Butler County, Ohio - Chapter 6, 1905 (part 14 of 18)

(Selby) Banker, both of whom were likewise born and reared in Butler county, where they passed their entire lives, the father having ever continued his identification with the great basic art of agriculture and having ever commanded the unqualified confidence and regard of the people of the community in which he lived and labored to so goodly ends. The strenuous life of the pioneer has been the theme of many a writer, and yet there can never be too much written concerning those who blazed the way for progress and civilization in the various sovereign states of our great republic and who were the founders of our enlightened commonwealths. The subject received a good common-school education and early began to lend his aid in the work of the home farm, where he waxed strong in mental and physical vigor under the sturdy discipline involved. In 1888 he was married, and shortly aftenvard resumed the vocation to which he had been reared, again identifying himself with agricultural pursuits. He has now an interest in a finely improved farm of one hundred and thirty-six acres, located in the fertile and beautiful valley of the Great Miami river, the same being a portion of the land purchased by his grandfather in 1815, though the family did not remove to the county until 1819. The permanent improvements on the place are of the most substantial order, including a commodious, two-story brick residence and large barns, while everything about the place is kept in excellent repair and gives evidence of the good management of the fortunate owner. In politics Mr. Banker has been an ardent advocate of the principles of the Republican party from the time of attaining his majority, and he has ever lent a hand in furthering the party cause, having served several times as a member of the central committee of his native county and having held various local offices of trust.

On the 14th of June, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Banker to Miss Mary Vorhis, who was born in Butler county on the 9th of July, 1858, being a daughter of Jacob and Caroline Vorhis. Mrs. Banker was summoned to the life eternal on the 17th of November, 1899, and is survived by her four children, namely: Fred Ellsworth, bom in 1891 ; Madalen, born in 1894; Lucille, born in 1897, and Carl, born in 1899.

Michael E. Smith

Most of the successful men of America have been the architects of their own fortunes, and it is one of the glories of our great Republic that this is true. It shows that here are afforded adequate opportunities and that our citizens have possesseed the courage, determination and strength of purpose to make proper utilization of the advantages offered. The subject of this sketch is one who deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, for he has been dependent upon his own exertions from his early youth and has built the ladder upon which he has risen to the plane of definite success, while it has been his to retain at all times the uniform confidence and esteem of those with whom he has come in contact in the varied relations of life. He is a native son of Butler county, and a representative of one of its sterling and honored families, while he is known as a man of fine intellectuality and marked business acumen. He is today one of the influential farmers and stock growers of Lemon township and is devoting special attention to the dairy department of his enterprise.

Mr. Smith was born in Liberty township. near Woodsdale, this county, on the ist of September, i86t, and is the youngest of the four children of James and Margaret (Fitzpatrick) Smith, the three older children having been born prior to the immigration of the family to the United States. The parents of our subject were born and reared in Ireland, where their marriage was solemnized and where the father followed the vocation of farming until 1859, when they came with their three children to the United States, landing at Castle Garden, and forthwith continuing their westward journey to Ohio, making Butler county their destination. They located near Woodsdale, where the subject was born, and the father here devoted his attention to farming until his death, which occurred in 1861, the subject of this review being a child of two weeks at the time. The family were left in somewhat straitened circumstances, but by strenuous effort the devoted mother, with the aid of the older children, succeeded in keeping the family together and in preserving and improving the little property which her husband had purchased. She has continued to make her home in Butler county to the present time. She is a devoted member of the Catholic church, as was also her husband.

Michael Smith, to whom this sketch is dedicated, passed his youthful years in Butler county, devoting himself to farm work during the summer seasons while during the winter terms he prosecuted his studies in the public schools of Woodsdale, thus continuing until he had attained the age of twenty years, and having in the meanwhile completed the curriculum of the normal school. He then went to Kansas, where he attended the State Normal School in 1881-2. At the expiration of his year of study in that institution he returned to Ohio, and during the winter of 1883-4 was a student in the Normal School at Ada. He had thus qualified himself for effective pedagogic work, and he thereafter engaged in teaching during the winter months and in farming during the summers for a period of seventeen years, save for an interim of two years, during which he was employed as clerk in & hardware establishment in the city of Hamilton. In 1890 he was married, and in 1898 he purchased a portion of the old homestead farm upon which his wife was born, while she inherited a further share of the same, and this constitutes their present place of abode. From August, 1900, to December, 1902, Mr. Smith was employed as bookkeeper for the Otto Coke Company, of Hamilton, and he then removed to his farm, where he has since resided. The farm comprises one hundred and eight acres, is improved with excellent buildings, including an attractive two-story frame dwelling, and is one of the valuable places of this section of the county. To the farm the subject now gives his undivided attention, raising the cereals and other products best adapted to the soil and climate. He is a man of marked executive and business ability, and his success is certain to be cumulative, since he is familiar with all details of the industry under whose discipline he was reared, and is unflagging in energy and fertile in expedients. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles and policies of the Democratic party, with which he has been affiliated from the time of attaining his majority. Though never animated with ambition for official preferment he has ever lent his aid in furthering the party cause, and is well fortified in his political convictions, while he is essentially public spirited and progressive.

On the 2d of July. 1890. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Minnie Long, who was born on the farm on which they now reside, the date of her nativity having been February 15, 1871. She is a daughter of Edward and Sarah (Mulford) Long, who are now. deceased, both having been born in Butler county. Her mother was a daughter of John and Mary Mulford, who were born and reared in New Jersey, where they continued to reside for some time after their marriage, finally coming to Ohio and numbering themselves among the pioneers of Butler county. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have four children, namely: Harry, who was bom on the 20th of March, 1891 ; Cecil, who was born on the 5th of June, 1895; Mary, who was born on the 4th of February, 1898, and Charles, who was bom on the 1 8th of March, 1900.

Francis Jefferson Tytus

Among the broad-minded, public-spirited men of a former day and generation whom the people of Butler county delight to honor, few, if any, enjoyed a higher reputation or exerted a wider and more beneficial influence than the late Francis Jefferson Tytus, of Middletown. A representatt tive of an old and highly respected family of the historic commonwealth of Virginia, and inheriting the sterling characteristics for which his antecedents were long distinguished, he achieved an honorable career in the business world, dignified every station to which he was called during a life prolonged beyond the allotted span, devoted his energies and the best powers of mind and heart to the material interests of his community and to the social, moral and spiritual welfare of his fellow men. Mr. Tvtus was born in Manchester, Frederick county, Virginia, on February 5, 1806, and was the son of Tunis and Elizabeth Tytus, both natives of the Old Dominion state, and, as already indicated, descendants of two of its earliest and most highly esteemed families. Blessed with exceptional parental influence and correct home training. Mr. Tytus enjoyed during his youth such opportunities as fell to the lot of few of his, associates, among which were good educational advantages in his own native town. After finishing the usual preliminary course he entered an institution of higher grade in Manchester, where he prosecuted his studies until graduating with high honors, his record as a diligent and critical student being second to that of no other member of his class. Mr. Tvtus's father was a man of considerable wealth and influence in Manchester, and at one time held a number of slaves, not a little of his means consisting of this kind of property. Under the gradually growing influence of the anti -slavery movement, which for some time had been gaining headway in Frederick county, he came to the conclusion that involuntary human servitude was. a crime, and accordingly he manumitted his slaves, thus obliging his children to rely very largely upon their own exertions for a livelihood. Francis Jefferson was quite young when his father granted the blessings of freedom to his bond-servants and, from that time forward, he became, with all the term implies, the architect of his own fortune. His first efforts in the way of preparing for the future was as a clerk in a mercantile establishment, in which capacity he continued until attaining his majority. In the meantime, by close and diligent attention, he became not only an efficient salesman, but acquired a thorough knowledge of his chosen business in its every detail. At the age of twentyone Mr. Tytus left his fathers home and later sought a new field for the exercise of his talents in the young and prosperous state of Ohio. Locating at Middletown in 1852. he soon became identified with the industrial and general business growth of the place, and it was not long until he attained prominence as a public-spirited and influential citizen. After conducting several local enterprises with marked success he founded, in 1836, a pork-packing and hamcuring establishment, which be continued to manage with gratifying financial results until the early fifties, when he disposed of that business and, in 1854, entered in partnership with a friend and purchased the Erwin Brothers' Paper Mill, which, under his control, gradually grew into the Tytus & Larder Paper and Manufacturing Company, one of the largest and most successful enterprises of the kind in southern Ohio. In addition to this connection with the al)ove firm Mr. Ivtus became interested in various other industrial establishments and business ventures, including the Oglesby, More & Company, of which he was a director and a large stockholder, and the First National Bank at Middletown, with the growth and success of which his name was long identified. As a business man and financier he was broad-minded, energetic, resourceful and far-seeing, and by sound and conservative methods he gradually extended the scope of his operations, until he built up a considerable fortune, becoming in due time one of the wealthiest as well as one of the most enterprising and influential men of his adopted city. Mr. Tytus was a bom leader of men and possessed marked ability as a manager of large and important enterprises. His nature was broad and essentially catholic, and joined to a body of heroic mould. Although gentle, kind and responsive to even* noble and generous impulse, he moved among his fellows as a natural leader, and was the observed of all observers in even crowd or convocation of people in which he happened to be. The following incident, which occurred while he was on a visit to his daughter in Kansas City, Missouri, when General Grant stopped at that place on his return trip around the world, is worthy of notice in this connection. Desiring to obtain a favorable view of the gallant hero and distinguished ex-President, Mr. Tytus secured a conspicuous place near the stand, where his tall and stately form soon attracted the attention of the mass of people far and near. While gazing over the sea of human faces. General Grant's attention was arrested by this dignified personage, and at once signified a wish to become acquainted with him. Accordingly Mr. Tytus was invited to the stand, where the formalities of an introduction were gone through, and from that time to the death of both

Notwithstanding his commanding presence and strong and vigorous personality, Mr. Tytus was easily approachable and ever stood ready to grant a favor or contribute of his means to alleviate the suffering and distress of the poor and needy. Benevolence and a broad and generous charity were among his most pronounced characteristics, and he was never known to withhold a helping hand, even when convinced that many who applied to him for assistance were unworthy. His religious convictions were deeply rooted and abiding, and his Saviour was ever a conscious presence that enabled him to meet life's duties and responsibilities as became a true child of God. That presence cheered him as he fearlessly entered "the valley of shadows" at the end of his earthly sojourn.

Mr. Tytus was twice married, first to Miss Sarah V. Martin, a daughter of his business partner, and later, 1842, to Miss Sarah Butler, of Massachusetts, daughter of Rev. John Butler, for many years one of New England's most noted educators and divines; the second union being blessed with two daughters, Mrs. Colin Gardner and Mrs. C. Monjeau, and two sons, the younger of whom ended his days as a beloved and highly esteemed resident of the city of his birth.

The death of Mr. Tytus occurred in Middletown on December 9, 1887, and was deeply lamented not only by his immediate relations and friends, but by the entire people of the city in which so many years of his long and useful life were spent. In the language of the Rev. Dr. Tuce, of Chicago. "Seldom has the death of an individual, in any class of society, made a deeper impression on the public mind than that of the venerable and beloved F. J. Tytus.'' On the same occasion a prominent merchant who, for many years, had been accustomed to visit Mr. Tytus at his home, gave expression to his feelings in the following words : "My heart was so deeply stirred by the prayers and Christian practices of Mr. Tytus that I was finally constrained to come to the same Savior that he found for the rest and peace which I now enjoy." Finally on the winter day when the great heart which for over sixty years had beat in sympathy for humanitv was silenced, the Middletown Signal paid this glowing tribute to the manly character and worth of the dead in these words : "F. J. Tytus. a man good in greatness and great in goodness, has quietly passed away. The whole community has sustained a great loss in the death of this pure-souled, largehearted philanthropist. Those who knew him best felt that the hour of his departure was drawing to a close, and when he fell asleep with words of Christian triumph on his lips, they could but say: 'O, man of

Robert Durbin

Robert Durbin was born in Fairfield township, Butler county. November 3, 1851, and is one of the eight children of Stephen and Mary (Jackson) Durbin, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively; Stephen Durbin came to this county with his widowed mother when quite young and lived for a number of years with Robert

Kenedy, who furnished him employment and otherwise looked after his interests. He remained with this benefactor until his marriage and then engaged in agriculture for himself, which vocation he followed the remainder of his life, meeting with fair success and establishing the reputation of an honorable and praiseworthy citizen. Stephen and Mary Durbin reared eight children to maturity, five of whom are living at the present time, Robert being the fourth in order of birth.

The early life of Robert Durbin was spent on a farm and his experiences were similar to those of the majority of boys whose good forutne it is to be reared under the beneficial influences and rugged discipline of country life. The district schoo|s furnished him the means of acquiring a good practical education and until his twenty-sixth year he lived with his mother and provided her with her main support. At the age noted Mr. Durbin established a home of his own the presiding spirit of which was an estimable young lady by the name of Lurania Pocock, to whom he was united in the bonds of wedlock in the year 1877. Mrs. Durbin, who was born in Liberty township, is the only child of Reuben and Ruth Pocock, and her marriage has been blessed with three offspring, the older of the two living being a son by the name of Harvey, whose birth occurred in November, 1878. He is a graduate of the Middletown high school and a commercial college at the same place, in addition to which training he also took a four-years course in the Case School of Applied Sciences, in the city of Cleveland, receiving his degree from the lastnamed institution in June, 1902. Since that time he has been in the employ of the Sandusky Portland Cement Company, at Bay Ridge, having charge of an important department of the company's work. Stella, who was born in December, 1882, is a welleducated young lady, being a graduate of the high school of Hartwell, where she made an honorable record as a student.

Since his marriage Mr. Durbin has devoted his attention to farming and his progress has made for him a prominent place among the leading men of his calling in Liberty township. All of his undertakings have been characterized by intelligence and well-grounded knowledge and his labors have been pushed with a zeal and industry that admits only of success.

Mr. Durbin votes the Republican ticket, but is not a politician in the strict sense of the term, although he has done considerable work for his party, serving as delegate to township, county and state conventions, besides acting in the capacity of township committeeman. He is interested in the cause of education and has given his children excellent advantages, both being intelligent and above the average in intellectual culture and general mental attainments. Mr. and Mrs. Durbin are numbered among the leading people of Liberty township and in their immediate community no family is more highly esteemed.

Benjamin J. Niederlander

Any person who will investigate the facts in the case will be surprised to learn of the great number of people of Germanic descent now living in the United States. Unquestionably the greatest number of emigrants reaching the shores of the new world comes from that nation, and statistics show that there is more Germanic blood in the United States than any other. This being the fact, it is easy to account for the prosperity and morality of this country. Not only that, but it will afford an explanation for the love of learning shown by the people of this vast nation. Germany is famous the world over for its remarkable universities, for its educated men, for its poets and philosophers, and for the industry, patience, intelligence, morality and sturdiness of its citizens. These qualities have been brought to this country by the immigrants and are now part and parcel of our wonderful nation - its progress in domestic economy, its advancement in every branch of material improvement, and its love of country and home.

Benjamin J. Niederlander was born in Sandusky. Ohio, on the Tst of March. 1855. and is the son of Joseph and Mary ( Baden) Niederlander. The father was a native of Germany, having been born in the province of Alsace, and died at Middletown. Ohio. October 2, 1902. having come to this country when but a youth. They first located at Buffalo, New York, remaining there for some years. Having learned the tinner's trade in his youth, he came to Middletown. Ohio, immediately after the Civil war and was for some time engaged in this line. While in Buffalo he had married Miss Mary Baden, who, though American born, was of German extraction, and who died on March 25, 1859.

The subject of this sketch was left motherless at the early age of four years, and the lad was then placed in the care of his grandparents, who lived at Bowmansville. New York, extensively engaged in the tanning business. He received his preliminary education there and later also attended the schools at Middletown, Ohio, whence he came in 1866. His first employment was with the P. J. Sorg Company, in the capacity of shipping clerk, but after being so employed for a few years he was the recipient of several promotions as a reward for his fidelity and trustworthiness, at length reaching the position of cashier of the Sorg branch of the Continental Tobacco Company. which he now fills.

On December 18. 1877, Niederlander was married to Miss Alice O'Dwyer, the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth O' Dwyer, and born at Urbana, Ohio, on the 4th of September, 1857. This union has been a felicitous one, and has been blessed by the birth of two children, a daughter, Ruth, born December 6. 1879. and a son. Benjamin Frank, born May 18, 1884. and died on September 3, 1886. Miss Ruth received a good public and parochial school education, which has been supplemented bv a liberal course in music, including attendance at the Cincinnati College of Music.

The subject and his family are members of the Holy Trinity church, at Middletown, and are earnest and faithful followers of the lowly Nazarene. Fraternally Mr. Niederlander is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Middletown, having served for three years as secretary of his lodge. In politics the subject is one of the leading Democrats of Butler county, and has taken an active part in the campaigns of his party. He has not been a seeker after public office, but his party saw fit to select him as a candidate for the office of city clerk of Middletown, in which can- tlidacy he was successful and performed the duties of the office to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Mr. Niederlander also served two years as secretary of the water works board. He is a lover of outdoor sports of every character, hunting being his favorite pastime. In all the relations of life the subject has proven faithful to every trust, and because of his straightforward, upright life he has won and retains a host of warm and loyal friends.

Robert C. Sturges

A career of great activity and usefulness has been achieved by the subject of this review and at its close he retired to the quietude and privacy in which he is now spending the closing years of a long and eminently honorable life. Robert C. Sturges is a New Englander, being a native of the old historic commonwealth of Massachusetts, where his birth occurred on November 13, 1833. His father, Russell Sturges, was born and reared on Nantucket Island and his mother, whose maiden name was Fannie Clapp, was also of Massachusetts, and, like her husband, a descendant of one of the old families of that state. By occupation Russell Sturges was a shoemaker, which trade he followed in early life, later becoming a tiller of the soil. Many years ago he migrated to Michigan, with the pioneer history of which he was actively identified, and it was in that state that he spent part of ninety-five 'Years. Mrs. Sturges also departed this life in Michigan, and is remembered as a woman of strong mind, beautiful character and sterling worth. She bore her husband five children, four of whom survive, the subject of this review and three daughters, who live in the states of Iowa and Michigan respectively.

Robert C. Sturges first saw the light of day in the old county of Berkshire, and after attending the public schools of his native place until a youth of sixteen began his life work by entering a paper mill in the town of Lee. From an humble position which nothing but unskilled and manual labor was required in, he rose by a series of promotions to the superintendency of the establishment and continued in this responsible capacity for a period of twenty years, the meantime taking charge of an additional factory and becoming the manager of a force of one hundred and twenty-five workmen, which gave him a wide reputation among the successful paper makers of his native state. Before leaving Massachusetts Mr. Sturges was connected with three paper mills, the last being the large establishment operated bv the Riverside Paper Company, of which he served as superintendent until 1881. In that year he resigned his position with the above concern and came to Middletown. Ohio, for the purpose of taking charge of the Harding Paper Company, but the proprietor of the concern dying about the time of his arrival he became associated with the Tytus Paper Company, as finisher, later occupying the superintendency, which post he filled ably and acceptably during the fifteen years following. Mr. Sturges's long connection with the paper business made him not only familiar with every detail of its manufacture, but an expert in all matters pertaining thereto and his experience caused a great demand for his services, which al- ways commanded a very liberal salary. By his skill and masterly management he greatly enhanced the efficiency and capacity of the several establishments of which he had charge. At the close of his fifteen years with the Tytus Paper Company he resigned the superintendency and in a life of retirement found the rest and quiet content which his long period of service had so nobly earned and which since 1901 he has so greatly enjoyed and appreciated.

Mr. Sturges, on November 28, 1854, chose a life companion in the person of Miss Elizabeth Atkins, who was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, August 15, 1830, the daughter of Perry and Nancy (Prince) Atkins, both natives of the Bay state, the father one of the well-to-do farmers and respected citizens of the county in which he lived. Mrs. Sturges was reared and educated in the place of her birth, and has been her husband's faithful co-laborer and able assistant in all of his undertakings, contributing not a little to the success that has crowned his efforts and in many ways proving a help and an inspiration in his various achievements. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sturges, namely: Mary, deceased : Fred, a finisher in the Harding Paper Mill, at Franklin, Ohio; Henry, deceased, and Mary, now the wife of Lewis Myers, of Lockland, this state.

Mr. Sturges is a politician, but not a partisan, taking a lively interest in public matters and political issues as a citizen, rather than an office seeker. He is strongly Republican in his sentiments, votes his principles fearlessly and defends them in like spirit, but at no time has he permitted his name to be used in connection with public position nor entered the race as an aspirant for leadership or political honors. His chief aims have always been to lead a quiet life, to provide comfortably for those dependent upon him, to attend strictly to his own interests and prepare for the future. At the same time he has ever manifested a commendable regard for the welfare of the community and the good of his fellow men, all enterprises with these objects in view enlisting his influence, co-operation and material support. Religiously Mr. Sturges is a Baptist, and since becoming a resident of Middletown the church in this city has profited greatly by the membership of himself and wife, both being active and loyal to the duties imposed upon them as disciples of the Christ. Socially they are much respected by the people with whom they mingle, their quiet and unobtrusive charities by which the deserving poor are profited, having won them many warm friends among their neighbors and associates.

Edward Smith

Plowing, planting and harvesting seem to the superficial observer to constitute the life of the farmer, but to the initiated there is much more implied in the great basic science of agriculture than is shadowed forth in the statements just made. Today the farmer who succeeds possesses much scientific knowledge concerning the best methods of producing crops, the needs of different cereals and of the elements which should be found or produced in the soil. Rotation of crops is practiced, and in carrying on the work improved farm machinery is brought into requisition. The same discrimination is used in connection with the raising of live stock, and the care and careful direction given to the various departmens of the farm work entail the best results from the labors expended. There is no need at the present time for the farmer to feel in the least isolated, nor for him to be denied the advantages of the better order which formerly were enjoyed only by urban residents, and he may esteem himself fortunate, indeed, who is numbered among the sturdy, independent and prosperous yeomen of the country. The subject of this review is a representative farmer and stock grower of Butler county, his well-improved farmstead being located in Madison township, and he is known as one of the progressive, alert and successful young farmers of this most favored section of the old Buckeye state. In his labors he has not permitted himself to follow in the rut in a blind and apathetic way. but has studied and experimented and thus secured the maximum returns from his enterprising efforts, while he has so ordered his course at all times as to command the confidence and high regard of the people of the community in which he lives.

Mr. Smith is a native son of the Buckeye state, where his paternal grandfather settled in the pioneer days. He was born on the homestead farm in Montgomery county, Ohio, on the 22d of December, 1869, and is a son of John W. and Catherine Jane ( Cooper) Smith, both of whom were likewise born in Ohio. John Wesley Smith was born in Montgomery county, where he was reared and educated, and there he continued to reside until 1868, when he removed to Montgomery county, where he purchased land and became a successful farmer. He and his wife are now living in Montgomery countv.

The subject of this sketch was reared to the invigorating and wholesome discipline of the homesead farm which was the place of his birth, and his youthful years were given to assisting in the work of the farm, and to prosecuting his studies in the public schools, where he gained a good practical education. He continued to be associated with his father in the management of the home place until he was twenty-four years of age, and he has ever maintained his allegiance to the great fundamental industry of agriculture. In T898 Mr. Smith purchased his present fine farm, which comprises one hundred and fourteen acres of most fertile and productive land, situated in the beautiful valley of the Great Miami river, and he may be considered fortunate to be thus identified with the agricultural interests of one of the most beautiful farming sections of the grand old Buckeye state, while he merits much commendation for the able manner in which he has directed his energies and abilities in connection with his chosen vocation. His farm is improved with substantial buildings, including a commodious two-story brick residence, which is one of the attractive homes of the county. Brought up on the farm and ever appreciative of its functions, it is not strange that he has found all of satisfaction in his independent labors in connection with this line of enterprise, and it is gratifying to note the unequivocal success which he has gained. He is liberal and public, spirited and takes an active interest in local affairs, lending his aid and influence in support of measures and enterprises which tend to conserve the general welfare. In politics he has ever given a stanch allegiance to the Democratic party.

the marriage of Mr. Smith to Miss Bertha Gebhardt, who was born in Madison township, this county, on the 29th of December, 1874, being a daughter of George and Caroline Gebhardt, the former of whom is one of the representative farmers of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have five children, namely: Mabel, Hazel, Helen, Fred and Dorotha.

James G. Reed

-On another page of this work will be found a sketch of the life of Robert C. Reed, brother of our subject, and in the connection is incorporated much interesting data concerning the prominent and honored family of which the two brothers are representatives. Ihe Reed family was one of the first to settle in Butler county, the grandparents of the subject having located here long before the admission of Ohio to the Union, while the fact that the father of James G. was the first male white child born in the county bears all of significance as showing howr early must have been the period when the family name became identified with the annals of this division of the Buckeye state. To the article mentioned we would refer the reader for further genealogical data, which it is unnecessary to recapitulate in the present connection. The lineage is of Scotch-Irish extraction, and the paternal grandparents of our subject immigrated from the north of Ireland to America and were among the first to establish a home in the sylvan wilds of Butler county, as has already been noted.

of this review, has passed his entire life in Butler county, and is one of the prominent, representative and highly esteemed farmers of Lemon township. He was born on the old homestead farm, in this township, the date of his nativity having been April 30, i85 7* while it may be said that he was the second in order of birth of the two children of Thomas C. and Rachel (Gordon) Reed, the former of whom was born in the same township, in 1797, while the latter was born in New Jersey in 1824, being a daughter of James and Mary (Slack) Gordon, who were likewise pioneers of Butler county. The father was summoned into eternal rest in 1874. and the mother lived to attain the age of seventy-two years, her death occurring in 1896.

The subject of this sketch was reared on the old home farm and has never lapsed in his allegiance to the great basic art of agriculture. which he has found altogether worthy of his best efforts and through the medium of which he has attained distinctive prosperity and temporal success. He received his educational training in the public schools of his native county, having completed a course in the high school at Amanda, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1874. He owns a quarter section of most arable land, and to the improvement and cultivation of this place he has given his undivided attention since 1888, when it came into his possession. His farm is well improved and is devoted to diversified agriculture, while he also gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock. In politics he is a stalwart adherent of the Republican party, with which he has been affiliated from the time of attaining his legal majority, and he and his entire family are members of the United Presbyterian church. Mr. Reed is a man of progressive ideas and liberal views and takes a consistent interest in the questions and issues of the hour and in public affairs of a local nature, though he has never sought official preferment. He has been a warm friend of the cause of education and has been influential in the securing of the best possible advantages in the line for his township, being at the present time a member of the school board of his district.

On the 20th of November, 1879. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Reed to Miss Geraldine S. Conover, who was born in St. Luke's Place, New York city, on the 3d of November. T856, being a daughter of Samuel C. and Mary Conover, both of whom died when she was a mere child, and she was reared in the home of her uncle, John L. Schenck. in Butler county. Her father was for a number of years superintendent of the Eaton & Richmond division of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad. Mr. Roberts was an elder in the United Presbyterian church for the long period of forty years, was a man of fine mental gifts and well-fortified convictions and was an able and effective public speaker. Mrs. Reed received her educational discipline in the public schools of Hamilton, and there attended Professor Starr's high school for three years, while she also attained marked proficiency in music. She was a woman of noble character and gentle and gracious presence, endearing herself to all who came within the sphere of her influence, while her beautiful attributes of character shone most resplendent in the sacred precincts of her own home, where her devotion to husband and children was unmeasured and unselfish in the extreme. She was summoned into the life eternal on the 20th of April, 1890, and in her death came the great loss and bereavement of the subject's life. She was survived by her six children, the youngest being at the time but six months old. Mr. Reed managed by great care and solicitude to keep his motherless children together in the home and has given them the best of educational advantages available, while five of the number still remain with their father on the old homestead. Verna is now the wife of Charles I. Wykoff. an employe of the Big Four Railroad; and the names of the other children arc as follows: Robert R., Harold T., Gordon J., Rachel M. and Wallace W.

John D. Crist

The gentleman of whom the biographer writes in this connection is at the head of one of the leading life insurance agencies of Middletown, and his success in the business has brought him prominently to the notice of the public, not only in the city of his residence, but throughout the large territory over which he exercises jurisdiction. His life has been one of signal usefulness, and in addition to the sphere of activity in which he is engaged, he has contributed to the material growth and well-being of the community in various ways, besides using his influence at all times for the advancement of his fellow men, along social, educational and moral lines. John D; Crist is a native of Butler county, and one of the eleven children of Allison B. and Phoebe

(Maddock) Crist, the father born in Indiana, the mother in Ohio. The subject's paternal ancestors in this country were Pennsylvanians and of German extraction, and his mother's people were among the pioneers of North Carolina, moving thence to Butler county shortly after this part of the Buckeye state was opened for settlement. Allison B. Crist was born and reared in Franklin county, Indiana, and in his young manhood began life for himself as a pork-packer, which calling he continued in his native state for a number of years. Thinking to better his condition in Ohio, he subsequently transferred his business to Butler county, and shortly after his arrival here he was united in marriage with Miss Phoebe Maddock, following which he settled in Wayne township, where he still resides, at the ripe old age of seventy-eight years. After devoting some years to porkpacking he turned his attention to agriculture, which he followed until acquiring a competency, and he is now classed with the successful and well-to-do farmers of the county, being not only in independent circumstances, but the possessor of a fortune which entitles him to a conspicuous place among the wealthy men of his community. Allison B. Crist has long been a man of high character and strong influence, and his family is widely known and greatly respected throughout the township of Wayne and other parts of Butler county. He has been thrice nlarried, his last wife dying in the year 1898, since which time his children have ministered to his comforts, although he still manages his various business interests with the judgment and vigor of his more active days.

and spent his early years on the home farm in Wayne township, entering at the proper age the district schools, which he attended during the winter months until becoming a student of Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana. at the age of nineteen. After pursuing his studies in that institution for a period of four years he engaged in the grocery business at Middletown, where in due time he built up a lucrative patronage, and to this line of trade he devoted his attention from 1884 to 1886, inclusive. In the latter year he contracted a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary Beirne, of Middletown, and immediately thereafter moved to a farm in Wayne township, where he followed agricultural pursuits during the ensuing three years, disposing of his interests at the expiration of that time to engage in the life-insurance business at Middletown, Ohio.

Mr. Crist's career in the insurance business has been eminently creditable and he is now with the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company of New York, one of the largest and most successful companies of the kind in the United States. Since taking charge of his present field he has greatly extended the scope and influence of the company's operations and the business which he today commands is second in magnitude to that of no other underwriter in the territory under his jurisdiction. Mr. Crist is essentially a business man and, as such, enjoys in a marked degree the confidence of the public, which fact accounts very largely for the series of continued successes that has marked his career from the beginning to the present time. He has taken pains to familiarize himself with every detail of life insurance, keeps in touch with its wide and constantly growing interests and as an agent exercises the sound judgment, resourcefulness and tact which characterize the skillful judge of human nature and the natural leader of men.

In addition to his chosen sphere of labor, Mr. Crist has also interested himself in politics. Since his twenty-first year he has been an earnest and unswerving Republican, firm in the support of his principles, and an active participant in party councils, also an indefatigable worker and successful campaigner, but never an aspirant for public honors or the emoluments of office. Religiously he subscribes to the Episcopal faith, himself and wife being active and influential members of the Holy Trinity church of Middletown, and in addition to the liberal support he gives his own congregation. he is a generous contributor to all worthy charitable and benevolent enterprises, while other religious bodies have frequently profited by his financial assistance.

Mrs. Crist, whose birth occurred in the year 1863, ^las presented her husband with six children, namely : Gertrude, born July 2, 1889; Marguerite, June 30, 1892; John, February 22, 1894; Thomas, August 27, 1899; Elwood, May 6, 1901, and Bertha Leah, who was born on May 5, T903. all living.

Rev. Charles A. Hermann

Not to a work of this nature is the privilege of entering more than incidental record concerning the great and all-pervading influence which the preachers of the gospel of Christ have exerted in connection with the history of Butler county and yet from no compilation which touches the generic history of this section of the American Union can there be eliminated frequent and appreciative references to those noble emissaries of the Divine Master who have here lived and labored for the salvation of souls and the furtherance of' the Master's cause; who have lived lives of high consecration and utmost usefulness, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer, distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality," and with the utmost self-abnegation giving themselves and their lives to the work which stands for the only ultimate good in human life and human accomplishment.

Charles Adolph Hermann was a native of the fatherland, having been bom in Reutlingen, Germany, on the 21st of May, 1835, the son of Gottlieb and Nane (Zenneck) Hermann, natives of Germany and descendants of an old French-Huguenot family. The father was a soldier in the regular army, serving the required period, and later in life acquired considerable prominence, having served for some years as judge of a court at Reutlingen. His death occurred at the latter place in 1876, at the age of seventy years. His wife long survived liitn. The subject's paternal grandfather, Gottlieb Hermann, was a minister in the German Evangelical church, and never left the fatherland, dying there at the age of about seventy years. The subject's maternal grandfather, Christian Zenneck, was also a minister of the German Evangelical church, as were a son and son-in-law ; he lived to an advanced age and was active to the last, preaching a few weeks prior to his demise.

primarily in the public schools of his native land, and made marked progress therein. His parents had long desired that he should devote his life to the work of the ministry, to which wish he was not indifferent; consequently, he attended the theologipal school at Tuebingen, with the definite purpose in view of preparing himself for the ministry, the wisdom of his decision having been abundantly approved in his later experience. Realizing that in America lay wider opportunities and enlarged possibilities, he, in 1853, emigrated to this country, one of his fellow travelers on that voyage having been the afterwards noted statesman, Carl Schurz. One of the marked characteristics of the Teutonic race is energy', and this was exemplified in a marked degree by the subject, who upon landing in this country at once sought employment, being first engaged in work in a brickyard on Long Island, New York. Subsequently he was employed by a Dutch farmer, with whom he remained for some time. While at the latter place, he played on a piano one evening at a party and evinced such skill as to arouse curiosity, which led the family to inquire of him regarding himself. His superior ability was soon manifest and, as opportunity offered, he began preaching soon afte/ward, his first regular charge being in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

The somber clouds of civil war were hovering over the country and in April, 1861, when President Lincoln issued his call for seventy-five thousand volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, Mr. Hermann at once responded, enlisting in the Eighth Regiment, New York Infantry, his term of enlistment being for three months. Upon the completion of his term of enlistment Mr. Hermann received an honorable discharge at Louisville, Kentucky, and at once accepted a call to the pastorate of a church m that city, having previously resigned his pastorate in Pittsburg. He' remained in charge of the church in Louisville until 1866, when he came to Hamilton and assumed the pastorate of St. John's church, which position he filled until 1876, when he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, thence to Steubenville, Ohio, thence to Pittsburg, returning to Hamilton and St. John's in the spring of 1889, and continued as pastor of that church until his death, on Thursday, September 10, 1903. The following resume of his subsequent career and achievements is from the pen of one who knew him well and is thus well qualified to speak :

"Not only was the Rev. Hermann honored by the upbuilding of the great church with which his name was so long connected, but the denomination of which St. John's is a member has seen fit to honor the beloved pastor. He held many offices in the denominational affairs of the church, being for a great length of time president of the Cincinnati district of the German Protestant Evangelical church and the work he performed in that capacity earned him recognition over a wide extent of territory.

"The Rev. Hermann was a man of marked educational attainments and that fact was recognized by his serving for many years as a member of the city board of school examiners. He became genuinely and thoroughly identified as a member of that body in connection with the schools and ever took a deep interest and pride in the condition and the welfare of the schools.

tions Rev. Hermann was widely known and frequently honored. For ovrf thirty-nme years he 'was a member of the Masonic order and of the Odd Fellows and for many years was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and had served on four or five occasions as a representative to the grand lodge of that order. He had served as supreme master of the American Protestant Association and was a warm and progressive advocate of the principles of recognized fraternalism.

"In Tulv. 1 86 1. Rev. Hermann was united in marriage with Miss Ann Rowers, of Catskill. New York, a daughter of Christian and Christina (Hempftling) Bowers. To this union were born six sons and five daughters, as follows: Carl. Gustav A..

"The mental attainments of the kev. Hermann were of the highest type and of the most substantial character. He was an eloquent public speaker. His utterances were filled at will with the most extensive classical references and he spoke with that force which could he expected of a man of his marked strength of character combined with the qualifications of the man of letters. No man in the history of any church in southern Ohio ever gained the love and esteem of his congregation as the Re\ . C . A. Hermann possessed that of his flock. At the age of sixty-eight years he bore the appearance of a man of twenty years less than that term of life. He was all that the world could ask in a man - kindly, charitable in spirit and deed, a strong man. and in a word a man whom the world could look upon with love and confidence. His last words. 'I have done my work: my church is finished: I can die in peace,' exemplify the spirit which animated him even unto death. The church over which he presided for so many years was almost the dearest thing on earth to him, and to it he gave the best of his thought, strength and endeavor.'

The superintendent of the Hamilton public schools is a native of Butler county. Kirn at Venice, Ross township. March 12, 1874. Very few young men have made as rapid advancement in the educational field as Professor Joyce. His success is due largely to his own unaided efforts, being endowed from early youth with those tru y American characteristics, independence and self-reliance.

Darrell Jovce is a son of Col. Robert Tovce. who was born in Hamilton county. Ohio, on the 6th of December. 1830. He received a literal education in his youth, and in voting manhood was a mechanic l,v occupation. At the outbreak of the Civil war he organized a company of volunteers for the Ninety-third Ohio Infantry, and entered the service as a captain. By subsequent promotions during his term of three t ears at the front he reached the rank o lieutenant colonel of his regiment.

Since the close of the war Colonel Joyce has been almost entirely employed in the government service. For fourteen years e was United States deputy collector at Hamilton. and subsequently held a similar P°s> tion at Cincinnati, which position he hel until his death, on May 15. I9<M- During the opening to settlement of the Indian lands in Oklahoma territory, he served two or

The mother of Professor Joyce was, in maidenhood, Miss Isabel Townsend, who was born at Moscow, Rush county, Indiana, on the nth of June, 1832. The family home has been located at Venice, Butler county, for many years. These were the parents of nine children, six of whom are now living.

Darrell, of this sketch, is the youngest of the family. Two of the children died in early childhood, and Robert P., a promising young physician, died at the age of thirty-four years, on the nth of December, 1896. He was a young man of bright prospects for future prominence and usefulness. He was graduated from the National Normal University of Lebanon, Ohio, and from Ohio Medical College, at Cincinnati. Dr. Robert P. was the third child in order of birth. The eldest of the family is Alfred R.. at present engaged with a school-supply company, but formerly was a prominent teacher for a number of years. Ella, the second born, is the wife of Ellis N. Demoret, a prosperous farmer at Atchison, Kansas. Gwendolyn is the wife of Walter Burnham, of Cincinnati. Sheridan is a farmer and fruit grower in the state of Washington. Walter is manager of a lumber company at Mulhall, Oklahoma. The subject of this review received his elementary education in the public schools of Venice, his native town. At the age of eighteen he began teaching in the country schools and after three years' experience in the "poor man's college" he was elected superintendent of the schools of Venice. During his previous teaching, and also while employed in his native village, he pursued a systematic course of study in preparation for college. After six years' experience as an instructor he entered Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, and his thorough preparation enabled him to complete a four-years classical course in two and a half years. During his last term in the university he was elected principal of the Columbian school in Hamilton, and entered upon the discharge of his duties in that connection in April. 1903. Two months later he received his diploma from Miami, conferring the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In August, 1903, Professor Joyce was elected superintendent of the city school in competition with a number of distinguished educators. He entered upon the discharge of his duties with the beginning of the present school year, succeeding to the position made vacant by the death of Prof. S. L. Rose. In the administration of his official duties Professor Joyce has charge of one hundred and nine teachers and a total school enrollment of four thousand pupils. In the discharge of his onerous duties, the efforts of Professor Joyce are seconded by an able corps of assistants in the teaching force of the city. The schools are under excellent discipline and all seem to be working zealously to the desirable and commendable end - universal education.

Darrell Joyce was united in marriage August 30. 1898, when he chose Miss Henrietta Clay Bedinger as his life companion. She is a lady of exalted educational attainments and many charms of person and character. Mrs. Joyce is a native of Ross township and a daughter of Benjamin F. and . Harriett fCillev) Bedinger. She was educated in the public schools, at Bellewood Seminarv. Anchorage, Kentucky, and graduated from Miami University in the same class with her husband.

ligious affiliations, that church being the religious home of her parents. In like manner Professor Joyce is a Methodist, through a long line of ancestors of that religious faith. His father and the renowned Bishop Joyce, of the Methodist Episcopal church, were cousins. The only social fraternity with which the Professor is now connected is the Knights of Pythias.

Calvin S. Hunter

Distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation in Butler county, and for many years a leader and authority in lines of endeavor requiring wide intelligence, mature judgment and a high order of business talent, it is fitting that the career of Calvin Symmes Hunter be outlined in this connection and that a tribute to his worth as a citizen be accorded him. The Hunter family is of Scotch-Irish origin and was first represented in the United States by the subject's grandfather, who came from Scotland in an early day and settled in southern Ohio when Butler county was considered on the western boundary of civilization. His wife's maiden name was Jane Noble, daughter of the merchant, William Noble, who erected the first row of four-story buildings in Cincinnati. William Noble Hunter, father of Calvin S. Hunter, was born in this county and spent his life within its borders. He was a thrifty farmer and a leading citizen, took an active interest in public affairs and for many years was an influential factor in the Democratic party, but after the nomination of John C. Fremont he changed his political views and became a zealous Republican. Esther Symmes, who became the wife of William N. Hunter, was a member of an old and distinguished English family, the genealogy of which is traceable in a direct line to one William B. Symmes, who lived in Canterbury, England, as long ago as the beginning of the sixteenth century. Some years later the family immigrated to America and settled on Long Island, New York, where the name subsequently became prominent in local as well as general colonial affairs. Among the most noted of this family was John Cleves Symmes, who was born on Long Island in the year 1742, and who served as delegate to the continental congress in 1785, being at that time one of the most learned and distinguished jurists on the American continent. He served as judge of the Northwest territory and in 1788 obtained from congress a grant of a million acres of land between the Ohio and Miami rivers on which he afterwards established the settlements of North Bend and Cincinnati, having been the founder of those two cities and a number of other places which are now among the most flourishing of Ohio's prominent industrial and business centers. Mr. Symmes was not only one of the notable jurists of his day, but as the leader of civilization in a new and promising country, and the originator of large and important public enterprises for the development of the same, was perhaps without a peer in the early history of the West. He took an active interest in the growth of Cincinnati and shortly after founding the town moved to it and there resided until his death, on February 26, 1814.

sey, father of John Cleves Symmes, who achieved almost as notable a career as did his distinguished relation. John Cleves Symmes, Jr., whose birth occurred in New Jersey in 1780, entered the army when a young man, was a captain in the war of 1812 and in due time rose to high position in the military service. Severing his connection with the army, he retired to Newport, Kentucky, where he gave himself to philosophical pursuits and scientific experiments and it was while residing there that he promulgated in 1818 the celebrated theory which made his name familiar in learned circles throughout the world. Briefly stated, this theory was that the world is a hollow sphere, inhabitable within and without, open at the poles for the admission of light and containing, besides the exterior surface, six or seven other concentric spheres, also open at the poles. He wrote fluently in defense of this singular hypothesis, also made frequent addresses before large audiences of learned men and in 1822-3 petitioned congress to fit out an expedition to test the truth of his theory. He delivered a number of lectures before the students and faculties of various colleges and universities and was always heard with interest, but his pet theory was received with ridicule and the supposed aperture at the north pole finally became known as "Symmes Hole," this being about the only appellation by which he is now remembered by the general public The theory of concentric spheres was first published in 1826 and an abstract of his theory and arguments appeared for the last time in the Atlantic Monthly of April, 1873. Another brother by the name of Peyton Symmes, who lived in Cincinnati, became widely known tions to polite literature earned him honorable repute as a writer. The family has long been distinguished for mental ability, public spirit and enterprise and the name is destined to continue for all time, one of the brightest in the annals of American achievement.

Celadon Symmes, father of Mrs. William N. Hunter, and grandfather of the subject of this review, inherited much of the mental force and alertness and many of the sterling characteristics for which his ancestors were noted, and during his early manhood became a factor of considerable influence in the community where he resided. He came to Butler county in pioneer times and selecting for his home a section of land a short distance south of Hamilton, immediately began the work of its improvement. He cleared and developed a fine farm, became one of the leading agriculturists of his township, also one of its most intelligent and progressive men of affairs, and the prestige of himself and family fastened his name to the locality which from that time to the present day has been known as Symmes Corners. Mr. William N. Hunter was a man of mark in the community, a leader in a number of important local enterprises and a liberal supporter of schools and churches, having assisted in the erection of four houses of worship, besides contributing freely to other measures for the material good and moral welfare of his fellow men. Calvinism was his religious creed and for many years he was an earnest and influential member of the Presbyterian church at Hamilton and an elder in the same, his life having always been in close accord with his faith and his actions the outgrowth of motives which demonstrated beyond a doubt the depth and sincerity of his religious connections. He died many years ago, but his memory is still alive and the land on which he originally settled and from which the old family homestead was carved is now in possession of his descendants.

Reverting to the marriage of the latter and Esther Symmes, it is learned that the union resulted in the birth of eleven children, six sons and five daughters, of whom all but two survive. Calvin S. Hunter, the third of these offspring, is a native of Butler county, Ohio, and was born on the old homestead in Fairfield township on January 22, 1838. He was reared to agricultural pursuits on his father's farm, early learned the lessons of industry and thrift which form the basis of nearly every successful career and as soon as old enough entered the district school near his home where he pursued his studies until finishing the fundamental branches. Later he supplemented this training by a two-vears course at College Hill and after spending two years in an institution of a higher grade at Hanover, Indiana, engaged in teaching, his first term being in a country school south of Hamilton, which was attended by a number of pupils who afterwards became* the leading men and women of their respective communities. Mr. Hunter's experience as an educator covered a period of ten years, during which time he achieved an honorable reputation as a successful instructor and discreet disciplinarian and quite a goodly number of the country's representative citizens were indebted to him for their first instruction in the mysteries of books and for the judicious advice which shaped their youthful minds in the direction of well-minded manhood and womanhood and gave them proper conceptions of the dignity, duty and responsibility of life. While engaged in educational work, Mr. Hunter devoted the summer and autumn months to agriculture and he also gave considerable time and attention to horticulture, being one of the first men in Butler county to make this interesting pursuit profitable. He early began experimenting with small fruits, making the strawberry a specialty, and he not only introduced the now celebrated Longworth's Prolific and McAvoy's Superior varieties into his county, but also later, through the county agricultural society, helped introduce the Haverland, one of the most delicious berries known to the fruit growers of the United States. After abandoning the school room, he made tilling the soil his life work and has prosecuted the same with much more than ordinary success to the present time, the meanwhile coming prominently to the notice of the public by his interest in organized efforts for the promotion of farming and by his numerous contributions to various agricultural periodicals, also as a lecturer on subjects pertaining to husbandry. Mr. Hunter has been connected with every agricultural society of Butler county within the last fifty years and did as much, if not more, than any other man to promote their efficiency as a stimulus to the farmer and to make them meet the purposes for which intended. He served in various official capacities in these organizations and for a number of years past has been vice-president of the present society, besides doing much in other capacities to keep up an interest in its behalf, being a leading spirit in all of its meetings and an influential member of the different committees which have in charge its management. He was formerly associated with Prof. F.

G. Carey in the latter's scientific and experimental work in agriculture and horticulture ; made full and exhaustive reports of the same, which were published from time to time in the leading agricultural papers of Ohio, and in this way his name first became known as an easy, graceful and fluent writer, the reports being varied at intervals by original articles in which his views on the subject so close to his heart were given publicity. He still wields the pen for various periodicals and his contributions are always read with interest, being, as above indicated, clear and forceful in thought, beautiful in diction and generally accepted as authority in the subjects treated and discussed. Mr. Hunter is a lecturer of considerable note and his services as such have been in great demand by agricultural associations, farmers' institutes and like bodies in his own and many other states, having traveled in this capacity throughout the greater part of the Union, at one time going as far west as the Pacific coast and making a number of addresses in the leading cities of California. He has also been a leisurely traveler, with pleasure and the improvement of his health in view, and in this way he has visited many places of interest in the United States and Canada.

Mr. Hunter had two years' experience (as a student) with F. G. Carey while he was president of the horticultural farm at College Hill and during that time lived with him. assisting in his experimental work. His deep and abiding interest in everything pertaining to the tilling of the soil has led him to devote considerable attention to the implements of husbandry, on a number of which he has made decided improvements, besides inventing others whose superiority over the older kinds is cheerfully acknowledged by all who have used them. From these implements and tools he has realized liberal financial returns, but by far the greater part of his work in behalf of the farmer has been for the latter's benefit instead of his own material interest. Mr. Hunter lives on the home farm of two hundred and eighty-eight acres in Wayne township, and has spared neither pains nor expense in its improvement. His dwelling, with its beautiful and attractive surroundings, impresses the beholder as an ideal country home of the better class; his other buildings are modern in point of architecture and admirably suited t6 the purposes for which intended, while the excellent fencing and the fine condition of the cultivated fields leave little to be desired in the wav of a farm complete in its every department. On the place Mr. Hunter has made many of his experiments in agriculture and horticulture, and by reason of the success which has attended nearly all of his efforts it is now one of the most widely known as well as one of the most productive and well-improved farms in Butler county. Among the more noted Mr. Hunter's scientific experiments are his tests of the various kinds of fruit to which he has devoted his attention; also the improvements he has made in adding to the quality* and productiveness of many different varieties. Since making horticulture his specialty he has tested and improved thirty kinds of strawberries; one hundred kinds of apples and one hundred and twenty kinds of grapes, besides developing several distinctively new and improved varieties of each, the results of his labors and investigations being a great boon to the farmers of his own and other states.

While ranking among the foremost in the lines of endeavor which he has long made his life work, Mr. Hunter is also a public-spirited man who keeps pace with the times and keeps himself fully informed upon the leading questions and issues in which the American people are interested. Like the majority of intelligent up-to-date Ohio men, he is a politician and believes that in a free government every citizen should manifest much more than a passive interest in one or other of the great political parties in which the people are interested. While staunchly and uncompromisingly Republican in his views, he has refrained from entering the political arena as an office seeker or aspirant for any kind of public honor, being content to vote his principles, defend the soundness of his opinions and leave to those so inclined the scramble and partisan conflict for place and leadership.

Mr. Hunter is not only a man of strong mental powers and wide general information, but he is also versatile in many respects, being skilled in music and a successful teacher thereof, also a composer of much more than local reputation. A number of his compositions have obtained wide publicity. He plays with ease five or six kinds of instruments, and he is equally talented in voice culture, which he has taught for many years with gratifying success. His religious convictions are strong and profound and from early life he has been a faithful member of the Presbyterian church, being at this time connected with the congregation at Jacksboro, in which he holds the office of elder. While deeply interested in all lines of religious endeavor, he is especially concerned in the Sunday school and for over a half century has been one of the most active and efficient workers in this important branch of the church in the township of his birth and of his residence. During the period noted he has assisted in organizing a number of new schools in different parts of the country, and as a teacher has rendered faithful and valuable service, being well read in the Holy Scriptures and general religious literature and apt in imparting his knowledge to his classes.

The marriage of Mr. Hunter was solemnized on the 5th day of November, 1868, with Miss Anna Baird, a native of Butler county and the daughter of a wealthy farmer and influential citizen whose parents came to this part of Ohio in an early day from the state of New Jersey. The fruits of this union are four children, the oldest of whom is Arthur B., who was educated in the National Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio, and who is now a prosperous farmer of Butler county, being at the present time an elder, a supervisor, a director and president of the school board. Prof. Joseph S. Hunter, the second son, is a young man of fine intellectual attainments and at this time holds the position of principal of the schools at Morris, Illinois. He was graduated from the Ohio State University and has passed his second year at the Chicago University. He has made an enviable record as a teacher and manager of schools, and bids fair to become, at no distant day, one of the state's leading educators. Clarence Noble, who also received a fine mental discipline in his youth, chose agriculture for his vocation, and is now helping to manage the home farm. Harry D., the youngest of the family, acquired his intellectual education in the public schools, after which he took a full business course at Muncie. Indiana, becom- ing especially proficient in shorthand and typewriting. For some time past he has been official stenographer for the American Seeding Company, of Springfield, Ohio, and enjoys the confidence and high personal esteem of his employers.

Fred M. Betz

Fred M. Betz, a prominent young business man in Hamilton, is a native of that city, born on the 26th of August, 1871. Though he has traveled extensively in his business career, he has always retained his residence in the city of his birth, excepting four years at Newport, Kentucky.

Mr. Betz is a man whose career is a worthy object lesson to aspiring young men who desire to work out their own destiny. After leaving school at the age of sixteen, with only ordinary attainments, he secured a clerkship, through the intervention of an influential friend. In June, 1889, ^le entered upon the discharge of his duties in the office of the postal inspection service at Cincinnati, at a salary of six hundred dollars per year. He was then a mere boy, though endowed with the characteristics which make successful men. The salary he received was the lowest paid by the government in that department of public service. By reason of faithful and intelligent services, the salary was soon increased to nine hundred dollars per year, and this was followed soon after by another increase to one thousand dollars and promotion to chief clerk, and private secretary to his principal, the postoffice inspector in charge of division. While in this position his salary was again increased, being now double what it was when he entered the service but a few months before. In December, 1896, Mr. Betz was promoted to the office of traveling postoffice inspector, at a salary of about three thousand dollars per year and enjoyed the worthy distinction of being the youngest chief clerk and now the youngest traveling postoffice inspector in the government service. His route covered portions of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. He traveled in this capacity for over six years, during which time he had married and established a home in Hamilton. Finally the postal authorities desired to send him into the southern states and establish a new route, to which he objected and tendered his resignation, which was accepted on the 1st of September, 1902. Previous to this, however, he had desired to leave the road and establish himself in some line of the manufacturing business in Hamilton. This desire was gratified by this proposed change in his official duties, which afforded an excuse for his resignation. He erected a fine home in the beautiful suburb of Lindenwald, where his family has since lived, at No. 1026 Mount Pleasant avenue. Lindenwald has enjoyed a prosperous growth and soon the need of better educational facilities became apparent to Mr. Betz and he began to agitate the question of a special school district. This he carried through successfully and served three years as president of the board of education, during which time a handsome and commodious school building was erected.

Being an active member of the Methodist Episcopal church and recognizing the inconvenience of attending the services at the First Methodist Episcopal church in Hamilton, he caused to be circulated a petition seeking a division of that parish and the establishment of a church and resident pastor at Lindenwald. This was accomplished and Mr. Betz is now a member of the official board, board of trustees, and a member of the building committee now engaged in the erection of a church edifice. In 1903 Mr. Betz established himself in the manufacture of sheet metal specialties, and opened a small plant at Lindenwald. His product was safety deposit boxes for the safe manufacturers, banks, etc., and rural mail boxes. He met with some discouragements in the beginning of his work, owing to the difficulty of securing competent help, but upon the whole, the enterprise proved successful. The existence of a plant of somewhat similar import, but of larger capacity and more diversified products, led Mr. Betz to consider the wisdom of a consolidation of interests and incorporation of the concern. This was brought about on the 24th of February, 1904, when the Betz Manufacturing Company absorbed the Bess Machine Company and the New Bess Machine Company, under the title which had formerly existed in his first venture in business. The incorporators were Fred M. Betz, E. G. Ruder, H. V. Moore, Jr., S. D. Fitton and E. C. Bott, all well-known business men of Hamilton. The officers selected were : Fred M. Betz, president and general manager; E. G. Ruder, vice-president, and H. V. Moore, Jr., secretary and treasurer. The nominal capitalization is twenty-five thousand dollars. The product of the plant now includes the articles previously manufactured by Mr. Betz when alone and in addition thereto the products of the Bess Machine Company, embracing a full line of laundry machinery and supplies and sheet metal specialties, including gasoline engine and automobile

The family genealogy of Mr. Betz is a matter of interest to the older residents of Hamilton. He is a son of Martin and Anna K. (Euler) Betz, the former being a native of Germany who came to Hamilton in boyhood. In 1861 he entered the service of the government as a soldier in the gallant Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served three years and three months at the front. He was twice wounded, and was mustered out of service as lieutenant of Company G. Returning to Hamilton, he became a member of the hardware firm of Flenner & Betz and later was senior member of the firm of Betz & Baursachs. But during the later years of his life he was in charge of the Cincinnati Brewing Company's ice plant and collector for that firm. He was a member of the local Grand Army of the Republic post in Hamilton. His death occurred at the family home, No. 334 South Second street, June 14, 1899. His widow, who still lives at the old homestead, was born in Hamilton in a house now standing at the northwest corner of Court and Water streets, where all of her five children were born. Mrs. Betz is a daughter of Peter Euler, a native of Germany who enjoyed the distinction of being the first shoemaker in Hamilton. He died in this city at the age of ninety-one years. His wife, Margaret Euler, was also a native of Germany and both came to this country in early life. The parental family of Fred M. Betz was five in number, three of whom are living: Charles, the eldest, now Mrs. William Warwick, and resides in a portion of the old parental home; Frederick M., of this sketch, was the third in order of birth ; Ernst is a machinist by trade, and resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; Emma died in her eighteenth year. Thus the eldest and youngest of the family have passed to the other shore at a period in life when the world looked bright and promising.

Mr. Betz was married on the 8th of September, 1891, when he led to the altar Miss Margaret, daughter of H. V. and Margaret Moore, of Hamilton, Ohio, now of Piqua, Ohio. This happy union has been blessed with an interesting family of three children, Dorothy, Margaret and Frederick. The second daughter enjoys the distinction of being the fourth generation of "Margarets" in the Moore family. The parents of Mrs. Betz formerly lived in Hamilton, where her father served seventeen years as general superintendent of the F. & L. Kahn Stove Company. He now occupies a similar position in the employ of the Favorite Stove Company of Piqua.

Mr. Betz is a member of the Masonic fraternity in Hamilton, holding membership in Washington Lodge, No. 17. He is also a member of Hamilton Lodge, No. 93. Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and both are zealous members of the Methodist Episcopal chufch.

Henry Pi. Haines

has made a commendable record for himself. His career has been one of signal activity and due conservatism along the lines of his chosen profession. He has taken an active interest in public affairs and in the local political field he has wielded no little influence, though a representative of the minority party in the county, being a stanch advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party. Though in no sense an office seeker he consented to permit the use of his name on the party ticket in connection with the nomination for the office of mayor of the city of Hamilton in 1903, and while local influences were considered stronger by the masses than partisan ties, yet Mr. Haines enlisted in his behalf a very strong following of the law and order element in the city. The opposition, however, was reinforced by the machinery of the city government as well as by a large majority of voters, and was thus successful in bringing about the re-election of its candidate, though by a majority greatly reduced from that usually accorded in former municipal elections. Mr. Haines's quiet and dignified manner of prosecuting the hotly contested campaign gained to him the strongest allegiance of the leaders of his party and paved the way to his future preferment should he desire to again appear as a candidate for public office. In the administration of his professional business Mr. Haines stands far above the mediocre in the legal fraternity. He is a wise counsellor, a logical reasoner and a talented and convincing pleader. As a public speaker, either before a jury or on the political stump he is forceful and magnetic, having a well-trained mind, retentive memory and pleasing personal address. Mr. Haines has been more than usually successful as an attorney and counsellor at law, both in civil and criminal actions, and has established for himself an enviable reputation as an honest, industrious and thoroughly capable lawyer. His experience has been varied, covering practically the whole gamut of legal practice. In the social affairs of life he is a genial friend, a public-spirited citizen and a helpful adjunct to society. He is devoted to his family and friends and is a zealous supporter of worthy enterprises for the advancement of the interests of his adopted city and county.

Henry H. Haines is a native of the Buckeye state, having been born in Preble county, Ohio, on the 3d of October, 1862. He is a son of Charles S. and Francena (Morey) Haines, who are honored citizens of Hamilton, where the father is successfully engaged in the practice of law, being one of the able and honored members of the bar of the state. Of their two children the elder was Elmer C., who was an able and successful newspaper man and who died in 1898, at the age of thirty-five years. The subject of this sketch received his rudimentary educational discipline in the public schools of his native county, and was a lad of ten years at the time of his parents' removal to the city of Hamilton, where he was reared to manhood. Here he completed the curriculum of the city schools, being graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1882. Prior to this he had determined to adopt the practice of law as his vocation in life, and with this end in view he entered the law department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, soon after leaving the high school, and was there graduated as a member of the class of 1885. In the following year he was admitted to practice in the courts of

Ohio, and for the ensuing two years was engaged in the work of his profession in the city of Findlay. While thus engaged in the struggles incident to establishing a professional standing in a strange city he was induced to apply for a position under the government at Washington, and after passing successfully the ordeal of a civil-service examination he was chosen to a responsible and lucrative position in keeping with his legal qualifications. He entered upon the duties of this position in 1889 and continued to reside in the national capital for the ensuing four years. In 1893 Haines returned to Hamilton and here resumed the active practice of his profession. He has never had occasion to regret the brief digression from professional work, from the fact that his experience in the nation's capital familiarized him with many details in departmental service, - a knowledge which has been of marked value to him in his professional life.

On the 15th of April, 1890, Mr. Haines was united in marriage to Miss Rose Giddings, of Green Springs, Ohio, she being a daughter of Frederick S. Giddings. a prominent lumberman and influential citizen of that place.

Henry Habig

The best history of a community or state is the one that deals most with the lives and activities of its people, especially of those who by their own endeavor and indomitable energy have forged to the front and placed themselves where they deserve the title of progressive men. In this brief review will be found the record of one who has outstripped the less active trodders on the highway of life and achieved a career surpassed by few of his contemporaries, a career of marked success in business circles and a name which all who know him delight to honor. Henry Habig is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the son of Michael and Corin (Auer) Habig. These parents were natives of Germany, but were brought to the United States when quite young and grew to maturity in Cincinnati, in which city their marriage also occurred. Michael Habig spent the greater part of his life as a trader, shipping goods to New Orleans before the Civil war, and accumulated a handsome property, losing it during the war. He was drafted into the Union army, but after serving about three months he was sent home because of sickness and soon afterward died in Cincinnati, his wife surviving him until 1886. Of their family of six children, five sons and one daughter, all except the latter are living and doing well in their respective spheres of endeavor.

Henry Habig was born on January 15, 1852, spent his early life in his native city and when a mere youth was obliged to rely upon his own resources for a livelihood, in consequence of which his education was somewhat neglected. He earned his first money by working for a tobacco company and while thus engaged contributed a goodly share of his meager wages to the support of his mother, to whom was early left the care of her children, the father, as already stated, having died before any of his children reached the years of maturity. The firm with which young Habig first secured employment was the tobacco company of Auer & Sorg, and he worked for those gentlemen in Cincinnati as long as the business was carried on in that city. In 1870, when the business moved to Middletown, he also came thither and remained with the firm, as a journeyman tobacco roller, until they sold out to Wilson & McCauley, with which firm he occupied the same position until July, 1879, at which time he accepted a position as foreman with the firm of Auer & Sorg, who had just opened a factory in Middletown, Ohio, near the Big Four Railroad. This position he filled for six years, when he was promoted to the position of tobacco buyer for the firm, which place he filled with them until they sold out to the Continental Tobacco Company in 1897, since which time he has filled the position of tobacco buyer with this corporation, going to Cincinnati each working day during the year. Mr. Habig's long retention in the position he holds speaks well for the confidence reposed in him by his employers and the high esteem in which he is held by them. Thoroughly familiar with every detail of the industry with which he is identified, sound in judgment and blessed with practical intelligence and a capacity for business, he discharges the duties of his station with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned and has won not only the unlimited confidence of his firm, but that of the general public as well.

In September, 1879, Mr. Habig was happily married to Miss Amalia Weishaar, of Middletown, the union resulting in the birth of eight children.

Politically. Mr. Habig is a Republican and an influential party worker and fraternally belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Born and reared a Catholic, he has ever remained loyal to the mother church and endeavors to shape his life according to the teachings and precepts of the same. His family are also of the faith and with him are identified with the congregation at Middletown, to the material support of which he is a constant and liberal contributor.

In closing this brief review of the career of one of Butler county's most accomplished and up-to-date business men, it is needless to state that he combines the sterling and admirable qualities of head and heart that win success and gain the esteem and good will of his numerous friends and associates. Vigorous in action, resolute in purpose and with a will that hesitates at no opposing circumstances, he has made his presence felt in business and social circles and the prominent position he now occupies has been reached by energetic and persevering industry, as he started in life poor and unknown, and only through his own efforts did he finally succeed in winning some of fortune's choicest favors. The story of his success is short and comparatively simple, but in it lies one of the valuable secrets of the prosperity which it records and his business and private life are fruitful of interest and incentive, no matter how lacking in dramatic action.

Hon. William Ritchie

Hon. William Ritchie is a native of Cincinnati, born on the 26th of May, 1839, and is the only son of George Ritchie, a former well-known citizen of the Queen City. The subject of this sketch remained in his native city, attending the public schools until the age of fourteen, when he came to Hamilton as an apprentice at the machinist's trade. He made rapid progress along the line of mechanics, and was for many years superintendent of the extensive plant of Owens, Lane, Dyer & Co. (with whom he learned his trade), and continued in that capacity until the firm went out of business in 1879. After serving two years as chief of the fire department, after this date he became senior partner in the firm of Ritchie & Dyer, and engaged in the manufacture of sawmill outfits, traction engines and small machinery. This is an extensive manufacturing enterprise which gives employment to forty or fifty mechanics. It has been operated successfully, and proved a source of profit to the promoters, whose knowledge of the business was acquired in the school of experience. Mr. Ritchie has accumulated a handsome competence through industry and wise management, and has reached the point on life's journey where he need not be further annoyed by the perplexities of business life. He is a thorough mechanic, however, and is never better satisfied than when examining and studying the constituent elements of some complicated piece of machinery. His addresses before the Young Men's Christian Association in Hamilton, touching upon the marvelous expenditure of money and brains in installing the power plants at St. Louis, are the best evidence of his interest and capability. But Mr. Ritchie is something more than a mechanic, and loyal, popular and progressive citizen. He is one of the survivors of the great civil strife of the sixties, and has a military record of which any man may feel justly proud. He was among the first volunteers who responded to the President's call for three-years troops, and enlisted early in 1861 as a member of the