| |
FRANK KING,
owner and operator of a fine farm of 40 acres in section 16,
Liberty township, was born in Black Creek township, Mercer
County, Ohio, Oct. 11, 1865, and is a son of Amasa and
Catherine (Mihm) King. The father was a native of
Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, and there was reared and
educated, later being there engaged in farming upon a tract
of 100 acres. He died in March, 1869, when his son
Frank was but four years of age and who has therefore
but very little recollection of him. The widow is
still living, being a resident of Mercer County.
Mr. and Mrs. Amasa King had six children, as follows:
Emma who died in early childhood; Taylor, who
lives in Rockford, Mercer County; Laura Ellen, widow
of Benjamin Hartzog, who also resides in Mercer
County; Louis, who is married and lives in Lima; and
Frank.
Frank King was reared in both Mercer and Van Wert
counties, the family homestead being located on the county
line. He was married Dec. 25, 1886, to Minnie
Putman, a daughter of Peter and Sarah (Neiferd)
Putman old settlers of Liberty township, Van Wert
County. Mr. and Mrs. Frank King have had four
children - Leona, who died aged one year; Willis;
Earl and Aubrey. After his marriage
Mr. King lived first in Liberty township, about four
miles south of his present home. In March, 1899, he
moved to his present location, having bought the farm during
the previous fall. There are three producing oil wells
on the farm, which is one of the best improved places in the
township. Mr. King is a member of the Fraternal
Order of Eagles, of Ohio City.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 530 |
| |
JACOB KISER,
an estimable resident of Liberty township, has lived for the
last 24 years on his finely improved farm of 80 acres,
situated in section 11. He was born in Wayne County, Ohio,
Feb. 21, 1837, and is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Harshman)
Kiser.
Jacob Kiser, Sr., was born and raised in
Pennsylvania and later moved to Wayne County, Ohio. He
came to Van Wert County in 1852, and bought 160 acres of
land in Liberty township, where he lived until the time of
his death. Mrs. Kiser, who was the mother of
nine children, is also deceased.
Jacob Kiser, subject of this sketch, was 15
years of age at the time of his father's removal to Van Wert
County. He was reared on the home farm and assisted
his father in clearing the farm of its heavy growth of
timber. When 26 years of age he married Annie
Flager a daughter of Adam Flager, who was one of
the pioneer settlers of this county. To Mr. and
Mrs. Kiser have been born five children namely:
Margaret, wife of Benjamin Hoffman, who is at
present mayor of Ohio City; John, who is single and
lives at home; Simon, of Ohio City, who is a member
of the firm of Goodman & Kiser, conducting a livery
and feed stable; Hannah, who married L. J. Schidt,
of Liberty township and has three children - Esther,
Laymo and Edith; Emma who married Jacob
Swoveland, of Ohio City, and died Mar. 9, 1906, leaving
three children - Hugh, Madge and Dale;
and Myrtle, who lives at home.
In 1864 Mr. Kiser entered Company G, 17th Reg.
Ohio Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war.
He has lived on his present farm, which is a port of the old
Flager farm, since 1882. In 1903 the frame house
which the family now occupies was built, the house built in
1885 having burned down. The barn which is a fine red
building was erected in 1894. Mr. Kiser is a
member of the Grand Army of Republic and has served as
school director and supervisor of Liberty township.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 436 |
| |
PETER KNITTLE,
a former commissioner of Van Wert County, and one of the
foremost agriculturists, has been a resident of section 14,
Ridge township, practically all his life. His farm,
which he purchased in 1875, consists of 260 acres of land
and is among the best in this part of the State.
Mr. Knittle was born Apr. 8, 1850, and is a son of
George and Margaret (Walter) Knittle. Both parents
were of German descent, the father being a native of
Pennsylvania and the mother of Hocking County, Ohio.
Locating in Allen County, George Knittle
entered 160 acres of land from the government and remained
upon it until 1853, when he removed with his family to Van
Wert County and settled in section 14, Ridge township.
He was a prominent man in this township and county, and one
who was highly esteemed. He was a devout member of the
Lutheran Church at Middlepoint. In politics he was a
Democrat. He died May 10, 1894, at a good old age,
having attained to within a few months of 91 years.
Three children survive him, viz.: Samuel, a
farmer of Ridge township; Caroline, wife of Jacob
Burgner, of Pleasant township; and Peter.
After leaving school, Peter Knittle gave his
entire time to agriculture and in 1875 purchased 260 acres
of heavy timberland, upon which he built a home and which he
began to improve. Cutting off the greater part of the
timber, he converted it into clean tillable land, and began
the work of cultivation. This all took years of hard
and persistent work; but Mr. Knittle may feel well
repaid for his trouble. June 24, 1875, he was married
to Lucy A. Steward, a native of Fairfield County,
Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas and Angeline (Nye) Steward.
They came to Van Wert County in 1872, and lived in Ridge
township, where the father died in February, 1904.
Since then the mother has made her home with her daughter,
Mrs. Joseph Taylor, of Ridge township. The
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Knittle are:
Nettie M., Joseph E., Laura E., Orah E. and Noah A.
Mrs. Knittle has been a prominent Democrat for years and
was an efficient and faithful commissioner of Van Wert
County for two terms, two years of which time he was
president of the board. He is a member of Abanaki
Tent, Improved Order of Red Men, at Van Wert.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 488 |
| |
ERNEST KOHN, M. D.,
who is practicing at Cavett and in the vicinity, was born
June 17, 1870, near Ottoville, Putnam County, Ohio, being a
son of Rev. Horace and Josephine (Simpson) Kohn,
well-known residents of Van Wert County. Rev.
Horace Kohn is a minister of the Methodist Episcopal
Church now residing on a farm in retirement from active
ministerial duties. He was born in Franklin County,
Ohio, Oct. 10, 1843. When our subject was one year old
the family removed to Jackson township, Van Wert County.
After a year they moved to Washington township, where they
resided 12 years on a farm near Middlepoint. They
spent one year in Convoy and then moved to Willshire, where
the father still resides. The family consisted of 10
children, four of whom died in infancy. The six now
living are: Ernest; Clarence, who
is in the county auditor's office; Laura, wife of
John Banta, a merchant of Willshire; Florence,
wife of E. E. Smith, city ticket agent for the "Big
Four" Railroad at Indianapolis; Homer, a clothier of
Willshire; and Walter, who is studying medicine at
the school in which our subject was a pupil. Mrs.
Kohn was born in Illinois, Sept. 2 ,1848, and died in
Willshire, Nov. 2, 1889.
Ernest Kohn attended
school at Middlepoint, at Ada and the preparatory school at
Delaware. He then taught one year in Willshire
township, when he entered Fort Wayne Medical College, which
is now the medical department of Purdue University, and from
which he was graduated in 1894. He at once entered
upon the practice of his profession, spending the first two
years at Preble, Indiana. He located in Cavett in
September, 1896. Dr. Kohn has gained an
extended and enviable reputation as a skilled physician, and
is building up a practice which places him at the head of
his profession in his section.
Dr. Kohn was married Sept. 24, 1895, to
Hattie Mook, who was born in Bradley, Michigan,
May 24, 1872, and his a daughter of Jacob Beam,
but was adopted by Mr. Mook when she was seven
years of age. They have one child, Farmer, who
was born in Willshire, Sept. 29, 1896, and is now in school.
The Doctor owns a nice home of six acres in Cavett, and
built his residence in 1898. He is justice of the
peace, and endeavors to give a true interpretation of the
law. Dr. Kohn is a member of the Masonic
lodge at Van Wert. In politics he is a Democrat.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 430 |
| |
PERRY KOHN,
president of the board of trustees of Jackson township and a
highly honored citizen of Van Wert County, was born in
Pleasant township, Sept. 20, 1873, his parents being
Harvey and Sarah M. (Smith) Kohn. Harvey Kohn
was a native of Franklin County, Ohio, and it was there his
father died when the son was quite young. Soon
afterward his mother, with her children, moved to Paulding
County, and located in Latty township. There Harvey
Kohn reached adult years and then came to Van Wert
County and married Sarah M. Smith, who survives him
as an esteemed resident of Grover Hill, Paulding County.
Mrs. Harvey Kohn was born in the State of Indiana a
little more than 60 years ago. After their marriage the
husband operated a rented farm in Pleasant township until
the fall of 1873, when he purchased the tract now occupied
by our subject in section 4, Jackson township, taking
possession of the property in October of that year.
Here he resided until his death on Oct. 21, 1902. The
deceased was a Democrat, and a man whose opinions on all
subjects were based upon his honest convictions. A
member of the Elm Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, he was
consistent in all things, upright in his dealings, and a
valued member of the community in which he lived, so
industriously and honorably. Besides his widow, he is
survived by two children - Etta M., wife of E. W.
McGinnis; and Perry.
After an attendance at the
schools of sub-district No. 1, Perry Kohn became a
student of what at that time was the Middlepoint Normal
School. Later, for a short time, he became a partner
of W. M. McGinnis in the grain business at
Middlepoint, but eventually turned his attention to
agriculture, to which he has devoted the greater part of his
life. Mr. Kohn was married Apr. 22, 1897, to
Rhoda Longworth, a daughter of B. W. Longworth,
who is a prominent citizen of Paulding County. Two
children - Harry B. and Florence M. - have
added the sunshine of their presence to the happy family
circle. In politics Mr. Kohn is a Democrat, and
is at present serving as trustee of Jackson township, being
president of the board. He is a member of the I. O. O.
F. lodge at Grover Hill. The confidence and respect he
enjoys are but just tributes to his life of useful service.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 719 |
| |
WILLIAM BERRY KRUGH,
one of the enterprising and successful farmers of Liberty
township, residing on a well-developed farm of 8 acres - 40
acres of which are located in section 27, and the remaining
40 acres in section 34 - was born in York township, Van Wert
County, on Feb. 4, 1861. He is a son of John and
Amanda (Custer) Krugh, both of whom are still residents
of Liberty township. John Krugh is a native of
Wayne County, Ohio; he later moved to Mercer County with his
parents (who afterward settled in Van Wert County), and is
at present one of the oldest pioneers of this county.
He is the father of 12 children, eight of whom are living.
William B. Krugh, the subject of this sketch,
spent his early boyhood in Mercer County, and when 13 years
of age removed with his parents to Liberty township, where
he attended the district schools and has always been engaged
in farming. In 1885 he was married to Marry Ellen
Hertz, a daughter of J. F. Hertz, who also lives
in Liberty township. They have had eight children:
Charles Oscar, who married Cora Lichty, a
daughter of George Lichty and has one child -
Fredda; John Franklin; Bessie Ann, who died aged
two years; Samuel Benjamin; Carrie Eugene; Edith Mary;
Orlie Andrew and Velma May. Religiously
Mr. Krugh is a member and an elder of the Church of God.
For four years after his marriage, Mr. Krugh was
engaged in farming in Pleasant township, and in 1889 moved
to Liberty township, where he purchased the tract of 40
acres upon which he has since resided. In 1899 he
added 40 acres to his tract, the buildings being all
situated on the original 40 acres in section 27. From
time to time he has made many substantial improvements,
developing the place into one of the bet farms in the
township. In 1904 he erected a fine large frame house,
with all the modern improvements - including furnace,
telephone, and various other conveniences. At various
times he has also built a new barn and the other necessary
outbuildings. Aside fro its value for agricultural
purposes, the worth of the land has been increased by the
development of oil, there being at present five producing
wells in operation.
History of Van Wert County, Ohio - Publ. by Richmond &
Arnold - Chicago, Illinois - Publ. 1906 - Page 632 |
NOTES: |
