LEWIS COOPERIDER.  Upon a farm in Thorn township resides Lewis Cooperider, who is widely known in the county as a practical, progressive and respected agriculturist.  He is numbered among Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred in Bowling Green township, Licking county, on the 13th of April, 1826.  His parents were David and Magdalina (Smith) Cooperider.  The father was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio when about sixteen years of age with his brother, locating in Licking county, where he engaged in farming.  His parents afterward removed to this state and located in Licking county, where they lived and died.  The father of our subject remained a resident of that county until 1829, when he removed to Perry county, locating in Thorn township.  His father had taken up land in Perry, Fairfield and Licking counties for his children, and David Cooperider settled on a part of this land in Perry county, where there were three quarter sections, each one occupied by one of the brothers.  It was wild and unimproved but they cleared it and placed it under a high state of cultivation, put up good buildings and made very desirable homes for themselves.  David Cooperider spent his remaining days upon his old home place, which he developed and was engaged in general farming and stock-raising.  As the years passed his labors brought to him creditable success and he became the possessor of a comfortable competence.  In all his business dealings he was honest, straightforward and commanded the confidence and good will of those with whom he was associated.  He died at the age of seventy-two years, in the faith of the Lutheran church, of which he had long been a member.  In his political views he was a Democrat, but never sought or desired office.  He married Magdalina Smith, who was born in Pennsylvania and with her parents came to Ohio.  She was the eldest in the family of Andrew Smith, one of the early settlers of Hopewell township, Perry county, who died there at an advanced age.  Mrs. Cooperider was a member of the German Reformed, church and lived a consistent Christian life.  She died at the age of eighty-two years.  In their family were five children, two daughters and three sons, of whom Lewis was the eldest.  The sons are all yet living but the daughters are deceased.  Jacob is a resident of Millersport, Fairfield county, where he is following blacksmithing.  Peter resides in Reading township, Perry county, and is also a blacksmith by trade.  Elizabeth became the wife of Jacob Daniels, of Indiana, but is now deceased, and Eve passed away at the age of two years.
     Lewis Cooperider accompanied his parents on their removal from Licking to Perry county when he was a little lad of three summers, and in the common schools of Thorn township he acquired his education and spent his boyhood days, remaining upon the home farm until he had attained his majority.  He engaged in farming until the death of his father, after which he learned the blacksmithing trade, which he followed for many years.  He removed from the home place to his present farm, which was willed to him by his father and which comprises a quarter section of land on section 13, Thorn township.  It is all under cultivation and highly improved, with splendid modern equipments, all of which are an indication of the enterprise and thrift of the owner, as they were placed there by him.  Much of the land was cleared by Mr. Cooperider, who then cultivated the fields and planted the crops and in course of time he garnered rich harvests.  He also put up good, substantial buildings, and now has a modern farm.  His attention is devoted to the cultivation of grain best adapted to this climate, and to some extent he also follows blacksmithing.
     In 1849 Mr. Cooperider was united in marriage to Elizabeth Klingler, who was born in Hopewell township, Perry county, a daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Klingler, who were also settlers of this township, coming to Ohio from Pennsylvania, people of culture and refinement.  They became prominent and influential in the community in which they made their home and both died at an advanced age in Hopewell township. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Cooperider were born eight children, of whom seven are yet living:  Thomas Jefferson, a farmer residing in Nebraska, married Miss Basore; Leah is the wife of Henry Case, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio; Elizabeth is also living in Upper Sandusky; Amanda is the wife of Hamer King, a farmer of Licking county; Ida became the wife of Henry Yaeger and died, leaving two children; Rufus, who resides in Colorado, where he is engaged in farming and cattle-raising, is married and has a family; the seventh child died in infancy; and Adam was the eighth in order of birth.  The mother of this family died at the age of thirty-five years and for his second wife Mr. Cooperider chose Susan Crist, a daughter of Philip Crist.  She was born in Thorn township, Perry county, and has become the mother of four children; M. Magdelene resides at home and has charge of the farm; Emmet, a resident farmer of Arkansas, married Miss Almeda Mechling, a daughter of William Mechling, of Hopewell township; Chauncy, who follows farming in Thorn township, married Miss Minnie Bear, of Hopewell township; and Noble, who is a land owner in Missouri and California, makes his home in the former state.  He married Miss Jennie Hern and has a family.
     Mr. Cooperider holds membership in the Lutheran church, and in politics is a Democrat, taking quite an active interest in the work of the party.  He ahs served as trustee of his township and for many years has been school trustee, the cause of education finding in him a warm friend who does all in his power to promote the grade of the schools.  Having spent almost his entire life in this county, he has become widely known and enjoys in a high degree the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been associated, for his life has been characterized by indefatigable industry, by fairness in all business transactions and by reliability in friendship.  He has, therefore, gained the respect of a large circle of acquaintances and well deserves representation in this volume.
Source: A Biographical Record of Fairfield and Perry Counties, Ohio - Publ. New York and Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co - 1902 ~ Page 423

EDWIN S. CULVER.  For some time Edwin S. Culver, now a resident of Gloucester, Ohio, occupied the important position of general buyer and head Coal & Iron Company at New Straitsville, operating mine No. 3 at this place.  In that position he had the supervision of four hundred men and controlled the operations of the iron furnaces.  He enjoyed in an unqualified degree the confidence of the company which he represented and was well worthy of its trust.
     The Culver family, to which our subject belongs, is of English Puritan ancestry, the line of descent being traced back to the Mayflower.  From Connecticut representatives of the family came to Ohio in 1796 and established a home at Marietta.  One of these was Reuben Culver, the grandfather of our subject, who became identified with pioneer life in the Buckeye state and aided in laying broad and deep the foundation for the present development and prosperity of this commonwealth.  He married Olive Buell, a daughter of Timothy Buell, who served as an officer in the militia in an early day participating in the battle of Stonington during the Revolutionary war.  Cromwell B. Culver, the father of our subject, was born in Ohio Jan. 15, 1803, and after arriving at years of maturity he married Sarah J. Perry, a daughter of Peter Perry, who was born in Franklin county, Ohio, where for many years he made his home.  He was an uncle of Commodore Perry, who won fame in the naval battle of Lake Erie, and whose famous message,  "We have met the enemy and they are ours,"  has become a matter of history.
     Edwin S. Culver, of this review, was born in the old town of Gore, in Hocking county, Ohio, Mar. 21, 1856.  He was there reared and educated, also pursing his studies to some extent in Logan, Ohio.  In May, 1879, he entered the employ of the Thomas Iron Works Company, with which he remained until the 1st of March, 1883, when he became connected with the Columbus & Hocking Coal & Iron Company as its chief clerk. At New Gore he was justice of the peace and postmaster while residing there, thus taking an active part in public affairs as well as in business life. In 1885 he removed to Buchtel, in. the employ of the same company, continuing at that place until 1893, when he came to New Straitsville to accept the position of general buyer and head bookkeeper for the Columbus & Hocking Coal & Iron Company. Much responsibility rested upon him and he was fully equal to the task and controlled the extensive business interests here in a manner that brought prosperity to the company and at the same time enabled the corporation to pay him a good salary.
     In the county of his nativity Mr. Culver was united in marriage to Miss Nettie Bennett, a daughter of Daniel and Sarah A. (Lentz) Bennett.  The Lentz family came from Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, to Ohio in pioneer times and in 1853 Daniel Bennett removed from Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, to Hocking county.  Unto Mr. and Mrs. Culver have been born four children:  Thea Edith, born September 15, 1885; Cromwell B., born Dec. 27, 1887; Edwin Germaine B., born July 11, 1892; and Margaret C., born Aug. 3, 1896.  Mr. and Mrs. Culver have a wide circle of friends in this locality and the hospitality of the best homes of New Straitsville was extended to them during their residence here.  Here Mr. Culver served as notary public.  He is a well known and valued member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the blue lodge, chapter and council.  He is largely a self-made man, who, without pecuniary or other advantages to assist him at the outset of this career, has steadily worked his way upward.  He had a laudable ambition to attain something better in life as has steadily advanced to a prominent position in the commercial circles of the state.
Source: A Biographical Record of Fairfield and Perry Counties, Ohio - Publ. New York and Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co - 1902 ~ Page 469