Biographies
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)

Source:
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY, OHIO
and Representative Citizens
Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio
Published by Biographical Publishing Co.
Chicago, Illinois
1907

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	HENRY CLAY, one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Union township, was born May 17, 1826, one mile from Carlisle in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  He is a son of Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Mell) Clay, a grandson of John and Catherine Clay and a great grandson of Mathias Clay, a native of Germany.      John and Catherine Clay were the parents eight sons and one daughter namely: Mathias, Philip, Jacob, Nicholas, John, George, Henry, Christian and Mrs. Catherine Wax, the last named a resident of Pennsylvania.      Henry Clay, the father of our subject, was born in December, 1796, in Perry County, Pennsylvania, and the mother, who was also a native of Perry County, was born in July, 1799, both being of German descent.  Mr. Clay was mustered into the militia in the war of 1812, the citizens having drawn lots for service, and for three months he was in the barracks at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.  Mr. Clay was married in Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he remained for about six years after his marriage and then moved in 1832 to Wayne County, Ohio, where he died aged 40 years.  In 1840 his widow and family moved to Mercer County and located in Dublin township on a farm of 160 acres now known as the Perry Harris farm.  There were seven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Clay, as follows:  Adam, William, Levi, Henry, Hester, Emeline and John M.  Adam, who was born November 12, 1819, and died in June, 1884, was a resident of Miamisburg, Montgomery County, Ohio, practicing law at Dayton.  He served as a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1873.  He married Sophia Dubbs and they had two children.  William died Feb. 12, 1876, aged 54 years, the day he was entering upon his second term as probate judge of Mercer County.  He married Jane Rice of Pennsylvania and after her death married Catherine Krugh.  Levi was born in August, 1824, and died in 1850.  Hester was born Dec. 22, 1829, and died in September, 1886; her husband, Henry Boroff, is also deceased.  Emeline died in Wayne County, Ohio, aged four years.  John M., who was born July 6, 1836, is a resident of Union township, Mercer County.  Mrs. Clay remained in Mercer County, making her home with her son Henry  until her death, which occurred in 1878 in her 80th year.  Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Adam Mell, moved from Pennsylvania to Wayne County, Ohio, where the former died.  His widow married a Mr. Messinger, who died in Indiana.  She had one daughter by this marriage.  Mrs. Messinger died in Wayne County, Ohio, at the advanced age of 98 years.      Henry Clay, subject of this sketch, was six years of age when his parents moved to Wayne County, Ohio, where he lived until he was about 14 yes. old.  His father having died, the mother then moved to Mercer County, where our subject has lived since he was 14 years old.  He was married in 1857 to Sarah Ann Yocum, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Shelly) Yocum, who were natives of Pennsylvania.  To them were born four children, namely: Mary Elizabeth, Stephen A., William Perry and Emma.  Mary Elizabeth married James Agler and at her death left four children, as follows:  Reuben J., Alice, Eva and Arthur.  Stephen A. married Harriet Tingley a daughter of John and Martha (Baltzell) Tingley and has two children:  Ethel,  who married Thomas Youngblutt, a resident of Rockford and owns a farm near Rockford and also one in Union township.  He resided for many years in Union township and as a successful business man as well as a farmer.  His property is well improved with new houses and barns.  William Perry, who is a practicing physician at Convoy, Van Wert County, is a graduate of Starling Medical College, Columbus, Ohio, has been engaged in the practice of medicine for some years and ranks high in his profession.  His first marriage was with Mary Electa Sprain, from which union one child resulted - Henry.  After her death, Dr. Clay married Elizabeth Tingley, a teacher of Cincinnati, and had two children - Grace and Edmund.  His third marriage was with Mary Ellen Jones.  Emma married Napoleon Bonaparte Boroff and resides in Van Wert County.  She has had three children, of whom two are living - Josie and Mabel.      The second marriage of Mr. Clay was with Mrs. Lydia Yocum, a daughter of Mr. Barner.  Two them were born two children, namely: Ella E., who lives at home with her parents; and Viola Belle, who died aged 10 months.      Mr. Clay is a Democrat in politics.  He was made a Mason at Celina in 1862 and is the only living charter member of Shane's Lodge, No. 377, F. & A. M., at Rockford.  He has been a member of the Church of God for 46 years. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 682
	JOHN M. CLAY, a representative citizen of Union township, owning 80 acres of excellent farming land which is under a fine state of cultivation, has been a resident of this county for 66 years.  He was born in Wayne County, Ohio, July 6, 1836, and is the youngest of eight children born to his parents, Henry and Mary Elizabeth (Mell) Clay.      The Clay family is distributed over many States of the Union and the father of our subject bore the same name as did Kentucky's great statesman, and in all probability the early stock was the same.  The branch from which our subject came, however, belonged in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and there the paternal grandfather, John Clay, lived and reared his family.  The maternal grandfather, Adam Mell, lived in Pennsylvania until he moved to Wayne County, Ohio, where he died.      Henry Clay, father of John M., was born and married in Pennsylvania, but moved to Wayne County, Ohio, prior to the birth of our subject.  There he died aged 40 years, when John M. was two years old.  All the other children were born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, these being: Adam, deceased in 1885, who lived at Miamisburg but practiced law at Dayton - he married Sophia Dubbs and left his second term as probate judge of Mercer County - his wife was Jane Rice, and his second, Catherine Krugh; Levi, who died in young manhood; Henry, a venerable resident of Union township, born in May, 1826, who owns valuable farming lands in this locality - he has been twice married and has four surviving children; Hester, deceased, who was the wife of the late Henry Boroff, of Dublin township - four of their children survive; and Emeline, who died in Wayne County, aged five years.      When our subject was four years old, his mother, accompanied by her children, removed from Wayne to Mercer County, and on May 1, 1840, located on a farm in Dublin township, a little southwest of where Mr. Clay now lives.  The family entered the land from the government, paying $1.25 an acre for the same, and here the children all grew to maturity.  An uncle of our subject, Christian Clay, also settled in Mercer County, locating in Union township about this time.      Pioneer conditions prevailed to a large extent when Mrs. Clay and her family came to this part of Mercer County.  The older sons took charge of the farm while John M., the youngest, had his education to secure.  He first attended subscription schools and he recalls that for two quarters he was a pupil under a full-blooded Indian teacher, a man who had been reared and educated among the whites.  Later, district schools were established and, although sessions were then only held during three months, the children of the locality during that limited period were very thoroughly drilled in reading, writing, spelling and arithmetic.  He soon grew useful on the home farm and worked for his mother until his marriage, and by the month for neighboring farmers.      After his marriage, Mr. Clay moved to his brother William's farm, where he remained from the early spring until July, when he moved to his brother Henry's farm, which is now owned by Stephen Clay, and this farm he operated until the folowing spring, when he removed to the Branson Roebuck farm.  After one year there, he moved with his family to his mother's house, where he remained for seven years, going then to the Henry Cisco farm, near Mendon, where he remained for two years, finally settling on his present farm where he has lived for the last 39 years.  He has witnessed many changes in the country since first settling here and can remember when conditions of all kinds were very different.  Very little land in this locality had then been put under cultivation and absolutely no draining had been done.  In all that concerned the development and improvement of the township, Mr. Clay has always been an interested and public-spirited citizen.      In 1856 he was married to Sevilla Baltzell, who was born in Dublin township, Mercer County, Ohio, and is a daughter of Henry and Mary Baltzell, who came here from Hamilton County, Ohio, some time in the '30's.  Mr. Baltzell had cut timber where now stand some of the finest buildings of Cincinnati.  He settled and partly cleared what is now known as the Nathan Frysinger farm in Union township.  He was born in 1790 and died in 1869, having served in the War of 1812.  Mrs. Baltzell died in 1863.  The three surviving children of Mr. and Mrs. Baltzell are:  Elias, who lives in Wisconsin; Benjamin F., of Petersburg, Illinois; and Mrs. Clay.      Mr. and Mrs. Clay had three children, namely: Francis Marion; William Henry, who died in infancy; and Adam H.   Francis Marion married twice.  He was born in 1863 and when he attained manhood married Sarah Ann Allen, a daughter of Justin Allen, of Union township.  They had a large family, namely: Orville, who is a teacher; Harry,  deceased; Clara, wife of Albert McBride, of Union township, and the mother of one child, Willard; Ota, who married Ira McBride, residing in Union township, southeast of Mendon, and has one child, Carl Ernest; Leroy a youth of 15 years, residing at home; Norma, who lives with her grandparents; Homer; Earl; Arthur; Edna; Beryl; Wilbur, deceased; and  Lloyd, deceased.  The mother of those children died in the fall of 1902.  Mr. Clay was married (second) to Mrs. Ida (Daring) Norris, a daughter of Joseph Daring, of Union township.  Adam H. Clay was born Jan. 24, 1870.  He married Ella Stump, a daughter of Joseph Stump, of Union township, and they have six living children and one, Lela, deceased.  The others are: Edith, Heber J., Ralph, Goldie Irene, Grace and Myrtle.  These descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Clay are numbered with the most highly respected people of the northern section of Mercer County.  They are all intelligent, enterprising and patrons of the public schools and hearty supporters of the church and promoters of moral movements in their communities.      In political affiliation, Mr. Clay is a Democrat.  While not an active one in the sense of seeking office for himself or others, he has always believed in the principles of the party and voted for them at the polls.  In religious connection both Mr. and Mrs. Clay are consistent members of the Church of God.  They are widely known throughout Dublin and Union townships and in all gatherings of old settlers they are more or less prominent.  Their recollections reach so far back in the settlement of this rich section of Mercer County that their tales of the early days when forests stood on the land where are now rich farming fields and are located comfortable homes, many of which are in touch with electric lines and are visited by the rural mail carrier, are as interesting as any book of romance ever written. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 685
	CASPER CLUNE, a substantial farmer of Marion township, who resides on his 160 acre farm in section 10, was born on this farm January 28, 1866, and is a son of Gerhard and Bernardina (Wabler) Clune.      Gerhard Clune and his wife were both natives of Germany. He came to America when a young man and settled in Mercer County, purchasing a small farm of 40 acres in Marion township, which is part of the farm now owned by Casper Clune. He was engaged in working on the canal in Auglaize County for a time, as well as managing the farm, to which he kept adding until the time of his death, September 25, 1875, at the age of 48 years, he owned 200 acres.      He was married to Bernardina Wabler, who died in May, 1904, aged 66 years.      They became the parents of 11 children, namely: Frank, who died aged 20 years; Mary, who died in childhood; Barney, who married a Miss Bolsinger; Bernardina, deceased, who married John Betke; Joseph, residing at St. Joseph; Josephine, who married Henry Meyer; Casper; Henry, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased; Catherine, who married John Kroger; and Gerhard, who married Miss Gabbel.      Casper Clune was reared on his fathers farm and assisted with the work until the time of his marriage at the age of 26 years. He bought his present farm from his mother in 1893. The first house built on the Clune farm was log cabin, in which Casper was born, and the six-room house which Mr. Clune and his family occupy was built in 1871 by his father, who made his own brick and hewed his own timber. Mr. Clune remembers the time when the turnpike on which he was lives was plank road, and also when his father was obliged to carry his grain on his back through the woods and brush, to the mill at Piqua, Ohio. In the spring of 1906, Mr. Clune bought a partnership in the Chickasaw Grain & Milling Company. Mr. Clune has been married three times, (first) to Catherine Dabbelt, who had four children: Nora, Rose (deceased), Minnie and John - and died in 1900. He was married (second) to Josephine Schroeder, who died April 24, 1906. One child was born to this union, Joseph, who is deceased. Mr. Clune was married (third) to Anna Ashman, a daughter of Henry Ashman, a native of Germany, residing at Cassella, Mercer County. Mrs. Clune is one of a family of nine children born to her parents, namely: Elizabeth, who married Anthony Foscal; Mary, who married Dick Bieler; John; Joseph; Anna; Agnes; Catherine; Henry and Philomena. Mr. Clune has been a member of the School Board for four years. He belongs to the Most Precious Blood Catholic Church at Chickasaw. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Pages  564-565) ALSO:  See Obituary
	NOAH COATE, a well known progressive agriculturist of Butler township, residing on his farm of 72 acres in section 14, owns also 116 acres of farm land in section 23.  He was born Dec. 20, 1853 in Butler township, Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Benjamin and Mary Magdalene (Yaney) Coate.      Benjamin Coate was born near Ludlow Falls, Miami County, Ohio, where he was reared and educated.  In boyhood, during the building of the Grand Reservoir, he came to Mercer County, where in time he acquired a great deal of land, at one time owning a section.  He died in the fall of 1905.       Noah Coate was reared and educated in his native township, remaining on the farm with his father until 1885, two years after his marriage, when he moved to his present location.  He has built a fine, and large, brick house, with a basement, and in 1902 he erected a substantial barn on the opposite side of the road.  He has one of the best improved farms in the county.      Mr. Coate was married to Catherine Cordier and they have nine children, Clifton, Mary Hannah, Pearly Grace, and Melvie and Myrtle (twins).  Mr. Coate belongs to the German Baptist Church, in which he is a deacon.  He is a member of the School Board. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 534
	SYLVESTER KENNEDY COPELAND, a prominent farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Center township, was born in Center township, Mercer County, Ohio, on the old home place, July 28, 1858, and is a son of Wesley and Mary A. (Perkins) Copeland, and a grandson of Abner and Anna (Morgan) Copeland, who moved in 1834 from Greene County, Ohio, to Auglaize County, where they spent the remainder of their days.      Wesley Copeland was born in Greene County, Ohio, Nov. 25, 1825, and in 1834 accompanied his parents to Auglaize County.  In the fall of 1853, he moved to Mercer County, and located on a farm of 160 acres.  To this he has made additions, first of 40 acres and later of another tract of 40 acres , and still later added 93 acres, making a total of 333 acres.  With the assistance of our subject and his other sons he has cleared all this with the exception of 105 acres.  He taught school for some time in Auglaize County, but the greater part of his time has been devoted to general farming and stock-raising.  Mr. Copeland is a Republican and has held several township offices.  He is a member of the United Brethren Church.  He married Mary A. Perkins, who was born in Richland County, Ohio.  They had seven children: Jennie, deceased, who was the wife of James Connor, of Wapakoneta, Ohio; Elscina, who married W. J. Wollam and resides in Oklahoma; Eli Franklin, who lives near Rockford; Sylvester Kennedy; William Alpheus, who lives at Mendon; Nettie, who married Isma H. Malick, and resides in Center township; and Edith, who married Thomas P. Kiser, of Indianapolis.      Sylvester K. Copeland was reared on his father's farm and received his early education in the district schools.  He attended college at Valparaiso, Indiana, and also the Ohio Normal University, at Ada.  He afterwards taught school one year in Auglaize County, and three years in Mercer County, two of these in Center township.  After his marriage he moved to the farm of his father-in-law, where he remained for one year, and then he returned to the home farm until 1890, when he moved to Celina and engaged in the hardware business under the firm name of Wust, Winter & Copeland, in which business he remained for one year. Mr. Copeland then settled on his present farm where he has since been engaged in general farming and stock-raising, making a specialty of Polled Durham cattle.  He now has about 40 head of high grade and pedigreed stock.  In 1902 he built the finest barn in this section of the country, the main part of which is 36 by 68 feet with a wing, 36 by 50 feet, and with box stalls 10 feet square.  In 1887 he erected a comfortable home,  which he has further improved.      Mr. Copeland was married (first), in 1886, to Lida Siler, a native of Center township, Mercer County, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Mary (Tullis) Siler.  Two children were born to this union:  Ray and Vergie.  Mrs. Copeland died Dec. 3, 1897, aged 31 years, 9 months and 17 days.  He was married (second), in 1899, to Grace Whyte, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Munger) Whyte, who were residents until their death in Montgomery County, Ohio, near Dayton.      Thomas Whyte and wife were the parents of eight children, as follows:  Albert H., deceased; Warren M., who resides at Washington, D. C., where he is in the cornice business; Alice, a resident of Dayton, Ohio; Thomas D., a mechanic at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Jessie, a teacher at Dayton, Ohio; Grace; Lincoln A., who resides on the old home place, which he owns; and William G., who is a mechanic at Springfield, Ohio.  By a former marriage, to Elizabeth Conwell, Mr. Whyte had a daughter, Elizabeth, who is the wife of J. H. Groves, of Rushville, Indiana.      In national politics, Mr. Copeland votes with the Republican party, but in State and local contests he is an independent.  He has been a member of the Board of Education for many years and for 10 of these was its president.  He is a member of the United Brethren Church. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 404
	IRA E. CRAMPTON, who is identified with a number of the business enterprises of Celina, and is particularly concerned in several large canning factories, was born at Lebanon, Ohio, some 53 years ago, but was mainly reared on a farm in Muncie, Indiana.      Mr. Crampton grew up in the neighborhood of Muncie and was educated there and for a number of years was connected with the business enterprises of that section.  He early became an expert in the canning industry and built a canning factory there, manufacturing also his own cans.  This plant he sold in 1898 and then, with his wife, he took a little relaxation, enjoying a summer of travel.  Mr. Crampton in the meantime had selected Cenlina as an excellent field for business and came to this village and erected the immense canning factory, which he has successfully operated ever since.  In addition to this factory he also operates one at Gaston, Indiana.  A great business is done in the canning of peas, corn and tomatoes, the well-known, satisfactory brand of the latter, which is known as "Ohio's Best," coming from the Crampton cannery.  During the past season this cannery put up 25,000 cases of peas, 40,000 cases of tomatoes, nearly 2,000,000 cans altogether going out from the factory.  This industry gives employment to a large number of helpers in the canning season, distributes a large amount of money through this section and is assisting in giving Celina a good reputation as being in important shipping center.      Mr. Crampton is one of the village's most enterprises business men.  In addition to his interests already mentioned, he is a stockholder in the Celina Telephone Company, is interested in the Delaware County gas plant and in other successful concerns.      In 1876 Mr. Crampton was married to Lacie Beuoy, who was reared at Wheeling, Indiana, and they have three children, viz.: Lola, wife of Lloyd Sharp, merchant at Auburn, Indian; Ruth and Ethel.  Mr. Crampton's only son, Carl B., was accidentally killed in 1905, at Celina, by the explosion of a gasoline tank in the cannery.  He was a young man of more than usual educational attainments, a graduate of Lebanon College, and was a special chemist employed by the pulp company, of Muncie, Indiana.      Mr. Crampton is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to the official board.  He is also Secretary of the Celina Chautauqua Association.  In fraternal life he belongs to the Knights of Pythias organization at Muncie, to the Endowment Rank, and also to the Dramatic Order of the Knights of Khorassan. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 524
	WILLIAM CRON, one of the leading business men at Celina, who conducts the largest carriage factory in Mercer County, is a native of Ohio and was born at Marysville, in December, 1848. He is a son of John and Theresa (Meyer) Cron.      John Cron, the father of our subject, was born in Germany and remained in his native land until he was 23 years of age. He then came to America, later to Ohio, and worked for a time at blacksmithing at Canton, and then settled permanently at Marysville (Cassella), where his death took place. He married Theresa Meyer and they had five children: John, Jacob, Mary, William and Adam.      William Cron was reared at Marysville and was educated in the district schools. .He worked as a farmer until after the death of his father, when he went to Cincinnati, then to Indianapolis and in the latter city he served four years learning the blacksmith and carriage building trade. In 1869 he settled at Celina and for many years he has been a very prominent business man here. He established a carriage and wagon factory in connection with black-smithing and now controls a large part of the trade of the county in this line of industry. Constant employment is given a large force of expert workmen.      In January, 1871, Mr. Cron was married to Lizzie Hierholzer. They have seven children living, namely: John, who is engaged in carriage manufacturing at Wauseon, Ohio; Flora, wife of B. H. Schele, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Fred, foreman trimmer in his father's carriage works; Ada, living at home; Harman, bookkeeper and salesman in his father's establishment; Carl, who is in charge of the distributing office of the Standard Oil Company, at Lima, Ohio; and Hildgard, who lives at home. The subject of this sketch is a member of the Catholic Church and, fraternally, of the Knights of Columbus. He is a Democrat in politics and has held several city offices, at the present time being a member of the Village Council. Mr. Cron is one of the self-made men of Celina and has become one of its capitalists, owning a large amount of real estate. Source: History of Mercer County, Ohio and Representative Citizens - Edited and compiled by Hon. S. S. Scranton, Celina, Ohio - Publ. by Biographical Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois - 1907 - Page 746

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