800 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
WALLACE ROYAL HARBOUR, one of the excellent farmers of Perry township, Shelby county, 0., where he owns 139 acres of well improved land, was born in this township, March 19, 1882, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Persinger) Harbour. The father, who was a veteran of the Civil war, died in 1906. He was born in Champaign county but carried on farming in Shelby county for many years and was widely known. He married Elizabeth Persinger, who was born in the latter county and still survives, and they had four children : Charles William Beatty, Elmer E., Harry P. and Wallace Royal.
After his school days were over Wallace Royal Harbour assisted his father until the latter's death, when he inherited sixty-eight acres, and on this land started out for himself. Subsequently he sold that property and then purchased his present farm of 139 acres and here has ever since carried on general farming and moderate stock raising, frequently inaugurating impr0vements in farm methods and taking the intelligent interest in all that pertains to his business that is the real factor in success in any line.
In June, 1902, Mr. Harbour was married to Miss Edith De Weese, a daughter of Frank and Lottie (Barnes) De Weese. The father of Mrs. Harbour was born in Shelby county and the mother in Logan county. They were substantial people of this county and Mrs. Harbour and her two brothers, both younger, Hamilton and Grover, were all born on the home farm. Mr. and Mrs. Harbour have two very attractive and intelligent daughters, Velma and Lucile. The family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church at Pemberton. Mr. Harbour belongs to the Quincy lodge of Knights of Pythias, and politically is a republican.
T. K. MINNIEAR, who is a representative of one of the old pioneer families of Shelby county, now lives somewhat retired, having four acres of land surrounding his comfortable residence at Plattsville, still continues to oversee, however, the operating of his two farms, both situated in Green township. He was born in Orange township, Shelby county, in 1851, and is a son of Thomas and Lydia (Johns) Minniear.
Thomas Minniear was born in Miami county, 0., and came very early in his life to Orange township, Shelby county, securing several heavily timbered, well watered tracts and at the time of death, when aged eighty-four years, owned about 100 acres of cultivated land. He married Lydia Johns, who died when aged eighty-one years. They had the following children : William, Mrs. Nisha Glasford, Mrs. Maggie Seibert, Mrs. Mary Francis, two babes that died in infancy, and T. K., the only survivors being the last named and his sister, Mrs. Glasford, who lives near Sidney, 0.
T. K. Minniear attended school in his boyhood in a school house on one of his father's farms and afterward erected additions to the same and lived on that place for fifty-one years, his children attending the same school. For thirty-six years after marriage he lived in the old school house. He owns two farms, one of eighty acres and the other of fortv-two acres and general farming, stock raising and fruit growing have been the industries which have
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mainly taken up his attention. While his heavier responsibilities have been shifted to younger shoulders, Mr. Minniear still continues to be interested and in caring for the small tract around his village home, finds pleasant recreation.
Mr. Minniear married Miss Katie Atkinson and ten children have been born to them, namely : Mrs. Macy Miller ; Mrs. Grace Middleton ; Lee, a resident of Dayton ; Joseph, who lives in Plattsville ; Mrs. Maggie White, of Green township ; David, who lives at Sidney ; Stanly, who is a resident of Plattsville ; Charles, who lives in Green township ; Hannah, who remains with her parents, and Harry, who died at eleven months of age. The family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics Mr. Minniear has always been a republican and is known as an earnest and reliable citizen. He has served in local offices and has been township trustee.
H. P. AILES,* one of the representative men of Shelby county, who has served in the office of justice of the peace in Jackson township since 1882, has been engaged in the mercantile business for a number of years. He was born on the old home farm in Franklin township, January 25, 1853, and is a son of Alfred and Melissa Jane (Young) Ailes, and a grandson of Moses H. Ailes, who was the pioneer of the Ailes family in this section.
Alfred Ailes was born at Parkersburg, W. Va., and from there accompanied his father, Moses H. Ailes, to Shelby county, the latter settling five miles southwest of Montra. For a number of years Alfred Ailes was a school teacher and afterward acquired a one-half interest in a saw mill, which he operated until 1868, when he retired to his farm, and then moved to Montra, where he lived during the remainder of his life. He was a man of importance in his section and on the democratic ticket was seven times elected assessor of Jackson township and was also a justice of the peace from 1870 until the time of his death in 1882. He was a lifelong democrat and his sons have followed in his footsteps. In his early years he united with the Seventh Day Baptist church. At the time of death he was aged fifty-seven years and his burial was in the Wesley Chapel cemetery. He married a daughter of Philip Young, a pioneer settler in Shelby county, and she survives and resides with her son.
H. P. Ailes attended school in Jackson township and later moved with his father to Montra and was associated with him in the saw mill business. From 1886 until 1907 he engaged in clerking in a general store, with the exception of two years, and then spent three years in other pursuits, after which he returned to the same store and continued his mercantile life.
Mr. Ailes married Miss Rebecca Jane Beech, who was born at St. John's, Auglaize county, a daughter of E. and Anna Beech, who still reside at St. John's after two years spent in Jackson township. Four children of Mr. and Mrs. Ailes survive and one is deceased. Mr. Ailes has served as a justice of the peace for thirty continuous years, succeeding his father in the office, and has also been road supervisor in Jackson township, but only for one year. He belongs to the order of Maccabees, attending the lodge at Anna, 0.
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J. W. SHERER, whose three farms, all situated in Jackson township, aggregate .360 acres of land, is one of the well known and reliable men of Shelby county. He was born in Stark county, O., four miles east of Canton, October 18, 1863, and is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Barnhart) Sherer.
Jacob Sherer and wife were born in what is now Alsass, Germany, and were seven years old when they accompanied their parents to America and settled in Stark county, O. After reaching maturity they married there and lived for some time in Stark county and then moved to Shelby county, settling in the Montra special school district. Later they disposed of their land and moved to Logan county and they died in Bloomfield township at the age of fifty-eight years, separated by but one year. They were members of the Lutheran church and their burial was in the Port Jefferson cemetery. In politics the father was a democrat but he never held any public office in Shelby county. Of their seven children four are yet living: J. W.; Matilda, who is the wife of G. H. Clayton of Salem township; George, who married Carrie Bruner, and they live in Logan county; and Orlando, who lives in Logan county, married Flossie Cole.
J. W. Sherer attended school in Logan county and assisted his father on the Logan county farm and afterward engaged in farming for his father- in-law, Thomas Wright, in Jackson township, Shelby county. Afterward, when his father gave him his present home farm of 240 acres, he began to raise stock and makes a specialty of thoroughbred Percheron horses. Many improvements have been made on this farm and his other properties and he has nineteen buildings in use. He built the first farm elevator in Shelby county. For the past sixteen years he has occupied his present home farm and utilizes all of his land with the exception of twenty-five acres still in valuable timber. A part of his other land he rents to a tenant and another farm he rents by the field, all providing a satisfactory income on his investments. For about nine years Mr. Sherer was connected with the Maplewood Elevator Company, owning a one-half interest, and he is also interested in the Farmers Telephone Company.
On February 18, 1894, Mr. Sherer was married to Miss Ida M. Wright, who was born April 26, 1874, a daughter of Thomas and Della (Littlejohn) Wright. Thomas Wright was born in Franklin county, O., and was eleven years old when he accompanied his parents, John and Sarah (Schultz) Wright, to Delaware county. They were natives of Pennsylvania. In 1865 the Wrights moved to Logan county, where Mr. Wright lived on the home farm of 320 acres. His first marriage was to Della Littlejohn, who was born in Jackson township, Shelby county, and died at the age of twenty-six years, her burial being in the Pleasant Hill cemetery near Jackson Center. She was a devoted mother to her two children, Ida May and Alice, the former of whom is Mrs. Sherer and the latter is the wife of Elwood Dunson, 0f Van Wert, O. Mr. Wright's second marriage took place December 31, 1881, to Elizabeth Geyer, a daughter of Philip and Amelia (Herpst) Geyer, natives of Germany. Mrs. Wright died without issue, in 1889, and her burial was at Port Jefferson cemetery. On October 14, 1892, Mr. Wright married
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Barbara Johnston, of Franklin county. Mr. and Mrs. Wright live in the eastern part of Jackson township. He owns two valuable farms, one of 169 and the other of 116 acres, both improved, and both rented to good tenants. Since the age of fourteen years Mr. Wright has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
To Mr. and Mrs. Sherer the following children have been born : Ralph, Wright, Roy Thomas, Leo Harry, Ray William, Opal Mildred and John Franklin, all of whom survive except two, Ralph and Wright. Mr. Sherer and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he has always been identified with the democratic party but outside of agricultural positions, has accepted no office of a public nature. He is a member of the Grange, is 'a thirty-second degree Mason, and from 1902 until 1912 was a member of the Shelby county fair board. He is one of the well balanced business men and reliable and useful citizens of the county.
ELMER SHROYER, whose excellent farm of 04 acres is situated in Salem township, Shelby county, 0., has spent his life here and is numbered with the representative men of Salem township. He was born in this township, May 15, 1876, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Strohlm) Shroyer.
Henry Shroyer was born in Miami county, O., a son of Joseph Shroyer, who was also born in Ohio, of German parentage. For many years Henry Shroyer was one of the heaviest tax payers in Shelby county, owning over 500 acres of land, and after dividing his large estate with his children, still owns a farm of 169 acres in Salem township and a pleasant and comfortable residence in Maplewood, where he and wife now live retired. To Henry and Mary Shroyer the following children were born : Clara, wife of William Rubert ; Ellen, wife of John C. Wones; Hattie, wife of George W. Rose; and Elmer, Nelson and Harry.
Elmer Shroyer obtained his education in the public schools and afterward remained at home assisting his father until his marriage. For fourteen years afterward he rented his present farm from his father and then bought it and ever since coming here has carried on general farming and stock raising, meeting with excellent success. In 1895 he married Miss Clementine C. Faulder, who was born in Shelby county, 0., and is a daughter of George and Caroline (Fergus) Fäulder. Mr. and Mrs. Shroyer attend the German Reformed church. Mr. Shroyer is a democrat, all the male members of his family being identified also with this political. organization.
S. H. ROGERS,* D. V. S., who is established at Jackson Center, 0., is an experienced and thoroughly trained practitioner in his line of medicine and surgery, and is, probably, one of the best known professional men of Shelby county. He was born December 20, 1876, in Logan county, 0., two miles southeast of Bloom Center.
After completing his public school education at Lewistown, Doctor Rogers became connected with the firm of Harper Bros., implement dealers at Pemberton, and afterward was with the L. G. Shunherg Company, following
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which he entered the Cincinnati Veterinary College, from which he was creditably graduated March 30, 1909, and secured his state license in the following July. Since January, 1911, he has been a member of the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Association, and in February of that year he came to Jackson Center. Perhaps in no profession has science made such rapid strides as in the one to which Doctor Rogers has dedicated his life work. He has an extensive practice which extends over a radius of ten miles from the city.
Doctor Rogers was married to Miss Elzana Clayton, a daughter of Henry and Lucy Clayton. They enjoy a very attractive home, its location being on the corner of North Main and Jackson streets, Jackson Center. Doctor Rogers is identified politically with the republican party but has never had any taste for political office, and the only fraternal body with which he is connected, outside professional societies, is the Modern Woodmen of America.
LOUIS F. WAGNER, who has been identified with the John Wagner Sons Brewing Company at Sidney, O., all his business life, and is its collector and one of its directors, belongs to a very prominent family of Shelby county. He was born at Sidney, on the site of the present office of the company, August 13, 1866, and is a son of John and Mary A. Wagner.
Mr. Wagner was educated in the parochial school at Sidney and at St. Mary's Institute at Dayton, O., and afterward went into the meat trade. learning the business from the bottom up. He then entered into partnership with John Young in the meat business, but within one year his brother desired him to close out his meat interests in order to assist in the greatly increasing brewery business and he has been so connected ever since and has proven himself an able and effective business man.
Mr. Wagner was married first to Miss Nellie Dorsey, of Shelby county, and they had two sons : J. C. and C. O. Both sons are veterinary surgeons, the former being located at Fostoria, O., and the latter being now connected with McKillip's Veterinary College, at Chicago. The mother of these sons died in 1900. Mr. Wagner's present wife was formerly Miss Sarah Boydston, of Wooster, O. He is identified with the Elks, the Eagles and the United Commercial Travelers.
GEORGE HEMM, capitalist, and for many years identified with the nursery business in Shelby county, O., belongs to one of the old and substan¬tial families of the county and is the only surviving son of the late George Hemm, who was one of the most highly respected and worthy men of this section for many years. George Hemm, the younger, was born at Sidney, O., March 31, 1865, a son of George and Bernadina (Dickas) Hemm.
The mother of Mr. Hemm were born in Bavaria, Germany, and still survives. The father was a native of Baden but was reared in Bavaria and from there -entered the German army and was attached to a cavalry regiment during his allotted term of service. He learned the butcher's trade but when he came to America, probably in 1852, he found himself more interested in
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other lines open to him in America, and after a year spent at Buffalo, N. Y., he made his way to Toledo, O., where he engaged in the nursery business, and one year later came to Sidney. Here, in partnership with Mr. Moore and Mr. McCullough, he established the Sidney Nurseries, in 1885, in which he continued t0 be interested until his death, in 1893. He was a devoted Catholic and a worthy and well known man. He married Bernadina Dickas and three children were born to them : A babe that died in infancy; George ; and Nettie E., who is the wife of Milton M. Wagner.
George Hemm was reared at Sidney and was educated in the parochial schools and afterward assisted his father in the nursery business, in which he is still interested. He and mother still own the old nursery farm of 135 acres, situated in Clinton township. They occupy the handsome residence on South Main avenue, which the older George Hemm erected in 1875, during a part of the year, but Mr. Hemm passes the winters in Florida and Houston county, Alabama, near Dothan, where he has property and banking interests. Mr. Hemm and his mother are members of the Catholic church. He is identified with the Elks and with several social organizations.
WILLIAM D. DAVIES, who, for twenty-seven years was a representative member of the bar at Sidney, O., was b0rn at Iowa City, Iowa, January 20, 1848, came to Sidney in 1875, and died in March, 1902. He was a son of David and Mary Davies, and a grandson of Thomas Davies, both natives of Wales. David Davies and wife had three children : Thomas; Sarah, who married Thomas Davies; and William D.
William D. Davies passed his early youth on his father's prairie farm. Later he attended the Iowa State University, read law for three years and in 1870 was admitted to the bar in Iowa City. Afterward, until 1875, he traveled for different railroads, then came to Sidney and purchased the office and business of Judge Thompson and continued in the active practice of the law in this city until his death. He made an honorable record and at different times was professionally identified with much important litigation.
Mr. Davies married Miss Isabelle Mathers, who was born at Mifflintown, Pa., a daughter of James and Amelia (Evans) Mathers, and a granddaughter of Gen. Lewis Evans, who was prominent both in military and professional life in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Davies had one sister and two brothers, namely : Margaret, who is the wife of Dr. L. E. Atkinson, of Mifflintown; Lewis E., who died in 1873 was cashier of the Citizens Bank at Sidney ; and Orlando Owen, now deceased, who was auditor of Shelby county for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Davies had one daughter, Amelia, whose young life cl0sed in her twentieth year, having survived her father but two years. Mr. Davies was a consistent member of the Congregational church all his life. He was an openhearted, broad minded man and had a wide circle of attached and admiring friends. He was a Knight Templar Mason.
A. W. DAVIS, postmaster at Jackson Center, O., to which office he was appointed in 1907 and has served with the greatest efficiency, was born at
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Jackson Center, Shelby county, 0., July 22, 1876, and is a son of I. L. and Mary L. Davis and a grandson of Luther and Jane Davis,
After completing the public school course at Jackson Center, A. W. Davis became a student at Alfred University, near Hornell, N. Y., but left college with the Third N. Y. Vol. Inf., to serve in the Spanish-American war and after his military service was over attended Bond Institute in New York City, graduating in 1904. He possesses a natural artistic taste and this led to his learning window trimming and he traveled over several states in professional work, but, owing to a fall received while so engaged, was obliged to give up that line of business. He then was in the employ of the Buckeye Clothing Company until he received his appointment as postmaster. He has always been a republican but has never accepted any other public position than the one he so acceptably fills. He has made many improvements both in the service and in his office equipments and Mrs. Davis is his very capable assistant.
Mr. Davis married Miss Florence Darnell, of Adrian, Mich., a daughter of William Darnell and a granddaughter of David Darnell, a pioneer of Jackson township. Mr. and Mrs. Davis have one daughter, Evelyn. He is identified with the Odd Fellows and the Masons, belonging to the blue lodge at Littleton, N. H., and the Royal Arch at Lisbon, N. H., this being the first state he became a citizen of after becoming of age. He also belongs to the Sons of Veterans at Atlantic City, N. J.
EDD McVAY,* a leading citizen of Sidney, 0., where he is engaged in the contracting business, has spent the larger part of his life in Shelby county and was born in Perry township, in the old log house in which his mother was also born, on his maternal grandfather's farm, March 14, 1864, and is a son of Lewis B. and Marian B. (Redinbough) McVay.
The McVay family is of Scotch-Irish extraction and from its earliest records has been a sturdy and long-lived one. At the time of death the ages of the paternal grandfather and his four brothers aggregated over 400 years. His name was James McVay and he came early to Shelby county and lived here into extreme old age, being within two years of the century mark at the time of decease. He probably was a native of Pickaway county, 0., and his occupation was farming. The name of his wife was Hannah Lamasters and she was of Welsh extraction. They had the following children : Rachel, who was the wife of A. A. Dunson; Jesse R., wh0 has been a resident Of Cass county, Neb., since the Civil war ; Louis B. ; Martha, who is the widow of John Cargill, resides at Port Jefferson, O.; James, who died in Salem township, was a farmer ; and Jane, who is the wife of Lewis Wills, a farmer in Salem township, Shelby county, near Maplewood.
Lewis B. McVay was born in Shelby county in 1839, on the old family homestead in Salem township. In his earlier years he was a butcher by trade but from 1868 until he retired he was engaged in building and has been a resident of Sidney for the past twenty-one years. He married Marian B. Redinbough, a daughter of David and Peggy (Lucas) Redinbough. Her father was of German parentage but was horn in Pennsylvania. Three of
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his children died early and of those who grew to maturity, Mrs. McVay is the only survivor. One brother, Solomon D., died at Piqua, O. One sister, Mary Ann, who was the wife of Thomas Eltington, died at Port Jefferson. To Louis B. McVay and wife seven children were born, the eldest of the family being Edd McVay, of Sidney. The next in order of birth, Frank Miller, is a molder by trade and a resident of Sidney. He married Catherine Dunn, who died in the fall of 1910. Anna Mary, the eldest daughter, is Mrs. Stiles, of Evansville, Ind. The four children next born all died in infancy: Kilty, James; Burney and Burley, the two last named being twins.
Edd McVay attended the country schools in Perry township and also had school advantages at Port Jefferson up to the age of fifteen years, at which time his father considered him old enough to learn a self-supporting trade and he became a butcher and followed that trade for many years. Since 1890, however, he has been engaged in a general contracting business. In politics he is a republican and is influential in local matters, a wide-awake and intelligent citizen, interested in all movements that tend to improve general conditions in this section. In January, 19, he entered upon his duties as a member of the board of public service, at Sidney, and continued until January, 1912. Mr. McVay has some other business interests and represents Shelby county for the Indiana & Ohio Livestock Insurance Company.
On May 2, 1889, Mr. McVay was married to Miss Lillian L. Cargill, who was born in Shelby county, a daughter of Oliver and Rosanna Cargill, residents of Jackson Center, O. Mr. and Mrs. McVay have had four children, two of whom are now deceased : Jessie, who lived but one year, and Willis C., who died in infancy. The two survivors are : Bessie, who graduated from the Sidney high school bearing off the highest honors of the class of 1911, and is now a student at the Miami University; and Louis O., wh0 is a student in the Sidney high school. Mr. McVay is quite prominent in fraternal circles and belongs to a number of the leading organizations. He is a member of Summit Lodge No. 50, Knights of Pythias, at Sidney; Sidney Lodge No. 6o, Odd Fellows; Osceola Encampment No. 63, Sidney ; Sidney Lodge of Elks No. 786; Helsherf Temple, D. O. K. K., No. 32, Sidney, and others.
JOHN F. AILES, who is one of the well known and representative men of Shelby county, owns and oversees his well improved farm of eighty acres situated in Jackson township, of which he has been a resident since he was three years of age. He was born in Franklin township, Shelby county, May 19, 1858, and is a son of Alfred and Melissa Jane (Young) Ailes, and a grandson of Moses H. Ailes. The father of Mr. Ailes is deceased and the mother resides with her son.
John F. Ailes was reared in Jackson township and received his education in the public schools and in the Southern Ohio University, Lebanon, O. For thirty-two years Mr. Ailes taught school, for thirty-one years in Jackson township and one year in Dinsmore township, devoting his energies entirely to his native county, but not confining himself exclusively to his educational
810 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
work. Mr. Ailes has very often been called into public life and to every position has devoted his best effort, For three years he served as deputy county auditor, for one year was deputy probate judge assisting Judge Hoskins, for eight years was clerk of Jackson township and for the same number of years has served as a member of the board of county school examiners, his last appointment being in September, 1912. In politics he is a democrat, of that school which prefers the doctrines of the fathers, based on the experience of the ages, to the untried theories of innovators. Mr. Ailes traces his family back to the founding of Philadelphia, through the following ancestry: Alfred Ailes, Moses H. Ailes, William Underwood Ailes, Stephen Ailes, and Stephen Ailes who came from Wales.
Mr. Ailes was married to Miss Lovina Drumm, who was born in Hardin county, 0., a daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Drumm, both 0f whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Ailes have four children : Melville, who is a physician and surgeon practicing at Garrettsville, 0.; Arlington, who is a physical at Jackson Center ; Sidney, who is a school teacher in Jackson township; and Helen, who lives at home. For twenty years Mr. Ailes has been identified with the order of Odd Fellows at Jackson Center and Sidney, for four years representing the thirty-seventh district of Ohio in the grand lodge.
JAMES W. CLANCEY, who is one of the well-known and highly respected retired residents of Shelby county, 0., has long been one of the heavy tax payers of Franklin township, where he still resides and owns land in the county aggregating 344 acres. Mr. Clancey was born March 4, 1836, in Green county, 0., and was brought to Shelby county when a babe of one year by his parents who were William and Rachel (Steele) Clancey.
William Clancey was born in Kentucky. He was a cooper by trade and a good workman but when the business was no longer profitable after factories began to make barrels and casks that formerly were entirely fashioned by hand, he turned his attention to farming and so spent the remainder of his life. He married Rachel Steele, who was born in Virginia and both died in Shelby county, James W. being their only child. They were members of the United Presbyterian church.
James W. Clancey attended the country schools and later the Union school at Sidney, and following his school days engaged in agricultural pursuits continuously until he retired from active labor, with the exception of tw0 years during which period he was in the grocery business at Sidney. He inherited eighty acres of his land and with that as a nucleus added tract after tract until he became one of the largest land owners in Franklin t0wnship. The main industry of his farm has always been the raising of crops, largely grain, there always being, however, en0ugh good stock every year to fully supply the home demand. Since he has retired, his son-in-law, S. W. Mead, operates the large farm and resides with Mr. Clancey.
In 1862, Mr. Clancey was married to Miss Malvina Shaw, who was born in Montgomery county, 0. and died in 1905, her burial being in Graceland cemetery, Sidney. Her parents were Thomas and Nancy (McDonald) Shaw,
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and they had children as follows : Malvina ; Margaret, who died young; Elizabeth, who is the wife of George McVay; Eliza, who is the wife of David Hume; and John C. To Mr. and Mrs. Clancey three children were born, namely: Capitola, who is the wife of J. A. Parker and they have two children —Clancey and Metta Marie; Nannie, who is the wife of S. M. Wead; and William S., who married Glenna Wead. In politics Mr. Clancey is a Republican.
WILLIAM T. McLEAN of the Slusser-McLean Scraper Company, was born in Sidney, March 16, 1852, and is the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth S. Taylor-McLean. His father was born in Shippensburg, Pa., March 9, 1821, and settled in Dayton, O., when it was a small village. His mother was born in Sidney, 0., October 4, 1826, and was the daughter of Jason and Sarah J. Skillen-Taylor. The first business experience of our subject was with Taylor. Brothers, hardware merchants, with whom he remained four years. From 1874 to 188o he was a traveling salesman for Crawford & Zellers, cracker manufacturers of Mansfield, 0. In the early part of 188o, he returned to Sidney and formed a partnership with Benjamin Slusser in the manufacture of wheeled and drag scrapers. From 1882 to 1884 he was manager and one-third owner of the Forest City Cracker Company, Cleveland, 0., alternating his time between the two cities.
Since May, 1891, he has been secretary of the state board of public works, and was recently appointed for the tenth time. He married Mary A. Slusser, daughter of Benjamin and Anne (Korns) Slusser, on May 21, 1874. Benjamin Slusser was born in Franklin township on June 6, 1828, and was the son of Jacob and Mary Woodsing-Slusser. Jacob Slusser was born in Pennsylvania, and was the fifteenth pioneer family in Shelby county. Anne Korns was born in Sidney, and was the daughter of Silas and Mary Austin-Korns. Anne Korns-Slusser died in 1868. Benjamin Slusser married for his second wife, Martha L. Armstrong. Mr. and Mrs. McLean have four children : Ben F. C.; Taylor T.; Bertha. J. and Frederick A.
Mr. McLean is high in the councils of Masonry, having received all the degrees to the thirty-second inclusive. He has been honored by promotion to the highest office in all the Masonic bodies of Sidney, and is at present the grand captain general of the Grand Commandery of Knights Templar of Ohio, and grand master of the Most Illustrious Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of Ohio. Mr. Slusser was also a member of Temperance Lodge, No. 73. Benjamin Slusser was the original inventor and patentee and manufacturer of road scrapers made from sheet steel, the pattern now so universally used by all manufacturers. The first scraper was made in Cincinnati in 1876. The following year he moved to. Sidney. These scrapers are household words with contractors, railroad graders, etc.
WILSON CAROTHERS, one of the proprietors of the Buckeye Churn Company is a native of Wyandot county, O., where he was born, July 20, 1855. His father, William Carothers, was born in 1814, and his mother,
812 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
Mary Jackson-Carothers, was born in 1818. His education was received in the schools of his
native country, where he remained on the farm till the age of nineteen when he began clerking in a drug store at Carey, O. In November, 1874, and in September, 1876, he bought the store where he was clerking, and continued to conduct .the drug business until 1891, when he sold out and moved to Sidney, O., and since that time has given his entire time to the business of the Buckeye Churn Company, of which he and James Anderson are the sole proprietors. This company was organized in 1887, at Carey, O., by Messrs. Anderson, Carothers and E. S. Denham, the latter selling out to the present proprietors. This company has been highly successful from the start, which is due to the present proprietors and their able management. On November 25, 1877, Mr. Carothers was married to Miss Emma J. Keller, who was born in Wyandot county, April 27, 1854. She received her education in the schools of that county. To this union have been born four boys, all of whom are living. Mr. Carothers is a supporter of the principles of the republican, party, and fraternally he belongs to the Masonic lodge. As a citizen and business man he ranks among the best in Sidney.
GEORGE M. BAKER,* who owns and operates the old Baker homestead of eighty-eight acres, situated in Washington township, Shelby county, O., was born on this farm in 1875 and is a son of Ephraim and Nancy (Cain) Baker.
Ephraim Baker was born also in Shelby county and spent forty-four years of his life on the above mentioned farm, doing the larger part of the clearing. In addition to farming and stock-raising, he also worked at the ice business for a time. His death occurred here in his seventy-fourth year. He married Nancy Cain, who came from West Virginia and they had the following children; Junie, Mrs. Flora Saunders, Albert, Leo, Franklin, George M., Mrs. Peter Higgins and M. L., the last named being a resident of North Dakota. The four survivors of the family include George M., M. L., Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Higgins.
After his school days were over Mr. Baker was engaged in a grocery business for some ten years. In 1908 he decided to turn his attention to farming and with this end in view bought the interests of the other heirs in the homestead and since then has been successfully carrying on general farming and stock-raising, cultivating his own land and an adjoining eighty acres.
Mr. Baker married Miss Adelle Filler and they have two children : William and Alfred. Mr. Baker and family are members of the United Brethren church at Lockington, O. Politically he is a republican and fraternally is identified with the Odd Fellows at Kirkwood and belongs to the encampment at Sidney.
JOSEPH KAISER, one of the representative men of Cynthian township, Shelby county, O., resides two and a •half miles south and one-half mile west of Fort Loramie, where he owns 136 acres of well improved, valuable land.
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He was born in Auglaize county, 0., northwest of Minster, December 26, 1858, and is a son of Theodore and Elizabeth (Stegemann) Kaiser.
Theodore and Elizabeth Kaiser, parents of Joseph Kaiser, were natives of Germany, he having been born in Hersbruck, Prussia, March 25, 1805, and Mrs. Kaiser at Handorf, Westphalen, March 19, 1822. Several years after his father died, Theodore Kaiser came to the United States with his mother and his brother, and the latter's family. They arrived in Glandorf, Putnam county, 0., August 14, 1836, where they stayed more than a year, then moved to Minster, Auglaize county, 0. Theodore Kaiser then helped to dig the Miami and Erie canal. Elizabeth Kaiser came to the United States with her parents, her grandmother, three sisters and one brother, in 1836. They passed through Cincinnati, 0., on their way to Minster, Auglaize county, and Elizabeth, with her next oldest sister remained in Cincinnati to work, as their parents were not financially able to take their whole family to Minster. They remained there a few years, then also moved to Minster where they gave their parents help on their rented farm. Theodore Kaiser was married at Minster to Elizabeth Stegemann, in 1840, and they made their home on a farm two and one-half miles northwest from Minster, 0., now in possession of their son, John Kaiser. At the time of their marriage, they had but a part of the farm as it now is, later adding to it until it consisted of TOO acres. They became parents of the following children : Henry; William; Bernard ; Mary ; Anna ; Mary; John; Joseph; Frank ; and Anton. Of these children : William and the two named Mary died in infancy and were buried in the St. Augustinus Catholic graveyard at Minster ; and Henry, who died on his farm about one and one-half miles northwest of Chickasaw, Mercer county, 0., January 29, 1892, aged forty-nine years, six months and twenty-seven days, and was buried in St. Sebastian's graveyard. Theodore Kaiser, father of the subject of this sketch, died on his farm, August 30, 1880, aged seventy- five years, four months and five days. His widow remained on the home farm a few years, then went to the home of her son, Frank Kaiser, about one and a half miles southeast from Sharpsburg, Darke county, 0., where she died on July 12, 1908, aged eighty-six years, three months and twenty-three days. Theodore Kaiser and his wife were laid to rest in St. Augustinus Catholic graveyard at Minster. They were good, wholesouled, kind-hearted people, and were devout members of the Catholic church at Minster. The mother of Theodore Kaiser, both parents of Elizabeth Kaiser and her grandmother also died in Minster, and were buried in St. Augustinus Catholic graveyard at that place.
Joseph Kaiser attended school in boyhood at Minster, 0., and afterward gave his father help on the farm. After the father's death, the mother, by will, gave the farm to her son Joseph, it being the farm he now owns in Cynthian township, his father having purchased the same before his death. It was partly improved at that time and its present owner has remodeled the farmhouse and repaired all the other farm buildings, making the place comfortable and attractive. All of his land is under cultivation except twenty-
814 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
eight acres yet in timber and, with all of it well watered by the canal and Loramie creek, he finds it well adapted to both crop and stock-raising.
Joseph Kaiser was united in marriage with Miss Mary Housfeld, February, 16, 1887, in St. Peter and St. Paulsis Catholic church at Newport, Shelby county, O., by Rev. Father Nicolous Poirey. Mary Housfeld was born July 7, 1865, near Minster, Auglaize county, O., and is a daughter of Joseph and Caroline Housfeld. Her parents were both natives of Auglaize county, O., he having been born in 1837 and his wife on January 28, 1846. He died on the farm on which lie was born, the date of his death being March II, 1881, when aged forty-four years, and he was buried in St. Augustinus Catholic graveyard. He was always a devout member of the Catholic church at Minster. Mr. and Mrs. Housfeld had the following children : John, Mary, Caroline, Joseph, Henry, Elizabeth, Bernard, Clemens and Rosa. Of these children, all survive except : Clemens, who died in infancy; John, who died in Cincinnati on September 4, 1900, aged thirty-six years, seven months and ten days; and Henry, who died at St. Mary's, 0., on November 25, 1912, aged forty-one years, eleven months and twenty-five days. The last named and Clemens were buried in St. Augustinus Catholic graveyard, and John was buried in a Catholic cemetery at Cincinnati, O.
Joseph and Mary Kaiser became parents of the following children : Cecelia, Elizabeth, Louis, Mary, Julia, Paulina, August, Amelia, Rosa and Emma. All were born on the home farm and all are living but August, who died June 1901, aged two years, five months and twenty-three days; and Amelia, who died December 3o, 1900, aged fourteen days. They were both buried in St. Michael's Catholic graveyard at Fort Loramie. Mr. Kaiser and. family belong to St. Michael's Catholic church at Ft. Loramie. Mr. Kaiser is a democrat.
P. F. VERDIER,* who resides on a part of the old homestead farm, having eighty acres of the same, situated nine miles southeast of Sidney, O., in Green township, was born on this place in 1877, and is a son of P. F. and Sarah E. (Hand) Verdier.
P. F. Verdier came to Shelby county from Clark county, 0., when a young man and entered this farm from the government, subsequently clearing a part of it. He engaged in farming and also taught school and music and became one of the best known men in this section. He lived to the age of eighty-one years his widow, who was formerly Sarah E. Hand, still surviving and making her home with her children, by whom she is much beloved. They were seven in number, namely : Mrs. Carrie Frazier, Mrs. Julia Worthington, Mrs. Martha H. Shaw, Mrs. Stella Watkins, P. F., Mrs. Laura M. White, and Cyrus O., who is deecased.
P. F. Verdier assisted his father on the home farm after his school days were over and has followed agricultural activities here ever since. The present substantial buildings replaced the ones erected in earlier days by his father, and in addition to making many other improvements, Mr. Verdier cleared twenty acres of the land and has made a fertile tract of it.
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Mr. Verdier married Miss Pearl Houser and they have two children : E. F. and J. Lucile. Mr. Verdier is a democrat in his political opinions.
H. B. DIRKSEN, one of the well-known citizens of Shelby county, O., who carries on general farming on his valuable property containing 120 acres, situated in section 4, McLean township, one mile south and two and one- half miles west of Mnister, O., was born in McLean township, December 31, 1851, and is a son of Herman and Elizabeth Dirksen.
Herman Dirksen and wife were both born and reared in Germany. He came to Minster, O., when a young man, where he married and lived for a time and then bought forty acres of land in Auglaize county. At a later date he sold his first farm and bought the farm of 12o acres on which his son now lives and here he died at the age of sixty-five years and his burial was in the Catholic cemetery at Minster, O. His wife had died in Auglaize county.
H. B. Dirksen was educated in the school district that was named in honor of his uncle, the late Bernard Dirksen, once a prominent man at Minster, O. His mother (lied when he was only twelve years old and he still remembers her with filial affection. He learned how to be a successful farmer from his father and in 1870 relieved his father of the responsibility of the farm and operated it for him until his death. He has continued here, making many improvements including the erection of the present substantial farm structures, and the draining and tiling that have served to sweeten his land and make it productive in the highest degree. He carries on all kinds of farm work and gives considerable attention to raising grain and cattle and hogs.
Mr. Dirksen married Miss Mary Horstman, who was born at Minster, O., September 8, 1857, a daughter of John Albert and Mary Horstman, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Dirksen have four children : John, Arnold, Celia and Katie. The family belongs to the Catholic church. In politics he has always been a democrat. He is an excellent citizen and has always taken a great interest in the public schools and served for eleven years as school director of the Dirksen special school district.
C. O. REDINBO,* whose excellent farm of sixty-four acres is situated six and one-half miles southeast of Sidney, Shelby county, O., is a well-known citizen of Orange township, in which he has spent almost all his life: He was born in 1866, in Bond county, Ill., and is a son of Aaron and Elizabeth (Voorhees) Redinbo.
Aaron Redinbo was born in Shelby county, O., where he attended school, grew to manhood and married and afterward moved to Bond county, Ill. From there he returned to Shelby county and located in Orange township, where his death occurred at the age of seventy-seven years. He married Elizabeth Voorhees, who was also born in Shelby county. Her death occurred on the present home farm, in 1887, when in her forty-sixth year. They had four children : Anna B., who resides with her brother; C. O.; Samuel R., who died young and a babe that died unnamed.
C. 0. Redinbo first attended school in his native state and completed his
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education in Shelby county. Afterward he assumed the agricultural responsibilities of the home farm and has continued here ever since. An intelligent farmer like Mr. Redinbo finds that Shelby county land can be made very productive and some very fine stock has also been raised on his place and for twelve years he has also grown tobacco.
Mr. Redinbo married Miss Nora Riley, who was born in Madison county, Ind., and they have three children : Iona E., who is the wife of A. G. Wheaton ; Frank C., who assists his father; and Victorine, who is equally useful to her mother. Mr. Redinbo has been identified with the republican party during his entire political life, but takes no very active part in campaigns, although any local agitation concerning the proper administration of law in order to make this a peaceable neighborhood, finds him wide awake and ready for responsibility.
WILLIAM MARION SNOW, a well-known citizen of Shelby county, who has given much attention to dealing in stock for many years, resides on his valuable farm of ninety acres, situated in section 22, Cynthian township, ten miles distant from Sidney. He was born in Miami county, 0., October 4, 1850, and was six years old when his parents, George and Nancy (Chrowel) Snow, brought him to Shelby county.
The parents of Mr. Snow were well-known people, living into old age in Shelby county, where the mother died in her seventy-fifth year and the father when aged eighty years. The father was born in Germany and came to America when aged seven years, and the mother was born in Virginia. They were members of the Dunkard or German Baptist church. Of their nine children, W. M. is the only survivor.
W, M. Snow obtained his educational training in the Hopewell special school district and then began work as a farmer on the farm he now owns. When thirty-two years old he began to buy stock, in associaiton with John Borger, and they continued together for nine years, Mr. Snow operating alone since then. His buying territory extends through Shelby, Darke, Auglaize and Miami counties and the volume of his business annually is very heavy.
Mr. Snow married Miss Henrietta Miller, who was born in Lancaster county, Pa., a daughter of
C. K. Miller, later of Cynthian township. 'Mr. and Mrs. Snow have no living children. They attend the Christian church. In politics Mr. Snow has always been a democrat and in the fall election of 1912 was elected to the office of county commissioner of Shelby county and will assume the duties of the same in September, 1913. Prior to this he has frequently been elected to public office, being a man of wide acquaintance and unquestioned popularity, and acceptably served two terms as a trustee of Cynthian township, in 1910 was land appraiser, and for two terms was treasurer of the Hopewell district school board.
ANTON RIETHMANN, who is one of the highly respected . and well informed citizens of McLean township, Shelby. county, Ohio, and for four successive years president of the Deiter Special School District, resides in
PAGE - 817 - PICTURE OF WILLIAM MARION SNOW
PAGE - 818 - BLANK
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section 19, on one of his two farms, which together aggregate eighty-two acres. He was born in Germany, November 28, 1848, and lived in his own land through his school period, after which he determined to seek his fortune in America.
It was in 1866 that Mr. Riethmann reached the United States and made his way to Auglaize county, Ohio, and for some years he made his home at or near Minster. In 1872 he settled on the farm which he has occupied ever since, his first work being the clearing of thirty-eight acres and this was followed by ditching, draining and tiling, all of his property being under cultivation with the exception of about ten acres which is covered with valuable timber. He carries on a general farming line and is one of the township's solid and substantial men. Through his own efforts he has acquired property and through his sterling character has gained the respect and confidence of his neighbors. In these days every progressive community is very anxious to give school privileges to its children and is pretty careful in selecting those who have the management of this matter, and that Mr. Reithmann for so long a period kept his place at the head of the educational board, speaks well for the value placed on his services by his fellow citizens.
Mr. Reithmann was married to Miss Mary Sohmann, who was born in Auglaize county, a daughter of H. H. Sohmann, of McLean township, Shelby county. They have had the following children born to them : Anna, Mary, Henry, Frank, Elizabeth, Josephine, Joseph, Frances, Regina and an infant daughter, now deceased. Mr. Reithmann and family are members of St. Augustus Roman Catholic church at Minster. In politics he is a Democrat.
J. C. ELDREDGE, V. S.,* who, for thirty-five years has been engaged in the practice of his profession and is one of the best known citizens of Shelby county, Ohio, resides on his well improved farm of ten acres, which is situated six and one-half miles southeast of Sidney, Ohio. He was born in Orange township, Shelby county, on his father's farm, two and three-fourths miles west of the one he owns, and is a son of John and Margaret (Line) Eldredge.
John Eldredge was born in Virginia and was nine years old when his parents came to Shelby county among the pioneers. John Eldredge was a farmer and also a veterinary surgeon while living on his farm in Shelby county, after which he spent three years at DeGraff, Ohio, and the last ten years of his life at Piqua, Ohio. He married Margaret Line, who died in middle age, the mother of seven children, namely: Henry, who died in infancy; Jonathan and Elijah, both of whom are deceased; Mrs. Isenberger, who lives at Dayton, Ohio; J. C.; Shelby E., who lives in Orange township, Shelby county; and Zelola, who is deceased.
Until he was seventeen years old, J. C. Eldredge attended the district schools during the winter seasons, assisting on the farm in the summers. His father's professional duties became so heavy at this time that the youth frequently was called on to help and in this way began to learn the science to which a large part of his subsequent life was devoted. When he was con-
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sidered competent, the father of Dr. Eldredge placed much confidence in him, giving him a part of his territory and for many years they worked together. Dr. Eldredge learned practical surgery from his father and has been a student of works written on all subjects pertaining to veterinary science and keeps thoroughly informed concerning his profession. He is considered one of the most skillful veterinary surgeons in all this section and his practice covers a wide territory. He has made all the improvements on his property and has a very comfortable home.
Dr. Eldredge was married to Miss Laura A. Linn, daughter of Adam Linn, a representative of one of the old county families, and six children have been born to them, as follows : Mrs. Flora Robbins, Clyde T., Walter Jeson, Mrs. Jennie Denise, Mrs. Hattie Harbaugh, and Forest. Since 1862 Dr. Eldredge has been a member of the Baptist church. Although not identified with any political party he is an interested and active citizen and when he casts his vote it is for a candidate thoroughly approved by his own judgment.
HENRY BAMBAUER, deceased, whose well improved farm of 120 acres is situated in Van Buren township, Shelby county, Ohio, four and one- half miles northwest of Botkins, was a well known and respected citizen. His son, Henry A. Bambauer, was born on this farm in 1874 and has spent his life here. The latter is a son of Henry and Barbara (Paul) Bambauer.
Henry Bambauer was born in Germany and after coming to the United States located in Ohio and subsequently was married at New Bremen. A family of eleven children was born to this marriage, three of whom, John, Peter and Mary, are deceased. The record of the others is as follows Henry A.; Edwin F., who lives three and one-half miles west of Botkins, married Matilda Kuck; Harvey H. married Bertha Langebrake, who died May 12, 1912; Callie, who is the wife of Henry Valentine and they live in Auglaize county; Rosina, who is the wife of Edward Geib, of Van Buren township; Ida, who is the wife of Julius Stine, of Sidney; Minnie, who is the wife of Frank Mauer, of Sidney ; and Bertha, who is the wife of Lafayette Melter, of Lima, Ohio. The father of the above family died in 1906. The mother, who was born in 1845, still survives.
Henry A. Bambauer attended the public schools and from boyhood has been interested in agricultural pursuits. He carries on general farming and stock raising and has given considerable attention to the improving of this place. He married Miss Ida Tangeman, a daughter of Herman and Elizabeth Tangeman, natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Bambauer have had two children, Viola and Homer, the latter of whom died in infancy. Mrs. Bambauer had two brothers and one sister : Theodore, who married Maude Stone of New Bremen, and they reside at Wapakoneta, where he is prosecuting attorney; George, who lives at Junction City, Kansas, married Mae Dike; and Lida, who died when aged twenty-two years. Mr. Bambauer and family belong to the active membership of the Lutheran church and he formerly held the office of deacon in the same.
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HARRY COTTERMAN,* one of the respected citizens and prosperous agriculturists of Dinsmore township, Shelby county, Ohio, whose well improved farm of eighty acres lies two miles northwest of Anna, Ohio, was born in Paulding county, Ohio, in 1888, and is a son of
Henry and Almaretta (Beck) Cotterman. Harry Cotterman is one of a family of seven children, the other members being : Judson, who lives in Miami county, Ohio; Rudolph, who lives in Dinsmore township, Shelby county; Effie, who lives at Bradford, Shelby county; Arthur, who is in business in Michigan; Jessie, who resides with her brother Harry; and Carl, who has always lived in Dinsmore township.
Harry Cotterman secured a common school education. With the exception of two years, during which he was employed at Anna, Ohio, Mr. Cotter- man has devoted all his mature life to agricultural pursuits and these he carries on according to modern methods and has been signally successful, On December 23, 1911, Mr. Cotterman was married.
MARTIN LACEY, who has been a resident of Sidney, Ohio, since 1866, now lives retired in his very comfortable residence at No. 431 South Ohio siavenue, was born November 11, 1830, at Knockscamolin, County Wexford, Ireland, and is a son of James and Mary Lacey.
Martin Lacey was seven years old when brought to the United States and he attended the public schools at Cincinnati, Ohio. He afterward learned the machinist trade, his instructor being Morris Greenwood, an early manufacturer there of fire engines. Mr. Lacey continued to work at his trade in Cincinnati for fifteen years, when he came to Sidney, where he went to work in a sawmill and became a manufacturer of chairs, later established a small factory and conducted this business for about seven years. Mr. Lacey then began to do some building and erected about twelve houses at Sidney, they being on his own property and he still owns and rents them, they occupying the old site of his sawmill. He also was in the grocery trade for about twenty years, retiring from the same in 1900. Mr. Lacey is a well known and highly respected citizen and during his long business career was noted for his sterling honesty.
At Sidney, April 17, 1869, Mr. Lacey was married to Miss Annie Harrison, who was born in this city, a daughter of John Harrison, who left Ohio in her infancy and in 1849 started for California and died on the plains while on the way. Mrs. Lacey was adopted by a childless resident of Sidney and this city has always been her home. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lacey : Mayme; Bertha, who is the wife of John McNeff, of Lima, and they have one child, Mary Margaret ; Dorothy, who died in 1898, when aged twenty-two years; and Jessie, who died in 1890, when aged eleven years. Mr. Lacey has never been very active in politics, although always a good and mindful citizen in a quiet way, and has usually cast his vote with the Republican party.
LOUIS KAH, JR., who is second vice-president of the Shelby County Building and Loan Association, at Sidney, Ohio, and a director of the same
822 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
and practically its first promoter, belongs to one of the stable old families of the county, of German extraction. He was born on a farm in Dinsmore township, Shelby county, ten miles north of Sidney, Ohio, September 21, 1855, and is a son of George and Dorothy (Zimpfer) Kah.
George Kah and wife were born in Germany and the latter was only three years old when her parents came to the United States and located sixteen miles east of Columbus, Ohio. When she was eight years old they came to Shelby county and settled on land east of Anna, where her father, Jacob Zimpfer, secured land. Mrs. Kah still survives, but Mr. Lab died at Sidney, to which place they moved in 1864, and there he carried on a shoe business until the close of his life.
Louis Kah, Jr., attended the public schools of Sidney and afterward assisted his uncle, Louis Kah, Sr., for whom he was named, in conducting a general store at Anna. After returning to Sidney and finding no business opening that was satisfactory, he accepted a position as bookkeeper in a town in Georgia, where he remained for two years when he again returned to his home in Sidney. Here, in 188o, he embarked in the tin and hardware line in which he continued for nine years, in the meanwhile becoming interested in the electric lighting business. His enterprise and public spirit induced himsi to purchase a site across the river where he installed an electric light and water plant, in 1900, which was of the greatest utility and was known under his name. Mr. Kah subsequently sold the same to the Sidney Electric Light Company, since which time he has been somewhat retired. It was largely through his efforts that the business men of Sidney became interested in the papers to secure subscribers. The company was organized in December, organization of the building and loan company which has developed into so important a business factor here, Mr. Kah personally presenting the first 1895, and began business in the Metcalf building, removing in 1901 to a fine modern structure of their own.
In 1876 Mr. Lab was married to Miss Alfaretta E. Anderson, who is a daughter of William. H. Anderson, of Sidney, and they have six children, namely : Harland Edward, who is connected in a business way with the Sidney Building and Loan Association; Ralph C., who is assistant secretary of the above organization; Julia ; Carrie, who is the wife of R. M. Moore, lives in Tennessee ; William H., who is a watchmaker by trade ; and D. C., whose business interests are connected with wall paper at Sidney. Mr. Kah is a leading member of the Sidney Commercial Club.
C. E. WATKINS,* a general farmer and representative citizen of Green township, Shelby county, Ohio, managing and operating the old Verdier homestead of eighty acres, was born in Miami county, Ohio, near Piqua, and is a son of Asbury and Rebecca (Moon) Watkins.
Asbury Watkins was well known in several counties for he not only was a recognized preacher in the Christian church but was also a farmer and for many years practiced veterinary surgery. His death occurred on his homestead, May Jo, 1882, at the age of sixty-three years. His marriage was
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with Rebecca (Moon) Chapman, widow of Nathan Chapman. His widow and three children survive, C. E. being the second in order of birth. An older brother, E. A., lives at Albany, Missouri, and a younger, E. H., resides in Ohio, a farmer in Champaign county.
C. E. Watkins obtained his educational training in Miami county, after which he followed farming on the homestead until after his marriage. Since then, with the exception of four years spent in Tennessee, he has resided in Green township, taking charge of his mother-in-law's farm in 1910. General farming is carried on here including crop and stock raising.
Mr. Watkins married Miss Mary Estella Verdier and they have four children : Veva, Dale, Clyde and Ethel. The family belongs to the Christian church. In his political affiliations Mr. Watkins is a Republican.
HERBERT R. McVAY, the efficient superintendent of the Sidney schools, was born in Athens county, Ohio, the day that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, April 14, 1865.
His parents were Wallace Webster McVay and Anna McCune McVay. His grandparents and great-grandparents on both sides came from Pennsylvania and settled in Athens county in the early part of the 19th century. Both branches of the family were of Scotch Irish descent of the Calvinistic faith and were ever among the social and religious leaders of their respective communities.
When fifteen years of age the subject of this sketch moved with his parents and four sisters from the farm which had been his birthplace and that of his father to Athens, the county seat as well as the seat of Ohio University. Here he and his sisters attended the public schools and in time all graduated from the university, Mr. McVay with two degrees, that of Bachelor of Philosophy and of Pedagogy. He afterward did post graduate work in the University of Chicago, and has just finished a course in pedagogy in Columbia University for he is in truth a progressive and is ambitious to keep abreast of the times.
Before taking up the supervision of schools he worked in the office of the county newspaper, read law, taught in the county schools and was a teacher in the Athens County Children's Home. His work as superintendent comprised one year at Frazeyshurg, six years at Somerset and Reading townships, four years at Washington, C. H., whence he came to Sidney in 1902.
Mr. McVay has not stagnated in the vacation times for he taught in the summer schools at Miami University in 1907 and 1908 ; has been a lecturer in Teachers' Institutes, an active member of the National Educational Association whose meetings he always attends, President of the Ohio Teachers' Association and of the Ohio Superintendents' Round Table. He is Past Chancellor Commander of the Knights of Pythias, member of the lodge of Elks and belongs to the Beta Theta Pi College fraternity, a prominent member of the Sidney Commercial Club and a Presbyterian in faith.
824 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
Professor McVay is a teacher by native inclination and has brought to his work an unusual amount of power. He is unceasing in his efforts to train and stimulate his teachers and his hobby is the teaching of pedagogy and the study of child nature. He has succeeded in making the Sidney schools a social center by interesting the parents in the work of the children and has been rewarded with the longest term of service of any survivor of the Sidney schools. He has seen the enrollment of the Sidney high school increase more than one hundred per cent since his coming and has largely contributed to its taking first rank among the schools of the state which means that the school holds membership in the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, and that such schools accept its graduates without examination. This rank is given by the State Commissioner of Schools for a generally accepted standard of excellence.
Mr. McVay was married at Somerset, Ohio, August 20, 1898, to Miss Dora J. Scott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Scott, and lives in a tasteful home on Walnut avenue. He has three children, Martin Scott, born June 2, Two; Mary Elizabeth, May 3, 1905; and Dorothy Ann, July 18, 1907.
Mrs. McVay's grandparents came from Maryland and Pennsylvania and were among the founders of the village of Somerset and Perry county and donated four hundred acres of land on which was established the Dominican convent of St. Josephs. Her grandfather, Dettoe, erected in Somerset a building in 1817 in which he established a dry-goods store. His son-in-law, Martin Scott, took up the business in 1843 and continued it in the same room until his death in 1895. When Mr. Howe, author of Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio, made his second trips over the state revising his work in 1888, he stated that Mr. Scott's was the most remarkable business career in the entire commonwealth. No other resident of the state could be found who had for so long a time, fifty-two years, changed neither his business nor location. It was in this store that little Phil Sheridan clerked when a boy and it was through Mr. Scott's efforts in his behalf that he was recommended by the Congressman of that district, General Ritchie, to an appointment at West Point.
The magnificent high school building, now in course of erection, is largely due to the efforts of Mr. McVay who worked first to secure the splendid site and then to get through the $100,000 bond issue to build the school.
LOUIS H. SCHNELLE,* one of the representative citizens of Turtle Creek tOWnship, Shelby county, Ohio, who owns eighty acres of well cultivated land situated in this township, was born October 15, 1866, in Van Buren township, Shelby county, and is a son of Christopher and Elizabeth (Ruese) Schnelle.
Christopher Schnelle was born in Germany and came to America as a young man. The larger part of his subsequent life was spent in Ohio, where he married and reared his family and for many years carried on farming in Van Buren township, Shelby county, where he died. His widow still resides on the old homestead. They were early and liberal supporters of the
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Lutheran church. Their family consisted of the following children : Henry, who is deceased; William; Minnie, who is the wife of Henry Soloman; Anna, who is deceased, was the wife of Henry Brandt; Louis H.; Elvina, who is deceased, was the wife of William Soloman; and August.
Louis H. Schnelle attended the district schools in his boyhood and afterward remained at home working on the farm for his father until he was twenty-nine years of age and then bought the farm he now occupies. Here he made many changes, his improvements including the building of substantial barns and the erection of the handsome brick residence, which has many modern comforts and conveniences. He carries on a general farming line and raises stock for his own use. All his industries are in a prosperous condition and Mr. Schnelle is numbered with the thrifty and judicious farmers of this section.
In December, 1895, Mr. Schnelle was married to Miss Elizabeth Soloman, who was born in Shelby county and is a daughter of Herman and Caroline (Whipling) Soloman, whose other children were : Henry, William, Louis and Theodore; Mary, widow of August Egbert ; Anna, wife of Henry Oberwith; Louisa, wife of August Schwabero ; and Emma, wife of Henry Schoe. Mr. and Mrs. Schnelle have three children: Caroline, Eliza and Marie. The family belongs to the Lutheran church. In politics Mr. Schnelle is a sound democrat and has served one term as road superintendent and has always taken an interest in the public schools.
LEWIS HOHN, who is one of the well known and highly respected citizens of Clinton township, now living retired and in the enjoyment of the ease won by many years 0f persistent industry, has been a resident of Shelby county since 1852 but his birth took place August 13, 1827, in Montgomery county, Ohio. His parents were Daniel and Mary (Gebhart) Hohn.
Daniel Hohn was born in Maryland and was six years old when his parents brought him to Ohio, and he was reared on one of the pioneer farms of that early period and farming was his occupation through life. When he reached manhood the Whig party was a force in politics and he became a member of it, but in his later years was a democrat in his views. He married Mary Gebhart, who was born in Pennsylvania, no doubt of German parentage, and was but one year old when the family came to Ohio, where her subsequent life was spent. They had three children : Lewis, Elias and Lorette, the last named being the wife of John J. Stetler. The family belonged to the Lutheran church.
Lewis Hohn had but meager educational advantages, partly because his father needed his help at home and also because in his boyhood not much provision had yet been made for the schooling of the children, a few months in the winter seasons being all they could expect in the way of instruction. He then settled down as a farmer, spending his summers in cultivating the land and his winters in the forests chopping cord-wood. When he came first to Shelby county he settled in Turtle Creek township and lived there for twenty-five years, where he owned sixty acres of land. In 1877 he bought
826 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
the farm on which he still lives, in Clinton township, and retained his other farm until 1903, when he sold it and in later years rented out his present one, his tenant carrying on a general farming line here and raising enough stock for home use only.
Mr. Hohn was married first in 1849, to Miss Mary Straus, who died October 6, 1892, the mother of the following children : Mary, who is the widow of John A. Russell ; William; Franklin L.; and Malinda, who is the wife of Michael Albert King. Mr. Hohn was married (second) on May 12, 1898, to Miss Louisa Tridle, who was born in Miami county, Ohio, but was reared in Shelby county, a daughter of John and Harriet (Yinger) Tridle. Mr. and Mrs. Tridle had the following children : Corwin, Margaret, Louisa, Elmer, Aaron, Elnathan, Yinger and George. Mr. and Mrs. Hohn are members of the Presbyterian church. He has always voted the democratic ticket and continues his interest in public affairs. During his long life he has witnessed many changes and can recall many very interesting events of past days concerning the old families and the settlement of the county.
G. A. POPE,* postmaster at Lockington, 0., and proprietor of the leading general store here, has been identified with the interests of this place ever since he has been in business. He was born in 1871 in Cynthian township, one mile north of Dawson, Shelby county, O., and is a son of George W. and Mary (Hughes) Pope, both now deceased.
George W. Pope was born in New Jersey and was a young man when he came to Ohio, and for many years was a farmer in Cynthian township, Shelby county. His death occurred at Dawson, O., in 1906, when he was aged seventy-two years. He was married first to Mary Hughes, who was the mother of six children : William, Charles, E. C., Cora A., G. A. and Lulu. The second marriage was to Mrs. Mary Brown.
G. A. Pope attended the public schools in Shelby county and in 1891 was a student at Ada, 0. In 1898 he embarked in business at Lockington and gradually has increased the scope of his mercantile interests until they include a full line of merchandise, and the volume of buiness done amounts to $15,000 annually. Since 1906 Mr. Pope has been postmaster and is a satisfactory public official. He has frequently been elected to local offices on the republican ticket and at present is the only republican serving on the school board.
Mr. Pope married Miss Daisy M. Wegley and they have three children : Cloyd, Ethel and Leona. The family belongs to the United Brethren church. He is identified with several fraternal organizations both at Lockington and Piqua, 0.
HENRY KUETHER, proprietor of the Sidney Dairy, at Sidney, 0., one of the large and successful business enterprises of Shelby county, owns 120 acres of fine land in Clinton township and eighty acres in Turtle Creek township and keeps about fifty head of Shorthorn and Polled Durham cattle.
PAGE - 827 - HENRY KUETHER AND FAMILY
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 827
He was born in Auglaize county, O., January 6, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Angeline (Shumacher) Kuether.
The parents of Mr. Kuether were born in Germany and came to America when young and were married in Ohio. They were farming people in Auglaize county and were devout members of the Catholic church. Of their children, Henry was the first born, the others being : Caroline, who is the wife of William Kovermann; Catherine, who is the wife of Charles Broermann; Rosa, who is the wife of John Suter ; John; Anthony ; and Josephine, who is the wife of Henry Voskuhl.
When he was thirteen years of age, Henry Kuether left school and began work for his father on the home farm and remained there until he was thirty years old and then came to Shelby county. His first purchase of land was a tract of eighty acres, to which he added another eighty, afterward forty acres. In addition to carrying on general farming and raising stock for his own use, Mr. Kuether operates his large dairy, as before mentioned, making a daily shipment of fifty gallons of milk to Sidney, where he disposes of it wholesale. He is one of the enterprising business men of this section, paying careful attention to his own affairs and prospering accordingly.
In February, 189i, Mr. Kuether was married to Miss Mary Winover, who was born in Mercer county, O., a daughter of Henry and Anna (Hubert) Winover, who were farming people in Mercer and Henry counties. They had seven children : Mary, Martin, Geard, John, Anna, Elizabeth and Rosa. To Mr. and Mrs. Kuether three children have been born : Henry, Rosa and Anna. The family belongs to the Catholic church at Sidney. In politics Mr. Kuether is a democrat.
JOHN OLDHAM, attorney at law, a well-known and representative citizen of Sidney, O., where he has numerous business interests, was born here, October 28, 1882, and is a son of David and Sarah E. (Everett) Oldham. The father of Mr. Oldham was born in 1854, in Miami county, O., and now resides on his farm in Clinton township, Shelby county, while he maintains his law office at Sidney. The mother of Mr. Oldham was born at Sidney, a (laughter of Grosvenor Everett. The four survivors of the family of six children are : Harry; who is a law practitioner ; John; Robert, who is a resident of Dayton, O., and Mary Ethel, who lives with her parents.
John Oldham was reared at Sidney and after his graduation from the Sidney high school in 1900, entered the Ohio State University at Columbus, where he passed the year 1904-05 in the law department, having had two years of previous study under his father, and was admitted to the bar in 1905. For two years afterward he was associated with his father in the practice of law, For a short period he was in the collection business but in February, 1907, he embarked, with Harry Bennett, in the realty and loan business. His present responsibilities, membership in the firm of John Oldham & Co., dealers in real estate, and official position with the Oldham-Bennett Realty Company, as secretary and treasurer, indicate his high commercial standing. In 1912 the Oldham-Bennett Realty Company was incorporated with a capital of
828 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
$40,000, with Milton Bennett as president ; Elmer D. Kiser as vice-president ; John Oldham as secretary and treasurer ; and H. E. Bennett as general manager. The company handles both city and country real estate ; owns a ten- acre gravel pit; makes its own building material, manufacturing cement blocks, brick, etc; erects its own houses and also deals in gravel and sand. at the present time furnishing these materials for the construction of the new high school building in course of erection at Sidney. As a business man in the full sense of the word, Mr. Oldham has displayed energy and foresight, while in a purely professional way he has met with flattering success.
Mr. Oldham married Miss Rose Bretches, a daughter of Samuel Bretches, a retired farmer of Shelby county, and they have one son, Ralph.
ALBERT J. FOSNIGHT,* whose valuable farm of 155 acres lies in Turtle Creek township, Shelby county, O., is one of the well-known men of this section, a successful farmer and enterprising, intelligent and thoughtful citizen. He was born in Van Buren township, Shelby county, June 6, 1862, and is a son of Absalom and Sarah Layton (Cotterell) Fosnight. The father, a native of Clark county, 0., was a farmer all his life and both he and his wife died in Van Buren township. They had the following children : Henry; Albert J.; and Anna, who married Joseph Ellis and after his death married Joseph Reed.
In the public schools of Van Buren township, Albert J. Fosnight pursued his studies until fifteen years of age, in the meanwhile assisting his father on the home farm. At that time the father died and Albert J. and his elder brother assumed the responsibilities and together they operated the farm until the former was twenty-three years old, when he took entire charge and carried on farming operations until his marriage, when he purchased the interests of the other heirs. Later he sold the homestead and then spent four years engaged in farming in Oklahoma and after his return to Shelby county bought his present farm in Turtle Creek township. He raises grain and other products that do well in this climate and- also enough stock for home use. Mr. Fosnight thoroughly understands everything pertaining to successful agriculture and his methods are those which ensure success.
In 1882 Mr. Fosnight was married to Miss Sarah Jane Feree, who was born in Shelby county, a daughter of Jeremiah and Lena (Staley) Feree. Mrs. Fosnight has two brothers, Grant and Joseph. To Mr. and Mrs. Fos- night the following children have been born : Clara, who is the wife of Clyde McClure; Frank, who married Alma Hensel ; Edna, who is the wife of
Lafayette Verdier, her first husband having been Frank Nead; Charles;
Chloe, who is the wife of John Reed; Lulu, who is the wife of Wayne Baker : and Lottie, John, Dessie and Clarence. In his views on public questions Mr Fosnight is very broad minded and is identified with the socialist party.
FRED J. RUSSELL, whose numerous and important business interests have made him widely known, is a member of the firm of Russell & Blake. and with his partners, John M. Blake and F. M. Sayre, owns and operates
PAGE - 829 - FRED J. RUSSELL AND FAMILY
PAGE - 830 - BLANK
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 831
The Farmers Grain & Milling Company, of Sidney, O. He was born in Clinton township, Shelby county, O., February 16, 1872, and is a son of Moses J. and Martha E. (Beck) Russell.
Moses J. Russell was a prominent citizen of Clinton township and a large landowner, having farms aggregating 420 acres. He was born in that township and spent his entire life there, dying February 17, 1903, a son of Joshua Russell, one of the early pioneers. Moses J. Russell married Martha E. Beck, who was born in Turtle Creek township and died December 19, 1911, her father, Edward Beck, having been one of the earliest settlers in that township.
Fred J. Russell was reared on the home farm in Clinton township and in boyhood attended the country schools and later the Sidney high school. Until he entered into his present business, on January 22, 1912, Mr. Russell devoted the larger part of his time to agricultural pursuits and still maintains his home on his farm of 120 acres, in Clinton township. Also, with John M. Blake, he owns eighty acres more, also situated in Clinton township, and, with the same party, is the owner of the Farmers Feed & Sales Stables. The Farmers Grain & Milling Company manufactures the Triumph brand of flour, and also handles grain, seed, salt, coal, cement, plaster, hay, tile and straw, each partner attending to a specific end of the business, Mr. Russell being the grain man, Mr. Blake the flour man, while Mr. Sayre, who is secretary and treasurer, attends the office business, each partner being particularly well fitted through experience for his special duties. They are members of one family, being brothers-in-law.
Mr. Russell married Miss Caddie D. McClure, of Turtle Creek township, a daughter of William A. and Loretta McClure, substantial farming people of that section, and three children have been born to this marriage : Daisy, Frances. and James Mack. In politics Mr. Russell has been a consistent republican since he became a voter and for two years served in the important office of chairman of the republican county committee. He is president of the board of education of Clinton township and is also serving in the 0ffice of road supervisor.
WALTER E. FRETZ,* senior member of the firm of Fretz & Lininger, dealers in furniture and undertakers, with quarters in the Ames building, Sidney, O., is one of the representative business men of this place and as a citizen is reliable, interested and useful. He was born at Garrett, in DeKalb county, Ind., March 18, 1882, and is a son of George and Eva Fretz, his father being now a retired farmer.
Walter E. Fretz spent his early years on the home farm and in the country schools prepared for college and later graduated from the Tri-State Normal College at Angola, Ind. Following the termination of his educational period he taught school for about five terms during the winter seasons, in the summers paying some attention to undertaking, after which he entered the Barnes School of Anatomy and Sanitary Science and Embalming, at Chicago, from which standard school he received his diploma as an embalmer in 1904.
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He resided at Garrett and at Auburn prior to accepting the position of manager of a large undertaking establishment at Kokomo, Ind., where he remained for three years, and from there came to Sidney, October 8, 1908, where he purchased the interests of the Mentges Brothers, the oldest undertaking firm in the county. Here Mr. Fretz associated himself with Mr. Lininger and since August 3, 1910, they have added dealing in furniture to the undertaking business. Mr. Lininger is also a graduate of the Barnes School and prior to entering into partnership with Mr. Fretz, was a member of the firm of Daily & Lininger, at New Holland, 0.
In June, 1906, Mr. Fretz was married to Miss Pearl Daniels, of Waterloo, Ind., and they have one son, Robert L. Mr. Fretz belongs to some 0rganizations pertaining exclusively to his business and is also identified with the Knights of Pythias.
JOHN F. WENGER, who lives on his well-cultivated farm of 170 acres, which lies in Dinsmore township, Shelby county, 0., three miles north and one mile west of Anna, 0., was born here July 14, 1869, and is a son of George and Caroline (Bartch) Wenger, who had also three daughters: Louisa, Mary and Caroline, all of whom live in Dinsmore township. Louisa married William Zengler ; Mary married Philip Staley ; and Caroline is the widow of William F. Kali.
After his, school days John F. Wenger remained at home and helped his father, being the only son, and succeeded to the homestead. He has taken a great deal of interest in his various activities here and has spent time and money in improvements, erecting a handsome residence and substantial barns, tiling his land, fencing it and, where necessary, enriching the soil. He carries on his operations with marked success, adopting modern methods and making use of the latest improved machinery. Although a busy man with his own affairs, Mr. Wenger is also mindful of public needs and for the past eight years has served as a member of the school board, elected to this office on the democratic ticket.
Mr. Wenger married Miss Margaret Bridweiser, who is a daughter of John and Barbara Bridweiser, natives of Ohio, of German ancestry, and additionally they had one more daughter, Carrie, and three sons : John, Charles and Louis. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wenger, namely : Myrta V., Louella, Bessie, Minnie, Della, Clyde and Orville W., all of whom still live at home, a pleasant, happy family group. They are kind, neighborly, hospitable people and it is pleasant to be privileged to know them.
W. 0. PENCE,* a well-known resident and successful general farmer of Shelby county, lives on his well-improved farm of forty acres which lies seven and one-half miles southeast of Sidney. He was born in Champaign county, 0., in 1876, and is a son of Frederick and Elizabeth (Blackford) Pence.
Frederick Pence belongs to a family that settled early in Champaign county, 0. During the Civil war he enlisted from there and after his honor-
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 833
able period of military service returned to Champaign county and became a farmer but has been a resident of Shelby county for many years and now lives retired at Pasco. He married Elizabeth Blackford and the following children were born to them : Mary Jane, Rhoda Ann, Delilah, Russell, William O., Emma Jane, Minnie Ruth, Naome, Frederick, Hattie, Harry, a babe that died in infancy and all the others survive with the exception of Mary Jane and Russell.
William O. Pence was educated in the public schools and afterward assisted on the home farm and in other sections 0f the county engaged in farm industries until his marriage, when he settled 0n the farm he now owns, on Which he carries on a general line of agriculture. He is an industrious, capable farmer and so manages his land and stock that both prove profitable.
Mr. Pence married Miss Alma A. Moore, a daughter of George W. Moore, an old settler of Shelby county, and they have two children : Della and Forrest, aged respectively twenty and eighteen years. In his political views Mr. Pence is a democrat and once served his township in the office of road supervisor but otherwise has accepted no public office.
HUGH B. SLOAN, who is a representative business man of Hardin, O., where he conducts a first class general store, was born in Washington township, Shelby county, O., August 13, 1863, and is a son of William H. and Letitia (Miller) Sloan.
William H. Sloan was born in Pickaway county, O. By-trade he was a shoemaker and for many years he followed the same. At the time of death he lived near Piqua, O., and his burial was in Swift Run cemetery. After some years his widOW married James Chambers and when she died her burial also was in Swift Run cemetery. Four children were born to her first marriage : Washington M., Isaiah P., William J., and Hugh B, who is the only one living.
Hugh B. Sloan attended the public schools through boyhood and afterward was engaged as a farmer until 1896, when he embarked in a general store business at Hardin Station, where he continued for three years. He sold that store and then started into the implement business at Sidney but in 1901 came to Hardin, where he opened up a general store which he has continued ever since. He carries a large and well-selected stock and as his mercantile experience covers a long period he has a wide circle of well-satisfied customers. Mr. Sloan is not married but resides with a foster sister. He is treasurer of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hardin and is also a member of its board of trustees, Politically he is a republican and fraternally is connected with the Odd Fellows at Sidney, O.
WILLIAM WATT LAUGHLIN,* who is a well-known resident of Turtle Creek township and one of the three heirs to a valuable farm of 160 acres, was born in Logan county, O., in 1871, and is a son of John M. and Jennie (Leapley) Laughlin. The father was a farmer and also a carpenter. The mother still resides on the old home farm but the father died on May
834 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
5, 1911. The family consisted of but two sons : William Watt and Arthur, the latter of whom lives in Washington township.
William Watt Laughlin had excellent educational advantages, after completing the common school course going to the Northern Ohio University at Ada and remaining a student there for several terms. He then returned to the home farm, on which the family has lived since he was seven years old, and practically assumed charge, relieving his father and since the latter's death has managed all the industries for himself, mother and brother. He raises an excellent grade of stock but not more than is needed for home use, and devotes his land to general farming.
In politics Mr. Laughlin is a democrat and exerts considerable influence in local affairs. He served two terms as township assessor and is serving in his second term as township trustee. Mr. Laughlin is known as an honest, intelligent and upright man and good citizen. With his mother he attends the Methodist Episcopal church. His only fraternal connection is with the Knights of the Golden Eagle.
ANDREW J. HESS, son of Andrew and Mary (Berger) Hess, was born at Columbus, 0., September 23, 1864. In 1873 he came to live on a farm near Sidney and attended the country schools in the winter seasons until sixteen years old, when he began and for four years continued to teach schools in the western and northern parts of the county. On September 23, 1884, he was married to Belle Gray, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Grove) Gray of Botkins, 0. Three sons, Royon Gray, Harry K., and Percy A., and four daughters, Bertha, Zoe, Margaret and Dorothy, constitute an unbroken family circle. In October, 1884, he entered the law department of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and was admitted to the bar of Ohio March 5, 1885, since which time he has continuously practiced law at Sidney. His law practice has been general and varied, but largely in the fields of corporation and financial interests and affairs, his clients including many corporations and railways, banks and financial institutions. He has been distinctly active in the development of the industrial industries of the town and is a stockholder in and director of many corporations. As member of the board of education and school examiner he has served his community and to the general advancement in education and culture he has contributed by his efforts. With S. L. Wicoff and S. J. Hatfield he founded and built the Childrens' Home under a commission from the Hon. John E. Richie as common pleas judge. He has held no political office except the minor position of member of the state executive committee of the republican party. To this party he had always given his support and has worked for its policies. He is a Presbyterian, deeply attached to and proud of the history and quality of his sect, but with a broad charity for all men and for all religi0us faiths. His abilities and conscientiousness as a lawyer have been generally recognized in his section of the state and in his profession he has found sufficient room for effort and reward.
PAGE - 835 - PICTURE OF ANDREW J. HESS
PAGE - 836 - BLANK
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 835
JOHN M. KLASE,* one of the well-known and busy men of Loramie township, Shelby county, O., who not only carries on farming but also is in the general contracting line, was born in Darke county, O., May 23, 1864, and was reared and educated there.
John M. Klase continued to live in his native county until he was twenty- six years old, when he married and came to Shelby county and settled on his present finely improved farm of eighty acres and with the exception of one year passed at Versailles, O., when he conducted a butcher shop, he has resided here. This land is particularly well adapted to raising stock and Mr. Klase pays considerable attention to that profitable industry. He is a general contractor in brick and cement work and in this line does a very considerable amount of business annually. He takes only a good citizen's interest in politics, keeping thoroughly posted but not desiring office for himself, and always votes the democratic ticket. His farm is easily reached on account of its favorable location, lying three miles southwest of Houston.
Mr. Klase married Miss Lizzie A. Johnston, who was born and reared in Loramie township, and they have four children : James, Joseph, Leonard and Mary. Mr. Klase belongs to the Odd Fellow's lodge at Greenville and to the encampment at Sidney, O.
MILTON VALENTINE, a highly respected retired farmer of Orange township, Shelby county, O., who resides on his valuable farm of 127 acres, was born on this place, July 27, 1844, and is a son of David Valentine, and a grandson of Daniel Valentine, who was born in New Jersey. He came to Shelby county in 1809, being the fourth settler in the territory now included in the county, entering land from the government and occupying it for many years. His death occurred, however, at Lockington, while he was visiting a son.
David Valentine was born on the land above mentioned and lived on the old homestead until he was twenty-six years of age, when he purchased the farm in Orange township which belongs to his son, Milton Valentine. He died on the old home place at the age of fifty-seven years, having bought it from the other heirs and moved back there. He married Nancy Cecil. who survived into her eightieth year and they had eight children, the three survivors being : John H., who lives at Piqua ; Cynthia A., who lives at Salem, Ore.; and Milton.
Milton Valentine passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, having the usual country boy's duties and attending the district schools. Afterward he worked for six years for his father on his farm -north of Hardin, and then returned to the place on which he was born and has continued here ever since. The larger part of the substantial improving was done after he took charge. Mr. Valentine was an active and successful farmer for many years but now has the place rented out and justifiably takes life easy, having formerly been a very busy man. In politics he is a republican and served for two terms as justice of the peace, satisfactorily to all concerned.
Mr. Valentine was married to Matilda Meyers, in early manhood, who
836 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
died without issue. His second marriage was with Mary Deye, who was born near Houston. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Lockington, 0.
CHARLES C. MARSHALL,* a foremost member of the bar of Sidney, 0., and special counsel to the attorney-general of Ohio, at Columbus, is numbered with the forceful men of Shelby county, one who through natural ability, trained faculties and thoroughly aroused public spirit, is assisting in making history in his native state. He was born at Sidney, 0., April 9, 1876, and is a son of Armstrong Logan and Margaret (Walker) Marshall.
Charles C. Marshall is well known to the people of Sidney for here he grew to manh0od, attending the city schools and graduating from the Sidney high school in the class of 1895. In the fall of the above year he entered the Ohio State University, from which he was graduated in the spring of 1898, immediately afterward showing his faith and loyal interest in his native place by choosing it as the scene of his professional labors. His professional ability was early recognized and he has been a prominent figure in many of the legal controversies arising in the courts of Shelby county. In November, 1906, he was elected prosecuting attorney of Shelby county, in which resp0nsible office he displayed such firmness and unerring judgment that he was re-elected and served out two terms. In political faith a democrat, Mr. Marshall has long been an important factor in the councils of his party in Ohio and at present is an influential member of the Ohio state democratic executive committee. He has been active and useful in civic life, cherishing high ideals and having the courage to espouse reformatory measures even when, at times, they may be to some degree unpopular. For some years he has been a member of the board of county school examiners.
At Sidney, 0., on May 19, 1903, Mr. Marshall was married to Miss Alma F. Wagner, who is a daughter of John and Mary A. Wagner, the former of whom is deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall have two children : Mary M. and John Logan. Mr. Marshall is identified with several fraternal 0rganizations, including the Red Men, the Knights of Pythias and the Elks and in the last named body for two terms served as district deputy for northwestern Ohio.
GEORGE M. WYATT,* general farmer and stock raiser, who successfully carries on his industries on his valuable tract of sixty-one acres, situated in section 33, Cynthian township, two miles north of Dawson, 0., was born in Loramie township, Shelby county, 0., December 21, 1871, and is a son of J. M. and Mary Catherine (Green) Wyatt.
George M. Wyatt obtained his education in the public schools, attending mainly the West Jefferson school in Loramie township, and afterward assisted his father, who is now deceased. He has given almost his entire attention ever since to farming and stock raising and has proved that agriculture, properly carried on, is a profitable business in Shelby county. For ten years
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 837
following his marriage he remained on the old homestead in Loramie township and then came to his present well-improved place.
George M. Wyatt married Miss Mary R. Huffman, who was born in the western part of Loramie township, a daughter of William W. and Harriet (Edwards) Huffman, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wyatt have one daughter, May Laura, who is a student in the Oran special school district. Mr. Wyatt has been treasurer of the board of education of this district since January, 1912. He is a democrat in politics and served three terms in the office of road supervisor while living in Loramie township. He is one of the solid and reliable citizens of this part of Shelby county.
JOHN LENGERICH,* general farmer and representative citizen of Cynthian township, Shelby county, O., where he owns fifty-four acres of fine land, lying in section 19, three miles south of Fort L0ramie, was born near Minster, in Auglaize county, O., September 6, 1867, and remained in his native county until he was twelve years old.
Prior to coming to Fort Loramie in 1879, Mr. Lengerich had attended school at Minster and afterward completed his education under the teaching of L. Notis and thus secured a very fair knowledge of books. He then worked as a farm hand for C. B. Danbrison & Son seven years, and afterward was engaged in farm work for seventeen years in Mercer, Darke and Shelby counties, and came to his present place in 1910. Here he has expended considerable money in making excellent improvements, including the draining and tiling of his land and thereby has probably almost doubled its original value. He carries on general farming and raises stock for his own use.
Mr. Lengerich was married at Cincinnati, O., to Miss Frances Brockamp, who was born in Shelby county, O., a daughter of Bernard Brockamp, and the following children have been born to them : Bernard, George, Catherine, Lorena, Laurence, Clara, John, Marie, Louis and Edward, the last two named being deceased. Mr. Lengerich and family are members of SS. Peter and Paul Catholic church at Wynant, O. In national matters Mr. Lengerich votes with the democratic party but in local affairs he is independent. He is an interested citizen in all that concerns the welfare of his section and since January, 1912, has been a member of the board of education of the Basinburg special school district.
LEWIS W. BAKER, who for many years has been a prominent citizen of Salem township, now lives in c0mfortable retirement at Maplewood but retains possession of several valuable tracts of land. He was born in Perry township, Shelby county, O., November 14, 1859, and is a son of William and Elizabeth (Laudenback) Baker.
William Baker was born in Clark county, O., in 1815 and his wife was born in Champaign county, O. In 1842 he moved on the farm in Perry township, Shelby county, which Lewis W. Baker now owns. He and wife died at the home of this son, their burial being at Port Jefferson. They had the following children : Daniel; J0nas; Sarah J., wife of Peter Hartman;
838 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
Mary E., wife of Enos Wagner ; Margaret, wife of William Gilfillen ; Martin A.; Allen and Lewis W. The parents were members of the Baptist church. The father was a democrat in politics and his sons are of the same political faith.
Lewis W. Baker secured a district school education, attending regularly in the winter seasons until he reached manhood. He then gave his father assistance until 1893, remaining on the homestead until then alth0ugh as early as 1879 he had commenced to work for himself. When his father first settled on the farm in Perry township he had 120 acres but he continued to invest in land until he had 235 acres, the extent of the present farm which is now the property of Lewis W. Baker, by inheritance. He owns also a farm of 120 acres in Jackson township, which he bought from William Hogan, and he the present farm which is now the preperty of Lewis W. Baker, by inheritance owns a third tract, containing twenty acres, which lies on the edge of Maplewood, on which he resides.
In December, 1878, Mr. Baker was married to Miss Julia E. Booze, who was born in Allen county, O., and was eight years old when her parents, Hezekiah and Mary Catherine (Hill) Booze, brought her to Shelby county. They were natives of Pennsylvania. The father of Mrs. Baker died in Oklahoma and the mother in Shelby county, her burial being in Pleasant Hill cemetery. They had the following children : John and Uriah ; Maria E., wife of George Kirtley ; Julia E.; Martha, wife of William Warner ; and Christian, Hezekiah, Lewis and Thomas.
To Mr. and Mrs. Baker two children were born : Emory E., who married Lavina Young, and they have four children—Wildie, Harold, Carl and Ralph ; and Edna, who is the wife of John J. Drury, and they have one daughter, Beulah. Mr. Baker and family belong to the Disciples church. Among his business interests in his ownership of stock in the Haviland Grain & Hay Company of Haviland, 0., and he is also a stockholder and director of the First National Bank of Jackson Center. While never anxious to hold political office, he consented to serve two terms as t0wnship treasurer of Salem township and his interest in the public schools caused him to remain on the sch0ol board for twelve years. He has always been a man of social instincts and qualities and enjoys his membership with the Knights of Pythias, attending the Maplewood lodge of this order.
JOHN F. GRISEZ,* general farmer and carpenter, who resides in section 15, Cynthian township, Shelby county, O., where he owns forty-five acres of excellent land, was born in Darke county, 0., January 8, 1876, and is a son of Frank and Mary Grisez. The father was born in France and the mother in Ohio and there were seven children in the family.
John F. Grisez was six years old when his parents brought him to Shelby county and he attended school at Sidney and afterward learned the carpenter trade. He resided at Dayton, 0., until 1907, following his trade and then came to Cynthian township, Shelby county, and purchased the farm he now occupies. The buildings on the place required to be remodeled before they
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satisfied Mr. Grisez and he has done other improving and now has all his land, with the exception of five acres in timber, under fine cultivation.
Mr. Grisez married Miss Clara Stifel, who was born in Darke county on a farm that adjoined that of his father, and is a daughter of John Stifel. While residing at Dayton, Mr. and Mrs. Grisez had three children born t0 them : Henry, Louis and Anna, and after coming to the farm tw0 daughters were born, Bertha and Margaret. Mr. Grisez and family belong to SS. Peter and Paul Catholic church at Newport, O. A stanch democrat, Mr. Grisez has frequently been elected to positions of responsibility by his party and served one term as road supervisor and for five years has been a member of the board of education of the Grisez special school district, of which, at present, he is clerk, this district having been named in honor of his family.
JAMES H. RHODEHAMEL,* one of the representative men of Cynthian township, Shelby county, O., who has been president of the board of education of the Forest special school district, resides on his excellent farm situated in section 34, on the township line, one mile northeast of Daws0n, O. He was born at Greenville, in Darke county, O., April 12, 1855, and was one month old when brought to Cynthian township by his parents, Jacob and Mary J. (Hauser) Rhodehamel.
Jacob Rhodehamel was born and reared at Piqua, O., and was married in Miami county to Mary J. Hauser, who was born in Cynthian township, Shelby county, and is now a 'resident of Sidney, O. To this marriage ten children were born, as follows : Mary Elizabeth, Margaret Jane, Eliza Ann, Josephine, William, James, Laura Belle, Lilly E., Charles B. and Ida M., all surviving except William. After marriage Jacob Rhodehamel and wife moved to Illinois, and while living there he enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Company E, 75th Ill. Vol. Inf., and was killed in battle, in May, 1863, and his burial was in an orchard adjoining the scene of strife. His widow then returned to Cynthian township with her children and they were mainly reared in Shelby county. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as was her husband.
James H. Rhodehamel attended school in Cynthian township until old enough to be self-supporting and ever since has devoted himself to farm pursuits, including farming, stock raising and threshing. His farm is valuable both as to fertility and location and he is numbered with the prosperous agriculturists of this section.
Mr. Rhodehamel was married to Malvina Cornell, who was born in Orange township, Shelby county, O., a daughter of Harvey and Rosanna Cornell, and to them the following children have been born : Lily M., Harry L., Sadie, Cora E., Grace M., Charles D., Chester O., James Clifford and Homer Forest. The family belongs to the Christian church at Oran, O. In politics Mr. Rhodehamel has been a republican since attaining manhood, but has never been willing to serve in any public office except one connected with educational matters and in his present position is careful, active and honest, and the efficiency of the schools in this district proves that their interests are looked after with good judgment.
840 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
CHRISTIAN SHELLENBARGER, who is one of Jackson township's most respected and reliable citizens, for twenty years, with the exception of an interval of three years, a member of the board of education, is a stock- raiser and farmer, owning 400 acres of fine land. His home farm in Jackson township, contains 16o acres, while his farm in Dinsmore township contains 240 acres, this being the farm on which he was reared. He was born in Wittenberg, Germany, September 9, 1845, and was six years old when his parents settled in Jackson township, where they died. During the great Civil war, John Shellenbarger, father of Christian, served in the l0th Ohio battery. He was an old German military man and his previous army experiences had taught him much about warfare.
From the age of eight years, Christian Shellenbarger lived with strangers, being then bound out to George Reynolds, where he found a good home and kind treatment and remained with Mr. Reynolds until his marriage, when aged twenty-four years. He then located in Dinsmore township, west of Montra, 0., three-fourths miles distant from Mr. Reynolds' farm, purchasing eighty acres, and lived there until after the birth of his fourth child, when he moved to Jackson township and after the birth of another child, his first wife died, aged thirty-seven years. Mr. Shellenbarger has lived in Jackson township ever since the fall of 1882. His 400 acres of land have all been improved except thirty acres in Jackson and forty acres in Dinsmore township and in large degree the work of improving has all been done by Mr. Shellenbarger. While he carries on general farming very successfully, he has always been more interested in raising thoroughbred cattle and all kinds of stock, giving particular attention to Shorthorn cattle, Chester White hogs, Shropshire sheep and Hambletonian and Percheron draft horses. Mr. Shellenbarger attends to his own farm industries in Jackson township, while his son Arthur operates the farm in Dinsmore township. Mr. Shellenbarger is a stockholder in the Snider-Poole Company store of which he was the owner for 0ne and a half years and then sold to the Snider-Poole Company. He also is a stockholder and a director of the Decatur-Springfield Electric railway. Politically a democrat, he has been loyal to his party and effective as a citizen, and has served on several occasions as road supervisor and three terms as township trustee.
Mr. Shellenbarger was married first to Miss Anna K. Foster, who was born in Clark county, 0., but was reared in Jackson township. Her parents were 'William C. and Mary (Smith) Foster. Five children were born to this marriage : George 0., Emma F., Mary C., Arthur C. and William E. His second marriage was to Miss Amanda Taylor, a daughter of John and Margaret Taylor, the former of whom was horn at Harrisburg, while his wife was a native of North Carolina. They came to Shelby county in 1832 and found one log house representing the settlement of Sidney. Mr. Taylor entered land in Dinsmore township, and found Indians plentiful but they were kindly treated at his log cabin and continued harmless. He died when aged eighty-one years and his wife at the age of seventy-nine years and they were buried in Wesley Chapel cemetery. Of their eleven children, six stir-
PAGE - 841 - PICTURE OF MR AND MRS CHRISTIAN SHELLENBARGER
PAGE - 842 - PICTURE OF SAMUEL J. DUNCAN
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vive and three live in Shelby county. Mr. Shellenbarger and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church at Jackson Center and for many years he was a church official.
WILLIAM D. SANDERSON, V. S.,* proprietor of Sanderson's Veterinary Hospital, together with livery and feed stables, at Sidney, O., is a trained professional man and one who has a wide reputation through Shelby county. He was born at Toronto, Canada, April 30, 1877, and is a son of Rickman and Dina (Smith) Sanderson.
The father of Doctor Sanderson was born in Yorkshire, England, and the mother in Scotland, and they were married in Canada. He was a graduate of the celebrated veterinary college of Edinburgh, Scotland, and practiced during many years of his life in Canada, where his death occurred in 1896.
William D. Sanderson was prictically reared in his present profession, beginning to assist his father when a boy, and later was graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College at Toronto, in the class of Ig0 1, subsequently taking a post graduate course in 1908-09, at McKillip's Veterinary College, at Chicago, Ill. Immediately after his first graduation he located at Sidney, which is his main field of work, although he practices all over this county and is called also to Miami, Darke and Champaign counties. For nine years prior to purchasing his livery and feed barns, lie had conducted a hospital on East Poplar street, but in 19 II he moved to his present location. He keeps his automobile ready for use in urgent cases when time is a factor. He is a scientific and successful practitioner.
Doctor Sanderson was married at Sidney to Miss Matilda Kaser, a daughter of Jacob Kaser. He belongs t0 the Ohio Veterinary Association and is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Knights of Khorassan.
S. J. DUNCAN, one of the leading and substantial citizens 0f Orange township, whose farm of 240 acres is one of the most valuable properties in this section, was born in Orange township, now Kirkwood, O., August 26, 1863. His father, Thomas Duncan, who now lives in comfortable retirement, having reached the age of eighty years, came to Shelby county in early manhood and during all his active life followed farming.
S. J. Duncan has been engaged in farming and stock raising ever since leaving school, beginning on the home farm and afterward coming t0 his present one, on which he has done a large amount of improving. It requires considerable practical knowledge and a large measure of good judgment to successfully operate as large an estate as that owned by Mr. Duncan. Not only is he numbered with the prosperous agriculturists, but he has long been considered one of the township's representative men in public affairs and has served with the greatest efficiency as turnpike superintendent and as township treasurer.
Mr. Duncan was married to Miss Minnie McIntosh, who is a daughter of William McIntosh, one of the substantial farmers of this county, and they have two children : Anna, who married Clyde Portoff, and Pansy. Mr. Dun-
844 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
can and family are members of the Baptist church. He has always been identified with the democratic party.
C. J. WINEMILLER,* dealer in groceries, meats and country produce, on the corner of Park and Oak streets, Sidney, O., is a merchant of many years' experience and is one of the representative business men of this city. He was born on a farm in McLean township, Shelby county, 0., June 1873, and is a son of George and Dorothy (Hook) Winemiller, and a grandson of Jacob Winemiller, who came from Germany and was an early settler in Shelby county.
C. J. Winemiller was reared on his father's farm and attended the public schools of McLean township. Other members of the family became farmers but he chose school teaching for his business and for eight years taught very successfully in McLean, Cynthian, Turtle Creek and Van Buren townships, all through which sections he still has many friends. He then embarked in a mercantile business, although for three more years he continued to teach, and also managed his store and was postmaster at Uno, in Turtle Creek township. When the rural mail routes were established many of the smaller postoffices were abolished, Uno being one of these, and in December, 1907, Mr. Winemiller came to Sidney, where he found a wider business field. He carries a large and well-selected stock and enjoys a liberal amount of patronage.
Mr. Winemiller was married to Miss Carrie Markley, who was born and reared in Turtle Creek township, a (laughter of John and Kate Markley, and they have one son, Carl. Mr. Winemiller is identified with the fraternal order of the Woodmen of the World and belongs to both branches of Odd Fellowship. He has never been active in politics but may always be f0und among the citizens who stand for law and order and for civic betterment.
ARTHUR SILVER, M. D.,* physician and surgeon, who is one of the younger members of his profession at Sidney, 0., succeeding his eminent father, was born at Sidney, June 19, 1880, and is a son of Dr. David R. and Jennie E. (Fry) Silver. For many years Dr. David R. Silver, whose death occurred December 8, 1911, was prominent in both business and professional life in Shelby county.
Arthur Silver attended the public schools in his native city and was graduated from the Sidney high school in the class of 1899 and then entered Miami University, where he secured his degree of A. B., graduating in 1904. He then became a student of medicine in the Medical College of Ohio, where he was most creditably graduated four years later. For eighteen months he served as an interne in the City Hospital of Cincinnati, afterward becoming assistant to the celebrated Dr. H. J. Whitacre, a noted surgeon of Cincinnati. The death of his father called the young physician home and he has ever since been engaged in a general practice at Sidney. He is a member of the Shelby County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association and keeps thoroughly informed concerning the wonderful developments that are taking place in his science. He is
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identified with the Masonic fraternity and retains college membership in the Beta Theta Pi, the Nu Sigma and the Nu Medical organizations.
DANIEL RUNKLE, president of the Farmers & Merchants Bank Company of Anna, O., is one of the capitalists and representative men of this section of Ohio and for many years has been also extensively interested in farming and cattle raising in Auglaize county. He was born on a farm in Fairfield county, O., March 24, 1846, and is a son of George and Mary (Ware) Runkle, who came to Ohio from Pennsylvania.
Daniel Runkle remained on his father's farm in Green township until he was twenty-one years of age and then took charge of a farm of 120 acres, a gift from his father, situated in Auglaize county, where he continued to reside until 1907, when he came to Anna. From the age of twenty-four years he engaged in raising fine cattle and in this industry was known all over this part of the state, having added to his land at times and still owns three farms, aggregating 360 acres. The Farmers & Merchants Bank Company of Anna, O., was incorporated in 1907, under the laws of the state of Ohio, with a capital of $25,000, with the following officers : Daniel Runkle, president ; R. D. Mede, vice-president, and J. W. A. Fridley, cashier. The directors at that time were Daniel Runkle, president ; R. D. Curtner, cashier ; Geo. D. Fridley, vice-president; W. C. Heinrich and E. M. Martin. In 1910 the directorate was raised to seven members. The board of directors for 1912 was as follows : R. D. Mede, Daniel Runkle, C. C. Toland, George C. Schiff, William Runkle, E. M. Martin (not sworn in), and J. W. A. Fridley, all men of ample fortune and thoroughly representative of this section's best interests.
Daniel Runkle married Miss Mary D. Lusk and they have two sons, William McKendry, who is dead, and George Albert, who remains on the homestead in Auglaize county. Mr. Runkle is a broad-minded, liberal man and he was welcomed to Anna as a valuable addition to the town's citizenship. He is identified with the Masonic fraternity and belongs also to the Royal Arcanum.
CHARLES WINNER,* president of the board of education of the special school district in McLean township, Shelby county, O., resides in section 3, McLean township, on the east side of the road, where twenty-seven acres of his farm of 127 acres lies, and he was born in this township, December 4, 1857. His parents are Anton and Caroline Winner.
Anton Winner, who is now retired and residing on his farm of 140 acres, situated in section 5, McLean township, was born in Oldenburg, Germany, November 3, 1833, and was brought to America when one year old by his parents, Frank and Catherine Winner. They settled in the southeastern part of Auglaize county, O., on a tract of 120 acres of woods, and afterward much clearing was d0ne and on that place Frank Winner died, at the age of forty-five years. His widow lived for many years afterward, dying in her seventy-second year. They were faithful Catholics and his burial was at
846 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
Minster, 0., while hers was in Egypt cemetery. Anton Winner lived at home until he was twenty-one years old and then married Caroline Hoying, and they had the following children : Charles, Fred, Kate, Henry, Joseph, Clement, Mary and Anton, the last named dying in his fourth year. After marriage Anton Winner and wife settled on a farm of 120 acres which he had to clear before he could improve it and now has all under cultivation except about twenty acres of wood land. He bought this property of Henry Rolves and for many years carried on general farming and stock raising but has now retired. His wife died in her seventy-second year and her burial was in St. Joseph's Catholic cemetery.
Charles Winner was studious as a boy and attended school in the Dirksen special school district and also in Jackson township in Auglaize county, afterward carrying on farming on the home place until his marriage, when he came to his present farm, all of which he has placed under a fine state of cultivation except twenty acres that he has preserved in valuable trees. With the exception of the residence, which had been built in the previous year, Mr. Winner erected all the substantial buildings on the property and is justly proud of what he has succeeded in accomplishing in twenty-eight years, taking as it did, a vast amount of hard work and considerable exercise of patience and good judgment. In addition to raising grain and other farm products, Mr. Winner gives attention to livestock and always has a sufficient number of cattle and hogs on his place.
Mr. Winner married Miss Catherine Burns, a daughter of Herman and Mary Burns, all of McLean township, and they have had six children, all of whom survive except the second, Denia, who died at the age of five years, the others being : Anton, Annie, John, Emma and Alice. Mr. Winner and family belong to St. Joseph's Catholic church at Egypt. In politics he is a democrat but has never accepted any public office, except membership on the school board, and for seven years he has served continuously in the Walkey special school district, and by appointment has two more years to serve as president of this body. Mr. Winner is one of the representative and useful men of McLean township.
J. W. BROWN,* who is one of the intelligent men and successful farmers of Loramie township, Shelby county, 0., owning 130 acres of well-developed land, ninety of which lie in the Greenwood special school district, of which he is a valued official, was born near Gettysburg, Darke county, 0., June 24, 1877, and is a son of Reuben and Anna Brown, who are highly respected retired residents of Versailles, 0.
J. W. Brown was nine years old when his parents came to Loramie township, Shelby county, and he completed his education in the Greenwood special school district. He entered into business as a farm hand, working by the month, and then for one year raised tobacco, and after this experiment embarked in agricultural activities for himself and has so continued. He devotes his land to general farming and m0derate stock raising and is num-
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bered with the prosperous and contented farmers of this part of Shelby county.
On September 14, 1899, Mr. Brown was married to Miss Hulda J. Apple, who was born also in Loramie township and is a daughter of ,Henry A. Apple, one of the old and well-known citizens and wealthy men of the township. On this farm the three children of Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born : Erma Eleanor, Goldie Irene and Mary Henrietta. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are members of the Lutheran church. In politics he has always been a democrat but has never accepted any public office except membership on the school board, his first experience being when he served for two years, filling out the unexpired term of John Boyd, after which he was elected for a period of four years, which ensures his service on this body until 1916.
JOHN WILLIAM RAUSENBERGER, one of Shelby county's well- known and highly respected citizens, is numbered with the substantial and reliable men of Perry township, where he owns two valuable farms, one of 149 acres and the other of 162 acres. He is also a stockholder in the Ralston Car Company of Columbus. He is a native of Champaign county, where he was born in 1856, the son of John M. and Dora (Rexer) Rausenberger, who came to this country in 1844.
John M. Rausenberger was born in Wittenberg, Germany, August 6, 1819, where he attended school and was apprenticed at the age of fourteen to a butcher. At that time this meant serving two years without pay or, to be accurate, John had to pay forty dollars to his master for his training. His faithfulness was rewarded in being allowed to buy and sell stock for his employer and thus he saved enough to buy his own clothes. After nine years as a journeyman in Porcheim, Frankfort-on-the-Main, and Antwerp, he set sail from Rotterdam, Holland, and after a voyage of forty-eight days, landed in Baltimore with two dollars in his pocket, which after three years' work he increased to $850.
This sum being sufficient in those early days for a matrimonial venture, he married Miss Dorothy Rexer, a native of Malmsheim, Germany, and came to Logan county, in 1848, where Mrs. Rausenberger had an uncle living.
An enterprising farmer, with careful investments, Mr. Rausenberger succeeded in accumulating considerable land and raised a family of six children : George J., born in January, 1850, married Laura Mohr and died January 17, 1903, leaving four children; Andrew J., born in March, 1852, married Mary Detrick, died March 30, 1900, survived by three children; Catherine, the next born, who became the wife of John Ziegler, died, leaving one child; John W., the subject of this sketch, born February 1, 1856; Sarah C., the wife of Upton Moore, who survived her husband with three children; Dorothea, now Mrs. Samuel Huber of Logan county, who has four children. The mother died January 25, 1902, living to be eighty-two years of age. After his family left home Mr. Rausenberger disposed of his farm and is spending the declining years of his life with his daughter, Mrs. Moore, at Degraff, O., honored for a life of ninety-three years well spent. He was a liberal supporter of the Lutheran church and an ardent democrat in politics.
848 - HISTORY OF SHELBY COUNTY
John William Rausenberger attended the district schools, assisted his father in his business enterprises until 1883, when he married Miss Emma Huber, March 11, and brought his bride to a farm in Perry township, bought of Adam Grep in 1882, which has been his home ever since. Five children were born in this household, one of whom, born February 5, 1889, died in infancy. The others are : Florence Henrietta, born June 13, 1884; Ada, November 4, 1890; Sarah Anna, July 10, 1892 ; and George H., born November 22, 1896. Like his father, Mr. Rausenberger is a democrat of the Jacksonian type, though never an office holder, and an ingrained Lutheran, his family being worshipers of St. John's Evangelical congregation in Sidney.
The father of Mrs. J. W. Rausenberger, George Huber, was born in Wittenberg, Germany, May 10, 1825. After working at various occupations, he set sail for America and landed in New York, May 28, 1846, with only a few dollars. He engaged in the milling business in Pennsylvania, and, in 1849, married Henrietta Schwilke of Lancaster, and in 1853 came to Logan county, 0., where he now resides on a farm in Union township. Twelve children were born to this union, eight of whom reached maturity and are living in Shelby and Logan counties. Those living are : Lewis; Samuel; Emma Catherine; Sophia ; Anna, now Mrs. E. C. Hurst ; Andrew and Daniel. Mrs. Huber died August 20, 1886. Mr. Huber has been a successful farmer, honorable in his dealings, and is now living with his daughter, Sophia, at the age of four score and seven years. Both were Lutherans, but united with the Church of the Brethren in Logan county.
CHARLES F. YAGER,* one of the old and reliable business men of Sidney, 0., who has been identified with carriage and buggy manufacturing, including painting and blacksmithing, for forty-five years, is at the head of one of the most important manufacturing plants of this city. He was born at Middleboro, Elkhart county, Ind., October 2, 1849, and is a son of Clark and Margaret Ellen (Linn) Yager.
Clark Yager was a miller and in his son's infancy moved from Indiana to Three Rivers, Mich., where he took charge of the Three Rivers House, where a good business was done for several years, the railroad line being built through there at that time. He removed from there to Carrolton, 0., where he operated a mill for a few years and later conducted one in Wapakoneta, and from there went to New Hampshire and there operated both a saw and grist mill until the fall of 1861, when he came to Shelby county and took charge of what is now the Miami Valley Grain & Mill Company's mill, and brought his family here in the following year.
Charles F. Yager was thirteen years of age when the family came from New Hampshire to Shelby county, old enough to give his father assistance in his mill, the old Walker mill south of Sidney. He then learned his trade, including body and wheel making and for twenty years after worked for H. Miller. There are few men now in the business who understand its every detail like Mr. Yager and he attributes much of his business success to his practical knowledge. He carries on the manufacture of buggies and carriages,