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Source:
A Centennial
Biographical History
of
Crawford
County, Ohio
- ILLUSTRATED -
"A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote
ancestors will never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride
by remote generations."
- MACAULAY
Publ. Chicago:
The Lewis Publishing Company
1902
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JACOB H. SCHAEFFER.
A splendid commentary on the desirability of residence in
Crawford county is the fact that so many of its native sons have
continued their residence from birth to the present time within
its borders, becoming prominent as representatives of its
business interests and carrying forward the work of improvement
and advancement along many lines of progress. Such a one
is Jacob H. Schaeffer, who was born in Chatfield
township, February 1, 1843, his parents being George and Anna
(Capst) Schaeffer, both natives of Neabronn, Uhrwirller,
Alsace, France, the former born December 15, 1815, and the
latter October 12, 1809. The paternal grandparents of our
subject were John and Catherine (Zeider) Schaeffer.
The grandfather was a tailor by trade, following that pursuit
throughout the greater part of his business career. The
maternal grandparents were John and Margaret (Liever) Capst,
who emigrated to America at an early day, settling in Cranberry
township, Crawford county.
George Schaeffer learned the tailor's
trade with his father, but the work was distasteful to him and
he never followed it as a vocation. Having heard excellent
reports of the opportunities America afforded to her citizens,
he determined to seek a home in the land of promise, and when
eighteen years of age sailed for the new world. Upon
landing in New York he at once resumed his journey, crossing the
country, and on reaching Ohio took up his abode in Stark county,
where he remained for two years, working by the day and month.
He had saved about fifty dollars, when, in 1835, he came to
Crawford county and located forty acres of land in Chatfield
township, which he had entered from the government the year
previous while making a prospecting trip through this portion of
the state. The land was covered with dense timber, but
with characteristic energy he began to clear the place, and
after cutting down some trees he erected a log cabin, in which
he and his worthy wife began life in true pioneer style.
They had to endure the hardships and difficulties which usually
fall to the lot of frontier settlers. Their home, however,
was for many years the best in the neighborhood. During
the first year Mr. Schaeffer cleared and sowed
three acres with wheat. The wolves and other wild beasts
were very numerous in the neighborhood and were frequently in
close proximity to the cabin. Money was an almost unknown
medium of exchange in this part of the country, for the farmers
received goods instead of coin for their products. Their
wants, however, were few, and when money became an absolute
necessity Mr. Schaeffer would go many miles to
obtain work on the canal or on other public works, and thus
receive the money with which to purchase furniture or other
equipments for the house. They lived frugally, but though
their meals were of simple fare they were heartily relished, for
labor gave a good appetite to those early settlers. The
table was a rude one of his own construction and the chairs were
merely slab stools. But this pioneer family was happy and
murmured not over the hardships of their lot, hoping that in
course of time they would be able to have better advantages and
enjoy more of the comforts of life. This hope was at
length realized, and Mr. Schaeffer became one of
the well-to-do farmers of Chatfield township, where he continued
the operation of his eighty acres of land, making his home
thereon until 1893, when he took up his abode with his son
Jacob, there spending the last few years of his life.
He also owned the farm of seventy acres upon which our subject
now resides. He was a consistent member of the Lutheran
church from his fifteenth year, and his integrity, fidelity and
uprightness won him the confidence and good will of many warm
friends. He died July 27, 1895, and his wife passed away
March 21, 1877. They were the parents of seven children,
and all are yet living, namely: George, a resident of
Perry county, Michigan; John A., who is living in
Huntington county, Indiana; Elizabeth, the wife of
Adam Donnenwirth, of Cranberry township; Jacob H., of
this review; Adam B., who is living on the old homestead
in Chatfield township; Catherine A., wife of John C.
Conklin, of Plymouth, Ohio; and Anna, wife of
Henry Reichart, of New Washington.
Amid the wild scenes of frontier life in the pioneer
home Jacob H. Schaeffer spent the days of his youth.
His education was obtained in a log school house, where the
teaching was rather of a primitive order. He and his
brothers could attend school only when the work of the farm was
at low ebb, for their services were needed in reclaiming the
wild land for the purposes of civilization. On reaching
his majority Mr. Schaeffer went to Huntington
county, Indiana, where for three years he worked as a farm hand,
and on returning home he and his brother Adam began the
operation of his father's two farms, which they cultivated on
the shares. After his marriage, which occurred in 1867, he
settled with his bride upon one of his father's farms in
Cranberry township, - the place upon which he is now living and
which has since been his home. After his father's death he
purchased this tract of land, and with marked energy and
diligence has carried on the work of improvement and
cultivation. His fields are well tilled, his buildings
kept in good repair and everything about the place is neat and
thrifty in appearance.
On the 17th of September, 1867, Mr. Schaeffer
was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Kieffer, a
native of Lykens township and a daughter of Daniel and
Barbara (Breitenbach ) Kieffer, both of
whom were natives of Germany. Two children were born of
this marriage: Frank A., who operates the old homestead;
and Lovina E., who is with her father. On the 2d of
July, 1891, a cloud darkened the sunshine of this home, for the
wife and mother was called to her final rest upon that day.
Mr. Schaeffer is a worthy follower of the
teachings of the German Lutheran church, in which he holds
membership. He votes with the Democracy and keeps well informed
on the issues of the day, but has refused to accept all offices,
save that he served for six years as school director. The cause
of education finds in him a warm friend, and he is deeply
interested in everything pertaining to the progress and
improvement of his native county, in which he is uniformly
regarded as a valued and enterprising citizen.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 528 |
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JACOB F. SCHAFER.
Not many of the older citizens of Chatfield township, Crawford
county, Ohio, were born at their present places of residences.
Jacob Schafer has this distinction. He is a son of
Jacob Schafer, Sr., and was born Feb. 21, 1852, in his
father's house on the farm on which he now lives.
Jacob E. Schafer, Sr., the son of Adam
Schafer, was born in Hoheined, Germany, and was brought to
America by his father. The elder Schafer settled in
Bloom township Seneca county, Ohio, and from there removed to
Chatfield township, Crawford county, with his son, Jacob
Schafer, the father of the subject of this sketch.
About the time of their arrival they bought about forty acres of
wild land, and later they bought forty acres more, on which
stands the residence of the subject of this sketch.
Adam Schafer died on this property, at the age of
seventy-nine years. His wife was Catharine Fox,
also a native of Germany.
Jacob F. Schafer, who is the immediate subject
of this sketch, was the tenth in order of birth of a family of
eleven children. Mary, the eldest, became the wife
of Gottlieb Knecht. Valentine lives in Chatfield
township, Crawford county, Ohio. Lucy married
Philip Schemp and lives in Seneca county. Catharine
is the wife of Peter Regula, of Carothers, this state.
Gertrand married Emanuel Lutz. Caroline
is the wife of Peter Riddle. Adam lives at
Chatfield, Crawford county, Ohio. Lizzie married
William Seafort, of Cranberry township. Sophia
died in infancy. At one time the father of these children
owned three hundred and forty-six acres of land. At his
death, which occurred Dec. 23, 1898, he owned one hundred and
ninety-nine acres. He was a man of influence in his
township and a member of the Lutheran church.
The subject of this sketch was reared to the life of a
farmer boy of all work, and received as good an education as the
common schools afforded. He was married, in 1885, to
Miss Caroline Lanehart, and they have seven children, named
as follows: Erna, Albert, William, Loretta, Clara,
Marie (who died Oct. 27, 1898) and Delverta.
Mr. Schafer owns seventy-nine acres of land in
his home farm and another farm of forty acres, and is a
successful general farmer. He and all the members of his
family are identified with the Lutheran church.
Politically he is a Democrat, and while he is influential in
public affairs he has never been a seeker of public office.
His public sprit has impelled him to ally himself with
many movements which he has believed promised to improve the
condition of his fellow citizens.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 427 |
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CHARLES R.
SHECKLER, M. D. The family
physician sustains a peculiarly confidential relation to his
fellow citizens, and if he be a man of tact and honor comes in
time to be their confidant and adviser in many matters of
importance. She a well-established, useful citizen of
Dr. Charles Sheckler of Brokensword, Crawford county, Ohio.
Dr. Sheckler was born at Bucyrus, Ohio,
Mar. 7, 1856, a son of Edward Scheckler, a native of
Bedford county, Pennsylvania, and a tailor by trade, who located
early at Bucyrus and there married Adaline G. Shawk, who
bore him four children, of whom the subject of this sketch was
the first born. Their daughter Nettie became the
wife of E. J. Williams, of Holmes township, Crawford
county. Their sons Thompson and Edward
became farmers. Their son Charles R. received his
primary education in the public schools at Bucyrus, and when
about fifteen years of age began reading medicine under the
preceptorship of Dr. A. Cuykendall, of that town.
He was graduated in the Columbus Medical College in 1877, at the
age of twenty-one years. After practicing his profession
five years at North Robinson, Crawford county, he located at
Brokensword, where he has met with gratifying success. He
affiliates with the Democratic party, but is not a practical
politician, preferring to give his time entirely to his
profession. He was married in 1881 to Miss
Catharine Bogan, and they have three children, named
Ralph, Ada and Archibald.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 576-577 |
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JOHN P. SHECKLER,
who is the subject of this sketch, has been a life-long resident
of a state which has become one of the most prominent in the
great union of states, born in Richland county, on Mar. 3, 1829.
His parents were John and Rachel (Pettit) Sheckler,
pioneers of the county and for a number of years among the most
highly esteemed residents.
John Sheckler was born in Huntingdon
county, Pennsylvania, in November, 1790, and he was a son of
Frederick and Catherine (Monroe) Sheckler. He grew to
manhood in his native place and in 1812 made a trip to Ohio,
where settlement was being made. However, after looking
over the unsettled country, he returned to his home until the
spring of 1819, when he returned to Ohio and entered one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, and this same farm
is now the property of our subject. Two years later he
returned to establish a home on this land, building a log cabin
in the great woods, and soon after he brought his wife thither.
At this time game was abundant in this locality, and. as Mr.
Sheckler was a fine hunter, the larder was well supplied
with venison and other game. In this pioneer home eight
children were born, the four survivors being: Thomas, a
farmer of Whitley county, Indiana; John P., the subject
of this sketch; George, of Whitley county; and
Christina, the wife of William Willett, of
Richland county, Ohio. When his eldest daughter was about
thirteen years of age Mr. Sheckler was bereaved of
his faithful wife, a blow from which he never recovered.
This capable young daughter took charge of the housekeeping and
cared for her father until his death, on Aug. 15, 1859. In
early life he voted with the Democratic party, but later he
became a Republican, and he was a consistent member of the
Baptist church, having lived a worthy and upright life.
John P. Sheckler is a worthy representative of
this honorable and honest man. His early life was passed
among pioneer surroundings and his education was acquired in the
log school house of those days, with its puncheon floor and slab
benches. When he was twenty-three years old, with his
brother George, he began farming, on shares, and for two
years the brothers managed the farm; then our subject decided to
see something of the outside world, and made a trip to Indiana.
For one year he worked as a farm hand in Whitley county, but
decided to return to his heritage in Ohio, and there, with his
brother George, again carried on farming operations.
After the death of his father our subject purchased fifty acres
of the home farm, and also a tract of sixty-two acres, which was
desirable, as it lay immediately across the highway from his
land. The owner, a Mr. Carlisle, was willing
to dispose of it, and thus our subject soon had a farm of one
hundred and twelve acres. In 1899 our subject's brother
James and his two sisters died, and our subject then bought
the remainder of the farm, making his holdings two hundred and
twenty-two acres.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 474 |
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WILLIAM
H. SHECKLER. William H. Sheckler is a
well-known resident of Bucyrus, where he has served as pension
attorney for fourteen years, while since 1896 he has occupied
the position of justice of the peace. He is native of the
city which is yet his home, his birth having occurred July 13,
1847. The family is of German lineage, the grandfather of
our subject having been born in Baden, Germany, near Heidelberg.
Hugh Sheckler, the father, was born in Bedford county,
Pennsylvania, in the year 1818, and there resided until 1847,
when he came to Bucyrus and engaged in business as a
wagon-maker. He was thus identified with the industrial
interests of the city for a number of years, and later in life
he located on a farm one mile north of the town, where he
engaged in the dairy business, meeting with creditable success
in the undertaking. He was a well-known and respected
citizen, faithful to the obligations of both public and private
life. His death occurred in 1888, when he had reached the
psalmist's span of three score years and ten. His wife
bore the maiden name of Susan Cheney and was also a
native of Pennsylvania, although her parents were born in
Holland.
William H. Sheckler is indebted to the public
school system of Bucyrus for the educational privileges which he
enjoyed. He was about sixteen years of age when he entered the
military service of his country, enlisting in February, 1864, as
a member of Company E, Thirty-fourth Ohio Infantry (known as the
First Ohio Piatt Zouaves), in which he remained until the close
of the war. The regiment was assigned to the Army of West
Virginia, and he participated in the campaign of the Shenandoah
valley under General Phil Sheridan. Jan. 11,
1865, he was captured, with the balance of his regiment, at
Beverly, West Virginia, and in Libby prison spent two months and
was then exchanged. When hostilities had ceased and the
stars and stripes were planted in the capital of the southern
Confederacy he returned to his home in Bucyrus, where he has
remained continuously since. For fourteen years he has
been notary public and for a similar period has been pension
attorney, representing the interests of the soldiers who fought
for the preservation of the Union and were thereby somewhat
unfitted for the duties of a business career. In 1896 he
was elected justice of the peace on the Republican ticket for a
term of three years. In the meantime his political views
changed and became an adherent of the Democracy, so that in 1899
he was made the candidate of that party for the same office, in
which he was re-elected. He is strictly fair and impartial
in the discharge of his duties, his decisions being based upon
the facts in the case and the law applicable thereto. In
1870 Mr. Sheckler married Ida Reed,
who died in 1873, leaving one child, a daughter, Fairy.
In 1877 Mr. Sheckler was united in
marriage to Miss Sarah Steele, a daughter
of William Steele, who came from Pennsylvania to
Bucyrus. She died in 1883, leaving no children.
Mr. Sheckler holds membership in the Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks and the Grand Army Post, of Bucyrus, in
which he is serving as commander. The high esteem in which
he is held, not only in official circles, but among all his
acquaintances, speaks better than words can do concerning his
character as a man and a citizen, one in whom his town and
county have a just pride.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page |
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DAVID A. SCOTT.
David A. Scott was born January 13, 1845, on the farm
where he yet resides, and represents one of the early pioneer
families of Cranberry township, for the Scotts came to
this section of the state during an early period in its
development and have ever been important factors in its
upbuilding and substantial growth. William Scott,
the father of our subject, was born in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, in 1808. His father was killed in the war of
1812, and about 1817 the grandmother of our subject died,
leaving a family of eight children. William
Scott was then but nine years of age. With his
four brothers and three sisters he went to Wayne county, Ohio,
where they found homes with relatives, and in that locality
William Scott was reared, learning the trade of a
cabinet-maker in his youth. In the spring of 1832 he came
to Cranberry Township, and from the government entered the south
forty acres of the farm now owned by his son David.
The forest trees stood in their primeval strength and in the
midst of the green woods he erected a log cabin. In the
succeeding autumn he returned to Wayne county and was there
united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann
Irvin, who was burn in Wayne county about 1812, her parents
being honored pioneer people of that section of the state. In
the spring of 1833 he brought his bride to his new home, and
after two or three years he entered another forty-acre tract of
land adjoining his homestead on the north. As the years
passed he made excellent improvements upon his place, and in
1861 erected a handsome and commomious frame residence on
the north half of his farm. Then with his family he left
the cabin home which had sheltered them during so many years of
the pioneer days and took up his abode in the new dwelling,
where he remained until his death, which occurred in November,
1883. His wife passed away about 1879, and only two of
their nine children are yet living, the sister of our subject
being Letitia, the wife of Henry Rapp, of
Auburn township, Crawford county. In politics he was a
stanch Democrat, and served as trustee of the township for
several years. He was widely and favorably known as an
influential and prominent citizen, co-operating in all movements
for the general good. He did not hold membership in any
religious organization, but was a God-fearing man, who supported
all charitable and church work. His preference was for the
Presbyterian church, of which his wife was a devoted and
consistent member.
David A. Scott is familiar with the history of
Crawford county from early days. He lived here at a period
when the work of progress and improvement was in its incipiency.
He acquired his education in the district schools and worked in
the fields from the time of early spring planting until crops
were harvested in the autumn, thus becoming familiar with all
departments of farm labor. When twenty-one years of age he
took charge of the home farm, which he operated on the shares,
and on the 1st of July, 1869, he secured as a companion and
helpmate for the journey of life Miss Adeline Runnion,
their wedding being celebrated on that date. The lady is a
native of Cranberry township and a daughter of William
Runnion, who came to Crawford county in pioneer days from
Richland county, Ohio, which was the place of his nativity.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Scott received
from his father as his patrimony fifty acres of a tract of sixty
acres which adjoined the home place on the east, and there he
settled with his bride, remaining upon that place until his
mother's death, when he removed to the old home place in order
to care for his father during his declining years. "While
living upon his own farm he had also continued the operation of
the homestead, and in 1874 he purchased the remaining ten acres
of the farm. After his mother's death he bought sixty-two
acres of the old home place, on which stood the farm buildings,
and his sister took possession of the remaining" twenty-eight
acres. Thus Mr. Scott's property was
increased to one hundred and twelve acres, and in 1897 he
purchased fifty-three and a half acres of the Volney
Powers estate. In 1900 he bought the old Volney
Powers homestead of eighty acres—one of the most valuable
and best improved farms of the county, situated about a mile
east of New Washington. During the years of his manhood he
has been numbered among the most progressive and energetic
agriculturists of his community. His diligence and his
labors are directed by sound business judgment and keen
sagacity, while his honesty in trade transactions is proverbial.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Scott has been blessed
with thirteen children, of whom twelve are yet living: Fairy
B., wife of Dr. E. C. Kimmerline, of Lykens township;
Sherman, a drug clerk employed in South Bend, Indiana;
Eva O., the wife of Adelbert Smith, of Seneca county,
Ohio; Florence M., Dorcas, Melvin,
Russell, Earl, Charles, Walter,
Ralph and Mabel, at home. The family is one of
prominence in the community, and Mr. Scott
realizes the value of education as a preparation for life and
has given his children excellent educational privileges.
Five of the older members of the family have been successful
teachers, and Fairy, Sherman and Dorcas are
graduates of the high school of New Washington. The first
named taught in the primary, intermediate and grammar
departments of the New Washington schools and was recognized as
a most successful and capable educator. In his political
views David A. Scott is a stanch Democrat, and has served
for several years as trustee of his township. He also
filled the position of school director for eighteen successive
years, and his labors were earnest, effective and beneficial in
promoting the welfare of the schools. He is a member of
Hyperion Lodge, K. of P., of New Washington, and not only in
fraternal but in all walks of life he enjoys the esteem of his
fellow men by reason of his diligence to the obligations and
duties of both public and private life.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 661 |
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JOSIAH SCOTT -
Perhaps the most distinguished lawyer and jurist of Crawford
county was Josiah Scott, of whom the following eulogy was
delivered in 1886 before the Ohio State Bar Association, by the
Hon. Stephen R. Harris, of Bucyrus:
"Josiah Scott was born on the 1st day of
December, 1803, in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on his
father's farm, three miles from Cannonsburg, the seat of
Jefferson College, where he was educated under Dr. Matthew
Brown, and received his religious impressions under the
celebrated Mr. McMillen. He lived at home, walked
daily to and from the college, and graduated in the year 1823,
with the highest honors of a class of thirty-two young men, many
of whom afterwards rose to distinction, mostly in the church and
as college presidents, among whom may be mentioned the names of
David H. Riddle, LL. D., president of Washington and
Jefferson College, and David L. Carroll, D. D., president
of Hampden Sidney College, Virginia.
"After his graduation he was thrown entirely on his own
resources and set out at once to enter courageously upon the
life work before him. He first went to eastern
Pennsylvania and for a period of two years taught in a classical
academy at Newton, Bucks county, and in his time prepared
several students for the freshman class at college, some of whom
graduated at his own alma mater and came to preferment in after
life. He went south and taught a classical school for two
years in Richmond, Virginia, employing his leisure time in the
study of law. He then returned to the home of his youth
and was soon after chosen by the authorities as a tutor in
Jefferson, where four years before he had taken his degree with
distinguished honor. He taught in this institution for one
year, during which he employed his leisure intervals in pursuing
his legal studies. At the end of that time he decided to
visit Ohio, with a view of selecting a location for the practice
of law. He traveled west on horseback, as was the custom
of the day, and arrived at Mansfield in the spring of 1829,
where he visited Hon. Thomas W. Bartley, who had been his
pupil at college and afterward became his associate on the
bench. He was admitted to the bar and permanently located
himself at Bucyrus, the county seat of Crawford County, Ohio, in
the month of June, 1829, when that village was but a hamlet in
the wilderness, and nearly half of the county was, and for some
fifteen years afterward remained an Indian reservation, occupied
by the Wyandots.
"His abilities were very soon appreciated and he
rapidly rose in his profession, so that he was regarded as a
lawyer of great influence with court and jury, both in Bucyrus
and in the surrounding counties, where he had a growing
practice. In 1840 he was elected as a representative to
the general assembly for the counties of Crawford, Marion and
Delaware. In 1855 he removed to Hamilton, Butler county,
and continued the practice of his profession with great
distinction and success, in competition with such lawyers as
John Woods, Lewis D. Campbell, Thomas Milliken and
William Bebb. In October, 1857, he was elected judge
of the supreme court of Ohio, for the term commencing on the 9th
day of February, 1857. Shortly after his election he was
appointed by the governor, Chase, to fill the vacancy
caused by the resignation of Judge Ranney, and held under
the appointment until the 9th day of February, the commencement
of the regular term. He was twice re-elected and continued
on the bench until the 9th day of February, 1872, having
declined to be a candidate for another term.
"Some years before he left the bench he returned again
to Bucyrus, and at the expiration of his term he resumed
practice and continued until January, 1876, when he was
appointed by Governor Hayes a member of the supreme court
commission. On the expiration of the commission, in
February, 1879, he again resumed the practice of his profession,
but was soon stricken with a malignant disease, which terminated
his life on the 15th day of June, 1879, in the seventy-sixth
year of his age, but still in his intellectual prime.
"Such, gentlemen of the Ohio State Bar Association, is
a brief sketch of the eventful life of one of the most gifted
men who ever adorned our profession. It is with a willing
heart and grateful mind that I embrace the present opportunity
to commemorate his virtues, only regretting my inability to set
forth in a deserving manner the tribute which I shall endeavor
to bring to his memory.
"Over thirty-seven years ago I came to Bucyrus a
stranger, and commenced the practice of my chosen profession.
I was young and diffident, and the first member of the bar to
give me a friendly greeting and extend the hand of encouragement
was the Hon. Josiah Scott. After a few months'
acquaintance and professional intercourse he invited me into his
office as a partner. We continued our partnership until he
removed to Hamilton. After he returned from Hamilton to
reside in Bucyrus, while still on the bench, he made my office
his headquarters, and at the expiration of his term we resumed
our partnership, after an interval of over twenty years.
We continued together until his death, and by the terms of his
last will and testament he made me one of his executors.
Do I need, therefore, to apologize for my veneration of the man,
and when I say I will revere his memory as a friend and
benefactor until the last pulsation of my heart?
"In the professional and judicial career of Judge
Scott he did not neglect the pursuits of learning, but
habitually indulged in mathematics, the reading of English
classical authors and the study of Latin and Greek literature.
Of the ancient classics, Horace and Demosthenes
were his favorite authors. He would turn at random to any
portion of Horace and Virgil and translate them fluently
into elegant English. Sometimes in his arguments at the
bar, in the midst of a flight of eloquence, he would quote and
adapt passages from Pollock's Course of Time or Milton's
Paradise Lost with such ease and grace, and so appropriate to
his theme as to make his hearers lose sight of the quotation.
"He was always diffident and retiring until called out
by some genial friends or professional associates, in whose
company he might be cast. On such occasions he was always
found to possess conversational powers of a high order,
enlivening his conversation by a warm glow of delicate humor and
brightening it often by lively flashes of wit. His
knowledge and skill in mathematics were astonishing. No
mathematical problem capable of solution baffled him. It
may be safely asserted that he was absolute master of algebra
and geometry. He would solve difficult algebraic problems
mentally in an incredibly short space of time, announcing his
methods as he progressed. By way of light reading he would
peruse by the hour that wonderful production, Euler's
Elements of Algebra, with as much delight as if it were a
romance, instead of a work so deep that few but professional
mathematicians could comprehend it.
"Whilst he was a profound scholar and linguist, yet his
greatest triumphs were at the bar. He had leading practice
in all the counties in his part of the state, and rarely was an
important jury case tried but he conducted one side of it.
It was there he displayed his great power as a nisiprius lawyer.
His skill was displayed in the cross examination of witnesses.
He seldom rebuked or intimidated a witness so as to excite his
stubbornness or aggravate his hostility, but rather led him
along first in the line of undisputed facts in a pleasant manner
until he would get the truth out of him, when it was
unintentional on the part of the witness, who had gone on the
stand with the full determination to perjure himself in behalf
of the opposite party. On such occasions a grim shade of
disappointment might be observed to steal over the countenances
of the opposing counsel. In his arguments he was
ordinarily mild, eloquent and persuasive before a jury, but when
occasion required he would pour out a torrent of invective that
was overwhelming, like that of Curran's celebrated
denunciation of Flood in the Irish parliament. In his
argument to the court, Judge Scott was logical and
convincing. He belonged to that older class of lawyers who
began the practice when books were few, but read, studied and
thoroughly mastered all the elementary principles of the law.
I have seen him in combats with other lawyers of the same class,
a race that nearly all disappeared, such as Judge Stewart,
Bartley, Kirkwood, Brinkerhoff and Cooper K. Watson,
and deep were the impressions they made on my mind in the outset
of my practice. What models for the emulation of the young
practitioner! In their legal conflicts it was a battle of
giants. What ponderous arguments, mostly on principles
rather than an array of authorities, with Judge Bowen on
the bench to appreciate them, without requiring the production
of books! Such thrusts and such parries! Such
logical reasoning, so pregnant with legal principles that they
would seem unanswerable, and then see an antagonist meet and
combat them like Hercules with his club! I sometimes pause
and ask, Will ever cases be tried like those again?
"Whilst on the bench, Judge Scott's position was
characterized by the highest degree of learning and accuracy.
His published judicial opinions are found in the Ohio State
Reports, from volume V to volume XXI inclusive, and the first
series of volumes containing the decisions of the commission,
and they take rank with the best ever announced from the bench.
In preparing a brief, when a lawyer finds a decision of Judge
Scott on the subject, it always affords pleasure and relief.
His analysis is so complete and his reasoning so conclusive and
easily understood that one almost wonders why the question
should ever have been involved in doubt. It is also a
notable feature of the Ohio State Reports that there are few, if
any, dissenting opinions in cases where the decisions were
announced by Judge Scott. He left his
impression upon the jurisprudence of Ohio as distinctly as
any other figure in the history of our courts, and his opinions
are not only sound, but instructive.
"He was an earnest believer and professor of the truths
of the Christian religion, whose holy precepts he practiced in
the whole course of his life. It may safely be asserted
that he never in his life, in his business, in his profession,
in court or elsewhere, did or conceived a dishonorable act, and
his life teaches us that without professional uprightness and
integrity there can be no enduring success. Judge Scott
always regarded is as a duty, not only to his client and
himself, but a higher and more important one to his country,
which bestows on a lawyer important privileges and requires of
him important services, to discourage groundless and unlawful
litigation, and to present his client's case truthfully and
fairly. Sad, indeed, would be the thought, when such a man
is gone from earth, were all his learning and wisdom gone, too.
But all of such men cannot die. While his body
slumbers in the earth his words of wisdom and his example of
purity will shed their lustre as a beacon to guide those who
succeed him."
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 18 |
 |
CHARLES JACOB SCROGGS.
Charles Jacob Scroggs, the senior member of the law firm
of Scroggs & Monnett, is the only child of the
late Hon. Jacob Scroggs, attorney at law,
and his wife, Julia A. Walwork. The Scroggs
family in America was founded by three brothers, Alexander,
Allan and John, who came from Edinburg to
Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, about 1740, and who, according
to family tradition, were either nephews or grandnephews of
Chief Justice Scroggs of the King's Bench
under Charles II. Allan Scroggs died
in Cumberland county in 1776, leaving a numerous family, of whom
the second son, John, made his way to Baltimore, where,
in 1786, he was married to Frances Hook.
Their third son. also named John, was born in Baltimore
June, 1794, and continued to live there until 1819, taking part
in the war of 1812 and being present at the bombardment of Fort
McHenry and at North Point. He then removed to Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania, and one year later to Columbiana county,
Ohio, where in 1821 he was married to Miss Ann Shawke,
daughter of Jacob and Dorothea (Kester)
Shawke. Her father was born in Lebanon county,
Pennsylvania, November 15, 1759, and was of Bavarian ancestry,
being able to trace his family back to the fourteenth century.
He was a soldier of the Revolution, serving during portions of
seven years in a number of Pennsylvania companies, and dying at
Lisbon, Ohio, in 1832.
John Scroggs was a hatter by trade and
followed this business at Lisbon and Canton, Ohio, and afterward
at Bucyrus, moving to this place in 1839 and settling on the
site of the present residence of the subject of this sketch, his
house at that time being the last one but one on Walnut street
and the last one on Rensselaer street. Here he resided
until his death, in 1861, having lived, not an eventful life,
but one which won for him the highest respect of all who knew
him. After his death his widow made her home with her only
living- daughter, Mrs. W. T. Giles, until her death in
1882, at the ripe age of eighty-six years. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Scroggs were life- long and faithful members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and the present beautiful edifice in
Bucyrus contains memorial windows in their honor.
They were the parents of seven children: Joseph R.,
who died in Freeport, Illinois, unmarried, in 1867, a
newspaper man by profession, and a prominent Mason and Odd
Fellow; William M., for two terms county auditor,
married Miss Margaret Byron in 1849, and
died at Bucyrus in 1874, leaving surviving him his widow and two
children, all since deceased; Jacob; Mary, wife of
W. T. Giles, one of the veteran newspaper men of the
west, who died at Freeport, Illinois, in 1898, his wife having
passed to the spirit world in 1889, leaving two children,—W.
S., a railway mail clerk, and Mira L.. a teacher in
the Chicago schools; Mira, wife of C. W. Butterfield,
died at Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1859; Amanda, who died young;
and John B., a prominent lawyer of Kansas City, Kansas,
where he died in 1899, leaving surviving him a widow and three
step-children.
JACOB SCROGGS was born in Canton,
Ohio, August 11, 1827, and died at Bucyrus, Ohio. March 23.
1897. During his boyhood he acquired such education as the
frontier schools could furnish, and also learned his father's
trade, but that not proving congenial employment he taught
school for five terms, worked on the local newspapers and in
clerical positions in the courthouse, clerked in Toledo for a
year and traveled for one year for Winthrop Smith
& Company, the predecessors of the American Book Company.
He then studied law, under the direction of Judge Hall
and D. W. Swigart, was graduated at the Cincinnati Law
School in 1854. and the following year opened an office in
Bucyrus, where for forty years he occupied an honored position
at the Crawford county bar. Never sanctioning the "sharp
practice"' which too many consider a necessary concomitant of
the practice of law, others had more success than he in making a
jury believe ''the worse were the better cause;" but in profound
knowledge of the law, fine reasoning powers and in that
integrity of character which enabled and compelled him on
occasion to fearlessly tell a client he was in the wrong, he
stood easily in the front rank. From the memorial to him
adopted by the Ohio State Bar Association, we extract the
following :
"Upon his fair fame the breath of suspicion never dared
to rest. His word was a bond that was never forfeited and
his rugged manhood commanded confidence and won respect from
all. With few early advantages, he made himself, by
industry and energy, a peer of the ablest lawyers of the state,
a man of liberal education, broad views and affluent
circumstances. He was held in universal esteem by men of
all parties throughout the city, the county and the state."
Always an active Republican and Crawford county being
heavily Democratic, circumstances prevented his ever holding
important public office. He was mayor of Bucyrus for four
years and for twelve years a member of the board of education,
being for ten years the president of that body, and for nine
years his name being upon both tickets. He was a
presidential elector in 1864 and again in 1880, was the
Republican candidate for circuit judge in 1884, and two years
later was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican
nomination for supreme judge.
He was married to Julia A. Walwork on September
22, 1859. She was born in Philadelphia August 4, 1833, and
died at Bucyrus, Ohio, July 23, 1901. She was a daughter
of Thomas Walwork, a native of England, and
Alary Stephens, of Glens Falls, New York, her
mother's family tracing back to the early Puritan settlers.
She commenced to teach school at the age of fourteen, her first
experience being gained near Syracuse, New York, and had a life
certificate empowering her to teach in any school in New York
state. In 1855 she went to Georgia as a teacher, but her
anti-slavery views led to her return north in 1857, she coming
to Bucyrus to take charge of the high school, a position she
filled with marked success and continued to hold until three
years after her marriage. The rest of her life was devoted
to her home, family and friends. For many years before her
death she was an invalid and virtually confined to the limits of
her own home, yet her personality was such that so long as she
lived she remained one of the most prominent factors in the
intellectual and social life of the city.
They had but one child. Charles Jacob
Scroggs, the subject of this sketch. He was born in
Bucyrus, Ohio, July 14, 1863, was educated by his mother and in
our public schools, at which he graduated in 1877, the youngest
high school graduate on record. He attended Ohio Wesleyan
University at Delaware one year, and then took a four-years
course at Michigan University, Ann Arbor, graduating at that
institution in 1884 with the degree of A. M., being one of seven
in a class of ninety to receive the master's degree instead of
the customary A. B. Two years later he was graduated at
the Cincinnati Law School with the degree of LL. B., and since
then has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession
at Bucyrus, being associated with his father until the latter's
death, and since then with his present partner. He has
inherited many of his father's characteristics, and as a safe,
accurate advisor, particularly in matters of commercial and
corporation law, he is excelled by none in the county. He
has also been actively identified with the business life of the
community. He was one of the organizers of the Bucyrus
Loan & Building Association, of which he has been attorney and
director since its inception, and helped organize, and is one of
the board of directors of, the Home Mutual Fire Association.
Outside of business he finds employment for his time in
his books, secret orders and the game of whist. He has one
of the finest private libraries in Bucyrus and has it thoroughly
at his command, is a member of all of the local Masonic bodies
and of Ohio Consistory, thirty-second degree, at Cincinnati; is
a past chancellor. Demas Lodge, No. 108, K. of P., and under
Grand Chancellor Young was his deputy for the
sixteenth Pythian district, composed of Crawford, Seneca and
Wyandot counties; was a charter member of Bucyrus Lodge, No.
156, B. P. O. E.. and is a life member of the grand lodge of
that order. He also takes an active interest in the Sons
of the American Revolution, and has been one of the board of
managers of its Ohio society and was a delegate to its last
national congress. He is recognized as one of the leading
whist-players of the state, and is a frequent contributor to the
literature of the ''silent game." He has never married.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 266
NOTE: Also
See Biography in History of Crawford County, Ohio, Publ.
Chicago: Baskin & Battey, Historical Publishers, 186 Dearborn
Street. - 1881 - Page 817 |
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SOLOMON SEERY has
resided upon the farm in Lykens township which is now his home
for more than two-thirds of a century, taking up his abode there
when a boy of ten years. He was born in Ross county, Ohio,
September 22, 1823, a son of Solomon Seery, one of
the honored pioneers of Crawford county, who aided in its
substantial development in early days. In the fall of 1833 the
father brought his family to Crawford county, where our subject
has since made his home. He began his education in a log
school-house, seated with slab benches and supplied with other
primitive furniture, and the methods of instruction were almost
equally crude. Although a youth of only ten summers when he came
to this county, he aided his father in the work of clearing the
fields for cultivation and assisted in the plowing, planting and
harvesting.
In 1855 occurred the marriage of Solomon
Seery and Miss Elizabeth Park,
and unto them have been born three children, namely:
Independence, a hoop manufacturer of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin;
John W., a resident farmer of Lykens township; and
Russell O. The wife and mother died April 20, 1890, at
the age of fifty-four years, respected by all who knew her, so
"that her loss was deeply mourned by her many friends, as well
as her immediate family.
Throughout his entire life Mr. Seery has
carried on general farming, .and to-day he owns three hundred
and twenty-five acres of rich land, all in Lykens township. The
well tilled fields yield to him golden harvest and everything
about the place is kept in good condition. In the early days he
was celebrated as a coon hunter. For a half century he has been
a member of the United Brethren church and throughout the
greater part of the time has served as trustee, while for a
long- period he was class leader and superintendent of the
Sunday school. His first presidential vote was cast for Henry
Clay, the Whig candidate, and at the present time he is a
Prohibitionist. He gives his support to all movements calculated
to promulgate temperance, morality and intellectuality and has
aided in many interests for the general good. His life has ever
been honorable and upright and all who know him esteem him for
his .genuine worth.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 809 |
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HIRAM
SHALTER. The name of Shalter has
been well known in Crawford county, Ohio, since John
Shalter settled there in 1832, taking up one hundred
and sixty acres of government land in Lykens township.
Hiram Shalter, John Shalter's
eldest son, is a prominent farmer in Texas township, and was
born on his father's homestead in Lykens township, Mar. 23,
1834.
John Shalter,
of whom a brief biographical sketch appears elsewhere in this
work, married Elizabeth Albaugh, of Jefferson
county, Ohio, who bore him thirteen children. The first
born of these, Hiram, was reared on his
father's farm, in the work of which he assisted his father until
he was twenty-four years of age. He then removed to Huron
county, Ohio, where he bought eighty acres of wood land and
lived a year and a half. Disposing of his interests there
he moved to Texas township, Crawford county, where he bought of
his father-in-law his present home farm, of which he has cleared
thirty acres, which he devotes to general farming and
stock-raising. He now owns altogether one hundred and
sixty acres of land.
When he was
twenty-four years old Mr. Shalter married
Miss Mary Clark, who has borne him five
children. Their son Robert is dead.
Their son Frank lives at Sycamore, Ohio.
Their daughter Laura is the wife of
Charles Oder. Their son George
is dead, as is also their daughter Minnie.
In politics Mr. Shalter is a stanch Republican,
but he has never sought nor consented to hold office. He
and his wife are consistent members of the Baptist church.
He is a man of much public spirit who takes a deep interest in
the cause of education and has done whatever he has been able to
do to improve the common schools of his neighborhood. In
his youth he enjoyed a few educational advantages, and he is
largely self-educated. The first school of which he has
any recollection was taught at Bulgo, as the original settlement
of Lykens was called, in a little log building with no floor,
all the appointments of which were of the crudest description,
and on account of sickness only one day of schooling was
available to him that summer. He next attended school in
another log school house which was not much of an improvement on
the one just referred to, and the information imparted in which
was scant and somewhat vague in character. The following
items concerning his brothers and sisters will be found
interesting. His sister Della was
formerly a successful teacher. For several years she and
her sisters Nancy and Lizzie
have owned millinery stores at Bloomville and at other points
in Ohio. His brothers Levi and
David and his sisters Mary A., Catherine, Emma
and Susanna are dead. His sister
Saloma married Daniel Savage.
His brother John lives in Putnam county, Ohio,
his brother Abraham in Seneca county, and
D. Savage lives at Cripple Creek, Colorado.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 699 |
|
|
WILLIAM H. SHECKLER
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 404 |
|
|
JACOB SHEETZ.
The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly
the chronicles of the lives and deeds of those who have
conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges
the character of a community by those of its representative
citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for
the genius or learning or virtues of those whose works and
actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride,
and it is this record that offers for our consideration the
history of men, who in their characters for probity and
benevolence and the kindly virtues, as well as for the integrity
in the affairs of life, are ever affording to the young worthy
examples for their regard and emulation. Therefore it is
proper that a just celebrity be given to those men who are
distinguished in their day and generation, that the living may
enjoy the approbation of their contemporaries, as well as that
of a grateful posterity.
Jacob Sheetz certainly deserves mention among
the representative men of Crawford county. He stands at the head
of the firm of Jacob Sheetz & Brother, bankers and
merchants, and the influence of his business activity is widely
and beneficially felt. He was born in New Washington Sept.
23, 1843, being one of the six children of John A. and
Margaret (Donnenwirth) Sheetz. As the name indicates
the family is of German lineage. The father of our subject
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, Dec. 3, 1809, and in 1824, when
only twenty-one years of age, crossed the Atlantic to the new
world in company with an older sister. After landing
in New York city they made their way to Ohio, locating in
Columbiana county, where they took up their abode. For
some years the father of our subject was employed as a farm hand
and at various occupations which would yield him an honest
living, receiving but six dollars per month in the first
capacity. His sister having married and removed to
Crawford county, he determined to go to Dayton, where he secured
employment in a livery stable. He was very fond of horses
and prospered in this new line of business. About 1830 he
came to Crawford county to visit his sister, and, being pleased
with the locality, determined to remain. Therefore he
purchased ninety acres of land in Auburn township, which tract
includes the present site of the village of Waynesburg. He
erected a log cabin, planted an orchard and began the task of
clearing his land and cultivating crops. He was three
times married. His first wife was Miss Margaret
Weisenbacher, whom he wedded in Dayton, in May, 1836; but
after a short married life she died, in July of the same year.
Subsequently (October, 1837) he was joined in wedlock to Miss
Margaret Weaver, of Auburn township, Crawford county, and
this union was blesed with one child, Catherine
Agetta, now the wife of William H. Donnenwirth, a
resident farmer of Stark county, Ohio. The second wife
lived but a little more than a year, and about 1842 John A.
Sheetz wedded Mrs. Margaret Hesse, the
widow of Ehregott Hesse and a daughter of
George Donnenwirth. She was a native of Alsace,
Germany. Her father emigrated to America about 1829,
locating in Stark county, Ohio, whence he came to Crawford
county, taking up his abode in Cranberry township, three miles
northwest of New Washington, where he resided until his death.
In early womanhood his daughter Margaret became the wife
of Ehregott Hesse, a merchant of New Washington,
and after the death of her first husband she carried on the
business until her marriage to Mr. Sheetz, when he
took up his abode in the town and assumed the management of the
business, conducting the same until his death, which occurred
Dec. 7, 1889. The Democracy received his political
support, but he never sought office as a reward for public
service. He was, however, the first postmaster of New
Washington, and for several years prior to the establishment of
the postoffice at this place he walked once each week to a point
four miles west of the town in order to meet the stage and get
the mail for the people residing in this locality. As an
accommodation for his business patrons and his fellow townsmen
residing in this locality he continued to act as postmaster for
many years. By his third marriage Mr. Sheetz
had six children, four of whom are yet living, namely: John
H., a banker and merchant, who is in partnership with his
brother: Louisa P., wife of John M. Guiss, of New
Washington; Jacob, of this review; and Caroline,
now the wife of John L. Assenheimer, a lumber dealer and
contractor of Bucyrus.
Jacob Sheetz had the refining influences
of a good home and the advantages of educational privileges in
his youth. Having pursued his education in the common
schools, he supplemented his preliminary course by study in the
Bucyrus high school, in DeKalb College and in a private
institution of learning in Cleveland. From his sixteenth
year he worked upon his father's farm during the summer months,
becoming familiar with all of the duties that fall to the lot of
the agriculturist. Later, however, his father insisted
upon his entering the store, and when he was nineteen years of
age he took his place behind the counters, there serving as a
clerk. He soon manifested superior aptitude for business,
and six months later he had complete charge of the enterprise.
In less than a year the bills were made out in the name of
John A. Sheetz & Son, although this was unauthorized by a
business partnership. In 1866, however, our subject
purchased a half interest in the store, and in 1874 his brother,
John H., purchased the father's interest, and the firm of
Jacob Sheetz & Brother has since carried on operations.
Not long afterward our subject established the Farmers Exchange
Bank, under the name of the John A. Sheetz Company. Both
branches of his business have contributed in a considerable
measure to the general prosperity of the community, and at the
same time have returned an excellent revenue to the partners.
On the 17th of October, 1867, Mr. Sheetz
was married to Miss Elizabeth A. Guiss, a native
of Cranberry township and a daughter of Abraham Guiss,
one of the prominent farmers of the community, now deceased.
He was a native of Columbiana county, Ohio. This marriage
has been blessed with three children:- Ada M., the
eldest, is the wife of John Seifert, proprietor of
an elevator at New Washington; George W., who is a
graduate of the New Washington high school and of the Spencerian
Business College, of Cleveland, Ohio, is now attending the Ohio
State University, preparing himself for the practice of law; and
Emma L., the youngest, is also a graduate of the high
school of New Washington and is now the wife of Martin L.
Belser, D. D., of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In his political affiliations our subject is a
Democrat, and for ten or more years has served as a member of
the town council, exercising his official prerogatives in
support of all measures for the public good. For fifteen
years he has served on the school board and was one of its
members when the present school building was erected. He
holds membership in the Lutheran church, and was one of its
trustees, serving on the finance committee when the present
church edifice was built. He is one of the most
public-spirited and progressive citizens of the county, and has
contributed in a large measure to the upbuilding and improvement
of this part of the state. When he became a member of the
mercantile firm of which he is now at the head he assumed an
indebtedness of three thousand, seven hundred and fifty dollars.
The year following he erected a residence and thus increased his
indebtedness, but in a short time, owing to his capable business
methods and management, he was enabled to pay off all
obligations and has continually added to his wealth. He is
a man of whom the most envious can scarcely grudge success, so
well has he earned it, so admirably does he use it, so entirely
does he lack pride of purse. He is kind, unaffected and
approachable, and every comer has a claim upon his courteous
attention. There has been nothing sensational in his
career, every step has been thoughtfully and deliberately made
and every advance has been at the cost of hard and self-denying
labor. Born to lead, his great experience makes him a safe
counselor and guide. He stands to-day in his mature years
a strong man, strong in the consciousness of well-spent years,
strong to plan and perform, strong in his credit and good name
and a worthy example for young men to pattern after.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 73 |
|
|
JOHN H. SHEETZ.
Rising above the head of the masses are many men of sterling
worth and value, who by sheer perseverance and pluck have
conquered fortune and by their own unaided efforts have risen
from the ranks of the commonplace to positions of eminence in
the business world, and at the same time have commanded the
trust and respect of those with whom they have been in any way
thrown in contact. Among the earnest men whose depth of
character and strict adherence to principle excite the
admiration of his contemporaries Mr. Sheetz is prominent.
He is now recognized as one of the leading merchants of his
portion of Crawford county and is not only in control of one of
the extensive commercial enterprises of New Washington but is
also successfully engaged in the banking business, and is
regarded as one of the best financiers in this part of the
state.
Mr. Sheetz was born in the city which is still
his home, his natal day being Aug. 29, 1852. His parents
were John A. and Margaret (Donnenwirth) Sheetz. He
remained with his parents during the period of his boyhood and
youth and acquired his preliminary education in the New
Washington district schools, supplementing his early study by a
course in Oberlin College and in Mount Union College.
During the last two years of his school life he spent the summer
months on his father's farm. Agricultural pursuits were
congenial to him and he rather desired to carry on farming, but
in 1872, at the earnest solicitation of his father, he became a
clerk in the latter's store and served in that capacity until
1874, when he purchased his father's interest in the business
and became a partner of his brother Jacob.
This connection has since been maintained. Our subject
soon manifested superior ability in the line of commerce and as
a merchant took front rank among the leading representatives of
trade interests in his native town. The store which the
brothers own is large and well stocked and they enjoy a very
liberal patronage. In 1876 the banking firm of the John
A. Sheetz Company was organized and our subject became
cashier and financial manager. The success of the
institution is largely due to his efforts, which have resulted
in making this one of the leading financial concerns in this
portion of the county.
On the 2d of October, 1889, occurred the marriage of
Mr. Sheets and Miss Theresa W. Michaelis, a native of
Bucyrus and a daughter of the Rev. August Michaelis, a
minister of the Lutheran church. Her father was born in
Prussia and came to America about 1840, when a young man.
Until our subject and his wife have been born two sons, -
John A. and Walter F. Mr. Sheetz votes with the
Democracy and is a recognized leader in its ranks. He has
served for six or seven years as a member of the school board
and for six and eight years has been treasurer of the board.
His religious belief connects him with the Lutheran church, and
for three years he was a member of the church council, while for
a similar period he served as deacon and was secretary of the
building committee when the present substantial and commodious
house of worship was erected. Mr. Sheetz is a man
of distinctive ability, and his character is one which is above
a shadow of reproach. He has been faithful in the offices
to which he has been called, loyal to the duties of public and
private life and is widely known and respected by all who have
been at all familiar with his honorable and useful career.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 265 |
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GEORGE
SHROLL. The time has one by when the life of a
farmer was one of toil with discouraging and depressing
surroundings. At present no class of citizens are so
independent or so comfortably fixed as are the farmers of a
county like that of Crawford, Ohio. Among the
well-improved and productive farms and commodious and attractive
residences is that owned by George Sholl, farmer
and stock-raiser, in Bucyrus township. His birth was in
this county, Oct. 18, 1855, and his parents were Levi and
Barbara (Wisman) Shroll, both of German descent.
Levi Shroll was born in Pennsylvania and came to
Crawford county with his parents, and later married Barbara
Wisman, whose family has notice in another part of this
volume. Five children were born of this union two of whom
died in childhood, and one, Sarah, died at the age of
twenty-one. Maria is the wife of Frederick Trisk,
of Todd township, our subject being the only other survivor.
The mother died when George was but an infant of one and
one-half years. After marriage the father had settled on
our subject's present farm, and here he died in 1876, having
been a successful farmer and respected citizen.
Reared on the far and educated in the public schools,
George Shroll grew to self-respecting manhood, and by the
time he was prepared to set up a household of his own he most
thoroughly understood the science of farming from practical
experience. In 1881 he married Leatie Conkle, the
only daughter of Nicholas and Susan Conkle, a pioneer and
one of the most successful farmers of this county, who was born
in Bucyrus township. In 1879 he moved to Sedalia,
Missouri, and died Jan. 11, 1885. The mother and five
brothers of Mrs. Shroll: Clarence C., Jesse E. and
Raymond.
The land owned by Mr. Shroll
shows its fine cultivation on every side, and his flocks cover
many fields, as he is largely interested in the raising of
sheep. The stranger is immediately impressed with the air
of neatness and thrift which pervades the surroundings of Mr.
Shroll, his buildings being modern in style and finish the
models of their kind. For many years he has been a leading
member and willing supporter of the United Brethren church and
is deservedly popular among his acquaintances, and through the
township is known as honest, upright and industrious.
Source:
A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 546 |
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SAMUEL SHUPP.
Among the highly esteemed citizens of Crawford county who have
been particularly well known for many years, is George Shupp,
a successful agriculturist, a worthy member of a leading
religious denomination and an intelligent and progressive
citizen. Mr. Shupp was born in Dauphin county,
Pennsylvania, Aug. 2, 1828, a son of John and Maria (Yaeger)
Shupp, and was one in a family of twelve children, all of
whom have passed to the other shore except Samuel and his
sister Mary, the widow of Daniel Fralick, of
Lamert, Ohio.
John Shupp was born in Dauphin county,
Pennsylvania, while his great-grandfather was born on the sea
during the passage of his parents from Germany to America.
The father of our subject grew to manhood in the Keystone state
and followed the trade of shoemaking. In the fall of 1830,
with his wife and a son-in-law, he started from the Pennsylvania
home in a one-horse wagon, and finally reached Crawford county,
Ohio. They were looking for a suitable location, and
before returning Mr. Shupp purchased eighty acres of the
farm upon which our subject now resides. He then went back
to perfect arrangements for the removal of the family in the
following spring. As soon as traveling could be undertaken
with safety and comfort, Mr. Shupp, with his wife and
children, save the oldest son, who came about one year later,
started for Crawford county. They were accompanied by one
son-in-law and his two children. They had two wagons, one
being a prairie schooner, hauled by a four-horse team.
Many of the older members of the family made almost all of the
long journey on foot, and finally arrived at the little cabin
erected by the former settlers. This was found too small
to hold the whole family, but with great cheerfulness beds were
made in the corn crib, and when the cabin was full the overflow
found peaceful rest after the hard labor of the day within the
improvised house. So many hands soon made light the work
of erecting a new house of hewn logs, and before long they were
all very comfortable. Soon the father entered for his
children three farms, of eighty acres each, in Lykens township,
and two others, of eighty acres each, in Holmes township, and
also entered one eighty acre tract for a nephew, who shortly
followed them to Crawford county. This nephew gave a year
of work to Mr. Shupp in pay for the land. Mr.
Shupp also purchased twenty-five acres adjoining his land,
in this township, and an additional thirty-two acres in Lykens
township. His death came in 1863, when he had reached his
eighty-first year. During all his life he had actively
supported the democratic party. For many years he was an
earnest worker in the German Reformed church, while his wife was
just as devoted to the Lutheran faith. Services in all
religious denominations were held in those days in the school
houses and both parents attended together. The mother
survived her husband three or four years, living to be
seventy-eight.
Our subject was reared at home, but had few educational
advantages on account of the unsettled state of the locality.
This lack has long since been remedied. In 1849 he married
Miss Mary Young, but a year later the young wife died,
and soon after her infant child also passed away. After
his marriage Mr. Shupp settled on a portion of his
father's property, which he farmed on shares until he was bereft
of his wife and child, when he returned home and soon after
began making preparations for a western trip. However, his
parents dissuaded him from carrying out this plan, as they were
advanced in years, and to gratify them eh settled down at home
again and took up his old occupations. Later he married
Miss Rosanna Schaal, a native of Germany, and then purchased
the home farm and had his beloved parents take up their
residence with him, giving them filial care and loving attention
until their death.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Shupp were:
John L., of Sandusky, Ohio; Mary A., the wife of
Rev. Isaiah Laipply, an Evangelical minister in Nebraska;
Simon F., of Marion, Ohio; Sarah J., the widow of
Elias Candel, of Lykens township; Rebecca, the
wife of C. P. Deervester, of Broken Sword, this county;
and Emma E., the wife of Samuel Cover. Mrs.
Shupp died in February, 1863, and on Mar. 31, 1864, Mr.
Shupp was married to Miss Elizabeth Gerhart, a native
of Lykens township, the daughter of Martin and Eve E.
(Lehman) Gerhart, both natives of Germany. They came
to Crawford county early in the '30s. Three children were
born to this last marriage: Edwin, of Holmes Township;
Rolandus, a farmer on his father's land in Holmes township;
and Bessie B., at home.
Mr. Shupp retains only one hundred acres of
land, although he has owned much more. His political
belief is in the principles of the Republican party, although
prior to the Civil war he was a Democrat. For more than
forty years he has been an active and prominent member of the
Evangelical church and has faithfully served it as trustee,
class-leader, local preacher and in the minor offices,
contributing generously to all of its charitable and benevolent
enterprises.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford
County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 540 |
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JOHN E. SIEFERT
is a telegraph operator and station agent at New Washington and
is a popular and obliging representative of the railroad and
telegraph corporations, he has made many friends through his
unfailing courtesy, as well as through his prompt and faithful
execution of his business duties.
Mr. Siefert was born in Whetstone
township, Crawford county, Dec. 26, 1862, his parents being
Jacob and Catherine (Whitcum) Siefert. His father was
born in Stark county, Ohio, about 1835, and was a son of John
and Solemena (Lantz) Siefert. He remained at home
until about eighteen years of age, when he went to Ashland,
Ohio, to learn the blacksmith's trade. After completing
his apprenticeship he worked for several years as a journeyman,
and during his residence in Ashland he was married. Soon
afterward he located in Whetstone township, Crawford county,
settling on the original site of the old town of Olentangy,
where he conducted a blacksmith shop. In 1862 he removed
to New Washington, where he opened and operated the blacksmith
shop now owned and carried on by Fred Carle.
He also built and conducted a carriage factory, employing five
workmen in the blacksmithing department and four in the other
departments of the business. He became one of the leading
merchants and representatives of the industrial interests in the
town. Many of the buggies and spring wagons built by him
are still in use in and around New Washington. He was an
expert workman, energetic and reliable, and his business
integrity was above question. He died in 1871, at the
comparatively early age of thirty-six years. An active
member of the Lutheran church, he had held church offices for a
number of years and was ever faithful to the teachings of that
denomination. In politics he voted with the Democracy, but
his business interests claimed too much of his attention to
allow him to become an active factor in political affairs.
He was a lover of hue horses and could handle any horse, always
owning some fine specimens of the noble steed. The mother
of our subject was a native of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania,
born in 1835, and was a daughter of John and Mary Whitcum,
both of whom were natives of that state. They went to
Ashland county, Ohio, at an early date and in later years
removed to Crawford county, settling in Cranberry township,
where they remained until called to the home beyond.
Mrs. Siefert survived her husband until March, 1899.
She was the mother of six children, but only two are now living,
the sister, who is older than our subject, being Mrs. Clara
R. Stevens, the wife of S. H. Stevens, of Cranberry
township.
From an early age John E. Siefert has depended
upon his own resources, and whatever success he has achieved in
life is due to his earnest efforts. At the age of thirteen
he began earning his own livelihood as a farm hand. He
spent the summer of 1881 as an employe in a brick yard in New
Washington and the following year he entered the telegraph
office of the Pennsylvania Company at this place, taking up the
study of telegraphy. In the spring of 1883, having
mastered the business, he was placed in charge of the office at
Vernon Junction, where he continued for eight years, and in 1891
he was promoted to the office at New Washington, where he has
since remained as telegraph operator and railroad and express
agent. His genial disposition and obliging manner have
made him very popular with the patrons of the road, and he is
highly esteemed in the town and throughout the surrounding
country.
On the 25th of November, 1888, Mr. Siefert
was united in marriage to Miss Sarah J. Bair, a native of
Whetstone township and a daughter of John and Rebecca
(Shearer) Bair, who came to Crawford county from Stark
county among its early settlers, taking up their abode in
Whetstone township. Three children graced the union of our
subject and his wife: Florene M., Hazel R. and
Chauncey J. The mother died Oct. 31, 1893, mourned by
a large circle of friends. Mr. Siefert was married,
on Oct. 23, 1901, to Miss Amanda L. High, of New
Washington, Ohio. She is a daughter of Adam and Matilda
L. ( Hesse) High, who were of German birth. Both were
born in Germany and emigrated to this country with their parents
in early childhood, settling in New Washington, and always
resided in and around this village. Mrs. Siefert
was born in New Washington, Ohio, Feb. 2, 1866. Her early
girlhood days were spent in attending school, and she is a
graduate of the New Washington high school, being a member of
the class of 1886. In September, the same year, she
entered the New Washington public schools as a primary teacher,
which position she successfully filled for four years, when the
board of education promoted her to the intermediate department
for one year, thence to the grammar department, which position
she ably filled for two years. During these years at
vacation time she attended school at Ada, Ohio, two terms and at
Valparaiso, Indiana, one term. Her health failing, she
abandoned the work for some time. After again taking up
the work she taught twelve successful terms in the district
schools of Cranberry and Chatfield townships. She is a
member of the New Washington Methodist Episcopal church and has
always been an active member in all church work.
Mr. Siefert belongs to Hyperion Lodge,
No. 651, K. P., and to the Uniform Rank, and in the former he
has filled all of the offices. In politics he is a stanch
Democrat. Although his life has been quietly passed it is
worthy of emulation in many respects, showing the power of a
strong force of character, energy and determination in the
practical affairs of life.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 502 |
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MICHAEL SIEFERT,
who is proprietor of a warehouse and has other property
interests in New Washington, is one of the oldest of the pioneer
settlers of Cranberry township, where he now lives.
Throughout the years of his residence in this county he has been
known as a progressive and wide-awake citizen. He was born
in Stark county, Ohio, Oct. 8, 1830, and is a son of John and
Salome (Lantz) Siefert. The father of our subject was
born in Alsace, France, now a part of Germany, in 1803, and was
there reared to farm life. His father, John
Siefert, emigrated to America with his wife and seven
children in the year 1827, landing at New York city after a
voyage of twenty-seven days. Making his way westward, he
came through the canal to Stark county, where a location was
secured, the father purchasing forty acres of land, upon which
he spent his remaining days. The same year of their
arrival John Siefert was married and located in
Stark county, where he operated one farm of forty acres,
conducting this on the shares for six years.
In 1834 he came to Crawford county and entered a farm
of eighty acres, one mile northwest of New Washington.
Upon this tract of land he built a log cabin sixteen by eighteen
feet, and soon his family were installed in their new home.
The farm was all covered with a dense growth of timber and the
Indians in the neighborhood were far more numerous than the
white settlers, but that year several white families took up
their abode in the vicinity of the Siefert farm.
The father of our subject cleared his land and purchased thirty
acres adjoining, developing a valuable property, upon which he
resided until the time of his death, which occurred in 1859.
His wife, who was born in Alsace, France, in 1804, came to this
country with her parents on the same vessel on which her future
husband made the voyage, and the Lantz family also
located in Stark county. Mrs. Siefert
survived until 1863, when she, too. was called to her final
rest. Six children were born of their union, but only two
of the number are now living, namely: Michael and Anna,
the latter the wife of John Schemley, of New
Washington.
Michael Siefert spent the days of his
childhood in his parents' home, and to the common-school system
of the neighborhood he is indebted for the educational
privileges which he enjoyed. On the 19th of October, 1854,
he started out upon an independent business career, going to
Eaton Rapids, Michigan, where he worked in a hotel until the 23d
of December following, then returning to his home. On the
29th of January, 1856. he married Miss Christine
Hofsisz, a native of Baden, Germany, who was born Aug. 12,
1834, and came to America in 1854 with her mother and
step-father, who settled in Crawford county.
After their marriage our subject and his wife took up
their abode upon the old family homestead, which he cultivated
on the shares until the death of his mother. He then
purchased the interests of the other heirs and subsequently
added a tract of twenty-five acres. Later he purchased
seven other farms, making judicious investments in real estate
as his financial resources were increased. However, he has
since sold all of this with the exception of a tract of thirty
acres, one mile east of New Washington, and the home farm.
In 1879 he purchased the warehouse at New Washington, which he
still owns, and he also has his present town residence and three
other dwellings here, the rental from which materially increases
his income. He took up his abode in New Washington in 1882
and his attention has since been largely given to the management
of his invested interests.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Siefert has been
blessed with fourteen children, of whom nine are yet living,
namely: Jacob, a resident farmer of Wyandot county, Ohio;
Caroline, the wife of John Knodel, of New
Washington, Ohio; George, of New Washington; William,
who operates the home farm; Anna, wife of Frederick
Michelfelder, a shoe dealer of New Washington; John, also
of New Washington; Clara, wife of George Sheets;
Emma, who married Art Donnenwirth, a,
telegraph operator of Waldo, Ohio; and Frederick, with
his parents in New Washington.
Mr. Siefert gives his political support
to the Republican party and keeps well informed on the issues of
the day, but has never sought or desired office, preferring to
give his attention to his business affairs, in which he has met
with very creditable success, his labors bringing to him a
handsome competence, so that now he is enabled to enjoy an
honorable retirement. For more than sixty years he has
been a witness of the growth of the county, having watched its
development from early pioneer days.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 71 |
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BENJAMIN F. SIMMONS.
Long prominent in agricultural life of Crawford county,
Benjamin F. Simmons is one of the best known and highly
esteemed citizens. His birth was in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, in February, 1827, and he was a son of Lawrence
and Mary (Rice) Simmons. They had a family of four
children born to them, but our subject is the only survivor.
Lawrence Simmons, who was the father of our
subject, was also born in the Keystone state, about 1805, and
was married in that state. By vocation he was a farmer,
but when operations on his land were interrupted by unfavorable
weather he filled up his time in the manufacture of
splint-bottomed chairs, for which he found ready sale.
About 1829, when our subject was but two years of age, the
family emigrated to Crawford county, Ohio, a devoted aunt, a
sister to the mother of our subject, carrying the child with her
all the distance on horseback. Upon arrival in Ohio
Father Simmons entered eighty acres of land, which
was located one and one-half miles south of Sulphur Springs, in
Liberty township, and upon this land he erected a cabin in the
woods and started upon the task of clearing this land. The
industry of Mr. Simmons seemed to have no limit,
for in addition to clearing and cultivating his land he added
very materially to the income by making the comfortable chairs
as above mentioned, also looms, which were needed in every
household, and in working in wood generally, possessing a
natural skill in this line. Naturally he prospered, and
was soon able to add to his original purchase of land, buying an
adjoining sixty acres, and upon this farm of one hundred and
forty acres he resided until 1846, at that time selling it to
advantage and moving to Todd township, where he bought the farm
of one hundred and sixty acres which adjoins the present farm of
our subject on the south, and shortly after he bought another
farm, consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, lying just
across the highway from his on the east. Some years later
he sold one of these farms and removed to Bucyrus, our subject
taking charge of the other farm.
After some six years of residence in Bucyrus, Mr.
Simmons returned to the farm, but shortly after a fine
offer was made him which resulted in the disposal of this
valuable property. Then Mr. Simmons bought a
small home property near the village of Nevada, and here he
lived during the remainder of his life. The mother of our
subject died the year following the removal of the family to
Ohio, and the second marriage of the father was to Miss
Catherine Swisher, and to them six children were born,
all of whom have passed away, Mrs. Simmons also
passing out of life. The third marriage of Mr.
Simmons was to Mrs. Mclntyre, but there was no
issue of this marriage, and she survived her husband for some
eighteen years.
In public affairs Mr. Simmons was
prominent and was a leader in the Democratic party, but he is
best remembered as one of the enterprising and devoted members
of the United Brethren church, to which he contributed liberally
and gave much of his time and attention for a long period.
He was the founder and prime mover in the building of the first
church of this denomination in Osceola, which is now in course
of rebuilding, and he was also the leading spirit in the
erection of the church in Nevada, after his removal there, and
was valued for his Christian character.
Despite the long journey from his native state
Benjamin F. Simmons grew to robust manhood in his pioneer
home, developing a strong body and that love for agricultural
pursuits which certainly gives a healthy trend to the mind as
well as to the body. His education was acquired in the
pioneer school-house, and Mr. Simmons can readily
recall the old slab benches and puncheon floors, as well as the
lessons learned within its walls.
In 1851 our subject was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Souders, who was a native of Liberty township, in
this county, and who was a daughter of William Souders,
who was one of the old pioneers of Liberty township.
Shortly before the marriage of Mr. Souders, the
father and sons built a sawmill on the farm, on Broken Sword
creek, and for the succeeding nine years Benjamin gave
continued attention to the working of this mill. For some
time this was only a sawmill, but later Mr. Simmons
became its sole owner, with eleven acres of land, and he then
added a set of buhrs and fitted it up completely as a
flouring-mill. For a number of years he made as excellent
flour here as was made in any other place in the state, up to
t86o. At that date he exchanged this mill for a farm of
forty acres and a residence property in Oceola, later selling
the latter, but he removed his family to the farm. At that
time the land was heavily timbered and Mr. Simmons
began the hard work of clearing, but this was given up on
account of the death of his wife, at which time he broke up
housekeeping.
The second marriage of Mr. Simmons was
two years later, to Miss Henrietta Chapman, who died in
1892. Three children were born to the first union, but all
of them have passed away. Two children were born to the
second marriage, the only survivor being Lawrence D., who
is the farmer on the home farm and is a man of prominence and
stability in the township, at present being its efficient
treasurer. He was married in 1894 to Miss Rice Forest,
and two children have been born to this union,—Ralph and
Benjamin, both bright, intelligent youths.
For some time following his second marriage our subject
continued on his own farm, but later sold it and took charge of
his father's farm while the latter resided in Bucyrus.
Upon the return of the elder Mr. Simmons our
subject purchased his present farm of eighty acres and has
resided here in great comfort ever since. His son manages
the operations of the farm and Mr. Simmons is enabled to
take his ease after a busy and industrious life. He has
always been an active Democrat in politics and enjoys the esteem
of the county, through which he is regarded as one of the most
highly valued of its citizens, a man whose word is as good as
his bond, and as one who may always be found exerting an
influence in the direction of morality as well as progress.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 680 |
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BENJAMIN A. SINN.
The agricultural interests of Crawford county, Ohio, are in the
hands of experienced and capable men, whose fertile fields and
attractive surroundings testify to their efficiency in their
chosen line of effort.
Among the thriving agriculturists of Bucyrus township
is the leading citizen, Benjamin A. Sinn, whose birth
took place in a log cabin, on the farm now owned by Jonathan
Carmean, in this township, on September 23, 1832. His
parents were George and Sarah (Hawk) Sinn, who reared a
family of ten children. George Sinn was a native
of Pennsylvania and came with his wife to Crawford county, Ohio,
in 1826, where they were among the pioneers-He successfully
operated a grist and sawmill in this county, and about 1856
purchased a farm on section 4 in Bucyrus township, upon which he
lived for 'many years. His death occurred in 1870, his wife
surviving- for six years. Mr. Sinn was a man of character
and prominence, well and favorably known throughout the county,
and thrice acceptably filled the position of county auditor, in
addition holding other offices of honor and trust. Benjamin
Sinn, of this biography, was reared on the farm, but the
major portion of his time was employed in the mill, where he
became thoroughly instructed as a miller, both in grinding and
sawing. In 1857 he decided to see something of the country,
starting westward, and after a period spent in Iowa reached
Denver, Colorado. At that time the present flourishing and
beautiful city was but a collection of log cabins,, and mining
was the principal industry, the greater part of the population
having been attracted thither for that purpose. Mr.
Sinn also became interested in mining, but after a year of
trial, with but indifferent success, he turned his face
homeward, passing through the state of Missouri.
Upon reaching Ohio Mr. Sinn took charge
of a gristmill at Sycamore,. Ohio, where he remained for one
year, and then went into the operation of a. sawmill at
Glenville, where he continued for eight years, passing the
succeeding five years upon a farm. The following ten years were
spent by Mr. Sinn in the successful operation of a
sawmill in Fulton county, Ohio. It was not until 1882 that he
decided to settle down to an agricultural life on his present.
farm, which he purchased from his father, but since that time he
has shown such marked ability in his chosen line that his
success as a farmer and also as a stock-raiser is well known
through the locality. Mr. Sinn still continues-to
look after his stock and farming interests, but not so actively
as formerly.. A lifelong Democrat, he has taken a deep interest
in township affairs, and was an efficient trustee of the same in
1867-8. He enjoys the esteem and respect of the community and is
considered one of the representative men of Bucyrus-township.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 826 |
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ALEXANDER SMITH.
Many years have passed since Alexander Smith
came to Crawford county to cast in his lot with its pioneers.
People of the present day can scarcely realize the struggles and
dangers which attended the early settlers, the heroism and
self-sacrifice of lives passed upon the borders of civilization,
the hardships endured, the difficulties overcome. To the pioneer
of the early days, far removed from the privileges and
conveniences of city or town, the struggle for existence was a
stern and hard one, and of these men and women must have
possessed indomitable energies and sterling worth of character,
as well as marked physical courage, when they thus voluntarily
selected such a life and successfully fought its battles under
such circumstances as prevailed in this then new and undeveloped
country.
Mr. Smith was born in Washington county,
Pennsylvania, on the 2d of June, 1821, a son of Joseph S.
and Jane (Hogan) Smith. The father was also born in
Washington county of the Keystone state, his birth occurring in
1797. He was a son of Alexander and Jane (Snodgrass) Smith,
both natives of the Emerald Isle. After coming to the United
States the grandfather became a well-known and prominent farmer
of Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he spent his remaining
days. He was a veteran of the war of 1812, and was a man highly
respected and esteemed for his many estimable traits of
character. His son, Joseph S., was reared and educated in
the county of his nativity, and was early inured to the work of
field and meadow. After his marriage he located on a portion of
his father's farm, where he remained until 1825, and in the fall
of that year he came with his wife and two children by wagon to
Crawford county, Ohio. During a portion of the journey it was
necessary for him to go ahead and clear a road ere the wagon
could proceed, and on his arrival here he located on the farm on
which he still resides, he having entered the land from the
government in 1821 while on a prospecting tour through Ohio. The
place consisted of one hundred and sixty acres, and was then
covered with a dense growth of native timber, and while he
erected a cabin the family were obliged to live in the wagon.
Mr. Smith cleared and improved this place, and in
later years erected a more modern and commodious hewed-log
house, in which he spent his remaining days, passing away in
1843, in early life. He was an active church worker and a member
of the Presbyterian denomination, and he aided materially in the
erection of the first Presbyterian church in Crawford county.
Our subject, who was then a lad of thirteen years, drove an
ox-team in hauling the timber used in its construction. In his
political affiliations Mr. Smith was a Democrat.
He was also active in military affairs, and for a number of
years served as captain of a company. The mother of our subject,
who was born in Maryland, in 1797, was a daughter of William
Hogan, who removed to Washington county, Pennsylvania,
from Maryland, his native state, and was of Irish extraction.
Mrs. Smith survived her husband about ten years,
dying in 1855, and was accidentally killed by being thrown from
a buggy. They were the parents of seven children, three of whom
still survive,—Alexander, the subject of this review;
William W., a resident, of Woodson county, Kansas; and
Tabitha J., the widow of James Majors.
Alexander Smith, whose name introduces
this review, was reared to the quiet pursuits of the farm and
received his educational advantages in the old pioneer log
school house, with its puncheon floor, slab benches and greased
paper windows. In 1843, after his marriage, he erected a log
cabin on a portion of his father's farm, which he operated on
the shares, thus continuing for about five years. In the
meantime, however, the farm had been divided, and on the
expiration of the five years our subject purchased the interests
of the other heirs and thus became the possessor of the entire
homestead. In 1857 he erected his present substantial frame
residence, and his farm, which consists of one hundred and
fifty-two acres, is one of the valuable places of Crawford
county. For the past twenty years, however, he has lived
retired, in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest, the result of
unfaltering energy, wise judgment and business ability. The
management of the farm is now left to his sons. In the days of
the horse-power thresher Mr. Smith also devoted a
part of his time to threshing, but his principal occupation has
been farming and in that vocation his efforts were attended with
a high and well-merited degree of success.
The year. 1843 witnessed the marriage of Mr. Smith
and Miss Nancy J. Dix, a native of Columbiana county,
Ohio, and a daughter of Joseph Dix. This union was
blessed with seven children, four of whom still survive, namely:
Joseph M., a resident of Crawford county; Porter W.,
of Oklahoma; Alexander, .who operates the home farm; and
Martha J., the wife of Oliver McKeehen,
also of Sandusky township, Crawford county. The wife and mother
passed away in death on the 14th of August, 1887, at the age of
sixty-five years. For the past fifty-seven years Mr.
Smith has been an active and zealous member of the
Presbyterian church, and during all of that time has served as
an elder therein, much of the time also acting as a trustee. In
political matters he is a stanch supporter of the Democracy. He
has been the choice of his party for a number of local offices,
having served for two terms as town-' ship trustee, two terms as
clerk of his township, two terms as township assessor, and for
more than twenty years has held the office of township
treasurer. In all of these positions he discharged his duties
with the utmost fidelity and honesty, and in all relations of
life he has ever been true to principle and the right.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 802 |
|
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ANTHONY
SMITH is a retired farmer living in New Washington, and
his position of financial ease has been Avon by years of
indefatigable labor in the earlier period of his manhood.
He was born in Hardin county, Virginia, Feb. 24, 1831, his
parents being John and Rebecca (Davis) Smith, of whose
family of eight children our subject is the only survivor.
The father was born in Virginia, about 1785, and in the Old
Dominion was reared to manhood, early becoming familiar with
farm work in its various departments. He married Miss
Rebecca Davis, also a native of Virginia, and upon a farm
they began their domestic life. In the fall of 1833 they removed
to Crawford county, Ohio, and the father entered three hundred
acres of land in Chatfield township from the government.
At that time there were only two houses in New Washington and no
roads had been made through this section of the country, so that
the pioneer settlers blazed the trees in order to mark a path
through the forest. Mr. Smith erected a
hewed-log house in the midst of the wilderness and then began
the arduous task of clearing his land and preparing it for the
plow. He was a frugal, energetic man, and had placed much
of his farm under cultivation at the time of his death, which
occurred in 1845.
Anthony Smith, of this review, was then
only fourteen years of age. His childhood and youth were
passed at home and he received but a limited education, owing to
the inadequate school facilities found in the pioneer
settlement. After his death our subject and his brothers
operated the home place until the time of our subject's
marriage, in 1866. He then purchased the interest of the
other heirs, becoming the owner of two hundred and twenty-five
acres of the old homestead, and from that time until his
retirement to private life he was successfully engaged in
agricultural pursuits. In the fall of 1867, however, he
sold the old home farm and purchased a better improved property
comprising one hundred and sixty acres in Cranberry township,
where he cultivated the fields until 1878. He then rented
his farm and removed to New Washington, purchasing the present
home property in which he yet resides.
On the 30th of January, 1866, Mr. Smith
was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Koehler,
a native of Cranberry township and a daughter of Herman and
Martha (Guiss) Koehler. Her father was a native of
Helserberg, Germany, born Aug. 2, 1817, and when a lad of twelve
years he came to America with his parents, the family settling
in Cranberry township, Crawford county, in 1833, being among the
first residents of this locality. His wife was born in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, Feb. 1, 1825, and on the 12th
of November, 1842, she gave her hand in marriage to Mr.
Koehler. Her death occurred June 22, 1893.
Both were consistent members of the Evangelical Lutheran church
and were beloved by all who knew them. Unto Mr. and
Mrs. Smith have been born three children, namely: John H.,
a resident of New Washington; Margaret M., wife of
George Longyear, of New Washington and William H.,
who is living with his parents.
Mr. Smith exercises his right of
franchise in support of Democratic principles. He, too,
belongs to the Lutheran church, and is a man of genuine worth,
highly regarded for his sterling traits of character. He
has made his home in Crawford county since pioneer days and has
witnessed the wonderful changes which have transformed this
region from a wild tract into cultivated farms and comfortable
homes. He has seen the forests cut away, to be replaced by
fields of waving grain, and has watched the introduction of the
railroad, the telegraph, the telephone, the business enterprises
and industries and all improvements known to the older east.
He takes just pride in what his county has accomplished, and is
a loyal and public-spirited citizen.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 542 |
|
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HARRISON
SMITH. Few employes of the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne & Chicago Railroad have been longer in the service of the
company than Harrison Smith, a well-known and
popular conductor living in Crestline. He was born in
Holmes county, Ohio, Dec. 20, 1841. His father,
Jonathan Smith, also a native of the Buckeye state,
was a farmer by occupation, born in 1815. He is still
living, his home being now on Turman's creek, in Sullivan
county, Indiana. He married Miss Sarah Slagle, a native
of Ohio, born in 1817, and she is also living. This worthy
couple became the parents of eleven children, of whom ten
reached years of maturity, while eight still survive.
Harrison Smith, of this review, was the
third child and was reared upon the old homestead farm in his
native county, his time being devoted to the work of the field
and meadow and in mastering the branches of English learning, as
taught in the schools near his home. He assisted his
father on the farm during the summer time until twenty years of
age, but not desiring to follow the plow as a life work, he then
made other arrangements, becoming a brakeman on the Pittsburg,
Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, running between Crestline and
Alliance. He was upon that train from 1865 until
1869, when he was promoted to the position of conductor, and
thus served until 1885. His run was then changed from
Crestline to Conway, Pennsylvania, and on that route he remained
for four years, when he was sent through to the outer depot in
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. However, he was afterward
returned to the Conway run and since that time has been
continued upon the road between Crestline and Pittsburg.
He is the oldest conductor on the road, having been in the
employ of the company for forty years.
In 1867 occurred the marriage of Harrison Smith and
Miss Emma Wiggins, who was born near Loudonville, Ashland
county, Ohio. They had eight children, of whom seven are
yet living, namely: Mattie, wife of G. O. Davis,
of Crestline, Ohio; Roy, who married Laura
Smetzer and is living in Crestline; Nettie; Archie;
Lewis; Otto; and May. Of this number
Otto is a clerk in the railway office. Archie is a
boilermaker for the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad
Company. Lewis is a fireman in the employ of the
same company; and Roy is airbrake inspector on the
Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago road.
Mr. Smith has made Crestline his home
since 1861, the year in which he entered the railway service.
He is a Republican in politics and carried Major McKinley
in his caboose from Alliance to Canton when the Major was
governor of this state. Mr. Smith tells how
the president took his razor and shaved himself when the train
was running at twenty miles an hour. Mr. Smith
is a member of the Volunteer Relief Association and the Order of
Railway Conductors. In all of his long and varied
experience on the road he has never had a collision. He
has run on one caboose for twenty-one years and is still in
charge. He is most painstaking and reliable in the
performance of his duties and enjoys the unqualified confidence
and trust of his superiors. All who know him entertain for
him high regard, for he possesses many excellent characteristics
and is truly worthy of the friendship and esteem of his fellow
men.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 343 |
|
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HIRAM
E. SMITH, the subject of this sketch, was born in Erie
county Ohio, on the 21st day of February, 1866. His
parents were Welding E. Smith and Charlotte (Ashton) Smith.
On the paternal side we find his ancestors on one side expelled
from north France on account of religious differences among the
people at that time, and emigrating to America in the year 1743
and settling in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. On the
other side his father's ancestors were English. They
settled in and around Norwalk and Derby, Connecticut, early in
the country's history. Here we find them fighting Indians
and later doing good service against the British during the war
for independence. On the maternal side his ancestors were
all English. His grandparents, Thomas Ashton and Mary
(Edgar) Ashton, emigrated to this country as children from
England with their parents early in the nineteenth century and
settled in Huron county, Ohio. On both sides his ancestors
were prosperous and enterprising people.
In the spring of 1866 his parents removed to
Monroeville, Ohio, where his father engaged in the manufacture
of agricultural implements. At the age of six he entered
the public school at Monroeville, graduating from that
institution in the spring of 1885. After teaching school
for two years he decided to try his fortune in the west, and on
the 4th of July, 1887, landed at Oberlin, Decatur county,
Kansas. During the following September he settled on a
quarter section of government land, when there was no house
within sight of his. The wolves and coyotes were plentiful
and made the nights hideous around his sod house.
Antelopes were seen occasionally, and jack rabbits were common.
Here he lived alone, boarded himself and taught school, riding
from fifteen to twenty miles daily to and from school.
During that winter the thermometer registered lower than
twenty-seven degress below zero, Fahr., for six straight
weeks. During the following March he proved up on his
claim, and by paying one dollar and a quarter per acre received
a government patent for one hundred and sixty acres of land.
In October, 1889, he returned to Ohio and went into
business with his brother at Monroeville, Ohio, manufacturing
bent wood and hardwood lumber. Here he remained until May,
1893, when he came to Galion, Crawford county, Ohio, bought out
the stockholders of the Weaver Bending Company, manufacturers of
bent felloes, spokes and hardwood lumber, and has successfully
carried on the above business for the past eight years.
On the 14th day of June, 1894, he was united in
marriage to Miss Harriet G. Fish, daughter of George
S. and Frances (Buckingham) Fish, of Monroeville, Ohio.
Two children bless the union, a boy and a girl, Walter
and Dorothy.
He is a Republican in politics, a member of the
Episcopal church, a thirty-second degree Mason and an upright,
honorable and respected citizen.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 347 |
|
J. I. SMITH |
JEFFERSON I. SMITH,
who is serving as deputy auditor of Crawford county, and a
resident of Bucyrus, is a well-known resident of this portion of
Ohio, where his entire life has been passed. He was born
in Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, in 1863, his parents
being Frederick and Lucy Ann (Shupp) Smith. More
extended mention of the parents is made in the biography of
L. M. Smith. At the usual age
he entered the public schools and pursued his studies until he
had completed the high school course at New Washington, with the
class of 1885. In the fall of that year he became editor
of the Herald, published in New Washington, and continued his
connection with the paper until 1897, making it a representative
Democratic journal of the county. He was a forceful,
earnest and interesting writer and his editorials
carried weight in forming public opinion in the county.
While still connected with the paper Mr. Smith
served fur three terms as town clerk of New Washington and was
also a member of the board of education. He made a close
study of the needs of his town and the improvements that would
best advance its interests and in every way possible promoted
the upbuilding and substantial improvement of the place.
Throughout his entire life he has been connected with the
Democracy and for three years was a member, from Cranberry
township, on the Democratic county central committee, and for
one year acted in the capacity of chairman. From 1890
until 1896 he was a member of the board of school examiners for
the county and has been one of the state supervisors of
elections since 1893. In 1897 he was appointed deputy
auditor of Crawford county and in April, 1901, was nominated,
without opposition, the Democratic candidate for county auditor,
and elected in November following. In every public duty he
has manifested marked loyalty and trustworthiness.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage in Wayne
county to Miss Linnie Breneman, a daughter of
J. H. and Lydia B. (McNary) Breneman. They now have
one son, Russell B. Mr. and Mrs. Smith hold
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. He has been
a very active worker in the Sunday school, realizing the
importance of youthful training. For five years he served
as superintendent of the Sunday-school at New Washington, which
made commendable progress under his direction and is now a
teacher in the Sunday-school of the church at Bucyrus. Socially
he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
with the Knights of Pythias fraternity, of New Washington.
He is a popular man, of genial and courteous manner, and the
circle of his friends is limited only by the circle of his
acquaintances.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 328 |
|
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JOHN
A. SMITH. Throughout his entire
life John A. Smith has resided in Crawford county and
therefore his record is well known to many of its citizens, by
whom he is regarded as a man of sterling worth, his industry,
energy and reliability having won for him the merited regard of
his fellow men. He was born in Jackson, now Jefferson
township, July 24, 1837, his parents being George and Hannah
(Chrisholm) Smith. His paternal great-grandfather.
John Joseph Smith, was born in Baden Germany, Nov. 8,
1736, and there resided until late in life, when he came to
America, but he was not long permitted to enjoy his new home,
his death occurring soon afterward on the 16th of November,
1813, when he had attained the age of seventy-seven years.
His wife, Mrs. Catherine Smith, was born Aug. 8, 1736,
and died Nov. 11, 1819. Their son, John Joseph Smith,
grandfather of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, July 25,
1767, and just before attaining his twenty-first year of was
married. To avoid military service he came to America in
the spring of 1788 and purchased a small farm in Perry county,
Pennsylvania. To this he added in later years until his
landed possessions were quite extensive. By occupation he
was a weaver. His death occurred July 9, 1836. He
was an ardent member and a local preacher of the United Brethren
church and was a man highly respected for his many virtues.
The father of our subject was born in Perry county,
Pennsylvania, Jan. 10, 1803, and was a son of John Jacob and
Elizabeth (Fisher) Smith. In his native county he was
reared and there learned the shoemaker's trade, which he
followed through the winter months while in the summer season he
assisted in the cultivation and improvement of his father's
farm. In his native county he married Miss Hannah
Chisholm, who was born in that county. Sept. 28, 1806,
her parents being John and Margaret (McBride) Chisholm.
her father was born near Glasgow, Scotland, while her mother was
a native of Perry county, Pennsylvania. Three children
were born unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith in Perry county, and in
the spring of 1836 the family came to Crawford county, Ohio, the
father entering from the government forty acres of land in
Jackson, now Jefferson township. He soon afterward
purchased an adjoining tract of ten acres. All was wild,
his farm being covered with a dense growth of forest trees, in
the midst of which he erected a log cabin. When he had
thus provided shelter for his family he at once began clearing
away the trees, the woodman's ax awakening the echos in the
forest. His labors in this direction were followed by the
tract of the shining plow, and he continued the work of
developing the fields up to the time of his death, which
occurred Apr. 23, 1852. In the winter months he also
worked at the shoemaker's trade until about 1850. He was a
Whig in his political affiliations and served for a number of
years as township trustee, while for a considerable period he
tilled the office of a member of the school board and did all in
his power to promote the cause of education in the community.
He was an ardent worker and consistent member of the United
Brethren church, taking a leading part in its work, was one of
its officers and was a liberal contributor to all charitable and
benevolent purposes. His wife died in February, 1864.
Her many excellent qualities and true womanly character had won
her the esteem and friendship of all with whom she had been
associated. She had seven children, but only two are
living, John A. and George B., the latter a
resident of North Baltimore, Wood county, Ohio.
John A. Smith spent his boyhood days on the home
farm and in the common schools he mastered the English branches
of learning usually taught in such institutions. He was
only fifteen years of age at the time of his father's death and
three years later took charge of the home farm, which he
operated for his mother until the spring of 1864. On the
28th of May, 1863, he won as a companion on life's journey
Miss Jemima Modderwell, a native of Liberty
township, Crawford county, who was born on the farm which is now
her home and where she has resided continuously since her birth,
with the exception of one year. Her parents were James
W. and Mary (Peterman ) Modderwell, the former a native of
Virginia and the latter of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania.
With their respective families they came to Crawford county,
Ohio, becoming its first settlers. In the spring of 1864
Mr. Smith removed to his father-in-law's farm,
which he operated as a renter until 1875. He then
purchased the farm of eighty acres in Liberty township and
twenty acres in Sandusky township and in later years he has
added twenty-one acres to the tract in Sandusky township.
He is diligent, persevering and energetic in his farm work and
the well tilled fields return to him abundant harvests for his
labor. In 1864 he purchased a thresher and for twenty-four
consecutive years he carried on the threshing business and also
operated a wood-saw. He became one of the expert threshers
of the county and secured a very liberal patronage, his services
being in demand throughout the harvest season.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been born two
children: Anna W., now the wife of J. S. Keller, a
hardware merchant of Sulphur Springs; and Nessie F. S.,
who married W. C. Charlton, who operates her father's
farm. The parents have a wide acquaintance in the county
and the hospitality of many of the best homes is extended to
them. In political views Mr. Smith is a
stalwart Republican. For thirteen consecutive years he
served on the school board and is at present acting in that
capacity. He has also served repeatedly as supervisor and
in 1900 he was appointed census enumerator. He is now
secretary of the Crawford County Pioneers' Society, and is one
of the most highly respected men of the county. For more
than sixty-three years he has resided in Crawford county, and
his memory forms the connecting link between the primitive past
and the progressive present. Where are now seen richly
cultivated fields once stood the forest trees and the
intersecting roads had not been laid out. The pioneer
homes were widely scattered and the work of progress and
improvement was in its primitive condition. He belongs to
that class of substantial citizens who have aided in the work of
improvement, and well does he deserve mention among the honored
pioneers.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 587 |
|
|
JOHN
F SMITH. The subject of this sketch is of
that sturdy German stock which in all parts of our country has
developed good citizenship and done its full share in bringing
about general progress and prosperity. Mr. Smith
was born in Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, June 22,
1840, a son of Frederick Smith a native of German, who
married Christina Lipman, who bore him six children:
Lewis lives in Lykens township; Hiram is dead;
John F. was the next in order of birth; Adolphus
lives at Aurora, Illinois; and Clara is the wife of
Joseph Laipply, of Chatfield township, Crawford county,
Ohio. A sixth child died in infancy.
Frederick Smith came to America in 1832 and
located at Columbus, Ohio, where he worked as a stone and brick
mason until 1840, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of
land in Lykens township, Crawford county, and engaged in
farming. The land had no improvements and was practically
wild and cost him six hundred dollars. He lost no time in
erecting a hewn-law house and in beginning the work, of
improvement and cultivation. His wife died at the age of
thirty-four years and he married Lucy A. Shupp, who bore
him the following children: Cornelius, Frederick T., Henry,
Jefferson, L. M., Mathilda, Catharine, Lucy, Emma and
Serepta. He became a prominent man in the
township and died at the age of sixty-two years.
The subject of this sketch was born and reared on his
father's homestead in Lykens township and was brought up to farm
work and received his education in the public schools. At
the age of twenty-two years he began a practical apprenticeship
to the carpenter's trade. After working as a journeyman
carpenter for eight years he engaged in contracting and
building, which he followed successfully until 1881, when he
bought his father's old home farm of one hundred and sixty
acres, on which he lived until 1895, when he retired from active
life and removed to Brokensword, Lykens township, where he has
made his home to the present time.
IN 1865 Mr. Smith married Melinda Shupp,
and of their children we observe that Lulu married
Edward Pfetcher; Laura married Wesley Lust; Horace
J. married Ida Fralick and lives in Lykens township;
Lucy Edith and Hiram are dead; Learra
married George Lecrove, a farmer of Lykens township;
Lottie L. and Lestie B. are members of their father's
household; and Linna is dead. The mother of these
children died Apr. 22, 1887, at the age of forty years.
She was a woman of many virtues, who was dearly beloved by all
who knew her, and, like her husband, was a consistent member of
the Evangelical church. Mr. Smith has been
prominent in township affairs and has in many ways shown his
public spirit. At one time he held the office of township
trustee. In politics he is identified with the Democratic
party. He has always been a hard-working man and has
achieved success by means of industry and a good name by fair
and upright living.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of
Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 577 |
|
L. M. SMITH |
L. M. SMITH, the
well-known business manager of the Crawford County News, was
born in Lykens township, Crawford county, Sept. 1, 1868, his
parents being Frederick and Lucy Ann (Shupp) Smith.
The father located in this county when a young man, in 1840.
He was a native of Saxony, Germany, and on coming to America
first took up his abode in Columbus, Ohio, whence he came to
this county. He did contract work on the national pike and
afterward purchased a quarter section of land in Lykens
township, which he brought under a high state of cultivation.
He first married Christiana Tipman, of Saxony,
Germany, who died in 1846, leaving four children, namely:
Louis F., of Lykens township, who has served as justice of
the peace and notary public; John F., a resident farmer
of the same township; Adolph G., a contractor living in
Aurora, Illinois: and Clara, now the wife of Joseph
Laipply, of Lykens township. After the death of his
first wife the father married Lucy Ann Shupp,
a daughter of Michael Shupp, a native of
Pennsylvania and a pioneer of Crawford county. She was
born June 3, 1830, and the children born of this marriage are:
Cornelius, who is living in Bucyrus; Matilda,
deceased; Catherine, the wife of Jacob Meek,
of Holmes township; Frederick, who is engaged in business
at Lemert, Ohio; Henry, a farmer of that place; Lucy
Ann, deceased; Jefferson I.,
of whom
mention is made elsewhere in this volume; Emma J., wife
of Abraham Scheifer, of Lykens township; L. Melancthon;
and Serepta, wife of C. H. Flickinger, of Holmes
township. The father of this family was a very prominent
and influential citizen of Crawford county, and from 1862 until
the time of his death served as justice of the peace. His
rulings were strictly fair and impartial and his counsel was
sought far and wide in law matters. He was also township
clerk for many years and during a greater part of the time was a
member of the school board and actively promoted the educational
interests of his community. He was also a leading member
of the Grange and was an active and progressive citizen.
He died December 3, 1877, at the age of sixty-one years, and his
wife passed away in 1891, when also sixty-one years of age.
L. M. Smith, of this sketch, spent the days of
his childhood upon the home farm and in the district schools of
the neighborhood acquired the rudiments of his education.
He was only nine years of age at the time of his father's death,
and at the age of sixteen he was forced to start in life on his
own account. For several years he acted as a salesman in a
general store belonging to his brother Lemert, and the
practical business training which he there received has proven
of value to him in his later career. Realizing the
importance of education and feeling its lack in his own life he
determined to add to the knowledge he had previously acquired
and therefore entered the high school at Bucyrus. At a
later date he also pursued a commercial course in the Ohio
Business College, at Mansfield, and was graduated in that
institution in 1888.
After leaving school Mr. Smith filled
important positions with a. large manufacturing establishment
and with the Adams Express Company until 1891, when he became
connected with the journalistic interests, becoming an equal
partner in the New Washington Herald in conjunction with his
brother. J. I. Smith, deputy county auditor, he
successfully managed the Herald until September, 1898, when,
being desirous of locating in the county seat, he purchased a
half interest in the Crawford County News, of which he is the
business manager. He is a conscientious and far-sighted
business man and his executive ability is manifest in his
capable control of the business affairs of the News office.
Prosperity has attended the undertaking, owing in no smal
degree to the efforts of Mr. Smith.
In New Washington, Ohio, in 1892, was celebrated the
marriage of L. M. Smith and Miss Bessie Sexauer, a
daughter of C. Frederick and Mary ( Zeigler) Sexauer.
Her paternal grandparents were Christian and
Caroline Schindler) Zeigler, both of whom were natives of
Baden, Germany. They came to America in 1827, locating in
Sulphur Springs. After the death of her first husband
Mrs. Sexauer married J. G. Kinnger, who opened
a wagon shop at Sulphur Springs, Ohio. He was joined in
the industry by his stepson, C. F. Sexauer.
Together they carried on business for a number of years.
The wife of C. F. Sexauer is a daughter of Dr. G. L.
Zeigler, who was a prominent physician in pioneer times.
Mr. Smith is a member of the Knights of Pythias
lodge and he and his wife hold membership in the Methodist
Episcopal church.
P. S.—Since the foregoing sketch of Mr. Smith
was penned, the Bucyrus Publishing Company, a stock company, was
organized. The new organization purchased the Daily and
Weekly Forum and the Semi-Weekly News, and combined the two
newspapers. Stock in the new company was offered for sale
to the public, many leading Democrats of the county taking
stock. Such was the popularity of Mr. Smith
that he, also being a stockholder, was, upon the organization of
the company, elected a director and the treasurer and business
manager, a position he is ably filling at this writing.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 388 |
|
|
SAMUEL SNYDER,
who resides on one of the fine farms of Todd township, and is
one of the highly esteemed and useful citizens of Crawford
county, Ohio, was born in Holmes township, on Nov. 17, 1836.
He was a son of Rudolph and Anna (Schlabaeh) Snyder, who
had six children, our subject and his brther John,
of Henry county, Ohio, being the only ones remaining.
Born in Berne, Germany, about 1800, Rudolph
Snyder grew up in his native land and was thoroughly
instructed in the trade of carpenter, and married an estimable
lady in his neighborhood. Starting with his wife and three
children for the United States, in 1836, he reached this country
with his wife and only one of the children, as two of the little
ones died on the voyage and were buried at sea. Not only
did Mr. Snyder and his wife have to suffer from
this double bereavement, but the voyage was one of storm and
danger, after sixty-four days being towed into New York harbor
by a passing vessel, their own sails having been washed away.
Mr. and Mrs. Snyder made their way to Bucyrus,
Ohio, where many of their countrymen resided, and with them
found sympathy and remained there for six months. Their
means were limited and Mr. Snyder was able to buy
but nine acres of land. This was covered with timber, but on it
Mr. Snyder dug a cave, improvised a roof and lived
here for the following two years, and then built a substantial
and comfortable hewed-log house, in which he resided until 1856,
when he removed to what was known as the Hall farm,
which he rented for three years. That Mr. Snyder
was frugal, energetic and industrious may be inferred from the
fact that about this time he was financially able to purchase
eighty acres of timber land, in Todd township, this being the
farm upon which our subject now resides. During these
succeeding three years, by working on moonlight nights and
taking advantage of every holiday, receiving some assistance
from his little sons, Mr. Snyder succeeded in
clearing up ten acres, and in 1859 he built a portion of the
present handsome farm residence and here he lived until his
death, in 1879. His faithful wife, who has endured all his
trials and cheered him through the years of their companionship,
survived him only eight days. They were most worthy people
and were members of the Lutheran church, while in politics he
was in sympathy with the Democratic party, although he never
took any active interest in public affairs.
The subject of this sketch, Samuel Snyder,
grew to sturdy manhood, strengthened by the hardships of pioneer
life, and became a most important factor in the clearing of the
farm, and in 1860 bought twenty acres, which adjoined his
father's purchase. Two years later he was married to
Miss Catherine Spiegel, who was a native of Germany
and a daughter of Christopher Spiegel, who came to Ohio
from his German home and settled in Todd township about ]86o.
After marriage our subject began housekeeping on his little farm
and worked also at the carpenter's trade and built many of the
largest barns in this section of the township, although he never
served any apprenticeship, having inherited the capacity for
mechanical skill from his father.
In 1879, when the parents of Mr. Snyder
died, the home farm, which had been acquired with so much
industry and economy by his father, and upon which he had worked
through many a year, came into his possession, while his brother
John took a farm in Henry county, in which our subject
also had an interest. Since that time Mr. Snyder
and family have lived on the old homestead, now one of the most
valuable properties in this part of the township. Four
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Snyder, namely:
Hygeia, the wife of Joseph Hilborn, of
Bucyrus; Hattie, the wife of George Allbright, of
Todd township; Charles, at home; and Bertha, the
wife of Benjamin Beall, of Bucyrus township, in
this county.
Mr. Snyder is inclined to favor the
Democratic party in politics, but he is liberal-minded, and
frequently votes for the man instead of the party. He is
one of the highly respected citizens of this township, and a
most worthy representative of the honest and persevering parents
who so bravely battled through poverty and misfortune and won
the esteem of all with whom they came in contact.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 552 |
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WILLIAM SNYDER,
who is living in Crestline, Ohio, was born in Middletown,
Crawford county, July 12, 1841. His grandfather,
Cristley Snyder, was born in Pennsylvania, and was one of
the early settlers of Ashland, Richland and Crawford counties.
He took up his abode in the midst of the deep forest where he
erected a log cabin and owned a farm. He lived to the very
advanced age of ninety-nine years and nine months and then died
from the effects of a fall, while his wife, Mary Magdaline
Snyder, lived to the venerable age of one hundred and eight
years. The father, Peter Snyder, was a native of
Ashland county, born in 1803, and in 1808 he became a resident
of Crawford county, which at that time was a part of Richland
county. Here he was reared upon the farm, and in a log
school house, such as was common at that day, he pursued his
education. When he had attained adult age he married
Miss Lavina Gilland, who was born in this county before its
separation from Crawford county. In this part of Ohio she
spent her entire life, dying at the age of seventy-one years.
After his marriage the father of our subject took up his abode
in Jefferson township, near Middletown, but spent the last
twenty years of his life in Crestline. He passed the
ninety-second milestone and was then called to his final rest.
He took an active part in Christian work as a member of the
Presbyterian church, and held several offices in the
congregation with which he was identified. A life-long
Democrat, he also filled some minor political positions.
He took an active part in everything connected with the good of
the county and was one of its best known and highly respected
citizens, having for eighty-eight years lived within its
borders. He was identified, with its development and
progress and was a witness of its transformation from an
unbroken wilderness to its present state of cultivation and
improvement. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Snyder were born ten
children, six sons and four daughters, all of whom reached
mature years, while two of the sons and three of the daughters
are yet living.
William Snyder was the eighth in order of
birth in the parents' family. He first opened his eyes to
the light of day in a log cabin in Jefferson township, and
remained upon the old home farm until ten years of age, when the
family removed to an adjoining farm. He pursued his
studies in the log school house in the primitive manner of the
times, and assisted his father in the clearing and cultivation
of the fields until 1861 , when his patriotic spirit was aroused
by the attempt at secession of the south and he offered his
services to the government, enlisting among the "boys in blue"
as a member of Company K, Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
He served for about sixteen months and was then honorably
discharged on account of disability. Immediately afterward
he returned home and has since been identified with the
interests of Crawford county.
In 1860 Mr. Snyder was united in marriage
to Miss Mary Burnison, a native of Monroe
county, Ohio, born May 4, 1844, and is a daughter of John and
Mary (Myers) Burnison, who were early settlers of that
county. Her father was a native of Stark county, Ohio, but
her mother was born in Germany. They became the parents of
ten children, Mrs. Snyder being the second in
order of birth. She was reared and educated in her native
county, and to her husband has been a faithful companion and
helpmeet on the journey of life. They began their domestic
life in Jefferson township, where they remained for about four
years, when they took up their abode in Crestline, Mr. Snyder
engaging in the railway service. He was first employed as
a brakeman and was soon after promoted to the position of
conductor on the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago road. He
acted in that capacity for eighteen years, running from
Crestline to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and to Chicago. During
the greater part of the time he was a passenger conductor, and
was one of the most reliable and trustworthy employes in the
service. On leaving the road in 1885 he engaged in the
grocery business in Crestline, and for some time has lived
retired, enjoying a well-merited rest, his wants being supplied
by the competence which he had gained in former years of
activity.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Snyder was blessed
with two daughters and a son, but the latter, Frank, is
now deceased. Minnie Belle, the elder
daughter, is the wife of W. D. Cover, and Alice
May, the younger, is still with her parents. In his
political affiliations Mr. Snyder is a Democrat,
and on that ticket he was elected a member of the town council
and of the school board. He belongs to Snyder Post, No.
101, G. A. R. and to the Methodist Episcopal church. He
has always lived in Crawford county, so that his history is well
known and his fellow townsmen have ever held him in the highest
respect and regard, owing to his life-long fidelity to manly
principle, his social characteristics being those which in every
land and every clime command respect.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 381 |
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GEORGE A. SPAHR.
A familiar and well-known figure in all of the important and
progressive agricultural movements in Holmes township, Crawford
county, for many years past, has been George A. Spahr, a
highly respected citizen and most substantial farmer. The
birth of Mr. Spahr was in Cumberland county,
Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1825. He was a son of Jesse
and Margaret (Peterman) Spahr, and is one of three surviving
children. His two sisters are: Catherine who
is the wife of Urias Smith, of Defiance county,
Ohio; and Sarah A., who is the wife of Richard Knisley,
of Liberty township, in this county.
Jesse Spahr, the father of our subject, was born
in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, and grew up on a farm there,
married in his native vicinity and there four of his family of
children were born. In 1830 he emigrated to Crawford
county, Ohio, and after farming for some years as a renter he
purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty township, six miles
east of Bucyrus, and there he resided until the time of his
death in his eighty-fifth year. In politics he was an
adherent of the Democratic party, became prominent in public
affairs in the township and efficiently filled the office of
trustee for several terms. Both he and his wife were
life-long, devoted members of the English Lutheran church, and
he is still remembered as one of the most upright citizens of
Crawford county. The mother of our subject also was born
in Pennsylvania and survived her husband several years, dying at
the age of eight four.
The subject of this biography, who is so well and
favorably known through this section of Crawford county, grew up
on his father's farm and received the best possible schooling of
the time and locality, in the little log school house in the
vicinity of his birth. At the age of twenty-one he began
his own career as a farmer, and on Dec. 10, 1846, he was married
to Miss Catherine Cover, the daughter of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Zent) Cover, who came to Crawford county from
Pennsylvania at an early day and settled in Liberty township,
where they lived and where their worthy lives closed.
After marriage our subject continued to work as a farm
hand for one year and then removed to his father-in-law's farm
and managed that estate for a year, during which time the latter
was on a visit with his friends in Pennsylvania. The
following year Mr. Spahr purchased eighty acres of his
present home farm and in subsequent years has continually added
to the original tract, until he now owns one hundred and
fifty-four acres of some of the most productive farming land in
the county.
Our subject's family consists of five surviving
children, one son, Joshua, having passed from life; but
all the others are comfortably settled, their names being:
Daniel; Rev. Moses, a minister of the Methodist church,
located in Sedan, Kansas; Julia A. the wife of Eli
Miller a prosperous farmer of this county; Lovina,
the wife of Elias Crall of Defiance county; and Eliza,
the wife of David Schlosser, of Todd township.
In early life Mr. Spahr managed a threshing
machine through the neighborhood for a number of years.
His farming operations have been conducted with thoroughness and
good judgment and he has been eminently successful. While
a stanch and life-long Democrat, he respects the opinions of
others and with satisfaction to both parties served the township
several times as trustee. Repeatedly he has served on the
election board, and in matters of public interest he is very
generally consulted. Mr. Spahr is an active and
useful as well as consistent member of the United Brethren
church, to which his wife also belongs, and has long been a
trustee of both church and parsonage, and he has also
served as class-leader at various times. His circle of
personal friends comprises every one in his locality, while his
standing before the public is that of the highest.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio -
Chicago: 1902 - Page 149 |
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SAMUEL SPONSELLER
is one of the influential and esteemed citizens of Crawford
county, where he owns and operates a well cultivated and
productive farm of one hundred and ninety six acres of land, in
Liberty township. His birth was on the farm where he now
resides, on Dec. 31, 1836, a son of Michael and Susanna
(Mentzer) Sponseller, and is one of a family of eleven
children born to his parents, ten of whom grew to maturity and
five of whom still survive, viz: Susanna, the widow
of Martin Brown, resides near Dixon, Indiana; Emanuel
is a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Henry is a farmer of
Kosciusko county, Indiana; Reuben is a farmer of Defiance
county, Ohio; and Samuel, of this sketch.
The father, Michael Sponseller, came to
Crawford county from Columbiana county about 1831, having been
married there, and eight of the children were born there.
Upon his arrival in this county he purchased eighty acres of
land, where our subject resides. This was owned by his
brother-in-law, John Mentzer. Then he entered the
eighty acres adjoining this on the west, and soon after
purchased another eighty acres on the south, making his farm one
of two hundred and forty acres. In 1858 he built a
commodious farm residence and the year following he erected a
substantial and sightly barn, making his property one of the
best improved in this locality. The mother died in 1858
and the father contracted a second marriage, with Mrs. Maria
Hatton, who survived him some seven years. The father
died in 1874, having been one of the thoroughly respected
citizens of the township. In his early days he was a
Democrat, but cast his first Republican vote for Abraham
Lincoln, and ever after voted and worked for that party.
Our subject, Samuel Sponseller, grew up and
spent his boyhood on the old farm, gaining his education in the
schools of the locality, with one summer at the Haysville
Academy, and at the age of twenty-two took charge and managed
the home farm for his father. In 1860, on the 18th of
April, he was united in marriage with one of the fair daughters
of this county, Miss Sarah A. Kling, a native of
Cranberry township, the daughter of Moses Kling, who for
fifteen years was a well known justice of the peace in his
township. After his marriage our subject remained on the
home place and continued to manage it successfully, but about
1870 he bought forty acres of the home farm, which he cultivated
until his father's death, when he purchased the old place of one
hundred and twenty acres, from the other heirs, the father
having previously disposed of eighty acres to his son Emanuel,
and still alter our subject bought of his brother eighteen and
one-half acres, and also seventeen and one-half of the Daniel
Chambers farm, making his acreage one hundred and ninety-six
acres, which is desirably located in section 20.
Mr. Sponseller has displayed great energy,
judgment and industry in the acquisition of so large a farm, but
he thoroughly understands the management and care of it and
enjoys the ownership of not only one of the most productive but
also one of the most attractive farms of the county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Sponseller have been born three
children, two of whom, Sylvanus E. and James, are
deceased, the survivor being William H., a farmer of
Bucyrus township. Although not a member, Mr. Sponseller
is a liberal supporter of the German Baptist church, of which
his estimable wife is a consistent member and he is an attendant
no the services. A life-long Republican, he has taken an
active interest in the success of his party and its men an
plans, believing the principles advocated by it to be the best
for the country at large. Several years he served as a
member of the school board and is regarded as one of the safe
and reliable advisers in educational matters. The esteem
in which he is held in general, and he may be justly regarded as
a representative man of Crawford county.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 121 |
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MATHIAS M. SPRINGER is an honored veteran of the Civil war who
has made a great sacrifice for his country. He stands
today among those to whom the nation owes a debt of gratitude
which can never be repaid. His loyalty and valor was
displayed on many southern battlefields and throughout his
entire life he has been a supporter of every interest which he
believed would prove of general good to his county, state and
nation. No history of Crawford county would be complete
without the record of his life, which we, therefore, gladly
present to our readers, according to him the honor which is his
just due.
Mr. Springer was born in Weller township,
Richland county, on the 15th of January, 1837, and is a son of
George W. and Elizabeth (Mahon) Springer. The family
is of Swedish origin and was founded in America by four
brothers, Michael, Peter, William and Daniel, who
crossed the Atlantic from Sweden in an early day and settled in
New Jersey. The first named was the great-grandfather of
our subject, and from New Jersey he removed to Pennsylvania.
His son, Matthias Springer, the grandfather of our
subject, was born, according to tradition, in the red stone
country of New Jersey, May 15, 1758, and died in June, 1822.
He was a personal acquaintance of George Washington, but
it is not known with certainty whether or not he served in the
Revolutionary war. George W. Springer, the father
of our subject, was born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, Oct.
22, 1811, and in his parents' home spent the days of his
childhood and youth. He acquired a good common-school
education, and soon after attaining his majority emigrated to
Ohio locating in Weller township, Richland county, becoming one
of its pioneer settlers. The Indians were very numerous in
that portion of the state but were always friendly. In
Pennsylvania Mr. Springer had learned the trade of a
tanner and shoemaker, and after coming to Ohio he purchased a
tan-yard, which he conducted for a number of years. He
devoted some time to farming soon after his arrival in the
Buckeye state, but rheumatism forced him to abandon this and he
then actively engaged in the tanning business, which he followed
the greater part of his active life. About a year after
taking up his abode in Richland county, he was married on the
19th of September, 1833, to Miss Elizabeth Mahon, who was
born in Jefferson county, Ohio, Oct. 25, 1814, and was a
daughter of James and Millie (Hitchcock) Mahon, both of
whom were of Irish extraction. They emigrated to Richland
county in 1818, settling in Weller township, where their
remaining days were spent in 1818, settling in Weller township,
where their remaining days were spent in the midst of pioneer
scenes, the red men being almost their only neighbors. At
the time of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer his
wife received as her patrimony forty acres of forest land, which
the father of our subject cleared and improved. Later, he
purchased an adjoining tract of forty acres and the development
of this largely devolved upon his sons, owning to the father's
ill health. After selling his Richland county farm,
George W. Springer removed to Crawford county on the 1st of
April, 1865, and purchased one hundred and sixty-acres of land
in Cranberry township, one mile southeast of New Washington, and
here he and his wife resided up to the time of her death.
He passed away on the 22d of November, 1889, and she was called
to her final rest on the 5th of May, 1888. They were
life-long members of the Methodist Episcopal church, earnest and
consistent Christian people, who reared their children in that
faith and taught them habits of industry and integrity, thus
well fitting them for the duties and obligations of life.
They had ten children, seven of whom are yet living, namely:
Matthias M.; Elizabeth, the wife of John Tooker,
of Michigan; Amelia, Athaliah and George W.,
triplets, the first named the wife of a Mr. Hilton, of
Tiffin, Ohio, the second of the widow of Henry Bender, of
Marion, Ohio, while George resides with his brother
Matthias; Nancy M., who married William Corrathers,
of Ohio City, Ohio; and Mary M., the wife of Sheridan
Spencer, of Seneca county, Ohio.
Matthias M. Springer began his mastery of the
branches of English learning in the common schools near his home
and during the period of his childhood and youth remained with
his parents, assisting in the farm work as he grew old and
strong enough to manage the plow and the other agricultural
implements. On attaining his majority he started out to
fight the battle of life, and whatever success he has achieved
since that time is due entirely to his own efforts. For
two years he was employed in a stone quarry, and as opportunity
offered he secured work as a journeyman at the brick and stone
mason's trade, his time being thus passed for a year. On
the expiration of that period he began doing contract work in
putting up post and rail fences and executing various jobs in
carpentering, in which he was very successful, receiving good
salaries. On the 11th of August, 1861, however, he
sacrificed all business opportunities in order to aid his
country in her struggle to preserve the Union intact.
He joined Company M, of the Second Ohio Cavalry, and after
recruiting for five months at Cleveland the regiment was sent to
Camp Dennison and soon afterward to Fort Leavenworth.
After a short stay at that place the troops were sent to Kansas
City, and in that vicinity had a sharp skirmish with
Quantrell, the guerrilla chief. Next the regiment was
sent to Fort Scott, but Mr. Springer remained behind as
an inmate of the general hospital with a severe case of inflamed
eyes, caused by vaccination, which had been administered while
he was at Camp Dennison. It was slow to take, however, and
on encountering the severe winters of the western country he
contracted a cold which inflamed his eyes. Through a scare
at Fort Scott on the expected advance of the Confederate troops,
he was taken to that place with others ere he had fully
recovered, being at the time under the medical supervision of
the regimental surgeon. While at that place the regiment
of twelve companies, finding it impossible to recruit, formed
into a battalion of eight companies and Mr. Springer was
transferred to Company G. The troops then returned to
headquarters at Fort Scott for some time, and in the interval
went on an Indian expedition to Fort Gibbs and Fort Smith for
two months, during which time there occurred to two-days' fight
at Cain Hill. Mr. Springer was also one of a
company of one hundred and fifty men chosen as a detachment to
go on an expedition to Humboldt to suppress the Indian
insurrections at that place. There they met in council
with seventeen different tribes of Indians and matters were
peaceably settled.
In December, 1862, as the regiment were almost entirely
dismounted, it was called back to Camp Chase to recruit and
there was remounted. In the following spring it was
transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, and going to
Somerset, Kentucky, were encamped at that place for several
weeks, during which time the Union men had several skirmishes
with the troops of General Pegrim. After some weeks
passed at Danville and at Camp Nelson, they moved to Lexington,
but there remained only a brief period, after which they spent a
few weeks at Stanford and thence took up the line of march into
eastern Tennessee, where they were constantly on the move,
either advancing, driving the enemy before them, or retreating
for some weeks up to the siege of Knoxville, in which Mr.
Springer took part. Following this he went with his
regiment to Strawberry Plains, where they went into winter
quarters, and during the winter season the engineer corps
repaired the bridge at that place. On the 1st of January,
1864, while at Strawberry Plains, Mr. Springer enlisted
as a veteran and shortly afterward began the journey home,
arriving at Camp Chase, where the regiment was again mustered
into the service and then granted a thirty-day furlough.
On the expiration of his leave of absence he rejoined his
regiment at Cleveland and was transferred with Burnside
to the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. After
rendezvousing for two weeks at Annapolis, they took part in the
battle of the Wilderness, and subsequently the Second Ohio
Cavalry was transferred to Sheridan's Cavalry Corps and took
part in Wilson's second raid, in which they tore up
seventy-two miles of the Petersburg and Lynchburg Railroad.
This movement was followed by a mine explosion at Petersburg.
Soon afterward Mr. Springer was sent to the hospital at
City Point, trouble with his eyes incapacitating him for
service. The same afternoon the regiment received orders
to move to Washington city, and he was placed on a boat and sent
through with his command. Immediately on his arrival he
was committed to Camp Stoneman hospital, and after two days was
sent to the Emory general hospital, at Washington, D. C., where
he remained for over eleven months. After about six months
there passed he was appointed general superintendent of the
cooking department, and by the war department was made a member
of the Veteran Reserve Corps so that he might be retained in
this position. After the hospital was broken up he
rejoined his regiment at Camp Cadwalader, in Philadelphia, and
was made superintendent of the cooking department there, acting
in that capacity until Sept. 18, 1865, when he was honorably
discharged from the service.
At the close of four long years spent at the front
Mr. Springer gladly returned to his home and on the 1st of
March, 1866, he was united in marriage to Miss Ferena Easly,
a native of Cranberry township, and a daughter of Jacob Easly.
Her father was a native of Switzerland and originally spelled
the name Iseli. In 1834 he came to America,
accompanied by his second wife, mother of Mrs. Springer,
who bore the maiden name of Barbara Strauchen. They
were also accompanied by his five children, born of his first
marriage.
The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Springer has been
blessed with fourteen children, of whom twelve are yet living,
namely: George W., who follows carpentering in Cleveland;
Elizabeth, the wife of W. H. Smith, of Fostoria,
Ohio; Samuel M., a painter and plasterer in Cranberry
township; Charles A., a carpenter in Cleveland, Ohio;
Anna A., wife of A. S. Nye, of Cranberry township;
Lela F., wife of Joseph Wolfert, of Cleveland;
Arthur J., and Elmira M., at home; Walter R.,
who follows carpentering in Cleveland; Martha I., Lucy V.
and Effie L., all of whom are still with their parents.
After his marriage Mr. Springer took up his
abode in a log cabin, about one and a half miles west of the
present home, where he resided for eighteen months, during which
period he followed any respectable employment that he could
secure. He then went to Ottawa county, Ohio, where he
purchased eighty acres of timber land and erected a log house
and a log barn, making his home upon that place for six years.
Again he had trouble with his eyes, which prevented him from
working, and in consequence he sold him farm and returned to
Crawford county. Here he purchased the south half of the
old homestead and lived there for six years. In 1881,
however, he sold that property and purchased his present home
farm of eighty acres, upon which he has resided through two
decades. About 1880 his eyesight began failing so that at
times of a period of several weeks he would be totally blind,
and soon after his removal to his present home he lost the
entire use of his eyes. It was certainly a great sacrifice
he made to his country, for it was during his service as a
defender of the union that the trouble was incurred which
ultimately resulted in blindness.
In his political views Mr. Springer is a stanch
Republican and for some years after his return from the war he
served as supervisor and as school director, but his blindness
compelled him to give up active participation in such work.
He and his wife were consistent and prominent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and the family is one of prominence
in the community. Mr. Springer is one of the most
highly esteemed citizens of this part of the state.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 451 |
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GEORGE W.
STARNER. The late George W. Starner
was a good citizen and a prosperous farmer of Crawford
county, and was born November 12, 1812, and was a native of
Monroe county, Pennsylvania. His lamented death occurred
Apr. 6, 1887. He was a son of George M. and Katie
M. (Van Vleet) Starner. His youth was spent upon
the farm and received limited schooling, as the facilities were
wanting in those early days. The school-house was a log
structure and the instruction correspondingly crude.
On July 12, 1835, Mr. Starner was united in
marriage to Susan Stiff, of Monroe county at
that time, but her birth took place in Sussex county, New
Jersey, July 20, 1810, she having removed to Monroe county when
fourteen years of age. To this marriage these children
were born: Elizabeth, who married Jacob
Yeagley; Ellen, who married James O. Holland;
Harriet, who married John Dobbins; and
William.
Mr. Starner removed to Ohio in the month of September,
1832, coming in a two horse wagon, making the trip in four
weeks, and settling in Perry county. For six years the
family resided there on a farm. In 1843 the family removed
to Crawford county and located in Bucyrus township.
Mr. Starner soon became well known through the
township as a very reliable man and good citizen. He voted
with the Republican party and passed away regretted by a large
circle of friends. His widow died July 3, 1901, being
almost ninety-one years of age. The last thirteen years of
her life were spent in the home of her daughter, Mrs.
James O. Holland.
Source: A Centennial
Biographical History of Crawford County, Ohio - Chicago: 1902 -
Page 281 |
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BENJAMIN
STEVENS. The Stevens family has been one of
the most prominent in the development of Crawford county, Ohio,
and no member of it stood higher in the esteem of the community
in which his useful life was passed than did Benjamin Stevens,
whose death occurred on December 4, 1893.
Benjamin Stevens was born in Columbiana County,
Ohio, on April 4, 1820, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah
(Cummings) Stevens, of whom a more extended mention is made
in the sketch of Jacob Stevens, which may be found in
another part of this volume. Mr. Stevens, of this
sketch, was fourteen years of age when his parents came to
Crawford county, and here he grew to manhood and took advantage
of every educational opportunity. Through life he was a
reflective reader and gained thus much knowledge, while his
association in later years with men of affairs widened his stock
of information, rendering his education both practical and
useful. During years of invalidism his books were
companions.
He assumed control of the home farm when he was about
twenty-five years old, his parents making their home with him,
and he looked after their comfort as long as they survived.
In 1850 he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza A. S. Barker,
who was a native of Geauga county, Ohio, and a daughter of
Asa and Roby (Adams) Barker, both of whom were natives of
Connecticut, where they grew to maturity and were married, and
five of their six children were born in that state prior to the
birth of the late Mrs. Stevens. The Barker
family came to Geauga county, Ohio, but later removed into
Richland county, where they resided for a number of years,
finally removing to Illinois to which state two sons had
preceded them. They continued to reside there until their
lives ended, and the only member of the family still surviving
is Sidney Barker, of Illinois.
Following his marriage the late Mr. Stevens
farmed on the home place and took a prominent position in
the county for the succeeding fifteen years. His father
had passed away in 1852 and the old home place reverted to him,
consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of land, with
buildings and so forth. Here Mr. Stevens remained
until April 4, 1865, when he celebrated his birthday by removing
to the farm he last occupied consisting of one hundred and
twenty acres, he having sold the former one. This place
possessed many attractions for our subject, as he had helped to
clear the land and assisted in the building of the first cabin
on it. The land had been entered by a Mr. Wells and
was intended for his daughter at that time. This was the
comfortable and attractive home in which the remainder of the
life of Mr. Stevens was spent. His attention was
given to this property and it is one of the best improved and
most desirable estates in Crawford county.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,
one of whom died in infancy, the other being Minelva G.,
who resides on the farm, a worthy representative of one of the
most esteemed citizens of the community. The mother of
Miss Stevens died in 1854 and some years later the father
married Miss Ann McCracken, who was a native of Bucyrus,
where she resided until her eighth year, at which time her
parents removed to a farm that was located one mile east of
Bucyrus, where her parents resided during the rest of their
lives. Mrs. Stevens survived her husband for six
years, dying on Sept. 24, 1899.
In politics Mr. Stevens was an ardent
Republican, but his tastes never caused him to desire office,
although he always performed his duty as a citizen,.
Neither was he formally connected with any church organization,
having early taken the Golden Rule as his guide through life and
conscientiously following its leadings. Although leading a
quiet life and rarely assuming a conspicuous position even in
county affairs, he was always to be found when charitable and
benevolent objects were to be furthered or action taken in
educational or moral movements. The sterling qualities
which made him a man above his fellows have in great degree been
displayed in the character of his only surviving child, and she
is both highly esteemed and much respected through Sandusky
township.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 710 |
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JACOB H. STEVENS.
A deep interest in the pioneer days through which many of the
older residents of our enlightened country have passed, with
honor to themselves and benefit to the younger generation, is
but a natural feeling; and those who still remain to show the
honest, sturdy and manly stock of which pioneers were made,
receive but their just tribute of gratitude. Among the old
settlers of Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, no one is
more highly esteemed than Jacob H. Stevens, who is the
subject of this biography.
Jacob H. Stevens was born in Columbiana county,
Ohio, on Oct. 31, 1817, and he was a son of Amos and Hannah
(Cunning Stevens, who reared a family of eleven children, five
daughters and six sons, but of those only two survive, these
being Jacob H., of this sketch, and his brother Amos,
of Arkansas.
Amos H. Stevens, was born near Allicott's
Mills, Maryland, on Oct. 16, 1778, and he was a son of
Augustus and Sophia (Young) Stevens, these parents being of
English and Welsh extraction. Later Grandfather
Augustus Stevens moved to Washington county, Pennsylvania,
and there made his home on a farm, but finally came to
Columbiana county, Ohio, and spent is last days with his son
Amos. Amos Stevens was given a good school
opportunities as were then possible, but books were scarce and
even the rich could secure for their children what we would now
regard as only the outlines of an education. Some brothers
of the father of our subject resided in Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, and it is probable that Amos Stevens also
resided there a time, but after his marriage he and his young
wife came to Geauga county, Ohio, prior to 1802, when it was
admitted as a state. At that time the country was a vast
wilderness, with no highways and no means of communication with
civilization except by long and toilsome journeys through the
forest, and with the wild beasts of the woods still in their
accustomed haunts and the equally savage Indian a frequent
visitor. Within three miles of another intrepid pioneer,
Amos Stevens erected his log cabin and became a resident
of the "Buckeye state," although at that time the name had not
yet been bestowed upon it.
The causes which induced Mr. Stevens to leave
this section are not known to the family, but he later removed
to Columbiana count and there entered a one-quarter section of
land, and again built a pioneer cabin of logs, and once more
began the clearing and then cultivating a farm. Here he
soon made many improvements, erected a more modern residence,
added sixty more acres of land and made this a pleasant home,
where the family lived until 1834, when he sold this property
and came to Crawford county. Here Mr. Stevens
located in Cranberry township, where he purchased two hundred
and forty acres of land from Isaac Mathews, this property
having been entered some ten years previously. But a small
tract of this land had been cleared and upon it stood a small
log cabin, which served trough one winter as a shelter to the
family of Mr. Stevens, in the following spring a more
commodious one being erected. Here Amos Stevens
lived and labored and here he died. In his later years he
accumulated much more property buying and entering different
tracts, until he owned at one time fully six hundred acres of
Ohio soil. Physically he was a typical pioneer, strong,
energetic and courageous, a man who dared every danger and
feared no hardship. In his religious life he was a strict
Methodist and was, in fact, a local preacher of that faith,
going many miles to perform the sacred duties of that calling.
In his political belief he was a Whig and from principle became
a great abolitionist.
The mother of our subject was born in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1784, and she was a daughter of
Robert and Nancy (Young) Cunning, the former of whom was
born in Ireland. The latter was a native of England, and
the maiden name of her mother was the same as that of G. M.
Stevens, also born in England, but of no kindred.
G. F. Cunning came to America prior to or about the time of
the Revolutionary war, and was a member of the patriot army.
Mrs. Stevens lived until in her ninety-second year, dying
on June 8, 1876.
Jacob H. Stevens, who is the subject of this
sketch, remained at home until his twenty-sixth year, attending
school in his early youth in the old school house, in the
clearing, where he well recalls the puncheon floor, the slab
benches and the greased paper for windows. He was the
strongest of his father's sons, and probably was the most
willing, and he assumed much of the most laborious part of the
clearing and cultivation; as must be remembered, this was done
with no machinery and very little apparatus. About his
twenty-sixth year he and his father came to an agreement as to
his future. Three of his brothers and several of his
sisters had been given assistance by the father, when they left
home, and our subject felt that some like provision should be
made for a faithful a son as he had been. The father
intended, doubtless to be just, but he imposed hard conditions.
A tract of heavily timbered forest land, covered with
underbrush, one hundred and fifty acres of the home farm, should
be his for the sum of eight hundred dollars, which was to be
paid to his father, in installments. He had no money to
start a career in any other place, and he accepted his father's
proposition and began with energy to clear his land.
In 1849 our subject was married to Miss Sarah J.
Wallace, was a native of Pennsylvania and was the
daughter of Jefferson Wallace, who came to Richland
county, Ohio, at an early day, later removing to Cranberry
township, in Crawford county. Ten children were born to
our subject and wife, the five survivors being among the best
and most reliable citizens of this county, and they are as
follows: Amos W., of Auburn township; "Almira,
the wife of Frank Albright, of Whetstone township;
Sherman H., of Cranberry township; Julia M., the wife
of Freeman Brown, of Shelby, Ohio; and Nora, the
wife of Willis A. Brown, of Tiro, Ohio.
After subject had succeeded in paying for his farm and
in placing it in a prosperous condition, he began the purchase
of other land, the first tract being one of eighty acres
adjoining his own land, the first tract being one of eighty
acres adjoining his own land, which belonged to his brother.
Late in the '50s he bought one hundred and twenty acres in
Sandusky township, another of one hundred and twenty acres in
Liberty township, and his last purchase being in 1882, when he became the owner of one hundred and forty-seven acres in
Auburn township. This land Mr. Stevens acquired for
his children, and after he had become satisfied that he could do
well for all of them he bought a small tract of sixty-four
acres, a part of which is within the corporate limits of Tiro,
and removed to it. There he and his most estimable wife
resided until her death, on Dec. 26, 1893, when he deeded this
land to his daughter, Mrs. Brown, and went to live with
her.
In his political life Mr. Stevens has been a
Republican for many years, although his strong temperance
principles induced him to vote with the Prohibition party for a
time. He is distinguished as being the oldest living
resident of Auburn township. His years have reached
eighty-four, but his mind is clear and his memory of past events
is vivid. Many of his years have been spent in the most
laborious toil, but he has always possessed both energy and
ambition, and stands to-day as a worthy representative of the
perseverance, courage and zeal, which has made the extraordinary
progress possible, which has given Crawford county its
prominence in this state, which latter has become known as the
"New Mother of Presidents," well deserving the title.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 504 |
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SHERMAN H. STEVENS,
who is one of the substantial, reliable and highly esteemed
citizens of Cranberry township, Crawford county, Ohio, was born
in the house which he now occupies, on May 24, 1858. He is
a worthy son of one of the well known and respected pioneers of
this county, Jacob H. Stevens, who has the distinction of
being the oldest living resident of Auburn township. The
mother of the subject of this sketch was formerly Miss Sarah
J. Wallace, who was a native of Pennsylvania and was a
daughter of Jefferson Wallace, who located in Richland
county at an early day, later removing to Cranberry township, in
Crawford county.
Until his twenty-first year Sherman H. Stevens
remained at home, assisting on the farm and acquiring an
education in the common schools. AT that period he took
charge of the home farm, consisting of two hundred and thirty
acres, and worked on the share plan, remaining thus engaged for
two years, and then went to Sandusky township and took charge of
what was known as the Kuntz farm, which had passed into
the possession of the father of our subject. One year was
spent by Mr. Stevens on this farm, as a bachelor, but on
April 27, 1882, he was united in marriage to Miss Clara R.
Siefert, and he was thus provided with a most admirable
companion, an estimable lady and an excellent housekeeper,
trained in all domestic ways. She was a native of this
county, and she was a daughter of Jacob Siefert (a sketch
of the Siefert family can be found in the biography of
John E. Siefert, who is a brother to Mrs. Stevens).
Upon this farm our subject and wife resided until the fall
of 1894. During the ensuing years our subject was
extensively engaged in the manufacture and shipping of maple
syrup, his trade extending to all parts of the United States,
his shipments aggregating thousands of gallons of this delicacy.
His opinion was that he could realize more financial returns
from two months' work in the sugar camp in the spring than from
an entire summer's work in general farming.
In the fall of 1894 Mr. Stevens removed to the
home farm and in the following winter he acquired the homestead,
with one hundred and fifty acres of land, which he yet owns.
HE also efficiently manages his father's farm of eighty acres.
Although he has the management of a large extent of land., he
has practically given up active work on the farm and has his
farm under rental at present, his time and attention being
required to enable him to look after his large interests in the
buying and selling of stock. Mr. Stevens owns a
large herd of valuable cattle, known as Aberdeen, and is the
only citizen of the county, with one exception, who owns any of
these high-priced animals.
Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Stevens,
the survivor being Freeman W. S., who was born on June
12, 1892, a bright, intelligent lad, who bears promise of
worthily upholding a name which his father was grandfather have
made respected through Crawford county. Politically Mr.
Stevens is a stanch Republican and takes an active interest
in public affairs and is fraternally connected with Hyperion
Lodge, No. 651, K. of P., of New Washington, and was a charter
member of this lodge. The social and business standing of
Mr. Stevens is very high in this locality and his name is
a leading one among the representative men.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 496 |
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SAMUEL A. STOCK
is one of the leading and influential men of the township in
which he was born. His birth occurred on Aug. 14, 1850, in
Auburn township, Crawford county, Ohio, and he was a son of
John and Christina (Schaffer) Stock, who reared a family of
twelve children, six of whom still survive. These are as
follows: George W., a resident of Cranberry township;
Samuel A., the subject of this sketch; Jennie, the
wife of George Hart, of this township; Elvira,
the wife of Frank Morse, of Cincinnati, Ohio;
Sabine, the wife of Abner McCane, of New
Washington, Ohio; and Eva, the wife of Charles
Urich, of Cranberry township.
John Stock was born in Pennsylvania and
came with his parents in his youth to Richland county, Ohio,
where he married and then moved to Auburn township, Crawford
county, where he owned an eighty-acre farm. Some time
later he sold this farm and returned to Richland county and
engaged in farming on the home place. His wife purchased a
farm of one hundred and ten acres in Crawford county from her
brother-in-law, and some years later exchanged this farm for the
one which is now owned by her son George, and there her
last years were spent. John Stock was a
soldier during the Civil war, and was a member of the One
Hundred and Sixtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was sent to
the front, the privation and exposure bringing on dysentery,
from which he died in Philadelphia, and there he was buried.
Our subject grew to manhood amid home surroundings, and
obtained an excellent school education in the district schools.
He remained at home until he was twenty-six years old, managing
his mother's property, and then was married to Miss Adelia L.
Morse, who was also born in Auburn township. She was a
daughter of Amos and Mehetable (Carlisle) Morse, the
former of whom was one of the most influential men in the
neighborhood. In his earlier years he was a teacher, but
before his death followed agriculture on one hundred and sixty
acres of land. In politics he was a Republican, and he
held the office of justice of the peace for the last twenty
years of his life. He was a member of the Baptist church
and a man of more than average intelligence, and was the father
of three children, viz.: Frank R., Adelia and
Amanda, twins.
After marriage our subject rented a farm of one hundred
and fourteen acres of Cranberry township, where he remained some
two years, removing then to his father-in-law's farm, which he
has managed ever since. At the death of Mr. Morse
he was made executor, and his esteemed mother-in-law resides
with our subject and family. Six children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Stock, and the five survivors are:
Otis M., who is a graduate of the Linwood high school and
the Woodward high school, of Cincinnati; and Ira W., Charles
A., Irma A. and Harold M., all of whom are at home
except Ira, who is employed in the tube works in Shelby,
Ohio. The one member of the family who is deceased was
Olive E.
In politics our subject is a member
of the Democratic party, and he has been quite active in
township affairs, serving four terms as assessor. At one
time he was made a candidate by his friends for the office of
trustee, but he never desired the office and did not work for
it, and he was defeated by just one vote. In the
order of K. of P. Mr. stock has been a valued and useful
member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592. He is one of the charter
member of this lodge and has done much of its advancement.
In the township he occupies a position of confidence and trust,
and is regarded as one of the progressive and public-spirited
citizens who are ever on the alert to advance the interests of
Crawford county.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 737 |
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