BIOGRAPHIES.
Source:
A Portrait and
Biographical Record of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio
containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative
citizens :
together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents
of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Ohio.
Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co.,
1896
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JESSE W. BAIRD,
a well known citizen of Van Wert, was born in Beaver my county,
Pa., November 11, 1842. His father was James Baird and died in
1872. His mother, Margaret (Warwick) Baird, was born in 1813
and is still living in Jennings township, Van Wert county. Jesse
Baird, our subject, when but nine years of age was brought by
his father to Jennings township, Van Wert county, where Mr.
Baird was reared by one of the pioneers of that township, as at
that time there were no roads save those that were blazed through the
woods, and not a school-house nor church was in the township. It was
here in the woods that Mr. Baird secured his early
training in industry and economy, which has guided his steps to a
great extent through life. He attended the district schools during the
winter seasons, taking the advantage of the best means at hand, and,
being of a studious disposition and having a retentive mind, laid by
the usual fund of knowledge it was possible to obtain in those days.
He worked on his father's farm until June, 1862, when he answered his
country's call for troops and enlisted in the Eighty-first Ohio
volunteer infantry, and served until peace was declared, taking part
in eighteen general engagements, also the siege of Atlanta, and
marched with Sherman to the sea and from there through the
Carolinas to peace, coming out with three gunshot wounds.
After the war was over Mr. Baird returned to
Jennings township and went upon a farm, and has since purchased a farm
near Van Wert. On October 23, 1872 he married Mary E. Bush who
was born in Fayette county, Ohio, on June 6, 1855 and had come to
Jennings township with her parents when she was quite young. Her
father R. E. Bush is still living in Jennings township; her
mother, Elizabeth (Powell) Bush, died in 1888. After his
marriage Mr. Baird continued on his farm until 1877, when he
gave way to the allurements of a political career and entered the
arena, having been nominated for the office of county recorder on the
democratic ticket. After a lively campaign he was elected by a
majority of 100. In 1890 he was re-nominated and elected by the next
largest majority ever given to any candidate on the democratic ticket
in the county. His second term expired in 1893 and he retired from the
arena, but still retains his interest in politics. He lives in Van
Wert, visiting frequently his fine farm, which is only two miles from
town. His family consists of four bright amiable children: Margaret
Elizabeth, who is the wife of Frank P. Edson, who was
until recently deputy
county auditor and whose sketch will appear elsewhere in this volume;
Effie Elmira, Wilda Thurman and James
Richard.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 28 |
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JUDGE ALONZO
BAKER, deceased was born in Marion, Ohio, December 31, 1828, and
when a child was brought by his parents to Lima, Allen County, Ohio,
where he was reared to manhood, when he returned to Marion and was
married to a Miss Peters. Soon after his marriage he came
to Van Wert (in 1851), and here engaged in the dry-goods business and
general trade until the call for volunteers to subdue the late
Rebellion, when he entered the service, on the call for one-hundred
day men, as major of the One Hundred and Thirty-sixty Ohio national
guard (One Hundred and Thirty-second Ohio volunteer infantry).
On his return he was appointed collector of internal revenue, which
office he held until it was abolished, when he again entered the
dry-goods trade, in which he continued for a few years, and then
bought an interest in the Van Wert Foundry and Machine works, where he
filled the position of book-keeper. He sold his interest in this
concern in order to be able to perform the duties pertaining to the
office of probate judge, to which he was elected in 1872 and
re-elected in 1875, and for which position he was re-nominated some
ten days before his demise - the republican party, of which he was a
most ardent as well as active member, being convinced, as was the
general public, that he was the "right man in the right place."
The death of Judge Baker was caused by hemorrhage of the
stomach and took place September 9, 1878, at the comparatively early
age of forty-nine years, eight months and nine days. He left
behind to mourn his loss, a wife and four daughters, beside an
innumerable host of friends. Judge Baker was a Lutheran
in religion, and fraternally was an Odd Fellow. There was never
a whisper of Scandal uttered or breathed by all as a patriotic and
useful citizen and an upright judge.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 48 |
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JOSEPH M. BAKER, an
energetic and m successful farmer of Pleasant township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, is a native of Beaver county, Pa., and was born Jannary
31, 1846. His parents, Enoch M. and Mary (Copper) Baker,
were of Irish descent, the father of Enoch M., Robert Baker,
having been born in Ireland in 1770.
Enoch M. Baker was born in Beaver county, Pa.,
in 1818, and was reared on the farm of his father, who died in 1863,
at the advanced age of ninety-three years. Enoch, in his early days,
was a school teacher, and also learned marble cutting, but, the latter
trade disagreeing with his health, he relinquished it and entered upon
the more agreeable pursuit of farming in Lawrence county, Pa. There he
followed this vocation until 1855, when he came to Van Wert, Ohio, and
purchased 160 acres of land, and here died February 4, 1888. His
marriage took place in Mercer county, Pa., in 1842, and by this union
he became the father of nine children, who were named as follows:
John C., deceased; Joseph M., the subject of this sketch;
Emmet R., of Indianapolis, Ind.; Samuel C., of Oregon;
Mary J., wife of Joseph Hook, of Van Wert;
Rachael J., deceased wife of William Wise, of
Missouri;
Sydney R., wife of Henry Lampe, of
Van Wert; Enoch A., of Decatur county, Ind., and Wilma, wife of
Barton Holland, of Van Wert. Mrs. Mary
Baker was born in Mercer county, Pa., in 1827, and is still
living, a member of the Society of Friends. Enoch M. Baker was
a true hearted American, and in 1846 responded to his country's call
by enlisting for the war with Mexico, but, as it happened, was never
called into active service. In politics he was a democrat, for two
terms held the office of infirmary director, and for many years was a
member of the board of agriculture; he was an active worker in the
cause of temperance, was a member of the Legion of Honor, and died a
devout adherent of the Society of Friends.
Joseph M. Baker was educated in the common
schools of his district and grew to manhood on his father's farm,
which he assisted in clearing from the woods as the years wore on. In
1878 he moved to Missouri, and for ten years engaged in farming in
Cedar county, and then returned to his home in Van Wert county, Ohio,
where he has since been contented and happy. In 1872, Mr. Baker
was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Kreider,
daughter of John and,Sarah (Harsh) Kreider, natives of
Lancaster county, Pa. To this union have been born six children, viz:
Cora E., who died in childhood; Jennie F.; Joseph M.,
deceased; Maggie M.; Edna M. and Jessie M. The
mother of these children was born in Pennsylvania September 7, 1852,
but at the age, of two years was brought to Ohio by her parents, who
located in Ashland county, where they resided for ten years and then
came to Van Wert county, where her mother is still living, but where
her father died about the year 1883. Mr. Baker and wife are
members of the Friends' church, and in politics Mr. Baker is a
prohibitionist. He is a member of the tent of the Knights of Maccabees
at Van Wert and is universally respected as a progressive citizen. His
farm of 160 acres is well drained and improved, and gives every
indication of being under the control of an experienced agriculturist.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 49 |
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THE BALYEAT
FAMILY is of French origin, and the earliest authentic mention of
the name is traceable as far back as the year 481, at which time it
appears that one Balliet, as originally pronounced, was an
officer on the army of King Ludwig of France. The offspring of this
Balliet lived in the southern part of France, and many years later
the name appears to have been closely interwoven with the history of
the Huguenots. Among those who escaped the massacre of St. Bartholomew
was one Jacob Balliet, who, with his family and others
as unfortunate, but equally as fortunate, was obliged to travel in a
single season over 800 miles until they reached a Protestant village
by the name of Schaltbaugh, province of Salm, where he found refuge
from his relentless persecutors. Here the family lived until the
aforesaid province again came under the control of France, when the
former massacre was repeated, a number of the Balliets falling
victims, while others escaped, making their way to different countries
of Europe and to America. As early as the year 1738 Paul and
Joseph Balliet, grandsons of the aforesaid Jacob, came to
America from the province of Alsace and settled in Pennsylvania, the
descendants of the former locating in what was then Whitehall county,
and those of the latter in what has since been known as the county of
Northumberland.
From the most reliable information obtainable,
it appears that the above Josept Balyeat, as the
name was afterward spelled, became the progenitor of that branch of
the family of the United States to which the families of Van Wert
county belongs. One of the direct descendants of Joseph, if not
his son, was Leonard Balyeat, who was born in
Pennsylvania February 27, 1758, and who reared a family consisting of
the following-named children: John, Stephen, Leonard,
Daniel, Eve, Joseph, George, Henry,
Jonas, Jacob and David. From what can be learned
of the Balyeats during the early history of the family in the
United States, they all appear to have been men of unusual physical
vigor, with strong, well-knit bodies, while their morality and
integrity, inherited from a deeply religious and highly honored
ancestry, have been reproduced in their descendants down to the
present time.
Jonas Balyeat, ninth in order
of birth of the above-mentioned children of Leonard Balyeat,
was born February 27, 1798, in Pennsylvania, and came west to Ohio as
early as the year 1820, settling in Richland county, but seven and a
half miles east of Mansfield, where he became a large land owner. He
married Catherine Hum, and raised a large family,
eighteen children in all, whose names are as follows: David,
died in 1892; Jacob, a resident of Van Wert county; Abraham,
ex-county treasurer, died shortly after elected to that office;
Jonathan, a farmer near Middlebury, Ind.; Sarah, the
deceased wife of Philip Troup; Aaron, a retired citizen
of Van Wert; Eliza, wife of Aaron Hoover; John,
deceased, aged five years; Moses, a resident of La Grange,
Ind.; Joseph, deceased; Phoebe, the wife of Philip
Troup; Benjamin, who enlisted in the ninety-day service in
the late war and died at Point Lookout; Joshua and Caleb,
twins, both deceased; Emanuel, farmer in Harrison township;
Reuben; Mary, the wife of John Patterson, and
Marquis De Lafayette, deceased.
The parents of this large family were well known and
highly respected people of Richland county, and for moral worth and
the upbuilding of the community, none stood higher. They were both
active members of the Baptist church from early life and reared their
large 'family under the influence of the church of their choice, and
they all followed in later years their early teaching. Mr. and Mrs.
Balyeat lived to an extended longevity, and died respectively at
the ages of eighty-nine years and eighty years. Mr. Balyeat was
a whig in politics and took an active part in the same, .although not
an office seeker; he was one of the liberal contributors to all public
enterprises, and none took a deeper interest in matters educational
than he and his most worthy companion.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 29 |
Aaron Balyeat |
AARON BALYEAT, of Van
Wert, son of Jonas Balyeat, was born March 15, 1827, in
Richland county, Ohio, and grew to man's estate amid the active duties
of farm life. He attended the common schools until sufficiently
advanced in his studies to teach, when he entered the educational
field and acted the role of instructor for a period of twenty years.
In 1850, Mr. Balyeat became a resident of the county of
Van Wert, locating in Harrison township, where he cleared and improved
a farm and engaged in the pursuit of agriculture with success and
financial profit—adding to his original place until he became the
possessor of 160 acres of fine land. Subsequently he exchanged the
farm for real estate in the township of Pleasant, and from time to
time purchased other land, owning at one time in the county of Van
Wert over 230 acres, the greater part of which, through his industry
and successful management, became highly improved. Mr.
Balyeat dealt largely in real estate both in Ohio and. the west,
principally in Nebraska, to which latter state he intended at one time
to remove, but was prevented from so doing by reason of the death of
his wife. He then purchased property in Van Wert, and for some years
has been an honored resident of the city, though still giving
considerable attention to his farming interests in Paulding aud Van
Wert counties.
Mr. Balyeat's first marriage was
solemnized October 11, 1849, with Miss Martha LaRue,
who was born in Richland county December 29, 1827; the following
children resulted from the union: Lambert W., of Van Wert;
Lucretia E., deceased; Orlando B., residing in Nebraska;
Clarence S., of Toledo; Mary J., wife of J. Greenamier,
of Nebraska; Eliza J., wife of Marion Allen, of
Pleasant township, and Marquis, deceased. Mrs. Balyeat departed
this life on the 5th day of July, 1864, and in April of the following
year, Mr. Balyeat wedded Miss Priscilla
Brubaker, of Ashland county, Ohio, daughter of Augustus
and Susan Brubaker—-a union blessed with six
children, whose births occurred in the following order: Edgar C.,
private in the regular army; Stella J., wife of J. Steirier;
Bertha G., Effie E., Charles O. and Susan P.,
The mother of these children died January 2, 1886. Mr. Balyeat
married his present wife, Mrs. Amelia Wells, on the 10th day of
April, 1891. Mr. Balyeat has been prominent in the public
affairs of Van Wert and is at this time a member of the city council,
in which body he is instrumental in promoting many measures for the
city's interest; he has also served as trustee of the township, and
while so officiating discharged his functions in a highly satisfactory
and capable manner. Like the majority of the family, he subscribes to
the Baptist creed, and for a period of forty-five years has been
deacon of the church to which he belongs; politically he espouses the
cause of the republican party, In every relation of life Mr.
Balyeat is recognized as possessing a strong sense of truth and
justice and he has discharged every duty of citizenship with energy
and fidelity of irreproachable character, and, actuated by a sincere
desire to make the world better, he stands today among the most
respectable citizens of the city and county of Van Wert.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 41 |
Abraham Balyeat |
ABRAHAM BALYEAT,
deceased, late a popular citizen of Van Wert county, and third son of
Jonas and Catherine Balyeat, was born August 22, 1823, in the
county of Richland. He was reared to manhood in his native county,
attended the country schools and the Granville academy, and in 1846
became a resident of Van Wert county, locating in the township of
Harrison, where he purchased eighty acres of land. To his original
purchase he made additions from time to time until he became the
possessor of over 400 acres, a part of which he afterward divided
among his children, retaining for himself a farm of 240 acres which
was his home until the time of his death.
Mr. Balyeat was one of the daring spirits who
went overland, in 1850, to the gold fields of California, where for
two years he sought a fortune in the mines, meeting with only fair
success in the venture. Returning to Van Wert county, he resumed the
pursuit of agriculture, which he followed with most encouraging
results until his death; he also taught school for a number of years,
and his success in educational work is attested by the fact of his
having been employed for many successive terms in the same locality.
On the 13th of May, 1852, Mr. Balyeat and Sarah
Slater, who was born November 26, 1829, in Pennsylvania, entered
into the marriage relation, a union that resulted in the birth of the
following children: Oscar A., attorney of Van Wert; Mariette,
deceased; Leonidas, who lives on the home place; John S.,
of Kansas; Stephen, traveling salesman; Frank, of Pleasant
township; Sherman, business man of Van Wert, member of the
mercantile firm of J. F. Sidle & Co.; Charles, salesman
in the clothing store of H. Davies, of Van Wert, and Orah,
wife of J. A. McCoy. In the above children have been reproduced
the many noble traits of their parents, and their lives reflect credit
on a family noted so long for its many virtues.
In many respects Abraham Balyeat was much more
than an ordinary man, honorable and upright in all his dealings, and
as a neighbor and citizen none stood higher in the estimation of the
public than he. From his youth he endeavored to shape his life
according to the principles of morality, which insure good
citizenship, and his example should encourage every aspiring youth to
feel that whatever the future has in store, perseverance, with a
conscientious regard for truth, will inevitably win a just reward. His
life never deviated from the rigid rule of honor that ought to govern
every true man; in religion he was a Baptist.
Mr. Balyeat was elected to the office of county
commissioner and served for three years, and was also for three years
a director of the county infirmary, and was further honored by being
elected treasurer of Van Wert county, which office he was not
permitted to assume, owing to his death, which occurred six weeks
before the time for taking charge of the same. He died suddenly on
July 25, 1881. He also served his country during the late Rebellion as
second lieutenant in company I of the One Hundred and Thirty-ninth
Ohio volunteer infantry.
Since the death of Mr. Balyeat, his widow has
managed the estate, which she divided among the children in 1893. She
is a woman of most excellent judgment and a devout member of the
Baptist church, and her home at this time is in the city of Van Wert.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 30 |
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OSCAR ADDISON
BALYEAT, attorney at law and ex-mayor of Van Wert, is the son of
Abraham and Sarah Balyeat and was born in the county of Van
Wert April 30, 1853. His early school experience embraced the studies
pertaining to the educational course prescribed by the common
schools, and at the age of nineteen he began teaching. His success in
educational work is fairly evinced by his frequent employment as
instructor in the same locality, and for a period of eleven years he
had charge of schools in his own and neighboring townships. In March,
1882, Mr. Balyeat became assistant in the Patrons'
warehouse in Van Wert, and six months later was promoted
superintendent of the same, discharging the duties of the latter
position most efficiently for one year. In October, 1883, he was
chosen deputy clerk of the Van Wert courts, in which capacity he
continued over six years, or until the spring of 1890.
In April, 1890, Mr. Balyeat was elected,
on the republican ticket, mayor of Van Wert, defeating his competitor
by the largest majority ever received by a candidate for that office
in the city, and so ably did he discharge his official functions that,
at the ensuing election, he was reelected to the same position, which
he filled most acceptably to all concerned for a period of four years.
On leaving the mayoralty, Mr. Balyeat began the study of law in
the office of H. G. Richie, of Van Wert, and is now giving his
entire attention to the legal profession, in which he has already made
commendable progress. He has always taken an active interest in
politics and is one of the republican leaders in Van Wert county. He
is a shrewd politician, and the success of his party in several hotly
contested campaigns has been largely due to his advice and skillful
management, and at this time he holds the responsible position of
chairman of the county central committee.
Personally Mr. Balyeat is quite popular and he
has been solicitous to do everything within his power to promote the
best interests of the place of his residence; he is regarded as a
useful citizen and esteemed as a clever, genial gentleman. Fraternally
he belongs to the K.of P., in which he has held high official
position; he is also prominently identified with the I. O. R. M.
Mr. Balyeat was married November 16, 1882, to
Lottie E. Redrup, daughter of James and Ann (Phelps) Redrup,
of Richland county, Ohio. Mrs. Balyeat was born in the county
of Richland, August 20, 1862, is the mother of three children—Ira
G., Eva, and Forest S.—and is prominent in society work,
both in the church and lodge.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 35 |
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MOSES BALYEAT,
a representative citizen of La Grange, Ind., and the ninth child of
Jonas Balyeat, was born November 27, 1831, in Richland
county, Ohio, where he grew to manhood. He was reared upon his
father's farm, and received his education in the common schools,
remaining under the parental roof until his majority. Then he began
life on his own account as a farmer, having chosen that as his life
calling. He married, in July, 1852, Miss Eliza Hershey,
daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Harnly) Hershey, both of German
extraction.
Mr. Balyeat soon after his marriage removed to
Ashland county, Ohio, remaining there until the spring of 1865, when
he located in Van Wert county. Late in the fall of the same year he
removed to Elkhart county, Ind., purchasing land near Middlebury and
there he resided until the spring of 1870, when he sold his land and
located near LaGrange, where be followed agricultural life until 1887.
Then he sold his farm and removed to LaGrange, where for the past six
years he has been court bailiff and janitor of the court house.
Early in life Mr. Balyeat identified
himself with the Baptists, and ever since then has been a leading
member of his church, that is for more than fifty years. His wife was
also a member of the same church for many years, having joined in
1858. Mr. Balyeat cast his first presidential vote, and
last democratic vote, for Franklin Pierce, in 1852,
having since that time been a consistent and strong republican. He
also voted for Jonn Sherman in his first race for congress.
Thus it may almost be said that he has been a life-long republican.
Mr. and Mrs. Balyeat became the
parents of six daughters, viz: Lydia R., wife of
Samuel B. Smith; Hulda H., deceased wife of D. D.
D. Free; Catherine G., wife of William Wert;
Mary, wife of J. W. Pownall; Lida; and Grace M.,
wife of J. L. Wallace. The mother of these children died June
27, 1892, aged sixty years. Mr. Balyeat is a good
citizen, and a charitable, kind-hearted man, and has the respect and
good will of all that know him.
Jonathan Balyeat, son of Jonas
Balyeat, was born in Richland county, Ohio, in 1823, and was
reared to manhood on the home farm. His education was obtained in the
schools of the day, and by private reading and study. Upon attaining
his majority he made the wise choice of agriculture as his life work,
and while yet a young man, married Miss Margaret
Gates, of Richland county, to which marriage there were born eight
children, as follows: Alcesta, John W., Catherine, Marion,
Anna, Walter A., Edmond A. and Frank. Mr. Balyeat
removed to Van Wert county in 1848, thus becoming one of the early
pioneers of that county. There he resided until 1865, when he removed
to Elkhart county, Ind., where he has lived ever since, and where he
has long been known as one of the leading citizens of his township and
county. In politics he has always been a republican and in religion a
Baptist, being looked upon by his fellow churchmen as a pillar in the
church.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 36 |
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JACOB
BALYEAT, second son of Jonas and Catherine Balyeat, was
born in Richland county, Ohio, April 30, 1821, and there remained
until his twenty-third year, assisting his father on the farm and
attending such schools as the county afforded, in the meantime leaving
the parental fireside; he went to the city of Mansfield, where he
remained two months, and while there learned the shoemaker's trade.
He married, in May, 1844, Frances Thomas, daughter of
Michael and Elizabeth Thomas. Subsequently about 1847, Mr.
Balyeat moved his family to Van Wert county, settling in Pleasant
township, where he opened a farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Balyeat knew not what it was to eat
the bread of idleness, and the first few years in their new home were
fraught with hardships and privations, before which many people of
less determination would have shrunk appalled. Mr. Balyeat
states that he was obliged to go a long distance in order to obtain
breadstuffs, beside encountering many other difficulties incident to
life in a new country of which the present generation has no adequate
conception. With an energy born of a determination to succeed, he
prosecuted his labors vigorously and in due season saw the reward of
his persistent toil in a beautiful country home, where he is passing
the declining years of a long and useful life. Mr. Balyeat's
integrity has never been questioned, and his high sense of honor and
fair treatment of his fellow-men have for years been proverbial in the
county, Mr. and Mrs. Balyeat, have a
family consisting of the following children: Jonas; Philip;
Amanda Ellen, wife of S. M. Gilliland;
Melvin; Michael T.; Mary L., wife of Greenberry
Sommerset; Anna, wife of Samuel Gilliland;
Frances, who married J. J. Vorp; Luman, and
Viola deceased. The parents of Mrs. Balyeat,
Michael and Elizabeth Thomas, had twelve
children namely; Mrs. Sarah Balyeat, deceased;
Jonathan; Elizabeth, deceased; Philip; Michael;
George, deceased; Nancy; George; John;
Katie, deceased; Mary; and Isaac, deceased. Both of
above parents died in Ashland county.
Mr. Balyeat is a republican and owns 178
acres of land in Ridge township, where he located in 1861.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 37 |
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LEONIDAS
BALYEAT - Among the leading and representative citizens of
Harrison township, Van Wert county, few are more conspicuous or
deservedly popular than Leonidas Balyeat, farmer and stock
grower, who has not only made a success of life, but is a descendant
of one of the leading pioneer families of the county. Mr.
Balyeat was born on his father's farm in Harrison township, on
Feb. 11, 1856. He received the usual education common to
youths of his time and surroundings, to which he has since added by
study, observation and experience. Following in the footsteps
of his worthy father he became a farmer, and to the prosecution of
his chosen life work he has brought more than the usual amount of
intelligence, skill and application, and to this is due, to a great
degree, his success. He owns and cultivates 130 acres of the
old homestead in Harrison township, raising a diversity of crops,
and paying considerable attention to stock-raising. In
politics he is a republican, though in the election of minor
officials, always votes for the man of ability and fitness
regardless of politics. He served for one year as assessor of
Pleasant township, discharging the duties of that office with credit
to himself and satisfaction to all concerned. In his views and
ideas Mr. Balyeat is progressive and liberal. He is a
warm advocate of good roads, and schools, and in fact of every
movement having for its aim the advancement and improvement of his
community and county. He has inherited the sturdy
characteristics of his ancestors, and for these and his many other
qualities of both head and heart he is universally popular among his
neighbors and fellow-citizens.
Mr. Balyeat married Sarah J. LaRue, a
daughter of Joseph LaRue (see sketch of H. F. LaRue,
on page 427). While they have no children of their own Mr.
and Mrs. Balyeat have an adopted daughter, Cora, whom
they are rearing as their own child. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Balyeat are members of the Baptist church, of which he is also a
clerk. The reader is here referred to the sketch of the
Balyeat family, page 29, of this
volume.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 473 |
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S. J. BALYEAT,
of Pleasant township, Van Wert county, was born in Ashland county,
Ohio, in 1851, a son of David and Sarah (Thomas) Balyeat) the
former a native of Pennsylvania, and a son of Jonas Balyeat,
whose genealogy is to be found with that of the Balyeat
family, in adjacent parts of this volume.
David Balyeat, eldest son of Jonas, was reared a
frontier farmer and was educated in the schools of Richland county,
Ohio. In 1841 he married Sarah Thomas, and to this union
were born the following children: Lavina, who died in infancy;
Elizabeth, wife of N. S. Allen, of Oregon; Reuben,
of Oklahoma; S. J., subject of this sketch; Alfred I.,
on the home farm; Emma, deceased wife of Mr. Langthon
Wiseman, of Van Wert county, Ohio; Clinton and Addison,
both deceased. After marriage David Balyeat lived for
ten years on a farm he had purchased in Ashland county, and was
esteemed a highly useful citizen as well as successful farmer; in 1852
he sold his place and came to Van Wert county and purchased a farm in
Pleasant township (on which his son, Alfred L., still
makes his home), on which he lived and labored until his death, which
occurred November 9, 1891, being followed to the grave by his
estimable wife February 17, 1894. In politics Mr. Balyeat
was a vigorous republican, by which party he was elected to nearly all
the local offices within its gift, and he was ever faithful and
upright in the performance of every duty. In religion, both Mr. and
Mrs. Balyeat were members of Baptist church, and their lives were
consistent with their professions. Mr. Balyeat was one of the
progressive and enterprising citizens of his time and had the
confidence and esteem of all who knew him, and his work tells the
story of a well-spent life.
S. J. Balyeat, like his ancestors, was reared to
agricultural pursuits, and began his school studies in a log
school-house, and continuing his lessons until they were terminated in
the modern frame that replaced the old log structure. His marriage
took place, in 1878, to Mary Leslie, daughter of
George and Nancy (Henderson) Leslie,
and born in Van Wert county, in 1857; here she became a successful and
popular school-teacher for four years previous to her marriage. To
this union have been born five children, viz: Carl, who died in
infancy; Vernon, Clyde, Georgia Glee and
Doyt. Mr. and Mrs. Balyeat are both
devout members of the Baptist church, in which Mr. Balyeat
is more than ordinarily interested, and in politics Mr.
Balyeat is a stanch republican.
In 1882 Mr. Balyeat purchased his present
home in Pleasant township, where he is a prominent and successful
farmer and where he and family are regarded as among the best and most
useful and respected residents of the county.
Alfred I. Balyeat, the third son born to
David and Sarah Balyeat, was born February 18, 1854, was educated
in the county schools and at Ada, Ohio, and for two years was
himself a school-teacher. In 1879 he married Sivella M. Snyder,
who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, November 19, 1858, a daughter
of Fred and Margaret (Myres) Snyder, and this union was blessed
with two children, Dennis and Gertrude. Fred
Snyder, the father of Mrs. Balyeat, was a native of
Pennsylvania, and in 1865 brought his family to Van Wert county and
settled in Harrison township, where he still resides. His daughter
Sivella was reared in strict accordance with the Baptist faith,
and was married to Mr. Balyeat in her twenty-second
year. This lady died February 9, 1888, deeply mourned by her family
and friends, and in 1891 Mr. Balyeat married Sarah
Smith, daughter of Peter and Catherine (Stucker)
Smith, and this union has resulted in the birth of one child—Viola
May. The mother of the babe was born in Van Wert county, January 1,
1864, her parents being natives of Holmes county, Ohio, but early
settlers of Van Wert county. Both Mr. and Mrs.
Balyeat are members of the Baptist church, in which they take a
deep interest and for which they do much active work. In politics Mr.
Balyeat is a strong republican and works hard for its success.
He is a member of grange No. 399, and has all his life been identified
with agricultural interests, and all his life also has been passed an
the old homestead, with the exception of three years following his
marriage. His social standing is unsurpassed by any other resident of
his township.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 37
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JOHN E. BARNARD, chief
clerk and cashier at the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago freight depot
in Van Wert, Ohio, is a native of the Buckeye state and was born in
Canaan, Wayne county, August 15, 1846, a son of John W. and Mary M.
(Notestine) Barnard. The father, JOHN W. BARNARD, was born
in Lancaster, Pa., January 26, 1813, a son of Samson Barnard,
who was also a native of Pennsylvania and by trade a cooper. Samson
Barnard passed his life in Pennsylvania until 1850, when he
moved near Wooster, Ohio, where for a year he continued to follow his
trade, and then lived in retirement until his death, which occurred,
in 1875. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and the father of
eighteen children, of whom five still survive. In politics he was a
strong abolitionist, and was actively connected with the underground
railroad.
John W. Barnard was reared in Lancaster,
Pa., until twenty-three years of age, there learned coopering and
carpentering, and, in 1836, came to Ohio and located at Seville,
Medina county, followed coopering a year or two, and then worked at
carpentering for fifteen years; he next purchased a farm in Canaan,
on which he lived until 1865, when he removed to an adjoining
township. For some years he was a general merchant at Burbank, Wayne
county, Ohio, where he bought and shipped grain to a large extent. His
marriage took place in Wayne county, in 1835, to Mary M. Notestine,
a native of Pennsylvania, by which union he became the father of six
children, viz: Elizabeth and Eliza, deceased; Amanda,
wife of George W. Naftzger, of Glendale, Mich.;
Martha, wife of Isaac N. Tally, of Oriole, Fla.; John E.,
the subject of this sketch, and Simeon, deceased. The father in
politics was first a whig, but on the formation of the republican
party enlisted under its banner. He died in 1878, a member of the
United Brethern church; his wife died in 1848, a member of the
Lutheran church.
John E. Barnard was reared in Wayne county,
Ohio, and remained with his father until 1867, the year of his
marriage, but, before speaking in full of that event, it is well that
his business career should be mentioned and a history should be given
of his extensive and somewhat brilliant railroad experience. In 1868
he went to Dayton, Ohio, and attended the commercial college one year;
the following winter he taught school in Wayne county, and in the
spring of 1869, went to Brookville, Ohio, and for three years
officiated as bookkeeper for a distilling firm and at the same time
had charge of the Dayton & Western and Dayton & Union railroad office
at that point. In the spring of 1872 he went to Union city, Ind., as
agent for the Dayton & Union road, filled the position one month and
then accepted a similar position with the Big Four, in the same city;
in June, 1872, he went to Greenville, Ohio, as chief clerk for the
Dayton & Union and Panhandle, remained until September of the same
year, and then went to Dodson Junction, where he purchased an
elevator, and where he was also appointed joint agent for the Dayton &
Union and the Dayton & Western roads; he remained there until March 1,
1875, when he was appointed agent for the Big Four at Sidney, Ohio,
and there he remained until October, 1881, when he was given the
agency of the Big Four, at Litchfield, Ill., which position he filled
until June 1, 1884, when he retired and went to Georgia, and engaged
in mining in the gold fields of Lumpkin county. In the fall of 1885 he
returned to Dodson Junction, Ohio, and in company with John
Hiller, carried on the grain business until January 1, 1886, when
he accepted an offer of the position of agent and operator for the
Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw company at Ansonia, Ohio, and filled
the place until February 15, 1886, when he was transferred to the
agency at Van Wert, which he held until December 1, 1888, when he went
to Saint Paul, Minn., and acted as contracting agent for the
Inter-State Despatch Fast Freight line until October 1, 1889,
when he returned to Van Wert and engaged as bookkeeper for the Oil
Well Supply company, with which he continued until July 1, 1893, when
he accepted a position as bookkeeper in the wholesale fruit house
establishment of C. C. Gleason's Sons, and remained with them
until January 1,1894, when he withdrew and passed his time in travel,
etc., until September 3, 1894, when he entered upon the duties of his
present responsible position of chief clerk and cashier of the freight
department of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago railroad at Van
Wert.
November 28, 1867, Mr. Barnard was united
in wedlock at Canaan, Wayne county, Ohio, with Miss Emma
Parmenter, who was born in Carey, Hancock county, Ohio, March
23, 1846, a daughter of Alfred and Sarah (Stratton)
Parmenter, and this union has been made happier by the birth of
seven children, viz: A. Bertha, living with her parents;
John A., a telegraph operator at Memphis, Tenn.; Mary A.;
Charles and Eleanor A., at home, and two children
that died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Barnard are members of the
Presbyterian church, of which he was elected an elder February 10,
1895; he stands high in the Masonic fraternity, having attained the
thirty-second degree, being active in the chapter council and
commandery, and is worshipful master of Van Wert lodge, No. 218.
Socially, the standing of the family is among the best of Van Wert's
citizens.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 41
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CONRAD
BAUMGARTE, one of the pioneer citizens of Van Wert county, and
a leading farmer of Washington township, was a native of Hanover,
Germany, and was born on August 15, 1825. His parents were John
Henry and Elizabeth (Grothouse) Baumgarte. The family came
to America in 1845, leaving Bremen on September 1, and reaching New
Orleans on October 27. From New Orleans they came up the river to
Cincinnati, Ohio, and from that city came to Delphos by way of the
canal. The father then purchased forty acres of land where our subject
recently resided. The father died February 28, 1885, and the mother
December 28, 1864, both members of the Roman Catholic church. To the
parents, two daughters and one son were born, one of whom, Gertrude,
is now the widow of Herman Wagesin. Our subject remained
on the farm with his parents, being the only son, and after the death
of his father the homestead came to him by his father's will. While in
the old country he learned to make wooden shoes, and made many a pair
after he came to Van Wert county. He also worked some at the
carpenter's trade. When about twenty-six or twenty-seven years of age
he had saved enough money to purchase forty acres of land, which was
adjoining the home place. Since then he added by purchase until he
owned 173 acres of fine farm land lying in sections Nos. 26 and 35.
In 1876 Mr. Baumgarte erected a large
residence, which is one of the best in the township. On May 6, 1857,
Mr. Baumgarte was married to Magdaline
Longmier, who was born in Pennsylvania on July 9, 1839. Her
parents were Christian and Catherine (Culmann) Longmier,
both of whom were natives of Hanover, Germany. They were married in
the old country and came to America in about 1837. They settled in
Pennsylvania, where they resided until 1842, and then came to Van Wert
county and purchased a farm near Delphos. The father assisted in the
digging of the canal. He died on August 18, 1886, aged eighty years,
and his widow died on April 14, 1887, aged seventy years. To the
parents nine children were born, six of whom are living, three sons
and three daughters. Both parents were members of the Roman Catholic
church. To Mr. and Mrs. Baumgarte eleven children were
born, as follows: Henry, born May 4, 1858, and died June 2,
1865; Mary, born June 28, i860, married Frank M. Brickner
October 9, 1884; Catherine, born April 14, 1862, married
October, 11, 1883, to John Recker; Frank, born
May 7, 1864, and married November 29, 1890, Clara Berkemier;
Julia, born June 19, 1868, and died September 18, 1876;
Theresia, born January 7, 1870; J. Henry, born
September 2, 1871, and died November 1,1873; John, born
November 12, 1874, and died August 19, 1880 ;Theodore, born
September 5,1876 Joseph, born April 5, 1878, and Anna,
born January 22, 1880. Mr. Baumgarte was always one of
the leading citizens of Washington township. He served as trustee of
the township two terms and was supervisor a number of years. He and
his family are members of the Saint John's Roman Catholic church, of
which church he served several terms as trustee, and in the faith of
which his death occurred on February 19, 1896, a truly honored and
respected citizen.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 43
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ELIAS BAXTER, a highly
respected citizen of Tully township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is of
Irish descent, and is a son of Thomas Baxter, who came
from Harrison county, Ohio, to Van Wert county, in 1848, and cleared
up a farm of ninety-six acres, and here died, December, 9, 1893, at
the age of eighty-two years. He and wife were parents of the
following children: Elias, Rebecca, Robert, Sarah, John, William,
Thomas, Nettie, James, Alonzo, and Nancy J.
(who died when fourteen years old) —all of whom were born in Van
Wert county, with the exception of Elias, Rebecca,
Robert
and William, who were born in Harrison county.
Elias Baxter, whose name introduces this
biography, was born in Harrison county, Ohio, September 13, 1835, an
came with his parents to Van Wert county when thirteen years of age.
Here he attended the common schools, and here, also, learned the
shoemaker's trade. June 25, 1856, he married Mrs. Mary A.
Harvey, daughter of Thomas and Ruth (Harvey) Harvey. Her
father, Thomas Harvey, was a native of Ireland, who
came, when young, to America and settled in Pennsylvania, where he
was married and had born to him the following children; Jane,
Sarah, and Mary A. Thomas Harvey came to Van Wert county in
1850, and died in Harrison township at the age of about eighty
years—a member of the Presbyterian church. The union of Elias
Baxter
and his wife, Mary, was blessed with two children, Ruth,
deceased, and Sarah A. Mrs. Baxter having died, Mr. Baxter
married for his second wife Mrs. Levonia Mullen,
widow of Silas Mullen and daughter of George
Bugsbee, a native of New England and an early settler of
Pennsylvania, but later a resident of Van Wert county, Ohio. To this
second marriage of Mr. Baxter have been also born two
children— Effie and Flossie B.
May 2, 1864, Mr. Baxter enlisted in
company I, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, and
served four months. In 1872 he located in Convoy, Van Wert county,
where he has a most pleasant and tasteful dwelling. He is a member
of G. A. R. post, No. 236 of which he has been commander and
adjutant; he is also a member of Convoy lodge, No. 641, I. 0. O. F.,
in which he has passed all the chairs. He is an earnest advocate of
the temperance cause, and has been a member of the Good Templar and
Sons of Temperance societies. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are devout
members of the Methodist church. The family is highly respected by
their neighbors, and Mr. Baxter is a quiet, unobtruding
citizen, but is a very useful member of the community.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 47 |
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JOHN S. BAXTER, a well
known citizen of York township, Van Wert county, born in Harrison
county, Ohio, June 24, 1844, a son of Thomas and Nancy (Suddeth)
Baxter, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of
Henrietta county, Va. Thomas Baxter was but five years
of age when brought to Harrison county, Ohio, but his father,
Elias Baxter, and was reared a farmer. To the marriage of
Thomas and Nancy Baxter were born eleven children, of whom
some were born in Harrison and some in Van Wert county, the parents
having taken up their residence in the latter county October 8,
1848. The eleven children alluded to were named, in order of
birth, as follows: Elias, of Convey, Van Wert county;
Robert E., retired farmer, also of Convey; John S.,
our subject; William L., farmer, near Convoy; Thomas U.,
of Paulding county; James K., residing in the vicinity of
Convoy; Alonzo S., a farmer of Pleasant township; Rebecca,
wife of Jacob Ackom; Sarah, married to John Wilkins; Nancy
Jane, who died September 29, 1865, at the age of twelve years,
and Janette, wife of Nathaniel Kraut, of Denver, Colo.
Of the boys, Elias, served in the army of the Union under the
call for three-months volunteers to crush the Rebellion.
Robert and John S., enlisted together in July, 1862, in company
A, Fifty-second Ohio volunteer infantry, and followed the fortunes
of their regiment until the following mishaps took place; July 12,
1864; Robert was taken prisoner at the battle of Peach Tree
Creek, and was held prisoner until May, 1865. John S.,
subject of this sketch, sustained a slight wound in the head at
Resaca in May, 1864; had a sun stroke at Kenesaw Mountain in June,
1864, and while in hospital was taken with erysipelas, abut
recovered sufficiently to rejoin his regiment at Chattanooga; then
he went to the siege of Atlanta, followed Sherman to the sea
and through the Carolinas to the grand review at Washington, D. C.,
was mustered out at that city, June 3, 1865; Arnold, who
wedded Mattie May Brown; Bertha, the wife of L. M.
Zeigler and the mother of one child, Howard; Oren M.,
married to Bertha Dorman, and the father of one child,
Freida; Hattie May, Roscoe W., Chauncy R. and Mable L.
The mother of Mrs. Baxter died in September, 1868, and her
father, who served nine months in the war of the Rebellion, died in
1887. Elias Suddeth, the maternal grandfather of our
subject, lived to reach the extraordinary age of 114 years, and at
the time of his death was in the possession of all his faculties;
Thomas Baxter, father of our subject, was born July 12, 1813,
and died December 15, 1894, and his wife, who was born in 1815,
joined him December 19, 1894, after a married life of over sixty
years. In politics our subject is a stanch republican and in
their church relations both he and wife are Methodists, Mr.
Baxter having been one of the charter members of the Whitfield
society. The Baxter family in their social relations,
are universally respected throughout the township of York, and are
well deserving of the esteem in which they are held.
After and honorable discharge at Camp Chase June 18,
1865, at the close of the war, our subject returned to his father's
farm, where he employed himself diligently until November 15, 1866,
when he married Miss Ellen Stewart, daughter of Ebson and
Elizabeth (Capper) Stewart. The children born to this
marriage were Irvin S., who married Elizabeth Richard,
and became father of two children, Earl and Russell; Arthur,
who wedded Maggie May Brown; Bertha, the wife of L. M.
Zeigler and the mother of one child, Howard; Oren M.
married to Bertha Dorman, and the father of one child,
Freida; Hattie May, Roscoe W., Chauncy R. and Mable L.
The mother of Mrs. Baxter died in September, 1868, and her
father, who served nine months in the war of the Rebellion, died in
1887. Elias Suddeth, the maternal grandfather of our
subject, lived to reach the extraordinary age of 114 years, and at
the time of his death was in the possession of all his faculties;
Thomas Baxter, father of our subject, was born July 12, 1813,
and died Dec. 15, 1894, and his wife, who was born in 1815, joined
him Dec. 19, 1894, after a married life of over sixty years.
In politics our subject is a stanch republican and in their church
relations both he and wife are Methodists. Mr. Baxter
having been one of the charter members of the Whitfield society.
The Baxter family in their social relations, are universally
respected throughout the township of York, and are well deserving of
the esteem in which they are held.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 200 |
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ROBERT C. BAXTER is
one of the prominent business men and farmers of Harrison township,
Van Wert county, Ohio. His grandfather, John Baxter,
came from Ireland and settled in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, in pioneer
days, cleared up a farm and reared thirteen children. James Baxter,
son of John and father of Robert C., was also born in
Ireland, and at twelve years of age came to America with his father.
He was married in Harrison county, Ohio, to Catherine
Browning, reared a family of six children, and died in Harrison
county, at the age of thirty-eight years.
Robert C. Baxter, the subject of this sketch,
was born in Harrison county, Ohio, January 27, 1834, was reared on the
home farm until sixteen years of age, when, in 1850, he came with his
mother and her children to Van Wert county and settled on a tract of
land in the woods near Middlebury, which tract he assisted in clearing
up and in putting under a proper state of cultivation. At the age of
twenty-two he married, in Van Wert county, Miss Rebecca H.,
daughter of Benjamin and Rachael Brittsan, and by this union
there were born six children, viz: Emily, Clara,
Ollie, Horace, Burt, and Isaac. After
marriage, Mr. Baxter settled on school land, which he had
purchased in Harrison township, but subsequently sold this property
and lived a few years on a rented farm; in 1882 he bought his present
farm of seventy-eight acres, on which he erected suitable and
substantial buildings, and the same year engaged in general
merchandising, putting in a varied and well selected stock of goods
suitable for the country trade.
In 1874, Mrs. Rebecca H. Baxter was
called to her eternal rest, and for his second wife Mr. Baxter
married Miss Lizzie Foudra, who survived six months only after
her wedding day. December 22, 1878, he married for the third time,
taking for his wife Martha E. Gideon. Mr. and Mrs. Baxter
are members of the Methodist church, in which Mr. Baxter
has held several offices; and in politics he is a democrat, and for
six years served as justice of the peace, for five years as township
assessor, and for thirteen years as postmaster of Wolfcale. Of the
children born to Robert C. and Rebecca Baxter, Emma
was married to Henry Finkhouse, of Harrison township,
and has three children—Clara, married to John
Finkhouse, same township, is the mother of six children; Ollie
was wedded to George W. Knittle, a farmer of Adams county,
Ind., and has three children, and Horace married Emma
Crosier, also of Adams county, Ind.
Mrs. Martha E. (Gideon) Baxter is the daughter
of Henry and Lydia (Bevelhimer) Gideon, the former a native of
Pennsylvania, born in 1811; he was married in his native state, came
to Van Wert county in 1855, but later moved to Adams county, Ind.,
where he died at the age of fifty-eight years, the father of eight
children, viz: Mary, Susan, Louisa (died when two
years old), Martha E., Henry C, John M., Frank E. and Emma
R. Mrs. Baxter was born June 16, 1842, in Columbus, Franklin
county, Ohio, and is a most amiable lady. Mr. Baxter is
widely known in Van Wert and surrounding counties, and is recognized
as a gentleman of the strictest integrity.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 44
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Samuel M. Baxter |
SAMUEL M. BAXTER,
ex-deputy sheriff and city marshal of Van Wert, Ohio, and an
ex-soldier, was born in Allen county, Ohio, May.26, 1846, and is a son
of Curtis and Emily (Johns) Baxter, of whom mention is made in
detail elsewhere in these pages. Samuel M. was reared on the
home farm in Allen county and there attended school until his
enlistment at Lima, November 27, 1863, in company B, McLaughlin's
squadron of cavalry, which was an independent company until May, 1864,
when it was consolidated with the Fifth cavalry, and assigned to
Sherman's army, then at Atlanta, Ga. After the fall of that city,
Mr. Baxter participated in the battle of Sweetwater, Ga.
(a cavalry charge); the fight at or near Jonesboro, Ga., the battles
of Lovejoy station, Louisville, Ga., Waynesboro and Macon, Ga., and in
the hard fought battles of Averysboro and Bentonville, N. C, and
onward to Raleigh, N. C, being present at the surrender of the rebel
general, Joe E. Johnston. April 26, 1865. His only injury was
self-inflicted by his accidentally shooting himself in one of his feet
while on picket duty. He is now a pensioner, receiving $8 per month.
On his return from the war he lived-with his parents until twenty
years of age, when he married and rented a farm until 1882, when he
came to Van Wert county and bought 100 acres in Jackson township,
which he cultivated until 1891, when he moved to the city and engaged
in buying live stock and in shipping it to the eastern markets until
January, 1894, when he was appointed deputy sheriff of the county
under E. R. Conn, which position he still fills. Mr.
Baxter was first married, March 22, 1865, in Allen county, to
Miss Mary J. Miller, a native of that county, born October
25, 1845, and a daughter of Isaac Miller, and by this marriage
became the father of four children: Lester C., a harness dealer
at Grover Hill; Iva May, at home with her father; Jason E.,
of Grover Hill, and Emily V., at home. Mrs. Baxter was
called to her heavenly home February 23, 1879, dying in the faith of
the Methodist Episcopal church. The second marriage of Mr. Baxter
was also solemnized in Allen county and took place, March 22, 1880, to
Mrs. Ella M. Cahill, widow of Abraham Cahill and
daughter of Barber Robinson, of Crawford county, Ohio. Mr.
and Mrs. Baxter are. consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal
church; in politics he is a republican, has always been a zealous and
efficient official, and on the 14th of May, 1895, was, without
solicitation, appointed, by the mayor of Van Wert, to the position of
city marshal, and it is needless to state the duties of the office,
since his assuming the same, have been most faithfully and
satisfactorily performed. He is a Mason, a member of the Royal
Arcanum, and of the National Union. He owns a neat residence on First
street, and other valuable property; is very popular with the
community at large, and is highly esteemed for his honest manliness of
character.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 47
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WILLIAM S. BEALE.—One of
the prominent and respected citizens of Van Wert, Ohio, and a
gentleman who has made a success of business enterprises, as well as
in the line of inventions, is the gentleman whose name heads this
sketch —William S. Beale. He comes from good old English stock,
his paternal grandfather, Albion Beale, having been born in
England, and coming to this country early in life. He located in
Butler county, Pa., where he engaged in farming, and there resided
until his death.
Our subject's father, James Beale, was
born May 29; 1811, in Butler county, Pa., and there remained until he
had reached manhood's estate. He was united in marriage to Miss
Elizabeth Williams, in Westmoreland county, Pa., in
1837, and there followed his trade as carpenter until 1854, when he
removed to Rock Island county, Ill., and engaged in farming until
1881. At this time he removed to Whiteside county, 111., where he died
in the following year, his wife's death preceding his by three years.
The parents were devout people, being members of the Baptist church,
and it is recorded of Mr. Beale that he himself erected a
Baptist church edifice in Illinois. In politics he was a republican,
and personally was a man of sterling worth of character. Mr. and
Mrs. Beale were the parents of six children, being named in order
of birth as follows: Nancy J., Julia, William S., George W., Sarah
A., and Christmas E. Of these only two are now living—our
subject, William S., and his sister, Julia, now the wife
of J. Cain, of Hillsdale, Ill.
Our subject was born in Westmoreland county, Pa.,
January 24, 1845, and was nine years of age when his parents removed
to Illinois. He grew to manhood in Rock Island county, Ill., and there
received his education in the common schools, and in 1865 supplemented
this with a commercial course of study in the Eastman Commercial
college, of Chicago. This being completed, he returned to. Rock
Island, Ill., and in conjunction with his brother engaged in buying
and shipping live stock, making their headquarters upon the old home
farm. In this enterprise they continued until 1870, when they
added the dealing in lumber, coal, etc., to their already prosperous
business. In November, 1883, they moved to Van Wert, Ohio, and engaged
quite extensively in the lumbering business, purchasing timber lands
and working up the timber in their own mills for shipment. In this
line they continued until 1893, when they retired from the dumber
trade, and since then our subject's time has been devoted to the
improvement of his land and the perfecting of his inventions.
He was married in Rock Island county, 111., November
18, 1868, to Miss Mary E. McMurphy, a lady of earnest Christian
character, who proved a worthy helpmate. Mrs. Beale was born
near Hampton, Ill., October 21,. 1844, where her early life was
passed. She was a faithful member of the Baptist church, and was a
most earnest Sunday school worker. This union was blessed with the
birth of three children: Alfred, who died in infancy; Lillie
G., and Carrie E., the wife of Rev. George W. Taylor,
of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Mr. Taylor is an evangelist of note,
whose labors have been crowned with great results. In his life work he
was notably assisted by his worthy wife, who is a musician of note,
being a fine cornetist as well as a vocalist. The mother of these
children died June 18, 1894, and was buried in Hillsdale, Rock Island
county, Ill. Our subject is a republican in politics, and although not
a rabid partisan, still takes a proper interest in affairs of public
import. Coupled with an acute business judgment, as is noted in his
successful ventures, our subject is possessed of an inventive turn of
mind, and of late has devoted considerable time and attention to
perfecting some of his useful ideas. Among these may be noted a life
preserver and bathing protector, upon which he has secured letters
patent. It is made of vulcanized rubber, in the form of a vest, and
has been pronounced a success wherever tried.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 50
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JOHN C. BEAR, an
experienced agriculturist and public-spirited citizen of Ridge
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is a native of Fairfield county, in
the same state, and was born April 27, 1822, a son of George
and Sarah (Cherry) Bear. George Bear was a native of
Rockingham county, Va., and his wife was born in Pennsylvania, but
both were children when brought to Ohio by their parents, who settled
in Fairfield county, and there they grow to maturity and were married.
George Bear was a farmer, a millwright, and a carpenter
and joiner, and to his marriage with Miss Cherry were
born seven children, as follows: Eliza and Nancy
deceased; John C., our subject; George, deceased;
Jacob, William; and Sarah, deceased. George
Bear brought his family to Auglaize county, Ohio, in 1836, and
there lived on a farm until both he and wife were called away by
death. While residing in Auglaize county, John C. Bear was
united in marriage, May 29, 1845, with Mary Tyson, and
the following February came to his present farm in Ridge township—then
densely wooded, and abounding in game and other wild animals. Here he
set to work and cleared his land, has thriven and reared a family,
although he was compelled to go to Fort Wayne and Spencerville for his
milling. His children were born in the following order: George,
who resides in Kansas; Smith, in Auglaize county, Ohio;
Isaac, deceased; Lucinda, wife of Charles Clark,
of Van Wert county; John, deceased; Albert, in Kansas;
Margaret, deceased; Samuel, of Van Wert county, Ohio;
Sarah, wife of William Miller; Eliza Ann,
married to Henry Farrerr of Michigan; Elijah, of
Kansas; Thomas, of Van Wert county, Ohio; William, at
home, and Jacob who also resides on the home farm. In politics
Mr. Bear is a republican, and is active in his support
of the party, although he has never sought public office. In religion
he and wife are members of the Society of Friends, and have done their
share and more, too, in securing the erection of a meeting house of
worship for the society, Mr. Bear having been one of the
building committee, and through his exertions it was that the building
was ultimately completed. Mr. and Mrs. Bear are highly
respected by their neighbors, and deservedly so, and their children
residing in the county share the good will that is extended to the
parents.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page
51 |
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WILLIAM J. BEBB,
ex-soldier farmer of York township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is
a native of Montgomeryshire, Wales, was born October 4, 1844, and is
a son of John and Sarah (Jones) Bebb, the last-named now
deceased. John Bebb, the last named now deceased.
John Bebb came to America shortly after his second marriage,
bringing with him his bride, who bore the maiden name of Mary
Jones, and also William J., their only son (our subject)
and his half-sister - Sephorah. John Bebb first located
in Jennings township, Van Wert county, but now makes his home with
his son, William J., our subject. Mrs. Mary (Jones)
Bebb died about two years after landing in America, and the
half-sister, Sephorah, kept house for our subject until the
latter's marriage, in 1878, to Elizabeth Goodwin, of
Johnstown, Pa., whose acquaintance he had made in Wales. Until
1860 our subject worked by the day in his neighborhood, and in 1860
he went to Gomer, Allen county, Ohio, where he worked at farm labor
until the fall of 1862, when he enlisted in company F, One Hundred
and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, for three years, and served
until honorably discharged in July, 1865. He was twice
wounded; first, at Mossy Creek, in east Tennessee, and, secondly, at
Resaca, Ga., and now receives a pension, which he justly deserves.
After the war he located near Gomer, Allen county, Ohio, but sold
his farm in April, 1882, and moved to Van Wert county and purchased
his present farm of 120 acres in York township, on which he has made
all the improvements it now contains. There have been born to
his marriage four children, viz.: William John, Goodwin
Louis, David Rowland and James Orlando. The mother
of this family was called away December 1, 1895. In politics
Mr. Bebb is a republican, and while a resident of Allen
county served two terms as township trustee. HE and wife are
strict members of Welch Calvinistic church, and their daily
deportment gives evidence of the sincerity of their belief.
Mr. Bebb is industrious and economical, and has earned his
property through his own unaided efforts. He is liberal in his
characteristics, and contributes freely to the support of his
church. As an enterprising citizen he is behind no one in his
township, and he possesses the friendship and respect of the entire
community.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 501
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DANIEL S. BECK, a
successful farmer, was born in Union township. Van Wert county, Ohio,
October 23, 1848, and here he still makes his home. He is a son of
Michael and Mary A. (Feighner) Beck, the former of whom was a
native of Pennsylvania, born in the city of Lancaster January 6, 1816,
a son of Daniel Beck, who was probably a native of
Germany, but who became a farmer of Pennsylvania, later came to Ohio,
and died in Van Wert county in February, 1863. Michael Beck,
when a youth, came with his father's family to Ohio, making the trip
in wagons, and for a few years resided in Stark county, then moved
with the family to Richland county. There, January 7, 1841, he was
united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Feighner, daughter of
Jacob Feighner, and in October, 1846, came with his young wife and
family to Van Wert county, making the journey in an ox cart, and here
he bought 120 acres of government land, placed his family for shelter
at the house of a-neighbor, O. W. Harvey, cut his way into the
woods, built his log cabin, and in due course of time hewed out from
the forest a farm that ranked among the best in the county. To
the marriage of Michael Beck and wife were
born seven children, viz: Jacob H., who died serving his
country at Bowling Green, Ky., January 8, 1863; George W., who
also died a soldier's death in Nashville, Tenn., November 26, 1862;
Adam F., of Van Wert; Daniel S., the subject of this
sketch; John D., a farmer of Pleasant township, and Sabina
A., wife of John Roat, and Sarah E., M. D., of
Paulding, Ohio. Mrs. Mary A. Beck was born February 25, 1818,
in Richland county, Ohio, of German parentage, and died December 19,
1879, a member of the Lutheran church. Michael Beck, father of
our subject, was a life-long democrat, and by that party was elected
to nearly all the offices of his township, among them, those of
township treasurer and township trustee, which positions he held many
years. He was active in the work of the Lutheran church, in which he
was an office holder, contributing liberally to both church and Sunday
school, and was noted for his bountiful charity and Christian
kindness. His death, which took place April 15, 1893, was a sad loss
to the community, and was deeply and sincerely mourned.
Daniel S. Beck, whose name opens this sketch,
grew to manhood on his father's farm, was educated in the
common-schools of Union township, and in 1873 began the life of a
farmer on his own account on the old homestead. January 21, 1875, he
was united in marriage with Miss Maggie Rank,
daughter of Samuel and Mary (Koser) Rank, this marriage
resulting in the birth of three children—an infant that
died in infancy, and Zelza G. and Alba L. Mrs. Maggie Beck
was born in Cumberland county, Pa., November 18, 1848, and was but six
years old when brought to Van Wert county by her parents, of whom
further particulars may be learned by a perusal of the sketch of
Samuel Rank, to be found on another page. In politics Mr.
Beck is a democrat, and in 1893 was elected township trustee,
which office he still holds. In religion he and wife are both
prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally
Mr. Beck is a member of Scott lodge, No. 791, I. O. O.
F. He is the administrator of the large estate left by his father, and
is ably and faithfully doing his duty in this capacity. As a
progressive farmer and public-spirited citizen he is held in the
highest esteem, and his social position is an enviable one.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 52 |
| |
JOHN D. BECK, youngest
son of Michael and Mary A. (Feighner) Beck, was born in Union
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, in 1854, and is a brother of
Daniel S. Beck, whose sketch precedes this, and contains in full
the genealogical history of the Beck family. John D.
was educated in the common schools of his neighborhood and reared to
farming. In 1887 he was united in marriage with Amanda J.
Burtsfield, which happy and congenial marriage has been blessed
with four children, viz: Catherine M., Alice A., Stephen G. and
George G. The mother of these children was born in Richland
county, Ohio, in 1858, and was thirteen years of age when brought to
Van Wert county by her parents. After his marriage Mr. Beck
began farming on the old homestead in Union township, which he made
his home until 1890, when he purchased his eighty-acre tract in
Pleasant township, and this farm he has improved with every modern
convenience and brought under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Beck
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and politically is a
stanch democrat. He is a thriving agriculturist, a useful citizen and
an honest man, and fully deserves the high esteem in which he is held
by his fellow townsmen.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 53
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JOHN BECKMANN, trustee
of Washington township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and a leading farmer
residing two and a half miles southwest from Delphos, was born on the
farm where he now lives on July 20, 1852. His father was
WILLIAM BECKMAN, who was a native of Hanover, Germany, and his mother
was Clara Marie Hobelmann, also a native of
Hanover, Germany. The parents were married in the old country, and
came to America in 1844, landing at New Orleans. From that city they
came up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Cincinnati, and from the
latter city they came by way of the canal to Delphos. They settled in
Van Wert county on the farm now owned by our subject, they purchasing
120 acres of land. Eight children were born to the parents, five of
whom are now living. The children are as follows: Henry,
deceased; August, deceased; William, John, Mary, Catherine, Frank,
deceased; Elizabeth. The father of these children died November
24, 1885. His widow still survives, and is in her seventy-third year.
Both parents were members of the Saint John's Roman Catholic church,
of Delphos, and the father was a member of Saint Joseph's society.
John Beckmann was reared on the farm, and attended the
district schools. Upon the death of his father he became the owner of
the old homestead of 120 acres, and since then he has added by
purchase eighty acres. On November 7, 1879, he was married to
Catherine Schemiller, who was born in Marion township,
Allen county, and is the daughter of Mathias. Schemiller,
deceased. To Mr. and .Mrs. Beckmann three children have been
born, as follows: Aloris, August and Joseph.
Mr. and Mrs. Beckmann are also members of
Saint John's Roman Catholic church of Delphos. In April, 1894, Mr.
Beckmann was elected trustee of Washington township, Van Wert
county, for a term of three years, and holds that office at the
present time. He is a member of the democratic party, is a good
citizen, as well as an efficient officer.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 54
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SYLVESTER R. BEECHER,
practical and expert accountant (now with Humphreys & Hughes,
of Van Wert, Ohio), was born in Portage county, Ohio, July, 30, 1861,
a son of FREDERICK and Cornelia A. (Center) Beecher. The
father, Frederick, was born in Shalersville, Portage county,
April 12, 1835, and died in Mantua, same county, February 12, 1866; he
was very prominent socially, and as a business man stood in the
foremost rank, having been teller in the Ravenna branch of the State
Bank of Ohio, and the founder of the extensive mercantile firm of
Beecher, Rhodes & Co., at Mantua, Ohio. Mrs. Cornelia A.
Beecher was a daughter of Reuben Center, of English descent,
and a native of New York. Both the Beechers and the Centers
are very old names in the east, and were connected, by blood and
marriages, with such families as those of the Pratts, the
Forts, the Van Rensselaers, the Van
Buskirks, the Ethan Allen family, and that of
Henry Ward Beecher. To the union of Frederick
and Cornelia A. Beecher were born two children, viz:
Sylvester R., who is the subject of this sketch, and Frederick,
now agent for the American and National Express companies, at
Ashtabula, Ohio. Mr. Beecher was a republican in
politics, and at his untimely death left his wife and children in
affluent circumstances.
Sylvester R. Beecher was reared and
preliminarily educated at the academy at Shalersville, Portage county,
Ohio. At the age of seventeen, he entered Mount Union college, where
he was finally educated, finishing the course in 1881. After
completing his education, he traveled extensively through the southern
and western states, and Old Mexico, for a year, and then engaged in
the grocery and queensware business in Mantua, where his father, years
before, had been very successful; continuing in this, business about
four years, he sold out to accept a lucrative position at bookkeeping.
Mr. Beecher has since remained at this business,
for which he is finely constituted, and has held various positions of
trust and responsibility with some of the largest firms and
corporations in the state, and of late years has made a specialty of
expert accounting, auditing, and adjusting books of large firms and
corporations. In July, 1889, he came to Van Wert and accepted the
position of chief accountant with the Van Wert Natural Gas company,
opened their books and filled the position until 1892, when he went to
Cleveland, Ohio, to take charge of the office and books of Flynn,
Able and Froulke, wholesale furniture dealers and
manufacturers, remaining with them from October until the following
January, when he was called to Van Wert a second time to take charge
of the office and books of the extensive wholesale grocery firm of
Humphreys & Hughes. Mr. Beecher has been a
successful teacher of bookkeeping and penmanship, and is a very fine
musician, being an expert performer on the cornet.
Mr. Beecher has been twice married.
January 9, 1884, he was united in wedlock with Miss Metta
Maude McClintock, daughter of John H. McClintock,
a prominent jeweler of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Two weeks after they were
married, she was taken sick, and after a lingering illness died the
following June. April 30, 1892, in Newport, Ky., Mr. Beecher
was married to Miss Hattie A. May, daughter of Joseph
May, of Van Wert, Ohio, and this union has been blessed by the
birth of two children—Clovis May, and Nora
Cornelia. Mr. and Mrs. Beecher are
consistent members of the Presbyterian church, and in politics Mr.
Beecher is a republican; he is also a royal arch, and royal and
select master of the Masonic fraternity, and is regarded as a
brilliant and rising young man.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and Van
Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 51
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JAMES H. BELL, a
respected farmer of Tully township, Van Wert county, Ohio, springs
from a colonial family of Pennsylvania, of Irish and German descent.
James Bell, his grandfather, was a pioneer of Allegheny
county, and his son, Thomas Bell, father of our subject,
was born in that county. Thomas there married Jane
Armstrong, had born to him six children—Israel, Rebecca,
James H., John, Jonathan and Maria—and died in his
native county at the age of seventy-nine years. Two of these children
served in the Civil war, viz: James H. and Jonathan,
the latter of whom, disabled in the 100-day service, in an Ohio
regiment, died, a few years after the close of the war, from the
effects of this injury.
James H. Bell was born in Allegheny county, Pa.,
September 24, 1831, was reared on the home farm, and also learned
black-smithing. On coming to Ohio he located at New Concord, in
Muskingum county, and on October 30, 1856, married Miss Mary C.
Geyer, daughter of James and Sarah A. (Smith) Geyer.
George Geyer, father of James, was one of the
original pioneers of Muskingum county, and entered 600 acres of land
in the wilderness; James Geyer was at that time but
three years of age. To James and Sarah A.
Geyer were born the following children: Mary C., Christian
A., Martha E., Ruth M. Dorcas S., Nathan J. and Sarah L.
(the latter two were twins, of whom Sarah died in infancy),
Jacob F., Malinda J., Rosannah E., George M. and Charles
U. G. (the last named, at the age of twenty-four years, was called
away). James Geyer, the father of this family, was a
substantial farmer, owning 200 acres of land; in his declining years
he retired to New Concord, where he had built a handsome residence,
and there died at the age of seventy-nine years, a member, with his
wife, of the Methodist church and an honored citizen. After this
marriage, James H. Bell farmed in Muskingum county until May 2,
1864, when he enlisted at Zanesville, Ohio, in the 100-day service
under Capt. M. R. Trace; fought in the battle of Maryland
Heights and in two very severe skirmishes in the Shenandoah valley,
and was with his regiment in all its marches and engagements until his
honorable discharge at Zanesville, September 8, 1864. After being
mustered out he returned to Muskingum county, whence he moved to
Morrow county in the spring of 1865, and in the spring of 1868 brought
his family to Van Wert county and settled on the Ridge road, close to
his present location, and in 1869 bought his present farm of forty
acres, then in the deep woods, but which he and his sons have since
cleared up and converted into a pleasant and profitable home. Mr.
and Mrs. Bell are members of the Methodist church, in which Mr.
Bell has been class leader and superintendent of the Sunday
school; he has taken great interest in educational affairs, and for
three years was a member of the school board.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bell have been born seven
children, as follows: John F., Joseph A., Thomas J., George
W., Laura J., Dorcas M. and Martha W. Of these, John F.
is a farmer of Tully township, is married to Bernice Baker and
has one child; Joseph A., a farmer of Paulding county, Ohio,
married Margaret J. Clinger and is the father of two
children; Thomas J., also a farmer of Paulding county, married
Ida M. Spelmore, and has four children; George W.,
farmer, married Candace S. Miller, who has borne three
children; Dorcas M. is the wife of Daniel V. Clenn, a
farmer of Tully township; Martha M. is married to Ellsworth
O'Brien, who is farming the Bell homestead.
The grandfather of Mrs. Bell was born in Pennsylvania,
of sturdy German stock; James Geyer, her father, was
born in Westmoreland county, Pa., August 10, 1810, was married
February 6, 1837, and died in New Concord, Ohio, May 6, 1893, age
eighty-two years, eight months and twenty-six days. Mr. Bell,
aided by his faithful wife, has made for his family a most comfortable
home, and both are honored by their neighbors as being among the most
respected residents of Tully township.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 54
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THOMAS M. BERRY, a well known citizen of the township of Jennings, is
a native of the county of Van Wert, Ohio, dating his birth from the
29th day of July, 1859. His grandfather, MALACHI BERRY,
who married Polly Taylor, was a soldier in the war of 1812,
and an early settler of the county of Van Wert, moving to the same
number of years ago, and bringing with him the following - named
children: Noah, who grew to manhood, and died on the
home farm; Barbara, deceased wife of Michael Weaver; John,
a soldier in the late war, died from exposure in service; Mary,
who has achieved a wide-spread reputation as a weaver of handsome
coverlets, by which she has accumulated a comfortable fortune and
who makes her home with the subject of this sketch; Malachi,
who resides in Jennings township; Martha, who died in
Childhood; Anna, deceased, was twice married, her first
husband being Joel Jenkins, the second Henry K.
Morris; Joseph; Saly, deceased wife of Joseph R. Miller;
Elizabeth, deceased wife of Elisha Marvin - she and
husband were both mutes; Lydia, deceased wife of Jesse
Coil; Susanna, deceased wife of Frederick Reed, and
Elijah who died in the army, in 1861, at the age of nineteen.
Malachai Berry, Sr., purchased quite an amount of land on
coming to Van Wert county, and became a prosperous man. He was
a zealous church member and died in November, 1861, honored and
respected by all who knew him; his wife survived him until 1887,
dying August 27, of that year, at the advanced age of eighty-nine.
Joseph Berry, father of Thomas M., was
born in Champaign county, Ohio, accompanied his parents to Van Wert
county, and later moved to Iowa. His first wife was Mary
Jane Fitzpatrick, who died in Iowa, leaving two sons, Thomas
M. and Malachi, the latter residing in Chattanooga,
Tenn.; he wedded May Updegrove, daughter of Capt. J. R.
Updegrove, and has two children. Joseph Berry's
second wife was Clarissa Richards, who resides at this time
in the town of Cavett, Van Wert county, Ohio.
Thomas M. Berry, the immediate subject of this
biography, was reared on a farm and had the ordinary educational
advantages, though he has ever a student and lover of books.
His early life was beset with considerable hardships, as he was
obliged to bear his part in supporting the family, his father not
being at all a prosperous man - he and wife being mutes. Much
devolved upon young Thomas, and he was obliged to forego many
of the privileges, such as those more fortunately situated are
permitted to enjoy. October 16, 1880, when twenty-one years of
age, he was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Wolford,
daughter of Rev. George and Catherine Wolford, of Allen
county. To this marriage the following children have been
born: Ada May, Beatrice, Malachi, Minnie, Norma, John Anna,
Eunice, Nellie and Myra. Mr. Berry owns
a good farm, well underdrained, and is one of the progressive
citizens of his township. He is now serving his third term as
township clerk, and has discharged the duties of the position very
efficiently. He is a member of the K. of P. order, in which he
has passed all the chairs of the subordinate lodge; he also belongs
to Jennings grange, Patrons of Husbandry. Mr. Berry,
and wife are members of the Methodist church, and maintain a very
high position in the esteem of their neighbors.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 205
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FRANK BEVINGTON
- The Bevington family is of English origin.
HENRY BEVINGTON, the grandfather of
the subject of this biography, was born in one of the
eastern states, and came to Van Wert county, Ohio, in a very
early day, locating in the township of York, of which he was
one of the first pioneers. He married Betsy Heath,
and accumulated good property, making a farm of 150 acres,
in the township of York, on which he lived until his death.
His son, JAMES H. BEVINGTON,
the subject's father, was born in York township, Jan. 20,
1837. He married Malinda Hooks, daughter of
William S. and Lydia (Harp) Hooks, whose birth occurred
Sept. 19, 1837, and reared a family of three children, viz.:
William F., Philip H. S., and Frank,
all living. James H. Bevington was one of the
leading farmers of York township; he served in the
Forty-sixth artillery during the late war, was a prominent
Methodist, and departed this life in the year 1877.
His widow subsequently married John Johantgen, with
whom she is still living, their home being in the township
of Ridge.
Frank Bevington, under whose name this biography
is written was born in York township, Van Wert county, Ohio,
Sept. 20, 1869. After attending the common schools
during his youth, he took a course at the Normal college at
Ada, Ohio, and for several years thereafter was engaged in
educational work, teaching, in all, about forty-five months.
He achieved quite a reputation as an instructor, and is
still in the profession as a teacher.
Mr. Bevington was married Dec. 27, 1890, to
Martha Roebuck, daughter of Paul and Catherine (Harp)
Roebuck, and soon thereafter settled on the farm where
he now lives in Liberty township, and has since been
engaged, with most encouraging success, in agriculture
pursuits. Mr. Bevington is a man of more than
ordinary intellectual endowments, is well acquainted with
general literature and keeps himself fully informed on the
current questions of the day. His standing among his
fellow-citizens in first-class, and he numbers his friends
by the score in the township where he lives. Mr.
and Mrs. Bevington have three children, Lillie,
born Sept. 24, 1891; Normie, Sept. 20, 1893, and
Harry Guy, born Sept. 20, 1895. The father of
Mrs. Bevington was a farmer, living in Dublin township,
Mercer County, but her mother is deceased. The
following are the names of her brothers and sisters,
Dellie, Nancy, James, Perry, Clark, Harvey and
Nellie Roebuck.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 753 |
| |
HENRY BEVINGTON, one
of the oldest and most experienced farmers of York township, Van Wert
county, is a native of Mercer county, Ohio, born October 7, 1831, son
of John and Elizabeth (Heath) Bevington, the former a
native of Pennsylvania. Shortly after their marriage they located in
Mercer county, and in 1832 came to Van Wert county, and settled on a
forty-acre tract, on which the mother still resides and which had been
presented by John Heath to the mother of our subject, Henry Bevington; this land was soon converted into fine
fields and today is the pride of the neighborhood. The children born
to John and Elizabeth Bevington were named as follows:
Margaret, deceased wife of Alexander Brown; Henry; Nancy
Ann, deceased wife of John Arnold, and was the first
white child born in York township; Rebecca, deceased wife of
Samuel Arnold; James, who attained man's estate and
is now deceased; Mercy, widow of Enoch Metz;
John, who served in the late war for three years, is also
deceased.
John Bevington, father of our subject,
made an additional purchase to his original forty-acre tract, and
passed away when our subject was but nine years of age. John
Bevington was in reality a teamster, hauling goods from Fort Wayne
to Piqua, the country at the time being so broken, that it would
require two days to make the trip from Mercer to Saint Mary's. The
mother of our subject has now attained the advanced age of eighty-five
years, and has resided on the same farm since 1832. Henry
Bevington resided with his mother until the time of his marriage,
May 22, 1852, to Amanda Ries, daughter of Philip and
Mary E. (Schaffer) Ries, both natives of Germany. To Philip and
Mary E. Ries were born the following children, viz: Wilhelmina,
deceased; George, who grew to manhood, married Miss
Reese; Mary, the deceased wife of Enoch Barkdull;
Catherine, widow of Peter Wappner; Lydia,
deceased, and Henry, of York township, all of the above
children having been born in Germany; Amanda, wife of our
subject; William, who died while in the late war; the latter
two having been born in Richland county, Ohio.
Mrs. Bevington's father was a farmer and
wagon-maker and located in Richland county, Ohio, when he first came
to America; his wife died in York township at the age of eighty-three
years. The children born to Henry Bevington and wife were
John H., married to Elizabeth Anna Davis, and
is the father of three children: Ethel, Delia and
Clifford; Mary, wife of John Mathias, and
mother of one child, Mertie; Charles, wedded to Laura
Grant; Anderson, who married Lulu Baggs;
Frances, wife of Gill Baltzell, and mother of one
son; Leo T.; George; Edward and Bessie, at
home. Mrs. Bevington is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, her parents having also been devout Christians, who
worshiped at the Evangelical Lutheran church. Mr. Bevington
has a brief but effective military history, having enlisted in company
H, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, and served
from 1864 until honorably discharged three months later. - The
subject's present farm was entirely in the woods, from which he
cleared away the spot on which his splendid home now stands, and his
eighty acres is now fully under cultivation. Mr. Bevington
is recognized as an industrious citizen and thoroughly upright in all
transactions.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 55 |
William J. Bieber |
WILLIAM
BIEBER, a highly respected business man of Van Wert, was born
in Van Wert, Ohio, a son of Charles Bieber, mentioned in full
below. When but a child he went with his mother to Toledo,
where, with her, he resided until 1873, there receiving his
education. He first moved to Philadelphia, Pa., where he
learned the cigar maker's trade, which he followed there until 1890,
when he and his mother came to Van Wert, and here he took charge of
his inheritance, which amounted to about $4,000, mostly in realty,
and continued to support his mother until her death in 1893, since
when subject and sister have made their home together. He is a
democrat in politics and a Methodist in religion. He is an
energetic business man and a whole-souled gentleman, who has made
hosts of friends and enjoys the respect of them all, as well as that
of the public in general.
Charles Bieber late of Van Wert, was born in
Sweibrecken, Germany, and descended from noble ancestry, yet at an
early age learned the business of a baker, at which he worked for a
number of years. He emigrated to this country when he was
twenty-one years of age, landing in New York, and going thence to
New Orleans. He then went to Philadelphia, where he was
married, and returned to New York, in the meantime continuing to
work at his trade in each place, in order to secure money with which
to pay his expenses. Still later he spent five or six years in
traveling through southern states. In 1854 he finally settled
down in Van Wert, where he lived until his death, which occurred
Apr. 15, 1889. For some time after locating in Van Wert he
worked at his trade and then established himself as a merchant,
meeting with success, and retiring from active life in 1875, on
account of old age. He was a member of Saint Peter's
Evangelical church, and was always charitably disposed, giving his
means in aid of all worthy enterprises that appealed to him.
Mr. Bieber and his wife were the parents of five children,
viz.: Louisa, widow of Andrew Richter, whose sketch
appears on the following page, Mary Emma, Elizabeth and
William, only two of whom are now living, Louisa and
William, both residents of Van Wert.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 67 |
| |
DAVID OSWALD BILLMAN,
junior partner in the firm of Eyler & Billman, jewelers
and opticians, on South Washington street, Van Wert, Ohio, was born in
Pleasant Mills, Adams county, Ind., March 3, 1868, a son of
Frederick Billman, who came to Ohio in 1873. When but five
years of age David Oswald, our subject, was brought by
his parents to Van Wert county, Ohio, was here educated in the city
schools, and at the age of fifteen years began learning the trade of a
silversmith or jeweler at home, finishing his lessons in the art at
the age of eighteen, when he entered the store of Meredith &
Rowland, where he was employed until 1893, when he started
business on his own account, with his bench in Kimes' store on
South Washington street—this being a tin and stove store. In April,
1894, Mr. Billman united with John S. Eyler, to
whom allusion is made elsewhere in this connection, and established
the present flourishing business under the firm name and at the
location mentioned above, where will always be found a select stock of
jewelry, watches, clocks, silverware, and everything pertaining to the
trade, and where repairing of the most workmanlike order is promptly
attended to and satisfaction guaranteed in every particular, this
department being attended to by the practical Mr. Billman
in person.
The marriage of David O. Billman was solemnized
May 24, 1892, with Miss Myrtle Miller, a native
of Van Wert, born in 1869, and a daughter of Samuel Miller.
One child has blessed the union and is named Russell. The
parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics
Mr. Billman is a republican. They have their home in
their own pleasant residence, which includes two acres of land
adjoining the west end of the city, where they enjoy to the full the
agreeable association of their neighbors as well as their high esteem.
Fraternally Mr. Billman is a member of the National
Union, and in his business relations his reputation stands without a
blemish.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 56 |
| |
HENRY W. BLAGHLY, one
of the well known attorneys of Van Wert, Ohio, was born in Richland
county, Ohio, November 24, 1858, and is a son of Dr. Henry W., and
Caroline A. (Cracraft) Blachly. The father was born in
Washington county, Pa., and located in Richland county, Ohio, in 1856,
where he remained until October 26, 1860, when he removed to Van Wert
county, where his death took place May 6, 1889. Dr. Henry W.
Blachly was a graduate of Jefferson college, Washington county,
Pa.,
studied medicine with his brother, Stephen L. Blachly, a
prominent physician of Washington county, and by him was prepared for
entrance into the Cleveland Ohio Medical college, from which he
graduated in 1854; the following two years he practiced with his
brother, then practiced about four years alone in Richland county,
Ohio, and then came to Van Wert county. He was married in Washington
county, Pa., to Miss Caroline A. Cracraft, who became
the mother of two children: Mary E. (deceased) and Henry W.
The father was a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity, in
politics he is a republican, and with his wife was a communicant of
the Methodist Episcopal church, to which faith the latter still
adheres, having her residence now in Van Wert.
Henry W. Blachly, the subject of this sketch, was but two years
of age when brought to Van Wert county by his parents. He was
prepared, in the Van Wert city schools, for study in the scientific
branches in the schools of Valparaiso, Ind., which he entered in 1878
and from which he was graduated in 1879. He then engaged in teaching
in Allen and Van Wert counties, Ohio, until 1882, when, in conjunction
with his vocation, he was employed in the Van Wert county surveyor's
office until 1884. He, in that year, began the study of law under
A. L. Sweet, of Van Wert, was admitted to the bar in 1886, and
then formed a partnership with his former preceptor in the practice,
which partnership lasted until May 20, 1893, when Mr. Sweet
retired and was succeeded by W. H. Daily, the firm assuming the
style of Blachly & Daily, under which it achieved an enviable
reputation and was recognized as one of the most competent law firms
of Van Wert city and county until June, 1895, when Mr. Blachly
became successor to that firm, being assured of the success his
ability so well merits. The marriage of Mr. Blachly took place
in the city of his adoption, December 15, 1886, to Miss
Hattie Saltzgaber, who was born in Michigan, October 18, 1859, and
is a daughter of Henry and Harriet Saltzgaber, and to
the happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Blachly have been born two
children, Hazel M. and Irma K. In political affinities
Mr. Blachly is a republican, and fraternally he is a
Knight of Pythias, while socially he stands very high, being a
gentleman of good address and of unusual ability. Mrs.
Blachly is a most estimable lady and also stands deservedly high
in the social circles, being a lady of moral integrity and possessing
many womanly accomplishments.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 57 |
| |
ADAM BLACK, an
enterprising farmer of Union township, Van Wert county, Ohio, descends
from an old Pennsylvania Dutch family, and is a son of Matthew and
Catherine (Myres) Black. The father was born in the Keystone state
February 4, 1816, was there reared on a farm, and learned something of
mechanics, and when a young man came to Ohio and located in Richland
county, where he was first employed in a saw and grist mill, and was
there married, and in 1848 came to Van Wert county and entered an
eighty-acre tract of land from the government, which he at once
proceeded to clear up and cultivate, and on which he erected a log
cabin and suitable out buildings but which buildings were in later
years superseded by modern frame structures. He was well known as a
successful farmer and stock raiser, and owed his success entirely to
his own industry. In politics he was a republican, was a class leader
and chorister in the Lutheran Evangelical church for many years, was
always a warm advocate of the cause of public education, and died an
honored and respected citizen, February 16, 1871. His wife, also a
native of Pennsylvania, was born in 1820, and was but a little child
when I brought by her parents to Richland county, Ohio. She was
married to Mr. Black about the year 1842, and became the mother
of six children, viz: John, who lives on the old homestead;
Adam, our subject; Elizabeth, wife of Charles
Moore, of Hoaglin township, Van Wert county; George,
deceased; Henry W., a farmer, also of Hoaglin township, and
Sarah, married to Saqiuel Albright, of Morrow
county, Ohio. The mother of this family is still living.
Adam Black was born in Richland county,
Ohio, January 7, 1846, was reared on his father's farm in Van Wert
county, and was educated in the little pioneer log school house. He
came, an infant, to Van Wert county with his parents, here grew to
manhood, and assisted in clearing up the farm from the woods and in
cultivating it until his enlistment, February 27, 1864, in company H,
Fifteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, under Capt. Uptergraft,
going at once to the front and taking part in the hard fought battle
of Resaca, May 14-15, 1864; May 27, 1864, at Pickett's Mill, Ga., he
was shot by a sharp shooter, the ball passing through his arm near the
shoulder, and was at once sent to the field hospital, where his wound
was dressed, and then to hospital No. 19, at Nashville, Tenn., where
he was confined three weeks, when he was sent to New Albany, Ind.,
Camp Dennison, Ohio, Camp Chase, Camp Douglas, Ill., and to Cairo,
Ill., successively, and at the latter place honorably discharged
November 16, 1865. As a compensation for the wound here spoken of he
now receives a pension of $12 per month. All his pay as a soldier he
had carefully saved and forwarded to his father, who applied it to the
purchase of the farm on which our subject now lives, and on which he
settled in 1875, being this year united in marriage with Anna
Livensparger, daughter of David and Catherine Livensparger,
of Richland county. This lady was born in Richland county September
20, 1841, bore her husband two children—Rutherford E. and
Minerva C. J. (deceased)—and died November 29, 1879. Mr.
Black chose for his second wife Miss Harriet
Hynes, daughter of David and Nancy (Linder) Hynes, and this
union has been blessed with two children Bertha E. and Laura.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Black are members of the
Evangelical church and in politics Mr. Black is a
republican; he is also a member of the Vance post, G. A. R., at Scott,
Ohio, is an Odd Fellow and is a highly respected and useful citizen.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 58
|
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MATHIAS BOCKEY, one of
the leading farmers and citizens of Washington township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, residing three miles northwest from Delphos, is a
native of Ohio, and was born in Big Spring township, Seneca county, on
June 4, 1841. His parents were John and Margaret (Simonis) Bockey,
both natives of Germany. They were married in Germany, and several of
their children were born before they came to America. They located
first in Seneca county, where they remained until 1867, and then came
to Delphos, where they resided for a short time, then removed to
Landeck, in Marion township, Allen county, where they resided several
years, when they returned to Delphos. They both died in Delphos, the
mother dying on April 23, 1887, and the father on April 11, 1889. Both
were members of Saint John's Roman Catholic church of Delphos. There
were eleven children born to the parents, only the following four of
whom are now living: Elizabeth, widow of Charles
Scheffer, late of Delphos; Margaret, now the wife of
Joseph Meyers, of Delphos; Adam, a farmer of Marion
township, Allen county, and Mathias.
Our subject was reared on the farm in Seneca county,
and attended the common schools, learning both English and German. He
remained on his father's farm until 1864, marrying, in 1863, Anna
M. Koch, of Seneca county, when he came to Spencer township, Allen
county, where he purchased a farm of 120 acres. This land was
unimproved and was chiefly in woods. He erected a log house, into
which, with his wife, he moved, and began at work clearing up the
land. His wife died on. this place March 5, 1870, and October 24,
1871, Mr. Bockey was united in marriage to Agnes
Koch, a sister of his first wife, who was born in Seneca
county, on January 21, 1850. The parents of Mrs. Bockey
were Adam and Catherine (Smith) Koch,
both natives of Mendlesheim, Bavaria, Germany, and came to America in
1834, and were married, at Tiffin, Ohio, May 9, 1841. The mother died
May 10, 1860, leaving six out of eight children, four of whom are now
living: John C. Koch, who is the attorney of the Northwestern
Railroad company, and a leading citizen of Eagle Grove, Iowa; Mrs.
Bockey; George W., a citizen of Bowling Green, Ohio and
Mrs. Mary Bohnlein, of Allen county. From Seneca
county, the father removed to Wood county, Ohio, where he died on July
10, 1882. He was born February 2, 1818, and his wife was born July 7,
1819. April 22, 1875, Mr. Bockey removed to Stewart, Adair
county, Iowa, where he purchased property and engaged in the milling
business; but the milling business not agreeing with his health he
remained there but a short time, returning to his farm in Allen
county, Ohio. There he remained until 1885, when he purchased 268
acres in sections Nos. 15 and 16, Washington township, upon which he
removed. Of the farm there are 142 acres-cleared and under
cultivation. At the time he moved on, the front part of his
present large two-story residence was built, since when he has added
the balance. In 1891 he built his barn, which is the largest in Van
Wert county, and one of the finest to be found anywhere. It is an L
building, dimensions as follows: Front L, 76x40 feet; the other L is
112x40 and is what is known as a bank barn. The height of the sides is
twenty feet, and from the ventilators to the ground is forty-nine
feet.
In 1890 Mr. Bockey sold forty acres of
his unimproved land in Allen county, to the Standard Oil company. This
land he purchased in 1864 for $17 per acre, and sold it for $100 per
acre. When Mr. Bockey came to Allen county he was
possessor of but small capital, his assets amounting then to about
$500. What he now has he has earned himself, relying entirely on his
own energy and ability. The principal crops of Mr. Bockey
are wheat and corn. In 1894 he produced over 4,200 bushels of grain
beside other crops. He also raised large quantities of peaches, he
having about 300 peach trees; he also grows all kinds of other fruit
and berries. He grows large herds of beef cattle, and in 1894 raised
the finest cattle ever shipped from Delphos. Four of his beef cattle
were shipped to Europe, the four weighing 6,340, receiving $238 for
them. He keeps on an average of forty head.
The children of Mr. Bockey are as
follows: Margaret, Catherine, Mary, Adam
Raphael, Annie I., Lucy S., John Edward,
Arthur M. Mr. Bockey and family are members of the Saint John's
Roman Catholic church. In politics he is a democrat. He is a self made
man and has accumulated his property by his own exertions. He has
endured many privations and hardships, and now, at his time of life,
is entitled to enjoy the comfort of his fine home and surroundings.
Mr. Bockey has for years run a threshing machine and clover
huller in his home vicinity, and no man that has served the public has
given better service or better satisfaction than he. He is an affable
gentleman to meet and one who inspires confidence at every turn.
Mr. Bockey is known as one of the progressive and benevolent men
of his neighborhood and county, and is also greatly respected wherever
known.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 59
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DAVID
R. BONEWITZ, the leading dry goods merchant of Van Wert, Ohio,
is a native of Fayette county, Pa., and was born January 9, 1831, a
son of Jacob and Catherine (Franks) Bonewitz, the former of
whom was born in Maryland, May 5, 1787, and a son of Jacob and
Sarah (Spiker) Bonewitz, the last named Jacob also born in
Maryland, and a son of Jacob who was born in Baden, Germany,
and was one of three brothers—John, George and Jacob—who
came to America together. Of these, John went north, while
George and Jacob located in Maryland, where, it is
supposed, they passed the remainder of their lives. Jacob
Bonewitz, the grandfather of David R., our subject, settled
in Fayette county, Pa., in 1800, where he was engaged in farming until
his decease. The eight children born to himself and wife Sarah
were named Jacob, John, Joseph, Solomon,
Rosanna, Ann Marie, Catherine and
Elizabeth, all now deceased. Jacob Bonewitz, the
eldest of the above family and the father of our subject, was reared
in Fayette county, Pa., lived with his parents until twenty-one years
of age, learned shoemaking, was foreman of a shop in Pittsburg in
1810, and went thence to Mount Vernon, Ohio, where he was foreman for
the John Shaw Boot and Shoe factory until his father's
death, when he returned to Pennsylvania and acted as administrator of
the estate. He was there married, in 1820, to Catherine
Franks, who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1802, a daughter of
Jacob and Sarah Franks, also natives of the Keystone
state. After his marriage, Mr. Bonewitz resided on the
old homestead until 1833, when he moved to East Union township, Wayne
county, Ohio, and passed the remainder of his life. He was the fother
of nine children, viz: F. J., H. W., Sarah J., David R., Julia G.,
M. V., Elizabeth, Martha and Joseph A.
David R. Bonewitz was reared from three years of
age to maturity in Wayne county, Ohio, and in 1854 came to Van Wert
county, located in Tully township, and engaged, in farming until he
was drafted in October, 1862, for nine months, and was assigned to
company G, Twentieth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, Seventeenth
army corps; at the expiration of his time, on his return home, with
$600 given him by his father, he engaged in general merchandising in
partnership with his brother-in-law, A. Eyman, at
Convoy, in Tully township, which trade was successfully conducted for
eight years, when he sold his interest and resumed farming for two
years in Ridge township, when he returned to Convoy, farmed until
1876, and in 1877 located in Van Wert city, formed the firm of
Bonewitz, Schumm & Co., and dealt in dry goods,
carpets, notions, etc., until 1879, when the firm name was changed to
Bonewitz & Schumm, and so remained until 1884.
when Mr. Bonewitz became sole proprietor, since when he
has kept the most popular and fashionable establishment in its line in
Van Wert, his stock, in all departments, being unsurpassed in the
city.
Mr. Bonewitz was married in Van Wert, January 9, 1866,
to Catherine Richie, a sister of H. G. Richie, of whom
mention is made elsewhere, and to this happy union have been born four
children, viz: Lee, Van and Horace, assistants in
their father's store, and Mary, at home. The family are members
of the Presbyterian church and are very highly respected in the
community. Mr. Bonewitz is the owner of the imposing
three-story building in which he carries on his business, the
salesroom of which measures 22x132 feet, and is filled with the most
select stock to be found in northwest Ohio.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 60
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JOSIAH BOWERS, a well
and widely known citizen of Harrison township, Van Wert county, Ohio,
was born in Whetstone township, Crawford county, Ohio, July 9, 1830,
of Scotch lineage. His father, Benjamin Bowers, was born
in 1805, near Hagerstown, Md., and was a small boy when brought to
Ohio by his father, who settled in Stark county. Benjamin there grew
up among the frontiersman, and there married Rebecca
Lichtenwalter, and later moved to Crawford county, Ohio, where he
developed from the wilderness a farm of 320 acres, and owned, beside,
a large amount of land in other parts of the country.
Josiah Bowers was reared to
manhood on his father's homestead, and April 10, 1851, married
Henriette Bare, daughter of John Bare, and to
this union were born three children who died young, and one,
Rebecca, who is now the wife of Amos Hawkins, a
farmer of Nebraska.. In 1852 Mr. Bowers came to Van Wert
county and settled on eighty acres of land in Harrison township, where
he made a good home. He lost his wife in 1859, when he went to Van
Wert village and engaged in the clothing business, and later moved to
Celina, Ohio, where he engaged in the same trade until May 14, 1861,
when he enlisted in company D, Third Ohio battery, state troops, for
three years, but at the end of six months received his discharged and
enlisted again for three years or during the war in the Third
independent Ohio battery, which was mustered into the United States
service, and in this he served until honorably discharged, on account
of disability, at Saint Louis, Mo., in 1863. He next served
about six months in the One Hundred and Sixty-second Ohio volunteer
infantry, then a year, or during war, in the One Hundred and Sixteenth
regiment, and was finally discharged, in 1865, with the rank of first
sergeant. February 22, 1866, the second marriage of Mr.
Bowers took place to Margaret Jane Miller,
and to this union have been born six children, viz: Henriette,
married to Jasper Lyons, of Harrison township; Lulu,
wife of Enos Brittson, now deceased; Vinta,
married to Sherman Albright, of Harrison township;
Jesse W. Fremont, Jasper and Harlan. After
marriage, Mr. Bowers settled on a farm of 105 acres in
Harrison township, and in 1882 opened a general store at Middlebury,
where he is still doing a successful business, also superintends his
farm of forty acres adjoining the town. Mr. and Mrs.
Bowers are members of the Baptist church, and in politics Mr.
Bowers is a republican. He is a gentleman who has always had a
steady purpose in life, has worked hard and acquired a competence, and
it may well be said that this family is one of the most highly
respected in Van Wert county.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 61 |
| |
REV. JOHN T. BOWER,
deceased, was born in Blair county, Pa., December 27, 1834. His
parents, Daniel and Rosanna Bower, were natives of Germany, and
early in 1834 came to America, making their first home in Blair
county, Pa., but shortly afterward came to Ohio, located in Perry
county, and in 1840 removed to Marion county, where the father, after
a useful life as a farmer died in 1868, and the mother in 1872. Their
thirteen children were named, as follows: Frederick, Rosanna,
Caroline, Theophilus, Louisa, Charles,
Augustus, Lewis, Hannah, John T., Samuel,
Elizabeth and Daniel. Of this family seven are deceased,
viz: Caroline, Theophilus, Charles, Augustus,
Elizabeth, Hannah and John T.
John T. Bower was reared on the farm in Marion
county, attended the common schools until nineteen years of age, then
passed a year in the Delaware university, of Ohio, and in 1854
received a license to preach, .receiving, also the same year, a local
preacher's license in the Methodist Episcopal church. At the annual
conference ensuing he was received on trial and appointed as junior
preacher in the Mount Victory circuit, with William H Taylor
as preacher in charge and Henry Pilcher as presiding elder.
After filling this position one year, Mr. Bower was called to
Zanesville, Ohio, where he remained two years, following which he had
charges in Ohio as follows: Versailles, two years; Greenville, one
year; Fort Seneca, one year; Antwerp, two years; Airsville, two years;
Saint John, two years; McComb, two years; Cairey, one year; Arcanum,
three years; again at McComb, three years; Lakeside, one year;
Airsville, again, one year; thence he came, in 1875, to Van Wert,
where he officiated until 1880; hence to William. Centre, two years;
Hardin, two years, and Center, one year. From Ohio he was transferred
to Athens, Tenn., where he remained three years and then, in 1892,
returned to Van Wert, Ohio, and here served as a faithful servant in
the Master's vineyard until February 14, 1893, when he was called from
labor to eternal rest.
On June 26, 1861, Rev. John T. Bower was united
in the holy bonds of matrimony, in at Paulding, Ohio, with Miss
Rachel W. Wiyans, who was born in Troy, Ohio, November 24, 1841, a
daughter of John C. and Mary N. (Clark) Wiyans,
of Holland descent, and the parents of six children, born in the
following order: Delilah Ann (deceased), Mary J.
(deceased), Josephine H., Charles, John (deceased), and
Rachel W. (Mrs. Bower). To the union of Mr. and Mrs.
Bower were born three children, viz; Frank W., a painter;
Inez G., a clerk, and Harry C., at home with his mother.
Mrs. Bower has a comfortable competency left her by her
lamented husband. She is a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal
church, is highly respected in society, and is much admired for her
amiability and lady-like demeanor.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 62 |
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WlLLIAM
BOWER, one of the pioneers of Harrison township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, and whose lamented death occurred June 25, 1895,
descended from an old Pennsylvania family of German extraction.
John Bower, his father, was a native of York county, Pa.,
was reared on a farm, and married Elizabeth Warner; to
this marriage were born the following children: William,
Jacob, John, Levi, David (who died young),
Catherine, Elizabeth, Sarah A. and Lydia A.
John Bower, early in .1825, came to Ohio and
located in Harrison county, and in 1839 came to Van Wert county, and
settled on 160 acres in Tully township. He was a shoemaker by trade,
as well as farmer, a highly respected citizen, and a member of the
Lutheran church.
William Bower, whose name opens this
mention, was born in York county, Pa., May 3, 1813, and was twelve
years of age when brought to Ohio. He grew up a farmer, and in 1836
married Sarah Tenner, daughter of John and Mary
(Tipton) Tenner, of Harrison county. Three years after his
marriage Mr. Bower, in October, 1839, came to Van Wert
county and entered 160 acres in the wild woods of Harrison township,
before the Indians had left the country and when the forest was
abounding in wild game. In due course of time he succeeded in clearing
up his farm and in making a good home. He became a representative
citizen, and a popular democrat, and served as township clerk,
assessor, trustee; was twice a member of the school board and a
supervisor several times, and, indeed, filled all the offices of the
township, with the exception of justice of the peace. He was a member
of the Lutheran church, was one of the organizers of the first
Lutheran congregation in Harrison township, and filled the offices of
elder and Sunday school superintendent. To Mr. and Mrs. William
Bower were born eight children, viz: John T., Emanuel, Mary,
Kate, Andrew, Daniel, Rachael and Clara. Two of the
above-named sons served in the late Civil war. Emanuel was in
the Forty-sixth Ohio infantry and served nearly four years; Andrew
was in the Fifty-second regiment, Ohio infantry, and was killed in the
trenches before Atlanta.
John T. Bower, the eldest child of. the above
named family, and was born in Harrison county, Ohio, February 15,
1837, and was about two years of age when brought to Harrison
township, Van Wert county. He received the ordinary education given to
pioneer farmers' lads, was reared to farm life, and in early life
married Clara A. Pomeroy. To this union were born eight
children, viz: Sarah A., Lucy, William, Bert, Bertha,
Charles, Delia and John W. Mr. Bower is a
democrat in politics and has served as township clerk, as assessor,
and as clerk of the school board. He lost his wife April 10, 1893, and
has never
ceased to mourn his deprivation. William Pomeroy, father
of the late Mrs. Bower, came from the state of New York,
was of New England descent, and died in Michigan, aged more than
seventy years.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 67
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JAMES BRADLEY, one of
the older farmers of Hoaglin township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and mill
owner, is of Scotch-English descent. John Bradley, his
grandfather, on coming from England, lived in Pennsylvania for a
considerable time, but in 1820 came to Ohio and entered eighty acres
of land in Richland county, on which he made his permanent home. He
married a Miss Powell, reared a family and died on his farm, a
member of the Presbyterian church. William Bradley, son
of John, above mentioned, and father of our subject, was born
in Pennsylvania, and was eighteen years of age when he first came to
Ohio, prior to the coming of his father, and selected a farm on which
he made the first improvement; subsequently wrought out an eighty-acre
farm for himself. He married Miss Priscilla Hoy, who bore him
the following children: Jane (deceased), Margaret,
John (deceased), Richard (deceased), Mary,
Elizabeth, Thomas and Priscilla, beside our subject;
the parents both died in Richland county, members of the United
Presbyterian church.
James Bradley, whose . name
opens this biography, was born in Richland county,. Ohio, March 25,
1838, and has been engaged in farming and milling and mechanical work
ever since boyhood. On reaching his majority, he he married Miss
Catherine Light, daughter of Michael and Catherine (Hinkst)
Light. The marriage took place in Crawford county, Ohio, but house
keeping began in Richland county, whence, three years later, the young
couple moved to Allen county, where Mr. Bradley farmed for
seventeen years, and then came to Van Wert county, where he has
resided twelve years. The result of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs.
Bradley is the following family: William M., Cora E.
(deceased), Lydia J., Homer, Hattie M., Mary C. and George
F. Michael Light, the father of Mrs.
Bradley, was born in Dauphin county, Pa., March 25, 1809, and
his wife, Catherine Hinkst, was a native of York county,
Pa., born December 4, 1821. They were married in Richland
county, Ohio, where the parents of each had long before settled. The
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Light were
nine in number, and were born in the following order: Mary
(deceased), Daniel, Samuel, John (deceased),
Catherine and Lydia (twins), George, Michael
(deceased) and Margaret. The grandparents of Mrs.
Bradley, John and Nancy (Landis) Light,
came from Dauphin county, Pa., to Richland county, Ohio, in the
pioneer days, entered a tract of sixty acres, and were among the first
to give tone to the respectability of their township.
The farm now owned and occupied by James
Bradley, our subject, comprises 119 acres, and is unexcelled in
its arable character by any other in the township. It has been brought
to its present state of productiveness wholly by the labor and skill
of Mr. Bradley himself, who is an adept in agricultural
affairs. But his ingenuity and skill are not confined solely to
farming. He also owns and operates a saw-mill, threshing machine,
shingle machine, and a feed mill connected with his sawmill. In all
his worldly or temporal affairs Mr. Bradley has
evidenced wonderful sagacity and exercised a prodigious amount of
energy, both mental and physical. His moral sentiment is intensely
developed, and is manifested in his every act. He is a trustee in the
United Brethren church, and was active in promoting the erection of
the house of worship now owned by that denomination in Hoaglin
township, and was extremely liberal in his pecuniary aid for the
purpose. In politics Mr. Bradley is an ardent
prohibitionist, and socially he and family rank among the best of Van
Wert county.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 68 |
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FRANK M. BRICKNER,
one of the well known farmers of Washington township, Van Wert county,
Ohio, and trustee of the township, is a native of Ohio, having been
born at Tiffin, Seneca county, on April 22, 1861. He is a son of
John and Caroline (Shull) Brickner. The father is a native of
Ausbach, Bavaria, Germany, born December n, 1831, and the mother was
born in Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, October 7, 1838. The father came
to America in 1839, when a boy of eight years, his father, Michael
Brickner, settled in Seneca county, Ohio. In 1863, John
Brickner removed to Van Wert county and purchased the land
where he now resides in Washington township, three miles northwest of
Delphos, and here he has since resided.
Our subject is the eldest of nine children born to his
parents, seven of whom are living. He was reared on the farm in
Washington township and secured his education in the public schools.
When about nineteen years of age he left home and worked on the farms
in the neighborhood of Delphos, and for three months at Tiffin. On
October 7, 1884, he was united in marriage to Mary Elizabeth
Baumgarte, who was born in Washington township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, on June 28, 1860, and is the daughter of
Conrad Baumgarte, one of
the well known farmers of Van Wert county and Washington township. To
Mr. and Mrs. Brickner four children have been born as follows:
Ida C., born August 16, 1885; Edward J., born August 19,
1887; Lucy C., born March 29, 1890; Theodore H., born
June 26, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Brickner are members of the Saint
John's Roman Catholic church of Delphos.
Mr. Brickner has always been a democrat in
politics, and has always taken an active interest in political and
public matters. In April, 1895, he was the candidate of the democratic
party for trustee of Washington township, and was elected by the usual
majority, going into office on the tenth day of April. Mr. Brickner
is one of the best known of the younger farmers of Washington
township. He is a good business man, and will no doubt give general
satisfaction in the discharge of his official duties. He is
enterprising and energetic, and is public spirited in every way. For
nine years Mr. Brickner was engaged in the manufacture
of tile upon his farm and made quite a success of the business. He
sold out that business in 1891.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 69
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BENJAMIN BRITTSON, a substantial farmer of Harrison
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is a son of one of Van Wert's
pioneers, and is of ante-Revolutionary descent. His grandfather,
ISAAC BRITTSON, came from Beaver county, Pa., to the far
west in 1830 and settled in Adams county, Ind., where he was killed
at-a barn raising at the age of fifty-six years. ISAAC
BRITTSON, Jr., son of the Isaac above named and the
father of Benjamin, our subject, was born September 27, 1818,
in Beaver county, Pa., was reared from the age of twelve years on his
father's farm in Adams county, Ind., came to Van Wert county in early
manhood and first married Elizabeth Pring, daughter of
Richard Pring, a pioneer of Van Wert county, and the
father of ten children. After marriage, Isaac Brittson, Jr.,
settled on wild land in the central part of Harrison township. To his
first marriage were born nine children—Mary, Daniel, Jeremiah,
Martha, Benjamin, John,
Jenny, Lucina and William. The second wife of
Mr. Brittson bore the maiden name of Sarah J. Pomeroy
and became the mother of nine children—Enos, Walter,
Eliza, Bert, Willis, Lizzie, Frank,
Chauncey and Charles. The second Mrs. Brittson died,
and for his third wife Mr. Brittson married Mrs. Mary M.
Hillard, who bore him three children—James, Catherine
and Bessie. Mr. Brittson was first a Lutheran, but later
became a Methodist, in which faith he died March 23, 1891. In politics
he was a democrat.
Benjamin Brittson was born March 12,
1850, on his father's farm in Harrison township, Van Wert county,
Ohio, received a good common school education, and was reared to
farming and also learned the carpenter's trade. February 18, 1877, he
was united in wedlock with Eliza E. Capper, daughter of
Stephen and Ellen (Stewart) Capper—the former born June 1, 1818,
and the latter February 15, 1821. Stephen Capper, in
1841, settled on the farm now occupied by our subject, the place
containing 160 acres in the woods. His wife was a daughter of
Mahlon Stewart, who was born in Maryland, of Scotch
descent, and, settled in Ohio in 1822. Mr. and Mrs. Capper were
the parents of seven children, viz: Elizabeth, David
(killed in the battle at Dalton, Ga.), Mahlon, James,
Thomas, Wellington and Eliza E. After marriage,
Mr. Brittson settled on the Capper homestead, and here he
has since lived. To his union with Miss Capper were born three
children—Charles, Hattie and an infant that died
unnamed. Mrs.. Eliza E. Brittson died April 7, 1883, and March
23, 1884, Mr. Brittson married Miss-Alice L.
Harr, daughter of John H. Harr, whose biography is to be found on
another page, and to this union have been born two children,
Florence and Mary. Mr. Brittson has
been a church elder for five years, and in politics he is a democrat;
he is also a member of the Hiawatha tribe, No. 116, I. O. R. M., of
Corivoy, and is recognized throughout the community as an upright,
straightforward gentleman and citizen.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 70
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JOSEPH BRODNIX.— Among
the old J and well known citizens of Van Wert county, Ohio, deserving
mention with its representative citizens, the name of Joseph
Brodnix, of Van Wert, is worthy of extended notice. He was born in
Bucks county, Pa., August 3, 1827, son of Thomas and Anna (Boyd)
Brodnix. Thomas Brodnix, also a native of the
aforesaid county and state, was born February 2, 1799, and his father,
also named Thomas, was born in 1758, in France. Thomas
Brodnix, Sr., received a military education in his
native country, and when a young man came to America in time to take
part in the Revolutionary war, at the close of which he settled in
Bucks county, Pa., where he followed the farmer's vocation. He also
served in the war of 1812. He married Sarah Barrico, who
bore him five children: Sarah, Nancy, William,
Thomas, and Hannah, all deceased. The father of the
above named children died in 1836 and the mother in 1839.
Thomas Brodnix, Jr.,
the date of whose birth is given in the preceding paragraph, was born
and reared to manhood in Bucks county, Pa., and was there educated in
a Quaker school, his parents having been birthright members of the
Society of Friends. While still young he learned carpet weaving,
and followed the same for some years in the city of Philadelphia, and
about 1832 engaged in boating on the Delaware river for two or three
years. . He then followed carpet weaving in Dayton, Ohio, and about
1840 came to Van Wert county, locating in York township, where he made
his home till 1865, moving at that time to Defiance, where his death
occurred February 1, 1892.
Thomas Brodnix, Jr., was
twice married; the first time, to Anna Boyd, by whom he
had six children: Joseph, subject of this biography; Sarah,
widow of A. M. Corgan, resident of Defiance, Ohio;
John, a resident of Napoleon, Ohio; Anna, wife of James
Boyd, of Paulding county; Isabella, and Edward H.,
deceased. Mr. Brodnix's second marriage was with
Janett Bronson, who is also deceased.
Joseph Brodnix, the leading events of
whose life are herewith set forth, was thirteen years old when his
parents came to Van Wert county, but previous to that time he worked
at carpet weaving, with his father, in the city of Dayton. He remained
under the parental roof until reaching manhood's estate, and about
1848 accepted a clerkship in a general store, in which capacity he
continued four years, and for two years was engaged as salesman in a
dry goods house. His next employment was in a hotel at Saint Mary's,
where he remained for a short time and then, taught school, for less
than one year, in the town of Mendon, Mercer county.
Returning to Van Wert county, Mr. Brodnix,
on the 3rd day of July, 1851, was united in marriage to Lydia
A. Cook, daughter of Daniel Cook, of Virginia,
and immediately thereafter engaged in agricultural pursuits in
Pleasant township, renting land for three years, and then purchased a
farm consisting of 160 acres in the township of Pleasant; he sold this
place in 1864, then bought 160 acres in Liberty township, eighty acres
of he gave to his son, B. B. He followed the farmer's vocation
with fair success, until 1865, at which time he disposed of his place
and moved to the city of Van Wert, where for some time he engaged in I
the boot and shoe trade. Severing his connection with the mercantile
business, Mr. Brodnix next turned his attention to house
painting and later engaged in house-decorating I and paper hanging,
which he still follows. In the various enterprises in which he has
been engaged, he has been successful and now has a comfortable
competency, including a residence in the city and a good farm, also
owning, in partnership with his brother, 102 acres of land in the
county of Defiance.
By his first marriage, alluded to in the preceding
paragraph, Mr. Brodnix became the father of eight
children, whose names, in order of birth, are as follows: Anna,
Emma, Ella, Julia, Frank, Ida,
Perry and Bennie, all deceased but the last named. Mrs.
Brodnix was born in Richland county, Ohio, and departed this
life July 17, 1892. On the second day of February, 1893, Mr.
Brodnix married his present wife, Mrs. Elizabeth
Shanor, widow of the late Dr. Shanor of Allegheny,
Pa.
Mr. Brodnix is a member of the I. O. O.
F., a republican in politics, and with his wife belongs to the
Presbyterian church. In all the essentials of true manhood, and good
citizenship, he is not wanting, and during his long residence in Van
Wert he has won a warm and abiding place in the affections of the
people; he is kindhearted, his integrity has never been questioned,
and throughout a long and useful life, he has kept on the best of
terms with his fellow men.
Bennie B. Brodnix is the only
living child of Joseph and Lydia Brodnix.
Mr. Brodnix was born in Van Wert county, Ohio, April 16,
1872, and passed his youthful years in the city of Van Wert, in the
schools of which he acquired a good English education. On the 22d of
November, 1895, he was united in marriage with Miss Leona V.,
daughter of Franklin and Mary J. (Weber) Yant, and immediately
thereafter began farming his present place, consisting of eighty
acres of fine land in Liberty township. Mr. Brodnix has made
many substantial improvements on this place, developing its natural
resources, erecting buildings, etc., and has the satisfaction of
knowing that under his I successful management it has been made one of
the finest farms of its size in Liberty. B. B. Brodnix is
republican in politics, and also a member of North Liberty Methodist
church. Mrs. Brodnix's father, Franklin Yant,
was born in Stark county, Ohio, December 28, 1831, and her mother
first saw the light of day in the county of Columbiana on the 30th day
of August, 1835. They were married in Mercer county, Ohio, thence
moved to the county of Van Wert, settling in Liberty township; he
served in the late war in company K, Eighty-eighth Ohio infantry, was
a republican in politics, a member of the Methodist church, in which
he held the office of trustee and steward, and died March 27, 1894.
His father, Philip Yant, a native of Pennsylvania,
married Nancy Nicholas, and in an early day immigrated
to Stark county, Ohio, thence, later, became a resident of Van Wert
county, being among its well known pioneers.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 71
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A. J. BROWN, a prominent
citizen of Van Wert, and an ex-soldier of the Union army, was born
June 8, 1845. He is a son of John Brown, who was born in 1810,
near Wheeling, Va. (now W. Va.), and at an early age learned the
blacksmith trade, at which he worked for several years. He was a
soldier in the war with Mexico. In 1830 he was married to Miss
Jerusha Symcox, of Ohio. In this same year he settled in Medina
county, Ohio, where he still followed his trade, that of a blacksmith,
with most gratifying success. He and his wife were the parents
of the following children: Peter, Louisa J., George W.,
Jefferson, Rauslina, Benjamin, Nelson, A. J., R. R., and
Harrison -
six of whom are dead. All were married but three. Those
that are living are as follows: Peter, Louisa, J. A. J., R. R.,
and Harrison. John Brown was a democrat in politics, and he was
a member of the Christian church. He was a hard-working, honest
and successful man, and at the time of his death, in 1855, he left his
family in comfortable circumstances. His wife survived until
1886.
A. J. Brown, the subject of this sketch, was born in
Medina county, Ohio, and during his earlier life worked at general
labor of various kinds. He was a patriot when the war of the
Rebellion broke out, and enlisted, October 15, 1861, in company G,
Ninth Michigan volunteer infantry. His fate was to see much hard
fighting, and to suffer wounds at the hands of the enemy several
different times. He fought in the battle of Pittsburg Landing,
April 3 - 7, 1862; of Murfreesboro, Tenn., July 13, 1862; Lavergne,
Tenn., December 27, 1862; Stone River, December 29-31, 1862;
Chickamauga, September 17-20, 1863; Missionary Ridge, November 25,
1863; Rocky Faced Ridge, May 8, 1864; Resaca, May 14, 1864; Dallas,
Ga., May 27, 1864; Chattahoochee river, July 5-6, 1864; siege of
Atlanta, July 22, and August 25, 1864, and Jonesboro, Ga.,
September 1, 1864. At Pittsburg Landing he was wounded by a
musket ball, which he still carries in his body, and on August 25,
before Atlanta, he was wounded in the thigh. On July 26, 1864,
he was wounded in the breast, and on August 13 he was sent to the
hospital, where he remained seven months. He was discharged at
Jackson, Mich., December 19, 1865, and is now receiving a pension of
$10 per month.
After the war was over he located in Van Wert county,
where he learned the carpenter's trade, which he has followed ever
since with unusual success. He was married in December, 1866, to
Miss Mary Brenner, of Van Wert, Ohio, by whom he has had the following
children: William, Frank, Stella, Frederick, Kate, Eddie, Harry, Ordie, Sylvia, Thomas. All of this family are living but
William, and all are single but Stella, who married J. Edwards.
Mr. Brown is a republican in politics and a Presbyterian in religion.
He is a man of great liberality in his views, and is charitable with
his means. He is living in a beautiful home in Van Wert,
surrounded by many warm-hearted friends.
Mary A Brenner, wife of Mr. Brown, was born July 10,
1845. Her father, George Brenner, was born in Pennsylvania, and
at an early age learned the cooper trade, which trade he followed
during his entire life. He married Elizabeth Snyder, of
Pennsylvania, by whom he had the following children: Sarah, Kittie, Emanuel, deceased;
Lydia, and Mary A. The latter two are
married and have families. Mr. Brenner died April 9, 1870, and
Mrs. Brenner died in 1877. She was a member of the Lutheran
church, and was a most excellent woman in every way. Mr.
Brenner
was also a member of the Lutheran church, was a republican in
politics, and was a very liberal and charitable man. Mary A.
Brenner was born in Holmes county, Ohio, but was living in Wayne
county when she met and married Mr. Brown. She is a member of
the Lutheran church, and is a most excellent woman, wife and mother.
Mr. Brown is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of the
Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Patriotic Order Sons of
America.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 79
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ALEXANDER
WRIGHT BROWN, a prosperous farmer of York township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, was born in Pennsylvania, Lawrence county, Dec. 26,
1826, a son of ROBERT and Margaret (Wright)
Brown, both natives of the Keystone state; maternally he is of
Scotch-Irish descent. The paternal grandfather was Abraham
Brown. Robert Brown came to Van Wert county in the
spring of 1844. He had leased a tract of land in York township
before coming, resided on it until about 1848, and then bought a
tract near Delphos, but passed his later years at the residence of
his son, our subject, first first wife having died in 1845, and
having married for his second wife the widow, Mrs. Elizabeth
Jones. To Margaret and Robert was born the
following children: Edith, widow of John Connor;
David C., who died at the age of sixty-two year; Sarah Jane,
deceased wife of Peter Book; Susannah who died in
childhood; Alexander W., our subject; Elizabeth, wife
of Peter Moore; Mary Celina, who died after attaining
womanhood; Abraham B., now a resident of South Dakota, and a
soldier of the late war, who was wounded at Shiloh and also in the
fight at Kenesaw Mountain, while serving in company A, Forty-sixth
regiment Ohio volunteer infantry; William John is a resident
of Nebraska; James C.; and Nancy has been twice
married, her first husband having been Jacob Wooley,
and her second husband Gabriel Coil; Samuel, a
resident of Liberty township, Van Wert county, was a soldier in the
forty-sixth Ohio volunteer infantry, and was slightly wounded;
James served in the Twelfth Indiana cavalry.
Alexander W. Brown left his father's house at
the age of twenty years and engaged with William Heath
for ix months at fifty dollars for the term, half of which was
claimed by his father. In October, 1849, he wedded Margaret
Bevington, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Heath) Bevington,
and this union has been blessed by the birth of nine children, as
follows: Henry, who died in childhood; Albina,
wife of Elijah A. Tomlinson; Elizabeth, married to W. H.
Whitten; Nancy, deceased wife of M. C. Tomlinson; Charles
Wesley, of Mercer county; Emma, wife of W. L. Bolton;
Rebecca Jane, now Mrs. J. F. Price; William Edgar
and Walter A., at home. The mother of these children
died Dec. 17, 1894.
Mr. Brown made his first purchase of land in
1847, with but $10 in cash, and now owns a finely improved farm of
200 acres, on which he makes his home, and also owns eighty acres
elsewhere. Mr. Brown is highly popular in his county,
and has held nearly every office of his township within the gift of
its citizens, such as township trustee, town clerk assessor and
school director; he is a stanch supporter of the Methodist church,
having been identified with that denomination since 1858. In
politics he is a republican, and no man in the county holds a higher
position in social circles than he.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 207-208 |
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BENJAMIN BROWN, one of
the most substantial and experienced of the farmers of Willshire
township, Van Wert county, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, December
24, 1835, was fairly well educated and has always been prominent as an
agriculturist. PAYNE T. BROWN, father of our subject, was born
near Steubenville, N. Y., in 1802, and when he attained his majority
came to Ohio, in company with his mother, his father having previously
died in the Empire state. Payne T. and his mother located in
Richland county, where Payne T. was married to Elizabeth
Vanator. The young couple then entered eighty acres of land in
what is now Morrow county, and also purchased eighty additional acres,
thus making a good farm. In later life they removed to Van Wert county
and purchased in Whillshire township the farm of 230 acres on which
our subject now resides, and where Payne died in August, 1872,
leaving a widow and the following children: Mary; Mrs.
Sarah A. Stane; Thomas, deceased; Benjamin, our
subject; Emeline; Henry; Susan, deceased, and
Thomas. The mother of these children now makes her home on the old
homestead, which, when settled, was six miles away from the nearest
neighbor.
Benjamin Brown was married, September 15,
1859, to Lucinda Majors, daughter of Joshua
and Harriet (Julick) Majors, who were very early
settlers in Adams county, Ind.— the former being a famous hunter and
fisherman, who paid for his Adams county farm with deerskins. He
eventually moved to Henry county, Mo., where he died in 1890,
and where his widow still resides. Just five years after marriage
Benjamin Brown enlisted, September 15, 1864, in company D,
Forty-first Ohio volunteer infantry, was detailed as a post guard in
the army of Gen. George H. Thomas, saw much active duty
in the campaigns in Kentucky, Tennessee and in Alabama, and was
honorably discharged June 15, 1865. The family born to Mr. and Mrs.
Benjamin Brown was comprised of the following
accomplished sons and daughters: Rosa, deceased wife of
Alfred Ayers; George W., who lives in Athens, Tenn.; Benjamin,
who was an operator for seven years for the Chicago & Erie Railway
company, never made a mistake of one cent in his accounts, and saved
the money necessary to defray the expenses of his education, and will
soon graduate from Bethany college, W. Va.; Ellsworth,
principal of the Ohio City schools and a member of the county board of
teachers' examiners; Maud, who has secured her license and
began teaching in the summer of 1895; Harry and Nellie—
the last two mentioned being also prepared for the vocation of
teaching. On the clay of their marriage Benjamin Brown and
wife settled on the present farm of 230 acres, and here their
interesting family have been born and reared. The farm was then
entirely new, but Mr. Brown has converted it into one of
the finest pieces of property in the county, and has improved it with
a modern brick dwelling and other substantial buildings. His cattle
are full-blooded short-horns, and his other stock is equally as
choice, and he is one of the most progressive, as well as one of the
wealthiest farmers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are
consistent ! members of the Disciples' church, and in politics Mr.
Brown is a strong prohibitionist. The social standing of the
family is of course with the best in the county.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 -
Page 72
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CARL H. BROWN, Deputy postmaster of Van Wert,
Ohio, is a son of Norman K. and Jennie (Sims) Brown, and was born in
the town of Van Wert, Ohio, June 17, 1864. Maj. Norman K. Brown
was born in Pennsylvania, but early in life was brought to Van Wert,
by his parents, Samuel S. and Eleanor (Smith) Brown, who engaged in
the keeping of the Pioneer hotel; Norman assisted in the post-office
and was also interested in the mercantile business for years; he
entered the army as a private and was promoted to the rank of major,
before discharged, and after the Civil war was closed became one of
the editorial staff of the Van Wert Times, a position which he held at
the time of his death, in October, 1881. His marriage to Jennie
Sims took place at Van Wert and by this union he became the father of
five children. The mother of these children died in 1870.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown were quite prominent in the social circles of Van
Wert, and Mr. Brown was well known among the leading business men.
He was a gentleman of more than ordinary intelligence and information,
and was an honored member of the Masonic fraternity, the I. O. R. M.
and the I. O. O. F.
Carl H. Brown, our subject, was but six years of age
when he lost his mother, when he was placed under the fostering care
of his maternal grandmother until he was twelve years old; he then
went to live with T. B. Barrick, at Daisy, a small county post-office
in Van Wert county, and while with this gentleman acted as his
assistant in the post-office from 1878 and 1883, when he returned to
Van Wert and here was employed as clerk for a year; for another year
he was engaged in teaching school; then clerked for Mr. Barrick next
acted as deputy postmaster under John Shaw for three years; then went
into the grocery business and at the end of two years sold his
interest and accepted a position as traveling salesman for the Central
School Supply house of Chicago, with whom he remained until 1894, in
the meantime having been rapidly promoted to the front as one of the
firm's most expert salesman; he then again became deputy postmaster of
Van Wert, with J. E. Montgomery. The public has seldom and as
such he enjoys the confidence of all with whom he is brought in
contact.
The marriage of Mr. Brown took place in Van Wert, in
August, 1885, to Miss Emma G. Longfellow, daughter of Rev. J. M.
Longfellow, two children being the result of the union - Donald V. and
Naomi Blanche. The parents are consistent members of the
Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics the father is a democrat.
They reside in their neat residence on Middle street and are
surrounded by a pleasant circle of friends and acquaintances, by whom
they are held in the highest esteem. Mr. Brown is a pleasant
gentleman and an obliging official, well qualified by experience for
the duties of the important position he holds, in which he has given
entire satisfaction to the public since his incumbency, through
familiarity with all its intricacies and details. As a citizen
and official, Mr. Brown stands at the head of Van Wert's most honored
residents.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 81
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PROF. ELLSWORTH
BROWN,
principal of the high school of Ohio City, and son of Benjamin and
Lucinda Brown, was born near Willshire, Van Wert county, Ohio, June 4,
1866. The father was born in what is now Morrow county,
then a part of the county of Richland, December 25, 1837, being the
son of Payne T. Brown, a native of New York, who immigrated to Ohio
about 1830, settling in Richland county. Payne T. Brown was of
Scotch descent, a republican in politics, and for many years an active
member of the Christian church. He married Elizabeth Vanator,
and reared the following children: Henry; Benjamin; Mary
Emeline, wife of Henry Trimby; Sarah, widow of Thomas Stone;
George W., Rebecca, widow of George Dittmer; Martin; Payne T.; Susan,
and Thomas. The mother of these children is still living, at a
ripe old age; the father departed this life in 1872.
Benjamin Brown, father of the subject, was reared a
farmer, and in 1859 married Lucinda Major, daughter of Joshua and
Harriet (Gulick) Major, a union blessed with the birth of the
following children: Rosa, deceased wife of A. A. Ayres; George
W., a farmer, residing in Tennessee; Benjamin, professor of elocution
and oratory at Bethany college, Va.; Ellsworth, the subject of this
sketch; Inez, a teacher in Willshire and Maud, who is also engaged in
school work. Benjamin Brown and wife are well known residents
near the town of Willshire, where they are highly respected.
Mr. Brown served in the late war, in the Forty-second Ohio infantry,
until the close of the same, his period of enlistment having extended
from 1863 to the latter part of 1865. In politics he was
originally a republican, but of late years has been a supporter of the
prohibition party. He and wife are members of the Christian
church.
Joshua Major, father of Mrs. Benjamin
Brown, settled in
Adams county, Ind., when a young man, and lived there until 1874, when
he emigrated to Henry county, Mo., where his death occurred in 1886;
his wife, Harriet Gulick, daughter of John Gulick, was born in Romney,
Va., and became the mother of the following children: John E.,
Lucinda, Melissa, Charles, Mrs. Eliza Kilmer, Mrs. Belle Curtis, Dalton,
Henry, Davis W. and Mrs. Emma Alfter.
The immediate subject of this sketch laid the
foundation of his literary education in the common schools of
Willshire township, and attended two years at the Van Wert high
school, and at the early age of sixteen began teaching, his first term
being in district No. 4, Willshire township. Subsequently, he
taught in Pleasant township and Ohio City, three years in the latter
place, and then, actuated by a laudable desire to increase his literary
knowledge, entered the Western Ohio Normal school, from which he was
graduated at the end of two years. On completing his course,
Prof. Brown was chosen a member of the faculty of the aforesaid
institution, but continued in that capacity for only a limited period,
resigning in 1889, in order to engage in educational work in the
south. He accepted a professorship in an academy at Oak Grove,
Ga., and taught successfully for less than a year, and then resigned
to accept the superintendency of the public schools of Flovilla, Ga.,
which position he retained for four consecutive terms.
On the 7th day of August, 1890, Prof. Brown entered
into the marriage relation with Miss Calla Hoffman, daughter of
Christian and Margaret Hoffman. (For sketch of Mrs.
Brown's
parents, see biography of Christian Hoffman.) Mrs.
Brown was
born December 26, 1868, in Van Wert county, attended the country
schools, and later graduated from the Western Ohio normal at Middlepoint, Ohio, completing her course in 1891, after her marriage.
Mrs. Brown taught in the Ohio City schools before her marriage and for
two years was assistant to her husband in the high school in Flovilla.
Prof. Brown and Mrs. Brown have three children - Minnie Lea, Fawn
and
Allen DeWitt. Mr. Brown was elected superintendent of the Ohio
City schools in September, 1892, and has discharged the duties of this
position in the capable and most satisfactory manner ever since.
In August, 1894, he was appointed member of the county board of school
examiners for three years, and since that time has done much toward
supplying the schools of the county with a superior class of teachers.
He is an enthusiast in his profession, keeps fully abreast of the
times, and has before him a most promising future. He is a
member of the Methodist church, in which he holds the office of
trustee, and in politics is a republican.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 73
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JOHN B. BROWN, one of
the most enterprising farmers of Pleasant township, Van Wert county,
Ohio, was born in Miamisburg, Montgomery county, December 7, 1849, and
is a son of William and Mary (Baum) Brown. William
Brown, father
of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania February 14, 1810, of German
descent; he was reared a farmer and also learned the saddler's trade;
about 1833 he became a boatman on the Schuylkill river, and four years
later came to Ohio, located in Montgomery county, where he worked by
the month in a distillery, and about 1838 married Mary Baum, who was
born in the county named October 26, 1821, of Pennsylvania-Dutch
parentage. Her parents settled in Montgomery county, Ohio, about
the year 1820, where the father bought and cleared up a farm, and
later ran a distillery until his death, in 1849, a member of the
Lutheran church and in politics a democrat. He had served in the
war of 1812 under Gen. Anthony Wayne, and was in every sense a useful
citizen.
John Baum, maternal grandfather of our subject, was
born in Maryland in 1792, a son of Jacob and Margaret (Carsley) Baum,
also natives of Maryland and parents of the following children:
Martin, who ran the first steamboat on the Ohio river; Jacob,
John,
Joseph, George, Betsey, Mrs. Polly
Roberts, Mrs. Barbara Smith, and
Mrs. Susan Smith - all now deceased. Jacob
Baum, father of
subject's mother, came to Ohio in 1800, located in Hamilton county but
made several removals, and finally settled in Montgomery county, 1806,
and entered 530 acres of land, receiving deed from President Monroe in
1813. His death took place in 1832, a member of the Reform
church. John Baum was but six years of age when brought to Ohio,
was reared a farmer, and married Rebecca Elzer, daughter of
Andrew and
Margaret (Kimmel) Elzer, and a native of Pennsylvania, and to this
union were born five children, viz: Mrs. Catherine Hoff, deceased;
Mary, mother of subject; Mrs. Sarah McDowell, deceased;
George, of
Pleasant township, and Ellen, wife of Henry Hoffman, farmer of
Montgomery county, Ohio. John Baum had also been a soldier under
Gen. Wayne at Greenville and Fort Recovery. After his marriage
he passed the remainder of his life on his farm near Miamisburg, dying
in 1849; his widow died in 1865. The children born to the
marriage of William Brown and Mary Baum were six in number and were
named as follows: Catherine, wife of E. Summers, of Montgomery
county, Ohio; Martin, in Van Wert; Sarah, deceased; John B., subject
of this sketch; Mrs. Amos Dilts, of Van Wert, and
George, of
Montgomery county. William Brown died in Brookville, Ohio, in
November, 1886, a member of the Lutheran church, an Odd Fellow, and in
politics a democrat.
John B. Brown, the subject of this sketch, was educated
in the common schools of Montgomery county and reared to farming.
June 1, 1881, he married Henrietta Eckfeld, daughter of
John and
Catherine (Gehres) Eckfeld, the former of whom was born in Germany in
1823, learned the carpenter's trade, was married in Tuscarawas county,
Ohio, about 1851; Catherine Gehres was born in Germany November 19,
1828, came to Wayne county, Ohio, when eight years old, arriving with
her parents, after having passed ninety-eight days on the ocean, and
is now the mother if six children, viz; Elizabeth, wife of Martin
Brown; Abraham, of Fostoria; Lewis, deceased at seven years of age;
Henrietta, wife of our subject; Esther, wife of M. H.. Standish, and
John. Henrietta Eckfeld was born in Harrison township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, and was educated in the union school. She has
borne her husband five children, as follows: Catherine, in 1883;
William, January 13, 1886; Elizabeth, June 1, 1889; Leah, March 2,
1891, and Carl (deceased), August 7, 1894. John Eckfeld was a
soldier in the Civil war; he was a Freemason, and died June 6, 1889.
John B. Brown, at the time of his marriage, returned to Montgomery
county, remained until the following fall, then moved to Marion, Ind.,
where he farmed until February, 1883, when he purchased his present
home, which is now one of the finest farms in the township. Mr.
Brown is very prominent as an Odd Fellow, in politics is a democrat,
and is highly respected as a citizen and neighbor.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 80
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MARTIN
BROWN, of the firm of Brown & Barrick,
Van Wert, Ohio, is the eighth child of PAYNE T. and Elizabeth (Vanator)
Brown. Payne T. Brown was born in the state of New York.
Upon reaching majority he followed the tide of emigration and came
west, settling in Morrow county, Ohio. Here he entered a tract
of eighty acres of land, made a clearing, and sowed and reaped and by
frugality acquired in competency and reared his family. In
politics he was an old-line whig, and died, honored and respected, in
October, 1872. His widow is a native of Ohio, a daughter of
James Vanator, one of the early pioneers of Morrow county, and still
resides upon the old homestead, loved and respected by all who known
her, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years. To the
union of this worthy couple were born twelve children, as follows:
Mary; Sarah A., wife of Thomas Stone; Henry, deceased;
Benjamin;
Emeline, wife of Henry Timby; Rebecca, widow of George Doltmer;
George
W.; Martin; Payne; Susanna; Marion, deceased, and Thomas, deceased.
Martin Brown the subject of this biography, was born on
his father's farm in Morrow county, Ohio, June 19, 1844. He
received such education as could be obtained in a district school in
the early pioneer days. While still in his teens, he left the
paternal roof and sought a change in Van Wert county. Here he
worked for a time on a farm owned by his father, near Willshire.
On reaching his majority, he was employed as clerk for some yeas in
Wilshire, and later he located near Rockford, on a farm.
In the year 1875 he settled in Van Wert and established
himself in the livery business, which he carried on successfully until
1881. In 1883 he located in Willshire where he established and
conducted a general store for a considerable time, when he disposed of
his business, and engaged in the agricultural implement trade until
1892. In this year he established his present livery business.
His first wife was Mrs. Frank Work, who died in 1873. Two
children were born of this union, and both died in infancy. His
second marriage occurred, in 1877, with Miss Maud Graham. She
died in 1882. For his third wife Mr. Brown espoused Miss Hattie
Parks. To this marriage have been born the following family:
Carl, Maude, Ora, one who died in infancy and Coil. In his
political views Mr. Brown is a republican. He is also a member
in good standing of Van Wert lodge, No. 218, F. and A. M.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 74
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HENRY
BRUNNI a prosperous and energetic farmer of York township, Van
Wert county, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, September 29, 1855, a
son of John B. and Rebina Brunni, natives of Germany, who came to Ohio
in the year 1850, and reared a family of six children, as follows:
Ricca, wife of Jesse Paulin, of Anderson, Ind.; Charles
Christian, of Van Wert county, Ohio, who wedded Sarah Walcott;
John deceased, who married Lucinda A. Shaffstall; Mary,
wife of Dr. D. D. Samuel; Wallon, editor of the Lisbon Herald,
at Lisbon, Iowa; Henry, our subject, and Amelia, of
Anderson, Ind. John B. Brunni, father of our subject,
died while in the service of his adopted country, and his wife died in
the year 1882.
Henry Brunni, our subject, spent his early life
on the home farm, in care of his widowed mother, until her death.
March 26, 1885, Mr. Bruni met and married Miss Lydia Harp,
of whose family a full biography will be found on another page of
this volume. Two daughters have been the result of his happy
union, and are named Mary Regina and Ethel May. Mr.
Brunni is the owner of a fine farm, well tiled and adorned with a
modern residence built in 1893. He and wife are members of the
Methodist church and in politics he is a stanch democrat. Few
farmers of the age of Mr. Brunni have attained the success with
which he has favored, and few citizens of the township stand in
greater favor of the surrounding community, his example being well
worthy of the emulation of those still younger than himself.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 83
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ABRAHAM
BURCAW , an old settler and a
successful farmer of Ridge township, Van Wert county, is a native of
Millville, Butler county, Ohio, born March 21, 1825, and one of the
nine children of William and Hannah (Kitchen) Burcaw, viz:
Margaret, wife of William Bealer; Ellen, deceased wife of the late
William Johnson; George, who was a soldier in the Mexican war and also
in the war of the Rebellion, and who died of lung fever after the
close of the latter war; Abraham, the subject of this sketch;
Sarah,
wife of James Smith, of Butler county; Hannah, married to
Scott Inlow;
John, of Butler county, and two that died in infancy. The
parents of both ended their days in Butler county.
Abraham Burcaw began working out while yet a lad,
receiving as compensation his board and clothing. He had been
able to save a little money, however, by the time he was married,
September 18, 1852, to Miss Sarah Ann Smelser, who was born October
15, 1831, a daughter of Abraham and Julia (Howard) Smelser, natives of
Virginia, who came to Ohio and located in Butler county after
the birth of their third child, but died in Tippecanoe county,
Ind., whither they had removed rather late in life. Their family
comprised the following-named children: Caroline, wife of
Adam Kissinger; Louis; Robert, deceased;
Sarah Ann, now Mrs. Burcaw; Jessie
killed by a falling tree at the age of nine years; Elizabeth wife of
William Dill; Abraham, of Mercer county, Ohio; Pleasant, married, and
Jemima, twin sister of Pleasant and widow of George Johnson;
Nancy Jane, wife of Aaron Sellenberger; Joseph, of Topeka, Kans.;
John of
Kansas, and Hannah, wife of William Goodwin. In 1856
Abraham Burcaw, with his wife and two children, came to Van Wert county and
located on a farm across the line from Delphos, Allen county, on which
he resided for eight years, and then moved to York township, Van Wert
county, where he lived until 1874, when he bought his present farm,
part of which is situate in Ridge township and part in York township.
He has sub-divided much of his land, distributing several fine farms
among his children, and still owns a farm in Ridge township and sixty
acres in York township. His children were born and named in the
following order: Robert; Sarah Elizabeth, wife of
Sylvester Palmer; William Lewis; Mary
Jane, wife of William Walters; Delilah,
who died in childhood; Amy Caroline, who died an infant;
Martha Ellen,
wife of William Mager; Abraham Lincoln; Amos
Allen and Cary Franklin -
ten in all. Mrs. Burcaw has been a consistent member of the
Lutheran church since girlhood, and has trained her children well in
morality; Mr. Burcaw has made a success of agriculture, and has won
many sincere and warm friends since his residence in Ridge township.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 82
|
Henry Butler |
HENRY BUTLER,
one of the most enterprising citizens of Van Wert, Ohio, is
a native of England, was born February 12, 1839, near Newark
Nottinghamshire, and is a son of JOHN and Elizabeth (Kirk)
Butler, both natives of the same shire, where they were
married. John Butler, from 1845 until his death, was a
dealer at Manchester in grain, flour, produce, etc., and was
a well educated gentleman. He was a Methodist in his
religion and in politics was a liberal, and took great
interest in all public affairs. They were the parents
of nine children, named as follows: John; George,
deceased; Henry, the subject of this sketch; Edwin,
Elizabeth, William, Thomas and two that
died young.
Henry Butler was but ten years of age
when he left his native land in company with an uncle,
William Clayworth, and July 3, 1849, landed in
New York, but shortly afterward came to Ohio, and until
October resided in Zanesville, when the two came to Van Wert
and remained together until our subject reached the age of
eighteen years, although during this interval our subject
had passed a year or two with a cousin in Huntington county,
Ind. On his final settlement in Van Wert, Henry
Butler was employed in railroading until the breaking
out of the late Civil war, when he enlisted, April 17, 1861,
in company E, Fifteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, for three
months, and after the expiration of his term returned to Van
Wert and engaged in handling cooperage until 1863, when he
enlisted in company K, Eighty-eighth Ohio volunteers, under
Capt. W. T. Davis, for the term of three years, or
during the war. He was assigned to guard duty at Camp
Chase, where he remained until his honorable discharge in
August, 1865, and again returned to Van Wert, where he
became connected with Senator Meredith in the
manufacture of staves and heading, though in a short time
J. S. Brumback bought out the interest of Mr.
Meredith, and the firm became H. Butler & Co.,
and from August, 1865, until 1869, there was in interchange
of several partners. In the last-named year the
business was closed at Van Wert, and in 1890 Mr. Butler
transferred the factory to Celina, Mercer county, Ohio,
where, in the partnership with A. L. Doran, he turns
out from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 staves per annum and heading
in proportionate quantities. Mr. Butler owns
much valuable real estate in the city of Van Wert, and also
property in Ohio City, which town was laid out by himself
and J. S. Brumback, the banker, and
Lester Patterson.
Mr. Butler is a republican in politics and cast
his first presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln.
He has served his fellow citizens of Van Wert as councilman
for two years, was one of the water-works trustees, and has
been a member of the park commissioners since the
organization of the board; he was also appointed city
treasurer in January, 1895. He was one of the
promoters of the Cincinnati, Jackson &
Mackinaw railroad, and with
J. S. Brumback, J. M. C. Marble and Lester
Patterson, took the contract for building the first ten
miles of the road, of which he became the president in 1879,
and retained the position three years. Mr. Butler
is also secretary at Van Wert for the Manitou Beach
association, on Devil's Lake, Mich.
Devil's Lake is a body of the purest water, five miles
in length by two in breadth. It has an average depth
of twenty-five feet; its greatest depth is about ninety
feet. At Manitou Beach the increase in depth is very
gradual, so that - and more especially as the bottom of the
lake here is of clear white sand - the Beach is a favorite
bathing place. Even children may bathe with safety,
and boat to their hearts' content. The water of the
lake is supplied not by surface drainage, but by a number of
springs, some of them very large, in the bottom of the lake.
There is an outlet but no inlet. It is, in fact, a
genuine "spring lake" of such pure and clear water, that the
fisherman sees the white sand gleaming fifteen feet below
his canoe, as it rises and falls with the waves. The
lake abounds in fish, such as black bass, perch and
pickerel; and in both spring and fall is frequented by large
numbers of wild ducks. Wild geese also are to be found
on it in season; and quail and pheasants are common in the
surrounding country.
MANITOU BEACH is at the southwestern end of Devil's Lake, at
the point where the main line of the Cincinnati, Jackson &
Mackinaw railroad touches the lake, and lies between the
railroad and the famous grove at Manitou Beach. Its
obvious advantages led to is being selected as the site for
a summer village in 1887. In 1888 sufficient land for
the purposes was obtained and this new village was laid out
carefully. No special effort has been made to sell the
lots, the syndicate preferring to wait, for a short time,
the effect of the growing popularity of Devil's Lake.
In June of 1889 the village contained but three houses and
now about forty, of which twenty-five are tasteful cottages,
built by those whom the local reputation of Devil's Lake at
once attracted when the most desirable part of it became
easily accessible. The streets of the town, already
graded, are sixty-six and 100 feet in width, and are lined
with shade trees. The land rolls slightly, affording
easy, natural drainage, and a number of charming sites for
cottages. The railway depot, telegraph and express
officers are within easy walk of all the cottages. Of
this delightful village, as has been intimated, Mr.
Butler is the founder, A. L. Doran, of Celina,
holding a half interest.
Mr. Butler was first married, March 1, 1866, at
Van Wert to Elizabeth Fouty, a native of
Marion county, Ohio, and a daughter of Isaac and Grace
Fouty, and the fruits of this union were two children -
Edwin V. and Emma M. Mrs. Butler
was called to her heavenly home in March, 1882. For
his second mate Mr. Butler
chose Mrs. Eva M. Clark, daughter of Dr. William
Smith.
Mr. Butler is a Mason of the thirty-second degree and socially
he is the center of an extended circle of acquaintances.
In 1872 he made a trip to England on a visit to his old
home, but soon returned more favorably impressed with his
home in the new world than ever before.
Source: A Portrait and Biographical Record of Allen and
Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. -
1896 - Page 77 |
NOTES: |
