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Chapter XXV.
pg. 248
HISTORY OF
NAPOLEON
TOWNSHIP
THIS township was organized in the
spring of 1835, soon after the full organization of Henry
county. the population in 1880 was 1,472 not including
the town of Napoleon; this has increased considerably.
The township contains thirty-six square miles, without
deducting the space covered by the Maumee River. The
larger portion of this area is in an advanced state of
cultivation. It lies near the middle of the famous
Black Swamp, which was formerly such a terror to emigrants,
and which caused it to be passed by by early settlers, who
were seeking homes, in what was in the beginning of the
century, the "far west." Its surface is remarkably
even, except in the immediate vicinity of its water courses,
where the surface drift has been washed away, during and
since the glacial epoch. The soil, like that of the
Black Swamp generally, is remarkable for its great
fertility. It is underlaid by what is known as the
Erie clay, which was deposited during the long ages when the
township formed a portion of the bed of Lake Erie.
This clay on account of its great tenacity, furnishes the
best possible formation for a fertile soil. In itself
it furnishes a large amount of plant food, and after being
exposed to the disintegrating effects of frost and heat,
becomes a very productive soil. The great growth of
vegetation, previous to its discovery and settlement by the
white man, gave it a rich coat of soil, which the
retentiveness of the clay preserved for future use.
The beautiful Maumee River furnishes the great center
of drainage to the township, as well as to the greater
portion of the county. The general trend of the
surface is towards the Maumee River, and Lake Erie, i. e.,
on the northern side of the river the slope is toward the
southeast, while that of the southern side of the river is
at right angles, or towards the northeast.
The rate of descent is between four and six feet to the
mile, which gives sufficient fall, when skillfully
distributed, to secure the benefits of thorough
underdraining, which is the Black Swamp is the one great
necessity in securing the conditions of successful
agriculture. There are fie small steams with their
branches, that empty into the river from the northern side,
while there are none of importance in that small portion of
the township lying south of the river.
Much time, labor and money have been expended in
bringing the township state of productiveness. Much,
however, remains to be done.
It took no small amount of courage to attack the swamps
and forests of this locality half a century ago. More
hardships were endured and more lives lost in the work of
clearing up and preparing the conditions which now exist in
the form of beautiful and productive farms, which are to be
seen throughout the township, than were endured to subdue
the hostile and treacherous Indians which once occupied the
country.
We have here no early history of Indian or other wars,
through which the earlier settlers of this region had to
pass. The battle of the Fallen Timbers at Presque
Isle, on the Maumee River, three miles above Maumee, so
broke the power of the Indians, that no further trouble was
had with them. As that memorable battle occurred in
the latter part of the eighteenth century, when there was
probably not a single white resident (unless it may have
been the renegade Simon Girty), in the whole county,
we have therefore no blood-curdling stories of hair-breadth
escapes from the Indians, or of ambuscades or battles.
All has been peaceful since the organization of the county.
Our modest story will therefore lack interest to those who
require something of a blood-curdling nature. The
early settlers here had enough to contend with in the shape
of inhospitable nature, and were very well satisfied with
the fact, that the lives of their wives and little ones, as
well as their own scalps were in no danger from the savage
Indians.
We see around us now many of the aged pioneers both
male and female, who took part in this great contest with
savage nature, whose tottering frames show very clearly that
they have endured great privations, such as but few of their
children would undertake. Fortunately for the
children, they have nothing to do but enjoy the fruits of
their parents indomitable pluck and perseverance.
These old pioneers are rapidly passing away, and soon
will be only known by the works they have done. Yet,
before passing away they have had the great satisfaction of
knowing that they have left a heritage for their children,
where they may enjoy all the comforts of life without
enduring the trials, privations and inconveniences they were
compelled to endure.
It is to be hoped that the children will continue to
develop the resources of the land their parents have done so
much to make ready for their occupation. In the very
nature of things the future resources of this township will
mainly depend upon agriculture. There seems, at
present, to be little else upon which the people of Napoleon
township can depend except that which may be gained from the
cultivation of the soil. This is not a cause for
discouragement. We have the city of Toledo, with its
phenomenal growth, which may fairly entitle it to the
appellation of the "Future Great;" also the embryo cities of
Findlay, Bowling Green and Lima, with their great flow of
oil and gas, which cannot help making them great
manufacturing centers. All of these are our near
neighbors, and they will need everything we can produce, and
will therefore furnish a market at our very doors, and at
remunerative prices. The early settlers of the
township are rapidly passing over to the majority beyond the
river, therefore it is well to place on record their early
trials and privations, and their heroic struggles with
poverty and disease; in their efforts to subdue the unbroken
wilderness; in the process of developing its resources to
the present condition. This furnishes a reason for the
existence of this volume. It is intended to be a
memorial of inestimable value to the descendants of these
worthy pioneers, as well as to all who may hereafter partake
of the benefits of their indomitable industry and
perseverance.
We had almost neglected to speak of our beautiful
Maumee River, the pride of northwestern Ohio. The dam
built by the State to feed the Miami and Erie canals, backs
the water more than twenty-five miles, extending nearly to
the western line of the county, thus giving us a beautiful
and placid stream which is a marvel of beauty. It
furnishes navigation for pleasure boats of all kinds; and
excursions up and down the river are of almost daily
occurrence through the summer season, and in winter gives
our young people the best of skating which they are not slow
to utilize. Accomplished skater are very numerous
among those who live along its beautiful banks.
The following is a list of the chattel taxpayers of
Napoleon township in 1837, viz.: Amos Andrews, Samuel
Bowers, Catharine Delong, Jesse Essex, John Glass, Henry
Leonard, George Bowers, Alexander Craig, Frederick Lord,
James Magill, Jonathan Kneely, Lorenzo Patrick, Adolphus
Patrick, John Patrick, John Powell, Edwin Scribner, George
Stout, Hazael Strong, Reuben Straight, Israel Wait and
J. P. Whipple, - twenty-five names in all. We
believe all of them are dead with the exception of
Frederick Lord, who, at last account, was living at Paw
Paw, Mich. Among our best citizens many of these names
are found, showing that they are well represented.
The value of the real estate in the township at that
time was $18,792; 25 horses valued at $1,000; 88 head of
cattle valued at $700 dollars; money and merchandise to the
amount of $425, making a total valuation of $20,941, on
which was assessed a tax of $286.97.8. In the present
year, 1887, just fifty years, the same items are as follows:
Religion is also not neglected. Besides the
numerous church edifices, filled with attentive
congregations, in the county seat, there are two Lutheran
and one United Brethren churches, outside of the town of
Napoleon, where neighbors can attend worship nearer home.
Okolona is a small village with post-office on the
Wabash, St. Louis and Western Railway, in the southwestern
part of the township. It has considerable local trade,
and is a convenience to the people in that locality.
SKETCHES OF PIONEER RESIDENTS OF NAPOLEON
TOWNSHIP
HAZAEL STRONG was born in
Vermont, Mar. 23, 1804. He was married to Sabrina
Garrey in 1833. Mrs. Strong was also born
in 1804. They settled in Henry county and Napoleon
township in the same year they were married. Mr.
Strong was the first auditor of Henry county, having
been appointed to that position by the associate judges at
the time the county was organized. He held the office
his successor was elected at the first general election.
He afterwards held the office of county recorder; he was
clerk of the Common Pleas Court fourteen years; he also held
the office of the county surveyor, for which office he was
peculiarly well fitted, as he took great pride in
doing his work with the greatest possible accuracy; he also
served as deputy treasurer of the county during the term for
which Israel Wait was elected, doing the greater
portion of the work of the office. They had only one
child, a son, who died in 1861. Hazael Strong
died in 1877. His widow still survives at the ripe age
of eighty-three years.
HON. JOHN POWELL
was one of the first settlers in Henry county, having
permanently located here in 1835. He was born in
Oneida county, N. Y., Dec. 14, 1806; was married in Erie
county, O., Jan. 9, 1831, to Esther Magill, who was
born in Huron county, O., Dec. 7, 1811. They had a
family of twelve children, five of whom are dead; one of
them, Volney Powell, having been murdered in a South
Carolina massacre, Oct. 20, 1870. Four of their sons
served their country in the War of the Rebellion.
Samuel Powell belonged to Co. B, 38th Regiment O. V. I.,
of which regiment Hazael B. Powell, M. D., then quite
a young man, was surgeon. Volney Powell
belonged to the 14th Regiment O. V. I., and was afterwards
in the one hundred day service. George Powell
was also in the one hundred day service. When Mr.
Powell settled in this county Napoleon consisted of one
log house, owned by a man named Andrews.
Several log houses were added to the place during the summer
of 1835. In the same year Mr. Powell was
elected township clerk., and in 1837 was elected county
auditor. After serving two terms, he served as deputy
sheriff. He was then elected justice of the peace, and
in 1840 was, by the Legislature, appointed associate judge
of Henry county, which office he held one term. He
also filled the office of county commissioner, three terms.
He began business in Napoleon, as a shoemaker; in 1836 he
began merchandising, which vocation he followed until 1851.
He then kept a hotel or tavern, as it was then called, but
soon again entered the mercantile business which he
continued until 1862. After the first court-house
burned, in 1847, the question of removing the county seat to
the town of Texas, a few miles farther down the river, in
Washington township, arose. The people of the county
were divided on the question, and upon that issue Mr.
Powell was elected county commissioners, which fixed the
county seat at Napoleon. Mr. Powell died July
27, 1886, and his aged wife followed him in December of the
same year.
EDWIN SCRIBNER,
was born in New York in 1808, and brought to Henry
county when a lad of eight years old, in 1816. There
was not at that time a wagon road in the county, nothing but
Indian trails. Flour and meal could only be obtained
by taking wheat to mill at Monroe, Mich. When a lad of
thirteen years of age, he rode on horseback and alone, to
Greenville, Darke county, O., and brought back with him a
bundle of rolls of wool to be spun and woven into clothing
for the family. Mr. Scribner erected the first
sawmill in Henry county in 1838, on Dry Creek, in what is
now Washington township. He died May 16, 1887.
ALLEN B.
SCRIBNER, a son of the above, was born in Henry county
May 25, 1825. He was married in Delaware county, O.,
Aug. 24, 1863, to Mary C. Potter, who was born in
that county in 1841. They have had four children.
Mr. S. is at present engaged in the sale of hardware
and agricultural implements in Napoleon.
GEORGE STOUT
came to Napoleon in the autumn of 1834. Napoleon
township was then an almost unbroken wilderness. He
purchased a town lot in Napoleon and built the second log
cabin in the place. He lived in this cabin while he
built a public house or tavern, into which he moved his
family in March, 1835. This he opened for the
entertainment of guests as soon as it could be made ready.
The first two or three terms of the Common Pleas Court, was
held in the dining room of this hostelry, and the first
grand jury of Henry county slept in the hay-mow in the barn.
At this time there were but few settlers in the county.
Those nearest were Hazael Strong, John Patrick and
Amos Andrews, who lived four miles down the river, and
Elijah Gunn, who lived on Girty's Island, five miles
above town. For a distance of fifteen miles from the
river, on both sides; the county was a vast unbroken
wilderness. As an inducement to settlers, a town lot
was offered by the original proprietors of the town,
Messrs. Phillips, Cory and Level, to the first
permanent settler. Upon this lot a log cabin had been
built by a man named Holloway, and also afterwards by
several others, not of whom remained long enough to entitle
them to a deed, and was finally deeded to Mr. Stout
as the first actual settler in the town. This was lot
No. 25 on the original plat of Napoleon. The house was
somewhat pretentious for those days, as it was built of
hewed logs, the greater portion of the buildings of that day
being of round logs. It was afterwards weather-boarded
and plastered, and is still standing, being the oldest house
in town.
JOSEPH A. STOUT,
a son of the above, was born in Holmes county, O., July 13,
1819. He was married to Sarah C. Palmer.
The raised two children, Albert T. and Ella A.
Stout. The latter married Johnson N. High
and resides with her husband in Kansas. Mr. Stout
came to Henry county with his parents in 1834, and had with
all the settlers of that early period an abundant experience
of the trials of pioneer life.
JOHN G. STOUT,
a brother to the above, came to Henry county with his
parents in 1834. He was at one time a superintendent
of public works in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. HE was
married to Ryan Jan. 24, 1841. They had a
family of eight children, one of whom, John P. Stout,
is an examiner of pensions in Washington.
ADAM STOUT
was born in Richland county, O., Sept. 29, 1819. He
was married to Mary J. Barnhart, who was born in
Maryland, O., in 1826. They had eight children.
He moved with his parents to this county in 1833.
HON. JAMES G.
HALY was born in Holmes county, O., Dec. 6, 1816.
He was married Aug. 12, 1845, to Harriet Conkling,
who was born in Montgomery county, O., Feb. 3, 1821.
He was admitted to the bar of Ohio in the summer of 1840;
was elected prosecuting attorney for the county in the same
year. He served four yeas by election and one year by
appointment of the court. He served six years as
justice of the peace of Napoleon township, was elected
county auditor in 1845, and served four years. In 1851
e was elected to the Legislature from Putnam and Henry
counties, and sat during the first session of that body
under the present constitution. He was appointed
collector on the Miami and Erie Canal, and was stationed at
Junction, in Paulding county, where the Wabash and Erie
Canal joins the Miami and Erie. He filled the position
for a term of three years, during which he collected and
paid over to the State of Ohio, more than a quarter of a
million dollars. He then entered into partnership at
Napoleon with Edward Sheffield (since deceased) in
the practice of law. This partnership continued until
the beginning of the War of the Rebellion in 1861. He
recruited and organized Company D, Sixty-eighth Regiment, O.
V. I., and was appointed quartermaster of the regiment, in
which capacity he served one year, when he resigned on
account of failing health. He then formed a law
partnership with J. M. Haag and William Sheffield
(since deceased), which continued until he was elected
probate judge of Henry county, which office he held twelve
years. Since his retirement form the judgeship he has
retired from active life and occupies himself superintending
his farm near town. Six children were born to them.
HON. ALEXANDER
CRAIG settled in Napoleon township in 1835. He and
is wife were both born in Pennsylvania in 1800, and 1801,
respectively. They were married in 1827. Mr.
Craig held the office of sheriff two terms, and that of
associate judge of Henry county one term. They had a
family of four children. Mr. C. is now dead.
WILLIAM C.
BROWNELL, with his wife, whose maiden name was Lydia
Osborn, came to Henry county in the autumn of 1835, and
settled in what is now known as Flat Rock township, and came
to Napoleon in 1842 or '43; was elected sheriff of the
county in 1843, and served one term; was school examiner
several years, and was also county surveyor for a long time,
doing a larger amount of surveying in the county than any
other man. They had seven children. He lived and
died a consistent member of the society of Friends.
WILLIAM H.
BROWNELL, a son of the above couple, was born in
Renssalear county, N. Y., Sept. 6, 1832, and was brought to
this county in 1835 with his parents. He remembers
seeing many Indians in his boyhood, as they frequently
stayed all night at his father's house. Mr. B.
held the office of county surveyor one team. He was a
farmer in his early life, then learned the trade of
carpenter, which he followed until the Rebellion. He
enlisted in Napoleon in Company F, Fourteenth Regiment, Ohio
three months men, and served the time in West Virginia.
He took part in the battles of Phillippi, Laurel Hill and
Carrick's Ford. After their term of enlistment expired
the regiment re-enlisted and reorganized as the Fourteenth
Regiment O. V. I., for three years. He was appointed
first lieutenant of Company D; was in the fight at Wild Cat,
Ky., and in numerous skirmishes between Ringgold and
Atlanta. When he reached Atlanta he was compelled to
resign on account of his health. When he arrived home
he weighed only 115 pounds. He has since filled many
responsible positions, and is now cashier of Meekison's
bank. He has had six children.
JOHN O. PALMER
settled with his parents in Henry county in 1837. He
was born in New York June 22, 1832, and married in Napoleon,
O., Sept. 24, 1857, to Margaret Tressler, who was
born in Ohio Aug. 19, 1837. They had three children.
Mrs. Palmer's mother came to Henry county, a widow, in
1849.
JAMES
SHASTEEN was one of the earliest settlers in the county.
He came with his parents in 1826. He filled the
offices of justice of the peace and assessor. He
furnished three sons to the Union army. Peter
Shasteen belonged to the Fourteenth Regiment O. V. I.;
was wounded at Chickamauga, and died from the effects of the
wound soon after. Emanuel Shasteen
belonged to the artillery corps, and died in the service.
James Shasteen, jr., belonged to the One Hundred and
Eighty-fourth Regiment, O. V. I., and survived the war.
S. L. CURTIS
was born in Java Lake, N. Y., Oct. 11, 1836, was married to
Mary Chapman, who died in 1872 leaving two children.
He married Margaret A. Guaintance, in Napoleon July
1, 1874. He settled in Henry county in 1838.
WILLIAM DODD
was born in New Jersey June 18, 1810. He was married
to Mary Thompson in Henry county about the year 1837.
When quite young. Mr. Dodd enlisted in the U.
S. Army, then stationed at Forth Leavenworth. During
the three years he served in the army they were engaged in a
very active campaign, under the command of Colonel Dodge,
against the Comanche Indians, near the Rocky Mountains.
After his term of enlistment expired he returned to the
States in 1836. He also took part in the Canadian
Rebellion in 1837. He held a colonel's commission from
the Provincial Congress of Upper Canada. He was a
contractor during the construction of the Miami and
Erie Canal. He held the office of sheriff, and also
that of treasurer of Henry county. He died April 22,
1859. Mrs. Dodd was brought to the Maumee
Valley in 1821, when she was four years old. She is
believed to have taught the first school in Henry county.
The school room was in the residence of John Patrick,
three miles below Napoleon on the river. She also
taught at Independence, six miles below Defiance on the
river. Many of our oldest citizens attended her school
in their early days. She also taught at Waterville, in
Lucas county, and the Indian mission school, near
Waterville. She is now spending the evening of her
days with her children in this vicinity. She has spent
sixty-nine years of her life on the Maumee river; the
greater portion of this time she resided in Napoleon.
This couple had six children. Their eldest son,
Ezra S. Dodd, was attending school in St. Louis when the
war began. He at once enlisted in the First Missouri
Regiment of Infantry for one year. At the battle of
Wilson's Creek he was taken prisoner and was held eighteen
months. After his release he came to Napoleon, and
raised Company B, One Hundred and Eighty-fourth Regiment, O.
V. I., and was appointed captain. He was in numerous
engagements, and was on board of the first gunboat that
passed the gauntlet at Vicksburg. He was promoted to
the rank of major of the regiment, and held that position
when mustered out of the service. He now resides in
Toledo, O.
WILLIAM DODD,
JR., was a member of Company I, Sixty-eighth Regiment,
O. V. I., and died in the service Oct. 12, 1862.
EDWIN C. DODD,
another son, was a member of the One Hundred and
Eighty-fourth Regiment, O. V. I., Company B,, and served to
the end of the war.
GEORGE FREASE
was born in Pennsylvania, Aug. 20, 1812. He was
married in Summit county, O., Jun. 7, 1835, to Elizabeth
Willard, who was born in Ohio, Dec. 10, 1812. They
had eight children, several of whom are prominent in
business circles at this time. Mr. Frease
settled in Henry county in 1843.
THOMAS BROWN,
a millwright, settled in Henry county in 1845.
Nativity, Ohio.
S. F. HAMLIN,
a millwright, settled in Henry county in 1849.
Nativity, Ohio.
CHARLES SWEET,
a millwright, settled in Henry county in 1858.
Nativity, New York.
D. W. FREASE
was born in Stark Co., O., July 28, 1837, is a son of
George and Elizabeth Frease, who were natives of
Pennsylvania, born in the year 1812, and settled in Henry
County in 1842, where they still reside. Henry
Willard, the father of Elizabeth Frease, died in
Henry county at the advanced age of ninety-four years.
The subject of this sketch was married at Napoleon Feb. 16,
1871, to Julia Feighner, who was born in
Pennsylvania, Mar. 15, 1845. Mr. Frease
enlisted Feb. 14, 1864, in Company B, Thirty-eighth
Regiment, O. V. I., and served until the close of the war.
He was in the following battles and campaigns, viz.:
The campaign of Atlanta, campaign of Georgia, siege of
Savannah and campaign of North and South Carolina, and
served until the end of the war. He is now a justice
of the peace for Napoleon township. He came to the
county with his parents in 1842.
A. H. TYLER
settled in Napoleon in 1847. He was the first county
clerk ever elected in Henry county. That officer,
previous to the present constitution, was appointed by the
court. He has since filled the offices of justice of
the peace, county school examiner, and was a member of the
constitutional convention that framed the present
constitution, which was adopted in the year 1851.
Dr. Tyler was born in New Haven, N. Y., Jan. 27, 1819.
He was married to Elizabeth B. Grannis, in Huron
county, O., Oct. 29, 1846. They had four-children born
to them. Mr. Tyler died in ____. Dr.
Tyler served as assistant surgeon in the Sixty-eighth
Regiment O. V. I. for two years. He married again, and
is now residing on his farm near Napoleon.
BENNETT STENBIRD
was born in 1822, and settled in Henry county in 1847.
He enlisted in Company C, Fourteenth Regiment, O. V. I., at
Toledo, Sept. 17, 1861, and received his discharge at
Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 12, 1864.
HERMAN A. MYERHOLTZ
was born in Hanover, Germany, June 17, 1835, and settled in
Henry county with his parents in 1848. He was married
in Defiance county, O., Mar. 17, 1864, to Louisa Shults,
who was born in Prussia in 1844. They have several
children. He has held several offices of trust in the
county and township. He was township trustee, and
justice of the peace, and treasurer of Napoleon township.
He was the first infirmary director of the county. He,
with his brother Henry, have carried on the business
of grocers and provision dealers for many years. They
also have been engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile
for a number of years.
H. F. MYERHOLTZ,
a brother of the above, was born in Germany June 24, 1844,
and married to Mary Gilson Sept. 15, 1868. He
came to Henry county with his parents in 1848. He
enlisted in Company F, Sixty-eighth Regiment, O. V. I., and
served until Jan. 27, 1863, when he was discharged at
Cincinnati, O. He re-enlisted Feb. 9, 1865, and served
until the close of the war, he escaped without the slightest
wound.
W. LINN
settled in Henry county in 1849.
REUBEN P.
CALKINS was born in New York Apr. 2, 1821. He was
married in Ohio to Annie E. Thompson, daughter of
William and Rebecca Thompson, of Stark county, O.
Four children were born to them. Mr. Calkins's
parents settled in Henry county in 1836. Mr. C.
himself came in 1856.
CHRISTIAN H.
HELBERG was born in Germany Nov. 11, 1833. He was
married in Henry county Nov. 17, 1865, to Anna Drewes,
whose parents were natives of Germany, and who settled in
Henry county, where Mrs. H. was born. Mr. H.
settled in Henry county in 1848, and suffered the privations
common to the settlers of that period. In early times
in this county it was not an uncommon thing for the farmer
to shoulder a bag of grain and carry it to mill, as that was
frequently the easiest way to get there. the forests
at that time were full of game. Squirrels were very
numerous, and materially assisted the farmer in gathering
his corn crop. Mr. Helberg enlisted in the
Sixty-eighth Regiment O. V. I., Oct. 15, 1861. He took
part in the siege of Vicksburg, battle of Atlanta, and
marched with Sherman to Atlanta. He was
wounded, and the ball was never extracted.
JOHN DANCER
was born in Jefferson county, O., June 3, 1823. He was
married to Margaret Huston in Ashland county, O.,
November 5, 1849. Mrs. Dancer was born in
Columbiana county, O., May 28, 1827. They had six
children. Their son George was a member of the
Seventy-seventh Regiment, O. V. I., and served three years
and ten months. Mr. Dancer settled in Henry
county in 1848.
WILLIAM MASON
was born in Milan, O., Apr. 12, 1817. He married
Elizabeth Smith, who was born in Wayne county, O., Sept.
23, 1824. They had four children, and were early
settlers in the county.
HON. WILLIAM A.
TRESSLER was born Mar. 19, 1824; was married Jan. 23,
1845, in Frederick county, Md., to Anna Elliott, who
was born Jan. 14, 1823. They came to Henry county in
the spring of 1849. Mrs. Tressler died Nov. 11,
1881. Mr. Tressler has lived in the county ever
since his first arrival. He has held the office of
State Senator two years, was county treasurer four years,
was mayor of Napoleon four years, marshal of the town two
years, and justice of the peace eight years, which office he
now fills.
GEORGE DAUM
is the son of George and Margaret Daum, both of whom
are deceased. They were born in France, in 1798, in
the same town and on the same day and hour. The
subject of this sketch was born in France, Jan. 12, 1834,
and married in Napoleon, O., in the autumn if 1871, to
Rachel Spieth, whose parents were Germans. They
have a large family of children. He settled in Henry
county in 1846. He was at one time clerk of Pleasant
township, was elected sheriff in 1872, which office he held
four years, was elected county commissioner in 1886, which
office he now holds. Mr. Daum enlisted in
Cleveland Oct. 1, 1862, in Company D, 124th Regiment O. V.
I. He was promoted from second lieutenant to captain
of the company in which capacity he served until the close
of the war. He was wounded in the battle of Nashville,
in the second day's fight. He also took part in
the battles of Chickamauga, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain,
Peachtree Creek and Atlanta.
HENRY E. CARY
was born in Huron county, O., Jan. 14, 1838, and removed
with his parents to Henry county in 1846. His father,
Joel Cary, was born in Vermont in 1814, and died Sept.
21, 1849. His mother, Harriet W. C. Cary, was
born in Connecticut in 1818, and still resides in Napoleon.
Mr. Cary was married in Napoleon, Dec. 27, 1886, to
Amelia M. Roach, who was born in Providence, Lucas
county, O., Jan. 22, 1845. They have three children.
Mr. Cary enlisted in Company G, 163d Regiment, O. V.
I. as lieutenant, and served ninety days. His brother,
Harlem P. Cary was a member of the 68th Regiment, O. V.
I. On his way home he died with small-pox, at
Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. Cary claims to have the
oldest grocery house in Napoleon.
HOMER P. HOPKINS
was born in Erie county, O., May 29, 1837, and was married
Oct. 1, 1867, to Mary A. Neidhamer, who was born in
Michigan, in 1847. Mr. Hopkins enlisted in
Company H, First Regiment, M. V. I., at Adrian, Mich., Jul.
25, 1861. The regiment was assigned to Hooker's
brigade, and during the winter of 1861 was kept as guard at
Annapolis, Md. He witnessed the celebrated contest
between the Moniter and Merrimac in Chesapeake Bay. He
was in the battle of Mechanicsville, and was shot through
the arm at Gaines's Mills. He took part in the siege
of Richmond; at Chancellorsville he narrowly escaped death;
while lying flat on the ground a shell burst and a piece
struck the ground between his arm and head as he lay with
his arm bent, and buried itself eight inches in the hard
earth. After he was wounded he lived six days without
food except a few berries. He was in several of the
hard-fought battles of the war, was with Burnside in
the march from Falmouth, Va. He was on honorably
discharged at the close of the war. He was removed
from the county.
MRS. ELIZA HILL
was born in Jefferson county, O., Feb. 16, 1825, was married
in Holmes county, O. They had nine children.
EDWARD LINGLE
was born in Butler county, O., June 21, 1818, and was
married in the same county to Margaret Weaver, Dec.
3, 1846. Six children were born to them. The
parents of this couple were all from Pennsylvania.
Mr. L. held the office of coroner six years, and that of
infirmary director, three years. He settled in Henry
county in 1850.
JACOB BALES
was the son of David and Ann Bales, of Pennsylvania,
who moved to Ohio in 1812. He was born in Wayne
county, O., Sept. 27, 1821, and was married in the same
county, in 1841, to Salome Sidle, who was born in
Pennsylvania, Dec. 9, 1819. They had eleven children.
Mr. Bales filled the office of assessor and township
trustee.
CONRAD CLAY
was born in Stark county, O., Apr. 20, 1822. He was
married in Defiance county, O., Oct. 9, 1851, to Julia A.
Stoddard, who was born in Connecticut, Feb. 17, 18324.
They had nine children. He lost a valuable mill by
fire in 1871. He, together with his parents, John
and Julia Clay, settled in Henry county in 1850, as also
did William H. and Abigail Stoddard, the parents of
Mrs. Clay.
ANDREW
SHERMAN was born in Germany, and settled in Henry county
in 1852. He was married in Sandusky City, O., May 9,
1849, to Eva Walter, also a German. He settled
in Henry county in 1852.
HENRY PANNING
was born in Germany, Feb. 21, 1821. He was married in
Henry county, O., Jan. 28, 1851. Miss Othnar
was also born in Germany, December, 1824. They had
nine children. Mr. P's parents settled in this
county in 1854. His wife's parents came in 1858.
Mr. Panning settled in this county in 1851.
HENRY DACHENHAUS
settled with his parents, who are Germans, in Henry county
in 1850. He was born Jan. 5, 1825, and married in
Henry county, Oct. 18, 1854, to Sophia Precht, also
of Germany, where she was born in 1828. Seven children
were born to them.
HENRY BUHLART
was born in Germany May 15, 1844. He was married May
30, 1867, to Eliza Ludeman, who was born in
Cleveland, Apr. 1, 1844. Mr. Buhlart, with his
parents, Henry and Louisa Buhlart, settled in Henry
county, in 1849. Mrs. Buhlart's parents ,
Frederick and Catharine Ludeman, settled in Henry
county, in 1845. Mr. Buhlart was a member of
the Sixty-eighth Regiment O. V. Infantry, and was in a
number of battles during his term of service.
ROBERT K. SCOTT
was born in Armstrong county, Pa., in 1826, and settled in
Henry county in 1851. He practiced medicine five
years, then engaged in merchandising. In 1861 he was
appointed major of the Sixty-eighth O. V. Infantry, which he
recruited. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel Nov.
29, 1861; was at the battles of Fort Donaldson, Pittsburgh
Landing, then at the siege of Corinth. He commanded a
brigade in the battle of Hatchie River. His regiment
was placed in the command of Major-General McPherson
He took part in the battles of Port Hudson, Raymond,
Jackson, Champion Hills and Big Black. He was placed
in command of the Second Brigade, Seventeenth Army Corps.
He was taken prisoner during the investment of Atlanta, was
exchanged and returned to his brigade, with which he
accompanied Sherman in his famous march to the sea.
His brigade was mustered out of service July 10, 1865, and
before the close of the war was made a major-general by
brevet. In January, 1866, he was ordered to take
charge of the Freedman's Bureau, in South Carolina. In
1868 he was elected governor of South Carolina, and again in
1870. He returned to Henry county in 1876. He
married Jane Lowry, by whom he has one son, R. K.
Scott, jr., who was for some time captain of Company F,
O. N. G. The governor is now engaged in manufacturing.
WILLIAM McHENRY,
the son of Dr. McHenry mentioned Sept. 3, 1873, to
Anna M. Reiter, who was born in Henry county, Jan. 15,
1855. They have two children. He enlisted in
Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regiment O. V.
Infantry, Oct. 8, 1862. He was transferred to Company
I, in the same regiment, June 15, 1863. He took part
in the battles of Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Dandridge,
Kenesaw Mountain and Lovejoy Station. He received a
wound at Dandridge, and another at Lovejoy Station, and was
honorably discharged on account of disability, Nov. 15,
1864. HE served five years as guard at the Ohio
Penitentiary, during a part of which time he filled the
position of instructor of schools and librarian. HE
came to Henry county with his parents in 1850.
DAVID MEEKISON
was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1812, and came to
Henry county in 1853. He was married in 1835, in
Dundee, Scotland. They had eight children.
Mrs. Meekison died June 3, 1875. He married again
and still lives in Napoleon.
DAVID MEEKISON,
JR., a son of the above, was born in Scotland, Nov. 14,
1849. He was married Aug. 24, 1881, to Clara E.
Bowers, who was born in Henry county, Aug. 4, 1860.
Three children have been born to them. Mr. Meekison
made the first start in public life by joining the Fourth U.
S. Artillery, in which he served three years as a private.
He then returned to Napoleon, and received the appointment
of clerk of the town, to fill an unexpired term, after which
he was elected and served two terms. His second term
as probate judge will expire in Dec., of this year, 1887.
He is an active and public-spirited citizen, and is foremost
in all enterprises that tend to advance the well-being of
the place. He came to Henry county in 1855.
JULIUS CHAPPNIS
was born in France, Aug. 6, 1841. He was married at
Texas, in Henry county, in September, 1861, to Ann Hardy,
who was born in Virginia, Dec. 24, 1837. They have six
children. Mr. Chappnis settled in Henry county
in 1853.
ABRAHAM L.
WILLARD was born in Stark county, O., Apr. 12, 1819, and
came to Henry county in 1852. He owned and ran a boat
on the canal for ten years. He was never married.
He still lives in Napoleon.
HENRY OTTE
was born in Germany, in 1831; was married in 1855 to
Elsie Myer, who was also born in Germany. They had
seven children, and were early settlers in the county.
JO. CHRIST
BUCHELE was born in Germany, June 18, 1838, and was
married in Henry county, in 1854, to Christina Singer,
who was also born in Germany, July 20, 1832. They had
nine children. They settled in Henry county in 1853.
JOHN F. OBERHAUS
was born in Germany, July 18, 1842, and was married in Henry
county, Apr. 19, 1872, to Sophia M. Beaderstat, who
was also born in Germany, Dec. 12, 1851. Mr.
Oberhaus had a brother in the Sixty-eighth O. V. Infanty,
in 1851, and served until the close of the war. They
had several children.
JULIUS VAN
HYNING was born in Summit county, O., Jan. 3, 1822, and
was married in the same county Jan. 19, 1851, to Sarah
Willard, who was born in Stark county, Jan. 1, 1822.
They had six children. Mr. Van Hyning belonged
to the Sixty-eighth O. V. I., and took part in the battles
of Fort Donaldson, Pittsburgh Landing, Fort Henry, and was
wounded at the battle of Crump's Landing, Tenn. He was
honorably discharged from the service for disability.
He settled in Henry county in 1858, and still resides on his
farm near Napoleon.
NATHANIEL
HARTMAN was born in Pennsylvania in 1835, and was
married in Henry county Nov. 2, 1856, to Lydia R. Ritter,
who was born in Ohio in 1838. Seven children were born
to them. Mr. H. was a member of the One hundred and
sixty-third O. V. I. during the "late unpleasantness," and
died in Napoleon in 1886. He settled in Henry county
in 1850.
JOHN WAIT
was born in Pennsylvania Mar. 3, 1826, and married to his
second wife in Henry county, Sept. 5, 1871, to Annie M.
Strole, who was the widow of Milton Atkinson, who
enlisted in Company B, One Hundredth Regiment, O. V. I., in
1862, and was lost in the battle of Limestone Ridge, Tenn.,
in 1863. His real fate is not known, but he is
supposed to have been killed. Mr. Atkinson left
four children. Mr. Wait had one child by his
first wife, and two by his second wife. He belonged to
the Ninety-sixth Regiment O. V. I.; was in several battles
and escaped unharmed. He settled in Henry county in
1867.
H. H. FAST
was born in Ohio, and settled in Henry county in 1852.
WILLIAM F.
DAGGETT was born in Lucas county, O., May 24, 1830.
He was married in Washington township, Henry county, Dec.
25, 1855, to Alvira L. Scribner, who was born in the
same township Jan. 24, 1833. They had eight children.
He was recorder of the county six years and auditor three
years. He settled in Henry county in 1852.
CHARLES E.
REYNOLDS was born in Massachusetts June 15, 1844.
He was married at Napoleon Sept. 12, 1866, to Sarah E.
Parker. Two children were born to them. He
served as auditor for several years; also as county school
examiner for many years, which office he now fills. He
also served as clerk of Napoleon township ten years.
He enlisted in the fall of 1861 in Company F, Sixty-eighth
Regiment, O. V. I., and served until the close of the war.
He entered the service as a private, and was promoted to
quartermaster-sergeant. He was in the battle of Little
Hatchie. At the siege of Richmond he was taken
prisoner and sent to Libby prison, where he remained one
month, when he was exchanged, but was afterwards again taken
prisoner while on Sherman's raid, near Norton, Miss.
He was confined first at Mobile, then at Cahaba, Ala., and
lastly at that shed on earth - Adersonville - where
he spent thirteen months, until the final exchange.
Like all the unfortunates who entered that worse than hell,
he suffered such tortures and privations as no pen has yet
been able, adequately, to describe. The close of the
war released him, with such of his comrades as had survived.
He now resides in Napoleon, and is engaged in the business
of insurance. He came to Henry county in 1854.
PATRICK RAGAN
was born in 1800, in County Cork, Ireland; was married in
1844 in Canada to Norah Hagerty, who was born in St.
Johns, New Brunswick, in 1822. They had six children.
Mrs. Ragan died in 1856; Mr. Ragan in 1866.
They settled in Henry county in 1854.
JAMES RAGAN,
a son of the above, was born in Gilead, near Grand Rapids,
in Wood county, O., Mar. 17, 1852, and came with his parents
to Henry county, in 1854. After teaching school a
number of years he studied law, and was admitted to the bar
Mar. 16, 1878. He resides in Napoleon and is engaged
in the practice of his profession in partnership with
Hon. J. M. Haag.
JOHN DIEMER,
was born in Bavaria, Feb. 2, 1837. He was married in
Napoleon, in 1860, to Josephine Greber, who was born
in Bavaria in 1840. They had twelve children.
Dr. Diemer enlisted in the Fourteenth Ohio three months
troops, and served four months. He was honorably
discharged and returned to Napoleon. HE was in many
skirmishes and battles during his term of service, among
which were Philippi, Laurel Hill, Cheat River and Carrick's
Ford. Since the war has continued to reside with his
family in Napoleon. He has kept a meat marrket
for many years. He came to Henry county in 1850.
JOHN D. BELKNAP
came to Henry county in 1850, and was one of the first men
to enlist in the Fourteenth Regiment, three months men, and
was instantly killed at Laurel Hill. He was married
before coming to this county. They had three children.
His son, J. P. Belknap, is the editor and proprietor
of the Henry County Signal.
JONAS SHUMAKER
was born in Wayne county, O., Oct. 26, 1821. He was
married in Crawford county, O., May 15, 1847, to Esther
Speigle, who was born in Stark county, O., Dec., 1829.
They had seven children. He was a member of the board
of education nine years. He settled in Henry county in
1850.
JOSEPH SHUMAKER,
brother to the above, was born in Wayne county, O., May 13,
1828. He was married in Crawford county, O., Oct. 18,
1853, to Mary A. Weiler, who was born in
Pennsylvania, of German parentage. They had seen
children. Mr. S. came to Henry county in 1858.
JEREMIAH J.
THOMPSON, was born Apr. 12, 1850, in Holmes county, O.;
was married in Henry county Sept. 3, 1871, to Mary
Foncannon, who was born in Seneca county, O., May 21,
1853. They had two children. Mr. Thompson
settled in Henry county in 1853.
GEORGE STONER
was born in Maryland, July 16, 1828. He was married in
Seneca county, O., Nov. 16, 1852, to Louisa Wilkins,
who was born in Ohio, Jan. 31, 1830. They have a
family of eleven children. He settled in Henry county
in 1866.
THOMAS J. HOWELL
was born in Ohio, Feb. 15, 1850. He was married in
Henry county Nov. 4, 1870, to Eliza Elarton, who was
born in Seneca county, O., Oct. 15, 1852. Mr.
Howell settled in Henry county in 1867. Mrs.
Howell's father, Samuel Elarton, enlisted in the
100th Regiment O. V. I., during the War of the Rebellion.
He served his country three years, and died in Libby prison.
Richard Howell, a brother of the subject of this
sketch, belonged to the 113th Regiment O. V. I., and served
three years.
JOHN SNYDER
was born in Ohio, August 13, 1841, of German parentage.
He was married in Henry county Oct. 31, 1864, to
Catharine Leifer, who was born in Richland county, O.,
Aug. 8, 1841. They had five children born to them.
Mr. Leifer, the father of Mrs. Snyder, settle
in Henry county in 1853.
WILLIAM M.
FRENCH was born in Licking county, O., July 18, 1847,
and was married in Henry county Mar. 31, 1868, to Sarah
E. Miller, who was born in Marion county, O., Jan. 24,
1850. The parents of Mr. French, William S.
and Mary G. French, settled in Henry county in 1862.
HENRY H. FREYTAG
was born in Germany, in 1845; was married in Henry county
June 24, 1869, to Catharine Rohrs, who was born in
Germany in 1849. Mr. F. settled with his
parents in Henry county, in 1851. His wife's parents,
John and Mary Rohrs came to the county in 1858.
JUSTIN H. TYLER
(and photo) was born Nov. 15, 1815, in Massachusetts,
and was married June 21, 1847, to Alice Olmsted, who
was born in New York city, in 1825, and died in Napoleon,
Jan. 2, 1860, leaving two children. Mr. Tyler
was married the second time, on Feb. 21, 1861, to Hattie
M. Peck, at Shelbourne, Mass., where she was born June
21, 1832. Four children were born to them.
Mr. Tyler was admitted to practice law in 1841. He
first located at Huron, O., where he held the office of the
township clerk, and also was clerk of the village of Huron,
three years. He then came to Henry county, where he
has held the office of prosecuting attorney four years.
He was also a member of the Ohio Legislature two years; he
was also school examiner for several years, and was the
first mayor of the village of Napoleon, which office he held
three terms. When he first came to the county, in
1852, Napoleon was a village of about three hundred
inhabitants, and a large portion of the county was an almost
unbroken wilderness. He has practice law in the county
thirty-five years. He does not now engage actively in
the duties of his profession, leaving the bulk of the work
to be performed by his son, Julian H. Tyler, who
promises to fill with credit the position so long held by
his father. Although Mr. Tyler is not a member
of any church, he has been a most liberal contributor to the
construction of church buildings, claiming that he has
contributed to nearly every church built in the county.
Mr. Tyler was originally a Whig in politics;
and after the disruption of that party he became an ardent
Republican, and, although always in the minority, he
continues firm in his allegiance to that party. He
resides in Napoleon.
LEWIS Y.
RICHARDS was born Dec. 20, 1831, in Greene county, O.;
was married Nov. 8, 1860, to Harriet Augusta Brancher,
who was born in 1839, at Defiance. They had two
children. He came to Defiance county in 1846, and
removed to Henry county in 1853. He enlisted Oct. 3,
1861, in Company A, 68th O. V. I., as second lieutenant.
He was soon promoted to first lieutenant, and afterwards
became captain of his company. He was in the battles
of Pittsburgh Landing, Fort Donaldson, Siege of Corinth,
Hatchie River, Port Hudson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills
and Big Black. He was offered a commission as major, in
1863, but declined, and was mustered out of service at the
expiration of is period of enlistment, Nov. 24, 1864
CHRISTIAN E. AXE
was born in Wayne county, O., Sept. 16, 1837, and was
married in Henry county Dec. 9, 1860, to Mary A.
Freysinger, who was born in Wayne county, O., May 31,
1840. They had three children. Mr. Axe's
parents settled in Henry county in 1849, and those of his
wife in 1859.
THOMAS W. DURBIN
was born in Maryland, Aug. 24, 1822, and was married May 22,
1850, to Lucinda King, who was born in Perry county,
O., July 8, 1832. They had five children. Mr.
Durbin was clerk of the Court of Common Pleas for Henry
county during one term of three years; he also held the
office of county commissioner during one term, and has been
county recorder since Jan. 7, 1884, being now in his second
term. He came to Henry county in 1843.
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