Huron County, Ohio - The whole text, 1909 (part 25 of 29)

William H. Lutz, whose industry and enterprise are meeting with creditable success, owns and operates a farm of seventy acres located in Ripley township, where he is well known as a progressive and prosperous agriculturist. He was born January 29, 1854, in Ashland county, a son of Samuel and Susan (Kimmel) Lutz. The former, who was born on the roth of September, 1825, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, was the eldest child born unto John and Sarah (Beamer) Lutz, the others being John, Manuel, Elias, Catherine and Sarah. The mother was born in Stark county, Ohio, April 25, 1828, a daughter of David and Susan (Welker) Kimmel, and a sister of Joseph, Michael, Henry, Lydia and Nancy Kimmel. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lutz were born the following children: Aaron, Samuel, Frank, Charles, Sadie and William H.

Reared under the parental roof, William H. Lutz acquired his education in the district schools of his native county, where he gained a good knowledge of the various branches of English learning. After laying aside his text-books he taught school for six years, proving himself an efficient instructor, clearly and readily imparting to others the knowledge which he had himself acquired. Later, however, thinking that the occupation to which he had been reared would prove more profitable, he took up agricultural pursuits and in that line of activity has since been actively engaged. He now owns a farm of seventy acres in Ripley township, upon which he has resided for seventeen years, and during that time he has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation. He practices rotation of crops, gives close study to the cereals best adapted to soil and climate and the proper care of same, and in the conduct of his business is progressive and up-todate, his close application and good management of his affairs gaining him a high rank among the representative agriculturists of the township.

William H. Lutz was united in marriage on the 25th of. September, 1879, to Miss Mary A. McQuate, whose birth occurred in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1856. She was the daughter of Henry and Mary A. (Garman) Mc- Quate, whose family consisted of the following children, John, Henry, Amanda, Susanna, Emma, Caroline and Mary. the years passed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lutz was blessed with two children, namely, Ray and Melvin. The latter was married in 1904 to Miss Emma Watman, by whom he has one child, Vera. Mr. Lutz and his wife are members of the German Baptist church, otherwise known as the Church of the Brethren, the teachings thereof constituting the guiding influence of their lives. In politics Mr. Lutz is a republican, giving stalwart support to that party at the polls, although the honors and emoluments of public office have held no attraction for him. He served as a member of the board of education for a number of years, and the cause of education found in him a warm champion. "Throughout the long years of his residence in Ripley township he has gained an extensive circle of friends who hold him in high regard, and his salient characteristics are such as constitute him a desirable and valuable citizen in any community in which he resides.

Thaddeus W. Hackett is well known in Huron county, where he still owns an excellent farm. However, he is now engaged in business in Mount Dora, Florida, where he is conducting an undertaking establishment, while in that state he also owns and controls an orange grove. One of Huron county's native sons, he was born in Ripley township the 9th of December, 1843, and is a son of Wheeler and Lydia (Bowlby) Hackett. His paternal grandparents were Joseph and Sally (Frost) Hackett and they reared a family of eight children, namely: Wheeler, Alinda, Lovena, Charlotte, Elon, Curtis, Eron and Lewis. This number included the father of cur subject who, having arrived at years of maturity, wedded Lydia Bowlby, a daughter of Samue! and Martha Bowlby. Their children were: Sarah, Matilda, Lydia, George, Nelson, William, Alfred, Eliza, Manuel, Edward, Elizabeth and Samuel. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler Hackett was blessed with but three children: Thaddeus, Samuel and Edward.

The first named spent his boyhood days in the usual manner of farm lads, his time being divided between the work of the fields, the duties of the schoolroom and the pleasures of the playground. When he had reached man's estate he was married, Miss Lora Malvina Thomas becoming his wife on the 3d of September. 1865. She was born on the 9th of June, 1847, and was a daughter of Levi and Laura (Hoag) Thomas, whose family numbered but three children, her sister and brother being Alice and Floyd Thomas. Mr. and Mrs. Hackett have no children of their own, but have reared an adopted daughter, Blanch L., who was born in 1881 and became a member of their household when twenty-two months old. She is now the wife of Frank Daniel and has four children: Harold, Ray, Edith and Frank.

Mr. Hackett was well known in the business circles of Huron county for a considerable period. For twelve years he conducted an undertaking establishment in North Fairfield and then removed south to Mount Dora, Florida, where for seven years he has continued in the same business. During the dark days of the Civil war he offered his services to the government, enlisting when only eighteen years of age, on the oth of August, 1862, as a member of Company D, One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was made bugler of his regiment and saw considerable active service, taking part in many of the most important battles of the war. He received honorable discharge on the 25th of March, 1864, in Tennessee, and now holds membership in the Grand Army of the

Republic. Fraternally he is also connected with the Masonic lodge at Fairfield, with the Eastern Star, to which his wife also belongs, and is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge at Norwalk. Politically he is a republican, while his religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Universalist church. "Throughout Huron county he has many friends who have known him from boyhood, and the high regard in which he is uniformly held shows that his has been a well spent and upright life.

Charles L. Miller, although one of the more recent additions to the bar of Greenwich, has already gained recognition as a member of the legal fraternity worthy of a liberal public clientage, his years seeming no bar to his advancement in his chosen field of labor. One of Ohio's native sons, he was born in Greenfield township, Huron county, on the 24th of August, 1883, his parents being Charles and Sophronia (Noble) Miller, both of whom were natives of this county. The paternal grandfather, John Miller, came from England and settled in Huron county, Ohio, where he devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, the maternal grandfather also being engaged in that occupation. The father, Charles Miller, died in Michigan, where he was then residing, in July, 1883, a month before the birth of his son and only child.

After the death of the father the mother returned to Huron county, Ohio, and in the schools of Greenfield township Charles L. Miller acquired his early education. This training was later supplemented by study at the Fairfield high school, the Wharton high school and the Shiloh high school, the latter in Richland county, from which he was graduated with the class of 1903. The following two years were devoted to teaching, after which he took up the study of law under the direction of S. L. Americus, an attorney of Greenwich. He continued thus for two years, becoming thoroughly versed in the fundamental principles of the profession, and then pursued a one year's course in the Detroit College of Law, after which he was matriculated in the law department of the Ohio Northern University. He was awarded his Bachelor of Law degree by that institution in June, 1908, and a short time afterward opened up an office in Greenwich, becoming the successor of his former preceptor, S. L. Americus. Although it is well known that success at the bar is proverbially slow, nevertheless Mr. Miller has been most successful from the start and has already been accorded a gratifying and growing clientage. He is an intelligent young man, with the laudable ambition to succeed in his profession, and the fact that he has brought to the starting point of his legal career those qualities indispensable to the lawyer - a keen, rapid, logical mind, plus the business sense- - and more than all a ready capacity for hard work, combined with a thorough grasp of the law and the ability accurately to apply its principles, argues well for future prominence and success in his chosen calling.

In politics Mr. Miller is independent, preferring to give his support to the men and measures in his mind best adapted to subserve general welfare. He is not, however, remiss in matters of citizenship but on the contrary is public spirited to a marked degree, taking an active pait in various affairs of public moment. He is a strong advocate of public improvements and drew up the first petition for paved streets in Greenwich. He persevered in the agitation of the matter until he succeeded in having at least one mile of paved streets laid in the city. Fraternally he is a member of Greenwich Lodge, No. 543, E. & A. M. and attends the services of the Methodist Episcopal church, although not holding membership therein. A great student, he possesses a fine miscellaneous and law library, and he is well equipped by training and natural endowment to make a most successful practitioner at the bar.

Don J. Young, who has the honor of being the youngest prosecuting attorney ever elected in the state of Ohio, was born in Norwalk, on the 8th of May, 1884. He is a son of S. M. and Isabelle (Wagner) Young, the former an attorney of Norwalk, of whom extensive mention is made in another part of this volume.

Don J. Young received his early education in the common schools and later pursued a course in law at Western Reserve College, in Cleveland, Ohio. He engaged in the practice of law for a short time but is now serving his first year as prosecuting attorney of Norwalk county, having been elected to this office in 1908. Something of his personal popularity in the community is indicated in the fact that he was elected to his present office on the democratic ticket in a strong republican county, being the youngest prosecuting attorney ever elected in Ohio, as he was but twenty-four years of age at the time of his election. He has already given promise of a bright future, for along with those qualities indispensable to the lawyer - a keen, rapid, logical mind plus the business sense and a ready capacity for hard work - he has also brought to this, the starting point of his legal career, eloquence of language and a strong personality.

On the 29th of July, 1908, Mr. Young was united in marriage to Miss Elaine M. Dennis, who was born August 7, 1883, and is a daughter of Lloyde B. and Eliza Celestina (Yale) Dennis. Mrs. Young on the maternal side comes of Welsh lineage, her great-grandfather, Benjamin Yale, tracing his ancestry back to the little rock-ribbed country, while he is a direct descendant of David Yale. The Yale family early settled in America, representatives of the name having come from Wales to this country in 1637, settlement being made in New Haven. Moses Yale, the son of Benjamin Yale, was born October 5, 1808, in Rhinebeck, Dutchess county, New York. Early in life he came alcne to Norwalk, Ohio, and here began work in the Reflector printing office as a typesetter, remaining in that position until after he was married, when he became identified with the grocery business, in which connection he remained until he retired from active business life, after he had passed the sixtieth milestone on life's journey. During his residence here he purchased the old jail building and moved it across the corner where the Taber store now stands, after which he sold it, realizing what was considered in those days a handsome profit. On September 22, 1832, he had married Miss Ann Rowland, a native of Putnam county, New York, who was born on the rst of August, 1812. The marriage occurred in Huron county, Ohio, and of the children born unto that union three are vet living, Mrs. H. S. Mitchell, Mrs. L. B. Dennis and Charles Yale. Mr. Yale passed away at the ripe old age of eighty-two years, after a long and severe illness.

Lloyde B. Dennis, who married Miss Eliza Celestina Yale, a daughter of Moses Yale, was born August 12, 1837, in Oswego county, New York, while the date of his wife's birth was February 22, 1843. He took his first step in the business world as a telegraph operator, but on the 19th of April, 1861, he laid aside all personal matters and enlisted as a member of Company H, Fifteenth New York Volunteer Engineers, under Captain Ketchum, in Colonel Murphy's division. In December of that year he was transferred to the Telegraph Corps and was sent to Virginia and Kentucky, where he served for a long time with General Fremont as his private telegrapher. He was thus engaged until August 13, 1863, when he was discharged at Catlettsburg, Kentucky. Later he was attached to the commissary department and remained in the service until the close of the war. After his return home he directed his attention to the lumber business, handling the lumber from the time that, as a log, it was cut from the stump until it was made into furniture. He was identified with other interests also, at one time acting in the capacity of engineer with the Standard Oil Company. He has now, however, retired from active business and is enjoying a well earned rest after many years of hard labor. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis was blessed with four children, namely: Washington Yale, born January ro, 1868; Edith, who died in infancy ; Paul, born December 12, 1879, who passed away March 25, 1908; and Elaine M., the wife of Don J. Young, the subject of this review. The children were all educated at Norwalk high school and the son is a very prominent real-estate dealer in Minneapolis.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Don J. Young has been blessed with one little daughter, Celestina Elaine, who is the light and life of the household. The young couple are very popular in the social circles of Norwalk, where they have a wide circle of warm friends, and Mr. Young, not only by reason of the gratifying position he has attained in professional circles of this city but also because of his upright manhood and his many sterling traits of character, has won the respect. confidence and good will of his fellow citizens, the concensus of public opinion according him high rank among the prominent, representative and influential citizens of the community.

August A. Ruffing

August A. Ruffing, the president and superintendent of the Gallup-Ruffing Handle Company of Norwalk, is numbered among the worthy native sons of Huron county, his birth having here occurred on the 23d of February, 1871. He obtained a good practical education in the common schools of this county and assisted his father in the cultivation cf the home farm until he had attained the age of twenty-one years. He then secured employment in the factory of C. W. Smith, where he remained for three years and subsequently removed to Chicago, working in a factory there for abcut eight months. At the end of that time, he returned to Norwalk, where he remained for a short time and then went back to the home farm. Later he made his way to Miami county, Ohio, where he accepted a position with a firm that was extensively engaged in the manufacture of wooden handles, remaining in that employ for five years. On the expiration of that period, he once more returned to Norwalk and in August, 1902, organized the Gallup-Ruffing Handle Company, of which he was made president and has continued as the chief executive officer of the company to the present time. The concern was organized for twenty thousand dollars under the laws of the state of Delaware and has since been incorporated under the laws of the state of Ohio. In the first year, the business of the company amounted to about twentyfive thousand dollars and during the seven years of its existence, has increased to sixty thousand dollars - a fact that would seem to. augur well for its continued success and prosperity. The shipments of the house extend throughout the United States, Canada and many foreign countries and the volume of their trade is constantly increasing. The plant is equipped with all of the latest machinery, some of which is the original design of the proprietors and fifty-five workmen are employed in the conduct of the business. H. A. Gallup is the secretary, treasurer and financial manager of the concern, while Mr. Ruffing acts in the capacity of president and superintendent and the success which has attended the enterprise is attributable in large measure to his excellent management, sound judgment and keen discrimination. He is now widely recognized as a prominent representative of the industrial interests of his native county and his life record stands as a splendid example of what can be accomplished through force of character and unfaltering diligence.

On the Ist of August, 1899, Mr. Ruffing was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Marsh, who was born in Huron county, March 6, 1874, her father being Thaddeus Marsh, an agriculturist of this county. They now have three children: Clare A., Clement H. and Veronica. In his political views, Mr. Ruffing is a stalwart republican, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the German Catholic church. His good qualities, and they are many, have strongly endeared him to those with whom he has been associated and wherever he is known he is popular with a large circle of friends.

George H. Dawson

George H. Dawson, who is one of the progressive farmers of Richmond township, Huron county, Ohio, has had a long and valuable experience as an agriculturist and shows the result of it in his work on his fine farm of one hundred and thirty-four acres. In addition to this property, he also owns one hundred and forty-nine and three-quarter acres in Richland county. Mr. Dawson was born in Richmond township, Huron county, May 26, 1864, his parents being James B. and Mary (Dickison) Dawson. When he was twenty-one years old, his father left England, his native land, hoping to find a broader field of operation in the new world. By occupation he was a farmer and was so successful that he was able to live retired during the last quarter of a century of his life. His death occurred

November 11, 1908, and he was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife in 1870. She had borne him the following children: J. W.; A. H.; Eliza J., who married W. G. Channey; George H.; and J. E. Later he married Julia Sweetland and their children were as follows: H. S., D. F., C. A., K. A. and Mary, who married D. W. Hillis.

Until he was nineteen, George H. Dawson attended the district school and made the most of his opportunities, although a year before he completed his course he was called upon to assume the management of his father's farm, and for the icilowing twenty-five years he cultivated the property. In the meanwhile he invested in his two farms, and in 1909 he moved upon the Richmond township one and has since devoted his attention to improving and developing it.

In February, 1883, Mr. Dawson married Minerva Post, a daughter of William B. and Rebecca Post, who were early settlers in Huron county, where both are still residing. Mrs. Dawson belongs to a family that is as follows: Rosetta, who married J. H. Hord; Luella, who married S. N. Duffy ; Minerva, who is Mrs. Dawson ; Ida, who married M. L. Williams; W. C. Emmery; Anna, who married J. W. Stevens ; and Ethel, who married Bert Steel. Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are (he parents of the following children: I. L., Edna, Addie, Bertha, Adelbert, Altie and Laura. In politics he is a republican. The family belong to the United Brethren church and give that body their hearty support both in contributions and work. They are well liked in the neighborhood, and Mr. Dawson is recognized as a good farmer and excellent business man.

D. H. Clark, a resident farmer of Peru township, numbered among the men of unfaltering enterprise and progressive spirit, is successfully cultivating one hundred and seventeen acres of highly improved land. Although now seventy-six years of age, he yet gives personal supervision to the further development of his farm and his life record of unfaltering and intelligently directed activity should put to shame many a man of much younger years but of less resolute spirit who would relegate to others the burdens he himself should bear.

Mr. Clark is a native of New England, his birth having occurred in Vermont, July 21, 1833. His parents were Daniel and Diana (Warner) Clark. The father, who was born May 3, 1806, died in 1862, while his wife, whose birth occurred Aug. 9, 1806, passed away on the 3oth of October, 1881. They came to Huron county, Ohio, in 1834, when it was still a frontier district, the work of improvement and development seeming scarcely begun. Many changes have occurred during that time and D. H. Clark has been a witness of the entire transformation. On reaching Huron county, the family settled in Peru township, and the father, who was a carpenter and joiner by trade, assisted in building a number of the log houses and barns in the locality in that early day. He also erected a log cabin for himself, and he and his family occupied that little home for a long time. He worked diligently upon his farm but never allowed his business affairs to exclude his interest in religious matters. He was a prominent man in the church and assisted in building the house of worship for the Universalists at Peru in 1840. He belonged to that church throughout his entire life, held a number of offices therein and was very active in the church work. In his family were eight children. Mariette, who was born September 22, 1831, married Lyman Johnson and both are now deceased. D. H. is the second in the family. Dean, who was born December 6, 1834, died August 10, 1863. Henry, born July 10, 1836, died April 20, 1888. Warner, born May 24, 1838, died February 2, 1849. Cornelia, who was born February r, 1842, died January 28, 1849. Francis M., born October 8, 1844, died March 5, 1849. Mary L, born January 22, 1848, died February 5, 1849. Thus four of the children died within a few days of each other in the year 1849.

D. H. Clark of this review has spent nearly his entire life in this part of Ohio, save for a few years which he passed in Kansas when a young man. He learned the carpenter's trade in his youthful days and followed that pursuit until about forty-hve years of age, during which time he built a large number of houses and barns in his vicinity. In 1883 he erected the commodious residence which he now occupies and which stands as a monument to his thrift, skill and industry. His life has been a busy and useful one, and his success is the merited reward of earnest and persistent labor. Since his retirement from industrial lines he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits and is now cultivating an excellent tract of land of one hundred and seventeen acres, constituting one of the finely improved farms of the county.

Mr. Clark has always been interested in everything relating to the public welfare and has cooperated in many movements for the general good. He has served as school director for a number of years and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He has always belonged to the Universalist church and at the present time is the treasurer and one of the trustees of the church at Peru. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, although he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking.

Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Clark was married March r, 1865, to Miss Melvina Barker, a daughter of Robert and Lucy (Standish) Barker, who were early settlers of Peru township. Mrs. Clark was born upon the farm which is now her home in a little log cabin, in which her parents were living. They had come to Ohio from the state of New York when still single and were married in this county in 1837. father was born August 10, 1809, and her mother's birth occurred in March of the same year. Both are now deceased, Mr. Baker having passed away July 6, 1877, while his wife died on the 25th of October, following. They were, therefore, separated in death for but a brief period. "They became the parents of three children: Liddie, who married Austin Patterson and is now a widow living in California; Mrs. Clark; and John, deceased. Mrs. Clark is one of the direct descendants of Miles Standish. By her marriage she became the mother of one son, Dean B., who was born October 18, 1878, and married Altah Baker, a daughter of Wilson E. and Mary Pauline (Barnum) Baker, of Licking county, Ohio. They were married March r, 1900, and have two children: Walter B. and Mary Louise. They reside upon the old homestead with his father and Dean B. Clark now operates the farm.

Few citizens of the county can boast a longer residence here than D. H. Clark, who for seventy-five years has lived in Huron county and has been an interested witness of its growth and development. He has lived to see the forests cut away, the land reclaimed and converted into rich fields. He can remember the time when the harvesting was done with the scythe and the cradle, for it was not until he had become a factor in agricultural life that the modern reaper, mower and steam thresher were introduced nor was the riding plow known in the period of his boyhood. The labor of the farm was much more arduous than at the present time. The homes of the settlers, too, were in many cases log cabins, and they were heated by fireplaces and lighted by candles and later by kerosene lamps. Mr. Clark has lived to see remarkable changes, carrying the county forward to its present state of progress when the agriculturist enjoys the advantages of the telephone and the rural mail delivery as well as the benefits of all the modern farm machinery which has so completely revolutionized the work of the fields.

Gilbert M. Wood

Gilbert M. Wood, one of the hard-working and quiet farmers of Fitchville township, Huron county, was born in New London township, February 1, 1862, a son of Willis and Hilda (Springstead) Wood. The mother was a native of this county, but the father was born in Putnam county, New York, and was only six years of age when his parents came to Ohio, settling in New London township, Huron county. He followed the life of a farmer, was a man of fine character and intelligence, but of a retiring disposition, so that he was not well known beyond his immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. He was quite a sportsman, however, and enjoyed nothing more than a seat on a fine horse, behind a leash of hounds, in pursuit of a fox. A good shot and a successful trapper, he vet derived more pleasure from the spirit of the chase than from the value of the pelts he secured. He died in October, 1886, leaving a widow and two sons, William J. and Gilbert M., who still survive.

Gilbert M. Wood was reared at home on his father's farm, and received his education in the district schools of New London and Fitchville townships. his life he has been a farmer, even in the period of his childhood and youth assisting with the work on the home place and assuming responsibility as his age and strength increased. In 1886 he began life on his own account, engaging in farming in the neighborhood in which he had been reared. In 1802 he removed to Fulton county, Ohio, where for three years he devoted himself to agriculture, returning to his farm in Fitchville in 1805. On this he has since made his home, practicing a general line of farming, for which his land is excellently adapted.

In October, 1886, Mr. Wood was married to the woman of his choice, Miss Minnie Post, an orphan girl of German descent. To this union have been born two children: a son, Willis W., a bookkeeper employed by the Honing Electric Company, of Cleveland, Ohio; and a daughter, Lillian, who remains at home.

Mr. Wood is deeply interested at all times in the matters that concern the public and the welfare of the citizens of this land, but he has never actively en- gaged in politics has he sought or filled any office within the gift of the people. He believes, strongly, however, that every man should exercise his right of franchise, and so is unfailingly at the polls on election day, when his vote is cast for the democratic candidate and for democratic measures. But for all his reluctance to enter the public arena, he is a public-spirited man, an advocate of good government and progress, who gives his influence to the promotion of better conditions. He is particularly interested in the advancement of education in the township and in the improvement of the roads.

Jesse E. Wheeler

The enterprising village of Chicago Junction has various citizens who continually conserve its interests by their activity in business lines as well as through their relation to public affairs. In this class Jesse E. Wheeler was numbered, having for twenty years been engaged in the dry-goods business here. As a merchant he was very successful and was looked upon by everyone as one of the most agreeable and accommodating business men of the city. He passed away October 2, 1909, and the fact that one thousand people gathered to pay their last tribute of respect to him was indicative of his high standing in the community. One of the native sons of the county, his birth occurred in Greenfield township, January 22, 1854. His father, Calvin Wheeler, was born in the state of New York and when a boy came to Huron county with his father, John Wheeler, who settled in Greenfield township, casting in his lot with the pioneer residents who were actively engaged in the arduous task of reclaiming wild land for the purposes of civilization. He cleared away the timber, turned the first furrows and in course of time gathered good harvests as a reward for his labors. Upon the farm which he developed and tilled he reared his family and lived to a ripe old age, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was a man of strong character and religious nature and for many years was a local preacher in the Baptist church, so that he was uniformly styled Elder Wheeler throughout the entire community. He reached the venerable age of ninety-two years.

Calvin Wheeler, reared amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, engaged in merchandising in Greenfield after attaining his majority. Meeting with success in business he continued as an active representative of commercial interests there for many years and by reason of his straightforward dealing enjoyed the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. He died in Chicago Junction, May 22, 1896, having for forty years survived his wife, who passed away on the sth of March, 1866. She bore the maiden name of Mary Richards and was a native of New York. In her girlhood days she came with her parents to Huron county, the family settling on the present site of Chicago Junction. In the farnily of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Wheeler were twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, namely: Janette, who is deceased; Agnes; David, who has departed this life; Ben; Judson, also deceased; Chauncey; J. E. and J. A., twins; Alice and Alfred, twins; Lillis, and Linda.

J. E. Wheeler was indebted to the country schools for the educational opportunities which he enjoyed. He pursued his studies through the winter months and in the summer seasons worked on his father's farm, toiling in the fields from the time of early spring planting until corps were harvested in the late autumn. In 1875, when twenty-one years of age, he went to California, where he remained for ten years, giving his time to various pursuits. In 1885 he returned to Ohio and joined his brother, J. A. Wheeler, in the mercantile business in Steuben, Ohio, until 1889, when he came to Chicago Junction and opened a dry-goods store in an old frame building. Upon the completion of the opera house block the business was removed to its present location and there he conducted a well appointed store, supplied with al! modern conveniences to facilitate the conduct of the trade. In the years which came and went prior to his death he built up a very extensive business. His sister Alice, now Mrs. Barber, was his partner in the enterprise from the time that he opened the store in Chicago. He was a man of progressive methods and the business was well managed, the stock thoroughly up-to-date in every particular and the trade of the house constantly grew. He made a study of the wishes of the people and his reasonable prices and honorable dealings constituted salient features in his success. His methods were always of a constructive character and never was he known to take advantage of the necessities of another in business transactions.

In 1890 Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage to Miss Mary Keesy, a native of Huron county and a representative of an old pioneer family. father, the Rev. W. A. Keesy, was a minister in the United Brethren church and his life was an influencing factor in the moral development of the community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler was born son, Raymond. The parents held membership in the United Brethren church and Mr. Wheeler was also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In his life work he was actuated by laudable ambition and his record at all times was characterized by intelligent and well directed effort and by unswerving integrity and progressive methods.

For some months prior to his demise he complained of not feeling well and friends urged him to rest from business for a time, but he felt that he must continue his attention to the store and did so until stricken with typhoid fever. He never recovered and on the 2d of October, 1909, passed away, his death coming as a distinct loss to the entire community. He always sought to do unto others as he would have them do unto him and was, therefore, a close follower of the golden rule. A lover of justice, his treatment of others was fair and his word was as good as a written promise. He never neglected his obligations nor his duties, was recognized as a man of determined character and one who maintained an unequivocal position upon any vital question. He was a friend and wise counsellor in time of trouble and he gave liberally to charity. He was one of the first men to become a member of the Railroad Young Men's Christian Association and had continuously served as its treasurer since its organization. His funeral was one never to be forgotten by those who were in attendance. The services were of a most impressing character and all business houses of the city were closed from one thirty until four o'clock, and it is said that every firm was represented at the funeral.

Steadfastness of purpose, an unselfish life and purity of heart were manifest in the career of Jesse E. Wheeler and will long be remembered by those who knew him, and constituted an example well worthy of emulation. He stood for all that is highest and best in manhood and in citizenship and was at all times loyal to the public welfare and faithful in his friendships, but his best traits of character were reserved for his own home and fireside, where he was known as a most devoted and worthy husband and father, neglecting no opportunity to promote the happiness and welfare of his wife and son, whose interests he ever counted above his own. He left the impress of a noble soul upon the community with which he was identified through two decades.

Jacob Kotz

One of the older generation of farmers of Ripley township, whose persistent efforts in the cultivation of crops have been rewarded with pronounced success is Jacob Kotz. Although not a native of this state, for the past twenty-eight years he has been one of its citizens and has taken a deep interest in the welfare of his township, welcoming and advancing any movements that make for its improvement. He was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania April 3, 1838. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Schuman) Kotz, were also natives of the Keystone state and reared a family of twelve children: John, Sarah, Edward, Isaac, Mary, Charity, Jacob, Rebecca, Christina, Catherine, Daniel and Charles. The paternal grandparents of Jacob Kotz were Henry and Charity (Snyder) Kotz.

Jacob Kotz was reared to agricultural pursuits. The educational facilities of his native state, though better than those in the territory farther west at the same period, were none too good as affording a preparation to meet the problems of life. Such as they were Jacob Kotz partook of them, working on the farm with his father in the spring, summer and early fall months, preparing his lessons and attending school when the inclemency of the season made outdoor labor impossible. The training was effective, though perhaps hard, for Mr. Kotz has been successful in his operations when he embarked on farming as his own vocation, by means of which he made a home for himself and family. In 1881 he came to Ripley township and settled upon the land on which he lives today. Since his arrival here he has entered into "he spirit of this locality, raised his voice, as one of the school board, for the betterment of the schools, and when the Boughtonville Telephone Company was organized, bought stock in the concern, became one of its promoters and is still interested in its financial stability.

On the 3d of November, 1860, Mr. Kotz and Miss Mary Ann Bitts were united in marriage. Mrs. Kotz was born January 5, 1840, in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Rasley) Bitts, and the grandaughter of Henry Bitts. She was the youngest of the four children born to her parents, the others being Reuben, Sarah and Elizabeth. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kotz have been born six children: Elizabeth, who was born July 20, 1861, married Jacob Snyder, and they have two sons, Franklin and Charlie. Uriah, who was born February 7, 1863, passed away at the age of two. Emma Frances, born March 15, 1865, married Fred Beelman and they have a son, Chester. Catherine, born January 5, 1871, became the wife of William Bender and the mother of seven children: Essel; Bessie; Mildred; Mabel, who died at the age of two years; and triplets who died at birth. Ida, who was born July 19, 1877, married Charles Wentz. Frank, the youngest of the family, born February 7, 1880, married Miss Bertha McCormick and they have one daughter, Gertrude Irene.

The family were reared in the tenets of the Lutheran faith and still adhere to its doctrines. Politically Mr. Kotz is a firm democrat, though he is not prominent in party affairs. He enjoys pleasant fraternal relations with the Masons and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed the third degree in the former and being past grand in the latter.

E. Biglow, a pioneer in the utilization of the rich clay deposits in the vicinity of New London and the founder and promoter of an important industrial enterprise, is now extensively and successfully engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile. He was born upon a farm in Lorain county, Ohio, June 28, 1845, and is a son of Daniel and Martha (Stranahan) Biglow, natives of Ohio and Connecticut respectively. The parents were identified with the farming interests of Lorain county, where E. Biglow was reared to agricultural pursuits. Acquiring his early educaticn in the ccuntry schco!s at the same time he received thorough and ample training in farm work as through the summer months, he assisted in the labors of the fields. He ccntinued to engage in farming until the age of twenty-eight years, when he opened a general store in Westview, which he conducted ior nineteen years. That enterprise proved a profitable and growing one, but at the end of six years his health failed, owing to the close confinement of the store and he partially withdrew from mercantile pursuits to give his time and energies to brick and tile making, takinz up that line of manufacture in Columbia, Lorain county. He started the business on a very modest scale, but by close attention, unremitting energy and earnest study of processes of manufacture and the adoption of practical methods, he prospered as the years went by, continuing at that location until 1897. By keeping in tcuch with everything concerning his line of business, he came to know of the wonderful clay deposits at New London and foresaw great possibilities there. Removing to this place in 1897, he established his business in a small way, paying thirty-five hundred dollars for the land and taking up the manufacture with five employees operating one kiln. At that time his son, E. O. Biglow, was old enouzh to join him aind together they have built up from this humble beginning a business which is one of the important industries of the county and of which New London has every reason to be prcud. They row employ fifty men, operate eight kilns and have made many improvements in their plant. They have erected a fine plant equipped with the most modern machinery and there is a constant ard grcwing demand for their products, inciuding tile and brick. Their output is sent to many states, being shipped to the eastern seaboard, to Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.

They also have a very extensive trade in northern Ohio and the indications are that the business will constantly increase for it is founded upon a safe, substantial basis and because of its owner's broad experience and keen discernment.

E. O. Biglow, the junior partner, is an only child. He acquired a good preliminary education and then attended Baldwin College at Berea, Ohio, after which he joined his father in business. He is energetic, wide-a-wake, alert and enterprising and both he and his father, are popular with their employes, of whom their treatment is ever just and fair.

E. O. Biglow was married in 1899, to Miss Ida King, a daughter of Dr. King, of New London. They have three children, Irena, Ernestine and James Otis.

E. O. Biglow is a thirty-second degree Mason, having thus attained high rank in the Scottish Rite. While devoting their energies largely to their business interests, which are continually growing in volume and importance, the Biglows, father and son, take an active part in public affairs and have always given earnest support to those independent office seekers whose course seems to promise loyal and valuable service rather than strict party allegiance. They are men of high ideals in relation to public life and also in their business connections. They have never regarded their employes as a part of a system of machinery or business, but have looked upon them as individuals whose co-operations, assistance and good will can be won and maintained through just treatment and appreciation of reliable service. All who know of their business prophesy for it a successful future and prosperity is well deserved by them for both, father and son are genial, unassuming men of true worth and with good business ability,

The W. H. Gardner Grain & Mill Company

The W. H. Gardner Grain & Mill Company, of Bellevue, Ohio, is an enterprising concern that has put three brands of flour upon the market: Roller King, patented; Electric Light, a straight flour; and White Rose, which is a first clear. W. H. Houle is the president of this concern; W. H. Gardner the vice-president and general manager; and E. E. Lienhard, the secretary and treasurer. These men, with the addition of George Busch and D. Calhoun, also constitute the board of directors. The mill which they started and maintain has a capacity of three hundred barrels daily and employs a force of twenty-five hands. Since its organization the company has made good its claim to existence, and gives promise of continuing success in the future.

W. H. Gardner, the general manager, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, November 22, 1850, a son of Joseph and Sarah (Slanker) Gardner. His father was born in 1826 and died in 1854. He was a carpenter by trade and was the father of three children: one who died in infancy; C. D., of Canton, Ohio; and W. H. The mother, who was born three years after her husband, is still living at the advanced age of eighty. W. H. Gardner lived in Wayne county until 1869, attending the public schools there and learning the milling business. At the age of seventeen he had his first experience as a miller, when he was put in charge of a small mill at Burton City, Wayne county. From there he went, m 1869, to Olney, Illinois, where he was connected with the mill business. A year sufficed to prove to him that Wayne county, Ohio, was more to his liking, so he returned to Wooster, where he worked in the Brick Mill. In the spring of 1875 he went to Pittsburg, where he continued at his trade. After two years, he came to Bellevue, where he was in the employ of Higby & Company, until his marriage in 1889, when he located on his father-in-law's farm in Seneca county, Ohio. For four years he lived there, following forming, after which he returned to Bellevue and bought a fourth interest in the mill with which he is still connected, paying thirtyfive hundred dollars for his share. This was on the 7th of January, 1800, and his partners were William McLaughlin, W. H. Kern and W. P. Collins. The undertaking did not win its expected success, and Mr. Gardner, realizing that he had lost five thousand dollars in one year severed his connection with the company, in November, 1891. Thereupon he entered in the grain business with W. H. Kern on the Wheeling railroad, under the firm name of Kern & Gardner, conducting their operations from the cars. Later on they built an elevator on the railroad and leased another at Parkertown. the business prospered they built one at Flat Rock and another at Omar, south of Bellevue. In 1897 Mr. Gardner purchased Mr. Kern's interest and sold a quarter interest in the business to Mrs. Addie S. Heimbach and another quarter to E. F. Lienhard. The firm then became known as W. H. Gardner & Company. In March, 1904, a stock company was formed and incorporated under the laws of Ohio as the W. H. Gardner Grain Company, with a capital stock of seventy-five thousand dollars. In June, 1904, the corporation bought out the Beilevue Grain Company which owned elevators at Bellevue and Colby. In April, 1905, the company obtained possession of the McLaughiin & Biebuiher elevator at Franks, at the same time increasing their capital stock to one hundred thousand dollars and changing the style of the corporation to The W. H. Gardner Grain & Mill Company. In June, 1909, they leased the mills at Norwalk, known as the Globe Mills, which they are rebuilding and installing with the latest and best machinery, the demand Roller King flour being so great that it was necessary to increase the facilities to take care of the demand. Mr. Gardner is a man of pronounced business ability and the success of the firm is due in no small measure to his efforts. On the 24th of February, 1880, he was united in marriage to Miss Helen Alice Currin, a daughter of George and Harriet Currin, and they have become the parents of one daughter, E. Gertrade, who was born December 26, 1883.

Emil F. Lienhard, the secretary and treasurer of the company, was born in Zurich, Switzerland, January 16, 1862, a son of Heinrich and Rosina Lienhard. The father was born in 1832 and died in his forty-first year but the mother, on the other hand, is stil! living at the advanced age of eighty-eight. There were five children born to this couple: Rosina; Louisa, deceased; Heinrich; Emil F.; and Carl, who died in 1873 - the year of his father's death. Emil F. Lienhard attended the schools of Switzerland and after completing his education traveled throughout the principal countries of Europe. At the age of twenty he came to the United States, desiring to enter the regular army, but as he was unable at that time to speak English he was refused. His purpose was not changed, however, and after spending a year in working in Philadelphia, he acquired the requisite knowledge of the language and in 1882 was enlisted as a soldier. Ata large number of western posts he served with honor, and on August 21, 1893, was discharged. During the World's Fair at Chicago, he was employed as correspondent and in the secret service with the Columbian Guards. When the Feir closed he came to Wayne county, Ohio, where he lived with his wife's parents. On the 16th of October, 1894, he to Bellevue, entering the employ of Kern & Gardner. His services proved of such worth that when the present company was organized he was asked to assume the duties of secretary and treasurer. On the 1st of September, 1893, Mr. Lienhard was united in marriage to Miss Alta A. Smith, a daughter of Nathan W. and Rebecca Smith, of Wayne county. One child, Grace R., has been born to them. Fraternally Mr. Lienhard has relations with the Masons. He is also a member of the German Aid Society and belongs to the Association of Cleveland Commercial Travelers. In religious matters he gives his adherence to the Lutheran church and is both a good churchman and a Christian. In the company of which he is secretary and treasurer he is also a stockholder, and his counsel, that of a responsible man of business, is always asked in matters of importance affecting the welfare of the company.

Stephen M. Young

Stephen M. Young, a representative of the Norwalk bar since 1878, has displayed in his practice in the courts an ability which has gained him a large clientage and connected him with much of the important litigation tried in the courts of the district. With a keenly analytical mind and laudable ambition to attain success, he has worked diligently and persistently for the enviable position which he now occupies.

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, he was born March 27, 1848, and is a son of Downing H. and Angeline (Marvin) Young. On the paternal side he comes of Scotch-Irish ancestry, while in the maternal line he is of French and Holland Dutch ancestry. His mother was a lady of notable refinement and liberal education. The father, Downing H. Young, was a native of Virginia, and removing westward to Richland county, Ohio, there met and married his wife. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in Mansfield, practiced there until 1857, when he removed to Toledo, where he continued successfully in the practice of law for about four years. He next came to Huron county and for forty-five years was one of the honored representatives of the bar of Norwalk and county. In his family were eleven children, of whom Stephen M. was the eighth in order of birth. Four sons of the family were soldiers in the Federal army in the Civil war and A. J. Young died at Danville, Kentucky, while defending the interests of the Union. Another brother, Henry, was mortally wounded at Stone River, Tennessee, December 31, 1862, and died on the 3d of January, 1863. Samuel Young served throughout the entire war uninjured but died in 1868, from disease contracted in the service and Howard Young was also at the front through the period of hostilities and was never wounded. Daniel and George Marvin, uncles of our subject, in the maternal line, were also enlisted soldiers of the Union army and

When a mere boy Stephen M. Young went to Toledo, Ohio, where he remained until 1860 and then became a resident of New Haven, Huron county. His education was acquired in the schools of Mansfield, Toledo and New Haven prior to entering Oberlin College, where he obtained his more specificially literary education. In 1867 he engaged in teaching school in Crawford county, Ohio, and subsequently became assistant in the public schools of Cincinnati, but on account of his health he abandoned that profession and turned his attention to insurance, representing the Merchants Insurance Company of Chicago at Shelby, Ohio. Later he was with the Underwriters Association of Philadelphia. this time he devoted every possible moment to the study of law and after mastering many of ihe principles of jurisprudence was admitted to the bar at Columbus in 1873. He first located for practice in Plymouth, Richland county, but after a brief period there passed removed to Bucyrus, Ohio, where he commenced practice in May, 1875. In October, 1878, he came to Norwalk and has since been numbered among the leading representatives of the Huron county His practice is extensive and of an important character. He is remarkable among lawyers for the wide research and provident care with which he prepares his cases. At no time has his reading ever been confined to the limitations of the questions at issue. It has gone beyond and compassed every contingency and his legal learning, analytical mind, and the readiness with which he grasps the points in an argument, all combine to make him one of the leading lawyers of the Huron county bar.

On the 29th of July, 1877, Mr. Young was married to Miss Isabella Wagner, and unto them have been born five children, Walburga, Henry, Don John, Stephen Marvin, Jr., and Isabella Wagner.

In his political views Mr. Young is independent formerly affiliated with the republicans but now with the democratic party. He is conversant with the leading questions and issues of the day but without political aspiration for himself. His fraternal relations are with the Masons and the Knights of Pythias. Without invidious distincticn he may be termed one of the foremost men of Norwalk, standing for all that is progressive in citizenship and commendable in public and private life. A man of forceful character, he has left and is leaving the impress of his individuality upon the community.

Frank Campbell

Frank Campbell is a representative of one of the old pioneer families of Huron county, where he has spent his entire life, so that he has witnessed much of the growth and development of this section of the state. His memory goes back to the time when all of the evidences of frontier life were here found ; when the prairies were wild and uncultivated ; when the forests were uncut; the streams unbridged; and when deer and other wild animals roamed over the countryside.

He is now the owner of a highly improved and valuable tract of land of two hundred and seventy-six acres in Greenfield township, where he has made his home from his birth to the present time. He was born in one of the log cabins characteristic of those early times, his natal day being February 6, 1835. His parents were Lorenzo O. and Betsy (Mather) Campbell, the former a native of Genoa, Cayuga county, New York, while the latter's birth occurred in Greenfield township, this county. About the year 1826, Hugh Argyle and Margaret (Mather) Campbell, the paternal grandparents, took up their abode in a log house on the farm where our subject now resides. The grandfather was named in honor of the Duke of Argyle of Scotland. On his arrival in this county, he purchased a farm of two hundred acres and, as only a half acre of the entire tract had been cleared, he set himself resolutely to the task of cutting down the trees and preparing the land for cultivation. He underwent many of the hardships and privations incident to the life of the early settler. There were no roads and he often went through the woods on horseback to Monroeville, following the blazed trail. After a time, his little cabin home was replaced by a substantial frame residence, which he erected. He served as deacon in the Presbyterian church at Steuben, Ohio, which he had assisted in erecting and of which he was a valued and prominent member. His demise occurred in 1854 and the county thus lost one of its mcst respected and worthy pioneer settlers, whose iabors had contributed in substantial measure to the early development and upbuilding of this section of the state.

Lorenzo O. Campbell, the father of Frank Campbell, was born in 1817 and was therefcre a little lad of nine years, when he came to Huron county with his parents. The remainder of his life was spent in Greenfield township, this county, and he devcted his time and energies to general agricultural pursuits, in which he met with a most gratifying and creditable measure of success. He extended the boundaries of the home farm by additional purchase until it embraced two hurdred and seventy-six of land and in 1861, built the commodious and attractive brick residence in which his son Frank now resides. He was highly esteemed throughout the ccmmunity and his fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, called him to various positions of public trust. He was a republican in his political views and held all of the township offices, including those of constable and justice of the peace. His death, which occurred in 1894, was the occasicn of deep and widespread regret, for he had gained an extensive circle of warm friends in this county during the long years of his residence here. His wife, who passed away when her son Frank was but two years of age, was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Mather, likewise early settlers of this county. Both lie buried in the cemetery at Steuben. Mr. Campbell of this review had but one sister, Sitire, who is now deceased. She was twice married and both her husbands, John H. Easter and Jesse Snyder, have also passed away.

Frank Campbell began his education in a little log schoolhouse, later attended the district school, afterward further supplemented his education by a course in the Normal school at Milan and then for two terms pursued his studies in Hillsdale College at Hillsdale, Michigan. On putting aside his text-books, he turned his attention to general agricultural pursuits, with which line of activity he has been identified to the present time. He owns the old homestead farm which his grandfather purchased on his arrival in this county and which has now been in possession of the family for eighty-three years, and as the years have gone by he has brought the fields under a high state of cultivation and improvements, annually gathering golden harvests which find a ready sale on the market.

On the 26th of September, 1860, Mr. Campbell was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Shourds, a daughter of Daniel and Mehitabel (Sears) Shourds, who made their way from the state of New York to Greenfield township, this county, when Mrs. Campbell was a little maiden of seven years. Both Mr. and Mrs. Shourds passed away in Greenfield township. They reared a family of eight children, namely: E. H. and Chester, both of whom are now deceased ; Charlotte ; John G., Ruth and Joseph, who have likewise been called to their final rest: Jessie; and Mrs. Campbell. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, was born a daughter, Dell, who is now the wife of R. B. Fisher, an attorney of Sandusky, Ohio.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, Mr. Campbell has given his political allegiance to the republican party and is now serving for the second term as justice of the peace in Greenfield township, while for four years, he acted as constable and has aiso been a member of the school board. He is a prominent member of the Congregational church at Steuben and has served in various official capacities therein. Throughout his entire life, or for almost three-fourths of a century, he has made his home in Huron county and therefore few men have more intimate knowledge of its history or of events which have left their impress upon its annals. He is one of the best known and most highly respected citizens in the community and, by reason of his upright and honorable life, well merits the kindly regard and esteem which are uniformly accorded him.

Husted Eugene Reed

Husted Eugene Reed is engaged in the poultry business on a farm of seventeen acres, located in Fairfield township, Huron county, and in this connection has become well known in this section of the state. He is a native son of this township, born September 2, 1846, of the marriage of Shadrock Hoyt and Sally (Roscoe) Reed, the former born in Connecticut, November 19, I809, and the latter in White Plains, New York, October 1811. Their family numbered four sons and one daughter, namely: David H., Clarissa, Charles E., Aranson S. and Husted E.

The last named was reared under the parental roof until he attained mature years and at the age of twenty-four years established a home of his own by his marriage in 1870 to Miss Ella Holloway, who was born January 29, 1849, a daughter of F. M. and Sibyl ( Bassett) Holloway, natives of New York, but later they became residents of Hillsdale county, Michigan. Mr. Holloway became a very prominent man in political circles and for many vears filled positions of trust and responsibility, while in 1880 he was candidate for governor on the democratic ticket. Mr. and Mrs. Holloway had four children, George A., Leroy F., Cyrus C. and Mrs. Reed.

Following his marriage Mr. Reed settled in Hillsdale, Michigan, where he engaged in farming and in teaching, following the latter profession for about ten years, part of the time being spent in Ohio. 1877 he returned to Huron, his native county, and with the exception of two years spent in the city of Cleveland, has resided in the county to the present time, while since 1897 he has made his home in Fairfield township. For the past five years he has been engaged in the poultry business, owning a farm of seventeen acres, which he devotes to those interests. He makes a specialty of Barred Rock chickens and finds a ready sale on the market, where he demands good prices for the products of his farm.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Reed have been born three sons and three daughters: Jennie H.; Clara, the wife of George Page; Sibyl, the wife of Paul B. Lehmann; Ralph, who wedded Mabel Rice; Fred, who is in the service of the navy; and Kent, who has departed this life.

Mr. Reed has served as township trustee and as a member of the school board and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Disciples church. He is a public-spirited citizen whom the people of Huron county look upon as an exemplary man and they are proud to call him their own.

George Ww 8177

George W. Ritz is the owner of one hundred acres of very valuable farming land in Richmond township and his wife owns fifty acres more in the same township, where they make their home. Mr. Ritz was born in Erie county, Ohio, September 29, 1847, being a son of Fred William and Anna Catherine (Friermuth) Ritz, who belong to that class of worthy citzens that Germany has furnished the United States that are welcomed everywhere on account of their sterling traits of character. They were born in Germany, and Fred William Ritz was twentyone when he came to the new world, while his wife was but six years old. The father escaped service in the army in his native land, not drawing a fatal number. and so he emigrated. Upon coming here, he located in Huron county, Ohio, and for the remainder of his life was a farmer, although he was a weaver by trade. The children born to him and his wife were as follows: George W., the eldest; Catherine, who married George Litts and lives in Norwich township; Mary, the widow of William Resh and a resident of Chicago, Ohio; Caroline, who married Morgan Clark and lives at Attica, Ohio; John and Elizabeth, who were twins. Elizabeth married Gecrge Wolfe, and they live in Richmond township.

Until he was seventeen vears old, George W. Ritz attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and then began farming and has been engaged in that work ever since. He has lived in Huron courty from the age of three years old, and remembers distinctly when the farm was all timber land, and he helped his father clear it off. Mr. Ritz was married December 31, 1871, to Mary Ann Resh, a daughter of Henry and Mary Resh. She had a brother Henry, and a sister Catherine, who married Wesley Sparks. By this marriage, Mr. Ritz had the following children: William H., who is the present township clerk of Richmond township; Carrie E., who married Perl Wurtz and lives in Norwich township; George Edward; John; Albert; and Gustavus. The wife and mother died in 1882.

On July 6, 1884, Mr. Ritz married Johannah Kleinknecht, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Kleinknecht, natives of Peru township, who had a family as follows: Carrie, who married Abrabam Stahl and lives in New Haven township ; Louise Barbara, who is deceased; Elmer; Greves; John; Frank; Wilhelmina; William, who is deceased; and Amelia. The children born of the second marriage of George W. Ritz are: Charles, Jacob, Louise, Amelia, Walter and Fred.

Mr. Ritz has served as road supervisor and as school director, being elected on the democratic ticket. He and his wife belong to the Lutheran church and are interested in its good work. He is a man of considerable energy and has inherited from his German parents those habits of industry, thrift and economy which make for success.

Jay Washburn

Jay Washburn, one of the leading farmers of Greenwich township, was born April 14, 1852, on the old homestead where he now resides, being a son of Henry G. and Ann Maria (Van Benschoten) Washburn, of whom extended mention is made in the sketch of his brother, Daniel S. Washburn. Our subject acquired his early education in the district schools of Greenwich township and later attended the normal at Milan, Ohio. He grew to manhood upon his father's farm, early becoming familiar with the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, assisting in the general farm work and also in the care of the extensive stock which his father raised.

On the 21st of June, 1873, Mr. Washburn was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brady, a daughter of David and Pamelia (Franklin) Bradv, who were formerly from New York and came to Ohio in 1849. Although Mr. Brady followed farming in this state he liad studied dentistry in his younger years and for many years practiced that profession to some extent in his own neighborhood. He was also an ingenius mechanic along many lines. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Washburn were born five children, two of whom died in infancy, the others being: Howard, Myrtle and Etta. The daughters are still at home but the son was married September 9, 1905, to Miss Bertha Sutliff, of Greenwich township, by whom he has two children, Walter J. H. and Grace. Howard Washburn is now engaged in farming on the home place and is a natural mechanic of considerable ability.

After his marriage Mr. Washburn located in Fitchville township, where he engaged in general farming and in the raising of fine stock. But in 1885 he removed to the old Washburn homestead in Greenwich township, where he has since resided, devoting special attention to the raising of thoroughbred cattle, both of the Hereford and Durham breeds, which command the highest price. The farm is one of the finest in the county, being well improved, fenced and tile drained, and supplied with good, substantial buildings. The land is under a high state of cultivation and produces excellent crops. For two years Mr. Washburn devoted considerable attention to the buying of wool, and being a good judge of that article, met with success in the undertaking.

Shburn And Family Jay Wa

In his political views Mr. Washburn is a republican and a most ardent supporter of the principles of that party. In the early days of the Patrons of Husbandry he became a charter member of that organization and was an active worker in the first grange ever established in Fitchville township, where he then made his home. At all times deeply interested in public affairs, his influence is exerted for good and he is recognized as one of the valued citizens of his community. For the past few years he has been living practically retired, while his son Howard carries on the work-of the farm and is proving an excellent and worthy successor of his father. Method is apparent in the conduct of this farm, all fields being platted and arranged so that the best results may be obtained from the labor expended. Closely adhering to a systematic rule of crop rotation, a close study is made of the adaptability of certain crops to certain soils. The stables and barns are all arranged with a view to convenience and are supplied with water. On this model, well kept farm there is a place for everything and everything is in its place, and a view of it is in itself a lesson in thrift, perseverance and industry.

Harmon Von Seggern

Harmon Von Seggern, an up-to-date and progressive farmer and stock-raiser of Ripley township, Hurcn county, is a native of Germany, his birth there occurring on the 19th of January, 1861. He is a son of Dedrick and Mattie (Gold) Von Seggern, and a brother of Henry, Fred, Dedrick and Riche Von Seggern. He belongs to a family that, like many another that has come from across the water, sought the opportunities of the new world that advancement might be made in business lines and better advantages given to the members of the household.

Harmon Von Seggern was a little lad of seven years when his parents made the voyage across the Atlantic and settled in Ohio, so that to the district school system of this state he is indebted for the educational advantages which he enjoyed. The time not devoted to his text-books was given to assisting in the work of the fields, and under the direction of his father, he early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil. He has always carried on general agricultural pursuits and his labors have been practical and therefore productive of good results. He is the owner of one hundred acres of farm land, the soil of which is very rich and fertile, respondine to cultivation in abundant harvests. He also devotes considerable time to stock-raising interests, making a specialty of breeding horses, and both branches of his business are sources of gratifying remuneration.

It was on the r4th of December, 1883, that Mr. Von Seggern was united in marriage to Miss Anna Shepard, who was born in Henry county in 1858. A daughter of D. L. and Maria (Hockman) Shepard, she is one of a family of nine children, the others being Jacob, Freeman, Marion, Austin, Edward, Elizabeth, Flora and Hulda. The grandfather of Mrs. Von Seggern on the paternal side was Martin Shepard, while her mother was a daughter of Joseph Hockman. As the years have gone bv, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Von Seggern has been blessed with eight children, namely: William, Hulda, Jacob, Austin, Bessie, May, Daniel and Grace. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise, Mr. Von Seggern has given his allegiance to the democracy, and although born across the waters, he has always been loyal to the interests of his adopted country, doing all in his power to further the growth and development of the community in which he resides. Although he has occupied his present farm for only six years, he has nevertheless acquired many warm friends who entertain for him high regard and esteem.

Lawrence Zimerman

Lawrence Zimerman is one of the worthy citizens that Germany has furnished to Huron county. He owns and operates fifty-three acres of land in Sherman township and although he was formerly engaged in carpentering in 1903 he purchased this farm on which he located and is now leading the quiet life of a farmer. Mr. Zimerman as above stated, was born in Germany, his natal day being March 2, and the year 1853. His parents, Christopher and Elizabeth Zimerman both died in Germany, when our subject was a little lad of nine years. They had a family of ten children: Elizabeth, who is in Australia; Rosina and Barbara, who still make their home in the fatherland; Christopher, who lives in Iowa; Magdelina, who resides in Germany ; George, who died in New York; Lorenz, of this review ; and three who died in infancy.

Lorenz Zimerman, following the demise of his parents, made his home with friends in his nativeland. He acquired his education in the schools of that country and in early life learned the carperiter's trade, which he followed for a number of years. He also did service in the German army. It was while still a resident of Germany that he was married in Monheim, June 24, 1878, the lady of his choice being Elizabeth Goelz a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adam Goelz.

It was in the year 1881, that, foreseeing no future in the old world, and having heard and read a great deal about the freedom and opportunity for advancement in this country, Mr. Zimerman decided to emigrate with his wife to the United States. He had a sister, Mrs. George Hoener, living in Sherman township, Huron county, and he at once made his way to her home. He here resumed work at his trade and was connected with building operations until I903. In the meantime, he had carefully saved his earnings, so that he was justified in that year in making a purchase of land and accordingly became the owner of the tract of fifty-three acres on which he now makes his home. There were no improvements on the place when it came into his possession, but he erected a comfortable residence, a good barn and made other substantial improvements and now has a neat and well kept farm. He has now settled down to a quiet life on the farm, having abandoned his work at the carpenter's trade, and is meeting with success in his farming operations.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Zimerman have been born seven children, four sons and three daughters, namely: Henry, who wedded Nora Hammersmith, their home being near Bellevue and their family numbering one son, Carl; Anna, the wife of Ed Hammersmith, who lives in Monroeville and who is the mother of three children: Alfred, Magdeline and Marian; Peter, who wedded Miss Elizabeth Linder, by whom he has one daughter, Helen, and makes his home near Norwalk ; and John, Martin, Philomena and Celia, still under the parental roof.

Mr. Zimerman gives his political support to the democratic party and has served as a member of the school board, but otherwise has filled no public office. He is a communicant of the Catholic church at Bismarck. Mr. Zimerman is well pleased with the progress he has made since coming to the new world and fully realizes the superior business opportunities here as compared with those in the old country. He possesses the German characteristics of honesty, industry and perseverance and today stand among the substantial German-American citizens of Huron county and Sherman township.

Colonel E. Templer

One of the farmers of Huron county who has made a success of life is Colonel E. Templer of Greenwich township. He is a native of Michigan, his parents, Jonathan and Ann (Darrow) Templer, having come to Huron county in 1848, and after a short stay removed to Ingham county, Michigan, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Jcnathan Templer was a carpenter by trade and a man of fine public spirit, judged by the fact that four of his sons enlisted in the Union army for the defense of Old Glory. He died in 1865, and his widow surviving many years, died in March, 1888. Their family of ten children were as follows: James, William, Mary, Nicholas, Diadama, Edgar, Fremont, Charles, Frank and Colonel E. Of these four did valiant service for the flag: Nicholas, who was wounded in battle and now resides at Mason, Michigan; William and Edgar, who died of illness contracted in service; James, who survived the war and died at his home in Bay City, Michigan, in February, 1909, aged seventy years. The living members of the family are: Mary, wife of Solon D. Neely, of Mason, Michigan, who also was a soldier and wounded ; Nicholas, also a resident of Mason, Michigan; Diadama, now Mrs. N. W. Odell, of Olena, Ohio ; Fremont, of South Dakota; and Charles, of Fitzville, Ohio.

Colonel E. Templer was born in Ingham county, Michigan, March 23, 1862. Well educated in the public schools of Norwalk, he completed his scholastic training at the Mason high school. He then took up the profession of teaching and for twenty years was know as one of the leading educators of Huron county, being for seven consecutive years at Olena. Later he took up farming and has for years been one of the prominent agriculturists of the county. His farm of one hundred acres is devoted to general farming and stock raising.

Colonel E. Templer was joined in marriage January r, 1884, to Miss Lura Burgess, a daughter of Egbert and Elizabeth (Strimple) Burgess, another of the worthy families of Huron county. The father was also a soldier of the Civil war and gave his life for the cause he loved. Mrs. Templer was the only child, and the mother still survives, living with her daughter. Four children constitute the family of Mr. and Mrs. Templer, all of whom bid fair to make a success in life. Merle C. was given a good education and is now superintendent of the

Central high school of Ruggles, Ashland county, Ohio. Charles is a student at Savannah Academy, while Kenneth and Mildred are still under the home roof. Colonel Templer is a man of standing and influence in his home community and takes an active interests in its affairs. Township trustee for ten years, a number of years on the local schoolboard, and now a member of the board of education, he has strengthened the schools of the township by his experimental knowledge of the work to be done therein. He is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Greenwich Lodge, No. 640, and a member of the Maccabees. He and his family are working Methodists, being a trustee of the church and a teacher the Sunday school, of which he was superintendent for many years. Politics interest him only so far as casting an intellizent vote for republican candidates. The head of a refined home emanating a beneficent influence throughout the community, and a citizen whose ideals are cll on an elevated plane, Cclonel Templer is making a

Frank M. Arnold

One of the many farmers of Ohio who have studied their acres and applied their own theories to agriculture and stock raising in general and have made a success is Frank M. Arnold, of Wakeman township. On May 20, 1853, he was born in Bristol township, Trumbull county, Ohio, a son of Samuel D. and Catherine (Kinnaman) Arnold, who came to Huron county in 1857, settling on a farm in Clarksfield township. After a long and busy life, the father passed away in 1903, but the mother is still living.

Frank M. Arnold received his education in the district schools of Clarksfield township and learned the practical work of the farm under his father's efficient guidance. He married, March 15, 1876, Miss Mary C. Hand, the daughter of John G. and Clarissa (Fletcher) Hand. Her father was a farmer in Wakeman township, owning the farm where the Arnolds now reside. Mr. and Mrs. Arnold have two children: Ethel M., and Frank Merwil, both single and at home.

Aiter marriage, Mr. Arnold turned his attention to farming, locating in Clarksfield township, where he remained twenty-two years. In 1898, he came to Wakeman township, and, as above stated, located on the J. G. Hand place. Mr. Arnold studies his land and crop rotation, in a manner which never fails to bring forth fruit under his careful tilling, and he also engages in the breeding of fine "general purpose" horses and thoroughbred Chester White hogs, selling only for breeding purposes. His stock has come to such a high standard that he has quite a large custom.

That our subject is well known as a public spirited, honest citizen is shown by his election to the offices of road supervisor and school director, both needing skill and tact in their handling. He always votes to keep the republicans uppermost and has never missed an election day, at the same time keeping up an active interest in local issues and stands for continued and substantial advancement in the community's affairs. He and his family are members of the Methodist church and unfailing in "ieir attendance.

Mrs. Arnold believes in centering her first energies on the home, as her great interest in domestic and educational matters shows. She finds some time, however, to look about in a social way, and is highly esteemed by a large circle of close friends for her intelligence and refinement. The house, in which she is the moving power, is one of the few brick farm residences in Wakeman township. Its modern external architecture and convenient interior is in sharp contrast to her nearby girlhood home, built of logs in the usual old style way by her father when he came to this district. The present home, situated in the midst of grounds, which, like many other Wakeman township yards, knows as much of the lawnmower's ravages as the average suburban lawn, radiates hospitality and cheerfulness throughout the county.

William A. Rose

There are few men who occupy a higher rank among the citizens of Hartland township or who merit in greater degree the respect, esteem and confidence of their fellowmen, than does William A. Rose, whose high standing as a citizen has led to his appointment to various positions of responsibility and trust. A native of Ohio, he was born in Muskingum county on the 27th of February, 1857, a son of Alfred and Martha (Blaine) Rose, natives of New Jersey and Muskingum county, respectively. The paternal grandfather, Jacob Rose, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, while the maternal grandfather, Joseph Blaine, fought in the War of 1812. Both families were numbered among the early pioneer settlers of Ohio and were active in the affairs of the communities in which they resided. The father, Alfred Rose, was a carpenter by trade but took up the occupation of farming after his marriage. He passed away February 5, 1873, while his wife survived until July 18, 1904, their remains being laid to rest in Woodland cemetery at Norwalk. In their family were three children, as follows: William A., of this review; Mary A., the wife of Charles Dipple of Townsend township ; and John J., also residing in Townsend township.

Amid the scenes and environments of rural life, William A. Rose spent the years of his boyhood and youth, and attended the public schools and later the Lebanon Normal College in the pursuit of his education. When not busy with his text-books, he assisted his father about the farm, early becoming familiar with the various tasks that fall to the lot of the farmer. He remained at home antil after his marriage, when he purchased his present place which consists of one hundred and seventy acres of splendid farming land in Hartland township. He carries on general farming pursuits and has brought his fields under a high state of cultivation, annually reaping rich harvests therefrom, while he also devotes considerable time to his stock interests, making a specialty of breeding thoroughbred Oxford Down sheep. He is a large breeder of this animal and exhibits extensively at various state and county fairs. Upon his farm stand substantial and commodious buildings and he has introduced all of the modern equipments and accessories which go to make up a model farm. He is a man who thoroughly understands his business, is intelligent, progressive and up-to-date in the methods which he pursues, and by the exercise of his salient characteristics - industry, energy and perseverance - he is meeting with substantial success, ranking foremost among the prosperous and affluent farmers of the township.

On the 16th of October, 1889, Mr. Rose was united in marriage to Miss Luella Miles, a daughter of Sylvester and Almira (Sherman) Miles, both of whom are representatives of old and well known pioneer families. Mr. and Mrs. Rose both attend the Methodist Episcopal church, of which they have at all times been liberal supporters.

Fraternally, Ruse is a Mason, holding membership East Townsend Lodge, No. 322, F. & A. M,, and he is now master of the lodge and has filled all of the offices. He likewise belongs to Townsend Grange, No. 1392, Patrons of Husbandry, and has always been an active member of the grange, now serving as steward of the lodge. He has been a very prominent figure in local political circles, having at all times given stalwart support to the democracy, and he has ever kept well informed upon all current matters and his high standing in the community as a citizen led to his appointment by the county court as a member of the Huron county jury commission. Mr. Rose has likewise served on the democratic county committee for years and almost invariably is sent as a delegate to the county conventions. He has also been elected to various offices in the township, having been chosen in 1800 real estate appraiser for Townsend township. He is a member of the school board, the cause of education finding in him a warm champion. He is pre-eminently a man of affairs who 1s ever ready to lend his assistance to all matters which have for their object the material, political, intellectual and moral upbuilding and progress of the community, while his many excellent personal traits have gained for him a high place in the front ranks of Huron county's representative and valued citizens. He is an extensive reader, keeping in close touch with all of the topics of the day, while his wife is a lady of fine attainments who, having received her educational training in the Milan private school, was for some years prior to her marriage a very successful and progressive teacher. Both are people of true worth of character, prominent and influential in the community in which they reside, where they are well known for their charity and many good deeds.

John J. needs no special introduction to the readers of this volume for he is well known in business and political circles of this community, his activity in the latter leading to his selection for positions of public trusts. A native of New York, he was born in Dutchess county, that state, October 13, 1855, a son of Jerre and Julia (Lown) McMann. The father, a native of Ireland, left his home at the age of twelve years and from that time was dependent upon his own resources for a livelihood. He experienced many hardships and privations during the early period of his career, but never permitted himself to be overcome by any obstacles. By untiring perseverauce and unfaltering industry, he learned the coopers trade and gradually worked his way upward until he became a large opera- tor in his line of activity. 1864, he arrived in Chicago, where he engaged in his trade until 1871, when he came to Wakeman, where he spent the remaining days of his life. He operated a large cooperage in this city and became very prosperous in his business enterprise. A man of great force of character, he possessed a strong personality, and was known throughout the community for his charitable and humanitarian traits. A man who acquired money easily, he gave liberally of his means to the poor and needy and no worthy person in distress ever sought his aid in vain, so that when he passed away on the 3oth of September, 1898, his death was the occasion of deep and widespread regret. He was laid to rest in the Wakeman cemetery, while his wife still survives him. Their family consisted of five children, namely: John J., Jerre H., Richard, Margaret and William.

A worthy successor of an honored father, John J. McMann acquired his education in the schools of New York, Chicago and Wakeman, and early became associated with his father in the mill business, taking complete charge of the mill after the demise of the latter. It is true that he became interested in a business already established, but in the controlling and enlarging of this enterprise, he has demonstrated the truth of the saying that success is not the result of genius, but the outcome of a clear judgment and experience. Some years prior to the death of his father, the supply of available timber for cooperage purposes became depleted and the mill was converted into a bent wood and general sawmill, which John J. McMann has since continued to operate. He has extended his interests to include the lumber and contracting business and his capable control of his combined enterprises is bringing to him a marked degree of success. He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution, and his close application to business and his excellent mannagement have brought to him the substantial prosperity which is today his.

Not only in business circles, however, has Mr. McMann figured prominently in the affairs of Wakeman, but he is equally well known in political circles and is ` deeply and helpfully interested in all public matters. He is a stalwart democrat and during the two terms of President Cleveland, served as postmaster of Wakeman. His election to this office came to him through no solicitation on his part, but as the expression of the appreciation of his sterling qualities and high standing in the community on the part of his fellowmen. He also served as township clerk for several terms and proved an excellent official in both capacities. Something of his personal popularity and his high standing among all classes in this community is indicated in the fact that in 1908 he was nominated for county treasurer in a county that was strongly republican and in spite of that fact that the republican majority ran from eight to eighteen hundred, Mr. McMann was elected by a majority of four hundred and eighteen votes over his opponent.

Mr. McMann was united in marriage on the 17th of October, 1878, to Miss Ella J. Harris, a daughter of Andrew and Rebecca (Harrison) Harris. The father was engaged in the mercantile business in this city for many years and still survives at the venerable age of eighty-four years, his mind remaining as clear and his interests in public affairs as keen as in former years. His wife, however, passed away January 10, 1899. The home of Mr. and Mrs. McMann has been blessed with one son, Clifford H., who is associated with his father in business, while they also lost a child who died in infancy.

Mr. McMann is a member oí Gibson Lodge, Xo. 301, E. & A. M. and also holds membership with the Royal Arch Masons, and has filled all of the offices of the organization. He likewise belongs to the Lumbermen's Association of the Hoo-Hoos. Public-spirited to a marked degree, he is a stalwart advocate of public improvements along all lines, believing that therein lies the secret of the future growth and development of the community. He is fond of outdoor sports and seeks recreation and relaxation from business cares in occasional hunting and fishing trips. Giving due attention to the varied interests which develop a well rounded character, he belongs to that useful and helpful type of men whose ambitions and desires are centered and directed in those channels through which flow the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number.

Frank Ic Hershiser

Industry, thrift and perseverance when combined will result in success in almost every line of business, and especially is this true in farming, for the soil responds to work put upon it in good crops that insure a steady income. Many of the most sensible and substantial men of Huron county, Ohio, are engaged in agricultural pursuits, and among them is Frank C. Hershiser, who resides upon his fertile farm of one hundred and four acres, while his son and he own another tract of one hundred and four acres adjoining the homestead on the west.