BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
Biographical Memoirs
of
Wyandot County, Ohio
To Which is Appended
A Comprehensive Compendium of National Biography - Memoirs
of Eminent Men and Women in the United States,
Whose Deeds of Valor or Works of Merit
Have Made Their Names Imperishable.
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ILLUSTRATED
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Embellished with Portraits of Many National Characters and
Well Know Residents of Wyandot County, Ohio
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Published
Logansport, Ind.
B. F. Bowen, Publisher.
1902
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PORTRAIT
Winifred D. Karr,
Mark H. Karr,
Henry W. Karr,
George H. Hewett |
HENRY W. KARR.
One of the most noted sons of Wyandot county, a prosperous farmer
and veteran of the great Civil war, was born on the farm in Crawford
township where he now lives, Aug. 27, 1842. Hamilton
Karr, his father, was born Apr. 3. 1800, in Meigs county, Ohio,
and came to the county of Wyandot about the year 1826, entering the
quarter section of land which the subject now owns. He was one of
the pioneers of this section and bore his full share in the early'
growth and development of the country. He married in Wyandot
county in August, 1827, Mary Brown, who came here with
her parents when a young girl, the Brown family being
also among the earliest settlers of Crawford township.
Hamilton and Mary (Brown) Karr were the parents of nine
children, all of whom grew to maturity and became well known
throughout Wyandot county. Their names are as follows:
Canarissa, deceased; Sofia and Maria, twins, both
dead. The former was burned to death or drowned at Monzo
Willow, Mexico, having been a passenger with her husband on the
ill-fated vessel “Golden Gate.’’ which was destroyed by fire several
miles from shore, resulting in the loss of nearly everybody on
board. Her husband swam six miles to shore, where he was
picked up when almost ready to sink; also one of his children, a
son, Jonas, was saved and at present resides in Arkansas.
The next in order of birth is James, now living in Kansas. Laura
is also a resident of that state. Douglass is dead. Henry
W., our subject. Clotilda and Mary are no
longer in the land of the living. The father of these children
was a fairly successful man, being for many years widely and
favorably known as “Col. Karr.’’ He died in 1873.
His parents, Hamilton and Susan Karr,
were natives, respectively, of Pennsylvania and Virginia, the former
an early settler of Marietta, this state, and for many years a noted
spy and scout in the early Indian wars of Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Virginia. Subsequently he served as captain and major in the
United State army, but remained a woodsman nearly all his life,
obtaining a livelihood for himself and family largely by hunting.
In his later years he followed farming and his death occurred at the
age of seventy. Tracing the family history further back, it is
learned that the progenitor of the American branch was Matthew
Karr, who came to this country from Scotland about 1763,’
locating in Philadelphia. Subsequently he moved to Marietta,
Ohio, where it is said he kept the first dairy in the state,
furnishing milk to the citizens of the town and to the soldiers that
garrisoned the old fort; he was killed by an Indian at the mouth of
Duck creek, a short distance from the town, having just landed from
his canoe when the fatal shot was fired. Mrs. Mary Karr,
subject's mother, departed this life at the age of eighty-five.
The boyhood days of Henry W. Karr were spent on
his father's farm and, as opportunities afforded, he attended the
subscription school in the neighborhood. He remained under the
parental roof until 1862, in July of which year he enlisted in
Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
with which he served until the fall of 1863, when he was discharged
on account of injuries received in a railroad collision. Mr.
Karr saw considerable active service in Virginia, taking part
in the battles of Winchester, Harper's Ferry and Berryville, and it
was shortly after the last named engagement that he received the
injury referred to above. After remaining in a hospital until
sufficiently recovered he returned home, when with careful nursing
he soon found himself again in possession of his wonted health and
strength. Upon the restoration of his bodily powers Mr.
Karr again entered the service of his country, joining Oct.
17, 1864. Company F, Ninth Ohio Cavalry, with which he shared the
fortunes of war under General Sherman, participating
in a number of battles, including, among others, Nashville, siege of
Columbia, Waynesboro, Savannah, Dismal Swamp and Raleigh; also
taking part in the celebrated march to the sea, and remaining with
his command until honorably discharged on the 20th day of July,
1865.
When hostilities ceased and the country no longer
needed his services, Mr. Karr returned home with an
honorable military record and resumed the quiet pursuits of civil
life on the old home farm, which he purchased in 1870. On the
10th of August, 1871, he married Miss Winifred Davidson,
who was born in Danville, Knox county, Ohio, Jan. 25, 1848, the
daughter of George H. and Rachel (Payne) Davidson, natives,
respectively, of Pennsylvania and Maryland. These parents came
to Wyandot county in 1858 and their family consisted of eleven
children, namely: William, Mary Eliza, John,
Elias, Winefred, Hulda, Edward,
Geneva, Clara and Lina, all of whom grew to years
of maturity. To Mr. and Mrs. Karr have been born two
children. Tessie and Mark H., the former
deceased and the latter his father's assistant on the farm.
They have also taken Mrs. Karr's sister's child,
George H. Hewett, to raise, whose mother died at the time of his
birth. He was taken into the family soon after his mother’s
death and enjoys the same privileges as their own child.
Mr. Karr is a successful farmer and an
enterprising business man. His place is well-improved and he
is familiar with the methods of agriculture such as the most
scientific and progressive fanners have adopted to make their
calling financially remunerative. As a neighbor and citizen he
occupies a desirable and conspicuous place and all who know him
honor him for his many sterling qualities of manhood. He
proved his loyalty to the country by giving several of his best
years to its service and the record he made as a brave and gallant
soldier is one of which any veteran might well feel proud. His
political preference naturally led him to espouse the principles of
the Republican party and he considers it one of his binding duties
to work for its success. While an active partisan, making all
necessary sacrifices to promote the cause which enlists his support,
he is by no means an aspirant for public honors. Fraternally
he belongs to Carey Lodge, No. 420, F. & A. M., and for a number of
years his name has adorned the records of Robinson Post, No. 19. G.
A. R., at Upper Sandusky. Mr. Karr has met with
flattering success as a raiser of fine live stock, his cattle,
horses and hogs being selected, with great care, and comparing
favorably with those found on the best stock farms in this part of
the state. In his business relations he keeps in accord with
the ethics of life, and the correctness of his motives have never
been questioned by those with whom he has had any dealing
whatsoever. Personally he stands high among his neighbors and
fellow citizens and no one has more warm friends or fewer enemies
than he. Eminently warm hearted and generous, he discharges
all of his duties with fidelity and zeal, and, to the best of his
ability, lives up to his highest conception of what constitutes true
manhood. Such, in brief, is the record of one of Wyandot
county's useful and patriotic citizens. To some future
historian must be the honor and duty of writing a more complete
biography when this
life ceases to be and his name becomes a memory.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of
Wyandot Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 562 |
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DOCTOR KEAR.
Doctor Hear, one of the most substantial and respected
farmers of Tymochtee township, Wyandot county. Ohio, was born on his
father’s farm in this township Feb. 10, 1833, and is a son of
Moses and Jemima (Nathan) Kear, the former of whom was born in
Ontario county, N. Y., Sept. 12, 1797, and the latter in Ross
county, Ohio.
Moses Kear, a farmer, and also a gunsmith
by trade, came from New York state to Ohio as a pioneer and first
located in Ross county, where his marriage took place. He then
moved to Pickaway county, lived there a short time only, and in
June, 1821, came to Wyandot county, at that time a part of Crawford
county, making his way overland by wagon, being accompanied by his
parents, Peter and Anna (Odell) Kear, also natives of
Ontario' county, N. Y. They located on a farm in section 1,
Tymochtee township, but later removed to section 18, where Moses
Kear bought eighty acres of timber land from Amos
Crane, on which land was a small log cabin. He added to
this land until he owned two hundred acres, nearly all of which he
cleared off, and, in conjunction with farming, followed his trade of
gunsmith and plowmaker until his death, which occurred in 1857, when
ninety-two years old; his wife survived until 1867, when she, too,
passed away at the same advanced age.
PETER KEAR,
the father of Moses, bought two hundred acres of heavily
timbered land in section 18, and there he and his wife passed the
remainder of their days. They had a family of seven children,
viz: Moses, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Dorothy,
Phebe, Sarah and Henry.
To Moses and Jemima (Nathan) Kear were
born nine children, namely: Nathan, deceased; Peter,
who died when eight years old; James and Milton, both
of Salem township; Moses O., of Richland township; Henry,
of Upper Sandusky; Doctor, our subject; George W.,
deceased, and Seth, also deceased.
Doctor Kear lived on the old homestead
with his parents until twenty-five years old, when he married, Apr.
22, 1858, his first wife being Miss Mary J. Crouse, a
daughter of William and Eliza Crouse, of Richland county,
Ohio. This lady bore her husband one child, Leona J.,
and died in 1859, the child surviving until eight years old, when
she, too, passed away. The second marriage of Doctor
Kear took place Mar. 1, 1861, to Miss Mary Brundidge, of
Seneca county, Ohio, and a daughter of Thomas and Osee
Brundidge, natives of Ontario | county, N. Y. This union was
blessed with four children, ad girls, viz: Osee was married
to B. D. Birch, but died June 30, 1895; Harriet E.,
wife of C. O. Noel, of Fostoria, Ohio; Eliza J.,
married to John Gilliland, of Tymochtee township,
Wyandot county; and Lola May, who died in infancy.
On marrying. Doctor Kear bought his
present farm of one hundred and fifty-four acres, on which he has
made all the improvements, building his handsome residence in 1858,
and his outbuildings are all substantial and commodious. He
carried on general farming and stock raising, and everything about
his farm gives evidence of skill and good management, industry and
thrift. He has made this farm one of the most productive and
profitable of any of the same dimensions in the township and is
acknowledged by all his neighbors to be one of the best
agriculturists in the neighborhood. Politically Mr.
Kear is a Republican, but while he labors ardently for the
success of his party, he has never sought an office.
Fraternally he is a member of Justin Lodge, No. 393, K. of P., at
Carey, this county. No people in the township are held in
higher esteem.
Source:
Biographical Memoirs of Wyandot Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page
607 |
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ELLSWORTH E. E. KEAR.
Life is pleasant to live when you known how to make the most of it.
Some people start in life as if they had weights on their souls, or
were afraid to make the necessary effort to life up to a high
standard. Others, by not making the proper study of the
conditions of existence, or by not having that blessed trainer, a
good and intelligent mother, are side-tracked at the outset and
never seem thereafter to be able to get back again on the main
track. Much depends on the start, just as it does in a race.
The horse that gets the best start, all other things being equal,
will almost invariably win the race. So in the race of life;
if you are properly started with suitable grooming, such as a good
education and splendid home training, you will lead in the race in
after years and enjoy every minute of your existence.
Such home influences were thrown around the subject of this sketch
in his early years. Both father and mother were people of
unusual intelligence and both led lives of singular purity. At
their deaths, only a few years ago, there was no word of reproach
spoken over their graves. They left a name revered by all who
had had the honor and pleasure of their acquaintance in this life.
Subject was born in Crawford township, Wyandot county, Nov. 24,
1864, and is the child of George W. and Attie Ann (Mulholland)
Kear, both of whom were born in Tymochtee township, the
former Dec. 14, 1834, and the latter June 5, 1840. George
W. Kear lived with his parents until the age of about thirty
years. He then married Miss Mulholland and removed to
Crawford township, where he resided on rented land for the space of
four years. He then moved to Salem township and bought two
hundred acres of partly cleared land, there residing until his
death, on July 15, 1898. His wife preceded him to the grave,
dying Feb. 26, 1897. They were people of eminent
respectability and passed useful and honorable lives. Mr.
Kear followed the occupation of farming during life and was
successful in amassing a goodly property. He and his good wife
were members of the Church of God. They brought up their
children in the fear of the Lord and gave each a good education.
To them were born four children, as follows:
Ellsworth E. E., suject; Mary J., who became the wife of
S. E. Huston, and is now living in Richland township; Moses
H., who married Miss Daisy Kirby and resides in Richland
township; Seth G., who married Miss Lizzie Wright and
lives in Salem township. Subject was reared among much better
surroundings than his parents were. He never knew the trials
to which they were subjected and through which they successfully
passed, so that upon reaching manhood his spirits were untrammeled
and his mind and body fresh and active. In 1888 he met and
married Miss Minerva J. Baker and by ehr has the following
children: Ray B., born Aug. 27, 1889, and Attie M.,
born Apr. 10, 1900. After his marriage he located in Richland
township, first upon the homestead and later he purchased forty
acres. He resided on his father's farm for nine years.
In 1897, having been appointed postmaster of Wharton, Ohio, he moved
to that town and took the office July 5, 1897, and also started a
store of stationery and cigars. He is the owner of two hundred
and two acres in Richland township. He is a Republican and is
much interested in the success of his party. He and wife are
members of the Church of God, and he is a representative citizen in
the highest sense of the expression. His family has been
prominent in this section of the county, the father owning at his
death about seven hundred acres of excellent land.
Dec. 18, 19901, the subject together with his brother
and brother-in-law organized the Wharton Bank. Th eliberal
patronage accorded them attests the confidence reposed in them by
the public. Their correspondents are the Tiffin National Bank,
of New York city.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of Wyandot
Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 682 |
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ALBERT H. KEMERLEY.
Conspicuous among the representative business men of Wyandot county
is the well-known banker of Carey, whose name appears above.
He is a descendant of one of the state and traces his ancestral
history to Germany, of which country his paternal grandparents,
Jacob and Christina (Yager) Kemerley, were natives.
JACOB and Christina Kemerley left
the fatherland when young and emigrated to the United States,
settling at Lancaster, Ohio, where they were afterward married.
By occupation Jacob Kemerley was a butcher and he worked at
the trade in Lancaster for several years following his arrival in
this country. He was the father of nine children, namely:
Catherine, John, Dorothy, joshua, Betsey, Samuel, Jacob, Sarah
and Henry, all of whom grew to mature years and became
well-settled in life. In 1836 the family removed to Wyandot
county and settled in the woods near the present site of Carey,
where the father bought from another party a right to a tract of
government land. There being no dwelling of any kind dfor the
reception of the family, they moved into a little log school house,
which stood on the land, now the present site of Carey, and
continued to occupy the same until a cabin could be erected on their
own land.
Subsequently Mr. Kennedy purchased land a short
distance east of Carey and cleared a good farm, upon which he
remained a number of years, and after the death of his wife spent
the remainder of his days principally with his oldest son, dying in
August, 1877, in his eighty-fifth year. His wife preceded him
to the silent land, departing this life in the year 1868.
Joshua Kemerley, second son and fourth child of Jacob and
Christina Kemerley, was born Jan. 26, 1826, in Fairfield county,
Ohio, and at the time of the family's removal to the county of
Wyandot was a lad ten years of age. He grew to manhood on the
home place near Carey and selecting agriculture for his life work,
followed the same in Crawford township until his retirement from
active labor, several years ago. His wife, Samantha Spanger,
daughter of George Spanger, an early settler of Crawford,
died in 1871, at the age of thirty-seven, leaving five children,
namely: John W., a resident of Cardington, Ohio;
LeRoy, who lives in the town of Payne, this state; Alvin,
a farmer of the Crawford township; Albert H., and Emma,
wife of C. H. Hull, a prosperous business man of Carey.
Joshua Kemerley had been a successful farmer,
having accumulated a handsome property and, as stated above, in now
enjoying the fruits of his long and arduous labors in a life of
honorable retirement. He possesses ample means to render his
remaining days comfortable and free from care and in his home in
Carey is passing the time in quiet and content. In politics he
is a Republican, but not an active party worker, and in religion he
is a consistent member of the United Brethren church.
Albert H. Kemerly, to a review of whose life the
remaining lines of this article are devoted, was born two miles
southwest of Carey, in Crawford township, on teh 19th day of March,
1860. On the father's farm he learned life's first practical
lessons and in the common schools, which he attended of winter
seasons until his eighteenth eyar, he received an educational
training which has served as a foundation for his subsequent active
and successful business career. Losing his mother when quite
young, he went to live with his uncle, John Kemerley, whose
house he made his home until starting upon life's highway a free and
independent agent. His uncle proved not only a kind and
companionable relative, but also a wise and faithful adviser, and to
his admonition and instructions is Mr. Kemerley indebted for
much of the prosperity and success which have come to him since
leaving the hospitable roof.
In 1881 Mr. Kemerley accepted a clerkship in a
hardware store in Carey and after continuing in that capacity three
years and eight months, entered the employ of Wood & Co.,
manufacturers of machinery and agricultural implements, as local
agent at this place. He looked after the firm's interests at
Carey, for two years and then took the road as its traveling
representative and expert workman. While thus engaged he
traveled extensively throughout Illinois, Wisconsin and other states
and made a record for faithfulness and efficiency which won the
unbounded confidence of his employers.
Severing his connection with the company after spending
one year on the raod. Mr. Kemerley became salesman in
the dry goods house of David Straw & Co., at Carey,
and continued with them until July, 1890. On the death of
Mr. Straw, which occurred in the summer of 1900,
the business was discontinued, after which Mr. Kemerley
accepted the position of bookkeeper in the Peoples BAnk, at Carey,
the duties of which he discharged until Jan. 1, 1895, when he was
promoted assistant cashier, and two years later he purchased an
interest in the institution. On Feb. 1, 1902, the bank was
reorganized and incorporated under the name of the Peoples Bank Co.,
with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars, and Mr. Kemerley
was elected cashier. Mr. Kemerley is essentially a
business man and in the management of the important monetary
institution with which he is identified, has demonstrated clerical
and executive abilities which place him among the ablest financiers
in this part of the state. Sound judgment, clear discernment
and a faculty to look carefully into details are among his marked
characteristics, while his integrity and high standing in the world
of business have won the confidence and esteem of all with whom he
has dealings. His business enterprises have been uniformly
successful and, being still in the prime of life and fortified with
a laudable determination to press forward to higher accomplishments
in commercial and financial avenues. His many friends in Carey
and elsewhere predict for him a future career of still greater
activity and promise. Mr. Kemerley takes a
pardonable pride in promoting the prosperity of his town and his
name appears in connection with a number of its most important
public improvements, among which may be cited the Carey electric
telephone plant, in the building of which he was largely
instrumental.
On the nth day of January, 1888, Albert
H. Kemerley and Miss Sadie E. Galbroner, daughter of
Peter and Elizabeth Galbroner, were made man and wife, the issue
of which marriage is two children, Lawrence A., born Aug. 13.
1889, and Gladys M., whose birth occurred on the 22d of July,
1893.
Mr. Kemerley has been honored by his fellow
citizens of Carey with various local offices, in all of which he
manifested the same faithfulness and efficiency which he displays in
his business enterprises. He was town treasurer several terms
and as such managed the public funds in such a way as to conserve
the highest interests of the place. In politics he is a
Republican. In his fraternal relations Mr. Kemerley
is a Mason, belonging to blue lodge, chapter and commandery.
He has also advanced in the Odd Fellows fraternity, being an active
member of Carey Lodge, No. 407, and Wyandot Encampment, No. 153.
Additional to the above brotherhoods, his name may be found on the
records of Justice Pledge, No. 393, Knights of Pythias.
Source: Biographical Memoirs of
Wyandot Co., Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 573 |
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JACOB KEMERLEY - See ALBERT H. KEMERLEY
Source: Biographical Memoirs of Wyandot Co.,
Ohio - Published 1902 - Page 573 |
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