Defiance County, Ohio - City of Defiance-Population-Post Office-Incokpokatton and Officers-Irotels, 1883 (part 7 of 7)

Nathaniel M. Blair was born March 28, 1843, on the farm on which he now resides.in Delaware Township, distant about two miles from the village of Sherwood. Here he has always lived on the old homestead and now owns the same, havino- boucfht out the other heirs. He was married Novem lier y, 1805, to Miss Emily Jane Tharp, who was born in Farmer Township, April 17, 1842, and daughter of Elisha Tharp, one of the first pio- neers of Farmer Township, who is the oaly person now living in that township who voted at its organization for its first officers. The fruit of this marriage has been four children, viz. : Clarence D., born Julj^ 5, 1867; Elsie L., born July 17, 1869, died December 9, 1877; Leota E., born January 6, 1871; Annie S., born February 7, 1876. Mr. Blair's grandfather, Joseph Blair, came from near Detroit to this county in the spring of 1817, and was a squatter at Defiance until the land sales, when he entered the farm on which Stephen Harsey now resides, on the banks of the Maumee at which place he died 1824, aged about eighty -five years. He was in the war of 1812. Peter Blair (father of Nathaniel) was born February 13, 1808, near Detroit, and came to this county with his parents when a boy of nine years, and grew up on his father's farm. In November, 1834, he was married to Miss Betsey Hughs, by whom he had four children, three boys and one girl, viz.: Mary A., Joseph, Nathaniel L. and Benjamin F.; of these, two are dead; Joseph died in infancy, Benjamin F. died November 27, 1880. Mary A., married Thomas Gordon, now deceased, lives in Marks Township. Mr. B. settled on the farm now occupied by his son Nathaniel, in 1845 or 1846. His first purchase was ten acres, upon which he built a log-cabin then pm-chased from time to time in addition thereto, amounting to 243 acres. While living in his cabin on the river bottom in times of a freshet, when the river overflowed its banks and the water came rushing around his cabin, the family were obliged to take refuge in the loft until the waters subsided. The sudden rise of the river often caught his hogs napping in their pens or in the field, and on such occasions Mr. B. had to get into his log canoe and paddle around and rescue them as best he could. There was then abundance of fish in the river and game of all kinds in the woods, deer in droves, turkej's in large flocks, bears were plenty and sometimes quite troublesome among the shoats. Mr. B. kept no gun (a rare circumstance for those days) and very often had to go out accompanied by his little dog and with club in hand, club them away. Indians were numerous, but peaceable and friendly. Mr. B. never had any trouble with them except on one occasion, when he caught one of their dogs committing some depredation and Mr. Blair killed him. The Indian threatened the life of Mr. Blair and was armed with a large knife. In the altercation, Mr. Blair gave the Indian one kick which ended the controversy in the death of the Indian, for which Mr. Blair was obliged to pay |32. In the year 1847, Mr. Biair married "for his second wife, Miss Sarah Gordon, of this county, and to them were born the following children - Thomas J., Peter, George, Nancy, Laura, Harriet, Evaline and America. Mr. Blair died on his farm, December 27, 1870, aged sixty-two years. Nathaniel L. thinks' the first schoolhouse built in the township was built on this farm about the year 1850, and the first teacher was one Mr. Fay, now residing at Bryan, Williams County, Ohio. Preaching was held at private residences and schoolhouses until quite recently.

James M. Smith. The subject of this sketch was born in Crawford County, Ohio, December 24, 1850, and the next year, A. D. 1851, his parents, James and Mahala (Tucker) Smith, moved to this county and to Delaware Township, Section 30, and took up this farm on which James M. now resides, and to accomplish which Mr. Smith was obliged to cut the road for several miles, this section being at that time a dense forest, and for a number of years they were obliged to go to Defiance for their milling and to do their trading. Mr. S. was born A. D. 1811, in Virginia, and died February 17, 1875, aged sixtyfour years. His wife died February 21, 1861, aged forty-three years nine months and eleven days. James M. Smith was married April 13, 1876, to Miss Lucy C. Wilson, daughter of Hezekiah and Sarah (Markel) Wilson, who was born in Defiance County, May 5, 1853. They have one child living - Ellen Adella, who was born March 25, A. D. 1879.

Moses M. Haver was born in Harrison County, Ohio, September 5, 1842, and came to this county, November 8, 1853, with his parents, Robert Haver and Mary (Cree) Haver. He was married in Paulding County, January 11, 1872, to Miss Mary Musselman, daughter of John and Eliza (Clemens) Musselman, who was born in Defiance October 28, 1840. They have a family of five children, as follows: Emily, born April 18, 1870; lona, born November 12, 1872; Albert, born November 26, 1874; John, born December 28, 1875, Curtis, born November 24, 1879. Mr. Haver was a soldier in the late war, 1861-65, being among the first to enlist at the breaking-out of the rebellion, enlisting April 27, 1861, in the three months' service as a private in Company I, Twentyfirst Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Afterward enlistedin the One Hundredth Regiment as Sergeant and served to the close of the war, 1865, and was hon - orably discharged.

E. T. Smith -was born in Clark County, Ohio, April 12, 1837. His father came from Maryland to Clark County in 1806, and from there to Paalding County in 1850, at which place he died Febrti'ary 22, 1870. His mother's maiden name was Catharine Brendle. Mr. Smith was married to Sarah S. Wheaton, in Paulding County, December 23, 1860. Her parents were William Wheaton and Sarah (Hall) Wheaton. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have no family of their own, bitt they have an adopted son, Freddie A.

Smith, bom October 27, 1870. Mr. Smith was in the war of the rebellion for a short time, having enlisted in Company I, Forty-seventh Eegiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, September 8, 1864, and served till June 13, 1865. His paternal grandfather was in the war uf 1812. Mr. S. is now engaged in the milling business at Sherwood, Delaware Township, the firm being Boor & Smith.

Simon P. Shook was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, July 12, 1822 settled in this ooimty in 1854; was married in Crawford County, July 6, 1854, to Catharine Miller, who was born in Harrison County, Ohio, March 9, 1830. They have had a family of seven children, as follows: Mary Ophelia, born November 7, 1854; John V., bom October 4, 1856; Francis Marion, born October 1, 1858; Ada Adelia, bom April 14, 1861 ; and died June 1, 1862; Ulysses Grant, born March 27, 1863; Oscar How^ard, born February 25, 1867; and E'auerson Wilbur, born September 3, 1871. Mr. Shook enlisted as a private in the late war of 1861-65, but failed to pass the necessary examination and was discharged at Cleveland, Ohio, November, 1863. Mr. Shock's parents, John and Mary (Grogg) Shook, were early pioneers of Ohio, immigrating from Pennsylvania to Columbiana County in 1804, afterward removing to Richland County, and from there to Crawford County, then to Williams County, in 1845 or 1846. Botii died in Williams County. Mrs. Shook' s parents, David Miller and Mary (Shuss) Miller, settled iu this county in 1865, and here her mother died September 17, 1866.

David Benton Brown was born in Morrow County, Ohio, April 17, 1852, is the second son of Thomas and Rachel Brown, who were bom, the former in Knox County, Ohio, in 1812, the latter was born in the State of Maryland, 1S22. They had a family of seven children, three sons and four daughters. One of the girls is dead, the remaining three, and the eldest son, reside near Bradner, Wood County, Ohio. The youngest son is principal of the Northern Indiana Normal School, located at Valparaiso, Ind. The early days of David, the subject of this sketch, were spent on a farm and attending district school, until lie was eighteen years of age, when he attended the Normal School at Republic, in Seneca County, passino- through a preparatory course of studies, after which he followed teaching for two years. In 1871, he took up the study of medicine at Freeport, in Wood County, Ohio, under N. W. Goodrich, M. D., and read with him until the winter of 1873, when he took his first course of lectures at the Physio-Medical Institute of Cincinnati for the terra of five months, after which time he again returned to Freeport and formed a partnership with his early preceptor, Dr- Goodrich, and practiced with him and tended drug store until the winter of 1875, when he took his second course of lectures at Cincinnati, graduating on the 23d day of February, 1S76, when he returned home considerably broken down in health from too much confinement, and was not able to go immediately into practice and face the' storms and hardships of the physician's life. During the summer of 1876, he took a tour through the West; then returned and located at Bradner, Wood County, remaining there until July, 1879, when he removed to Sherwood, Defi anee County, his present location, where he is doing a very fair practice.

Henry Funk was born in Zanesvillo. Ohio, June 17, 1816; was married in 1845 to Miss Elsa Nolan, of Allen County- Ohio, to whom were born ten children - George, Margaret, Sarah, Dosson, Andrew, Adam, Alfred, Lavina, Lncinda and Maretta; two of this number are dead, George and Dosson. Mr. Funk settled in Delaware Township, Section 3, in February, 1845, and had to out the road some distance through the woods to get to the place he had chosen for his future horae. Mr. F. cleared off a small patch upon which to erect his cabin, and he and his wife put xip the first five rounds. His wife's father (Samuel Nolan) and two sons, John and Jacob, and another young man, came up from Allen County, and with the assistance of neighbors within traveling distance and the help of liis wife, he succeeded in getting up his cabin. Mr. F. says had it not been for the help from Allen County they could not have got it up, so few and far between were his neighbors at that time. He then underbrushod and partly cleared up about two acres in time for corn-planting, by leaving a portion of the standing timber, and raised a very good crop, which was his main support for the first year. The forest abounded with all kinds of wild game, and there was no lack for meat. Mr. F. was quite a hunter in his younger days, and visited this section of country on a hunting expedition when about eighteen years of age, and fell in with Conrad Slough and others at or near Defiance. Mr. F,. on one occasion shot .a bear near his house that was dragging a hog of the weight of about 200 pounds through the woods, and thinks he must have captured it in the neighborhood of Bean Creek, dis tant four or five miles.

Mr. Funk's parents, Jacob and Nancy (Bush) Funk, came from Virginia to Ohio and settled in Fairfield County. Mi's. Funk was born in Pennsylvania, and died on this farm, February 5, 1874, aged forty. eight years. Her parents were Samuel and Rebecca (Burnfield) Nolan.

Orlando Coffin was bom in Defiance County, March 12, 1848. He is the only sm-viving member of a family of foui' children - George Coffin, bom March

10, ISnO, died Jannary 29, 1875; John M., bom April 14, 1852, died January 21, 1875; Emily, born Mar,^i 12. 181G, died July 24, 1873. The parents of this family, Gilbert and Elizabeth Coffin, were natiyi's of New York, and died, the former in 1875, the latter in 1874. They settled in Defiance County in 1840. The subject of this sketch was married, November 2, 1875, to Minerva Musselman, who was born in Paulding County, Ohio, April 14, 1851. Her parents, John and Eliza (Wilson) Musselman, were born, the former in Virginia, the latter in Ohio, both residents of Paulding County, Section 31, where Mrs. Musselman died. Mr. Musselman still survives.

Jacob Platter, with Nancy, his wife, and children, came to Deiiance County, from the southern part of Ohio, about the year 1824. They had four sons - Jacob, Jr. , Louis, George and John, and four daughters - Betsy, Anna, Hannah and Mary. Jacob Platter, Sr., was killed by an accident while building a flat boat on the Maumee River, Louis was the only one of the family of children that settled in Delaware Township, in then Williams, now Diliance County. He was married I'ebrnary 24, 1831, to Elizabeth Gordon, of the same township. They had two sons. Oliver and William, and three daughtoi's, Caroline, Harriet and Mary, ^\'illiam enlisted in the Fourteenth iienijnent Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and dii'd July 21, 1802, at Corinth, Miss. Louis Platter was born March 1, 1799, and died July 21 1842, Of the children, but two are now living - Oliver is now in Washington Territory, and Harriet Dysinger is still living in the county.

George C. Armstrong was born February 18, 1 820, in. Connecticut. His mother died when he was a small boy. His father, Lee Armstrong, married again, and when George was about eight years of age, 1834, they took their departure for the West, and settled in Noble Township, Ohio, on what is now known as the Charle.s Krotz farm, on the Tiffin River, near Brunersburg, where Mrs. Armstrong died ia February, 1835. Soon after the death of his stepmother, the children were bouud out. George 0. was bound to Peter Lilair, of Delaware Township, with whom he lived till he was seventeen, when he compromised with Mr. Biair for his time, and, penniless, started out in the world to shift for himself, his father having moved to Indiana, where he dicil in 1850, aged about sixty-one years. Mr. ^Vi-mstroiig the subject of this sketch, by his industry and economy, soon saved enough to purchase a team of horses and a threshing machine. This was his first investment, and in a short time he made a purchase of sixty acres of choice land from Christopher Platter, in Section 31, Delaware Township, of fine bottom land on the Maumee River, on which he now lives and to which he has continued to add acre by acre, until he has now about 000 acres in a body, in Delaware and Mark Townships, with a fine farmhouse and large, commodious bank barn, and now, at the age of about fifty-seven years, is surrounded with all the comforts of life, the result of industry and economy, Mr. Armstrong was married to Miss Blary Platter in October, 1851, who died in 1853. He was married again, November 20, 1854, to Miss Caroline Platter, a relative of his first wife. The fruits of this marriage were Harriet, William, Eda, Elizabeth, John and Edward. The two latter died when about four or five years of age. Harriet married Stewart Miller, of Sherwood; William, the oldest and only son living, remained at home helping carry on the farm. He \ was married to Miss Bell Simpson, of Delaware Township, and has one child - George Armstrong, born January 1, 1882. Mrs. Caroline Armstrong died Augast 20, 1871. Married for his third wife Parmelia Simpson, November 24, 1870, with whom he is still living. She is the eldest daughter now living of William Travis, deceased, and was born in what is now Delawai'e Township, January 10, 1830, and is })robably the oldest woman now living that was born in the township. Mr. Armstrong thinks there is no doubt as the to old Indian orchard in Delaware " Bend " being the result of seeds planted by old Johnny Appleseed, and was set out oi- replanted by Montgomery Evans and a Frenchman by the name of Lumbard. Evans and Lumbard owned the farm. Lumbard was d owned and Evans became its possessor. Mr. Armstrong says the early settlers along the Maumee River in Delaware Township were ^Villiara Travis, George W. , John, Daniel and Thomas Hill, Mr. Mulligan, Thomas Warren, George Snook and brothers, James Shirley, Montgomery Evans, Samuel Hughes, Joseph Miller, Lewis Platter, George Platter and Guy Hamilton. Mr. Armstrong says the first school was on the west end of his farm, taught by one Smith, in 1828, as he was informed by Peter Blair, to whom he was bound as heretofore spoken of. His farm is watered by Maumee River on the south, G<ndon Crciok and Platter Creek, these creeks deriving their names from William Gordon and Jacob Platter, who were the fir.st peisons to settle at or near the mouth of each.