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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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PUTNAM COUNTY,
OHIO
History & Genealogy
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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder,
Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc.,
Indianapolis, Indiana
1915
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BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX PAGE >
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JAMES M. AGNER.
In these latter
days it is interesting to record the lives of men
who settled a new country while the Indians were
still roaming about. The progress of
agriculture since those days has been most
remarkable. The present-day farmer is no
longer beset with the problems which faced the hardy
pioneers of other days, but is now enabled because
of improved methods to divide his time between his
own vocation and public affairs, generally.
Improved devices have placed the farmer in the front
of our progressive citizens. One of the most
progressive citizens of Ottawa township, Putnam
county, Ohio, and especially one of the most
progressive farmers of this township, is James M.
Agner.
James M. Agner was born on Jan. 27, 1855, about two
miles southeast of Ottawa along the Blanchard river.
He was the son of George and Elizabeth (Sackett)
Agner. George Agner was the son of
George and Rachel (Mockerman) Agner and
was born in Fairfield county, in 1818, and came with
his parents to Putnam county in 1843. He
married Elizabeth Sackett on Oct. 21, 1847.
Her parents were William and Rachel (Lile)
Sackett, who came from Fairfield county and
settled in Ottawa township in 1833. George
Agner died Sept. 2, 1878. His father
entered the land on which was the site of the old
Indian town of Upper Tawa and their burying ground
was on his farm. Their graves being shallow,
he gathered the bones and buried them, which act
highly incensed the remaining Indians and they
threatened his life. He left with his family
for a time and when the Indians had removed he
returned to his farm.
George Agner, Jr., was a child when his father
came to Ottawa township and the boy found playmates
with the Indian children in this vicinity.
George Agner, Sr., and his wife, were
Pennsylvania-Dutch and came from Maryland to Ohio.
James M. Agner's mother died on Feb. 16,
1894. James M. Agner grew up on the
farm on which he was born.
James M. Agner was married in 1879, to Sarah
E. Crow. She was born five miles west of
Ottawa and was a daughter of Stephen and
Elizabeth (Fretz) Crow. Stephen Crow
was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on Mar. 18,
1826, and came to Putnam county, in 1835, with his
parents, James and Elizabeth (Moreland) Crow.
He was married, in this county Oct. 28,1 847, to
Elizabeth Fretz, who was born in Bucks county,
Pennsylvania, July 16, 1828, the daughter of John
and Veronica (Shelby) Fretz, who settled in
Putnam county in 1834.
Sarah E. Crow was eighteen years old when her
parents moved to Riley township, Putnam county, and
there she lived until her marriage to Mr. Agner.
After this he continued farming on the land entered
by his grandfather. He owns one hundred and
twenty acres at home, and eighty acres in Palmer
township. Mr. Agner follows general
farming and raises a good breed of live stock, and
now owns a farm of one hundred and twenty acres.
To James M. and Sarah E. (Crow) Agner five sons
and two daughters have been born, Pratt E., Nora,
Neva May, Jason, Raymond, Clyde and Clair.
Pratt E. married May Allen and engaged in
farming near the old home. They have two
daughters, Mildred and Delilah Louise, and a
son Richard, who died at the age of nineteen
months; Nora is the wife of Homer Pierman
and lives near the old home. They have five
children, Gladys May, James Glenn, Marcene
Lenore, William Corwin and Idonna - Dorine; Neva May
is still at home; Jason married Lucy Post
and lives at Ottawa; Raymond married Edna
Fensler, lives in Toledo and has one daughter,
Ruby; Clyde and Clair are twins.
Clyde married Marie Conine and lives
northeast of Gilboa in Blanchard township; Clair
is still at home.
Mrs. James M. Agner died on Christmas day, 1898.
She was a faithful and devoted wife and mother,
rearing her children to be Christian men and women.
She united with the Disciples church at the age of
fourteen and remained faithful to this church all of
her life. The last Great Call found her fully
prepared for the everlasting life where no living
ties are severed.
James M. Agner is identified with the Democratic
party. He has served on the school board or as
school director for about fifteen years. He is
a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Agner is a public-spirited citizen, well
known for his sterling integrity, his uprightness of
character and is popular in the community where he
lives.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1054 |
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CHARLES FREMONT ALKIRE.
Men who take an active interest in public questions
are ever by honored their community. They are
known as leaders, and by their helpfulness and
counsel contribute materially to the public welfare.
A man of this character is Charles F. Alkire,
a well-known farmer of Riley township. Mr.
Alkire, who is one of the most successful
farmers of Putnam county, is descended from a line
of illustrious ancestors, men who fought in the
early wars of this country and who did their part in
their day and generation to establish the foundation
of a government which their posterity is enjoying
today.
Mr. Alkire was born on Dec. 10, 1856, at
Pandora. He is the son of George W. and
Catherine (Hart) Alkire. George W.
Alkire was born in Madison county, Ohio, Dec.
25, 1826, and he was the son of William M. and
Hannah (Osborn) Alkire. William M. Alkire
was born on Nov. 10, 1799, in Kentucky, and he was
the son of William and Elizabeth (More) Alkire.
William Alkire was born in 1751, in Germany,
and married in 1787. He came to America prior
to the American Revolution, settling in Kentucky.
Here William M., his son, was born on Nov.
10, 1799. William M. was a millwright
by trade and served in the War here on Dec. 4, 1822,
to Hannah Osborn who was born in Virginia, on
Aug. 11, 1804. She died on Apr. 15, 1843, in
that portion of Putnam county which later became a
part of Allen county. William M. died
at the home of his son, George W., north of
Pandora, on Jan. 25, 1886. He had come to
Putnam county in 1834, when George W. was
eight years old, and later settled in the north part
of Richland township, Allen county, entering land
from the government, and passing through all the
pioneer experiences common to his day and
generation. After his wife's death, he traded
his homestead for a store at Pandora, traded the
store for eighty acres in Defiance county.
Subsequently, he made his home with his son,
George W. who was then living at Pandora.
George W. Alkire was
reared as a farm boy and was one of six children,
Edwards P. served in the Civil War and lived in
Manistee county, Michigan; Richard was a
farmer in Putnam county; Madison an orange
grower in California; and John in Picqua
county, Ohio, and Adam of Riverside,
California. George W. Alkire was
married in 1851, to Miss Catherine Hart,
daughter of John and Mary (Meng) Hart, both
natives of Pennsylvania. John Hart came
to Putnam county in 1842 entered land in the fall.
He was three times married. He first married
Mary Meng, three of whose children died in
infancy, the others being, Mrs. Alkire,
Elizabeth, Mrs. Dora Brown, Absalom, Samuel, John F.
and Margaret. Mary Meng Hart
died in 1866, after which Mr. Hart removed to
Allen county, where he died in 1887. He and his wife
were members of the Presbyterian church. George W. Alkire and wife were the parents of six
children, 'four of whom
were reared to maturity, John A., of Valparaiso,
Indiana; Charles Fremont
of Putnam county; William H., also of Putnam
county, and Mary E the
wife of James Preston. Mr.
and Mrs. George Alkire were members of the
Presbyterian church.
Charles Fremont Alkire remained in
Pandora with his parents until he
was seven years old, when they moved one and
one-half miles north of
Pandora. Here Charles Fremont
spent his boyhood days on the old home place,
alternating the summer and winter months between the
district school
and his father's farm, until, at the age of
nineteen, when, with his brothers John and William, farmed the home place for one
year. For the ensuing
three years he and his younger brother, William,
farmed it together, and
for the next two Charles farmed the place alone.
About this time, on Jan. 19, 1882, Mr.
Alkire was married to Minerva
Kellen, the daughter of John and Catherine (Joseph) Kellen.
Mrs. Alkire was born on Dec. 7, 1857.
She died on Dec.
19, 1882. One
child, Mary C., was born to this union. She now
resides with Mr. Alkire.
After suffering the great misfortune of
Mrs. Alkire's
death, Mr. Alkire was joined again by his younger brother
William and
together they farmed
the home place for two years. In the fall of 1885,
Mr. Alkire was married
to Mary Mallahan, who was born in
Hancock county, Aug. 3, 1857, and
who is the daughter of Charles F and Jane (Downing) Mallahan.
Charles
F. Mallahan died on Dec. 30, 1877, just before
he was to have taken
the office of county commissioner, to which he had
previously been elected. Charles F. Mallahan's grandfather and
John Downing were under the command
of General Hull when he surrendered Detroit. They
saw General Cass break his sword rather than to surrender it to the
British. Charles F. Mallahan was born
on Sept. 26, 1818, in Fairfield county,
Ohio. He was the
son of Thompson and Sarah (Clymer)
Mallahan, the former a native of Kentucky
and the latter a native of Maryland.
Thompson Mallahan died in
Fairfield county in 1833, when Charles F. was
fifteen years of age. Jane (Downing)
Mallahan was born on Jan. 25, 1817, in Pike
county, Ohio and was the daughter of John and
Mary (Boiler) Downing, the former a native of
Virginia.
After his second marriage, Mr. Alkire
continued farming on the old home place for two
years. In the spring of 1888, he moved to a
farm of seventy-five acres, which was a part of the
old Mallahan place in the northwest
part of Riley township. Mr. and Mrs.
Alkire moved into an old house on the place,
where he immediately erected a new building.
The place had an old log barn which served two
years, which was supplanted by a smaller frame
building. He built a large and commodious barn
in 1897, and since that time has added other
improvements in keeping with the surroundings.
By this second marriage three children have been born,
Charles G. was born on Oct. 19, 1887, and died
on Aug. 27, 1888; Clifford Ml was born on
Feb. 17, 1891; Ralph M. was born on Aug. 29,
1898 Clifford M. and Ralph M. are both
unmarried and live at home.
Mr. Alkire has always done general
farming and has made a specialty of raising good
cattle and horses. He has been very successful
with live stock.
Mr. Alkire is a Republican. Mrs.
Alkire is a member of the Christian church.
Charles Fremont Alkire is a
clean-cut, progressive farmer, coming from an old
pioneer family. He enjoys the respect of his
fellow citizens and his integrity has always been
above question.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 531 |
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DANIEL MILLER ALLEN.
The history of a county or state, as well as that of
a nation, is chiefly a chronicle of the lives and
deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity
upon society. The world judges the character
of a community by those of its representative
citizens and yields its tribute of admiration and
respect to those whose works of action constitute
the records of a community's prosperity and pride.
Among the prominent citizens of Putnam county, Ohio,
who are well-known because of their success in
business affairs and the part they have taken in the
educational and religious affairs of the locality,
is Daniel Miller Allen, now a well-known real
estate broker and insurance agent of Columbus Grove.
Daniel Miller Allen was born on June 30, 1868,
in Auglaize county, Ohio. He is the son of
Silas D. and Permelia C. (Miller) Allen.
Silas D. Allen was born on Aug. 18, 1844, in
Auglaize county, the son of Warren C. and Mary
(Coleman) Allen. Warren C. Allen
was a native of Fairfield county, and came to
Auglaize county in 1836, where he settled on land
entered by his father, Whiting Allen.
He continued to live in Auglaize county the
remainder of his life, and died in 1859.
Silas D. Allen was reared on the old homestead
farm and, at the age of seventeen, enlisted in the
Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
serving through most of the war. His
enlistment was made in 1862, and he served three
years, being discharged on June 9, 1865. His
services were performed under Generals
Gilmore and Burnsides. On Nov. 18,
1863, he was captured at Knoxville, Tennessee, and
held a prisoner for fifteen months and eight days.
During this time he was confined in the military
prisons of
Atlanta, Richmond, Belle Island, Andersonville,
Charleston, South Carolina, Florence, South
Carolina, and Goldsborough, North Carolina.
From the last named prison he was paroled.
After the war, Silas D. Allen was married to
Permelia C. Miller, who bore him three children:
Mary S.; Daniel M., the subject of
this sketch, and Arvilla D. Mary S.
first married Grant D. Martin, who died about
six years later. About eight years after her
husband's death she married Isaac Willis
Slagle and they now reside in Spokane,
Washington. Arvilla D. is the widow of
G. H. Daniels and now conducts a book store
at Columbus Grove. For a time after his
marriage Silas D. Allen engaged in fanning
and then went into the boot and shoe business at St.
John's, Auglaize county, where he continued to do
business for several years, which business he
continued after he removed to Columbus Grove.
A short time later he took up farming and truck
gardening, which he continued for a few days.
He then entered the butchering business and finally
became interested with W. A. Perkins in the
lumber and fork-handle manufacturing business, where
he retained an interest for four years.
Subsequently, he engaged in raising potatoes and
sugar beets.
Silas D. Allen's wife, Permelia C. Miller,
was born in Auglaize county, and is the daughter of
Daniel and Susanna (Kingery) Miller, the
former a native of Piqua county and the latter a
native of Paulding county, where they were pioneers.
When Daniel Miller Allen was about
four years old he came with his parents to Columbus
Grove, and here attended the public schools until
sixteen years of age, after which he took a
commercial course at the Tri-State Normal College at
Angola. After this he returned to Columbus
Grove, and a little later took a position with the
J. R. Hughes Wholesale and Retail House
Furnishing Company. After about one and
one-half years he became the manager of this concern
and continued in this capacity for about two and
one-half years longer. On account of ill
health, he returned home, and about a year later, on
June 16, 1893, he entered the insurance and real
estate business with G. W. Core. A year
later Mr. Allen purchased Mr.
Core's interest and since that time has
conducted the business alone. Mr.
Allen has been very successful in this business
and served a large clientele in the purchase and
sale of real estate and in the insurance business.
In addition to his other business, Mr.
Allen, in 1906, in connection with B. F.
Lugibihl, organized the Columbus Grove Brick and
Tile Company, which business has grown to be one of
the best and largest in this section of Ohio.
Daniel M. Allen was married on June 12, 1895, to
Mabel Halcyon Long, the
daughter of Newton S. and Carrie C. (Stahl) Long.
Mrs. Allen was one of three children and the
eldest of the family; Medway D., who married
Edna Gable and is bookkeeper in the
Peoples Bank, and Clyde M., who is .single
and at home. Newton S. Long is now
retired and lives at Columbus Grove. He has been a
minister of the United Brethren church, as was his
father before him, who was a pioneer circuit-rider
and traveled over a large circuit in northwestern
Ohio. He was a man noted for his strong
character and for his wonderful voice. Mrs.
Long's parents were pioneers of Sandusky county
and came to this country from Germany in an early
day.
Mr. Allen is a Republican. He has filled
several positions of trust and responsibility,
having been a member of the school board for twelve
years, a member of the council for four years and a
member of the board of public affairs for two years.
Mr. Allen is a member of Lodge No. 364, Free
and Accepted Masons, of the Knights of Pythias and
of the Modern Woodmen of America. He and his
wife and family are members of the United Brethren
church, in which Mr. Allen is a
trustee. In 1912 he was a delegate to the
general conference of the church in Decatur,
Illinois. Daniel M. Allen is a man
highly esteemed in the community where he lives, a
man known for his many good works, for his sterling
integrity, his genial disposition and his natural
powers of leadership.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1241 |
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GEORGE ALTENBURGER.
The record of George E. Altenburger is that
of a man who, by his own unaided efforts, has worked
his way from a modest beginning to a position of
influence in his community. His life has been
one of unceasing industry and perseverance.
The systematic and honest methods he has followed
have won for him the unbounded confidence and esteem
of his fellow citizens in Putnam county, whose
interests he has ever had at heart and for which he
has always labored. George E. Altenburger is
a well-known business man of Ottoville, Monterey
township, Putnam county, Ohio. He is
interested in the real estate, loan and insurance
business, and, during recent years, has built up a
comfortable and growing business.
George E. Altenburger was born on Aug. 27, 1867,
in Auglaize county, Ohio. He is the son of
Peter and Mary (Miller) Altenburger.
Peter Altenburger was a native of Alsace,
France. His wife, who before her marriage was
Mary Miller, was born in Alsace and
came with her parents to the United States at the
age of two years. They settled at Waynesburg,
Ohio, in Stark county. Peter
Altenburger came to this country about
1838 and settled in Stark county. He was born
in July, in 1818. His wife was born in
1830. Peter Altenburger served
in the regular army of France for six years and
three months. He and his wife were married in
Stark county, Ohio. They were the parents of
eleven children, nine of whom are living, one dying
in infancy; John died at the age of fifty;
Louis lives at Delphos, where he is a retired
farmer; Magdeline is the wife of Joseph
Krabach. They live at Wapakoneta;
Joseph lives in Monterey township; Peter, Jr.,
lives at Bodkins, Ohio, where he is a contractor and
builder; Mary is the wife of John
Hohlbein, and they live in Jackson township;
Andrew lives in Cloverdale, Ohio; George E.
is the subject of this sketch; Flora lives at
Ottoville with George E.; William died
at the age of two years; F. X. Altenburger
lives at Delphos, Ohio, where he is in the real
estate and insurance business.
Peter Altenburger was a farmer and followed this
occupation in Stark county, Ohio. After living
for some time in Stark county, he removed to
Auglaize county, where he was engaged in farming
until about 1877, when he removed to Van Wert
county. There he followed farming until about
1898, when he retired and moved to Ottoville.
He died in Ottoville in August, 1905. His wife died
on April 14, 1910. Both were devoted members of the
Catholic church. During the Civil War,
Peter Altenburger drilled two companies
at Waynesburg, Ohio, and was appointed captain, but
was unable to serve.
George Altenburger received his education
in the public schools of Van Wert county and in 1894
began clerking for the firm of Winkelman &
Vincke, at Ottoville, where he was employed for
about ten years. He opened a general insurance
office at Ottoville in 1904, where he also conducted
a real estate and loan business. Mr,
Altenburger is a justice of the peace, notary
public and secretary of the Farmers Mutual Fire
Insurance Company, at Ottoville. He assisted
in the organization of this company, in 1904, and
has been secretary since that time. Mr.
Altenburger is a director and vice-president
of the Building and Loan Savings Company at
Ottoville.
George E. Altenburger was married on Sept. 29,
1897, to Dora Schlagbaum, a daughter
of Bernard and Clara (Helmkamp) Schlagbaum.
To this union five children were born, Alberta
was born July 4, 1898, Clara was born May 2,
1900, George was born May 17, 1903, Lovena
was born Nov. 27, 1914, Watler was
born Dec. 25, 1906. Mrs. George E.
Altenburger died Apr. 4, 1907.
Bernard Schlagbaum, the father of Mrs.
George E. Altenburger is a successful farmer of
Monterey township. He was born in Cincinnati,
Ohio, Feb. 26, 1840, and here his parents were
married. They were both natives of Germany and
had ten children, Bernard Schlagbaum,
the father of Mrs. Altenburger, was brought
to Putnam county by his parents when three years of
age. They settled on a farm of eighty acres,
one mile east of Ottoville where the father and sons
worked to clear the timber off the land.
Mrs. Altenburger' s father was married on
Feb. 12, 1874, to Clara Anna Helmkamp,
who was born in Hanover, Germany, July 24, 1846, her
maiden name being Grave. Her parents came to
the United States at an early date and settled at
Delphos, Ohio. She first married Bernard
Helmkamp and they had two children.
After his death, she married Mr.
Schlagbaum. Mrs. Altenburger
was one of five children.
George E. Altenburger is an ardent Democrat, has
served as assessor of Ottoville and of Monterey
township, and has discharged the duties of these
offices in a most creditable manner.
Fraternally, he is a member of the Catholic Knights
of Ohio, and a member of the Eagles, at Delphos,
Ohio. All of the members of the Altenburger
family are devoted to the Catholic church.
They are liberal contributors to the support of this
church and influential in its membership.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1163 |
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PETER A. AMSTUTZ.
The two most strongly marked characteristics of both
the east and the west are combined in the residents of Ohio. The
enthusiastic enterprise
which overleaps all obstacles and makes possible
almost any undertaking in
the comparatively new and vigorous western states is
here tempered by the
stable and more careful policies that we have
borrowed from our eastern
neighbors. The combination is one of unusual force
and power. It has been
the means of placing this section of the country on
a par with the older east,
and at the same time producing a reliability and
certainty in business affairs
which are frequently lacking in the west. This happy
combination is also
possessed, in a notable degree, by Peter A. Amstutz,
for several years now
the efficient cashier of the Farmers Banking Company
of Pandora. He is
too well known to the readers of this volume to need
any formal introduction
here, for his name is deeply fixed in the financial,
commercial, professional
and industrial history of this section of the state.
Mr. Amstutz, himself,
is filling a large place in the public affairs of
his community. He is recognized
as a man of strong and alert mentality, deeply
interested in everything
that pertains to the welfare of the community. He is
a progressive and
enterprising business man and a representative
citizen of Riley township and
Putnam county.
Peter A. Amstutz was born on Feb. 9, 1868, in
Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio, the son of
Abraham M. and Catherine (Hilty) Amstutz the
former of whom was born on Sept. 20, 1844, in
Richland township, Allen county, Ohio, and the
latter was born on Apr. 19, 1848, in Richland
township, Allen county, Ohio.
Abraham M. Amstutz is the son of John and
Barbara (Tschantz) Amstutz. John
Amstutz was born in Switzerland and came to
America in 1840 with his wife and three children.
They settled in Richland township, Allen county,
Ohio, near Bluffton. John Amstutz
was a farmer in Switzerland and the Amstutz
family was an old one in the community from
which he came. It is related that the name
Amstutz originated from a family by the name of
Stutz who lived on a hill, the German prefix
"am" meaning "on the," being prefixed' to the name
Stutz and resulting in the final Amstutz,
which means "on the hill." Another explanation
of the name Amstutz is given, which says that
Stutz means a "steep hill," or rather "a
bluff" or "precipice." Perhaps a John
Stutz lived at or near to this bluff or
precipice, and, to distinguish him from other
Johns, it was said that he was John
Amstutz, meaning the John who lived by
the precipice.
John Amstutz and his little family were fifty-two days
on a sailing vessel
in coming to America. They came directly to Allen
county, where John
Amstutz settled on a farm just north of Bluffton. After two years he removed
to a farm one-half mile south of Columbia, later
called Pendleton,
and, still later, Pandora. Here he made his future
home, clearing the land
and draining it. He built an adobe house of mud and
straw about 1855, a
part of which is standing today. The mud and straw
were mixed by oxen
trained for the feat. In addition to being a
farmer,
John Amstutz was a
minister in the Mennonite church and was an active
minister until the time
of his death. He was also a mechanic of considerable
ability, and in the early days he made spinning wheels for spinning
both wool and cotton.
After spending a most useful life, he died at a ripe
old age, in 1858, on the
old homestead south of Pandora.
John and Barbara Amstutz were the parents of five
children, three of
the eldest having been born in Switzerland, and the
two youngest in Allen
and Putnam counties. All lived to maturity. They
were: Fannie, the wife
of Jonas Amstutz, both deceased; Marian, the wife
of Abraham Bixter, both
deceased; Christian, who married Barbara
Schuhmacher,
both deceased; Abraham, who married Catherine
Hilty, the parents of
Peter A.; Peter M.,
deceased, who had three wives, Anna Light, deceased,
Belle Sitlemeyer, deceased,
and Mrs. Downing.
Abraham M. Amstutz spent his boyhood on the old
homestead and here
grew to manhood. He attended the common schools and
at the age of
twenty-two was married to Catherine Hilty, the
daughter of Peter and
Elizabeth (Neuenschwander) Hilty, both natives of
Switzerland, who came
to America in the early days. They settled in
Richland township, Allen
county, Ohio, four miles west of Bluffton. They
were the parents of eleven children: Isaac, John,
Barbara, Benjamin, Catherine, Noah, Mary (deceased),
Sarah (deceased), Peter, Samuel and
Elizabeth
(deceased). The
parents of these children spent the remainder of
their lives on the old homestead
in Allen county, and it was here that Mrs. Amstutz
grew to womanhood,
received her early education and remained until she
was married. She
was married in January, 1866, at the age of
eighteen.
After their marriage they settled on a portion of the
old John Amstutz homestead, south of Pandora. Here
Abraham Amstutz
pursued farming until
he retired and moved to Pandora, in 1908. He has
been a successful
farmer and stock raiser. He is an ardent Democrat
and was president of
the township school board for a number of years. He
is a man possessed of
strong civic pride, of sterling integrity and is
held in high esteem by his fellow
citizens. He is also an active and consistent member
of the Grace Mennonite
church and was trustee in the old Swiss church.
Abraham M. and
Catherine Amstutz have had eleven children: Peter,
the subject of this
sketch; Barbara, the wife of Jacob Suter;
John, who
married Susan Basinger; Elizabeth, the wife of
Elias Welty; Levina, the
deceased wife of John
Gerber; Amos, who died in infancy; Llewellyn, who first married
Nona Lora and later Delia Suter;
Albert, who married Malinda Gratz; Edwin, who
died at the age of five years; Mary, the wife of
A.
J. Welty, and Selma, the
wife of William Lugibihl.
Peter A. Amstutz was born on the old home place, south
of Pandora, and
lived there until 1891, when he was twenty-three
years of age. Here he received
his early education and here he lived while he was a
student in the high
school at Pandora and Crawfis College. During his
boyhood he helped his
father on the farm, and later taught school. When he
was twenty-three
years old he took a clerkship in a general store in
Columbus Grove and held
this position for six years.
Mr. Amstutz was married, at the age of
twenty-four, on Jan. 5,
1893, to Persis Basinger, the daughter
of Jacob C. and Mary (Basinger)
Basinger. She was born on Nov. 19, 1870,
in Riley township, Putnam
county, Ohio. Her people were pioneers of
Putnam county. To this happy
union six children have been born: Orpha E.,
who is a student at Ohio State
University; William B., who is a student at
Bliss College, at Columbus; Harley C., who is a student in the high
school; Wendell H. and Margaret J.,
who are both at home and attending the graded
school, and Roland, who died at the age of
seven months.
After spending six years at Columbus Grove, Mr.
Amstutz bought a new general store at Pandora.
He remained in this business for about one year and
then took a partner, the new firm becoming P. A.
Amstutz & Company. This business was
conducted with marked success until 1903, when Mr.
Amstutz bought a farm in Richland township,
Allen county, which he operated for one year.
He then made a short stay in Petoskey, Michigan,
after which he purchased an interest in the Pandora
Hardware Company, in the fall of 1905. Mr.
Amstutz controlled a half interest in this
concern and withdrew from the active management of
it in the fall of 1909. At this time Mr.
Amstutz was elected cashier of the Farmers
Banking Company, of Pandora, which position he still
holds. Previously he had been a director of
the bank, which position he still retains.
Peter A. Amstutz is a Democrat, and has served
as township clerk for three terms. He was also
clerk of the school board. He is a prominent
member and one of the founders of the Grace
Mennonite church. He has been secretary and
treasurer of this congregation since its
organization. Mr. Amstutz has
been a successful business man and banker in this
community for several years. He stands high in
the vicinity in which he lives, and no better
evidence of this fact is required than reference to
the many positions of trust and responsibility which
he has held and which he now occupies. He is
an upright citizen, a good neighbor and a fine
father. His character and integrity are above
question, and it is to him that the best people of
the community come for counsel and advice, which
Mr. Amstutz is eminently qualified to
give. He is present mayor of Pandora, his term
to expire in 1916. He was president of the
city council of Pandora for four years.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 528 |
| |
FRANCIS X. ANNESSER.
Francis X. Annesser is one of those
strong, self-reliant and determined characters who
are occasionally met with and who are of such a
distinct type as to appear leaders of their fellow
men. Not that Mr. Annesser courts this
distinction, for he is entirely unassuming, but his
great force of character and his zeal and energy in
whatever he undertakes, naturally place him at the
head of the class. He has been a potent factor
in the development of Putnam county, where he has
long maintained his home and where he is known to
all
classes for his honorable and industrious rise in
both private and public life. Mr.
Annesser has been especially successful in
business and now has one of the best mills in Putnam
county.
Francis X. Annesser was born on Oct. 3, 1863, in
Auglaize county, Ohio. He is the son of
William and Mary M. (Fisher) Annesser.
William Annesser was born in 1834, in Seneca
county, Ohio, and came to Auglaize county, when a
young man, with his parents. He was a farmer
and followed that vocation with his parents, until
his marriage. He traded a one-hundred and
sixty-acre farm for a mill at Wapakoneta, Ohio,
which he operated for about three years. He
sold out on Jan. 18, 1879, and removed to Ottawa,
Ohio, when he bought the Ottawa mill from William
Agner. It was known as the Ottawa
Flouring Mill. His family was moved to Ottawa
and here William Annesser followed the
milling business for twenty-eight years. He
retired in 1906. He was a Republican and was
rather active in the councils of his party. He
was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons at
Ottawa first vice-president and director of the
First National Bank when it was organized at Ottawa,
and is still a director. His wife, who, before
her marriage was Mary Fisher, was a
native of Baden, Germany, who came to the United
States with her parents. They purchased
property in Auglaize county and probably entered
land from the government. Mrs.
William Annesser whose parents were B.
S. and Mary (Bush) Fisher, was born on Apr. 11,
1833. She is still living at the age of
eighty-two.
William and Mary (Fisher) Annesser have been the
parents of nine children, William B., born on
Nov. 23, 1856; Andrew, Feb. 13, 1858,
George, July 26, 1859; Charles, November,
1861; Francis X., the subject of this sketch,
Oct. 3, 1863; John M., Mar. 3, 1886;
Joseph, April 11 1868; Mrs. Rosa Sherloh,
wife of George Sherloh, May 25, 1873;
Louis F., Feb. 26, 1877. William B.
lives in Canada, John in Michigan, Charles
in Missouri, Joseph, Mrs. Sherloh,
and Louis in Ottawa. George and
Andrew are deceased. The former
died in Texas in 1888.
The grandparents of Mr. Annesser were Michael
and Mary (Sholl) Annesser, both natives of
Alsace-Lorraine, who were reared and who married in their native country. They came to the United
States in 1830 and first located at Hagerstown,
Maryland. Three years later they came to
Seneca county, Ohio, which was their home until
1844, when they removed to Auglaize county.
Michael Annesser was a tailor in Germany,
but became a farmer after arriving in the United
States. He died about 1874, and his wife ten
years later. They were the parents of seven
children, John; Joseph; Michael,
deceased; William; Margaret, the
wife of V. Blume; Mary, deceased and
Veronica. John and Joseph
served in the Civil War, Joseph in the
Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and
John in an Ohio regiment. William
Annesser was born July 8, 1834, and was
married to Mary M. Fisher on Oct. 8, 1855.
Francis X. Annesser spent his boyhood days with
his father on the homestead farm and learned the
milling trade with his father at the Ottawa mill.
He was educated in the township schools of Auglaize
county and the Wapakoneta high school. While
in the milling business with his father at Ottawa,
he became interested in the Columbus Grove mill,
which he purchased in 1907! He moved his family to
Columbus Grove in 1908, and is now active in the
operation of the Columbus Grove mill. He has
one of the best mills in Putnam county. Mr.
Annesser started in the milling business at the
age of eighteen years. He is one of the most
successful millers in Ohio and knows his business
thoroughly.
Francis X. Annesser was married on June 12,
1888, to Margaret S. Ault, a native of
Ottawa, Ohio, and the daughter of William and
Pauline (Zink) Ault. Francis X. and
Margaret S. (Ault) Annesser have two children
Paulme and Elizabeth, both of whom are at
home.
Francis X. Annesser is a Democrat and has always
taken an active interest in his party's cause.
He is a member of St. Anthony's Catholic church at
Columbus Grove, as well as his family, all of whom
are active in church work Mr. Annesser is a
member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio. He is
an active man and takes pride in his mill. He
is well known and widely admired especially by his
patrons, who have learned to honor and respect him.
He has quite a reputation in Putnam county for
honesty and square dealing, which accounts, in a
great measure, for his large and growing business.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 951 |
| |
ABRAHAM P. ASKINS.
One of the progressive farmers and highly respected
citizens of Putnam county, Ohio, is Abraham P.
Askins of Sugar Creek township. Possessing
energy and determination, he has been very
successful in making everything he undertakes result
to his advantage. His success in his chosen
calling is attested to by the fact that, having
started in an humble way, he is now the owner of
valuable real estate, and has accumulated this by
his own personal efforts. In fact, Mr.
Askins is one of the well-known and substantial
citizens of this section of Putnam county, and is
popular with a large number of people.
Abraham P. Askins was born on Sept. 29, 1858, in
the northwest part of Sugar Creek township, Putnam
county. He is the son of Thomas and Rebecca
(Funk) Askins.
Thomas Askins was born on Jan. 2, 1810, in
Frederick county, Virginia, and he was the son of
Posey and Nancy (Barnes) Askins, both of whom
were natives of Virginia. Posey Askins
spent his early life in Virginia. He was a
farmer by occupation, and enlisted in the War of
1812, but never saw service on account of the
termination of the war. He came to Fairfield
county, Ohio, in 1832, making the trip overland by
wagon. Here he bought a farm east of
Lancaster, and here he remained the rest of his
life. He died in Lancaster at an advanced age.
Thomas Askins, who was one of a large family of
children, was twenty-two years of age when he came
to Ohio with his parents. He had received his
early education in Virginia, where his childhood and
youth were spent. After coming to Ohio, he
remained with his parents in Fairfield county,
helping his father on the old home place. Here
he remained until after the death of his mother in
1852, when, at the age of forty-two, he came to
Putnam county, where he was employed for about five
years in Union and Jennings township, a part of the
time for Hiram Sarber of former
township. During his first five years, he
purchased three tracts of land, one hundred and
sixty acres in all, in Jennings township. At
the age of forty-seven, in 1857, he was married to
Rebecca Funk, who was born in
Fairfield county, Ohio, Feb. 13, 1825. She was
the daughter of Abraham and Mary (Guile) Funk,
both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania and of
German descent. They came to Fairfield county
from Pennsylvania in the early days, and in 1840,
the year in which Henry Harrison was
elected president, came to Putnam county, settling
in Union township. Here they remained for the
balance of their lives. Rebecca Funk
was one of five children, two sons and three
daughters, and was a young woman when she came to
Putnam county. Here she remained until her
marriage to Thomas Askins.
After his marriage, Thomas Askins located
on eighty acres two miles northwest of Rimer, to
which farm he afterward added twenty acres.
This farm had but a few acres cleared. It had
a two-room hewed log cabin and a log barn.
Thomas Askins proceeded to clear his land
and succeeded in getting this work about half
finished before his death, which occurred on Nov. 2,
1875. He was a hard-working and industrious
man, of a strongly religious nature, and with
Baptist sympathies. He was a man who enjoyed
the respect of his fellow citizens.
Politically, he was a Republican. His wife,
Rebecca, survived him a good many years, dying
at the old home place Sept. 3, 1902. They were
the parents of four children, two sons and two
daughters. Abraham P., the eldest, is
the subject of this sketch; William lives at
Toledo, Ohio; Mary E. married Robert
Blakely of Tiffin, Ohio, and Nancy
married Alexander Cromley, of Tiffin.
Abraham P. Askins was born on the old homestead,
which is his present residence. Here he spent his
childhood and youth. He attended the old
McLain district school, and after finishing the
common schools, he continued to help his father on
the old home place. It fell to the lot of
Abraham P. Askins and his brother, William,
to clear the remaining half of the farm. When
Abraham P. was seventeen years of age his
father died. With his brother, he assumed
charge of the home place.
Abraham P. Askins was married on Mar. 25, 1880,
at the age of twenty-one years, to Martha
Westenbarger, who was born on Nov. 3, 1860, in
Fairfield county, Ohio, and died on June 25, 1894.
She was a daughter of John and Mary Ann (Derrickson)
Westenbarger, both of whom were natives of
Fairfield county, Ohio. The former was of
Pennsylvania German parentage, and the latter was a
native of Delaware.
After his marriage Mr. Askins rented a farm,
one-half mile northeast of the home place, for two
years, after which time he moved back to the home
farm, which has been his place of residence ever
since. After settling on the home place, Mr.
Askins finished clearing and draining the
farm, and built a beautiful eleven-room residence,
and a large barn and other outbuildings. He has one
of the best-improved farms in Sugar Creek township.
Mr. Askins has always done general
farming, and has been very successful.
To Abraham P. and Martha (Westenbarger) Askins
nine children have been born: Pearl is the
wife of George Ream and resides at
Sugar Grove, in Fairfield county, Ohio; James
resides in Jennings township; Harry resides
on the old home place. He married Stella
Lothes, of Licking county, Ohio. She is
the daughter of Jacob and Minerva (Pyles) Lothes,
and was born in Noble county, Ohio, Jan. 26, 1888.
Jacob Lothes was a native of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and his wife of Maxburg,
Noble county, Ohio. Harry Askins
and wife have three children, Harold
Vernon, May 29, 1910; Bernard, June 30,
1912; and an infant, Dec. 20, 1914. Maude
married Effenger Neeley, and resides
at Missoula, Montana; Russell lives in
Jennings township; Leona is the wife of
Thomas Fairbanks, of Clarindon, Virginia;
Myrtle is the wife of Anthony
Klausing, of Delphos, Ohio; John lives in
Jennings township; Sarah married Walter
Blockberger and resides at Delphos, Van Wert
county.
Abraham P. Askins is a Republican. He is
one of Sugar Creek township's well-known and
substantial citizens and farmers, and is well and
favorably known in this and adjoining townships.
He is a man of enviable reputation and deserves the
esteem in which he is held by his neighbors.
Source: History of Putnam County, Ohio, by
George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co.,
Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1110 |
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