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JAMES ZEHNER was born in Milton
township, in what is now Ashland county, Jan. 19,
1835, a son of Peter and Mary (Cook)
Zahner, who had but two children, twins, the sister of our subject being
Mary, now the widow of
Christ Stover, of
Ashland, Ohio. The father was born in Schuyler
county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of
Peter Zehner, a native of that state
and of German extraction. The latter
emigrated with his family to Ohio and entered from the government a tract of
land of one hundred and sixty acres in what is now Milton township, Ashland
county. There he and his wife spent
their remaining days, his attention being given to the work of the farm. He had previously operated a sawmill
in Pennsylvania, but on arriving in Ohio he built a log cabin in the midst of
the forest and began to clear and cultivate his land, which was transformed into
a very rich and valuable fields. In
politics he was an old-line Whig until the dissolution of the party, after which
he became in ardent Republican. He
was also a consistent member of the
Lutheran
Church and was a man of much influence in the
neighborhood, highly respected for his many virtues.
Peter Zahner, the father of our
subject, was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes of the frontier and with the
family shared in all the hardships and trials of pioneer life. He wedded Miss Mary Cook and with his
bride settled on the old homestead, working with his father until his death,
which occurred in 1844, when he was still a young man. His wife had preceded him to the home
beyond several months, and their twin children, then nine years of age, were
reared by their paternal grandparents.
The subject of this review acquird his education in the common schools
and at the age of sixteen went to live with his uncle,
Henry Zahner, who also resided on the home farm, which he afterward purchased in connection
with his brother Isaac. There
Mr Zehner remained until the time of
his marriage, in 1859, Miss Catherine
Letz, a native of Pennsylvania, becoming his wife. She was a daughter of
John Letz, a native of
Pennsylvania, becoming his wife. She was daughter of
John Letz, who emigrated to
Ohio in 1850, settling in Milton township.
When sixteen
years of age, James Zehner had
apprenticed himself to the carpenter’s trade and continuously followed that
calling until 1862, when the Civil war
caused a cessation in building, and he accordingly removed to his
father-law’s farm, where he entered upon an active career as an agriculturist. There he remained for eight years,
and on the expiration of that period purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty
acres four miles west of Ashland, in Milton
township. That continued to be his
place of abode until 1885, when he sold the property and removed to his present
farm in Butler
township, becoming the owner of two hundred and ten acres of rich and productive
land. The fields yield to him an
excellent return for the care and labor he bestows upon them. The farm is one of the best improved
in the county, being supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences,
including the latest improved machinery, substantial buildings for the shelter
of grain and stock and a pleasant residence.
Unto
Mr. and Mrs. Zehner have been born seven children, as follows:
John T., a carpenter of Wabash
county, Indiana; Samuel, a farmer of
Butler township; Esther, now the wife
of Irvin Schweyer, who runs her
father’s farm; Ella, the wife of
Judd Cline, an agriculturist of
Franklin township; H. Harmon, who is
living in Cleveland, Ohio, where he conducts a grocery store;
Dora, at home; and
Kate, the wife of Alvin Wolford, a farmer of
Blooming Grove township.
Mr. Zehner is unswerving in his
advocacy of Republican principles, believing that the platform of the party
contains the best elements of good government.
He is a member of the Lutheran church and contributes liberally to the
support of all Christian and charitable work.
His life is in harmony with his professions, and in business circles he
sustains an unassailable reputation by reason of his trustworthy methods. He is a man of ambition and much
energy and his success in life is due entirely to his own efforts. His persistency of purpose has been
the chief element of his success.
“Let the food
prate of luck. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves
The one great
aim.”
 Source #4: A Centennial Biographical History of Richland Co., Ohio
- Publ: Mansfield by A. A., Graham & Co. - 1901 – Page 636
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