BIOGRAPHIES

*Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record of
City of Toledo & Lucas and Wood Counties, Ohio
Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company -
1895
 

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Matthew Shoemaker	MATTHEW SHOEMAKER ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 151)
	CHARLES BATEMAN SAXBY.  Among the influential, enterprising and progressive young business men of Wood County may be mentioned our subject, who is the able editor of the Wood County Herald.    To the newspapers of our country is due much of the credit of the advancement of its civilization and the growth of its industries, and in the development of Wood County the Herald, published at Weston, has been no unimportant factor.      Our subject, who is a native of Wood County, was born at West Mill Grove, February 8, 1865.  His parents were B. H. and Martha H. (Musser) Saxby, born in England and the United States, respectively.  The father was born in the town of Normington in 1826, and emigrated to this country in the year 1855.  The mother's birth occurred in Deerfield, Portage County, Ohio, in 1838.      Charles B. Saxby received his elementary instruction in the graded schools of West Mill Grove, completing his education in the high school of the same place.  September 29, 1884, he moved to Weston, taking a position with the paper of which he is now editor.  He remained in this capacity until January 1, 1887, when he entered the employ of the Wood County Gazette at Bowling Green, Ohio.  March 3, 1889, he severed his connection with that paper, and three days later was married to Miss Nettie L. Dull, daughter of a Weston Merchant.  After his marriage Mr. Saxby entered his father-in-law's store, but remained only about a month however, then returning to the newspaper business and becoming identified with the consolidated Sentinel-Gazette.      August 1, 1891, our subject, in partnership with J. D. Conklin, bought the Wood County Herald, and sine that date the former has been editor and manager of the same.  He has served his township in the capacity of Clerk for four years, and has ever been found faithful to the trust reposed in him.  As an editor he has ever endeavored to forward the interests of his town and county and to develop their resources.  Socially he is a member of Weston Lodge No. 681, I. O. O. F., in which he is serving as Vice-Grand, and is also a member of the Daughters of Rebeckah, and Anthony Wayne Lodge No. 140, K. O. T. M.  In 1893 he was elected Great Sentinel of the Great Camp of the state of Ohio, and in 1894 was re-elected.      To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Saxby has been born a family of two children: Helen Kathryn, who was born November 17, 1890, and John Bateman, whose birth occurred January 26, 1894, and who died May 27, of the same year.  Mr. Saxby, his wife and daughter occupy a very pleasant residence on the corner of Locust, and Clark Streets, which our subject owns, and here they welcome their many friends. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 476)
	JOHN H. SCHRODER.  The success which has attended the efforts of Mr. Schroder entitles him to mention to this volume.  As a business man he is progressive, and as a citizen he has long ranked among the most public-spirited of Pemberville's residents.  In addition to the management of his boot and shoe business, he has at various times been selected to represent his fellow-citizens in official capacities, and has invariably rendered efficient and able service.      Born in Prussia, Germany, near the village of Buende, Nov. 10, 1833, the subject of this notice is the son of John H. Schroder, Sr., a man of some means, and a carpenter and wagon-maker by occupation.  The family being well-to-do, the son was given excellent opportunities for obtaining an education, and during boyhood spent his time principally in school.  At the age of fifteen he commenced to learn his father's trade, which he followed until he came to America, in 1851.  After crossing the Atlantic he came direct to Cleveland, where he served an apprenticeship to the trade of a cabinet-maker, meantime attending night school whenever it was possible.  For six years he followed that trade, two years being spent in Cleveland and four in Toledo.      A year and a-half after our subject came to the United States, his parents, with his three brothers and one sister, came to this country and settled in Pemberville, where his father, mother and sister all died in cholera in 1854.  He, being the eldest of the family, was therefore obliged to look after his brothers.  Of these we note the following: C. H. is an extensive dealer in sash, doors and blinds in Toledo.  J. F., who enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War, was a member of the Fifth United States Regulars, and was taken prisoner at Chickamauga, whence he was sent to the prison at Andersonville, and there he died.  William H. was in the undertaking business in Toledo, and being a shrewd financier, he accumulated considerable property, and was in comfortable circumstances at the time of his death, where thirty-four years of age.      Believing that farm work would aid in restoring his health, which had become somewhat impaired, our subject in 1857 purchased a farm near Pemberville, where for a time he engaged in agricultural operations.  Later he disposed of the tract and purchased a farm in Webster Township.  Agriculture, however, was not a congenial occupation, and he soon retired from it and went to Toledo, where he worked at his trade until a year later, when failing health again obliged him to abandon it.  Purchasing a farm near Pemberville, he resumed the tilling of the soil, and for the following seven years was thus engaged.  He then embarked in the mercantile business at Pemberville, but after some years with different partners, the business proved a failure, and he was compelled to make an assignment.  Under the first administration of President Cleveland, he received the appointment of Postmaster, which he filled for several years.  On retiring from that office, he embarked in the boot and shoe business, in which he has since engaged.      Mr. Schroder married Eliza, daughter of Casper Kohring, a native of Germany and one of the pioneer farmers of Wood County.  Eight of their eleven children are living.  Henry W. is the manager of the Pemberville Creamery Company; Louis F. is an operator on the Columbus, Hocking Valley & Toledo Railroad; Fred H. is the station agent for the same road at Pemberville; Edward is in school; George is a student in the law department of the Ohio Normal University, at Ada; Anna is the wife of E. H. Smith, a merchant of Pemberville; Lizzie is the wife of Edward Hebler, a farmer by occupation; Minnie was for several years a teacher in the Pemberville High School, but now devotes her attention exclusively to the teaching of music.      The first office held by Mr. Schroder was that of Township Trustee, and afterward he was Township Treasurer for several years.  He has been Justice of the Peace for the past twenty-six years with the exception of one term.  While the new schoolhouse was being built, he served as a member of the Board of Education.  For three years he was Mayor of Pemberville.  During his services in the City Council the new city hall was erect4ed.  At one time he was elected Probate Judge of Wood County by four hundred majority, but was counted out.  Two years later he was a candidate for the office of County Treasurer, and while the Republican majority in the county was nine hundred, he came within one hundred and fifty votes of being elected.  In religious views he is a Lutheran and for many years he was an officer in the church. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 295)
	SAMUEL SCOTT, deceased, was one of the early settlers of northwestern Ohio, and for many years lived in the vicinity of Millbury, where his widow now resides.  He was a good business man and prospered in his many ventures, during his lifetime owning a number of farms in Ottawa County, Ohio, and in the vicinity of Monroe, Mich., besides town lots in Genoa.  At the time of his demise his homestead comprised two hundred acres, this being located near Millbury, and here he passed from this life Mar. 11, 1882, beloved and deeply mourned by all who knew him.      Samuel Scott, who was born near Allentown, Pa., in 1793, was a son of James Scott, who died when the lad was quite young.  By birth he was a native of Scotland, and his calling in life was the carpenter's trade.  His wife, formerly Miss Susan Katz, was a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of eleven sons, of whom Samuel was the eldest.  On his father's death they went to live with neighboring farmers and were reared to agricultural pursuits.  To Samuel Scott fell the lot of caring for his aged mother, and in company with her and his brother James he emigrated to Ohio about 1842.  Prior to this time he had followed boating on the Lehigh River between Mauch Chuck and Allentown.  After stopping for about four weeks near Tiffin, Ohio, Mr. Scott bought a farm in Seneca County, but sold out at the end of two years and invested the proceeds in the old Palmer Farm, near Genoa, where he made his home for many years.  Subsequently he bought three farms near Monroe, Mich., but lived there only two years, then returning to Ottawa County where he spent the remainder of his days.      In 1847 Samuel Scott was married, in Genoa, to Mary E. Shiffert, natives of Pennsylvania.  Miss Shiffert was born in Allentown, Pa., about 1830, and when the Scott family removed from the Keystone State, as they had no daughters they adopted the young girl and brought her to Ohio.  Her parents later settled near Genoa, Ohio.  By the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Scott the following children were born:  Moses, who cultivates the old homestead; Susan, deceased; Maggie, widow of James Emerson, formerly a conductor on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad; John, who was injured in a mine explosion in Arizona, but is still living there; David, a resident of this place; Samuel and Mina, who are next in order of birth; Thomas, who died in 1883; Charlie, a traveling man; Cora, Mrs. Philip Glasser, and Annie, who died in infancy.  Mrs. Scott's brother Allen is a farmer of Ottawa County, and her brothers Van Ness, Joseph, Jr., Amos and Charlie are deceased.  Van Ness, who died in Pennsylvania, was a carpenter by trade and had a family of three sons.  Charlie died about 1872, in Allentown, Pa.  The two sisters are Amanda and Lovina, the latter of whom is the widow of Daniel Gunowner.      During the war Samuel Scott was a Republican, but with that exception was a life-long Democrat.  He was a member of the Evangelical Church, but was a liberal benefactor of all churches, and donated the ground on which the Methodist Church of Genoa was built.  Mrs. Scott holds membership with the Lutheran Church of Genoa. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 500)
	RUBELLUS J. SIMON, M. D., the leading and scholarly physician of Pemberville, was born on a farm in Bloom Township, Wood County, Ohio, Aug. 9, 1846, being the next to the eldest son of Levi Simon, who was noted throughout the section in which he resided for his unusual attainments as a mathematician.  His father, whose birth occurred Jan. 21, 1817, in Boardman, Mahoning (then Trumbull) County, Ohio, was the fourth child and second son of Jacob Simon, the latter in turn being the fifth son in a family of fifteen children, all but one of whom attained to mature years.  Two brothers, Andrew and George, were ministers of the Lutheran Church.      Born in Washington County, Pa., in 1783, Jacob Simon was a weaver by trade, but devoted considerable attention to the profession of a teacher, and was a man of broad views and liberal education.  He served in the War of 1812.  As early as 1800 he came to Ohio and settled in Boardman Township, Trumbull County, were he taught the first school in his locality.  Among the pioneers of the county he was looked up to as a leader, and was a man of noble character, but somewhat visionary and not a good financier.  On the place in Boardman Township where he first settled he died in 1856.      The father of Jacob and Michael Simon, who was born in the Colony of Maryland, Feb. 22, 1741, and was a man of fair education and considerable prominence in his locality, being especially noted for his devotion to the Lutheran faith.  In 1802 he came to Ohio with a number of relatives, and here remained until his death, in 1839, at the advanced age of ninety-eight years, at which time he had four hundred and sixty-four direct descendants.  During the Indian wars his property was destroyed and the family were obliged to flee for their lives.  One son, Andrew, then a child of seven years, was taken prisoner by the Indians and scalped by his savage captors.  However, he survived and finally became a favorite among the redmen whose confidence he gained to an unusual degree, so that they allowed him many liberties not accorded other prisoners.  In this way he was permitted to wander from the camp, and at an opportune moment he made his escape, returning to his friends, who had supposed him to be dead.  While he attained eighty years of age, he never ha a scalp, and the top of his head never healed.      The father of Michael and the first of the family to locate in America was Johann Adam Simon, a native of Zweibrucken, Switzerland, who was a descendant of a royal family, but, as far as can be learned, was somewhat wild, and ran away from home in boyhood.  Coming to America, he located near Baltimore about 1735.  With him he bright papers proving his descent from royalty and his right to an immense estate, but his house and all its contents were burned by the Indians, and he was never able to prove his identity.  He attained the venerable age of ninety-seven.      The mother of Levi Simon was Elizabeth Stemple, a native of Virginia, born about 1789, and a member of one of the  prominent mountaineer families.  She was a daughter of David Stemple, and a descendant of French ancestry.  One of her brothers, Jacob, was a soldier in the War of 1812.  She was a woman of good education and an excellent business manager, far more so than her husband.  Her death occurred at eighty-five years.      In the log cabin schoolhouse common to that day, Levi Simon gained the rudiments of his education.  Though his advantages were few, he was an apt  scholar and a natural mathematician, and became widely known for his superior attainments.  though now past seventy-eight years of age, he can solve almost any problem in mathematics and has successfully explained problems that have puzzled learned professors of the science.  In early life he was a teacher, in which vocation he was remarkably successful.      In 1844 Levi Simon married Mary Ann Pfister, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, born Oct. 18, 1822.  She was a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Hewett) Pfister, and a granddaughter of Rev. Henry Hewett, a native of Pennsylvania, whose ancestors fled from France during the revolution in that country.  He was a prominent Lutheran minister, and on coming to Trumbull County organized the first German Lutheran Church in the state of Ohio.  Mrs. Mary Ann Simon was a woman of good education, a teacher for some years, and a very devoted Christian.  She had a brother, John, who was a physician.  Her death occurred Feb. 15, 1889.      On the farm where he now lives, and which adjoins the village of Bloomdale, Levi Simon located in 1846.  He aided in building the first Lutheran Church in that locality, also the first Methodist Episcopal Church.  At various times he has been chosen to hold positions of prominence in his township.  Possessing a robust constitution, the vigor of which has not been undermined by the use of tobacco or intoxicants, he has never been sick in his life, and even in old age enjoys excellent health.  His eldest brother, David, was for fourteen years Auditor of Mahoning County, and was an influential local politician.  Gideon, Stilling and Jesse were prosperous farmers.  Jacob, a son of Stilling, has been a teacher for fifteen years.  Hiram, another son, is editor of the Toledo Sunday Journal, and Charles is manager of the Bloomdale Mills.      The subject of this sketch was one of ten children.  His eldest brother, Myconius, who is unmarried, was for many years a teacher, and now resides with his father at Bloomdale; for ten years he was one of the chief clerks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Youngstown, Ohio.  Damietta was married, and left three children at her death.  Jerusha died at the age of eighteen years.  Mrs. Belenia Deal, who was a school teacher, left five children at her death.  Montebello was in early life a teacher, and is now a stockman of Bloomdale.  Metaline died when five years old, Phoebe when eighteen, and Poliander at eight.  Elma O. is the wife of Jacob Fisher, who is in the livery business at Helena Mont.      The boyhood years of our subject were spent on his father's farm.  His early education was obtained under the direction of his parents, both of whom had been teachers and were well fitted to train him for a life of usefulness and honor.  At sixteen he entered the Poland Union Seminary, becoming a student in that institution the same year that Governor McKinley completed his studies there.  After nine months in the seminary, he received a teacher's certificate and entered that profession, teaching the Macky School, in Bloom  Township.  For several terms he taught there and in other districts, then entered the Findlay High School, where he conducted his studies for eight months.  Later he taught in the grammar school in the same institution for three terms, after which he entered Oberlin College, expecting to fit himself more thoroughly for the profession of a teacher.      Two years were spent in study of Oberlin College but meantime his ambition changed.  Noticing that most of those who devoted their lives to teaching remained poor, and having a desire to gain possession of some of he world's goods by honest exertion, he determined to abandon the profession upon which he had entered.  However, he taught a few terms afterward, and in that way gained the mains with which to prosecute his medical studies.  Under Dr. S. B. Emerson, of Eagleville, he began to read medicine, then took a course of lectures at the Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, after which he continued to study and practice with Dr. Emerson for a year and a-half.  Later he took another course of lectures at the same college, graduating May 13, 1873.  In August of the same year he opened an office at Pemberville and commenced the practice of his chosen profession.      Mar. 4, 1874, Dr. Simon married Miss Mary A., daughter of Henry Mohr, of Eagleville.  At that time he was in debt $600, but success came to him quickly, and at the end of a year he was out of debt and owned a house and lot.  From that time to this he has had a large practice and has acquired a splendid competence.  In addition to professional duties he has done an extensive business in fire insurance, and is medical examiner of two of the leading life insurance companies of the United States - the New York Life and the Mutual Life of New York.  He is the owner of one hundred and eighty acres of fine land in the oil regions, which alone represent a small fortune.  His home is a beautiful one, and he also owns other property.       Formerly Dr. Simon was identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, but there being no church of that denomination in Pemberville at the time he settled here, he became interested in the Presbyterian faith, assisted in the organization of the church here, and was for eight years its only Elder.  He has served in the office of Elder up to the present time and has always been one of the most active workers, not only in the church, but also in the Sunday-school, of which he was formerly Superintendent.  For six years he has been a member of the Board of Education, during which time the new school building was erected.   During his service of four years as a member of the City Council the new city hall was built.  In fact, he has been one of the most influential residents of the place, and has been prominent in social, professional and business circles.  He is a great lover of fine horses and is proud of having a team that will not "take dust" from any other team in Wood County.      Dr. and Mrs. Simon have had four children, but two died in infancy, and one, Ina, when three months old.  the only one living is Nina O., a bright and attractive child of two years.  In politics the Doctor is a strong Republican, which is also the political faith of ninety-five per cent of the entire Simon family, now numbering seven or eight hundred members. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 243)
	J. H. STEPHENS.  The village of Bradner owes an incalculable debt to those of her business men who have been sufficiently broad and far-sighted to plan improvements tending to the prosperity of the town.  Among these conspicuous mention should be made of J. and H. and David Stephens, who jointly own and conduct one of the most flourishing general stores of Wood County.  Through the exercise of judicious management, indefatigable industry and discrimination in investments, they have accumulated a fortune, and are known throughout the surrounding country as one of the most reliable and successful firms of the county.      The father of the brothers, John Stephens, was born in Pennsylvania in 1794, and was a teacher by profession.  In 1833 he came to Ohio and settled in Richland County, but two years later came to Wood County, locating on the place where our subject was born, and where he himself spent his closing years.  His death occurred Jan. 28, 1983.  Among the early settlers of Montgomery Township he was a leader, being a man of more than ordinary ability and education.  In religious faith he was a Lutheran.  But little is known concerning the early history of the family, with the exception of the fact that they are of German extraction.      The mother of our subject was Catherine Henline, a native of Pennsylvania and daughter of David Henline, who was of German descent.  He came to Ohio in 1833 and settled on section 11, Montgomery Township, Wood County, and later removed to Indiana, settling near Ft. Wayne, where the balance of his life was passed.  He had four sons, David, Samuel, Tobias and Michael, of whom the first named became very wealthy.  Samuel went to the vicinity of Freeport, Ohio, where he remained until death.  Tobias and Michael settled near Ft. Wayne, Ind., where they became prominent and well-to-do farmers.      The subject of this sketch is the eldest of five children.  His eldest sister is the wife of C. H. Lightner, who served four years as a member of the Seventy-second Ohio Infantry during the Civil War, and is now a resident of Eaton County, Mich.  David, our subject's partner, was born on the old homestead Jan. 3, 1842, and spent his early life on the farm, receiving a good education in the common schools.  In 1877, with his two brothers, he embarked in business at Bradner, their combined capital being only about $300.  Mar. 13, 1862, he married Miss Elizabeth Bonam, of Sandusky County, Ohio and they are parents of five living children, namely: Jesse, a graduate of the Ohio Normal University of Ada, and a prominent attorney of Fostoria; John, who is in the store with his father and uncle; Maggie, who was educated in the Normal school of Valparaiso, and has been a teacher since she was fifteen years of age; Walter W., who is a law student at Fostoria under his brother; and Jennie, who is attending school.  The father of these children is the present Postmaster at Bradner.      The next brother of our subject was Ezra, who married, but died when only twenty-two years of age.  Martin L. was for many years in business with his brothers, John H. and David, but is now a resident of Toledo.  Our subject, who is the eldest of the brothers, was born in Montgomery Township, Wood County, Apr. 19, 1839, and spent the years of boyhood on the home farm.  About 1877, in partnership with his brothers David and Martin L., he opened a store at Bradner, and he and his brother David have since conducted a large and profitable trade, the other brother having retired from the firm some years ago.  They have been very successful, and are now the proprietors of one of the best equipped general stores in Wood County.      Under the first administration of President Cleveland, our subject served as Postmaster at Bradner, which office is now held by his brother David.  He has filled other local positions, having been Councilman of the Village Corporation, Treasurer of the Board of Education, and has occupied other places of trust and honor.  Socially he is a Mason, actively interested in the order.  In his political belief he advocates the principles of the Democratic party, and is well informed concerning the great questions that affect the welfare of our country.  He has never married, but makes his home with his brother David.  As a citizen he is interested in everything pertaining to the prosperity of the village and county. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 247 )
	ALFRED A. STUMP, Mayor of Bradner, and one of the wealthy and enterprising young business men of the place, has been a life-long resident of Wood County, and was born on a farm near Mill Grove, Apr. 13, 1862.  His father, Noah E., also a native of Wood County, enlisted in the Union army at the opening of the Rebellion and served for four years, being Orderly Sergeant of Company E, Twenty-fifth Ohio Infantry.  During his service he lost the use of his right arm and died in 1868 from the result of his long and hard service in the cause of his country.  He had three brothers, John, Allen and William, all of whom were soldiers in the Twenty-fifth Regiment.      The paternal grandparents of Mr. Stump were natives of Pennsylvania, and pioneers of Wood County.  His mother, Hannah (Schofstall) Stump, was born in Pennsylvania, and at an early age came to Ohio with her parents.  After the death of our subject's father, she became the wife of D. L. Thomas, and now lives in Petoskey, Mich.  By her first marriage she had three sons, the eldest of whom, George F., died at the age of sixteen years.  The youngest son, Charles, is engaged in agricultural pursuits making his home on a farm near Bradner.      At the time of his father's death, the subject of this notice was a child of six years.  In early boyhood he did not have many advantages, but was enabled to secure a common-school education, and in the years that have since followed his knowledge has been broadened by a systematic course of reading, so that he now possesses a broad fund of information upon all topics of general importance.  Arriving at man's estate, he selected for his life occupation the calling of a farmer, and to this he has since devoted his attention, though not to the exclusion of other business interests.  In the fall of 1892 he moved into the village of  Bradner, where he had previously built the finest residence in the place.  He still continues, however, to operate his farm one mile north of the town.      Upon attaining his majority, Mr. Stump began to vote for the men and measures of the Republican party, to which he had previously given his allegiance.  He has since seen no reasons for changing his views, and believes now, as he has always done, that the welfare of the Government will be best promoted by the adoption of Republican principles.  For six years he served as Trustee of his township.  In the spring of 1894 he was the successful candidate of the Republican party for Mayor of Bradner, in which capacity he is now serving.  A capable and thorough official, he commands the respect of all the people of the place, and as Mayor his services have proved satisfactory, not only to his own party, but also to those of opposite belief.      Jan. 14, 1886, Mr. Stump was united in marriage with Miss Nellie Hyter, the accomplished daughter of A. Hyter, a wealthy farmer and oil operator, residing in Bradner.  They have three bright and interesting boys, Clayton, Walter and Clare, to whom will be given the best advantages possible, and who, under the judicious training of their parents, will be fitted for positions of honor and usefulness in the business world.  Socially Mr. Stump is identified with the Knights of Pythias, and is Past Chancellor of his lodge. ( Source: Portrait & Biological Record of City of Toledo & Lucas & Wood Counties, Ohio - 1895 - Page 327 )