Wood County, Ohio - Biographical sketches, 1897 (part 17 of 17)

Andrew Swinehart, the father of our subject, was able to attend school only a short time, as the family was large and the parents poor, and while young he learned the trade of a plasterer. He was married in Hopewell township, Perry county, September 30, 1847, to Miss Lydia A.

Stimmel, who was born there July 13, 1824, and is the daughter of Peter and Margaret (Lutz) Stimmel, who were married in Maryland, and Mrs. Swinehart was the oldest in their family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters. Mr. Stimmel, who was a farmer by occupation, died in 1 864, while his wife was burned to death when past the age of ninety years, and they were both buried in Thorn township, Perry county. For ten years Mr. Swinehart made his home on his father-in-law's farm, during which time he worked at his trade, or at day's labor, and for the following six years rented a house and garden of James Parks, in Hopewell township, much of the time being employed by that gentleman. On coming to Bloom township, Wood county, in December, 1864, the family located on a farm belonging to the father's brother, though he had previously purchased land in Section 35, that township, where he built a log house into which the family moved March 28, 1865, it being the first home they ever owned. The farm then comprised forty acres of swamp land, the water being so deep in some places that a horse would be compelled to swim across, but the land has been transformed into fertile fields. In politics the father is a Democrat, but voted for Abraham Lincoln and supports the man whom he thinks best qualified for office, regardless of party affiliations. He and his wife are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Peter P. Swinehart is the oldest in the family and he was followed by nine others born in Perry county, namely: Margaret A., born January 10,

1850, died on the 1st of March following; Christina E., born January [6, 1851, first wedded William Slater, and is now Mrs. Patrick Campbell, of Gloucester City, N. J.; Lydia A., born January 22, 1853, died on the 1 8th of April following; Catherine E. , born May 29, 1854, is now the wife of David Wiker, of Bloom township; Andrew J., born May 30, 1856, died September 15, of the same year; John A., born October 25,

1857, died April 17, 1859; Susanna H., born September 4, 1859, is now Mrs. Nathan Denhoff, of Bloom township; Sarah Jane, born September 1 7, 1861, is the wife of George Parson, of North Baltimore; and Jacob H., born September 12, 1863, is also a resident of North Baltimore. Two sons were added to the family after coming to Wood county - George F. , born October 19, 1865, lives in North Baltimore; and Noah A., born March 4, 1869, is at home.

In the primitive schools of his native county, Peter P. Swinehart obtained most of his education, which was completed in Wood county by attending a school taught by W. S. Richard, but*' failing health compelled him to lay aside his studies. He remained at home until the age of twenty-seven years as his help was needed in the development of the farm. At Findlay, Ohio, in December, 1875, was celebrated the marriage of our subject and Mrs. Staley, widow of John Staley. She is of German parentage, and bore the maiden name of Eva Helfrish. They have become the parents of three children - Oliver A. , Charles H., and Matthias B. At the time of his marriage, Mr. Swinehart owned eighty acres of land in Section 23, Bloom township, two head of horses, a mule, a plow and a drag. He had agreed to pay $2,000 for his land, and on that amount had to pay fifteen percent, interest, but he went resolutely to work and soon had the indebtedness removed. On locating there only ten acres had been cleared, but now sixty acres have been placed under the plow, and a comfortable dwelling has replaced the log house which was then standing, while everything about the place denotes the thrift and enterprise of the owner. He had previously owned a sawmill in Henry township, and in the spring of 1 894 established a feedmill near Bloom Center, which he is now successfully conducting. He was reared a Democrat, but voted with either of the larger parties until becoming disgusted with their practices, when he joined the Greenback party, but is not strictly partisan, voting as his judgment dictates. Mrs. Swinehart is a member of the Lutheran Church.

William H. Levers was born December 17, 1825, in Franklin county, Penn., and is a son of William S. and Elizabeth (Light) Levers. The father was born on the ocean, while his parents were crossing the Atlantic, from Switzerland to America, on May 8, 1772. The grandfather, Abraham Levers, was a banker in Switzerland in comfortable circumstances. He with his wife and daughter came to the New World, and made

Philadelphia the place of their residence. William S. Levers, when a child of nine years, was bound out to a man in Lancaster, Penn. , where he remained until twenty-two years of age. In early life he learned the weaver's trade, and afterward became a successful veterinary surgeon. He married Elizabeth Light, who was born in Dauphin county, Penn., and in 1845 brought his family to Ohio, his death occurring in Seneca county, May 27, 1851. His wife died near Brookfield, Stark Co. , Ohio. Their children were David, who died in Brookfield, Ohio; Isaac, who died near Upper Sandusky, Ohio; Sarah, who was married and died in Illinois, leaving ten children; Solomon, who died in Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio; Elizabeth, who. became the wife of John McDowel, and died in Wooster; Joel, of Chippewa township, Wayne county ; Daniel, who is living near Fulton, Ohio; Susan, wife of Ephraim Baker, of Michigan; Mrs. LiddyHirschy; and William H. , our subject.

Mr. Levers, of this sketch, was educated in the public schools of Franklin county, Penn. When a young man he learned the trade of a stone mason and plasterer, which pursuit he has followed more or less since that time. He was married May 9, 1850, in Fulton, Ohio, by Rev. Hartley, to Miss Liddy Vernon, who was born February 20, 1826, in Philadelphia, and is a daughter of Thomas H. and Mary (Ekoff) Vernon, also natives of Philadelphia. The parents both died on a farm near Bowling Green.

Mr. and Mrs. Levers took up their residence in Brookfield, Ohio, but a year later removed to a farm in that locality, on which they lived for two years. They afterward spent two years on a farm in Wayne county, and subsequently lived for one year on a farm near Tiffin, Ohio, and afterward near Hedgetown, Ohio. Going to Sandusky county, Mr. Levers there worked at his trade for two years, and in i860 he came to Wood county, settling at Bowling Green. During the years passed there he made the first improvements upon a twenty-acre tract of land, which he had purchased. He cleared and drained this, built thereon a rude log cabin, and continued the w'ork of improvement and cultivation until he now owns a valuable farm.

To Mr. and Mrs. Levers have been born the following children - William T. , born February 20, 1851; Isaac Newton, born October 28, 1852, now an oil man of Liberty township; Mary Matilda, who was born June 17, 1855, and is the deceased w'ife of Joel Reeves; Emily Anna, born May 11, 1857; Liddy Ann, born October 10, 1858, now the wife of Richard Ducat, of Wood county; Daniel Webster, born May ii, 1861, a farmer of Liberty township; Viola Belle, born August 30, 1863, now the wife of William Errett; Izora, born May 10, 1865, now the wife of Wilbur Hansen; and Precida Louisa, born February 17, 1869, now the wife of George Hansen.

Our subject has always been a stanch Republican in politics, and served for four years as trustee, while for many years he was township clerk of the school board. He belongs to the Methodist Church, and is a charitable and benevolent man, who is ever ready to extend a helping hand to the poor and needy, and to aid others less fortunate than himself. He owes his own success entirely to his energy and good management, and may truly be called a self-made man.

Edward S. Bryant, of Bloomdale, the wellknown lieutenant-colonel of the 2d Regiment, O. N. G., of which one company is the famous Bloomdale Rifles, and a prominent business man of this county, was born July 12, 1853, in Pittsfield, Lorain Co., Ohio.

His father, John W. Bryant, was a student at Oberlin College, where he met Miss Elvira Harmon, a descendant of one of the pioneer families of Lorain county, to whom he was married about 1847. Three children were born of this union: Warren C. , Edward S., and Charles

H., all of whom reside in Bloomdale. Our subject's father was a man of great natural ability and wide culture. He practiced law successfully forsome years, and then having purchased the Banner, of Albion, Ind., he assumed editorial charge and soon made it a power in political circles. He died at Albion in 1857, and was buried there amid the sincere mourning of a wide circle of friends. Mrs. Bryant was married again, this time to Mr. Barnes, of Wellington, Ohio, but after his death she moved to Bloomdale, where she died in 1888, her remains resting in VanBuren cemetery.

Left fatherless at the age of four years, the subject of this sketch found a home with a man named Chet Smith, of LaGrange Center, Lorain county, and later with Bishop Bradley, of Pittsfield, doing such work at each place as his years permitted, and attending the district schools. At twelve he became an errand boy in the confectionery establishment of Henry 'Weisgerber, at Cleveland, and was soon advanced to a more responsible position. After three years he returned to Pittsfield, where his mother then lived, and began to study telegraphy at Oberlin, walking three and a half miles to and fro each morning and evening. Four months later he entered the office of the L. S. & M. S. R. R. , at Oberlin, as an apprentice, and not long after was made night operator there. Later he held the position of operator at Wauseon, Ohio, and Ligonier, Elkhart, Goshen and Kendallville, Ind., and then resigned from the service of the L. S. & M. S., receiving a letter of recommendation which made it easy for him to secure similar work elsewhere. For some years he was in the employ of the Pennsylvania R. R. Co. , first at Crestline, Ohio, and then in Columbia City, Ind. , and South Chicago, 111., and when the B. & O. R. R. was completed to Chicago, he became their first operator there, remaining nine months. By this time he had become weary of the routine of office work, and prepared himself to add the duties of station agent, his first assignment to the double duty being at Cromwell, Ind. On December 13, 1875, he opened the first telegraph office at Bloomdale, holding also the position of agent in the newly established depot.

November 25, 1877, he was married. to Miss Effie Wineland, a native of Hancock county, and a daughter of Daniel Wineland, a prominent business man of Bloomdale, and the senior member of the firm of Wineland Bros., operators of a sawmill there. Col. Bryant took an interest in this business, and, by the introduction of improved machinery, gave it new life, the trade increasing until he found it necessary to give up his position with the railroad. For some time he carried on the sawmill alone, until Joseph Linhart, and later S A. Linhart, joined him, the firm name from 1881 to 1883 being Bryant & Linhart Bros. Since the retirement of Joseph Linhart the firm has been Bryant & Linhart, a name distinguished throughout trade circles for enterprise, progressive methods, and fair dealing. Col. Bryant is interested in many lines of business, and is a charter member of the Bloomdale Building and Loan Association, and an incorporator of the Diamond Oil Co., chartered in July, 1895, the first to be organized in Bloomdale. Col. and Mrs. Bryant have always taken a prominent place place in the social life of Bloomdale. They have had three children: Detie, born September 23,

Politically Mr. Bryant is a Republican, and has served as chairman of the Wood county central committee. He is one of the chief counsellors of his party in this vicinity, and, although he seeks no favors for himself, the success of more than one candidate has been due to his efforts. Col. Bryant's connection with the renowned Bloomdale Rifles of the O. N. G. , which he was active in organizing, has given him a wide acquaintance in military circles. He served five years as captain, and had been re-elected for another term, but in April, 1893, he was elected to his present rank. He belongs to the F. & A. M., Fostoria Lodge, to the I. O. O. F. , and is a charter member of the K. of P. , 278, Bloomdale Lodge, where he has served in all the chairs; is colonel of the U. R. K. of P. , 6th Regiment, headquarters Bowling Green, and is U. S. Deputy Marshal, Toledo District.

W. H. Benn, deceased, was one of the honored pioneers of Washington township, where he was widely and favorably known. He was a native of New York, born on January 12, 1832, artd was one of the seven children of John and Elizabeth (Moore) Benn. the others being George, a veterinary surgeon, of Toledo, Ohio; Elizabeth, widow of James Bogers, of Toledo; Hannah, wife of S. Sharpiot, of Toledo; John, deceased; .Elias; Emily, wife of Allen Drues. The parents removed with their family from the Empire State to Huron county, Ohio, but afterward came to Wood county, where they located on a farm of eighty acres in Plain township. There they spent the remainder ot their lives.

In the schools of Huron county, Ohio, W. H. Benn pursued his literary studies, and remained under the parental roof until he had attained his majority, assisting his father in the operation of the farm. When old enough he also worked as a farm hand for others. In [845 he left Huron county, coming with his father to Plain township, Wood county, where he worked in a sawmill. In 1865 he bought a farm of forty acres in Washington township, which he improved and operated, and as his financial resources increased, added to it thirty acres more, all of which he placed under a high state of cultivation, making it one of the best farms in the locality. Neat and substantial buildings were erected thereon, and the whole place indicated the progressive spirit of the owner. Feeling that his country needed his services, he enlisted in 1861 in Company A, 144th O. V. I., under Capt. Black, and participated in all the engagements in which his regiment took part, being always found at his post of duty.

In Plain township, in July, 1856, was celebrated the marriage of W. H. Benn and Rhodie Hogue. To them were born two sons, James and John, who now make their homes in Cleveland. The mother died of consumption on August 18, 1863, after which Mr. Benn was again married in 1865 at Toptogany, his second union being "with Martha Brown, a daughter of J. B.

Brown, a cooper, of Sugar Ridge. They became the parents of seven children, but two died in infancy. They are as follows: Charles W. ; Jennie, wife of William Lennard, of Washington township; Addie, wife of Thomas Custer, an oil operator; Cora; William H. , who resides on the homestead farm; and Emma and May, twins, who have passed away.

Mr. Benn took an active interest in school matters, serving four years as school director, and also held other offices in the township, including that of supervisor. A Democrat in politics, he gave his earnest support to the principles of the party, and his religious connections were with the Presbyterian Church. An honest, industrious man and highly respected citizen, his death was deeply regretted by all who knew him. He passed away in Washington township.

Thomas Goodenough, a wealthy farmer of Weston township, was born in Wiltshire, England, December 10, 1845, his parents coming to this country, in 1849, when he was four years old. They settled at Greenfield, Huron Co., and there he received his education inlhe common schools.

When old enough our subject learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed for three years, and then learned the boiler maker's trade at Brownell's boiler works, in Dayton, Ohio. He was employed there until 1873, when he came to Plain township, this county, and bought ninety acres of land. This he improved, but subsequently sold, and removed to Weston township, purchasing the Ward farm of 100 acres. This property Mr. Goodenough has placed under a high state of cultivation, draining, tiling it, and otherwise making it a model farm. He has erected a comfortable residence, and has one of the best barns in the county, which cost $1,500, also a grain barn which was built at a cost of $500, and a fine windmill. He has a small orchard of choice assorted fruit trees set out, and, taking all in all, the place is one of the best arranged and most complete in the township.

Mr. Goodenough was the first boiler maker in Wood county, and followed his trade, at the same time managing his farm, for seventeen years, being known, also, as the most extensive hog raiser in the county. He experienced many of the hardships of pioneer life in his early days, and, among other experiences, tells of the time when, for a year, he was a sailor on the great lakes, sailing most of the time between Grand Haven and Manistee, Mich. He is a man who has worked hard, has been energetic and saving, and well deserves the prosperity which has crowned his efforts, and enabled him to spend the remainder of his life in ease and comfort.

Mr. Goodenough was married, April 14, 1877, to Miss Mary E. Dotts, of Bowling Green, Ohio, and three children have blessed their union: Hattie, born August 14, 1878, wife of George Gloor, a farmer in Milton township ; Robert, born March 3, 1881 ; and Thomas S., born March 24, 1889. Mrs. Goodenough 's parents were Jacob and Ann (Battin) Dotts, the former born about 1816, in Pennsylvania, the latter in 1817, in Columbiana county, Ohio. They were married in Ohio, and had seven children: John

Y. , a farmer; Eli B., who enlisted in the Civil war, in Company K, mth O. V. I., and died in hospital; Osborn S. , a farmer in Defiance county, Ohio (he was also a soldier in the Civil war, serving with the 130th O. V. I.); Jefferson S., who is a farmer in Weston township; Sarah P., deceased; Mary E., born November 29, 1855, at Bowling Green, wife of our subject; and Cynthia M., wife of S. Johnson, a farmer near Weston.

In politics our subject is a Republican, and was for five years supervisor of Plain township. He served as clerk of the school board for nine years, and was also a member of the township school board in Sub-District No. 9. He is a Master Mason, belonging to Lodge No. 560, F. & A. M., at Weston. The family are all respectable citizens. Mr. Goodenough is a self-made man, and he is highly respected and esteemed in the community, where he is regarded as a most worthy citizen.

Will S. Baird. The subject of this personal sketch is one of the successful and progressive farmers within the borders of Bloom township, and one of the representative men of this section. He has made his special field of industry a success, and highly esteemed and respected by those who know him best. He is the second child in the family of Shelman and Keziah (Locy) Baird, and was born in Perry township, Wood county, December 17, 1852.

Mr. Baird was educated in District No. 4, of his native township, and remained under the parental roof until eighteen years of age, when he hired out as a farm hand; previous to this time, however, he had begun to learn the carpenter's trade, but not liking the business he gave it up. Later he resumed carpentering, working one season for C. J. Updegraff. On April 18, 1878, he wedded Miss Addie Pelton, who was born in La Grange, Lorain Co. , Ohio,

August 14, 1861, and is a daughter of James and Lydia (Beaumont) Pelton. On coming to Wood county, her parents first located in Bloom township, later moved to Perry township, and died at North Baltimore, Ohio.

On Section 18, Perry township, Mr. Baird began housekeeping, having scarcely any furniture or cooking utensils, and those he had, being second-handed. He later purchased a cow, span of horses, and a buggy. At the end of a year he removed to his father's farm, which he cultivated on the shares for nearly two years, when he went to Bloomdale, there being employed as a laborer by Bryant & Linhart for the same length of time. During that time he was able to save enough money to purchase two lots, and he built a house in Bloomdale, which he sold in 1883, removing to Section 16, Perry township, where he rented a house and a small piece of ground, while he worked in the sawmill of his father-in-law. In the spring of 1884, Mr. Baird purchased eighty acres of land in Section 13, Bloom township, from Andrew Emerine, for which he went in debt $1,800, and the first season, which was very wet, his crops failed; but he did not allow himself to become discouraged, hoping for better days. Fortunately he had purchased his place of a gentleman who was very lenient with him, and instead of forcing the payment of $200 annually, he allowed the debt to go for three years without any payments. Our subject secured outside work which enabled him to earn considerable, and as his land was further developed it became more productive. It is now entirely free from debt, and in 1895 a substantial home was erected thereon. With the excepton of twenty acres, the land has all been cleared, thoroughly tiled and drained, and now bountiful harvests yield a ready return for the care and labor expended-upon the place.

Mr. Baird and wife may be properly classed among the self-made citizens of Wood county, who, by the exercise of their own industry and perseverance, have not only gained for themselves a home, but have materially assisted in the progress and development of the country around them. They have always enjoyed life, taking many pleasures that others in their circumstances would have probably denied themselves. His first vote was cast with the Democratic party, later he became a Prohibitionist, and is now a Republican, though not bound by party ties, voting for the best man regardless of politics. He is a charter member of West Millgrove K. of P. Lodge, No. 445, while himself and wife are active members of the Disciples Church.

F. E. Whitker, a well-known grocery merchant of Bowling Green, a member of the firm of Bankey & Whitker, is a strictly first-class business man, reliable and energetic. He was born at Weston, Wood county, November 2, 1867, and is the offspring of excellent stock of stanch German ancestry, his paternal grandfather having come from the Fatherland. He located near Pemberville, Wood county, where John Whitker, the father of our subject, was reared. At Toledo, Ohio, was celebrated the marriage of the latter and Miss Elizabeth Matzinger, a native of Switzerland, who had come with her people to the New World and located in that city. After their marriage the parents made their home at Weston, where the father engaged in the lumber business for ten years, and then removed to his present farm, two and a half miles northwest of that village. Our subject is the oldest child, the others being Lillie, John, Maggie, Abbie, Alice, May and Mertie.

In the place of his nativity, Mr. F. E. Whitker grew to manhood, and attended the public schools there until January 1, 1884. On laying aside his text books he became a clerk in the store of H. C. Uhlman. In 1893 he came to Bowling Green, where he entered business as a co-partner in the firm of Bankey & Whitker, and they have become the leading dealers in groceries, crockery and queens ware in the place.

On June 15, 1892, Mr. Whitker was married to Miss Maude Royce, who was born November 29, 1871. Socially, he holds membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Royal Arcanum. In business, he is energetic and trustworthy, and has gained the confidence of the people by his honesty and integrity.

His father, William Coen, was a native of Pennsylvania, but came early in life to Knox county, where he was engaged in farming many years. He was married near Wheeling, W. Va. , to Miss Sarah Brokaw, who was born in New York State, in 1800. In religious belief, they were Presbyterians, and they exemplified their faith in faithful, practical, right-doing. Their later years were spent in Hancock county, where our subject's mother died in 1840. His father died in 1853, at the age of sixty-six. They had nine children, five of whom are yet living: (1) Cecelia, deceased, formerly Mrs. Robert Black, of Tontogany; (2) Ann, Mrs. I. S. Wilson, of Coles county, 111.; (3) Abraham, our subject; (4)

(5) Margaret, deceased, formerly the wife of John Gray, of Cloud county, Kans. ; (6) James, deceased, a resident of Indiana; (7) William, a wellknown citizen of Bowling Green; (8) Ebenezer, of Wood county, Ohio, fell in the battle of Monocacy, in the Union army ; (9) George Coen, of Indiana.

Mr. Coen lived with his parents in Knox county until the age of fourteen, when they moved to Hancock county. His early education was obtained in a log school house near his home, and his time was mainly devoted to farm work and getting out logs for the market. On August 28, 1838, he married Miss Sarah Hall, who was born December 30, 1818, in Harrison county, Ohio. The first years of their married life were passed in Hancock county, but in 1849, they came to Plain township. Wood county, and bought a farm, which they cultivated until the development of the oil industry in that locality resulted in the opening of four wells upon their estate. A few years ago they moved to Bowling Green to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and here Mrs. Coen sank into the unbroken repose of death, December 20, 1894, after over fifty-six years of married life. Eleven children were born to them, six of whom grew to adult age: (1) Harriet married Andrew

Rush, of Bowling Green, and both died, leaving a family of five children - Flora, Erva, Benham, Boyd and Newell. (2) Mary married Henry Goodenough, a leading citizen of Plain township, whose biography appears elsewhere in this volume; five children were born to them - May, Ruth, Sarah, Harry A., and Walter. (3) Aaron died as the result of exposure and hardship in the army. He was a member of Company C, 2ist O. V. I., and had re-enlisted at the end of his first term, when his health gave way and he was sent home. (4) Nancy married Thomas E. Adams, of Findlay, Ohio. (5) Delilah is the wife of A. Chapman, of Bowling Green. They have four children - Ered, Anna, Arthur and Ralph.

Mr. Coen is a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and politically is a Republican. His first vote was cast for William H. Harrison. He is a man of remarkably fine physique, and has usually weighed 220 pounds, his "working weight." His declining years are free from care, but the passing away of early associates brings of necessity the chill of loneliness, and a longing for reunion. Notwithstanding the esteem of later friends, and the affection of his children he " is

Peter Kramp, a retired agriculturist, now residing at Bowling Green, was born in Nassau, Prussia, January 17, 1835. His parents both died when he was quite young, and no record of them has been kept. He was one of six children, the others being Adam, a miner, who died in Germany, at an advanced age; David, who also lived to an old age, and died in Germany; Elizabeth married Philip Schid, and died in Germany; Jennie married Henry Menor, and died in the old country; Catherine is the twin sister of our subject, married Ernest Gross, and lives in Germany.

When Mr. Kramp first came to America, in 1854, he took passage in a sailing vessel, and was thirty-two days in making the voyage. In 1894, when he visited his sister in Germany, he made the trip in eleven days, and the return trip in ten days.

After the death of his parents, our subject and his sister were reared by their eldest brother. Mr. Kramp attended the public schools, and at an early age worked at and learned the tailor's trade. When he came to America, he landed in New York, and thence went direct to Sandusky City, Ohio. At the end of the journey he was indebted four dollars to a friend who had assisted him to reach his destination. He worked on a farm at first, for six dollars per month, and afterwards for $160 per year, until he got married. After his marriage he rented a small farm in Erie county, Ohio, the owner of the farm furnishing a team to do the plowing and heavy work, Mr. Kramp being able only to furnish a horse to do the light work. His wife was a great help to him, and through her assistance and economy, at the end of a year they were able to buy a team, and then rented a larger farm, upon which they lived until they came to Wood county, in 1869. At this time they had saved $1,000, which they paid on an eighty-acre tract in Plain township, which they had purchased for $4,000. After living on this land for eight years, Mr. Kramp exchanged it for 160 acres in the same township, which he yet owns. There are about fifteen producing oil wells on this farm, which yield a comfortable income to the owner. He removed from his farm to Bowling Green about three years since, and has built a comfortable residence in the west part of the village, where he now lives in contentment and quiet enjoyment.

father's farm, born November 13, 1861, married Miss Ida Plowright, and has six children, viz. : Ralph, Mabel, Lena, Clarence, Wallace and Esther. (2) William, born May 18, 1864, married Miss Lydia Wright, and has three children, viz. : Floyd, Leah and Lucy. (3) Philip Peter, born June 7, 1866, married Miss Ada Hartman, and has two children, Edna and Merle. (4) Frederick, born May 22, 1868, died December 9, 1891. (5) Peter, born July 17, 1870, married

Miss Vallie Pulse, and has one child, May. (6) George, born August 13, 1872, married Miss Ettie Wright, a sister of his brother William's wife, and has one child, Burl. (7) Louise, born December 9, 1874, died February 9, 1875. (8)

Charley, born January 15, 1876, was married in 1895 to Miss Mattie Borland, who died in 1896; one child was born to them, but is now dead. (9) Christiana, born April 11, 1878, lives with her parents. (10) Edward, born April 10, 1880, and (11) John A., born May 28, 1882, reside with their parents. (12) Reuben, the youngest, was born September 2, 1885.

Mr. Kramp belongs to the Evangelical Association, and in politics is a Prohibitionist. He is one of the representative citizens of Wood county, and is enjoying the reward of a well-spent, industrious life.

William Nelson is a representative farmer of Center township, where he owns a fine farm of 250 acres. His operations have been marked with uniform success, and in addition to being a thorough and skillful agriculturist, he is a business man of more than ordinary capacity, wise and judicious in his investments, and taking advantage of the facilities afforded at this day and age by improved machinery, and all the other appliances, required by the modern tiller of the soil. Mahoning county, Ohio, was the earliest home of our subject, where he was born June 30, 1820. His parents, James and Sarah (Evenings) Nelson, were natives of Buffalo Valley, Union Co., Penn., where the father engaged in farming until coming to Wood county to make his home with his son. Here his death occurred in 1873, and his wife, who had preceded him to the world beyond, died in 1865. In their family "were ten children, named as follows: Jane, Liddie, Jonathan, Katherine, William, James, Mary, John D., Sarah and Jesta.

ceived on the old homestead. At the age of fourteen years he began selling goods on the road, which occupation he continued to follow for sixteen years, during which time he managed by strict economy to save enough money to purchase 160 acres of land in Hancock county, Ohio. A portion of the farm had been placed under cultivation, and to its improvement he devoted his time and attention until 1865, when he disposed of that property and removed 'to Missouri, remaining there a short time. Coming back to Ohio, he located in Center township, where he bought 100 acres, half of which had been improved. He cleared the balance, and as his financial resources increased, added 1 50 acres to his farm. Starting out in life with very little capital - in fact, nothing but his strong hands and resolute will - the present condition of Mr. Nelson, socially and financially, reflects great credit upon him, both as an agriculturist and a business man.

In August, 1852, Mr. Nelson was married in Hancock county, the lady of his choice being Miss Rebecca Bowman, who was born March 20, 1830, and is a daughter of Henry Bowman, a prominent farmer of that county. Eight children were born of this union, all of whom survive, and in order of birth are as follows: James L. , born July 23, 1853, is a farmer, and, by his marriage with Ellen Shinew, has eight children; William H., born July 26, 1855, carries on agricultural pursuits in Gratiot county, Mich.; Sarah E., born January 4, 1858, is the wife of Thomas Shinew, a farmer of Portage township; Liddie E., born August 31, i860, is the wife of James Davis, a contractor and builder, of Plain township, Wood county; John A., born May 24, 1S64, is a farmer living on the homestead; Louisa J., born October 10, 1866, is the wife of George Crom, a farmer of Michigan; Elmert, born August 7, 1868, married Della Stacy; and Emma R. , born November 28, 1872, is the wife of Arthur Vermillia, a farmer of Henry county, Ohio.

Mr. Nelson still resides upon his farm, which is now conducted by his son John, but has laid aside business cares, resting in the enjoyment of the fruits of his former toil. He has liberally aided his children in securing good homes, and to all objects for the good of the community, he has been*a cheerful and liberal contributor. His early education was quite limited, but his natural intelligence and habits of observation have served to keep him well informed upon matters of general interest. He is politically at true-blue Republican, and there are few people held in higher

Samuel Case, one of the most highly respected and influential citizens of Bowling Green, was born in Wayne county, Ohio, March 25, 1832. His great-grandfather, Joshua Case, was born either on Long Island or in Connecticut, and was a farmer by occupation. He reared a family of six children, of whom Augustus, our subject's grandfather, was born July 17, 1759, on Long Island, was there married and removed to New Jersey in 1792.

Augustus Case raised six children, two of whom were born in New Jersey, after which the family removed to Greene county, Penn. The father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and received a pension until the time of his death, which took place in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1852, he having reached the advanced age of ninety-three years. The record of his children is as follows: Anna married John Culberson, and they removed to Lawrence county. 111., where she died; Samuel Y. comes next; John B. died in Indiana; Elizabeth married William Kean, of Wayne county, Ohio; Onesimus died in Wayne county; and Joshua died in Wayne county when thirty-two years old. All of those deceased left families. Dr. Augustus Case, of Miami county, Ind., is a son of Onesimus, and Harvey B. Case, of Loudonville, Ohio, is a son of Joshua.

Samuel Y. , the father of our subject, was born September 22, 1796, in Sussex county, N. J., and, as will be seen, was two years of age when, in 1798, the family removed to Pennsylvania. In 1814 he came with his father to Wayne county, Ohio, where he was married, August 20, 1817, to Jane Eakright. The young couple at once settled on a farm in Plain township, Wayne county, which had been given to Mr. Case by his father, and which was their home for forty-five years, and until the death of the husband, which took place in 1870. Mrs. Case was born in Monongahela county, Penn., in 1795, and after the death of her husband made her home with our subject until 1876, when she, too, passed away. This worthy couple were both lifelong members of the Methodist Church, with which body they had worshiped over sixty years. A church was built upon their farm, which was named for them, and in the burying-ground adjacent many members of their family are laid to rest.

March 29, 1896; he reared a family of sixteen children. Augustus B. died in Cass county, Neb. , in 1865. Youngs C. died in Bowling Green March 22, 1894. Reason B. lives on a part of the old farm in Wayne county. Aaron B. was a farmer in Schuyler county, Mo., where he died in 1886. John B. is a farmer in Sheridan county, Neb. Samuel, our subject, comes next. Elizabeth J. is the wife of M. A. Faws, of Bowling Green. W. H. H. died near Lyons, Colo., December 10, 1885.

The subject of this sketch spent his early days on his father's farm in Wayne county, and when eighteen years old began teaching school, which, in connection with farming, he carried on until he was twenty-eight years old, in the meantime, however, also attending school for two terms in Loudonville, also the O. W. U. at Delaware. After his marriage in 1 860 he engaged in the mercantile business for one year at Big Prairie, Wayne county, afterward proceeding to Crestline, Crawford county, where he conducted a dry-goods store for six years. He then removed to Portage, Wood, county, keeping a store there for one year, when, in 1868, he took up his residence in Bowling Green, and, in connection with Addison Fay, opened a store which they conducted some four years. Our subject then sold out his interest, and spent some time in traveling, after which he bought land on Liberty Prairie, m this county.

In 1874 Mr. Case was elected auditor of Wood county, on the Republican ticket, and served seven consecutive years, after which he engaged in the real-estate business, to which he has devoted the most of his attention up to the present time. For two years he was the secretary of the Bowling Green Natural Gas Co., in which he had an interest,' and has been largely interested in the production of oil and the development of the oil field in his county. He received ninety-seven votes in the Republican State Convention, held in Columbus in 1881, for member of the Board of Public Works, and was only defeated because of his location.

Mr. Case was married September 6, i860, to Miss Mary E. McMahon, who was born May 23, 1840, in Jeromesville, Ashland Co., Ohio. Of this union four children have been born, namely: Laura May, who married Rev. Lemuel Lee Warner; he died December 19, 1888, at Genoa, leaving two children - Marie L. and Donald C. Myron L. married Agnes Boyd; he is cashier of the National Bank at Dunkirk, Ind.; this couple have one daughter - Marjorie. Rosella C. is the

Methodist Episcopal Church at Marysville, Ohio; they have two children - John W. and Myron B. Samuel R. married Kate, only child of Dr. Whitehead; he is a merchant tailor in Bowling Green.

Mr. Case has been an important factor in the growth and development of the city and county, where he has made his home for so many years, and has always used his influence to promote their best interests. He took an active part in raising the subscription for the building of the T. & O. C. railway through Bowling Green, and has materially assisted in various other public enterprises. He was a member of the school board some eleven years, and a justice of the peace for one term in Plain township. He has been a consistent member of the Methodist Church since sixteen years of age. and his upright, honorable life is an example which any young man would do well to follow. He possesses the love and esteem of all who know him, and wields a powerful influence for good throughout the community,

Nathan Howard Mills, one of the leading and honored citizens of Wood county, prominent in business, political and social circles, was born in Perry county, Ohio, June 1, 1862, and is a son of Greenbury Mills. His father was born in Maryland, August 19, 1823, and when a boy left his native State, removing with his parents to Perry county, Ohio, the family locating on a farm near New Lexington. Before the war the father of our subject removed to Hancock county, where he was employed as a farm hand for a few years. There he was married in 1843, and soon after returned to Perry county, where he resided until 1862, when he w'ent with his family to Hancock county, taking up his residence near Findlay. In 1871 he came to Wood county, and purchased forty acres of wild land in Jackson township. Part of the the town of Hoytville now stands upon this place, and the first grocery store there was built upon the father's land. Mr. Mills at once began to clear and improve his farm, and some years later erected thereon a comfortable dwelling, which he made his place of abode until his death, which occurred April 12,1895. Mrs. Mills died August 17, 1891. She was a kind and faithful wife and mother, and dearly beloved by all who knew her. She was an active worker in the Christian Church, and the father also held membership with that Church. In politics he was a stanch Democrat, and was an honored and esteemed citizen.

ham, of Jackson township; John T. , a farmer of Jackson township; Delilah Jane, wife of W. M. Clarke, of Arkansas; Catherine, wife of John Eaken, of Hoytville; James E., a carpenter of Hoytville; William H., of Swanton, Ohio; Liddy M., wife of A. P. Kiger, of Hoytville; Nathan H.; Lucinda H., wife of John Embrey, of Athens county, Ohio; Henry C. , of Hoytville; and Sarah, who died at the age of sixteen years. Our subject was only a year old when the family removed to Hancock county, Ohio, and a child of eight when they came to Wood county. He acquired his education in the district schools of these two counties; but at the age of fourteen left the school room to learn the harder duties of of practical business life. He then entered the employ of the Dewey Stave Company, with which he has since been connected, working his way steadily upward, until since April, 1892, he has served as superintendent. Fidelity to duty is numbered among his chief characteristics, and was the secret of his advancement.

In Hoytville, on October 27, 1882, Mr. Mills married Miss Amy C. Wall, who was born February 4, 1862, in Hancock county, Ohio, daughter of Henry B. and Mary Jane (Green) Wall. They now have three children - William W., Mabel G., and Arnold E. They began their domestic life in Hoytville, Mr. Mills erecting a home close to his place of business, and there resided until June, 1895, when he sold his dwelling and removed to the old homestead. His business career has been one of success, and he now has considerable capital out at interest.

In his political affiliations he is a stalwart Republican, and in 1895 was elected mayor of Hoytville, but his pressing business duties forced him to resign. He has served as councilman for two years, and in all possible ways has promoted his county's welfare. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity, has filled all of the chairs, and represented the local lodge in the Grand Lodge. He also holds a life insurance policy in the Endowment Rank, K. P. , and is secretary of Section 1,498. He has been dependent entirely upon his own resources since the age of fourteen years, and is the architect of his own fortune. Upon the solid foundation of diligence, enterprise, and sound judgment, he has erected the superstructure of success, and to-day is a substantial citizen of the community.

David H. Wirick, who has lived retired in Jerry City since the spring of 1891, is one of the successful self-made farmers of Wood county. He is a native of Ohio, born May 15, 1835, in

Monroe township, Richland county, son of Henry and Catherine (Spade) Wirick, who had a family of ten children - seven sons and three daughters. Henry Wirick was born in Pennsylvania, and learned the trade of cabinet maker in Baltimore when a young man. He was married in Pennsylvania, where he lived for a time, moving from that State to Ohio in pioneer days, and locating in Richland county, where his wife died. He subsequently removed to Wyandot county, this State, where he passed his remaining days, dying at the home of his daughter Sarah; he and his wife rest side by side in the cemetery in Monroe township, Richland county. Mr. Wirick was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was a Democrat in politics, and in religious faith was an adherent of the Swedenborgian Church.

Our subject was the sixth child and fifth son of his father's large family. During his boyhood he attended the subscription schools then in vogue in the home neighborhood, and received a thorough training to agriculture under his father, working at home until he reached his majority. On commencing life for himself he worked for from three shillings to fifty cents a day and board. On November 18, 1859, he was married, in Richland county, to Mary A. Smith, a native of that county, who was born November 1 5, 1 834, daughter of John H. Smith, and the following spring the young couple came to Wood county, where they commenced housekeeping. They made the trip by team, and on their arrival located on an eighty-acre tract which he had purchased, situated in Section 8, Bloom township, and which cost $800. Mr. Wirick paid down $200 of this amount, and settled the remainder in installments of $50, so it will be seen that he did not have an over-abundance of capital with which to begin. The land was timber covered, and the five acres which had been partly cleared, were, if anything, in a worse condition than the remainder. A log cabin was the only dwelling on the place, and they commenced in true pioneer style, Mr. Wirick working steadily until he had transformed the place from a wilderness to a fertile, productive farm. In 1888 he had an attack of "la grippe," which undermined his health so much as to unfit him for active labor, and he has since lived retired, having removed to his pleasant home in Jerry City, in the spring of 1891. He acquired a comfortable competence, and was able to give to each of his two sons an eighty-acre farm.

in infancy; and Charles, who is also a farmer in Bloom township. The mother of these passed from earth April 9, 1870, and was buried in Bloom Chapel cemetery, and Mr. Wirick wedded, for his second wife, Mrs. Lavina Edgar, widow of Hector Edgar, and daughter of John Davis, of Henry township, Wood county. She died June 3, 1880, without issue, and was laid to rest in North Baltimore cemetery. December 28, 1882, Mr. Wirick was again married, this time, in Bloom township, to Mrs. Sarah (Boyd) Swope, a native of Jackson township, Seneca county; no children have come to this union. Mr. Wirick is a most highly esteemed citizen, and he is as well liked for his kindness of heart as for his integrity and industry. Possessed of good common sense and judgment, he was an influential man in his community, and served as trustee and constable in Bloom township. He is a Democrat in political faith, but usually votes for the best man, regardless of politics.

William H. Minton, one of the pioneers of Wood county, now an honored resident of Plain Center, Plain township, was born March 7, 1828, in Morris county, N. J., where his ancestors had settled at an early period.

His grandfather, Nathan Minton, was a soldier in the war of 1812, and his great-grandfather, Isaac Johnston, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His father, Jacob Minton, was born February 26, 1 796, and was in early life a wagon maker. He married Miss Philetta Willison, also a native of New Jersey, born September 27, 1798, and, in 1834, they moved to Ohio, traveling part of the* way by water. They stopped for a short time at Fort Miami, and then after a few months at the old missionary station on the banks of the Maumee river, twenty miles above Toledo, they settled upon land in Plain township, Wood county, where they established their home in the clearing. They were both members of the Presbyterian Church, of Morristown, N. J. (Rev. Albert Barnes, pastor), but after coming west they united with the Plain Congregational Church, of which they remained throughout life, faithful and active members. Before the war issues arose, Mr. Minton, Sr., was a Whig, and then became a Republican, and later joined the Prohibition party. He died April 6, 1884, followed two years and a half later by his wife, who breathed her last on the eve of her eighty-eighth birthday. They had eight children: Hannah M. (deceased) married Martin Warner, of Tontogany, now an elder in the Presbyterian Church; Robert B. died in Carlinville, 111., and was a professor in Blackburn University at the time of his death; Nathan W. lives in Washington county, Ky. ; William H. ; Sarah (deceased) ; Martha B. is the wife of Luke Carr, of Bowling Green; Jacob was a soldier in the Civil war in Company H, 67th O. V. I., and was killed at Fort Wagner; Phileta died when four months old.

Our subject, who is the fourth child of this family, spent his boyhood upon his father's farm, and attended the neighboring schools. Later he studied for one year in the academy at Castalian Springs, Tenn. On October 23, 1850, he married Miss Sallie S. Woodbury, who was born in Falmouth, Mass., December 15, 1832. Their seven children are all living. Benjamin H. is a photographer at Bellevue, Huron county; he married Miss Eliza Clark. Alice J. married Fred Smedley, of Berea, Ohio, who is a graduate of Oberlin College and a photographer, and has four children - Grace, Ruth, Clifford, and Bessie. Lillie C. married Henry A. Ross, of Caldwell, Kans., and has four sons - Minton, Harry, Marshall, and Elbert. Charlotte M. is the wife of Thaddeus W. Heermans, a machinist of Evanston, 111. ; they have two children - Thomas and Miriam. Henry M. is a captain in the Salvation Army in the Hawaiian Islands. Jacob D. lives in Enid, O. T. ; he married Miriam Lee, of Kansas City, and has one son - Harvey L. Mabel married Edwin Munn, of Portage, Ohio, and has one child - Lelia F.

Mr. Minton served his country during the Civil war by enlisting in Company B, 144th O. V. I. Both he and his wife are membrs of the Plain Congregational Church, with which Mr. Minton united at the age of fourteen. He is a prominent Prohibitionist, and has been a delegate to several State conventions, and his integrity and devotion to his principles win the respect of even political opponents.

Ira B. Banks, deceased. The subject of this sketch, formerly a leading business man of Wood county, was born in New York State December 4, 1826. He came west early in life, locating first in Woodville, Sandusky county, and, later, on a farm near by, at what is now known as Banks' Corners.

In 1864 he came to Wood county, and started a mercantile business at Pemberville, which in 1865, he moved to Weston, where a few years afterward Mr. H. C. Uhlman became his junior partner. The business was confined to general merchandise, and finally limited to dry goods. Mr. Banks was an active agent in the development of trade in his vicinity, and his sterling qualities of mind and heart made him friends wherever he was known. His death, which occurred October 21, 1891, was widely mourned by a wide circle of acquaintances. His mother (who resides at Elmore, Ohio), his wife and five children survive him. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and had for many years given generous support to its work. In politics he was a Republican, and he belonged to Phoenix Lodge, F. & A. M., at Perrysburg.

Mr. Banks was married, in Fremont, Ohio, to Miss Jemima Smith, who was born in Essex county, N. J., August 10, 1834. She was the daughter of John and Catherine Smith, who came from New Jersey to Ohio in 1851 and settled near Woodville, where their last days were spent. Mrs. Banks still resides in Weston, and with her sons conducts the old business under the firm name of I. B. Banks Co. Her eldest son is Fred J. (2) Bradley D. , born March 26, 1858, was educated in the Weston schools, and for some time clerked for his father - in 1880 taking a one-half interest in the hardware business. In 1884 he assumed charge of the branch hardware store at McClure, Henry county; but four years later sold out and returned to Weston. He is non-partisan in politics, and, fraternally, is a member of the F. & A. M. (3) George R., born October 20, 1862, was educated in the Weston schools. He has been connected with the store from boyhood, clerking there prior to his father's death. At that time, having been appointed executor of the estate, by his father's will, he took full charge of the business, which he has ever since conducted with eminent success, and in a manner highly creditable to himself. He is a stockholder in the Exchange Bank, and, though yet a young man, is regarded as a leader in business circles. Politically he is a Republican, and is at present serving his second term as village treasurer. Socially, he is a member of the K. O. T. M., at Weston. (4) John B. is in the furniture and undertaking business at Perry, O. T. (5) Julia is the wife of L. E. Long, of Deshler, Ohio. The Banks family have always been noted for sound business judgment and a spirit of enterprise, and the present generation are worthy representatives of the old stock.

Lewis Dienst, one of Wood county's prominent farmers, and residing in Portage township, was born on a farm in Upper Canada, December 10, 1834. His father was born in Germany, and when a young man crossed the Atlantic to Canada, where he met and married Miss Barbara Unsicker, also a native of Germany, who came with her I parents to America during her early girlhood. He died when our subject was a young lad, leaving but two children: Lewis, and Daniel, who is now engaged in farming near Lincoln, in Platte county, Neb. The mother afterward became the wife of Nicholas Dienst, and oar subject has always borne the name of his step-father. Six children were born by the second union, namely: Eliza, wife of Rufus Sumner, of Trumbull county, Ohio; Nicholas, a mechanic and farmer living in Portage township, Wood county; Mrs. Barbara Jones, of Akron, Ohio; John, a farmer of Kansas; Henry, an agriculturist of Michigan; and one that died in infancy.

Our subject was only about two years old when he accompanied his mother and step-father to the United States. They made their way to Cleveland, Ohio, thence to Sandusky county, and subsequently removed to Lucas county. The year 1847 witnessed their arrival in Wood county, and they located in the town of Portage, where Mr. Dienst, Sr., purchased a house and lot. He was a tailor by trade, and followed that business throughout the greater part of his life. He passed away in Portage many years ago; his wife died in 1854.

The educational privileges which Lewis Dienst received were very limited. He was fourteen years of age before he began to learn the alphabet; then walked a quarter of a mile to the home of Henry Hoskins, to receive instruction, and subsequently attended the schools of Portage. Through experience and observation he has become a well-informed man, but is self-educated as well as self-made. He began to earn his living by working as a farm hand for Collister Haskins, at $6 per month and board. His wages were afterward increased from time to time until, on attaining his majority, he was receiving $14 per month and board. He remained in the employ of Mr. Haskins fifteen consecutive years. Trustworthy and reliable, he had the unqualified confidence of that gentleman, as is well indicated by his long service. He then operated the farm on shares for a few years, after which he purchased forty acres of prairie land in Liberty township, continuing its cultivation some four years. The labors of Mr. Dienst were then interrupted by his service in the Union army. On August 6, 1862, he enlisted at Portage, in Company K, 111 th O. V. I. During his service he was once slightly wounded, but remained until the close of the war, and. took part in every engagement in which his regiment participated. He received a wound in his left shoulder at the battle of Franklin, Tenn., and several times his clothes were pierced with bullets. He served as sergeant, and was promoted from first sergeant to second lieutenant, April 12, 1864, and was first lieutenant at close of the war, or when his regiment was discharged. The war having ended, he was mustered out at Cleveland, Ohio, July 27, 1865, and at once returned to his home.

In the fall of 1861, in Trumbull county, Ohio, Mr. Dienst was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Shaffer, and to them have been born four children: Albert, who became a conductor on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, lost his health through exposure in that service, and died (a Christian man) at the age of twenty-four; Altha A. is the wife of Curtis Munn, of Portage, Ohio; Jennie E. is the wife of John Friend, of Rudolph, Ohio; one child died in infancy.

Before going to the war Mr. Dienst sold his first farm, and in the fall after his return he purchased 128 acres in Portage township, a wild and unimproved tract, but with characteristic energy he began its development. His first home was a log cabin, 16x20 feet, which he helped to build during his boyhood. He now has a large and comfortable frame residence, and a well-improved farm of fifty-two acres, having sold the remainder of the property. He also owns 392 acres of land in Sheridan county, Kans., situated within two miles of the county seat, Hoxie (in this vicinity Albert L. Dienst pre-empted seventy-two acres, and it was there he died). Success has attended his enterprising efforts, and his prosperity is the just reward of his labors. In politics he is a stalwart Republican. He has been offered various offices, but declined to serve, though he acted as assessor some four years, has been school director of the corporation for nine years, and was councilman for several years. The cause of education, and all interests calculated to improve the community, receive his support, and he is a valued and esteemed citizen of Wood county. He holds membership with the United Brethren Church, with which his wife and children are also connected.

Mrs. Mary J. Beck, wife of A. D. Beck, was born in Beaver, (now Lawrence) county, Penn., on April 30, 1837, and is a daughter of Robert and Mary (McCarter) Mackey. Her father was a farmer of the Keystone State, and in 1850 drove across the country to Wood county, Ohio, locating on a new farm of 160 acres in Section 18, Bloom township. He continued to clear and cultivate his land until his death, which occurred November 16, 1871, and on the same farm his wife died November 28, 1874, being interred in

1822, died in Lawrence county, Penn. (2) William, born July 13, 1825, died in Pennsylvania at the age of four years. (3) Alexander, born March 4, 1827, makes his home in North Baltimore, Ohio. (4) James, bom July 5, 1829, died in Bloom township, Wood county, in 1861. (5)

Robert, who makes his home in Perry township, was born April 17, 1831, and for twenty-seven winter terms and one summer term engaged in teaching, while for fifteen years heconducted a sawmill. (6) Joseph, of Fannin county, Texas, was born December 22, 1832, and served throughout the Civil war as a member of the 9th 111. Cav. (7) Mary J. is the next in order of birth. (8) John, born February 28, 1840, resides in Putnam county, Ohio. The political affiliations of the father were with the Democratic party.

On July 12, 1864, was celebrated the marriage of A. C. Russell and Miss Mary J. Mackey. The former was born in the Empire State, in 1838, and was a son of Norman Russell, an early settler of Perry township. He engaged in farming in Perry township until 1881, when he removed to Van Zandt county, Texas, where, in November of the following year, he died, and his remains were brought back and interred at West Millgrove, Ohio. On December 18, 1887, in Texas, Mrs. Russell became the wife of A. D. Beck, who was born in Washington county, Ind., June 19, 1831, son of Andrew and Susan (Diven) Beck. The father was born in 1 800, in North Carolina, and when only eight years old was taken by his father to Washington county, Ind., where the latter was one of the honored pioneers.

In 1852 Mr. Beck went to Texas, but the following year returned to Lawrence county, Ind., where he wedded Catherine Horsey, by whom he had four children - Susan, now Mrs. Kemp Morley, of Greenville, Texas; Emma, wife of John Roberts, of Van Zandt county, Texas; Clara, who died in childhood, and John, of Van Zandt county. The mother passed away December 1 , 1 866, in Martin county, Ind. In October, 1864, Mr. Beck enlisted from Indiana, in Company B, 31st Ind. V. I., and served nearly a year. He had again married in his native State, and in 1880 removed with his wife to Texas, where she died. He was again married, in the Lone Star State, but this wife died there about ten months after their marriage.

In 1888 Mr. and Mrs. Beck returned North, locating in Perry township, Wood Co., Ohio, and here have a good farm of 100 acres, which he is successfully operating. A large willow tree, which stands on this farm, has grown from a little riding whip, brought from Perrysburg, nearly sixty years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Beck have a large circle of friends, who hold them in the highest esteem and confidence. Mrs. Beck has no children of her own, but is rearing a little niece, Mary Mackey, the daughter of Joseph Mackey. In politics Mr. Beck is an ardent Democrat, and he is a member of the Disciples Church.

Lewis C. Carothers, a well-known and highly esteemed hotel-keeper, of Rudolph, was born in Portage township, Wood county. May 23, 1844, and is the son of Francis and Elizabeth (Garthwaite) Carothers.

Francis Carothers was born in Pennsylvania, and was there married, October 17, 1815, to Miss Margaret Fitzsimmons, who was born February 20, 1788. She died in November, 1839, and was buried in Sargent cemetery. His second wife (the mother of our subject) was the widow of Pascal Besanson. She and Mr. Carothers were married August 5, 1841, in Wood county. Mr. Carothers died five years later in Portage township, and was buried in Sargent cemetery. Mrs. Carothers died in 1881, and was buried in Portage township. She always lived on the home farm, in Portage township; in religious faith she was a Presbyterian. Mr. Carothers took a prominent part in all matters pertaining to the county, and was associate judge and assessor of Wood county. In fulfilling the duties of the latter office he was obliged to go over the entire county. The children by his first wife were: James H., born

November 18, 1816, died in California in 1878; William R., born January 1, 1818, died in Portage township in 1883; Samuel, born November 16, 1820, died in California in 1873; Nancy J., born February 18, 1823, died in April, 1852, unmarried; Eleanor, born February 14, 1825, died September 10, 1849; David N., born August 7, 1827, followed the sea all his life, traveled all over the world, and " came home to die '' ; Mary Margaret, born April 1, 1830, married William Brokaw, and died October 9, 1882, in Gabon, Ohio. By the second wife two children were born: Francis, September 22, 1842, died May

Lewis C. Carothers was reared on the farm near the village of Portage. In 1862, he enlisted in Company D, iuthO. V. I., under Capt. J. E. McGowen. The regiment's first engagement was at Huff's Ferry, Tenn. Mr. Carothers participated in all the battles of his regiment, being with it continuously, with the exception of two weeks, until his discharge in June, 1865. The war now over, he returned to his home on the farm. When oil was discovered in Pennsylvania, he left home to work in the oil-field there. For a year he worked at the business until he had done all kinds of work that was to be done in the field, except the dressing of tools (at that time the driller was below the tool-dresser in rank). Returning to the farm, he remained until October, 1872, when he went to California, and embarked in the sheep business. Pleased with the prospects before him, he returned home at the lapse of a year and married a lady well known to the teachers of Wood county, she having taught for five years in the county. Miss Rose Call now becomes the happy Mrs. Carothers. On the 20th day of November, 1873, they are married, and on the same day started for the Pacific Coast to become partners in the sheep business, as well as all affairs pertaining to their future life. During the drouth of 1874-75 (nineteen months without a drop of rain), the sheep business became a general failure, and Mr. Carothers lost so heavily that he was forced to give up the business. In farming, however, and other work, he gathered a little means; but getting badly hurt by being thrown from a horse, which accident unfitted him for business for the time, he decided to return to the home farm once more, and care for his aged mother and brother, now very anxious for his return.

In 1878 he again finds himself on the old homestead. Two years later his mother died, and three years later his brother William followed, leaving Mr. Carothers the only representative of his father's family. On his farm he remained until the spring of 1892, when he took up the management of the Ruth-Miller farm, in Portage township, near Mermill. He farmed this place for three seasons, then embarked in the hotel business at Rudolph.

To Mr. and Mrs. Carothers have come the following children: Herbert L., born in Tulare county, Cal., September 7, 1874, died in same place, February 3, 1876; Frank L., born in Pacheco, Cal., March 20, 1878, died at Portage (on farm), February 23, 1891; William G., born June 12, 1881, and Leonard V. , born February 26, 1886, both at home; and Jessie M., born October 24, 1890, died July 23, 1894. Politically, Mr. Carothers had always been a Democrat until 1884, when his great interest in the temperance reform led him out of the old party, and he declared himself, out-and-out, for Prohibition. His wife is an ardent lover of the W. C. T. U., and has been for years a faithful worker in the ! cause of temperance. They are members of the

Christian Church. Mr. Carothers is of a genial nature, and his kind-hearted wife is.a woman of noble character. They carry on their business in a very commendable and successful manner, and are highly spoken of by all who have the pleasure of their acquaintance.

Prof. W. G. Elliott, a prominent educator of Wood county, and one of the leading citizens of Bloomdale, was born in Loudon township, Seneca Co., Ohio, November 7, i860. His family is of English origin, his great-grandfather, Samuel Elliott, having come alone from England when a boy. He married, and reared a family of six children: George, Samuel, Joseph, Susan, Winnie and Lydia. Joseph Elliott, our subject's grandfather, was born near Fredericksburg, Md. He married Eleanor Me Kenny, who was born in the United States of Irish parentage, and had nine children: David, Frederick, Augustus, William, James, Ann, Susan, Eliza, and Melvina, all of whom lived to adult age. He was a successful farmer in Maryland until 1850, and then moved to a fine farm near Little Washington, Rappahannock Co., Va., where he and his wife lived to a ripe old age.

David Elliott, our subject's father, was born near Fredericksburg, January 31, 1824. He had but limited education, as the subscription schools of the locality only furnished instruction in reading and writing, and, while his parents were comfortably situated, they could not afford the cash needed for schooling elsewhere. He lived at home until after the removal of the family to Virginia, and in 1851 started for California in search of wealth, but impelled chiefly by a dislike for slavery. The only employment open to him was the guarding of negro slaves, and these he often allowed to escape. He stopped in Missouri, where he spent about a year, but the total severance of old ties of friendship proved too painful. A former neighbor, Mrs. Sarah Updyke, and her family, had settled in Seneca county, Ohio, in April, 1853, on an eighty-acre tract, and this fact led to-a visit, in September, 1853, to that locality. He was married there, on October 4, 1853, to Miss Lydia A. Updyke, who was born in Rappahannock county, Va. , October 20, 1826. She was one of a family of seven children: Rufus, who died in Fairfield county; Susan, who married Christopher Santemyer, and died in Bloom township, Wood county; Elizabeth, the widow of George Worley, of Bloom township; Lydia A. (Mr. Elliott's first wife); Jane, who died in Virginia at eighteen years of age; Mahala, now the widow of Caleb Worley, of Montgomery township; and Mary E. (Mrs. Elliott). Mr. Updyke died in 1840, and his widow kept a home for the family until her children were all settled in life, when she sold the farm and lived with her children. Her death occurred in Bloom township in 1894 at the age of ninety years.

After his marriage David Elliott located upon forty acres of land near his wife's family, where he remained until 1866. His first wife died February 13, 1855, leaving one child - Marshall H., born January 15, 1855, now a farmer in Bloom township. Mr. Elliott was married April 17, 1856, to Miss Mary E. Updyke, a sister of the former wife, born in Virginia, January 18, 1833. Four children were born of this union : Mary

A., June 26, 1857, who is at home; William G., our subject; Sarah E., January 29, 1862, now Mrs. George W. Markwood, of Perry township, and David F., April 2, 1864, a resident of Ionia county, Mich. In April, 1866, David Elliott sold his farm and came to Wood county, purchasing forty acres in Bloom township, to which he added until he owned 160 acres, which he sold in 1887 for $15,000. In September, 1887, he moved to Perry township, and bought 100 acres, where he made his home. He was a tall, robust man, and until five years before his death, which occurred September 5, 1891, he had enjoyed the best of health. He was a Republican in politics, but sympathized strongly with the Prohibition party. He never allowed his name to be presented as a candidate for office. He and hi£ wife were prominent members of the U. B. Church to which he gave liberally both of money and time, holding many different offices. His widow still lives at the homestead, passing her declining years free from care and highly respected by all who know her.

W. G. Elliott was a boy of five years when he first came to this county, and the district schools of Bloom township gave him his first draught at the well of knowledge. Their facilities were very limited, however, and when he had finished the common branches, they could do no more for him, and his later extensive knowledge of the higher branches was obtained by private study. He attended Fostoria Academy (Prof. Jackson, principal) for four months. His first teaching was in 1880, in the Kimberlin school, in Weston township, and he has since become one of the best known instructors in the county, holding the position of superintendent of schools at Bairdstown, Bloomdale and Millbury. His information is accurate, and covers a wide range of modern thought, and it has been won by his almost unaided efforts. He is peculiarly fitted to understand and smooth away the perplexities of other students. In the fall of 1 893 he was elected superintendent of schools for Perry township, which position he held for three successive years, and is the only official of that rank in Wood county who succeeded in holding that position for more than one year. He is a shrewd business man also, and, as executor of his father's will, he displayed excellent management. From 1890 to 1893, he was engaged in the grocery and queensware business in Bloomdale, and erected a fine business block with two store rooms, and this building he still owns. In 1893, Mr. Elliott began the study of law, under the tutorship of Hon. Benjamin F. James, of Bowling Green, Ohio; in April, 1896, he entered the law school at Ada, Ohio, where he was admitted to the Senior class, from which institution he graduated with honors, and was admitted to the bar to practice in the Ohio courts, June 25, 1896. He is at the present time completing the postgraduate course in law from the same institution. He is a stockholder in the Bloomdale Building and Loan Association. He was married October 12, 1887, in Genoa, Ohio, to Flora A. Shaner, a native of Perrysburg, and a daughter of Wesley Shaner, of Genoa, Ohio. She is a lady of rare ability and culture, a member of the M. E. Church, and was a teacher before her marriage. With the exception of a few years in Millbury, their home has been in Bloom township. They have had three children: Ruth L.,

In politics Prof. Elliott is a stanch Republican, and his first vote was cast for James G. Blaine. He has always been an active worker in the ranks of his party. He is a member of the K. of P. Lodge No. 278, Bloomdale.

Abram Hyter, a prosperous agriculturist and sawmill operator of Montgomery township, is one of the most respected citizens of his locality, and he and his estimable wife have been identified with many progressive movements - social, religious and charitable.

He is a native of Carroll county, Md., where he began his earthly pilgrimage June 4, 1829. His parents were Jacob and Margaret (Koontz) Hyter. - They came to Ohio when our subject was very young, and his early years were passed in Seneca county as a pioneer farmer's boy with only the district schools, often times two miles distant, to supply his thirst for knowledge. His time was mainly spent at home until his marriage, April 26, 1855, in Tiffin, Ohio, to Miss Mary Stewart, who was born in Lycoming county, Penn., November 8, 1830, the eldest child of Thomas D. and Fannie (Riddle) Stewart. In 1838 they came to Seneca county, Ohio, where Mrs. Stewart died in 1843; and in 1854, Mr. Stewart located in Perry township, Wood county, where he passed his remaining years. Mrs. Hyter, for three years before her marriage, taught in the district schools, her salary being sometimes as low as $10.00 a month, and of course, " boarded round."

Mr. Hyter bought forty acres of land in Perry township, upon which little clearing had been done, and here they began housekeeping. The land was very wet and sadly in need of ditching. A year later they returned to Seneca county, and Mr. Hyter there rented land of his father-in-law, for a time; but in 1859 he purchased ninety-five acres in Section 11, Montgomery township, and removed thither, occupying a log cabin which, with a small log stable, was the only building on the place. There were but a few acres of cleared land, and the ensuing years were full of toil; but he prospered, and now has 135 acres of land, with fine buildings and improvements. In the spring of 1871 he went to Genoa, Ohio, and remained until the spring of 1881, during his stay there conducting a wooden-bowl factory. For several years past he has engaged in the sawmill business, and his success in acquiring a competence demonstrates his business ability.

Mr. and Mrs. Hyter have had six children : Anna F. , who married E. R. Kirk, of Ottawa county, Ohio, and has one son; Jennie A., who died in childhood; Nellie C., who married A. A. Stump, of Bradner, and has three sons; Charles E. , a resident of Bradner, married Jennie Clark, and has two sons and one daughter ; Schuyler C. married Gail Hamilton, and has one daughter (they live in Bradner), and Inez G. is at home. The parents are leading members of the M. P. Church, of Bradner, in which he now holds the office of trustee. Mrs. Hyter is a woman of noble character and fine mehtality, whose helpfulness in varied lines of work has done much for the locality. She is a valued member of the Woman's Relief Corps, and of the Rebekah Lodge. Mr. Hyter belongs to the I. O. O. F. at Genoa. He has been a Republican from the formation of the party, and has taken an active share in the local work, serving as township trustee for six terms, and for some time as member of the Bradner District school board. He holds an interest in fourteen oil wells, nine of which are on his own land.