BIOGRAPHIES
† Source:
Biographical Record of Wayne & Holmes Co.
Publ. Chicago:
J. H. Beers & Co.
1889
(Contributed by Sharon Wick)
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1889
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JOHN H. KAUKE,
one of the oldest and best known natives of Wayne Co., was born in
Wooster Township, Dec. 15, 1817. His father, John
Kauke, was a native of Amsterdam, Holland, whence when a
boy he emigrated to this country, locating in Pennsylvania, where in
course of time he married Mary Bennett. Together
they came, in about 1814, to Wayne County, Ohio, and here had seven
children born to them, of whom five are still living, all of them
residing in Wayne County. Both parents died many years ago.
Their son, John H., of whom this memoir treats,
received his education in the old school-house of the period, and
served a two-years' apprenticeship to the ancient trade of
brick-making, from the age of seven to nine years, following which
he tried his hand at the printer's trade for a short time.
From nine to eleven, in connection with his brother
Henry (now deceased), he ran an ox team or cart, and worked
by the day as they could get it, receiving 25 cents or a bushel of
corn for a day's work; cut and ranked cord-wood, at 25 cents per
cord, on the grounds now occupied and used by the county fair.
At the age of eleven he struck a job with John Walters,
assisting Mrs. Walters in the manufacture of her
famous hop beer, gingerbread and pies, which were dealt to the
natives by Mr. Walters in a small frame building on
the southeast corner of the public square, after which Mr.
Walters opened a tavern in a frame building then standing
on the lot now owned by John Zimmerman, on which he
erected the three story block now occupied by him. The tavern
was known by the name of Swan, Mr. Walters having
hung out that bird for a sign. Mr. Kauke
remained with him during his twelfth year. While in the employ
of Mr. Walters it was the custom of Mrs.
Walters to attend public sales in the country and
comp-meetings, keeping a boarding table, Mr. Kauke
being principal help. At the age of thirteen he was employed
by James Jacobs, who kept a general store, as a boy
or hand good for all work. At the age of fifteen he had
general oversight of the work in the store; at the age of seventeen
took charge of and kept the books; at the age of nineteen was sent
to New York to purchase a stock of goods for Mr. Jacobs,
and at the age of twenty-one was given an interest in the business,
and continued in the general trade until 1843, when they disposed of
the dry goods stock, and went exclusively in the general hardware
trade. In 1848 he bought out hiss partner James Jacobs,
and continued in the trade until 1865, in the meantime having built
the iron block adjoining the court-house on the west.
He was also engaged in banking in connection with his commercial
interests, first, from 1854 to 1862, with Sturges, Stibbs &
Co., and then with Stibbs, Hanna & Co. to
1876, and Kauke & Frost until 1883, when the bank
was closed and settled up. He was also interested with
Col. W. K. Boone, of Lima, Ohio, in the hardware trade,
from 1868 to 1883, and since 1856 he has had a similar business in
Van Wert, Ohio. Since its inception Mr. Kauke
has been interested in the Gas Works of Wooster; was one of the
principal inaugurators of the Wooster Gas Light Company, of which he
is and has been for about fifteen years president. He served
the city of Wooster faithfully in the council, also as mayor.
While a member of the Board of Education he was instrumental in
securing the site of the present high school building. He was
one of the largest contributors toward the establishment of Wooster
University, and was the first to endow a professorship (natural
science), in the sum of $25,000, that bears his name, and has been
one of the trustees of the university since its commencement.
Mr. Kauke has been identified with all the
enterprises and improvements of Wooster; acted as trustee of the
Wooster Cemetery Association for a number of years, being one of the
original purchasers of the cemetery grounds.
At the present time he is making a strong effort to complete the
north and south railroad, known as the Killbuck Valley, chartered
name, Lake Erie, Wooster & Muskingum Valley Railroad Company.
The track is graded from Wooster to Burbank, bridge built, and ties
on the ground. The company was chartered in 1882.
Mr. Kauke is president, and feels confident the
cars will run on it inside of twelve months.
In 1841 Mr. Kauke was married to Elizabeth
Himmelrich, a native of Union County, Penn., coming to
Wooster in her childhood. They have had seven children, three
of whom are living, as follows: Cary W. Kauke, Flora E.
Clemmens and Emma Jane Jackson. The
parents are both members of the Presbyterian Church. In
politics Mr. Kauke is a Republican.
Source:
Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne
County, Ohio – Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. – 1889 -
Page
111 |
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JAMES BAKER KEYS,
now a resident of Shreve, was born on the Keys farm, one-half
mile west of the village, Mar. 6, 1862. He owns and manages a
large landed estate, which he inherited from his father, William
H. Keys, and his grandfather, James Keys. For
several years he was owner and manager of the Shreve Roller Mills,
which, during the last year, he sold, and is now looking after the
interests of his farms. He is a young man of good business
habits and a blameless life, and is a much esteemed citizen.
He was married, Oct. 9, 1883, to Sadie, daughter of the late
Albert Richardson, a successful merchant of Shreve,
and they have two children — William Albert and
James Brown.
William H. Keys, father of James Baker
Keys, was born in Beallsville, Washington Co., Penn., Oct. 19,
1820, and died in Shreve, Wayne Co., Ohio, July 18, 1871. No
other man who ever lived in Clinton Township filled with more
dignity his place, or played with better grace the role of a
Christian gentleman, good neighbor and faithful citizen, than did
this plain, ingenuous farmer. It was the privilege of the
writer to have been associated with him as schoolfellow, then as his
teacher, and for many years thereafter as neighbor, patron and
intimate friend, and in all these relations he found him the same
quiet, companionable, trustworthy man. Though of positive
opinions, such was his deference toward the feelings of others that
he was never known to give offense to those with whom he differed in
opinion. At one of his winter schools, which the writer
attended, he found some of the boys remaining at home because they
had no pants, except patched ones, to wear. Mr. Keys
visited them, and agreed with the boys that if they would attend
school in their old clothes he would wear a pair of patched
pantaloons too, which, though the only son of one of the wealthiest
men of the neighborhood, he did for the entire term. We
mention this incident as illustrative of the character of the man.
Throughout his life he sympathized with the struggling poor.
Though at no time did he own much property in Shreve, yet he and his
father, James Keys, were essentially the founders of
the town. Their first donation was $450, for the purchase of
ground for a road directly west from the town. Then they gave
something near $500 for the first church. During the war they
paid out about $1,200 to save the township from excessive draft, and
almost the last act of their lives was a generous donation of $1,700
for the building of the present Methodist Church; and many were
their minor gifts to almost every enterprise started in the then
struggling village. The chief source of their accumulations
was from sheep husbandry. For more than thirty years they
followed their quiet flocks, and from them they reaped the reward
that usually follows constant, well-directed effort in a single
direction. William H. Keys was married, May 5, 1842, to
Eliza Ann Baker, daughter of William and
Margaret Baker, of Millbrook. The late Dr. T. H. Baker,
of Wooster, was a brother of Mrs. William Keys. Mrs.
Keys was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., Oct. 5, 1825.
She is still living, a resident of Shreve.
James Keys, grandfather of James Baker
Keys, was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, June 7, 1797,
and was brought to this country when a child, his people settling in
Washington County, Penn. He was married Sept, 30, 1819, at
Beallsville, Penn., to Mary Beall, niece of the late
Gen. Zephaniah Beall, of Wooster, and soon
after their marriage they immigrated to Stark County, Ohio, but soon
after exchanged their Stark County land for a half section of land
in Clinton Township, Wayne County, whither they moved about 1825.
James Keys died Aug. 10, 1869, on the homestead farm.
His wife survived him seven years, dying in the same house, Aug. 25,
1876. In all the pioneer operations of the township James
Keys was an active participant. At the log rollings and
cabin raisings of those primitive days his pleasant face and
cheerful voice added their full influence to these rough but
interesting: entertainments. His last years were pleasantly
spent on the farm made valuable and comfortable by the labor of his
own hands. He lived and died an honorable citizen, and will
long be remembered as a warm-hearted, benevolent and generous man.
Source:
Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne
County, Ohio – Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. – 1889 -
Page
260 |
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J. W. KIPLINGER,
son of Michael and Sarah (Keen) Kiplinger, was born in
Jackson Township, Ashland Co., Ohio, Aug. 1, 1856. Jacob
Kiplinger, grandfather of J. W., and who was a native of
Pennsylvania, married Barbara Bope, by whom he had thirteen
children, nine sons and four daughters, all of whom grew to manhood
and womanhood; he died Sept. 13, 1845, aged seventy-nine years,
twenty-nine days, his widow surviving until May 17, 1856, when she
too died aged eighty-two years and four months.
Michael Kiplinger, father of J. W was
born Apr. 11, 1804, in Centre County, Penn., and came to Ashland
County, Ohio, where he lived up to the time of his death, which
occurred November 11, 1872. He married, Mar. 1, 1832, Sarah,
daughter of John and Catherine Keen, natives of Pennsylvania,
who came to Ohio in an early day, being among the early pioneers of
Ashland County. Mr. Keen died Mar. 8, 1862, aged
eighty-five years, five months and fourteen days; his wife died May
6, 1862, aged eighty-one years, ten months and eighteen days.
Michael and Sarah Kiplinger were the parents of ten children:
Daniel, James P., Michael, John J., Edward A., Joseph W., Sarah,
Hannah, Mary and Rebecca, seven whom are living.
The mother is now residing in Jackson Township, Ashland Co., Ohio,
in excellent health, in her seventy-sixth year.
J. W. Kiplinger, the subject of this
biographical memoir, was married in March, 1882, to Miss Adella,
daughter of Jacob and Mary A. Keen, former of whom was
born May 13, 1835, and died Sept. 14, 1878; latter was born Dec. 8,
1837. To Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Kiplinger has been born one
child, Claude Clayton, born Jan. 6, 1884. Mr.
Kiplinger came to West Salem, Wayne Co., Ohio, in 1883, and
embarked in the drug business, in which he has been eminently
successful. Sept. 5, 1885, he received his commission as
postmaster of West Salem, and as such his uniform courtesy and
strict attention to the duties of his office have earned for him the
admiration and respect of the entire community. In politics he
is a Democrat.
Source:
Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne
County, Ohio – Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. – 1889 -
Page
155 |
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JACOB KISSINGER
is a son of Peter and Mary (Pechard) Kissiinger, natives of
Cumberland County, Penn., who came to Wayne County, Ohio, about
1832, and located on a farm in Canaan Twp., where the father died
Nov. 2, 1881, aged ninety years, and the mother June 22, 1873, aged
sixty-five years. They reared ten children, as follows:
George, who died in Illinois; Rachel (wife of
Robert Berkholder), Lucy (wife of Samuel Rhodes),
Susan (wife of Frederick Fife), Rebecca (wife
of David Hewitt), and Elizabeth (wife of A. E. Ebey),
all of Canaan Township, Wayne County; Jane, wife of Samuel
Baker, of Summit County, Ohio; Peter, residing in Milton
Township, Wayne County; John, residing in Wayne Township,
Wayne County, and Jacob.
The subject of this biography was born
in Canaan Twp., Wayne Co., Ohio, June 11, 1833. He obtained a
limited education in the township schools, assisting his father to
clear the homestead farm, where he was reared. He learned the
carpenter's trade, which he followed many years earning enough to
purchase his present farm of 100 acres of land in Canaan Township,
where he successfully carries on agricultural pursuits. Mr.
Kissinger has been lieutenant in Company K, Ohio National
Guards. In 1865 he married Leah, daughter of Jonah
Huntsberger, of Canaan Township, Wayne County, and they have
three children: Elmer T., Lola Pearl and Edward J.
Mr. Kissinger is an active member of the Democratic party, and
has filled the office of township constable for ten years, and has
also served as school director, etc. He is a trustee of the
Lutheran Church. Mr. Kissinger's paternal grandfather
lived to the advanced age of ninety-eight years.
Source:
Commemorative Biographical Record of Wayne
County, Ohio – Publ. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. – 1889 -
Page
297 |
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