Biographies
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)

Source:
 A Portrait and Biographical Record of
Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio
Containing Biographical Sketches of Many Prominent and Representative Citizens,
together with Biographies and Portraits of all the
Presidents of the United States
and Biographies of the Governors of Ohio
CHICAGO: A. W. BOWEN & CO.
1896

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	JAMES H. ADAMS, M. D., one of the leading citizens as well as one of the most prominent physicians of Fort Recovery, Mercer County, Ohio, and an ex-soldier of the Civil war, springs from the best of Scotch ancestry.  Three brothers of this name, who were triplets, came when yet young men to America from the neighborhood of Edinburgh, Scotland, one of the three being the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch.  He settled in Pennsylvania, and it is believed that the other two of the triplets went to the southern states, though their history is not known to the subject.      WILLIAM ADAMS, grandfather of the subject, married Ann Douglass, who was, as the name indicates, of Scotch ancestry, and by her became the father of the following children: James, John, Levi, Washington, Matthew, David, Douglass, Elizabeth and Ann.  William Adams was a substantial farmer of York county, Pa., and later removed to Columbiana county, Ohio, as one of its pioneers.  There he cleared up a farm of eighty acres from the primeval forest, made a good home for his family, became a substantial citizen, and lived on this farm the remainder of his days.  He died at the age of sixty years, his wife living to be about seventy-five years of age.  He and his wife were members of the Presbyterian church and highly esteemed citizens of Columbiana county.      DAVID ADAMS, father of the subject, was born in York county, Pa., in 1806, received the common-school education of the time, and became a farmer.  He came to Columbiana county, Ohio, when a young man, with his father, and there he married Elizabeth Walter, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1815.  To this marriage there were born nine children, as follows:  Matilda, William F., David W., Elizabeth A., James H., Joseph H. B., John F., Rebecca and Sarah S.  Mr. Adams settled, upon reaching Ohio, in Columbiana county, and there kept a hotel in New Lisbon, now Lisbon, but removed thence to Jay county, Ind., in 1840.  There he cleared up a farm, prospered and at length became the owner of 200 acres of land, and upon this farm passed the remainder of his days.  Beside the home farm of 200 acres, he owned other tracts of land, to the aggregate amount of 1,000 acres, and before his death gave each of his children a farm.  He died when about seventy years of age.  Early in their lives Mr. and Mrs. Adams were members of the Presbyterian church, but in later life became Congregationalists.  Three of their sons were in the Civil war, viz: William F. and David W., were in the three years' service, belonging to company C, Eighty-ninth regiment Indiana volunteer infantry.  Both served their full time, and were in the following battles: Munsfordsville, Ky.; Fort Russe, La.; Plant, La.; Bayou Lamore, La.; Yellow Bayou, and Tupelo, Miss.; the second battle of Nashville, Tenn.; and Fort Blakely, Ala.  Both escaped without being wounded.  David Adams was a strong Union man.  At first he was an old line whig, but afterward he became a republican and most vigorous anti-slavery man.  He was one of the first to settle in Jay county, and was a well-known pioneer.      Dr. James H. Adams was born May 7, 1843, in Jay county, Ind., was well educated in public schools, and afterward attended Liber college in that county.  He studied medicine with Drs. Bare & Wright, of Maumee city, Ohio, the leading physicians of that place.  Later he attended the Physio-Medical college, of Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating in 1867, and immediately began the practice of medicine at Fort Recovery, where he has ever since remained, and soon after locating here establishing throughout the entire county, riding a good deal in his earlier experience, there being then no railroad in the county.  Dr. Adams is a great reader and subscribes to the leading medical magazines of the day.  His medical library is a large and well selected one.      Dr. Adams enlisted in the service of his country when about nineteen years of age, in company E, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth regiment, Indiana volunteer infantry, and served until honorably discharged in December 1864.  His service was mostly in Kentucky, at Elizabethtown and Hill, beside being in several skirmishes with bushwhackers.  Returning from the war he attended medical college, as narrated above, and in 1867 married Sarah H. Brown, by whom he had two children, viz.: Myrtle and Charles M.  His first wife being divorced, he married for his second wife Mary E. Bower, M. D., the marriage taking place Sept. 1, 1895.  His second wife was born in Hancock county, Ohio, July 15, 1865, to Adam and Mary E. (Heldman) Bower.      Dr. Mary E. Bower graduated from the high school at Bluffton, Ohio, in 1883, with the highest honors of her class, and afterward successfully taught in the public schools at Bluffton and at Fort Recovery for eight years, has had experiencein business and is well and widely known as a woman of ability and culture.  She began the study of medicine with Dr. Arlington Stephenson, of Fort Recovery, and afterward attended the Woman's Medical college at Cincinnati, Ohio, from which she was graduated with honor Apr. 5, 1895, winning the gold prize medal for the best general medical examination of her class.  She began the practice of medicine at Fort Recovery and has met with great and merited success.      Dr. James H. Adams is a member of McDaniel post, No. 188, G. A. R., of Fort Recovery, being now surgeon of the post.  As a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge he has filled all the chairs, including that of noble grand, and has passed all three degrees in the encampment.  He is among the oldest medical practitioners of medicine in Mercer county, as to years of continuous practice, and stands deservedly high among his professional brethren. A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer & Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 Page 171
	JOHN B. ALBERS, a successful teacher in the public schools at Cold Water, Mercer County, Ohio, and a well educated gentleman, was born in Philothea, in the same county, Sept. 15, 1865.  He is a son of JOHN F. and Eliza (Droppelman) Albers, the former of whom was born in Oldenburg, Germany, May 14, 1822, and grew up a farmer in his native land.  This occupation he followed there until he emigrated to the United States, when in his twenty-first year.  Arriving in this country he located first in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he engaged in hauling coal, and after three years of hard labor in Cincinnati he removed thence to Philothea, Mercer county.  Here he resumed his first occupation, that of faring, which he steadily and successfully followed until within a few years, and then, on account of old age, he retired to Cold Water.  The date of his arrival in Mercer county was 1844, more than fifty years ago.  Two years previous thereto he married Eliza Droppelman both of whose parents are now deceased.  To their marriage there were born the following children: Mary, married to Benjamin Tengeman, a carpenter and farmer, living in Philothea, and who has two children - Frederick and John; Joseph, died in infancy; Katharine, died when eight years of age; Benjamin, died when seven years old; Elizabeth, died when four years old; Anna, married to Frank Rahe, a retired merchant and the first to establish a business of any kind in Cold Water; Elizabeth, (first child of that name having died), married to Joseph R. Birkmeyer a retired merchant living in Cold Water; John B., the subject of this sketch, and Josephine, married to Frank S. Bettinger, a lumber dealer of Cold Water.      In 1844, when John F. Albers came to Mercer county, it was in fact an almost impenetrable and literally a howling wilderness.  He was obliged to chop his way through the country to the spot on which he wished to settle, but, doffing his coat, and rolling up his shirt-sleeves, he went to work with undaunted heart and willing hand, to transform the wilderness which he has selected for his home form the habitation of wild animals and savage men into a home fit for men of a higher grade of civilization.  So primitive was this new country when he first saw it, that deer was exceedingly plentiful and very tame.  He well remembers firing into a herd of seventy, and killing several of them, about where the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw depot now stands.  In order to go to mill he had to consume two days' time, one in going to Wabash, the other in returning, and on the way had to cut out trees and underbrush in order that his horse, with a sack of flour on his back, might get through the woods.  Mr. Albers was a very strong, energetic and industrious man, and by dint of persistent hard labor and careful financial management he at one time owned 240 acres of land, an excellent and very valuable farm.  He was always a very popular man, and there was probably no old pioneer in Butler township that had more warm-hearted friends than he.  For nearly a quarter of a century he held the office of justice of the peace, and for many yeas he was township clerk.  He was always glad to extend a cordial greeting to any and all of his acquaintances and friends, which he numbered by the score.  He was a leader among men of his nationality in his township, possessed their confidence to the fullest extent, and was by them, as well as all others, considered to be an excellent business man.  Although he had enjoyed throughout his long life exuberant spirits and vigorous health, the last year of his prolonged existence evinced a decadence of energies, and for nearly the last two months of his existence were passed on his couch.  His lamented death took place May 4, 1896, and his mortal remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery at Cold Water.  He left a wife and four children and a large circle of devoted and sincere friends to mourn his demise.      John B. Albers, the subject of this sketch, was born on the father's farm and received a good education in the common schools.  Afterward this education was well supplemented by attendance at the Western Normal university at Ada, Ohio, in which institution he took a thorough normal course.  In 1890 he became a teacher in the public schools of Cold Water, and has ever since followed his profession there.  He has given the best of satisfaction to all the patrons of the school.  In politics Mr. Albers is a democrat and is active in the defense and support of his party's principles.  Having many friends and being an unusually intelligent and coolheaded man, he naturally wields great influence in his party's councils.  He has never sought office, but in the spring of 1895 he was called to a membership in the county democratic central committee, of which he is a valuable and valued member.       Mr. Albers was married Aug. 7, 1895, to Miss Katie Moeller, daughter of Frank and Mary (Lehman) Moeller, both of whom are now living in Cold Water, Ohio.  She was reared in Shelby county, where she was born Dec. 3, 1875, was educated in the common schools of Shelby county, and in 1891, with her parents, she removed to Cold Water.  She is the second of a family of seen children, as follows:  Elizabeth, married to John Anthony, a prosperous farmer of Butler township; Katie, Joseph, Albert, Clara, Martha and Nora.  The latter five, bright and intelligent children, are living with their parents in Cold Water.  Mr. and Mrs. Albers are highly reputable people of that town, and have many admirers and friends. A Portrait and Biographical Record of Mercer & Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 Page 172
	CALVIN W. ALEXANDER, deceased, for many years a representative man of Mercer county, Ohio, was born on the coast of Maryland in 1818, passed his boyhood in his native state, was thoroughly educated, was proficient as a lawyer, and in 1848 came to Ohio and opened a land or real estate office in Shanesville, now Rockford, which he conducted until about 1853, when he went to Fort Wayne, Ind., where he was employed as a traveling salesman for about three years, when he returned to Mercer county, Ohio, and , owning a farm of 260 acres of fine land just west of Shanesville village, engaged in farming until his death, July 2, 1880.      Calvin W. Alexander was a man of great public spirit and enterprise and was prominent in every undertaking designed for the good of the people in general; he was generous to a fault, and always ready to assist those of his neighbors who were in need of aid.  He platted twelve acres of his farm as an addition to the village of Shanesville, was one of the first and most liberal contributors to the project of securing the railroad through the village, and was largely instrumental in bringing about that important event.  In politics  a democrat, he was for many year a justice of the peace and a notary public, and also, as a matter of patriotism, and not for the sake of pecuniary emolument, filled at various times a number of local offices of minor note or importance.  For many years, being a profound lawyer, he had charge of all the legal business transacted at Shanesville (or Rockford), either as an attorney or arbitrator, being well known as an authority on all points of law.  Fraternally he was a Free Mason and Odd Fellow.     Mr. Alexander was twice married, his first bride being Matilda Hedges, daughter of Col. W. B. HEDGES.  This lady having died young in 1847, he was joined in matrimony, in 1848, with Miss Sarah Harb, was born in Pennsylvania, in 1829, and this union was blessed with eight children, as follows:  Odell S., a resident of Rockford; Samuel, deceased; Joseph, on the old homestead; Frank, in the United States army; Anderson, at home; Delilah deceased; Amanda A., wife of J. F. Dellinger of Rockford, and Matilda B., at home - all of whom were reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church.      ANDERSON ALEXANDER, son of Calvin W. Alexander, was born Dec. 10, 1851, and was educated in the public schools of Shanesvile; at the age of nineteen yeas he took charge of and managed the home farm for about twelve years, operating it as a grain and stock farm, after which he became a dealer in all kinds of agricultural implements, making a specialty of the Deering harvester, and operating throughout Mercer and van Wert counties, with a depot at Rockford.  In politics he is a stalwart democrat, of which party he is a leading and active member and in which he has served for six years as a member of the central committee, having previously served on all the other committees in which his party had representatives, and having frequently canvassed the county immediately prior to elections.  Mr. Alexander has traveled extensively through the west and spent considerable time in sight seeing in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri and elsewhere.  Fraternally he is a member of Shanes lodge, No. 377, A. & F. M., and of Shanes lodge, No. 293, K. of P., and is popular with his brethren as well as with his party and the general public.  He is recognized as an energetic and progressive young business man, and, in addition to the close attention he is giving his implement trade, he is now taking an active part in prospecting for soil. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 174
	JOHN ALT a prominent farmer and an honored citizen of Liberty township, Mercer county, was born in Oberalben, Germany, Nov. 29, 1838, and is a son of FREDERICK and Mary E. (Keller) Alt, the former of whom was born in Ulurch, Bavaria, in 1781, and was a son of George and Catherine Alt.  Frederick Alt was reared on a farm, educated in Germany and lived at his birthplace until about 1820, when he married Mary Elizabeth Keller, who was born in Oberalben, Bavaria, in 1800.  To Frederick and Mary E. Alt there were born ten children, as follows:  Frederick and Adam, both of Liberty township; Jacob, an engineer of Syracuse, N. Y.; Elizabeth, widow of Mr. Weuer of Germany; John, the subject of this sketch, and others to the total number of ten, that are deceased.  After his marriage Frederick Alt settled in Oberalben, and followed farming until his death in 1864, his wife having died in 1850.  Both were excellent people, of good character, and of high repute among all who knew them.     John Alt, the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm in Germany, and on June 14, 1854, started alone for the United States, as far as relatives were concerned, but in company with another family, who afterward located at Michigan.  Having been on the ocean fifty-seven days he also went to Michigan, where he remained one year, working by the day.  Then, after working in the salts works in Syracuse, N. Y., he removed to Mercer county, Ohio, where he worked by the day until August, 1862, when he enlisted in company F, Ninety-ninth regiment Ohio volunteer infantry, for three years or during the war, joining his regiment at Lima, and participating in the battle of Stone river, and being discharged Nov. 17, 1863, on account of physical  disability, at Louisville, Ky., where he lay in the hospital four months.      Returning home he resumed his labors, and was married Oct. 25, 1864, to Louisa Kable, a daughter of Christian and Dorothea (Maurer) Kable, and to them were born seven children, as follows: Sophia, wife of Valentine Brehm; John, educated at Columbus, and living at home, but, through brain fever, now deaf and dumb; Phoebe, a mute, is now in school at Columbus, Ohio, and four others, that died in childhood.  The mother of these children was born in Fechingen, Prussia, Sept. 27, 1841, and when yet a child was brought by her parents to Mercer county, Ohio, where she was educated in both German and English, and was a member of the Lutheran church.  She died Mar. 28, 1892.  Mr. Alt next married, Apr. 13, 1893, Rachael Hoene, a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Good) Hoene, and to them one child, Henry Frederick was born Dec. 21, 1893.  Rachael Hoene was born in Hopewell township, Mercer county, Ohio, Sept. 18, 1864, and lived with her parents until her marriage.      John Alt, previous to his first marriage, bought his present farm, then consisting of eighty acres of woodland, upon which he built a log house, living with his father-in-law while it was being erected.  This farm he has cleared and improved, and now has under cultivation fifty-three acres of that original farm.  Since then he has added to it eighty acres, which at the time of purchase was partially cleared, and he now has a total of 160 acres of land, 108 of which are in a high state of cultivation.  In 1874 he erected a frame barn and in 1876 a fine frame house.  In 1890 he erected a second barn, and in every respect has a splendid farm, well improved with excellent buildings and other conveniences.  While Mr. Alt was formerly a democrat he is now a populist, and has served as trustee of his township for a number of years.  As a member of the German Reform church he takes an active interest in church work.  He is a member of Dolph Gray post, No. 329, G. A. R., and is highly esteemed by the members of the post. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 297
	JEFFERSON ANDRESS, a retired farmer of Black Creek township, Mercer county, Ohio, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., Nov. 15, 1827.  He is a son of HENRY and Polly (Fry) Andress, the former of whom was born in Maryland in 1800, and was of Pennsylvania-Dutch descent.  The parents of Henry both died when he was but nine years old, and he was then brought up by a Mr. Jacob Stem, of Pennsylvania.  For a time he was overseer of a gang of negro slaves, for while Pennsylvania had provided for gradual emancipation of her slaves, yet there were slaves in that state for several years after that time.      HENRY ANDRESS, about 1819, was married to Miss Polly Fry, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1791, and to them there were born ten children, as follows: Eliza, deceased wife of Jacob Tilton, of Ashland county, Ohio; Polly Ann, wife of Samuel Green Brown, of DeKalb county, Ind.; Angeline, deceased wife of William Smith, of the same county; William, deceased, formerly a farmer, of Ashland county, Ohio; Louisa, deceased wife of John D. Jones, of the same county; Jefferson, the subject of this sketch; David, a farmer of DeKalb county, Ind.; Samuel, of Hayesville, Ashland county, Ohio;  Emeline, wife of George Simington, DeKalb county, Ind.; and Henry, of Ashland county, Ohio.  After his marriage Henry Andress moved to Ashland county, in 1828, and there rented a farm, upon which he lived forty years.  He then bought the farm, and a year afterward sold it for $6,000, making $2,000 on the transaction.  He then bought fifty-eight acres near Hayesville, Ashland county, upon which he passed the remainder of his life, dying in 1870.  In politics he was a democrat, and was a captain of a company of militia.  He was a member of the Dunkard, or German Baptist, church, and his wife was a member of the Lutheran church.  She died in 1879.   A sister of Henry Andress, named Katie Shroeder, is now living in Indianapolis, and a brother of Mrs. Henry Andress was a Lutheran preacher.      Jefferson Andress was reared on the farm and educated in the log school-house, in Ashland county, having a puncheon floor and seats, and greased paper, instead of glass windows, the fireplace being the entire width of the house.  For some time he was engaged in teaming from Pittsburg to Ashland, to Mansfield and to Milan.  On Dec. 8, 1853, he married Miss Melvina Figley, a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Springer) Figley, and to them there were born nine children, as follows:  Flora Ann, wife of Dord Felver, of Black Creek township; Mary Aminta wife of John William Addy, also of Black Creek township; Lorin Franklin, who died at the age of one year; Sarah Jane, who died when two years of age; Nettie Louisa, wife of Jerry Johnson, of Black Creek township; Ida, wife of Frank Harb, of the same township; John Henry, on the home farm; James H., a saw-mill man, and Truman J., who died at the age of one year.  The mother of these children was born in Ashland county, and died in April, 1881.  After his marriage Mr. Andress lived in Ashland county until the spring of 1863, when he removed to Mercer county, and located in Black Creek township, where he had previously purchased eighty acres of land.  His land not being cleared, he rented another piece and began clearing his own, moving to it in 1865.  On Sept. 26, 1864, he enlisted in company G, Sixty-second Ohio volunteer infantry, and served until the close of the war.  Notwithstanding that he enlisted late in the struggle he participated in three battles - on April 2, at Richmond; at Rice Station, and on Sunday morning, April 9, 1865, at Appomattox Court House, being directly in front when Lee surrendered.  He was in the hospital from June until September, on the 26th of which last month he was discharged, and arrived at his home on the 28th.  Being then out of health for the next two years, he had to hire his work done, being able to oversee it only.      On Jan. 8, 1885, he married Mrs. Margaret (Albert) Coppersmith, a daughter of John and Catherine (Cutchall) Albert.  She was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, July 16, 1828, her father being a native of Maryland and her mother of Virginia.  She has three sisters and one brother living, as follows:  Samuel, of Mount Vernon; Elizabeth, of the same place; Mary, wife of Levi Shoch; and Barbara, widow of John March.  John Albert was a democrat and a soldier in the war of 1812-15, and his wife was a member of the Lutheran church.  The subject's wife, previous to her marriage with him, was married to Michael Horn, to whom she bore seven children, of whom Harriet is the widow of Charles Weaver, of Van Wert county; Eliza is the wife of Noah Stettler, of Black Creek township; Catherine is the wife of Willis Stettler, of the same township; and Mahala is the wife of John Plants, also of the same township.  Michael Horn was born in Pennsylvania, Mar. 2, 1814, was married July 14, 1840, and died Jan. 30, 1863.  IN 1864 Mrs. Horn married Richard D. Coppersmith, who died Dec. 20, 1880, at the age of forty-five years, five months and thirteen days.  He was a merchant of Black Creek township.  To this marriage there were born three children, as follows:  Margaret, deceased; Clara Virginia, of Black Creek township; and James Monroe, also of the same township.      Jefferson Andress built his present house in June, 1893.  Notwithstanding he has experienced a great deal of sickness he has been unusually successful as a farmer.  He is a democrat in politics and served as township trustee for eighteen years.  While he was reared to accept the faith of the Dunkard, yet he has never united with any church, though his wife is a member of the United Brethren church.  He is a member of Dolph Gray Post, No. 329, G. A. R., of Rockford.  He is a man of peace and justice and has never been sued, nor has he sued any man, and he has never had a quarrel with a neighbor.  He is a general farmer, and one of the best and most popular men in his township. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 302
	STEPHEN A. ARMSTRONG, senior member of the well-known law firm of Armstrong & Johnson, of Celina, was born in Montezuma, mercer county, Dec. 18, 1848.  He is a son of WILLIAM and Martha (Livingston) ARMSTRONG, the former of whom was a native of Ireland, born of Scotch-Irish parentage, and the latter a native of Dublin, Ireland, but of English extraction, born in 1812.  They were married in Liverpool, England, and came to the United States in 1832.  They at first located in the city of Philadelphia Pa., where they had relatives.  They thence removed to Drummond county, near Montreal, Canada, and in 1847 they came to Mercer county, Ohio, locating at Montezuma, in Franklin township.  The father was a machinist by trade, and had learned his trade at Enniskillen, Ireland, a city beautifully situated on the river Erne.  For some time he worked at his trade in London, England, and after arriving in this country he continued to follow it.  He died in Mar. 1850, his family consisting at that time of his wife, two daughters and one son.  Four sons had died in Montezuma in December, 1849, all within the same month, of scarlet fever.  Within four months' time four sons and the father of the family died, and the widow, left with her three children to care for, was in but moderate circumstances.  In 1851 or 1852 she removed to Celina, but some time later returned to Montezuma.  She was a woman of fine intellect and and good education, which she brought into requisition as a school teacher, teaching both at Celina and Montezuma thus earning the money on which to support her little family, without drawing on her capital, which she kept intact for a considerable time.  Her two daughters, also, as soon as old enough, taught school, continuing for several years both in Montezuma and Celina.  She died in Montezuma December, 13, 1857.  The eldest daughter, Anna, is the wife of K. Albery, of Celina, and the other, Eliza, is now deceased.      Stephen A. Armstrong received his preliminary education in the public schools of Montezuma and Celina.  About 1862 he began an apprenticeship to the printer's trade, at which he continued for about three years in Celina, after which he returned to the public schools and completed a high school course.  Afterward he taught four terms of school in the country.  Then he was employed as superintendent of the public schools in Celina, holding this position one year, after which he entered the university of Michigan, where he took both the literary and the law course of study, and graduated from the law department of the university with the degree of L. B. in 1873.  For five years previous to entering the university of Michigan he had read law while teaching school, so that his course in the university was much more easy and valuable to him than it otherwise would have been.      April 19, 1873, he was admitted to the bar to practice before the supreme court of the state of Michigan, then sitting in Detroit, and immediately thereafter he was admitted to practice in the courts of Ohio and the federal courts.  On the7th of July, 1873, he began the practice of law in Celina, and he has since been constantly engaged in practice.  In the fall of 1875 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Mercer county by a very large majority, running five hundred votes ahead of both state and county tickets.  He was re-elected in 1879, again leading the ticket.  At one of the elections he received every vote polled in his native (Franklin) township.  Mr. Armstrong has always taken an active interest in school affairs, and has served as president of the school board several years.  The law firm of Armstrong & Johnson was formed at Celina Jan. 1, 1887.      Mr. Armstrong was married Dec. 28, 1870, to Alice J. Shipley, who was born in Dayton, Ohio, Apr. 25, 1854, and is a daughter of Samuel B. Shipley, of Rockford, Ohio.  To this marriage the following children have been born:  William B., who graduated from the Celina high school in 1889, and is now engaged in the oil business in Mercer county; Russell L., who graduated from the Celina high school, was appointed a cadet in the United States Military academy at West Point, was prepared at Highland Falls, N. Y., passed his examination, and was admitted to the academy June 15, 1895, being a member of the fourth year class of that institution; Samuel F.; Stephen C., Alice May, and John, the last four attending the public schools in Celina.      In speaking of Mr. Armstrong, Robert L. Mattingly of the well-known firm of Mattingly & Kenney of Celina, compliments him as follows:  "An acquaintance and association with him for the last ten years or more enables me to say of him that as a lawyer he is thoroughly grounded in the elementary principles of the law - abreast with the decisions of the present time - justly in the front rank of the Ohio bar.  In practice active, resourceful, logical, scholarly; not in any sense affecting oratory or excelling as an advocate, but strong in trials, and by reason of his legal acumen very successful in his practice before the courts." Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 175
	AUGUSTUS AXE, a prominent and successful farmer of Franklin township, Mercer county, was born in Auglaize county, Ohio, July 8, 1865.  He was well educated in the common schools in his youth, and was reared on his father's farm to agricultural labor of all kinds.  He is a son of George and Rosa (Tafe) Axe, both residents of Ohio.      GEORGE AXE, the grandfather of the subject, was born in Pennsylvania and was of German ancestry.  With his parents he moved to Ohio in 1850, locating at Dayton, and remaining there for two years.  Going thence to Auglaize county, he there bought land, settled down on a farm, living thereon and following agriculture until his death.  His son, GEORGE, the father of the subject, grew to manhood there and became one of the prominent farmers of Auglaize county.  He was a very industrious and energetic man, full of public spirit as well as private enterprise, and did much to assist in clearing up and developing the country.  He cleared two farms, and dealt largely in stock raising, and buying and selling stock of all kinds for a good many years.  In all his undertakings he was successful, showing that he was blessed with foresight and good judgment.  At the time of his death he was living on his farm near Saint Mary's.  The wife of George Axe, Rosa Tafe, is a daughter of Lawence Tafe, of Ireland, and the mother of Augustus, our subject.  At an early day Lawrence Tafe came to the United States, and located in Auglaize county.  There he bought a farm and spent the rest of his days thereon.  His children were three in number, viz:  Ann, James, and Rosa.  Mrs. Lawrence Tafe survives her husband, who died July 21, 1894.  Mr. Tafe was a Catholic in religion and a democrat in politics, yet he never aspired to office of any kind.  His widow is still a warm and pious member of the Catholic church.  George Axe and his wife, Rosa, were the parents of twelve children, viz: Augustus, the subject of this sketch; James, who died young; Jennie yet single; George, engaged in the oil business at Saint Mary's; Annie, William, Clara, Rosa, Russell, Charles, Katie and Sarah.      Augustus Axe has been a farmer all his life.  He remained with his parents until he was of age, and in 1887 married Mrs. Samantha McEvoy.  He then moved upon a farm, upon which he lives, and which was bought from the state by his father.  There are ninety-three acres in this farm, and it is of fine quality.  When he moved to it there were fifty acres cleared, and there was a small house erected upon it.  Now he has seventy acres cleared, ditched and underdrained, and in a high state of cultivation.  He now also has a fine residence, a large barn, and a good orchard containing many kinds of excellent fruit.  It adjoins the grand reservoir, and it is believed, though no test has yet been made, that it would not be a difficult matter to find oil by drilling.      Mr. Axe was married to Miss McEvoy, Oct. 18, 1867.  She is a daughter of Stephen and Jane McEvoy, the former of Scotch ancestry, but born in New Jersey, the latter a native of Indiana.  Stephen McEvoy is now running a grocery store at Saint Mary's.  Mr. and Mrs. McEvoy are the parents of three children, viz:  John, Samantha, wife of the subject, and Joseph.  Augustus Axe and his wife, Samantha, are the parents of four children, viz: Two that died, and Edda, born July 18, 1892, and Edith, born Feb. 28, 1894.  The family are members of the Catholic church at Saint Mary's, and are highly esteemed among their friends and neighbors. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 422
	GEORGE AXE - See AUGUSTUS AXE Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 422
	GEORGE AXE, JR. - See AUGUSTUS AXE Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 422

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