OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS - Seneca Co., Ohio

	CHARLES H. FEASEL is a self-made man, who from early boyhood has been dependent upon his own resources. Unaided he has fought the battles of life and has come off conqueror in the strife. To-day a valuable farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres pays to him a golden tribute and is the visible evidence of his life of industry and perseverance. Mr. Feasel is numbered among the native sons of Seneca county, his birth having occurred in Liberty township, Apr. 5, 1857. His parents, Alexander and Mary A. (Turner) Feasel, were also natives of Ohio, and the former was born in Liberty township, the paternal grandfather of our subject, Henry Feasel, having been one of the honored pioneer settlers of the locality. Coming here in early days, he entered land from the government and began the development of a farm, making a good home for his family. Alexander Feasel spent his entire life here and after attaining to man's estate devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred when he was fifty-five years of age. In his family were four children: William, a resident of Seneca County; Elmer, who is living in Jackson township; Charles H., of this review; and Mariette, the wife of Frank Brown, an agriculturist of Liberty township. On the old home farm Charles H. Feasel was born, and in the common schools he pursued his education. When a little lad of seven summers he went to live with his grandparents and at the age of thirteen he began earning his own livelihood by working as a farm hand in the neighborhood. The compensation was not great, but it made him independent and he developed a self-reliance and a force of character which have proved important elements in his later business prosperity. When nineteen years of age he left Ohio, going to Michigan, but after a few months he returned to this state and for a year was employed as a farm hand in Seneca township and has since been a representative of its agricultural interests. At the age of twenty-one, August 6, 1879, Mr. Feasel was joined in wedlock to Mrs. Jane (Flack) Updegraff, a daughter of Lewis and Mary Ann (Null) Flack and the widow of John Andrew Updegraff, and their home has been blessed with seven children, as follows: "Alexander; Nora Augusta, who died when three years of age; Eva Belle, LeEtta, Hattie E. A., Mary Jane and Franklin E. J. Mrs. Feasel has two children by her former marriage, Ernest and Minnie May Updegraff, now wife of Herman Barton. Eva Belle is the wife of James Cheney, Alexander married Viola Cheney and Ernest Updegraff married Ada Sheets. Mr. and Mrs. Feasel began their domestic life upon the farm which is still their home. Our subject here owns and operates one hundred and twenty-five acres of rich land and is carrying on general farming. His fields are well tilled, his buildings are substantial and kept in good repair, and everything about the place is neat and thrifty in appearance, indicating his careful supervision. He deserves great credit for what he has accomplished, having from his early boyhood been dependent upon his own resources. His life has been quietly passed, yet there is much in his history that is worthy of commendation. He has ever been straightforward in his dealings with his fellow men and has placed his dependence upon the substantial qualities of industry, careful management and resolute purpose, so that he now occupies a prominent position among the substantial farmers of Seneca county. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 551
	ISAAC FEASEL. It is an indication of the opportunities and advantages which Seneca county affords to her citizens that so many of her native sons still reside within her borders having no inclination to seek homes elsewhere. A representative of this class is Isaac Feasel, who is a resident of Liberty township and who was born in this township on the 26th of August, 1836, his parents being George and Jane (Anderson) Feasel, the former a native of Virginia. Unto this worthy couple were born eleven children, namely: Mary A., Jacob, John and Margaret, who have passed away; Elizabeth, now residing in Henry county; Lucinda, deceased; Isaac, our subject; Andrew, who lives in Missouri; George who has also passed away; Sarah, the wife of John Armstrong, a resident of Illinois; and Rebecca, the widow of John Lynch. The family has long been identified with Seneca county and its representatives have ever borne their part in the work of public advancement and improvement. It was in 1821 that George Feasel, who was then twenty years of age, arrived in Seneca county, making the journey by team, moving a family to this place. He then returned to Franklin county, Ohio, where he had previously located, making his home there almost before Columbus was established, the city then being but a hamlet containing a few pioneer homes. Mr. Feasel, however, was pleased with the appearance and prospects of Seneca county and in 1829, accompanied by his wife and four children, he returned to this locality and entered from the government a tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres in Liberty township. There in the midst of the forest he erected a log cabin containing but one room and in primitive pioneer style the family began life in this portion of the state. Indolence and idleness were utterly foreign to his nature and his resolution and energy enabled him to carry on the work of improving his land until the richly cultivated fields returned to him golden harvests. He continued his farm operations throughout his active business career and lived upon the old homestead until his death, which occurred in 1886. His wife passed away at the age of eighty-four years. They were members of the United Brethren church and were people of the highest respectability. The father aided in laying out roads, in organizing schools and in promoting improvement in many lines of progress. Associated with other pioneers he made possible the present prosperity and progress of the county, and well does he deserve mention in a history of the leading and representative men of Seneca county from early days down to the present. It was upon the old family homestead that Isaac Feasel first opened his eyes to the light of day, and in Liberty township he was reared, early becoming familiar with the arduous tasks of developing a new farm in the midst of the forest. Three had to be cut and the land prepared for cultivation before a return could be gained for labor. In company with his brother John he would take jobs of clearing new land, clearing about forty acres each season and receiving three to five dollars per acre for the heaviest timber, and so continued for about seven years, making several hundred acres that he assisted in clearing. He became very expert in the use of the ax. He was the first man in the township to begin the use of tile in draining his land, and was yet three thousand five hundred dollars in debt when he bought his first tile, against the prediction of many friends, including his wife, that it would not pay. He persisted and in three years had paid his debts, not owing a dollar. The crops produced were nearly doubled and land that it was said would not yield enough for his bread has never failed to produce excellent crops. Mr. Feasel worked with his father until twenty-seven years of age, when he made preparation for a home of his own by his marriage to Catherine Good. Unto them have been born eight children: Orlando, a resident of Liberty township; Rosetta, at home; Jacob and Della, twins, the latter the wife of Franklin Hall; Sarah J., the wife of Charles Lightner; Lydia, who married J. F. Early; and John, who died in infancy. After his marriage Mr. Feasel purchased eighty acres of wild land and his first home was also a pioneer log cabin, containing but one room. After two years he removed to the farm upon he now resides and which has been his home for thirty-five years. It was then but partially improved, but with characteristic energy he began its further development and soon well tilled fields returned to him good harvests. At the time of the Civil war he put aside all personal consideration and on the 27th of September, 1864, enlisted in the First Ohio Heavy Artillery, joining his regiment at Cleveland, Tennessee. He then served until the close of the war and was a loyal defender of the Union. For five months he was in the hospital at Knoxville, but ultimately recovered his health. In his political views Mr. Feasel is independent, supporting the man whom he thinks best qualified for office, regardless of party affiliations. He has never been an aspirant for office, as his farming interests have claimed his entire attention. He now owns one hundred and sixty-five acres of good land, and no better improvements can be found in the township than are upon his place., He has an attractive residence, substantial barns and outbuildings and the latest improved machinery. There are over fifteen miles of tiling on his farm and he successfully engages in the cultivation of the crops best adapted to this climate and in stock-raising, both branches of his business returning to him a good income. His business methods have ever been commendable and have gained to him the high regard of all with whom he has been associated. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 529
	SAMUEL FEASEL. One of the prominent and honored early settlers of Seneca county is the gentleman of whom this sketch is penned. He is a practical thorough-going farmer, understanding every department of the work connected with the proper supervision of a country home, and success has abundantly rewarded his persevering labors. Now, in his declining years, he may look backward over the pathway he has traversed and truly feel that his efforts have been blessed, while he can have few regrets for idle days and wasted moments. Mr. Feasel was born in Franklin County, Ohio, on the 29th of September, 1826, a son of Henry and Mary J. (Kennell) Feasel. The father took up his abode in Liberty township, Seneca county, in 1833, at that time locating on the farm on which our subject now resides, at the center of Liberty township, entering the land at the same time that his brother George became the owner of his farm, in 1828. The father erected a log cabin in the midst of the dense wilderness, and there he made his home throughout the remainder of his life, passing to his final reward in the eighty-fourth year of his age. By his marriage to Mary J. Kennell he became the father of nine children, but only five of the number are now living: Catherine, the wife of John Chaney, of Liberty township; John, a resident of Bettsville; Susan, the wife of Edward Pope, of Lansing, Michigan; Jacob, who makes his home in Liberty township; and Samuel, the subject of this review. Those who have passed away are: Polly, George, Alexander, and Elizabeth Mr. Feasel, of this review, has spent nearly his entire life on his present home place. Early in life his time was chiefly employed in clearing new land, and thus his educational privileges were somewhat limited, but practical experience, reading and observation have continually broadened his knowledge and have made him a well informed man. After his marriage he continued the operation of his father's land, and after the latter's death he and his brother, Alexander became the owners of the old farm. Our subject has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful and progressive agriculturist, always known for his prompt and honorable methods of dealing, and thus he has earned and deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellow men. Until within the last few years he gave his political support to the Republican party, but he is now identified with the Prohibition party, and to its principles he gives an earnest and unfaltering support. For the past forty years he has been a worthy member of the Zion's Temple United Brethren church, in which he has served as one of the trustees since the building of the church. When twenty-two years of age Mr. Feasel was united in marriage to Miss Ellen Powell, but after two years of happy married life she was called to her final rest, leaving one child, Mary F., who is now the wife of A. E. Alderton of Saginaw, Michigan. Three years after the death of his first wife our subject wedded Miss Martha Kime, and two children blessed their union - Belle, who is the wife of Lewis Glick, a resident of Bascom, Seneca County; and Alice, who died in childhood. For his third wife Mr. Feasel chose Miss Elizabeth Armstrong, their marriage being solemnized on the 4th of May, 1858, and until them have been born the following children: Laura J., who is the wife of John P. Lynch, of Liberty township; Irvin, who died at the age of twenty-five years; Albert, who passed away at the age of thirty-four; Homer, who operates a stave factory at Grafton, Ohio; Roscoe, who carries on the work of the homestead; Lucetta, who became the wife of Norman Mowrey, died at the age of twenty-five years, and her two children, Bessie and Russell, now make their home with our subject; Eva is the wife of James Blue, of Toledo, Ohio; Edna, who remains at the parental home, taught the school in her home district for a period of four years, being one of the successful and popular teachers of the county; and Mandie died at the age of three years. Our subject has eleven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Feasel is one of the most honored and highly esteemed citizens of his community, and it is safe to say that no man in Seneca county has a wider circle of friends and acquaintances. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 195
Charles Foster	HON. CHARLES FOSTER. One of the conspicuous figures in the history of Ohio and in that of the nation is Hon. Charles Foster, the distinguished and honored citizen of Fostoria, Seneca county, - a man whose career has conferred credit and dignity upon the great commonwealth of which he is a native son and whose marked abilities have heightened the fame which the Buckeye state bears as the contributor of men of ability, honor and power in connection with the public life of the nation. A strong mentality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and director of opinion. It is manifestly proper that a just celebrity should be given to those men who are distinguished in their day and generation, that the living may enjoy the approbation of their contemporaries as well as that of the grateful posterity. Biography is the essence of all generic history and in it are to be found both lesson and incentive, to an extent not superficially evident. Called upon to serve in positions of distinguished public trust and responsibility, Charles Foster has discharged is assigned duties with ability, discrimination, integrity and with a high sense of his stewardship, and to him has not been denied that ample measure of objective appreciation and honor which is his just desert. As an influential member of the national house of representatives, as the governor of a great state and as secretary of the treasury, Mr. Foster made enviable records, and his name is lastingly inscribed on the roll of those who deserve well of the state and nation which he has so signally served. Charles Foster was born in a log cabin on a farm near Tiffin, in Seneca township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 12th of April, 1828, being the son of Charles W. and Laura (Crocker) Foster, the respective families having been established in New England in the early colonial epoch. His father was of Scotch-Irish lineage and his mother, the daughter of John and Lucy (Bartlett) Crocker, is of Welsh-English extraction. Charles W. Foster passed away years (1902), being specially well preserved in both mental and physical powers. The parents of our subject were natives of Massachusetts, later became residents of New York, whence the Crockers moved to Ohio in 1824. His father came to Ohio in 1826,, and his marriage to Miss Crocker her3e occurred in June of the following year. In 1832 they came to what was known as the "black swamp," in the northwestern part of this state, locating at Rome, a primitive hamlet in the forest wilds and the nucleus of the present city of Fostoria, which was named in honor of Charles W. Foster who there engaged in business as one of the pioneer country merchants of Seneca county. He built a double log house, utilizing a portion of the same for the family dwelling and the remainder as a store, in which he displayed a small stock of general merchandise. He also began handling real estate in this section, and through this medium eventually accumulated a hue property. The preliminary educational discipline of his son, the future governor of Ohio, was received in a little log school-house, over which Warren P. Noble presided as teacher, and at the age of twelve years the lad became a student in the academy at Norwalk, where he continued his studies about nine months, when illness in the family compelled him to return home to assist in the work of the store, of which he became manager at the age of fifteen years, while he was admitted to partnership when eighteen years of age and the following year assumed full charge of the enterprise. In this connection he made trips to New York city, where he purchased goods, and the enterprise soon became the most important of the sort in this section of the state, drawing its trade from a wide radius of country. To those who know the man and his alert mentality there is nothing strange to be noted in the broad fund of knowledge and the high intellectuality which is his, for the lack of early educational advantages of a specific order could not daunt a boy who was father to such a man, in harmony with the old aphorism. He made opportunities and by personal application supplemented his store of knowledge, making each day count for good and gaining valuable lessons in the practical school of experience. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion Mr. Foster consented to assume the office of colonel of the One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, but owing to imperative exigencies his parents prevailed upon him to refuse the commission. His patriotism was, however, shown in a practical way, since he granted credit to every soldier of the vicinity who required this aid, throughout the entire course of the war, while he was otherwise helpful in divers ways. In 1867 a change was made in the character of the mercantile business, a bank being established, a hardware store being opened and a grain and produce business being established, and the enterprise thus founded by his father was continued without interruption, and with the changes noted, until 1888,—a period of fifty-six years. A stalwart supporter of the Republican party from the time of its organization, Charles Foster was never a candidate for any office, save one or two minor local positions, until 1870, but in that year he was persuaded to accept the Republican nomination for congress. Although in a Democratic district, he was elected by a majority of seven hundred and twenty-six votes, overcoming a normal Democratic majority of eighteen hundred, and that on an occasion when the district gave a Democratic victory on the state ticket. His opponent was Edward F. Dickinson, who had been previously elected in the same district by a majority of one thousand, six hundred and forty-five. He took his seat on the 4th of March, 1871, the Hon. James G. Blaine, speaker of the house, placing him upon the committee on claims. Mr. Foster soon gained the confidence of the members of the house, and it should he noted in the connection that Horace Greeley spontaneously wrote to Mr. Blaine and stated that a man who could carry his district as had Mr. Foster must possess power and ability entitling him to good places on committees, preferments not usually accorded to new men. This letter was sent to Mr. Foster by Mr. Blaine some years later, and the same is duly appreciated, particularly in view of the fact that Mr. Greeley had at that time never seen the man of whom he wrote. In 1872 Mr. Foster was renominated, by acclamation, and in the ensuing election defeated, by seven hundred and seventy-six votes, Rush R. Sloane, of Upper Sandusky, a Greeley Republican and Democrat. In the forty-second congress the speaker placed him upon the important ways and means committee and he was also made chairman of the sub-committee on internal revenue. As a member of the committee last mentioned he was a prime factor in bringing to light the Sanborn contract frauds. From the close of the war much revenue had remained uncollected, and General Benjamin F. Butler secured the passage of an act authorizing the secretary of the treasury to contract for the discovery and collection of the same, paying fifty per cent, for such work. Sanborn, General Butler’s sutler during the Rebellion, secured the contract and was paid four hundred thousand dollars for collections made through regular government officials, Sanborn having simply pointed out the delinquencies. Mr. Foster made an investigation and through his fearless and active efforts secured a repeal of the law, being bitterly attacked by Butler in connection with the debate on the measure and thus gaining a national reputation. He also took an active part in the movement which resulted in the repeal of the moiety laws, and was prominently concerned in the Pacific mail investigation, as a member of the committee on ways and means. Early in 1874, as chairman of an investigating committee, he went to New Orleans in connection with the investigation of Louisiana affairs, and in his official report he severely criticized the methods of both political parties in that state. He was present at the organization of the Louisiana legislature in 1875, when Wiltz assumed to be speaker and as such entertained motions to unseat sixteen Republican members and place sixteen Democrats in the chairs thus vacated. He was also present when the United States troops, under General Sheridan, upon order from Governor Kellogg, reinstated the Republican members in their seats. His report created a sensation and many feared that he had thus entirely ruined his political prospects, but it eventuated that he had but strengthened his position in public confidence and esteem. In 1874 Mr. Foster was re-elected to congress by one hundred and fifty-nine majority over a very popular Democrat, George E. Seney, although the state went Democratic by over seventeen thousand, its candidates for congress being elected in thirteen of the twenty districts. In the ensuing session he served1 as a member of the committee on appropriations, of which Samuel J. Randall was chairman, and in 1876 he was renominated. By reason of the fact that General Hayes, the presidential nominee, was from his district, the Democracy made a special effort to defeat Mr. Foster at this time, but he was triumphantly re-elected, by a majority of two hundred and seventy-six over his Bourbon competitor. He was the only Republican member of congress from Ohio to vote in favor of the electoral-count bill, a Democratic measure, whose enactment resulted in placing General Hayes in the presidential chair. Mr. Foster thinks the most valuable service rendered by him was the successful efforts he made to secure the peaceful and orderly inauguration of Hayes. His position was peculiar and especially helpful to this purpose. He represented Hayes, and was known to be on confidential relations with him. He had endeared himself to the south by the fairness of his report on the Louisiana matters two years before. The last, most serious and most dangerous movement of the Democrats was a determination on their part to filibuster out the session, and thus prevent the completion of the court, and so entail the necessary failure to elect a president. About two-thirds of the Democrats of the house joined in the movement after it became evident that under the electoral-count bill. Hayes would secure the election. They all believed that Tilden had been elected, and most of them were ready for anything that would defeat Hayes. If they could get all, or nearly all, of the Democrats to join in their filibustering movement they could prevent a declaration of the count. No one knows how near this movement came to being successful, nor can one now determine the result to follow from such a condition of chaos. There was just one condition of safety: General Grant was president, and he had given out that he would remain president until a legally elected successor was ready to take his place. Fortunately, Mr. Foster, with others, by untiring effort, kept the Democrats from uniting and the danger was averted. Hayes was declared elected at half past one o’clock Friday morning, the 2d of March. Mr. Foster was the leader in the movement. He had the confidence of the southern leaders, —Lamar, Ben Hill, John Young, Brown and others. When he said in a memorable speech that under Hayes the ‘‘flag should float over states, not provinces,” over “free men, not subjects,” no question was raised as to the attitude of Hayes toward the south. While he and others were charged with bargaining with the southern people to secure the election of Hayes, there was no truth in the statement. Mr. Foster was frank and open in asserting to them that Hayes would not use troops at the polls,—the particular thing the south dreaded. In 1877 the Democratic legislature of Ohio redistricted the state, placing Mr. Foster in a district which at the previous election had given a Democratic majority of nearly five thousand and which contained but one Republican county. In the face of certain defeat Mr. Foster did not desert his party and made the run in his district in the election of 1878, being defeated by only thirteen hundred majority, having refused nomination in the Toledo district, where his re-election would have been practically certain. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 176
	JOHN FRUTH. The subject to whose life history we now direct attention has passed practically his entire life in Seneca county, though he is a native of German, and has been conspicuously identified with the industrial and civic activities of this section of the state, being one of the successful farmers and highly honored citizens of Loudon township, where his parents took up their abode in the pioneer epoch of the county's history. Mr. Fruth was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on the 17th of June, 1851, being a son of Jacob of Sevilla (Sherdon) Fruth of whose seven children four survive at the present time, namely: Sevilla the wife of Conrad Herbert, of Big Spring township; Susannah, wife of David Peters, of Alvada, this county; John, the subject of this sketch; and Gustave, who makes his home with our subject. The parents were both native of Bavaria, and there they maintained their home until 1854, when they bade adieu to the fatherland and emigrated to America, the subject of this review being but three years of age at the time. They landed in New York city after a voyage of thirty days' duration, and thence came directly through to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, and settled on a farm near the city of Cleveland, the place having been purchased by Jacob Fruth prior to his1 emigration, through the medium of his sister, who had preceded him to America and had located which her husband in Cuyahoga county. Mr. Fruth remained in that county two years and then disposed of his farm and came to Seneca county, locating in Loudon township, where he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty-four acres, the same being now owned by his son-in-law, David Peters, previously mentioned. The father of our subject cleared and improved this farm and there made his home until his death, at the age of sixty years, his widow surviving him many years and passing away at the age of seventy-five. They were folk of sterling character — earnest, industrious and God-fearing,—and were devoted members of the United Evangelical church. Mr. Fruth gave his support to the Democratic party after becoming a naturalized citizen, and he ever commanded the esteem of the people of the community where he lived and labored to such goodly ends. John Fruth, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared on the old homestead and received, a common-school education. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1874, and soon afterward purchased seventy acres of his present farm, where he began his independent career. In 1885 he purchased an adjoining sixty acres, and as he has made the best improvements and brought the place under a high state of cultivation, he now has one of the valuable and attractive farm estates in this section of the county. He has ever taken an active interest in the enterprises and undertakings which have been projected for the general good of the community and his attitude has been that of a public-spirited and progressive citizen. In politics his allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and he has served as a member of the township central committee of his party, while he has also been incumbent of other positions of trust and responsibility. He was assessor of his township for two terms, was road supervisor for an equal period and was the candidate of his party for township trustee in 1895, but was defeated, owing to political exigencies. He is incumbent of the office of school director at the present time, and has, at intervals, held this office for several years. He is an elder in St. John's United Evangelical church and is a zealous worker in the same, his wife also being a devoted member of the church. Fraternally he is identified with Loudon Grange, No. 723, Patrons of Husbandry, of which he is chaplain at the time of this writing. On the 10th of February, 1874, Mr. Fruth was united in marriage to Miss Magdalena Mergenthaler, who was born in Loudon township, the daughter of Gottfried Mergenthaler, who was one of the early settlers of this township, having emigrated thither from Wurtemberg, Germany. Of the thirteen children born to Mr. and Mrs. Fruth twelve survive, namely: Jacob F., a farmer of this township; William C., of Big Spring township; David, of Loudon township; Ida C., wife of Henry Zuern, of Seneca township; Christina E., wife of George Heilman, of Hancock county: and Daniel L., Clara F., Abraham J., Sarah A., John C., Clarence H. and Lena M., who remain at the paternal home. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 621
	JOHN F. FRUTH. Year has been added to year and decade to decade until the aggregate of almost half a century has been attained since the time when the subject of this sketch came as a lad to Seneca county, of which his father was a pioneer, still living within its confines, as a venerable patriarch and as a man whose life has been such as to retain to him the high esteem of his fellow men. When the family took up their residence in Loudon township this section was still practically a frontier region, awaiting the awakening touch of the sturdy pioneers who would still further transform its wild lands into rich and productive farms and beautiful homes, establish villages, churches, schools and various commercial and industrial enterprises and thus continue the inceptive work of reclaiming the country for the uses and blessing of mankind. The natural advantages of this section attracted at an early day a superior class of settlers,—a thrifty, industrious, progressive and law-abiding people, whose influence has given permanent direction to the work of development and material advancement. Or this type was the father of our subject, who is one of the sturdy sons of the German fatherland who have taken up their abode in America to become an integral part of its social fabric and a valuable factor in conserving its normal and legitimate progress. The Fruth family is one peculiarly worthy of consideration in this work, touching Seneca county and its people. John F. Fruth was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, on the 21 st of May, 1853, being the son of Frank and Catherine (Fruth) Fruth, of collateral branches of one of the old and honored families of that section of the great German empire, where both were born, as were also their ten children, of whom only four survive, namely: Leonard, who makes his home with the subject of this review; Adam, a farmer of Scipio township; Catherine, the wife of A. Heinze, of Loudon township; and John F., whose name appears at the head of this article. The father of our subject was born in Bavaria, on the 15th of September, 1813, and was there reared and educated and there learned the trade of baker, to which he continued to devote his attention in his native land for a number of years. He emigrated with his family to America in the spring of 1854, the subject of this review being at the time a child of about one year, and they located at a point about eight miles distant from the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where the father devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits about two years, his devoted wife having died only four weeks after the arrival of the family in the United States. In 1856 Frank Fruth came with his children to Seneca county and settled in the township of Loudon, where he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty acres of land, to whose reclamation he forthwith directed his attention, and here he has ever since maintained his home, the old homestead farm being now owned by his son-in-law, Mr. Heinze, but being still the abiding place of the venerable father, now nearly ninety years of age, who receives from his children the deepest filial respect and solicitude. He has given his political support to the principles and policies of the Democratic patty and his entire life has been one of sterling rectitude and honor, while his industry was unflagging until his advanced years necessitated his retirement from the active duties of business. He is a devoted member of the Lutheran church, with which his wife, who passed away so many years ago, was likewise identified. John F. Fruth, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared on the old homestead and early began to lend his aid in the work of clearing and cultivating the same, while his educational privileges were, such as were afforded in the primitive public schools of the period. His marriage occurred in the year 1873 and he then purchased forty acres of land in Loudon township, the same being in section 32, and in four years he traded this place in part payment for his present fine homestead, which comprises one hundred and sixty-six and a fraction acres. Here he has made excellent improvements, has brought the farm into- the highest state of cultivation, of diversified order, and has made it one of the attractive and valuable rural homes of this favored section of the Buckeye commonwealth, where he has practically passed his entire life, which has been so directed as to retain to him at every stage in his career the high esteem of those with whom he has come in contact. Though he has never sought the honors of political office, Mr. Fruth has given a stanch support to the Democratic party and has shown at all times a deep interest in all that goes to further the general welfare of the community. His religious connection is with the West Independent United Brethren church, of which Mrs. Fruth likewise is a member. On June 22, 1873, Mr. Fruth was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary (Peter) Fruth, who was born in Loudon township, daughter of Jacob Peter, who removed from Germany to this county as a pioneer of the year 1833. At the; age of eighteen years she had married Conrad Fruth, the brother of John F., and he died Mar. 17, 1868, leaving two sons, John Henry Fruth, now a farmer of Hancock county, and Conrad, also of that county. They were both reared by their uncle and stepfather, receiving such assistance as could he rendered when establishing homes of their own. Of the four children horn to our subject and his estimable wife three are living at the present time: Jacob, a resident of Hancock county, married Miss Lydia Mertz and has one son, Roswell R.; Millie remains at the parental home, as does also the younger daughter, Catherine. Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Seneca County, Ohio - Publ. by Lewis Publishing Company - 1902 - Page 581

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