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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio
Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros.
1892.
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E. V. SHAW
Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 460 |
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WILLIAM H.
SHAW Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 446 |
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A. P.
SHOAFF Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 370 |
Henry Shroyer |
HENRY SHROYER.
So successful has this gentleman been in his farming
operations that he is now the owner of three hundred and
forty-three acres of fine land in Salem Township, Shelby
County. Among the representative and influential
farmers of the community, he occupies a prominent place,
and as an example of a self-made man, who has acquired
his extensive possessions through his unaided toil, the
record of his life is worthy the perusal and emulation
of the Young. His portrait is also presented to
our readers.
Joseph Shroyer, father of our subject, was born
in Maryland, of German descent, and was orphaned when
quite young. In 1820, he removed West to Ohio and
commenced to clear a small tract of land in Miami
County, where he was married to Mary Shroyer, a
native of the Old Dominion. In 1835, he located in
Shelby County, upon the old homestead in the northern
part of Salem Township. At that time the land was
heavily timbered and roads had not yet been opened,
while Indians and wild animals roamed at will through
the dense forests. Few people had penetrated the
wilderness in an endeavor to convert the far-reaching
wooded land into habitable homesteads. Piqua was
the nearest market and depot of supplies, and thither
the early pioneers were accustomed to go in order to
purchase provisions.
Gradually the woodman's axe penetrated the forests,
wild animals became less numerous, the Indians sought
distant homes on the broad prairies of the West, and
where the father of our subject had originally entered a
claim of apparently valueless land, fifty years later
the site was marked by a beautiful homestead, adorned
with orchards and embellished with farm buildings.
He succeeded in clearing one hundred acres (twenty-eight
acres being yet in timber), and was a hard-working,
enterprising farmer. In church work, he was
equally zealous, and for many years religious services
were held at his home. He aided substantially in
the erection of two churches, and presented each of them
with an acre of land on which to build. His
membership was in the German Reformed Church, in which
he served as Elder until his death in 1880. So
popular was he, that he had not an enemy in the
community, but everyone was his friend and well-wisher.
The fifth in a family of nine children, our subject was
born Aug. 26, 1834, in Miami County, this State.
His educational advantages were limited to the
subscription schools of this county, and his time was
principally devoted to tilling the soil on his father's
farm. May 18, 1854, he was married to Miss Mary
daughter of Gottlieb and Elizabeth (Clapper) Straham
natives respectively of the city of Breslau, Germany,
and Ohio.
Mr. Strahlen emigrated to the United States when
eighteen years old, making the voyage in a
sailing-vessel and spending twenty-eight weeks on the
ocean. He had left his native country in order to
avoid being pressed into the army to fight Napoleon
Bonaparte. By trade he was a piano and organ
builder, but after coming to America followed the
vocation of a farmer. His marriage took place in
Fairfield County, where he cultivated a farm twenty
acres in extent. After the birth of four children,
he and his wife removed to Shelby County and entered one
hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land on section
35, Salem Township. There they resided until their
death, Mr. Strahlendying in 1863, and his wife in
1889. Politically, he was a member of the
Democratic party. In his religious adherence, he
was a Lutheran, while his wife held membership in the
Reformed Church. Four of their nine children now
survive.
Mrs. Shroyer was born on
the old homestead in Salem Township May 18, 1845, and
was there reared to womanhood, meanwhile receiving a
limited schooling. After their marriage, Mr.
and Mrs. Shroyer resided on the Strahlen
homestead for one year, then spent the ensuing
twelve months on the farm of her brother, after which
they remained with another brother for two years.
At that time, Mr. Shroyer commenced for himself
on an eighty-acre farm just west of the John F.
Shroyer place, and there he engaged in general
farming until 1885, when he settled on his present
estate.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. Shroyer consists of
six children, as follows: Clara, wife of
William Rubert, of Salem Township; Eliza Ellen,
who is Mrs. John Wones, also a resident of Salem
Township; Hattie, who married George Rose,
of Salem Township; Elmer, Nelson C., and
Harrison W. Mr. Shroyer has always devoted
himself exclusively to agricultural pursuits, and has
cleared and improved one hundred and twenty-five acres
of his place. He is a whole-hearted, free-souled
man, frank in the expression of his convictions and firm
in his adherence to the principles of truth and justice.
In him the German Reformed Church has one of its most
active members and the Democratic party one of its
strongest adherents.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. - Page 431 |
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JOHN F. SHROYER.
The owner of a finely cultivated farm of one hundred
acres in Salem Township, and one of the representative
agriculturists of Shelby County, this gentleman is
deserving of considerable mention in the RECORD.
On the paternal side, he is descended from German
ancestors, who emigrated to the United States at an
early day, and made settlement in Maryland. In
that State, Grandfather Jacob Shroyer was born,
reared and married, and there, too, he remained until
near his death, which occurred in Miami County, Ohio.
The parents of our subject, Thomas and Catherine
(Fry) Shroyer, were natives of Pennsylvania and
Maryland, respectively, both born about 1806.
After their marriage, which occurred in Miami County,
Ohio, they removed to Shelby County in 1837, and settled
on section 36, Salem Township. The surrounding
country was a wilderness, the land wholly unimproved,
and the nearest neighbor one and one-half miles distant.
Mr. Shroyer assisted in clearing the first road
in the township, and built one of the first log houses
ever erected within its limits. The one hundred
and sixty acres of land which he purchased were heavily
timbered, and it required the most arduous exertions
during a number of years to clear the land and prepare
the soil for cultivation. The nearest market for
supplies was at Sidney, then a mere hamlet.
For forty years, Thomas Shroyer lived and
labored on the farm, and the large measure of success
which crowned his efforts was due to his faithful and
persistent labors. He was bereaved by the death of
his devoted wife in April, 1879, and during the
following August he closed his eyes to the scenes of
earth, and passed to the Great Beyond. Fourteen
children had been born of this marriage, nine of whom
still survive—honorable men and women, who are filling
responsible positions in their various communities.
One son, Thomas, served as a teamster in the
Civil War. The parents were faithful members of
the Dunkard Church, in which the father was officially
prominent. In his political belief, he was a
Democrat, and earnest in his support of the party of his
choice.
On the farm in Miami County, Ohio, Sept. 9, 1833, our
subject was born—one of a pair of twins, the other of
whom was accidentally killed a few years since, while
digging a well. At the age of four years, our
subject accompanied his parents to Shelby County, where
he attended school in a primitive log building—the first
schoolhouse in Salem Township. The furnishings
were of the pioneer order, and the method of instruction
equally crude, but our subject gained a good knowledge
of the "three R's," and laid the foundation of the broad
education which he afterward acquired through reading
and observation.
Having been reared upon a farm, our subject naturally
chose agriculture for his life pursuit, and, at the age
of twenty-one, commenced for himself by renting land,
which he cultivated. In 1858, he was married to
Miss Sarah Ann Hudlow, who was born in Shelby
County, Ohio. Her father, John Hudlow, was
an early settler of this county, and she also spent her
entire life here, dying in 1886, at the age of
forty-three years. Eight of her eleven children
are now living: John Henry, who is
married, and lives in Logan County; Emery,
Edward D., Samuel J., Alonzo, Myrtie, Rose L., and
Benjamin L.
June 9, 1887, Mr. Shroyer was married to
Mrs. Margaret Shroyer, who was born in Logan
County, Ohio, the daughter of John and Martha
(Collins) Moore, the former born in Maryland in
1808, and the latter in Pennsylvania in 1813. The
latter married in Belmont County, Ohio, whence they
removed to Logan County, and from there to Union County
in 1852. In 1865, they came to Shelby County, and
settled in Jackson Township, where they resided until
near the time of their decease. Mrs.
Moore died in June, 1886, and her husband passed
from earth Dec. 5, 1891. Their family consisted of
eleven children, six of whom are now (1892) living.
One of the sons, Samuel, was a soldier in the
Civil War, serving in defense of the Union.
Mrs. Shroyer was born in Logan County,
Ohio, Jan. 10, 1846, and accompanied her parents to
Union County when a child. By a former marriage
she is the mother of four children: Laura D.,
wife of Luther French; Ada E., who
is Mrs. Edward Dukeshire; Walter and
Emma, who are with their mother. Mrs.
Shroyer is a lady of noble character and a
devoted member of the Christian Church.
When Mr. Shroyer settled upon his present
estate in 1865, it was a tangle of saplings, and the
ground was entirely covered with water. He
introduced a thorough and effective system of tiling, by
means of which the value of the property has been
considerably enhanced. Through his unaided
efforts, he has gained a competency, and is now one of
the most prosperous farmers in Shelby County. The
cozy residence which he now occupies was erected in
1885, and he has added other buildings as they have been
needed. His interest in educational matters has
always been deep, and through his exertions the present
brick schoolhouse in his district was erected.
Realizing that his success was retarded by lack of
education, it has been his constant endeavor to procure
the; best educational advantages for his children and in
every way to qualify them for usefulness in life.
Politically, he is a stanch Democrat, a leader in local
politics, and a man of note in the community. He
has served as Road Supervisor for several terms, besides
occupying other positions of trust.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. - Page 524 |
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LEVI SHROYER. The
farming community of Shelby County finds one of its most
successful representatives in this gentleman, who has
rendered effective service in advancing the agricultural
interests of Jackson Township. The farm which he
owns and cultivates consist of two hundred and
seventy-nine acres, of which he has cleared one hundred
and twenty-five acres through his personal efforts.
The place is embellished with a neat set of farm
buildings, conspicuous among which is the substantial
and tastily furnished residence, which was erected in
1871.
During the early part of this century, John Shroyer,
father of our subject, emigrated from his native State,
Pennsylvania, and made settlement in Montgomery County,
Ohio. There he was married to Miss Elizabeth
Shonk, a native of that county, and a most estimable
lady, who still survives, in the full possession of her
mental faculties, at the age of ninety-two years.
After his marriage, he settled on an unimproved tract of
land near Dayton, and cleared two farms in that
locality, where he remained until his death in 1876,
aged eighty-four years.
Four of the six children comprising the parental family
still survive, and one son, Andrew J., served
with valor in the Civil War. The religious
convictions of the parents brought them into fellowship
with the German Reformed Church, in which he was
prominent and influential. Politically, he was in
sympathy with the principles of the Democratic party,
and in the local political affairs was a man of note.
The subject of this sketch was born in Montgomery
County, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1825, and reared upon his
father's farm, which he aided in clearing as soon as old
enough to be of use. When ready to establish a
home of his own, he was married, Apr. 24, 1853, to
Sarah Ann, daughter of Martin Himes, an early
settler of Montgomery County. Mrs. Sarah A.
Shroyer was born in Montgomery County, Dec. 21,
1831, and died May 11, 1870, mourned not only in the
immediate family circle, but by the host of warm friends
whom she had won by her unassuming nobility of character
and kindness of heart.
Six of the ten children born of this union survive, as
follows: Ziba C. married Matilda Yhelm
and with his wife and three children resides in Dayton;
Elizabeth A. married S. D. Haney of Port
Jefferson, and they have five sons; Louisa H.,
the widow of Louis A. Bruner makes her home with
our subject, as do also her two daughters; Milton J.,
who is a resident of Dinsmore Township, married
Elizabeth Frey, and they have two sons;
Edward S. married Annie Carson, and
they make their home in Carthage, Ohio; Ida J. is
at present teaching in Dinsmore Township.
Martha Alice was formerly the wife of B.
Smith, but is now deceased.
The second marriage of Mr. Shroyer united him
with Jane M. Erven, a native of Ohio, who died
Dec. 20, 1890, aged forty-four years. She was a
devoted wife and an affectionate mother, and at her
death left two daughters, Nellie W. and Mabel
L., who are now attending school, and are bright and
interesting children. Forty years have come and
gone since Mr. Shroyer settled on his present
farm, and he has witnessed startling transformations in
the improvements of the county. Although his time
is principally given to his private duties, he maintains
a deep interest in educational matters, and has served
as Director in his district. In politics, he is a
Democrat, and casts his ballot for the candidates of
that party. He has served as Treasurer of the
Grange, and is also identified with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. - Page 352 |
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THE SIDNEY
PUBLIC LIBRARY Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and
Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros.
1892. - Page 272 |
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F.
SIEVERDING Source: Portrait
and Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 500 |
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THOMAS
SKILLEN. The name of this gentleman is
indissolubly connected with the history of Shelby
County, and, indeed, with its entire development, he
being the oldest living pioneer resident of Loramie
Township, and it thus gives us pleasure to place upon
the pages of this volume a biographical review of his
life. He has been very successful in the
acquirement of wealth and is the owner of two hundred
and fifty-six acres of land in this region.
The original of this sketch, who has lived in Shelby
County since 1817, was born in Westmoreland County, Pa.,
Oct. 23, 1815, and is a son of William Skillen,
who was born in that State June 23, 1793.
Grandfather Samuel Skillen was born on the Atlantic
Ocean May 12, 1769, while his parents were en route to
the new world from Ireland. They located in
Pennsylvania, where they were farmers.
In 1817, William Skillen, in company with two
uncles and other relatives, constructed a raft, which
they floated down the Alleghany River to Pittsburgh,
thence down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, the party
containing about thirty people. The father
remained at Indian Hill for two months, and in the fall
of that year came to this county, when it formed a
portion of Miami County, and located on section 8, in
what is now Loramie Township. Here he entered land
from the Government, erected a log cabin on his
property, and resided in this section when there were
but few families here, the country being a dense forest,
inhabited by Indians, and wild beasts. The father,
in the winter of 1817, cleared a small portion of his
farm, which he planted in corn the following spring.
Dayton and Cincinnati, several miles distant, were the
nearest markets in those early days, and it was there
that Mr. Skillen, like other pioneers, hauled the
products of hsi farm. He took an active part in
the organization of Shelby County in 1819, and held the
various local offices of his township. He departed
this life in 1842, when in his forty-ninth year.
Our subject's mother, who died in 1828, bore the maiden
name of Elizabeth Gray, and was a native of
Pennsylvania, of Irish descent. At her decease she
left a family of five children, of whom our subject was
the eldest but one. He has one sister living,
Mrs. Sarah Jane McClure, who is residing in Seward
County, Neb. The father of our subject of 1830
chose for his second wife Frances Cromor, a
native of Miami County, this State, by whom he became
the father of one child, who is now deceased.
He of whom we write was only two years of age when his
parents came to this locality, and was here educated in
the common schools, which were conducted in that early
day on the subscription plan, in a log schoolhouse with
puncheon floor, slab seats, greased paper for window
lights, etc. As soon as old enough, he assisted
his father in carrying on the farm, hoeing corn being
his first work. He remained at home until reaching
his majority, when he engaged to work out on a farm for
three years. His health failing, in 1839 Mr.
Skillen went South to Arkansas, and on his return
the following year was married and, with his bride,
again went to Arkansas and made his home there for three
years.
In 1843, returning to Shelby County, Mr. Skillen
took up his abode on section 3, Loramie Township, which
has since been his home. In 1846, he engaged in
the produce business buying and shipping to the city
markets, in which branch of business he was engaged
until 1877, in the meantime, however, carrying on his
farm work. For the past fifteen years he has lived
somewhat retired, but probably enjoys as extensive an
acquaintance, and rejoices in the good-will of as many
friends, as any man in Shelby County.
Aug. 12, 1840, Mr. Skillen and Miss Susannah
Julien were united in marriage. His wife
died in the spring of 1844, leaving two children as a
pledge of their love. Four years later, he was
married to Amanda Griffis who died in 1851,
leaving one child, Theodore who was born Dec. 19,
1850. The latter is now married and resides on the
old homestead. The third marriage of our subject
occurred in 1852, at which time Miss Margaret
Blackwood, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1816,
became his wife. They are both members of the
Presbyterian Church, with which denominated they have
been connected for over forty years, and of which body
Mrs. Skillen is one of the charter members,
having aided in its organization in this vicinity in
1847.
Although reared to Democratic principles, our subject
has since 1856 voted with the Republican party. As
before stated, he is in the truest sense a self-made
man, as he began life with no other capital than a sound
mind in a sound body. He worked with an
indomitable will and unflagging energy to overcome all
obstacles that lay in his way as a pioneer of a
newly-settled region, and in time had the satisfaction
to know that he had made his life successful
financially, as well as in other directions, so that he
is enabled now to pass life free from the cares of
business and in the enjoyment of every comfort.
One hundred and forty-six acres of his estate lie in
Cynthiana Township and bear all the improvements which
characterize their owner as a man of enterprise and
progress.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. - Page 560 |
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W. A. SKILLEN,
pension attorney for Sidney, Ohio, and one of the old
soldiers of this county, is a stanch patriot, and is as
loyal to his friends as to his country. He was
born on the 5th of January, 1830, to the union of
James and Sarah (Jones) Skillen. The father was a
native of Westmoreland County, Pa., and came to Hamilton
County, Ohio, in 1816, and from there to Shelby County
in 1826, following the pursuit of farming all his life.
After locating there, he was for many years Justice of
the Peace. There he made his home until the year
1854, when he moved to Bremer County, Iowa, and there
received his final summons in the year 1882. The mother
had departed this life in the year 1865. Both were
faithful members of the New Light or Christian Church,
and he was a minister in the same for fifty years.
During his youthful days, our subject divided his time
in attending the common schools and in assisting his
father on the farm. After reaching his majority,
he continued farming for himself, and was married to
Miss Caroline Rice, of Salem Township, this county.
Seven children were born to this union, five of whom are
living: S. W., a United States soldier for the
past seven and a half years; D. O., traveling
salesman for the Kennedy Cracker Company; Anna M.,
wife of C. M. Davis, of Piqua; Laura M.
and James O. are still attending school.
Mr. Skillen continued farming until the 18th
of August, 1861, when he was filled with a patriotic
desire to aid his country's cause, and he enlisted in
Company B, Twentieth Ohio Infantry. He was sent to
the Army of the Tennessee, Seventeenth Corps, and
participated in the following battles: Ft. Donelson,
Shiloh, Bolivar, Iuka, Middleburg, Grand Gulf, Port
Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black
River, Vicksburg, Mechanicsburgh, Ft. Hill, and
Vicksburg. He was in the expedition from Vicksburg
to Meridian. During the battle of Vicksburg, he
was wounded five times, and has never fully recovered
from the effects. He was afterward at the field
hospital and on the hospital boat for some time.
He subsequently returned to the army, but was only
assigned to court duty for the first year. He
entered the army as a private, and was promoted through
the different degrees, until at the close he was
mustered out as a Captain.
Returning to his home, he was engaged in merchandising
and trading, and is one of the popular and active
business men of Sidney. He is an
accomplished and polished gentleman, both by instinct
and training, and possesses generous, true hearted, and
hospitable instincts. In him the community has a
faithful and unswerving friend, ever alert to serve its
best interests, and generous in his contributions
towards every movement tending to general advancement.
He has been engaged in the pension business alone since
Apr. 1, 1891, but was with Mr. Van
Fossen for several years. He is a member of
the Grand Army, and has been through all the offices of
the same and nearly through again. He lost his
wife in 1880, and his second marriage was to Mrs.
Hattie Rike, of Port Jefferson, Salem
Township, Shelby County, Ohio. To this marriage no
children have been born.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record of
Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. - Page 535 |
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CHARLES E.
SMOOT Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 237 |
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WILLIAM
MARION SNOW Source: Portrait
and Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 178 |
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JOHN M.
STALEY Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 238 |
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NICHOLAS
STALEY Source: Portrait and
Biographical Record of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby
Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892. -
Page 417 |
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WILLIAM STOKER, an
influential farmer of Green Township, Shelby County,
operates an estate of eighty acres, and through
unremitting industry has become well-to-do. He is
the son of Gritten and Sallie (Tickle) Stoker,
natives of Virginia, where they were married and whence
they emigrated to this State about eighty years ago.
They made their home for two years in Mad River
Township, Greene County, and then took up their abode
six miles north of Dayton on a wild farm, which the
father had located. They made their home there for
thirty-five years, and then coming to Shelby County,
located in Orange and Greene Townships, just west of
Plattsville, They were the parents of nine
children, two of whom are now living, our subject and
his sister Elizabeth, Mrs. Bowlsby. The
wife and mother died in 1832.
Mr. Stoker was married a second time, by which
union he became the father of one child, George W.,
who served a period of three years during the Civil War.
The father died in 1869, and his wife, who survived him
many years, departed this life in 1890. William,
of this sketch, was born Sept. 22, 1822, in Montgomery
County, Ohio. and as he was called upon to aid his
father in operating the home farm, received but limited
advantages for obtaining an education. He began
life for himself when sixteen years of .age by working
out on farms for other parties, and in this manner got a
start in the world.
In 1845, Mr. Stoker and Miss
Elizabeth Haresman were united in marriage.
They became the parents of two children, only one of
whom, Josephine. Mrs. Young, is now living.
The mother died in 1851, and seven years later our
subject was married to Sophia Kellenbarger,
and to them was born a family of four children, one of
whom is deceased. Those living are Alice,
Mrs. Fiddler; Rosa, Mrs.
Campbell; and John W. Mrs.
Stoker died in 1870, and the lady to whom our
subject was married Apr. 27, 1879, still survives; she
bore the maiden name of Eliza E. Peekham.
The two children born of this union were Henry
Ward and Clara Avada.
He of whom we write came to this county in 1858, and
located upon his present estate of eighty acres, which
bore but slight improvements. He now has the
greater portion of it under cultivation, and embellished
with all the needful farm buildings, not the least among
which is his comfortable residence, which was erected in
1873 at a cost of $1,672. Mrs. Stoker
is a member of the United Brethren Church, and our
subject is liberal in his religious views, giving
cheerfully of his means to the support of all
denominations. He has served efficiently in the
office of School Director, and as an active politician
votes with the Democratic
party, casting his first vote for James K. Polk.
Source: Portrait and Biographical Record
of Auglaize, Logan and Shelby Counties, Ohio - Publ.
Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1892 - Page 218 |
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