Putnam County, Ohio - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 28 of 33)

at Glandorf, Putnam county, where he was twelve years of age, and here as a lad he did any kind of work he was able to find. Educated at Cleveland for the priesthood in the Catholic church, but subsequently abandoning his ambition for the church, he taught school for several years in Greensburg township. Having been able to obtain a good education, he was considered one of the foremost teachers of his time. His wife, Mary Schmenk, to whom he was married, in 1858, although born at Glandorf, Putnam county, was the daughter of Herman and Anna Schmenk, the former of whom came from Holland to America about 1840, first settling near New Cleveland, in Putnam county, and later moving to Avilla, Indiana, where he and his wife lived the remainder of their lives. They were not accompanied to Indiana by their daughter Mary, who remained at New Cleveland after the removal of her parents. After giving birth to four children, William J., the subject of this sketch, Mary, John and Ferdinand, Mrs. Mary (Schmenk) Wischmeyer died m November, 1865, on the farm near New Cleveland where she and her husband had settled after their marriage. Mr. Wischmeyer was married a second time, to Catherine Ballman, about three years after the death of his first wife, and had six children by the second marriage, as follow : Theodore Henry, Joseph, Benjamin, Frank (deceased) and Bernard. The father of these children is now deceased, 'having died at New Cleveland, where his wife still survives him.

Born, educated and reared at New Cleveland, Putnam county, William J. Wischmeyer -worked on his father's farm, in Ottawa township, where his brother now lives, and in 1887 was married, when he removed to Glandorf where he remained for three years and then removed to Ottawa and lived there for three years. Mr. Wischmeyer bought a farm of sixty-four acres in Ottawa township, which land he has cleared, drained and improved generally. It IS his present home and here he has surrounded himself with all the comforts of farm life.

Mr. Wischmeyer's wife, before her marriage, was Mary Hesseline daughter of Henry and Anna (Hemma) Hesseling, and was born near Ft' Jennings, Putnam county, where her parents had settled on a farm Sub sequently, they moved to Delphos, in Allen county, where Mrs Wischmeyer was educated, and where she grew up with the other children Frederick Herman, Charles, John, Joseph , (deceased), William, Kate and Bemadina' The parents are both deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Wischmeyer four children have been born, one of whom, an infant, is deceased. The livino- children are Louis Henry, John Edward and Anna Philomena. "

Catholic church at Ottawa. Mr. Wischmeyer is a Democrat. He is not only a capable farmer, hut an enterprising citizen, and a man of pleasant and agreeabl personality. He is strongly devoted to his family and to the immediate interests of the home. These he has guarded and protected with a zeal of a kind husband and loving father. Mr. Wischmeyer is well and favorably known in this community.

Joseph Zink

The spirit of a truly good man is almost as wonderful as his work. This spirit usually is characterized by disinterestedness, modesty and absolute fairness, qualities not only good in themselves, but which must remain as a proof of the importance of character in whatever labors one's hands find to do, in whatever work one is engaged to perform. Among the men who have exerted a large personal influence in the affairs of Putnam county and who have occupied positions of public trust and responsibility, few are better known than former Sheriff Joseph Zink. No history of Putnam county can be complete without mention of Joseph Zink and his services to the county, and it is with pleasure the biographer asks the reader's attention to the following brief sketch of his career in this county.

Joseph Zink is a native of Putnam county, having been born in the year 1859 on a farm in Palmer township, the son of William and Elizabeth Zink, both natives of Germany, who were married in Baden before coming to this country in 1849. For a time after their arrival in America, the Zinks lived in Columbus, William Zink being a skilled workman in the building trades, and he was engaged for some time on the construction of the Ohio state capitol. During this time he was offered eighty acres of land, a strip lying in what is now the heart of the city of Columbus, for eight hundred dollars, but when he was told he could get twice as much land in Putnam county for the same money, he declined the offer and proceeded to Putnam county, where, in 1850, he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Palmer township for four hundred dollars. He found much of this land practically worthless for farming purposes at that time, it being an apparently irreclaimable swamp, there being at that time no facilities at hand for drainage. He gave eighty acres of this land to his brother as an inducement for the latter to come and stay in the neighborhood with him and help him to reclaim his farm. After six months of struggle, with the apparently insuperable obstacles which lay in the way of successful, farming there, the brother departed and never came back to Putnam county, apparently having given the whole thing over as a bad job. The swampy condition of the land at that time was productive of much illness and the people thereabout constantly were subjected to fevers and ague, which made life miserable for many. It is interesting to note that the land which at that time was so comparatively worthless now is included among the best lands of the county, farms thereabout being well worth one hundred and fifty dollars an acre.

William Zink was not discouraged, however, by the difficulties which confronted him and set bravely to work to reclaim his place. For some time his chief income from the place was derived from the sale of hoop-poles, which he hauled to Ottawa, where he found a ready market. Unhappily, this plucky pioneer was not destined to see his farm brought to the state of productivity for which he had hoped or to see his family reared as he had hoped to rear them, for not long after he had settled there, William Zink became the victim of one of the crudest crimes that ever occurred in Putnam county, and which occurred just after the close of the Civil War. One day, when going to Lima to make a payment on his farm, William Zink was waylaid at a point between Ottawa and Glandorf, and there was murdered and robbed. The murderer was captured and was charged with the deed in the first degree, but before the grand jury convened he broke jail at Kalida and made good his escape, and was never captured, nor seen or heard of in that section afterward. To add to the cruelty of this tragic situation, Mrs. Zink, the widow of the murdered man, died the next year, leaving seven children to the tender mercies of the world. The neighbors, however, were helpful and generous and the orphans quickly were placed in good homes in the neighborhood, several families responding gladly to this humane call.

In the distribution of these orphans it fell to the happy lot of Joseph Zink to be taken into the family of Mr. and Mrs. William Kohls, a generous young couple, who at that time had but one child of their own, and who lived south of Ottawa. In the home of the Kohls young Joseph received as careful rearing as though he were of the family born and grew up into strong, vigorous young manhood, tall, broad-shouldered and hardy. Here he remained until he was eighteen years of age, after which for one year he "worked out" in the neighborhood as a farm hand and then went to the state of Missouri, where he remained for a year, at the end of which time he returned to Putnam county and went to work on the farm of Herman Kohls, near Ft. Jennings, receiving for this service one hundred and fifty dollars for the year. While thus engaged, in the year 1882, Joseph Zink was united in marriage to Miss

Mary Packer, who was born on a farm near Ft. Jennings, the daughter of Caspar and EHzabeth (Ostendorf) Packer, the former of whom was a native of Hanover and the latter a native of Osnabruck, Germany.

Caspar Packer and Ehzabeth Ostendorf came to America in their youth, both locating in Ohio. They were married in Dayton, Ohio, about the year 1845, a-nd soon afterward came to Putnam county, settling in the neighborhood of Pt. Jennings, buying a farm one and one-half miles from the village, where they spent the rest of their lives and where their son, Caspar Packer,' Jr., now lives. Mrs. Zink lived with her parents until she was sixteen years of age, at which time she began to support herself by taking service in the homes of others in the neighborhood, and was thus engaged until her marriage with Mr. Zink.

Pollowing his marriage, Joseph Zink started for himself by renting a farm near Pt. Jennings and was thus employed for five years, at the end of which time he bought a farm in the northeast corner of Greensburg township, Putnam county, where he lived until 1906, and where his son now lives.' ^ Though this farm is now well improved and productive, at the time Mr. Zink took it over it was a densely wooded swamp and there were little opportunities in those days for adequate soil drainage. In fact, the place was so swampy that it was said Mr. Zink could row a boat around his house. At the time he took the place, however, there was no house on it and it fell to him to provide a home for his bride. The log cabin which he quickly built was at first "daubed" with mud, but later these chinks were filled with mortar. Mr. Zink laughingly says that in the winters, when he was not otherwise engaged about the place, he always could find occupation shoveling the snow out of the attic, whither it had drifted in under the clapboard roof. After about eight years of incessant toil, this farm was drained, cleared and brought to a profitable state of cultivation, and is now included among the excellent farms of the county, with its good house, barns and other improvements Durmg his residence in Greensburg township, Mr. Zink served for seven years as township trustee and did much for the development of that section of the county.

While he was engaged in subduing the forest and the swamp, however Mr. Zmk found time to cultivate the wide acquaintance of his neighbors and became one of the best known men in that part of the county Indeed his acquamtance was not limited to his own neighborhood, but extended to all parts of the county, so much so that when, in 1905, Mr. Zink received the nommation for sheriff on the Democratic ticket, he was so well known throughout the county and so deservedly popular that his election was well nigh assured from the beginning of the race. He took office at Ottawa in

1906, and gave such general satisfaction in administering the affairs of the sheriff's ofhce that he was renominated and re-elected for another two-year tenn, at the end of which term, by reason of an amendment to the law relating to tenure, an extra year was added to his term, making five years in all in which he held this office, and it is hardly necessary to say that he proved to be one of the most popular sheriffs the county ever had. Following the of his term of office, Mr. Zink remained in the sheriff's office for two years, serving as deputy under Sheriff Miller, who had been a deputy during the latter's tenure. At the close of this de^utyship, Mr. Zink retired from public life with the proud satisfaction of well and truly having served the public and having discharged all the duties devolving upon him with fairness and fidelity.

After leaving office, Mr. Zink moved to a farm of one hundred and five acres of well improved land, which he shortly before had bought, about two miles north of Ottawa, and here he is living happily and comfortably, enjoying the confidence, respect and esteem of the whole community.

To Joseph and Mary (Facker) Zink were born five children: William, who married Delia Perkey and who now lives on the old home farm in Greensburg township, where Mr. and Mrs. Zink spent the happy days of their early struggles ; Laura, who married Arthur Conn and lives at Ottawa, they having three children, Marie, Ellsworth and Helen ; Elizabeth, the wife of Grover Phillips, lives at Detroit, Michigan, and has two children, Virginia and William; Edward, unmarried, lives at home, and Cora graduated from the high school at Ottawa.

The Zinks are all members of the Catholic church at Ottawa, and are active in the various beneficences of the parish, at the same time taking their share in all the good works of the community, being very properly regarded as among the leaders in their large circle of friends and acquaintances.

Benjamin Franklin Irwin

Among the strong and influential citizens of Putnam county, Ohio, the record of whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, Benjamin Franklin Irwin occupies a prominent place. For many years he has exerted a beneficial influence in the locality where he resides. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, a tireless energy, honesty of purpose and motive and every-day common sense, which have enabled him, not only to advance his own interests, but also largely to contribute to the

Benjamin Franklin Irwin, the subject of this sketch, was born on August 26, 1869, in Pleasant township in Putnam county. " He is the son of- Benjamin. Franklin, Sr., and Lydia (Hayden) Irwin, the latter of whom was Mr. Irwin's second wife.

Benjamin Franklin Irwin, Jr., was never married. He spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, and still resides with his mother on the homestead in Pleasant township. Mr. Irwin owns one hundred and sixteen acres of land and follows general farming. He makes a specialty of raising live stock, and large quantities of grain. All the buildings on the farm where Mr. Irwin lives were erected by his late father, with the exception, perhaps, of the corn-crib and granary, which were built by the son in 1905.

Benjamin Franklin Irwin, Jr., is the present efficient township trustee of Pleasant township, having assumed that office in 191 2. He was elected at that time to- a term of two years. In politics, Mr. Irwin is a Democrat. He was always been prominent, locally, in the councils of the Democratic party. While he is not a member of any church, he is a man of strong religious convictions, and is a power for good in the community where he lives. Mr. Irwin is a member of No. 464, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Columbus Grove and is a quiet, unassuming man, and well known in Putnam county. He is considered a very capable farmer and bears a high reputation in this community for his honesty of purpose and sterling character. He is a booster of all progressive movements and, in every respect, a worthy citizen.

Benjamin Franklin Irwin, Sr., was born in Fairfield .county, Ohio, on November 30, 1821, and died, May 22, 1902. His first wife was Sarah J. Lease, who was born on April 26, 1836, and who died on June 28, 1861. By this first marriage there were four children, as follow : Harmon L., born on June 16, 1855; Margaret A., September 5, 1857; Eva, August i, 1859; and Sarah J., born June 28, 1861.

When Benjamin F. Irwin settled in Putnam county, it was a dense forest. There was scarcely a stick of timber missing and but a few residents in the neighborhood where Mr. Irwin settled, and it was owing to his indefatigable courage and unswerving purpose, together with hard work that this dense forest was cleared for the plow. Benjamin F. Irwin, Sr., was a Democrat. All in all he was a hard-working farmer and suffered all the privations of pioneer life. The father of Benjamin F. Irwin, Sr., was Josiah Kennedy Irwin, who married Catherine Bartman. Benjamin F. Irwin's second wife was the daughter of Nathaniel and Eliza (Bothers) Hayden.

All of the members of the Irwin family are well known throughout Putnam county, and the fact that the progenitors of this family have been pioneers in the history of this county for several generations, they have been highly respected citizens and have added much to the material prosperity of this county. Benjamin Franklin Irwin, Jr., is no exception to this rule. He is a worthy citizen of Pleasant township, and from any standpoint deservesthe confidence and esteem bestowed upon him by the people of this county.

Henry Kottenbrock

All progress is continuous, one generation merely gathering the ripefruits of the labors of its predecessors, each succeeding generation building on the firm foundation laid by others. In reviewing the history of the successive generations of Putnam county, Ohio, the historian is compelled to take large note of the influence exerted upon this community by those sturdy settlers of German birth, who in a past generation did so well their part ia helping to lay the foundation upon which the noble superstructure of substantial social, moral, civic, commercial and industrial worth has been erected. Among these worthy representatives of the former generation who are still living to give to the present generation in this county the benefit of their ripe experience and judgment, few are better known than the venerable Henry Kottenbrock, a pioneer resident of Ottawa township, who, as he nears the nonagenarian stage of his life, is comfortably and happily situated jn the home of his daughter, the good wife of Township Trustee Joseph Klausing, of Ottawa township, a home which Mr. Kottenbrock practically wrested from the grasp of the wilderness many years before.

Henry Kottenbrock was born in Oldenburg, Germany, on June 15, 1827, a son of Herman and Katherine fScheele) Kottenbrock. He grew up in Germany, learning there the thoroughness of discipline and the value of thrift so much insisted on in the German system of education, and at the age of twenty-one decided to come to America, many glowing accounts of the advantages others of his fellow townsmen and some of his kinsfolk had found -awaiting them on this side of the Atlantic, having come back to his part of the Fatherland. He landed at New Orleans, where he remained for a time, and afterward joined the Glandorf colony in Putnaiti county. He had learned the trade of shoe-making at his home in Germany and during the early days of his residence here continued to follow this trade, making his home with an uncle, who some time before had come to America and who owned a farm of forty acres southwest of Ottawa. Encouraged by the good word sent back home by their son, Henry Kottenbrock's parents presently joined him at Glandorf, and entered upon the life of a pioneer farmer, renting the uncle's land. At that time this section of the county was very sparsely settled, there being only a few houses in Glandorf. Soon after settling in this county, Mr. Kottenbrock's father died on this farm, where he had lived all his life, and Henry and the other members of the family purchased the uncle's property and continued to make it their home.

At the age of twenty-seven, more than sixty years ago, Mr. Kottenbrock married Elizabeth Feltman, who was bqi-n in Glandorf, the daughter of Henry Feltman and wife, who had come from Hanover in pioneer times, having been among the first to join Professor Horstman's historic colony. After his marriage, Mr. Kottenbrock continued to live on the farm which had been taken over from the uncle and on which he still lives. In the early days, in addition to his duties as a manager of the farm, he plied his trade of shoemaking with much industry, and prospered apace, gradually adding to liis holdings until eventually he owned three hundred and sixty acres of fine land.

To Henry and Elizabeth (Feltman) Kottenbrock there were born twelve children: Joseph died when two years old; Elizabeth died in infancy, and- Herman grew up and was killed in a coal mine disaster in North Dakota. The nine children of this family still living are : Henry, who makes his home in North Dakota; Mrs. Mary Rechtine, who lives in Miller- City, this county; William, who also lives in North Dakota; John, who resides on the old home place; Annie, the wife of August Kneuve, lives in Missouri; Barney, a successful farmer, who lives in the southwestern part of Ottawa township, this county; Frank, a farmer of Pleasant township, this county; Mrs. Kate Fembert, of Ottawa township, and Amelia, wife of Joseph Klausing, township trustee of Ottawa township. The mother of these children died in 1903, and the aged father continues to make his home in the old home place, where the evening of his life is being made pleasant by the ministrations of his daughter, Mrs. Klausing, and her family, and where he constantly is in

Mr. Kottenbrock is one of the oldest inhabitants of Putnam county, and the biographer finds much pleasure in presenting to the readers of this volume this interesting biographical sketch. He has been a considerable traveler in his day and continues to take an active interest in current affairs. He has been to North Dakota and to the World's Fair and other places of interest, and still visits and goes about with as much activity as many men of much fewer years. Mr. Kottenbrock is a genial old gentleman, who is highly esteemed in the community in which he so long has lived and is a most entertaining host, having in his mind an inexhaustible fund of reminiscences of the days gone by. His hearing still is good and he is keenly alert to all matters of neighborhood interest and concern. He has also visited his daughter, Mrs. Kneuve, in Portageville, Missouri.

Andrew Gerdeman

Among the many German families in Putnam county there are few which have a wider connection or acquaintance or whose members have exerted a more active influence upon the best life of the respective communities m which they reside, than the family of Gerdeman, which has been honorably represented in this county since the year 1837, in which year John D. Gerdeman came to America and located in Putnam county. He was the father of eight children, of whom five were sons, and the name, consequently has become one of the best known in that portion of the county in which its influence has been most largely exerted. This family has done well its part m.maintaming in this section the best traditions of the Fatherland, which John D. Gerdeman and others of his kind so firmly inculcated in the minds of those who followed them in natural descent hereabout; industry thrift and perseverance being traits which have operated largely in the establishment of the numerous prosperous Germanic families in this county Among these families, few are better known than that of Andrew Gerdeman of Ottawa township, and the reader's attention is invited to the followin- brief biography, which has to do with one of the sons of John D. Gerdeman'' above referred to.

Andrew Gerdeman was born on the farm, three miles southeast of Ottawa m Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, on August 11, 1864, the son of

John D. and Mary Ann (Redecker) Gerdeman, both natives of Hanover,. Germany. John D. Gerdeman was bom in 181 7, and came to America in the year 1837. proceeding to the town of Delphos, Ohio, where he spent about a year working in a saw-mill, at the end of which time he came to Putnam county and bought a farm south of that village, joining the large German colony that had settled in the Glandorf neighborhood, on which farm the immediate subject of this sketch now makes his home. On this farm, whichhe wrested from the wilderness and brought to a high state of cultivation, John D. Gerdeman spent the rest of his life and made for himself a distinctive place in the community, long being regarded as one of the most influential men in that community.

John D. Gerdeman married Mary Ann Redecker, who was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1829, and who, at the tender age of four years, came to America with her parents and grew to womanhood on a farm about one mile south of the town of Ottawa. To this union were born eight children, of whom six are still living: Anna died at the age of four years; Frank died in 191 1, leaving a widow and six children; Joseph, an Ottawa townshipfarmer, married Mary Schleuter, to which union there was issue of seven children ; Mary Ann married Herman Gosling, and Elizabeth married Henry Hermiller. The other sons, besides Andrew, the subject of this sketch, are Henry and Theodore. The father of these children died on January 5, 1890, in his seventy-third year, his widow surviving him until March 31, 1909.

Andrew Gerdeman was reared on the paternal farm and received his education in the local schools of his neighborhood, his training being that of a farmer. On May 24, 1887, ^r- Gerdeman was united in marriage to Kate- Nierman, who was born at Glandorf, this county, the daughter of August and Mary (Krieger) Nierman, the former of whom was a native of Germany and the latter of whom was born in Glandorf, in Putnam county. August and Mary (Krieger) Nierman were married in Glandorf, Putnam county,- and settled on a farm in Ottawa township, and lived there for many years. He died on this farm on February 22, 1881, after which she removed to- Glandorf, where she still lives. Their children were Annie, Katherine, Mary, John, August and Magdalene, all of whom are still living.

Following his marriage, Andrew Gerdeman remained on. the home farm, where he since has continued to reside. He has a well equipped establishment for successful farming on his place of one hundred and twenty acres, and isknown as one of the most progressive agriculturists in his neighborhood, aswell as a wide-awake and public-spirited citizen, who is alert to all move-

To Andrew and Kate (Nierman) Gerdeman have been born seven chil- as follow : Albert, who married Veronica Meyer, by whom he has one son, Leonard, lives at Toledo, Ohio, where he. is in the employ of the Gendron Wheel Works ; Hubert,' who married Rosa Ruhe, lives in Ottawa township ; Hugo, Alexander, Edmund, Otto and 'Felix, all of whom are at home. The members of this family are all devoted adherents to the Catholic church at Glandorf and are deeply interested in the affairs of the parish, in the various activities of which they take a prominent part.

Frank Recker

Frank Recker was born on January 26, 1862, on the farm where he still lives, about one mile south of Glandorf, Putnam county, the son of Herman Henry and Mary (Kottenbrock) Becker, both of whom were representaitve pioneers of their neighborhood.

Herman Henry Recker was born in Hanover, Germany, on June 24, 1816, the son of John H. and Anna M. (Linckemeyer) Recker. His wife, Mary, also was born in Germany, at Oldenburg, the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Huntman) Kottenbrock, who came to this country in the year 1836, when Mai-y was eleven years of age, settling in the Glandorf neighborhood as a part of Professor Horstman's famous colony, at which place Herman Henry Recker had located a few years before, and it was here, at Glandorf, January 7, 1840, that Herman Henry Recker and Mary Kottenbrock were married and where they spent the rest of their lives, being regarded by their pioneer neighbors as among the most useful and influential residents of that section of the county, and. were especially notable for their manifold good works, the memory of which survives in that community long after them.

It was about the year 1832 that Herman Henry Recker, the father of Frank Recker, then having reached the adventurous age of sixteen, decided to put in his lot with that of so many of his countrymen, who, about that time, were leaving for the farther shores of the Atlantic. He landed at New Orleans and for about a year remained in the South, looking around him and acquiring something of the manners and customs of the people of his adopted country. Gradually working his way up from New Orleans, he presently found himself in the newly settled town of Glandorf, and it did not take him long to decide permanently to become a member of Father Horstman's colony. On the way over from Lima, following the trail which was the only highway at that time, he was met by two Indians, who were leisurely proceeding along the trail on their ponies. These aboriginals accosted him, but as he could not understand their language or gather from their gestures their meaning, he decided to give them a wide berth. When they offered him something to drink, which was contained in a big tin vessel, he declined their proffer, not knowing what their designs upon his life might be, and they presently rode away without having offered him molestation. Upon narrating the incident upon his arrival among friends at Glandorf, the young adventurer found himself laughed at, the explanation being made by his more experienced compatriots that the Indians simply had desired to declare their friendly intentions by offering him a drink of whisky.

At Glandorf Herman Henry Becker grew to manhood, learning all the ways of the pioneer farmer and becoming deeply versed in woodcraft and the most approved methods for dealing with virgin forest soil, clearing it and preparing it for cultivation. He entered from the government a tract of forty acres of land, about a mile south of Glandorf, to which he later added a neighboring tract of forty acres that he had acquired by purchase, and here he spent the rest of his life. On his original forty, which now is in the possession of his son, Frank, there was not so much as the mark of an ax when he entered it and the task of clearing this kept him busy for the first fewyears of his residence in this county. After his marriage he had an earnest and able helpmeet and he and his good wife early became recognized as among the leaders in that interesting pioneer community, and held all their lives the most devoted regard of all their neighbors. Henry Herman Recker was a man of noble character, a man to whom his neighbors willingly came for advice and counsel and as willingly were content to abide by that advice and counsel, realizing that it was based upon the soundest judgment and the most earnest desire for the advancement of the best interests of all. He was essentially a peacemaker, and during his long life had the pleasure of adjusting many a neighborhood difference, all recognizing the goodness of his word. It was but natural that the community should elevate Mr. Recker to positions of public honor and trust, and for twenty-one years he presided in his township as justice of the peace, in which office he ever strove to settle local differences without lawsuits, many cases being settled in this fashion, by kindly counsel and compromise, although, by such methods, the justice of the peace was deprived of the fees which would have come to him under the ordinary processes of the law. Though Mr. Recker had secured no schooHng m the Enghsh language, he was a man of fine powers of observation and quickly acquired the use of the language of his adopted country, which he not only spoke fluently, but wrote readily, being an excellent penman and an accurate speller of the English, these accomplishments having been picked up wholly by himself. From 1868 to 1874 Mr. Recker served Putnam county as a commissioner, his service in this connection being valuable to the public. Soon after this he was appointed to the position of superintendent of the county infirmary, which trying position he filled in such a manner as to commend his methods to all. In 1880 he served his second term as land appraiser, in all his public acts keeping the welfare of the ptiblic ever in his mmd. He was popular, large-hearted and generous, and his friends were limited only to the number of those who knew him, and at his death there was wide and sincere mourning throughout the county.

To Herman Henry and Mary (Kottenbrock) Recker nine children were born, all of whom grew to maturity, and all of whom are living save Anna, who was the wife of Charles Schroeder, the others being, in the order of their birth: Henry; John; Mary, the wife of William Schmitschulte ; Kate, the widow of John Klaforn; Elizabeth, the wife of Joseph Leopold; Herman; Frank, the immediate subject of this review, and Minnie, widow of the late William Hermiller. The father of the above family died on January 16, 1884, his widow surviving until April 6, 1907.

Frank Recker grew up on the home farm under the careful direction of his thoughtful parents and was given all the advantages ofifered by the local schools. At the end of his schooling period he determined to follow the life of a farmer. On June 22, 1886, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Felt-man, who was born in Glandorf, the daughter of Bernard and Katherine Elizabeth (Niese) Feltman, the former of whom was the son of pioneer parents, who came to this country from Glandorf, Germany, and settled at Glandorf, this county, soon after Father Horstman and his party established their colony here.

In addition to his farming operations, Frank Recker for three years was engaged in the hardware business with August Fisher, at Glandorf.' He sold this interest in 1908 and went to Texas, where he engaged in the hardware business for a year, at the end of which time he sold out and returned to the old home place in Ottawa township, Putnam county, where he has since continued to reside. Besides farming, he runs a portable power-ditchino- machme and also deals quite a little in live stock. Before dividing his^fann with his sons, he owned two hundred and sixty acres of land, one of the choicest farms in the county. In addition to the close attention he has been compelled to give to his personal affairs, Mr. Recker has found time to devote proper attention to public affairs and has served well and acceptably in the position of township trustee, besides having held other local offices and is regarded distinctively as one of the leading men of affairs in his community.

To Frank and Mary (Feltman) Recker six children have been born, as follow : Ben, who lives one and one-half miles west of the old home in section 30, and who married Emma Verhoff ; Louis, who married Anna Schroeder and lives in Pleasant township, about one mile southwest of the old home, and Joseph, Emma, Edwin and Dora.

The' Reckers are devoted members of the Catholic church at Glandorf and are earnestly interested in the various beneficences of the parish, being very properly regarded as among the leaders in the good works of the community, and are admired and respected by all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance.

J. Fred Gerdeman is a well-known and popular citizen of Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, and a successful dairyman of this township. Mr. Gerdeman is a man who is much admired by his neighbors and patrons and is known for his keen perceptive faculties, unusual soundness of judgment and upright dealings with all his patrons. Today his name stands high on the roll of the honored citizens of Putnam county. He is a member of one of the old pioneer families of this county and there is particular interest in his career in the fact that, like his many worthy forbears, he has forged his way to the front and won a rather unusual measure of success.

J. Fred Gerdeman was born on July 4, 1879, just north of Ottawa. He is the son of Mathias and Elizabeth (Ellerbrock) Gerdeman. Mathias Gerdeman was born in Osnabruck, Hanover, Germany, on November 13, 1833, who was the son of Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman. Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman came to America when Mathias was five or six years old, and settled west of Glandorf, four or five miles in pioneer times. Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman were married in Germany. In 1836 they settled in Putnam county, Greensburg township, on a farm of eighty acres of government land. This farm was cleared and drained and the home established in the wilderness. The children of Caspar and Mary (Kruse) Gerdeman are as follow: Mathias, deceased; Bernadina, deceased; Theodore, deceased; Mary; Henry; Joseph; Caspar: Elizabeth, and Anna, deceased. Of these, Theodore served in Company I, Thirty-seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil War. He was captured during the war, but released on account of illness and was confined in the marine hospital at St. Louis ; Mathias was educated in Greensburg township and married Elizabeth Ellerbrock, daughter of William Ellerbrock and wife who was a Dickman, the latter of whose parents came from Glandorf, Germany, and settled in Ottawa township where they were farmers. The children of Mathias Gerdeman and wife were Fred; Joseph; Frank; Mary; Anna, deceased, and Theresa. Caspar Gerdeman died on June 14, 1891, and his wife died on April 24, 1889. Mathias Gerdeman was a carpenter and architect for thirty-five years. He began about 1850, and, in 1882, purchased a farm about two miles north Ottawa and there spent the rest of his life. He died in 1908. His wife died in 1903. They had six children, Anna became the wife of Andrew Ringleim. She died on August 11, 1914. The five children living are Frank, of Findlay; Mrs. Mary Utrup, of Ottawa; Mrs. Theresa Herringhaus, of Lima; Joseph, who lives south of Kalida, and Fred, the subject of this review.

Fred Gerdeman grew up where he now lives. Early in life he took a course in dairying at Ohio State University. This was eleven years ago. He farmed the home place where he lives, two miles north of Ottawa, for many years and now has one hundred and sixty acres of good land. In 1912 Mr. Gerdeman engaged in dairying and has a herd of thirty-eight good cattle. He has modern equipment, including a steam turbine for cleaning the bottles. He also has all the other machinery needed for the modern, dairy.

On October 12, 1904, J. Fred Gerdeman was "married to A/[ary Kreynhrink, who was born at Avilla^ Indiana, and who is the daughter of Theodore and Frances (Teders) Kreinbrink.

Theodore Kreinbrink was born in Covington, Kentucky on March 17, 1854, and is the son of Frederick and Mary Elizabeth (Barringhaus) Kreinbrink. Frederick Kreinbrink was born in Hagen, Hanover, Germany, and was a son of Herman Kreinbrink and wife, who, with his family, came to America during the thirties and lived first at Cincinnati. A few years later they settled at Glandorf, Putnam county, during the time Professor Horstman and his party were opening the country around Glandorf. Herman Kreinbrink helped dig the old canal and lived near Glandorf the remainder of his life. He died in that neighborhood at the age of eighty-four years

Mrs. Gerdeman's maternal grandmother, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Barringhaus, came from Germany at the age of twelve years with her parents who settled at Covington, Kentucky. After she and Frederick Kreinbrink were married, they moved to Avilla, Indiana, where Theodore grew up on a farm. In October, 1879, he married Frances Teders, who was born at Cincinnati and is the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Kruse) Teders, both natives of Germany who were married in Cincinnati. They moved to a farm near Avilla and there Mrs. Kreinbrink grew up. After she and Mr. Kreinbrink were married, they lived on a farm for twenty years. He had a farm of his own and lived there until 1899, when they moved to Putnam county and engaged in farming, about three miles north of Ottawa. Five years later, they moved south of Ottawa and lived there for two years, where they moved back to Ottawa, where they still reside. They have seven children, Fred; Mary, who married Fred Gerdeman; John; Julius; Frances who married Fred Drerup; Estelle, now Mrs. Oscar Dimkey, and Agnes. The family all belong to the Catholic church.

J. Fred and Mary (Kreinbrink) Gerdeman have had five children, Mildred, Maria, Genevieve, James and Wilfred. They all belong to the Catholic church at Ottawa. Fraternally, Mr. Gerdeman belongs to the Knights of Columbus and also to the Catholic Knights of Ohio.

The Gerdeman faimly is well known in this section and all are highly respected and honored citizens, having performed every duty in life and having led respectful, industrious and useful careers.

Henry John Benning

One of the leaders in the educational life of Putnam county, Ohio, is Henry John Benning, who has been connected with the schools of this county since 1901. His first position in this county was as superintendent of the Ottoville schools, but since 1909 he has been located at Glandorf as superintendent of the schools of that place, as well as district superintendent of the township schools of Ottawa, Greensburg township, and eight special school districts of the county. Mr. Benning is a musician of exceptional ability and is a fine performer on the pipe organ. He has taken an active part in the life of Glandorf since locating in that place and is justly considered one of its representative citizens.

ning, was born in Stillwater, Minnesota, in 1878. His parents were born m Westphalia and Cologne, Germany, respectively, and were married at Stillwater, Minnesota. The family moved to St. Joseph, Minnesota, when Mr. Benning was eight years of age, where his father is now living. John W. Benning was formerly a carpenter, but is now following agricultm-al pursuits. His wife is deceased.

Henry John Benning was reared on the farm from the time he was eight until he was sixteen years of age. He graduated from the Minneapolis high school and then taught school two years in Morrison county, Minnesota, after which he entered the Catholic Normal College at Milwaukee, where he finished the normal and also a musical course. He remained another year and took a post-graduate course in music, studying both vocal and instrumental music, but making a specialty of the pipe organ.

In 1 901 Mr. Benning came to Ottoville, Putnam county, Ohio, as superintendent of the schools and organist of the Immaculate Conception Catholic church. When he came to Ottoville he found the schools ungraded, with only three teachers in charge, but when he left there, in 1909, there were five teachers, the schools were graded and a high school course was being given. In the fall of 1909 he became superintendent of the Glandorf schools and organist of the St. John's Catholic church at that place. He started the high school at Glandorf when he came here in that year, which is second to none m the county, and now ranks as a second-grade high school. He introduced a commercial course and the graduates of this course rank with the best students of the average business college. In addition to having direct charge of the schools at Glandorf, he has general supervision over several rural schools of the county, has been a member of the board of school examiners of Putnam county for the past four years, and has also been a member of the executive committee of the teachers' institute, holding this latter position for the past six years. At the present time he is president of the quarterly teachers' institute.

Mr. Benning was married, August 20, 1902, to Catherine Kortokrax who was born at Ottoville, Putnam county, Ohio, on May 7, 1882 and is a daughter of Christopher and Anna M. (Schroeder) Kortokrlx, both natives of Hanover, Germany. Mrs. Benning's parents were married in their native country, and after coming to this country lived at Delphos, and later moved to Ottoville, Putnam county, where her father died on February 8 1886 Mr. Benning and his wife are the parents of five children : Jerome, Anthony' Raymond, Adelaide and Dorothy.

was secretary of the Glandorf Telephone Company, and is vice-president of the St. John's Aid Society and recording secretary of the CathoHc Knights of Ohio. He and his family are earnest and devout members of the Catholic church at Glandorf.

Joseph Klausing

There are many public offices over which more of a fight is made in local campaigns and many offices which, in the common estimation, seem to carry more of honor and distinction, than that of the oifice of township trustee, but it cannot be gainsaid that this latter ofhce is one of the most important in the gift of the people and the importance to the public of having the office filled by a man of high principle, sound judgment and perfect honesty of purpose, ought never to be underestimated in the making up of the tickets of the various parties when seeking the franchises of the people. That the people of Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, realize this fully, is shown by their action in returning to the post which he had held so acceptably, for one term, the present incumbent in the office of township trustee of Ottawa township, Joseph Klausing, one of the best-known farmers of Putnam county, who is now serving his second term as trustee of his home township. In this office, Mr. Klausing has in his charge some of the most important public interests of his neighbors and that he has proved faithful to this trust, his recent re-election may be accepted as conclusive evidence.

Joseph Klausing was born on March 28, 1878, at Glandorf, this countv, the son of John and Magdalene (Leopold) Klausing, a sketch of whose interesting family history is presented elsewhere in the biographical section of this admirable history of Putnam county.

When Joseph Klausing was three years of age, his family moved to his father's present farm, northeast of Ottawa, this county, where he grew to manhood, learning, under his father's careful instructions, the rudiments of agriculture, lessons he was in later years to turn to such excellent personal advantage. He gained, through this preparatory period, such schooling as was afiforded by the local schools of that period, and acquired an interest in schools which he has carried through life and which he has turned to the advantage of the public during his continued incumbency of the office of township trustee and as a member of the school board of the town of Glandorf.

short distance southwest of Ottawa, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Feltman) Kottenbrock) and a sketch of whose family is found elsewhere in this volume. To this union five children have been born, Adelia Elizabeth, John Henry, Alexander William, Albert Frank and Mary Magdalene, a lively family of youngsters who make merry the home of the genial township trustee. The members of this family are devoted adherents of the Catholic church at Glandorf, in the various beneficences of which they take a proper interest.

Since his marriage, Mr. Klausing has continued to follow agricultural pursuits and has made his home on the Kottenbrock farm, the girlhood home of his wife. Both he and Mrs. Klausing own land, their combined holdings comprising an excellent farm of one hundred and sixty-seven acres. In addition to serving his second term as township trustee and serving on the Glandorf school board, Mr. Klausing has received other evidences of the regard in which the voters of his neighborhood hold him and has held various other local positions of public trust. He is a Democrat and his counsels are considered of value by the party managers in the county, who have learned to rely upon the soundness of his judgment in the making up of estimates concerning political conditions in his own neighborhood. In the community which he serves so creditably in a public capacity, Mr. Klausing is deservedly held in high repute and he and his family are very popular in the social circle which stands for all good things in Ottawa township and the Glandorf ^neighborhood.

John Rosenbauer

One of the enterprising and successful farmers of Putnam county, Ohio, who has succeeded in his chosen vocation, largely because of his own courage, persistency and good management, is John Rosenbauer, of Ottawa township, a man who believes in lending what aid he can to his neighbors and the general public, while advancing his own personal interests. Consequently, he is regarded as one of the best citizens of Ottawa township, and a man eminently entitled to representation in a work of this character.

John Rosenbauer was born in 1877, j"st west of Glandorf, Putnam county. He is the son of Barney and Agnes (Nuevemann) Rosenbauer, the former born on the same farm as his son, John, in September, 1847. Barney Rosenbauer is a son of John and Mary (Berning) Rosenbauer. John Rosenbauer came from Saxony and his wife from Emsdetten, Germany. They were married in America and were early settlers in Putnam county, where they purchased their land from Professor Horstman and lived and died in Glandorf.

Barney Rosenbauer grew up here and' was married to Agnes Nuevemann, who was born in Glandorf, Hanover, Germany, and who lived there ^hen Hanover was taken by Prussia. She is a daughter of Theodore and Catherine (Hoffman) Nueveman. Her father died in the old country and she and her two sisters, Mrs. Fred Michel, of Ottawa township, and Mrs. George Recker, of Sheppard, Michigan, came to this country in 1871, arriving at Glandorf in June of that year. After their marriage, .Mr. and Mrs. Barney Rosenbauer lived nine years on the old homestead, at Glandorf, and then one year in Union township, after which they purchased a farm from George Uphaus, one and one-fourth miles west of Glandorf, just south of the railroad, and here they lived until Mr. Ros'enbauer's death. He purchased eighty acres of land and was a successful farmer. John is the eldest of three children, born to this union. Barney Rosenbauer died on April 6, 1905; Mary also is deceased, and his widow still lives on the home place.

John Rosenbauer, the subject of this sketch, was married, June 9, J903, to Elizabeth Birkemeier, who was born in the western part of Ottawa township, along the Kalida road. She is the daughter of William and Bernardine (Uphaus) Birkemeier.

William Birkemeier was born on March 4, 1842, about two miles southwest of Glandorf, Putnam county, the son of William, Sr., and Catherine (Dickman) Birkemeier. William Birkemeier, Sr., was born in Glandorf, Germany, and grew up there and married Catherine Dickman. They came to America in pioneer times and located on the farm where William, Jr., was born. This they bought and made their permanent home. William, Sr., died about 1875 and his widow about 1890. William, Jr., grew up there and in 1863 was married to Mary Bernardine Uphaus, who was born about one and one-fourth miles west of Glandorf near where the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad now runs. She is the daughter of John G. and Catherine (Poeppelman) Uphaus, who came to America in 1835, where they located in section 30 of Ottawa township on a farm of one hundred and four acres, containing a round-log cabin. A few acres of their farm were cleared and improved. Cultivation was continued with assiduous care by the father until his death in January, 1884, at the age of eighty-two years, his wife having died on May 19, 1881, at the age of seventy-eight years. Mr. Uphaus was a stanch Democrat and held several local offices. He was treasurer of Ottawa township for nine years and was one of the organizers and incorporators of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Putnam county. For twenty-five years, he was its president, also being a carpenter and farmer. He was a -devout member of the Catholic church at Glandorf and in all ways was a useful citizen.

After William Birkemeier was married, he spent the remainder of his life on the farm of about one hundred and twenty acres, where he was born and where his son now lives. He died in 1910 and his wife in 1912. They were devout members of the Catholic church at Glandorf. Their children were as follow: Wihiam; Henry; Frank; Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Rosenbauer; Mary, the wife of William Ellerbrock, and Bei'nard, living at Kalida.

Since his marriage, Mr. Rosenbauer has farmed the place where he was reared and where he now lives. He and his wife are the parents of three children, Mary, Harry and Raymond. The family are all members of the Catholic church at Glandorf and liberal contributors to its support.

John Diemer

One of the most public-spirited and popular residents of Ottawa township, this county, is John Diemer, whose name engages the attention of the reader of this page of the biographical section of the "History of Putnam County." Mr. Diemer not only has made a success of his farming operations in this county, but has firmly fixed his place in the regard of his fellow citizens. Mr. Diemer is at present serving his second term as trustee of Ottawa township.

John Diemer was born in the year 1871 at New Bavaria, Henry county, Ohio, the son of Peter and Isabelle (Zoll) Diemer, the former of whom also was a native of New Bavaria, a son of John and Catherine (Wien) Diemer.

John Diemer, paternal grandfather of the subject of this biographical review, came from Germany, probably from Bavaria, and located at New Bavaria, Ohio, where he spent the rest of his life, and it was here that Peter Diemer, father of Trustee Diemer, grew to manhood and spent the most of his life. Peter Diemer engaged in farming in Henry county, remaining there until late in life when he retired and moved to Leipsic, in this county, where his death occurred four or five years later, on January 23, 1907. During his long residence in Henry county, Peter Diemer also was engaged in the sawmilling business and also managed a threshing-machine outfit for many years. He was a man of substance, one of the leading citizens of his neighborhood and several times was called on to serve the public in offices of trust and responsibility. For several terms he served as trustee of Pleasant township, Henry county, and also had served as assessor of Marion township, in the same county.

Peter Diemer's wife, Isabelle Zoll, mother of the subject of this sketch, was born in Findlay, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Josiah Zoll, Pennsylvania Gemians, who moved to Hancock county, where Mrs. Diemer was born, later,, while the latter was a little girl, they moved to Henry county, where they spent the rest of their days engaged in fai'ming. Mrs. Peter Diemer now lives in Leipsic, this county, and is regarded with the highest respect by all who know her. To Peter and Isabelle (Zoll) Diemer four children were bom: John, Mary, Charles and Christina. Mary is the wife of John Zenz and Christina is the wife of Lawrence Seimet.

John Diemer lived on his father's farm, in Henry county, until his marriage, in 1894, when he started farming on land which he rented from his father in that county. In 1905 the latter sold this farm and bought another place, about two miles northeast of Ottawa, where John Diemer has lived ever since, and where he has a farm of eighty-three and one-half acres, under a high state of cultivation. He has been a good manager and public-spirited citizen, a good "mixer" in the neighborhood, and consequently, is popular with all the people of that section of the county. He has served on the township school board and is now township trustee, having been elected, in 191 3,, to succeed himself to the office to which he came by appointment in 191 1, his. administration having proved so popular as to recommend him for re-election.

On November 27, 1894, John Diemer was united in marriage to Mary Werner, who was born near New Bavaria, but across the line in Putnam county, the daughter of Matthias and Catherine (Gedart) Werner, both of whom were natives of Prussia.

In the year 1846, when Matthias Werner was nineteen years of age,, he accompanied his parents to America, the family first locating in Lorain county, later moving to St. Louis, Missouri, where the father died. The mother later married Mr. Baumgardner and moved to New Bavaria, Henry county, where she spent the rest of her life, her death occurring on March 12, 1910.

Matthias Werner remained in Lorain county many years and there, about the year 1850, married Catherine Gedart, the daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Schmitz) Gedart, who had come from Prussia, when she was about ten years of age, and who spent the remainder of their lives in Lorain county. Following his marriage, Matthias Werner moved to Putnam county and was counted among the early settlers of the northern part of Palmer township, where he spent the most of his life. His last days, however, were spent with Mr. and Mrs. Diemer, in Ottawa township, his death occurring on January 6, 191 1, his wife having preceded him to the grave the previous year, her death having occurred on March 12, 1910.

Matthias and Catherine (Gedart) Werner were the parents of thirteenchildren: Jacob, who died at the age of two years; John; Joseph; Emma,- deceased; Nicholas, deceased; Kate, deceased, all of whom died of diphtheria within ten days while the family was living in Lorain county, it having been this tragic succession of death which prompted the family to leave Lorain and move to Putnam county; Peter; Kate, who married John Melcher; Frank;: George; Jacob; Josephine, deceased, and Mary, the wife of Mr. Diemer.

To John and Mary (Werner) Diemer have been born nine children, all of whom are living and all of whom are at home, making the Diemer home one of the liveliest and pleasantest, from a social standpoint, of any in thatsection of the county. This lively family of youngsters are : Clara Isabelle, Bernard Peter, Charles Raymond, Christina Loretta, Agnes Cecelia, John Albert, Martha Marie, Lidella Lucetta and Alice Dorthy.

Mr. and Mrs. Diemer and their children are all devoted members of the Catholic church at Ottawa, and are active participants in the various beneficences of the parish, being very properly regarded among the leaders in the good works of the community in which they live and whose most vital interests they have so deeply at heart. Both in his public and in his private relations, Mr. Diemer is trying to do his duty by his fellow men and is counted as one of the substantial and influential men in his part of the county. He is a Democrat and in the local councils of his party his voice is listened ta with respect, consideration being given his judgments regarding men and measures when such matters come up for public discussion.

Barney Kottenbrock

Among the numerous families which came with, or later joined, the historic colony which Father Horstman established in Putnam county, Ohio, at an early day in the settlement of the county, few family names are better known than that of Kottenbrock, there being numerous representatives of the family who have done well their part in the development of the various valuable resources of the now substantially established commonwealth.

One of the best-known representatives of this family, Barney Kotten- -brock, a prosperous farmer of Ottawa township, was born on January 5, 1873, about one mile southwest of Ottawa, the son of Henry and Elizabeth -Kottenbrock, well-known pioneers of that section, further mention of whose part in the development of the neighborhood in which they so long lived, is made on another page of this interesting volume of biographical sketches.

Barney Kottenbrock grew up on his father's farm, receiving the benefit of the schools of that day and the additional and very valuable benefit of the conscientious instructions of an earnest father and mother who instilled into his mind many wholesome lessons that are not taught at school, and prepared him for the active life of a farmer, which vocation he, early in life, decided was the thing for him to follow. At the age of twenty-five years, Barney Kottenbrock married Anna Fembert, who was born about one and one-half miles south of Ottawa, the daughter of Bernard Herman and Anna (Herlager) Fembert, and who died at the age of twenty-four, about a year after her marriage, leaving a daughter, Elizabeth.

The Femberts are an old family in Putnam county. B. Herman Fembert, father of the late Mrs. Kottenbrock, was born on a farm just south of Ottawa, in Ottawa township, in August, 1845, the son of Bernard Herman and Adelheid (Stegeman) Fembert, who were married in Hanover, Germany, and who came to America and located in the southwest part of this county not long after the establishment of the Horstman colony. Upon coming here, the Femberts, for a time, settled in a shant)^ located between Ft. Jennings and Delphos and for two years Mr. Fembert worked on the construction of the old canal. He then bought forty acres in section 34, Ottawa township, the land being just as the Indians left it, absolutely without improvements of any sort. At that time the Indians were taking their final departure from this part of Ohio and Mr. Fembert was brought much in contact with them. He liked the aboriginals and found that they always were good so long as they were treated right. In this unbroken forest he built his primitive cabin and cleared the land, between whiles going back to the canal work for the purpose of earning enough money for the subsistence of himself and family until his farm could be brought to a productive state. He was not only a farmer, but an expert wooden-shoe maker, at which latter handicraft he turned an additional penny from time to time. On this farm, which eventually contained one hundred and forty acres, the Femberts lived for m.any years and prospered. To Mr. and Mrs. Fembert nine children were born, three of whom died in their childhood. The elder Fembert remained on this farm until his children married, and then, his wife having died when the son Herman was sixteen years of age, made his home during the rest of his hfe with his son Herman and family, his death occurring on June 16, 1894.

Bernard Herman Fembert, Jr., grew up on the farm, receiving such -advantages as could be given the youth of that period, and at the age of twenty-two, in the year 1867, married Anna Herlager, who was born in Greensburg township, this county, her parents having been among the colonists who came over from Glandorf, Germany. Upon his marriage, the younger Fembert moved on to the farm on which he now resides, and which at that time was unbroken timber. He built on this place a cabin sixteen by twenty and started married life in the depths of the forest. As he cleared and improved this land, he gradually added to the original tract until now he has ninety-five acres of well-improved farming land. His wife died on September 15, 1877, leaving five children, Catherine, Mary, Anna, Frank and Bernard, the latter of whom died at the age of eleven months. Catherine, the wife of Frank Gramling, lives at Toledo, Ohio, and has four children, Charles, John, Arnold and Adeline; Mary, the wife of Barney Uphaus, lives at the northern edge of Pleasant township, this county, and has six children, Helen, Anna, Mary, John, Gertrude and Edward; Anna married Barney Kottenbrock, the immediate subject of this sketch, and died a year thereafter, -leaving a daughter, Elizabeth; Frank, who was born in 1877, married Catherine Kottenbrock and lives on the home farm with his father. He has seven children, Bernard, John, Frank, Adeline, Albert, Lawrence and Lucile. The Femberts are all earnest members of the Catholic church.

After his marriage to Anna Fembert, Mr. Kottenbrock went to farming for himself on the farm where he now lives, two and one-half miles southwest of Ottawa. He started with eighty acres and now has one hundred and twenty acres of well-improved land, nearly all of these improvements, including a good house, barn and numerous outbuildings, having been added by himself.

Mr. Kottenbrock was married in 1900, a second time, to Mary Anna Duling, daughter of the late F. William and Mary Ann (Schroeder) Duling, who was born in Ottawa township on the paternal farm south of where she now lives.

ship, west of Glandorf, being among the first settlers in that part of the county. On this farm, the late F. William Duling lived until his marriage on April 17, 1872, to Mary Ann Schroeder, who was born in Greensburg township on September 12, 1852, the daughter of John H. and Mary K. (Hohenbrink) Schroeder, both natives of Germany. John Henry Schroeder was born in 1821, the son of Nicholas H. and Anna L. (Trahine) Schroeder, who settled in this county in 1843, ^^d his wife was born in 1820, the daughter of John W. and Christina (Pues) Hohenbrink, who settled in this county in 1843. They were married in 1846 and were long among the best-known residents of that section of the county, Mr. Schroeder dying on November 28, 1875, Mrs. Schroeder surviving many years, her death not occurring until October i, 1899, at the age of seventy-eight years.

After Mr. Duling's marriage, he and his wife moved to the farm where he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on September 18, 1909, his widow, still surviving, continuing to make her home on the old home place. When they entered upon possession of this farm only about one-half of it had been cleared and there had been no attempt at drainage. The Dulings started life together in a one-room, round-log cabin with clap-board roof, in typical pioneer fashion, but gradually extended the style of their living until, presently, they had a nice house and a good barn, with other improvements to match, and had enlarged the farm by the addition of forty acres across the road to the east and eighty acres south of the base line.

F. William and Mary Ann (Schroeder) Duling were the parents of four children, Henry John, who married Adeline Recker, and lives in Ottawa township ; Mary Katherina, married Ignatius Kahle of Cuba, this county, and has six children, Frances, Amos, Clara, Henry, Hubert and Anna; Mary Anna, who married Mr. Kottenbrock; Frank Joseph, married. May 27, 1914, Rosa Barlage, who was born in Greensburg township, the daughter of B. Henry and Mary Barlage, and lives on the old home place with his mother. The Dulings are all earnest members of the Catholic church at Glandorf.

To the union of Barney and Mary Ann (Duling) Kottenbrock, nine children have been born, three of whom died in infancy, the others being Frances, September 4, 1902; Clarence, March 12, 1905; Mary, November 3, 1907; Emma, August 27, 1909; Anna, November 10, 191 1; and Mildred, May 22, 1914, a lively little family, the pride. and joy of. their parents' hearts. The Kottenbrocks are devoted adherents of the Catholic church and are earnestly interested in the various beneficences of the Glandorf parish, doing their part in all the good works of the community. They are popular and highly esteemed and are regarded as among the leaders in their large social circle.

John Ferdinand Ellerbrock

There is nothing which stimulates a man to deeds of worth and a hfe of uprightness and rectitude more than the recoUection of the strength of character and examples of right living which have been shown by his forbears. In this respect, John F. Ellerbrock was fortunate beyond the majority of men in being descended from ancestors who have beeir men of strength and influence in their communities, and who have done their duty well, whether in the peaceful pursuits of ordinary life or in positions of public trust. A heritage of such memory is of more value than the heritage of material wealth. In the business and agricultural affairs of his community, Mr. Ellerbrock occupied a position of importance among those who conserve the commercial and social resources of this community, and none occupied a higher standing among his associates.

John Ferdinand Ellerbrock was born on November 9, 1832, at Glandorf, Hanover, Germany. He was a son of Theodore and Mary (Kracht) Ellerbrock. John F. was two years old when his parents brought him to America. They settled first in Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, where they engaged in farming. Theodore Ellerbrock came to the United States with no resources v^rhatever, and for many years was a farmer. He succeeded in a liberal measure, by dint of steady and persevering industry, and was the owner of a good farm. He was the founder also of the Glandorf woolen mills, and, associated with others, operated the mill as long as he lived.

John Ferdinand Ellerbrock grew up at Glandorf, and had the usual experiences which fall to the lot of a lad reared in a farming community, receiving his education in the public schools of his day.

Mr. Ellerbrock was married to Theresa Kleman, who was born south of Glandorf and was a daughter of Andrew and Mary E. (Gerdeman) Kleman. She was a sister of John H. Kleman, whose life story is found elsewhere in this volume. After Mr. Ellerbrock's marriage, he made his home in section 28, Ottawa township, where he lived until his death. He was a lifelong farmer and lived on the same farm several years more than half a century. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children : Catherine, deceased, was the wife of Henry Meyer, and lived at Cleveland; Mary, the wife of Barney Schmenk, lives southwest of Leipsic ; Elizabeth, the wife of Joseph Meyer, a farmer living southwest of Leipsic; Theodore died in May, 1899, and left a wife but no children ; Joseph, a farmer living in section 5 of Pleasant township, married Bernardina Siebeneck, and they have five children;

Andrew, unmarried, lives on his father's farm; Anna, the wife of Henry Meyer, lives in section 8 of Pleasant township, and they have five living children; Theresa, the wife of Theodore Meyer, lives in Blanchard township, south of Leipsic, and has four living children; Bernard, living on the home farm, married Agnes Schroeder, and they have two children; Lucy is the wife of Henry Wise, a resident of New Cleveland, and they have five children ; Agnes is the wife of Anthony Wise, of New Cleveland, and they have five children.

Thus Mr. and Mrs. Ellerbrock lived to rear a large family of children,- who have been a credit to their father and mother, and who, in turn, havebecome heads of families themselves. In this respect Mr. Ellerbrock hasdone more for the present generation than he possibly could have done in any other way. His sons and daughters are highly respected citizens in the various communities where they live, a fact which, no doubt, was a source of great comfort and cheer to their parents while they lived. Mrs. Mary Ellerbrock died on March 27, 1884, and John F. Ellerbrock died on the home farm on December 25, 19 14. The family were all devout members of the Catholic church, in whose welfare they always took an active interest, and to the support of which they add both physical and material assistance.

It is proper to judge the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his neighbors and fellow citizens. They see him at work, in his family circle, in church, hear his views on public questions, observe the nature of his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of life, and are, therefore, competent to judge of his merits and demerits. In this connection, it is not too much to say that Joseph McGinnislived a life of exceptional merit in Putnam county.

Mr. McGinnis was bom on September 12, .1835, in Fairfield county,. Ohio. He was a son of William and Rebecca (Guyton) McGinnis. William McGinnis was born in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, while his wife was born near Hagerstown, Maryland. They moved to Putnam county, Ohio, in an early day. Mr. McGinnis went to Wapakoneta, Ohio, and entered his land from the government, and was on his return from that place to Putnamcounty at the time of the great meteoric shower which took place in 1833. He entered land in section 7, of Ottawa township, and moved into the woods..

There were no roads at that time, except a wagon track up and down the Blanchard river. Here he spent the remainder of his life. He was a man of considerable political influence in his community and held several local offices. Joseph McGinnis was one of four children, of which number one died in infancy, and one died in early childhood. Margaret, one of the living children, is the widow of Samuel Hamilton.

Joseph McGinnis grew up as a pioneer on his father's farm. Early in. life he married Mary Kraft, who was a native of Muskingum county, Ohio, a daughter of Abram Kraft and wife, who first moved to a farm near Columbus, after leaving Muskingum county, and later to a farm on Powell's Creek in Monroe township.

After his marriage, Mr. McGinnis lived on his farm of two hundred and fifty-three acres of land, in section 6, Ottawa township. He prospered in his agricultural efforts. Joseph McGinnis gave his children a good start in lifeas the consequence, of his frugality, industry and good management. While he made farming his chief occupation, he was a splendid mechanic, and to some extent had been successful in various other lines. Although Mr. Mc- Ginnis had always been prosperous and able to have all the comforts and many of the luxuries of life, he had never ridden on a steam railroad; had never been out of the county in his life, and had never played a game of cardsor taken a drink of whisky. He believed that eternal vigilance is the price of success, and that the saving of time and money, in addition to his other habits, had proved their value.

Joseph and Mary (Kraft) McGinnis were the parents of three sons: Aaron, Elmer and William. Aaron was born on June 4, 1876, on the fann where his father lived. In 1899, he married Daisy Ury, who was born in pleasant township, and who is a daughter of Christ Ury and wife, who are still residents of Pleasant township. Aaron lives on a farm of his own in section 7. He is the father of four children : Lillian, Ida, Clifford and William Nelson. Elmer was born on July 10, 1879, on his father's farm, was educated in the district schools of his home neighborhood, as were his brothers, and on December 27, 1907, married Mabel Tingle. She was born in Liberty township, in this county, and is a daughter of Cloyd and Catherine (Bell) Tingle. Elmer McGinnis and wife are the parents of three children, Alta, Lucile and Mary Catherine. They live in section 6, of Ottawa township. William N., the youngest son, died at the age of twenty-one. The mother of these children died in the autumn of 1905.

Joseph McGinnis was a broad-minded man with a refreshing philosophical turn. He was possessed of a good, clean character, and never used pro-

Although not a man of any established religious faith, he lived a useful life and did his duty in the community where he lived with the fearlessness a man who follows his convictions. He was a man whose counsel was sought by those who were looking for wise guidance. Joseph McGinnis died on January 29, 1915.

John D. Buescher

John D. Buescher was born on September 2, 1857, about a mile from Ottawa, Putnam county, the son of John Henry and Elizabeth (Fenger) Buescher. John Henry Buescher was born on December 23, 1832, in Hanover, Germany, and came to America at the age of fourteen with his mother and step-father, Mr. Aversman. The latter bought a farm just north of tlie Findlay branch of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton railroad and just west of Blanchard river. In 1845, when the family came to America, Putnarp county was a new country, the land was all timber and Mr. Aversman first erected a log cabin, where John Henry Buescher grew up and spent a number of years on this place. He married Elizabeth Fenger, who was born in Germany and came to this country, in 1835, with her parents. John H. Buescher's step-father started the grist-mill at the east edge of his farm on the Blanchard river, the first mill in this part of the country. He was also a pioneer veterinarian. He was killed in the mill.

John Henry Buescher spent his boyhood on the farm, where John D. Buescher now lives. As a young man, he helped to build the canal, and saved his earnings, which were invested in a farm, one and one-half miles east of Ottawa. After his marriage, the young couple took up their home on the new farm. About one-half acre was cleared and there was an immense amount of labor involved in clearing the land and burning timber, so that crops might be raised. There was almost no sale for timber then.

On this pioneer farm, in a log cabin, John D. Buescher was born. He lived there until thirty years of age. When John D. was twenty-eight, his father bought the farm where the family had first settled, it having passed out of the family's possession before then. John Henry Buescher bought it at a sheriff's sale. He died on February 28, 1902, at the age of sixty-nine.

He was a life-long farmer and was possessed of a mind of a turn of an inventive genius. At one time he patented a gate for which he was offered two thousand dollars and forty acres in land.

John D. Buescher was married on October 12, 1887, to Jane Marie Hoffman. She was born northeast of Ottawa and is the daughter of Ferdinand and Catherine (Feldman) Hoffman. Ferdinand Hoffman was born in Germany on September 8, 1832, and came to Putnam county in 1835, with his parents, Henry Hoffman and wife, who located at Glandorf, just west of Cranberry creek, where the boy lived until fourteen years of age, when he went to Cincinnati and worked five years in a printing office. He returned to -Glandorf, and, before he was twenty-one, married Catherine Feldman. She was born in Glandorf, Germany, in 1832, and when six weeks old, came to Glandorf, Putnam county, with the second set of colonists from Glandorf, Germany. Her parents located in Glandorf and spent their lives there.

For twenty years after his marriage, Ferdinand Hoffman lived on the farm northeast of Glandorf and then he moved to Pleasant township, where he lived the rest of his life. About two years before his death, he bought a home in Glandorf, improved it, but persistently said he would never get to live there. He did not. He died on the farm, February 19, 1905, at the age of seventytwo. Since his death, his widow has Hved in the home in Glandorf.

On the day after John D. Buescher and wife were married, they moved to the farm, which he has farmed since, where they now live and where his father had been reared. His house was new then, but he has since added to it and remodeled it until now it is very large and commodious. In 1894, he built a splendid barn with a slate roof, the name of the owner and the date of its erection being shown by the color of the slate.

In 1904, he engaged in the hardware business in Kalida, which he continued for only six months. Although the business was successful, he found that he could not conduct it and the farm also, so he gave up the business and stayed on the farm.

In April, 1 910, Mr. Buescher moved to Lima and engaged in the glove manufacturing business, being in that business about two years, but, as a result of causes over which he had no control, he lost heavily. He followed the carpenter trade in Lima for a time. After three years off the farm he moved back and has lived there since that time.

John D. and Jane Maria (Hoffman) Buescher are the parents of five <:hildren, John Henry, Frederick Albert, Catherine Luella, Louis Joseph and -Mary Hildegard. John Henry married Helen Krathwoohl and lives at Ft

Wayne, Indiana. They have two children, Lewis Henry and Joseph Christian, He is employed in the office of the Domestic Coal Company of Fort Wayne,, and is a graduate of the Rensselaer College at Rensselaer, Indiana, and also of the International Business College at Fort Wayne; Frederick Albert graduated from the school at Glandorf and attended college at Rensselaer. While there he developed an unusual ability, both as a baseball and basket-ball player, and is well known in his own county and the counties surrounding. During the flood of 191 3, Frederick Albert, then living in Lima, helped to organize a relief committee of young men in Lima and loaded a car with provisions and boats and brought them to Ottawa and did heroic work in rescuing and succoring those in distress ; Catherine Luella attended the Glandorf schools and took five years in music. She is a talented musician. She graduated from the Ottawa Business College and for a time was head stenographer in the offices of Moskin Brothers at Lima ; Louis Joseph died at the age of two years, and Mary Hildegard is attending high school at Ottawa.

Mr. and Mrs. Buescher live in a splendid brick house of two stories, neat, substantial and heated with steam and equipped with a private lighting plant until recently, when electricity was installed.

Henry Edgar Reeder

The life history of Henry Edgar Reeder is closely identified with the agricultural history of Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, which has long been his home. His life has been one of untiring activity, and has been crowned with a degree of success commensurate with his worthy efforts. He belongs to the very highest type of progressive citizens, and none more than, he deserves a fitting recognition among those whose enterprise and ability have awakened the admiration of the community where they live. In all the relations of life, family, church and in the civic life of the community, he has displayed a consistent Christian spirit, and his natural worth has endeared him to all classes of people. His integrity and fidelity have been manifested in every relation, and he is today one of the leading farmers of Ottawa township.

Henry Edgar Reeder was born on August 11, 1875, in Paulding county,. Ohio. He is a son of Wesley Clark and Sarah Ann (Pease) Reeder. Wesley Clark Reeder was born in northwestern Ohio, probably Van Wert county,.

and was a son of Joseph Reeder and wife, who came from Pennsylvania in an early day and who were of high German ancestry. Sarah Ann Pease was born near Grover Hill, Paulding county, Ohio. Mr. Reeder's parents lived near Grover Hill after their marriage, and when Henry Edgar was an infant his mother died. He was the ofily child of this marriage, and his father afterward married Mary Jane Stover, and lived a few years in Allen county, after which he moved to Liberty township, Putnam county, where he lived the remainder of his life. He was a good carpenter and worked at this trade most of his life. He was also engaged somewhat in farming. His death occurred in December, 19 12.

Henry Edgar Reeder lived at home until his marriage on November 19, 1898, to Elmira Guyton. She was born in the northwestern part of Ottawa township, and was a daughter of William and Mary (Burkhart) Guyton. After his marriage Mr. Reeder began farming in Greensburg township, following this occupation until about ten years ago, when he moved to his present home on the Defiance road northwest of Ottawa, at the west line of Ottawa township. Mr. and Mrs. Reeder have one hundred and four acres of land, which is well improved and highly productive. They have one daughter, Elizabeth, born on July 10, 1900. The family are earnest and devout members of the United -Brethren church, and contribute liberally of their means to its support.

Mrs. Reeder's father, William Guyton, was born in Maryland and came to Putnam county in 1837 with his parents, Vincent and Anna (Davis) Guyton. They located in the northwestern part of Ottawa township in the early days, having begun life in the dense forest in a log cabin home. William Guyton's wife, who before her marriage was Mary Burkhart, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, and came, about 1840, with her parents, John and Magdalena (Harder) Burkhart, to this county. After the marriage of William Guyton he and his wife made their home where Mr. and Mrs. Reeder now live. They were well-known people in this community. Mrs. Reeder is one of six children: Angeline, the wife of Solomon Myers; Orlando, of Ottawa township; Mary Ann, the widow of George Werth; Elizabeth, 'the wife of Jacob Prowant; one who died in infancy, and Mrs. Reeder. William Guyton died in 1899, while his widow survived him until 1907.

Mrs. Reeder's grandfather, Vincent Guyton, entered the land from the government, and conducted a country tavern on the Defiance road, just east of the line between Ottawa and Greensburg townships. This property has never been owned by any one outside the family. After the death of Vincent Guyton, it was- owned by his son, and is now owned by his granddaughter Mrs. Reeder.

Bernard J. Lammers

In this century, when every modern device for farming is attainable, and virhen success depends, for the most part, on the wise management of the farm, it is hard to reaHze the handicap of the farmer of the last century, when farming implements were so crude and so much depended upon mere manual labor. But these early farmers were willing to toil incessantly for success. One of the most successful farmers of this period, in Ottawa township, Putnam county, was the late Bernard J. Lammers, who was born on April 29, 1839, in Bochhold, Westphalia, Germany, and who died in Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, July i, 191 4.

Bernard Lammers was the son of Bernard Lammers and wife. At the age of eighteen he came to America and here joined his brother, Henry, who lived and died on the northern edge of Ottawa township, Putnam county, where the lad worked out until he was married.

When about twenty-four years old he married Theresa Recker. She was born in Glandorf and grew up south of that place, where her parents were early settlers. Before his marriage Bernard Lammers had bought forty acres, and after which time he made his home there and spent the rest of his life in the middle of the north half of section 2 of Ottawa township. His land was all wild wood, dense thickets and ponds, when he came in possession of it, but he cleared and improved it.

Two children were born to his first marriage, Henry J. and Katie. Katie married Theodore Meyer and lives in Toledo, and Henry J. lives in Liberty township near the old home. The mother of these two children died in October, 1870.

In April, 1871, Mr. Lammers married Mary Verhoff, who was born at Glandorf, the daughter of Francis and Ann (Kremer) Verhoff. Francis Verhoff was born in Prussia and> while a boy came to America, but his parents spent all of their days in the old country. In this country Francis Ver^ hoff learned the blacksmith trade, at Maumee, and later came to Glandorf, where he married Anna Kremer. She was born in Prussia, the daughter of Theodore Kremer and wife, and came to America with her parents, who located on a farm near Glandorf. After his marriage Mr. Verhoff continued blacksmithing for many years and also engaged in farming.

After the second marriage of Bernard Lammers he bought more land until he owned one hundred and twenty acres, where he built a nice big house, with handsome cedar trees around it, in Ottawa township. Here he lived until his death. To his second union were born seven children, of whom three died in infancy. The four living children are Frank J., Mary, Theresa and J. Bernard. Frank J., who married Katie Weis, lives on a farm in the southern part of Liberty township and has four children, Waldo, Raymond, Luella and Gilbert; Mary, who married Frank Drerup, lives in Texas and has a family of children; Theresa, who married August Meyer, lives at Sheppard, Michigan, and has five children, Albert, Ida, Alphonse, Raymond and Florence. J. Bernard, the youngest son, was born on November 22, 1874, and is now farming the home place. He married Lucy Weis and has two children, Clara and Urban.

The late Bernard Lammers was a man who loved his home and family exceedingly, and farming, his vocation in life, was always a great delight to him. The Lammers family are highly respected residents of Ottawa township and interested in every good work which concerns the public. They are devout members of the Catholic church at New Cleveland.

John Klausing

The biographies of successful men are instructive as guides and incentive to those whose careers are yet to be made. The examples they furnish of patient purpose and consecutive endeavor, strongly illustrate what is the power of each to accomplish. John Klausing is a conspicuous example of one who has lived to good purpose and who has achieved a definite degree of success as a farmer and stockman. He is a man well known in the community where he resides and a man who is universally respected for his many good qualities.

John Klausing was born in 1847, in Cincinnati, the son of Henry and Gertrude (Uphaus) Klausing, the former of whom was born in Hanover, Germany. Henry Klausing was married in Hanover, Germany, to Gertrude Uphaus, about seventy-five years ago, they moved to America, landing at Baltimore, from which place they came to Cincinnati in wagons drawn by six horses. The men walked beside the wagon on the overland journey and the party camped along the way at various points. In the spring of i860, they moved to Ottawa. Henry Klausing was a blacksmith, but after arriving in Putnam county, he purchased a farm and lived upon it for three years. He then purchased a blacksmith shop at Glandorf, where he lived until his death. He died on March 28, 1880, at the age of sixty-seven.

John Klausing- lived with his father until he was about seventeen years old and learned the carpenter trade and worked at it for about four years.

John Klausing was married on January 18, 1871, to Mary Magdalene Leopold, who was born in Glandorf on October 16, 1849, the daughter of Bernard and Elizabeth (Siemer) Leopold, the sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this volume.

After Mr. Klausing's marriage, he followed teaming and, subsequently, took a contract for building the first gravel road at Glandorf. He also farmed a part of the time. About twelve years after his marriage, he moved to a fai-m of seventy-seven acres inherited by Mrs. Klausing, located two and onehalf miles northeast of Ottawa. They have lived on this farm since that time. Mr. Klausing now owns about two hundred acres of land.

To John and Mary Magdalene (Leopold) Klausing ten children have been born, William, Frank, Joseph, Henrietta, Elizabeth, Henry, Philomena, Elida, Frances and Theresia. William married Frances Kihm, of Leipsic, and has a harness store in Ottawa ; Frank married Frances Bohr and lives on the farm next to his father. He and his wife have four children, Alfred, Cletus, John and Louise; the sketch of Joseph is given on another page of this volume; Henrietta is the wife of John Bohr and lives two miles north of her father. They have six children, Alphonse, Joseph, Frank, William, Gertrude and Louise; Elizabeth is the wife of Ben Klausing, who is very distantly related to her by blood kinship, and they live near Delphos. They are the parents of three children, Carle, Frank and .Bernard; Henry married Katie Schmenk and lives between Leipsic and Belmore. They are the parents of four children, Clarence, Leonard, Richard and Dorothy. Leonard and Richard, aged fourteen months and two years and two months, respectively, were killed while playing on the trolley line in front of Mr. Klausing's home, June 13, 1913; Philomena is the wife of Joe Clements and lives at Delphos. They have five children : Frank, Magdelena, Henrietta, Frances and Gilbert ; Elida is the wife of Ben Kruse and lives one mile east of her father's home. They have two daughters, Mildred and Elizabeth; Francis is the wife of Frank Kruse and has one daughter, Agnes. They live about one mile north of Ottawa, and Theresa is the wife of Edward Lammers and lives in the southern part of Liberty township.

John Klausing has been prominent in politics in Ottawa township for many years. He served as school director for eighteen years and then refused to accept the position any longer. For a time he was trustee of Ottawa township, and, still later, was assessor for a period of nine years. The Klausing family are all members of the Catholic church at Ottawa and are interested in its many activities. Mr. and Mrs. Klausing have lived to see their family grow up and marry and to become useful members of society. - In their declining years, they have the satisfaction of knowing that they have lived to good purpose, and that they have reared a family who respect them, and they are honored in return by the people in the neighborhoods where each live.