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(Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902)
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E. M. NEFF.
When determined purpose and unflagging perseverance are lacking
effort is rendered futile and resolution unavailing.
Well-formulated plans and a close adherence thereto, these are
the necessary concomitants of success, and as exemplified in the
career of Mr. Neff have brought to him a richly merited
degree of prosperity. He is now in control of once of the
leading dry goods stores of Crestline, his native city, and
occupies an enviable position in commercial circles.
Mr. Neff was born Nov. 10, 1863. His
father, John Neff, was a native of Germany, and after
arriving at years of maturity was there married. He
afterward crossed the Atlantic to "the land of the free," and
located in Galion, Ohio, where he followed his chosen occupation
of carpentering, being employed in the railroad shops.
Some time in the '60s he removed to Crestline and became
proprietor of a hotel, which he conducted up to the time of his
death, which occurred when he was about fifty-nine years of age.
He was a member of the German Lutheran Church, lived in harmony
with his Christian belief, and his fair name in business was
never tarnished by unscrupulous dealings. By his first
marriage he had three children. When their mother had
passed away he was again married, in this country, to Mrs.
Catherine (Burkhardt) Henge, a widow. She, too, is a
native of the fatherland, and is still living. She first
married Anthony Henge, and by that union had one son.
The parents of our had five sons and one daughter of the second
marriage, of whom three are still living.
E. M. Neff, their youngest child, was reared in
Crestline and acquired his education in the schools of the town,
but at the age of fifteen years he started out in life on his
own account, securing a clerkship in the employ of the firm of
McKean & Thoman, with whom he remained for twelve years,
mastering the business in principle and detail and giving the
fullest satisfaction to employers and patrons, as shown by his
long continuation with the house. For about five years of
the time he was chief clerk. In 1891 he embarked in
business on his own account, opening a small "Rackett" store
with a very limited stock. From that humble beginning,
however, has grown his present excellent establishment with its
large stock and modern appointments. In 1896 he erected a
two-story brick building on Setzer street, and now has one of
the largest dry goods establishments in the town. He
enjoys a large and constantly increasing patronage and has a
very enviable reputation for straightforward dealing. In
addition to his store he has other business interests, being a
stockholder in the Schill Brothers Manufacturing Company
and in the First National Bank.
In 1884 occurred the marriage of Mr. Neff and Miss
Emma Lampert, a native of Crestline and a daughter of
William and Jemima Lampert. Their marriage has been
blessed with eight children: Stella J., Arthur J.,
Theador M., Norma E., Millita, Edward G., Catherine and
Marthia. The parents hold membership in the German
Lutheran Church, in which Mr. Neff has held several
offices, including that of treasurer for six years and trustee
for two years. He has taken a very active part in this
work and is a generous contributor to all measures calculated to
prove of general good along liens of reform and progress.
In politics he is a Democrat, and, as every true American should
do, feels an interest in the success of the principles in which
he believes, but has never been an office seeker, preferring to
devote his energies to his business affairs, in which he is
meeting with very creditable prosperity.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 622 |
CHARLES NESS.
For twenty-seven years Charles Ness has been in the
service of the Big Four Railroad Company, which he is now
serving as engineer. He was born in 1834, and when only about a
year old was brought to Crawford county by his parents, who
located on a farm one mile west of Galion. The grandfather,
Michael Ness, Sr., lived and died in York county,
Pennsylvania, as did his wife. Their son, Michael Ness, Jr.,
was born and reared in York county, whence he came to Crawford
county. He was a contractor and builder, and followed that
occupation in Galion from 1835 until his death, which occurred
December 19, 1900, when he had attained the ripe old age of
seventy-six years. He erected most of the early business blocks,
churches and factories of the city, together with many of the
residences. He was an architect as well as contractor, and
engaged in teaching drafting. In public affairs he took a
deep and earnest interest, and was one of the charter members of
the Lutheran church, contributing liberally to its support and
doing all in his power to advance its work and upbuilding. He
married Sarah Ruhl, a daughter of Michael Ruhl,
whose father laid out the town of Galion, where Michael Ruhl
was a pioneer merchant. Mrs. Ness is still living, at the
advanced age of seventy-four years. In their family were the
following children: Charles, whose name introduces this
review; John, a teacher in the schools of Gallon;
Michael, who is also living in the same city; William,
a farmer of Leesville, who also has charge of a quarry; Mrs.
Ellen Overley, of Galion; Ida, wife of James Overley,
a farmer and stock-raiser of Todd township, Monroe county, Ohio;
Emma, wife of William Gorley, of Galion; Mrs.
Margaret Flick, deceased; and one who died in infancy.
On the family homestead farm Charles Ness was
reared, and during his active business career he has been
identified with the railroad service. In 1874 he entered the
employ of the Big Four Railroad Company, with which he has been
identified for twenty-seven years. Promoted to the position of
engineer, he has since acted in that capacity and is one of the
most reliable representatives of the road, being ever watchful
in discharging the responsible duties which devolve upon him. He
is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and has
also had membership relations with the Knights of Pythias
fraternity. Mr. Ness was united in marriage to: Miss
Catherine Casey, a daughter of Nelson Casey, of Polk
township, Crawford county, and they now have one daughter,
Myrtle E., who is a graduate of the high school and is now a
student in the university at Delaware, Ohio, where she is
pursuing a special course in vocal and instrumental music. The
family enjoy the warm regard of many friends and occupy a
leading position in social circles.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 863 |
SAMUEL NORTON,
the first settler of Bucyrus township, was born within one mile
of Congress Spring, near Saratoga, New York, Mar. 3, 1870.
His father was of Scotch descent, and many years previous to the
birth of Samuel had emigrated from Scotland and settled
in Connecticut. Samuel Norton was married, Jan. 1,
1804, to Miss Mary Bucklin, who was born in Coventry,
Kentucky county, Rhode Island, Oct. 31, 1785. The
Bucklins were of English descent, and Mary Bucklin's
parents removed from Rhode Island to Little Falls, New York,
when she was about six years of age and some twelve years
afterwards to what is now Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania,
where she was married to Samuel Norton. The young
couple settled near Elk Hill, then in Luzerne but now in
Susquehanna county. The district is situated in the
mountain regions of that state; the land is poor, and even at
that time the country was very wild. It is said that at
one time, while Norton was still a resident of Elk Hill, he shot
a panther which measured eleven feet and three inches in length!
These wild beasts have never been seen in Crawford county since
it was first settled by white men; and, although the first
settlers of Bucyrus township emigrated to a newer country, they
did not, in some respects, find a wilder one.
Norton was dissatisfied with this wild, rocky
Pennsylvania land, and after residing there with his wife for
fifteen years, determined to seek a more pleasing to country.
He caught the western fever and decided that his destination
should be the land obtained by the "New Purchase." His wife was
opposed to this movement of the Norton family and refused
to go unless her brother Albijence Bucklin would go
along. Norton finally succeeded in inducing Bucklin
to accompany him with his family, by promising him fifty acres
of land. Norton had previous visited the new
country, selected a quarter section on the present site of
Bucyrus, and had returned to his native state for his family.
Very late in the spring of 1819 the pioneers left their home in
Pennsylvania, and after journeying about six hundred miles in a
big "schooner" wagon, reached the quarter section of land which
Norton had selected, in October, 1819. The party
consisted of the following eighteen persons: Samuel Norton
and his wife, Mary Norton; their three daughters,
Louisa, Catherine and Elizabeth (the late Mrs. A.
M. Jones); their three sons, - Rensellear, Warren and
Waldo Norton; Albijence Bucklin and his wife;
their six children, Esther, Cynthia, Austris, Elizabeth,
Almeda and Pitt; also, Polly, an adopted
daughter of the Bucklins, and Seth Holmes.
After reaching their destination the two families
lived for three days in an Indian wigwam, which stood near the
present site of the court house, and during this brief period
the three men constructed a more durable residence. This
first rude home was built of small round logs and erected upon
the bluff of the Sandusky river. The two families moved
into this log cabin, and shortly afterward another was built for
the Bucklin family. When these early settlers
constructed their first cabin the nearest white neighbors were
eight miles off, on the banks of the Olentangy, and that
settlement consisted of only a few squatters, who were generally
as nomadic in habit as they were transient in location.
The Norton family occupied their first log cabin home
during one winter and until July, 1820. In this cabin was
born, on the 11th of February, 1820, Sophronia Norton,
who was the first white child born on the site of the present
city of Bucyrus, and probably was the first born in the present
limits of Crawford county, Samuel Norton operated a
tannery on a small scale for several years, farmed and in 1835
built and opened a hotel. HE was an old school Baptist and
a man of many sterling qualities. He died April 18, 1856,
in the seventy-seventh year of his age. His wife, Mary
Norton, lived three years after her husband's death, and
finally passed away, April 29, 1859. Other children born
unto them, not already mentioned, were Harris P., Charles,
Jefferson and William B. Being the first
settler adn original proprietor of the land on which Bucyrus was
laid out, Samuel Norton was justly entitled
to the name of the "Father of Bucyrus."
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 13 |
WILLIAM SHERMAN NYE,
one of the leading business men and agriculturists of Crawford
county, is a native son of the Buckeye state, his birth having
occurred in Cranberry township, Crawford county, on the 9th of
September, 1865. He is a son of Jonathan and Lovina (Immel)
Nye. The father was born in Medina county, Ohio, on the 2d
of March, 1823, his parents being Jonathan and
Sabrina (Briggs) Nye. Jonathan Nye,
the grandfather of our subject, was born in Massachusetts, in
1770, and the father, also named Jonathan, was a well
known resident of Massachusetts. The latter was a son of
Jonathan Nye, who was engaged in whale fishing,
following that dangerous occupation for many years.
Jonathan Nye, the grandfather of our
subject, was reared to manhood in his parents' home, receiving
his education in the common schools of the neighborhood. After
his marriage he engaged in farming pursuits on his own account,
and a few years afterward he removed to the state of New York,
where his wife died. He afterward married again, his second
union being with Sabrina Briggs, the grandmother
of our subject. By his first marriage he had seven children, all
of whom are now deceased. Soon after his second marriage he came
to Ohio, locating in Medina county, where he entered one hundred
and sixty acres of forest land, on which he erected a log cabin.
As the years passed he cleared his land, there remaining until
1825, when he sold that property and came to Crawford county,
here entering one hundred and sixty acres of forest land near
what is now North Robinson. He cleared eighty acres of his land,
giving the remaining eighty acres to two of his sons, and there
he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1849. In 1853 ms
widow was also called to the home beyond, and at her death the
farm passed. into possession of Jonathan and Lorenzo
Nye. In 1857 the brothers sold the place and came
to Cranberry township, the former purchasing the farm which he
yet owns, consisting of eighty acres, while Lorenzo
became the owner of ninety-five acres just across the road from
his brother. Lorenzo Nye was married, and his
brother Jonathan boarded with him until his marriage, on
the 21st of April, 1861, to Miss Lovina Immel,
who was a native of Cranberry township, her birth having
occurred on the farm adjoining that which belongs to her
husband, and was a daughter of Philip Immel, one
of the early pioneers of this township. He emigrated from
Pennsylvania, his native state, his parents having been of
Pennsylvania Dutch descent. After his marriage Philip
Immel emigrated with his bride to the Buckeye state, making
the journey by wagons, and after his arrival in Crawford county
he entered eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, the deed
being signed by Andrew Jackson. He erected a log
cabin, and blankets were hung up for doors and to keep out the
wolves. As time passed he cleared his farm and placed his fields
under a fine state of cultivation, and there he spent his
remaining days, his death occurring in 1885.
After his marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Nye began life in an old log cabin on his father's farm,
and through this rude structure the wind whistled and the rain
and snow were blown through the crevices, it being almost
impossible in severe weather to keep from freezing to death. For
five years they remained in that primitive dwelling, and in 1866
they erected their pleasant and commodious dwelling, where they
are now enjoying the comforts and many of the luxuries of life.
Six children blessed their union, three of whom still survive,
namely: William Sherman, whose name introduces
this review;. Albert Sheridan, an agriculturist of Cranberry
township; and Eli Liberty, who is still at home.
The father of these children is a Republican in his political
views, and during the Civil war was a stanch abolitionist.
Although not a.. member of any religious denomination his views
are in harmony with the Methodist doctrine, and he has always
given liberally of his time and means to its support. His life
has been crowned with success, and he now enjoys the. respect
and esteem of all with whom he has become acquainted.
William Sherman Nye, the immediate subject of
this review, was reared to manhood under the parental roof, and
his educational advantages were those afforded by the common
schools of his locality, and the G. W. Michael Business
College, of Delaware, where he prepared himself for the teacher
s profession. After receiving his certificate he had two
different schools tendered him, but that occupation did not
prove congenial to his tastes, and he accordingly abandoned all
thought of becoming a teacher. At the early age of fourteen
years. he began working on the farm, and from that time on the
major portion of its work fell upon his young shoulders. When
eighteen years of age he received. his share of the crops, and
for five years following his marriage he remained. on the home
farm, after which, in the spring of 1897, he purchased and
removed to the place which he now occupies, consisting of eighty
acres. He has placed his fields under a high state of
cultivation, which annually yield to him golden returns, and he
now ranks high among the influential and prominent
agriculturists and swine-breeders of Crawford county.
On the 29th of November, 1891, Mr. Nye
was united in marriage with. Miss Zella M. Springer, a
native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of S. S.
Springer, now deceased. Two children have graced this
marriage, Bertha L. and Willis L. In political
matters Mr. Nye affiliates with the Republican
party, but the honors or emoluments of office have never had an
attraction. for him, although he is a public-spirited and loyal
citizen. He is well and. favorably known in the community in
which he resides and numbers its best. residents among his
warmest and most confidential friends.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 841 |
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