Seneca County, Ohio - Chapter 37: Loudon Township and Kostoria-The Fosters -Martin Kingseed, 1880

Chapter 37: Loudon Township and Kostoria-The Fosters -Martin Kingseed

Till-', commissioners of Seneca county, on the 5th day of March, iS^2. organi/ed township 2, N. R. 13. into a legal township, to be known by the name of London. The fir^t election was held at the hou>c of I'.eniamin Hartley, on the jd day of April thereafter, and the following named persons we're elected to their respective offices, as follows:

Hesides the oftii er-> abo\ e 'lann.'d there were also Samuel Bear, Jacob Rumple. Martin Adams. Philip Henncs^y. Robert Rainey, Jacob l-'rnth. (ieor^e Ileming. Peter 1 ;.i)er-M ilc. Henry Sheller. l>avid Young, Conrad Rumple, lainb Kaiser. John ( iood. John Reinbolt. Jacob Dillon, Thos. Ihllon. the Peter Uimilies, Jacob Mergenthaler. the I-'i^hers, and others >< altered over the township.

(in tlie 31-1 of August. 1^32. l\M-,\\cll ( 'ro<-ker caused to be surveyed on section six. oi ilii^ town^liip, a to\\'ii that he called Rome. David Rlsdon was tin. surveyor. In 1X40 it had a population of So: in 18^0 about 300. It is located <>n the Port |-'indla v ami Lower Sandnsky state read, and upon the Defiance ind Tittin state road, where it crosses with the liiicyrus and Perrysbnrg road. It is twenty two miles from 1 remont. fourteen and one-half miles from Lindiav, fourteen miles from

A few days after the plattin.; of koine, on tin- <>th «l.iv of September. iS^j, |. (ior-mh caused to be -uncyed on -,c< t:on one. T. -'. \. l\. I--. in lianco.k county, ami on section sj\. in 1. .MI. Ion. another town, wliii h he named alter the old -ui \eyor. and (ailed ;t l\i-don.

Mr. Ri-don wa- a distinguished pioneer, and i: i- to In- regretted that some spot in Scne< a .-oiinty < ould not have been Delected to perpetuate his honored name. This town wa- intended to aieumpli-h this, but failed, as we shall soon see. Mr. l\:-d»M \\-.i> a surveyor \<y prot'ession, but otherwise UM-nil in ht'e. lie wa-> a tall, --lender man. had a bushy head of ^ra\ hair, a lar^e blue eye. well projiortioiled features; stood about six feet hi^h; -poke -low. with a deep, sonorous voice With his pants in hi- hi^h top boots, in hi- Indian hunting shirt, fringed all around, he was the very pi< 'tire ot a pioneer -ur\'eyor.

In iSa>i! loinained thirty duellings, one church, one tavern, three store-, one < ardm^ machine propelled bv -team, one foundry, one tannery, one -team -a\v mill, one ( abinet -hop, one wa^on -hop. two shoe -hop-, two -add hops ami three b'acfc-mith -hop-. In 1-^50 its population wa- about ^oo. It was a po-t town also, \\illiam Thomas ben) _: p' i-tm.i-ter.

The manufacturing enterprises are constantly increasing, and Fostoria is decideilly the best railroad center in northwestern Ohio, except Toledo.

The Baltimore \ Ohio road, the Lake Lrie \: Louisville road, the Columbus \: Toledo ro id. and the Ohio Central, formerly called the Atlantic ..Y Lake Krie railroad, pass through Fostoria. The Mansfield, Coldwater AT Like Michigan railroad had been finished to this place also, hut for some reason the iron \v,is taken up again and the track abandoned.

On the jd day of September. 1^5, }. a petition was signed by William liraden. Thomas I'.rian. 11. I. Yosburgh. \V. Weaver, A. S. Uernent. F. F. Robinson, Ch. I'.onnell. John ( ). Albert. Reuben Brian, I. M. Coe. John \Vilson. Oeorge dear. Lyman Kittel. Daniel l-'ree. Abr. Met/. Robert Doke. F.. I'.ement, L. \V. Thomas. D. 1). Miller. IL W. Cole, lames Lewi-. I'mphrev Fngland and John M. Stewart, who appointed William linden to act in tfceir behalf, directed to the commissioners of Seneca county, praying that the west hall ot the northwest (piarter of section six. in London town-hip, may be attached to Rome. The order was -ranted on the j<l day of January. 1^54. and Rome and Risdon thereby became one town.

Mr. Stewart, in his atlas ot Seneca county, speaking of Rome, says the con-olidation took place in i^o. and in his biographical sketch of Mr. < '. W. Foster, says it took place in 1X5;:. If he had guessed half way between the two dates he would have been nearer right.

The a< t of incorporation ot Rome by the legislature had twenty-nine hum sections, and gave the town all sorts ot municipal power. The town would have been ruined by taxation had these powers all been e\en iso 1.

Tii- early -ettlersin London were men of great sagacity. Thev saw inthriieir I sture 'h-- we dtli tint th;- town-hip must ncces-arily dev-.'iop irom 'lie ri' lines- oi ;i- sod. being well watered and timbered.

It is not onl\ a remarkable lad that here in America the best men are the sell made men. but the lad seenis to be the result of our peculiar form of uo\ eminent and the iruit ol her tree institutions. It requires no hereditary title here to become distinguished amon_; men. A u'oodlv share of common sense, Ljood health, proper deportment, indtistrv, energy, integrity, all well combined and backed by a reasonable <|tiantity of will jiower. have enabled thousands of men in all avenues of human lite to outstrip their lellows and iva< h the i;oal of both fame and fortune. (Mir beautiful school s\stem and our higher institutions of learning are trul\ the pride ot our state; but tor success in life, an ounce of sound, mother wit is worth more than a pound of book learning. The ureat contributors to the sciences; the plotting calculators and thinkers and searchers, generally die poor.

1 1 e wa- born in 11 rook Held. \\ orcester county. M as>,u hu setts, on the jist of November, i Soo. Mis lather moved with his family to western New York, then sparsely settled, and located near Rochester, in 1X20.

\ -entleman b\ the name ot |ohn ( 'rocker moved to Seneca town ship, in this county ot Seneca, in iSj.j. Two years thereafter, in iSjo, Mr. Foster aUo c a me to Seneca township ;o >ee Mr. ( 'rot kcr's familv. .in-1 c-sjiec ially his beautiful daughter. Laura. It seems that there had been some understanding between the \oun_; .people before M r. ( 'rocker left New \ ork.

When Mr. Foster arrived here, he lound Mis-, I aura i n bad health and took her to the Saratoga Springs, in New York, wliere she rcunainecl some time and was restored to _;ood health. She then \ i sited her uncle. lame- Rii hardsoii. -A ho lived some th;rt\ miles irom the springs, and h'-p- the \oun.j people were married on liie ;'h oi Inn-1. 1^27. The\ then came to Seneca and li\ed witli the ( 'ro. ker tam;i\ . Here Mr. Fo,ter worked on the I. inn oi his lather in law two \ears. wlu-n he moved to the Wolf creek, three miles north of Tiffin, where he had 160 acres in section eleven, in Hopesvell, and which he afterwards sold to (ieorge Shedenhehn. by whose name it is known to this day. It was then all in the woods and required work to clear it and found a home. Mr. Foster had also another eighty-acre lot at that time. He sold all his land, and with the proceeds of these sales, he and his father-in-law, who had more means, opened a stock of goods in a cabin in Rome, on the same spot where the Foster block now stands. This was in 1832. The business of the firm was carried on in the firm name of Foster \r (.'rocker. Ten year.-, thereafter, when the concern had already assumed large proportions. Mr. Crocker withdrew from it, taking away merely the amount he had put in. and leaving Mr. Foster alone in the possession and control of the constantly increasing business. Thus he continued until his son. Charles, had grown up to nearly man's estate, and who. in his vouth. developed a remarkable faculty for business. This feature in the nature of young Charles was inheritedand then improved by education, experience and practice. It sustained him in his successes when he became ambitious and turned politician, for in the management of a political campaign, from a business standpoint, Covernor Foster has no superior anywhere.

In 1848. when his son was about twenty years of age, Mr. Foster took him as a partner in business, and the firm of Foster <S: Son increased the growing fame of the house which continued thus six years, when another accession was made, and Mr. Olmsted became a partner. It was then Foster. Olmsted iV Co.. and continues so still as a grain firm. The store proper is conducted in the firm name of Foster >.V Snvder Brothers.

Mr>. Crocker died in 1850, and John Crocker in 1854. Thev lie buried in the Fostoria cemetery. Roswell Crocker, a brother of Mrs. ('. W. Foster, is still living in Fostoria. as is also his wife. Sarah Ann. who is a daughter 01 John Cooper. FSIJ.

his and Mr. ( 'rocker's combined capital in trade did not exceed Sj.ooo. and the;: annual sales not S^.ooo. The trade was principallv barter tor skin^ and furs. The house now has a stoi k of about S.So.ooo. and their annual sale- reach near Si 50.000. Including the outside business .it the linn in wool, grain, lumber, etc., thcv handle over a million of ca-h annually.

character that won him friends who constantly increased in number. He kept out of litigation and lived up promptly to his ( ontr.tcts. All this tended to secure him the confidence ot the community. Any person who was able to secure Mr. Footer's good opinion, could get credit with him. and at times men owed him more money than they were worth. He could have sold out hundred-- of them for debts they owed him at the time, had he so willed, and utterly ruined them, very many ot them are now among the substantial men in the country.

The house ot Foster has contributed largely to every enterprise that was calculated to build up the town and country. Their sagacity, foresight and promptitude in business have not onlv stamped their own individualities upon the community, but have also inspired others to enter prise and practical business lite, so that now, while the Foster house enjo\s its great wealth, the community at large is greatly benefited and in'about the same proportions to its constant increase in wealth and business.

Mr. Foster, now nearly four score years, is still enjoying the society of his wife and a host of friends. His health is good and he promises lair to become a centennarian. It is a pleasure to see him on the street every day engaged in familiar, friendly conversation, cracking his old jokes and having a kind word for everybody. And it is still more pleasant to notice the kind, friendly ami almost filial affection the people ot I'ostoria. young and old. seem to entertain for him. There is something besides wealth that creates happiness. A man who has nothing but money is poor, indeed.

\\ as born on the old Croc ker place, at his grandfather's house, in Sene< a township, on the i2lh day 01 April. iNj.S. In 1^54 he was married to Annie, a dangler ot Judge < Mnisted. ot Fremont. Sandusk\ county. ( >hio. 'Ihe:r union was blessed with two daughters, (cssie and Annie. 1 Itentered into business with his lather when he was but a boy, and is still asscx iated with, and is the new lite of, the concern.

In 1X70 Mr. 1-oster was elected a member ol the.j^d congress, from the roth district. lie was re elected in 1X7.:. His atta< k upon the San born contr.u t and his conflict u ith < leneral I Sutler in debate, brought him ver\ popularly before the country. lie was re elected in 1X74; and again in 1X70. He was nominated again in 1X78. but the district tuning been changed and made so overwhelmingly I'cmocratic. that he was defeated. In October. 1X71). he was elected governor of the state. It. at the ('hicago con\cntion that nominated (ieneral llarfield for the presidency. Mr. P>!aine had been nominated, Mr. Foster would, undoubtedly, have been nominated for vice-president. The Republican party would thus have put into the field a ticket more formidable than that of ( larMeld and Arthur, to say the least of it.

It is a fart worth recording that while the city of Tiffin is named after the first governor of Ohio, the city of Fostoria is named after the last governor of Ohio, and a native of old Seneca. Excellent likenesses in fine steel engravings of both these illustrious gentlemen adorn the pages ot this book. Let me say. without vanity, that I am proud ol the coincident. The like of this fact will never be written again.

Tiffin is the only county seat in ( )hio named after its first governor, and while this history of Seneca county is being written, a native of Seneca and one of its most honored sons is the chief executive of the state; presiding over three millions of freemen, forming a state whose resources for wealth and human happiness are inexhaustible; whose climate is unsurpassible : whose intelligence and system of education are the admiration of the age in which we live.

Among the distinguished businessmen of Fostoria is also my esteemed old friend. Martin, the subject of this sketch, and I am only conferring a great pleasure upon myself when writing a short story of his life. We were boys, frequently meeting each other in Germany, and before we had grown up to be men, found ourselves in the woods of Seneca county, where we have fought the battles of life, each his own way, as best we could. Here we have spent the morning, noon-tide and afternoon of our manhood days in friendship and mutual regard that grows warmer as the evening begins to draw long shadows on the wayside.

Martin was about seventeen years old when his father settled in the woods oi Seneca in iHv>4. lie took hold ot the work necessary to open up a clearing and starting a home in the woods, with a will. Being endowed by nature with a strong, healthy bod}' and a head of his own. he sooii made himselt usetul all around and worked at home until lie wa- 25 years old. Alter the death ot his mother he started to work for H'-nry St. |i>hr.. at a --aw mill on the river. Here he remained six years in succession. !n i-vj; hi- < aim- very near losing his lite: a large log w i - l)i- ing roiled into the mill : he fell iu In >r.t of it. when the log rolled onto him lY'nn his i<-et to his breast ;md back again. He was carried o'i! nf ;!;<- iiii:!. aparently lifeless. ]>\ |<>hn Kerr and Mr. McAllister.

This was on the 21! of lanuarv, ami on the <>th of May following, he was found under another log at i o'clix k A. M., which laid him up tor some time, and the effects of which tic feels to this day 1 le ijuit the saw mill and looked tor lighter work. being now disqualified to do hard work; he assisted in the survey oi tlie railroad troin Bellefontaiiu- to I'nion ( 'ity tor nine months.

< >n September 17, 1X5^, he was married to I'.lmira Kmiiy Noel who was born lunc i<>, i SJM, in Frederick countv, Maryland '. and located in I'ittin. where he bought a house near the railroad, mi ('lay street. Here he entered the -lure o! |ohn (1. (im» a-, < !erk. selling hardware ami studying the law-. ot trade in that line tor s;\ years. Then he traded his property in Tittin to Mr. ( 1 ross tor a stock ot hardware he then had :n Koine, and moved tin- re in ( )ctober. i X^ s. His i-, now the oldest un i hanged mercantile establishment in I ostoria.

lie is the lather ot eight children, tour sons and tour daughters, seven of whom are living. Charles Kd.viu is traveling for Messrs. M( Intosh, (ioodiV Co.. Cleveland, < )hio. I-'rancis l)orwin is clerk in his father's store. Some ot the daughters are keeping house tor their father, and the yninger children are going to school. Mr. Kingseed li\cd very happily with his family until on the ;th day of February. 1^77. when Mrs. Kingseed died alter a short illness of a lew days. The oldest daughters are young ladies now and seek to make the life ot' their honored lather as happy as it is in their power to do, but there is that vacant chair, and the absence <>t that mother's smile, which always i heered the whole household.

1 );;r:ng the twenty-ti\e years that Mr. Kingseed has prosecuted his business here. 1'ostoria has made a great < hange and made more rapid progress than any other inland town in < )hio.

It seems that sometimes the muses take possession of the thoughts of the Squire, and in one of these spells the following poetical effusion of an Indian legend on the Maumee was produced. I give it here

Thf Indian Maidfn

Squire Jones i as he is familiarly < ailed) once said to the writer: "All the schooling 1 ever had was attending the school taught by the Hon.

Was born lannary J<;. i^s v -lt l'"->toria, ( )hio: graduated from Heidelberg college in the (lass ot 1*75: studied law in the ottice ot Judge Seney: was admitted to the bar in the spring ot 1^77 and hx ated here

. Kiub\ \ l'>c\er was born at Fairtield county. Ohio, May 22. iSi;; \\as admitted to the bar in iSfio: located in I-ostona in 1X07 and is at ] .resent th.e mas or - it the i ity.

Dam D Hays

This institution is in charge of the conference of the I'nited Hrethren in Thrift, in northwestern Ohio. At their conference, held in iXyX, the Mibject ui" locating an a< ademy somewhere in northwestern Ohio was suggested, and the Rev. I>aac ('rouse, a minister of the order, residing in Posloria, urged the propriety of. and succeeded in having the Academy located at this place, on condition that Fostoria will subscribe and pay SJO.GOO. or furnish suitable buildings and grounds for -IK h purpose:- to the value of Sjo.ooo. The people subscribed the required >um. (iovernor 1- 'oster assuming one-fifth ot the whole subscription. '1'hereupon the conference met and appointed the following boards, vi/:

The architectural design of the academy is very creditable, in fact. beautiful, and a great accession to l-'ostoria, indeed. The board of trustees, at their late meeting, commended the executive and building committees tor their good management and economy.

I'hc M hool was begun in the lall ol \&~<-), with about sixty students. P'-nding the completion of the academy building, the executive committee rented the old I. ninn school house, where their, school was continued lor one year. The next session will open in the academy August ;i. iSNo.and promise^ to be well attended.

Mr. John Audi's, tin- owner and bulkier, is a native of Seigelbarh, near Kaiserslautern. in the Palatinate of C.ermany, where he was born Aumi-t 14. iS-;. Hi- came to Tiffin in 1852 and established himself in the carriage lui-ine-- in Fnstnria, in iX(>o. In iS(>2 he was married to Mis- 1'hilipina Keis. lie is a fair specimen of a self-made man.