Butler County, Ohio - Chapter 6, 1905 (part 3 of 18)

William F. Helle is a native of the great German empire, having been born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, on the 15th of May, 1838, and being a son of William Alfred and Fredrica (Buehrer) Helle, both of whom passed their entire lives in Herrenberg, Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, the former having been a wagonmaker by vocation. In the excellent schools of his native place the subject received his early educational discipline, having completed a course in the gymnasium, whose curriculum is practically that of the American high school. In 1855,' at the age of seventeen years, he severed the ties which bound him to home and native land and came to the United States, where he spared no effort in continuing his educational work. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war he was a student in a business college at Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he forthwith manifested his loyalty by tendering his services in defense of the Union. In the autumn of 1861 Mr. Helle enlisted in the First Michigan Regiment Engineers and Mechanics, in which he became corporal of Company I,' continuing in active service until October 30, 1864, when he was mustered out and received his honorable discharge, having made the record of a valiant and faithful soldier and having participated in a number of the

\fter the close of his military career Mr. Helle located in Columbus, Ohio, where he was matriculated in the Evangelical Lutheran college and seminary, called Capital University, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1867, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, while soon afterward he was ordained to the ministry of the ' Lutheran church. The strong hold which he has maintained on the regard and appreciative affection of those' whom he has served in a pastoral relation is shown in the significant fact that he has held only three charges during the long years of his labor in the church. His first pastorate was at Crestline, in Crawford county, Ohio, where he remained six years. He then assumed the charge of the church at Upper Sandusky, Wvandot countv, Ohio, where he remained from 1873 until 1896, -covering the long period of twenty-three years, during which he accomplished a work, infusing vitality into both the spiritual and temporal affairs of his charge. In April, 1896, he accepted the pastorate of St. Peter's church, m Irenton, Butler county, where he has since continued his effective labors and where e has gained the veneration and esteem o all . with whom he has come in contact. n politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, and he has ever maintained a deep interest m the questions and issues of the day, hemg a man o broad general information and well o 1 many, May 10, 1842, and who came with her parents to America in 1847. The subject and his estimable wife have no children of their own, but have adopted and reared three, to whom they have accorded the utmost solicitude and care, which they have found recompensed in the characters of their wards. The eldest of these children is Frederick Abicht, who is a minister of the Lutheran church, now holding a pastoral charge at Marysville, Union county, this state.. Louisa is the wife of Harry Brown Badicker, of New York city, and Carl A. Wernle, the youngest of the three, is manager of the Century Engraving Company in the city of Chicago.

Culbertson J. Smith

No man in Butler county is better or more favorably known than the subject of this sketch. He was born on a farm, at a place locally known as Cherry Hill, in Wayne township, this city, on the 25th of February, 1850, being a son of John C. and Elizabeth (Jones) Smith, and is a representative of one of the well-known and prominent pioneer families of the county. John C. Smith, the father of the subject, was a man of sterling integrity, and though quiet and unassuming and a lover of home and of the peaceful life of the farm, he was a man of broad culture and more than ordinary intellectuality. He was educated in Miami University and though he never entered public life his counsels and assistance were often sought by those who were prominent in public affairs. He was an intimate friend of some of the most eminent public men of his day. His father, James Smith, was a man of great force' and prominence in the early history of Butler county. He came from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, to Cincinnati in 1792, being a companion of Captain Ruffin, General James B. Findlay and Jacob Burnett, whose names are prominent in the annals of Ohio history. For many years he was territorial agent at Cincinnati for the Northwest Territory, while he was a partner of General Findlay in the real-estate business for about ten years, in which connection he aided in locating settlers in the wilds of the present state of Ohio. He was the first marshal of Cincinnati, Ohio, and was captain of the first company of light artillery raised in Cincinnati and was in active service during the war of 1812. He was with his command at Fort Meigs at the time when it was besieged by the British and Indians. This honored pioneer came to Butler county soon after its official organization, and here he became prominent in public and civic affairs. He was collector of taxes and also revenue collector for the Northwest Territory. He enjoyed in a high degree the confidence and esteem of General Arthur St. Clair, as whose private secretary he served for a time. The town of Rossville was laid out on the 14th of March, 1804, by Henry Brown. Jacob Burnett, James Smith and William Ruffin, this being the nucleus of the present thriving and beautiful city of Hamilton. About 1805 James Smith located on a farm in section 21, St. Clair township, and there passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1835, while the date of his nativity was December 22, 1763.

son county, North Carolina. He came to Butler county in a very early day and purchased and operated a large distillery near the town of West Elkton, in which locality he was one of the founders of the church of the Society , of Friends, of which he was a birthright member. He became qui e wealthy, having a landed estate of about four thousand acres at the time of his death.

The mother of the subject was thus a member of the Society of Friends by birthright, and she was reared in the simple and noble faith of her ancestral church, ever remaining true to the same and exemplifying her belief in her daily walk and conversation.

She was a true Christian and a devoted wife and mother, rearing her children in the fear and love of God. Both the Smith and Jones families are of Scotch-Irish extraction.

Hon. Culbertson J. Smith, the immediate subject of this review, was reared on the old homestead farm, in Wayrie township, his associations and privileges being practically the same as were common to other farmer boys of the locality and period, while he early manifested a studious and appreciative disposition. At the age of sixteen he had made such progress in his school work that he was able to pass a creditable examination before the county school examiners, and he thereafter devoted his attention to teaching for four years, being very successful and receiving high commendation for his work. At the age of twenty Mr. Smith was matriculated in Miami University, where he continued his studies for two years, after which he was compelled to retire from active study for a time, and he passed the following two years on the homestead farm, assisting m its management and cultivation. 'He then entered the office of Judge Alexander F. Hume, of Hamilton, and took up the study of law. Early formed habits of close stu y and careful mastery of details enabled him to systematize his work and to make the best possible use of his opportunities. On the 25th of April, 1876, before a committee appointed by the circuit court for the pu pose, he passed the crucial test as to h,s fitness and was admitted to practice before the bar of Butler county. Mr. Smith at once entered upon an active professional career soon attaining a degree of popularity and prominence which justified the conclusion that he had made an expedient cholc^ profession. Mr. Smith began his public career in 1882, when he was a candidate fore the Democratic primaries for nom tion as a candidate for prosecuting at Xovnev. Twice he encountered defeat m t nominating conventions, but in 1887 e e feated his former opponent by e even dred votes, thus securing a very c P mentary endorsement from the ' while at the polls he secured * plurality * considerably more than two thousand May 1894, he again received the nomina tion by a very complimentary vote and wa victorious at the ensuing Section. MSmith brought to this offi« * "^^2 and honest, prompt and efficient ment of the affairs properly coming bet him in his official capacity His admim tipn is referred to, both m public and pr _ vate, as clean, able and honorable. Be ing that frauds were perpetrated upon th ballot by the loose methods of votm^ ^ Smith interested himself m secunn° j troduction of the Australian tion law for Butler county, an

Macken, Butler county made the first test of this system in Ohio, this being in August, 1894. Mr.* Smith served three terms as prosecuting attorney and then retired to the private practice with the prestige of wellearned popularity, combined with a valuable experience nowhere else to be gained. It is no exaggeration to say that he stands today in the front rank of Butler county's attorneys, and he possesses the uniform confidence and esteem of an appreciative public. His popularity is due, perhaps, in part to his high 'social qualities and genial personality. He is a loyal friend, a wise and faithful counsellor, and able defender of right and justice and an honest and upright citizen. He has ever given an uncompromising allegiance to the Democratic party and has done signal service in behalf of its cause.

On the 29th of June, 1874, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Christianna Kindred, wrho was born and reared near Zanesville, in Muskingum county, Ohio, and who is a woman of gracious refinement.

John Cassidy

One of the native sons of Butler county who has been identified with its industrial development and the cultivation of its fertile soil since the pioneer days and who is now numbered among the prosperous and representative farmers of Lemon township, is the subject of this sketch, concerning whose life history we are gratified to offer a resume in this wrork.

Cassidy, both of whom were of stanch Irish extraction. He was reared on the homestead farm, early beginning to contribute his quota to the work involved in its cultivation and improvement, and duly availing himself of the advantages of the common schools of the day. He has remained unmarried, and he and his unmarried sister, Miss Ida, have for many years resided in the old homestead and has continued the cultivation of a portion of the farm which was secured by his father in the pioneer epoch, while it may be said that the place is hallowed to both him and his brother and sister through the memories and associations of the past, since all have here spent their entire lives thus far. They own ninety acres of the finest bottom land in the fertile valley of the Miami river, and everything pertaining to the homestead gives indication that the manager is a man of progressive ideas and industrious habits, and the farm may be properly mentioned as one of the model places of the county. The residence is a substantial and attractive brick cottage and is a home in which a generous hospitality is ever in evidence, Miss Cassidy presiding over the domestic affairs with ability and gracious dignity, while both she and her brother number their friends by the circle of their acquaintances in the community. Miss Cassidy received her early educational discipline in the common schools and thereafter supplemented the same by attending Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, for several terms. In politics the subject gives his allegiance to the Democratic party, and is ever ready to assist in the furtherance of all worthy enterprises for the general good. The sister has been a member of the Baptist church.

Capt. Joseph W. Myers

Capt. Joseph Myers was born in Hamilton, Butler county, Ohio, August 26, 1843, and is a son of Peter and Mary J. (Ward) Myers. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1815, and came to Hamilton in 1827, being here engaged as a carpenter. He reared to years of maturity five sons, four of whom were soldiers in the Union army during the war of the Rebellion. But two of them are now living, Joseph W. and Edward, both of Hamilton. Peter Myers lived to a ripe old age and during the building of the Soldiers' Home at Dayton he held a position as assistant foreman in the building department.

When a lad of sixteen years Joseph Myers began an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, and was working in that business in the spring of 1861, when he laid aside the implements of civil life and shouldered a musket in defense of his country. He enlisted in Company D, Thirty-fifth Ohio Infantry, and participated in nearly all of the engagements of his regiment. He commanded his company in the battle of Buzzard's Roost and took part in the siege of Atlanta He was absent from his regiment on recruiting service during the battles of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, being detached from his company to assist in filling up the depleted ranks. These were the only engagements of the regiment in which Captain Myers did not participate. He was mustered out of service on the 8th of September, 1864.

Returning home, Captain Myers resumed his trade as a carpenter, but abandoned that employment soon afterward and in 1868 and 1869 he was engaged in manufacturing brooms at Indianapolis. Disposing of that business, he returned to Hamilton and was engaged in the confectionery business for a number of years. He was captain of the fire department from 1869 to 1871, and was elected street commissioner in 1875 and served two years in that capacity, his administration being characterized by careful attention to details and the economical expenditure of public money. He resumed the building and contracting business for two years, and in 1879 was appointed captain of the police force, serving two years in that capacity. In 1881 he entered the employment of the Bentel Margedant Company and remained with that firm for a number of years. In 1879 he was appointed United States revenue storekeeper by President Harrison and served four years.

Captain Myers has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his old comrades and has been prominently connected with the Grand Army of the Republic since its organization in this city. He also served as captain of the .Veterans Guard, an organization corresponding to that now known as the Sons of Veterans. In recent years the Captain has been greatly interested in the building of the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers' Monument, and, in fact, was one of the first to agitate that proposition. He has been a member of the various commissions from the inception of the matter to the present time and has probably done as much work as any one else connected with it. Since the erection of the monument became an assured fact, Captain Myers has been unrelenting in his efforts and tireless in his work. He was one of the original incorporators, associated with nine other well- known citizens of the city and county, and has served as financial secretary and treasurer of the corporation. To him has fallen largely the task of securing names of the thousands whose memories are to be perpetuated on the marble tablets which constitute the principal historic feature of the 'monument. This is a delicate and arduous service, for which the Captain's great personal interest eminently qualifies him.

Joseph W. Myers was married, in 1870, to Miss Mary Stafford, a Christian lady of prominence and high social standing. She is a devout and active member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Besides the various soldiers' organizations, Captain Myers is a member of the Royal Arcanum.

The profession of dentistry has developed, within the memory of man, from a code system of practice, engaged in by any one, without regard to professional ethics, into a thoroughly scientific profession, guarded by the law and fostered and encouraged by colleges throughout the entire land. To be a dentist today requires the same preparation, by judicious and well-directed study, that is required by the medical profession, of which dentistry is a recognized part. A thorough and practical knowledge of chemistry and anatomy are essentials, while equal familiarity with minor surgery and prompt and ready diagnosis of the effects of anaesthetics, as administered to persons of different physical constitutions, are equally important. Thus hedged about by the protecting arm of the law, the profession of dentistry becomes one of the most important and responsible callings in all of the learned professions. Measured by the standards briefly mentioned, the patient naturally looks about to find his ideal nearest approaching to requirements. In the selection, he also considers successful experience as well as unquestioned theoretical knowledge.

Dr. J. E. Rothenbush has attained more than ordinary prominence in his profession and stands today in the first rank of Hamilton's corps of practicing dentists. He began his educational career in the city schools of Hamilton, his native city, where he was born on the 27th of December, 1867. By diligent study and close application he acquired a thorough preliminary education, and early selected the dental profession as his life work. At the age of nineteen years he entered upon a course of study in the Ohio Dental College, at Cincinnati, and was graduated with honors on the 4th of March, 1889. He selected a location at Manchester, Adams county, Ohio, and there engaged in practice for about two years, but the allurements of the parental home and early boyhood companions were strong and he decided to return at the sacrifice of a good practice already established. In 1891 he returned to Hamilton, since which time he has built up and sustains a highly successful and lucrative practice. His rooms, at the corner of Third and Court streets, are filled up with all modern appliances and conveniences.

Dr. Rothenbush is a close student* not only of professional literature, but is a careful reader and zealous student of current history and is thoroughly well informed. His curriculum of study is only restricted by the absence of time and opportunity.

The Rothenbush family is one long-established in Hamilton, and thoroughly identified with the history of Butler county since 1828. On the date last written Christian Rothenbush, the paternal grandfather of this subject, took up his residence in Hamilton. But the family history is fully presented under the* title "Captain Philip Rothenbush," elsewhere in this volume, to which the reader is referred.

Dr. Rothenbush was happily married on the 1 8th of November, 1891. choosing for his companion in life Miss Hattie, daughter of Frank and Harriet (Pieper) Hites, a prominent Butler county family. Mrs. Rothenbush is a lady of culture and possesses many accomplishments as a wife, mother and good neighbor. The only child born to these parents is Harold, born February 6, 1893, a student in the city schools. Mr. and Mrs. Rothenbush are highly regarded in social circles and active and zealous in Christian life. They are members of the Presbyterian church in Hamilton. Of the social fraternities Dr. Rothenbush is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Modern Woodmen of America, Independent Order of Foresters and Fraternal Censer. In his political affiliations he is allied with the Republican party. Has never sought nor held official place, but devotes his time and talents exclusively to his profession. The business requires the employment of two or more assistants.

Capt. August W. Margedant

William C. Margedant, a most exemplary citizen, a patriot of the Civil war, and a man whose public and private life record will long be cherished in the memory of all who knew him. His history as a valiant officer and soldier in the war of the rebellion reads like a romance, so thrilling is it in details of gallant services and superior efficiency. He was one of the first to respond to the President's call for seventy-five thousand three-months men and enlisted a company of forty-eight men in a few hours. These were mostly from a gymnastic association of which the captain and all were members. Subsequently the company was recruited to two hundred men and became a part of the Ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Captain Margedant received at the company's organization one hundred and ninetynine votes foV the office of captain, and, though loth to accept a commissioned office, he could not well decline in the face of such an indorsement. He left Hamilton on the 15th of April, 1861, and was elected captain at Cincinnati on the 16th. Soon afterward the regiment joined McClellan's army in western Virginia and took part in the first battles of the war. These were Philippi, Beverly, Camp Garnet, Rich Mountain, Carnifax Ferry, and later in the engagements at Ganly Bridge, Hawk's Nest, Sewell Mountain, Fayettesville, New River and others.

Captain Margedant's early training eminently fitted him for the perilous duties of a topographical engineer and he was soon detached from his regiment and assigned to duty as such. He made the first detailed topographical maps, even entering the enemy's lines for this purpose and encountering untold dangers and privations in this hazardous work. He organized the army engineer service and was prominently associated with that branch of military maneuvering throughout the war. On many occasions he received complimentary mention in official reports of General Rosecrans, under whom he served. These reports embraced, somewhat in detail, a resume of the Captain's gallant services and his supreme usefulness to the army. He served also on the staff of General Fremont, and later General Siegel, receiving from each high commendations for his efficiency. The minutae of these commendations and official recommendations will be found fully detailed in the records of the war department.

At the expiration of his term of enlistment, General William T. Sherman issued a special order (No. 141) retaining Captain Margedant in the field, because of the great need of his further services. He remained at the front until the latter part of 1864, when, being prostrated with sickness, he was sent to the North. He took part in thirty-six engagements, from the battles of West Virginia, through the Shenandoah valley, and the states of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

Captain William C. Margedant was born in Dusseldorf, Prussia, November 15, 1835, and was a son of August Margedant, who was born August 3, 1807, at Bamberg, Germany. His mother in maidenhood was Miss Sophia A. Bergman, a native of Soest, Westphalia, born in 1805. Both parents died in Eberfield, Germany, the mother in 1868, and father in 1876. William C. Margedant received a thorough education in his native country, including polytechnical and technical training, and a course in the fine arts, painting and drawing. He was disinclined to enter the military service of his native land, particularly under a monarchial form of government, and therefore secured release from military duty and permission to leave the country. He came to America in 1854, and was employed for a time at Cincinnati. There he assisted in constructing the first steam fire engine in this country. He came to Hamilton early in 1855 and entered the employ of the firm of Owens, Lane & Dyer, as a machinist. Subsequently he became a partner in the Bentel & Margedant Company, in the manufacture of wood- working machinery. He was president of this well-known corporation for many years and sustained active business relations with it at the time of his death. Mr. Margedant was an active and publicspirited citizen, always foremost in the advancement of public interests. He took a prominent part in the centennial celebration of 1891 and the Columbus celebration of 1892. He was a member of the board of school examiners, and president of the Pioneers, Soldiers and Sailors' Permanent Monument Association of Butler county. His patriotism led him to take an active interest in the Spanish- American war, though too enfeebled in health to join the boys at the front, but he was president of the Citizens' War Committee of 1898. He was much interested in the founding of Mercy Hospital, a liberal contributor to the building of the beneficent institution, and president of its board of managers from its founding. Captain Margedant was a man of intensely strong convictions. Whatever he believed to be right he advocated with zeal and energy, often at the sacrifice of his own personal interests. As may well be inferred, he was liberal and sympathetic towards unfortunate humanity. No man ever lived in Hamilton who maintained a higher grade of citizenship, or whose career, both public and private, evinced more sterling traits of character. His exalted integrity, purity of life and uncompromising loyalty are themes of every-day discussion among those who knew him best.

Capt, W. C. Margedant was married on the 28th day of January, 1864, to Miss Carolina, daughter of the late John W. and Catherine Sohn. She was born in this city, July 14, 1841, and departed this life on the 28th of May, 1885. Nine children were born to this union, viz : Caroline A., Capt. August YV., Sophia F., Adelaide (deceased), Carl E., Clara, Augusta and William C.. Jr. The survivors of the family are all residents of their native city. The death of Captain Margedant occurred on the 12th day of January, 1900, and was the occasion for universal mourning throughout the entire community. Beautiful and touching' encomiums on his life and character were freely pronounced, the most prominent among these being a eulogy from the pen of General Boynton, president of the Chickamauga Park Association. It appeared in the Indianapolis News, on Thursday, January 18, 1900. It is a rich tribute to the memory of a comrade, who shared with the writer the perils and exposures of the battlefield. It recounts his onerous duties, and how faithfully he performed them ; his pride in the army which he served, and his devotion, to the last, to his late comrades. Closing, it says : "After a long, earnest and honorable life, this pathfinder of our army sleeps well."

Capt. August W. Margedant, whose name heads this article, was reared and educated in his native city. At an early age he evinced a taste and talent for the military, a characteristic no doubt inherited from his illustrious . father. Fie entered into his father's business with zeal and promptitude and discharged his every duty with efficiency and skill. On the 1st of January, 1891, he was mustered into the Ohio National Guard, as a private. His soldierly bearing and ready adaptation to military tactics gained for him prompt recognition and led to rapid promotions. He served as corporal, sergeant, second lieutenant and first lieutenant, holding the latter position from January 21, 1894, until May 1 1, 1896, when, he was commissioned captain of the Ohio National Guards and assigned to the command of Company E. On the 7th of May, 1898, he enlisted at Columbus as a member of Company E, First Ohio Infantry, United States Volunteers, and was mustered into service as captain of this company, a position for which he was eminently qualified by previous military service. The term of service was necessarily short, by reason of the early termination of the war. Captain Margedant gave promise 'of a brilliant military career, having the full confidence of his superior officers and the highest regard of his men. At the close of hostilities he received his honorable discharge from the service, and resumed the peaceful pursuits of life. Upon the death of his father he was elected president of the Bentel & Margedant Company, giving his attention to the extensive manufacturing interests of this well-known industry.

Captain Margedant was married on the t 2th of June, 1901, to Miss Jessie Jones, a highly accomplished and popular young lady of Hamilton. She is a daughter of the late H. H. Jones, ex-county treasurer of Butler county. These young people have a delightful home in the first ward and have the promise of a happy future before them.

Albert W. Clark

Albert \V. Clark, the popular jailer at the Butler county bastile, is a native of Venice, Ohio, and a great-grandson of Dr. Benjamin F. Clark, who laid out the village of "Venus" in 1816. Dr. Clark was a native of New York and came to this county in 1814. He selected as a home the present town site of Venice, and there established a hamlet in the wilderness which, because of the natural beauty of the spot, he named "Venus." He was a man of rare professional skill and well educated. He is described as a tall, sparelv-built man, of much physical and mental force. His mission to humanity on the western frontier was well performed, and during the twelve years of his life he was a tireless worker among the sick and distressed. Dr. Clark was a man of broad views and liberal in his consideration of others' rights. He donated one acre of land to the town of "Venus" for burial purposes and was otherwise public spirited and active in the interest of the town and community. He continued in active practice until his death, June 22, 1826, at the age of fifty-seven years. His wife, Elizabeth Clark, died February 15, 1861, at the age of seventy-seven years, and both are interred in the cemetery which the Doctor founded. A son of this early pioneer was also named Benjamin F. and he was the paternal grandfather of Albert W. Clark, of this sketch. Grandfather Clark was twice married, his first wife, who was Rhoda Fuller, being the mother of the subject's father, Benjamin Allen Clark. There were four children in this family, Benjamin A. and Lavonia, now Mrs. Burch, being the only survivors. The others were named Permilla and Melvina. Benjamin Allen Clark was born at Venice, October 13, 1834. married Miss Elizabeth R. McFeeley, and both are living. Their home has been for many years at ttye village of Shandon, formerly known as Paddy's Run, near which place they own a valuable farm. They were the parents of nine children, eight of whom are living. The eldest was David Ozro, who died in childhood, in i860. Frank followed farming until recently, when he removed to Hamilton and engaged in other pursuits. , Mrs. Rhoda E. Henry lives on a farm at St. Charles, in this county. Albert W., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth. Mrs. Lillian Bauer resides on a farm near Venice. Ralph W. has exiled himself from home and friends since 1890, and his whereabouts is unknown to his family, an unhappy marriage being the cause of this estrangement. Ernest is operating the home farm. He married Miss Carrie Vogt, and they have one child. Frances E. became the wife of William Robinson, a retired farmer, now operating a hotel at Shandon. Emmazetta G. is the wife of Roger Evans, a brother of Mrs. Albert Clark. Mr. Evans is a mechanic at Shandon.

The subject of this article received a good practical education in the public school at Shandon, and began his business career as a farmer. Fie followed the plow during most of his life and owned and operated a threshing outfit for seventeen seasons. He has been a hard-working, industrious man, seeing but little of the comforts of life except as he took pleasure and comfort in his endless work. He was born on the 2(1 of August, 1862, and, though yet a young man, he is broken down from the effects of a lifetime of persistent toil, from early dawn until late at night. Fortunately, a change came in 1900, when he was selected from numerous applicants as the jailer at the Butler county prison. He served in this capacity during the four-years term of Peter Bisdorf, as sheriff, and was re-appointed in 1904 by Sheriff Luke Brannon. Mr. Clark has official charge of the jail, and inmates and appurtenances, under direction of the sheriff. In his official capacity Mr. Clark has witnessed some touching scenes and has had charge of some of the most hardened criminals. Among these are murderers, thieves, burglars and others, guilty of minor crimes. The notorious strangler, Alfred Knapp, now awaiting electrocution for wife-murder, was one of his most "distinguished" guests for many months. The Butler county jail is a massive stone structure, erected in 1848, with due consideration for the character of its occupants. It is fitted with twenty-four steel cells, which, with the impenetrable stone walls and the watchful vigilance of the jailer, render escape impossible.

- Mr. Clark was married on the 31st of January, 1884, when he chose for his companion in life's journey Miss Alice Evans, who was born at Shandon, Butler county, and is a representative of a numerous and prominent old family in the county. Her parents were Robert N. and Margaret (Davis) Evans, both descendants of Welsh ancestors. John Evans, the paternal grandfather, a native of Wales, established a home on Paddy's Run in 1818. He reached Cincinnati with the modest sum of twentynine cents as the nucleus, to which he in later years added a large fortune. He was reputed to be very wealthy and made liberal provisions for all of his children. But as he neared the end of life's journey, a trusted friend who handled a large part of his fortune proved unfaithful and the doting old man was defrauded in the sum of several thousand dollars. He died possessed of about a hundred thousand dollars, mostly in real estate and stock.

The happy union of Mr. and Mrs. Clark has been blessed with eleven children, nine of whom are now living. The eldest of these was Wayne Ozra, a promising youth who met a tragic death at the dawn of bright young manhood. On the 15th of July, 1904, while bathing in the reservoir near Hamilton, hd was drowned. This calamity was a severe blow to the family and elicited the sympathy of the entire city, where the young man was well and favorably known. At the time of his death Wayne was a trusted employe of the T. V. Howell & Son Dry Goods Company, where he was held in high esteem by his employers and associates.* He was a most exemplary young man, whose correct habits of life and conduct never gave his loving parents a moment's trouble. The body was buried in the family lot at Venice, where four generations of the name are represented. Wayne was but two months past his twentieth year. The other children,- with the exception of Albert A., who died in early infancy in August, 1900, are still under the parental roof. They are Arline, Keith, Bryce, Ruth, Virginia. Rowland, Miriam, Rowena and

Robert Chetwyn. Albert was next to the youngest. Mr. Clark is prominently identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He -is a past grand of Ros^. Lodge, No. 482, and a member of Butler Encampment, No. 7. He also holds a membership in Butler Court, Tribe of Ben Hur.

In political affiliations Mr. Clark has been a lifelong Democrat, and has always taken an active interest in the success of his party. He never aspired to public office other than his present position. The family is well known and highly esteemed in the county with which both the Clark and Evans families have been identified for nearly a century..

The profession of veterinary surgery in Middletown has an able and accomplished representative in the person of Dr. C. H. Tiffin, whose eminent success in his chosen calling has earned him a reputation far beyond the limits of the field to which his practice is principally confined. He comes from the old historic family which has long been known to the people of Ohio, one of the thriving cities of the state being named in honor of Governor Tiffin, who was closely related to the subject. The Doctor, however, was not born in this country, but is a native of England, having first seen the light of day in the old city of Carlisle, on April 20, 1865. He was reared in the land of his birth, received a good education in Grovenor College, and when about twenty-one years of age came to the United States, landing in New York in the summer of 1886.

The following fall he went to Toronto, Canada, and entered the veterinary college of that city, where he prosecuted his studies for a period of two years, graduating in 1888, immediately after which he began the practice of his profession in Iowa. . After remaining three years in that state, he went to Morocco, Indiana, where he spent about the same length of time, and from the latter place removed to Sabina, where he practiced with a large measure of success, professionally and financially, for a period of six years, achieving the meanwhile an enviable reputation among the leading veterinary surgeons of the country.

In the year 1899 Dr. Tiffin found a favorable opening at Middletown, Ohio, where in due season he built up an extensive practice, which has steadily grown in magnitude and importance to the present time. His success in the treatment of all diseases peculiar to the horse has made his name widely known throughout this part of the state and, as already indicated, his practice is by no means confined to Middletown, as is attested by the lucrative patronage which has come to him from many other places. He is enthusiastic in his profession, a close and critical student and appears to have inherited a liking for his calling, as his father was a great admirer of fine horses and a noted breeder and raiser of the same. The Doctor's love for animals does not stop with the horse alone, but takes a much wider range, one of his favorite species of the brute creation being the dog, for which he evinces a special liking. He devotes considerable attention to the Beagle Pointer and other superior breeds and keeps a number of these fine animals, which he trains for

Dr. Tiffin's reputation as a veterinary surgeon has attracted to him a number of students from different parts of the country, and at this time he is imparting professional knowledge to a young man who came all the way from South Africa to profit by his experience and instruction. Dr. Tiffin is a man of wide intelligence, pleasing address and polished manners and possesses the happy faculty of winning and retaining warm personal friendships. Those who know him best speak in complimentary terms of his many estimable qualities of head and heart, and all who enjoy the privilege of his acquaintance unite in pronouncing him a true type of the refined and accomplished gentleman.

Among the able and popular representatives of the dental profession in Butler county stands the subject of this review, who is successfully established in the practice of his profession in the town of Oxford and who is a native son of the Buckeye state.

Dr. Molvneaux comes of stanch French extraction in the agnatic line, as the name indicates, and he was born in New Richmond, Clermont county, this state, on the 29th of May, 1873, being a son of Dr. Robert A. and Susan E. (Kumler) Molyneaux, the former of whom was born in Clermont county and the latter in Butler county, Ohio. They still reside in New Richmond, this state, where the father has been for many years engaged in the practice of dentistry. Our subject was the fourth in order of birth in a family of six children, and his early educational discipline was secured in the public schools of New Richmond, and from 1893 t0 x^95 be was a student in the Miami University. In the autumn of the latter year he was matriculated in the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, at Cincinnati, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1898, receiving the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. His brother Grant is likewise an able representative of this important profession, with which the family name is so intimately identified, and is now a member of the faculty of the institution just mentioned. Shortly after his graduation our subject came to Oxford and opened an office, and here he has built up a large and representative practice, having an office equipped with the latest improvements in the way of mechanical and laboratory facilities and being thoroughly skilled in both departments of his profession, which is both a science and a mechanic art. In politics the Doctor gives an unswerving allegiance to the Republican party, and his religious faith is that of the ' Presbyterian church, of which both he and his wife are active and valued members, while he is also a member of the board of trustees of the church in Oxford. Fraternally he is identified with Oxford Lodge, No. 67, Free and Accepted Masons.

On the 24th of March, 1903, Dr. Molyneaux was united in marriage to Miss Mary F. Rude, who was born in Liberty, Union county, Indiana, being a daughter of George and May Frances (Sharper) Rude. She was graduated in the Oxford College and is a woman of gracious refinement, being prominent in the social life of the community in which she now resides. To this union there has been born one son, on July 12, 1904, named John Rude Molyneaux.

Robert J. Shank

The law firm of Shank & Shank is one of the recent acquisitions to the legal fraternity in Hamilton. The brothers, Robert J. and Horace C., united their fortunes in a copartnership in the early part of the year 1902, though the first named had been in active practice alone for some five years previously.

Robert J. Shank was born in Hamilton bn the 6th of March, 1876. After graduating from the Hamilton high school and taking a special course in Miami University, he read law under the tutorship of Hon. Edgar A. Beldon, and completed his studies at Ohio State University Law School, from which he was graduated in 1897. He at once opened an office in his native city, and herein the pathways of the brothers diverge for a time. .

Horace C. Shank, whose early life experiences were similar to those of his brother, began teaching after closing his studies at Miami University, and continued in that work for seven years. (He is also a graduate of the Hamilton high school.) In 1900 Horace Shank secured a position, on competitive examination, in the United States census bureau at Washington. During the two years thus employed he also took a course in law at the Columbian University in the national capital. He was admitted to the Ohio state bar in December, 1901, and soon thereafter the firm of Shank & Shank was organized. Horace is the eldest of three children born to William O. and Emma (Cooper) Shank, and Robert J., whose name heads this sketch, was the second born. Miss Mary, the youngest of the trio, is a popular and successful teacher in the Hamilton city schools.

The parents of this family were both natives of Butler county, tracing their antecedents to the pioneer days. The families, as represented by William O. Shank and Emma Cooper, were very prominent and early established in the history of Butler county. William O. Shank was a prominent dry-goods merchant in Hamilton, where he spent his business life. He conducted a large business and was successful in his chosen calling. He died on the 7th of February, 1890. His widow still presides over the parental home, under whose hospitable roof the three children find contentment and happiness. The family are all members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the father was an active member during his lifetime. He was alst> prominent in Masonry and a well-known and popular business man during a period of nearly forty years in Hamilton.

The Shank brothers are both members of the Phi Delta Theta society in connection with Miami University, and Robert J. is a member of the Phi Delta Phi, a legal fraternity.

Though comparatively young in professional life, the firm of Shank & Shank has already taken hold of legal affairs with ability and success and are rated among the promising young attorneys of Butler county. A lifelong acquaintance with the leaders of the bar may be helpful in a sense but their sterling integrity and irreproachable characters as upright and honorable citizens far surpass any "coaching" from associates in the race for professional supremacy.

It is the province of this publication to make specific mention of those citizens who stand representative in their varied vocations, and in the connection at hand we have to do with one of the leading younger members of the medical profession in the county, our subject being established in a successful practice in the thriving village of Oxford.

Dr. Moore is a native of Butler county, having been born on the homestead farm, in Ross township, on the 20th of April, 1876, and being a son of Rev. David R. and Elvira (Gilchrist) Moore. The mother of the subject was born and reared at Reily, this county, being a daughter of Dr. Hugh and Jeanette (Hickley) Gilchrist, the latter of whom was a daughter of Dr. Judah Hickley, who was one of the honored pioneer physicians of the county, having established his home in Reily in an early day. On the maternal side it will thus be seen that Dr. Moore is of the third generation to be identified with the practice of medicine in Butler county. The father of the subject has devoted his life to the service of the Divine Master, being a clergyman of the Presbyterian church and being now a resident of South Salem. He is a graduate of Miami University, as is also his father, William H., who was likewise a member of the clergy of the Presbyterian church, having been in pastoral charge of the churches of this denomination at Brookville and Rising Sun, Indiana.

Dr. Moore, who is the only child of his honored parents, passed his childhood days in Brookville, Indiana, and Logan, Ohio, and when eleven years of age he entered the preparatory department of his father's alma mater, Miami University, at Oxford, being matriculated in the collegiate department at the age of eleven years and being there graduated as a member of the class of i895> receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science, while he took post-graduate work and received the degree of Master of Science m 1895. Shortly after leaving Miami University the Doctor entered the medical department of the famous Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland, where he completed the prescribed course under most favorable auspices, being graduated with the degree o Doctor of Medicine, in 1899. In November of the same year he sailed for Europe, and was signally favored in his post-graduate work in the medical departments of the universities of Berlin, Prague and Vienna, where he further equipped himself for the work of his exacting and responsible profession. He returned to the United States^ in July, 1900, and in August, 1900, established himself in the practice of medicine and surgery in Oxford, where he has succeede >n gaining an enviable reputation and is bud - ing up a large and representative practice. The Doctor is a fellow of the American Academy of Medicine, and is local medica examiner for the Royal Arcanum an a number of the important life-insurance companies, while he is medical director o the Miami University. In politics the Doctor is a Republican and fraternally *s identified with the Phi Delta Theta college organization. He is at the present time a member of the board of public affairs of his home town.

On the 1st of November, 1899, Dr. Moore was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude ,Burrill, who was born in Maine, whence her parents removed to Oxford, Ohio. She was graduated in Oxford College, this county, in 1894, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Literature, and two years later was graduated in music in the same institution.

First National Bank

The First National Bank of Hamilton was organized on the 2 d of July, 1863. Its charter is No. 56, under the national banking act, enacted during the Civil war for the purpose of strengthening the national credit. The incorporators were Micajah Hughes, Philip Hughes, James Beatty, John B. Cornell, Edward Hutchinson, John P. P. Peck and Joseph W. Davis. It was organized and opened for business with the following list of officers : President, Micajah Hughes; vice-president, James Beatty ; cashier, John P. P. Peck, with John B. Cornell as assistant cashier. The paid-up capital at this time was fifty thousand dollars.

Mr. Peck resigned the office of cashier after six months' service, and was succeeded' in that office by John B. Cornell, who filled the position with marked ability until his death, on the 2d of August, 1894. S. D.

Upon the death of Micajah Hughes Philip Hughes was elected president, and Asa Shuler became the vice-president in 1883. Mr. Hughes died in 1892, and Mr. Shuler succeeded to the presidency, retaining that position until his death, in May, 1895. J- E- Hughes became the vicepresident on the elevation of Mr. Shuler to the presidency, and so continued until his death, October 30, 1900. On the 6th of December, of the year last written, R. C. McKinney was elected vice-president and so continues to the present. On the death of President Shuler, S. D. Fitton was elected to the vacant presidency. E. G. Ruder became the cashier on the advancement of Mr. Fitton, having served as assistant cashier from 1894. J. M. Beeler is the present assistant cashier. The directors at the present time are: R. C. McKinney, E. G. Ruder, Christian Benninghofen, D. W. Fitton, Peter Benninghofen, Frank M. Hughes and S. D. Fitton. Soon after the organization of the bank the capital was increased to one hundred thousand dollars, and this, by subsequent additions to the capital stock, now reaches a quarter of a million, with a surplus fund of eighty-five thousand dollars.

The First National Bank of Hamilton is the oldest banking institution in Butler county. It is financially strong, while its careful and conservative management has successfully carried it through its forty-one years of business. The policy of the institution through its public-spirited officials has ever been liberal and encouraging. On many occasions it has come to the aid of public and private enterprises which must have suffered great financial losses but for the timely intervention of this public benefactor. In distribution to worthy claimants for public charity, the First National generally heads the subscription list with liberal donations. The institution has a widespread influence in the monetary affairs of southern Ohio.

Felix J. Straub

This well-known business man is a native of Hamilton, born on the 14th day of January, 1865, and *s a worthy representative of two early established families in Butler county. His father, Joseph Straub, was born in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1828, and came to Hamilton. Ohio, with his parental family, in 1836. He was a son of Thaddeus and Prisca Straub, natives of W urtemberg, long since deceased. Jacob Straub traced his antecedents in the German empire back to Wolfram Straub, a hero of the First Crusade, under Peter the Hermit, in 1147. He marched to Palestine in the conquest of the Holy Sepulchre.

Joseph Straub grew to manhood in Hamiltorl, and joined the gold seekers of California in 1849, enduring the hardships and dangers of the overland route, and sought his fortune on the Pacific coast. But his efforts were not crowned with the success he sought and he returned to Hamilton, after spending some time in the far West. He was married in this city, in 1858, choosing for his companion in life's journey Miss Rebecca Ann, daughter of Henry and Mary Riley. Her father emigrated from Virginia to Hamilton in 1820, and was a son of James Riley, a hero of the Revolution, who was wounded in the strife for American independence. His son, Joshua Riley, was at Hull's surrender, in the war of 1812. Two of Mrs. Straub's brothers were in the war of the Rebellion and lost their lives as a result of disease incurred in that contest. Henry Riley located on a farm, and ended his days in agricultural pursuits, dying at the age of eighty-five years. His robust constitution enabled him to continue his daily labors almost up to the day of his death. He was a man universally esteemed for his genial nature and upright character. He was a Presbyterian in his religious affiliations and a Jacksonian Democrat in politics.

After his marriage, Joseph Straub engaged in the grain business in Hamilton, subsequently merging into the fuel business, which he continued successfully until a few years before his death, when he retired to a farm which he purchased, transferring his former business to his sons. He was a man of strong domestic tastes and was deeply attached to his family. He was prominent in municipal affairs, served several years as a member of the board of education, and was a member of the board of county infirmary directors at the time of his death. The memory of Joseph Straub will long be cherished, and his name will stand as a synonym for everything which was noble, generous and pure. "He was a man above reproach." Strong in his friendships, yet possessing a most profound contempt for ingratitude, dishonor and ungratefulness. "He was intelligently conversant with current events, and was at all times ready to openly discuss them. He was a man of lton in 1820, v, a hero of anded in the ice. His son, surrender, in Mrs. Straub's the Rebellion alt of disease jury Riley lolls days in ag- [ the age of great self-will, of strong character, but tempered by a calm, keen and discriminating judgment, that always detected and advocated right, and discovered and denounced wrong.'1 He passed away on the 10th of April, 1894, at the age of sixty-six years, and his remains were interred in beautiful Greenwood cemetery, near the loved scenes of his earthly career.

Joseph and Rebecca Ann Straub were the parents of eight children, named, in order of birth, as follows : Mary B. was born June 19, 1859; Sarah S., October 12. 1861 ; Adeline, February 4, 1862; Felix Joseph, January 14, 1865; George Riley, February 8, 1867; Thaddeus, January 16, 1870; Anna Jane, February 24, 1872, and Cleophas, December 2, 1874. Anna Jane died in childhood. Seven of the family are living. Mary became the wife of George Hoffman, a farmer in Butler county; Sarah S. married M. D. Lindley, at present the president of the board of education in Hamilton; Ada, or Adeline, is the wife of William Winkler, a prominent merchant in this city; Thaddeus is also a merchant, and the present city auditor of Hamilton ; Cleophas is the keeper of a cafe in West Hamilton; George R. is in Indian Territory, engaged in the stock business.

Felix J. Straub was educated in the schools of Hamilton. While yet a boy in his teens he engaged in his father's business, and attended night school as a means of completing his business education. He continued with his father for a number of years and, through industry and careful observation, learned the business in all its details. About 1 890 -he came into full control and has since conducted a large and profitable business. During a greater part n of this time he has had two or more yards in different parts of the city and gives steady employment to several wage earners. Mr. Straub carries a full line of fuel - coal and coke - and in connection handles lime, cement, drain tile and fire brick. He has been in the business for twenty-seven years and is one of the best known dealers in Butler county. His methods have always been characterized by strict integrity, and therein is the secret of his success. It is publicly known that he will lose a customer before he will misrepresent his goods, hence his patrons have full confidence that they will always get the goods they order or name. In addition to his mercantile business, Mr. Straub is interested extensively in Butler county farming lands and city real estate. His business life has been crowned with success, a deserved compliment to a career of active business operated upon the high plane of moral rectitude.

In his political affiliations Mr. Straub is an active Democrat and zealous in the promotion of party interests. He has never sought official honors, but assists his party and friends in the quiet, unobtrusive manner characteristic of the man. He is a prominent member of Lone Star Lodge, No. 39, Knights of Pythias, Hamilton Lodge, No. 93, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Royal Arcanum and Knights and Ladies of Security.

Mr. Straub was married July 14, 1897, to Miss Alma P. Pabst, a native of Hamilton and a daughter of Daniel and Augusta Pabst. One daughter was born to the union, Felicia A., bom May 14, 1898. Mrs. Straub was reared in the faith of the Evangelical church, and is now a member of St. John's Evangelical church of Hamilton.

Rev. Charles F. Schenk

Rev. C. E. Schenk, the popular and eloquent pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal church in Hamilton, is a native of Perry county, Ohio, having been born at Thornville, on the 20th of November, 1867, and there he continued to reside throughout his youthful years. His father, Dr. William H. Schenk, was a practicing physician in Thorn ville for forty years, and was prominent and well-known in his professional life. He was a native of Virginia, though a resident of Ohio from childhood. He received his collegiate education at the University of Michigan, and was professionally educated in the medical department of the same well-known institution. Dr. Schenk married Miss Belinda Bariff, a native of Perry county, Ohio, who proved a faithful helpmate and a loving and devoted mother. She survives her distinguished husband, and is now living at the old homestead in Thornville. Dr. Schenk died in March, 1895, at the age of seventy years. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the youngest. Valesia Kansas, the eldest of the family, is now the widow of Charles E. Wilson, and resides in her native town; Frances is unmarried, and lives with her mother in Thornville; Lillian is the wife of Charles B. Martin, a retired merchant; George E. is now a resident of Phoenix, Arizona.

Rev. Charles E. Schenk, of this review, is the only one engaged in professional life. His early confession and connection with the church decided, in some measure, his future career. His educational opportunities were of the best and his inclination to take advantage of them was bounded only by his opportunities. He was graduated from the Thornville high school in June, 1884, and in the autumn of 1886 he was enrolled as a student in the Ohio Wesleyan University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1890. Three years later he was graduated from Drew Theological Seminary, at Madison, New Jersey. Mr. Schenk then entered the active ministry of the Methodist Episcopal church, accepting his first pastoral station at Bond Hill, near Cincinnati. Two years were spent in this charge, when he was transferred by the annual conference to the church at Clifton, also a Cincinnati charge. During his pastorate in these fields of labor his work was crowned with success, the classes were strengthened and solidified in the Christian faith, and many were led to accept the gospel through the influence of his eloquence and kindly Christian spirit.

The selection of Rev. Mr. Schenk to the pastorate of the First Methodist Episcopal church in Hamilton was a deserved promotion in recognition of pastoral efficiency and devoted energy in the Master's cause. The field of his usefulness was broadened comparably to his increasing ability as a pulpit orator and as a wise and judicious pastor. The handsome edifice had been completed and occupied for some time previous to Mr. Schenk's induction as pastor, but, owing to a serious financial depression in years recently preceding the dedication, a considerable sum in subscriptions was not found to be available. This imposed an unforeseen debt of about thirteen thousand dollars upon the church, which was naturally a serious impediment to progress. Through the labors of the official board and the concurrent helpful action of the pastor, this in- debtedness has been paid off and the church stands today free from the discomforts of debt. At the same time the current expenses, pastor's salary and constantly occuring internal improvements have been met and provided for with characteristic liberality and promptness. The social functions of the church are fully abreast the times in all details, and the Ladies' Aid Societies have been no small factor in providing ready money, as well as a high class of social enjoyment.

As a pastor, Rev. Schenk is ever alert and active. He is a social and companionable in all his associations with the people, and no home is too poor to receive his pastoral attention in the course of his official life or in cases where the consolations of the gospel are sought by those in distress. He is preeminently a man of God, and even the most skeptical have a high regard for the vital piety and Christlike spirit which he displays in his every-day life. As a pulpit orator, Mr. Schenk takes high rank among his colaborers in Hamilton. His sermons are emanations from a thoughtful Christian mind; his language is terse and comprehensive, mellowed at times by the pathos of earnest appeal, at other times made beautiful by a sublime rhetorical climax. He is a master of language, a vivid word painter, and a student whose careful and thoughtful productions not only please his hearers, but carry convictions by their earnestness and force. There is no more popular pastor in the city of Hamilton than Rev. C. E. Schenk, as his phenomenally long continuance at the head of the Methodist church abundantly attests. A five-years pastorate was, until recently, the limit of the law under the rules of the general conference; but fortunately the time limit has been left by recent church legislation to the discretion of the bishops. It is the universal belief that Mr. Schenk will end his ministerial labors in Hamilton if the choice is left to his parishioners. In June, 1904, Miami University conferred upon Rev. Schenk the well-merited degree of Doctor of Divinity.

Associated with Mr. Schenk in the duties of his pastorate is Rev. S. A. Stephan, as assistant pastor. Through the united efforts of these zealous Christian gentlemen, a class of sixty-five members was organized at Lindenwald in February, 1903. This is under the direct pastorate of Mr. Stephan. No church edifice has yet been erected, though the mission and Sunday school are in a flourishing condition.

The First Methodist Episcopal church in Hamilton has a membership of seven hundred and fifty communicants, with an enrollment of six hundred in the Sunday school. There are fifty-five officers and teachers connected with the school. The handsome church edifice was erected in 1893, at a cost of forty thousand dollars. It stands on the site occupied by the church since its first building was erected in 1819. The class was organized by Rev. Samuel West, a circuit preacher, in 1818, though preaching services had been conducted here by the Methodists for some few years previously. A second church building was erected in 1833. This was destroyed by fire in 1839, and the third meeting house was erected on the same site in 1840. This building was rebuilt and enlarged in t868, and served the people until the erection of the present edifice. Some very distinguished divines have occupied the pulpit of the « Methodist Episcopal church here during its . life of more than three-quarters of a centUryRev. Mr. Schenk was married on the 28th of November, 1893, at Delaware, Ohio, to Miss Bertha Harrold, a native of South Charleston, Ohio, a daughter of Seymour and Laura Harrold. Mrs. Schenk was ec ucated at the Ohio Wesleyan University, where she was assistant teacher of oratory during a part of her college course. In 1892 she was graduated from the Kansas City School of Oratory, but an early marriage thereafter doubtless interfered with her future plans in this fascinating work. Two children have come to bless the happy domestic fireside, but of these, little Miss Helen was called home at the age of seventeen months. Margaret Frances, named in honor of her two great-grandmothers, who were then living, is a sweet little girl of eight years. She is busy with her school work and music and the thoughtless joys of happy childhood.

Harry S. Thobe

The subject of this sketch is one of the progressive and honored business men of Oxford, and is known as one of the leading contractors in connection with aichitectural cement work, tile work and general building in this section, having attained marked success in his chosen field of endeavor and that through his own efforts. Mr. Thobe is a native of the state of Kentucky, having been born in Covington, just across the Ohio river from Cincinnati, Ohio,

He received his educational training in e public schools of his native state, and in 1882 began an apprenticeship at the trade of brickmason, serving four years and becoming thoroughly familiar with all details of the same. At the age of nineteen years he began contracting on his own responsibility, and in this connection he has been identified with building operations in thirty-six states and four territories of our national domain. In 1896 he took up his residence in Oxford, this county, where he has since maintained his home, and he has been here identified with much important work as a contractor, having been concerned in the erection of the passenger station of the Cincinnati. Hamilton & Dayton Rai- ,-oad, three of the finest school buildings and , a number of the finest private residences in : the place, while he has also done an ex-

1 tensive business in the putting in of cel_lie f sidewalks, having laid several miles o t e same in Oxford. He was also one of the first to introduce the use of cement or building purposes in this section, and is prepared to do all kinds of work in the erection of buildings from this material and to furnish all styles of ornamental products from te the same as touching architectural de- >f signing. He also makes a specialty

,i- and other buildings and of the equipal ment of bathrooms with the modern ti e a - ;d cessories, while he has gained a high repun- tation as a careful business man, one ever ts. true to the letter of his contracts and ex- :n- peditious in the execution of the same, 1st though never at the sacrifice o su io, work. He is alert' and enterprising an stands as a type of the clean-cut, ambitious and honorable business man, placing a true estimate upon his fellow men and knowing the value of hard work and appreciating its dignity, since it is through this medium that he has won success. He has made judicious investments in local real estate, and has been successful in the handling of the same. Mr. Thobe is a stanch Republican but has never desired office. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and fraternally, he is identified with the Independent Order of Foresters and the Tribe of Ben Hur.

On the 15th of June, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Thobe to Miss Hyla Keller, daughter of Solomon and Eliza (Gear) Keller, a prominent retired farmer of Oxford township, where she was born and reared. Of this union have been born two children, Ralph K. and Myla.

Dr. Charles Krone

One of the oldest firms in the drug business in Hamilton is that operated by the brothers, Charles and Henry Krone. The business was established by the present firm in 1886 and has continued successfully under the same management to the present time. The junior partner, Dr. Charles Krone, has been a student of pharmacy from his fifteenth year and is recognized as one of the most capable pharmacists and analytical chemists in the city of Hamilton.

1859 ar|d established a home at Lewistown. Pennsylvania. There Charles Krone was born, on the 16th of May, 1863, and in the year following his parents came to Hamilton, Ohio. Here the father continued in active practice until his death, on the 29th of August, 1873. In connection with his medical practice he also owned and operated a drug store on High street. But the active business life in which he was engaged no doubt shortened his days, as he was but fifty-three years of age when he died. He served the statutory period as a soldier in the Gerrhan army previous to his leaving the fatherland. In religious belief he was a Roman Catholic, while his wife endorsed the Protestant faith. She is now living in Hamilton at the age of seventy years. Charles and Henry Krone are the only survivors of their parental family. The subject of this sketch has been a resident of Hamilton since the first years of his existence. He received his elementary education in the public schools, supplemented by a business course in the Ohio Commercial College. Practically he grew from childhood to youth in the drug business. But, not satisfied with the everv-day training of the drug store, lie took a course in the Cincinnati College of Pharmacy, continuing his practical work in a drug store in Hamilton during vacation periods. Being thus fully equipped for his life work, he formed a partnership with his brother and engaged in business as previously stated.

Dr. Charles Krone has been prominently connected with his professional work outside of his own immediate business, and in 1891 he was appointed by Governor James E. Campbell as a member of the state board of pharmacy, serving five years under this appointment. In 1896 he was reappointed to the same position by Governor Bushnell, ' serving ten years in all. This is a distinguished honor and a public recognition of Mr. Krone's thorough qualifications for his professional work. In 1892 he was appointed coroner of Butler county, to fill a vacancy resulting from the death of the then incumbent. At the succeeding election Mr. Krone was chosen his own successor and served the county faithfully and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, serving over four years. Though an active working Democrat, Dr. Krone has been very modest in his demands upon party suffrages. He has never been an office seeker in any sense, though political honors have come to him without solicitation. He is the president of the board of public service and is otherwise prominent in the municipal affairs of Hamilton. His business life has been a success, as evidenced by the accumulation of valuable property interests in the city of his adoption, the result of welldirected energy, ^coupled with intelligence, industry and economy.

No man in the city sustains higher business and social relations with the people than Dr. Charles Krone. His honest, painstaking methods in the administration of his business affairs have brought a tangible recognition from the public which is a sure guarantee of business success. Mr. Krone is a public-spirited and enterprising citizen, well-informed upon the current events of the day, and devoted to the interests of his adopted city and county.

Charles Krone wras married on the 6th of July, 1888, the lady of his choice being Miss Katie Haas, of Hamilton, and the daughter of Frederick and Christine

(Rinckel) Haas. The Doctor and his wife are members of St. John's German Evangelical Protestant church, of which the lamented Dr. Hermann was pastor during all the years of their connection with it. This is the oldest German church in Butler county, and has a membership of over two thousand families. For thirty-seven years Rev. Dr. Hermann sustained the relations of pastor, friend and spiritual adviser and wras called to his reward on the 10th of September, 1903. No pastor ever died in Hamilton who was more sincerely and universally mourned than he. Dr. Krone is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Bankers' Fraternal Union.

The man of native worth and ability grows and develops with his surroundings and in time becomes a strong influence for good among his fellows. He is in the forefront of every laudable enterprise, the herald of everything worthy of improvement, the intimate friend of local development, and keeps in close touch with all measures for the advancement of his community, county and state. A man of this stamp, regardless of age, never becomes a back number, nor can be accused of laying anything in the way of the progressive spirit of the age. Such a man is the well-known citizen whose name introduces this article, and it is needless to state that a biographical history of Butler county would be incomplete without a review' of his life and achievements.

Samuel McFall, to whom belongs the credit of being the oldest native resident in Madison township, is descended from German and Irish ancestry and his family in this country is traceable to an early period in the history of Pennsylvania, in which state his great-grandfather, a German immigrant, settled many years ago. The subject's paternal grandfather was of Pennsylvania birth, but his grandmother came from Ireland, her people having been among the early settlers of the county in which the Me- Falls originally located. Francis McFall, father of the subject, was also a native of the above commonwealth, but when a young man he came to Butler county, Ohio, where he married Miss Mary Armstrong, whose birth occurred in this part of the state. By occupation Francis McFall was a blacksmith. He operated a shop in Summerville for a number of years, but about 1852 moved to Heno, where he and his good wife spent the remainder of their days.

Samuel McFall was born in Summerville, October 16, 1838, and spent his early life in the village and adjacent country, remaining with his parents until nineteen years of age. While his educational advantages were not the best, he made the most of his opportunities and by supplementing his school work by study at home and a wide range of reading, he became in due time not only a good scholar in the common branches, but well informed on a great variety of subjects. During his youth he worked on a farm near Summerville and when nineteen years old turned his attention to blacksmithing, in which trade he soon acquired much more than ordinary proficiency and skill, having from an early age manifested a decided taste for mechanical pursuits. After working for eighteen months under the direction of the proprietor of the shop, Mr. McFall purchased the establishment and for twenty-one years thereafter operated the same, during which time he not only achieved an enviable reputation as a master of his calling, but also earned considerable money as a contractor in various kinds of mechanical work. By industry and thrift he accumulated a handsome property, both real and personal, and at this time he is one of the well-to-do men of his township, being in independent circumstances, with a^sufficiency of this world's goods laid by to insure a competency for his declining years.

Mr. McFall, in the year 1862, contracted a matrimonial alliance with Miss Mary Margerum, of Middletown, the union being blessed with four children, three of whom are living. William, the oldest of the family, was. born in 1863, married Miss Rose Birch, of Camden, Ohio, and at this time is engaged in the huckstering business ; Cebreni, the second son, was born in 1865 and is also a married man, his wife having formerly been Miss Nellie White, of Butler county; Mary, the youngest of the number, was born in the year 1867 and is now the wife of Christian King, a prosperous and well-to-do farmer of Lemon township, this county, and one of the representative men of his community.

Mr. McFall is a Democrat in politics and one of the leaders of his party in Madison township. He has been honored at intervals with local offices, having served for a considerable length of time as supervisor, and for a period of twenty-one years was a member of the township board of education. While not identified with any church or re- ligious organization, he is a believer in Christianity and a liberal contributor to the support of the Baptist church, of which his wife is a faithful and consistent member. Mr. McFall is a self-made man in the best sense of the term and as such has been influential in advancing the varied interests of his township and county, being progressive in his ideas and purposes and enterprising in all of his undertakings. His career has been eminently creditable both to himself and the community and during a long, active useful life his character has always been above reproach and his integrity of the sterling kind that bespeaks for its possessor noble aims and high ideals. A strong, manly, symmetrically developed man and a true type of the intelligent, representative American citizen of today, he is one of those whom it is a pleasure to meet, whom it is a boon to have as an intimate friend and associate.

Stephen Decatur Cone

The printer, journalist and author is a public benefactor and a man whose usefulness in the city and county is only bounded by the sphere of his opportunities. Mr. Cone is a genial gentleman and a vigorous thinker, of broad culture and deep learning, whose purposes in life are pure and elevating. The ancestors of the present generation bearing the family name were among the very early settlers of this part of the country, one hundred and three years having passed since they first set foot on Butler county soil. They at once commenced clearing their lands, which were covered with heavy timber. Typical pioneer cabins were soon erected, without the aid of board or nail, and only mother earth for a floor. The forest furnished the principal articles of food, and prowling wild beasts and treacherous Indians furnished the "spice of civilization. "

Stephen D. Cone has given to us two volumes of comprehensive Hamilton history, dating from 1791 to 1902, inclusive^ containing about four hundred and sixty pages each. This, in addition to the vast amount of historical material written, compiled and embraced in the "Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio," is a superb literary monument to his genius and enterprise. The prospectus of the last-named work says of him: "Not the least among the contributions to this work are the labors of Mr. Stephen D. Cone, who will write much of the history, using, in that capacity, the rich storehouse of accumulations for the purpose collected during the past forty or fifty years. Probably no man in Butler county is as capable of performing this arduous task as Stephen D. Cone, and certainly* none have greater interest in the preservation. in tangible and enduring form, of the vast amount of valuable material he has been accumulating for more than an average lifetime."

Stephen D. Cone first saw the light of day two miles south of Venice, Butler county, Ohio, near the ancient site of Crosby village, Hamilton county, February 12, 1840. He is the youngest of a family of nine children of John and Mary Francis (Fodrv) Cone. His father was born in East Haddam, Connecticut, January 20, 1775' who was the son of Joseph and Martha (Spencer) Cone. Joseph Cone died at sea

Stephen D. Cone

Avhile in a naval engagement, in 1779, during the Revolutionary war. His wife died at East Haddarn, "distracted," May 3, 1796. John Cone, father of the subject, died in Hamilton, March 5, 1846, at the Wolf Tavern, this city, then located near the southwest -comer of High and Front streets. Mary Francis Cone was bom near Clarksburg, Virginia, May 16, 1790, and died in Hamilton, September 17, 1858. Stephen D. Cone attended the Nathan Furman school for two years. Subsequently he entered the Hamilton public schools, where he remained until June, 1859, attending high school one year under Prof. Sidney A. Norton, now in the faculty of the Ohio State University, at Columbus. Shortly after thfr death of his mother the subject of this sketch was compelled to abandon his studies, and entered upon the active duties of life. On August 13, 1859, he became an apprentice in the Intelligencer printing office. Here he received a thorough, practical knowledge in the art of printing, which has been very useful to him. On May 10, 1862, he enlisted at Columbus, Ohio, in Company A, Eightyfourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under command of Captain Richard Waite, of Toledo. Ohio, a brother of the late Chief Justice Morrison R. Waite, of the United States supreme court. Covering a period of twenty-five years, he was employed as foreman of first-class job printing establishments in Cincinnati, Columbus, Ft. Wayne (Indiana) and Hamilton. On May 14, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Sixty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, under command of Captain John C. Lewis. He was a United States storekeeper in 1868-69. His appointment was made by E. A. Rollins, commissioner of internal revenue, through the influence of Gen. Robert C. Schenck, over the heads of the collector and assessor of the third district and thirty-five applicants for the place. From 1866 until 1874 he issued, yearly, a daily paper during the Butler county fair, from which publications he realized a handsome sum. During the years 1876-77 he was business manager and superintendent of the mechanical department of the Butler County Democrat. In 1879 established the first exclusively job printing office in Hamilton, which, in 1884, he sold to E. A. Pangle. On January 19, 1885, he became editor and proprietor of the Oxford Citizen. For six years he labored earnestly and faithfully for the improvement of Oxford. Long before his advent in the village a majority of its citizens had been agitating the question of a new school house. The old structure was twenty-five years behind the times and was actually unsafe. In 1886 Mr. Cone was elected to take the lead in the new school house movement. Accordingly, through his personal efforts, the board of education was increased from three to six members. At the April election of this year Stephen D. Cone, Tom Law, Dr. J. B. Porter and W. A. Logue were elected members of this body for a term of three years. The question of issuing bonds to the amount of twenty thousand dollars for a new school house was submitted, at a special election, to the qualified electors of Oxford, and carried by a majority of seventeen. Stephen D. Cone, Tom Law and W. A. Logue constituted the building committee, who erected one of the finest school edifices in southwestern Ohio, it being dedicated April 4> 1887. From the inception of the new school house Mr. Cone was made the target for all kinds of abuse by a coterie of opponents. In the fall of 1887 ^ie "mixed school" question struck Oxford in the shape of a terrible tornado. The colored people demanded admission to the new building and the abolishment of separate schools. The board of education were opposed, with the exception of Stephen D. Cone. Two indignation meetings were held in the town hall, and the members of the board were asked to come forward and define their positions. Mr. Cone refused to attend the first meeting, but notified the leaders that he would be present at the second one. As he entered the densely packed hall he was greeted by the excited populace with hisses, groans and cries of "throw him out of the windows." He coolly advanced to the stage and defined his attitude, in compliance to the law as it appeared upon the statute books. The colored people took the case to court. The circuit court decided that the board of education had no right to maintain separate schools, Judges Smith and Cox affirming, Judge Swing contra. The case was appealed to the supreme court, where it was decided against the board. Mr. Cone was president of the board of education in 1888- 89. In April, 1889, he was elected a member of the town council. He instituted much needed reforms in the transaction of its business. In April, 1891, he sold the Oxford Citizen to Charles W. Stivers, of Liberty, Indiana, and in July of this year he returned to his old home in Hamilton. In May, 1892, he became editor and business manager of the Paulding (Ohio) Democrat. The paper was owned by Hon. N. R. Hysell, exspeaker of the lower house of the general assembly, and Hon. M. F. Eggerman, exrepresentative of Hardin county. Mr. Cone and Tom Law were the founders of Talawanda Council, No. 266, Royal Arcanum, of Oxford, Ohio, where he still retains his membership. Mr. Cone's first literary effort was in 1878, when he wrote a series of seventeen articles for the Butler County Democrat on "The Early Condition of This Valley" (the Miami). He has recently become a life member of the Ohio Archeological and Historical Society, for literary work furnished.

On December 30, 1864, Stephen D. Cone was united in marriage with Barbara Catherine Burkett, who was born in Lewisburg, Preble county, Ohio, October 3, 1843. Eight children resulted from this union, five of whom survive, namely: Josephine P.,

Stephen D., Jr., Azrepha B., Blanche B. and John C. Cone. Mr. Cone has lived to see the fruition of a life of labor and to enjoy the blessings which a kind providence has bestowed upon him.

To the subject of this review belongs the distinction of being the oldest physician in Middletown, and it is also a fact worthy of note that there is now but one man besides himself on Main street who can claim a continuous residence in the city since the year 1849. Charles S*

Barnitz is descended paternally from German ancestry, but the family has been represented in America for several generations, his forefathers having come to this country in colonial times and settled in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania. The Doctor is a native of the Keystone state and was born in the old historic county of New York, on March 23, 1830. By reason of the wealth and high social standing of his parents, he enjoyed excellent educational advantages, and after receiving his early training in private schools he completed an academic course, thus laying broad and deep a substantial foundation for his future career in the professional and business world. A brother and two sisters of the subject having settled in Butler county, Ohio, he paid them a visit when a young man and while here decided to remain and take up the study of medicine. Accordingly he entered the office of his brother-in-law, Dr. G. E. Wampler, of Middletown, where he prosecuted his studies and researches until becoming a student of the Pennsylvania Medical College. Philadelphia, from which institution he was graduated in the year 1854. Immediately after receiving his degree he opened an office in Middletown and engaged in the practice of his profession and later became identified with various local enterprises, including among others the Globe Paper Company, which he helped organize and of which he subsequently became secretary and ultimately one of the proprietors. About the year 1877 he engaged in the drug business, which he carried on in connection with his profession and other interests for a period of ten years, and at the same time looked after a large and lucrative insurance agency which he established in 1866.

Dr. Barnitz has led a very- active life and his career presents a series of continued successes, which have made him one of the most enterprising and prosperous men in the city of his residence, also one of the most widely known and popular. To the extent of his ability he has aided the progress and advancement of Middletown and Butler county, faithfully performing the duties of citizenship and discharging with commendable fidelity every trust reposed in him by his fellow men. He has given his encouragement and support to every laudable undertaking for the public welfare and his position in the esteem and friendship of the community has given him prestige and influence such as few of his contemporaries exercise. Originally the Doctor was a Whig, but when that old party accomplished its mission and ceased to exist, he gave his support to its successor and has ever since been an earnest and zealous Republican. Fraternally, he belongs to the Knights of Honor, being a charter member of the organization in Middletown, and in religion is a Presbyterian, holding at this time the position of deacon in the congregation with which he is identified.

In the year 1855 Dr. Barnitz contracted - a matrimonial alliance with Miss Anna L. Brashear, who was born and reared in Butler county, the marriage resulting in the birth of five children, two sons and three daughters, the oldest being Bertha, whose birth occurred in December, 1855. C. G. Barnitz served in the late Spanish-American war as a member of the Fourteenth United States Infantry, rose to the position of sergeant of his company and died in the Philippine Islands on December 26, 1901. Gardener E., the second son, was born in the month of February, 1866. Bertha, who married R. M. Wirt, lives in Pennsylvania, as does also Mary R., the second daughter, and Mrs. Clara Guchel, the youngest of the family, makes her home in Middletown.

Walter W. Wharton

The family of which the subject of this review is an honored representative has been identified with Butler county since the pioneer period and prior to that time was well known in Sussex county, Delawa , where the remote ancestors settled before the war for independence. Benjamin Wharton, father of the subject, was born in the latter county and state, and when a youth of eighteen came to Butler county, Ohio, where he soon afterward married Miss Sarah Drullinger, who was born neai Fort Union and whose parents were among the pioneer settlers of what is now Union township. Benjamin Wharton came west, poor in this world's goods, but rich in those sterling attributes of manhood which he at the foundation of every successful careen Industrious, energetic, and possessing soun practical intelligence, he soon overcame the difficulties by which he was surrounded, and in due time judiciously invested his earnings in lands which could then be purchased in Union township for five dollars per acre. In the course of a few years he found himself the possessor of one hundred and thirty acres, the greater part of which he cleared and otherwise improved, and the farm he developed became one of the most productive and valuable not only m the township of Union, but in Butler county. Benjamin Wharton was a man of enterprising spirit, a model farmer, and met with financial success such as few of his neighbors attained. He and his good wife spent the greater part of their lives on their township farm and died on the same a number of years ago, leaving a family of six childien, five of whom are living, the majority residents of the county and state in which they

Walter W. Wharton, the eldest of the children of Benjamin and Sarah Wharton, is a native of Butler county, Ohio born on the farm in Union township which he now owns, July 1, 1833. Being the eldest of the family, he early learned the lessons of industry and frugality, and as soon as aWe to be of service he took his place ,n the fields, and it was not long h* ^ labor. He helped clear a goodly part of the land, and, while still a youth, assume much of the responsibility of its cultivation the meantime, of winter months, attend g the schools of the neighborhood until acquiring a full knowledge of the training taught Mr. Wharton remained at his until the breaking out of the great rebellion, when, with many other loyal young -en throughout the country, he exchang implements of husbandry for the deadv dealing weapons of warfare. n 6 1862 he enlisted m Company I, E * ^ third Ohio Infantry, and immediately t ere after proceeded to the front, his first baptism of fire at Ac bat e 0 ^ kansas Post, following which he p pated in a number" of bloody engagement .

ingly arduous and dangerous, as is attested by the fact of his regiment having mustered one thousand men strong at the time of enlistment, of which number there were only two hundred and eighty survivors at the close of the war. In July, 1865, he left Galveston, Texas, for Camp Dennison, Ohio, where he received his discharge, after which he returned home, and the day following his arrival found him at work hi the harvest-field, a kind of labor to which he had been long unused.