BIOGRAPHIES

Source:
Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio
including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.
Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899.

* RIDENOUR, Alfred * RIDENOUR, Augustus L. * RIDENOUR, David * RIDENOUR, Elias * ROBERTSON, Jacob H. * ROCK, George, M.D. * ROHN, George * ROTHENBERGER, Frederick -       (See Henry County, OH) * ROTHENBURGER, Henry J. Emily J. Ridenour Alfred Ridenour ALFRED RIDENOUR.    One of the most beautiful homes to be found in this section is that of Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour, of Farmer township, Defiance county, a fine artistic taste having combined with a generous expenditure to produce a pleasing result, within and without.  The estate, which comprises about a thousand acres of choice land, is one of the finest in the county, and it is operated in a thoroughly scientific manner.      The Ridenour family is well known in that locality, the late John Ridenour, our subject’s father, having settled there in September, 1845.  This worthy pioneer was born in 1807 in Jefferson county, Ohio, and was married in that county to Miss Susanna Hilbert, a native of Maryland, born in 1811.  About a year after their marriage they removed to Wayne county, Ohio, where they remained until their final settlement in Section 18, Farmer township, Defiance county.  The father died there in 1860; the mother died Mar. 3, 1898.  Of their nine children two died in infancy, and the following survive: Alfred, our subject; Augustus L., a resident of Farmer township; Rebecca, wife of Jacob Lane, of Williams Center, Ohio; Martha, wife of A. A. Sellers, of Farmer township; Loman, of Farmer township; David, of Milford township; and Daniel, of Farmer township.      Mr. Ridenour was born Jan. 29, 1840, in Jefferson county, but his life has been mainly spent in Defiance county.  From boyhood be has been familiar with the details of agricultural work, and, finding it congenial, he has always pursued that occupation.  His present homestead is located in Section 31, Farmer township, near Farmer Center.  He is actively interested in all progressive movements in his locality, and as a citizen is held in high esteem.  On Feb. 17, 1866, he was married in Hicksville to Miss Emily M. Arrowsmith, by whom he has had one daughter, Miss Minnie A. Ridenour.  The family is prominent socially, and Mr. Ridenour and his wife and daughter are leading members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, to the work of which they contribute generously both of time and means.  Minnie A. Ridenour is a graduate of the Hicksville Public School, class of ’90, afterward attending college at Adrian, Michigan, one year, and the Indiana State University two years.  She also studied music, in which art she became quite proficient.      MRS. RIDENOUR is a native of Farmer township, born Jan. 31, 1840. Her father, the late Miller Arrowsmith, was one of the earliest settlers of Defiance county, having removed from Champaign county, Ohio, to that locality in 1833, making his home in Farmer township, where his death occurred Aug. 2, 1893.  He was an influential citizen, holding various offices of trust and responsibility, and was one of the first auditors of Defiance county.  His wife, Calinda Caraway, died in Defiance, Ohio, Aug. 10, 1849.  To this worthy couple were born four children: John C., Caroline and Warren (deceased), and Emily M. (Mrs. Ridenour). Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 480   AUGUSTUS L. RIDENOUR.     This well-known agriculturist of Farmer township, is a representative of one of the prominent pioneer families of Defiance county.      John Ridenour (his father), who was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1807, settled in Defiance county in 1845, taking a leading part in the development of that locality, and in this generation the various members of the family have shown equal enterprise and public spirit.  John Ridenour was married in Harrison county, Ohio, Jan. 29, 1839, to Miss Susanna Hilbert, who was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1811, and about two years after their marriage they removed to Wayne county, Ohio, arriving there in the spring of 1841, and remaining until September, 1845, when they settled permanently in Section 19, Farmer township, Defiance county, then a part of Williams county.  His death occurred there on Nov. 11, 1860, that of his wife on Mar. 2, 1898, when she had reached the advanced age of eighty-six years, four months, nineteen days.   They had nine children, two of whom died in infancy, and seven lived to maturity, as follows: Alfred, Augustus L., Rebecca (Mrs. Jacob Lane), Martha (Mrs. Sellers), Lomon, David and Daniel.      Augustus L. Ridenour, whose name appears above, was born July 3, 1841, in Wayne county, and was about four years old when his parents removed to Defiance county.  He grew to manhood in Farmer township, and was married Nov. 29, 1864, in Harrison county, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Stahl, a native of that county, born July 3, 1840, and four children have blessed this union: Loma A. (now the wife of W. M. Battershell, of Farmer township, Defiance county), John W., Anna E., and Charlie L.  Of these, John W. was graduated from Fayette Normal Music and Business College in 1887; from the Western Ohio Normal School at Middlepoint, Ohio, in 1891; from Thiel College at Greenville, Pennsylvania, in 1894; and from the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1899.  On June 20, 1894, he was married to Miss Sarah Almeda Avery, of Middlepoint, Ohio, and they have one daughter, Florence Julia, born Jan. 9, 1896.      William Stahl, father of Mrs. Augustus L. Ridenour, was born in Charles county, Maryland, Jan. 24, 1808, and died June 6, 1876.  On Feb. 10, 1829, he married Susanna Canaga, who was born in 1811, and they then settled on a farm in Rumley township, Harrison county, Ohio, nearly all of which he cleared.  They had a family of four children: Sarah, Maria, Elizabeth and James.  The mother of these was called from earth May 17, 1872.  The father was an active member of the Lutheran Church for many years, and was a charter member of the one at Jewett, Harrison county. For several years he served as trustee of his township, also as captain of militia at all the general trainings of the early days, and the sword which he then wore is now in the possession of his son.      Jacob Stahl, father of William Stahl, and grandfather of Mrs. A. L. Ridenour, was born Aug. 13, 1784, in Maryland.  He married Elizabeth Shilling, and to their union were horn ten children, named, respectively, Elizabeth, William, John, Margaret, Lydia, Mary, Matilda, Catherine, Susanna and James.  Jacob Stahl came to Rumley township, Harrison county, Ohio, in 1816, and settled in Section 36.      Soon after his marriage Augustus L. Ridenour settled in Milford township, Defiance county, where he resided until January, 1878, and he has since made his home in Section 30, Farmer township.  He owns a fine farm of two hundred acres, which he has improved in a handsome and substantial manner.  As a good citizen he takes an active part in all movements of public interest, and his influence is always felt on the side of progress.  He and his family are deeply interested in religious work, and are prominent members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 400   DAVID RIDENOUR.  There is no class of biographies which is more interesting to read than that of the industrious and enterprising farmer boy who has risen unaided to a position of affluence and comfort.  Prominent among the men of Defiance county who have thus laboriously toiled onward and upward is the subject of this sketch, who is now a well-to-do agriculturist residing in Section 24, Milford township.      Mr. Ridenour is a native of the county where he still makes his home, born in Farmer township, Jan. 17, 1848, a son of John and Susanna Ridenour.  In their family were seven children who reached years of maturity, and our subject is sixth in the order of birth.  He was reared on the old farm in Section 18, Farmer township, and continued to reside thereon for two or three years after his marriage.  He then located on what was known as the William Cheyney farm in the same township, and eight years later removed to his present farm in Section 24, Milford township.  In comprises one hundred acres of valuable land, on which he has erected a comfortable residence, and made many other excellent improvements, which add greatly to its value, and attractive appearance.      In Farmer township, January 26, 1871, Mr. Ridenour was united in marriage with Miss Lavina Blosser, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, May 29, 1850, a daughter of Peter and Rebecca Blosser.  The father died in that county, after which the mother came to Farmer township, Defiance county, where her death occurred.  Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour have three children:  Iona D. (now the wife of James Husted); Homer A.; and Dora May.  The parents both hold membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, while politically Mr. Ridenour affiliates with the Democratic party.  Enjoying the esteem and respect of the whole community they may well be classed among the prominent citizens of Milford township. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 457   ELIAS RIDENOUR.  This well-known resident of Defiance county may claim pioneer honors, as he first came to that locality in 1839. He was but seven months old at the time, it is true, and presumably unconscious of any hardships connected with the removal; but it was not long before he took an active part in the labors of his father's farm, and his boyhood was spent amid the primitive surroundings of that early time. Indians were still plentiful in Washington township, and he remembers the time when they finally left the county. His parents, George and Catherine (Hilbert) Ridenour, were both natives of Ohio, the former having been born in Harrison county, and the latter in Jefferson county. They removed to Defiance county in May, 1839, settling in Washington township, at the present site of Georgetown, and their remaining years were spent there, both living to the good old age of eighty. Our subject was the third in a family of ten children, seven sons and three daughters.      Mr. Ridenour was born September 19, 1838, in Jefferson county, Ohio. As the son of a busy farmer he learned the details of agricultural work in his youth, and until he reached the age of twenty-four he remained at the old homestead in Washington township. Defiance county. In February, 1862, he went to Camp Denison, at Columbus, Ohio, and although he did not enlist, he became identified with Company F, Forty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and accompanied the regiment to the seat of war. At the time of the battle of Shiloh he went with members of that company to St. Louis, Missouri, where he spent about four weeks in a hospital. On partially recovering he went to McLean county, Illinois, to visit his brother Peter, and a few weeks later he returned to Defiance county, having been absent nearly six months. In March, 1863, he went to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, and spent about three years there, the first eight months being devoted to farming, and the remainder of the time chiefly to mining. While there he assisted in cutting down the trees which were used in the construction of the great tabernacle in Salt Lake City. In 1866 he came back to the old homestead, where he remained for two years. On March 21, 1868, he married Miss Delilah Hanna, and going to McLean county, Illinois, he settled upon a farm, which he operated for four years. The two years following were spent at his father's homestead, and in the spring of 1875 he located upon his present farm in Section 3, Mark township, Defiance county, where he has erected good buildings and made other improvements of a substantial nature. The place contains one hundred and twenty-seven acres, and under his able management is regarded as one of the best farms in the neighborhood. Mr. Ridenour is active and influential in local affairs, and is especially interested in educational advancement, haying served many years as a member of the school board. For six years he has been a director of the Infirmary, and he has also served as assessor for two terms and held other offices, including those of township trustee and land appraiser. In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and he ranks among the leading advisers of the party in his locality.      Mrs. Ridenour is a native of Washington township, Defiance county, and her parents, Henry and Mary (Rader) Hanna, were early settlers in the county. Her mother died at the old home in Washington township, but her father's death occurred in Colorado, while on a visit. Of the five children who have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ridenour, the eldest, Charles E., married Miss Sylvia Gingery, and resides in Mark township, Defiance county. Sadie B. married Bert Stottler; Nellie M. is the wife of Philip Case; Elsie E. and Mary C. are at home. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 390 J. H. Robertson JACOB H. ROBERTSON.  This gentleman has for almost a quarter of a century been prominently identified with the agricultural interests of Defiance county.  He is a native of the Old Dominion, born Mar. 3, 1844, in Loudoun county, Virginia,  a son of Seth D. and Christine (Mason) Robertson, the former also a native of Loudoun county, the latter of Fauquier county, in the same State.  Both died in the former county, honored and respected by all who knew them.  By occupation the father was a miller and millwright.      The subject of this sketch who is the youngest in the family of five children, was reared and educated in his native county.  During the Civil war he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-fifth Virginia Battalion of Cavalry C. S. A., and served three months, being honorably discharged at the end of that time on account of physical disability, as he was seriously wounded during an engagement in Loudoun county.  On leaving home at age of twenty years, Mr. Robertson came to Ohio, and for ten years engaged in farming in Seneca county.  In 1875 he removed to Defiance county and located in Tiffin township, where he bought eighty acres of land, to the cultivation and improvement of which he at once turned his attention.  As his financial resources increased, he added to the original purchase one hundred and twenty acres, and now has one of the best and most highly cultivated farms in the township.      In Seneca county, Mr. Robertson was married Oct. 19, 1876, to Miss Minerva Berger, who was born and reared in that county, and died Mar. 16, 1881, aged thirty-three years six months four days, leaving two children: Edgar M., born Sept. 14, 1877, and Howard E., born Apr. 17, 1880.  They lost one son, Worth D., who died in infancy.  Mr. Robertson uses his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Populist party, and takes a commendable interest in political affairs.  As one of the leading and representative citizens of his township, he has been called upon to serve in a number of local positions of honor and trust, and duties of which he most ably performed. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page  500   GEORGE ROCK, M. D.  This well-known physician of Sherwood, Dearah (Greiner) Rock, a native of New York. The home of the parents was in Crawford county for a number of years prior to 1860, when they moved to Delaware township, Defiance county, and here the remainder of their lives was passed.      George Rock was born in Crawford county, January 11, 1854. Accompanying his parents to Delaware township when a lad of six years, he received his elementary education at that place, and afterward attended the high school at Defiance. His early manhood was passed in mercantile life in Sherwood, and in the insurance business; but having resolved to prepare for the practice of medicine, he abandoned these pursuits and entered Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, in 1887, where he prosecuted his studies that year and the following one. After continuing them for two terms at Rush Medical College, Chicago, he was matriculated at Toledo Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1891. Immediately thereafter he located in Sherwood, where he has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession.      His first wife, whom he married in Sherwood, in 1875, and whose maiden name was Amanda Taylor, died soon after marriage. Two years later he married Margaret Sausamon, also of Sherwood, and a native of Defiance county. They have one daughter, Emma.      The Doctor is an enterprising and influential citizen, and his fellow townsmen have manifested their esteem for him by honoring him with various offices of trust. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 275   GEORGE ROHN   This thorough and systematic farmer residing in Highland township, Defiance county, belongs to a family that was early founded in Ohio.      His father, the late William Rohn, was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1815, and when seven years old accompanied his father, William Rohn, Sr., on his removal to Defiance county, Ohio, where he was reared amid pioneer scenes.  On reaching manhood he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Brechbill, also a native of Pennsylvania, born in Westmoreland county, in 1823.  They located near Florida, Henry county, Ohio, continuing to make that place their home until coming to Ayresville, Highland township, Defiance county, in 1864.  There the father died in August, 1880, honored and respected by all who knew him.  The mother is still living.      The subject of this sketch was born near Florida, Henry county, Ohio, May 23, 1854, and is fourth in the order of birth in the family of eight children - two sons and six daughters.  He was ten years of age when the family removed to Highland township, Defiance county, where he grew to manhood and obtained a good common-school education.  Since starting out in life for himself he has successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, and everything about his farm denotes prosperity and thrift.      In Highland township, September 21, 1881, Mr. Rohn was married to Miss Anna B. Blue, daughter of Lewis D. Blue, of that township, whose sketch appears elsewhere.  Of this union have been born three children, namely:  Grace, Kate and Harry D.  The parents are both earnest members of the Baptist Church, and wherever known they are held in high regard.     Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 594

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