained, he
has settled down in Elida, one of the old, substantial and
well-to-do and highly respected citizens of the place. To
follow his career minutely would be intensely interesting, but
the space allotted forbids. His first wife died Dec. 3,
1875, having borne him twelve children, of whom the living are:
Levi M., Samuel, Maria, David A., Eli and Emeline. July
25, 1877, he was married to Mrs. Sarah Moon, the
widow of George Moon. They are both members of the
Lutheran church, Mr. Myers having joined it over forty
years ago, and in which he is an elder. In politics he is
a democrat of the old stanch variety.
Source: A Portrait and biographical record of Allen & Van
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LEVI M. MYERS is
among the prominent and leading members of Elida, Ohio. He
is engaged in the grocery, tinware, hardware, cigar and tobacco
business and in short carries a miscellaneous srock
comprising the necessities and luxuries of life. He began
his career in Elida on his account Feb. 17, 1892, with about
$125 capital in stock, but at present, three years later, he has
a large and well-selected assortment of goods and wares.
He is a native of Marion township, Allen county, was born Feb.
10, 1850, and is a son of Daniel and Rebecca Myers.
His education was obtained on the common schools, and when but a
lad went into his father's store and learned the mercantile
business. His life has nearly all been spent in Elida, or
rather Elida has nearly always been his home, where he has been
in business, the greater part of the time, for his father.
He has been twice married. His first marriage occurred
Jan. 1, 1870, when he was united to Miss Elizabeth Shoemaker,
daughter of C. M. Shoemaker of Allen county. She
died in May, 1874. Three children were born to them, two
of whom are deceased. In August, 1887, Mr. Myers
married Miss Allie Chamberlain, daughter of William
and Mary (Burch) Chamberlain. She was born in Putnam
county, but reared in Delphos, Ohio. The mother of our
subject is deceased, but the father is a resident of Sugar Creek
township. Mr. and Mrs. Myers are members of the
Lutheran church. In politics he is a stanch democrat.
He is a representative man - one of Elida’s best - full of
energy, vigor and push, and is satisfied with nothing short of
success.
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