BIOGRAPHIES

Source:
History of Seneca County : from the close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880 :
embracing many personal sketches of pioneers, anecdotes,
and faithful descriptions of events pertaining to the organization of the county and its progress
Published: Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Print. Co., 
1880

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JOSEPH OGLE - The road that runs from Tiffin to Fostoria was surveyed along a ridge, and on the highest ground that runs east and west through this township.  Along on this ridge and on the banks of the Wolf creeks the first settlements were made.  The east branch of Wolf creek runs longitudinal with the river in its general course.  Near the southwest corner of section one another branch puts into it from the west.  Near the north line of section twenty-three another branch of Wolf creek puts into this east branch.      Williard Sprague and Charles and John Chaney had a lease on section sixteen, known as Hopewell Center.  These men, with their families, were probably the first settlers in the township.  Mr. Peter Schultz now owns the southeast quarter of the section.  Joseph Ogle  came to Tiffin on the 15th of June, 1824, and very soon thereafter bought from James Aiken the southwest quarter of section twenty-three, which has ever since been known as the Ogle farm.  When he landed in Tiffin he rented a cabin from Mr. A. Ingraham, and underbrushed a road to his land on Wolf creek.  Mr. Ogle's family was the third family that landed in Tiffin after the organization of this county.  George Park, Horton Howard and David Bishop were here.  Thomas Loyd also, who was then a single man.  Mr. Hedges brought on his family about that time.  Eben Mills had about thirty acres cleared on land near Mr. Ogle, which he leased to Ogle on shares.  During this year Ogle built a cabin on his land and moved into it in 1826, in April and cleared a few acres that year.  Thomas Ogle, the oldest son of Joseph, says he cut the first tree on the land.  It was not much of a tree and Thomas was not much of a boy then.  Mr. Ogle helped to build the first school house in this township.  It was put up on the southeast quarter of the school section, some two and one-half miles form the Ogle place.  Sprague and Charles Chaney split the pungeon for the floor.  Mr. Chenowith and John Chaney built the stick chimney.  Abraham Miller and Joseph Ogle put up the desks and benches.  These were none of your patent benches, by any means, but were constructed in this manner:  Two-inch auger holes were bored into the logs along the sides and sticks driven into them about two feet long.  Loose clapboards were laid onto these sticks, and the desk was done.  The seats were pungeon benches.  Mr. Chenowith was the first schoolmaster in the township, and taught in this school house.  Reading, writing and spelling constituted a full course.  Mr. Ogle had a son born to him while he lived on the Mills place, and when the family moved into the new cabin, Mrs. Ogle was removed to the house of Squire Plane, in Tiffin, with her babe, to remain there until the cabin was dry enough for her to come home in safety.  The youngest child, Benj. F. Ogle, was born in the new cabin.      When Mr. Ogle came here, two years before the Hart family, Bartholomew Shaull and John A. Rosenberg lived further down the creek.  Nathan Cadwalader lived up the creek, in section thirty-four.  The Daughtertys were also here then.  One of the Daugherty girls was married to George Park, in Tiffin, and another to Samuel Hoaglin.      In the spring of 1825, after Hedges' mill first commenced running, they had a sort of celebration there.  Mr. Ogle and William Stripe hitched up their ox-teams, and Mr. Hedges' ox-team was also hitched up.  The women got into the wagons, the men drove the teams and walked to the mill.  Here they had a lunch and a general good time.  Some washed themselves in corn-meal, and threw meal into each other's faces.  It was fun of that peculiar kind, but nevertheless a celebration.      When Mr. Ogle settled on Wolf creek they lived on corn, which they could get no nearer than Upper Sandusky.  He and his son, Thomas, rode horseback to the plains, and bought two bags full of corn, each rider having a bag before him.  The trip took two days.  Upon their return the corn was taken to Moore's mill, near Lower Sandusky, to be ground into meal, which took two days more.  Upon their return from the mill they had three bushels of meal, less the toll.  A large family would soon get away with that quantity of meal, especially when it was bread and dinner for them all.      In the fall of 1826 Thomas Brandt and another Indian came into Ogle's cabin and wanted bread.  Brandt was drunk and drew a tomahawk to strike Mrs. Ogle, but the other Indian stopped him.      The wolves were very plenty, and one evening while Mrs. Ogle was milking the cows near the cabin, a lot of them came close to her, howling, which scared her very much.  One evening as the boys were returning from spelling school, the wolves got after them and followed them to the house.      Mr. Ogle described to the writer the situation of the brush dam and and saw mill of Spencer, and did old fort and stockade then still in good condition.      Joseph Ogle was born in Frederick city, Maryland, February 7, 1781.  His father was one of the proprietors of the town.  He was married October 15, 1809, in Mechanicstown, Frederick county, Maryland.  They lived on the old Ogle farm, in Frederick county, a while, when they moved to Hagerstown, where he kept tavern; then returned and bought the Ogle farm, sold it afterwards and came to Seneca county.      When he died in January, 1864, he was eighty-three years and eleven months old.      He cleared 130 acres of land on his farm here, and raised eight children, two having died in childhood.      Mrs. Ogle died in 1876, eighty-seven years old.  Six of their children are still living. Source:  History of Seneca County : from the close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880 - Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Print. Co., 1880 - Page 543

David E. Owen

DAVID EVAN OWEN Source:  History of Seneca County : from the close of the Revolutionary War to July, 1880 - Springfield, Ohio: Transcript Print. Co., 1880 - Page 302