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PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO
History & Genealogy

BIOGRAPHIES

Source: 
History of Putnam County, Ohio,
by George D. Kinder,
Publ. B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
1915

A B C D E F G H I J K L M
N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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  JAMES MacDONALD.  Putnam county has many residents who have prospered in business.  One of her citizens, who has made a notable success in the lumber business, is James MacDonald, who is thoroughly acquainted with his line of business, from the ground up, which fact undoubtedly accounts for much of his success.
     James MacDonald was born on Feb. 23, 1873, in Leipsic, Putnam County, Ohio, the son of William John and Margaret (McKeen) MacDonald.  William J. MacDonald was born in the parish of Killyma, County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1839.  His father in turn came from Scotland and was a soldier in the British army, serving  in South Africa.  By reason of his services as a soldier, he became the possessor of a tract of land in Ireland, and made his home there.  W. J. MacDonald was probably twenty-five years of age when he came to America and located at Cleveland, Ohio.  He was married in Belfast, Ireland, to Margaret McKeen, a native of Carmoney, near Belfast, County Antrim, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Roberts) McKeen.  She lived in Ireland until after her marriage, and before they came to America, one daughter was born, now the wife of I. Pressley Sherrard, living on the Macdonald farm at the north edge of Leipsic.
     Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald lived in Cleveland from 1865 until 1871, where he followed his trade as a bricklayer and stonemason.  He came to Putnam county in 1871, and purchased twenty acres of land at the north edge of Leipsic, where he has resided since.  Here he continued at his trade and contracted for a number of years.  He had a part in the erection of most of the larger brick building in Leipsic.  While at work on the Methodist church in 1895 he met with an accident in which several bones were broken, which weakened him so that he was compelled to relinquish his life work.
     Five children were born to William J. MacDonald and wife.  Mrs. Minnie Sherrard, a resident of this county; William J., of Liberty township; George W., a contractor, who died at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1911; Alexander, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and James, of Leipsic.  The mother of these children died on Aug. 4, 1914, at the age of eighty-three.  She was an active supporter of the Presbyterian church, as was her husband. W. J. MacDonald was a charter member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Leipsic, and died Dec. 11, 1914 at his home in Leipsic.
     James McDonald grew up at Leipsic and learned bricklaying and stonecutting with his brother.  He worked at the trade about fifteen years, during which time he engaged in contracting.  He continued at that capacity until 1908.  He also engaged in the retail builders' supply business at Leipsic about the year 1899.  He opened up a lumber yards at Leipsic in 1905.  With it he combined a line of builders' supplies, and has since continued in that business.  Mr. MacDonald has been conspicuously successful and does a very large business in his line.
     He built one of the handsomest brick residences in 1912 in Leipsic, where he now resides.  Mr. MacDonald was married on May 3, 1893, to Capitola Isabelle Close.  She was born between Gilboa and Benton Ridge, in the west part of Hancock County, Ohio, the daughter of Solomon Markley and Sarah Elizabeth (Kindle) Close.   Solomon Close was born in October, 1834, in Putnam county, not far from Bluffton, and was a son of Michael and Jane Close.  Solomon Close was a farmer until he reached old age and lived part of the time between Gilboa and Benton Ridge.  He later moved to Van Buren township, in this county, and now lives in West Leipsic.  He was a soldier in the Civil War, a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for three and one-half years.  He was never wounded nor in a hospital.  He is now a member of the Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Leipsic, in which fraternal order he takes a great interest.
     Mrs. MacDonald grew to womanhood in Putnam County.  To James MacDonald and wife, eight children were born, three of whom died in infancy.  The five living children are Florence Menetta, Lawrence James, Serge R. C., Vivian Beatrice and Evelyn Rose.
     Mr. MacDonald is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, but takes no active interest in political affairs, preferring rather to devote all his time and attention to his extensive business interests.  He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, while Mrs. MacDonald is a member of the Pythian Sisters.  Both Mr. MacDonald and his wife are loyal and earnest members of the Presbyterian church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested, and to whose support they are liberal contributors.  They are highly respected citizens of their community, enjoying the esteem of a large number of neighbors and friends. 
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Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 424
  JOHN T. MATHENY.  If asked to present a list of occupations which, because of their very nature, interest and inspire, few there are who would include farming, or if they did, this vocation would not head the list.  Here and there, however, are men who, by their attitude toward there work.  Here and there, however, are men who, by their attitude toward their work, make of the meanest task a pleasure, and thereby dignify both the doer and the thing they do.
     Were you to travel through Putnam county, Ohio, one of the farms which would immediately attract your admiration is that of J. T. Mathey.  From the freshly-painted fence and well-kept lawn, in front of the house, to the neatly-stacked woodpile in the rear, there is evidence only of thrift, but of intelligent personality back of it.  And there is, for the owner loves his work.
     John T. Matheny was born in Kalida, Putnam county, Ohio, on Mar. 7, 1868.  He was the son of Samuel and Adelia (Roges) Matheny.  Samuel Matheny figured prominently in the politics of his county, having acceptably filled a number of township offices under Republican administrations.  He came from Virginia to Delaware county, Ohio, where he worked on a farm until the discovery of gold in California fired his ambition, and, in the year of 1849, he, like many others, wet to seek his fortune in the West.  He traveled by way of the Isthmus of Panama.  For four years, he met with success, as a miner, but finally, home called louder than fortune, and he dropped his pick to follow the plow back in the county he had left.  The return journey also was made by way of Panama.  Soon after his return to Ohio, he married Adelia Rogers, removed to Kalida, Ohio, and became interested in buying and shipping stock, and farming.  He bought and developed a large tract of land near Kalida.  He was a faithful member of the Methodist church.  After the death of Samuel Matheny, which took place on the farm, his widow continued to live there with her son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. John T. Matheny, until her death.
     John T. Matheny had three sisters and one brother.  They were Eva, Clara, Emma and Howard.  Of these, Clara married H. M. Summers, a real estate dealer living in Ottawa, and they have five children; Emma married a hardware merchant, named Basil Sparling, and they live in Monroe, Michigan, and they have three children.  Going back another generation, we find that r. Matheny's grandparents on the father's side were born and died in Virginia, and that their children were James, William, Robert, Samuel and Jane.  The children of the maternal grandparents were John, Howard, Marion, Mary, Sinah, Emma and Adelia.
     John T. Matheny's school days were interspersed with wholesome farm work, yet it seems he did not allow his tasks to crush him ambition.  He attended school in Kalida, and when still a young man, married Nettie Varner, on Dec. 10, 1902, daughter of W. J. and Annie Varner.  Mr. Matheny's wife also came from a substantial old family of pioneers whose ambition brought them from Virginia early enough to travel on horseback, for there was no other mode of transportation.  The grandfather on the paternal side took advantage of conditions by trading with the Indians who lived within the vicinity of the settlement.
     W. J. Varner, father of Mrs. Matheny, is mentioned elsewhere in this volume . He was born in Greensburg township, Putnam county, in 1848, and married Annie Simon, of that township, whose parents, also, were early settlers and prominent in the county.  That Mr. Varner was public-spirited is shown from the fact that he was treasurer of the township, and for ten years was a member of the county board of agriculture.
     For six years after his marriage, Mr. Matheny gave all of his attention to farming. He then moved to the old W. J. Varner homestead in Greensburg township, Putnam county, where he still resides.  This is a splendid farm of one hundred acres.  The children born to John T. Matheny and wife are: Nelson Varner, born on Sept. 8, 1903; Howard Samuel, born on Sept. 4, 1909; John Wilson, born on Nov. 18, 1912.  The two elder boys are attending school.
     John T. Matheny has been unusually successful in raising Jersey cattle and Duroc hogs, but, not content with present efforts, he is preparing to make extensive improvements on his property.  Like his father, he is a Republican, and has held public office, having served on the county council and as corporation clerk while living in Kalida.  Everybody knows the Mathenys, and everybody likes them.  As members of the Methodist church they have many friends, and are among those whom we call the leaders in the community in which they live.  Mr. Matheny is a Free and Accepted Mason.  He has always kept in close touch with public affairs.  So genial and wholesome are John T. Matheny and wife that their home is a social center.  It has never been bound by narrow interests.  In all of his activities, Mr. Matheny is assisted by his able and charming wife.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 723
  GEORGE H. MERSMAN.  A substantial business man of Glandorf, Putnam County, Ohio, is George Henry Mersman, who was born on the farm where his elevator is now located.  His parents, both of whom were natives of Germany, where early settlers in this county, and the Mersman family have been active in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community, for many years.  Mr. Mersman started to work in the woolen-mill in Glandorf, when a young man, and for more than a quarter of a century was interested in this business, while at the same time he carried on general farming.  He has been interested in the elevator business in Glandorf since 1892, though he is still devoting some of his attention to farming.
     George Henry Mersman, the son of Henry and Mary E. (Recker) Mersman, was born on Feb. 18, 1851, at Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio.  His father was born in Glandorf, Germany, and came to this county when a young man, where he worked on the Ohio canal, which was being built through this section of the state.  Later, he was a partner with Mr. Myers, in the saw-mill business, and still later was engaged in the same business with Mr. Drerup.  In addition to operating the saw-mille, he had a grist mill which was run by steam power, the grinding being done with an old-fashioned burr stone.  Mr. Mersman continued the saw and grist-mill business, in Glandorf, as long as he lived.  In addition to his mills he operated a general store, packed and shipped pork and was a business man, interested in many ventures.  He and his brother, Barney, were in partnership in the pork packing business.  Mary E. Recker, the wife of Henry Mersman was born in Hanover, Germany, and was a daughter of Nicholas Henry Recker and wife.  The mother died in the old country, and her father married again.  When Mary E. Recker was a girl of five years, her father and family came to America and located at Fort Wayne, Indiana, but lived there only a short time, when they moved to Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, where her father farmed during the remainder of his life.
     George Henry Mersman lived at home until he was grown.  As a young man he worked in the woolen mills at Glandorf, and continued there for twenty-eight years.  He began his mill work by operating a carding machine, and later became a spinner.  At the same time that he was working in the woolen mills, he was engaged in farming.  Mr. Mersman built an elevator at Glandorf, in 1892, just after the railroad was built through the village, and leased it out for one year.  Since that time he has had active charge of the elevator himself, and has built up a large and lucrative business in the buying and shipping of grain.
     Mr. Mersman was married on Apr. 21, 1875, to Anna M. Halker, who was born in Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, and is the daughter of William and Louise (Vogeding) Halker.  Her parents were both natives of Germany, came to Glandorf, Ohio, early in its history, and located in the midst of a dense forest.  Her father was a life-long farmer.  Mr. and Mrs. Mersman were the parents of three children, two of whom, Louise and John, died in infancy.  Anna E. is the wife of Anthony Kohls.  Mr. Kohls was born at Glandorf and reared at New Cleveland, this county.  He is a son of Tony and Theresa (Klinkhammer) Kohls.  Mr. and Mrs. Kohls have four children, Anna, Linus, Clarence and Louisa.  Mr. Kohls and Mr. Mersman are operating this business together.
     Mr. Mersman has given his hearty support to the Democratic party, and has been a member of the Glandorf council ever since the village was incorporated, with the exception of two years.  He and his wife are loyal members of St. John's Catholic church, at Glandorf.  He has a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, twenty-five acres of which is good timber land, and is now doing a general farming business.  Since purchasing this tract of farm land, Mr. Mersman has installed many changes and made numerous improvements.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 312
  JUDGE JOSEPH MERSMAN.   The present judge of the probate court of Putman county, Ohio, is Joseph Mersman, who has been filling this responsible position since 1909.  A native of this county he has spent practically his whole life here, and since he was eighteen years of age, he has always lived in Ottawa, with the exception of two years.  He started when a young man as a clerk in a general store in Ottawa, and after following this for several years, he engaged in the creamery business and was the manager of the Riverside Creamery, in Ottawa, until his election as probate judge of the county.  In the administration of the duties of this office he has exercised great care and sound judgment and his decisions have always been characterized by fairness and impartiality.
     Judge Joseph Mersman, the son of Bernard and Julianna (Bockhold) Mersman, was born at Glandorf, in this county, in 1858.  His father was born in Hauenhorst, Rheinpfalz, Germany, in 1818, and came to America when he was about twenty-four years of age.  The father of Bernard Mersman died in Germany, and a year or so after Bernard came to thsi country, his mother also came here and made her home with one of her daughters, Mrs. Meyers, in Putnam county, until her death, Jan. 2, 1877, at the advanced age of ninety-six.
      Bernard Mersman first located at Cincinnati, Ohio, upon coming to this country, but shortly afterward moved to Glandorf, Putnam county, where he lived the remainder of his life.  He was a merchant and one of the founders of the Glandorf Woolen Mills, a factory which was of much importance in the early history of Glandorf.  In addition to his store and factory, he also owned a farm near Glandorf, making this place his home until his death, in 1866, at the age of forty-eight.  Julianna Bockhold, the wife of Bernard Mersman, was born in Germany, a daughter of John and Katherine Buckhold.  She came to America with a relative and went to Cincinnati, later locating in Glandorf, where she met and married Bernard Mersman.  To this union the following children were born, four of whom are living, the others dying in infancy, except Bernard and George.  Bernard, deceased, George Henry, deceased, Joseph, Frank J. and Katherine, the wife of Samuel Hunchbarger, Mrs. Theasie Goede.  The mother of these children died on Mar. 23, 1909.
     Joseph Mersman spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, near Glandorf, his father dying when he was but eight years of age.  He worked on the home farm and attended the schools of his township until he was seventeen years of age, and then went to Kendallville, Indiana, where he worked for one year, after which time he returned to Putnam county, and located in Ottawa, where he has since lived, with the exception of two years.  Upon locating in Ottawa he began clerking in the general store and for thirteen years was employed as a salesman.  He then engaged in the creamery business and conducted the Riverside Creamery, until he became, probate judge.  For several years he has been active in the councils of the Democratic party, and in 1908 his party nominated and subsequently elected him as judge of the probate court, and so satisfactory was his service during his first term that he was renominated and again elected in the fall of 1912, for another term of four years.
     Judge Mersman was married in 1880, to Anna M. Unterbrink.  She was born in Greensburg township, this county, and is a daughter of Ferdinand and Gertrude Unterbrink.  Her parents were natives of Germany, and upon coming to this country located in Greensburg township.  Mr. Unterbrink was a well-known farmer, a justice of hte peace and a county commissioner for two terms.  He was prominently known throughout the county.  Mrs. Mersman is a woman of unusual attainments, and early in life began to teach in the public schools of this county, and for several years taught in Greensburg, Pleasant, Union and Ottawa townships.
     Judge Mersman and his wife are members of the Catholic church, and deeply intersted in its welfare.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 432
  BERNARD JOSEPH MEYER.  Germany is among those nations that have contributed a large quota of their population to that of the United States.  No country has furnished better citizens.  Hundreds of thousands of men and women, with the best blood of that country coursing through their veins, have come to our shores, and have become the most substantial citizens of the various localities in which they settled.  Fortunate, indeed, is the community which has German descendants numbered among its citizens, for wherever they are found they are always numbered among its most substantial citizens.  The habits of thrift and frugality which they inherit from their ancestors make them valuable residents to the community at large.  No one has ever heard of a German dying in the poorhouse.  The examples set by the thrifty German citizens have been very beneficial, not only to our native Americans, but to the citizens of all other countries as well.  Ohio has been fortunate in attracting to her fertile soil many thousands of good Germans, and among the prominent families of Putnam county of German descent is the Meyer family.  One of the representative citizens of Putnam county, who is a scion of a thrifty German family, is Bernard Joseph Meyer.
     Bernard Joseph Meyer was born on June 12, 1863, at Glandorf, Putnam county, the son of Gerhard and Anna (Moening) Meyer, whose life histories are found elsewhere in this volume.  These histories give the Meyers family history.
     Growing up on a farm near Glandorf, Bernard J. Meyer was married in 1886 to Mary Elizabeth Ellerbrock, who was born in Glandorf and who is the daughter of John Ferdinand and Theresa (Klemen) Ellerbrock.  The Ellerbrock family history is also found elsewhere in this volume.
     In the spring of 1886 Mr. Meyer purchased a farm in the southeastern part of Liberty township, and he has lived upon this farm since his marriage.  He began with eighty acres that were largely covered with swamps, and, aside from being mostly cleared of timber, it was almost totally unimproved.  Mr. Meyer has erected an excellent house, a large substantial barn with a tile roof and a number of other substantial outbuildings.  He now owns one hundred and fifty-nine acres o fertile land, which produces abundant harvests.  Bernard J. Meyer is a farmer and thresherman and is well known in Liberty township as an enterprising citizen and a successful business man.
     To Bernard J. and Mary Elizabeth (Ellerbrock) Meyer have been born four children: John Ferdinand, Catherine Wilhelmina, Catherine Agnes and Joseph Henry.  John Ferdinand married Anna Susanna Gores, the daughter of George Gores, and lives on his father's farm.  They have one daughter, Mary Elizabeth.  Catherine Wilhelmina  is the wife of George Steffen and lives east of Leipsic.  They have one daughter, Eulalia Marie.  Catherine Agnes and Joseph Henry are unmarried and live at home.
     The Meyer family have always been members of the Catholic church and contribute liberally to the support of this faith.  Mr. Meyer is a representative citizen and a successful farmer.  He is interested in all public movements and does not hesitate to devote his time and money to worthy public enterprises.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1258
  CHARLES HENRY MEYER.  When a man is referred to by his fellow men as an industrious, upright, honorable and progressive citizen of the community in which he lives, and is regarded a success in life by his neighbors, it is then that the chronicler of worth-while events begins an investigation and determines, in his own mind, whether or not great credit is due.  As a caption for this review, we have the name of a man who stands for everything in the advancement and welfare of the people and whose personal achievements are worthy of mention in a historical work, where they can be referred to by the coming generation.
     Charles Henry Meyer was born in Liberty township, Putnam county, Ohio, Sept. 16, 1871, and is the son of George H. and Mary (Schroeder) Meyer.  His father was a native of Putnam county, Ottawa township, and was born on his father's farm on Feb. 7, 1846, where he grew to manhood and received his early education in the township schools.  The original farm contained eighty acres in Liberty township, and was always considered a good piece of land for general farming purposes.  George H. Meyer is still living and resides on this farm, to which he added more land from time to time, the total of which was two hundred eleven acres and from which eighty acres was sold by him to the subject of this sketch.  The father's homestead is situated in Liberty township, and the eighty acres which was sold lies in Pleasant township, this county.  The father has continued farming all of his life and is considered a man of sterling quality, honesty and good business ability, industrious and interested in the welfare of the community.  He served on the school board for a number of years, and was elected to the office of township supervisor, in which capacity he served for several years, to the satisfaction of the people interested.  Religiously, he is an active member of the Catholic church in New Cleveland, Ohio, and of which his family are devout members.  Mr. Meyer's mother was a native of Greensburg township, this county, being the daughter of Charles Schroeder, and was born on Apr. 23, 1852.  She was married in November, 1870, to subject's father and is still living.  To their union were born thirteen children, as follow:  Charles Henry, Mary ( Mrs. Kuhlman), of Blanchard township; Theodore, of Blanchard township; Anna (deceased), Tracy (Mrs. Edward Kuhlman), of Ottawa township; Katherine (Mrs. Barney Kettles), of Ottawa township; John who lives in North Dakota; Benjamin, of Blanchard township; Fronia (Mrs. Frank Schmiedebusch), of Liberty township; Agnes (Mrs. John Schmenk), of Blanchard township; Hiram, Andrew and Edward, the last two named are living on the homestead farm.
     Charles H. Meyer spent his early boyhood days about his father's farm in Ottawa township and received his education in the township schools.  He assisted in clearing the original tract and made himself generally useful thereon, until after the time of his marriage, when he purchased eighty acres from his father and began the erection of a home for himself and family, including the necessary barn and outbuildings, and otherwise improved the place for general farming purposes.  This land required considerable ditching and draining and has been cleared, with the exception of ten acres of standing timber.  The home is a modern brick structure, both commodious and comfortable, and gives the observer an impression of prosperity.
     Mr. Meyer's marriage to Anna Ellerbrock took place Oct. 14, 1896.  She is the daughter of Ferdinand and Thracia (Klemm) Ellerbrock, the former having come to this country from Germany, with his parents when he was a lad of seven years of age.  The parental grandparents, Theodore and Catherine (Trocke) Ellerbrock, coming to this country from Germany, settled near the town of Glandorf, Ohio, on forty acres of wild and uncleared land and worked on the canal which was nearby.  Ferdinand  Ellerbrock remained  on this original forty acres and to which he added forty acres more prior to his death, on Dec. 25, 1914, at the age of eighty-two years.  He proved himself a good, substantial farmer and was highly esteemed by those who knew him being noted for honesty and integrity of character; he was a true German, kind and loving, and a good provider for his family.  His wife was a native of Ottawa township, this county, and a daughter of Henry and Catherine (Gerdeman) Klemm.  To them were born eleven children, Catherine (Mrs. Meyer, deceased), Mary (Mrs. Barney Schmenk, Liberty township), Elizabeth (Mrs. Joseph Meyer, liberty township), Theodore (deceased), Joseph, of Pleasant township; Andrew who lives on the home place; Anna (subject's wife) born Nov. 19, 1875; Tracey (Mrs. Theodore Meyers, Blanchard township); Benjamin who lives on the home place; Lucy (Mrs. Henry F. Weiss, Ottawa township), and Anna (Mrs. Anthony Weiss, of Ottawa township).  To the marriage of Charles Henry Meyer and wife have been born the following children: Henry, Martha, Francis (a deceased infant), Mary, Agnes, Clara (a deceased infant), and Alfred.
     Politically, Mr. Meyer is a Democrat but he has never had aspirations to hold an office, though, previous to his resignation  in 1910, he had served on the local school board for ten years.  He gives his support to the Catholic religion and the family are regular members of the church of that denomination in Columbus Grove.  Personallly, Mr. Meyer is a hard worker and is well thought of in the community; he is a firm believer in modern farming methods, and gives considerable study to machinery inventions for the saving of labor on the farm.  He does not belong to societies of any kind, but is glad to consider every worthy fellow man as a brother and to render assistance to those who need it.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1396
  GERHARD B. MEYER.  Ohio has been especially honored by the characters and careers of her farmers.  In every section have been found men born to leadership in this vocation, men who have dominated because of their superior intelligence, natural endowment and force of character.  It is always profitable to study such lives, weigh their motives and hold up their achievements as incentives to greater activities and high excellence on the part of others.  These reflections are suggested by the career of Gerhard B. Meyer, who during his life, forged his way to the front ranks of the farmers of Putnam county.  By his inherent force of character, his buoyant business ability, he was able to direct and control the actions of his neighbors and fellow citizens.  He was a leader in his vocation for more than a generation and few men in Putnam county achieved a more honorable position or occupied a more conspicuous place as a farmer than the late Gerhard B. Meyer.  His success was obtained by normal methods and means, determined application of physical and mental resources along correctly defined lines.
     The late Gerhard B. Meyer was born in Hanover, Germany, on Aug. 26, 1833, the son of Theodore and Anna (Mersman) Meyer.  Gerhard B. Meyer came with his parents, in 134, to Glandorf, Putnam county, and spent almost his entire life there.  His father located on a farm in section 33, southwest of Ottawa, which he purchased from Professor Horstman.  At that time it was all a new country and Indians were still in the vicinity.
     On May 1, 1853, Mr. Meyer was married to Anna M. Moening, a sister of Henry Moening, whose life history is found elsewhere in this volume, and which gives the parental history of Mrs. Meyer.  She was born in Ottawa township, southwest of Glandorf on Apr. 29, 1835, and was the seventh child baptized in Glandorf.  Theodore Meyer, Mr. Meyer's father, was connected with the organization of the church at Glandorf, where Mrs. Gerhard B. Meyer was baptized.
     After marriage, Mr. Meyer remained on the farm,.  He was born in Hanover, Germany, and after his father's death, purchased the interest of the other heirs in the estate.  Gerhard B. Meyer owned, altogether, at one time, three hundred and eighty acres of splendid farming lands in Putnam county.  He also conducted a threshing machine for many years and was successful in this business.
     To Gerhard B. and Anna M. (Moening) Meyer, eleven children were born, of whom eight grew to maturity.  Henry, who lives about two and one-half miles southwest of Leipsic; Theodore, who lives at Toledo; Joseph, who lives about one and one-half miles southwest of Leipsic; Herman, who lives about two miles southwest of Ottawa; Mary, who is the wife of Henry Kreinbrink, a farmer of the west edge of West Leipsic; Frank, who farms the old home place southwest of Ottawa; Kate, deceased, who was the wife of Frank Karhoff; and Lizzie, the wife of Joseph Kleman, who lives in the western part of Liberty township.
     Gerhard B. Meyer died on Sept. 17, 1900, and his wife died on Mar. 6, 1912.  With the passing of these venerable citizens, Putnam county lost two of its pioneer settlers and two of its most highly respected citizens.  Gerhard B. Meyer was a modest, unassuming man, but he was a man of a deeply religious nature who believed in and practiced the fundamental principles of Christianity.  He was one of those men of whom it may be truly said that he performed a noble work and that there must be given to him by the eternal order of things the reward laid up that is in store for those who do their duty well on this earth.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1408
  HERMAN FRANK MEYER.   Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages, and as a usual thing men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and thrift, have been patrons of husbandry.  The free, outdoor life of the farm has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self-reliance which characterizes true manhood.  No truer blessing can befall a boy than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful, life-inspiring labor of the fields.  It has always been the fruitful soil from which have sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country, and the majority of our nation's greatest warriors, renowned statesmen and distinguished men of letters were born on the farm, and were indebted largely to its early influence for the distinction which they have attained.
     Herman Frank Meyer, a prosperous and enterprising farmer of Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born two miles southwest of Ottawa, on Oct, 3, 1873.  He is a son of Gerhard B. and Anna M. (Moening) Meyer.  Herman Frank Meyer has lived all his life on the farm where he now resides, and where he was born.  Frank H. and Agnes (Niese) Karhoff.  Frank Karhoff was born on June 26, 1850, on the farm where he now lives, one miles northwest of Glandorf.  He is a son of Herman Henry and Adeline (Grote) Karhoff, the former a native of Holland, and the latter a native of Germany.  Herman Henry Karhoff came to America at the age of twenty-three years.  His future wife came to this country on the same ship.  Eventually, he came to Putnam county, Ohio, and purchased two hundred and eighteen acres of land near Glandorf.  Mrs. Meyer's father was only ten years of age when her grandfather died.  The grandmother remained on this farm, reared her children, and spent her old age there with her son, her death occurring on Aug. 9, 1895, at the age of eighty-seven years.  Mrs. Meyer's father was reared on the farm near Glandorf, and was married, Aug. 3, 1870, to Agnes Niese, who was born north of her present home, and who was the daughter of Barney and Catherine (Lafkon) Niese, the former a native of Prussia, and the latter of Hanover, Germany.  Mrs. Meyer's father has been an extensive breeder of thoroughbred Durham cattle, but gave up his branch of farming some years ago.  Mrs. Meyer is one of ten children born to her parents, Frank B. first married Katie Meyer.  She died, leaving an infant son, Harry, and he afterward married Lucy Hulsman, to which union five children were born, Laura, Edwin, Philomina, Alma and Edna.  Frank lives at the east edge of Greensburg township, north of the Ottawa & Kalida Pike; Henry Karhoff married Lucy Ellerbrock, and lives north of Kalida on the Napoleon road.  They have seven children, Delia, Lawrence, Amos, Francis, Cornelius, Emma and Raymond; Amelia is the wife of Mathias Robke, and lives in Cloverdale.  They have two sons, Frank and Albert; Paulina is the wife of H. F. Meyer, and lives southwest of Ottawa, and they have six children, Albert, Lawrence, Felix, Luella, Mary and Agnes; Philomina is the wife of Ben Brinkman, and lives one and one-half miles from Kalida on the Columbus Grove pike, and they have three children, Edwin, Hilda and Norma; John married Lena Hulsman and lives in the northwest part of Pleasant township, and they are the parents of three children, Ida, Urban and Leo; Emma is the wife of Edwin Brinkman, and they live in the southwest part of Liberty township.  They have two children, Alice and Mary; Albert married Agnes Stechschulte and lives near the northwest corner of Ottawa township; Lewis and Barney are unmarried and living at home.  Albert and Lewis are twins, born on Feb. 20, 1891.
     Herman Frank Meyer now owns one hundred and twenty-nine acres of land, on which he carries on a diversified system of farming and has met with a very commendable degree of success in his efforts.
     Mr. Meyer and family are devout members of the Catholic church at Glandorf.  In fact, both the Meyer and Karhoff families are and have been for many generations members of this church, and are actively interested in its welfare, contributing generously to its support.  Mr. Meyer lives on the old home farm, where he has a splendid brick residence, good barns, well-kept fences and fields, and his farm presents a very attractive appearance.  He is an enterprising and progressive farmer, and a man well entitled to recognition in a volume of this character.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1417
  JOHN W. MEYER.  One of the best known young farmers and stock dealers in Putnam county is John W. Meyer, whose attractive place in Union township is the subject of admiring attention on the part of the travelers on the highway which leads past the place, and whose stable of full-blooded Belgian horses is known far and near throughout the county.  Mr. Meyer is one of the younger generation of farmers who are taking advantage of all the latest research along agricultural lines and in consequence has one of  the best-kept and most productive small farms in his part of the county.  He is alert in all that pertains to his business, for he is a farmer who looks upon farming as a real business and not a mere haphazard strewing of grain, and holds a high place in his community.  His progressive methods certainly entitle him to mention among the men of enterprise in Putnam county and the biographer finds pleasure in presenting at this point, a brief outline of the salient points of his career.
     John W. Meyer was born in Pleasant township, Putnam county, Ohio, on Christmas Day, 1887, a son of John B. and Catharine (Smith) Meyer, both of whom were born in Ottawa township, in the same county.
     John B. Meyer, who is now living a retired life in the city of Ottawa, the county seat of Putnam county, is the son of George Meyer, a former well-known and influential farmer of Union township, this county, who came to this country from Germany, first settling on a farm near Glandorf, this county, where he married and where his children were born, and where he lived until the death of his wife, after which he bought a farm in Union township, the place at present owned and occupied by his son-in-law, Joseph Unverfurth, where he spent the rest of his life.  George Meyer and his wife were the parents of the following children: John B., Joseph, Elizabeth, Theresa, Katherine and Caroline, all of whom were brought up in the Catholic faith.
     John B. Meyer was reared on the paternal farm and was educated in the nearby school at Glandorf.  Until his marriage to Catherine Smith, whose parents were among the early settlers in Putnam county, he lived on his father's farm, but previous to his marriage had bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Ottawa township, to which he moved upon his marriage, and rapidly brought it to a good state of cultivation.  He lived there for about twenty years, at the end of which time he bought a farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres on section 17, in Union township, on which he erected as fine a set of farm buildings as there was in that part of the county at that time.  His dwelling house was large, roomy and comfortable, substantial in every detail, and the farm buildings were in keeping with the same.  The barn, which Mr. Meyer erected at that time, was for many years a veritable landmark in that section, its peculiar style of architecture attracting general attention, it being built in circular shape and was regarded as one of the finest in the county.  Mr. Meyer lived on this place for about fourteen years and then sold that part of the farm containing the house and farm buildings, comprising forty acres, to his son, John W., who now lives there.  He then purchased a home in Ottawa and moved to the county seat, where he is now living in comfortable retirement from the activities of life, enjoying the fruits of his earlier days of industrious application to the business of the farm.  About twenty years ago Mrs. Meyer, mother of the immediate subject of this sketch, died, and Mr. Meyer too to himself a second wife, marrying Catherine Hark.
     To John B. and Catherine (Smith) Meyer were born four children to follow:  Mary, who married Michael Donnersbauch and lives on a farm near St. Clair, Michigan; August, who married Laura Erhert, and lives in the town of Glandorf, this county; John W., the subject of this sketch, and Frederick, who married Susan Sleeter and lives in Ft. Jennings, this county.
     John W. Meyer was reared on the paternal farm, attending both the district school of that neighborhood and the school at Glandorf.  He married Josephine Dangler on July 8, 1913, daughter of Edward and Margaret Dangler, both natives of this state, who, after their marriage, located on a farm near Ottawa, this county, later moving to Defiance, Ohio, where they lived for ten years, at the end of which time they moved back to Putnam county, locating on a farm in Union township, on which they still live.  They are the parents of three children, Josephine, Alva and Genevieve, all of whom are members of St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida, with which Mr. Meyer also is connected.
     On his small, but highly-cultivated farm Mr. Meyer is obtaining excellent results.  In connection with his work of general farming he is deeply interested in the raising of full-blooded Belgian horses and is developing this branch of his operations into a very well-defined business.  He gives close attention to the general public affairs of his community and is regarded as one of the coming men of advanced thought in farming lore in that part of the county.  He is one of the directors of the Mutual Telephone Company at Kalida.  He and his wife take an active part in the social affairs of the neighborhood and are very popular among their large circle of acquaintances.
 Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 428
  JOHN HENRY MEYER.  Men who have cleared the land, drained the swamps and erected new buildings and fences, making the soil teem with growing crops, are entitled to the rank of the foremost citizens of any community.  John Henry Meyer, an enterprising farmer of Liberty township, Putnam county, Ohio, has done all of these things.
     John Henry Meyer was born at Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, the son of Gerhard B. and Mary (Moening) Meyer.  Gerard B. Meyer was born in Germany, the son of Theodore and Anna Mary (Mersman) Meyer, who were born and married in Germany and came to Glandorf, Putnam county, about 1814.  Theodore Meyer helped to build the canal.  He had many thrilling experiences with the Indians who came to this place at that time.  On one occasion the mother went to Lima to get flour and walked all the way, carrying the flour on her shoulder.  Theodore Meyer cleared the land on Cranberry creek, southwest of Ottawa, and there spent his life.  They reared a family of five children: Gerhard B., Barnard, Theodore, Mary Theresa and George Henry.
     John H. Meyer is one of six sons and three daughters, of whom one son died when eight years old; the others are Henry, Theodore, Joseph Herman, Frank, Mary, Katie and Elizabeth.  Katie married and died about nine years ago, leaving one son, Frank.  The other brothers and sisters are all living.
     John Henry Meyer lived at home until twenty-two years old when, in 1880, he was married to Katie Ellerbrock, the daughter of Ferdinand and Theresa (Kleman) Ellerbrock.  She died in 1907.  She was the mother of two sons and five daughters, Elizabeth, Theresa, Lucy, Minnie, Harry, Clara and Edward.  Elizabeth is the wife of Charles Niese and lives on a farm near Ottawa.  They have three children.  Theresa, ten wife of Casper Schmenk, lives in New Cleveland, Liberty township, and has three children: Lucy, the wife of Theodore Ruhe, lives at Miller City and has three children; Minnie, the wife of Frank Schroeder, lives north of Leipsic in Van Buren township and has three sons; Harry is at home; Clara is the wife of Walter Klass and lives at Miller City, and Edward is still at home. 
     After Mr. Meyer's first marriage he began farming about three miles southwest of Leipsic and five miles north of Ottawa, where he bought eighty acres of undried land, and there were many water holes.  He put this land in a state of cultivation and built an entire new group of buildings, including a splendid new brick house.  He now owns one hundred and ninety acres of land, one hundred and fifty in the home farm and forty in Ottawa township.  Mr. Meyer has operated a threshing outfit ever since he was a young man and is widely known as the most successful threasher in the community.
     In 1909 he married Mrs. Annie (Lammers) Schroeder, the widow of John William Schroeder.  She was born and reared at New Cleveland, the daughter of Henry and Gertrude (Siebeneck) Lammers. 
     Henry Lammers came from Germany and Mrs. Lammers was born at Glandorf, a daughter of Bernard Henry and Gertrude (Inkrot) Siebeneck.  Bernard H. Siebeneck was born near Munster in Prussia and came to the United States, about 1835, and entered government land in Greensburg township.  He remained there a year, when he went back to Germany and married there.  Returning with his wife, they lived in Greensburg township the rest of their lives.  Henry Lammers was a son of John Lammers and wife and came to America probably as early as 1850 and became a well-known farmer, spending the rest of his life on his farm in the northeastern part of Ottawa township, where his widow still resides.
     Mrs. Meyer's first husband was J. William Schroeder, who was born on Mar. 6, 1857,and died Mar. 17, 1901.  He was born at Glandorf, the son of Charles and Agnes (Hohenbrink) Schroeder.  Charles Schroeder was born at Ostercappeln, Germany, and came to America at the age of six years, about 1834, with his parents, Nicholas and Anna Schroeder, who settled in the wild woods of Greensburg township and suffered many privations of pioneer life, but in time the family prospered and Charles Schroeder became a successful farmer, owning over seven hundred acres of land.  His son, J. William Schroeder, farmed at New Cleveland until his death.
     Mrs. Meyer had seven children by her first marriage four sons and three daughters: Charles, Frank, Jerome, August, Mary, Anna and Martha.  Charles married Millie Kuhlman and has three children; Frank married Mr. Meyer's daughter Minnie the same day Mr. Meyer married Frank's mother; Mary is the wife of William Kuhlman; Anna married Charles Kuhlman and has two children living and one dead.  Mr. Schroeder died in 1902.  He was a life-long farmer.
     Mr. and Mrs. Meyer and family are all members of the Catholic church at New Cleveland and are liberal contributors to its support.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1239
  JOHN HERMAN MEYER.   The best history of a community or state is that which deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially of those who, by their own endeavors and indomitable energy, have forged to the front and placed themselves where they deserve the title of progressive men.  In this brief review will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life, and achieved a career of marked success in agricultural affairs, and a name which all men who knew him, delight to honor, because of his upright life and his habits of thrift and industry.
     John Herman Meyer was born on Apr. 7, 1866, a short distance southwest of Ottawa, near where he now lives.  He is a son of George B. and Anna Mary (Moening) Meyer, who are referred to elsewhere in this volume.
     John Herman Meyer was reared on the home farm, attending the district schools of his home township, remaining on the farm assisting his father until his marriage, which took place in 1890, when he was united to Elizabeth Gertrude Kelman.  She was born in the north part of Pleasant township, and is a daughter of Henry and Mary Gertrude (Kottenbrock) Kleman, born in Putnam county, of German parents who came here about 1835.
     Mrs. Meyer was reared south of Ottawa, in Pleasant township, coming to Glandorf, at the age of thirteen, with her parents.  Henry Kleman made his home on a farm in Pleasant township, after his marriage, and lived there the remainder of his life.  He was killed by lightning when Mrs. Meyer was only three months old.  Her mother afterwards married Anton Unverferth, in 1880, and they made their home in Greensburg township.  By her first marriage, Mrs. Meyer's mother had eight children, of whom six are still living.  No children were born to the second marriage.  The six children now living, who were born to her first marriage, are John, Henry, George, Ben, Anna, now Mrs. Unverferth, and Mrs. Elizabeth Meyer.  The mother of these children died in Greenburg township in 1890.
     After Mr. Meyer's marriage, he continued farming on land near the old home place, on what is known as the old Ellerbrock farm, and here has lived ever since.  His father purchased the place when John H. Meyer was six years old.  At that time the old house has been moved off and the old barn was practically worthless.  Herman Meyer tore it down and has erected a nice, large and modern house, and has also put up a commodious barn.  The latter was erected in 1894, and he has other numerous outbuildings in a good state of repair.  Like his two brothers, Mr. Meyer has owned and operated a thrashing machine outfit for many yeas, his father before him having also conducted the same business.  All the members of the family are interested in machinery.  Mr. Meyer is well-known in Putnam county.  He has a good farm of ninety-nine acres, and is a thrifty and enterprising farmer.
     John H. and Elizabeth Gertrude (Kleman) Meyer are the parents of nine children, three of whom are deceased.  Charles C., who married Margaret Koerner, lives in the house next to his father, and has one son, Urban while Emma, Philomena, Loretta, Lucy and Marcella are living at home with their parents.  The three deceased children are Anna, Herman and Edward.
     John H. Meyer and family are all devout members of hte Catholic church at Glandorf and he of the St. John's Society.  The Meyer family is not only well known, but highly respected in Ottawa township, where they have lived for so many years.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1085
  FRED MICHEL, JR.

Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1044
  DAVID G. MILLER.   A day's ride in Putnam county, Ohio, reveals, even to the casual observer, a splendid stretch of farming country.  Whether the farms be large or small, there is a marked uniformity of excellence, not only in the land values, but also in the character of the industries promoted, and yet, the close observer will see that this prosperous condition is not accidental.  He knows that it is the fruit of brawn and brain, the result of painstaking toil extending through the years, and thought concentrated upon the object - success.  To some, the struggle has meant bitter disappointment, but others there are who have refused to recognize obstacles, who have shown their spirit to be mightier than all conditions.  But it has taken them all to make up the life of each community.  Therefore we are interested in every pioneer who has made his contribution to be prosperity of Putnam county.  Among these, David G. Miller claims attention, not only because of his success as a farmer, but because he merited the esteem of his fellow men.
     Two years after the birth of David G. Miller, which occurred on June 9, 1868, his mother, Mary (Vogt) Miller became a widow through the death of her husband, Christ Miller.  Their home was then in Allen county, Ohio.  After the marriage of his mother, some time later, to Aaron Huysman, the family moved to Putnam county, selecting Monterey township for their future home.  At this time, David was about four years old.
     Fortunately, he had thre brothers older than himself, these being the sons of Christ and Mary Miller.  Under the guidance of a devoted mother, they grew to manhood, and all are living today, John H. at Bossil, Fairfield county; Adams, a farmer, in Van Wert county, and Jacob near Continental, Ohio.
     The life of David G. Miller has not been different in outward circumstance to that of many of his friends and neighbors, but who shall say that the inner life has not been rich and varied?  Ambitious to learn all that the schools in his vicinity were able to give him, he received a common school education working on his father's farm when not attending school.  Reaching the mature age of twenty-six, he started out for himself, acquiring a tract of well-improved land, consisting of forty acres, in section 26, about two and one -half miles southwest of Ottoville.  It was 1905 when he began an independent career, by marrying Miss Mary Hanefeld, the wedding taking place on January 19.
     The bride was a daughter of John D. and Sophina (Kirchoff) Hanefeld, both of whom were natives of Germany.  John Hanefeld came to the United States with his parents when he was a littel fellow of eight summers, and they all settled on a farm in Jennings township.  Mrs. Hanefield was twenty-two when she left Germany and came to this country, living for a while after her arrival in New York city.  Preferring country life to the city, the family later removed to Ft. Jennings where the young woman met and married John Hanefeld.  Of the nine children, who blessed their home, four only are living.  These are Mrs. David G. Miller; John, who lives near Continental; Louis and Paul, who live at home.  Henry died when eleven years of age, and four others passed away in infancy.  Both parents are living and are still interested in their farm in Jackson township.
     Bertha S. Miller is the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David G. Miller, and also the only child.  She was born on Dec. 29, 1905, and is attending school near their attractive country home.
     Mr. Miller, in recent years, has given particular attention to the raising of full-blooded Light Brahma chickens and a splendid grade of stock.  So successful has he been that he is often sought by his neighbors that they may profit by his advice and experience.  Mr. Miler  has always cast his lot with the Republican party.  He is a member of the Presbyterian church of Delphos, while his wife still retains her membership in the Lutheran church of Ft. Jennings.
     Mr. Miller is the kind of man that every community needs.  His life has not been one spent int he world's broad thoroughfares, nor has he won laurels on the field of battle, but each day's task has been performed with courage and perseverance and in a kindly spirit, and who shall say that this is not success?
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1172
  GEORGE W. MILLER.   Putnam county is indebted, perhaps, to the Miller family as much as to any other, for its wondrous transformation to one of the treasures of the Buckeye state; for members of this family have been leaders in agricultural, industrial and civic affairs since the early days.  Each, with a fidelity to duty and a persistency of purpose peculiar to that class of men who take the lead in large affairs, has performed well his duty in all the relations of life, and while advancing his own interests, he has not been unmindful of the general welfare of his fellow citizens.  Thus the members of this family rightfully deserve an honored page in the history of this locality.
     George W. Miller was born in Sugar Creek townships, on April 25, 1864, a son of Jacob W. and Catherine (Best) Miller.  Jacob W. Miller was born near Piqua, Ohio, on Sept. 19, 1831, a son of Jacob and Margaret (Teegarden) Miller.  Jackson Miller and wife were both natives of Pennsylvania, coming to Ohio in a very early day, and locating near Piqua, where they were married.  Shortly afterward, when George W.'s father, their son Jacob, was about one year old, they came to Putnam county, locating on what became a part of Sugar Creek township, Allen county, where they spent the remainder of their lives.  Margaret Teegarden's father, Peter Teegarden, came to Putnam county in the early days, and entered government land, buying twelve quarter sections in one body.  This land he distributed among his children, one of whom, Margaret, was the subject's grandmother, who received one of these quarter sections.  On this old homestead, Jacob Miller was reared to manhood, and received his education in the schools of the neighborhood.  At about the age of twenty-seven years, he was married to Catherine Best.  He was one of nine children born to his parents, eight of whom grew to maturity, namely: Jacob, Elizabeth, Nancy Ann, Margaret, Lucinda, Mary, who died in infancy, Jackson, Elisha and William.  Each of these received from his parents eighty acres of land.  That inherited by Jacob lies one and three-quarter miles east of Vaughnsville.  After his marriage to Catherine Best, at the age of about twenty-seven years, he continued to operate the old home place, and there remained until his death, which occurred on Jan. 17, 1906.  His wife, Catherine, who was born in 1841, died on Feb. 17, 1914.  She was the daughter of George and Hannah (Seary) Best, natives of Tuscarawas county, who settled in Union township when Catherine  was about twelve years of age, and there George Best and wife spent the remainder of their lives.  Jacob Miller was a hard working man, and by good management and strict economy accumulated an estate of four hundred acres, from which, at his death, each of his children received forty acres.  To him and his wife were born a large family, all of whom grew to maturity, namely: William, now deceased; George; Sarah, deceased; James; Jane; Ann; Margaret, deceased; Mary, and Allen.
     George W. Miller was reared under the parental roof, securing a good, practical, common school education, and on the death of his father, received the northwest forty-acre tract of the original  one hundred and sixty acres of his father's estate.  To this he later added fifty acres of the north and twenty acres on the east, thus giving him a splendid farm of one hundred and ten acres.  He remained, continuously, on the old home place, until about 1913, when he moved to his present residence and the farm which was formerly known as the James Garner place.  Here he carried on general farming operations and also gave some attention to the breeding of thoroughbred Double Standard Polled Durham cattle.  He is progressive and wide-awake in his methods of farming and has earned a high reputation in his community because of his success.  The buildings are kept in the best of repair, and the general condition of the farm indicates the owner to be a man of good ideas and splendid taste.
     George W. Miller was united in marriage on Jan. 27, 1911, to Ruhama Vandemark, who has born in Union township, on June 20, 1888, a daughter of Elmer and Dora (Osborn) Vandemark, the former a native of Union township, and the latter of Allen county.  To this union has been born one child, Kennith Ewing, on Aug. 28, 1914.
     George W. Miller is an earnest Democrat, while his religious views are those of the Christian church, of which his wife is also a member, and to which they give earnest support.  Mr. Miller is well and favorably known throughout his section of Putnam county as a result of the industrious life he has lived here, being regarded by everybody as a man of sound business principles, thoroughly up-to-date is all phases of agriculture and stock raising, and as a man who while advancing his individual interests, does not neglect his duties as a citizen.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 762
  JAMES H. MILLER.   Fealty to fact in the analyzation of the character of a citizen of the type of James H. Miller, a well-known successful farmer in Sugar Creek township, is always required to make a biographical sketch interesting to those who have at heart the good name of the community honored by his residence, because it is the honorable reputation of the man of standing and affairs more than any other consideration that gives character and stability to the body politic.  While advancing his individual interest, he has never lost sight of his obligation to the community in general, and for many years he has held a high place in popular confidence and esteem.
     James H. Miller was born in Sugar Creek township on Sept. 9, 1866, the son of Jacob W. and Catherine (Best) Miller, for personal mention of whom the reader is referred to the subject's brother, George W. Miller, elsewhere in this volume.
     James H. Miller was reared on the parental homestead and there spent his youth and young manhood, attending to the duties of the farm and securing his education in the schools of the neighborhood.  In addition to the ordinary duties he also applied himself to the clearing of about sixty acres of the home farm.  He was spent practically his entire life here, and has earned a high reputation among those who know him because of his success as a farmer and because of his high standing as a citizen in private life.  He is now the owner of one hundred acres of land considered as good as any in Putnam county, and his place is improved with a substantial eleven room residence, finely situated, located one-eighth of a mile south of the Ridge road and one and three-quarter miles east of Vaughnsville.  A large barn, cattle shed and other buildings go to make up the group of structures which make his farm one of the up-to-date and pleasing views of the community.  In the operation of his farm Mr. Miller has not specialized along any one line, but has followed a general system of farming, raising such crops as are common to this locality.  He has also given considerable attention to the breeding of Double Standard Pure-bred Polled Durham cattle, of which he has a herd of twenty head.  For a number of years he has been a feeder of cattle for the market.
     James H. Miller was married on May 18, 1914, to Carrie Garner, who was born in Sugar Creek township on Mar. 10, 1880, the daughter of James W. and Lydia Ann (Slusser) Garner.  James Garner was born in Virginia on July 3, 1837, and was the son of William and Elizabeth (Stone) Garner, also natives of Virginia.  They came to Ohio in an early day, settling in Sugar Creek township, one mile northeast of Vaughnsville.  At the out-break of the Civil War James Garner proved his patriotism by enlisting as a private in the Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which command was assigned to the western army and, with his regiment, Mr. Garner took part in many of the most arduous campaigns and battles of that great struggle, including the memorable march to the sea, with its attendant skirmishes and conflicts.  At the conclusion of hostilities Mr. Garner returned home and was married to Lydia Ann Slusser, after which he settled on a farm one and three-quarter miles east of Vaughnsville, where he remained until his last years, which were spent on the farm now owned by George W. Miller, where his death occurred on Nov. 29, 1907.  His wife, Lydia Ann Slusser, was born in Shelby county, Ohio, on Feb. 8, 1847, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Abbot) Slusser.  She came to Putnam county with her parents when only a child, the family settling one and one-half miles east of Vaughnsville on the Ridge road.  To these parents were born ten children, Nora Belle on Aug. 12, 1867, died on Dec. 16, 1893; Eliza Ann, Sept. 16, 1869; Viola May, Sept. 4, 1871; James Madison, Oct. 25, 1873; Della Jane, Mar. 22, 1876; Ella Leora, Feb. 8, 1878, died on Aug. 9, 1904; Susan Carrie, Nov. 10, 1880; Charles Sherman, May 21, 1882; Mary Elizabeth, Jan. 25, 1886, and an infant son, who died at birth.  Lydia Ann (Slusser) Garner died on July 27, 1912.
     In his political views Mr. Miller gives his support to the Democratic party, though too busy with his own affairs to give much attention to matters of public importance.  His religious connections are with the Christian church, of which his wife is also a member.  The testimony is ample that Mr. Miller is a good citizen in the full sense of the term and worthy of honor and public trust, ever doing worthily and well whatever he puts his hand to do.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 782
  JOHN F. MILLER

Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1218
  JOHN J. MILLER.  Among those men of high personal attainment and strength of character who have reflected honor on the community, and at the same time attained to a commendable position among their fellow men, is the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this paragraph, a man who, in every walk of life, has performed his full part, and who has given his unreserved support to every movement for the public welfare.
     John J. Miller was born in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, Ohio, on May 10, 1872, and is a son of Jacob W. and Catherine (Best) Miller.  Jacob W. Miller was born near Piqua, Ohio, on Sept. 19, 1831, a son of Jackson and Margaret (Teegarden) Miller.  Jackson Miller and wife were both natives of Pennsylvania who emigrated early in pioneer days to Piqua, Ohio, where they were married, shortly after which time they moved to Putnam county, locating on what became a part of Sugar Creek township, Allen county, where they spent the remained of their days.  Jacob  W. Miller was married to Catherine Best when he was twenty-seven years of age.  To them were born the following children: William, deceased: George, Sarah, deceased; John J., Jame, Ann, Margaret, deceased; Mary and Allen.
     John J. Miller was reared under the parental roof and secured his education in the old Michael district school.  Upon leaving school he applied himself to the operation of the home farm, where he remained until thirty-one years of age, when he was married, and then located on forty acres of the southwest portion of the homestead farm, which has been his residence, continuously, since.  He has made many permanent and substantial improvements on this place, including an eight-room residence, modern in every respect, a large and commodious barn and other necessary farm buildings.  He has added ten acres to his home place, thus giving him an estate of fifty acres, and, in addition to this, he also farms forty acres adjoining him on the west.  He has followed a diversified system of farming, giving proper attention to the rotation of crops and other improved ideas relating to successful agriculture and also giving some attention to the raising of live stock, breeding Polled-Durham cattle, of which he has some splendid specimens of thoroughbred stock.  The general appearance of the place indicates Mr. Miller to be a man of good taste and splendid ideas and creates a good impresson upon the passers-by.
     On Jan. 11, 1903, John J. Miller was married to Ida M. Eastman, who was born on Sept. 15, 1882, near Hamer, Jackson township, the daughter of Adolerous and Minerva (Cattels) Eastman.  Adolerous Eastman was born in Madison county in 1846, and his wife was born in Paulding county, Ohio, in 1859, and died on July 30, 1887.  Mr. Eastman was married three times, his first wife being Lucinda Jane Olliver.  To this union were born five children, Arabelle, Elma, Clinton, Maleon, Lucinda.  Mr. Eastman's second wife was Minerva Cattels, and to them were born four children, May, Ida, Ethel and Goldie, the latter dying when three years of age.  Mr. Eastman's third wife of Mary McDonald, and to this union was born one child, Fred.  Mr. Miller spent her early life in Putnam county, and was about twenty years of age when she was married to Mr. Miller.  To them have been born two children, Virgil Emerson, born on June 25, 1906; and Clarence Ivan, born on Nov. 15, 1909.
     The Eastmans come from an old family, records of which can be traced back to 1602, in Southampton, England.  The first Eastman, landing in 1638, at Salisbury, Massachusetts, was born in Southampton, England, in 161, and married Sarah Smith, who was born in 1621, and died on Apr. 11, 1697, both of whom were members of the Salisbury church, where in recorded, in 1694, the name of the Eastmans to come to this country.  Roger Eastman had two brothers who emigrated with him.  Both died without having married.  Ida Eastman, wife of the subject of this sketch, was the daughter of Adolerous, who was the son of Aplor, who was the son of John, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Peter, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Roger, the first Eastman to reach this country.  The Eastman genealogical tree today spreads over every part of the United States.
     Mr. Miller has always taken a deep interest in public affairs and has been allied with the Democratic party, though too busy to give much personal attention to local politics.  He attends the Christian church, of which Mr. Miller is a member.  In touching upon the life history of the subject of this sketch, the writer has aimed to avoid extravagant praise, yet it has been a pleasure to hold up for consideration those facts which have shown the distinction of a true, useful and honorable life.  A man of broad ideas, kindly purpose and human sympathy, Mr. Miller has won and retains a host of warm personal friends throughout this section of the state, where his life has been spent.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1108
  JOHN J. MILLER.  In the early days, the Middle West was often a tempting field to energetic, ambitious, strong-minded men, and Ohio was filled with them during the time she was struggling to a respectable position in the sisterhood of states.  There was a fascination in the broad fields of great promise which this new region presented to activity that attracted many men and induced them to brave the discomforts of early life for the pleasure and gratification of constructing their homes and fortunes in their own way and after their own methods.  It is this class of men more than any  other who gives shape, direction and character to the business of a community.  John J. Miller, during a long period of years, has been one of the substantial and prominent citizens of Putnam county.  Although, perhaps not entitled to rank as a pioneer, Mr. Miller has lived here for many years and has become a power in the commercial and business life of Ottoville and vicinity.
     John J. Miller was born at Fremont, Ohio, on Apr. 14, 1854.  He is the son of John and Johanna (Flatz) Miller, the former of whom was born on June 14, 1820, in
Bavaria, and the latter born in 1828, in Tyrol, Austria.  The father came to America in 1848 and first settled in Pennsylvania, where he remained for one year.  He then moved to Fremont, in Sandusky county, Ohio, and, being a tailor by trade, engaged in that business.  He was married in Fremont, in 1853, to Johanna Flatz and to them were born seven children, six of whom are now living, John J., the eldest, who is the subject of this sketch; Jane, deceased; Anna, the wife of Andrew Kehres, of Monett, Missouri; Edward, who lives at Celina, Ohio; George, who is a manufacturer of tile and a farmer near Ottoville; Josephine, who is the wife of Joseph Breckner, of Monterey township; Katherine, who is unmarried and lives at Delphos, Ohio.
     John Miller, the father of John J., moved to Putnam county in 1862, and bought a farm near Ottoville, Monterey township.  Here he spent the remainder of his days and was a very successful farmer.  He was the owner of two hundred and forty acres of as good land as there was to be found in Putnam county.  He was a devoted member of the Catholic church and died Mar. 19, 1902.  His wife died in August, 1906.
     John J. Miller, the subject of this sketch, received a good common school education in the public schools of Putnam county.  Mr. Miller was married to Margaret Lauer, a daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Reitze) Lauer, both born in Lorraine, Germany, and both of whom came to the United States in 1870, locating in Ottoville.  Alexander Lauer was a farmer and followed this occupation until 1908, when he retired.  He died on Jan. 16, 1913, and his wife died on Jan. 23, 1908.  To John J. and Margaret (Lauer) Miller, seven children have been born, all of whom are living, Elizabeth, the wife of Walter Mersman, of Celina, Ohio; Alexander, who assists in the store at Ottoville; Mary, the wife of Dr. J. F. Ockuly, of Ottoville; Edward, who manages the J. J. Miller & Company branch store at Kalida; Catherine, Margaret and Rudolph, all at home.
     John J. Miller followed farming, until about 1890, when he began manufacturing tile, and was in this business for seven years.  Upon selling his interest in this business, he purchased the Ottoville hotel and was proprietor of this hotel for one and one-half years, when he sold the hotel and went into the mercantile business.  This was about eighteen years ago, and the business was conducted under the firm name of J. J. Miller & Company.  The company was incorporated under this name in 1911 and they now operate a branch store at Kalida.  The store at Ottoville is the largest mercantile store in Putnam county.  Mr. Miller is vice-president of the Ottoville Bank Company, a stockholder in the Griffis Produce Company, of Ottoville, and in many other ways is closely identified with the business life of that community.
     John J. Miller is an ardent Democrat, but has never been especially active in political affairs and has never held office.  All of the members of the Miller family are devotedly attached to the Catholic church and are liberal contributors to its support.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1175
  JOHN W. MILLER.   Among the progressive farmers of Putnam county who are respected and admired for the part they have had in promoting the general progress and prosperity of this county is John W. Miller, a well-known farmer of Blanchard township.  It has been a comparatively short time since this county was covered with heavy trees, dreary swamps and was overrun by the Indians.  Sturdy men have had a part in the transformation of this wilderness and vast sea of water, where now are to be found fertile farms and comfortable and commodious farm buildings.  In every community in Putnam county there are leaders in agriculture and business, men who have been fortunate in their struggle for success, and who are the pride of their community.  Among these men is John W. Miller.
     Mr. Miller was born on Apr. 16, 1866, in Blanchard township, Putnam county, Ohio.  He is the son of Joseph Henry and Sarah (Clark) Miller.  His boyhood days were spent on the old homestead farm, and here he lived until he reached the age of twenty-three years, when, on Oct. 4, 1887, he was married to Stella J. Agner, the daughter of James B. and Susan (Bemont) Agner.
     After his marriage, Mr. Miller operated his father's farm for ten years and then purchased Hillcrest farm, better known as the old Hardin farm, three and one-half miles east of Ottawa on the River road.  Mr. Miller is interested in the breeding of thoroughbred live stock, which he raises for his own private purpose.  Nothing appeals to his nature more than fine horses, and Shorthorn cattle and Shropshire sheep are his favorite breeds.  He is a live-wire farmer in his own community; a general promoter of all public improvements, and has done much toward the extension of the good roads system in his own township.  He lays much of his success to the fact that he is thoroughly in love with his chosen occupation.
     Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the parents of three children: Pansy L. was born on Feb. 15, 1891, and was married to Ray W. Sheilder on Apr. 9, 1914, and resides four miles east of Leipsic on the Ridge road.  To them was born, on Mar. 11, 1915, Esther Estella Sheilder.  This little granddaughter has already completely won the affections of her devoted grandparents.  Cort C. was born on June 11, 1893, and Merl E. was born on Oct. 3, 1895.  Both sons live at home with their parents.
     Politically, Mr. Miller is a Democrat, but his politics are governed by principle, not party.  He is well known in his community as a substantial farmer and good citizen, and well worthy of representation in the annals of his county.
     The paternal grandparents of John W. Miller were John Henry and Sophia C. (Egler) Cook Miller.  John Henry Miller was born near Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, Germany, in 1795, and was a gardener.  He first located at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, after coming to this country, and in 1836 came to Ohio.  To Mr. and Mrs. John H. Miller was born one son, Joseph H. Miller, Mar. 11, 1838.  They settled in Putnam county in 1837, entering one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 19 of Blanchard township.  John H. Miller died in 1850 and his wife in 1865.
     Joseph H. Miller was married, June 20, 1861, to Sarah Clark, the daughter of James and Jane Clark.  James D. Clark was one of the only settlers of Ottawa township, this county.  An interesting incident of this pioneer's struggles can be recalled.  Mr. Clark had dug a well nineteen feet deep and had walled it in with boulders; but, the water failing, he went into the well to clean it, when the wall caved in.  His wife raised an alarm, but the nearest help was one mile away.  The few citizens of Ottawa township at that time assisted in rescuing Mr. Clark, he having been confined over six hours.  He was not seriously hurt.
     After the marriage of Joseph H. Miller and Sarah Clark they settled on the old Miller homestead, just west of what is now the county infirmary.  Here Mr. Miller engaged in general farming.  He was especially proficient in horticulture, raising all varieties of fruit.  He and his wife were the parents of twelve children, three of whom, including a pair of twins, died in infancy, and another daughter, Eva, died at the age of two and one-half years.  The eight children who lived to maturity are: Mary (Kersh), born on May 10, 1862; Elizabeth J. (Maidlow), born on Apr. 1, 1864, who died on Dec. 29, 1900; John W., born on Apr. 16, 1866; Margery A. (Harris), born on Aug. 28, 1868; Lucy E. (Heiffelmire), born on Apr. 2, 1871; James E. and Clara E. (Hummons), twins, born on Nov. 9, 1878; Cortie and Cora (twins), and a son died in infancy.
     Mrs. Sarah M. (Clark) Miller died on Jan. 12, 1890.  Seven years later, on Oct. 20, 1897, Mr. Miller was married to Catherine Mack.  She was the daughter of John Philip and Barbara (Glowner) Mack, and was born on July 13, 1851.  Mr. and Mrs. Miller lived on the home place until within a year of Mr. Miller's death, when they retired from the farm to Ottawa, Ohio.  Here Mr. Miller died on Nov. 12, 1913.
     The wife of the immediate subject of this sketch, Mrs. Stella J. Miller, was the daughter of James B. and Susan Bemont Agner.  James Agner and wife were early pioneers in Putnam county, and his wife, who before her marriage was Susan Bemont, was the daughter of Jesse and Catherine (Gross) Bemont.  She was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, May 21, 1837.  At the age of eight years she, with her parents, emigrated to this county, which was then a dense forest.  They traveled in a covered wagon and settled on a claim of eighty acres which now lies four miles east of Ottawa on the Ottawa and Gilboa pike.  Susan Bemont was married in Putnam county on Aug. 21, 1856.  James Agner was the son of George and Rachel (Mocherman) Agner, and was born on June 12, 1825, in Fairfield county, Ohio.  He settled in Putnam county in 1833.  Mr. Agner was interested in educational pursuits and was one of the early teachers in this part of the state.  Later he followed the occupation of a farmer, at which he was very successful.  James Agner and his wife were the parents of seven children: James B., born on May 15, 1857; Mary C. (Crow), born on Aug. 2, 1859; Luella L., born on May 21, 1861 Belle A. (Miller), born on May 13, 1863; John C., born on Jan. 4, 1865; Avis N., born on Oct. 28, 1866, who died on Feb. 27, 1867, and Stella J., born on Mar. 1, 1868.  Three children were born to Mr. Agner by a former wife: Delilah, born on Aug. 5, 1850, who died on Sept. 30, 1851; Myra (Ridge), born on Aug. 15, 1852, and Jemima A. (Cherry), born on May 21, 1854, who died on Mar. 21, 1895.  The father, James B. Agner, died on Oct. 1, 1872.  Mrs. Agner's two brothers, David and Joel Bemont, died in the Union army in 1865.  Mrs. Agner always resided on the farm which her parents settled, until her death, which occurred on Mar. 1, 1910.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1457
  FRANK H. MORMAN.  The pioneers of Putnam county, Ohio, suffered innumerable hardships.  Some of the most prosperous farmers and some of the earliest pioneers are of German descent and their success is due to their untiring energy and perseverance.  Wherever Germans locate, they prosper and become valuable citizens.
     One of the prosperous citizens of Liberty township, Putnam county, is Frank H. Morman, who came from good German stock.  He was born in 1852, in Glandorf, Putnam connty, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Osterfeld) Morman.  His father was born in Osnabruck, Hanover, Germany, and at the age of twelve years came to America with his parents, Anthony and Dorothea (Treme) Morman.
     They came very soon after Professor Horstman and his company settled in Glandorf. Henry Morman lived in Cincinnati until manhood and was living there when he married Elizabeth Osterfeld.  His brothers came to Putnam county, Ohio, and worked at digging on the old canal. Henry Morman was a cook in a Cincinnati hotel. His wife, Elizabeth Osterfeld, was born in Germany, the daughter of George Osterfeld and wife, who came from Oldenburg, Germany, and who lived on a farm at Minster, Ohio.  Henry Morman moved to Glandorf, after his marriage, and engaged in the general mercantile business, two or three years, until his death.  His wife died six months later and Frank H. Morman, left an orphan one year old, was reared by his father's parents in Greensburg township.  When the boy was twelve years of age, his grandparents moved to Glandorf and Frank H., worked out until about twenty-five years old.
     He traded about seventeen acres, at Glandorf, for one hundred and sixty acres, in Liberty township, northeast of Elm Center, in 1875. He worked out four years more and then moved to his farm in 1879, which consisted of heavy timber with no improvements. The place was almost impassable on account of the heavy timber, the brush and the water. He cleared it, ditched it and has over one hundred and forty acres under cultivation and well improved, with good houses, barns and other buildings.  Mr. Morman was one of the first settlers in his community. He started in an humble way and has made good.
     He was married in 1882 to Catherine Borer. She was born at New Cleveland, in Ottawa township, and is the daughter of Joseph and Bridgetta (Hudinger) Borer. Joseph Borer was born in Switzerland and came to America at the age of twelve with his parents, who settled near Glandorf, where Joseph Borer grew up and married. His first wife died while Mrs. Morman was a little girl and he married again.  He was both a farmer and a carpenter.
     Frank H. and Catherine (Borer) Morman have five children, four living and one dead, Joseph, Rosa, Gertrude, Caroline and Mary. Joseph married Gertrude Schmenk and lives on a farm two miles north of his father.  He has three children, Edmond, Adolph and Mildred; Rosa died at the age of six; Gertrude is the wife of Valentine Schmenk and lives in the southern part of Liberty township; Caroline, the wife of Louis Lammers, lives about two miles north of Elm Center and has three children, Helen, Catherine and Alice.  Mary is still single and is at home.
     Frank H. Morman is a member of the Democratic party.  He and his family are members of the Catholic church at Miller City. They are among the most highly respected citizens of the vicinity where they live and are interested in all questions concerning the common good of the community.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1129
  HERMAN W. MORMAN.  Anyone interested in the history of Putnam county does not have to carry on a very great research before learning that Herman W. Morman and stock-raising life of this community.  For many years he has carried on the business of general farming, gradually improving his valuable place, and his residence in this neighborhood has strengthened his old on the years of the people with whom he has been associated, who esteem him for his integrity of character, kindly disposition and good business ability.
     The subject of this review was born on his father's farm in Greensburg township, this county, Feb. 11, 1853, and is the son of William and Gertrude (Wortkotter) Morman.  William Morman was born in Germany, born on Jan. 6, 1822, as also were her parents who immigrated to this country and probably first settled in Toledo, Ohio, but later removed from there to Pleasant township, Putnam county, where her husband first met her.
     William Morman's father first settled on a forty-acre tract of heavily timbered, wild and swampy land in Ottawa townships, near the town of Glandorf, Ohio, where he underwent the hardships of the pioneer and, besides farming to some extent, drove teams for the canal boats which passed through this section.  At the age of twenty-one years Herman Morman's father was married to Gertrude Wortkotter and then bought a farm consisting of eighty acres in Greensburg township, this county, and continued farming for the rest of his life and where he died on Jan. 29, 1908, at the ripe old age of eighty-five years.  He was a consistent advocate of the principles of Democracy, though not active in politics, and a life-long member of the Catholic church in Glandorf, Ohio.  Mrs. Morman lived to be eighty-three years of age and died on Apr. 22, 1905.  To them were born seven children, Frank, Herman, Mary, who is now Mrs. Mary Maas, residing in Custer, Wood county, Ohio, and Mrs. Minnie Maas who resides in Greensburg township, this county; besides those named there were Henry, Katherine and Anna who are deceased, the latter two dying in infancy.
     Herman W. Morman was married on Sept. 23, 1875, to Josephine Maag, the daughter of Theodore and Catherine (Pursell) Maag, both natives of Germany, the former immigrating to this country when about twenty years of age, the latter, together with her parents, left their native country and settled in the city of Cincinnati.  Theodore Maag first settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was employed in the yards of a boiler-making industry where, after serving three years, he was given work on the inside of the shop.  Owing to his small stature the employer found him a convenient worker at riveting boiler sheets.  In the old country he had acquired a good worker at riveting boiler sheets.  In the old country he had acquired a good knowledge of he wagonmaker's trade which helped him considerably in the boiler works.  It was in Cincinnati that he married his wife and then decided to move to Glandorf, Ohio, where he purchased a tract consisting of two hundred acres of virgin timber land and, after clearing it of the timber, devoted his energies to general farming, incidentally doing a little wagonmaking and repairing business for the neighboring community.  In this particular line of work he was well-skilled and it was always a pleasure for him to furnish first-class material and do the work in a high-class manner.  Instead of receiving actual cash for his services in repairing, he would exact a certain amount of clearing to be done on its land.  Reaching the age of seventy-three, he died in 1879, after having spent a most useful and reputable life.  His wife died on May 1, 1901, after having attained the age of eighty-eight years.  Her life was ever one of true devotion and loyalty to her husband and children.  To them were born ten children, William, Denia, Frank, Mary, Agnes, Barney, Joseph and Josephine, all of whom are now deceased.  The living children are Edward, who resides in Pleasant township this county, and Meania Brinkman who lives in Greenburg township, this county.
     Henry W. Morman spent his youthful days about his father's farm, assisting in every possible manner to make the work of his parents less arduous, and he was so much needed around the home that little time was found for him to attend the township schools.  In those days the knowledge he gained can be credited mostly to his keen observation and constant and careful perusal of newspapers, particularly the Putnam County Sentinel, and this is one way by which he acquired a fluent speech in the English language.  For about a year after his marriage, he remained on hs father's farm, and then located on the present farm consisting of eighty acres, which he afterward purchased.  Originally, this entire eighty-acre tract was covered with virgin timber, which he cleared, ditched, drained and fenced, and where he built the residence and made other necessary improvements towards advantageous farming.  Besides raising  general farm crops, Mr. Morman gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock, particularly to hogs, in the breeding and care of which he is very successful.
     Herman W. Morman is the father of seven children, Rosa, who died when eight years of age; Edward, who married Elizabeth Korte, and has five children; August, who married Agnes Brinkman, and has three children; Martha, who married Benjamin Warnecke, and lives on the home farm and has three children; Caroline, who died in infancy; Amelia, single and at home; Hildagard, single and at home.
     In a political way Mr. Morman gives his consistent support to the Democratic party, but does not aspire to political office, though he served the people faithfully for a time as a member of the local school board.  The entire family are members of the Catholic church in Glandorf, Ohio, from which church his beloved wife and helpmate was buried after his death, which occurred on June 27, 1911.  Personally, Mr. Morman is a man of pleasing personality, fair and square in his dealings with his fellow men, and full worthy of any trust that may be reposed in him.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 444
   REV. MICHAEL MUELLER

Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 186b
  DR. SAMUEL MURDOCK

Source:  History of Nemaha County, Kansas by Ralph Tennal - Illustrated - Publ. Standard Publishing Company, Lawrence, Kansas - 1916 - Page 426
  JACOB S. MYERS.   The sketch which follows, dealing with the man whose name appears above, his brother Samuel and their sister Maria, is the story of plain and honest manhood and womanhood, of sturdy industry and well-directed effort along chosen lines.
     Jacob S. Myers was born on December 21, 1852, on a farm in Greensburg township, Putnam county, Ohio, where he now makes his home Samuel Myers first saw the light of day in 1855, and Maria three years later.  They are children of Jacob and Lydia (Shank) Myers, the former being a well-grown youth when he came with his parents from their home in the state of Maryland.  The journey was made overland in a wagon considerable time being consumed en route. The parents were John and Mary (Dillon) Myers, whose children were, Abraham, John, Samuel Jacob, Peter, Joseph, Christian and Henry. The parents were in their declining years when the children induced them to come and make a new home in a new country that was rapidly being settled in this part of Ohio.  Jacob Myers an other son, the father of Jacob S., later came with his uncle, Peter Myers and his cousin, Martin Myers.  Others came together and joined the rest of the family.  Later, two more sons, Peter and Henry, came, when Peter settled in Perry township in Putnam county, and Henry settled in Paulding county Ohio.  After the family reached Putnam county, they settled on a tract of eighty acres, which they had secured from the government, and set about the task of clearing their land of the timber and preparing it for cultivation.  They in time, developed an excellent farm and were among the most highly respected citizens of the community at the time of their death.  Jacob, father of our subject, assisted in clearing the home farm and developing the land and, later, on his own account, he entered a tract from the government, containing
sixty-four acres, and this same land forms a portion of the holdings of Jacob S. Myers at the present time.  After he had his grant of eighty
acres in fair condition, Jacob Myers purchased from his father an additional tract of sixty-four acres and also cleared that of timber. On this
farm he made his home, after the time of his marriage, about the year 1846.  He chose as his wife Lydia Shank, a daughter of Michael and Barbara (Wideman) Shank, both of whom were natives of Canada and came to this country after their marriage.  They came by boat on the Great Lakes, as far as Toledo, Ohio, and thence overland to their destination in Putnam county. They entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government and in the course of time developed a fine farm.  The mother passed away while the family was still living on this farm and the father later lived in Elkhart, Indiana, where his life closed.  The thirteen children of the family were: Eve, Susan, Tina, Fannie, Catherine, Mary, Barbara, Esther, Maria, Sarah, Michael, Elizabeth and Lydia.
     As above stated, Michael and Barbara (Wideman) Shank, the parents of Jacob S. Myers, came to the farm where they are now living, which was the family home for many years.  Both parents have passed into the Great Beyond, leaving behind them, to their children, a rich heritage in the knowledge of lives passed in industry and humility. The father died in 1875, and the mother in 1886.
     Jacob S. Myers received his education in the district schools near his home and, in early manhood, assisted his father in the work about the homestead.  The parents were members of the Mennonite church, and in this faith the children were reared and are today members of that body.  Jacob has served as township assessor for a term of two years and also as township supervisor, discharging all the duties thus devolving upon him in a manner highly satisfactory to all. Jacob, Samuel and Maria are unmarried and operate the farm which they own. Their holdings total two hundred and sixty-eight acres, and the farm is considered one of the finest in the township.  All the buildings are in a good state of repair.  They have an excellent equipment and being industrious, get good returns for the labor expended.  By industrious habits and frugal manner of living, they have amassed a goodly portion of this world's goods, but better still is the high esteem in which they are held by all who know them on account of their honorable and well-directed lives.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 685
  JOHN A. MYERS.  There came to Putnam county, Ohio, in 1883 a young couple who had just been married.  They bought a farm in Van Buren township and there started to make their home.  They had a small, two-roomed log cabin, and in this they lived until such a time as they were able to provide for themselves a more comfortable home.  Today, John A. Myers is one of the substantial farmers of his township, and the success which has come to him and his good wife bears ample witness to the fact that they have worked faithfully and well to provide for themselves and their children.
     John A. Myers, the son of David and Mary E. (Fraker) Myers, was born on May 6, 1861, in Franklin county, Ohio.  His father, who was the son of Chris Myers, was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and came to Franklin county, Ohio, where he bought a farm near Reynoldsburg.  He made two trips from Pennsylvania to Franklin county, Ohio, before he finally located in the latter county, bringing his wife and one child with him on his second trip.
     David Myers was a shoemaker by trade and worked at this when he was not engaged in farming.  He remained on this farm only a few years and then removed west of Columbus, where he bought another farm, on which he lived until his death, on April 23, 1887. His wife, Mary Fraker, was also a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania.  David and Mary (Fraker) Myers were the parents of eight children : Margaret, deceased; John A., of Van Buren township; David W., of Hillard, Ohio, who married Anna Burket,
and has three children. Hazel, Flossie and Norman, the latter of whom died at the age of nineteen; Ezra, who marrid Carrie Rodgers, and has three children. Perry, Flora and George; Eva, who married Charles Glasier, a farmer of this county, and has four children, Ethel, Lester, Garnet and Ivalu; Katherine and Theney both died in infancy, and Benjamin F., who married Annie Miller, and has two children, Earl and Elizabeth.     
     John A. Myers was reared in Franklin county, Ohio, and lived there until he was married at the age of twenty-two.  He received a good common school education and remained at home, assisting his father on the farm until that year. Immediately after his marriage he and his young bride set out for their new home in Putnam county, where they purchased a farm just east of Belmore on the old Defiance road.  Their assets consisted of their good health and a strong ambition to succeed.  The little log cabin in which they started to housekeeping is still standing.  It was here that they saw their early struggles and here it was that most of their children were born.  They worked with a determination to improve their farm and they have succeeded to an admirable degree. Mr. Myers has been especially successful in
raising stock and has given particular attention to hog raising.  He is free to give much credit to his excellent wife for much of the success which has attended his efforts.
     John A. Myers was married on October 11, 1883, to Caroline E Smith a daughter of Peter and Margaret (Fedders) Smith.  Her father was a native of Germany and came to America, at the age of four, with his parents and located in Franklin county, Ohio. Margaret Fedders was New a native of York state and came to Franklin county, Ohio, with her parents when she was a child.  John A. and Caroline E. (Smith) Myers are the parents of eleven children, Elizabeth Jane, David Elmer, Lulu May, Mabel John E Garnet William, George A., Eva Marie, Zula Pearl, Gladys Fay and Blanche Margaret.  Three of these children are deceased: Mabel, who died at the age of nineteen; Eva Marie, who died at the age of two years, seven months and twenty-nine days, and Zula Pearl, who died at the age of fourteen David Elmer, a farmer of this county, married Eva Rader, and has two children, Harold and Glenn; Zula May married Harry Todd, a farmer of this county, and has two daughters, Agnes and Lucile.  The other children
are still single and living at home.
     John A. Myers is a Democrat in politics, but has never cared to take an active part in political work.  He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Belmore, and his two sons, John and Garnet, are also members of the same lodge.  Although not a member of any church, Mr. Myers is an attendant of the Presbyterian church, of which denomination his wife is a member.  Mr. Myers is a man of energy and industry, and he and his family are highly esteemed in the community where they reside.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 914

Samuel Myers		   SAMUEL MYERS.   To make a success of farming, it is necessary to be something more than a hard worker.  A farmer might labor from dawn to twilight, every day in the year, and yet fail to accomplish much.  There must be sound judgment and discretion exercised at the same time, a knowledge of soil, grain, live stock, and, in fact, general business.  The man who accomplishes much as a farmer in these days should be accorded a place along with the men who succeed in other walks of life, for often it requires more ingenuity and courage to be a farmer than anything else that claims the attention of men in the world of affairs.  A brief review of the life of Samuel Myers, a well-known retired farmer of Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, will suffice to show that he has achieved success in his life work because he has worked for it and partly because what he made has worked for him.
     Samuel Myers was born on February 22, 1840, in Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio. He is the son of Samuel, Sr., and Margaret (Hardin) Myers, the former of whom was born in Washington county, Maryland, on April 21, 1793, and the latter born in Licking county, Ohio, on May 8, 1816.
     Samuel Myers, Sr., was the son of John and Mary (Dillon) Myers.  John Myers was a native of Maryland, of German descent, and a wealthy fanner and landowner.  He also owned a mill and distillery.  His children were fourteen in number, six of whom are now living: John, Jacob, Mrs. Mira Shank, Mrs. Barbara Shank, Henry, Samuel, Sr., and Mrs. Anna Stauffer.  Mary Dillon was a native of Pennsylvania and a member of the Mennonite church, dying at a ripe old age.  John Myers was a stanch Democrat and an influential citizen in the community where he lived.  Mrs. Margaret (Hardin) Myers was the daughter of Abraham and Catherine (Wishart) Hardin, the former of whom was a son of William Hardin, who served seven years in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War and who
died at the age of one hundred and four years.  Abraham Hardin served in the War of 18 12, from Licking county, Ohio, under General Wayne.  Mrs. Margaret Myers' grandfather Wishart was born in Scotland and settled in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, where he lived to be ninety-eight years old. Samuel Myers, Sr., and Margaret Hardin were married on Christmas day, 1832. They had ten children: Adelina, who married Joseph Boxwell; Mrs. Anna A. Ayers, of Columbus Grove; Samuel, Jr., the subject of this sketch; Jacob, who was wounded June 27, 1864, at Kenesaw Mountain and died on September 27, 1864, from the effects of the wound received at that time; Abraham, who died at Nashville, Tennessee, during the Civil War; Susannah, who married G. D. McClure, of Jackson township, Putnam county; Margaret, deceased, who married Daniel Wilser, also deceased; David, who died in infancy; Huldah, deceased, who married Godfrey Guyer, of Leipsic, Ohio, and Malinda, deceased, who married Sam Price. The great-grandfather of these children.  Dr. David Wishart, was a celebrated physician in the state of Pennsylvania.
     Samuel Myers, Sr., was educated in the state of Maryland and came to Putnam county in 1829, where he purchased a tract of land in Greensburg township, on the Blanchard river. Here he built a house, and subsequently sent for his family, including his father, mother, three brothers and three sisters, Jacob, Joseph, John, Maria, Barbara and Fanny.  Soon after their arrival two other brothers, Peter and Henry, came. Mrs. Margaret Myers was the first white woman married in Putnam county. Samuel Myers, Sr., built a dam for a saw-mill in 1834, and also a grist-mill, completing the latter in 1843. He operated the grist-mill for many years and performed a great deal of the labor himself. He took great pride in the construction of this mill, which was exceedingly well built of heavy hewed timber.  It was a three story mill with a hip roof. A patent was later given on this style of roof.  The frame timbers were fourteen by thirteen inches, the first floor beams were twelve inches, the second floor ten inches and the third floor eight inches. The buckets for the mill were scrolled out by a millwright named Graves, and in later years -a patent was issued to a man by the name of Ross for similar wheel buckets. The mill had undershot wheels. It was built in 1840, and was torn down in January, 1915. The timber was in an excellent state of preservation and was used in a barn in the neighborhood The timber was cut in February, in the dark of the moon, as tests prior to this show that this timber lasts longer.
     Samuel Myers, Sr., was not only an early pioneer, but a man of excellent business ability and of sound business principles. Besides farming, he could do many other things.  He was a stonemason, a carpenter, a blacksmith, a fuller in wool factories and was well acquainted with all of the intricacies of the lumber business. He died on August 27, 1860, at the age of sixty-seven years, and his wife died on May 16, 1901, at the age of eighty-five.  Samuel Myers, Sr., was a man of broad views and was extremely public spirited.  He built three miles of plank road in Putnam county and contributed one thousand dollars toward its construction.  In politics, he was originally a Whig and was honored at various times by election to local offices.  He was one of the first county commissioners and was the first school examiner.
He was trustee for many years and built the first school house in the township. Religiously, he was an influential member of the Mennonite
church and a liberal contributor to the church. To Samuel Myers, Sr., the people are greatly indebted for much of its early development.
     Samuel Myers, Jr., was reared on his father's farm and educated in the old log schoolhouse in Perry township, near his home. He worked on the farm until he was twenty-two years of age and then became a boatman on the canal. During the summer he performed odd jobs in connection with his work as a boatman.  He followed this vocation for about three years.  In December, 1862, Mr. Myers purchased the farm of eighty acres in Paulding county, Ohio, and farmed there until February 1, 1864, when he enlisted in Company G, Fifty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private.  This company was attached to the Second Brigade, Second Division, Fifteenth
Army Corps, under Sherman.  Mr. Myers was in the army with Sherman which marched from Atlanta to the sea. He assisted in the capture of Fort McAllister and took part in fourteen battles.  In fact, he fought with Sherman until the close of the war. He was known for his courage, efficiency and valor. He was discharged at Little Rock, Arkansas, August 15, 1865. Among the battles in which Mr. Myers participated were those of Resaca, Dallas, Dalton. Buzzard's Roost, Nickajack Creek (where he was wounded in the hip by a shell). Big Kenesaw Mountain, Little Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Fort McAllister, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Columbus, South Carolina. He participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C, at the end of the war.
     Having sold his eighty-acre farm before he went to the war, he returned to Paulding county, Ohio, and rented a tract of land for three years, later selling his lease, and then removed to his present farm of eighty-five acres, on June 6, 1866. He has added to this farm until, at one time, he owned more than three hundred and fifty acres.  During late years, however, he has sold most of it because of his failing health and age.  Mr. Myers has fifty-live acres adjoining the thirty where he resides.  He also has forty acres in section 28 of Perry township. Throughout his life, Mr. Myers has followed general farming.  He was active until 1888, when he was injured in a railroad wreck at Anthony, Ohio, near Springfield. 
     Samuel Myers has also followed road contracting and has built many roads in Putnam county. He owned a stone-crusher at one time, but sold it to John Blosser, of Cloverdale, Ohio. He has also been engaged in the timber business, more or less, since 1866.
     Samuel Myers, Jr., was married on April 14, 1862, to Mary Elizabeth Mercer, who was born at Cuyhoga Falls, near Cleveland, Ohio, on August 1, 1842, the daughter of Steven and Catherine (Dillworth) Mercer. Mr. Myers got his license from the probate judge of Paulding county, Ohio, and was married by the justice of the peace, J. R. Cushman.
     Samuel and Mary Elizabeth (Mercer) Myers have had three children: Abraham H., who was born on November 19, 1863, died on March 20, 1899; Margaret Catherine, born August 22, 1866, married George Curtis, a farmer of Washington township, Paulding county, and has seven children, Mrs. Julia McCullough, Samuel, John, Bertha, Mary, Merle and William Bryan; Susan, May 24, 1868. who married Andrew J. Ladd, a fanner of Brown township, Paulding county, Ohio, and had four children by this marriage, Flossie and Florence, twins, and Henry and Samuel.  Florence is deceased.  Susan had previously married Clyde Hamilton, who died, and to this union there were born two children, George, deceased, and Mrs. Malinda Bright.  Abraham, the eldest child, who died in 1899, was married to Sarah E. Combs and had four children, Walter, Bertha, William J. and Abram.
     Mrs. Samuel Myers, as heretofore noted, is the daughter of Steven and Catherine (Dihworth) Mercer, the former of whom settled in Williams county, Ohio. He was' the son of John Mercer, also a native of Pennsylvania.  From Williams county, Ohio, Steven Mercer came to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he was married.  After living here for a time, they moved to Providence, Henry county, Ohio, across from Grand Rapids, Ohio, on the Maumee river, where he lived until his death in 1850.  He was a stone mason by trade and followed this trade all of his life, although he was reared on a farm.  His wife is still living with her son, Abraham, in Michigan.  She
is a cousin of William McKinley and is now eighty-seven years of age. Steven and Catherine Mercer had four children: Mary E., the wife of Mr. Myers; Francis, who was killed in the army; Thomas, who lives at Alverton, Williams county, Ohio, and Isaac, who died on December 25, 1913.  After the death of Steven Mercer, his wife was married again to William Richardson, and
to this union were born two children : Abraham, who lives in Michigan, and Mrs. Victorine Menervia Jane Whittner, of Cleveland, Ohio.
     Samuel Myers is a man of congenial temperament, is frank in his manners and is well informed regarding all current, political and economic issues.  He is a man of unquestioned honesty and his word has never been doubted.  Mr. Myers has seen many changes in the county and township where he lives and has undergone many hardships during his life.  He has seen much happiness and much sorrow.  He is a man widely known throughout Putnam county as one of the pioneer citizens, and no history of Putnam county would be complete that did not make specific mention of his life and his work.  He has been a Republican in politics and has served in various minor offices, including that of township trustee.  During the time when the national Grange flourished in Putnam county he was prominent in the work of that organization.  He is also a member of Weiser Post No. 63, Grand Army of the Republic.
Source:  History of Putnam County, Ohio, by George D. Kinder, Publ. 1915 by B. F. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana - Page 1072


 

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