Putnam County, Ohio - Biographical sketches, 1915 (part 1 of 33)

Biographical sketches

In the golden sayings of Epictetus there is no nobler utterance than this - "What wouldst thou be found doing when overtaken by Death? If I might, choose, I would be found doing some deed of true humanity, of wide import, beneficent and noble. But if I may not be found engaged in j^ught so lofty, let me hope at least for this - what none may hinder, what is surely in my power-^that I may be found raising up in myself that which had fallen;, learning to deal more wisely with the things of sense; working out my own tranquillity, and thus rendering that which is due to every relation of life.

"If death surprise me thus employed, it is enough if I can stretch forth, my hands to God and say, 'The faculties which I received at Thy hands for apprehending this Thine administration, I have not neglected. As far as in me lay, I have done Thee no dishonor. Behold how I have used the senses, the primary conceptions which Thou gavest me. Have I ever laid anything, to Thy charge? Have I ever murmured at aught that came to pass, or wished it otherwise? Have I in anything transgressed the relations of life? For that Thou didst beget me, I thank Thee for that Thou hast given; for the time during which I have used the things that were Thine, it suffices me. Take them back and place them wherever Thou wilt! They were all Thine,, and Thou gavest them me. If a man depart thus minded, is it not enough?' What life is fairer or more noble, what end happier than his?"

The above impressive thoughts are suggested by a review of the life of the late John Edwards, of this county, whose passing in the year 1901 was the occasion of such general and sincere mourning throughout this whole region. In making up a history of Putnam county it would be impossible to disregard the great part which Mr. Edwards took in the industrial and financial development of the commonwealth, a part the value of which to the community the present historian hardly dare estimate, for the service whicL he gave was cumulative in its value, its effects being still widely apparent and growing in value, even as the enterprises which he promoted in his life are growing in extent. It therefore must be left to the future historian to atternpt a proper estimate of the service which Mr. Edwards rendered to his community, the present reviewer contenting himself with the presentation here of those interesting biographical facts in the career of the late deceased which now ha\'e become a part of the common interest of this people.

On other pages of this volume, in the biographical sketches relating to his elder brother, William W. Edwards, also deceased, and his surviving brother, Joseph H. Edwards, the well-known banker at Leipsic, the genealogy of the Edwards family in this country is set out at informative length and it therefore will be sufficient to say here that the late John Edwards was born in Licking county, Ohio, January 27, 1850, a son of Thomas W. and Isabel Edwards, and when but eight years of age moved with his parents to Morrow county, in the same state, the family, in the year 1861, coming to Putnam county, where they settled on a farm in section 27, Van Buren township, and there John Edwards grew to manhood, receiving the training and acquiring the unusual physical vigor which later and during his hfe of active service stood him in such good stead.

Air. Edwards' early manhood was spent on his father's farm, his larger business career not beginning until he was twenty-eight years of age. This was in 1878, in which year he purchased an interest in the stave manufacturing business of Henry and Jonas Lenhart. In 1886, the great possibilities of this business having then become apparent, the company was enlarged and Mr. Edwards, in association with his brother, William W. Edwards, I. N. Bushong, J. S. Lenhart and D. L. Critten, organized the Buckeye Stave Company, of which Joseph H. Edwards soon after became a member. The growth of this business was phenomenal, the energy and far-sighted business sagacit)- of the directors thereof soon making it one of the most extensive enterprises in this section of Ohio. Originally the company owned mills only at Leipsic, Continental and Columbus in this county, but in 1890 a mill was added at Pleasant Bend; in i)'>gi mills were located at Kalida and at Avis; in 1892 at Elm Center tHrJ- at Mancelona, Michigan, and in 1894 at Gladstone, Michigan. The business grew by leaps and bounds, until, at the time of Mr. Edwards' death in 190 1, the company owned twentythree mills in Ohio and southern Michigan and was interested in five more in the northern peninsula of Michigan, the company at that time employing more than a thousand men and being recognized as the largest stave com- pany in the world. In addition to its great manufacturing interests, the Buckeye Stave Company extensively engaged in the banking business. In 1887 the company purchased the bank at Leipsic and in 1891 established the bank at Continental, both in this county, the same being operated as private -concerns, the stock controlled by the stockholders of the stave company, the Edwards connection later extending its banking interests to Toledo and Pindlay, Ohio. In all his large and growing business activities Mr. Edwards ^ave himself unsparingly. From the very inception of this business he displayed an untiring zeal in the extension of the company's affairs, continually taking a most active and important part in the development of the business. His untimely death, on September 30, 1901, was a great blow to the company as well as a real shock to the community. Taken at the age of fifty-one, in the very prime of his life, it was difficult for many to reconcile themselves to what they regarded as his untimely departure, and he was sincerely mourned.

To the death of John Edwards the noble Epictetan concept which introduces this biography seems peculiarly applicable. He indeed had been true in all the relations of life, diligent in business, serving the Lord, and in his passing he left a memory which long shall be honored in the community which knew him so well. Though his life was one of commonplace beginnings, in its entirety it was far from commonplace. Endowed by nature with an excellent physique and a most gracious and engaging personality, he was a natural leader of men and his great business success hardly cotild have been otherwise. Greater, however, than his mere outward endowments were those fine traits of character which made him a strong and an upright man. Possessed of exceptional executive ability and far-sightedness in matters of business policy, together with a native will-power and a habit of constantly striving to do more and to do it better, he was successful in business far beyond the measure of the success of the average man. This success was not achieved, however, at the expense of character, but rather because of character. Of his honesty and sincerity much could be said, for they were essential characteristics with him. His kindliness of heart and generosity of nature were traits that endeared him to all with whom he came in contact. This generosity found expression, not only in countless private benefactions of which the public had no information, for Mr. Edwards was not one to let his right hand know what his left was doing in such matters, but colleges,

. churches and many worthy institutions found him a liberal giver. He, indeed, gave a good account "for the time during which I have used the things that were Thine," and it sufficed him. He regarded himself as a mere steward of the great worldly wealth which was given him and sought ever to govern his giving accordingly. In a quiet way he also was public-spirited and his influence was always exerted in behalf of such measures of public concern as promised the greatest advancement of the common weal, the weight of his counsels ever being on the side of the right. With quiet reticence, the charming modesty of the truly great, Mr. Edwards avoided all ostentation and, despite the power which his wealth inevitably gave him, was kindly and considerate to all, so that in his passing there was sincere mourning among all classes. Working out his own tranquillity, he thus had rendered that which is due to every relation of life.

On August 21, 1873, John Edwards was united in marriage to Mary E. Lenhart, who was born a mile west of Leipsic, in this county, the daughter of Henry S. and Adaline (Braucht) Lenhart, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania who moved to Hancock county, Ohio, in his young manhood and there married Adaline Braucht, who was born in that county, a member of one of the pioneer families. In 1854 the Lenharts came to this county and located on a farm west of the town of Leipsic, where Mrs. Lenhart died in 1869. Mr. Lenhart married a second time, taking as his wife Mrs. Anna (McConnell) Reed, and moved into Leipsic where his death occurred in 1904.

To John and Mary E. (Lenhart) Edwards were born four sons, Henry Clyde, Thomas Charles, William Earl and Oliver Pearl, the latter of whom are twms. Henry C. Edwards, who li\es on an extensive ranch in Texas, married Bertha Hadsell and has one son. Max Hadsell, now sixteen years of age. Thomas C. Edwards, who represents his late father's interest in the bank at Leipsic, married Blanche Patterson, of Manchester, Ohio, to which union were born four children, John Leon, Thomas Robert, Mary Elizabeth and Janet Virginia. William E. Edwards is a teacher in the high school at Leipsic and Oliver P. Edwards, who is one of the leading directors of the celebrated Temco Electric Motor Company at Leipsic, married Josephine Niblick, of Decatur, Indiana, and has one daughter, Harriet.

Mr. and Mrs. Edwards reared their children in the faith of the Methodist church and were warmly interested in all the various beneficences of that organization. Mr. Edwards was one of the church's most zealous supporters and took an earnest part in its numerous lines of activity, giving not only liberally of money, but unsparingly of his time and the benefit oi his great business ability, and the local congregation felt a sense of real bereavement upon his passage from this life.

Charles H. Jones

Among the worthy citizens of Columbus Grove, Putnam county, Ohio, whose residence here has contributed in no small degree to the prestige of the county, is Charles H. Jones, a well-known manufacturer. While laboring for his individual interests, he has not forgotten his obligations to the public, and his support of worthy measures and movements can always be depended upon. Although his life has been a busy one, his private affairs making heavy demands upon his time, he has never allowed it to interfere with his obligations as a citizen and a neighbor. Through long years of residence in this locality, he has ever been true to the trusts reposed in him, whether of a public or private nature. His reputation,' in a business way, is unassailable. Possessing in a marked degree those sterling traits which command uniform confidence and regard, he is today honored by all who know him and numbered among the representative men of Putnam county.

Charles H. Jones was born at Troy, Ohio, May 24, 1861. He is a son of Jeremiah F. and Martha Jane (Hajrt) Jones. The Joneses were natives of Wales. John Jones was born in Virginia, and emigrated to Bath county, Kentucky, where he married a Miss Greene. To this union were born eleven children, Oliver, Goldsbury, John, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, George, Zechariah, Elihu, Artimesia, Isabella and Salem. George Jones was born in Bath county, Kentucky, June 9, 1808, and emigrated to Miami county, Ohio, about 1826. He was married in 1829 to Eleanor Gearhart, whose parents were originally natives of Germany. Henry Gerhart was born in Washington county, Maryland, about 1767, and married Barbara Young. They emigrated to Rockbridge county. West Virginia, and were the parents of the following children, John, William, Anna, Elizabeth, Eleanor, Henry, Lewis and Joseph. Eleanor was born in Rockbridge county, West Virginia, September 5, 1810, and emigrated with her parents to Miami county, Ohio, in 18 16. She was married to George Jones in 1829. To this union five children were born, Jeremiah Fuson, Samantha Isabella, Simeon Gearhart, Anna Tabitha and Melyn Baker.

Jeremiah Fuson Jones was born on December 31, 1832. He married Martha Jane Hart, April 10, 1885. The Hart family were natives of New Jersey. John Hart, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was one of the progenitors of the Hart family. Charles Hart was born in New Jersey, about 1770, and married a Miss Chamberlin. He emigrated with his family to Miami county, Ohio, about 1806: He and his wife were the parents of four children, Ellen, William Levi, Wilson and Henry.

William L. Hart was born in New Jersey, in 1810, and emigrated with his parents to Ohio. He was married to Margaret Julien about 1832, a lady of French extraction, of Miami county, Ohio. They were the parentsof several children, Martha Jane, Justin Cyprian, John Lyman Beecher, Charles, Clarence Edgar and Alice, the last two named being twins.

Martha Jane Hart was born in Miami county, Ohio, May 22, 1834, and married Jeremiah Fuson Jones, as stated above. To this union four children were born, Ada Luella, Delia Doris, Charles H. and George Edgar.

Jeremiah Fuson Jones attended the country schools, until he reached the age of eighteen, and then undertook a course in Linden Hill Academy, at New Carlisle, Ohio, at that time, under the direction of Prof. Thomas Harrison, a graduate of Oxford University, England. Mr. Jones remained in this school for two years, and in the fall of 1853, began to teach school in Champaign county, Ohio, after which he taught one year in the schools of Miami county, Ohio, and continued teaching here until 1863, when he removed to Putnam county, where he was employed as superintendent of the public schools, at Delphos. Professor Jones held this position until 1867, when he moved to Anderson, Indiana, and became principal of the first ward school, of that city. He became superintendent of the Pendleton, Indiana, schools in January, 1868, and after one year in that place, returned to Delphos, Ohio, where he was superintendent of the schools for three years. Mr. Jones became superintendent of the schools at Columbus Grove, Ohio, in 1875, which position he filled for some years. Professor Jones retired from the educational field in 1883, having given thirty years of his life to that work. Before leaving the teaching profession in 1879, Mr. Jones had become interested in the manufacture of handles, a business in which he was to become associated with his sons, Charles H. and George E.

The factory at Columbus Grove specializes in second-growth hickory handles for tools and axes. All the handles are shaved and no turned handles are produced. The goods from this factory are sold all over the United States, chiefly on the Pacific coast. The firm name is now J F Jones' Sons and is composed of C. H. Jones and George E. Jones. Charles H Jones became a partner in 1884, and George E. Jones came into the firm about ten years later. About twenty years ago, J. F. Jones retired from the active management of the business and, since that time, has lived in Toledo, Ohio. Charles H. Jones received his education in the schools at Columbus Grove, where he graduated. He has been engaged in the handle business smce 1884. He is president of the Northern Ohio Cooperage & Lumber

Charles H. Jones was married on June 23, 1887, to Alice Rebecca Wyman, who was born and reared at Sidney, Ohio, and who is a daughter of Judge N. R. and Mary Wyman. Her father's name was Nathan Russell Wyman, he was born in Vermont, in 1821, and moved to Ohio in 1840. Nathan Wyman was in business in Sidney, Ohio, for many years, and was prominent as a Democrat, having been probate judge for several terms. He was appointed superintendent of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home at Xenia, Ohio. At the time of his death, August 29, 1886, he was manufacturing buggy spokes in Sidney.

Her mother was mary Hale Wyman, born in New York state in 1822, and died in Sidney, Ohio, November 3, 1905, at the advanced age of eightythree years. To this union two daughters have been born, Edith R. and Jeannette. Edith is a teacher of Latin and German in the Columbus Grove schools. She attended the Western College for Women, at Oxford, Ohio, and then attended Wooster University, where she graduated in 1910. She is also a graduate of the music department of the latter institution. Jeanette is a junior in the University of Wisconsin, at Madison, Wisconsin. She is a member of the university orchestra. Previously, she took one year at Wooster.

Charles H. Jones is a Republican, and served four years as postmaster of Columbus Grove, during President Harrison's administration. He is a prominent Mason, having attained to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and is also a member of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Presbyterian church, and takes an active interest in the work of that denomination, being a trustee of the church at this time, at Columbus Grove.

George Edgar Jones, the third member of the firm of J. F. Jones' Sons, was born March 24, 1872, at Delphos, Ohio. He grew to manhood at Columbus Grove, and after leaving the public schools, took a business course at Cincinnati, Ohio. He then entered business college, where he spent a short time at Chicago as an electrician. He became a member of the firm of J. F. Jones' Sons about 1894, and has devoted his time to this business since that date.

George Edgar Jones was married on May 22, 1894, to Grace Adelaide Dye, who was born at Columbus Grove, and who is a daughter of Willis Hance and Fannie Adelaide (Dann) Dye. Her father was a native of

Miami county, Ohio, and her mother a native of New Haven, Connecticut. Mrs. Jones' parents moved to Putnam county forty-one years ago, from Sidney, where they had Hved one year after their marriage. They lived at Columbus Grove until the death of Mrs. Dye in 1899, after which Mr. Dye moved to Van Wert, Ohio, and engaged in the grocery business. From there he went to Florida, where he is now living. He was engaged in the grocery business during all the time he was living in Columbus Grove, except ten years, which were devoted to the interests of a milling business.

To Mr. and Mrs. George E. Jones three children have been born, Granville Dye, Robert Edgar and Jeremiah Franklin. Granville is now a junior at the University of Michigan, and prior to going there, was a student at the University of Wooster for one year. George E. Jones and family are active and earnest members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Jones is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, having attained to the thirty-second degree, in that time-honored order. He is also a member of the Nobles of "the Mystic Shrine.

The Jones family is among the best known of Putnam county, they are leaders in the commercial, religious and social life of this section of Putnam and are well worthy of representation in the annals of their county.

Judge Julius Sinclair Ogan

An attorney of Ottawa, Putnam county, Ohio, and one of the largest landowners of the county, is Judge Julius Sinclair Ogan, who has been a resident of Ottawa since the fall of 1882. He was born and reared in this county, and with the exception of the years which he spent in college, has lived his whole life within its precincts. After graduating from the classical course at Oberlin College, he graduated from the law department of Michigan University, and has been engaged in the active practice of his profession since 1878. He has never been an aspirant for public office, and has never held but one, being appointed judge of the common pleas court for a period of eleven months. He has preferred to give his time and attention to his private practice and to the management of his large landholdings in this county.

Julius S. Ogan, the son of Noah W. and Nancy (Custer) Ogan, was born in Pleasant township, Putnam county, Ohio, June 9, 1850. His father Avas born in Green county, Ohio, October 21, 182 1, a son of Peter Ogan and wife. Noah Ogan came to Putnam county about 1834 with his parents and located in Pleasant township and there he spent his youth and young manhood. After his marriage to Nancy Custer, a daughter of Daniel Custer -and wife, Noah W. Ogan located on. the farm next to that of his father, in Pleasant township, and lived there until the latter part of the fifties, when he moved to Columbus Grove, where he engaged in the grain and grocery business, remaining there until the opening of the Civil War. He enlisted, in September, 1861, and was made captain of Company K, Fourteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served for about three years, and was discharged after the battle of Jonesboro, Georgia, on account of total disability, arising from the loss of his left arm. After the close of the war, Noah Ogan returned to Columbus Grove and engaged in various pursuits. He was engaged in the internal revenue service for some time, and also owned a farm near the village. He also practiced law in Columbus Grove, where he spent his declining years, his death occurring there on May 29, 1906. His first wife died about 1869, and some years later he married Emma Elliott. -By his first marriage there were four children, two of whom died in infancy. The others were, Jennie, who became the wife of Daniel Henley, and lived in Cleveland, Ohio, until her death, and Julius S., whose history is here presented. By the second marriage of Noah W. Ogan were born two children, Servitus Wesley and Silas Jerome.

Julius S. Ogan grew to manhood, at Columbus Grove, and after receiving his elementary education in the schools of that village, he entered Oberlin College, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1876. He at once entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, and graduated from the law course, in. the spring of 1878. With this excellent training, it is no wonder that he was a successful lawyer, from the beginning. He began practicing at Columbus Grove immediately after his graduation, and he and his father were in partnership in that place, until 1882. In the fall of that year he moved to Ottawa and went in partnership with John M. Sheets, who has since become the attorney-general of Ohio. Mr. Sheets was elected common pleas judge in 1894, and at that time Mr. Ogan went into partnership with William H. Handy, who had just retired from the common pleas bench. Mr. Ogan and Mr. Handy continued in partnership until the latter part of 1905, when Mr. Ogan was appointed judge of the common pleas court. He held this office for about eleven months, and since then has practiced alone.

Mr. Ogan was married on December 25, 1882, to Estella Turner, who was born in Pleasant township, Putnam county, and is the daughter of Will- iam M. and Martha Jane (Kuhn) Turner. Her grandfather was probate judge and died soon after he went out of office. Mr. Ogan and his wife are the parents of five children, four of whom are hving: WilHam Wesley dying at the age of six. The four children are Martha Jane, Myrtle, Mildred and Julius S. Myrtle is the wife of Dr. Joseph Shaw, of Coshocton, Ohio, while the other two children are still living with their parents. Julius is now attending the Ohio State University at Columbus. Mildred married J. F. Donart,. who is in the real estate and loan business at Ottawa.

Mr. Ogan was appointed a member of the Putnam county Building Committee in 1909, which had general charge of the construction of the new court house. He remained on this committee until the court house was finally completed and contributed his full share to the laborious duties of this committee. He is president of the Ottawa Home and Savings Association and one of its largest stockholders. He owns nine hundred and thirty acres of land ia Putnam county, from which he derives a very profitable income annually. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, being a member of the blue lodge, chapter and council.

William Henry Handy

A distinguished citizen of Ottawa, Putnam county, Ohio, a veteran of the Civil War and a former judge of the common pleas court, William Henry Handy is eminently entitled to representation in the history of his county.. He enlisted for service in the Civil War, when he was only sixteen years, of age, and served until the fall of 1865. Studying law, after the close of the war, he was admitted to the bar in 1868, and has been in continuous practice since that time. He has been a resident of Ottawa since the spring of 1894, and has taken active part in the life of the county seat of Putnam county since that time.

William Henry Handy, an attorney, of Ottawa, was born on January 29, 1847, in Pike township, Fulton county, Ohio. He is a son of Michael and Mary A. (Bryan) Handy. Michael Handy was born at Danby, Tompkins county. New York, in December, 1812, and was a son of Michael Handy, Sr., an old resident of the same county. The name was originally spelled Hendee, and two brothers with that name came from Wales during the seventeenth century, one settling in Vermont and the other in Virginia.. William H. Handy is a descendant of the Hendee who located in Vermont.

Michael Handy, the father of WilHam Henry, was a school teacher in Canada, but during the period of turmoil in that country was driven out and went to Algonac, Michigan, where he was married on September 22, 1836, to Mary A. Bryan. She, too, had been a teacher in Canada, and had come to Michigan, and she, likewise, was born in Tompkins county, New York, where her husband was born. In the winter of 1839-40, Michael Handy and wife moved from Michigan to Fulton county, Ohio, and located on a farm. He taught school, farmed and also cobbled shoes. He was a very industrious man and taught school by day and pegged shoes by night, and shook with the ague between times. In addition to his teaching school, shoemaking and farming, he also operated a blacksmith shop, did some cabinet making, and at odd times studied law, and it can be seen that he was a man of great industry and of no inconsiderable intellectual ability. After Putnam county was set off as a separate county in 1850 Michael Handy moved to Ottokee, the new county seat, and followed the practice of law. He moved to Wauseon, Ohio, in 187 1, the new county seat of Fulton county, and lived there the remainder of his life. He served as prosecuting attorney of Fulton county, and also as mayor of Wauseon. He died on March 6, 1885, his wife having passed away on April i, 1880.

William Henry Handy was educated in the schools of Fulton county, Ohio. When he was only sixteen years of age, on June 16, 1863, Mr. Handy enlisted in Company H, Eighty-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered in for the six months' service After serving in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, he was discharged on February 10, 1864. He re-enlisted, April 15, of the same year, in Company H, Sixty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was in continuous service until September 10, 1865, when he was discharged as sergeant. He served in the campaigns against Petersburg and Richmond, and was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered.

Immediately after the close of the war, Mr. Handy returned home and began the study of law with his father. He was admitted to the practice of law, at Toledo, Ohio, in 1868, being twenty-one years of age at the time. He took up the practice of his profession with his father at Ottokee, the county seat of Fulton county, Ohio, and the father and son practiced together until the first of January, 1875. At that time Mr. Handy and Frank H. Hurd started the Democratic Expositor, and operated this newspaper until m March, 1877, when it was sold to J. C. Balmeier. Mr. Handy at once returned to the practice of law at Wauseon, to which place his father had moved, upon the change of the county seat of Fulton county. He was in the continuous practice of his profession, in Wauseon, until February 10, 1885, when he assumed the duties of common pleas judge, to which office he had been appointed by Governor Hoadly. He filled this office by appointment and election, until May 10, 1894, a period of more than nine years, during which time he gave satisfactory service to the citizens of the three counties which composed his jurisdiction. At that time Putnam, Fulton and Henry counties combined in one judicial district. At the expiration of his term of office, in the spring of 1894, Mr. Handy moved to Ottawa, where he has since resided. He resumed the practice of his profession in partnership with A. S. Ogan, and the firm continued together until in December, 1899. At that time Mr. Unverferth became the partner of Mr. Handy.

Mr. Handy was married on October 16, 1869, to Isabelle J. Van Arsdale, who was born at Marseilles, Wyandot county, Ohio, and is a daughter of John and Marietta (Norton) Van Arsdale. Her parents moved to Ottokee about 1867, where she was living at the time of her marriage. Mr. Handy and his wife are the parents of three children, Harry L., Clive C. and May B. Harry married Maude Snyder, and is a locomotive engineer. Clive C. is an attorney in the legal department of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway Company, at Cleveland. He married Herma Orth, of Wauseon, and has one son, William O. May B. is a stenographer, and makes her home in Ottawa with her parents.

Mr. Handy has long been a leading factor in Democratic politics, but he has never held any other position than that of judge of the common pleas court. He is a Free and Accepted Mason and has attained the Royal and Select Masters degree. He is a genial citizen, fond of a good joke, and well known, not only throughout Putnam county, but throughout this section of the state.

William T. Cole

A veteran of the Civil War and a business man of Leipsic for a quarter of a century, who was the postmaster of that city, William T. Cole had been connected with the history of Putnam county since 1869. He enlisted in the Civil War when he was sixteen years of age, and after his enlistment had expired re-enlisted and served until the close of the war. He came to this county in 1869 and after farming for three years, located in Leipsic, where he has clerked in various stores and engaged in business for himself for more than twenty-five years. He had been the postmaster of Leipsic since 1907.

William T. Cole, the son of Alonzo and Sarah (Caldwell) Cole, was born in what was then called Frankleton, now West Columbus, Franklin county, Ohio, November 9, 1847. His father was born in Vermont and came to Columbus in childhood with his parents. His mother was born in Franklin county, Ohio, and was a daughter of William Caldwell and wife. His father was a life-long farmer.

Alonzo Cole was a school teacher in early life, and afterward engaged in farming. He moved to Delaware county, Ohio, while William T. was yet a child and remained there until 1871, when he moved to Putnam county. He bought a farm two miles east of Leipsic and farmed there until his declining years, when he retired and moved into Leipsic, where he died. Alonzo Cole and wife were the parents of nine children, Oscar, deceased; Charles, of Leipsic; Malissa, deceased, who was the wife of Justus Butler; Elisa, deceased, who was the wife of Mason Beardsley; Mary, the widow of George Whitman, who now lives with her daughter at Wheeling, West Virginia; William T., of Leipsic, deceased, and three children who died in infancy.

William T. Cole was reared in Delaware county, Ohio, and was living there at the time of the opening of the Civil War. He was large for his age and, although only sixteen, succeeded in becoming a member of Company H, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served with this company for four months around Washington, D. C, and was then discharged with his company. He returned home and went to school one winter and in the following March enlisted again in Company B, One Hundred and Ninety-sixth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was sent with his regiment to Winchester, Virginia, where the regiment was divided up and his company sent to Fort Federal Hill, near Baltimore, and he remained there the seven months which elapsed until the close of the war.

After the close of the Civil War, Mr. Cole returned to his home in Delaware county and worked on a farm and in a saw-mill. He married in 1867 and located in Delaware county, but in 1869, he and his brother, Oscar, and two brothers-in-law, Justus Butler and George Whitman, came to Putnam county where the four of them bought a half section of land, two miles east of Leipsic. Mr. Cole clejjred his share of the land, but only lived on it for three years. He then moved to Leipsic and engaged in business, and until he became postmaster in 1907, he was either clerking in stores in the city, or engaged in business for himself. He was commissioned postmaster of Leipsic, December 16, 1907, and was re-appointed in 19 12 for four more years.

Mr. Cole was married on December 29, 1867, to Olive Critchet, who was born in Licking county, Ohio, November 18, 1851, and is a daughter of Benjamin and Susan (Slutz) Critchet. Her father was a farmer and for forty years was a justice of the peace in Licking county. To this union were born four children, two dying in infancy, and two sons, Alvin M. and Charles Ray, who are still surviving. Alvin M. was born on December 23. 1874, and is now assistant postmaster of Leipsic. He married Nellie Schroeder. Charles R., born July 23, 1880, is now a clerk in the postoffice. Charles married Nettie Altekruse, of Ottawa, and they have two daughters, Margaret and Thelma.

Mr. Cole and his wife and son, Ray, attended the Disciples church. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias. He had long been identified with the Republican party, and has served as township treasurer and township assessor, rendering his fellow citizens faithful and efficient service in both capacities. William T. Cole died on February 27, 1915.

Although William Lewis Werner, M. D., has been a resident of Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio, since the spring of 1908, he has already built up a large practice in the city and surrounding community. He is a man of exceptional training, along medical lines, as is attested by the number of diplomas from many of the most eminent schools of medicine in the United States. Not only has Doctor Werner met with pronounced success as a physician, but he has also taken an active part in the civic life of his community.

William L. Werner, M. D., the son of Andrew and Catherine (Roth) Werner, was born at Eglon, Preston county. West Virginia, November 27, 1868. His father was born in Pennsylvania, and for many years engaged in the carpentering and contracting business and, in 1888, became the proprietor of a summer resort hotel at Eglon, West Virginia, which he managed until his wife's death, in 1906. A few years later he married again, and is now living a retired life at Kingwood, West Virginia. He and his wife are members of the English Lutheran church. Andrew Werner served during the Civil War in the Union army.

Doctor Werner was reared in Preston county. West Virginia, where as a youth he engaged in mercantile pursuits for a short time. Later, he engaged in the same business, at Gormania, in Grant county. West Virginia, for a tiine. Doctor Werner graduated from the Thomas (West Virginia) high school in 1896, and in the following year entered the Eclectic Medical Institute, at Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from that institution, in April, 1901.

Doctor Werner really began his practice before he completed his college course. At the end of his second year, he became an assistant to Dr. B. Baker, at Thomas, West Virginia, and at the end of his third year, was admitted to the practice of his profession in West Virginia. After he graduated in 1901, he returned to Thomas, where he continued the practice of medicine, until 1907. He built up a good practice in that place and became president of the State Eclectic Medical Association and a member of the pension examining board of his county. He was also physician for the poor in the Fairfax and Davis districts, and president of the county board of health.

Doctor Werner was not satisfied to discontinue his medical studies, in 1901, and since that time has taken many post-graduate courses in various schools throughout the country. He has taken a post-graduate course in the Philadelphia Polyclinic and College for Graduates in Medicine, during which time he pursued a general course for graduate physicians, and later, a special course in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. He also took a special course in abdominal surgery and gynecology. He graduated from the National College of Electro-Therapeutics, in the subjects of electro-physics and electro-therapeutics. He took a general post-graduate course at Johns Hopkins University, in 1906, a school which ranks as the best post-graduate college in America, and it is evident, from Doctor Werner's post-graduate work, that he is eminently fitted for his chosen profession.

Doctor Werner permanently located at Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio, on May 5, 1908, where he has since continued his practice. It is needless to add that he has been successful from the beginning, and he finds his work constantly increasing. Since locating in Leipsic, he has taken an active part in the afifairs of the community, and at the present time is a member of the school board. He is unusually well-equipped in his office for all kinds of medical work. He has a stock of drugs and does all of his prescription compounding. He has an oxyolene machine, which cost him nearly a thousand dollars; high frequency and X-ray machine, an electric vibrator, a fine equipment for optical examinations, a large and varied assortment of surgical instruments, and, in fact, everything which the twentieth-century physician and surgeon needs in general practice.

It is interesting to note that Doctor Werner was married before he was twenty-five years of age, and he attributes no small share of his wonderful success to the inspiration of his wife. He was married on September 25, 1893, to Lucretia E. Chisholm, who was born in Garrett county, Maryland, m 1876, and is a daughter of Alexander and Emily Chisholm, of Scottish parentage. To this union have been born two children, Myrtle Lucile and William Lewis, Jr. Lucile married Fred C. Smith, of Jersey City, New Jersey.

Doctor Werner and his family are members of the Lutheran church and he holds his membership in the Knights of Pythias, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has always taken a great interest in the state and national medical associations and makes it a point to keep in close touch with the latest developments in his profession. He has been particularly interested in the study of typhoid fever, its causes and treatment. While living in West Virginia, he was appointed, by the governor of the state, asdelegate to the American Anti-Tuberculosis League, in 1907. Doctor Werner is still a young man and the success which has attended his efforts, thus. far, indicates that he has a long and prosperous career before him.

Aldine J. Welty

It is one of the outstanding features of our government that it acknowledges no hereditary rank or title, no patent of nobility, save that of nature, leaving every man to fix his own rank and to become the artificer of his own fortune. Places of honor, rank and preferment are thus happily placed before every individual, high or low, rich or poor, to be striven for by all,, but earned alone by perseverance and sterling worth, and are almost always sure to be filled by deserving men, or at least by those possessing the energy and talent essential to success in contest for public position. Aldine J. Welty is a conspicuous example of the successful, self-made American citizen, who is not only eminently deserving of the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens, but who also possesses the necessary energy and talent which fit him to discharge worthily the duties of the responsible place with which he has been charged. He is a man of vigorous mentality and strong mental fiber, and has found these qualities the chief factors in carving out a career above suspicion and reproach. He is an honor to the county,, which he is so splendidly serving.

27, 1883, in Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio. He is the son of John U. and Catherine (Thut) Wehy, the former of whom is a native of Berne, Switzerland, born February 5, 1840, the son of John and Mary Ann (Gerber) Welty.

Aldine J. Welty grew up on the home farm and attended the old Mulberry district school until the age of seventeen, and then entered the Pandora high school from which he was graduated at the age of twenty-one, withthe class of 1904. He worked for a short time at the carpenter's trade and, subsequently, took a trip west, visiting the World's Fair, in St. Louis, in 1904, Denver, and thence to eastern Washington and other points. He remained in this portion of the west for about nine months and during a part of this time, taught school. Upon his return home, he engaged in teaching for five years and, during vacations, employed his time as a clerk in thestore of David Lichty at Pandora.

Mr. Welty was married on June 25, 1907, at the age of twenty-five, to- Mary B. Amstutz, the daughter of Abraham M. and Catherine (Hilty) Amstutz, and to this union three children have been born, Clyde Lawrence^ Arthur Laurel, who died at the age of three months, and Leland J.

After his marriage, Mr. Welty continued to teach for one year, when he became affiliated with the Pandora Overall Company, first as a salesman and, later, as secretary and joint manager. He has been very successful in his business relations thus far, and is the largest employer of labor in Putnam county. Mr. Welty also has control of two other factories, one at Celina,. and the other at Zanesville, Ohio, being engaged in business similar to that at Pandora.

Aldine J. Welty's grandfather was born at Berne, Switzerland, in 1804.- He was a farmer in Switzerland and was considered well-to-do, for his time. In addition to being a farmer, he was a mechanical genius and an able carpenter. He came to America in 1845, landing at New York City after fortyfive days on the water. He came direct to Ohio and settled shortly afterwards in Riley township, Putnam county, where he entered land from the government. This farm comprised one hundred and sixty acres, which Mr. Welty proceeded to clear and drain. He built a log cabin and other buildings, and it was here that he reared his family. There were twelve children, four of whom were born in Switzerland, Fred, who resides in Oklahoma; John U., the father of Aldine J.; David; Annie, the wife of Rev. Zimmerly; John, who lives in Oregon; Christian; Abraham, who also lives in Oregon; Fannie, the deceased wife of Abraham Reusser, of Kansas; Amos; Peter[ who also resides in Oregon; Samuel, and Anna, the wife of Peter R. Graberl of Kansas. In addition to rearing this splendid family of children, all of whom grew to maturity, and all of whom, except one, married, John Welty, .Sr., reared four orphan children. One of them married his youngest son, Samuel. John Welty was a close friend and associate of the well-known Rev. John Moser. It is related that so close was their fellowship, they had but one pocketbook. It is further stated that John Welty never took a man's Tiote for money loaned, depending entirely upon the man's sense of honor. He was a man who was strictly religious, and was one of the founders of ihe Mennonite church. He was universally respected and well known as a ^ood man and an upright citizen. He had, according to a recent counting, one hundred and one grandchildren living. From time to time he added to his holdings until he accumulated eight hundred and forty acres of land.

The original Welty homestead was located in the southeastern corner, of Putnam county. It was here that John U. Welty was brought by his parents, when five years old. Here he attended the typical log cabin school, and it was here that he grew to manhood. This country, at that time, was heavily timbered, and almost totally under water. He remained with his people until he was twenty-seven years old, and at times worked for neighboring farmers. It is related that the greatest compensation he received at any time for his labors, was one hundred and five dollars, and a suit of clothes. At the age of twenty-seven, he was married to Catherine Thut, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, September 18, 1842, the daughter of Peter I. and Elizabeth (Burkholder) Thut, also pioneers of Allen county. The Thut family had come from Switzerland, and comprised a number of deeply religious people. The Burkholder family was known for its thrift and economy.

After John U. Welty was married, he moved to a farm of his father's, -two and one-half miles east of Pandora, which he later purchased of his father. Eight acres of this land was cleared and had a log cabin and barn upon it, and it was here that he reared his family of six children, all of whom are living, and where he is living at the present time. His children follow : Amos, who married Margaret Suter, has seven children and lives in Marinette, Wisconsin. Menno, who resides in Reedley, California, married Anna Schragg, and has three sons. Elias, who lives in Pandora, married Elizabeth Amstutz, and has six children. Elizabeth, who is the wife of Albert B. Hilty, of Riley township, has four children. William, who resides on the home place, married Ella Bracy, and has three children. Aldine J. is the of this sketch.

considerable money and property aside from his farm holdings. He suffered a great misfortune, on May 19, 1900, when his wife passed away. For years she had been in delicate health. She was a kind and affectionate woman, and throughout her life had been a great sufferer, but bore it all uncomplainingly, and was the light and sunshine of her home.

Aldine J. Welty has been prominent in Democratic politics in Putnam county for many years. He is at present a central committeeman and was a prominent candidate for delegate to the national Democratic convention, at Baltimore, in 1912. In December, of that year, he was appointed on a committee of ten, from Ohio, to confer at Washington, D. C, with August Belmont and other Democratic leaders. He performed efficient service for his party on this committee. Mr. Welty is also one of the organizers of the town and township Democratic Club. In recognition of Mr. Welty's services to the Democratic party, President Wilson sent him his autographed photograph. During Bryan's campaign, in the fall of 1912, Mr. Welty was a member of the entertainment committee in his congressional district. For the past seven years Mr. Welty has been secretary of the Grace Mennonite church, of which the entire family are members. For two years he has been superintendent of the Sunday school. He is secretary of the lecture board of his own town and also vice-president of the school board.

Aldine J. Welty is a young man who has traveled extensively, from ocean to ocean, and has added to his already good education by both study and travel. He is always to be foiind behind any movement pertaining to the progress or betterment of the community. He is a man of the cleanest character and the very highest ideals. Possessed of splendid executive ability, -as he is, and with his natural capacity for leadership, he is expected to become one of the leading factors of the Democratic party in the state of Ohio. He is eminently equipped for work of this character.

W. M. George

More and more, every year, the public is realizing the importance of maintaining a complete and accurate record of the proceedings of the county courts. Upon the accuracy and thoroughness of these local records much depends, as the vital interests of future generations may seriously hinge, some time, upon the preservation today of items of record that may, in themselves, seem trivial. The importance, therefore, of having some one in the office of the clerk of the county courts who, by training and inclination, is. given to thoroughness and studious attention to even the most minor details, of his office, cannot be over estimated. That Putnam county, in recent years, has been fortunate in securing the valuable services of such a public servant in the office of the clerk of courts, is a matter of general congratulation in the county, it being felt that the records of these important courts, are safe in the hands of the present incumbent. That the people of the county were satisfied with the selection they had made of such a public servant, was made plainly evident by the flattering re-election of W. M. George, at the last election to the office which, for one term, he had filled with such eminent satisfaction to the general public, particularly to those whose greater interest it is to know that the records of the county courts are being properly preserved, and it is a pleasure for the biographer here to present a brief and modest review of the life's history of the gentleman whose name forms the caption for this interesting biographical sketch.

W. M. George, clerk of the court of Putnam county, Ohio, and perhaps one of the best-known and most popular county officials that ever held office in the court house, was born on October i6, 1867, '" Van Buren township, Putnam county, the son of John H. and Mary M. (French) George, the former of whom was a native of Germany, born on March 13, 1834, and who died on August 22, 1812, and the latter of whom was born, in Fairfield, county, Ohio, January 22, 1834, and is still living at her home, in Belmore, this county.

John H. George, who, in his day, was one of the best-known farmers and business men, in Putnam county, was born in Kreis-Dill, Germany, the son of John and Mary (Kemper) George, parents of four children, and, in 1852, when eighteen years of age, came to America. He landed in New York and soon made his way to Ohio. He had learned wagon-making in his native land and for two years worked at this trade in Crawford county, Ohio. He went to Hancock county in the spring of 1854, where he worked at his trade, until 1862. In the meanwhile, in 1855, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary M. French, daughter of Grover French, a farmer of Irish descent, whodied in Hancock county, Ohio, in 1857, his widow sui-viving until March, 1884, when she died at the home of Mr. and Mrs. George at the age of ninety years. Grover French and wife were the parents of seven children, John, a United Brethren minister; Elizabeth; Mrs. Lucinda Wiekham, of Belmore ;- George, a United Brethren minister, at Bentonville, Ohio ; Reuben ; Mary M. (Mrs. George) and Sarah. Of these only the mother of the subject of this, sketch now survives.

To John H. and Mary M. (French) George were born seven children, Genevre, who married Peter Zeller, a carpenter; Sarah A., who married L. Swaninger, and was the mother of two children : Reuben, a well-known hardware merchant, of Belmore, this county; Elizabeth, who married William Cook, a Putnam county farmer; Grover, who died at the age of seventeen; WilHam M., the immediate subject of this biographical sketch, now clerk of the courts of Putnam county, and Ida, who died at the ag-e of seventeen. After his marriage, John H. George continued to work at his trade in Hancock county, as above stated, until the spring of 1862, when he came to Putnam county and bought a tract of eighty acres of land in the woods, on which he built a cabin. He had cleared about twenty acres and had placed the same under cultivation when he entered the Fifty-fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in 1864, as a substitute, and was assigned to the Anny of the Tennessee. He was with General Sherman in his famous march to the sea, was in a number of severe skirmishes, and fought in the last two battles in which his regiment took part as the war was drawing to a close. He was mustered out, at Louisville, Kentucky, and, at Cleveland, Ohio, received his honorable discharge.

At the close of the war, Mr. George resumed the pursuits of peace, re-entering, with unimpaired energy and ambition, upon the interrupted task of clearing his little farm, in Putnam county. This same energy marked his course all through his life and he added to his farm holdings from time to time until he, presently, was the possessor of more than four hundred acres of well-improved land. In addition to managing his large agricultural interests in this county, Mr. George found time to engage in various other business enterprises, though occasionally he met with some reverses, especially in the way of paying off securities, his well-known generosity several times having caused him losses in this direction. Running a brewery in Ottawa, also, was an enterprise in which he met with a disastrous loss, by fire. In partnership with Captain Matthias in 1891, he opened a hardware store in Belmore, in which place he owned considerable residence property.

The elder George always was a Democrat and was active in the local campaigns of his party, his counsels ever having weight with the party managers in the county. He served two terms as justice of the peace, six years as county commissionr and, in 1880, was land appraiser. In addition to these public honors, he had filled several minor positions of public trust. He was a member of the United Presbyterian church, while his wife was a member of the Evangelical church. John H. George was a man of large influence in his neighborhood and his memory is cherished by many in the community in which he so long and so usefully labored. In these labors he ever found a faithful helpmate in his devoted wife, and his widow, who still survives, is the object of the sincere affection of the entire Belmore neighborhood, all the people of which hold her in the very highest esteem.

With two such parents it could hardly have been otherwise with W. M. George than that he should grow up bulwarked by habits of study and industry. Reared upon the farm, under the careful training of his father, he received full instruction in the rudiments of profitable agriculture and, at the same time acquired studious habit, so that the course in the public schools served as a stimulant to further scholastic ambitions. Finishing the course in the local schools, he attended college, at Ada, Ohio, and, in 1888, began teaching school. For two years he did work in this line in the district schools of Van Buren township, his services in this capacity proving so satisfactory to the school authorities, that he was ele\'ated to the position of superintendent of the schools at Belmore. Here he served with much satisfaction to the patrons of the school for a period of three years, making an excellent reputation for himself in school circles in the county. He also, about this time, was interested, with his father, in the management of a store at Belmore. During President Cleveland's second administration, he was postmaster at Belmore, being at the same time engaged in the grocery business there. Shortly after the close of this term of service, Mr. George decided to take up farming as a definite life's work and, following out this design, engaged in active farm work in the Belmore neighborhood, in which he met with marked success. At the same time, his acquaintance over the county was growing and his earnest and useful activities, in local Democratic campaigns, began to gain the recognition of the party managers, who presently found in him one of the most aggressive political forces in the county. It was fitting, therefore, that in the campaign of 1909, Mr. George should receive the nomination of his party for the office of clerk of the court. His well-recognized qualifications for the proper discharge of the duties of this office, made his election a foregone conclusion, and he took office in 191 1. The capable manner in which he handled the affairs of this important office insured his re-nomination, to succeed himself, and he was re-elected, in 1912, his term of office being due to expire, in August, 1915.

In September, 1890, Mr. George was united marriage with Miss Lida Fisher, who was born near Monroeville, Indiana, June 13, 1870, the daughter of Andrew J. and Nancy (Baker) Fisher. The Fishers had moved from Indiana to Ohio, in the year 1874, and for many years, thereafter, lived in Belmore, later moving to Paulding county, where Mrs. Fisher died. Mr

Fisher remarried and now lives in Van Wert. Lida Fisher grew up at Belmore and, after finishing her school course, became a teacher in the public schools of her home town, being also a teacher of music, both vocal and instrumental. In the work of the public schools, she and Mr. George, whc^ was superintendent of the Belmore schools, for some time, were closely associated, and this association developed into a romance which led to the happy marriage.

To William M. and Lida (Fisher) George seven children have been born, John H., who married Laura Feutermacher, and lives on a farm in Van Buren township, Putnam county; Nanna C. married Julian C. Brown and lives near Hamler, in Marion township, Henry county, Ohio; Bernice,. Bernard J., Delia, Noel and Dale are still at home and make merry the fireside of their devoted parents, the George home, in Belmore, being the center of many social gaities.

Mr. and Mrs. George are members of the Evangelical church and takea warm interest in the various beneficences of that religious organization, as well as being active participants in such local movements as have for their object the advancement of the best interests of the community at large, and are very properly regarded as among the leaders in all good works inthis county. Mr. George is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in the affairs of which he takes considerable interest.

Charles Francis Holtzhauer

A rapid rise in the educational world has marked the career of Charles^ Francis Holtzhauer, who, although a young man in years, is now the superintendent of the Ottawa public schools. Graduating from one of the many excellent colleges of Ohio in 1907, he has been teaching in high schools of the state since that time, and is now serving his second year as superintendent of the schools of Ottawa.

Charles Francis Holzhauer, the son of Henry and Clarissa (Wunderly) Holzhauer, was born near Huron, Erie county, Ohio, November 26, 1881. His father was born near Amherst, Lorain county, Ohio, a son of John- Flolzhauer, who came from Hesse-Cassel, Germany. Clarissa Wunderly, the mother of Mr. Holzhauer, was born in Erie county, Ohio, and her mother was a native of Hesse-Cassel, Germany. Henry Holzhauer is now living on the farm in Erie county, Ohio, where his son, Charles F., was. born, and has made his home on this farm for many years.

Charles F. Holzhauer was reared on his father's farm in Erie county, Ohio, and received his elementary education in the country schools. After graduating from the common schools he entered the Huron high school and graduated in the class of. 1903. He at once entered Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Science, in the spring of 1907. In the fall of that year he began teaching, as assistant principal of the high school at Cadiz, Ohio, and remained in that school for four years. He came to Ottawa in 191 1 as principal of the high school and after holding this position for three years, was elected in the summer of 1914 to the superintendency of the Ottawa schools. This is sufficient indication that his work in the schools of Ottawa has been satisfactory m every way. It is not only a tribute to his efficiency as an instructor, but also to his high character and sterling worth as a citizen.

Mr. Holzhauer was married in 1908 to Bessie Simmons, who was born at Oceola, Crawford county, Ohio, and is a daughter of Ira H. and Amanda J. (Doty) Simmons. Mr. Holzhauer met his wife while they were both students at Delaware. To this union have been born two children, John Henry, who is now six years of age, and Mary Elizabeth, who is one year old.

Mr. Holzhauer and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Ottawa. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, and is now serving as senior deacon of the Ottawa lodge.

For more than twenty years, Henry Clifton Ruhl, M. D., has been practicing his profession in Leipsic, Ohio. Born and reared in Morrow county, Ohio, he went to Michigan with his father, in 1880, and completed his elementary education in that state. Later, he became a student at the Northern Normal University, at Ada, Ohio, and then entered the teaching profession. He finally decided to become a physician, and, with this intention, took a medical course of three years, and has been in the active practice of medicine since 1894. He located in Leipsic immediately after his graduation from the medical college, and has met with excellent success in the pursuit

-of his life work. He has been active in the civic life of Leipsic and is a public-spirited citizen, who can always be depended upon to support all

'(Jacobs) Ruhl, was born in Morrow county, Ohio, December 4, 1864. His father was born in 1828, in Berlin, Germany, and came, when a lad, with his parents to Pennsylvania. Adam Henry Ruhl was a son of Jacob Henry and Emma Ruhl, and, when about seventeen years of age, came with his parents from Pennsylvania to Morrow county, Ohio, where Jacob H. Ruhl and wife lived the remainder of their lives, dying at the ages of eighty-three and eighty-seven years, respectively. The Jacobs family also came from Berlin, Germany, and located in Pennsylvania, living at New Freedom, in York -county. Louisa Jacobs' father died in that county, lacking ten days of being one hundred years old. His widow was past ninety-four years of age at the time of her death.

Adam Henry Ruhl was twice married. His first wife, Louisa Jacobs, -died in 1870, and, in 1873, he married again. He removed with his family to Gratiot county, Michigan, in 1880, and there spent the remainder of his life. He was a millwright by trade, and followed that occupation until his second marriage, after which time he engaged in farming.

Henry C. Ruhl, M. D., was sixteen years of age when his father went from Morrow county, Ohio, to Michigan, and lived in the latter state three years. He became a student in the Northern Ohio Normal University in 1883, and later, taught in the public schools for three years. In the fall of 1891, he entered Pulte Homeopathic Medical College, of Cincinnati, and graduated from that institution in the spring of 1894. On May 4, of that year, he began the practice of his profession, at Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio, where he has since made his home. He has built up a large practice, and at the same time has been prominent in the civic affairs of the city.

Doctor Ruhl was married in July, 1894, to Anna Moore, who was born near Columbus Grove, Putnam county, and is a daughter of Samuel and Maria (Kiefer) Moore. Her parents were both natives of Pennsylvania, and were married in Richland county, Ohio. From that county the Moores came to Putnam county, and located on a farm near Columbus Grove, where Mr. Moore died at the age of seventy-six; His widow is now living at the home of Doctor Ruhl, and is past eighty years of age. Doctor Ruhl and his wife have one daughter, Neva J., who is now a college student at Delaware Ohio. '

Doctor Ruhl is active in the Democratic party in his county, and has -always taken unusual interest in its public affairs. He was elected mayor of Leipsic m 1898. He was elected to the same office in the fall of 191 1 Doctor Ruhl was a member of the school board, of Leipsic, for nine years and it was during his incumbency the present high school building was erected. The doctor owns an excellent farm, near Leipsic, over which he has general supervision. The family are stanch members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he is a member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons and has attained to all the degrees up to and including the Knights Templar. He has been a member of the Knights of Pythias since 1888. Doctor Ruhl is a genial and whole-souled man, and has a large circle of friends and acquaintances throughout the county.

William W. Dibble

Prominently identified with the educational interests of the community in which he lived, William W. Dibble has been engaged in public school work in Putnam county, Ohio, for several years. Starting in before reaching his majority, as a teacher, he taught in order to secure money to pay his way through college, and for the past quarter of a century has been spending each winter in the school room. He has taught for several years in his home county, both in the common and the high schools, and since 19 14 has been district superintendent of Liberty, Van Buren and Blanchard townships.

William W. Dibble, the son of William E. and Martha Jane (Taylor) Dibble, was born on May 17, 1866, at Waterville, Lucas county, Ohio. His father's history appears elsewhere in this volume, and the reader is referred to it for information concerning the Dibble family.

William W. Dibble was reared at Waterville, Ohio, until he was sixteen years of age, at which time his parents moved to the southern part of Henry county, Ohio, where his father bought a tract of timbered land, and young William took his fvill share in the arduous task of clearing the land and preparing it for cultivation. - At that time there were many wild turkeys in the woods and small game was abundant.

William W Dibble attended the high schools at Elmore, Ottawa county, Ohio, and Lindsay, Sandusky county, Ohio, when he began to teach. After teaching one term he entered the Northwestern Ohio University at Ada, and for the next three years interspersed his college education with teaching in the public schools. He also took a business course in shorthand and bookkeeping at the Tri-State Business College at Toledo, Ohio, and worked in an office for one year, when he returned to teaching. He taught school for several years in Henry and Putnam counties, before beginning teaching in the high school at Leipsic in 1909. He continued there until the spring of 1913, when he became superintendent of the schools of Liberty and Van Buren townships, and, in 1914, Blanchard township was added to his territory, and the title was changed to that of district superintendent of schools, with complete jurisdiction over Liberty, Van Buren and Blanchard townships. He is a practical school man, who understands every phase of public school teaching and is regarded as one of the best men of the profession in Putnam county.

Mr. Dibble was married in 1892 to Mary Alice Wise, who was born in Hancock county, Ohio, and is a daughter of John F. and Martha J. (Schwab) Wise. Both of her parents were born and reared in Hancock county, and now live in Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio.

Mr. Dibble and his wife are loyal workers in the Methodist Episcopal church, where Mr. Dibble has been the superintendent of the Sunday school for the past five years. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias.

Peter A. Missler

A man of marked administrative ability is Peter A. Missler, the present mayor of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio. He has held this responsible position since 1908, and in 1914 was re-elected for two more years, a fact which speaks well for his worth as a citizen, and his ability as an eiecutor. He has been a life-long farmer and has lived at Glandorf since 1897.

Peter A. Missler, the son of Joseph and Susannah (Willman) Missler, was born in Huron county, Ohio, in 1876. His father was a native of Germany, born in 1830, and, when a boy of sixteen, came to America alone and located in Huron county, Ohio, where he worked as a cooper He made barrels for wine and other liquids and built up a business which necessitated the employment of eight or ten men. While living in Huron county he married Susannah Willman, who was a native of Stark county, Ohio and died m Huron county in 1885. In the meantime Joseph Missler had' sent to Germany for his parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Missler, they coming to this country and living the remainder of their lives in Huron county

After the death of his wife, Joseph Missler moved to Mercer county Ohio, and lived there with his son, Joseph, Jr., until his death on August 8, 1914, at the age of eighty-four years. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, three of whom are deceased, Clara dying in infancy, Katherine dying in 1883, after reaching maturity, and Margaret, who died at the age of nineteen. The five living children are as follow: Joseph, of Mercer county, Ohio; Peter A., of Glandorf ; John A., of Glandorf; Mary, a teacher in Auglaize county, Ohio, and Elizabeth, a teacher at Sedalia, Missouri.

Peter A. Missler was eight years of age when his mother died, and he then went with his father to Mercer county, and attended the college at Rensselaer, for two years. Peter A. Missler came to Glandorf in 1897 to engage in farming and has made this his life work. He has a good farm near Glandorf, where he engaged in diversified farming with a result which speaks well for his efforts.

Mr. Missler is a stanch Democrat, and is now a member of the Democratic central committee, of Putnam county. Pie was elected mayor of Glandorf in 1908, and has been re-elected every two years since that time. He is a stockholder and director in the Glandorf German Building & Loan Association.

Peter Missler was married in 1902 to Emma Catherine EUerbrock, who was born in Glandorf, and is a daughter of John William and Jennie (Utendorf) EUerbrock, a sketch of whose parents may be found elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Missler are the parents of five children living and one deceased, Mary, Joseph, Edward, Otmar, Angeline and Paul, who died on August 9, 19,13, at the age of two years. Mr. Missler and his family are loyal members of the Catholic church, and are deeply interested in its welfare.

There is no class to whom greater gratitude is due, from the world at large, than the self-sacrificing, sympathetic, noble-minded men whose life work is the alleviation of suffering and administering comfort to the afflicted - those men who, in many cases, are responsible for lengthening the span of human existence. There is no standard by which their beneficent influence can be measured. Their helpfulness is limited only by the extent of their knowledge and skill, while their power goes hand in hand with the wonderful laws of nature that spring from the very source of life itself. Some one has aptly said "He serves God best, who serves humanity most." Among the physicians and surgeons of Putnam county, who have risen to well-deserved eminence in their chosen field of endeavor, and who are serv- ing humanity with their talents and their training, is Harry Allen Neiswander, M. D., of Pandora, Putnam county, Ohio. Doctor Neiswander is a man who has proved' himself to be broad-minded and conscientious in the sphere to which his life and energies have been devoted. He is possessed of a- profound knowledge of the science of his profession, which has won for him a leading place among the distinguished medical men of his day and generation in Putnam county.

Harry Allen Neiswander, M. D., was born on September 26, 1881, in Van Buren township, Hancock county, Ohio. He is the son. of Joshua N. and Susan (Blosser) Neiswander. Joshua N. Neiswander, the son of Michael and Fanny (Geiger) Neiswander, was born on January 4, 1857, in Richland township, Allen county, Ohio. Richland township was formerly a part of Putnam county. Michael Neiswander, the son of Michael Neiswander, Sr., was born on the Atlantic ocean en route to New York. Michael Neiswander, Sr., whose wife was Anna Ernst, was born in Berne, Switzerland, and came to America, as one of the early settlers of Allen county, Ohio, at the age of twenty-two, the year in which Michael Neiswander, Jr., was born. Michael Neiswander, Sr., settled first in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. Subsequently, he followed the Riley creek, looking for a suitable location and homestead, which he found upon arriving at a spring in what is now Richland township, Allen county, Ohio. Michael Neiswander, Sr., entered land from the government and passed through all of the pioneer experiences common to his day and generation. He was accus- - tomed to drive to Sandusky, more than sixty miles away, to mill and to buy provisions. A barrel of flour cost fifteen dollars in those days. On one occasion his son Daniel was driving home through the timber in a slei<^h when a pack of wolves got on his trail. Hearing their vicious snarls and howls, he understood they were coming after him. Lashing his horses into a run, he drove for home at top speed. Arriving at the barn, he hastily unhitched his horses, put them into the stable, locked the door and ran for the house with the wolves almost at his heels. Once in the house he was safe from, harm. When he awoke the next morning, the wolves had disappeared but he fotmd the marks of their claws on the door. On one occasion when Michael Neiswander, Sr., had been to mill in Sandusky, he happened to cross a bridge over a stream which hacf nearly overflown. As the horses stepped on the bridge, Michael observed that the planks were floating and whipping up his horses, hurried them across. So nearly afloat was the brid<.e that just as the wheels of his wagon passed over^each plank, it floated away Michael Neiswander, Sr., was the father of three sons, Daniel, Michael jr., and John.^ Daniel located in Putnam county and became a prosperous farmer. He was the father of four daughters and one son. John moved to Missouri in an early day, where he reared a large family and prospered. Michael, Jr., grew to manhood on the old homestead and reared a family of four sons and three daughters, all of whom are now living except one. At one time he was very well-to-do, owning two hundred and forty acres of land besides other property. Joshua Neiswander, the father of Dr. Harry A., was the fourth child born to Michael Neiswander, Jr. He was born on the homestead in Richland township. So far as is known, Michael, Jr., had no educational advantages, except what he received from his parents. His father, however, was a well-informed man for his time, judging by the records and diaries he left, and must have been able to give his son some valuable instructions. Joshua Neiswander attended school in the old log school house, and grew to manhood under conditions much better than those which his father confronted, but still very largely of a primitive nature. Log cabins at that time were still the rule, although they had begun to be replaced by more commodious farm dwellings in the older settled communities.

Joshua Neiswander remained with his parents until of age, after which, for about three years, he worked on a farm and spent a few months in Canada. After his return from Canada, he was married, at the age of twenty-four, to Susan Blosser, the daughter of Christian and Catherine (Thut) Blosser. The Blosser family history is to be found in the sketch of Mrs. Isaac Hilty. After his marriage, Joshua Neiswander located on a farm in Van Buren township, Hancock county, which he cleared and on which he built his home. He has always done general farming and has been very successful. Lately he has specialized in raising and feeding hogs, cattle and horses for the market. Of late years, he has specialized in thoroughbred Duroc hogs. He is of a mechanical turn of mind and learned the carpenter's trade, which he follows at odd times. He is a Democrat and for a great many years was township trustee. He is an ardent supporter of the Reformed Mennonite church. LL's wife is a member of the American Mennonite church. Doctor Neiswander's mother, Susan Blosser, is the daughter of Christian Blosser. He was a school teacher and met his death in a peculiar way. On his way home from school one day, he chanced to meet a young woman and stopped to converse with her. It later developed that she had smallpox. Christian Blosser caught the disease and died, as did also his father. Christian Blosser was the father of five children, of whom Doctor Neiswander's mother was next to the youngest.

three of whom died in infancy, Harry A., the subject of this sketch; Irvin, -who died in infancy; Lois, the wife of Meville Bushong, of Newstark, Ohio, who has two children, Elton and Merl; William, who died in infancy; Leo, a student in the Homeopathical Medical College at Columbus, Ohio, who jmarried Lettie Fried and has one daughter, Alice; Estella, who is a school teacher; Claud, who is principal of the high school at Arlington, Ohio; Edgar, Byron, Ralph and Una, all of whom are at home.

Harry A. Neiswander, M. D., received his early education in the common schools of Van Buren township. He attended the summer normal schools and also the normal school at Angola for one summer. After this, he completed his Bachelor of Science work at Ohio Northern University, graduating in 1907. Subsequently he took a position as assistant principal of the New Holland (Ohio) high school and in a few months became principal of that institution.

Doctor Neiswander entered the Cleveland Homeopathical Medical College in 1908, which institution later became affiliated with the Ohio State University. He graduated with the class of 1912. In his senior year, Doctor Neiswander was president of the Hahnemann Medical Society, a student organization. Before graduation, he saw active work with one of Cleveland's prominent practitioners. In this way, he was specially fitted for his chosen profession. He located at Pandora in the fall of 1912, where he has since built a large and growing practice.

Doctor Neiswander was married on December 25, 1907, to Rosella Spacht, of Van Buren township. She was formerly a student at Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan, and also the Ohio Northern University at Ada. She is the daughter of Jesse B. and Mary (Stonehill) Spacht, both of whom belong to pioneer families of Hancock county. Mrs. Neiswander is the eldest of four children, the others are William, who died at the age of twenty-nine; Verla and Irena, who are at home.

Doctor Neiswander is a Democrat. He is health officer of Riley township and Pandora. He is a member of the leading medical societies, including the Ohio State Medical Society, the Ohio State Homeopatthic Medical Society and the Putnam County Medical Society. Dr. Neiswander and wife are active members of the Methodist Protestant church. They have been the parents of two sons, Allen and Harold.

Doctor Neiswander is a progressive young physician, who has had all of the advantages of the latest information in medicine. He has built up a large practice in the community and a practice which he so very much deserves because of his splendid equipment and his natural inclination toward his life profession.

George Henry Mersman

A substantial business man of Glandorf, Putnam County, Ohio, is- George Henry Mersman, who was born on the farm where his elevator is now located. His parents, both of whom were natives of Germany, were early settlers in this county, and the Mersman family have been active in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community, for many years. Mr. Mersman started to work in the woolen-mill in Glandorf, when a young man, and for more than a quarter of a century was interested in this business, while at the same time he carried on general farming. He has been interested in the elevator business in Glandorf since 1892, though he is still devoting some of his attention to farming.

George Henry Mersman, the son of Henry and Mary E. (Recker) Mersman, was born on February 18, 1851, at Glandorf, Putnam county,. Ohio. His father was born in Glandorf, Germany, and came to this county when a young man, where he worked on the Ohio canal, which was bemg. built through this section of the state. Later, he was a partner with Mr. Myers, in the saw-mill business, and still later was engaged in the same business with Mr. Drerup. Tn addition to operating the saw-mill, he had a grist-mill which was run by steam power, the grinding being done with an old-fashioned burr stone. Mr. Mersman continued the saw and grist-mill business, in Glandorf, as long as he lived. In addition to his. mills he operated a general store, packed and shipped pork and was a business man, interested in many ventures. He and his brother, Barney, were in partnership in the pork-packing business. Mary E. Recker, the wife of Henry Mersman, was born in Hanover, Germany, and was a daughter of Nicholas Henry Recker and wife. The mother died in the old country, and her father married again. When Mary E. Recker was a girl of five years, her father and family came to America and located at Eort Wayne, Indiana, but lived there only a short time, when they moved to Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio,. where her father farmed during the remainder of his life.

George Henry Mersman lived at home until he was grown. As a young man, he worked in the woolen mills at Glandorf, and continued there for twenty-eight years. He began his mill work by operating a carding machine, and later became a spinner. At the same time that he was working in thewoolen mills, he was engaged in farming. Mr. Mersman built an elevator at Glandorf, in 1892, just after the railroad was built through the village, and leased it out for one year. Since that time he has had active charge of the

Mr. Mersman was married on April 21, 1875, to Anna M. Halker, whO' was born in Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, and is the daughter of William and Louise (Vogeding) Halker. Her parents were both natives of Germany, came to Glandorf, Ohio, early in its history, and located in the midst of a dense forest. Her father was a life-long farmer. Mr. aiyl Mrs. Mersman were the parents of three children, two of whom, Louise and John, died in infancy. Anna E. is the wife of Anthony Kohls. Mr. Kohls was born at Glandorf and reared at New Cleveland, this county. He is a son of Tony and Theresa (Klinkhammer) Kohls. Mr. and Mrs. Kohls have four children, Anna, Linus, Clarence and Louisa. Mr. Kohls and Mr. Mersman areoperating this business together.

Mr. Mersman has given his hearty support to the Democratic party, and has been a member of the Glandorf council ever since the village was incorporated, with the exception of two years. He and his wife are loyal members of St. John's Catholic church, at Glandorf. He has a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, twenty-five acres of which is good timber land,, and is now doing a general farming business. Since purchasing this tract of farm land, Mr. Mersman has installed many changes and made numerous improvements.

It is not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that have moved a life of ceaseless activity and large professional success. Little more can be done than to note their manifestations in the career of the person under consideration. The life of the physician and public-spirited man of affairs, whose name appears above, affords a striking example of well-defined purpose - his ability to make that purpose subserve, not only his own ends, but the good of his fellow men, as well. Peter D. Bixel, M. D., has lonpheld prestige in the calling that requires for its basis strong mentality and intellectual attainments of a high order, supplemented by rigid professional training and a thorough masteiy of technical knowledge with the skill to apply the same, without which one cannot hope to arise above mediocrity. In his chosen field of endeavor Doctor Bixel has achieved a notable success, which has been duly recognized and appreciated throughout the section of the state in which he lives. In addition to his long and creditable career.

in one of the most useful and exacting professions, he has proved an honorable member of the body politic, and in every relation of life has never fallen below the dignity of true manhood or in any way resorted to the methods which might invite censure.

Peter D. Bixel, M. D., was born on April 21, 1865, in Allen county, Ohio. He is the son of Abraham and Magdalene (Schumacher) Bixel, Abraham Bixel was born on May 14, 1843, in Holmes county, Ohio, and was the son of Peter and Fannie (Diller) Bixel. Peter Bixel and wife were both natives of Berne, Switzerland. Peter Bixel was born on January I, 1795, and came to America, April 29, 1824, arriving July 21, 1824. He came, first, to Wayne county, and on August 2, 1824, went to Holmes county, where he married Fannie Diller. They had sixteen children, of whom Fannie was the second eldest and the eldest living child. The family -came from Holmes to Allen county, near Bluffton, when the eldest child was eighteen or nineteen years of age.

In Holmes county, Peter Bixel entered land from the government, and here he remained for about fifteen years, selling out, in 1846, and coming to Allen county, settling one mile north of Bluffton. He was a very progressive farmer and a hard worker. He owned, at one time, nearly one thousand acres of land. He was a fine type of the American citizen and very liberal. He had a fine Christian character and was one of the first members of the Mennonite church, in his community. He lived all his life on the old homestead, in Allen county. Fannie Diller, his wife, was a native of Switzerland and married Peter Bixel, in Wayne county, Ohio.

'Abraham Bixel moved, with his parents, to Allen county when but three years of age. It was there that he received his early education in the typical log-cabin school house. Although his educational advantages were limited, he became a self-made man, and being a careful reader, greatly advanced himself by home study. When he was twenty-one years of age, May 5, 1864, he was man-ied to Magdalene Schumacher, the daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Suter) Schumacher. After his marriage, he remained on the old homestead, until 1878, when he sold out and moved to the old Peter Schumacher farm, in Richland township, Allen county. This he sold, in 1903, and then retired, moving to Pandora, where he now lives. Abraham Bixel was one of sixteen children. His wife, Magdalene, was also one of sixteen children, a remarkable coincidence. Abraham Bixel was a very successful farmer and owned more than two hundred acres. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children. Dr. Peter D. ; David C. ; Sarah -who died at the age of three; Noah, Elizabeth, John, who is dean of the

Doctor Bixel spent his boyhood days on the old home place, in Allen county. Here he received his early education, completing his course in the common school at the ag-e of twenty-one. He then went to work in a store, at Bluffton, and remained here for six years. When twenty-seven years of age he and Benjamin Schumacher bought the firm of C. S. Day & Company, dealers in groceries, queensware, where they also became the proprietors of a bakery. They stayed in this business for two years, when the firm became Bixel & Welty. This firm continued for two years longer and then the store was sold.

Peter D. Bixel then took a preparatory course in medicine at the University of Cincinnati. The next year he entered the Eclectic Medical College, at Cincinnati, graduating in 1901, where he stood next to the head of his class in surgery. After graduating, he located at Bluffton, Ohio, and went into partnership with Doctor Sutter.

This partnership continued for nine months, when Doctor Bixel moved to Pandora, where he now resides and where he has established a large and growing practice. In addition to his university preparatory course, he has pursued his studies and kept up to the demands of the profession by attending lectures at Chicago and Cincinnati. Doctor Bixel is a member of the National Eclectic Medical Association and the Ohio State Eclectic Medical Association, the Northwestern Eclectic Medical Association and the American Medical Association, the Ohio State Alopathic Medical Association and the Northwestern Ohio Alopathic Medical Association, as well as the Putnam County Medical Association.

He is ex-president of the Northwestern Ohio Eclectic Medical Association and twice secretary of that association. Likewise he is ex-secretary of the Putnam County Medical Association.

Peter D. Bixel, M. D., was married on December 19, 1889, to Elizabeth Steiner, daughter of Christian and Magdalene Lugibihl Steiner, the family history of whom is to be found in the sketch of Peter Steiner, contained elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Bixel's parents were pioneers in Putnam county. Mrs. Bixel was born on November i, 1867, and reared one mile east of Pandora. She received her education in the common schools of Riley township.

To Doctor and Mrs. Bixel have been born three children, Stella has been a student at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and graduated in the class of 1915. She is a graduate of the Pandora high school. Munson Rus-

Peter D. Bixel, M. D., has been a life-long Republican. For six years he was health officer of Riley township. He was also a member of the board of education for eight years, and president of the board for four years. Doctor Bixel and family are members of the Great Mennonite church, of which he is an ardent supporter.

The subject of this sketch is one of Putnam county's most progressive professional men and stands high in the community in a professional and personal way. He is a most careful and conscientious physician and likewise a public-spirited citizen, taking an active part in e\'erything that might result in the betterment of the community. Altogether. Doctor Bixel is a very valuable citizen to the county where he has spent practically all his life.

Peter P. Steiner

Specific mention is made in the following paragraphs of one of the worthy citizens of Putnam county, Ohio, and one who has figured in the growth and development of the financial and commercial interests of this favored section, whose interests have been identified with its progress, contributing, in a definite measure, in his particular spheres of action to the well-being of the community in which he resides and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Earnest purpose of tireless energy, combined with mature judgment and e\ery-day common sense, have been among his most prominent characteristics. He has merited the respect and esteem which are accorded him by all with whom he has had social or business relations.

Peter P. Steiner was born on December 28, 1845, in Richland township, Allen county, Ohio, the son of Peter and Barbara (Schumacher) Steiner, the former born in Switzerland, on a farm, October 7, 181 1, died in Richland township, .\Ilen county, three miles west of Bluffton, August 22, 1870, at the age of fifty-nine years. Peter Steiner, Sr., was the son of Christian Steiner and wife, the latter's maiden name being Luginbihl. Christian Steiner was born in 1770, in Switzerland, and died on his farm in Richland township, Allen county, in January, 1846. In addition to being a farmer in Switzerland, he was a preacher, and followed this calling after setding in America in 1836. He and his wife had six children when they came to America, as follow: Christian, John, Ulrich, Peter, Barbara and Elizabeth. Christian, the eldest son, had preceded the rest of the family by two years. He settled in Wayne county and, like his father, was a minister. Another brother, Ulrich, also took up the ministry, and all were faithful members of the Mennonite church. Christian Steiner, Sr., died ten years after coming to America.