Canton Township (part 12 of 62)

John Reed Poyser was born December 9, 1825, at the foot of Swan's Hill, Sugar Creek township, this county, on what is known as the old Nicholas Swan farm. He grew to manhood surrounded by pioneer conditions and was early inured to the rugged toil necessitated by the primiti\'e conditions with which he was environed. He developed a splendid physique and was able to endure a great amount of hard toil. An aunt, Jane Poyser. was a school teacher in Sugar Creek township and to her school the subject went in 1833. It was a typical school house of the place and period. It was a round-log, one-story structure, with greased paper windows, a door with wooden hinges, and benches made of split logs with long pegs for legs. Spelling and reading formed the principal studies, but the subject was an apt pupil and endeavored to faithfully make the best use of his opportunities, limited though they \\ere. The school was far from his home and the path through the dense woods was a lonely one, so his father would frequently come to the school in the afternoons to take him home. John R. spent two terms in this school, but his education was then interrupted by the removal of his father to Canton township, where no schools had been formed at that time and the subject was deprived of the privilege of study for the following five years. He was fond of hunting and was a good shot, and during these five years he indulged his passion to the utmost. In 1838 he resumed his studies in Perry township, arithmetic being at this time added to his other studies. His school days ended in 1842, by which time he had acquired a fair education, though not by any means as complete as he desired. Mr. Poyser remained under the parental roof until in March, 1846, he went to Canton and apprenticed himself to John B. Hoover to learn the trade of carpenter and joiner. He served three years under verbal contract and then followed his trade as a journeyman until 1851. He then engaged in contracting on his own account, in which he met with immediate and satisfactory success. The first building he erected was a house for Samuel Smith in Perry township and he afterward erected many buildmgs in Canton. In 1855 he erected the building formerly owned by the Farmers' Union, but now occupied by Durbin & Wright. He also erected the Harter block, two-thirds of the Eagle block, the Whiting and Poyser block and part of the Cassilly buildings. He assisted in the erection of the second court house and constructed many fine dwellings in Canton and vicinity. In all his enterprises he was uniformly successful, and, because of his painstaking care and strict attention to details, coupled with an evident desire to please all who had dealings with him. he soon acquired and retained the utmost confidence of all who had dealings with him. In 1891 he gave up tlie contracting business and that year supervised tlie erection of the present postoffice building, a responsible position, and one for which he was well qualified by reason of his previous experience in the building line, .\bout the time his duties in this capacit}' were completed he was elected to the ofiice of county commissioner and was serving in this capacity at the time of the erection of the present county court house. Mr. Poyser became a stockholder in the Bucher & Gibbs Plow Company and is now serving as vice-president of the same. Although he does not now take as active part in business affairs as formerly, yet he still retains a keen interest in passing events and keeps in close touch with all questions concerning the varied interests of his city, county or nation. Although now almost seventy-seven years of age, he possesses to a remarkable degree his physical and mental vigor.

John R. Poyser was married in Canton, on the 28th of October, 1852, to Miss Mary Mellen, of that city, the daughter of Patrick and Nora (Lynch) Mellen. Four children have been born to this union, brietlv mentioned as follows : Mary Frances died at the age of nine years ; William J., who is secretary of the Bucher & Gibbs Plow Company, married Helen Bucher and they are the parents of three children, Edna. Helen and John R. : Joseph died at the age of three years; Ella is the wife of Frank Alexander, of Canton.

Politically, Mr. Poyser was originally a Whig, but upon the formation of the Republican party he identified himself with it and has been firm in his allegiance to its principles. His first vote was cast for Jackson, and he still has a vivid recollection of the Harrison campaign of 1840. He has always taken a keen interest in political matters and in his active years performed much effective service in ad\'ancing the interests of his party.

i\lr. Poyser, while personally a most unostentatious citizen, is well known in the city of his residence as a man of clear foresight and tenacious, resolute purpose, and as possessing the highest type of sag'acity, ingenuity and firmness in overcoming obstacles in the way of his success. And it is also well recognized that his success has not come from lucky chance, but has been the result of his own ability, integrity and silent perse\-erance. He has for many years occupied a most prominent place in the business, moral and social life of Canton and is one of those conspicuous figures whose characters h^ve left their impress upon the history of the county and have caused it to be known far and wide for its development of men of acumen and sound judgment.

ARTHUR N. KALEY. - Although a young" man, and but recently admitted to the bar. the subject of this sketch has achieved local distinction as a lawyer and bids fair, at no distant day, to take his place among the successful members of the Stark county bar. His father, Joseph Kaley, a native of Pennsylvania, came to Stark county when a boy and is still living here, having reached the age of seventy years. He is a son of John Kaley, who was born in the Keystone state, where his ancestors settled in a very early day.

Joseph Kaley, the subject's father, married Miss Marriam Cornelia Warren, who was Ijorn in New York, her father, Levi Nelson Warren, being a native of Shirley, Massachusetts. In many respects Mr. Warren was an extraordinary man. After receiving a fine education he read medicine and began the practice, but later devoted much of his attention to wood carving", in which he acquired artistic skill seldom equalled. He was a mechanical genius and could tun: his hand to any kind of workmanship, from the construction of the most intricate piece of machinery to the tracing of tb.e most delicate artistic designs, besides carving from wood every form of animal and vegetable life. He also traveled extensively over various parts of the world and possessed wide general information as well as superior scholastic and technical attainments. While carving from a piece of oak wood the figure of a dove for the altar of a Presbyterian church in Rochester, New York, ]\Ir. \\'arren met the lady (]\Iiss Phoebe Brown, formerly of Coventry. Connecticut) who afterwards became his wife. In company with her mother, the young lafly visited the place where he was at work, and while admiring the beautiful figure upon which he was engaged, an acquaintance sprang up between them which, ripening into love, eventually led to marriage. Charles Warren, the father of Levi Nelson Warren, was a distinguished soldier of the Revolution and a near kinsman of General Warren, who fell while gallantly cheering his men at the battle of Bunker Hill. The name is inseparably connected with the struggle for independence and for man}- years prior to that time various members of the family figured conspicuously in the civil and military annals of JNIassachusetts. The original Warrens of New England came to this country to escape religious persecution, bringing with them only such of their wealth as they could hastily collect, leaving behind large and exceedingly valuable estates in the city of London and elsewhere. Owing to the destruction of public records by the great London fire the descendants of the family have ne\-er been able to establish a legal claim to the property, which now includes a large area in the most populous part of the city, besides valuable estates in the country.

Reverting to the personal history of Arthur N. Kaley, it is learned that his birth occurred in Massillon, Ohio, on the ist day of December, 1867. At the proper age he entered the city schools, and' in due time passed through the various grades, graduating from the high school in 1886, with the second honors of his class. Immediately thereafter he entered college, but owuig to ill health he was obliged to discontinue his studies a short time before completing the prescribed course, a matter which caused him much regret. There is a time in the experience of every young man when it becomes necessary for him to choose a vocation, and fortunate indeed is he who selects one suited to his tastes and inclinations. In this respect young Kaley has nothing to regret, as he decided upon a profession for which his talents peculiarly fitted him, to-wit, the law. After the usual course of private reading, during which period he held a position as private secretary to an attorney representing large business interests, he entered the law department of the Western Reserve University, where he was graduated in 1899 with the degree of Bachelor of Law. Prior to the above date Mr. Kaley made two extensive European tours, one in 1896, the other two years later, visiting in the course of his travels various parts of England, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Switzerland. In this way he obtained a practical knowledge of the world, such as colleges and universities fail to impart, enriching his mind by visiting many points of historic interest, coming in close touch W'ith the manners and customs of the people of various countries and becoming familiar with their civic and political institutions. In the fall of 1899 Mr. Kaley was admitted to the bar at Columbus, Ohio, and during the ensuing year practiced his profession in Cleveland, Ohio, building up a fairly lucrative business. Impressed with the idea that his native town afforded a more inviting field, he returned to Massillon, in 1900, and since that year has been engaged in the general practice in this city. As a lawyer he is studious and energetic, well versed in the principles of jurisprudence, and familiar with every detail of practice. Few men of his experience have been more success-

In addition to his local practice, ^Ir. Kaley has frequently been interested with large interests at distant places, having but recently returned from an extended and important business trip through Arizona. New Mexico and other parts of the Southwest. Thus far every matter confided to his care has been attended to with ability and dispatch, and his reputation as a safe and reliable counsellor and shrewd but honorable practitioner has won for him not only a full share of legal patronage, but a worthy standing at a bar distinguished for the learning and professional ability of its members. He is popular in the social circles of his city, as he was also during his residence in Cleveland, and is a most courteous and companionable gentle7 man in every walk of life. Public spirited, he manifests a lively interest in the material prosperity of the community and to the extent of his ability encourages every enterprise to this end. His ideal of manhood is high and as a citizen his influence has been on the side of right and justice as he understands these terms. He i£ a member of the Board of Trade, and is a member of Massillon Lodge No. 190, Benevolent Order of Eagles. Religiously he is affiliated with the Euclid .Avenue Presb}-terian church of Cleveland.

DR. JOHN P. SCHILLING is descended from an old family that, for generations, lived near Frankf ort-on-the-Main , and inherits in a marked degree the many amiable qualities and sturdy characteristics for which his ancestors liave long been noted. His paternal grandfather, who lived in a small village not far from the above city, was an honest, industrious tiller of the soil who owned his small farm and from the most reliable information he appears to have been far in advance of his neighbors and fellow villagers in point of natural mental endowment and acquired intellectual growth. He lived and died on the ancestral estate, leaving two sons, the older of whom succeeded to the farm, and the younger, John, became a distinguished physician both in his land and the United States.

John Schilling was born near Frankfort-onthe-Main, Germany, in the year 1795, spent his youthful years on the old homestead and until the age of fourteen attended the schools of his native town. In his fifteenth year he was provided with a private tutor, under whose instructions he was prepared for the German Gymnasium, an institution in which boys were fitted for college, and after finishing his course in the latter his parents used their utmost endeavors to have him prosecute his studies further, with the object in view of taking the holy orders. Not pleased with the idea of entering the priesthood, the young" man demurred, assigning as a reason for his objection to the church the fact that he had long contemplated devoting his life to the medical profession, for which he early manifested a decided inclination. Animated by this resoh-e, he at once \\ent to work to earn means to defray the expenses of a medical education, and while thus engaged addressed himself to a preliminary course of study, after which he entered the University of W'urtzburg, recently made famous by the discovery of the Roentgen or X-ray by Dr. Roentgen, one of its professors. John Schilling became a student in this noted institution wiien a young man, was graduated therefrom with an honorable record in the year 1825, and immediately thereafter began the practice of his profession in the city of Wurtzberg, remaining there for several years. Shortly after receiving his degree he was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth Schroeder, who was born in a village near the city of Frankfort, her father, Philip Schroeder, being a native of that part of Germany and a farmer of wealth and high social standing. Mrs. Schilling had one brother, Coin^ad Schroeder, who became a man of more than local prominence in his native land, receiving a fine literary education and thorough military training in one of the finest military institutions of Germany. He served with distinction in the German army and had he seen fit to remain so would doubtless have risen high in military circles. In 1836 he came to America and settled in Kentucky and when the Mexican war broke out he entered the service of the United States as a captain in a regiment recruited in that state. He made an honorable record as a soldier, his superior military training and handsome figure winning not only the unbounded conhdence of his superiors, but also the admiration and love of his immediate command, his company winning distinction as the best drilled and in every respect the most efficient body of men in the army. While leading his men against a formidable position, he received a severe wound, but continued in action until the enemy were driven away and the American flag planted on the rampart. He studied law in his native land and some time after locating in Kentucky he was elected to official station, holding at different times various positions, prominent among which was that of court interpreter, as he was a fine linguist, conversing fluently in several languages. Mr. Schroeder married into a Louisville family of high social rank, his wife being noted for her intellectual attainments and varied culture. He died in the above city about the year 1880, at the age of seventy, while his widow still survives, making her home at this time in Baltimore, Maryland.

Thinking to better his financial condition in the L^nited States, of which country he had received many flattering reports from friends who had settled some years before in Tuscarawas county, Ohio. Dr. John Schilling and family set sail in 1836 from the port of Havre,

France, and after an uneventful but weary voyage of nine weeks' duration landed at their destination in the city of Baltimore. From there they proceeded by canal and part of the way by team to Ohio, finally reaching the village of Bolivar, in the county of Tuscarawas. Learning of his arrival Dr. Schilling's old friends came out en masse to greet and welcome him, to his new home in what was then little less than a wilderness, the only residences being rude log cabins situated in clearings which were mere niches in the surrounding forests. In view of the glowing colors in which the beauties and advantages of the new west had been depicted in the letters he had previously received, the wild condition of the country and the primitive maner of living afforded the Doctor anything but an encouraging prospect and when he compared the log dwelling with the beautiful home which he had left behind, the outlook became more and more disheartening. Determined not to be cast down nor to give way to his dismal forebodings, he made the most of the situation and opening an office at Bolivar soon had all he could do in ministering to the sick in the village and surrounding territory. After remaining about one and a half years at the above place he removed to a larger and more remunerative field in the town of Louisville, Stark county, where he practiced with a high degree of professional and financial success until the spring of 1842, when he changed his location to Osnaburg, also- in the county of Stark.

During the ten years following. Dr. Schilling enjoyed a large and lucrative practice and achieved distinction as a scholarly and eminently successful physician in all lines of his profession. By reason of failing health, superinduced by too close application to his duties, he discontinued the practice in 1852 and moved to the city of Crestline, where, for a period of eighteen months, he was engaged in the drug business. At the expiration of that time, with his bodily powers greatly restored, he resumed his professional duties at Louisville and continued the same with his accustomed energy and success until his death, at the age of eightyseven years, nnie months and twenty-seven days. His wife preceded him to the grave by about thirteen years, dying at Louisville of apoplexy at the age of sixty-one.

Dr. John Schilling not only achieved prominence in the chosen calling, but became distinguished as a public-spirited man and representative citizen. He took a decided stand for all enterprises looking to the material and industrial adva'ncement of the various places in' which he lived, and was equally interested in promoting the social, intellectual and moral condition of the people with whom he mingled. Originally a Democrat, he advocated the principles of th^t party until the organization of the Republican party, when he transferred his allegiance to the latter and continued one of its active and earnest supporters to the end of his days. Up to within a short time of his death he was not identified with any church organization, although a firm believer in revealed religion, but about three years preceding his demise he united with the Reformed church and remained a faithful communicant of the same until called to the higher life.

John and Elizabeth Schilling were the parents of eight children, whose names are as follows: Katharine, torn in Germany in 1834, married, in Louisville, Ohio, J, G. Prenot, who died some years ago in Stark county; she is still li\ ing" in the above town, where her friends and associates are many. Conrad, the second of the family, was bom in Bolivar, Ohio", and died in childhood. John also died when young, as did a third son, who also bore the name of John. The sixth in order of birth is the direct subject of this sketch, after whom came Edward, whose birth occurred in 1845; he married Miss Ella TvIcGregor, daughter of Archibald Mc- Gregor, editor of the Stark County Democrat, and at the present time lives in Goshen, Lidiana. Matilda, the youngest of the number, married William H. Miller, of Louisville, and is now deceased.

In tracnig the career of Dr. John P. Schilling, of this review, it is learned that his birth occurred on the ist day of September, 1840, in Louisville, Stark county, Ohio, and that when six months old his parents changed their residence to the town of Osnaburg. There the lad grew to his twelfth year, meantime acquiring a knowledge of the elementary branches of learning in the village schools. From Osnaburg he accompanied the family to Crestline and after spending the greater part of two years in that city returned to Louisville, where he finished his public school training at the age of fifteen, subsequently prosecuting his studies for a period of four years in a seminary in the county of Summit. Having decided upon the medical profession as a career best suited to his abilities and tastes, young Schilling began his preliminary reading under his father's direction and later attended one course of lectures in the Western Reserve Medical College, after which he entered Starling Medical College at Columbus, completing the prescribed course and graduating in 1864. At that time the great Ci\-il war was being waged and believing it to be the duty of e\-ery loyal son of the North to render to the government all the service within their power, the A'oung Doctor, in May, 1864, was commissioned assistant surgeon of the Thirty-fourth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which formed a part of General Cook's command, operating in the Kanawha and Shenandoah valleys, Virginia. \\''hile with this regiment Dr. Schilling formed the acquaintance of William McKinley, at that time holding the office of first lieutenant, and between the two a warm friendship soon sprang up, which continued unabated until the death of the lamented President by the murderous bullet of a coward- Iv assassin. Onlv one week before the fatal missile was fired the Doctor had a very pleasant interview with the President, in the progress of which they referred to tiie thrilhng experiences of their mihtary Hfe in the valley of theShenandoah and to other incidents interesting and endearing to the hearts of the soldiers. Dr. Schilling participated in a number of noted battles, prominent among which was the engagement at Cedar Creek, in the Shenandoah valley, made famous by Sheridan's famous ride, in which he turned defeat into victory, a feat such as the great Napoleon with all his matchless genius in warfare never accomplished. The Doctor saw the bold, intrepid commander on his wild, daring dash and witnessed the wonderful efifect of his thrilling- commands, while rallying the disheartened, scattering troops and leading them back to meet the enemy where victory was snatched from the very grasp of defeat and disaster.

In the battle at Beverly, West Virginia, the Thirty-fourth Ohio was surrounded by overwhelming numbers and captured, the Doctor being among the few that succeeded in making their escape. After this event the Thirty-fourth and Thirty-sixth Regiments were consolidated and the Doctor, rendered supernumerary by virtue of consolidation, was mustered out of service, though at the solicitation of the surgeon general of Ohio, he accepted the position of acting assistant surgeon United States Volunteers and later was commissioned an assistant surgeon of the Eighty-eighth Ohio Regiment, with which regiment he remained until the close of the war, being mustered out July 4, 1865. At the close of the war he returned to his home at Louisville and resumed the practice of medicine, which he continued there until his removal to the city of Canton, on the 13th of September, 1901.

Concerning his ability and high standing in the professional world there is a remarkable consensus of opinion to the effect that few physicians and surgeons have enjoyed as uniform success and that none in this part of the state occupy a more commanding station in the confidence and esteem of the public. By long and critical study he has so enlarged the area of his professional intelligence as easily to stand in the front rank of Stark county's most scholarly healers, while his deft touch, sympathizi)ig presence and rare capacity in winning the confidence of both patients and their friends mark him as possessing the essential attributes of the ideal family physician. His reputation as a man and citizen is commensurate with the distinction achieved in the line of his duties as a healer of men, occupying as he does a conspicuous place in the regard of his fellow citizens and encouraging by his influence and frequently in a more positive and forceful way all measures having for their object the general welfare of the community. He belongs to various medical societies and takes an active interest in their deliberations.

In politics Dr. Schilling is a Republican, and he is proud of the fact of having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1864. Although firm in the support of his opinions, his professional duties have been such as to prevent him from taking a verv active part in political affairs and he is least of all an office seeker or an aspirant for public honors. At one time he was prevailed upon to run for coroner, an office to which he was elected by an overwhelming majority, but before the expn-ation of his term he resigned the position the better to devote his attention exclusively to the wants of his patients. His fraternal relation includes membership with the ALasonic brotherhood and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, both of which organizations he has been zealous in upholding and the principles of which he has reduced to practice in his daily life.

whose bii'tli occurred near Gallon, this state, on the 2d day of October, 1840. Mrs. Schilling is the daughter of Michael and Frances ^Matthias and was reared and educated near where she first saw the light of day. The oldest child of Dr. and Mrs. Schilling is Charles E., who was born in 1868, graduated at the early age of twenty-two from the \Vestern Reserve Medical College, at Cleveland, and is now a successful physician, with a large and lucrative practice . He married Miss Lora Putt, a young lady of education and excellent social position, and is the father of one daughter, Katln'yn. Fred \\'., the second son, also a physician and surgeon, was born on the 2d day of January, 1872, in an almnus of the Ohio Medical University at Columbus and has before him a futiu^e of great promise and usefulness. Ida May, whose birth took place April 21. 1874. is the wife of Dr. C. A. Walker, of Louisville, this county, and has two children, Nellie f 'iiilida and Helen May, the second name of the former being" a combination of the first names of the subject and the child's mother.

^^'ILLIAM HARRISON LITTLE was born in Damascus, Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 27th of December, 1844, being the son of William and Nancy (Jobs) Little, the former of ^^-hom was born in \\'ashington county, Pennsylvania, in 1813, while the latter was born in the same county, in 181 7. They were reared and educated in their native county and there their marriage was solemnized. In 1839 they came to Ohio and located in Steubenville, Jefferson county, whence shortly afterward they removed to Columbiana county, locating in the village of Damascus, where he engaged in the manufacture of washboards and other utensils, while he also served as constable of his township for a number of years, having been incumbent of this office at the time of his death, which occurred in 1848, his final resting place being in the cemetery at Damascus. His widow still survives him, having attained the venerable age of eighty-seven years, and she makes her home in Damascus, Ohio. Of their children we enter the following brief record : Louis J. died at the age of sixty years; Elizabeth is the wife of Jessie Dixson, of Damascus, Ohio ; William H. is the immediate subject of this sketch; Dilworth met his death while serving as a soldier in the Union army during the Rebellion, his death occurring in Natchez, Mississippi, at the age of nineteen years, and Joseph L. is a resident of Martin's Ferry, Belmont county, Ohio.

William H. Little, the subject of this review, passed his early boyhood days in Damascus, Ohio, where he began his educational training in the common schools. At the age of seven years he went to Jennings county, Indiana, where he lived in the home of Samuel Stanley until he had attained the age of fourteen years, assisting in the work of the farm and continuing his studies in the district school during the three months' winter terms. He continued to reside in Indiana until i860, when he returned to Oliio. and on the 29th of August, 1862. at ]\Iassillon, this county, he was mustered in as a private of Company B, One Hundred and Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Soon afterward his regiment was ordered to Fort Mitchell, at Covington, Kentucky, just across the Ohio river from Cincinnati, where the command was stationed to protect the latter city from the raid of General Kirby Smith. After three days' battle General Smith retreated and was forced to leave Kentucky. Later Mr. Little participated in the battle of Richmond, that state, where he received a severe wound in the shoulder, being confined to the hospital for two months, at the expiration of which he received his honorable discharge. Thirty days later, not being able to carry a musket, he reenlisted for service, becoming a member of the Twelfth Ohio Volunteer Cavalrv, with which he took part in the battles of Saltville, Virginia ; Cynthiana, Kentucky ; Kingsport and Bristol, Tennessee; and Abingdon, Virginia, in which last engagement he recei\-ed a \\'Ound in the right wrist. At Marion, Virginia, where the command participated in a three days' fight, his horse was shot from under him and he received a saber wound in the right leg during a cavalry charge. Later his regiment returned to Saltville and assisted in capturing the place, b)' defeating Genera! Breckenridge, the Union forces taking one thousand prisoners at the time. The regiment was then placed on detail to guard these prisoners during their removal to Rock Island, Illinois, and he then rejoined his regiment, with which he was taken prisoner by the Confederate forces in North Carolina, in December, 1864. With others of his unfortunate conn'ades he was marched one hundred and twenty miles in five days, at the expiration of which time each of them were given one pint of corn meal, ground cob and all. for a five days' rations, and they were then incarcerated in the famous Libby prison, at Richmond, the Confederate capital, where Mr. Little was held captive for three months and seven days, suffering" the horrors and privations which made that prison so notorious in the history of the war. When he entered the prison his weight was (ine hundred and fifty pounds, and upon being paroled, in February, 1865. his a\ eight was only seventy-two pounds, which fact is sufticiently significant of what he endured. After being released he rejoined his regiment, and on the 6th of April. 1S65, three da3rs before the surrender of General Lee, in Dallas. North Carolina, Mr. Little received a gunshot wound in his right elbow, permanently crippling the arm, and owing to his injury he was not able to return to his home until August, 1865.

After the close of his long and gallant service in defense of the integrity of the LTnion Mr. Little returned to Ohio, locating in Bellaire, Belmont county, where he secured a position as bookkeeper for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, while later he became a member of the police force of that place. He resigned this position in 1890 and removed to Canton. Here he was first employed in a clerical capacity by Berry & Davis, street-paving contractors, and later he was for three years bookkeeper in the ofiice of the recorder of Stark county. Since that time he has given his attention and has continuously engaged as traveling salesman for the E. C. Harley Company, of Dayton, and has gained a high degree of popularity with his trade and the entire confidence and esteem of his company.

In. politics J\Ir. Little gives a stanch allegiance to the Republican party and takes an active interest in its cause. While a resident of Bellaire he was clerk of the Iioard of education from 1885 to 1889, and prior to that had served four years in the office of township clerk. He and his wife are members of the Simpson Methodist Episcopal church, and they have the high regard of the community. Fraternally Mr. Little is a member of William McKinley Post No. 25, Grand Army of the Republic; Canton Castle No. 11, of the Chevaliers : Oliver Wendell Holmes Council No. 41, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and U. S. Grant Council No. 35, Senior Order of L'nited American Mechanics.

On the 4th of July, 1873, at Bellaire, Ohio, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Little to Miss Vetura Fowler, who was born in Belmont county, Ohio, being a daughter of Thomas and Cynthia (Campbell) Fowler, the former of whom was a farmer and carpenter by vocation. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Little we enter the following record, with respective dates of birth in connection with each name: Mento May. July 20, 1875 J Howard Hayes. February 6, 1877; Charles Luzerne, August 19, 1879; Harry Joseph, September 22, 1881 : Dilworth Delbers, June 2, 1883: William Groves, who was born No\-ember 13. 1884. died on the

28th of March, 1887; and Anna Elizabeth, born January 30, 1887. Howard H. was united in marriage, m Miss Ethel M. Foos, of Canton, and the other children still remain at the parental iiome.

JOHN WILLIS comes of a long line of staunch English ancestors, but the name has been identihed with the annals of the Emerald Isle for several generations, since the parental grandfather of the suliject was a soldier in the army of King William, Prince of Orange, as was also one of his brothers and with their king the}- crossed over into Ireland to join the monarch's brother Edward and support him in the subjugation of the Emerald Isle, and there the Willis brothers remained after the close of the war, having received grants of land and become freeholders there. Philip Willis, father of the subject, was born near the city of Belfast, Ireland, and his entire mature life was devoted to agricultural pursuits in his native isle, where he died in 1840. His wife, whose maiden name was Isabella McLean, was a native of Scotland, being a daughter of William and Hannah (Tuft) McLean, and she long survived her husband, having joined her children in the United States in 1868, and having died in Stark county, Ohio, in 1879. Philip and Hannah Willis became the parents of sixteen children, of whom six are living at the present time, including the four sons and one daughter who came to America.

John Willis was born in Belfast. Ireland, on the 17th of March, 1830, the day recognized as the anniversary oi the birth of the patron saint of the Emerald Isle, St. Patrick. He attended in his native place the parochial schools of the church of England and at the age of fifteen years he entei'ed upon a live years' apprenticeship at the trade of house carpenter, and during this interval he continued his educational training by attending night school three nights in each week. He became a master workman and continued to follow his trade in Ireland for three years after completing his apprenticeship and then, in 1853, having saved enough money through his labors to defray the expense of his passage to America, as well as that of a younger brother, Daniel, who is now a successful farmer of Rice county, Kansas, the two proceeded to Greenwich, Scotland, where they embarked on the sailing vessel, "Zion's Hope," Captain Connor, and after seven weeks and three days had elapsed from the time when the boat weighed anchor, the two brothers landed in the city of New York, the subject of this review being at the time twentythree }-ears of age. It may be noted that they set sail on the 3d of April of the year mentioned. The young men came from New York to Ohio, to join their cousins who had previously located in Tuscarawas county. They came from the city of Buffalo to Cleveland, Ohio, by boat on Lake Erie, and thence to Fort Washington, Tuscarawas county, by the canal. Daniel Willis later went to Peoria, Illinois, where he joined other cousins, and finally he took up his residence in Kansas, as has already been intimated.

Shortly after his arrival in Tuscarawas county John Willis secured employment in New Philadelphia, working for Hugh Mitchell, father of Dr. Hugh Mitchell, who is now one of the representative physicians of Canton. In the autumn. of the same year Mr. Willis came to Massillon. Stark county, and here he worked at his trade, having assisted in the erection of the first sash and door factory in that place, while he was there in the employ of the firm of Russell & Company, manufacturers of threshing machines, for the period of nine years, and at the expiration of this interval, in the year 1861, he came to Canton, where he secured employment in the wood-working department of the C. Aultman Company's plant, being thus engaged about three years, within which time he enlisted, in the one hundred days" service, as a private in the One Hundred and Fortyfifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, thus manifesting his intrinsic loyalty to the land of his adoption. After the close of the war Mr. Willis engaged in business on his own responsibility, purchasing of the firm of Grimminger & Fredericks a small shop on Dewalt street, between Ninth and Tenth streets, and here engaging in general carpenter work. About two years later Mr. Willis purchased two lots on Eighth street, east of Cherry street, and here he built a larger shop, which he equipped with the requisite machinery, and here engaged in the manufacture of sash, doors and blinds, his able management of the enterprise causing it to rapidly expand in scope and importance, and here he continued operations until 1898, when he sold the land to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and then erected his present plant, on the opposite side of, the street. Through his own industry and well-directed effort during the long years of his residence in Canton he has attained success of no indefinite order, building up a large and important enterprise in his line and gaining prestige as one of the reliable and progressive business men of the city, while. he has so demeaned himself in all the relations of life as to retain the unbounded confidence and regard of his fellow men. In politics he is a staunch Republican, his first presidential vote having been cast for John C. Fremont, the first candidate of the "grand old party," and from that time to the present he has been a stalwart advocate of its principles and policies. He was reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church, and he and his family are valued members of the Calvary Presbyterian church of Canton. Mr. Willis joined the Masonic fraternity in Ireland, when twenty-one years of age, and is now a member of Canton Lodge No. 60.

Willis to i\Iiss Mary Ann Benskin, wdio was born in the town of Margaret, near London, England, on the 14th of February, 1S34. The coincidence of her having been born on St. Valentine's day and her husband on St. Patrick's day may be consistently noted in this connection. When Mrs. Willis was eight years of age her parents emigrated to the United States, her father, George Benskin, having located in Stark county and having been engaged in contracting in Massillon, where he died. Of the ten children born to Mr. and Mrs. Willis, the following is an epitomized record : Isabella is the first wife of Orr Day, of Cleveland, Ohio, and they have one son, Berne. Mary, who was a popular and successful teacher in the schools of Stark county, died at the age of twenty-two years. Harriet is the wife of Albert Wherry, of Canton. William Jdied in Massillon, in 1864. Sarah is the wife of John Little, of Canton, and they have had nine children, Ruth (deceased), Harry, Edwin, Frank, Willis, Ralph, Roy, Hazel and Wilber. Lincoln, the sixth in order of birth, was born in the city of Canton, on the 8th of September, 1866, and he secured his educational discipline in the public schools. At the age of fifteen years he began an apprenticeship at the carpenter trade under the eft'ective direction of his father, later becoming associated with the work of the factory, and during the greater portion of the time since his early youth he has been connected with his father's business, being an able and enterprising young business man, and he is now junior member of the firm of Willis & Willis. On the nth of August, 1888, he was united in marriage to Miss Elizaljeth Burtscher, of Canton, and they have two cliildren, Earl and Ethel. Grant, who is eng-aged in bookkeeping in Canton, married Miss Leith LTighway, of this city, and they have four children, Edna, Irma, Helen and Walter. Emma remains at the parental home. Jeanette

EUGENE W. HAHN is a native son of Stark county, having been born in the city of Massillon, on the Sth of July, 1876. His father. Christian E. Hahn, was born in Germany, in the year 1847, and there he was educated and there learned the trade of shoemaking. At the age of seventeen years he came to America, landing in New York city, whence he proceeded to Harrisburg. Pennsylvania, where he found employment at his trade, thence removed somewhat later to Tyrone, that state, from which ]joint he came to Massillon. Stark county, about the year 1867, where he remained a number of years. He there married ]\Iiss Louisa Schwier, who was born in Canton, this county, in 1849, being a daughter of Jacob and Margaret Schwier, who were born and reared in Germany, where their marriage was solemnized. Upon their emigration to America tliey were forty days in making the voyage, on a sailing vessel, which was icebound for some time off the coast of New I'^onndland. fn 1S91 Christian E. and Louisa Hahn came from Massillon to Canton, where they still continue to reside, and here the former is engaged in the work of his trade, being a man of sterling character and one who has the respect of all who know him. He is a Democrat in his political proclivities and both he and his wife are devoted members of the r.ntheran church. Of their children we enter the following brief record : Charles is a resident of Lorain, Ohio, where he is engaged in railroading-; Delia is the wife of John Kropf, of Canton; Eugene W. is the immediate subject of this review; and Laura, Theodore and Anna remain at the parental home. Christian Hahn, the grandfather of the subject, came to the United States prior to the war of the Rebellion. Iiis wife liaving died in Germany, while Christian E. was their only child. Grandfather Hahn rendered valiant service as a Union soldier during the Civil war and he is now living in the National Soldiers' Home at Dayton, Ohio, being about eighty-three years of age at the time of this writing.

Eugene W. Hahn .secured his early educational training in JNIassillon and was fifteen years of age at the time of his parents' removal thence to Canton. He had been a member of the first class in the Massillon high school, and he continued his studies in the Canton public schools. Here, at the age of si.xteen years, he entered upon an apprenticeship in the establishment of the Canton Engraving Company, of which he is now the proprietor, and after serving without pay for a period of six months he was recompensed for his services by the payment of two dollars per week, while thereafter he secured an increase in salar\- eveiy six months until he was receiving sixteen dollars a week, having become an expert in the line of wood engraving. He finally became the head wood engraver of the establishment, while with the advancement made in the art. by the adoption of other methods and processes, he kept in close touch, so that he is thoroughly skilled in all the lines of production demanded for commercial and other uses. Lt 1901 ^Ir. Hahn became associated with Ed Nclins in the purchase of the business with which he had so long been identified, and the latter withdrew from the firm in 1902, since which time the subject has been the sole owner of the business, which he has made one of the most successful order, having the management of all branches and handling work for all the large manufactories of Canton, while he also recei\es a representative trade from outside sources, the same ramifying into diverse sections of the Union. Li politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party and has taken an active interest in its cause, in a local way. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, while his wife is a member of the United Evangehcal church. On tlie 25th of October, 1900, Mr. Hahn was united in marriage to Miss Ethel Talbott, a daughter of Joseph Talbott, of Canton, where she was born and reared, and they have one son. Raymond Stanley, who was born on the 25th of December, 1902.

CHARLES E. STUDER, vice-president of the Canton Buggy^ Company and one of the enterprising young business men of the city, is a native of Ohio, born December 20, 1879, in Strasburg. Tuscarawas county. His father, Edward Studer, a native of Switzerland, was brought to the L^^nited States at the age of seven years and grew to maturity in Holmes county, Ohio, marrying there, when a young man, Miss Mary Zurcher, who also was of Swiss birth. Shortly after their marriage ]\Ir. and Mrs. Studer settled on a farm in Tuscarawas coimty where the former still lives, the latter having died on the 15th day of August, 1900.

Charles E. Studer remained at home until his eighteenth year, attended the public schools of winter seasons and during the other months assisted his father with the work of the farm. At the above age he borrowed a few hundred dollars and went \\ est, making his way as far as Bloomfield, Nebraska, where for about one and a half years he worked for his cousin. Julius Stahl. on the latter's ranch, devoting his attention during that time to cattle herding and agricultural pursuits. Satisfied with his western experience, Mr. Studer. at the expiration of the above time, returned liDme and after a brief stay there came to Canton and began working at carriage painting for the Canton Buggy Company, the same concern of which he is now vice-president. He soon became an efficient painter, and, commanding good wages, saved his monev so that when a few vears later the compan\' was reorganized he was able to purchase an interest. As reorganized the personnel of the company was as follows : D. L. Tschantz, president ; Charles E. Studer, vice-president, and Frank H. Hoffer, secretary and treasurer. As thus constituted the firm continued on a successful and steadily growing business until the failure in health of Mr. Hoffer. after which ]^Iessrs. Studer and Tschantz purchased that gentleman's interest and have since managed the affairs of the concern and built up a large and lucrative patronage.

Mr. Studer is a self-made man and his advancement within a few years from a humble subordmate beginning to the present influential position he occupies in industrial and commercial circles, shows him the possessor of those strong powers of mind and the superior Ijusiness ability which never fail to win success. In politics Mr. Studer is a Republican, with Prohibition tendencies, being an uncompromising enemy of the liquor traffic and believing prohibiting legislation to be the only eft'ective means to rid the country of the dram shop.

On November 20, 1902, Mr. Studer contracted a matrimonial alliance with i\Iiss Florence Schnake, daughter of Charles and Sophia Schnake, both parents residents of Canton, but of German descent. Mr. and Mrs. Studer are' acti\-e members of the United Brethren church of Canton and for some years past he has been assistant superintendent of the Sunday school, is president of the choir and general steward of the congregation. He is zealous in all lines of religious and charitable endeavor, stands high in the esteem of his fellow citizens and for one of his age has made his influence felt beyond the majority of men.

Angelia (Best) Corey, the former of whom was Hkewise born in Bedford, while the latter was born at North Stanbridge, same province, their marriage being solemnized in Bedford about the year 1859. The date of the nativity of Norman Corey was .1807, while his wife was born in 1834. The fatlier is now deceased, the subject of this sketch having been their only child. His paternal grandparents were natives of the United States, having been members respcctixely of old New York and Rhode Island families of English extraction, while the grandfather devoted his life to argicultural pursuits, ha\ing removed to the province of Quebec, Canada, when a young man. Norman Corey was a contractor and builder, following this vacation during his entire active business career. He died in Bedford, Canada, in 1892, while his wife is living in Canada.

V'arian Seward Corey, the immediate subject of this review, attended the public schools of his native town until he had attained the age of sixteen years, at which time he entered upon an apprenticeship at the trade of machinist, serving the required period of three years in shops at Mystic, Canada, and after completing his apprenticeship he continued to work at his trade about eight years, in the Walbridge Machine Works, at Mystic, this concern manufacturing all kinds of machinery. He had early manifested a distinct predilection and capacit\' for mechanical pursuits, and through his thorough apprenticeship and subsequent experience and experimentation he became a skilled artisan. After leaving the employ of the Walbridge Company Mr. Corey removed to Springfield. Massachusetts, where he continued to follow his trade for a time in the shops of the Springfield Glue & Emery Wheel Company, and later was for one year with the Hampden Watch Company, in that city. When this concern was merged into the Duelaer-Hampden Watch Company and the \\-orks were removed to Canton, Ohio, in 1888. Mr. Corcv came here and has e\er since continued in the employ of the company. For a time before leaving Canada he was in the employ of the Southeastern Railroad, which is now a portion of the Canadian Pacific system. In politics Mr. Corey is a stanch supporter of the cause of the Republican party and he and his wife are members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Canton. Mr. Corey was formerly a teacher in the Sunday school and was also for a time superintendent of the [Methodist Sunday school at Mystic, Canada. Fraternally he is identified with McKinley Lodge No. 431. Free and Accepted ]\Iasons ; with Canton Tent No. 1 1 , Knights of the Maccabees, and with Canton Lodge No. 589, Knights of Pythias.

In Canton, on the 17th of June, 189 1, [\lr. Corey was united in marriage to ^liss Etha Esther Webb, a daughter of George N. Webb, a representative of one of the pioneer families of Canton, and at present a resident of the city, specific reference being made to him on another page of this volume. Mrs. Corey was born and reared in Canton, receiving her education in the iniblic schools. ]\Ir. and JNIrs. Corey are the parents of two children. Marian and Norman.

J. H. SHARER. - The furniture bouse of J. H. Sharer & Son is the oldest establishment of the kind continuously in the business in Ohio. Pliilip Sharer, its founder, was a native of Germany from rtear Manheim, He landed in New York, August i. 1837, after a perilous voyage of sixty-eight days. The panic of that year had so depressed business in the metropolis that it was impossible to procure a day's work and after four weeks of persistent effort his limited n.icans became exhausted, he left his trunk and its contents as security for a board bill, and started out on foot for Pittsburg. For six weeks he tramped, begging his wav through New Tersev and Pennsylvania,

LHitil reaching Adanisburg-, Westmoreland conntv, where lie got work at the carpenter's trade at thirt_v-seven and a half cents a day of fourteen or sixteen hours. He remained there for foiu- years, when he was married and startid west again on foot, accompanied by his young ivife, his tools and their few household necessities being all carried on a small one-horse wagon. Reaching Freedom, now a part of A.l!iance, Ohio, October i, 1841, he started a :abinet shop, continuing at the furniture and undertaking business until 1882, when he reared, his death occurring in 1889 in his se\- ;nty-iiinth year.

It was in this little hamlet of Freedom, ,<nown only for its isolation and its poverty, ;hal J. H. Sharer, the present senior member 3f the firm of J. H. Sharer & Son, was born fuly I, 1842. Being the oldest of a large Family, he was compelled at twelve years oi ige to earn his own living by working on the Farm, in the brick yard and driving teams, riie only time alloted for school was :hree months during the winter. In the fall of [859 he was apprenticed at the cabinetmaking ;rade with his father in a part of the building he firm still occupy. The Civil war coming on jefore concluding his apprenticeship, he enisted in the army, August 8, 1862, intending

0 join the One Hundred and Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantr}-, but his captain was made ;olonel of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment and he was therefore mustered in as

1 private in Company F of that regiment September 18, 1862. January i, 1863, he was ietailed as ordnance sergeant at Camp Denni- >on. Ohio, and March i, 1863, he was assigned o Post B at the same place. October i, 1863, VIr. Sharer rejoined the regiment and went to rennessee, but on May i, 1864, he was de- :ached from the company and made principal nusician of the regiment and leader of its band, A^hich position he retained until the close of the ,var, retm-ning home July 5, 1865. and resuming his place at the work bench \acated three years before. He has continued the furniture and undertaking business in the same building ever since. The business was conducted in the name of Philip Sharer from 1841 to 1868, Philip Sharer & Son from 1868 to 1882, J. H. Sharer from 1882 to 1898, in the latter year his youngeest son, Roscoe T., being admitted to the' firm, since when it has been known as J. H. Sharer & Son. The subject became a charter member of the first Grand Army Post in Alliance in 1866, serving as aid on the staff of se\eral department and national commanders. He was appointed on the Stark coiuity soldiers' relief commission on the passage of the law, and has been appointed for sixteen consecutive years. He served as master of Alliance Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, eight years, and also as high priest of the chapter.

When enrolled in the army Mr. Sharer's occupation was given as undertaker, and having gained much practical knowledge in this line during the war he had an abiding faith in the benefits that would come to- the general public when the purposes for which the advanced men in the profession were striving could once be understood. He joined in a call for a convention of undertakers at Columbus in June, 1881, where a state association was formed, of which he was elected secretary, and for ten consecutive years unanimously chosen, eight as secretary and two as president. He was also a delegate to the first national convention, where an association was formed, and was chairman of the national executive committee until 1886, when elected secretary and unanimously chosen for twelve vears, ten years as secretary and two years as president. In 1 90 1 he was appointed chairman of a committee to draft and secure the passage of a law to regulate the practice of embalming in Ohio, so as to prevent the spread of contagious and infectious disease, and provide for the better protection of life and health. The matter was taken up and prosecuted with vigor until April 30. 1902, when the act was passed and an embalmer's law placed on the statute books. The law provides for an examining Ijoard, consisting of three practical practicing embalmers appointed by the governor, the president and secretary of the state board of health to be ex-oflficio members. When the Iward was named. Mr. Sharer received the thr^e-year appointment without solicitation and when it organized for work he was unanimously chosen secretary and treasurer. There were fifteen hundred embalmers in the state to be licensed and it became his duty to systematize the work, arrange for all examinations, prepare the questions and issue the licenses, which was all accomplished within the provisions of the law, without confusion, dissatisfaction or the humiliation of any embalmers of the state. In politics he is a Kepublican, in religious faith Presbyterian.

Mr. Sharer was happily married, in 1868, to Miss Mary L. Hartzell, of North Benton, Ohio, and to this union eight children were born, two dying in infancy. Those living are William P., cashier of the First National Bank of Wellsville, Ohio; John C, an optician and attorney at law ; Roscoe T. is the business partner of the subject; Mrs. W. H. Morgan, Mrs. E. E. Brosius and Miss Grace, all of Alliance. During his experience as an undertaker, covering a period of almost a half century, the subject has personally conducted over five thousand funerals, but has now retired from the active part of the work, which is entirely in charge of his son and partner, Roscoe T. Sharer.

FRED WILHELM, who for the past seventeen years has been identified with the commercial interests of Canton, was born in North Industry, Stark county, Ohio, August 30, 1863.

His father. Frederick Wilhelm, was a native of Germany, torn in the year 1814, and when a young man came to the United States, settling near North Industry, where he engaged in the manufacture of lime. The subject's mother was ^Madeline Elsesser, also a native of Germany. She was married in this countr)^ spent the greater part of her life in Stark county and died some years ago at her home in North Industry, at the age of sixty-eight. She was born and reared a Catholic and remained loyal to her church through life, her husband being a Lutheran in his religious belief.

The early years of Frederick Wilhelm were spent at the place of his birth and he received a good common school education, meantime as soon as old enough becoming acquainted with life's practical duties by assisting his father in operating the latter's lime kilns. Later while still a youth in his teens he began working as a coal miner and to this kind of labor he devoted a number of years, during which he was employed in the Burton, Ewan. Fox Run and Richard mines of Stark county, his experience while thus engaged being especially \-aluable in developing a vigorous physique and teaching him the nobility of honest toil.

Not caring to follow mining as a permanent occupation, Mr. Wilhelm fipally quit the business and accepted a clerkship in a grocery house in Canton conducted by George Barth on South ]\Iarket street. He continued as a salesman imtil about 1886, he engaged in merchandising for himself at Barth's old stand, beginning in a modest way with groceries as a special line. Subsecjuently he moved to the corner of Charles and Cherry streets, but later returned to his former place and there remained until 1892. when he removed to his present quarters. No. 2231 South Market street, where he erected a commodious building which is well stocked with a carefully selected assortment of groceries, notions, etc.. suitable for the general trade. \\'hen Mr. Wilhelm purchased the site m which his building now stands the ground vas little less than a swamp, but by filling it he onverted it into a fine lot and added many lundred dollars to its value. By close attenion to business and courteous treatment of his latrons he has built up a large and lucrative rade which from present indications bids fair o grow rapidly in magnitude with each reurring year. He is enterprising and progresi\e in his methods, a careful buyer who appreiates the value of small as well as large mar- ;-ins, and thus far he has made no mistakes, as lis present prosperous condition abundantly atests.

Mr. Wilhelm is a Catholic in religion, a democrat m politics and a worthy member of he Odd Fellows fraternity. He has been acive in municipal affairs and for a period of our years represented his ward in the city counil, during which time he was regarded as >ne of the most faithful, hard working and onscientious members of that body. In the 'ear 1885 he contracted a matrimonial alliance vith Mary Ann Brankel, of Canton, who has )orne him three children, namely : Harvey, Corner and Norman. Mr. Wilhelm is a gentlenan in all the term implies, honest to a fault, ndustrious, public spirited and a true type of he intelligent, enterprising American business nan of todav.

CLARENCE J. PARKER. - One of Canon's popular and well-known young men is Vir. Parker, who has here made his home from he time of his birth and who is now engaged n the government service as a railway postal :lerk. his route at the time of this writing being )etween Pittsburg and Chicago, while he has )roved himself a capable and discriminating official in this position, which calls for the utnost discrimination, exactitude and extensive cnowledge of towns and cities in all sections )f the Union and of the various routes of transportation, the manifold details of the work being little understood by one not personally familiar with this important branch of the government service.

Mr. Parker w"as born in the family residence, on \\'est Eighth street. Canton, on the 9th of September, 1878, and his educational discipline was here received in the public schools which he continued to attend until he had attained the age of seventeen years, after which he was for four years bookkeeper in the George D. Harter Bank, later being employed in various capacities. While in the bank he had made a careful study in regard to the mail service, securing books which would afford him the greatest possible amount of information, and on the 29th of August, 1900, he received his appointment as railway postal clerk, in which position he has since rendered most efficient service. He was married in Canton, May 27. 1903. to Miss Beatrice Oldfield, of Canton. He gives his allegiance to the Republican party, is a member of Trinity Reformed church and is identified with the Junior Order of United American Meclianics, being popular in the social circles of his home city and having gained the reputation of being a young men of principle and determinate ambition.

James Parker, father of the subject, was born in England, whence he was brought by his sister to the United States when a child of four years, and was here reared and educated, being a blacksmith by trade and vocation, while he was a well-known and honored citizen of Canton for the past half century. His wife, whose maiden name was Flora Hardman, was born in Warren. Ohio, and they are the parents of seven children.

WILLIAM SHOOF, who has achieved much more than local reputation as a contractor and builder, is a native of Canton, Ohio, born on East Third street in what is known as the Shoof homestead, April 12, 1854, being the son of Andrew and Catherine (Ulrich) Shoof, a sketcli of whose family history will be found in the biography of John Shoof, on another page of this work. The early life of the subject was spent in his native city and until fifteen years of age he attended the public schools, acquiring during the interval a pretty thorough knowledge of the branches constituting the curriculum. In his sixteenth year he entered upon an apprenticeship with his brother to learn brick-laying, and after serving three years and becoming an efficient mason, he began earning wages as a "jour" workman, continuing in that capacity until attaining his majority. Mr. Shoof engaged in business for himself at the age of twenty-two and since that time has devoted his attention very closely and successfully to contracting and building, his advancement the meanwhile, from an unknown mechanic to his present high position in the industrial world, bespeaking not only a thorough mastery of his chosen vocation, but energy, foresight and a comprehensive grasp of situations such as few possess. As a contractor he has done much to advance the material interests of Canton and to beautify the same, having erected many of the largest and most conspicuous buildings in the city, both public and private, notably among which may be enumerated the Dinnemiller wholesale grocery house, the Canton Brewing Plant, the Stark Rolling Mills, the Canton Tin Plate Mill, and many others here and elsewhere, the mere mention of which would far transcend the limits of an article of the character of this review. Mr. Shoof has just completed the plant of the Banner Manufacturing Company, which is one of the largest and most imposing buildings of the kind in the city, the undertaking being of great magnitude and requiring three months to complete.

Mr. Shoof has led a very busy life, its usefulness commensurate with the activitv displayed in all of his enterprises, and its reward being not only the ample competence resulting from his labors, but also the conspicuous place he occupies in the industrial circles of his city. county and state. In politics he is a Republican, but the pressing claims of his business interests have been so great as to prevent very active participation in party affairs, consequently he has never sought office at the hands of his fellow citizens, nor aspired to leadership or public honors. He holds membership with the Free and Accepted Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and tire Junior Order United American Mechanics fraternities and in religion is a Presbyterian, being a member of the First church of that denomination in the city of Canton.

The married life of Mr, Shoof dates from November 1878, when he was united in the bonds of wedlock with Miss Mary A. Young, daughter of George and Wilhelmina Young, of Pennsylvania, the union resulting in the birth of a son, Harry C, who is now his father's business associate.

^^TLLIAM R. DAY. - What of the man and what of his work? This is the dual query winch represents the interrogation, at least nominally entertained whenever that discriminating factor, the public, would pronounce on the true worth of the individual. The career of Judge Da}- indicates the clearcut, sane and distinct character, and in reviewing the .same from an unbiased and un- ])reiudiced standpoint interpretation follows fact in a straight line of deri\-ation. In this ])ublication it is consistent that such a re\-ie\v be entered, and that without the adulation which is so intrinsically repugnant to the man as he stands among his fellows. The city of Canton nattirally takes pride in the work accomplished by Judge Day, now an associate iustice of the sunreme court of the United

States, ami consistency demands tliat he be given the relative precedence in a work winch has to do with those who have lived and labored to good pnqjose within the confines of Stark county.

William Rufus Day was born in Ravenna, Ohio, on the 17th of April, 1849, '^^^'^ there received his early educational training in the public schools. In September, 1866, he was matriculated in the literary department of the University of Michigan, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1870. In this connection it is gratifying to quote from an article Avritten by one of his fellow students in the university and published in the April edition, 1903, of the Michigan Alumnus ; "If there be anything in parentage that tends to shape the career of a man. Justice Day may be said to have come naturally 1))- his abilities as a lawyer and judge. His tatiier, the Hon. Luther Day, when at the Ohio bar, was one of its most capable trial lawyers. He is described as an advocate of marked ability and great eloquence. But he was not, as is so often the case, so entirely an advocate that he was unfitted for judicial service. He had the rare ability and tempei^ament, as has his distinguished son, that enabled him to be an advocate when it was his place and duty to be one and a most impartial and discriminating judge when called upon to administer even justice upon the bench. He was for many years a member of the supreme court of Ohio, and his opinions, characterized as the)' are by lucidit\- of statement and com- ])rehensiveness of \-iew. place him in the front rank as a judge. The mother of Justice Day was the daughter of Judge Spalding, also of the supreme court of Ohio, and for some time a member of congress from the Cleveland district, and the granddaughter of Chief Justice Swift, of Connecticut. With such a parentage and \\\i\\ the environment which it must have brought, it is plain that Justice Day must in his youth have lived in an atmosphere that would be a perpetual and powerful stimulus to a career at the bar and upon the bench." Continuing its appreciative estimate, the same article speaks further as follows : "Justice Day began his preparation for the bar at his home in Ravenna, Ohio, soon after his graduation in the university, and here began his devoted and persistent work as a student. Although possessed of a mind and temperament admirably fitted for the law, his success has been due in no small degree to the habit of study and patient investigation that has characterized his entire professional life. His fiist )'ear of preparatory study was spent in the ofifice of the Hon. George F. Robinson, of Ravenna, and the next in the department of law of the University of Michigan. He was admitted to the Ohio bar July 5, 1872, and soon thereafter formed a partnership for the practice of law at Canton, Ohio, with William A. Uynch, under the firm name of Lynch & Day. Mr. Lynch was at this time in full general practice and was also the prosecuting attorney for Stark county. During his entire career as a lawyer Justice Day was a member of this firm, although its style was changed from time to time, as its membership changed. He was the senior member of the firm when summoned to public duties by the late President McKinley. With the exception of one year, when he was on the common pleas bench of the ninth judicial district of Ohio, Justice Day was continually in the practice of the law from 1872 until 1S97, ^vhen he was called to W^ashington. During this time he had a large general practice in the state and federal courts of northern Ohio and was recognized as a safe adviser and an exceptionally able trial lawyer. His cases were thoi'oughly prepared and clearly presented. His association with the late President McKinley began in 1872. For a quarter of a century he was Mr. McKinlev's most intimate friend and trusted adviser. After the latter's retirieinent from the practice of law Justice Day became liis counsel in legal matters, and he is now one of the administrators of his estate. None knew so well as did the lamented President the extraordinary intellectual gifts, the sound judgment and the genuine worth of this diligent and painstaking lawyer, and when he came to the responsibilities and perplexities of his great office he naturally turned to him for assistance and advice.

"It has been mentioned that Justice Day served for one year upon the common pleas bench. His period of service began in 1886 and ended in 1887. He resigned the position not because judicial duties were uncongenial or because he felt himself unfitted by temperament for work on the bench, but because he found it impossible to live upon the salary and make proper provision for his family. His conspicuous qualifications for judicial services were early recognized, and he was frequently urged to accept judicial honors. In 1889 the late President Harrison appointed him district judge for the northern district of Ohio, an appointment that he desired to accept, but he was led to decline the honor by reason of a threatened breaking of his health.

"JiTStice Day's notable public services began with his appointment as assistant secretary of state in April, 1897. Up to that time he was practically unknown in Washington or by the public at large. But even before this appointment he was an influence in public affairs, for to him the President frequently turned for advice upon the many new and important questions with which he was confronted. And to render aid in this quiet and modest way, rather than through the holding of official place, was his desire. For him the social life of Washington had no charm. It has been said that he avoided it as eagerly as many men seek it. Put it early became apparent that Secretarv Sherman, bv reason of age and disabilities, was unequal to the diplomatic emergencies that were developing. He had surrendered his seat in the senate to accept the state portfolio, and under the circumstances it was not probable that his resignation would be forthcoming in the near future. A strong man was needed as assistant secretary, a m;ui of discrimination, judgment, courage; a man who, though occupying a subordinate rank, would be capable of performing the duties of secretary to the satisfaction of the country and in a way that would not wound the feelings of his superior. The situation called for a man of exceptional ability and extraordinary tact. In his tried and trusted lawyer, friend and associate the President knew that he would find such a man. The only appeal that could reach him and induce him to assume the responsibilities of public office was one based upon personal friendship and public duty, and to this Justice Day yielded. The step involved not only great pecuniary sacrifice, and the risk of impaired health, but also the chance of failure, for the field was to him an untried one. That he accepted under the circumstances shows the stuff that is in the man."

Of Justice Day's services in this connection an article appearing in the Review of Reviews of September, 1898, spoke as follows: "For one year as assistant secretary he performed the duties of secretary of state, except those ceremonial functions which the secretary of state could perforin and attendance upon cabinet meetings, which became purely ceremonial on the part of the secretary. Assistant Day going over the state department business with the President before or after cabinet meetings. It was hard to do this day after day without offending the nominal secretary of state or impairing the dignity of that venerable statesman's position. But Mr. Day showed by his manner, as he did by his work. that he was a natural diplomat in the best sense of the word, and he preserved to the end that ccurteotis fiction which tlie circumstances demanded. Everybody who had serious business with the state department went to Assistant Secretary Day because that was the way to get it done; but none of his callers ever heard him put into words what they ah recognized as the extraordinary and unprecedented situation of the department. If they had any considerable conversation with him they discovered that they were dealing with a singularly strong and silent man. They found that never said too much or too little for his own purpose, that he was absolutely truthful and straightforward, and that he spoke with unusual clearness and cogency and candor, but above all with the most discreet reticence and perfect self-possession. In Washington, where every official secret is open and the 'executive sessions' only emphasize the fact, the new man's ability to keep his own counsel and that of the President, whose representative he was as well, deepened the impression of power which was conveyed by what he did say, and helped on the idea, soon generally accepted, that he would be able to cope with any circumstance and with any antagonist."

The writers who have been thus quoted, and who had exceptional facilities for fully canvassing the data from which their articles were prepared, have written so consistently and appreciatively that there can be no measure of impropriety in drawing farther from these sources. At this point recourse is again had to the article appearing in the Michigan Alumnus, the official publication of the alumrife association of the University of Michigan :

"In May, 1898, Justice Day became secretary of state. At that time the country did not know, as it now knows, that the promotion involved for him little change so far as duties and responsibilities were concerned. It has been said that 'it really involved nothing more than mo\ing from one room into the next, drawing a larger salary and attending formal cabinet meetings and occasions of ceremony.' He brought to his duties the mental habits of the thoroughly trained lawyer. In this public capacity he served the country with the same faithfulness and devotion that had characterized him in the service of his clients. No man could have a higher standard than was his. The brief period of his service demanded prompt action, almost daily, upon grave questions of international importance, and in every instance he proved himself equal to the emergency. The mental grasp, the judgment, the discrimination and the discretion of the man are apparent when we remember that he had to meet the grave responsibilities of his office without previous training in pttblic affairs and without diplomatic experience; and his straightforward and genuine character is manifest in the conditions upon which he accepted the trust - that Professor John Bassett Moore, a Democrat in politics, should be appointed assistant secretary because of his acknowledged attainments in international law. Justice Day's most conspicuous and masterly service as secretary was undoubtedly rendered in the negotiations connected with Spain's request for our terms of peace. His determination and prompt action brought to an end difficulties that under the jurisdiction of a weaker man would undoubtedly have resulted in prolonged diplomatic correspondence, if not in more serious results. The remarkable tribute paid to Justice Day by the late President McKinley, when speaking of his services in the state department. 'Judge Day has made absolutely no mistakes,' was undoubtedly well merited.

"With the closing of hostilities Justice Day felt that he might honorably retire from tlie state department. To this President Mc- Kinley reluctantly consented, upon condition that he should go upon the peace commission appointed to negotiate the Paris treaty with Spain. This appointment was in line with the diplomatic \\oi"l>: in which he had been so successfully engaged and was generally recognized as most appropriate. The dignified and effective part that he took in the Paris negotiations contributed largely to the success of the commission. 'J"he framing and signing of the treaty of peace having been accomplished, the time had come when Justice Day could return to his professional work. He had aided the President during the most critical and trying ])eriod of his administration and he had given to his country the best service that it was in his power to render. Notwithstanding his success in the difficult role of secretary and diplomat, he always regarded his services in this field ar. temporary and felt that his life work should be in liis profession. An opportunity that was in the direct line of his ambition came to him in February, 1899, when he was appointed United States circuit judge for the sixth judicial circuit. His eminent fitness for service upon the federal bench was at once apparent, and it very soon became a foregone conclusion that his promotion to the supreme bench w-ould not be long in following. This came In l^'ebruary of the present year (1903), his appointment being universally regarded, both by the people and by the profession, as most appropriate and merited. Justice Day enters upon his new duties conspicuously qualified by temperament and training for their successful discharge, and if health and strength are spared him we may confidently predict a most brilliant and eft'ective career." In this connection it may be said that there are no duties that any officer of gox'ernment is called upon to ])erform which are so serious in their consequences to the lives, lil)erties, characters and property of their fellow men as. those embraced in the performance of judicial functions. If the stream of justice be im- ])ure or weak and uncertain then government itself has failed and been dishonored. If justice be not arlministered with an impartiality and intelligence that ciimnian<l respect, then has the last barrier been reached and the government in which sucli conditions exist has become unworthy of preservation. Thus it will be seen how imperative it is that the right men lie called to the exercise of judicial functicjus from the highest to the lowest tribunals, and the brief outline here given of the career of Justice Day gives us the assurance that his appointment to the supreme bench comes as a fitting crown to his able and faithful services, and he brings to Ijear a deep knowledge of the law, an unusual power of analysis, scholarly attainments and a thoroughly judicial mnid. He has ever been an able advocate of the principles of the Republican party, but is in no sense a politician in the commonl)- accepted significance of the term. In his home city of (^anton his friends are in number as his acquaintances, and all view with gratification the wiii^k he has accomplished and the distinguislied preferment which has come to him.

On the 24th of August, 1875, Justice Day was united in marriage to Miss JMary E. Schaefer, of Canton, daughter of Louis Schaefer, one of the honored pioneers of Stark county, and of this union have been born four children - William I-., Luther, Stephen A. and Rufus S.

REV. J. HARRISON JONES. - This brief record of a long, eventful and eminently useful life, and to say the least, of a most remarkable career, will doubtless be read with interest by the many friends of the honored subject, throughout the state which, for over threequarters of a century, has lieen the scene of his struggles and victories. The unique distinction of being the oldest minister of the gospel in Ohio, both in point of age and continuous service, belongs to Elder J. H. Jones. Of the fathers of what is termed the "Current Refofmation," a religious movement inaugurated as early as 1809 by Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott and others he is perhaps the sole survivor. For many years he was a co-laborer with those worthies and he bore no small part in shaping and directing what has since become one of the remarkable religious reformations in history. Elder Jones is not only the oldest divine of his own communion in the state of Ohio but his record of over three-quarters of a century of active service in disseminating the sublime truths of the gospel is perhaps without a parallel in any church in this country. His has indeed been a full life, fraught with strenuous endeavor and untold blessings to humanity, and today, after the heat of the conflict has somewhat subsided, retaining the full possession of his magnificent mental faculties and much of his erstwhile vigorous physicial powers, he is still a striking example of the consecrated disciple, whose zeal the passing years has but slightly modified and whose beautiful life is a continuous sermon as potent and forceful, perhaps, as when, a master of assemblages, he swayed with burning eloquence and fervid zeal the thousands who listened to his matchless presentation of the simple story of the Nazarene.

Elder J. H. Jones was born in Trumlxill county, Ohio, on the 15th day of June, 181 3. His father was Isaiah Jones, a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, and his uKither, Sarah Hartford, was also born and reared in that commonwealth, both being descended from old and prominent families that figured conspicuously in the early history of their communities. Isaiah Jones was a son-in-law of a clergyman by the name of Thomas, whose family settled in Hilltown. Pennsylvania, in 171 1, and who during the war of the Revolution served as chaplain in \Vashington's immediate command, having been the personal friend and spiritual advisor of the Father of his Country. Shortly after his marriage, Isaiah Jones left Virginia and took up his residence in the

Western Reserve, locating in what is now Trumbull county, Ohio, his main reason for changing his abode being his uncompromising opposition to slavery. After farming a few years in Trumbull, he disposed of his interests there and removed to Wooster, where for a number of years he was engaged in the mercantile business. Subsecjuently he lived for a few years in the county of Wayne and from there removed to Crawford county, where he entered land and devoted his attention to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Jones' later years were largely given to farming and stock raising and he li\'ed to a good old age, dying in the county of Wayne in his seventy-ninth or eightieth year. To Isaiah and Sarah (Hartford) Jones were born eight children, only two of whom survive, the subject of this review and Mrs. Anna Butler, of Monmouth, Illinois, the latter a remarkably preserved lady of ninetyfour years, the widow of the late Isaac Butler, of that city.

J. Harrison Jones lived with his parents until his sixteenth year and early became familiar with the stirring scenes and vicissitudes of pioneer life. Owing to the absence of school facilities his early education was somewhat limited, but being of a studious nature and a great lover of books he subsequently made up for this deficiency by reading and study at home, in this way in due time becoming the possessor of a large fund of useful knowledge. Mr. Jones' mind was early attracted to religious subjects and while a mere lad became a reader and close student of the sacred scriptures, the result of which very materially affected his life and changed his future course of action. He was a youth in his teens when the great religious awakening spread over Ohio and throughout the west, and its influence had much to do in shaping his character and directing him into the work to which his life has been so closely and ceaselessly devoted. Having made a public profession of religion and believing it his duty to devote his talents to the service of the Master, as a minister of the gospel, he began his preparatory studies for the same under the direction of Elder John Sechrist, an able and scholarly preacher, and one of the first to proclaim tlie simple faith of the Current Reformation throughout the western and northern counties of Ohio. In company with Elder Sechrist, young Jones started out on an evangelistic tour which took a very wide range, making appointments at different places and preaching wherever favorable opportunities presented themselves. This tour marked the beginning of Elder Jones' labor as a preacher. Possessing decided forensic talent, the youthful minister was heard gladly by the people and his fame as a clear, forcible and eloquent speaker preceding" him wherever he went, he was always greeted by large and appreciative audiences. He remained several years with Elder Sechrist, studying when not actively engaged in the work of the ministry, but realizing the great responsibilities resting upon him and perceiving the harvest so ripe and the reapers so few, he devoted the greater part of his time to the preaching of the word, his labors being greatly blessed in winning souls to the higher life.

Later Elder Jones travelled by himself over the greater part of Ohio, preaching fearlessly but lovingly the pure, simple claims of the gospel as practiced by the primitive disciples, boldly assailing long-established prejudices, declaring against the sin of sectarianism and a divided church, and hesitating not to apply the axe to creeds and dogmatic statements of doctrines, conceived in an age of religious intolerance and nurtured by centuries of ecclesiastical despotism. He planted churches with the Bible alone as the rule of faith and practice, in many places, looked after these congregations with a fatherly interest and during his itinerancy of over fifteen years preached in groves, in humble private dwellings, school houses.

public halls, in fact any place he could find a hearing, his audiences ranging in size from a half dozen lowly backwoodsmen and their wives to thousands of the most cultured, retined and critical people.

Realizing the need of a more thorough intellectual training than could be obtained from private study alone, Mr. Jones, in 1834, entered an academy at VVadsworth, Ohio, where he took a two-years course, the meantime devoting the Lord's days and vacations to his ministerial work. Li the year 1836 he was united in marriage to Miss Lauretta Pardee, daughter of Judge Allen Pardee and a lineal descendant of Robert Morris, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the great financier of the colonies during the Revolutionary struggle. Mrs. Jones' grandmother, Abigail Gage, was a sister of General Gage, the commander of the British forces in Boston at the beginnnig of the war for independence; she married a gentleman by the name of Stephen Foster, who was loyal to the colonies, and who at the breaking out of the war entered the American army as captain and achieved a distinguished record as a brave and gallant soldier and fearless officer.

Finishing his course at the academy. Elder Jones located at Wooster, Ohio, where 'he made his home for a period of fourteen j'cars. during which time he built up the church at that place from a membership of twehe ti) over two hundred, besides preaching at many other points and gathering in scores of converts by special meetings. Leaving Wooster, he took up his residence for a few years at Bedford, thence removed to Cleveland and still later to Alliance, holding pastorates in these cities and greatly strengthening the congregation in each. Subsequently he labored with much acceptance for churches at different places, his wonderful oratorical abilities as well as his keen, incisi\e reasoning powers en using such a wide-spread demand for his services that he found it im-

In 1861, at tlie earnest solicitation of his warm personal friend, James A. Garfield, between whom and himself the closest ties of companionship liad long existed, Elder Jones became chaplain of the latter's regiment; he served in this capacity three years, participated in many of the bloodiest battles of the war, and while at the front was ready and willing at all times to face danger and death in the discharge of his duties. When President Garheld died. Elder Jones assisted in conducting the funeral services and the address he delivered upon the occasion, abounding in pathos and affectionate references to the beloved chief magistrate, made a deep and lasting impression upon the grief stricken audience that heard it.

In the year 1871 Elder Jones moved his family to Alliance, in which city he has since made his home. Until quite recently he was actively engaged in the labors of his holy office, but he is now resting somewhat from the burden and heat, in a life of honorable retirement, surrounded by faithful and devoted friends and carrying with him into his retreat the blessings and benedictions of the thousands of his admiring countrymen and fellow citizens, many of whom, through his instrumentality, have been redeemed from sin and lifted to a higher plane of living.

Elder Jones' long and eventful experience has brought him in contact with all classes and conditions of people and his life if written in detail would form a volume of deep and absorbing interest. He has met and been on terms of intimacy with many of the leading public men of the country, including Presidents, judges and many other distinguished actors in our national liistory, among whom may be mentioned Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, James A. Garfield, to say nothing of tlie hundreds of others in high station who were proud to claim him as a friend. According to an approximately reliable estimate, he has baptized and received into the church ten thousand converts, solemnized over a thousand marriage ceremonies, officiated at a greater number of funerals, traveled thousands of miles on horseback, during the early days of his ministry, besides covering an extensive territory by more modern means of locomotion. His life has been a series of consecrations to the Master's service, as already stated, a continuous sermon, and the vast amount of good accomplished through his instrumentality will only be known in the day when' the "books are opened" and man rewarded for his deeds and influence.