BIOGRAPHIES

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

* SASS, Henry C. * SCHELL, Myron J. * SCHMALTZ, William A. * SCHOONOVER, Henry * SCHRACK, Aaron F. * SEYMOUR, Charles * SHARP, David G. * SHUTER, Samuel * SITES, Frank B. * SLOCUM, Charles Elihu, M. D., PH. D. * SNIDER, Willis A. * SPONSELLER, Reuben * SPANGLER, John * SPRING, Louis O. * STEFFEL, John G. * STEVENS, Merari Bunajah, M. D., PH. C. * SUTPHEN, Silas T., Hon. HENRY C. SASS.     The northern Sea Kings in this descent upon and occupation of England, and the Normans who subsequently invaded and conquered that country, left no stronger impress upon succeeding generations in the "tight little isle" than has been given to the United Stats by that brave numbers in almost every portion of the country.  Their strong individuality has stamped their characteristic traits upon our civilization, and in social and business life, in our churches and institutions of learning, in politics, finance, and all the varied activities of peace and war, the German element among our people has been an important factor in the progress of which every citizen is proud.  The subject of this sketch, a prominent resident of Defiance, and a typical representative of this class, is himself a native of the Fatherland, although by education and training he belongs to the Buckeye State.      Mr. Sass was born May 6, 1862, at Pass, Mecklenburg, Germany, where his family had been domiciled for many generations.  His grandfather, Henry M. Sass, was a prosperous business man in the cooperage line, and Henry Sass, our subject's father, was a merchant tailor there in his early manhood.  In 1866 he and his wife, Fredericka (Sames), came to the United States with their seven children, and for five years resided at Defiance, where Mr. Sass continued his former business.  Later he removed to Toledo, engaging again in merchant tailoring until his retirement from active work in 1886.  He is still a resident of Toledo, and is held in high esteem by all who know him.  Of the seven children all are living except one:  (1) Mary married Matthias Shuewack, a carpenter at Toledo.  (2) William, a carpenter, resides in the same city.  (3) Anna married Charles Tonesing, and died in Toledo at the age of twenty-eight, leaving one daughter, Amelia.  (4) Augusta married (first) John Garding, who died leaving one child, Ella.  By a second marriage, with Edward Mueller, a carpenter of Toledo (now deceased), she had one son, Henry.  She still resides in Toledo.  (5) Lena married R. Hecht, a ranchman of Wyoming, and resides at Laramie City; they have four children.  (6) Henry C., our subject, is mentioned more fully below.  (7) Emma married Henry Trost, of Toledo, a carpenter an manufacturer of sashes and doors.  They have two children: Ella and Carl.      Henry C. Sass was four years old when his parents came to this country, and nine when they moved to Toledo, his education being mainly acquired in the public schools of that city.  On leaving the high school at the age of sixteen he learned the tinner's trade, which he followed in Toledo until 1884.  He then went to Defiance, and securing employment at his trade there continued until 1889, when he took a position as clerk in the hardware store of C. Biede, of the same place.  He was married in 1884 to Miss Nathalie May, daughter of George May, a well-known resident of Defiance and speedily established himself as one of the substantial, progressive and reliable citizens of the place.  By industry and thrift he accumulated sufficient capital to enable him to start in business on his own account.  In 1893 he purchased his employer's entire business, and has since conducted it successfully.  Under his able management it has expanded until he has now one of the most extensive hardware stores in that section with an annual business of twenty-five thousand dollars and upward.  The store is advantageously located on Clinton street, and occupies three floors of the building, the upper floor being used for a thoroughly equipped tin shop, and the others taken for the storage and display of goods.  Mr. Sass keeps all kinds of heating and cooking stoves, ranges, furnaces and fittings, together with a complete stock of the shelf goods usually found in a first-class hardware store.  His success may be attributed largely to his thorough knowledge of every detail of the business, learned in his years of service as an employe, as this experience, with his quick perceptions and excellent judgment as to ways and means, has given him command of every available source of advancement.  Prompt and decisive in his dealings he is at the same time most genial in manner, and his unfailing courtesy to all customers adds to his list of friends while tending to the increase of his bank account.  His history furnishes a bright example of the possibilities open to a boy who, though poor, determines to make his way to an honorable position in the business world.      Mr. Sass has a handsome residence, built by himself in 1891, at No. 324 Second street, East Defiance, containing all modern conveniences, including furnace heat, hot and cold water, and other features not often found outside of our larger cities.  Four children - Linda, Eva, Arnold and Henry - brighten his home.  Mr. Sass and his wife are identified with the Lutheran Church, and have always shown a deep interest in all that pertains to the welfare of the community.  Politically Mr. Sass affiliates with the Democratic party, and at times has been a candidate for local offices, his popularity with all classes doing much to strengthen the ticket.  He is now a member of the school board of Defiance. MYRON J. SCHELL.  Mr. Schell, who is one of the proprietors of the "Hicksville Weekly News," is displaying marked ability as a journalist, and his work as editor has brought added popularity to that excellent paper. It is an eight-page, six-column quarto, established in 1873, and was leased on April 1, 1895, by Mr. Schell in partnership with B. B. Dowell, the latter withdrawing two years later, leaving Mr. Schell sole manager and publisher. The paper takes independent ground upon political issues, and its able and fearless championship of progress in all lines makes it popular among the best classes of the community.      On the paternal side Mr. Schell is of Holland-Dutch descent, but his ancestors came to America at a very early period, locating in New York during the administration of Governor Peter Stuyvesant. They established their home at Albany (then called Fort Orange) and various members of the family intermarried with the VanValkenburgs, wealthy patrons of that locality. Both families owned extensive tracts of land, and were also connected with large brewing interests. Philip J. Schell, the grandfather of our subject, was born and reared in Albany, and in 1838 came west with his wife and family, settling in Scipio township, Allen county, Indiana, three miles from Hicksville, purchasing a section and a quarter of land. Doctor Frank VanValkenburg Schell, our subject's father, was only five years old at the time of the removal to Indiana, and as the schools of that locality were then inferior, he returned to the East a few years later, and was educated at Albany, graduating from a medical college. At present he resides at Camden, Michigan, where he is engaged in handling proprietary medicines. His wife, whose maiden name was Jennie Reed, is a native of Salem, New York, and a descendant of an old Scotch family, her ancestors having settled in New York State previous to the Revolutionary war, in which some members of the family took an active part.      Mr. Schell was born in 1862 at the old homestead in Allen county, Indiana, and received his education in the public schools of Monroeville and Fort Wayne. At the age of seventeen he became interested in the milling trade, but after working about four years at that occupation he gave it up to take a more congenial position with a mercantile firm in Fort Wayne. For six years he was connected with a large grocery in that city, in the capacity of foreman. Later he spent a year and a half as exchange clerk in the "Old" National Bank at Fort Wayne, and on leaving that position he became a "drummer" for a wholesale paper and stationery establishment, with which he was connected about two years. He then formed the partnership with Mr. Dowell, leasing the plant of "The News' and he has since devoted his attention to that publication. Politically Mr. Schell is a Democrat, but his paper takes independent ground upon all the issues of the clay. In September, 1883, Mr. Schell was married to Miss Claretta E. Dowell, and they have had four children, viz.: Hattie, born July 15, 1886; Arthur, January 9, 1890; Marguerite, November 21, 1893, and Fleda, August 7, 1895. The family is prominent socially, and is identified with the Christian Church at Hicksville, of which Mr. Schell is a leading member, and he is also connected with the National Union, a mutual benefit association organized on social lines. W. A. Schmaltz WILLIAM A. SCHMALTZ.     The present efficient and popular county clerk of Defiance county, W. A. Schmaltz, is a native of Ohio, having been horn Oct. 16, 1858, in New Bedford, Coshocton county.  He is a son of Christian and Sarah (Martin) Schmaltz, and a grandson of Frederick and Charlotte (Schlegel) Schmaltz.      Frederick Schmaltz and his wife were both born in Wurtemberg, Germany, the former in 1812, and the latter in 1800.  In the Fatherland they married, and there their two children - Barbara and Christian - were born, and while these were yet young the family came to America, settling in New Bedford, Coshocton county, Ohio, where the grandfather was engaged in the nursery business.  He died in 1891, his wife in 1889, her death being caused by a fall which fractured her right hip.      Christian Schmaltz, our subject’s father, was born in 1832, and as already stated was a boy when he came with the rest of the family to New Bedford, Ohio, where he received his education.  He also there learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he followed in that city and in Millersburg, Holmes county, Ohio.  By his marriage with Sarah Martin (who was born in Maryland in 1833) he had four children, namely: Emeline (Mrs. William Rinehart, of Baltic, Ohio); William Alfred (our subject); Mary (Mrs. Doctor Wallace, of Avondale, Ohio); and Charles Christian, the present postmaster at Avondale, where he also follows merchandizing.  He married Miss Mantie Miller, of Avondale, and they have two sons.  After the death of Christian Schmaltz, in 1874, his widow (our subject’s mother) wedded Henry Miller, of Avondale, who died a few years later; his widow still resides in Avondale.      W. A. Schmaltz, whose name introduces this sketch, received his early literary training at the district schools of his native place, later attending a select school at Millersburg, Ohio, where he completed his studies in 1879, in the fall of which year he commenced teaching, a profession he followed in Baltic four terms.  He then came to Defiance county, and took charge of the public schools, serving in that incumbency some twenty-three terms partly in the schools of Jewell, and partly in those of the adjacent districts.      In 1882 Mr. Schmaltz was united in marriage with Matilda Conn, a native of Defiance county, and a daughter of Philip and Elmira (Mattock) Conn, and four children have blessed this union, viz.: Clifford D., Emma G., Charles C., and William A.  Mrs. Schmaltz is a member of the United Brethren Church of Jewell.      In politics our subject is a Democrat, and has always been active in the interests of the party.  He served two terms as assessor of Richland township, and two terms as clerk of same.  In the fall of 1896 he was elected to the position of county clerk of Defiance county, and entered upon the duties of the office in August, 1897, the term being three years.  He also served as jury commissioner of Defiance county during the years 1894-95-96.  Socially, he is a member of the National Union.  In 1894 Mr. Schmaltz purchased twenty acres of land at Jewell, where he has a pleasant home, surrounded by all the comforts of life. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page 182 HENRY SCHOONOVER.     This well-known farmer of Defiance county, residing in Section 10, Defiance township, is a native of Ohio, born May 17, 1848, in Tuscarawas county, and is a representative of one of the pioneer families of the State.  His paternal grandfather, Henry Schoonover, was a native of New Jersey, and from that State removed with his family to Pennsylvania, locating in Washington county, whence he subsequently came to Ohio.  His death occurred in Tuscarawas county in 1845.      Nicholas Schoonover, our subject’s father, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, May 29, 1817, but was reared in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he continued to live until 1851, whence he removed to Defiance county, locating upon a farm in Section 10, Defiance township, which is still his home.  In Tuscarawas county he was married, Apr. 6, 1843, to Miss Mary Van Vlerah, who was born in that county, Nov. 26, 1822, and is also still living. The children born to this worthy couple are as follows:  Martin, who died in Tuscarawas county when about three years old; Isabel, now the wife of Lewis Sitterly, of Defiance county; Henry, the subject of this sketch; Sarah, wife of Charles E. Sloppy, of Paulding county, Ohio; and Elizabeth D., wife of Englebert Link, also of Paulding county.      From the age of three years Henry Schoonover has made his home in Defiance county, spending his boyhood and youth upon the old homestead in Defiance township, and obtaining his early education in the common schools of the locality.  Later he attended Oberlin College for four terms, but not continuously, as in the meantime he taught several terms of school.  After leaving college he continued to follow that profession in both Defiance and Paulding counties for a time, but aside from that farming has been his. chief occupation.  He has always taken an active and prominent part in educational affairs, for three years served as school director in his district, and for the period of thirteen years held the office of county school examiner. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page A. F. Schrack AARON F. SCHRACK.     This prominent resident of Defiance is the proprietor of two leading newspapers of that city - "The Daily Crescent" and "The Weekly County Record" - and under his able management both publications have attained wide influence.      Mr. Schrack is the Pennsylvania-German descent, and was born May 16, 1865, in the town of Somerset, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where several generations of his family have resided.  His father, William M. Schrack, is a native of the same locality, and now resides there.  For many years he was a prosperous merchant; for some time he also followed surveying, and was engaged in publishing "The Somerset Standard," a Republican organ.  HE is a man of influence in his locality, having held various offices, including that of clerk of the Board of County Commissioners, which is equivalent to the office of County Auditor in Ohio.  During the Civil war he raised two companies of volunteers, in which he held the rank of captain, and was in active service throughout the greater part of the conflict, two swords and a flag which were captured from the enemy being treasured relics of his army experience.  While taking part in the campaign along the Potomac he became ill, and was subsequently discharged for disability.  His wife, whose maiden name was Mary E. Foy, is of Scotch-Irish descent, and her father, Rev. Henry E. Foy, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, was a well-known minister of the Methodist Church.      Our subject’s education was begun in the common schools of his native place, and for three years - from seventeen to twenty - he was under private tuition in a class of three.  On completing his course he engaged in newspaper work as a reporter on the “Myersdale Commercial” (daily and weekly), remaining two years.  In 1887 he located at Defiance, purchasing the plant of “The Saturday Call,” a weekly paper, which he renamed “The Local News.”  After six months he discontinued that paper and established “The Daily Crescent,” a four-page folio, which now has a circulation of one thousand.  These papers were all independent and the “Crescent” maintains that attitude in politics; but in 1892 he established “The County Record,” a Democratic newspaper which is published as an eight-page quarto, and has two thousand five hundred subscribers, the largest circulation of any paper in Defiance county.      From the age of sixteen Mr. Schrack has been actively interested in politics, and when only twenty-one years old he was a member of the Central Committee of his native county.  Since settling in Defiance he has been a valued worker in his party, and personally and through his papers he has done much to shape public opinion.  In the campaign of 1896 his talent as a speaker was shown in numerous addresses in his own and neighboring counties.  On Feb. 1, 1897, Mr. Schrack incorporated his publishing interests in a stock company, “The Record Printing and Publishing Co.,” of Defiance, Ohio.  The Weekly remains Democratic, and the Daily, neutral.  Mr. Schrack is the managing editor of the company.      On Jan. 8, 1895, Mr. Schrack married Miss Gertrude Squire, daughter of C. B. SQUIRE, a leading citizen of Defiance.      On Aug. 29, 1898, (since the foregoing was formulated), Mr. Schrack died at Hahnemann Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, where he had been taken to be treated for apendicitis. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page 352 CHARLES SEYMOUR.  This highly esteemed citizen of Defiance is an inventor whose genius, as embodied in various designs and mechanisms, has been recognized in all parts of the civilized world.  For about twenty years past he has been a designer and draughtsman of the Defiance Machine Works, and his inventions in wood-working machinery for the manufacture of wagons and carriages have enabled in company to distance all competitors.      Mr. Seymour was born Nov. 1, 1838, at Fish House, Fulton county, New York.  Harmon Seymour, the father of our subject, was engaged in business as a hatter at Ballston Spa and Schenectady, N. Y., his death occurring at the latter place.      At the age of eighteen Charles Seymour began to learn the machinist's trade in the New York Central railroad shops at Schenectady, and during his apprenticeship he also took lessons in drawing, and studied the theory of mechanics.  He was constantly experimenting, and even in boyhood he produced several valuable inventions, especially in planers, lathes, and other tools used by machinists; but few of his ideas were patented, and the benefits accrued to his employers.  In 1867 Mr. Seymour went to Olyympia, Washington Territory (at that time), and established a general jobbing and machine busines, which he carried on successfully for eight years.  In 1875 he returned to the East and located at Defiance, accepting the position of superintendent of the Defiance Machine Works, with which he has ever since been connected.  In 1887 he gave up the post of superintendent and accepted that of designer and draughtsman.   As the company makes a specialty of the machinery used by manufacturers of carriages and wagons, his attention has been turned chiefly in that direction, his inventions, which are too numerous to be mentioned in this article, being all patented and owned by the company, which has an extensive trade in foreign lands as well as in this country.  For many years, Mr. Seymour has been an occasional contributor to scientific journals, his thoughtful and scholarly articles attracting wide attention.  He was the first to write upon the properties of rotating and revolving bodies from a mechanical and practical standpoint, and his conclusions brought him the commendatory notice of The Franklin Institute.  Had he been of more grasping nature he might have made a large fortune, but as it is he has secured a fair competence from his efforts.  In 1894 and 1896 he made trips to Europe in connection with his business, and a plant of wagon and carriage making machinery was started by him at Zurich, Switzerland.  While absent he availed himself of the opportunity to visit different parts of Europe, including Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, and the British Isles.      Although Mr. Seymour's educational opportunites were limited, his attendance at the public schools ending when he was only eleven years old, he has gained a wide range of information through his personal efforts without a teacher, and he is still an earnest student of general literature as well as in mechanical lines.  Politically he is a Democrat, but he has never sought or held office.  He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and socially is identified with the Masonic fraternity, having attained the Knight Templar degree. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page 131 D. G. Sharp DAVID G. SHARP.     This energetic and prosperous business man of Hicksville, Defiance county, is a native of Logan county, Ohio, the former home of his parents, Austin and Hannah D. ( Symonds) Sharp.  Early in the summer of 1875 they took up their residence in Defiance city, where they remained until 1880, and then moved to Delaware Bend, where the father died in 1894.  The widowed mother still survives.      David G. Sharp, their only child, was born Dec. 25, 1856, and was reared, until he was about seventeen years of age, in the Logan county home.  Coming then with his parents to Defiance, the years intervening between that time and 1880 were passed in further preparation for the life of a business man.  In that year, 1880, he purchased a sawmill, which he operated for two years, and in the fall of the same year, in addition to this industry, began the manufacture of cider, vinegar and jellies.  In 1882 he converted the mill into a hoop manufactory, and engaged in the business of hoop-making there in connection with his other manufactures, until 1893, when the building was destroyed by fire.  Undaunted by this calamity, he promptly turned his attention to the erection of a new building, and, as a result of his enterprise, that same year the present enlarged and improved establishment rose phoenix-like from the ashes.  With the increased facilities for manufacturing thus afforded, the proprietor has continued the business with gratifying success.  In its present flourishing condition it furnishes employment for nearly forty men.  He also conducts a business in general merchandise, in which he embarked in 1894.      On Feb. 17, 1887, Mr. Sharp was united in marriage with Miss Hattie Slough, a daughter of I. N. Slough, of Delaware Bend, and four children have come to gladden their home, their names being as follows:  Harry, Forrest, Ray and Gertrude.  Socially, Mr. Sharp is a member of the Knights of Pythias; politically, he is a Republican.      About Jan. 1, 1898, Mr. Sharp extended his business to Hicksville, and a little later he began the erection of a hoop and stave mill near the B. & O. R. R.  This he conducts in connection with his other enterprises at The Bend.  This Hicksville concern will also employ about fifty men, making a total of some one hundred hands in both places. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page 430 SAMUEL SHUTER.  This prominent citizen of Evansport, Defiance county, is justly regarded as one of our representative citizens, as he is not only an able and successful business man, but he bears an honorable record for patriotism and public spirit, having served as a soldier in the Union army throughout the war of the Rebellion.      A native of this State, Mr. Shuter was born Dec. 8, 1834, in Montgomery county, where his father, Peter Shuter, was at that time engaged in farming.  The latter, who died in Sumner, Lawrence county, Illinois, in 1872, was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1800, as was also his wife, Barbara (Honsinger), who died in Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1873.      Our subject was the fifth in a family of twelve children, and as a farmer's son was given practical instruction in all the details of agricultural work.  He remained at the old home in Montgomery county until April, 1857, when he came to Defiance county, and located at Evansport, where he engaged in raising tobacco, being one of the first to undertake that business in Defiance county.  In 1858 he became interested in mercantile business in Evansport, in partnership with Thomas Yeager, and continued for more than a year; but he still devoted the greater part of his attention to tobacco raising, together with other farm work.  On Aug. 15, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and he served with that regiment until mustered out, July 23, 1865.  He took part in numerous engagements, including the battles of Stone River, Wild Cat Hill, and Perryville, and was with Sherman in the famous Atlanta campaign.  Entering the service as a private, he was raised to the rank of corporal, and during the “march to the sea” he had charge of twenty-one mounted men, detailed to forage for headquarters.      When the fighting was over he returned to his home in Tiffin township, Defiance county, and in September, 1865, he engaged in mercantile business in Evansport, continuing successfully until 1877, when he retired.  He owns two hundred and forty-nine acres of good farming land in the township, and the care of this occupies much of his time, his judicious management making it one of the best farms in the locality.  While he takes great interest in the questions of the day, and is always ready to forward any progressive movement in his community, he has never been an aspirant for public office.  In politics he is a stanch Democrat.  Socially he is a member of Lodge No. 489, I. O. O. F., of Evansport, having been connected with that order since 1855.      On Dec. 29, 1858, Mr. Shuter was married in Tiffin township, Defiance county, to Miss Abby Snider, and the union has been blessed with four children: Mary O. (who died at the age of five years); Thomas E.; John W.; and Charles R.  Mrs. Shuter is a native of Evansport, born Dec. 22, 1840, the fifth child in the family of John and Nancy (Coy) Snider, who were among the earliest settlers of Tiffin township, having removed there from Greene county, Ohio, in 1831.  The father, who was for many years a leading agriculturist of Tiffin township, died in May, 1890, aged eighty-three years.  The mother passed from earth in September, 1897, also aged eighty-three years.  Mrs. Shuter is a member of the M. E. Church of Evansport. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton. Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 - Page 379 FRANK B. SITES.       Prominent among the business men of Defiance county, who by their genius and enterprise have risen to positions of usefulness and influence, was the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, now deceased.  The "Old Dominion" is his native State, he having been born in Edenburg, Shenandoah county, March 14, 1851.      Henry Sites, he father, married Rebecca Kesinger, and they passed the first years of their married life in Edenburg, Virginia.  In 1857 they left that place and took up their abode in Ohio, settling finally in Mifflin township, Richland county. Mr. Sites made farming his life business.      Frank B. Sites attended the schools of Richland county, applying himself to study until eighteen years of age, from which time till the year 1881 he followed the life of a commercial traveler, still making his home with his father.  A propensity for inventing led him to experiment continually.  In 1881 he entered the employ of the Trumbull Wagon Company, Defiance, Ohio, and was with that firm one year, revising and improving machinery.  One year with John Marshall in the same line of business followed, after which he was general superintendent of the works of the latter for one year.  He then gave his attention to the manufacture of various articles in his own interest; but meeting with losses, he bought machinery for fence manufacturing, and engaged in that business on a small scale, while perfecting and patenting inventions that led to the establishment of the Defiance Box Works.  This enterprise was inaugurated in a small way - a company of four, with Mr. Sites at the head, entering upon the project.  For two years he conducted the small concern, when, demand for the goods having increased to such a large extent, he formed a stock company with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, and established a large plant, erecting four buildings - a main building forty by one hundred and twenty feet with an annex forty by eighty feet, a dry-kiln forty by twenty-four feet, and a warehouse thirty by sixty feet.  Projector and original promoter of the extensive business, Mr. Sites is one of the stockholders also, and the inventor and patentee of its various products, which comprise poultry coops, pottery crates, and crate boxes of all kinds and sizes, the goods being sold in all sections of the United States.  The machinery for the manufacture of the goods is also the invention or Mr. Sites, and his genius continued to be busied with the perfection of other inventions in the same line.  The value of the annual product of the works is already forty thousand dollars, while with continual increasing facilities the business is constantly assuming greater proportions, and Mr. Sites enjoyed a royalty on all products.  Thus in a few years the modest venture has passed to a permanent and lucrative business success.      Mr. Sites was married, in the fall of 1883, to Miss Kittie Wisler, of Defiance, and they have one son, John Albert, born in August, 1884.  Mr. Sites passed away September 18, 1897, and was buried in the Defiance cemetery.  He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and in politics was a Prohibitionist.  Three years prior to his death he was a member of the Methodist Church, to which Mrs. Sites also belongs, and he was a social, genial Christian gentleman, living in the enjoyment of the respect and confidence of a wide circle of acquaintances and friends. Chas. E. Slocum CHARLES ELIHU SLOCUM, M. D., PH. D.      Charles Elihu Slocum, M. D., Ph. D., physician, banker and philanthropist, of Defiance, Ohio, is of pure English ancestry, the ancient home of his race being near Taunton, Somersetshire, England.      The founder of the branch in the United States from which our subject descends was one Anthony Slocombe, who came to America with his wife and family at the time of the absolute and despotic reign of King Charles I., and was one of the first purchasers in 1837 of several townships of land around the present site of Taunton, Massachusetts, which town he helped to found.  It was in the records of this purchase that the clerk gave the present spelling to the surname.  American marriages have kept the blood of the descendants of this first American ancestor in English lines.      The direct ancestors of Doctor Slocum, covering eight generations in America are as follows:  Anthony's son Giles, born in England, was a young married man when he came from his native country, his wife's given name being Joann.  He was prominent in the colony of Rhode Island, as a man of large possessions, and was also a leading member of the Society of Friends, and family affiliating with that religious body on its first appearance in New England in 1656.  The descendants continued in that relation until after the Revolutionary war, when removal to eastern New York widely separated them from the Society.  Giles and Joann Slocum had a family of nine children, the youngest of which was a son, Eleazer, born the 25th day of "10th month," 1664, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.  He became a resident of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1684.  He married Elephel Fitzgerald, and one of their sons, also named Eleazer, born January 20, 1694, married Deborah Smith and had a son, John, born August 4, 1717, who became a yeoman and trader.  He married Deborah Almy, and had a son, Eleazer, born May 15, 1744, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, who married Anstace Viall, and this couple, after the Revolutionary war, removed with their family to what is now known as Northville, Fulton County, New York, which remained the family home for many years.  Joseph, the eldest son of Eleazer and Anstace Slocum, was born Feb. 6, 1766, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and was married in Cambridge, New York, to Elizabeth Wright in 1790.  Their second son, Caleb Wright Slocum, our subject's father, was born in Northville, New York, October 22, 1797, and died their in 1864.  He was a man of strong character and high standing, and was engaged in various business enterprises, being a farmer, merchant, tanner and manufacturer.  His wife, Elizabeth (Bass), was born at Northville, November 25, 1798, and died there in 1866.      Coming now to the ninth generation, we return to our subject, who is also a native of Northville, New York, born December 30, 1841.  His early education was obtained with the aim of preparing himself for teaching and general business, his studies being pursued in the schools of his native town, and by his own exertions in Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, and at Poughkeepsie, New York.  Several years of his early manhood were passed partly in attending school and partly in teaching in public and private schools with ascending grades.  His services were also in demand as instructor in teachers' institutes.      While teaching in Albion, Michigan, in 1865, he began the study of medicine with a late army surgeon, Doctor Willoughby O'Donohue.  He attended the medical department of the University of Michigan, giving special attention to analytical and applied chemistry, and practical microscopy.  He also attended the Detroit Medical College, and in that city registered under the preceptorship of the venerable Professor Zina Pitcher and Doctor David O. Farrand, who were then in partnership.  There he saw, and participated in, much of practical medicine and surgery.  He attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, in New York City, and was there granulated Doctor in Medicine in 1869, with health somewhat impaired.  He at once entered into partnership with his brother, Doctor John Caleb Slocum, who had established a large practice at Shelbyville, Indiana.  In 1870 he traveled for his health through the South and along the Atlantic coast, and in July, 1871, he settled in Defiance, Ohio, where he has since remained, excepting some travels for study and recreation.  Parts of several years have been passed in post-graduate studies, embracing literary studies, general medicine, surgery and various specialties, in New York and in Philadelphia, where he received a degree from Jefferson College upon examination.  He also passed two years in the University of Pennsylvania, and there received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in course, upon examination, with the highest grade of his class.  In 1879 he visited Europe, giving attention to his profession in Vienna and London specially, and visiting other medical center.      Doctor Slocum's practice has been general, including delicate work in the specialties as well as capital surgical operations, and his careful attention to details has brought him large patronage and gratifying success.  He has been president of the Defiance County Medical Society, vice-president of the District Society, and member of the Ohio State Medical Society since 1874.  He was chosen delegate from the State Society in 1875 to the American Medical Association, since which time he has been a permanent member of the last named body.      He became a member of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences in 1876; charter member of the American Microscopical Society in 1878; member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1885; member of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society; of the Ninth International Medical Congress in 1887; member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science from the first year of its organization; and charter member of the Ohio State Academy of Science, of which he has been first vice-president.  In 1896 he organized the Fort Defiance Scientific Association, with a membership of thirty-five, and he has sine been its president.  He is also a member of various other important societies of both a local and general character, including the American Public Health Association.      He served several years as United States examining surgeon for pensions, as railway surgeon, and as examiner for numerous life insurance companies.  He has several times declined proffered professorships in medical colleges in different cities, but since 1896 he has been professor of psychology and ethics in the Cleveland College of Physicians and Surgeons, Cleveland, Ohio.  His medical writings have been few, and confined mainly to reports of cases in his practice, which were published in different medical journals, and also occasional papers read before medical, scientific and other societies, by request.      In 1882 he published a large octavo volume, the preparation of which had been his principal diversion for several years, entitled "A Short History of the Solcums, Slocumbs and Slocombs of America, Genealogical and Biographical; Embracing Eleven Generations of the First Named Family, from 1637 to 1881; With their Alliances and the Descendants in the Female Lines so far Ascertained.  Also the Etymology of those Surnames, an Account of some Researches in England Concerning their Ancestors who bore the Parent Surname, Slocombe, etc.  This is styled a model book by the historical journals in their reviews, and it has had a good circulation among the families and their affiliations, and to libraries.  Material has been accumulated for a second volume on the same subject.  These studies have been valuable to him in theirrelation to sociology, heredity, etc.  In 1898 he began writing the History of Defiance, Ohio, and its Vicinity From the Earliest Times.      Doctor Slocum has been a constant hard worker in his profession, and he believes in systematic diversion as a recreation for regular life work.  This diversion from professional labors he has found in scientific and literary studies, and in business.  In the last, as in other lines, he has gained success.  He was chosen a director of the Defiance National Bank in 1874, and continued to serve in that capacity until the expiration of its charter, when the bank was reorganized, with largely increased capital, as the First National Bank, and he was chosen director and vice-president, which offices he still holds.  He was one of the principal stockholders at the organization of the Defiance Savings Bank, which was merged, in 1881, into the Merchants National Bank, of which institution he has been a director, and part of the time vice-president and acting president.  He has also been interested in several of the principal manufacturing institutions of his city, and is now president of two of those more recently organized.      Doctor Slocum began his business life poor, and under adverse physical and other conditions, and his professional and financial successes have been the result of continued painstaking and laborious application to his profession, together with economy and judicious investments of the proceeds of his toil.  His professional motto has been from the first, “I desire that it ever be more to the interest of my patients to employ me than to my interest to be employed by them.”  His tastes and habits have been formed from reason and judgment, keeping in mind the most desirable from a social and physical standpoint - avoiding tobacco, alcoholic beverages and excesses of all kinds, from both medical and moral motives.  His health, which was frail in earlier life, has under this regime grown better with the years.  He has carried the stamp of integrity into all his professional and business relations, and his methods are referred to by all who know him best as examples worthy of imitation.      A true philanthropist, he has always been liberal to the poor, but his many and various benefactions have been unheralded by himself.  His largest single donation was the gift, in 1894, of a library building to the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, of which institution he is a trustee.  He not only gave the funds for the erection of the building, but he entered with characteristic enthusiasm upon the work of visiting the leading libraries in America, as he had done in Europe, studying their good qualities and their defects, and working up, with the university’s financial secretary, Rev. John M. Barker, Ph. D., plans that should produce a model university library building in every respect, which this building was desired to be. lie also superintended its construction in a general way.  All its outer walls are of Bedford buff limestone, and its interior construction is of steel and other incombustible material, thus being thoroughly fireproof throughout.  It has a capacity of over two hundred thousand volumes, most of which will be stored in a wing on the stack system.  Careful attention was given to the lighting, to ventilation, to convenience, and to the heating by indirect hot-water radiation.  The grand reading room has sittings for several hundred students ; rooms for seminar work with departmental libraries are numerous, and in all its appointments it is ample in proportions, and represents modern ideas for a large university library.  This building was dedicated June 20, 1898.      Doctor Slocum has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years, also of the various regular Masonic orders, including the Knights Templars and the Scottish Rite.  He was formerly a member of the Ohio Consistory at Cincinnati, but is now connected with the Lake Erie Consistory, Cleveland, Ohio, of which he is a charter member.      During his early medical studies Doctor Slocum began the nucleus around which he has accumulated a valuable private library, numbering about five thousand volumes of carefully selected works.  Here medicine and surgery, archeology and general science are seen to be specialties with him, although history, general and special literature and art are represented prominently on the shelves.  This valuable collection of books he keeps open for the use of the public, free of charge.  The Doctor is still a student, keeping in touch with the world’s progress, and is thoroughly informed on the current literature of the day.  Politically he affiliates with the Republican party. He remains a bachelor. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 7 ALSO NOTE:  See "HISTORY OF FRANCIS SLOCUM - CAPTIVE" - Partially transcribed, also. W. A. Snider WILLIS A. SNIDER.   The well-known and popular auditor of Defiance county, Willis A. Snider, is one of the leaders of the Democratic party in his section, his large acquaintance and unbounded popularity giving him an influential following, while his shrewd judgment of men and affairs makes his counsel of value in all important movements.      Our subject was born Jan. 24, 1860, in Evansport, Defiance county, the eldest in the family of seven children born to Samuel and Lorinda (Fuller) Snider, the former of whom was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Nov. 1, 1836, the latter on Apr. 17, 1839.  He passed his boyhood and youth in Evansport, where he continued to reside until he assumed the duties of his present position.  Obtaining a good practical education in the common schools, he was well-fitted to teaching, and successfully followed that profession in Tiffin township, Defiance county, for eight terms.  In 1884 he accepted the position of clerk in the drug store of M. F. Newcomer, of Evansport, and at the end of two years bought out his employer, continuing business there on his own account up to the present time.      Mr. Snider was married Nov. 16, 1882, to Miss Belle Bennett, of Evansport, Ohio, by whom he has one child, Gertrude, born Sunday, Sept. 9, 1883, who at the present time is attending the public schools of Defiance.  The mother was a daughter of Aaron and Rebecca (Shafer) Bennett, of Evansport, Defiance county, Ohio.  She was born Dec. 12, 1860, in Evansport, and received her education at the schools of that village, in which she was a teacher for several terms prior to her marriage.  She died at Stryker, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1885, and Mr. Snider was again married, this time May 5, 1892, to Miss Minnie Speiser, of Evansport, Ohio, by whom he has one child, Lois Ethel born Monday, July 17, 1893.  Mrs. Snider was a daughter of Frederick and Louisa (Hayes) Speiser, the former of whom was born in Germany, whence he came to this country prior to his marriage, and is now a boot and shoe merchant in Defiance, Ohio.      Solomon Snider, grandfather of our subject, was of Pennsylvania-German stock; was born in Perry county, Ohio, near Thornport, and died at Metz, Indiana, in 1888.  His name is found among the early settlers of Tiffin township, Defiance county, where he followed his trade, that of tanner.  He was married to Nancy Lantz, at Lancaster, Ohio, and by this union had four children; Samuel (father of our subject), Amos, Elizabeth (Mrs. Dr. J. S. Cameron, of Evansport, Ohio), and Louisa (who died at Evansport, Ohio, Dec. 31, 1852).  He afterward married Delilah Bowser, of Fulton county, Ohio; by this marriage grandfather Snider had three children: Curtis, Dora (Mrs. James Porter, of Metz, Indiana), and Jennie (deceased),  The maternal grandfather of our subject was John Fuller, a native of Vermont (born in 1796), whence he migrated to Henry county, Ohio, where he died in January, 1846.  He married Miss Sarah Thayer in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, in December, 1820.  She was born in Onondaga county, New York, in March, 1802, and died in Clay county, Indiana, in June, 1875.      Since attaining his majority, Mr. Snider (our subject) has always affiliated with the Democratic party, and has taken a deep interest in political affairs, doing much to insure the success of his party.  For seven years he acceptably filled the office of township clerk of Tiffin township, and in June, 1893, was appointed postmaster at Evansport, serving in that position for four years with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the public.  In November, 1896, he was elected auditor of Defiance county, and is now discharging the duties of that office.  In business circles he takes foremost rank, his success as a merchant being all the more notable from  the fact that he has been secured by his own judicious management.  Socially, he is identified with the Masonic fraternity, and in religious faith is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 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 112 John Spangler JOHN SPANGLER.     Prominent among the successful farmers and extensive stock raisers of Defiance county, may be named the subject of this historical notice, whose homestead is in the North precinct, Richland township, and who, by his enterprise and energy in the direction of his chosen industry, has given to his work a significance and beauty of which few deemed it capable.      Mr. Spangler comes from the beautiful land of the Alps, born near the River Rhine, in Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland, May 4, 1836, a son of John and Elizabeth Spangler, also natives of that country, whence they emigrated to America in 1845.  With their three children - our subject and two daughters - they embarked on a sailing vessel, which after a long and tedious voyage of forty-two days landed them safely at New York.  Coming direct to Ohio, they spent nine years in Franklin township, Fulton county, and then removed to Defiance county, locating north of the city of Defiance, where they lived for several years.  On leaving the farm, they took up their residence in the city, where both died.      The subject of this sketch came with his parents to Defiance county, and made his home with them until twenty-nine years of age, although he spent a portion of that time in the West.  In 1864 he took a drove of horses across the Plains to California by way of Fort Laramie and Salt Lake City, and remained on the Pacific slope for two years engaged in teaming.  Returning to Defiance county in 1866, he was employed in buying and shipping stock for about a year, and then engaged in the flour and feed business, and also conducted a meat market in Defiance, in company with John Greenler and Alexander Swartz.  At the end of nine months, however, he disposed of his interest in the business, and went to Florida, Ohio, where he purchased a gristmill, which he successfully operated for nine years.  Selling out, he returned to Defiance county, and in 1877 bought his present farm in North Richland, on which he has since lived, devoting his energies to general farming and stock dealing.  Prosperity has crowned his efforts, and he is now the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and twenty acres, on which he has erected an elegant residence, built good barns and other outbuildings, and made many other valuable improvements, so that it is now classed among the most desirable farms of the township.      On the 25th of July, 1869, in Defiance, Mr. Spangler was united in marriage with Miss Isabella Tuttle, who was born in that city Dec. 11, 1847, and on the farm in North Richland township, Oct. 6, 1888.   Her father was the late John Tuttle, one of the early settlers of Defiance county, where for many years he was engaged in the grain and mercantile business.  To Mr. and Mrs. Spangler were born seven children, namely:  John D., Fred W., Herman A., Mary (wife of Horace Taylor), Grace E., Carrie I. and Florence M.      Since attaining his majority Mr. Spangler has been identified with the Democratic party, and has done all within his power for its success in the community in which he resides.  He has ably served as treasurer and trustee of his township, and filled other minor offices.  He was also elected infirmary director, but resigned that position at the end of a year.  He is one of the most valued and highly respected citizens of his community, and wherever known is 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 470 REUBEN SPONSELLER.  This prosperous and substantial farmer of Defiance county is residing on Section 24, Mark township, where he is industriously engaged in the prosecution of his noble calling, and is meeting with more than ordinary success.      A native of Ohio, Mr. Sponseller was born in Crawford county, Dec. 25, 1834, a son of Michael and Susanna (Mentzer) Sponseller, the former a native of Pennsylvania, the latter of Maryland.  Both died in Crawford county, Ohio.      Our subject, who is ninth in the order of birth in their family of ten children, was reared upon the home farm, early becoming familiar with the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist.  In his native county he was married Oct. 6, 1859, to Miss Catherine Barthold, who was also born in Ohio, and they have become the parents of nine children, namely:  Caroline;  now the wife of William Neel;  Frank, married to Nara Kaser; Mary, wife Shong; Esther wife of Charles Kaser; Susanna; Amanda;  and Ira.      In August, 1861, Mr. Sponseller removed from Crawford to Defiance county, and located upon the farm in Mark township, where he has since made his home.  The place contains one hundred and forty acres of good land, and as an industrious and enterprising man he has taken great pride in making it one of the best farms of the community.  He and his wife are earnest and consistent members of the German Baptist Church, and by all who know them 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 387 LOUIS O. SPRING.       Defiance boasts of the most efficient fire department of any city of it size in Ohio, this fact being largely due to the faithful chieftain, whose commanding personality, keen judgment, and unshaken confidence under trying emergencies have won the confidence of the community.      With commendable foresight, Mr. Spring, who as been at the head of the department since 1888, has left nothing undone which could prepare his corps of brave assistants for a struggle with the fire fiend, and the ringing of the alarm bells lacks much of the old terror and apprehension to the citizens.  A fire department should be like a well-disciplined army in the presence of a possible enemy.  Alert, thoroughly prepared, ready for duty at any moment, even at the hazard of their lives, each man is a necessary unit in the ranks, but the practical efficiency of the entire force depends upon the general who directs it.  If he be known as thoroughly qualified for his duties, all under his command, from the private in the ranks to the highest subordinate officer, will follow his directions with implicit confidence in the judgment.  Should he call upon them to charge the enemy on "a forlorn hope," they will respond with that unanimity and enthusiasm which can work wonders and wring victory against apparently overwhelming odds.  In Mr. Spring and Defiance Fire Department has such a leader, and under his capable direction the men are prompt to respond and do valiant service whenever life or property is endangered.      Mr. Spring's experience in fighting fire dates back to 1881, when he became a member of the Defiance department, and in the seven years that intervened before his promotion to his present post his ability and courage were fully tested.  At present the force consists of seventy-five men, three of whom are regularly employed at full salaries.  Seven are known as "minute men," receiving partial pay, and the others are volunteers.  There are three commodious brick buildings in different wards occupied by hose companies, and one central brick building where is stationed a hose company, a hook and ladder outfit, three hand hose reels, and a large first-class equipment.  In this building is the headquarters of the fire-alarm system, and three men are always on duty there.  About thirty-five hundred feet of good hose is available for use altogether, and the water supply is obtained both by direct pressure and from a standpipe system, the steam engine being used only in case of a general alarm.  The buildings cost in the neighborhood of forty thousand dollars, exclusive of equipment.      The following brief history of the chief will be of interest:  He was born Feb. 7, 1860 at Marshall, Michigan, the son of August and Bertha Spring.  Both parents were natives of Germany, but they came to the United States about forty years ago, and after residing for some time in Michigan located in 1870 in Defiance.  They were devout members of the Lutheran Church, and were held in high esteem among their associates for their excellent qualities of character.  As our subject was but a boy at the time of the removal to Defiance the greater portion of his life has been spent there.  His education was acquired in the common schools, and at an early age he was employed in the woolen mill.  At sixteen he began to learn the machinist's trade with the Defiance Machine Co., with which he was connected for twenty-two years.  In November, 1896, he began in business on his own account, establishing a meat market at the southwest corner of Clinton and Fourth streets, and this, with his official duties, occupies his entire attention.  Politically he is affiliated with the Democratic party.  As a citizen he is highly respected, and his failing courtesy makes him popular everywhere.  In August, 1893, he was married to Miss Josephine Gottwald, of Defiance, and they have one daughter, named Esther, and a son, Louis, Jr., born January 23, 1898.  Mrs. Spring is a daughter of Christian and Christina Gottwald, both of whom are now deceased.  They came from New York City to Defiance about 1875.  Mrs. Spring was born in New York City, and came to Ohio when a child.  Her education was obtained in the public schools of Defiance, where she has had her home nearly all her life.   JOHN G. STEFFEL.     Mr. Steffel, who owns and operates a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Richland township, Defiance county, is one of the prominent and influential citizens of his community.  He was born Aug. 4, 1845, in Austria, whence his parents, George and Anna (Aurada) Steffel, emigrated with their family to America in 1852, first locating in Seneca county, Ohio.      In 1861 they came to Defiance county and settled on a farm in Adams township, where they still continue to make their home.  In their family were four children - three sons and one daughter - who reached years of maturity, and of these our subject is the eldest.  His boyhood and youth were passed in Adams township, he remaining with his parents until his marriage, when he located on the farm in Richland township, where he still lives.  Throughout his active business life he has given his time and attention to agricultural pursuits, and being a thorough and skillful farmer, he has prospered in his undertakings.  His farm is improved with good and substantial buildings: in fact, the whole place indicates the progressive spirit of the owner.      On Apr. 23, 1872, in Defiance county, Mr. Steffel was married to Miss Catherine Shindler, also a native of Austria, born Sept. 1, 1852, a daughter of Mathew and Mary (Kornish) Shindler, who came to America in 1854, and after residing in Seneca county, Ohio, for seven years, removed to Defiance county in 1861.  They took up their residence in Highland township, where the mother died Apr. 5, 1895.  Mrs. Steffel is the eldest in their family of five daughters.  Our subject and his wife have five children still living, namely: Anna, now the wife of George Moser; John X.; Kate D.; Wesley C.; and Agnes C.  Those, deceased are Mary M., who died at the age of eight years, and George, who died at the age of six years.      During the trying days of the Civil war, Mr. Steffel enlisted in the service of his adopted country, on Nov. 1, 1863, becoming a member of Company A, Forty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he faithfully fought until honorably discharged, June 12, 1865.  He was in the engagements at Nashville, Tennessee, and at Columbia, South Carolina, besides in numerous skirmishes, and while in South Carolina he was injured in the right side.  He is now an honored member of the Grand Army Post of Defiance.      The Democratic party has always found in him a stanch supporter of its principles, and in local politics he takes a leading part. In the spring of 1891 he was elected treasurer of Richland township, and in the spring of 1897 was re-elected, so that he is now filling that responsible position.  He has also capably served in other township offices, being trustee, and justice of the peace in Adams township for two terms.  In religious faith he and his family are Catholics. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 429 M. B. Stevens MERARI BUNAJAH STEVENS, M.D., PH. C.     In reviewing the lives of those whose gallant services have enabled our “great Republic of the West” to maintain its continuity and power, and in so doing to pass to increasing glory, it is indeed most fitting that we should award to these noble heroes the honor and praise emphatically their due, while our breasts swell with gratitude for their endurance in the toilsome march, their heroism in the fearful charge - in fine, for their total surrender of self to all the contingencies of cruel war.      The many friends of Doctor Stevens will be deeply interested in a record of his life - one so devoted to our country in its hour of need, and signalized in after years by benefactions so manifold to his suffering brethren in every station.  The home of Harvey Root and Hannah Ann (Gale) Stevens was at Tyrone, Livingston county, Michigan, and there their children - Monall G. (who died at the age of twelve years), Merari Bunajah, Alviso B. and Naomi M. - were born.  The father followed the vocation of a teacher for a period of twenty-eight years, and, besides, engaged in the pursuits of agriculture and brickmaking.  Soon after the death of his wife, which occurred at Tyrone in 1863, he moved to New York, and, entering the Union army, fell on the field of battle the following spring, as will be seen elsewhere in this sketch, where further particulars of the closing events of his life are also given.      Alviso B. Stevens is a graduate of the School of Pharmacy at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at that institution holds the chair of pharmacy, to which he was called six years ago.  Naomi M. Stevens is a lady of liberal education, and has devoted many years to teaching, possessing an enviable reputation as a successful instructor.  She is at present engaged in the duties of her calling at Moravia, New York.      Merari Bunajah Stevens, the subject proper of this sketch, was born Mar.14, 1845, and his boyhood and early youth were passed in the Michigan home.  At the age of eighteen he accompanied his father to New York, and at Medina, in that State, in December of the same year (1863), both father and son, inspired with the love of country, enlisted in Company L, Eighth New York Heavy Artillery - this action being in the highest sense voluntary, as age in the one case and extreme youth in the other exempted them from subjection to a draft for the increase of the army, as also to other military duty.  They soon joined their regiment, which was then located at Baltimore, and while on duty there the son was afflicted with a severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism.  In the spring of 1864 (while he was suffering from it) the regiment was ordered to the front, and as he was so nearly disabled by the swellings attending his malady, his father and others advised him to go to the hospital; but the same spirit that inspired the lad to enlist now asserted itself, and impelled him forward, still persistently on to the front, although suffering excruciating pain. Keeping up with his company and regiment, he was ready for action, and with them took part in the battle of Spottsylvania, where his regiment acted as infantry.  Their next engagement was at North Anna River, and this, in turn, was followed by the desperate conflict of Cold Harbor, where, in the brief space of half an hour, nearly ten thousand Union soldiers fell dead or wounded before the Confederate intrenchments.  During a charge on the enemy’s fortifications there, his father, alas! was shot down by his side, the fatal bullet passing through the hips and the lower part of the abdomen, and inflicting a wound from which he died twenty-eight hours later, and soon for him the scene of the battle’s roar and din was transformed to a peaceful, quiet spot - his final resting-place - his son paying a last sad tribute of affection by placing a handkerchief over the face of the loved one as the body was consigned to the grave.  The son secured the deadly, battered bullet, which he still keeps as a sad memento.      In this fearful battle their regiment lost six hundred and seventy-eight in killed and wounded; but, notwithstanding this depletion in numbers, on June 16 and 18 it moved to the position assigned it in the battle of Petersburg, and June 22, while it was charging the Rebel works at that place, the son received a severe wound over the stomach from an exploding shell, which, together with rheumatism and other chronic troubles, kept him in hospital at Washington and the Harwood Hospital at Philadelphia three months, during which time he was reduced to a mere skeleton. At the end of that time, having- recovered to some extent - though still but a mere shadow of his former self - he, with other wounded soldiers, was ordered before the board of surgeons for examination as to fitness for active duty, and, wholly unfit though he was, was ordered to the front again without even the semblance of a personal examination by the board. Obedient to the command, the youthful soldier’s pride and indignation forbidding remonstrance, he rejoined his regiment, then in front of Petersburg, and October 22 took part in the fight at Hatcher’s Run.  He was subsequently one of a detachment to take charge of a battery before Petersburg, where he served from Dec. 9, 1864, to the fall of Richmond and Petersburg, first as gunner, then as acting orderly, and later as corporal, having been thus promoted.  After taking part in the grand review in Washington that followed the final triumph, he was discharged and mustered out of the service June 30, 1865, and though physically almost a wreck, and deprived of the companionship of him by whose side he had marched against the enemy, he returned to the paths of peace with the proud satisfaction of having done his duty to his country in its time of peril, and bearing a noble heritage in the sonship of a martyred hero.      After a short stay in New York, the youth proceeded to Michigan, and wisely resumed his interrupted studies.  Locating at Fenton, in that State, he attended school there two years, when he began the study of medicine in the office of Wells B. Fox, M. D., at Parshallville, and later entered the medical department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, graduating in 1869.  Immediately after his graduation he began the practice of his chosen profession with his former preceptor.  Doctor Fox, then located at Byron, Michigan, and this partnership existed until the reopening of the university in the fall, when he again became a student there, completing the course in pharmacy the next year.  He then resumed practice at Byron, without a partner, however, remaining there until 1875, which year was made memorable by his appointment as delegate from the State Medical Society of Michigan to the meeting of the American Medical Association in Louisville, Kentucky, and by his matriculation at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York, from which institution he graduated in the class of ’76.  A brief stay at Byron followed; then, in December, 1876, he located in Defiance, Ohio, where he has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession.      Successful from the first, during the twenty years of his residence there, the Doctor has achieved a well-merited reputation as an able general practitioner and highly skillful surgeon; indeed, he has attained a degree of eminence that places him at the head of his profession.  He is established in an extensive practice, and by reason of his celebrity is frequently called to operate in the most difficult cases of surgery.  He held the position of United States examining surgeon for pensions for several years, and is at present a member of the Defiance County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society, the Northwestern Medical Society, and the American Medical Association.      In 1870, at Fenton, Michigan, Doctor Stevens was united in marriage with Miss Irene Boice, who died Jan. 29, 1873, leaving one son, Harry B., born Jan. 19, 1873, at present a student m his father’s office.  In February, 1878, the Doctor married, for his second wife, Miss Nettie Brower, and to this union a son, Harry B., was born May 22, 1879.  The mother passed away on the 25th of the same month.  On Mar. 21, 1883, the Doctor was married to his present wife, formerly Miss Ellen Amelia Ames, the only daughter of Rev. Lucius F. Ames (a Baptist minister) and Amelia Bennett Ames, both of New England stock.  She had three brothers: Henry Judson, who died in infancy; Edwin L. Ames, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Lewis Franklin Ames, of Wauseon, Ohio.  The two brothers are enjoying large and lucrative practices as dental surgeons in their respective locations.  Mrs. Stevens has been actively engaged in church and charity work.  The children of this marriage are Gale A., born Aug. 31, 1885; Edwin Burr, born June 24, 1889 ; and Frank Bennett, born July 28, 1893.  The family resides in a commodious and delightful home on the corner of Fifth and Wayne streets, while adjoining stands the Doctor’s office - a substantial and well-equipped building erected by himself.      Doctor Stevens is a member of the G. A. R.; politically he affiliates with the Republican party.  He has been a member of the Baptist Church for thirty-nine years.  His strict integrity and honor shed a bright luster on his character, and, with other noble qualities, strength of intellect, mental culture and professional ability, combine to render him a valued and highly-esteemed citizen of the community. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 72 Silas T. Sutphen HON. SILAS T. SUTPHEN.     To one familiar with the personnel of the Defiance County Bar, the simple statement that the subject of this sketch stands among its leaders will he sufficient to suggest the vigorous mentality, the resolute will, the worthy ambition worthily pursued, which the following history shows in greater detail.      Judge Sutphen's family originated in Holland, and the name as spelled by the first emigrants to America was Zutphen, being taken probably from the city of that name in their native land.  These early ancestors appear to have settled near Newark, New Jersey, where they engaged in agricultural pursuits.  The Judge’s father, Colonel Richard D. Sutphen, now of Carey, Ohio, came to this State about 1820 and located in Liberty township, Fairfield county, where he entered eighty acres of government land.  He was then a young man, and he afterward married Miss Sarah Zerkle, a lady of German descent, who was a native of the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia.  Colonel Sutphen was a prominent and influential citizen and held the office of justice of the peace for many years.  He also served as sergeant-at-arms of the Ohio House of Representatives during one session, and for years was a colonel in the militia of Fairfield county, Ohio.  Until 1865 he followed farming as an occupation, but on retiring from active business he sold his estate, and after spending ten years in Toledo, settled at his present home in Carey.  His wife passed to the unseen world in 1890 at the age of eighty-five, but he is still living, and at ninety is in the full possession of his faculties and enjoys vigorous health.      Judge Sutphen, who was the third in a family of seven children, was born Aug. 28, 1838, at the old home in Liberty township, Fairfield county, four miles northwest of Baltimore.  During his boyhood he attended the neighboring district schools, and the union and high schools at Baltimore.  At twenty he entered Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, and took a four years’ course, graduating from the scientific department in 1862.  While there he also began the study of law under the instruction of Judge James Pillars, of Tiffin, and in June, 1863, was admitted to the Bar at Fremont, Ohio.  He immediately opened an office in Defiance, where from the start he met with success and soon established a good practice, which has increased as the years have rolled by.      Being an ardent Democrat, he became actively interested in political work, and his talents as a public speaker were utilized by his party in every campaign until 1884, when he was elected judge of the court of common pleas.  In 1864 he was chosen to the office of mayor of Defiance, to which he was again elected on the expiration of his term. In 1867 he became prosecuting attorney, and held the position for three consecutive terms, six years in all.  He then resumed his practice, and continued until November, 1884, when he was elected judge of the court of common pleas for the district composed of the counties of Defiance, Paulding and Williams.  In this position he served the public interests ably and faithfully for seven years and a half.  Conservative and impartial in judgment and painstaking in research, his decisions were based on sound legal principles, and were seldom reversed.  Since retiring from the Bench in February, 1891, he has given his attention exclusively to his practice, which includes some of the most important matters now in litigation in this section.  He is retained by the State of Connecticut to manage its legal business in Defiance county, and is also engaged in looking after valuable properties in and near Defiance.      As a trial lawyer he is remarkably successful, his clear and sound reasoning, presented with the force and polish of the trained logician, carrying conviction to his hearers.  He has a fine presence, and his habit of speaking to the point, clearly and effectively, always impresses a jury favorably.  His well-proved integrity also lends to his utterances substantial weight and influence, and he is held in high esteem throughout the community.  His popularity is not bounded by party lines, and when a candidate for office he has always received a large support from the opposition.  Financially he is regarded as one of the substantial men of the city, his extensive business interests being carefully managed.  He is a director in the Merchants National Bank, and is a large stockholder in the Security Building & Loan Association, for which he is also the attorney.      On Nov. 29, 1863, the Judge was married at Tiffin, to Miss Sarah Huss, daughter of John and Sarah Huss.  Of the four children of this union two died in infancy.  Miss Minnie G. Sutphen is a talented musician, possessing a beautiful soprano voice of wide range and sweet and sympathetic quality.  She attended the Conservatory of Music at Cincinnati for three years, gaining a teacher’s certificate for proficiency in instrumental music and voice culture.  She is now engaged in teaching, and is regarded as one of the most gifted singers in the State, being often invited to entertain select and cultured audiences.  Richard Sutphen, the Judge’s only son, is a student at the Michigan University, preparing for the legal profession.  The Judge and his family attend the Presbyterian Church, and he takes a generous interest in all social and philanthropic movements, being a liberal contributor to any cause which he deems worthy. Source:  Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.  Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899. ~ Page 92

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