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

On the 10th of December, 1884. Mr. Kelly entered the marriage relation with Miss Catherine Hoover, of Richmond, Indiana, and three years later changed his residence to Middletown, Ohio, where, from 1887 to 1891 inclusive, he was connected with the Middletown Pump Company. Severing his connection with that concern the latter year, he engaged with a paper company, but after a limited experience in this capacity resigned his place to accept the position of patrolman on the city police force, where he served very acceptably until appointed chief of the force, in 1895. One year later he gave up this position and took charge of the Arlington Hotel, which he managed very successfully for a period of four years, when he again became identified with the police force, this time in the higher and more responsible position of captain, to which he was appointed in 1901 and which he held until made chief of the department, in April, 1903. Mr. Kelly's series of promotions from patrolman to the highest positions in the department speak well for his ability as a capable officer and judicious manager and since entering upon his present responsible post he has thoroughly reorganized the force and brought it to a very high state of efficiency. In the discharge of his duties he knows no fear or favor, is absolutely impartial in enforcing the regulations of the department and in the matter of order his name has become such a terror to evil doers that violations of the law are of rare occurrence and misdemeanors of all kinds have been reduced to the minimum. With a full appreciation of the importance and dignity of his position, he exemplifies that justice which is the inherent right of every individual, is loyal to principle that knows no wavering and in all of his official actions strives to inculcate a profound respect for public morals as well as to uphold the majesty of the law.

For a number of years Mr. Kelly has been an active worker in the Democratic party and his influence in local politics is duly recognized and appreciated. He has served as delegate to many conventions, and in the councils of his party is considered a judicious adviser as well as a shrewd, capable and successful campaigner. Like the majority of enterprising men in nearly every community, he is identified with the ancient and honorable order of Freemasonry, and at this time holds membership with Jefferson Lodge, No. 90, in which he has been honored with various official position.< In his official and personal relations Mr. Kelly is characterized by a courtesy of manner and an amiability of disposition that have won the high regard of all with whom he comes in contact, while his strict sense of honor and genuine worth mark him as one of the leading men of the city which is proud to claim his residence.

Doctor Smedley is successfully engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Hamilton, and is recognized as one of the representative physicians and surgeons of the county.

Anderson Lamb Smedley was bom in the village of Carthage, Hamilton county, Ohio, on the 17th of May, 1874, and is a son of Clement Dare and Amelia (Lamb) Smedley, the former of whom was bom in the city of Cincinnati and the latter in Hamilton. Butler county, of which her father, Adam Lamb, was an early settler. When Doctor Smedley was a lad of eight years his parents took up their residence in the city of Hamilton, and here he has ever since maintained his home. He received his early education in the public schools, and at the age of seventeen years secured a position in the office of the car accountant of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad, in the city of Cincinnati, retaining this incumbency three y6ars. He then took up the study of medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. L. A. Querner, then coroner of Hamilton county, and in 1894 he was matriculated in the Medical College of Ohio, in that city, where he completed the prescribed course and was graduated on the 9th of April. 1897, at the age of twenty -two years, receiving his coveted degree of Doctor of Medicine. He was dependent upon his own resources and through his own efforts earned the funds which enabled him to complete his collegiate work and prepare himself for the noble profession which he has adopted. On the 13th of April, 1897, Doctor Smedley opened an office in Hamilton, where he has established an excellent practice among the representative families of the city, and he has not only gained marked personal popularity but also a high standing among the members of his profession He served two years as health officer of the city, and is at the present time a member of the board of education, while he served as district physician of the city for two years. His practice is of a general order, and he is inclined to make a specialty of surgery, being recognized as a particularly versatile and skillful operator. He is a member of the Butler County Medical Society, of which he served as secretary for one year and is at present president ; he is also a member of the American Medical Association, while he is also medical examiner of the Prudential Life Insurance Company, The National Indemnity Insurance Company, of Baltimore, the Knights Templar Masonic Insurance Company, of Cincinnati, the Tribe of Ben Hur, the American Insurance Union and the Pathfinders. Fraternally, the Doctor is affiliated with Washington Lodge, No. 17, Free and Accepted Masons; Hamilton Chapter, No. 21, Royal Arch Masons; Hamilton Council, No. 19, Royal and Select Masters; Hamilton Commandery, No. 19, Knights Templar; Lone Star Lodge, Knights of Pythias; Esther Court, Tribe of Ben Hur; Hamilton Chapter, No. hi, American Insurance Union; Frayer Tent, No. 1179, Knights of the Modem Maccabees; Hamilton Schweizer Mennerchor; Ft. Hamilton Council, Order of Americus, and various other organizations of minor import. He is a staunch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party and takes an active interest in public affairs and in the questions and issues of the hour. He attends the Baptist church.

On the 1 8th of November, 1897, Doctor Smedley was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Lupoid, who was born and reared in the city of Cincinnati, being a daughter of John Lupoid, a successful business man of the Queen City. Of this union have been born two sons, Anderson Barden and Elmore Huston.

Reverting to the genealogical history of the Doctor, we may state that his grandfather, Dr. Anderson Smedley, was for a number of years engaged in the practice of his profession in Hamilton, being one of its pioneer physicians, and later he took up his residence in Carthage, being the first medical practitioner in the town. He was a first cousin of Dr. Cyrus Falconer, one of die influential and prominent men of Butler county. Dr. Daniel Smedley, uncle of the subject, was major surgeon of the Second Kentucky Cavalry, a Union regiment, during the Civil war, and he died as the result of disease contracted at Lookout' Mountain. The father of the Doctor has been foreman of bridge construction of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railroad for the past thirty-five years, and he and his wife now reside in Hamilton. Of their three sons the Doctor is the eldest. Clement D. is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, and is engaged in the practice of his profession in St. Bernard, Ohio ; Frank L. is a machinist and electrical engineer and maintains his home in Hamilton, Ohio.

Rev. James G. Miller

The forces that form character are so complex and remote that we stand with unbared head in the presence of every true life. If the mind shrinks from the attempt to solve the mysteries that invest the giant oak or the tiny field flower, rooting themselves in the earth and representing the conquest of hip within over the forces without; the one. the product of centuries, the other, that of a few weeks or months; without thought or conscience, with no power to choose a supreme end; how much more does the heart shrink in the presence of a being fashioned after the divine image and empowered to achieve an immortal destinv for good or for evil. A truly good and useful life, the joint product of agencies human and divine, is the greatest one of the most sublime objects in the universe. In treating of such a life we can not pierce the unseen, and at best can only touch the outer edge, and present to the world a brief epitome of the acts and achievements which enter into the formation of character and make their possessor an influential factor in the stage of action and a vital force among his fellows. In no field of human endeavor is there greater call or more absolute need of the complex forces which make for the temporal and eternal welfare of humanity than that of the Christian ministry. To be effective in this holy office requires not only mental powers and intellectual attainments of a high order, but also a consecration of all these powers and energies to the noble purpose of winning souls to a higher plane of being, a devotion free from the slightest tinge of hypocrisy and lofty spiritual ideals which serve as incentives to efficient and self-sacrificing service for God and for humanity's greatest good. It is not too much to claim for, the subject of this review many of the qualities and characteristics essential to effective service in the sacred office to which his talents are being devoted and in which he has accomplished great and lasting results among his fellow men. His labors have been acceptable and greatly blessed, and the churches to which he has ministered feel the effect of his consecrated efforts in the high state of spiritual and natural prosperity which he inaugurated and brought about and which they still enjoy.

Rev. James G. Miller, pastor of the Cumberland Presbyterian church at West Chester, Ohio, is a native of Illinois, bom at Grand Ridge, La Salle county, on October 2, 1867. Lewis T. Miller, his father, a Pennsylvanian by birth, is a descendant of one of the stanch old German families of the Keystone state. The elder Miller was reared in his native commonwealth, and when a young man learned the plasterer s trade. - At the age of thirty he went to Illinois, where he followed his chosen calling fora number of years in connection with agricultural pursuits, but for some time past he has devoted especial attention to the latter. The maiden name of Mrs. Lewis Miller was Lucinda Weir; she was born in New York and on the father's side is of Scotch descent, and from her mother inherits the sterling characteristics of a long line of Dutch ancestors. She bore her husband two children, the older of whom is the gentleman whose name furnishes the caption of this review, the other being a daughter by the name of Anna O., now the wife of S. G. Auer, a shoe merchant of Mattoon, Illinois.

James G. Miller passed his childhood and youth amid the scenes and ordinary experiences of farm life in his native state, most of the time being spent in incessant toil, varied of winter seasons by attendance at the district schools. At the early age of sixteen, feeling the need of a more thorough intellectual training than the public schools could impart, he entered the Lincoln University, where he prosecuted his studies very closely and persistently until the latter part of 1888. Mr. Miller was reared under religious influences, and when a mere lad began seriously to consider' the matter of his soul's eternal welfare. His convictions were strong and abiding, his feelings deep, and seeing his duty very plainly, he made a public profession of religion in his tenth year, and united with the Cumberland Presbyterian church. It was with the object in view of ultimately devoting his life to the ministry that young Miller entered the university, and the spring following the completion of his course he took charge of a church at Oliveburg, Pennsylvania, which was his field of labor during the two years following. Severing his connection with the congregation at the end of the time noted, he accepted a call to the church at Sandy Lake, in the same state, and after a successful pastorate of one year at that place he spent the ensuing three years and eight months with the larger and more influential church at Centerburg, Ohio.

In November, 1895, Reverend Miller took charge of the church at West Chester, Butler county, where he has since labored with signal ability and great acceptance, the meanwhile looking after the interests of the congregations at Sharonville and Bethany, both of which have prospered under his pastorate, the total membership of these societies at this time numbering about five hundred and twenty-five communicants, the majority of wjiom have been added since he began his labors in this field. Rev. Miller's life has been one of great activity and since entering the ministry his hours of leisure have been few. Intent upon his Master's work, he has labored zealously and faithfully in spreading the gospel and calling men and women to repentance, many through his earnest and eloquent appeals being induced to abandon the ways of sin and seek the better way of leading to lives of righteousness and Christian service. A man of liberal culture, of strong, clear-cut convictions and ardent devotion to his faith, his career, though comparatively brief, has been remarkable for good results, both in the matter of preaching, in which he is admittedly strong, forceful and aggressive, and through the influence of his personality, which all who come in contact with him admire and which in many respects constitutes his most eloquent sermon. Proclaiming and enforcing the truth as he sees it and pushing forward by everyr means at his command the work of Christ in the world, Rev. Miller has ever around him the shield of such a manifestly candid and unselfish spirit, such an instant fellowship with all good and such a single-minded integrity of purpose, that he disarms personal antagonisms, overcomes opposition and impresses all who come within the sphere of his influence by the earnestness and effectiveness of his public services and the beauty of his Christian life and character.

On the 28th day of March, 1889, Reverend Miller and Miss Anna B. Sanner were united in the holy bonds of wedlock. Mrs. Miller was horn in Woodburn, Macoupin county. Illinois, received her education in the public schools and in the Lincoln University, and has presented her husband with four children, all daughters, their names and dates of birth being as follows : Julia

In addition to the duties of the ministry, Reverend Miller has been quite actively interested in various lines of secret benevolent work, being a member of the Masonic fraternity, Lodge No. 204, at Sharonville, in which he holds the office of worshipful master at the present time ; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he holds the title of past grand, and the Junior Order United American Mechanics, for which he has served four years as chaplain of the state council of Ohio, besides traveling and lecturing in different parts of the state in the interest of the organization. He is also a member of the Royal Arcanum. At this time he is president of the Christian Endeavor Union of Butler county and vicepresident of the State Christian Endeavor

Union, in both of which capacities his services have been crowned with signal success, as he possesses executive ability of high order. while his zeal, tact and fertility of resource enable him to discharge the exacting duties of the positions with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of all concerned. Reverend Miller is interested in politics as a citizen, not as a partisan.

In a country where the sovereign power is vested in the people, he believes every man should not only vote, but have wellgrounded opinions 011 the leading questions and issues of the day and stand for good government and strict enforcement of the law. His study of American history, especially that branch relating to the origin, rise and progress of political parties, led him to become a Republican on state and national affairs, but in local matters the candidate combining the best qualifications receives the benefit of his ballot.

The subject of this outline is a native of St. Clair township, Butler county. Ohio, and is descended from one of the pioneer families of Butler county. He was born in Hamilton on the 28th of February, 1876. His paternal grandfather. James Cummins, was born in Liberty township, Butler county, Ohio, in 1 822, his parents having located here years prior to that date. The parents of Dr. Cummins were Absalom and Clara L. (Rusk) Cummins. The father was a native of Butler county, born in Liberty township, in 1847. He was a successful fanner and stockraiser and died in

1900, at the age of fifty-three years. The mother of Dr. Cummins died in young womanhood. He was bereft of a mother's love and tender care at the age of two years, after which he was placed in the -family of his paternal grandparents, where he was reared to manhood. His early years were spent on the farm in St. Clair township, where his grandparents spent their lives, until age compelled their retirement.

Dr. Cummins enjoyed only ordinary educational advantages in his early youth. His time was divided between working on the farm and in attendance at the district schools. But as he neared man's estate he began to think and plan for himself. In due time he was enrolled as a student in the Hamilton public schools, and prosecuted his studies with zeal and energy until he was graduated from the high school in the class of 1896. Having decided upon his life, career he immediately entered upon the study of medicine. In the autumn of 1896 he entered the Medical College of Ohio, at Cincinnati, where he was graduated with the class of 1900. Dr. Cummins immediately entered into the practice in Hamilton and today stands in the front rank of the profession. He is allied with the various professional societies within his reach, and takes an active interest in their deliberations. Of these may be mentioned the Butler County Medical Society and the Union District Medical Society. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity.

Dr. Cummins was married in 1898 to Miss Mary, daughter of Joseph and Amelia Clyne, of Hamilton, where both parents are now living. As the fruit of this union, one son, George Cummins, Jr., was born on the 14th of July, 1903.

The ancestral line of the Cummins family trace their antecedents in America to the state of New Jersey, from whence the founders of the family emigrated to Butler county, Ohio, in a very early day. They came across the mountains in wagons and took the flatboat route to Cincinnati. The family has been identified with - the history of Butler county almost from its organization to the present day. The subject is the youngest of two sons, the elder being James Cummins, who is a well-to-do fanner on the old homestead where the subject was reared. He married Miss Estella Augsburger, of a well-known family of Butler county.

William Caldwell

Among the leading business men and representative citizens of Middletown, who have borne a distinguished part in promoting the industrial interests of the city, the name of William Caldwell stands out clear and distinct. In the prosecution of his. various enterprises he has exercised discreet judgment and business ability of a high order and his reputation as a thoroughly honorable and conscientious man has never been impeached nor has his integrity and honesty ever been questioned. Not only has he been successful in the acquisition of wealth, but has ever manifested a commendable purpose in its use, and throughout a long and exceedingly active career every movement of public enterprise or private benevolence have found in him a ready and willing assistant. He has long enjoyed high repute as a man and citizen, and the brief tribute to his worth herein set forth has been fairly and honorably earned. Robert Caldwell, the subject's father, was born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1780, and in the year 1800 immigrated to the United States, settling in Butler county, Ohio. In his native land he obtained a fine education and after coming to this country he utilized his scholastic attainments to good advantage as a teacher, his superior knowledge causing a great demand for his services in the early schools of this part of the state. He taught at Pisgah in pioneer times and earned the reputation of an able and painstaking educator and his labors in that locality appear to have been greatly appreciated by the patrons of his school. Robert Caldwell married, after coming to America, Miss Elizabeth Magill and settled near Pisgah, where he spent a number of years dividing his time between teaching and various kinds of manual labor, later devoting considerable attention to agricultural pursuits. Of the six children born to this couple four died in infancy and. two grew to maturity, viz : Thomas G., a tailor, who died some years ago in Indianapolis. Indiana, and William. * whose name introduces tins sketch.

Born near Pisgah, Union township, Butler county, on the 28th of February, 1827, William Caldwell spent his early life under the parental roof and as opportunities afforded attended the district schools of the neighborhood. When a youth of fourteen, he went to live with a gentleman by the name of James Graham, a farmer and manufacturer of paper, also a merchant, and it was in his store that the lad obtained his first practical knowledge of business affairs. After spending some time as a clerk and becoming familiar with the underlying principles of commercial life, he was promoted to the post of bookkeeper, but several years later he quit this position and was taken into his employer's paper mill, where he first worked as a general utility hand or roustabout, but later acquired a thorough knowledge of machinery, also of the manufacture of paper in its every detail.

Mr. Caldwell was connected with the above concern until the failure of Mr. Graham, in 1852, at which time he engaged in the paper-making business in partnership with Robert Cooper, the firm thus constituted lasting only a short time, when it was dissolved by mutual consent. In the year 1854 the subject accepted the position of foreman in the Globe Paper Mill, Middletown, and continued to act in that capacity for a period of two years, when he again embarked in business upon his own responsibility, effecting a co-partnership with George Jacoby and purchasing in conjunction with the gentleman the lumber yard which stands on the corner where his present establishment is now situated. The firm of Jacoby & 'Caldwell lasted from 1858 to 1864. when the former gentleman withdrew and was succeeded by his son, thus forming a new partnership, which, under the style of Caldwell & Jacoby, continued until the death of the junior member, two years later. In r866 the interest of the deceased partner was again taken by the elder Jacoby, who remained a member of the firm until the year 1877, when Mr. Caldwell bought the entire plant and became sole proprietor. After running the business very successfully until 1898, he admitted his son-in-law, J. M. Iseminger, to a partnership, since which time the establishment has been conducted under the name of Caldwell & Iseminger, this firm now being one of the most widely known and extensively patronized industries of the kind in Middletown. Their yards are equipped with a large and complete stock of all kinds of lumber, and their sash, door and blind factory is one of the most complete in the Miami valley. They are general contractors and builders and manufacture everything in the line of woodwork pertaining to all kinds of buildings. They make a specialty of hardwood interior house finish and stair work and have built up a reputation for this kind of work that can not be excelled by any concern in the country.

As already indicated, Mr. Caldwell is in every respect a representative business man and his success in the industrial world has been the result of sound, practical intelligence and mature judgment, directed and controlled by wise forethought. From the beginning his progress has been steady and substantial, and no obstacle or discouragement has interfered with or in any way hindered the constant growth and wide-reaching influence of the large establishment of which he is the senior partner and which for so many years has contributed so much to the general prosperity of Middletown.

Mr. Caldwell married, in the year 1849, Miss May J. Lewellen, who was born in Millville, Butler county, Ohio, and who died in 1896, after a happy wedded experience resulting in the birth of four children; three of these offspring are deceased, the only survivor being Laurie E., now the wife of J. M. Iseminger, the subject's business partner.

In his political affiliations Mr. Caldwell is a Republican, but he has never been a very active participant in party affairs nor an aspirant for office. Presbyterianism represents his religious creed and for many years he has been a prominent member and influential worker in the First Presbyterian church in Middletown, being at this time a deacon in the organization, also its treasurer. The private life of Mr. Caldwell has been singularly free from those faults and habits which tend to undermine and destroy the characters of so many men, and his honor and integrity in his social relations as well as in business affairs have ever been above criticism. Honest and upright, he has earned the esteem of his fellow citizens, and the influence he has always exercised for the good of the community has made for him a name and reputation to which the coming years will give additional luster.

Dr. Samuel H. Millikin

The subject of this review is a representative of one of the early established families of Butler county, the history of which covers almost a century. The Millikin family needs no introduction to the people of this county, as since 1807 ^ie>' have been prominently identified with its growth and progress. The annals of the county record the history of no family more conspicuous or more honorable in the advancement of public thought and action, and none of more diversified interests. They have been represented in all the various lines of human effort, and have always borne and sustained an exalted position in the social, professional and business affairs of the county. It is not the purpose of this volume to give undue prominence to any individual or to extol the merits of the living to the neglect of the dead. The worthy pioneers, 'by whose aggressiveness, self-sacrifice, industry and frugality was rendered possible the high state of advancement which we enjoy today, are worthy of more than a passing notice in the annals of history. This recognition must come through individual families. The Millikin family was established in -Hamilton on the 7th of May, 1807. The founders were Dr. Dan Millikin and his brother Samuel. They came from Washington county, Pennsylvania, and were sons of James and Dolly (McFarland) Millikin. James Millikin was born in County Antrim, Ireland, January 5, 1752, and came to America in 1771. He married Miss Dolly McFarland in Washington county, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1778, she being a native of Massachusetts. They were the parents of nine children, who attained to years of maturity, namely: Daniel, James, John H., Samuel, William S., Robert B., Andrew, Abel and Mary. Five of the family became residents of Hamilton as the years passed and are now buried in Greenwood cemetery.

Samuel Millikin, the fourth son of James and Dolly Millikin, was the paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, February 28, 1786. He was in his twenty-first year when he accompanied his brother Daniel to Hamilton. He took up his residence in his brother's family, and for a few years turned his attention to the study of medicine. Later he came to realize that the practice of medicine would not be congenial to his tastes, and he utilized the knowledge acquired in his previous studies in establishing the first regular drug store in Hamilton. His brother

Daniel was the first physician in the town of Hamilton. Samuel Millikin continued in the drug business for several years. On the 28th of September, 1813, he was married to Miss Mary Hunter, a daughter of Joseph Hunter, an early pioneer of Fairfield township. As a result of this union, three children were born, the eldest of whom was Hannah, who became the wife of William Anderson, a prominent merchant in Hamilton at that time ; the second born was James H., who became a partner with his brotherin-law, Mr. Anderson, until the death of the latter in 1845. Mrs. Anderson died on the 25th of May, 1834. James Millikin continued in mercantile business for a number of years, subsequently removing with his family to Decatur, Illinois, where he died. John Millikin was the youngest of the family of Samuel and Mary (Hunter) Millikin, and the father of Dr. Samuel H. Millikin of this sketch. He was bom in Hamilton on the 24th day of October, 1826. His mother died when he was a small child, 011 the 1 2th of July, 1828, and he was reared as a companion of his father in Hamilton, and later on a farm in Vermilion county, Indiana. On attaining the age of manhood he continued to operate a farm in Indiana for many years. He married Miss Mary C. Snively, a daughter of Samuel Snively, a well-known and prosperous citizen of Butler county. He was descended from pioneer ancestors in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, his father's family having located there in a very early day. Samuel Snively amassed a fortune in the tanner) business and was considered wealthy at th| time of * his death, in 1863. The father Q Dr. Millikin was engaged in various line of business, but after leaving the farnf which he operated successfully for seventeen years he engaged in the milling business, but the fluctuations of war-time prices were disastrous and he sold out his interests, entered the employ of the well-known firm of Long & Allstatter , with whom he was employed as superintendent of agencies for more than twenty years. He was thus employed at the time of his death, on the 28th of August, 1892. He was a man universally esteemed for his sterling integrity and upright life. He was a devoted husband and father, indulgent and generous to his children, devoted to his home and its environments, ever thoughtful of the comfort and happiness of others. He was a man of high moral instincts and broad philanthropy, He had no enemies, but all who knew him were his friends. The memory of John Minikin will long be remembered, even out- - side of the family circle. His family comprises four sons and four daughters who attained to years of maturity. The names are, in order of birth: Adda S., wife of S.

B. Berry; Ella, who became Mrs. J. W. hields ; Henry L.; Samuel H.; Agnes, wife of John W. King; Horace F.; Mary Elizabeth and John M. Mary died in young womanhood unmarried. John W. died in i»99- Adda is in Beatty, Kansas; Ella, now Mrs. Shields, is in Greensburg, Indiana; «enry )s at San Bernardino, California;

53- The first nine years of his life were spent at the place of his birth. The famly then returned to Hamilton, and the subject here resumed his school studies. Being two years, but not being satisfied with his qualifications, though successful in practice he took a thorough course in dentistry and was graduated from the Dental College of Cincinnati in 1881. This was the acme of the Doctors ambition and, with only a temporary respite, he has been in active practice for nearly twenty-five years. For a few years following 1889 Dr. Millikin was in the mercantile business in Hamilton m which he was successful, but he returned to his professional life, determined to continue unless something specially alluring may detract his attention temporarily.

On the 15th of September, 1886, Dr. Millikin was united in marriage with Miss Mary, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Schneider) Schelly. Mrs. Millikin was a lady of culture and refinement, a woman of strong domestic tastes, a lover of home, where her energies were centered in the cultivation of those features which render the home sacred and more charming than any other place on earth. She was a devout Christian, holding membership in Zion's Evangelical "Lutheran church. She died January 14, 1897. ^r- Millikin is a member of the Presbyterian church, the religious home of his ancestors. He holds meml>ersliip in the Knights of Pythias lodge and the Royal Arcanum, and is also a member of the Ohio State Dental Society. In political views Dr. Millikin is disposed to be liberal, exercising his rights of suffrage independently of party lines. In local political affairs he supports men rather than measures. He has never sought political honors, hence he is free from political debts and can assert his independence with, impunity. The Doctor is a cheery, companionable gentleman, social in his nature, liberal in his views, and generous toward afflicted humanity. He has made a success of life and enjovs the confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. He is a worthy representative of the distinguished family whose name he perpetuates. Dr. and Mrs. Millikin became the parents of two sons, Arnold Schelly and Eugene Donald, both of whom are at home attending school.

Dr. Millikin has been phenomenally successful in his business career and is rated rerv well-to-do. He owns a valuable farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres near Hamilton, two business blocks in the city, besides residence property and important lots. Some of this property came bv inheritance to his wife, but much of it is the product of the Doctor s careful and systematic business methods.

Henry Tabler

Henry Tabler, a member of the Butler county infirmary board and clerk of that body, was born in Hamilton on the 20th of February, 1841, and is a representative of a family of three children born to Henry and Mary A. (Von Benken) Tabler, natives of Hanover, (iermanv. The father was born in 1800 and came to America in 1836, establishing a home in Hamilton, Ohio. The wife of Charles Beck, who was Miss Catherine Tabler, is, besides the subject of this sketch, the only survivor of the family. The parents were early residents of Hamilton, and closely identified with the city's growth and progress, where they contributed their share in establishing a branch of the thrifty and prosperous German-American citizenship now so prevalent and popular in Butler county. The father spent his life here in various pursuits and lived to advanced age.

Henry Tabler, the subject of this article. was reared and educated in the city ot his birth. His parents were devout Catholics in religious views and he was educated in the parochial schools until he attained his fifteenth year, when he began life's struggles on his own account. In later years he added to his educational acquirements and took a business course in Bartlet's Business College, at Cincinnati. He served an apprenticeship to the carriage painter s trade under the tutorship of Christian Morganthaler. with whom he worked until the beginning of the Civil war.

Mr. Tabler was 'one of the first to respond to the President's call for sevent}- five thousand men for the three-months ser\- ice. He enlisted on the 17th of April, 1861, and was assigned to Company K, First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, this being the first company to leave Hamilton for the seat of war. Mr. Tabler went with his command to the defense of the national capital and took part in numerous skirmishes leading up to the historic battle of Bull Run. In that sanguinary engagement the First Ohio bore a conspicuous part and assisted in ushering in the struggle, with a true appreciation of the formidable character of the enemies of the national union. A depleted treasury, plundered arsenals, and a chief executive whose sympathies were clearly on the side of disunion. - it is not strange that the first great battle proved a national disaster. The poorly armed and equipped volunteers from the offices, shops and farms, with scarcely a knowledge of the manual of arms, met thoroughly skilled troops, well-armed and equipped, under command of some of the best generals the nation has ever produced.

Mr. Tabler served out his term of enlistment, received an honorable discharge from the service, and located in Buffalo, New York, where he followed his trade until 1865. Returning west, he completed a course in bookkeeping and commercial work and continued at his trade until 1870, when he became a partner in the mercantile and tailoring establishment of Kortemever. Freer & Company, of Cincinnati. Mr. Tabler subsequently disposed of his interests in this firm and became associated in the boot and shoe business with his brother-in-law, Charles Beck. Soon after this Mr. Becjc was elected to a county office, in which he served nine years, his father having purchased his interest in the mercantile business. which was continued by the elder Beck and Mr. Tabler. Retiring from office.

Charles Beck repurchased his former interest, and the two brothers-in-law continued in profitable business associations until 1883, when Mr. Tabler sold out. After a year's retirement, he engaged in the grocery* business for a period of three years, and in 1888 he took up insurance, in which he is still profitably engaged. The subject took his initial work as a salesman in the employ of the well-known house of T. V. Howell & Son. I11 an official capacity Mr. Tabler has served in various offices of trust and responsibility. He was secretary of the Hamilton board of health for five years, and served several years as assessor of real and personal property in the third ward. He was a member of the board of county infirmary directors for six years, when he retired for two years, and was re-elected and is now serving the fifth year since his return to that office, and was president for four years and clerk for one year. In his official capacity Mr. Tabler is careful and conservative, ever alert to the interests of the taxpayers, vet generous and open-handed towards the deserving poor. His long continuance in the responsible position in which he is now serving the people is the best evidence of his fitness for it. He is a man of great energy and perseverance, coupled with broad experience in the world .of affairs and a close observation of human nature. His keen detection of fraud and imposition has been the means of saving many dollars to the county, while the same discriminating power has sought out the deserving wards of the county and rendered to them timely aid. Mr. Tabler is careful and methodical in all of his business relations and bears an enviable record for honesty and integrity in his public life.

wald, her husband being a ^hu'tJileT'Tooi Albert J- is a machinist at the Works Adeline is at home ; GeorSe J ' a soldier in the regular army, now mjhe Philippines, being clerk of Troop , teenth United States Cavalry; Lour the senior vear of the city high schools. Robert is a student in the public schools,

!he first two born are dead; EBatath «Jrried John M. Fallert, with whom she had a daughter named Antoinette Cornelia Fallert died in 1897. at the age rears . The infant child was taken y maternal grandparents in whose family she isting tenderly reared and chamctenzed as the "baby of the household." : child Henrietta, died in infancy. Mr. Tabler his family are devout Catholics in rebgious belief, sustaining membership m . phen's church. They are members of the va ous social and religious societies w thin the sanction of the church and the family stands very high in the community. Mr. Tabler a member of the Catholic Knights of America the Catholic Knights of Ohio, and of Wetzel-Compton Post, No. 96. Grand Army of the Republic. In his political affiliations

Ezra Taylor Elliott

His first dwelling, a small log structure, answered the purpose for which intended for a number of years, but in time it was replaced by the substantial brick residence which the family occupied until his death, in 1889. Major Elliott was a man of sound, practical intelligence, mature judgment and high social standing, and for many years was a prominent factor and influential leader in the civic affairs of his township and county. He took the initiative in a number of internal improvements, especially roads and highways, was one of the original constructors of the old Cincinnati and Dayton turnpike and for a period of fifty years served as superintendent of the same. He was for a long time one of the trustees of Union township, in which capacity he did more than any of his predecessors in the matter of public improvements, and to him as much perhaps as to any other individual is due the credit of laying the foundation of the prosperity for which his part of the county has since been noted. Major Elliott always manifested a lively interest in the history of Butler county and was well informed in the same and an authority on all matters pertaining to the early settlement and subsequent development of the country. He was a leading spirit and prominent figure at all of the old settlers' meetings, frequently made addresses to these large assemblages, and for many years was president of the Pioneet Association of Warren and Butler Counties, the success of which organization was greatly promoted by his able and judicious management. He was also an influential church worker of the Methodist denomination in this part of the state, being especially effective in establishing Sunday schools, a branch of religious endeavor for which he seems to have been peculiarly adapted. He was a clear, forcible and logical speaker, and his services in this direction were in frequent demand. He made many addresses in churches before Sunday school associations and other public assemblies, and in this way did much to counteract some of the prevalent evils of the times and arouse a healthy moral sentiment in different communities, much of his life having been freely devoted to the good work of winning men and women to a higher plane of living.

Major Elliott served his day and generation ably and faithfully and left the impress of his strong personality upon the community in which he had so long been a leader among his fellow men. His upright conduct, unimpeachable integrity and sterling worth were appreciated by all who came within the range of his influence and in his death, at the ripe old age of eighty-nine years, Butler county suffered the loss of one of its strong characters, whose influence is still felt among the circles in which he moved, and whose place in the hearts and affections of the people constitutes his most enduring monument.

Ezra Taylor Elliott, son of Major W. W. Elliott and Eunice (Hunt) Elliott, was born September 26, 1847, in Union township, Butler county, Ohio, having first seen the light of day on the paternal homestead, near the town of West Chester. His boyhood was spent on the farm and after receiving the usual education which the public schools afforded, he assumed much of the labor and responsibility of cultivating and managing the home place, his duties in both these capacities being ably and faithfully performed. He remained with his father, looking after the latter's interests, until his twenty-first year, when he took charge of the farm and began life for himself. He met with encouraging success as a tiller of the soil, soon won a conspicuous place among the leading agriculturists of his township and in due time acquired a comfortable competency, which enabled him to discontinue manual labor and devote his attention to more sedentary pursuits. Mr. Klliott, in the year 1877. entered the marriage relation with Miss Anna A. Parker,

- I Butler county, who has borne him three children, two living, the older of whom is a son by the name of Walter P., whose birth occurred on February 7, 1882. and who is now an employe of the Mill Creek Street Car Line in the city of Cincinnati ; Jessie tylarie, who was born on February 27, 1889, is a young lady of intelligence and at this time a student with bright prospects before her.

Mr. Elliott remained on the farm until the year 1890. when he turned it over to other management and moved to West ( hester, where he has since resided. Not caring to lead an inactive life, he accepted a clerkship in the Van Hise general store, but after four years in this capacitv resigned his position and in 1897 entered upon his duties as postmaster, to which office he was appointed by President Mc- Kinley, on July 1st of that year. His administration thus far has been eminently creditable and satisfactory and officials of the department authorize the statement that he is one of the most capable, systematic, and all-round efficient postmasters in their jurisdiction. He is kind and obliging, ever ready to do a favor, and his relations with the public are of the most agreeable character, his popularity being circumscribed only by the limits of his acquaintance. Mr. Elliott is essentially progressive in his attitude and this is not only exemplified in the ability and success with which he carried forward his farming enterprises, but also in the deep and helpful interest he has ever shown in all that tends to the material, social and moral advancement of the community. Though he has never been an aspirant for public office, his signal eligibility as well as his efficient political service led to. his appointment to the responsible position of the postmastership, which he now so ably fills, his high standing in the Republican party giving him a prestige in political circles second to that of few of his compeers.

Mr. Elliott is interested in various lines of benevolent work and gives a willing and generous support to all his fellow men. He holds membership with Bethany Lodge, No. 202, Knights of Pythias; is also a leading worker in the Junior Order United American Mechanics, and in religion subscribes to the Cumberland Presbyterian creed, his wife and himself being faithful and constant communicants of the church anc keenly alive to its various benevolent an< charitable enterprises.

Napoleon B. Tubbs

The Fifth United States Cavalry, ' which Mr. Tubbs was a member during t' Civil war, has a history of hardships a? privations not equalled in the voluntf service in any 'department of the army. Tj Fifth United States Cavalry, formerly 1

"old Second," was the synonym for bravery and military fortitude long years before the Civil war, and in that tempestuous strife it bore the brunt of cavalry maneuvers because of its known record as a regiment which could be relied upon to do its whole duty under any circumstances. It was therefore the leader in all kinds of military maneuvers where men "tried and true" were especially needed. Many of its members bear the scars of saber wounds', received from a foe not less brave and fearless, which were inflicted in the hand-to-hand conflicts which try men's souls. The official history of this regiment is as follows : The Fifth Regiment was originally the Second United States Cavalry, but under the reorganization of the army in the latter part of 1861 the following changes were made: The First Dragoons became the First Cavalry, the Second Dragoons became the Second Cavalry, the Mounted Rifles became the Third Cavalry, the old First Cavalry became the Fourth Cavalry and the old Second Cavalry became the Fifth Cavalry. This old regiment, to which the subject belonged, originally included several #men who afterwards became prominent as Confederate leaders, namely, Lee. Hood, Van Dorn and Mc- Gruder, all being officers of the regiment at the opening of the war. The pride of the regiment, however, was "Pap" Thomas, at that time a major, and who, though a Virginian, remained loyal to the government he had -sworn to support. The regiment was recruited up to the full quota at the beginning of the Civil war and the old campaigners who stood the test and remained with it were the leaven of the whole regiment. Recruits were selected with much greater care than in the volunteer service.

the first requisite being physical perfection. They were then carefully instructed by competent drill masters, practiced in the art of riding, and made fully acquainted with the "Rules and Regulations. of War" by frequent readings at roll call and inspections. Thus equipped, the "raw recruit" was soon as conversant with his duties as the old veterans with whom he associated. N. B. Tubbs, of this review, was among the first of these recruits enlisted under the emergency call to fill up the regular army. He enlisted at Cincinnati, on the 2d of August, 1861. I11 due time he was assigned to Company G, of the Fifth Cavalry, having enlisted "for general mounted service in the regular army." He joined his regiment near Washington, D. C., and then began a career of active service at the front, which was terminated only by the expiration of his three-vears term of enlistment. He participated in every engagement and skirmish in which his company was engaged, escaping wounds, capture and sick-list calls, and rounding out a career as a faithful, valiant soldier, second to no man in the service. While the volunteer soldiers were lying in their comfortable winter quarters, inactive in everything except drawing their rations and their pay, the cavalry and particularly the regulars, were constantly engaged on scouting expeditions, protecting the rear of the army, and the bases of supplies, also doing, on the extreme outpost, picket duty. They knew no rest. A warm and comfortable "shack" built of puncheons split from the nearby forest trees, and covered with the tent clothes of those it housed, with a fireplace and stick -and-mud chimney was entirely unknown to the Fifth Cavalry, except as they saw these things in passing the volunteer camps. Often they had to scrape away the snow to put up their little shelter tents, with no fire save the cooking fire of rails or logs in the company street. They would lie down on the cold ground, probably to be aroused before daylight to feed and groom their shivering horses, and start on another scouting expedition, which often continued for nights and days, with only temporary halts to feed their horses or exchange a worn-out mount for a captured one. It was nothing unusual for the men to remain in the saddle twelve or fifteen hours without dismounting, much of this time spent in skirmishing and chasing at breakneck speed the retreating enemy. The fords of the rivers had to be carefully guarded and often it was a "race for life" between the scouting parties of the contending enemies, to see which should first reach a particular ford and thus cut the other parties off from their supports.

While it is a fair presumption that all true men who enlisted for the various arms of military service during the Civil war did their whole duty as required of them, yet it is true that the cavalry have never received half the credit due them. The "doughboys" (infantry), on seeing the cavalry start to the front, usually expressed themselves in language like this: "Well, they are going out to pick another fight, but they'll not be there when the fighting comes." During the early years of the war it was a common expression among the infantry that* there ought to be a premium offered for a dead cavalryman. But, whether or not there was any grounds for such an assumption at that time, it is nevertheless true that the later years of the war were fraught with great activity and serious and often disastrous losses among the cavalry. Such men as Sheridan, Stoneman, Kilpatrick and Custer were needed earlier than they came, as were also Grant, Sherman and Thomas, as infantry organizers and commanders.

Mr. Tubbs participated in thirty-two battles and skirmishes, and though he escaped personal injury, it can be safely asserted that it was more fatality than lack of opportunity. His military experience, if fully written in detail, would furnish very tempting food for the "doubting Thomases" and the loyal stay-at-homes. The hand-to-hand conflicts with men equally brave, and inspired by what they believed to be the right, the long weary marches through rain, snow, mud and sleet, the discomforts of constant marching in winter's cold, often without sufficient food, and never with an abundance, because of the impossibility of keeping supply trains up with the rapidly moving command, all these things conspired to render his services not only extremely hazardous, but also uncomfortable beyond the experience of many other men of the military service. To stop the cravings qf hunger, he often had to munch a "hardtack" as he rode along, momentarily expecting a bullet from a lurking reb concealed in ambush. But "the half can never be told."

N. B. Tubbs was born near Milford, Kent county, Delaware, on the 23d of October, 1838. He remained in his native locality until the age of twelve, receiving a good English education in the public schools. In 1850 he accompanied his parents from Philadelphia to Butler county, Ohio, and the family located at West Chester. The subject has been a resident of Butler county for fifty-four years, with the exception of the time spent in the army, and has been a resident of Hamilton for the last thirty-five years. From 1867 to 1869 inclusive he was a railway postal clerk in the employ of the United States government, resigning that position in 1870. He then engaged as a salesman for the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and rapidly advanced in the estimation of his employers until he was made the manager of the company's branch store at Hamilton. Some sixteen years he has been employed in this capacity, while he has been with the company in various capacities fgr more than thirty years. .Mr. Tubbs is still indirectly interested in the sale of the "Singer," though he has in recent years given his attention to the sale of wall paper, house adornments, pictures, etc. He has a well-arranged store for this purpose on South Third street, near High, and gives employment to a large number of wage earners. He carries a full line of seasonable goods and is doing a fine business.

Mr. Tubbs has been twice married, first to Miss Lucy Gillam, of Washington, D. C., and four children were bom to bless this union, viz : Frank B., Cora, Charles P. and Jerome. Charles is the only survivor of this family and is a partner in his father's business. Mrs. Tubbs died in 1875, and on the 2d of December, 1880, Mr. Tubbs married his present companion, who was Miss Lizzie, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Hardin) Hueston, of Seven Mile, Butler county. I~fer parents were among the earliest settlers of the county, having located here with their parents long before the admission of Ohio into the sisterhood of states. Mrs. Tubbs' grandfather was killed by Indians, in Pennsylvania, soon after the Revolutionary war, and his widow brought her family to Ohio, probably about 1785. Thomas Hueston, father of Mrs. Tubbs, was a brother of Col. Matthew Hueston, one of the very early pioneers of Butler county, both having come here with General Anthony Wayne's army.

The subject has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his old comrades in arms, caring for and protecting the living and commemorating the achievements of the dead. He was one of ten incorporators of the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers' Permanent Monument Committee, appointed in 1898, by Governor Bushnell. As the name would suggest, this corporation came into existence for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of the departed heroes of Butler county. Though the project had been under consideration for several years prior to 1898, this was the first decisive action and from the time this committee was confirmed by the state senate the work has been in progress. It was no easy matter to educate public sentiment up to the point of going into the pocket in the furtherance of the plan ; but, through various vicissitudes, the work progressed rapidly within the last year, and the monument is now nearing completion. Mr. Tubbs was a charter member of Wetzel-Compton Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and has served it in various official capacities, being a past commander. He is also a member of Hamilton Council, No. 338, Royal Arcanum. Mr. Tubbs has never been an office seeker in any sense, but has been zealous and active in political affairs. His life has been devoted to business, in which he has been reasonably successful, though a man of his generous impulses seldom achieves great riches. He is a man of sterling integrity and uprightness of character, and, within his means, has been public-spirited and active in the promotion of enterprises beneficial to his adopted city. As a resident of Butler county for more than half a century he has witnessed a wonderful growth and progress, and contributed his full share to that end.

Mr. Tubbs and family are members of the First Methodist church in Hamilton. The Hueston family, of whom Mrs. Tubbs is a worthy representative, have been identified with every phase of Butler county history, from the first settlements of white men down to the present time. They are related directly or indirectly with the Marshalls, Taylors and Becketts, whose ancestors were also among the first settlers, all coming about the same time.

William Beaver

William Beaver, an active young business man of Trenton, was born in Montgomery county, Ohio, May 23, 1874. and is the eldest of two sons born to John and Mary Jane ( Gebhart) Beaver, natives respectively of Montgomery and Butler counties. The father was born December 17, 1842, and spent his active years in farming. In this he was quite successful and accumulated a competence wherewith to smooth the pathway down through declining years. He and his estimable wife are retired from farm labors, only to assume more active duties about the hotel of which the subject of this article is proprietor. The parents own valuable residence property in Middletown, their former home. The mother assumes general management of the hotel, thus relieving her son's invalid wife, white the father busies himself in choring about the premises, thus gratifying the early acquired habits of industry. The second son of these parents is Frank, who is engaged in profitable business at Miamisburg, Ohio. He married Miss Clara Rhodes, at Trenton.

William Beaver, the subject of this article, was educated in the public schools of Middletown, where the greater part of his life was spent. He has always been an active and industrious man, willingly turning his hand to any honorable avocation. For a number of years he was employed in various ways about the Sorg tobacco industry in Middletown, and was for some time employed in a planing mill at the same place. Two or three years were spent on the road as a traveling salesman and in June, 1901, he moved to Trenton and engaged in the hotel business, in connection with which he also operates a livery business and meat market. The Traction Hotel, of which he is the proprietor, is the oldest hotel property in the village. The traveler may here find rest and refreshment in true Buckeye style, which always means abundance of palatable food, well-cooked, and served with an air of good will and hospitality often lacking in other localities.

Mr. Beaver was married, in 1897, to Miss Pearl Ingham, a daughter of Frank Ingham, of Germantown, Ohio. She is a handsome and accomplished lady, whose young life is blighted to some extent by ill health. Two sweet and interesting children have come to bless the home and engage the attention of loving parents and grandparents. They are named Jessie Irene and Clarence, the latter a little toddler who is a

Mr. Beaver is a member of the Bankers' Fraternal Union, Improved Order of Red Men and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. In political views both father and sons are Democrats. The family is of German extraction, the founders of which emigrated to Pennsylvania, whence they came to Ohio in the early part of the last century.

George Sutter

The subject of this sketch is the proprietor of the Star barber shop and bath rooms, at j 2 South Second street, in the city of Hamilton, and is known as an enterprising business man and public-spirited citizen, enjoying marked popularity in the community. He was born in Baden, Germany, on the 1 2th of April, 1858. being a son of Jacob Sutter. The mother died in Germany and the father emigrated with his family to American in 1873. landing in New York city on the 3d of January, and thence proceeding to New Jersey and taking up his residence near the historic old city of Morristown. He had learned the trade of weaver in the fatherland but after coming to America turned his attention to the tailors trade. He continued to reside in New Jersey until his death, in June, 1900, at the venerable age of eighty-two years, having ever commanded the respect and esteem of all who knew him. Of his six children all are living except one, their names in order of birth being as follows : Frederick, Mary, Jacob, George, Katherine and Lena. Lena died in 1893, from an attack of typhoid fever. The family all remain in New Jersey with the exception of the subject of this sketch.

George Sutter was a lad of seven years at the time of his mothers death, and was fifteen years of age at the time of the removal of the family to America, his early educational discipline having thus been secured in the excellent schools of his native land. In New Jersey he served an apprenticeship at the barber's trade, in 1874, and thereafter was employed for a number of years in various places in New Jersey, where he remained until 1881, when he came to Ohio and took up his residence in Hamilton, where he was employed at his trade on salary until 1887. when he engaged in business on his own responsibility, opening a shop at 13 South Front street, where he remained until 1901, when he removed to his present finely equipped quarters, where he gives employment to three competent workmen, while in connection with his attractive shop he has a fine bath room, which is well appreciated bv his patrons, his .being one of the most popular establishments of the sort in the city and catering to a representative trade. While in New Jersey Mr. Sutter was for some time employed by a barber who was a practical taxidermist, and in this fascinating art our subject took a deep interest, becoming a skillful workman in the line and having done much work of a high order in the mounting of animals and birds. He has given considerable time to the securing of fine specimens of various kinds, and he has today the finest collection of birds and small animals to be found in the county-

Though devoting his leisure to this work as a diversion, his services have been in requisition in the turning out of a number of fine pieces for others. His private collection is valued at about six hundred dollars and includes a specimen of nearly every species of birds to he found in Butler county. In politics Mr. Sutter is a stanch supporter of the principles of the Democratic party, and fraternally he is a member of the Knights of Pvthias. the Protected Home Circle and the Fraternal Union of America. He was reare in the Protestant faith but is not .forma y identified with any church organization.

On the 8th of May, 1886, Mr, Sutter was united in marriage to Miss Katie E. Lang, who was born and reared in Hamilton being a daughter of Valentine Lang, an honored pioneer of this place. Mr. and Mrs. Sutter have one child. Joseph Roland, who was born May 13. 1887, and who is now serving an apprenticeship at the trade o machinist.

Nicholas Hester

Nicholas Hester, chief engineer of the Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo traction line at the power house at Busenbark. was born in Ross township, Butler county, Ohio, June 8, i860. His parents, Nicholas and Margaret (Mournin) Hester, were natives of the Emerald Isle and came to this county in early youth. They were married in Butler county and located on a farm in Ross township, where by industry and frugality the family became very well-to-do. There were twelve children bom in the parental family, of whom ten are now living and the subject of this article was the fourth in order of birth. His parents died in 1902, within a period of less than three months, this being a sore bereavement to the loving children who revered and honored their parents as far as children do. The subject o this article was reared on a farm ln 0 township and attended the district schools until he had mastered the course, when he entered Miami University and P"da two-vears course in that institution. But his preference was for a mechanical tra e ra er than a professional career and he left the universitv to take practical lessons m engineering. His first experience as a stationary engineer was at the heating pan Miami University during his college ay -

He was with the Hamilton Machine Comnanv as engineer for nine years and nas Zr' years Lith .he Cinch,*,* « Company in the same capacity. r. is thoroughly qualified by practical expenence and study and in recognition of ih.s special fitness he was chosen in Angus. 1903, as the chief engineer of the Bu bark power plant, an important position line, midway between Hamilton and l MW dletown. He operates the cornpl,cate. a chinery during the day time and exercises^ general supervision over the plan times He still retains his home in L nden ents. These are Clara, Mary, Charles and Elsie, who are all at home and attending- the village schools. The family are devout members of St. Mary's Roman Catholic church in Hamilton. Mr. Hester has been allied in political preferences with the Democratic party, in the counsels of which political organization he takes an active interest.

Dr. Edward Cook, a regular practicing physician and surgeon in Hamilton, is a native of Newport, Kentucky, bom on the 7th of June, 1867, and is a son of Charles and Teresa (Heidel) Cook, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father's occupation was that of an iron molder, and he died at the age of* fifty-two years.

The parental home of Dr. Cook has been in Hamilton for the last twenty years, though he received his elementary education in his native city. His education was acquired in Corpus Christi parochial school In t888 he entered the Medical College of Cincinnati, completing a four-years course in 1892. Returning to Hamilton, the Doctor entered upon active practice and is well established in his professional life in Hamilton. lie has a pleasant office, located adjacent to his comfortable home at No. 241 Hanover street. The parental family comprised two sons and three daughters, the oldest of whom is Mrs. Helen Bonner, a widow living in this city. Mrs. Benjamin Beckman, the second born, is also a resident of Hamilton; Edward, of this sketch, was the third in order of birth ; the only brother of the subject is Charles, whose residence is on Trent street, in Hamilton, and Miss Mora completes the family circle, she being at home with her mother. Dr. Cook was married on the 24th of April, 1895, the lady of his choice being Miss Emma Shulte, a native of Hamilton. Three sons, Walter, Edward and Frank, have come to bless their union.

Dr. Cook promptly identified himself with the professional societies within his reach, and takes much interest in their deliberations, being a member of the Butler County Medical Society and the Ohio State Medical Association. He was reared in the faith of the Roman Catholic church and attends the services at St. Stephen's. He is a member of several of the permissible fraternities, including the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Protected Home Circle and St. George's Benevolent Society. He is the medical examiner for all of these, and in addition is also the local examiner for the Knights of St. John and the. Ladies' Society of Foresters.

The subject of this review is one of the able and popular young physicians and surgeons of the city of Hamilton, and is well worthy of recognition in this work among others of the representative members of his profession in Butler county.

Dr. Krone is a native of the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was bom on the nth of January, t88i, his parents removing from the "Queen City" to Hamilton when he was a lad of about seven years. He is a son of Henry and Teresa (Einsfeld) Krone, both of stanch German lineage, the parents of the latter having been born in Mainz, on the Rhine. The paternal grandfather. Dr. Henrv Krone, was a native of Hanover, Germany, and in the fatherland secured a thorough professional education, having been a surgeon in the German army prior to his immigration to America. He came to Ohio and located in Hamilton, being one of the able and honored pioneer physicians of Butler county, where he passed the remainder of his life. The father of our subject is now engaged in the drug business in Hamilton, where he has made his home for manv years, and he is one of the highly esteemed citizens and business men of the city. He and his wife are the parents of two children, of whom the Doctor is the elder, his sister, Teresa, being still at the paiental home.

Dr. Krone secured his early educational training in St. Stephen's parochial school and in the public schools of Hamilton, and began reading medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. M. M. Jacobs, of this city. In 1896 he was matriculated in Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, and was graduated as a member of the class of 1901, receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He forthwith began tbe active practice of his profession in Hamilton, his fine offices being located in the parental residence, at 807 Central avenue. He has been successful in his efforts and is gradually building up an excellent practice, popular appreciation of his ability and his devotion to his work lieing shown from the time he gave inception to the active duties of His. profession.' He is a member of the alumni association of Miami Medical College and of the Butler County Medical Society, while he has several fraternal affiliations. He is a member of the board of city school examiners, hav: ing been appointed to this position upon the death of Superintendent S. L. Rose, whom he succeeded. He is a communicant of St. Joseph's church, Roman Catholic, and in politics he gives his allegiance to the Democratic party. He enjoys distinctive popularity- in the social circles of his home city and has the respect of his professional confreres.

Mathias Arent

This well-known and popular citizen has been a resident of Hamilton for forty-six rears. During this period, which largely exceeds an average lifetime, he has been one of the most useful citizens, sustaining a ugi standing among the business and social functions of Hamilton. Great credit is due to tbe intelligent and resourceful contractor and builder for the symmetry and architectural beauty of his handiwork. Often ie construction of a new home is left arge v to the discretion and good judgment of the builder, and in all cases he is considere as a safe counsellor, the owners preferring to be relieved of the perplexity and inter erence with other business, which produces the means. Mr. Arent has. therefore, become not only a necessity as a contractor an builder, hut also as a trusted adviser, w to. keen perception and intimate knowledge o the intricate mim.tae of building have placed him at the head of his chosen profession m Hamilton. The results of forty-six yea s of incessant toil can scarcely be compu nor the value of his products safely . mated. True it is that Mr. Arent has rich and pretentious. - others of less value, - hut in keeping with the desires or ability of those for whom he w orked. Probably no man in Hamilton has been instrumental to the extent that Mathias A rent has in building up the city and in adding to the comfort and stability of its homes. To this extent he has been one of the most useful men along the line of mechanical pursuits, as well as a public-spirited and active worker in social and political affairs. Mr. Arent is a thorough master of his trade and along many lines of wood-working mechanics he is a recognized expert. His extensive travel in the early years of his professional work brought him in contact with men and methods and facilitated his development along mechanical lines to a great degree.

Mathias Arent was born in New York city, on the 14th of February, 1832. His parents died there in 1847-8, and from that day till the present he has been entirely selfdependent. As a homeless boy, at the age of fourteen years, he found his way to New Brunswick, New Jersey, and there he became an apprentice to the carpenter's trade. Only those who speak from experience can properly portray the trials and hardships of a homeless child, thrust out into the unfeeling world during the years of infancy. The yearning for mother's love and father's care and protection, are generally reciprocated by frowns and fault-finding by those who are burdened with the care of children not their own. But the young hero made the best of his opportunities, gaining at the same time a fair English education and mastering with ready skill the intricacies of his chosen trade.

worker, and finally located in Jersey City. New Jersey, and there he was married on the 2 1 st of December, 1854, when he chose as his life's companion Miss Mary E. Wintersteen, of that city. A year later the young couple sought a home in the West, stopping about a year at Calumet Station, Indiana, and located for two years at Jacksonburg. in Butler county. Ohio. At that time, though the country had been settled for fifty years, it had not developed beyond the stage of pioneer days. A man was con - sidered quite well-to-do who possessed a double log house, a barn of the same material, and the necessary domestic animals and tools to properly carry on the work of farming. Much of the choicest timber was consigned to the log-heap. The surplus products of the farms went to the local markets, Cincinnati being a large consumer even at that time : but the East and the West were not united by the numerous steel bands of the present day, hence foreign markets were not formidable rivals to the local ones.

Mr. Arent has witnessed, and been an active participator in. the marvelous development of this country since the year 1858. At that time Hamilton boasted of a population of less than six thousand, and its business and manufacturing industries assumed onlv the proportions of an average country town. Today it is one of the leading manufacturing centers of the United States, and no city of its size in the country can compare with it in the value of the capital invested in manufacturing. The subject of this sketch has 1)een one among the progressive and aggressive business men who have made Hamilton a thriving and wealthy city, its population comprising thirty thousand souls.

political honors, though he has always taken an active interest in public afta.rs. He advocates municipal purity and honesty regar - less of the name of the party which brings it He served during 1881-2 and 1891-2 as a member of the city council.

Mr and Mrs. Arent are the parents o four children living-Mathias, Andrew J., Jean, and Anna T.,' now the wife of James P. Still waugh, living next door to the parents. The sons are all married and engaged in contracting and lumber business.

Mrs. Arent is a daughter of Samuel b. and Sophia (Colthar) Wintersteed. They are esteemed people and came west in an early day. The father was a contractor and builder, a man of wonderful resources and a monev maker. They returned to Seneca county, New York, where they died. Mr Arent has a beautiful home, modern and up-to-date in all its appliances, situated at 005 North C street. It is large and commodious, a, model in convenience and architectural design. The lot comprises onefourth of a block, upon which is located four good residences, occupied for the most part by their children. Mr. Arent was an intimate acquaintance of Alexander Hamilton, for whose father Fort Hamilton was named.

A. J. Warndorf is a native of Meppen, Hanover, Germany, born May 7, 1863. He accompanied his father to America in 1872, and located at once in Hamilton, Ohio. He was the son of Bernard and Teresa Warndorf, natives of the same province as himself. The mother died in her native land when the. subject was a child of three years, while the father is a resident of Hamilton, a retired baker. Mr. Warndorf was educated in the parochial schools of Hamilton and has been a resident of this city from childhood to the present. He is a man un versallv esteemed for h.s many excellent traits of character. He is genial and ompanionable, and has made a success of his 'business efforts, yet he has always **** the open hand of charity to the worthy ds tressed who appeal to him for ^.d. Mr. Warndorf has many warm friends iltnn and is regarded as an honorable and upright business man. He has been the proprietor of the well-known Palace Ofo* the southeast comer of Third and High streets, under the Hotel Stroble, for many vears. Under his careful and management, this popular and uP;^a" sort has maintained a high standmg arno g the better class of people who frequent such places. The rooms are handsomely fur nished and modem in all features o trade. The business is conducted up principle of "live and let live in strict cordance with the law in all Retails.

ruler of Hamilton Lodge, No. 93- retirement from the principal office lodge in 1904, he was presented J " handsome and very valuable diamond-* ded jewel or badge of the order which h, values very highly for its ass°«a is a member of Hamilton Court, -3* Catholic Order of Forester, and No. 1, Catholic Knights of 0h.1C^' n ocrat, ical affiliations he is an influentia '

A. J. Warndorf was happily married with Miss Catherine Hemann, and three interesting children, Joseph H., Edward F. and Raymond F., have come to bless the union. The only daughter, Josephine, died in childhood. The family are members of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic church.

Capt. Frederick E. Humbach

Capt. Frederick E. Humbach is a native of Prussia, Germany, born on the 6th of February, 1826. He remained in his native country until fourteen years of age, attending the national schools. In 1840 the parental home was transferred to the new world and established temporarily at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. In 1843 *arn' ily removed to St. Louis and the year following returned to Cincinnati, locating on a farm near Glendale, in Hamilton county. Mr. Humbach learned the stone-mason's trade at Glendale, and combining the laying of stone with working on the parental farm for the succeeding four years. In 1848 he and his brother Jacob L., who was then married, came to Hamilton and leased the old Mansion House, which then stood on the present site of the Frechtling block. Some three years were spent at this location, when, in 1849, Jacob sold out and removed to Cincinnati. On the 3d of May. 1849, Mr. Humbach was married and with his young wife began hotel-keeping in the old Kissling House, which they bought and operated for two vears. Mr.

Humbach then bought a small tract of land near the present suburb of Lindenwald, and there erected a hotel to accommodate the numerous employes of a large distillery then located near by. This house was named by its proprietor "The Lindenwald". and this name, imported from Germany, has become the designation of one of Hamilton's principal summer resorts. The Lindenwald was operated successfully for three years, when Mr. Humbach sold out and purchased a farm near Indianapolis, where he remained for two years. He then rented this Indiana property and returned to Hamilton and bought a business house on High street, establishing a wholesale liquor business and saloon, and continuing there from 1858 until 1888 except for a brief absence in the army. In 1888 he rented the property, which he had occupied for thirty years, and moved to a private residence near the county infirmary, and lived there for eight years. He and his wife are now located in a pleasant suburban home adjoining the town plat of Williamsdale on the Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo traction line. Here this venerable couple spend their declining years in cultivating their beautiful garden and in enjoying a well-earned rest from action.

Mr. Humbach has a military history of which he is justly proud. In 1852 he joined the Ohio National Guard and was captain of the Jackson Guards for several years. A part of this time he served as aide-de-camp to General Harrison, with the rank of brigade major. The Jackson Guards went into the three-months service in the Civil war, and their old captain escorted them to Columbus, where, with tearful goodbyes, he turned them over to the governor of the state. While there he was tendered a commission as major of a regiment, but declined the honor, stating that his highest aspiration was to command a company. After arranging his business affairs so that he could consistently leave home, he accepted the captaincy of Company D, One Hundred and Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and left for the seat of war. Before leaving Hamilton, his company was presented with a handsome silk flag which they proudly bore to the front. Going at once to Louisville, 'Kentucky, they were soon in the heart of the enemy's country. When near the battle ground of Stone River, the brigade of which the One Hundred and Eighth was a part was surrounded by greatly superior numbers and made prisoners of war. They were paroled on the field between Murfreesboro and Nashville, Tennessee, and sent to parole camp at Columbus. Captain Humbach was seriously disabled during the active service preceding this event, and while yet a prisoner of war resigned his commission and returned home. He still owns the business house on High street, which has become a source of considerable revenue.

The wife of Captain Humbach was in maidenhood Miss Caroline Stahl, a native of Germany, who came to this county in 1838, being then a child of two and a half years. Captain Humbach says he has married this lady three times and is not yet tired of his bargain. They celebrated their silver wedding in 1874 and the golden jubilee in 1899. Both are in the enjoyment of good health and the possession of all their natural faculties. Five children were bom to these parents, four of whom are now living. The eldest was Jacob, who died at the age of forty years, leaving three orphan children, his wife having died previously. The grandparents reared two of these children, Carl E. and Elsie. The former is a draughtsman at the Niles Tool Works Company in Hamilton; Elsie is a young lady at home. William, the third of this family, is a molder by trade. Both he and his brother are married. Mary, the second child of Captain and Mrs. Humbach, is also at home with her parents, as are also Carrie and Elizabeth; Frederick P. is president and manager of a business concern in Hamilton. He married Lena Bosch, a sister of Hon. Charles S. Bosch, the mayor of Hamilton for the last twelve years. They have three sons, Johiv Edward, Robert Frederick and Walter Ernst. Captain Humbach is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the German Benevolent Society. He is a Jackson Democrat in his political affiliations, though liberal in local politics. He has served as a member of the Hamilton city council.

Capt. Hobart H. Hatch

Prominent among the leading residents of Middletown, Butler county, Ohio, is Capt. Hobart H. Hatch, whose parents are Timothy and Lucretia (Buell) Hatch, the former a native of Dutchess county, New York, the latter born in the state of Connecticut. The Buell family moved to New York state, where the daughter, Lucretia, met and married Timothy Hatch, who was born in the year 1764, and who was one of the leading and most successful farmers in that part of the state. He also enjoyed the distinction of being a captain in the state militia, and

- Captain Hatch was reared 01a his father's farm in New York, where he received what educational training the common schools of that period could give him and later added to his stock of knowledge by attending a school of more advanced advantages. When quite a young man he left his father's farm and accepted a position as clerk in a store, of which, by industry and thrift, he later became proprietor. In the year 1852 he disposed of his business and moved to Rockford, Illinois, where he was engaged for several years in business, during which time he was united in marriage with Allie O. Foster, of LeRoy, New York, the daughter of a prosperous merchant of that place. A few years later the war cry sounded throughout the country and, like all true American citizens who could respond to his country's need, he enlisted in Company D, Seventyfourth Illinois Regiment, as a private, but later, in compliment of his daring and courageous spirit, he was made first lieutenant, and again was rewarded for his services by^ being made captain of his company. Captain Hatch served his country three years in the terrible struggle, engaging in many of the dangerous and important battles, and Avon the universal regard and admiration of all with whom he was associated.

At the close of the war he returned to New York city, where he engaged in a Wall street brokerage for ten years, at the expiration of which time he left the east and came to Middletown, Butler county, Ohio, where he and his family have since resided. Here he opened up a hardware store, which he has most successfully managed for twenty years, winning by his courteous and kindly manner the respect and good will of his many friends and patrons. He is an energetic, public-spirited man and has served his county and township in many different capacities, among which are that of township clerk of Lemon township, which position he filled four years, and also that of township treasurer, which position he has held for the same period. As a servant of the people he has worked not only with great credit to himself but to the entire satisfaction of his party. He is a stanch Republican politically and, like his father, a member of the time-honored order of Masons. He also belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic and the Loyal Legion, in both of which organizations he is an influential member and a worthy officer. He is , interested in all charitable and benevolent institutions.

and Hobart. Helen (Mrs. J. L. Houston), resides in Omaha, the others in Middletown, Ohio. He is a man of energy, strength and spirit and has the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

Richard Brown

No family of Butler county is more prominently identified with its development, or more thoroughly a part of its history, than the Browns, of Ross township. The ancestors of the present generations of the family bearing the Brown name came to this part of the Buckeye state from Berkeley county, Virginia, about the same time as did the Andersons, Butterfields, Cones, Har- veys, Sliaws, Willeys and Wades. They purchased vast tracts of bottom lands on the great Miami river, extending from Venice Well into Crosby township, Hamilton county, the land being purchased at the first sale of government land on the Miami river, in May, 1803. These pioneers, inured to the hardships and privations of frontier life* commenced the hard task of clearing the land, which at that time was covered with dense timber and which to render fit for cultivation required strenuous toil unappreciated at the present date. These early pioneers soon erected the typical log cabins of the period and in a short time their homes were rendered comfortable, and as time passed the families prospered and contented. The immediate subject of this sketch, Richard Brown, was born near Venice, Ross township, this county, November 11, 1838. He received a complete education as gauged by the facilities of that time and period, and by occupation is a civil engineer. During his active practice of this profession he attained considerable note because of the careful and painstaking methods followed by him and bis public spirit and popularity soon made him a prominent figure in local affairs. A Democrat in politics, he early became identified with party matters and was for many years connected with the auditor's office, having held that responsible position for six years and having also acted for twelve years as an efficient deputy in that office. "In 1889 there was an interim of ten months in the auditor's office made so by an act of the legislature. The commissioners tendered Mr. Brown the appointment, for the interim, provided he would depose the late Christian Rothenbush, who was his able, honest and efficient deputy. The offer was spurned with contempt, although it entailed a loss in salary to Mr. Brown of two thousand five hundred dollars. He gracefully retired from the office for ten months, after which he entered upon his second term with Christian Rothenbush as his chief deputy." Upon retiring from this official position Mr. Brown went to his farm, which is located two and one-half miles south of Hamilton, and has ever since been living in retirement, enjoying the fruits of years of industry. Mr. Brown's public career, characterized by ability, industry and close application to his duties, gained for him a host of warm personal friends and today he enjoys an enviable reputation as a scholarly gentleman and a useful and influential citizen. Mr. Brown takes a keen interest in the early pioneer history of Butler county, and is also a keen student in the field of achaeologv. It has been said that "Honest Dick Brown was one of the best officials Butler county ever had in any capacity," and he certainly well deserves representation in this volume.

James E. Neal

One of Butler county's leading and wellknown citizens is he whose name appears above and the centennial history of this county would be incomplete were there failure to make mention of him. Mr. Neal was born in Hamilton, Ohio, February 21, 1846, and is the son of 'James A. and Margaret (Giffen) Neal, who were among the pioneer families of Hamilton. The father was a native of Maine and the mother of Pennsylvania and they were sterling pioneers, occupying a high position in the esteem of alt who knew them. The subject of this sketch received his preliminary education in the public school of Hamilton, graduating from the high school of Hamilton in 1862. His student years were characterized by sturdy^ industry and a close application to his studies, resulting in a high order of scholastic attainment. On completing his education he took up the study of law under the preceptorship of Robert Christy, under whose able tutorship the ground work of his professional education was firmly established. After being admitted to the bar of this county Mr. Neal launched out into a sphere of activity and usefulness which has continued with constantly widening scope to the present time, and he has not only established a wide and lucrative practice, but because of his ability and his business methods he stands high among his professional colleagues. In 1875 Mr. Neal was elected to the lower house of the Ohio legislature and served four years in that body. During the sessions of 1878 and 1879 he was elected speaker of the house and performed the duties of the position with marked ability. He took an active part in the legislative proceedings of the sessions and performed much valuable service for his constituents. He has been a useful and public-spirited citizen and has ever held high rank in political, business and social circles. He was a member of the court-house building commission that aided in the erection of the present elegant and substantial structure and during President Cleveland's second term he served this government as its representative at Liverpool, England.

Presbyterian church. This union has been blessed by the birth of one daughter, Shirley, now a young lady of varied accomplishments and marked popularity among her acquaintances. Fraternally. Mr. Neal- is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is one of the most popular members of this organization. It is doubtful if any citizen of this county has achieved more honorable mention or occupies a more conspicuous place in the profession which he represents than does Mr. Neal, who bv strong inherent force and superior professional ability, directed by intelligence and judgment of a high order, stands today among the representative men of this state.