Butler County, Ohio - Chapter 6, 1905 (part 11 of 18)

In the district schools of his native county Dr. Lane acquired a knowledge of the fundamental branches of learning, this training being afterwards supplemented by a full course in the Middletown high school, from which institution he was graduated in the year 1883. Later he accompanied his parents upon their removal to the city of Troy and shortly after locating at that place he fitted himself for business life by a thorough training in the Dayton Commercial College, from which he received a diploma in 1885. Leaving the latter institution, he became manager of the Central Union Telephone Company of Troy, the duties of which responsible position he discharged to the satisfaction of his employers until 1892, when he resigned in order to prosecute the study of dentistry, a profession which the meantime he decided to make his life work. The Doctor's preliminary work in his chosen calling was under the direction of Dr. W. B. Tones, of Troy, Ohio, in whose office he pursued his studies and investigations for a period of three years, at the expiration of which time he entered the Dental College at Indianapolis, Indiana, where he made a creditable record as an earnest and critical student and from which in 1898 he received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery.

. Immediately after his graduation Dr. Lane opened a suite of dental parlors in Middletown and in due time was rewarded with a lucrative practice. He has followed the profession with gratifying success from that time to the present and his patronage has steadily increased until he now commands an extensive professional business, occupying, as already stated, a conspicuous place among the leading dentists of the country. The Doctor prepared himself for his work by long and painstaking study and brought to the practice a mind well-disciplined by scholastic and professional training. He has neve? ceased being a student, but, with a laudable ambition to excel, devotes the leisure at his command to the best professional thought of the age, reading the standard literature relating thereto, prosecuting his investigation and keeping in touch with the latest discoveries in the science, besides familiarizing himself with the new and improved instruments and devices which from time to time make their appearance. While primarily devoted to his profession and making every other consideration subordinate thereto. Dr. Lane is a man of much public spirit and manifests a lively interest in all worthy enterprises for the good of the city in which he resides. He also encourages every progressive measure for the welfare of his fellow men and, like all good citizens, takes an active part in politics, being an unwavering supporter of the Republican party and a tireless worker for its success in local, state and national affairs. Well informed on the questions and issues of the times, his opinions always command respect and among the leaders of his party in this county his advice and influence have not been without weight in formulating policies and directing campaigns. The Doctor is interested in secret, fraternal and benevolent work, holding membership with the Pythian lodge of Troy, the precepts and principles of which excellent organization enter very largely into his rule of life and conduct and have much to do in influencing his relations with his fellows. A man of intelligence, culture and broad humanitarian principles and feelings, he does all in his power to benefit the race and has the high esteem of his friends and the confidence of those with whom his professional relations have brought him in contact.

In November, 1900, Dr. Lane and Miss Elsie Thompson, an accomplished young lady of Troy, Ohio, were united in the bonds of wedlock. Like her husband, Mrs. Lane enjoys great personal esteem and is popular in the best social circles of Middletown.

George R. Doty

At this point it is eminently fitting to enter a brief memorial tribute to one who stood as a leading and influential citizen of Lemon township, where his entire life was passed and where he ever commanded the most unequivocal confidence and esteem, being a man of sterling character and one who lived an upright, earnest and fruitful life, so that his name merits a place of honor upon the roll of those who have dignified Butler county by their lives and services. Mr. Doty devoted his life to the great basic industry of agriculture, in connection with which he attained distinctive success and prestige, his beautiful farmstead being now owned and occupied by his widow.

George Russell Doty was born where Middletown now stands, in Lemon township, this county, on the 2d of January, 1836, and on the ancestral estate he continued to live until he was summoned into eternal rest, his death having occurred on the 23d of September, 1876. He was a son of Joseph and Mary (Vail) Doty, whose marriage was solemnized on the 16th of December, 1832. The father was bom in 1808 and the mother in 1814, and both were representatives of families which settled in Butler county in the early pioneer epoch. The farm now owned by the widow of the subject of this memoir was secured from the government by the paternal grandfather of the subject, and was heavily timbered and entirely unreclaimed when he took up his residence here and set himself to the strenuous task of improving a farm in the midst of the primeval forest. Upon the death of this honored pioneer his son Joseph came into possession of a part of the old homestead, and here he passed the residue of his life, having been one of the prominent and influential men and successful farmers of Lemon township, and upon his death this fine property came into the possession of him whose name initiates this sketch. Thus George Russell Doty practically passed the entire span of his life on a part of the farm which was his birthplace, while it was his < to uphold and heighten the honor of the ; name which he bore, his life having been 1 one of signal usefulness and one marked by t sincerity and inflexible integrity of purpose, s His educational advantages were such as I were afforded in the common schools of the i locality and period and he early learned the s lessons of industry and personal responsi- o bility, so that he was well fortified to play i< e well h,s part on the stage of life's activities. - He was a man of strong mentality and dis- ' tmct indmduality, firm in his convictions, but ever tolerant and kindly in his judgment, 3 so that he stained the regard and esteem 1 of those with whom he came in contact in 1 the various relations of life. He was broad i in his intellectual capacity and was an appreciative reader, keeping himself well ini formed on the questions of the day and showing the same interest which led him to apply himself so diligently to study when a youth. In his early life he worked hard during the day and studied nights in order to widen his scope of knowledge, and thus he became a man of liberal education, having been especially proficient in mathematics. He was progressive and enterprising and made his farm one of the model places of the county, while he was a good neighbor, a loyal citizen and a kind and indulgent husband and father, the strength and beauty of his noble character being most in evidence in the sacred precincts of his home, to which he was ever devoted and which figured as the center of his hopes, ambitions and affections. In politics he was a stanch supporter of the Democratic partv, and his religious faith was that of the Baptist church, of which Mrs. Doty also is a devoted member. The fine homestead farm comprises one hundred and eighty-four acres, and is equipped with the best of permanent improvements, including a substantial and attractive two-story brick residence and other excellent farm buildings. Mrs. Doty still remains on the homestead, which is hallowed to her by the memories and associations of the past, and the management of the farm is in the hands of her son, who is one of the able and popular citizens of this

On the 1 6th of November, 1864, was solemnized the marriage of George R. Doty to Miss Martha Ann Harkrader, who was born in Lemon township, this county, on the 10th of June. 1844, being a daughter of John and Sally (Kyle) Harkrader. Of this union were born four children, namely: Mary S., who is now the wife of Charles Stoutenbu rough, of Warren county; John Russell, who has charge of the home farm, and who married Elizabeth Stouten bo rough, of Warren county: Sarah Jane, who is the wife of Edward Deardorff. and Homer, who died at the age of nineteen years.

Martin V. Marshall

A native son of Butler county and a representative of one of its honored pioneer families, Mr. Marshall has for many years occupied a conspicuous place among the successful, and progressive agriculturists of Lemon township, having passed his entire life in the county. His career has been that of an honorable and enterprising business man, while he has taken at all times a deep interest in educational, social and civic affairs and kept well informed on the questions and issues of the hour. He commands the respect and confidence of those with whom he has been thrown in contact in the varied relations of life, and is specially well entitled to specific mention in a compilation which has to do with the history of the countv in which he has lived and labored.

on the 6th of September, 1840, and is a son of James and Eliza (Conover) Marshall, of whose five children three are living, the subject of this review having been the second in order of birth. James Marshall was likewise a native of Butler county, where he was born in the year 1816, this fact showing that the family was established here in the very early pioneer epoch. He devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and was one of the representative citizens of Lemon township at the time of his death, which occurred in 1900. He was a man of inflexible integrity and mature judgment and wielded much influence in local affairs of a public nature, though never an aspirant for office. In politics be was a stalwart advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and both be and his^wife were prominent and valued members of the Christian church. Mrs. Eliza (Conover) Marshall was born in this county in the year 1818. her parents having been numbered among the sterling pioneers of this section of the Buckeye state, and here she passed her entire life, her death occurring in 1886. James Marshall, the grandfather of the subject, was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, as was also his wife, Mary, both families having been early founded in the Old Dominion state. The marriage of this worthy couple was solemnized in Virginia. whence they emigrated . to Ohio in 1800, locating in Butler county, where Mr. Marshall secured five hundred acres of government land, in Lemon township, the entire tract being heavily timbered, so that he was compelled to literally hew out a farm in the midst of the forest wilds, thus doing his part in laying the foundations for the magnificent civilization and prosperity which are in so marked evidence here at the present day. It is pleasing to note that a portion of this original tract of land is the farm now owned and occupied by the subject of this sketch, the property having remained in the possession of the family from the time it was secured from the federal government, before Ohio had been admitted to the Union. James Marshall, Sr., died in 1819, at which time his son and namesake, father of the subject, was a child of but three years.

Martin V. Marshall was reared on the* old homestead farm and early began to render his quota of aid in the work of cultivating and improving the same, while his rudimentary educational training was secured in the district schools, after which he continued his studies in the commercial school in Middletown. He has never wavered in his allegiance to the great basic art of agriculture and has attained success through his association with the same, having been enterprising and progressive and being known as one of the model farmers of the county. His attractive farmstead comprises one hundred and sixteen acres of most arable land, is equipped with the best of improvements and is one of the valuable rural demesnes of the county. Mr. Marshall has ever given an uncompromising allegiance to the Republican party and has worked for the success of its cause, though he has never sought the honors or emoluments of public office. He has been for the past thirty-six years a member of the Christian church, and has contributed liberally to the support of the same and been active in its work. His wife likewise was a devoted member of this church, both her father and paternal grandfather having been members of its clergy, and her life was gentle and kindly, exemplifying the

, On the 1 8th of September, 1872, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Marshall to Miss Mary Simonton, who was born in Clark county, this state, on the 12th of August, 1849, being a daughter of Rev. Hiram Simonton. She received her education in the public schools of her native county, having been a student in the high school at New Carlisle, and also possessed considerable musical talent and ability. She was summoned into eternal rest on the 8th of January, 1897. and is survived by her children. W ilbur S., Clara E., Ella E., Pearl and Clayton. The children have been afforded the advantages of the public schools and the eldest of the three .daughters completed her education in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio.

Mrs. Martha A. Doty

, This estimable and well-known lady, whose life has been as an open book in which there are no pages marred or soiled by conduct unbecoming true womanhood, and whose influence has always made for the good of the large circle of friends with whom she associated, is a native of Warren county, Ohio, and a daughter of John and Sarah Harkrader. John Harkrader's father was Benjamin Harkrader, and his wife was the daughter of Samuel Kyle, both families having been among the early settlers and substantial citizens of Warren county.

duty characteristic of the majority of prosperous country households. When young she accompanied her parents on their removal to Butler county, and in the district schools of Lemon township, where the family settled, obtained a fair English education. Meantime in the rugged school of experience she received a practical training which fitted her for the duties of womanhood and until her twentieth year she remained under the parental roof, assisting her mother by every means at her command. On November 1 6, 1864, Miss Harkrader entered the relations of matrimony, the husband of her choice being George R. Doty, who was born in Butler county, Ohio, January 2, 1836. The Dotys came originally from New Jersey and were among the early settlers of Butler county. The first of the family to become residents of this part of Ohio were Daniel C. and Elizabeth (Crane) Doty, who settled in what is now Lemon township, about the year 1800; among the children of this couple was a son by the name of Joseph Doty, who married, when a young man. Miss Mary Vail, daughter of Samuel Vail, a soldier of the war of 1812, the union resulting in the following sons and daughters: George R., Gilbert H.,

Ruth Jane and Zina Doty. George R. Doty, the oldest of this family, was reared to agricultural pursuits and after his marriage with Miss Harkrader engaged in farming for himself and made .that vocation his life work. He became a man of considerable local prominence, was highly esteemed as an energetic, public-spirited citizen and took an active interest in whatever made for the material development and moral advancement of his community. In politics he wielded a strong, influence for the Democratic party. In religion he was a prominent member of the Baptist church and in all essentials of manhood and citizenship he was easily the peer of any of his friends and associates. He died on September 23, 1876. To Mr. and Mrs. Doty were born four children, two sons and two daughters, namely: Mary, John Russell, Sarah Jane and Homer.

Socially Mrs. Doty and her family stand among the best and most widely respected people of Lemon township and the name has long been synonymous with integrity and the high sense of honor which never fail to gain and retain public confidence. A shining example of tine wifehood and motherhood, and a typical representative of the intelligent. clear-brained, practical class of women whose sterling virtues and devotion to duty contribute so much to the stability and moral tone of society, Mrs. Doty has made her influence felt for good in t^c immunity and all who enjoy the privilege of her acquaintance speak in high terms of her beautiful Christian character and the many amiable qualities which make her life worthy of emulation.

Andrew C. Brown

Among the old and highly respected residents of Butler county, who have been prime factors in its development, is the wellknown and popular citizen whose name appears at the head of this article. During a continuous residence of eighty-four years in the vicinity of Middletown he has not only been an eye-witness of the numerous changes that have taken place, but has also been an active participant therein, and it is to such sound minds, strong arms and ripe judgment as his that this part of Ohio is so greatly indebted for the prosperity which has characterized its growth and development along the various lines of agricultural, industrial and general business activity and advancement.

Christopher Brown, father of the subject, was born in Wyeth county, Virginia, and grew to maturity in his native state, marrying, in his young manhood. Miss Mary Conmary, whose ancestors were among the pioneer settlers of Pennsylvania. In an early day he moved to Clinton county, Ohio, and after a short residence in that part of the state changed his abode to Warren county, where he lived until 1820, when he migrated to the county of Butler and engaged in the distillery business, which he carried on for a period of five years in connection with agricultural pursuits. Disposing of his distillery at the expiration of the lime noted, he purchased the place a short distance east of Middletown now known as the Marsh farm, where he spent the remainder of his life as a prosperous tiller of the soil, dying about the year 1868, honored and respected by all who knew him. Of the eight children that constituted the family of Christopher and Mary Brown the subject of this review is the only living representative and to a brief outline of his career the reader's attention is herewith respectfullv invited.

Andrew C. Brown was born in Warren county, Ohio, February 9, 1818, and was two years of age when his parents moved to the county of Butler. His earliest experiences were connected with his father's distillery, and when about seven years old he went to the farm east of Middletown, in the clearing and development of which he subsequently took such an active and effective part. Reared to hard labor, he shirked no duty, however onerous, and turned from no responsibility, but with true filial regard gave the best of his strength to the general welfare of the family and while still a mere youth was able to do a man's wrork at almost any kind of toil. As opportunities afforded, he attended the indifferent subscription schools common to this part of the country sixty and seventy years ago, but at best his education was limited, although in later years he obtained a vdde knowdedge of books by devoting his leisure hours to reading, in this wrav and by close observation becoming in the course of time an intelligent and remarkably wrell-informed man.

Mr. Brown assisted in cultivating the home farm until his twenty-third year, at which time he was united in marriage with Miss Sarah M. Sutphin. daughter of John and Jane Sutphin, the ceremony being solemnized in 1841. During the ten years following his marriage he farmed as a renter, but at the end of that time' purchased the place south of Middletown which now adjoins the corporate limits of the city and w'hich he still owns. Moving to his new home in 1850. he at once began the work of its development, and by well-directed industry and a general system of improvement succeeded in due time in making the place not only one of the finest and most productive in the towmship, but also one of the model farms of Butler county. System appears to have characterized all of his undertakings and, being an excellent manager, with an eye to detail, he reaped abundant returns from his time and labor and it w^as not long until he forged to the front as one of the leading farmers and stock raisers in a section of country long distinguished for the intelligence, success and progressive spirit of its agricultural class. For a number of \72ars Mr. Brown devoted great attention to stock, especially cattle and horses, and from this source and the raising of grain the greater part of his ample fortune has been derived. After acquiring a comfortable competency and feeling the need of rest from his many years of arduous toil, he left the farm in 1886, and moved to Middletown. where, surrounded by everything calculated to minister to his comfort and enhance his enjoyment, he has since been living a retired and contented life.

Mrs. Brown, who was born a few miles east of Middletown in 1821, bore her husband four childreU" and died on February 27, 1896. Only one of these children lived to years of maturity, namely, Moses P., whose birth occurred in 1853, anfl w^o is now traveling representative for a large machinery and agricultural implement house, his territory including Ohio and other central and western states. 'He is a married man. his wife having formerly been Miss Susan J. Howell, who was born in St. Louis and moved to Ohio in infancy and they reside at this time in the city of Middletown.

In 1856 Mr. Brown united with the Methodist Episcopal church and entered upon the consistent Christian life for which he has since been characterized. He has been active in all lines of religious and benevolent work, gives liberally to all worthy enterprises and charities and for many years has held official positions in the local congregation with which he is connected, his influence having always been on the side of morality and right as he has understood the meanirig and significance of these terms. Mr. Brown cast his* first ballot in 1839 and one year later voted for Gen. William Henry Harrison for president, from which time until its dissolution he was an earnest and uncompromising supporter of the old Whig party. When the Republican party came into existence he at once espoused its principles and, believing that every good citizen should be a politician, he has ever since consistently adhered to his course, voting for the candidates of his party and contributing to its success by able and judicious counsel, .as well as by active work with the rank and file. A reader and a thinker, he is well informed on the great political issues of the time, keeps in close touch with public matters and current events, and, notwithstanding his advanced age, is still recognized as. an influential factor in political circles and a leader whose advice has contributed not a little to the success of the principles which he upholds and of which he has so long been such a stanch and unswerving advocate. It is a fact worthy of note, that during the long period that has elapsed since lie was old enough to exercise the rights and prerogatives of citizenship, Mr. Brown has never voted anywhere except Middletown ; sixtv-five years having dissolved in the mists of the past since he cast his first ballot where his last one was deposited, an instance perhaps without a parallel in the history of the state. Mr. Brown has reached the ripe old age of eighty-six years, but is still strong and vigorous physically and able to do considerable manual labor, besides attending with all the mental clearness and insight of his prime to his various business interests. He has always been temperate, which accounts largely for his remarkable strength and longevity, and having ever looked on the bright side and avoided pessimism, his life has been pleasant and cheerful, as all who have come within the range of his influence will bear witness.

Mrs. L. D. Doty

This estimable and popular lady is second in a family of four children. Her father was Hugh Vail, whose ancestors were among the early settlers of New Jersey, and the maiden name of her mother was Jane Porter. The Vails came to Butler county during the. pioneer period and settled on the site of Middletown. Stephen Vail, grandfather of Mrs. Doty, made the original plat of the town in the year 1802, placed the first lots on the market and was the real founder of what has since become one of the most important industrial and general business centers in the county of Butler, also one of the most beautiful and flourishing cities in the southern part of Ohio.

Hugh Vail accompanied his father to the new home in the wilderness of Butler county about the year 1800, and a little later entered a large tract of land north of Middletown, which he cleared and on which he rnade a number of substantial improvements. He was active in promoting the growth and development of the town, took the lead in directing its various business interests and for many years was a man of wide influence in the community. He erected and for some years resided in a fine brick dwelling at the corner of Third and Clark streets, now owned by Mrs. Hiet, and later occupied the

Miss Lydia J. Vail was born in Middletown, November 15, 1833, and spent her childhood amid surroundings and under influences conducive to the "best possible physical and mental development. Her early home life was exceptionally exemplary, and in the schools of her native place she enjoyed the best educational advantages which the part of the state at that time afforded. Being naturally studious and ambitious to excel, she spent several years in a high-grade academy conducted by Professor Nathaniel Furman, one of the leading educators in this part of the state fifty and sixty years ago. In addition to a pretty thorough intellectual training in the above institution, Miss Vail spent a number of years under the direction of the old-fashioned singing teachers, and was a member of the glee club directed by Stephen Vail, this with her general education making her one of the cultured and refined young ladies of Middletown. She moved in the best social circles of the place, enjoyed wide personal popularity among the large number of friends and acquaintances with whom she associated and stood high in the esteem of all with whom she came in contact. On April n, x850, was solemnized her marriage with L. D. Doty, a native of Butler county and a representative of one of the oldest families of Middletown, his grandfather settling on or near the site of the city about the beginning of the nineteenth century, or perhaps a little earlier. Like the Vails, the Dotys came from New Jersey and were among the intelligent, substantial and progressive people of Butler county, the name from an early date to the present time being synonymous with all that is honorable and upright in manhood and citizenship. L. D. Doty was reared to agricultural pursuits, but in his young manhood took up the legal profession and after graduating from the law school at Cincinnati opened an office in Middletown, where he' soon built up an extensive and very successful practice. He rose to a conspicuous place among the leading members of the Butler county bar, enjoyed the reputation of an eminently honorable as well as able practitioner and achieved marked prestige in the profession to which his life and energies were devoted.

In addition to his chosen calling. Mr. Doty always manifested an enthusiastic interest in the cause of education and religion and for many years was an influential member of the Baptist church of Middletown and a leader of the various auxiliaries under the auspices of the same. He was active in promoting missions both at home and abroad ; was a great Sunday school worker and long the efficient superintendent of the Baptist Sunday school. Few theologians were as profound and critical and few excelled him in his knowledge of religious subjects in general. Mr. Doty was for many years a power in public affairs and until the breaking out of the great Civil war he stood high in political circles as a leader of the Democratic party in the county of Butler. Being a strong friend of the Union and an uncompromising foe of any agency tending to its dissolution, he became dissatisfied with the policy of his party and severed his connection therewith, threw his aid and influence with the Republican party, of which he continued a strong and zealous supporter to the day of his death. The life of Mr. Doty was a strenuous one, also successful in a material way and sufficient has been said to indicate the stand he always took in relation to public issues and moral questions. He lived as nearly as possible according to his conception of right, exemplified in his relations with his fellow men the spirit of truth and righteousness by which he was ever animated and as a. public-spirited citizen, keenly alive to the best interests of the community, state and nation, was easily the peer of any of his contemporaries. This good man was called to his final reward on the 5th of October. 1902, and his memory is gratefully cherished by the people among whom he lived so long and so nobly and to whom he was largely indebted for much of the success he so signally achieved.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Doty resulted in the birth of six children, namely: Annie, wife of Dr. T. E. Reed, of Middletown: Frank, a civil engineer of this city; Ida. who married Frank Marshall and resides in Atlanta, Georgia; Edna, now Mrs. E. H. Edson, of Kansas City, Missouri; Charles, who is connected with the United States mail service, and Lucile, who is still with her mother at the old home.

Little of interest can be said of a woman wholly devoted to her home and domestic duties, whose life is a ceaseless round of activity, doing through all the best years of her life the humble work that lies before her. And yet the labors and far-reaching influence of such a woman is impossible to measure by any worldly standard, for to her has been committed the high and holy office of making and presiding over the home; of bringing children into the world and of forming characters that are destined to live through the countless ages of time and eternity yet to be. The noble tasks peculiar to wifehood and motherhood have been ably and unselfishly performed by the worthy lady of whom the biographer has essayed to write in the preceding paragraphs, and throughout a long and useful career she has well sustained the character and reputation which have won her the love and gratitude of her immediate family circle and the unbounded esteem of the community in which her life has so long been an influence for good and an inspiration to noble aims and ideals. Hers has indeed been a full life, true to the highest conception of right, and thoroughly consecrated to the good of others, hence all who know her call her blessed and are proud to be numbered among her friends.

- In viewing the mass of mankind in relation to the varied occupations of life, the conclusion is forced upon the observer that in the vast majority of cases men have sought employment not in the line of their peculiar fitness, but rather in those fields where caprice or circumstances have placed them, thus explaining the cause of the failure of so large a percentage of those who enter professional or commercial circles. In isolated cases we find, however, that men have seemed endowed with the prescience which enables them to select the vocation for which they are best adapted, and such an instance is offered in the case of the honored subject of this review, who is one of the venerable physicians of Butler county, and who attained marked success and prestige in the noble profession to which he devoted so many years of his life, being now practically retired from practice, though responding to the calls of the families to whom he has ministered for so long a time and by whom he is held in affectionate regard. He retains his residence in Blueball, an attractive village in Lemon township, where he has made his home for more than half a century and where his friends are in number as his acquaintances, so that he may well feel that in the golden evening of his life his "lines are cast in pleasant places."

The honored pioneer physician to whom this sketch is dedicated is a native son of Ohio and a representative of a sterling family which settled here in the early days when the now populous and opulent section was little more than a sylvan wilderness. He was born in Franklin township, this county, on Christmas day, 1820, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Dean) Iler, the former of whom was born in Germany and the latter in the state of New Jersey, whence she came with her parents to Ohio when a . young girl. The father of the Doctor became a successful farmer of Butler county, and here he died in the very flower of his vigorous young manhood, being survived by two children, the Doctor and one daughter, Mary Ann, who died in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1893. The subject was but eighteen months of age at the time of his father's death and was taken to the home of his maternal grandfather, in Franklin township, this county, where he was reared to the age of fourteen years, in the meanwhile attending the somewhat primitive schools of the locality and thus laying the foundation of that broad and exact fund of knowledge which he has accumulated during the long years of a signally active and successful career. He accompanied his grandfather on his removal to Darke county, and when fourteen years old he ran away and returned to Butler county, where he joined his mother, 'who had in the meanwhile been married a second time. Shortly afterward she bound him out to a blacksmith, under whose direction he learned the trade, becoming a capable workman. The work proved too severe a physical test, however, and the Doctor did not long devote his attention to the same. He continued his studies in a select school in Middletown, and in the meanwhile engaged in farm work and teaching in order to secure the funds necessary for the pursuing of his further educational work. He soon formulated definite plans for his future life work, determining to adopt the medical profession. He began his technical reading under the direction of a local , preceptor and finally entered the Ohio Medical College, in Cincinnati, where .he was graduated as a member of the class of 1851, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine and coming forth well fortified for the active work of his profession. He immediately established himself in practice at Blueball, this county, where he has ever since maintained his home and has built up a large and representative practice in this section of the county, having ministered to a large majority of the leading families in the locality and being now frequently called upon to attend the children of those at whose birth he attended. Dr. Iler is known to practically every person, young and old. in this section, and his name is honored in the county in which he has so long lived and labored, while he has ever held a high place in the confidence and esteem of his professional confreres. He withdrew from active practice in 1902, having attained the age of more than four score years, but those to whom he has been family physician for so many years still call upon him for profes- -sional service, so that he finds it impossible to entirely lay aside the work which has claimed so much of his life. His attractive home is located on a four-acre tract of land, and across the road from the same he owns a well-improved and valuable farm of one hundred and sixty acres. In politics the Doctor is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and his religious views are in harmony with the tenets of the Presbyterian church, though he is not formally identified with the same. It should be noted that at the time of the war of the Rebellion Dr. Iler did effective service at the front, having enlisted in 1864 as surgeon of the One Hundred and Eighty-second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued to serve until the close of the war.

On November 11, 1852, Dr. Iler was married to Miss Margaret J. Carr, who was born and reared in this county and who died in* 1866, being survived by two daughters, Dora, who died in Chicago in 1891, and A , who is the wife of Scott McClellan, who has charge of the Doctor's farm, while the daughter presides over the home of her venerable father, to whom she accords the utmost filial solicitude. Dr. Iler has accomplished a noble and unselfish work in this community and his name is entitled to a place of honor on the roll of the representative citizens and able physicians of his native county.

George W. Marsh

There may be found in almost all American communities quiet, retiring men who never seek official preferment or appear prominently in public affairs, and who nevertheless exert a widely-felt and beneficent influence in the community, helping to construct and solidify the foundation on which rests the social and industrial world. Such a man is the honored subject of this brief sketch, who has been identified with the agricultural interests of Butler county for the past fifty years and who still resides on his fine farm, in Lemon township, though he has practically retired from active labors, giving over the management of the place to younger hands and enjoying that rest which and endeavor. He has passed the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, but enjoys fs the just reward of years of earnest toil marked physical vigor and unimpaired mental powers, so that his lines are indeed "cast in pleasant places," as the grateful shadows of life begin to lengthen from the west, where the sunset gates are open wide. Mr. Marsh has ever been found faithful to duty, under whatever aspect it has presented itself, never sacrificing integrity and honor to personal expediency and so living as to command unqualified confidence and regard in all the relations of life. He has attained definite success in temporal affairs and stands as one of the representative farmers and honored citizens of Butler county, and is a member of one of its sterling pioneer families. His father took up his residence in Cincinnati as early as 1833 and died at Dayton. Ohio, July 31. 1888, at the age of ninety-three years.

identified with the annals of American history from the early colonial epoch and he is a scion of the stanch Puritan stock. The original American progenitor emigrated from Englahd to the new world in 1635, and settled in Massachusetts, while descendants of this sturdy forbear are now to be found in the most diverse sections of the national domain, many having attained distinction in public profession and industrial affairs. Shubael Marsh, grandfather of the subject, resided in the historic old city of Salem, Massachusetts, and there was solemnized his marriage to Elizabeth Foxcroft. In this old Puritan town was born their son Thomas, father of the subject, the date of his nativity having been October 6, 1794. While Thomas was an infant his parents removed to the state of Maine, where they passed the remainder of their lives and where he was reared to manhood, securing a common-school education and growing up under the sturdy discipline of the farm. As a young man of nineteen years Thomas Marsh left the old Pine Tree state and set forth to investigate the attractions and resources of the new state of Ohio. Here he remained for a time and then returned to Maine, where was solemnized his marriage to Mrs. Mariam Saxton. They continued their residence in Maine for a few years, where the subject was born, and then removed to Texas when the subject was nine years old. They remained in the Lone Star state about one year and then came to Ohio, and here Mrs. Marsh fell a victim to the memorable cholera scourge in 1833, the subject being a child of two years at the time of her death. His father subsequently married Miss Elizabeth Hathang, who died in Dayton, this state, in November, 1868, and he eventually consummated a third marriage, wedding Miss Hortense Drinkwater, who survives him and who now maintains her residence in the state of Massachusetts. Of the first marriage were bom four children, the subject being the third in order of birth. The honored father was summoned to the life eternal on the 31st of July, 1888, at the patriarchal age of ninety-four years, and of his children two are living.

George W. Marsh, the immediate subject of this review, was bom in Penobscot county, Maine, on the 16th of February, 1831, and, as before stated, was an infant at the time of his parents' removal to Ohio. He passed his boyhood days in this state, where his father was engaged in farming, and to him were afforded the advantages of the common schools of the day, so that he was able to lay a good foundation for that broad fund of practical knowledge which he was later to gain under the direction of that wisest of all headmasters, experience. He has devoted practically his entire life to agricultural pursuits and has been the owner of his present fine farm property since 1865, the place having the best of improvements and being one of the model farmsteads of the county. The area of the place is one hundred and five acres, and the major portion is under effective cultivation, while the permanent improvements are of exceptional excellence and give indication of the energy, thrift and enterprise of the owner, who has made a success of his undertaking by reason of the discriminating and effective efforts which he has brought to bear in the past years. The farm is now under the practical supervision of his son Willard, and it is gratifying to note in the connection that all of his children are located and well

Mr*. Marsh has given an unqualified allegiance to the Republican party from the time of its organization to the present, and is well- fortified in his convictions as to matters of public policy, being broad-minded in his views and having kept ever in touch with the questions of the hour. He has never been an active factor in political affairs and has never aspired to the honors or emoluments of public office. He and his wife have been consistent and zealous members of the Baptist church for the past thirty-four years, and their children have likewise held to the faith in which they were reared and are identified with the same religious denomination.

On the 8th of March. 1853. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Marsh to Miss Elizabeth Harner, who was born in Warren county, this state, on.the 29th of May, 1832. being a daughter of John and Catherine Harner, her father having been a blacksmith by trade and having followed his vocation in Lebanon. Ohio, for many years, his death occurring in January, 1886. at the age of eighty-four years. His widow still survives him and has reached the venerable age of ninety-one years, being well preserved in mind and body for one of so remarkable age. Concerning the five children of Mr. and Mrs. Marsh the following brief data is entered in conclusion of this sketch : Albert, who was born on the 17th of January, 1857, was married on the 7th of March, 1882, to Miss Clara B. Denise, is a successful farmer; Douglas, who was bom on the 1st of August, 1862, in Wayne county, Illinois, is now on the home place with his father:

John H., who \yas born on the 16th of February, 1864, was married on the 30th of October, 1890, to Miss Margaret Mantz. and they have one child, a daughter fifteen years old ; he is engaged in farming in this county ; Willard was bom June 22, 1867, and on the 2 1st of February, 1889, was married to Miss Alice Bloss; they have one child, a daughter thirteen years old; he is engaged in farming in this county; George E. was born in Warren county, Ohio, April 15, 1854, was educated in the common schools and remained with his father until November 27, 1887, when he was married to Miss Fannie Allen, a native of Butler county: they have nine children living and they reside on a farm in this county, east of Hamilton.

Albert J. Van Hise

Albert J. Van Hise, the leading merchant of Pisgah and a business man of high standing and wide repute, is a native of Butler county. Ohio, born in Union township on July 14, 1848. The Van Hise family, which is doubtless of Dutch origin, has had representatives in Pennsylvania from a very early date and for a number of years the name has been a familiar one in various parts of Union township, Butler county, Ohio, where the subject's father and grandfather settled when the former was a small boy. John Van Hise, father of Albert J., grew to maturity where the family originally located and on arriving at manhood's estate married Miss Hester Carver, who was born in Butler county, the daughter of one of Union township's early settlers. The marriage resulted in the birth of six children who reached the years of manhood and womanhood, Albert J. being the second son. He was reared in the village of Pisgah and as soon as old enough began making his own way by working for farmers in the vicinity, giving the summer seasons to this kind of labor, the winter months being devoted to study in the public schools. Actuated by a desire to fit himself for business pursuits, young Van Hise subsequently entered the Bryant & Stratton Commercial College of Cincinnati, from which he was graduated in 1870, and a little later he engaged in the sale of sewing machines, which he continued for a period of six years with encouraging success.

The mercantile career of Mr. Van Hise dates from the year 1887. when he established the general store at Pisgah which he has since conducted and which under his efficient management has become the leading establishment of the kind in the town. He carries a full line of goods demanded by general trade, has a large and lucrative pat? ronage* and enjoys an enviable reputation as a capable, enterprising and far-seeing business man. Through his efforts a postoffice was established at Pisgah some years ago and he has had charge of the same to the present time, in addition to which position he also served a period of twenty years as trustee of Union township, being one of the prominent men and leading Democratic politicians of the county.

Mr. Van Hise's activity in political circles has made him a forceful factor in his party and for a number of years he has had much to do in shaping its policies and directing its affairs in Butler county, being inconventions and other assemblages, in the variably chosen a delegate to its nominating deliberations of which his opinions carry weight and influence. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Sharonville, Ohio, and belongs to the Junior Order of American Mechanics at West Chester, in both of which organizations he is a leading worker, besides holding at different times official positions of honor and trust. To omit from this record an emphatic commendation of him as a man, a genial, warm-hearted friend and enterprising citizen would leave untold some of his most pronounced characteristics. In business he reveals an energy and progressive spirit that accounts largely for the success which he has achieved and in social circles his amiable qualities and easy good nature make him a favorite and cause his company much to be sought after. A gentleman of excellent standing and wide intelligence, Mr. Van Hise has impressed his individuality upon the community in which he lives and the deep interest he has ever manifested in all movements and progressive measures for the material advancement of his town and the welfare of the people with whom he mingles has won him a conspicuous place among the representative citizens of Butler county.

The subject of this sketch is a native of Dearborn county, Indiana, having been born in the village of Lawrenceburg on the 28th of June. 1856. lie is one of the representative members of his profession in Butler county and is established in practice in the city of Hamilton. The Doctor is of Scotch lineage on both the paternal and maternal sides. His father, Rev. David f.

Huston, is a clergyman of the Baptist church and is now living retired, in the village of Goodland, Indiana, having attained the venerable age of eighty-two years and is well preserved in both his mental and physical faculties. He labored long and zealously in the vineyard of the Divine Master and it may well be said that "his works do follow him," and that he has not been denied the gracious harvest in its season. He was born in Connersville, Indiana, on the 27th of October, 1821, and was educated in Franklin College, Indiana, being graduated as a member of the class of 1843, while he acted as agent for the college for two years thereafter and then took up his ministerial labors as a vocation, though he had previously been engaged in work of this nature for several years in an irregular way. He thus labored for the long period of sixty years, and in April. 1903, the Blue River church, near Connersville. accorded a reception to this venerable and honored clergyman and to his lifelong friend and colaborer. Rev. James M. Smith, who was ordained to the ministry on the same day as was he himself. In 1854 Rev. David J. Huston was united in marriage to Miss Anna E. Fain, who was born in Spencer, Indiana, and who died when the subject of this sketch was four years of age, his father subsequently being united in marriage to Miss Margret Windship, who is still living. Of the first union were born three children, all of whom are living, the Doctor having been the first in order of birth. His brothers. William C. and Thomas J., are successful farmers of Jasper county, Indiana.

Doctor Huston passed his boyhood days in his native town and there received the rudiments of his education. When he was twelve years of age his parents removed to

Rensselaer, Indiana, and there he continued his studies in the public schools until he had attained the age of seventeen years, when he entered the Northern Indiana Normal College, at Valparaiso, where he remained for two years, in the meanwhile becoming imbued with a desire to prepare himself for the medical profession, in which ambition he was encouraged by his uncle, Dr. Robert C. Huston, then a well-known and prominent physician of Oxford, this county. In 1877 he began reading of a technical nature under the preceptorship of his uncle, thus continuing for one year and making marked advancement in his knowledge of the science of medicine and surgery. In 1878 he was matriculated in the Medical College of Ohio, but circumstances necessitated his withdrawal from this institution before he had completed the prescribed course, and for the following seven years he was a druggist and practicing physician, being well equipped for his chosen profession and lacking only the nominal leverage of a diploma and concomitant degree. In 1886 the Doctor returned to his alma mater, where he was duly graduated in the following year, thus completing in due form the prescribed formula of the profession and securing his degree of Doctor of Medicine. In the spring of the same year he came to Hamilton and at once entered upon the active practice of his profession in which he has here continued for more than a decade and a half, receiving a representative support and holding prestige as one of the leading physicians and surgeons in this section of the state. During the first three years of his practice here Doctor Huston held the appointment of infirmary physician, in which capacity he rendered most efficient service, contributing materially to his professional reputation. He also served two years as city health officer and was for several years a member of the board of pension examiners for Butler county, being president of the board for four years. The Doctor is a man of the highest integrity, is independent in his views and has ordered his course upon a high plane of honor and usefulness, while his public spirit has been manifest in all times and seasons and has been directed toward the enhancement of the best interests of the community, while he has ever given his support to public charities and done even more in a private way, unknown save to those who have been the beneficiaries of his kindly deeds. He was active in securing the establishment of the Mercy hospital, whose great value to the city and to suffering humanity can not be overestimated. For one term Dr. Huston represented 'the third ward in the city council, and in this office his voice and influence were ever exerted on the side of law and order, justice and good government. To him is due the credit for accomplishing a number of civic reforms, as well as the correction of certain evils in connection with the levying and collection of municipal taxes and the expenditure of public funds. In recent years Doctor Huston has taken special post-graduate work in the treatment of the diseases of women and children, and in this branch of his professional work he has gained a very high reputation for his skill and for his exceptional discrimination in the matter of diagnosis. He is a member of the Baptist church, and Mrs. Huston holds the faith of the Methodist church. The Doctor has been a supporter of the principles of the Democratic party from the time of attaining his legal majority, but he is not so insistently partisan that he fails to follow the dictates of his indi- vidual judgment in public affairs. He has been for the past seven years a member of the board of school examiners of Hamilton, and for a full decade has been a member of the directorate of Mercy hospital, in whose affairs he has ever taken the deepest interest. He has attained the Knight Templar degrees in* the Masonic fraternity, of whose noble teachings he is most appreciative. In the summer of 1902 Doctor and Mrs. Huston sojourned for three months in Europe, visiting England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Italy, and making an ascension of Mount Vesuvius. The tour was a most interesting one, the itinerary being, well chosen, and they look back with marked gratification on the scenes and incidents of the same.

On the 31st of October, 1888, Doctor Huston was united in marriage to Miss Ella Davis, who was bom in Lockland, Hamilton county. Ohio, but who was reared and educated in Keokuk, Iowa, to which place her parents removed when she was six years of age. She is a daughter of John P. and Elizabeth Jane (Blair) Davis, the former of whom was born in England, whence he came to the United States when nineteen years of age, while the latter was born in Butler county. They now reside in Hamilton, the father having retired from active business, while he was for many years a successful merchant.

Charles M. Anderson

in 1898, with a capitalization of two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Mr. Anderson of this sketch was elected secretary and treasurer at the time of incorporation, bringing to the business the experience of years in the handling of extensive and complex clerical affairs. His long continuance in the position he occupies is the best evidence of his special qualifications. The Columbia Carriage Company gives steady employment to about three hundred and fifty mechanics in the various lines and the products of the plant are sold by eight traveling salesmen, and more than fifty jobbers throughout the United States and European countries. The annual average value of the finished output will reach three quarters of a million dollars. The officers of the company are Thomas L. Curley, president ; J. E. Wright, vice-president, and C. M. Anderson, secretary and treasurer. All of these gentlemen are actively employed in. the work, and each has a personal sketch in this volume.

Charles M. Anderson is a native of Butler county, born at Bethany, Liberty township, on the 15th of February, 1869. He is tine eldest of three children born to John Elliott and Sarah E. (Murphy) Anderson, both of whom are natives of this county and representatives of prominent early families. The subject is a grandson, on the maternal side, of the late Hon. Peter Murphy, whose life career was essentially a part of the history of Butler county in his day. His numerous descendants occupy positions of honor in the professional and business world. These ancestors are all of Scotch- Irish antecedents. William Anderson was the paternal grandfather, and was one of the pioneers of Liberty township, where he spent a long and useful life. Both of these ancestors achieved more than ordinary success in the social and business affairs of their day, and their memories will long be revered by those who have taken up the burden of life where they left it.

The father of C. M. Anderson spent his productive years in agricultural pursuits, but is spending the sunset of life in the retirement of a handsome suburban home and farm near Camden, in Preble county, where he and his estimable wife now reside. None of their three children are near them, the two daughters, Mrs. George H. Harkrader and Mrs. Chelsea C. Aydelatt, living in Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Anderson, of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of Camden, Ohio. He began his business career as assistant purchasing agent for the Mc- Neal & Urban Safe and Lock Company, in Hamilton. He also had an experience of two years as bookkeeper and day clerk at the St. Charles Hotel, the principal hostelry in this city. He next accepted a position as bookkeeper and assistant business manager of the Republican News, resigning that office after nine months' sendee, to accept a more lucrative position with Thomas M. Boyd, who was then the trustee of the Louis Snider Sons Paper Company. He continued under this engagement some three years, during which time several changes were made in the office of trustee, himself and George P. Sohngen finally becoming the trustee who closed up the business to the satisfaction of all concerned. During the last eight or nine months of this service Mr. Anderson occupied his present position with the Columbia Carriage Company.

altar Miss Ada E. Marsh, a native of Leavenworth, Kansas. She is a daughter of Hon. William B. Marsh, a prominent attorney and now a resident of Eaton, Ohio. Mrs. Anderson was reared and educated in her native city and is a lady of high social standing in Hamilton. The domestic life of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson is most congenial and happy, and, though on the threshold of life's young morning, bids fair to grow in interest and beauty as domestic cares accumulate and the silver threads of full maturity give evidence of passing years.

That Dr. Grafft is a scion of one of the pioneer families of Butler county is evident when we state that his paternal greatgrandfather took up his residence here in the opening year of the nineteenth century, before Ohio had been admitted to the Union, being one of the first settlers in this now opulent and attractive section of the Buckeye commonwealth. Our subject is a native of the county, which has ever continued to be his home, and he is one of the leading representatives of his profession in the city of Hamilton. He was born on a farm near Seven Mile, in Wayne township, on the 28th of November, 186 6. The original American progenitor of the Grafft family was Hans Grafft, who emigrated from Germany soon after the close of the war of the Revolution. locating in Maryland, where he became the owner of a large plantation, also holding numerous slaves. From this honored pioneer the subject of this sketch is of the fifth generation in line of direct de- scent. From Maryland the family removed into Virginia and later representatives of the name established themselves in Kentucky, Abram Grafft, great-grandfather of the Doctor, having been born in Maryland. His mother was a French woman, whose maiden name was Marv Faree. This worthy man was the one to establish a home in the wilds of the present state of Ohio, whither he came from Bardstown, Nelson county. Kentucky, in the year 1800, locating near Seven Mile, in what is now Butler county, and being numbered among those sturdy and noble pioneers who laid the foundation of our present great commonwealth, while the name has ever since been prominently and honorably identified with the history of Butler county. Samuel Grafft, the father of the Doctor, was born on the ancestral homestead, on the 19th of October, 1841, and there passed his entire life, having been a successful 'and influential farmer and a man of exalted integrity of character. He married Miss Margaret Abraham, sister of the well-known Lot Abraham, whom all old soldiers in this locality will remember as an able and fearless champion of their rights and as a zealous worker in the Grand Army of the Republic. Mar- .garet A. Grafft, the venerable mother of the subject, died on June 1. 1904. Samuel and Margaret Grafft became the parents of two children, John A., the subject of this sketch, and Mary, who is now the wife of Arthur Hunter, of Seven Mile.

Dr. Grafft was reared on the old homestead farm and as a boy contributed his quota to its work, while his early educational advantages were those afforded in the district schools. In 1882 he entered Miami University, where he spent two years in preparatory collegiate work, and in 1885 was matriculated in Wooster University, where he completed the classical and scientific course and was graduated with high honors, as a member of the class of 1889. After six years of close application to collegiate work he felt the need of respite from mental application, and he passed several months in travel and recreation. He then became a student of medicine under the private tutorship of Drs. Merrill and Edwin Ricketts, of Cincinnati, under whose able direction he gained a most excellent preliminary training for his chosen profession. In 1889 he was matriculated in the Miami Medical College, in Cincinnati, where he completed the prescribed course and was graduated in 1892, receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He at once established himself in practice in his native county, and has here attained high professional rank , among the successful practitioners in Hamilton. He continues to be a close and appreciative student and carries forward much individual research in his profession, so that he is constantly augmenting his prestige as a skilled physician and surgeon. Almost from the day of his graduation the Doctor has been closely allied with the professional societies, and he is at the present time secretary of the Butler County Medical Society, in which he has long been an active and efficient worker, being also prominently identified with the other professional organizations and holding the high regard and unqualified confidence of his confreres. Dr. Grafft possesses in a marked degree the natural talents so essential to the success of a physician, being kindly and considerate and having that deep sympathy which transcends the mere emotion to become a definite motive. Early in his professional career he was chosen a member of the board of examining surgeons for pensions for Butler county, a position which he held for four years, during the last administration of President Cleveland. At the municipal election in April, 1903, Dr. Grafft was chosen president of the city council of Hamilton, and in this office he is proving a publicspirited and progressive representative of popular interests. In politics he is a loyal and uncompromising advocate of the principles of the Democratic party and is an influential factor in its local councils, though he has never been ambitious for official preferment. He is affiliated with Jefferson Lodge, No. 90, Free and Accepted Masons, at Middletown, and with Hamilton Lodge, No. 93, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

On the 27th of April, 1892, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Grafft to Miss Jennie Beal, daughter of John and Rebecca Beal, of Hamilton, where she was reared and educated, being a graduate of the high school and a woman of gracious refinement and presence. Of this union has been born one child. Marjorie E., who is a winsome little lass of six years at the time of this writing.

The Fred J. Myers Manufacturing Company

A business similar to that now operate^ bv the above-named corporation was established in 1865, by Fred J. Myers, in Covington, Kentucky. It was successfully operated by Mr. Myers until 1886, when it was removed to Hamilton, Ohio, and incorporated in February of that year, with a capitalization of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. . The officers and stockholders are: Fred J. Myers, president; John Wulftange, vice-president; George C. Bramlage, secretary, and Joseph Wulftange. treasurer. The plant occupies large and commodious quarters erected for the accommodation of a growing business, with special reference to both present and future needs. The main building is a handsome three-story brick structure one hundred and ninety by two hundred and ten feet in outside dimensions. This gives a floor space of seventyfive thousand feet to each floor. In addition to this, there are brick storage rooms, shops for special work, etc. The product of this mammoth concern consists of the manufacture of wire goods, grille work, ornamental iron work and hardware specialties. An annual output of nearly half a million dollars' worth of manufactured products reaches every civilized country on the globe. Three hundred and sixty skilled mechanics are afforded steady employment and good wages in this plant.

The gentlemen whose names appear as incorporators and officers are the sole owners of this industry, and each gives his special attention to some particular branch of the work. All are Kentuckians and their earlier lives were spent in the Blue Grass state. Mr. Bramlage is the only one of the firm who takes a special interest in matters outside of the business. He is one of the councilmen at large in the city of Hamilton and is otherwise prominent in political affairs.

The Fred J. Meyers Manufacturing Company is one of the solid financial concerns which the city of Hamilton and Butler county are glad to welcome to their business interests.

Rev. H. N. Kerst, the pastor of the First Reformed church in Hamilton, is a native of Greenville, Darke county, Ohio, and was born on the 20th of May, 1874. He is a son of Samuel and Sarah Jane (Beachler) Kerst, both of whom are natives of Ohio. Samuel Kerst was bom in Shelby county in 1844, and his wife is a native of Montgomery county and is her husband's junior by two years. He spent his young manhood years as a farmer and then for a time he engaged in merchandising, but later returned to the farm on account of ill health. He is now living a retired life in Greenville. There were eight children born to these parents, six of whom are living. The eldest is Flora, now the wife of George McGormley, of Toledo, Ohio; Mr. McGormley is a prosperous business man connected, as part owner, with the Massillon Bridge Building Company. Mary Charity is a young lady at home. Henry Nevin, of this sketch, is the third in order of birth. Vanda Euterpia is teacher of elocution at Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio. Herman S. is one of the secretaries of the Young Men's Christian Association, Dayton, Ohio. Grace is a student at Toledo. Myrtle died in infancy, and Ada Maude died at the age of twelve years. The subject of this article is a young gentleman of exalted educational attainments and high literary capacity. As a public speaker, he is forceful and logical, a close biblical student, and well versed in contemporaneous history. His sermons impress his hearers with the conviction of sincerity, while his logical deductions, impressive similes and earnest perorations render the services highly entertaining and instructive. He is a tireless worker in the cause of morality and Christianity. During his short pastorate in Hamilton his earnest labors have imposed new life into the church, the Sunday school and social meetings, and added many names to the roll of the church membership. Mr. Kerst is specially interested in the young people, among whom he is a universal favorite, and his lectures and helpful counsel in the Young Men's Christian Association are a fruitful source of awakening and conversion. He possesses, also, the special gift of being a good pastor, as well as a talented and forceful preacher. The thirty years that have passed on the journey of life have been fraught with great activity upon the part of Mr. Kerst. He began his educational career in the country school, near the parental farm. He prepared for college at a select private school and by one year's study in Heidelberg Academy, and then completed a four-years course in Heidelberg University, at Tiffin, Ohio. Following this, he attended a summer session of Moody Memorial College, at Northfield. Massachusetts, returning in the autumn to enter upon a three-years course at Heidelberg Theological Seminary.

After eight years of persistent college work he was ordained to the ministry of the Reformed church, and entered upon his duties at the First church in Hamilton in the spring of 1900. The membership of this church embraces two hundred and fifty communicants. The Sunday school has an enrollment of two hundred and seventy-five, in charge of able and earnest teachers. The Ladies' Social Circle embraces the names of nearly all of the female members of the church, which is also true of the Ladies' Missionary Society. The Young People's Society affords a season of recreation, both social and religious, while the Gideon Club is organized especially for boys. Its purpose is largely of a social nature. The boys have their own officers and manage the affairs of the club under the guidance of older heads. Rev. Mr. Kerst was married in Hamilton, on the 17th of December, 1903, to Miss Sophia Leonora, daughter of the late Capt. W. C. Margedant. A fuller sketch of this prominent and well-known family appears elsewhere in this volume.

Mrs. Kerst is prominently identified with the social and literary features of the city, and is president of the Woman's Club, one of the leading literary organizations in Hamilton. The Kerst family was first established on American soil by German ancestors, who settled in Pennsylvania. The mother's family is descended from English .origin, established in Virginia, probably in Colonial days. On the maternal side the mother is descended from the Goode family, well-known in early Virginian history. Dr. Kerst resides at No. 620 Main street, Hamilton.

Homer Gard

Homer Gard, editor and public official, is a native of Hamilton, born on the 9th of January, 1866. He is a son of Hon. S. Z. Gard, whose sketch appears more fully under the title of Warren Gard. The subject of this sketch was graduated from the Hamilton high school in the class of 1884, following which he took a three-years course at Amherst College in Massachusetts.

He began his independent career in the field of journalism, being employed on the reportorial staff of the Daily News in this city. In 1890 he accepted a position as reporter on the Daily Democrat, and in January, 1891, he was advanced to the position of editor and business manager. Mr. Gard was entitled to great credit in bringing this paper up to a high standard in the ranks of progressive journalism and in placing it upon a paying basis as the leading organ of Butler county Democracy. He instituted needed reforms in the management of the paper and assumed an attitude of independence, advocating the rights of the people, as against the influence of the party lash and the dictations of would-be office holders. Such an attitude was a new feature in Democratic journalism in Butler county and naturally developed some opposition among the disappointed aspirants, the effects of which are apparent at this time. But Mr. Gard was equal to the emergency and the Democrat improved in value as a fearless and independent advocate of the party's principles. The value of the plant was greatly enhanced and during his management the paper was sold to a syndicate for thirty-eight thousand dollars, an increase of twenty-four thousand dollars over the price originally paid for the plant.

In January, 1895, Mr. Gard purchased the controlling stock in the News-Democrat at Canton, Ohio, and was elected president and managing editor. He sold his stock in that paper after fifteen months to a syndicate of politicians, having more than doubled the circulation and placed the plant on a paving basis. Returning to Hamilton, he became managing editor of the Daily News in June, 1896, continuing in that capacity until 1903, when, in company with Clayton A. Leiter, George Holderfer and L. R. Hensley, the Evening Democrat was purchased and Mr. Gard was elected president .of the corporation, which position he still efficiently fills.

In May, 1903, Mr. Gard was appointed city clerk for the term of two years. He is a thoroughly competent and active business man and has established for himself an enviable record as a journalist. Mr. Gard was married, on the 1st of June, 1892, to Miss Lutie Matthias, of Hamilton. The social relations of the family are of the highest order.

Prof. John C. Unzicker

Prof. John C. Unzicker, principal of the Second Ward school in Hamilton, is a native of Butler county, born on a farm in Milford township, December 13, 1867. He is the eldest of a family of four children born to Jacob and Fannie (Sloneker) Unziker. His parents were also bom in Milford township, the father's birth occurring on the 7th of September, 1846. He has spent his life in agricultural pursuits, and is one of the well-to-do farmers in Milford township. The home farm consists of one hundred and twenty-one acres and is in a high state of improvement. The mother of Prof. Unzicker was born on the 4th of June, 1836. Both parents are living on the farm where their lives have been spent. The names of their children are as follows: John C., of this sketch; Mary, who is now the wife of John Dome, resides at Jonesboto, Grant county, Indiana; Maggie is a

The subject of this sketch was educated in the district school of his home neighborhood and in normal school work in preparation for teaching. The years 1887 and 1888 were spent at the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and this was followed by a years work at the Northern Indiana Normal School at Valparaiso. He was employed in the country and village schools of Butler county for fifteen years, during which time he acquired an enviable reputation as a thorough scholar and successful educator. During eight years of this time he was a member of the county board of school examiners, resigning that position when he temporarily retired from the school room. He was engaged in the mercantile business at Trenton, Ohio, for one year, but that work not proving congenial, he accepted a proposition to take charge of the Second Ward school in Hamilton, entering upon the discharge of the duties of this position in September, 1903, bringing to it the experience of fifteen years of teaching in all grades of school work. The Second Ward school is one of the largest in the city, having an enrollment of over five hundred pupils. These are in charge of fourteen teachers, covering every phase of school work, from the first to the eighth grades inclusive.

Mr. Unzicker was married at Collinsville, Ohio, February 5, 1891, Miss Anna Fulkerson, a native of Darrtown, Butler county, Ohio, being the lady of his choice. Three children have come to bless this union, namely: Ruth, aged eleven; Paul, nine, and Grace, seven years, respectively. The Pro- fessor is a member of Summerville Lodge, No. 665, Knights of Pythias. He was reared in the faith of the Mennonite church, and in politics affiliates with the Democratic party. He is a man of broad culture and wide experience in the world of affairs. He is well informed upon the current issues of the day, both political and general. His habits of life are domestic and his home and little family are dearer to him than the allurements of clubs or social distinctions. Professor Unzicker is a gentleman of high attainments in his professional life, is courteous and agreeable with all, and greets with a pleasant word and encouraging smile the smallest pupil on the street. The Unzicker family . is of German extraction, and the Slonekers, as represented by the mother, are descended from Swiss ancestors. Both families have been long established on American soil, and are numerous and prominent in southern Ohio.

Thomas L. Curley

Thomas L. Curley, president of the Columbia Carriage Company, is a native of Cincinnati. After completing his education in that city, he accepted a position in the stock department of the Louis Cook Carriage Company, of Cincinnati, and remained with that company for a number of years. In 1882 Mr. Curley assumed the position of purchasing agent for the Hiram W. Davis Carriage Company, also of Cincinnati, but resigned the position after about four years' service to represent on the road the carriage hardware house of Crandall, Stone & Company, of Binghamton. New York. In

1888 he left this company and embarked in business on his own account, having, with others, established the Hamilton Buggy Company. He disposed of his interests in this business and became the central figure in the organization of the Columbia Company, in which he holds a controlling interest in the stock and has been a leading spirit in the promotion of its interests. The other incorporators were J. E. Wright, R. A. Davis and R. L. Hedges. They purchased all outside interests in this company in 1898, and incorporated under the laws of Ohio, with a capital stock of two hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Mr. Curley was elected president, with J. E. Wright as secretary and manager and Charles M. Anderson as secretary. The plant has grown in a few years to mammoth proportions and is today recognized as one of the leading vehicle manufacturing concerns in this country. A more detailed description of the plant appears in the sketch of Charles M. Anderson.

Mr. Curley has been a successful business man, and has demonstrated what can be accomplished by push and energy. He owns one of the handsomest houses in Hamilton, and is never more pleased than when he can add to its comfort and beauty. He also derives much pleasure in driving his fine trotter "Austin Boy," 2:15.

Frank Vallandingham Jones

Frank Vallandingham Jones, the wellknown superintendent of the Butler county infirmary, is a native of Union township, this county, and was born on the 3°^ years. But his later life was devoted to clerical pursuits, in which he proved himself highly efficient and thoroughly competent, lie was a member of the board of education in Hamilton for twelve years and was secretary of that body for nine years. He served twelve years as deputy clerk of courts of the county under different principals, and was local correspondent of the Cincinnati Enquirer for many years, achieving in that capacity quite a record as a terse and accurate writer. Mr. Jones was reasonably successful in the accumulation of property and was a man highly esteemed in the community. His death occurred May 7, 1896, and his wife survived him until April 24. 1904. Both were devout Christians and active members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Mrs. Jones was a representative of one of the early and prominent families in Butler county. She was a daughter of the late George Vinnedge, who was born in Fairfield township, November 30, 1809. His father, John Vinnedge, came to Ohi6 with General Wayne's army in 1794. He was one of Butler county's soldier representatives in the war of 1812, and died at the home of his son George, in August, 1868, in his ninetyfifth year. He and his wife, who was Miss Rosanna Moore, were natives of Pennsylvania, and were of German lineage. Being among the very earliest settlers of the territory now embraced within Butler county, the Vinnedge family has been thoroughly identified with the county's history. The humble cabin of John and Rosanna Vinnedge in the early days was a house of worship and the home of ministers and traveling brethren. John Vinnedge was the township squire and a man of high social standing in the county. He was a son of Adam Vinnedge, a native of Germany, who first established a home among the pioneers of Pennsylvania, but in old age- removed to the Buckeye state and died in this county.

The Moore family, previously mentioned in this connection, was established in Pennsylvania by Patrick Moore, a native of Ireland. He came to Ohio with his daughter Rosanna, in 1779. He settled on a farm in this county, and dispensed a liberal hospitality, being a true son of the Emerald Isle, jovial, of happy disposition, and notably kind and generous to those in distress. He was a man of considerable means and was content with a general superintendence of his business affairs, without engaging in the labors of the field and forest. These are the ancestors of Frank Jones on the maternal side, the paternal ancestry being somewhat obsctire. They were of Welsh extraction and early settlers of southern Ohio. Frank Jones is the eldest of three children, the others being Ella and George. The former is a highly accomplished and successful teacher in the Hamilton city schools, where she has been employed for a number of years. George is a skilled mechanic, profitably employed at the Columbia Carriage works, in Hamilton. He married Miss Iva Yingling, and their living children are Isabel and an infant.

Frank Jones received his education in the public schools of Hamilton. He began his independent career as a farmer and followed that business for several years, and then was engaged in the hotel and grain business at Port Union for eight or nine years. Mr. Jones was president of the school board in the special district of Port Union for nine years. He was twice chosen as the representative of Union township on the Democratic county central committee, and has always been prominent in local politics.

In September, 1901, the boa^rd of county infirmary directors elected him as superintendent of the Butler county infirmary, a position to which he has been unanimously re-elected each year since. The county farm embraces one hundred and ninety-six acres, adjoining the city plat of Hamilton on the east. The buildings, stock and appurtenances represent a value of many thousands of dollars, which, in connection with the operation of the farm and the caring for the inmates, are under the direct supervision of Mr. Jones. At the present time (July, 1904) there are one hundred and sixty wards of the county being cared for. in this beneficent institution, fifteen of them being classed as ''harmlessly insane." All are supplied with an abundance of wholesome food, properly clothed and sheltered, while the sick have the personal care of competent physicians and nurses. At the infirmary sanitary conditions are perfect. The beds, clothing, floors and dining rooms are kept scrupulously clean by a corps of competent housekeepers, this department being under the direct supervision of Mrs. Jones, as the matron. She is fully alert to the duties of her office and manages the internal affairs of the great institution with a masterful hand. Mrs. Jones, who was married to Frank V. Jones on October 12, 1887, was in maidenhood Miss Henrietta M. Ratz, a native of Port Union, Butler county, Ohio, a daughter of Frank and Margaret (Berlein) Ratz, natives of Germany. Both parents are now living at Port Union. Her father is a retired grain merchant and hotel proprietor, in which business he accumulated a handsome fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have an interesting family of twro sons and one daughter, the eldest of whom is Carl V. He wras born on the 26th of February, 1889, and is now a student in the Hamilton high school. Paul J. Sorg was born March 30, 1896. He is a namesake of the late Hon. P. J. Sorg, of Middletowm. Marguerite was bom July 18, T900.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones are members of St. John's Evangelical church and spent almost their entire lives under the teachings of their late pastor, the lamented Rev. C. A. Hermann, D. D. Mr. Jones is a prominent member of various social orders, both local and general. He w^as a charter member of Hamilton Aerie, No. 407. Fraternal Order of Eagles, and is a trustee of the lodge. He is also prominently affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Improved Order of Red Men, and "Monkey Mutual Aid Society," and the "Ground Hogs."

Henry W. Brown

This old and highly esteemed citizen has been a lifelong resident of Butler county, having been born in Middletow'n in the year 1832. Paternally he is descended from sturdy New England stock, his grandfather, John Brown, settling in Vermont in colonial times, and his father, who also bore the name of John, being born in that state as early as 1804. When eighteen years of age John Brown, Jr., came to Ohio, where he spent the remainder of his life as a merchant and it was in this state that he met and married Miss Sarah Bowen, a native of Pennsylvania and of German descent. The death of Mr. Brown occurred in 1854, that of his wife fortyfive years later, she departing this life in 1899.

Until his twentieth year the subject lived with his parents, working a part of the time as a farm hand, but on attaining the age noted he took up the carpenter's trade, in which he soon became proficient and to which he devoted his attention until the breaking out of the late Civil war. He served a short time in that struggle as a member of Company G, One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Ohio Infantry, and at the expiration of the period of enlistment (one hundred days) returned home and began learning the trade of shoemaking. After acquiring skill in this calling Mr. Brown opened a shop in Okeana, where in due time he secured a lucrative patronage and from that time to the present he has steadily followed the trade, his success the meanwhile being such as to enable him to provide comfortably for those dependent upon him and to accumulated competency for his declining years.

In the year 1855 Mr. Brown was united in marriage with Miss Caroline DeArmod, whose birth occurred in Morgan township, Butler county, Ohio, in 1834, being the daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Youmans)

DeArmod, both parents natives of the Keystone state. Mr. DeArmod, a descendant of one of Pennsylvania's old French families, was bom in 1809 and died a number of years ago, the exact date not known ; his wife, who was bom in 1810, departed this life in 1897, at the ripe old age of eightyseven years. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown have been bom five children, three of whom died in early life, those living being L. V., and Mahala, wife of W. A. DeArmod.

Mr. Brown has lived a long, active and useful life and has the satisfaction of looking back over a past in \Vhich he finds little to criticise and much to commend. When a boy he acquired those correct habits of industry, perseverance and resoluteness of purpose which exercise such a powerful influence in the development of character, and by living as nearly as possible according to his ideal of manhood, his career, though uneventful, has been eminently honorable and his example at all times worthy of emulation. He has never aspired to high position nor sought the notice of the public, but in a quiet, unobtrusive manner pursued the even tenor of his way, unmindful of the applause of men, but ever intent upon discharging his duties and making the world better by his presence. Mr. Brown belongs to no church or religious organization, but has well-grounded opinions relative thereto, his own views being broad and liberal. He recognizes good wherever it may be found and perceives in every human being, however humble, the spark of divinity which indicates a heavenly origin and an immortal destiny. When the Republican party came into existence he was not long in giving it his support, but a number of years later he severed his allegiance and since about 1884 has affiliated with the Democracy. Mr. Brown is a gentleman of kindly nature, genial manners and large heart and has many warm friends who have ever entertained 'for him the highest personal regard. A continuous residence of nearly three-quarters of a century in Butler county has been the means of giving his name wide publicity and today few men are as well or favorably known and no one enjoys in a more marked degree the esteem of the public.

Lazarus Noble Bonham was bom at Elizabethtown, Hamilton county, Ohio, March 27, 1830. His father, John LeFevre Bonham, was a farmer after his marriage to Charlotte Schenck Hunt. Prior to that he was clerk of courts in Dearborn county, Indiana, and because of his intimacy with Laz Noble, of Indiana, named the subject of this sketch for him. The beggarly name, though scriptural, was not popular with L. N.'s college mates, and they dubbed him "Louis Napoleon.*' His relatives generally adopted the college nickname, and he was widely known as Lou Bonham. His grandparents were members of a colony from about Elizabethtown, New Jersey, that took up land in the Sy mines purchase in, the southwestern part of Hamilton county, 'hence the name Elizabethtown, Ohio. These were the first settlers west of the Big Miami and Whitewater rivers. His grandfather Hunt built the first frame house on his section, bounded on the east bv the Whitewater and Miami. With these fertile lands the father and uncles all became farmers. The subject of this sketch attended the public school at Elizabethtown, and at the age of seventeen years went to Cary's Academy, College Hill, where he was associated with Murat Halstead, Benjamin Harrison, L. W. Ross and others who became men of note in their professions. The latter two, with four others, went with Bonham to Miami University, where he graduated in 1855. From there he succeeded Dr. Locke as principal of Lebanon Academy. He sold his interest in the academy the year following to the trustees of Southwestern State Normal School and taught Greek and Latin there one year, at the end of which time he found that the trustees had no means of paying him the contract price of two thousand dollars for his school, and only script to pay salaries with. They found themselves superseded by their principal, Alfred Holbrook, who promised to pay in the dim future, when the school might have a surplus. Young Bonham realized that he had let go of a good business for a promise from well-meaning men who unfortunately could not make good. They did for him the next best thing in their power. They were all teachers in Dayton, so they secured for him a place in the Dayton high school, and were his personal friends to the day of their deaths. .

After teaching here one year Mr. Bonham was tendered the principalship of the school on the election of Mr. Campbell to the position of superintendent of all the schools of Dayton. He declined the honor, as he preferred to make the trial of building on his own foundation in a new field. He had heard from his college friend, Rev. J. H. Brooks, then pastor of the Second Presbyterian church of St. Louis, that there was need there of a school for young ladies.

With no other acquaintance in that city and with no capital nor any board of directors backing him, he opened Bonham's Seminary for Young Ladies January 3, 1859. The breaking out of the war, by the capturing of Camp Jackson in May, 1861, closed many schools and many families left the city, some to remain in the North, others in the South. From an enrollment of one hundred and twenty pupils the day of the capture of Camp Jackson, only thirty were in attendance during the rest of the school year. Mr. Bonham then offered his services to the government, but General Harney, then in command, and Governor Gamble told him he could do more for the peace of the state by keeping his school going on the line he was then conducting it, free from politics and partisanship; that his work was appreciated was evident from increasing attendance from year to year. Beginning with three pupils in 1859, he closed with an enrollment of over three hundred in 1872. His health broken, he left the city for a home in the country.