CARMI G. SANFORD.  One of the pioneer families of Sandusky county is represented at Clyde by an individual whom all delight to honor - the venerable whom all delight to honor - the venerable Carmi G. Sanford, first president of the People's Bank.
     Mr. Sanford was born Dec. 28, 1818, in Ontario county, N. Y., son of ZACHARIAH and Mary P. (Mantor) Sanford.  The father was born near Saybrook, Conn., in 1790.  In 1808 he left Connecticut with his widowed mother, and settled on a farm in Madison county, N. Y.  There he married Mary P. Mantor, who was born in Massachusetts in 1798, and had migrated with her parents to central New York.  After their marriage Zachariah and Mary Sanford moved to the western part of the Empire State, settling on a farm in Ontario county.  On the farm a family of children was growing up about them, and again the spirit of migration moved the pioneer.  In the fall of 1832 the father brought his family to Townsend township, Sandusky county, where he purchased an eighty-acre tract entirely covered with forest.  With the aid of his half-grown boys Mr. Sanford built a cabin, and during the winter made a clearing for the spring crops.  Gradually the wilderness was converted into fertile fields, and here the peace-loving father concluded his life's history.  His death occurred May 6, 1862, and the wife survived until Mar. 17, 1868.  It has been said that Zachariah Sanford died without any enemy.  He had brought with him from New England the gentle but invincible spirit of the Puritan.  He was unobtrusive in manner, and hospitable.  His neighbors always spoke well of him.   The wife and mother had deep religious convictions, and sought to impress the habit of piety upon here children.   Carmi G. remembers that in his boyhood days he was presented by his mother with a sheep as a reward for having read the entire Bible.  Seven children were born to Zachariah and Mary Sanford as follows:  Elias M., who was born July 17, 1817,and died in Townsend township, May 31, 1843, leaving a wife and one child; Carmi G., subject of this sketch born Dec. 28, 1818; Henry A., who was born Mar. 4, 1820, married Mary, daughter of Daniel Rice, and now lives on the home farm; Sally M., born Dec. 27, 1826; William B., born April 7, 1828; Almira, born July 10, 1832, married Samuel H. Tibbals, and died leaving no children; George W., born Feb. 2, 1839, a resident of Townsend township.
    Carmi G. Sanford was fourteen years of age when he came with his parents to Sandusky county.  He had attended the public schools in New York, but in the pioneer Ohio home educational facilities were few, and the work of clearing the farm was imperative.  He was an industrious and willing worker, and remained on his father's farm until after he reached his majority.  Then he purchased for himself a forty-acre wooded tract, which he afterward traded for another.  He was married, Mar. 9, 1844, to Lydia Allyn, daughter of Isaac and Permelia (Downing) Allyn.  Isaac Allyn was born in Connecticut, Sept. 21, 1786, and at the age of eighteen years left home for the West.  After traveling from place to place for several years, he settled in Erie county.  About 1820, in company with Jonas Gibbs, he settled on the prairie in the northern part of Riley township, Sandusky County, and there engaged extensively in stock-raising. He raised horses and cattle and was a primitive porkpacker on a large scale.  For a few years he lived at the Gibbs cabin, then kept bachelor's hall until his marriage, June 12, 1827, to Mrs. Permelia Daniels.  She was born June 24, 1795, in Windom county, Conn., daughter of Cyrus Downing, who, with his family, migrated in 1797 to New York, and in 1809 to Erie county, Ohio, settling near Huron.  He was then in hostile Indian territory, and prior to the outbreak during during the war of 1812 was compelled to abandon home and seek refuge in the fort at Cleveland.  Permelia was married in April, 1813, to Jeremiah Daniels.  At that time about twenty families lived at Huron, and so active were Indian depredations in the vicinity that they were compelled to leave their homes nine times during one year.  After the death of Mr. Daniels, the widow married Isaac Allyn.  The latter died Jan. 30, 1839, and Mrs. Allyn survived until Sept. 18, 1874, living during the last eighteen months of her life with her daughter Lydia.  Mrs. Allyn was a woman of considerable business ability and very industrious.  One year with her own hands she salted more than one hundred barrels of pork.  To Isaac and Permelia Allyn three children were born: Lydia, born Mar. 20, 1828; Isaac M., of Riley township, born Feb. 8, 1832; Permelia, born Nov. 6, 1837, died June 25, 1881.
     After his marriage to Lydia Allyn, Carmi G. Sanford began housekeeping in a small cabin in Townsend township.  It was made entirely of logs and puncheons, except the door, which was fashioned from the boards of a store box.  In this cabin Mr. Sanford lived for about ten years.  Only a small part of his little farm was cleared, and he had an abundance of work before him.  He kept pace with the new methods and machinery for farming, and by economy and industry added to his possessions until he owned 400 well-improved acres.  Like his father, he was a Whig in politics, and in later years became a Republican.  So strong were his political convictions that he quite naturally became a leader in the community in which he lived.  During the war he was active in encouraging enlistments and in caring for the families of soldiers, spending time and money freely.  When the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth O. V. I. was formed he was chosen captain of Company C, composed of volunteers from Riley and Townsend townships, and at the regimental organization in Fremont he was chosen lieutenant colonel, Nathaniel Haynes being elected colonel.  Lieut. Co. Sanford had charge of the regiment on its march from Fremont to Sandusky, but through the caprice of Col. Wiley he was relieved from service before he had been mustered in, much to the regret of the regiment, which had become very much attached to him.  Mr. Sanford has served Townsend township as clerk and justice of the peace, and his county as infirmary director and as county commissioner.  He was a member of Clyde Lodge F. & A. M., and of Erie Commandery No. 23.  In 1882 he removed to Clyde.  He was one of the organizers of the People's Bank, and was elected its president, a position he held until his death which occurred Sept. 13, 1894.  He was also a member of the marble firm of Sanford & Hughes, one of the largest and most active business houses of the kind in this part of Ohio.
     To Mr. and Mrs. Sanford seven children were born, as follows:  Mary P., born Apr. 24, 1846, died in infancy; Winfield Scott, born Aug. 16, 1847, who married Eliza McCartney, by whom he had three children - Carmi G., Jr., Cora and Charles F. - and who died Sept. 8, 1889; Flora A., born Feb. 3, 1850, who married James Gaw and died Feb. 28, 1872; Morgan C., born July 25, 1861, who married Ida White, and has three children - Blake, John H. and Flora; Kate L., born Nov. 7, 1853, died Mar. 1, 1868; Hattie M., born Jan. 24, 1868, and married to W. E. Hughes, of the marble firm of Sanford & Hughes; Charles G., born Jan. 24, 1871, died Oct. 6, 1872.  Mrs. Lydia Sanford died Feb. 11, 1893.  She was a whole-souled woman, happy and cheerful in temperament, and deeply devoted to her husband and children.  She made her home one of the most attractive in the county, and was beloved by all who knew her.  Her death was a severe blow to her husband.  Carmi G. Sanford inherited the gentle and courtly manners of his father, and by his ever-present consideration for others he seemed a survivor of an earlier type of men.  No man speaks unkindly of Carmi G. Sanford, and no man in Sandusky county ranks higher in public esteem than did he.  He had a striking individuality, and such a whole-souled, good-natured disposition that all knew him and none knew him but to like him.  He was a friend of the people - the capitalist, and business man, the laborer and the street urchin.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 679

HENRY SCHROEDER was born in Hanover, Germany, October 19, 1829, and is a son of Charles and Julia (Glaisecik) Schroeder. Charles Schroeder, a shoemaker in Germany, came with his family to America in 1842, and located in Woodville town­ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio. Here he bought eighty acres of timberland, cleared it, and made it his home until his death, which occurred in February, 1882. His widow died in 1893.
     Henry Schroeder was reared on his father's farm, and obtained a good English and German school education. In his eighteenth year he went to Toledo, Ohio, where he worked three years at the shoemaker's trade. He then returned to Woodville, Sandusky county, and became associated in business with Nicholas Smith, continuing for only three months, when he built a shop, and went into business for himself. In 1852 Henry Schroeder was united in marriage with Sophia Dickmeyer, by whom he has had eight children, as follows: Lucy, who married Fred Sandwisch, of Woodville township; Richie, who married Henry Snyder, and lives in Michigan; Carrie, who married Gus Shepherds, and is living in Michigan; Minnie is deceased; Charles married Amy Kinker, of Toledo, Ohio; William lives in Michigan; Harry died in infancy; Sophia is deceased. Mrs. Henry Schroeder died December 18, 1874, and in October, 1876, Mr. Schroeder again married, taking to wife Angeline Shepherds, daughter of Harmony Shepherds, a farmer of Indiana. Mr. Schroeder still has forty acres of valuable land in Woodville township, Sandusky county, which he rents out. He is a Democrat in politics, has been superin­tendent of roads, is trustee, and is a mem­ber of the Lutheran Church.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 180

EDWARD SCHWARTZ, funeral director and embalmer, Fremont, Sandusky county, was born at Williamsville, Erie Co., N. Y., Jan. 26, 1851.  His father, Joseph Schwartz, was born in Alsace, France, in 1816, came to America in his youth, located in western New York, married Miss Theresa Batt, and worked at shoemaking and farming.  About the year 1853, he removed to Ballville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where he bought a farm, whereon he spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits.  His death occurred in 1859.  Our subject's mother, who was also a native of Alsace, born in 1831, came with her father, Joseph Batt, in her childhood, to the New World.  In crossing the Atlantic Ocean they were one hundred days at sea, their ship having been driven about by adverse winds and disabled by storms, so that they were obliged to put into the harbor of Cork, Ireland, for repairs.  The family settled on a farm in western New York, where the parents lived to celebrate their golden wedding, surrounded by a numerous posterity, and died a few years later at an advanced age.
     The children of Joseph and Theresa Schwartz were:  (1) John, who died in childhood; (2) Joseph Schwartz, Jr., born Feb. 29, 1844, in Lancaster, Erie Co., N. Y., who came with his parents to Ballville township, Sandusky county, when nine years of age, grew up to farm work, attended country schools, enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment, O. V. I., in the spring of 1862, served during the war, and was honorably discharged, Feb. 10, 1865, on May 12, 1868, he married Miss Vernonica Schmittuz, of Fremont, and they have six children; Mr. Schwartz is a leading member of various social orders in Fremont, and has held positions of honor and trust; he is secretary of the Fremont Water Works, and of the German Aid Society; he is an official member of Eugene Rawson Post, No. 34, Department of Ohio, G. A. R., and of S. A. J. Snyder Command, U. V. U. (3) Magdalena M. Schwartz became the wife of John Snyder, a farmer and carpenter, now living at Charlotte, Mich. (4) John Schwartz, a blacksmith, married Miss Magdalen Feuerstein, and resides at Williamsville, N. Y. (5) Mary A. Schwartz died in childhood.  (6) Edward Schwartz is the subject proper of this sketch.  (7) Frank X. Schwartz, an engineer, married Miss Veronica Brunier, of Fremont, and resides at Lima, Ohio.  (8) Louis Schwartz, a blacksmith, married Miss Elizabeth Epp, and resides at Fort Wayne, Ind. (9) William H. Schwartz died in childhood.  (10) Mary C. Schwartz, wife of Joseph Neinhaus, a laborer at Buffalo, N. Y., died in 1886.
     Our subject, Edward Schwartz, made his home with his parents until the death of his parents until the death of his father, in 1859, when he went to live with his uncle, John Dual, proprietor of a brewery at Williamsville,  N. Y., where he attended school.  Three years later he attended school.  Three years later he returned to Ohio, and lived with his mother about four years.  About the year 1866 he came to Fremont, and began to work at cabinet-making.  In 1869 he went to Buffalo, N. Y., where he remained about four years, thoroughly learning his trade.  In 1873 he returned to Fremont, and soon after went into partnership with his brother in the furniture business, on State street.  In 1878 he sold out, and has since that time confined himself exclusively to undertaking and embalming, in which particular line he excels.  He was one of the first men in the State of Ohio to take up this art as a profession, having graduated from the Embalmers' School at Cincinnati in 1883.  He was elected third vice-president of the Ohio State Undertaker's Association, in 1893, and now holds the position of first vice-president of the same.  He is also a member of various social organizations, in some of which he holds official positions. He is exalted ruler of Fremont Lodge, No. 169, B. P.O. Elks; president of Edna Council, No. 64, N. U.; treasurer of Dickinson Tent, No. 21, K. O. T. M.; and treasurer of Onoka Tribe, No. 140, I. O. R. M.
     Edward Schwartz was married May 18, 1874, to Miss Mary Eichel, of Fremont, who was born in Ottawa county, Ohio, July 2, 1854, daughter of Louis and Elizabeth Eichel, natives of Germany, and their children are:  Edward L., stenographer at the "Boody House," Toledo, Ohio; Frances M. E., assistant bookkeeper at the Christy Knife Works, Fremont, Ohio; Hilda C., and William H., at home attending school.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 444

JOSEPH SHERCK*, who for four years, or from April, 1882, to April, 1886, served as mayor of Bellevue, was born November 10, 1828, in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania.
     John and Magdalena (Kreider) Sherck, parents of our subject, moved from Pennsylvania to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Township Oct. 1, 1834.  In 1868 the family migrated to Michigan, locating in St. Joseph county, where Mrs. Magdalena Sherck died in 1882.  The father also died there about the year 1889.  They reared a family of twelve children (our subject being the second), of whom five are yet living.
     Joseph Sherck received a primary education in the district school of Thompson township, and afterward worked on the home farm, where he grew to manhood.   On Aug. 19, 1851, he married Barbara A. Decker, the eldest child of Jacob and Susanna (Billman) Decker, the former of whom was the son of John and Julia Ann (Royer) Decker, who came in 1816 from Union county, Penn., to Wayne county, Ohio, and thence, in 1830, to Seneca county, where Mrs. Sherck was born.  To her marriage with Joseph Sherck came two children, namely: Mary A., Mrs. Sherck Miller, of Seneca county, and Charles M.,  who is now working with his father, as grain dealer at Bellevue.  From the time of his marriage until 1873 Mr. Sherck worked on the farm, and in 1860 purchased the 160 acres in teh center of Thompson township, Seneca county, known as the Sherck homestead.  While on this farm he was elected justice of the peace, and served in that position for nine years.  In 1873 he moved to Bellevue, Sandusky county, and established a saddle and harness house, which he conducted until 1884, when he engaged in the grain trade.  To day he operates the large elevator at Bellevue, and carries on a most extensive business in grain, seed, coal, plaster, salt, water-lime, etc.
     Mr. Sherck can trace his ancestry back 300 years, and for a century or more can claim this country as the family home.  Prominent in Masonic work, he is a member of the Lodge, Chapter and Council at Bellevue, and of the Commandery, K. T., at Norwalk, Ohio.  In religious affairs he affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal Church.  An active, enterprising business man, one who has taken a full part in the development of Bellevue, he enjoys, as he merits, the confidence of the community.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 759 (also see Seneca Co., OH)

JOHN T. SIVALLS, the courteous and popular postmaster at Woodville, Sandusky County, where he is a well-known and highly-respected citizen of several years' standing, is a native of the city of New York, born Aug. 22, 1828.  He is of English descent on the paternal side, his grandfather Sivalls having come from England to America, settling in New Rochelle, Westchester Co., N. Y., where he died.
     James Sivalls, father of John T., and of the same nativity, followed the occupation of grocery merchant in New York, and died there in 1837 at the age of fifty-two years.  He was twice married, and by his first wife had two children - George and Franklin - both of whom died in New York; by his second wife, Cornelia (Lewis) he had five children, namely: Carolina, who married DeWitt Brinhap, and died in New York in April, 1894; William, who also died in New York; John t., the subject of these lines; Tracy, now a resident of Chicago, Ill.; and Benson, who went to California, and has never since been heard of.
     As will be seen, our subject was nine years of age at the time he was bereaved of his father, and he then left his native city for Ithaca, N. Y., where he lived with an uncle a few years, attending school and learning the trade of shoemaker.  From there he moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio, and then after a short time returned to Ithaca, remaining there some eighteen months, all the time following his trade.  This brings us now to 1846, the year of the breaking out of the Mexican war; and our subject, then a lad of barely eighteen summers, fired with military enthusiasm and patriotic ardor, proceeded to New York, where he enlisted in Company E, third Light Artillery, commanded by Brev. Maj.-Gen. Sherman, and attached to the army under Gen. Zachary Taylor.  He served twenty-two months, participated in the battle of Buena Vista, and, receiving an honorable discharge in New Orleans, at once returned northward.  For a time he moved from place to place, looking for work - in Rochester, N. Y., remaining one year; then in Toledo, Ohio; later in Maumee, same State.  He worked on the Wabash canal about three months, after which, in 1849, he located in Wood county, Making his home with a family by the name of Truax, whose acquaintance he had formed.
     In 1849 he came to Woodville, where he followed his trade some time, then worked on the canal five seasons; after which he bought a farm in Woodville township, on which he lived five years, cultivating and improving it.  In 181 he moved into the town of Fremont, same county, but shortly afterward again located in Woodville, and here continued his trade until 1863, in which year he enlisted in Company C, Third Regiment, O. V. C.  He served in the Western command about twenty-two months, was honorably discharged at Columbus, Ohio, and returned to Woodville, where he resumed his trade, in connection with which he also sold sewing machines some ten or twelve years.  On June 23, 1851, he was married to Miss Mary Truax, of the family above referred to, and a native of Pennsylvania, born in Bedford county in 1830, to which union eight children were born, a brief record of whom is as follows: Abner, Benson and Caroline died at the ages of ten, twenty-four and four years, respectively; Stilwell is now following the trade of cooper in Woodville; John married Susan Moore, and has three children R____, Ralph and Frank; Mary is assistant postmaster at Woodville; James is a cooper by trade at Findlay, Ohio; and Ralph, who was also a cooper, was so seriously injured on July 2, 1895, in Findlay, Ohio, that he died on the following day, at the age of twenty-four years.
     Mr. Sivalls is a Republican in his political preferences, and during President James A. Garfield's administration, was appointed postmaster at Woodville, continued under President Harrison and President Cleveland, and still occupies the position.  In church connection he is a member of the United Brethren Society; in secret society no one oin the county enjoys more fully the esteem and confidence of the community at large.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 466

JOSEPH SLIGER, one of the representative self-made farmer citizens of Benton township, Ottawa county, is a native of Pennsylvania, born March 28, 1848, son of Henry and Anna (Hardman) Sliger.
     Henry Sliger was born in March, 1818, in Bedford county, Penn., where he was reared to manhood, and on Sept. 18, 1842, there married Anna Hardman, a native of the same State, born Nov. 22, 1823.  To their union were born eleven children, six of whom are living, Joseph Sliger being the only one in Ohio.  They came to Ohio in 1852, settling in Richland county, where Mr. Sliger cleared up a farm and made a comfortable home for his family, living there until about 1868, when he sold out and removed to Sandusky county.  Here he cleared another farm and became owner of a nice property, which he lost by signing papers to assist his friends in business.  Here his wife died, and shortly afterward he went to Michigan, where he passed away April 7, 1886.  Mr. Joseph Sliger's maternal grandfather, Jacob Hardman was born about 1790 in Pennsylvania, and came thence with a team to Richland county, Ohio, where he died in 1860; his wife, who was born about 1790, died in 1856.
     Joseph Sliger was a mere child when his parents came to Richland county, Ohio, where he lived until eighteen years of age, obtaining his education in the district schools.  At the age of twenty-three he was married Sept. 14, 1871, to Miss Jenette Smith, of Sandusky county, Ohio, and they settled in Sandusky county, where they remained for six years.  They then came to Section 11, Benton township, Ottawa county, where they bought forty acres of mill land, not a foot of which was cleared.  There was not road to their new home, and they cut a road through the timber some distance to get onto their land, on which they built a frame house by addition to shelter them, and at once began clearing away the timber that they might raise something for their sustenance.  On going over the farm now one would not realize the work that has been accomplished by him and his faithful wife in the developing of that part of the township; the land is all cleared, not only of timber, but also of stumps, is well fenced, and equipped with comfortable buildings, and the well-kept condition of the place and all the surroundings gives evidence of the neatness and taste of the owners.  In connection with general agriculture he is also engaged in bee culture, having at various times nearly forty swarms, from which he has sold 100 gallons of honey in a season, and for seven seasons he has also operated a threshing outfit, in which business he has made a reasonably fair success.  In addition to his own home business he has done much contracting in the line of getting out timber for different parties.  Mr. and Mrs. Sliger have always been busy, striving to make home pleasant for themselves and their children, and their efforts have results in a very cheerful and happy home.
     Mrs. Jeanette (Smith) Sliger was born May 7, 1851, in Sandusky county, Ohio, where she lived until 1877, acquiring at the public schools as complete as education as the times would afford.  Her mother dying when she was quite young, her help was needed in the home, and this somewhat curtailed her advantages for an education, for which she had a great desire.  Her elder sister, Calesta, was a teacher and away from home much of the time, thus leaving a great deal for Mrs. Sliger to do; but this early experience has of course added much to her success in managing her own home, and she has been of great assistance to her husband in securing the home.  To Mr. and Mrs. Sliger have been born four children: Newton, Aug. 31, 1872; Anna, June 18, 1874; Edwin, Aug. 14, 1885, and May, May 8, 1890, of whom Edwin died when only two months old.  The others are living with their parents on the farm, and have been very faithful in helping them in various ways.  Special mention should here be made of Newton and Anna; they have improved every opportunity to secure an education, having adopted the profession of teaching.  In addition to their country schooling, Newton attended the high school at Rocky Ridge for a time, and Anna the high school at Oak Harbor, leaving when in her senior year to accept a position as a teacher, when occupation she has followed for three years, and is now among the most promising teachers in Ottawa county.  Newton taught one term, and was obliged to discontinue the work on account of his health.  They are truly ambitious, self-made young people, and, if health permits, they will no doubt make creditable records for themselves. 
     DANIEL SMITH, father of Mrs. Sliger, was born in Pennsylvania July 11, 1814, and Dec. 6, 1834, was married to Miss Jeanette Holcomb, who was born June 30, 1815.  To them were born seven children, four of whom are living - two sons and two daughters.  Daniel Smith was one of the first justices of Sandusky county, an office he held for thirty-three years.  The grandfather, Daniel Smith, Sr., was born about 1777, and in his family were  thirteen children.  They were among the pioneers of Sandusky county, coming to this region when it was a forest out of which they cleared up a farm and made for themselves a comfortable home.  [To the above sketch Mr. Sliger adds in the early part of November, 1895: "We are packing our household goods preparatory to starting for Los Angeles, Cal., where we intend making our future home." - Editor
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 602

AARON SMART. This well known farmer and lumber-mill owner has been identified with the growing interests of Townsend township, Sandusky county, for a period of thirty years. Much of the prosperity of this township, as well as of the village of Vickery, is due to his progressiveness and indomitable industry, and, knowing and appreciating this fact, his fellow citizens hold him in high esteem and regard.
     Mr. Smart was born in Erie county, Ohio, December 18, 1842, and is a son of Pettis and Sophia (Kraemer) Smart, who had a family of eight children, of whom the following named five survive: Camellia, wife of Franklin Plantz, residing in Kansas; Aaron, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, wife of John Leary, residing in Wood county; Martha, wife of Frederick Wallie, living in Elmore; and Lafayette, residing near Fremont. When four years of age Aaron Smart came with his parents to Madison township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, his boyhood days being spent here upon his father's farm, and he received his education in the district schools. Here he resided until 1861, in which year he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh O. V. I., and served his country faithfully for three years during the war of the Rebellion, taking part in no less than thirty-one engagements. He was mustered out and finally discharged at Cleveland in the spring of 1865, and went to Fremont, Sandusky county, whither his parents had removed during his absence. He there again engaged in agricultural pursuits for about a year, removing to Townsend in 1866, since which date he has been a con­tinuous resident of that township, closely identified with its varied interests.
     In Riley township, Sandusky county, January i, 1867, Aaron Smart was united in marriage with Abigail Lutes, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 30, 1846, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Faber) Lutes, and they had ten children, eight of whom are now living, their names and dates of births being as follows: John W., August 6, 1870; Samuel M., March 11, 1872; Clara B., June 10, 1875 (she is now the wife of Ernest Werman); Wesley P., November 3, 1877; Aaron L., December 27, 1879; Zella E., January 9, 1882; Roscoe C, May 8, 1884; and Glennie G., March 3, 1886. Politically, Mr. Smart is a good, active Democrat. He has served his township efficiently as trustee for six years, and has also held other township offices. Both he and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 179

DANIEL SMITH - ( See Joseph Sliger - Ottawa Co., Ohio)
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 603

DAVID SMITH is a substantial farmer of York township, Sandusky county.  In his early years he lived the life of a stalwart pioneer, and he was succeeded in gaining a competency which will suffice him for the remainder of his days.  He is a son of Fred and Dorothea Smith, and was born in Lehigh county, Penn., Aug. 7, 1820.
     Fred and Dorothea Smith were united in marriage in Germany in 1813 and in 1818 came to the United States, locating in Pennsylvania.  Mr. Smith worked at the forge in that State, and also after coming to Ohio, whither he removed in 1837, settling first in Bellevue, Huron county, or rather Amsden's Corners, and the following year coming to York township, where he resided the remainder of his life.  He bought a farm, which he managed in connection with his blacksmith shop.  Of their children Marie (of York township), and Fred (a farmer of York township, who was the oldest son), died in 1889, within six months of each other; David is the subject of this sketch; Catherine  is living in Tennessee; Sallie died in California; John F. is a large landowner of York township.
     David Smith was the first of his parents' children born in America, his older brother and sister having been born before the family left Germany.  Opportunities for obtaining a good education, which are now so numerous and easy of access, were open to but few during his childhood, and his father's children were not numbered with the few.  He came with his parents to York township at the age of ten, and later he learned the trade of carpenter and millwright, working in Bellevue and Toledo before marriage, and a short time after.  On Oct. 22, 1846, David Smith was united in marriage with Julia Ann Knauss, who was born in Union county, Penn., Apr. 3, 1825, and they have had six children, a brief record of whom is as follows:  George, born Mar. 9, 1848, is now a carpenter, residing in Bellevue; he married Anna Derr, and has two children - Julia Maude and Frank Elliston.  Charles, born Aug. 1, 1854, is a carpenter and lives in Michigan; he married Hattie Ent, and they have one child - Earl.  Samuel born Nov. 24, 1859, is at home.  Sarah Maria, born July 16, 1864, married David Barnard, of Groton township, Erie county, and they have three children - George, Ralph, and Charles.  Mary Elizabeth, the youngest, born Nov. 15, 1866, is at home.  Mrs. Smith is the daughter of Solomon and Sarah Knauss.
    Although suffering from a stroke of paralysis, Mr. Smith still superintends the farm, and tribute may well be offered to his perseverance and courage.  He is prudent in his undertakings and never at his perseverance and courage.  He is prudent in his undertakings and never attempts to make large gains by correspondingly large risks.  When he engages in an enterprise little doubt as to its stability and character need be felt.  Mr. Smith believes in the doctrines of protection and sound money.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 296

DOMINICK SMITH is a worthy representative agriculture of Sandusky county, and at the same time a representative of its early pioneers.  He was born in Wittenberg, Germany, July 10, 1830, son of Bernhardt and Theresa (Krimm) Smith, and there received a liberal education in the German language.
     In 1854 Mr. Smith came to America, and wending his way to what is now Fremont, Sandusky Co., Ohio, arrived there about the time of the construction of the Lake Erie & Western railroad.  It was in the construction of this railway that Mr. Smith did his first day's work in Ohio., arranging with the contractor for permanent employment.  At the end of the first month of Mr. Smith's hard labor in this capacity the contractor had left the county and our subject, as well as the other laborers, received no remuneration.  Penniless and in debt for his board, Mr. Smith made his way to the neighborhood in which he now resides, and engaged to work for a Mr. John Rearick during the winter for his board.  In the spring work opened on the old jail at Fremont and also in the stone quarry, and here our subject found employment and learned and trade of stone-cutting, which he followed for about ten years.
     During this time Mr. Smith had became a warm friend of the Rearick family, especially the daughter, Barbara, with whom he was united in marriage June 10, 1857.  Mr. Smith and his estimable wife, by hard labor and economy, secured a fine home in Sandusky township, four miles west of Fremont, where Mrs. Smith departed this life on Dec. 20, 1891, aged sixty-six years, five months and ten days.  She was an affectionate wife, a kind and loving mother, and a lady highly esteemed in the community.  To Mr. and Mrs. Smith came two sons, of whom Charles L., born Nov. 22, 1859, was married Dec. 25, 1888, to Miss Emma Hiett, and is now on the old homestead, caring for his father in his declining years.  He is a highly respected citizen and one of the progressive agriculturists of his time.  He has one child, a son, Ralph W.  John Smith, born Apr. 3, 1861, received his early literary training in the Fremont High School under Prof. W. W. Ross, and completed his education at Kenyon College, of which institution he is a graduate.  Since finishing his college course Mr. Smith has been engaged in the teacher's profession, in which he is eminently successful.  For nearly three years he was principal of the high school of Napoleon, Ohio, and for the past six or seven years has held a similar position at Findlay, Ohio.  Prof. Smith is also clerk of the board of examiners at Findlay, in which capacity he is making his natural adaptability to his profession felt in the furtherance of modern educational ideas.  On Sept. 2, 1886, he was married to Miss Addie Miller, and to their union has been born one son, Walter.
     Bernhardt Smith, the father of our subject, was born in Germany in 1801, was a farmer by occupation and for four years an officer in the German army.  He married Theresa Krimm, also a native of Germany, and to them were born the following named children:  Dominick, Amos, John, Bernhardt, Philip, Francis, Sardis, Theresa, Amelia, and Edith.  Dominick Smith is a Republican in politics, is an active member of the M. E. Church, as was also his wife, and the entire family are noted in the neighborhood in which they live for intellectuality and respectability.  Mr. Smith came to America penniless, but by honest industry and strict integrity he has accumulated a nice property and gained the confidence of all who know him.  His success is meritorious, and in language stronger than pen can express shows the true make-up of the man.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 218

FRANK H. SMITH, one of the youngest successful and prospering residents of Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, extensively engaged in the oil business, was born in Venango county, Penn., Aug. 16, 1865, soon of Abraham and Sarah (Smith) Smith, the parents not by blood related.
     Abraham Smith was born in 1830 in Venango county, Penn., and followed the trade of blacksmithing.  He died April 9, 1883.  The mother, Sarah Smith, was a native of Franklin, Venango Co., Penn., and died in 1873.  They reared the following family of seven children:  Leah, who married J. B. Wilson, and lives at Gibsonburg; Laura, wife of C. B. Neely, of Venango; Myram, a resident of Freeport, Ohio; Frank H., subject of this sketch; Clara, wife of Geo. Bloodheart, of Gibsonburg, Ohio; Cora, who married George Speck, of Pemberville, Ohio, and P. A., a contractor of Gibsonburg.
     Frank H. Smith was a lad of only fourteen years when he left home and drifted to the oil fields of McKean, which attracted him.  He secured employment in the oil business at once, and has ever since been engaged in it successfully, following the oil fields of Pennsylvania continuously until 1890, when he came to Ohio, and has here continued the same pursuit.  He obtained his start as a drill contractor of oil wells.  About four years ago he became interested in leasing oil lands in Sandusky county.  He was first with the first of Smith & Dohn, a firm which has undergone various changes, and to whom he sold many leases when partly developed.  Mr. Smith is now interested in a 200 acre lease along the Pennsylvania railroad, three miles north of Gibsonburg, where he has twenty-nine wells producing, and the venture has been a marked financial success.  The leased land produces over 12,000 barrels of oil per month.  On Feb. 9, 1895, Mr. Smith and his partner, Mr. John Shertzer, purchased the Gibsonburg electric light plant, paying the sum of $4,500 therefor, and holding this until July 10, of the same year, when they sold to a Pittsburg firm for $5,500.
     On Sept. 23, 1886, Mr. Smith was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Lizzie Lusher, and has two children:  Arthur D. and Roscoe M.  Mrs. Smith was born May 5, 1864, in Rockland township, Venango Co., Penn., where she resided until her marriage.  Her parents George and Charity (Jacobs) Lusher, were also natives of Pennsylvania, born Oct. 8, 1831, and May 30, 1834, respectively, and they had a family of eight children, viz.: Andrew married a Miss Gilmore, and has four children; Bell lives at home; Miles married Maggie Shoper, by whom he has four children, and lives near Gibsonburg; Maggie is Mrs. J. Watson, of Pennsylvania; Emma became the wife of H. Davis, of Cleveland; Lizzie is Mrs. Smith; Perry, unmarried, is employed by Mr. Smith in the oil fields; Harry is at home.  The paternal grandfather of this family, Jonathan Lusher, was born in Pennsylvania Mar. 17, 1812, and died Dec. 1, 1884; he married Eliza Smith, born about 185, and they had a family of fourteen children.  The maternal grandfather, Jacob Jacobs, also had a family of fourteen children.  Mr. Smith owns a pleasant home in Gibsonburg, and, financially, he has prospered far beyond his years.  He is recognized as one of the ablest and most successful young business men of Sandusky county.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 424

FREDERICK SMITH, a resident of Sandusky township, Sandusky county, was born in Baden, Ger­many, June 2, 1829, a son of John and Catharine (Ernst) Smith. The parents were also born in Baden, the father August 24, 1783, the mother November 5, 1787; both died in Rice township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, where they had settled in the then forest. John Smith served in the Napoleonic wars, being with the staff of officers. He was on the famous march to Russia, where so many thousand soldiers were frozen, and was one of the few who escaped imprisonment.
     Frederick Smith grew to manhood in Sandusky county, and attended the common schools a short time. He remained with his parents on the farm, and by diligence and hard labor cleared off the heavy timber and drained a large tract, now some of the finest farming lands in the county. In 1852 he married Miss Elizabeth Kaiser, born in France, February 22, 1830, who is still living. He and his wife remained with his parents until their death, in 1870, soon after which time he removed to his present home in Sandusky township, but a short distance from Fremont. His brick residence is one of the finest in the township. Mr. Smith and his family are members of the Lutheran Church; in politics he is a Democrat, and has held public offices for twenty-two years. To Mr. and Mrs. Smith were born children as follows: Christina, deceased; Frederick, Jr., who is married to Caroline Loganbach; Caroline, wife of Lewis Nicholas; J. William, married to Maud Kinman; Elizabeth, Clara, Amelia, all at home, and Edward F., now at Toledo, Ohio.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 173

GEORGE B. SMITH, dental surgeon, one of the leading professional men of Fremont, Sandusky county, is a fair example of the success which may be attained, even early in life, by concentration of purpose and thoroughness of preparation in any chosen calling.
     Dr. Smith, who was born May 5, 1864, in Ballville township, Sandusky county, was the son of a farmer, but decided to forsake the pursuit of agriculture which so many of his ancestors had followed, and to prepare himself for a professional career. His early education was acquired in the district school, that alma mater to which so many of the brilliant minds, not only of Ohio, but of numerous other States, owe allegiance, this being followed by a course in the high school at Fremont. He began the study of dentistry under Dr. Cregar, of the same city, and afterward attended the Dental College at Philadelphia, Penn., from which he was graduated in 1887. He returned to Fremont and at once entered upon his profession, in which he has been eminently successful, having built up a large and constantly increasing practice.
     Dr. Smith is so admirably equipped for his work, both from natural ability and thorough acquaintance with its details, that the public place the utmost confidence in his professional skill. Added to this, his well-known integrity and many delightful social qualities render him a very agreeable companion, and it follows as a matter of course that he occupies a prominent place in the community. He is president of the Epworth League of Fremont, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. He is non-partisan in politics, but rather leans to the Republican party, with which he generally casts his vote. On May 1, 1893, he was married to Miss Iva M. Fitch, who was born in Angola, Ind., and is a daughter of Dr. John and Emma Fitch. Dr. Fitch died from the effect of wounds received in the army; his widow still resides in Fremont. The pleasant home of Dr. and Mrs. Smith is the resort of a large circle of friends.
It may not be amiss to add here a short sketch of the immediate family of our subject. His father, JOHN C. SMITH, who is a farmer of Ballville township, was born in Warren, county, N. J., July 9, 1828. He was a son of William and Sarah (Trimmer) Smith, of Dutch descent. William Smith's father was Peter Smith, who was born in Holland, emigrated to the United States, served during the Revolutionary war, and died in New Jersey. William Smith grew to manhood in New Jersey, where he followed farming and teaming. He removed to Perry county, Ohio, in 1839, and to Ballville township, Sandusky county, in 1847, where he cultivated a farm; he died, in 1865, at the age of seventy-five years. In politics he was a Democrat. His wife died July 3, 1858, aged sixty-four years. Their children were: Henry, who is a grocer at Newark, Ohio; Sarah, married to Jacob R. Cole, a farmer of Ballville township; William, a farmer, who married Sarah Sibbrel, and was for eighteen years treasurer of Ballville township ; George, a farmer, married to Elizabeth Petty; John C, who was married November 1, 1850, to Ellenora Bowland, and Hannah Maria, who died when eleven years of age. The children of John C. and Ellenora Smith were as follows: Susan, born October 4, 1851, married Judge Kelley, of Port Clinton, Ohio, their children being Amy, Bessie and Donnell; Frank P., born July 27, 1855, is a farmer (he married Laura Spade, and has two children, Homer and Cleve), and George B., the subject of this sketch.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 178

JOHN C. SMITH - (See George B. Smith in Ottawa Co., Ohio)

J. C. SMITH.  The gentleman, one of the most prominent and influential citizens of Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, is the surviving member of the firm of Smith & Dohn, who for some years have extensively engaged in the manufacture of lime.  Mr. F. W. Dohn died about three years ago, and since that time Mr. Smith has had entire charge of the large interests of the business, and has conducted it very successfully, being assisted by Mr. Dohn's son.  He is a man of strict integrity, and carries the principles of religion into his business relations, gaining thereby the confidence and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact.  He is also enterprising and progressive, and always busy in promoting the welfare of others as well as his own.
     Mr. Smith was born in Sandusky county, west of Fremont, Aug. 15, 1854, son of Nelson and Mary (Cookson) Smith, both of whom are still living.  The father was born in 1824 in Franklin county, Ohio, near Columbus, and now resides in Washington township, Sandusky county, where he carries on farming, and where he has lived ever since his marriage.  By trade he was a carpenter, and followed that occupation for some years.  In politics he is a Republican and in religion a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  His ancestors were prominent people in New England, and Israel Smith of Fremont, this State, was his uncle.  The mother of our subject was born in Perry County, Ohio, in 1823, her family coming there from Pennsylvania.  Our subject is one of a family of five children, of whom the following record is given: Josiah lives in Ballville township; Isabel died at the age of fifteen years; F. E. lives in Washington township; J. C. resides at Gibsonburg; and John lives on the old homestead in Washington township.
     J. C. Smith grew to manhood in Washington township, and acquired an excellent education in Delaware and Oberlin Colleges, in the meantime interspersing his studies with teaching, thus putting to practical use the knowledge he obtained.  He taught two terms at Ballville after leaving Delaware College, and before entering Oberlin, and after attending the spring and fall terms at the latter, again engaged in teaching for four terms at Bettsville, in Seneca county.  He also taught three terms near his home in Sandusky county.  In 1880 he was married to Miss Annie C. Bowlus, who was born in Sandusky township, Sandusky County, Aug. 22, 1852, and to them have been born six children:  Eula, May, Webb, Carl, Florence and Ina.
     Mrs. Smith is the only daughter of Henry and Rebecca Williamson Bowlus.  She was educated in Adrian (Mich.) College, where, in addition to her literary pursuits, she also made a study of music, which, for a time, she afterward taught.  Mrs. Smith's father was born Sept. 27, 1810, near Middletown, Md., and when fourteen years of age came with his parents to Sandusky county, Ohio, where he still lives.  His wife was born in Middletown, Md., July 4, 1824, and died Jan. 28, 1891, aged sixty-six years, six months and twenty-four days.  She was married to Lewis L. Bowlus in her native town at the tender age of seventeen years and six months, and immediately afterward migrated with her husband to the West, settling in Sandusky county, Ohio, three miles west of where the city of Fremont now stands.  The county was new, and largely covered with dense forests and impenetrable swamps; but here the young couple settled on a tract of land in the woods, built a small cabin and commenced clearing away the forest timber.  In the summer of 1848, however, the husband was smitten down with fever, and at the age of twenty-four she was left a widow with two children - Silas and Amos.  Silas, the elder, died while in the army in 1864, and Amos three years later, while a student at Oberlin College.  In September, 1849, she was married to Henry Bowlus, who survives her, and they lived happily together for over forty-one years.  She was a active member of the Muskalonge Methodist Protestant Church some forty-seven years; she was in attendance at one of the meetings there, in which she had expressed her thankfulness to God, her Saviour, for the revival influence that was being enjoyed in the Church, when she was taken ill and at six-o'clock in the evening death finished its work, and that faithful Christian, that pure and loving wife and mother, in every respect worthy of imitation, and her name that will ever be held in loving remembrance by all who knew her.  She was buried in the little cemetery, just north of the church, together with kindred clay.  To Mr. and Mrs. Bowlus were born four children, all of whom are living: Warren, Henry, Robert and Annie (Mrs. Smith).  Mrs. Smith's paternal grandparents were from Germany, and her maternal grandmother from Scotland.
     At the time of his marriage Mr. Smith engaged in the hardware business in Gibsonburg, with M. W. Hobart, whose interest he purchased two years later, carrying on the business alone until in November, 1890, when he sold out to the Buckeye Oil Well and Supply Company.  During this time (in 1883) he formed a partnership with Sanders, Dohn & Co., for the manufacture of lime, and they built one lime kiln, and opened a quarry at Gibsonburg, Ohio.  This partnership continued until 1888, when Mr. Sanders sold his interest to the two men, who then established themselves under the firm name of Smith & Dohn.  They purchased ten acres of quarry land near a railroad, and during the fall of that year built an additional kiln.  IN the following summer they added two more kilns, with an entire capacity of 450 barrels daily.  The first year they shipped 80,000 barrels of lime; in 1890 and 1891 their output was 70,000 barrels; in 1892, 60,000 barrels, and in 1893, 54,000 barrels, the production for 1894 being about the same as 1893.  In 892 they purchased a tract of land south of Gibsonburg, which furnished them part of their supply of gas for their business.  They have one oil well and five gas wells, which supply them with fuel.  The firm employ from twenty to thirty men throughout the year, and make all their own barrels.
     Judging by the manner in which Mr. Smith has managed his own business, it is conclusive that he is a supremely active man, and one who looks ahead and anticipates.  On account of the low prices of lime- the result of overproduction and close competition - Mr. Smith took action in the matter and was among the first to organize a company.  In 1892 a consolidation of nearly all the white lime interests was effected, and the company was called "The Northwestern Ohio Lime Co." our subject being one of the directors of same.  It continued in existence but one year; but even that comparatively brief existence settled the point that where so much lime could be manufactured, some control must be had.  In the early part of the year 1895, Mr. Smith and Mr. Sutliff undertook to organize a new company, with the assistance of a few other lime manufacturers; and after a couple of months or more hard labor they succeeded in organizing "The Ohio Lime Co.," upon such a basis, too, as to make of it a comparatively permanent organization (for five years), taking in all the white-lime interests in the State of Ohio.  Mr. Smith is a director of this company, and its organization is so perfect, and it is working with such unqualified success that he justly feels proud of his energies so well directed.  Good planning, judicious economy, and well-timed energy, properly applied, he claims, must lead to the success of any business.
     Mr. Smith owns 160 acres, three and a half miles from Fremont, in Washington township, 105 acres of which is the estate of Rebecca C. Bowlus, and in addition to his other business, he is engaged in farming.  In the fall of 1894, in connection with Peter A. Rust, he purchased fifteen acres from Fred Yeasting, and they were the means of having the schoolhouse built on the west side of the railroad, having laid out the tract as an addition of the town.  In 1883, Mr. Smith built the commodious home in which he lives, and here he enjoys life in the consciousness of duty well done, and energies well directed   In politics he is a Republican, but votes the Prohibition ticket, as he is fully convinced that that policy is for the best interests of the county.  He is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has always been an earnest and active worker, being chorister and teacher in the Sabbath school almost continuously.  He is foremost in every work in Church and community, and is highly esteemed and respected. Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 259

JOHN SNYDER, who is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Sandusky county, his home being in Washington township, is numbered among the native sons of that county, where he was born May 25,1846. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Fought) Snyder.
     His father was born in Berkeley county, Virginia, December 15, 1800. He was in his early life one of the hardy and exemplary young men who sought early a a home in the wilds of the Western country, which was then principally inhabited by wild animals, savage beasts and venomous reptiles. His father was a mill­wright; also the owner of a large gristmill, and his vigorous and reliable son James was the miller. This was his principal occupation until he arrived at the age of twenty-three years. Having never attended school, except about two months, in all his life, he had at that time a very limited knowledge of books, and nearly everything else save what his father as a millwright had taught him. The thrilling stories of Western hunters and adventurers, which he had frequently heard, had inspired within him a desire to emigrate westward, and to obtain for himself a satisfactory knowledge as to the truth of these statements. The necessary arrangements were soon made, and in the spring of 1825 he bade adieu to the home of his childhood with all its endearments, and came, in company with his brother-in-law, Andrew Miller, in a two-horse wagon to the central part of Ohio, where he spent about two years in different parts of the State working at times for a shilling a day. He then concluded to return home and visit his father's family and friends. With but a few dollars jingling in his pockets, and with no friend to accompany him save his rifle, he set out on foot for his father's home in Virginia. There was a long and dreary road stretched out before him; but his determination, supported by his physical strength, was more than equal to the task. He accomplished .his journey in safety, subsisting principally upon what game he killed along the way.
He remained at home a few months, and again set out on foot, and came to Perry county, Ohio, where he soon after married Elizabeth, a daughter of Michael Fought, with whom he lived peaceably and happily from that time until his death, which occurred July 20, 1876. He came to this county in 1830, and in Washington township entered eighty acres of government land, upon which he built what he called a snug little log cabin. He was now surrounded on all sides by large forests, extending for many miles in every direction. The tall and stately trees prevented even the sun from shining down upon the little log cabin which he had built. The hungry wolves and other wild animals would come at night and howl and bark around his door, as though they craved him for their prey. It was not long, however, until he had cleared away a spot of ground upon which to raise some corn, which was the only grain that he could raise for a number of years. Thus he obtained for himself and family a scant living, for a few years subsisting chiefly upon cornbread and wild game. His neighbors were few and far away, and, being as poor as he, could therefore give him but little or no assistance. He would frequently carry a bushel of corn to mill all the way to Lower Sandusky (now Fremont), eight miles through the mud and water, and return the same day, and then take mush and milk for his supper. He was firm and determined in everything he undertook. Patience, perseverance and hard labor procured for him and his companion a comfortable and pleasant home which has been their en­joyment for a number of years. His companion died September 17, 1881, aged seventy-two years, six months, and sixteen days, a grand and heroic woman, no work being too laborious for her to do for the comfort of her family. There were eleven children in the family: Eliza Ann, wife of Philip Kluts, a Jackson township farmer, she was the eldest of the family of children, was born in Perry county, and died in Sandusky county May 12, 1890, aged sixty years, three months, five days; she was a faithful member of the United Brethren Church; her hope was very bright, and she requested her friends to meet her in heaven. Sarah, wife of Joel Dershem, a farmer, was born January 5, 1832, and died January 25, 1895; she was a faithful member of the Methodist Church, and her prayer was turned to praise before her spirit took its flight. Jacob Snyder, the oldest of the boys, a a highly respected citizen, in religious belief belongs to the Reformed Church. William Snyder died when about a year old. James Snyder died in January, 1862. Levi Snyder, a farmer in Sandusky county, is in Church belief a Methodist. Samuel Snyder is living in Fremont, a respected citizen. Noah Snyder, by occupation a restaurant man, lives in Fremont. John Snyder, the seventh son, is the subject proper of these lines, and will be more fully referred to presently. Elizabeth became the wife of Jackson King, a Sandusky county farmer, who died, and afterward she was the wife of Samuel Lay, living in Fremont. Emma, the youngest, is the wife of James Seagraves, a farmer living in Michigan. The children are worthy representatives of that class which constitutes America's best citizens, and they owe it all to the training they received under the parental roof.
    John Snyder can distinctly remember when he could sit in his father's half-bushel measure, twelve inches in diameter, very comfortable), and as soon as he was able to carry a hoe he went into the cornfield, and has ever since been accustomed to hard work. On October 2, 1873, he was joined in wedlock with Miss Mahala Cookson, a daughter of one of the leading farmers of Sandusky county, and they have one child, Mabel, born September 25, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Snyder are widely known throughout the community, and have a wide circle of friends and acquaintances who esteem them highly for their sterling worth. Mr. Snyder is a warm advocate of temperance principles, while in religious belief he is a Methodist.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 184

STARR & TUNNINGTON,  proprietors of the Fremont Steam Laundry, are well-known business men of Fremont, Sandusky coun­ty, and have been engaged in their present enterprise since 1890. Their excellent work, especially in the line of shirts, col­lars and cuffs, has gained for them an ex­tended reputation, and been the means of establishing a trade which comes to them from all over Northern Ohio, and also from Michigan and Indiana, within a radius of 150 miles. They have the finest plant and the best equipments for a laundry that the most advanced ideas in machinery and methods have been able to perfect. Besides these almost perfect appliances and skilled operators, Fremont affords them a quality of water not to be found elsewhere. With these advantages and the well-known business ability and integrity of its managers, the success of the enterprise is assured. Of the proprietors themselves, the following sketches will be of interest.
     H. J. STARR was born in Elyria, Ohio, in 1857, and is the son of Horace Starr, of Starr Brothers, who were for years among the leading merchants of northern Ohio, and were very prominent in Elyria. He was educated in the public schools of his native place, and on arriving at manhood took charge of a Boston mining company. Later he filled the position of commissary for a railroad construction company in Virginia. When this work was completed he decided to take up some business more permanent in its nature, and with Mr. Tunnington purchased the laundry which they are now operating. Mr. Starr is a Man of excellent business abilities, very accommodating, and of a quiet, pleasant disposition which makes him friends wherever he goes. He is very popular with the people of Fremont, and is a good citizen. F. M. Tunnington, the other partner in this firm, is a native of this State, having been born in Cleveland, December 19, 1858. He grew to manhood in Elyria, and learned the trade of a printer in the office of the Republican in that place, working at this about seven years in Elyria and Cleveland. He subsequently embarked in the laundry business in Cleveland for a short time, and then went to Friendship, N. Y., where he perfected himself in the details of the business, carrying on a laundry there for two years. He then sold out and went on the road for a year, selling laundry fixtures and machinery. Returning to Elyria he purchased a laundry, but subsequently disposed of it, and with his present partner, Mr. Starr, came to Fremont, where they have estab­lished the fine plant which has already been spoken of. Mr. Tunnington is an expert in his line, and it is mainly due to his advanced methods of doing work that the Fremont Steam Laundry has acquired its enviable reputation.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 165

RICHARD BOYD STEVENSON holds an honored and revered place in the hearts of his fellow-citizens of York township, Sandusky county.  He has passed the seventy-fifth milestone of his life, and is thus linked by memory to a past generation.  Coming as he did when a lad of tender years to the "Black Swamp," he has witnessed the conversion of a swampy jungle into a region as fair and fertile as the sun has ever shone upon.  Gifted with a memory remarkably acute and vivid, he is an unquestioned authority upon the early history of York and neighboring townships.  And blessed as he also is with a keen judgment of men and events, and with a kindly feeling for humanity, he ranks as an oracle among all who know him.
     Mr. Stevenson was born in Frederick county, Md., Jan. 10, 1820, son of Dr. Matthew and Jane (Gilson) Stevenson.  Dr. Stevenson was born in Frederick county, Md., in 1777, and his father, James Stevenson, who was of Scotch origin, emigrated from the North of Ireland to Pennsylvania, married a Miss Buchanan (a relative of President Buchanan), near Carlisle, Penn., and removed across the Maryland line, buying land on the foot hills between Emmittsburg, Md., and Gettysburg, Penn.  Here he lived a farmer, of the old Presbyterian faith, until his death.  His children were as follows:  Matthew; William, who died near Clyde, Ohio; Martha, who married and lived in Cayuga county, N. Y.; Jane, afterward, Mrs. Knox; Abigail, who married and lived in New York State; Elizabeth and Mary.  Matthew studied medicine and for a time practiced in Gettysburg, where his uncle, Dr. Buchanan, was also a practitioner.  Later Dr. Stevenson practiced near Youngstown, Westmoreland Co., Penn.  He was a man of thorough classical education, and his son, Richard B., still has many of his books written in the Latin tongue.  He also possessed high scientific attainments.  The latter he was obliged sometimes to call into requisition.  Thus in Westmoreland county the good people saw phosphorescent lights move slowly to and fro, and in terror believed them to be spirits from the other world until Dr. Stevenson demonstrated to them the earthly origin of the lights.
     Jane Gilson, the wife of Dr. Stevenson, was born in Pennsylvania in 1789.  Her mother was a Miss Boyd, member of a family who settled in an early day among the Indians at Carlisle, Penn.  During the French and Indian wars the entire family was captured save the father, who at the time was absent from home.  In a neighboring schoolhouse the teacher and all the pupils were massacred.  Grandfather Boyd was killed by the Indians, because she was too old to be taken into captivity, and also an infant.  The other Boyds were carried back into the wilderness.  One of the boys, the grandfather of Dr. Stevenson's wife, was given to a "good Indian," and it was his duty to wait upon an enfeebled old warrior chief.  Three years later he was returned to Carlisle.  All the other members of the family, except one boy, were restored after seven years of captivity.
     After the death of his father, Dr. Stevenson returned to Frederick county, Md., and remained there until his migration of Ohio.  He came with his family in a three-horse wagon to Tiffin, and later to Sandusky county, arriving June 3, 1830, at the farm in York township still owned by the subject of this sketch and other heirs.  The land had been entered by Mr. Birdseye in 1822, and from him purchased by Dr. Stevenson.  The latter did not practice medicine in Ohio, but followed farming until his death, in 1849.  In politics he was a Whig, and in religious faith a Presbyterian early in life, but later a Methodist.  His wife, who had nobly braved the toils and privations of pioneer life, survived until 1877.  Dr. Matthew and Jane Stevenson had eleven children, as follows:  James G. D., who lived at Buffalo, N. Y.; Thomas W. B., of Fayette county, Iowa; G. H., for some years a resident of California; Nancy Jane, who married W. Gurley; Richard Boyd, subject of this sketch; Lucinda, born Sept. 15, 1822, a maiden lady, who cared for her parents in their declining years, and who know lives at the old homestead with her brother, Richard B.; John W., of Sandusky City; M. A. and B. W. (twins), the former a resident of Chicago, and the latter a farmer of York township; Joseph F., who died in 1852, aged twenty-two years;  Mary E., born Aug. 19, 1832, the only child of the family born in Ohio, unmarried and living with her brother and sister on the on the old homestead.
     The occupants at the old farmhouse, around which cluster many fond memories, are thus Richard Boyd Stevenson and his two unmarried sisters - Mary E. and Lucinda.  Like them he has remained single.  The home is one of the landmarks of the revered past, and in the eyes of the community for many miles about it is doubly revered because of the high standing of hits owners.  The Misses Stevenson are renowned for their ladylike and reserved manners, and for their liberal culture.  They have been reared in the M. E. Church.  In politics Mr. Stevenson is a Republican.  With his accustomed public spirit and generosity, he has dedicated to public use a spring of remarkable freshness and coldness, which gushes from the earth a short distance in front of the Stevenson home.  Around it he has built a stone house, and the passerby is ever welcome to enter and slake his thirst at "the coldest spring and purest water in northern Ohio."
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 471

Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 627

MR. STIEFF.  In three distinct fields of industry the subject of this sketch takes high rank.  He is a farmer of acknowledged ability; he is a mechanic whose superior it would be difficult to find anywhere; he is a salesman whose value has been appreciated by more than one large manufacturer.  Mr. Stieff has with rare felicity bunched all these available attributes into one occupation, that of a salesman for agricultural machines.  He is at home among the farmers, and thoroughly understands their needs.  He mechanical skill has enabled him to meet any difficulties in setting up the complicated farm machines of today.  His persuasive arguments cap the climax of the two, and enable him to make satisfactory sales.  By trade Mr. Stieff is a blacksmith.
     He was born in Lancaster county, Penn., May 19, 1855, son of Michael and Sarah (Rinehold) Stieff.  Michael Stieff was also a blacksmith.  He was a native of Berks county, his wife of Lancaster county.  Both died at their home in the latter county within a year, at the ages of fifty-six and fifty-two years respectively.  Their children were as follows:  Eli, of Lancaster county; Sarah, wife of Moses Goshert, also of Lancaster county; Annie, wife of Abraham Krall, of Lebanon county, Penn.; George, who died at the age of twenty-two years in Lancaster county; M. R., subject of this sketch; and Martha and Lizzy, who both died in Lancaster county, in infancy.
     Our subject was early in life thrown upon his own resources.  He entered the car shops of Reading, Penn., but labor troubles soon after disorganized the force, and he was obliged to seek employment elsewhere.  With 200 others he was discharged in 1873 at the time of the great failure of Jay Cooke & Co.  He came to Ohio, and found work on a farm in Seneca county.  Subsequently he secured employment in a carriage shop at West Lodi, then at Fireside, and later still at Bellevue.  While at Fireside, he began selling reapers, mowers, etc., for the Excelsior Co., and he was with that company four years.  Then, in 1889, he accepted a position with the Champion people to travel for them.  His territory embraced Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and South Dakota.  From March to September he was on the road; then during the winter months each year he worked in the shops, in all capacities proving a most valuable employe.  His skill in setting up machines was unsurpassed, and as a salesman he was highly gifted.  In 1894 he voluntarily quit their employ on account of a slight deafness, though solicited to remain, preferring to return to his farm and family, and handle machinery in a local way.
     Mr. Stieff married Miss Kate Miller, and to them seven children have been born:  Cloyd, George, Edna, Elva (deceased), Delrie (deceased), Orlin (deceased), and Ray.  Mr. Stieff is distinctively the architect of his own fortune.  He owns a good farm property, and is one of the most skillful mechanics in the State.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 237

Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of the counties of SANDUSKY & OTTAWA, OHIO - Publ. J. B. Beers & Co. 1896 - Page 731

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