Canton Township (part 24 of 62)

(ieor^e B. Haas was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth \L\\. who was Ijorn in Washington C(nnu\ , Peniis}'lvania. wlience she came to Canton in 1830, to join the family (.)f her hrother-in-law, John Black, who conducted what was known as Black's hotel, on the site of the present Central Sa\ings Bank, her marriage to Mr. Haas having been solemnized iii this h.otel. She long survived her husband, lier death occurring in Canton, in the month of January, I'joj, at the age of eighty-two years. 'They became the parents of two children, the younger of whom was i\.da C, the widow of the subject of this memoir. Her brother, Marshall E., was born in Canton, in 1843, -^'''^ ^'^' ceivetl his education in the public schools and a business college in the city of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Upon the I'resident's first call for volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion, he enlisted, in 1861, as a member of Company 1', Eonrth Ohiij Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued in ser\'ice for three years, having received a severe wound from a musket Ijall, which passed through his right arm. He was promoted to cori^ral and later to^ sergeant of his cornpanv, and after the close of the war he went to the west as an express messenger, later returning to Canton, where he died in the year 1876. At Centralia, Illinois, he married Miss [ulia Marsh, who survives him. retaining her residence in the city of Spokane, \Vashington, as does also her daughter Ada. Her son Guy resides in San Jose, California, and her other son, Georg'e, is deceased. Mrs. Cox was reared and educated in Canton, taking a high school course, and her lirst teacher was a ?vliss Betsy Cowles. Mr. and Mrs. Cox became the parents of four children, concerning whom the following brief record is offered in conclusion of this sketch : Mary Elizabeth, who was for seven years a successful and im])ular teacher of German and English in the Canton high school : ;\rarcia R. remains at the maternal home; Edna is the wife of Herlaert D. Raff, of fronton, this state; and Ada Beall likewise remains with her mother in the attracti\'e familv homestead.

ARTIll'R S. BOYER was born in the city of Dayton, Ohio, on the 4th of Eebruary, 1867, where he attended the public schools until he had reached the age of fifteen years, when he entered Cooper Academy, at Dayton, Ohio, where he continued his studies until 1885.. He was then matriculated in old Kenyon College, at Ciambier, Ohio, where he remained two }'ears, at the expiration of \\hich he returned to his home in Dayton, where his presence was demanded by reason of the precarious health of his honored father. He continued his educational work at home until he had attained the age of t\\ enty-two years, when he went to Dallas, Texas, where he became assistant manager of a large dry-goods and millinery house, retaining this incumbency until 1893. On the 2Tst of January, 1891, he was there united in marriage to Miss Mamie Hurst, daughter of Thomas W. and Alary (Kendall) Hurst, of that cit}', Mr. Hurst having l)een in charge of the circulating department of tlie Dallas Morning News. For one year INfr. Boyer was associated \'\ith his father-in-law in this department of newspaper work and he then l)ecame manaager of the southeastern territory of the Plymouth Rock Pants Company, with headquarters at Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the s|)ring of i8g6 he returned to Dayton in company with his wife, where he devoted the greater part of the summer to study, while in the autumn he identified himself vigorously with the active work of the Young Men's Christian Association, going to Xenia, Ohio, where he c<intrilnited his ser\ices for alxnit four months without renumeration, in order to place the Inrnl organization on a firm found- ation, so that it might properly exercise its functions. He then became general secretar\- of the local organization at Salem, this state, where he remained until .March, 1899, when he came to Canton to assume his present position, of which he has l^een continuously incumbent since that time. Mr. Boyer is a most earnest and indefatigable worker in his chosen field and he has done much to vitalize the work of the organization in Canton and to improve the facilities of the association, while his enthusiasm and zeal ha\e proved inspiring and have brought about gratifying results. Mr. Boyer is also' secretary and treasurer of the Canton Tabernacle Company, while both he and his wife are devoted members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in whose Sunday school he is a valued and popular teacher. In politics he maintains an independent attitude, utilizing- his franchise in support of those men and measures meeting the approval of his judgment, without regard to strict partisan lines. To Mr. and Mrs. Bo3-er have been born four children, namely : Thomas F., who died in Salem, Ohio, at the age of seventeen years, and ^Mitchell ]M.. Dorothy Ilurst and Eliza1>eth Carey. ]Mr. and Mrs. Boyer are well known in the city of Canton and are prominent in the best social life of the community.

John ['"rederick Bojer, the father of tVe subject, was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1828, and when he was but four years of age hi.T parents removed thence to what is now the city of Dayton, Ohio, the place being at the time a mere village. He attended the typical log school house of the pioneer town and after leaving school learned the trade of coppersmith, while eventually he became a successful manufacturer of cupper coils and other products in the line. His wife, whose maiden name was Lucrctia Swain, is a daughter of the late Judge Charles \\'. Swain, who was a distinguished and honored pioneer of Davton.

WILSON C. BERGER. - Among those who have stood as distinguished types of the i world's workers and who have proved their value to the world through tiieir labors and through inventions of great utility, stood the honored subject of this memoir, who was a man of exalted integrity, most kindly consideration in all the relations of life and one who ever placed a true estimate upon men and things, there being no obliquity in his \-ision and thus no deviation from the course which makes for true and noble and prolific manhood. He was the artificer of his own fortunes, was appreciati\e of the dignity of honest toil, for he had been himself a worker, and he attained high prestige as one of the representative business men and most loyal and valued citizens of Canton. A work of this character exercises its maximum Junction when it enters tribute to the life and labors of such a man.

The late Wilson Calvin Berger was a nati\e of the old Keystone state and came of stanch German lineage on both the paternal and maternal sides. He was born in the town of Millersburg, Berks coimty, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of April, 1851, being a son of William and Angelina (Schmeltzer) Berger, the former of whom served faithfully in defense of the Union during the war of the Rebellion. l"he narrative of the conditions and circumstances of his early life constitutes the "short and simple annals of the poor," and the statement is in itself adequately significant, for it shews that his strong" character was moulded in the stern school of experience. His educational o])])iirtunities were perforce limited, but to such natures a handicap of this order is not a matter of serious import in starting- out in tlie race for the goal of definite success. Mr. Berger early manifested a decided predilection for mechanical pursuits, showing much genius in this line while still a boy. and it is pleasing to advert to the fact that it was through this same genius that he eventuallv attained distincc^ tion as an inventor and a position of independence and prosperity. When lie was a lad his father took him to the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, with a view of securing him a position in the locomotive works in that city, in order that he might serve an apprenticeship at the business. He was unsuccessful in" making the desired arrangements, and at the advice of an uncle of his mother, a Mr. Seaver, Mr. Berger entered upon an apprenticeship at the tinner's trade, in Millersburg. In 1870, at the age of nineteen years, having become a skilled mechanic in this line, he came to Canton and secured employment in the shops of Best & Martin, on South Market street. Later he entered the employ of the Biechele Brothers, with whom he remained for a period of fourteen years, after which he was employed in the shops conducted by Edward Rex and Charles Rex. During these years Mr. Berger was not content to merely follow out the duties assigned to him, but was also applying himself to mechanical study and invention during his evenings at home and at such other times as opportunity afforded. In Millersburg, Pennsylvania, on the 22d of May, 1872, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Myers, daughter of the late Reuben Myers, of Canton, a member of one of the representative pioneer families of Stark county. Mrs. Berger's home has been in Stark county from the time of her birth, but at the time of her marriage she was passing a year in the home of relatives in Millersburg, Pennsylvania, where she and her husband remained during the succeeding year, Mr. Berger being there associated with his brother John A., in conducting a tin shop. At the expiration of this interval he returned to Canton, taking up his residence on South McKinley avenue, but while in the employ of the Biechele Brothers he lived for six years in apartments over their establishment, and then built a home at 719 North Cherry street. In 1886, in partnership with his brother

John A., he began the manufacture of the malleable eave trough hanger which he had invented, their first shop being- a small room in John Inglehart's establishment, on North Cherry street, from which location they later removed to a shop on Fifth street, between Walnut and Cherry streets, this establishment likewise being one of most modest order, so that they eventually found it expedient to secure larger quarters and located in Stephen Zooker's building, opposite the Tabernacle on South Rex street, Mr. Zooker being at the time admitted to partnership in the business, which was gradually increasing in scope and importance, as the superior value of the invention became known. A short time afterward Mr. Zooker sold his interest in the enterprise to Hiram Khlorer. As time passed, other valuable inventions patented by Mr. Berger were added to the list of articles manufactured, while other products were eventually turned out on a large scale, including sheet-metal roofing, siding and ceiling, eaves trough, conductor pipe, metal cornice, etc. Finally the firm, in order to provide adequate accommodations for their business, leased property on East Ninth street, between Cherry and Sexton streets, and there erected a well equipped plant, which proved sufficient for the exigencies of the enterprise until the large new plant in the Hurford addition to the city of Canton was erected, where the manufacturing was pushed forward under most favorable conditions. Mr. Berger had been superintendent of the works from the time of the organization of the firm, under the title of the Berger Manufacturing Company, which it still retains, and thus he came into close contact not only with his business associates and patrons, but also with the workmen of the plant, and a more beneficent tribute to his memory can scarcely be paid than to say that he held the highest respect and the loyal regard of those who labored under his direction. In the earlier years Mr. Berger did all drafting of designs for his inventions, thougfi he never recei^'eU the slightest instruction in this art. He continued to be actively concerned in the enterprise until the illness which finally terminated in his death, on the 2d of April, 1894. His loss was deeply felt in the community, for he had been honored as a business man and as a citizen of sterling worth of character, while to those more intimately associated with him in business the sense of personal bereavement was significantly poignant. All who came in contact with him honored him for his business rectitude and admired him for his keen sagacity and mature judgment in connection with practical affairs, lit was a consistent member of Trinity Reformed church, to the support of whose spiritual work and collateral charities he was a liberal contributor, ever showing marked appreciation tor the responsibilities that canopy life and living in liarmony with the faith which he professed, - that faith which ever makes faithful. He and his l)rother John presented a beautiful memorial window to the church and also contributed largely to the building fund of the fine edifice. In politics he ever accorded a stanch allegiance to the Democratic party and, while taking a deep and intelligent interest in the questions and issues of the hour, he never desired official preferment of any order. A most appreciative estimate of the character of the man was made by his pastor. Rev. E. P. Herbruck, at his funeral services, on the afternoon of .'\pril 5, 1894, and it is consistent that a few excepts be here made from his sermon : "It is not often that the death of a man produces such universal sorrow in a community as did the death of Mr. Berger. When the news spread throughout the city that he had passed awav, there was deep and heartfelt regret expressed on every side and many an eye was dimmed with tears at the thought of the death of this excellent man. But as there is comfort in looking forward, so there is also in looking back over his life. The forty-three years he spent here were not vainly spent. He employed well the time, the little space of time, alloted to him on earth. He had many excellent qualities. One of these was his dilligence in business. He was not above work, and did what his hands fountl to do with all his might. He knew what physical labor meant, not by observation but by actual experience. He came up from the humbler walks of life, cleaving his way by dint of ingenuity and hard work. Together with his l>rother, he slowly forged his way to the front, conquering the opposition and surmounting obstacles that beset his path. His lack of means and the difficulties that confronted him made him all the more earnest and persistent. He had just come to a competency and to comfort and had reached the stage in life when he might enjoy the fruits of his labor, when the dark-robed angel removed him from our midst. While he was highly esteemed by the firm to which he belonged, he was also in good repute witli the employes. It is their unanimous testimony that he was a good master. His was a heart of flesh and not of steel. He sympathized with the men because he himself was a working man. He displayed all proper feeling and consideration for them and therefore they were not lacking in love and loyalty to him. The coldness and distance so common between employer and employe did not exist between them, and as a consequence there was an absence of the friction and dissatisfaction so common in that rela4;ion. I may further say that the deceased was a strictly honest man. He knew the difference between mine and thine. No one can rightfully accuse him of deception or double dealing. His hands are clean of ill gotten gains. This is saying a great deal in these days of fraud and questionably scheming. It is a eulogy in itself to say that a man is transparent in character and four square in all his transactions. The last thing we wish to sav of the brother is the best, namely, he was a Christian. He was baptized in his infancy and has been a member of the Reformed church' from childhood. For the past eighteen years he has l^een identified with Trinity church and has given his cordial and substantial support. His name is inscribed on one of these memorial windows, and there is no more honorable place to liiive it written. That inscription Avi-11 be a perpetual witness to his interest in this congregation."

After the death of her honored husband, Mrs. Berger remained for a number of years in their home on Cherry street, but on November 15, 1900, she took up her abode in her present spacious and attractive residence, which she erected, the same being located at No. 21 18 ^^'est Tuscarawas street and being one of the many beautiful homes of the city. Of the children bom to Mr. and Mrs. Berger brief record is entered in the following lines : Goldie Edith -\vas born in Canton, on the i6th of November, 1876, and is an artist of marked talent, having done excellent work in oils, both in the line of landscapes and that of portraits. She is now the wife of Edward F. AV'eckel, who is a teacher of elocution in the public schools of Canton, his home liaving formerly been in Dayton, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Weckel have one child, ^^'ilson Edward. William R., who was born in Canton, on the 13th of July, 1878, has attended the best musical schools in this country and Germany and is now a successful and popular teacher of the "divine art" in his home city. Albert Wilson was born in this city, on the 22d of April, 18S6, and has inherited much of his father's mechanical "genius, having invented a corn shredder and many other valuable devices.

?\lrs. Berger was born in the village of Louisville, Stark county, Ohio, on the 27th of July, 185T, and was but thirteen years of age at the time of her mother's death, and her father soon afterward removed to Canton, where she was reared to womanhood, ha^'ing assumed the major portion of the domestic duties of the household after the death of her mother. She is a daughter of Reuben and Mary A. (Pecher) Myers, the former of whom was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1820, while he was numbered among the sterling pioneers of Stark county, Ohio, where he died on the 21st of January, i8go. He rendered his country faithful militai-y service during the war of the Rebellion. His wife was born April 12, 1825, also in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and her death occurred on the nth of April, 1865. Of their children the following brief data is entered: Joseph R., who is now a resident of Canton, was a valiant soldier in the Civil war and was confined nearly two years in the notorious Libby prison; he married Miss Ada Hense! ; Pius Alatthew, who is engaged in the grocery business in Canton, married Miss Catherine Herbst, of New Philadelphia, this state; Amelia Ann died in childhood; Mary is the widow of the subject of this memoir ; and Frank F.. a resident of Canton, married Miss Celia \\'ingerter. Mrs. Berger has long been a zealous and devoted member of the Reformed church, is a woman of gracious presence and her home is a center of refined hospitality, while she has a wide circle of friends in the city where the major portion of her life has been passed and which is endeared to her by many grateful memories and associations.

LEWIS M. LIND. - The Lind family, of which the subject of this sketch is of the third generation, lias resided in the county continuously since 1826. The family originally came from Germany, and in that country was called Funderlind. The progenitor of the family in America came to this country previous to the war of the Revolution and located in either Maryland or Pennsylvania, probably the latter, whence the name, divested of the first two svllables, spread over many of the eastern states.

John Lind, grandfather of the subject, was the first of the name to locate in Stark county, Ohio. He came in 1826, bringing with him his wife and children, among them Samuel Lind. then about eight years old, who became the father of Lewis M. Lind. The nativity of John Lind and his wife, Elizabeth (Hess) Lind, is not definitely known, but they were born in either Maryland or Pennsylvania, and from the former state, in 1826, they emigrated to Ohio. They located upon a farm in Plain township, built a home, prospered, reared their children and remained there until their deaths. He died in Plain township many years ago, at the age of seventy-two years, while she lived for nearly twenty years thereafter, dying at the age of eighty-nine years. Both are well remembered by the older residents of that part of the county, as being among the most industrious and thrifty of the early settlers. Samuel Lind, one of the children of the above mentioned couple and father of Lewis IM. Lind, was born in Maryland in 181 8. He was reared on his father's farm in Plain township, where he grew to maturity and married Miss Hannah Housel, daughter of Anthony Housel, an old resident of Plain township, who died there some years ago, at the age of eighty-nine years. There were thirteen children in the family of Samuel Lind and wife, all being reared to maturity and becoming useful and worthy citizens. Both parents died on the old homestead in Plain township.

Lewis M. Lind was born in Plain township. Stark county, Ohio, March 25, 1845. He was reared and grew to manhood in the township of his birth and has been a resident thereof most of the years of his life, his home having alvvays been in Stark county. He attended the district school when available and so well did he employ his time and talents that while still a youth he was regularly licensed to teach, and conducted several very successful terms of school in the public schools of Stark county. Later he acquired a knowledge of the milling business and for about eight years operated a tiouring mill. He was prudent and saving, carefully husbanding his earnings, which enabled him to make investments in real estate, so at this time he is the half owner of a nice farm of one hundred and sixty-seven acres, the land being well improved, fertile and valuable.

In November, 1869, Lewis M. Lind was united in marriage, in Tuscarawas township, to Miss Angeline Brown, a native of Iowa. She lived but three years to grace their home, dying in May, 1872, and leaving to her bereaved husband a little daughter, Clara E., as a pledge of her love. The child lived to the age of seven years, when she, too, followed her mother into eternity. On November 23, 1876, Lewis M. Lind again entered the married state, this time Miss Jennie M. Painter, a young lady of many accomplishments, becoming his bride. She was a native of Stark county, born in Pike township, October 26, 1856. Her parents were Jacob and Susan (Muckley) Painter,, who were among Stark county's early residents. To the subject's second union eight children were born, viz. : Mary A., Kate E., Herman- H., Henry E., Margaret, Dorothy J. and Lewis M., of whom the latter died in infancy.

In politics Mr. Lind is a Republican. Heis quite active, especially in local affairs during election campaigiis and is credited with wielding considerable influence in his section of the county. He is not an office seeker, but, having always interested himself in educational matters, he consented to strvt upon the school board a number of terms from 1888 to 1902. He also served as school director in Canton township three years while he resided there. Mr. and Mrs. Lind are both members of the Lutheran Trinity church, in the Sunday school of which denomination Mr. Lind is an active worker. They have a comfortable, happy home on their fine productive farm, where, surrounded by their children, they reahze day by day that the good may have a rich reward meted out to them even in this Hfe.

SAMUEL RINGER, of Plain township, Stark county, the subject of this sketch, was born in Nimishillen township, Stark county, April 6, 1824, and at the time of his birth his parents, John and Catharine (Truby) Ringer, had i^een residents of Stark county for twentyfour years. They were natives of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, both families having been prominent among the inhabitants of their native county, and there they grew to maturity and were married. He was a man of learning and ability and soon after he attained his majority was called by his fellow townsmen to fill one of the county offices. He also was appointed to public place under the national government and it was while acting in this capacity he made his first trip to Stark county. He died on his farm in Nimishillen township when he was seventy-three years old, while his widow survived him many years, going to her reward when she was eighty-four years old. They were the parents of twelve children, ten of whom grew to maturity, the other two dying in infancy, and Samuel, the subject, was one of the younger members of the family.

In his native township of Nimishillen, Samuel Ringer grew to manhood. He embraced such limited opportunities for acquiring an education as the primitive conditions then prevailing on the frontier aft'orded, but few boys or girls brought up at that time and in that locality securing a very high reputation for learning. Far more time and atteition were devoted to the development of the muscles in the clearing and on the farm than was afforded to the cultivation of the mind. Most of the lessons which the subject and other lads of his time learned were those of industry, the calling

October 15, 1853, Samuel Ringer was united in marriage, in his native township, to Miss Mary Zendz, daughter of Adam Zendz, one of Clark county's very early settlers. Like her husband, she had been bom and reared in Nimishillen township. They had known each other from babyhood and their life of unalloyed domestic happiness for a period of more than thirty-seven years shows how well they were suited to each other by nature and by training. Samuel Ringer met with the great bereavement of his life when, in December, 1890, his good and faithful wife, the mother of his thirteen children, departed this life. Two of their little ones died in infancy. The other children, all of whom grew to maturity, are Aaron, George A., Simon, Job, John, Edward, Levina, Barbara, Eva, Ida and Clara.

The farm owned and occupied by Samuel Ringer consists of one hundred and sixty-five acres of fertile, well improved land. It is a choice tract and splendidly improved with good, substantial and commodious buildings of all kinds. At one time he was the owner of four hundred and eighty acres, but he has disposed of it all except the farm upon which he resides. All his life he has been a zealous, earnest worker and now, in his declining years, he finds himself in a position to take life easy. He has always carried on general farming and stock raising and has met with gratifying success in each branch of the business. In religion* he has been for many years a member of the Trinity Lutheran church and the cause of charity, religion and education has always appealed to him strongly, he devoting much time and material substance to each. In his younger days he was quite active in politics, not only in township and county affairs, but on state and even national questions. He has always been a Democrat, but never aspired to public position on his own belialf, the only ptibhc place he ever filled being that of trustee of j'lain township. He accepted tliat with man)- misgivings and was only too glad to relinquish the place into other hands at the close of his term. Intellectually as bright as in the morning of his manhood, physically a far better man than many twenty years younger, contented and happy, surrounded by myriads of his ofifspring, even unto the third generation, there seems to he no reason why Samuel Ringer shotild not round out the full period of a century of life.

T.EVl A. COCKLIN was horn on his father's farm in Lake township. Stark county, Ohio, August II, 1837. His father was Adam Cocklin, who was a native of Pennsylvania, as was his mother also, and they were reared in Pennsylvania and married there. Soon thereafter they emigrated to Stark county, locating in Lake township about 1825, upon the farm where they lived many years. He died at the age of fifty-six years, while she long survived him, passing away in the seventieth year of her age. 1'hey w^ere the parents of eleven children, of whom Levi A. was the seventh child. He was reared at the home of has parents in Lake township until he was seventeen years of age. In [854 he located in Plain township and has been a resident of that municipality ever since. When old enough he became apprenticed to A blacksmith and learned that call- - ing thoroughly, following it for nine years at Middlebranch, with marked success. From his earnings at the forge he saved suf^cient to enable him to purchase a piece of land and devoted what time he could spare from the shop in improving it.

At Middlebranch on the 31st day of January, 1865, Mr. Cocklin was united in marriage to Miss Mary Ann Christ, who was born in Massillon, Ohio, l^Iarch 20, 1843. Her parents were John and Hannah (Rhodes) Christ, who were among the early pioneers of that locality. Both are now dead, the father dying at his home in Massillon, many years ago, in the fifty-first year of his age, while his wife survived him many years, passing to her eternal rest in the sixt3'-sixth year of her age. To Mr. and Mrs. Levi .V. Cocklin five children were born, viz: John J., Laura E., Adam .-V., Thomas J. and Phoebe J. It is an interesting, happy family, in a home w here love reigns and kindness and courtesy between the members of the household are ruling features. Personally Mr. Cocklin is one of the most generous and public spirited citizens of the township. Every step in the direction of local improvement or for the public good always finds in him a warm supporter. Still he is prudent, careful and conservative, a man who never ventures into anything until he is fully satisfied as to its merit. He is a kind husband, an indulgent father and a model citizen.

ELI SMLfH was born in Franklin county, Marj'land, January 5, 1815. His parents were Daniel and Mary Ann (Lind) Smith, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, but later moved to Maryland and resided there until after the birth of their sixth child, Eli, the subject. There they remained until 1825, when they came to Stark county. Ohio, they and their eleven children making the trip in a big wagon drawn by hor.ses and being seventeen days on the way. They settled on the farm in Plain township, where the subject now resides, established a home and reared their family, and from there the eleven sons and daughters went out into the world seeking fame and fortune. The mother died when sixtysix years old, while Mr. Smith lived many years thereafter, dying when in the eightythird year of his age.

was but ten years old. Up to that time he had received httle education and the boundless west then afforded few facilities for the enlightenment of its youth. He worked on the farm until old enough to engage in an avocation more to his taste, when he went to Greentown, Lake township, to learn from his brother the trade of tanner. For forty years, from 1834 to 1874. he worked at that calling, and in 1842 he began the operation of a tannery of his own at New Baltimore, doing a thriving business. In 1856 he purchased the old farm and moved thereon, superintending its cultivation in connection with the operation of the tannery. His farm consists of one hundred and fifty-nine acres, all well improved and in a fine state of cultivation.

At Greentown, Lake township, November 20. 1840, Eli Smith was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Kreighbaum, a native of Greentown, bom in 1824. Her father was George Kreighbaum, one of the early pioneers and leading citizens of Stark county, having served as one of its early commissioners, while her mother's christian name was Catherine. For nearly forty-seven years Mr. and Mrs. Eli Smith lived happily together, she dying in Plain township, March 15, 1887. They were the parents of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity.

In politics Mr. Smith is a Democrat of the old school. He cast his first ballot for Martin Van Buren, the successor of Andrew Jackson, in 1836. He was old enough to take an active interest in politics when "Old Hickory" ran the last time in 1832, being in his eighteenth year, and was sorely disappointed that he was not old enough to cast his ballot for the grand old Democrat. In his time he has filled many of the local offices of the townships in which he lived. He was treasurer of Marlboro township several years, trustee of Plain township and was road supervisor and school director. In every post that he filled he gave entire satisfaction and always, O'f his own choice, relinquished the positions. He has been for many years a member of the English Lutheran church, of which his wife was also a member during her lifetime. Both joined when they were youngs, soon after the church was established in their part of the county.

The life of Eli Smith has been a long and useful one. He has reared a large family of sons and daughters and has seen them go out into the world and become useful, prosperous citizens. Of all of the friends of his early youth scarcely one remains. Each has passed to his reward and left him to still enjoy the blessings of life, not the least of which is the lo\'e and affection of the rising generations of grandchildren and great-grandchildren which crowd about him.

JOSEPH HAAK A\as horn in Marlboro township, Stark county, Ohio, April 27, 1849. His parents were Jacob F. and Barbara (Zeigler) Haak, both natives of Germany, in which country they were reared and married, and came to America in the early 'thirties. Their voyage across the Atlantic in a sailing vessel, the best means of transportation at the time, was a long, tedious and disagreeable one. They came to Stark county and first settled in Plain township, about one mile east of New Berlin, but later they moved to Marlboro township, where they purchased a farm and where they continued to reside up to the time of their deaths. Both died comparatively young, she at the age of forty-two, he at the age of forty-eight. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom Joseph, the subject of this sketch, was the tenth child and youngest son. The first seven years of his life were spent in Marlboro township. Being left an orphan when quite young and dependent upon his own resources, he early learned the lessons of industry and self-reliance. Knowing well, by his own experience, the value of money, what he got he appreciated and by the providence whicli he practiced he was not long in accumulating enough to invest in a piece of land in Plain township, a nice productive tract, capable of being converted into a fine, fertile farm.

December 5, 1876, at Canton, Ohio, Joseph Haak was united in marriage to Miss Catharine Smith, also a native of Marlboro township, and a daughter of Eli and Sarah (Kreighbaum) Smith, natives of Frederick county, Maryland. They immediately moved into their own home on their farm in Plain township, where they have resided ever since. The farm is not large, but it would be difficult to find one better improved. The residence is large, handsome, beautifully finished and furnished in a manner which bespeaks the good taste and refinement of its occupants. There is a splendid, substantial barn upon the place and the stable, granaries and other buildings are all that could be desired. It is a home of which any man may well feel proud. Mr. and Mrs. Haak are the parents of one son. Ellis F., now in his twenty-fifth year.

In politics Joseph Haak is a Democrat, a firm believer in the fundamental principles of that party and labors earnestly in his own modest way for its success. At the present time he is serving as trustee of Plain township and has at difi'erent times held other local offices. He was township assessor and school director for many years and has always been active in anything which concerned the public, his influence and example being devoted to the improvement of the township. He is a progressive, public-spirited man, who never allows a little matter of expense to deter him from doing that which will result in good to the community. He and his wife have been for many years members of the English Liitheran church and at the present time he is one of its trustees. Honest, candid, conscientious and unselfish, he is a citizen whose power for good

OTIS UPTON WALKER was born in the town of Ragersville, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on the 9th of January, 1874, being a son of Edward S, and VVilla (Nefif) Walker, of whose three children he was the eldest, the others being Torry S,, of whom more definite mention will be made in appending paragraphs; and Mamie F,, who is the wife of Sherwood Austin, of New Baltimore, this county. Edward S, Walker was born in Tuscarawas county, November 18, 1849, being a son of Samuel P. Walker, who was one of the early settlers in tiiat county, where he was engagefl in agricultural pursuits until his death, becoming a man of influence in the community. At the time of the Civil war he ser\'ed in the quartermaster's department, in which connection he journeyed over a wide range of country, securing horses for the army, and in this way he became well known throughout the most diverse sections of the state of Ohio, He accumulated a competence and was a man of inflexible integrity in all the relations of life. Of his fourteen children all are living except two. Edward S. Walker was reared to manhooil in his native county, where he received a common-school education and where he learned the trade of harnessmaking. After, his marriage, in the fall of 1870, he opened a harness shop and hardware store in Ragersville, whence he removed, in 1881, to Berlin, Holmes county, where he was engaged in business about two years. His health became much impaired at this time and he was thus led to remove to a farm, near Garretsville, Portage county, where he continued to reside about four years, at the expiration of which he located in Marlboro, Stark county, where he opened a hotel, which he conducted until the death of his wife, in

O. U. Walker

April, 1902, when he retired from the hotel and has since given his attention to the harness business which he had previously conducted in the town, while simultaneously keeping the hotel. He is a stanch Republican in politics, but has never sought official preferment, and he is a worthy member of the Christian church, as was also his cherished and devoted wife. She was born in Tuscarawas county, in the year 1852, and her parents, Jacob and Christina Nefif, died, of typhoid fever, when she was but an infant. She was reared in the home of a relative, Mrs. Abigail Kuntz, of her native county, and was a type of gracious womanhood. She died on the 4th of April, 1902, and was laid' to rest on the anniversary of the death of her son Torry. At the time of his tragic death she stated that she would follow him within a year, and though she was at the time in comparatively good health, she was summoned into eternal rest within two days of the close of the year, having grieved sorely over the loss of her young and noble son.

Otis U. Walker was about twelve years of age at the time when his parents took up their residence in Marlboro, and here he continued his educational discipline in the public schools, being graduated in the high school as a member of the class of 1S93. Even as a boy he manifested the distinctive spirit of independence and self-reliance which are his dominant characteristics today. At the age of thirteen years he had apprenticed himself to learn the barber trade, in which he became proficient, and through his work at the same he paid his own expenses while in the high school. In the summer of 1893, with the view to completing a course in Mount Union College, he came to the village of Mount Union and here opened a barber shop, and through conducting the same he acquired the funds with which to meet the expenses of his collegiate course, which he followed out while devoting himself to the work of his trade.

Notwithstanding the arduous nature of his labors in the shop he applied himself with such enthusiasm and assiduousness to his studies that he was able to complete the regular four years' scientific course in the college in a period of three years, and being graduated as a member of the class of 1896, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. His personality is such that he has always had the faculty of gaining and retaining warm friendships, and he was one of the popular students of the college, as is evident when we revert to the fact that he was chosen to various positions of responsibility in his alma mater, - positions demanding both executive and literary ability. Thus he was manager of the basket-ball and foot-ball teams, served as editor of the Dynamo, the college monthly, and also of the Unonian, the college annual, while he was also periodical reader in the annual society contests. He likewise held the office of captain in the college Republican Marching Club during the McKinley campaign and was an officer in the cadet corps. After his graduation Mr. Walker was employed as city editor of the Alliance Leader and also did special work for the Cleveland Leader and Columbus Press-Post, while he also passed about six weeks in the city of Pittsburg, in the employ of the Pittsburg Times, his object being to gain certain practical information in regard to newspaper work which he could not secure in Alliance,- where the scope of the journalistic enterprises was naturally circumscribed. With Mr. Walker there , has always been a distinct appreciation of the value of time, and he has wasted little, as may be inferred. While he was actively engaged in newspaper work he devoted his attention to the reading of law, having as a preceptor William L. Hart, one of the representative members of the bar of Stark county and a resident of Alliance, and to these two lines of work he was giving his attention at the time when the fed- eral government declared war against Spain, when he responded to tlie call of duty and patriotism l)v enlisting, in June, 1898, as a member of Company K, Eighth Ohio Volunteers. known as the "President's Own," with which he served in the ranks in the campaign of Santiago de Cuba. In the midst of the campaign, he was stricken with yellow fever, and for Aveeks his life hung in the balance, his beingsaved to years of further usefulness being accomplished largely through the great fraternal devotion of his brother Torry, as will be noted later in this context. After his regiment was mustered out and he had sufficiently recuperated his health, Mr. Walker again engaged in editorial work, identifying himself with the Alliance Review, and he was thus einployed at the time of his nomination, in the spring of 1900, as the Republican candidate for the office of mayor of Alliance, and he was elected by a gratifying majority. He had cast his first presidential vote in support of McKinley only four years previously, in 1896, and in the campaign of that year was a member of the first voters' club organized in Alliance. Of Mr. Walker's initial administration as mayor another publication has spoken appreciatively as follows : "In the administration of the affairs of the city and in the performance of the duties of his office Mayor Walker ga\e such general .satisfaction and won such general approval that the people, almost regardless of party affiliation, rallied to his support for his re-election, and in the spring of 1902 he was given a majority even greater, than that when he was first elected to the office. At all times during the administration of Mayor Walker when his advice has been sought he has counseled for the best interests of Alliance and its people, that it might be known as the place of peace and harmony among all citizens, and in so doing he has won the respect and confidence of all citizens. As chief executixe his aim has been to secure health and safety for his constituency, the first by rigid enforcement of the sanitary laws, and the second by establishing ample and up-to-date fire and police departments." In 1903 the new municipal code of Ohio came into effect which necessitated a new election of all executive municipal officers throughout the slate. y\.t this election Mr. Walker was again elected mayor of Alliance and is thus now ser\'ing his third term as chief executive of the city - at this election he received the largest vote ever given any candidate for any office at any election ever held in the city. With but one exception Mr. Walker is the youngest man ever elected to the mayoralty in Alliance, having been but twenty-six years of age at the time of his first election, as has been previously noted. In connection with his official work he is continuing his study of the law and his intention is to thoroughly prepare himself for the legal profession, for which he is well adapted by natural proclivities and mental powers. He is a young man of gracious and sincere per.sonality and his popularity conies as a natural sequence. Of fine intellectuality and forceful indi\iduality the future holds much in store for him. He is unwavering in his allegiance to the principles and policies of the Republican party and takesan active interest in its cause, while heJ<eeps in intelligent touch with the questions and issues of the hour. He and his wife are valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and' fraternally "he is identified with Lone Rock Lodge No. 23. Knights of Pythias; Alliance Lodge No. 467, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon college fraternity. He maintains a lively interest in his comrades of the late war and is captain of Clyde R. Crubaugh Command of the- Spanish War Veterans.

young ladies of Alliance. She is the daughter of David and Mary A. Matthews, of this city, her father ha^-ing been born in Wales and having come to America in his youth and her mother being a native of Portland, Maine. Mr. Matthews is superintendent of the foundry department of the Morgan Engineering Works of Alliance, one of the leading industrial enterprises of the state.

In conclusion, there is eminent propriety in entering a slight tribute to the memory of the late Torry S. Walker, only brother of the subject of this sketch. Torry Slatin Walker was born in Ragersville, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on the 15th of March, 1875, and he came to Alliance just after being mustered out with the Eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which regiment he served as private during the siege and surrender of Santiago, in the summer of 1898. He became a first-grade fireman in the well equipped fire department of Alliance, and was instantly killed by the explosion of a chemical engine, on April 6, 1901, being the first member of the department to sacrifice his life at the post of duty. His untimely and tragic death cast a pall over the entire city, and many were the devoted friends who felt a sense of deep personal bereavement, and it has been well said of him that he was "loved and respected by all his acquaintances." The blow to his only brother, Mayor Walker, was a most severe one, as they had ever been devoted to each other, there being but little more than a year's difference in their ages. In this connection we can not do better than to give the following appreciative estimate of his character, which appeared in the Alliance Daily Review of April o. 1901 : "As a soldier more than anywhere else did Torry show the sterling character which he possessed. When the boys were worn out and sick from hardships scarcely to be borne, it \\as to 'Tort' they looked for aid and comfort. He it was who could forage to purpose, and without doubt his brother, Mavor

O. U. Walker, would now be sleeping in the swamps of Cuba had it not been for, the watchful care of the younger brother, who, with the heroism and devotion of a generous heart, carried his brother upon his back from the low ground where he had been left, by an overworked hospital corps, to higher ground and placed him beneath the shelter; of a large tree, out of the broiling sun and treacherous damp. And again, when the boys were about to be sent home, Upton Walker would probably have been left behind had not Torry's strong shoulders borne him safely aboard ship. But not alone to his brother were his kind ministrations tendered. Any comrade who needed aid which he could render received it at once. His record as a soldier was second to none in the regiment. With the courage of the lion he had the tenderness and the fortitude of a woman."

JOHN CONRAD was bom in Washington township, .Stark county, March 31, 1855. His father was Joseph Conrad, a native of Alsace, France, who was brought to America by his parents when only one year old. His grandfather was Jacob Conrad, who, with his family, immigrated from Alsace to America about 1820. They located in Washington township. Stark county, upon a farm, where Jacob Conrad died many years ago, at the age of eighty-five years. His son Joseph, father of the subject, grew to manhood upon this farm, married Miss Catherine Krabille, also a native of France, and they became the parents of fifteen children, of whom John Conrad is the oldest. At the time of his death, some years ago, Joseph Conrad was seventy-three years old.

There was little in the life of John Conrad different from that of the average farmer boy of the time. He chopped wood, plowed land and sowed and reaped just the same as other youths of his time, and in the winter he attended the district school. He possessed an irrepressible disposition, and at times incurred the displeasure of his teacher, but amid it all, he managed to secure a fair education in all of the branches that were taught in the public school. Bright and intelligent, he appreciated the value of knowledge and embraced with avidity the opportunity to secure it. He remained at home working for the family until he was twenty years old, then went out working by the month, which he continued for a period of four years. He was provident and saving, and when the accumulations from his earnings were sufficient to justify it, he decided to establish a home of his own. Accordingly, as the first and most necessary step in this direction, on December 12, 1878, he was imited in marriage to Miss Susan Miller, a young lady of good education and many desirable attainments. Her father was Christian Miller, now deceased, and she was born in Canton township, Stark county. To them seven children were bom, viz : Martha, Joseph, Calvin, Orlando, Etta, Daniel and Mary. Each has received a good education and all give promise of making useful, enterprising citizens.

Irhmediately after their marriage John Conrad and wife settled on a farm in Canton township, where they remained for four years, steadily adding to their possessions. In 1882 he purchased their present farm of one hundred and twenty-nine acres, in Plain township, and on this the family has since resided, adding to its value year by year, by substantial improvements, and realizing a very satisfactory income from the products of the place. The subject has conducted general farming and stock raising and has given considerable attention to fruit.

Politically Mr. Conrad is a Democrat, and as such enjoys the confidence and respect not only of his own party but even of his political opponents. He was twice elected to the office of township trustee, and made a good record. He has always been interested in education and has served for seventeen years as a member of the school board. He is scrupulously conscientious and sincerely religious, and is a member of the Mennonite church and a firm believer in its teachings. His life is most exemplary and has had its influence not only upon the members of his ovm immediate family, but to a great extent upon other people in the community as well.

CLAYTON HOLL was born in Plahi township. Stark county, Ohio, April 4, 1849. His father was Jacob Holl, who was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, but who in early life emigrated to Stark county, Ohio, and settled in Plain township, where he met Miss Rachel Sell, whom he later married, and who eventually became the mother of the subject. They located, after their marriage, on a farm in Plain township, prospered in material wealth and became the parents of three children, viz: Clayton, Alice and Myron L., of whom Alice died August 13, 1878, at the age of twenty-seven years, and Myron L. is a resident of New Berlin. The father died at the family home at the age of sixty-two years, and the mother still survives.

The early years of Clayton Holl were spent upon his father's farm, where he acquired a thorough knowledge of agriculture. Attendance upon the district school supplied him with a fair education in the branches there taught, and a fondness, which he has since cultivated, for literature has made him a well informed man. In his school days he was popular with the other pupils, and now, being naturally of a kind, genial disposition, he readily wins favor with those with whom he associates. Of his school days his teachers always spoke in the highest terms of praise of his conduct. While, in common with the other boys, he indulged in many a prank, there was nothing malicious in his actions, and when the time of reckoning came he was always manly, frank and honest in acknowledging the wrong. An old teacher once said, "The conduct of one such boy in a school room is worth more to a teacher in subduing the refractory than hundreds of lessons in discipline."

In Jackson to\\Tiship, Stark county, October 14, 1874, Clayton Holl was united in marriage to Miss Samanthia Hess, a daughter of David and Lydia (Wirebaugh) Hess, old residents of Stark county. Mrs. Holl is a lady of splendid mental qualifications and fair education, and is a mother of whom any family might well be proud. Her children have been brought up with firmness, tempered with kindness, which has made of them worthy men and women, a credit to themselves, their parents and the community. Mrs. Holl was born in Bethlehem township, Stark county, July 7, 1854, and all the years of her life have been spent in this county. To Mr. and Mrs. Holl eight children have been born, viz : Jennie, Laura, Edgar, Minnetta, Luella, Homer, Elbert and Zelmer, of whom Jennie is the wife of Albert Miller and Laura is the wife of Joel Shutt. Each of the children has received a good education and all are intelligent and refined.

While most of his neighbors and acquaintances have identified themselves with one or the other of the two national political parties, Clayton Holl chooses to be known as a Prohibitionist. In his estimation, all of the issues between the parties dwindle into insig-nificance as compared with the issues involved in the liquor traffic. The open saloon is no menace to him. In espousing the cause no selfish motive actuated him. He has seen the ruin produced by the excessive use of intoxicants in some of the brightest minds and best hearts of his friends and acquaintances, and it imbued him with a desire to aid in cutting short the work of destruction by the power of the ballot.

He deplores the present political weakness of Ills party, but notes carefully a marked change in public sentiment on this question and has the utmost confidence in the ultimate triumph of prohibition principles. He takes a deep interest in all public aft'airs and may always be found firm in the advocacy of everything designed for public good. He owns a nice, well improved farm, cultivated in the highest type of the art and both comfort and prosperity have long abode in his household.

WILLIAM J. MATHIE was born in Plaintownship, Stark county, Ohio, January 31, 1841. His father was Peter Mathie, a native of France who emigrated to America in his youth and at an early date located in Plain township, Stark county, where he met and married Miss Susan Duck, a native of the latter county. They first settled in Plain township, where they remained a number of years, but later moved to Lawrence township, reared a family of nine children and resided there until their deaths. He died at the age of fortysix, while she survived him many years, dying at the age of sixty years.

The oldest child of the family was William J. Mathie, and in his native township, Plain, the first twelve years of his life were spent. The family then moved to Lawrence township, and there upon a farm he grew to manhood. He received a fair common school education, having mastered all the branches taught in the common schools of his time, and when entering manhood was well equipped to act his part in life. On October 8, 1865, he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza E. Hershey, who was born in Stark county, July 18, 1840, the daughter of John and Sabina Hershey, respected residents of Stark county. The young couple settled in Lawrence township, where they continued to reside nine years. In 1873 they purchased the fine farm of one hundred and eight acres in Plain township, later buying forty acres more, which they still own and on which they have erected some of the finest farm buildings to be found in the county. In 1862 Mr. Mathie began working with a threshing machine, being employed by William Hartgrove and Jacob Evans until 1894. He then entered into a partnership with his brother, L. D., and they operated together until 1869, when the latter sold his interest to George Stoner, with whom the subject worked until 1876. Mr. Mathie, upon a division of the equipment, took the separator, and joined forces with Hiram Bair, who owned an engine, this arrangement continuing four years. Mr. Mathie then obtained a new outfit and has since successfully followed the business, his total service in this line amounting to about thirty-six years.

To Mr. .and Mrs. Mathie eight children have been born, four of whom have died. The others are : Enos, who married Nettie Shaffer; Clara is the wife of Calvin Shoub; Eva is the wife of Curtis Miller ; Phoebe is the wife of John Holl, and they are the parents of one child, Velma. The four children of Mr. and Mrs. Alathie that are dead are: Olivia, who died when ten years old, Jessie died when seven years of age, Emma died when three years old and Viola died at the age of one year.

Ever since he has been a voter Mr. Mathie has acted with the Democratic party. He is a man who has never sought public position of any kind, but his neighbors and friends have a number of times elected him to local offices. He has been township trustee, supervisor, assessor and school director, and in each instance he discharged the duties of the office to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. He was brought up in the faith of the Lutheran church and at one time was quite active in the work of that denomination. The only fraternal organization to which he belongs is New Berlin Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He is a charter member and treasurer of T. N. P.

A. No. 256, having held the office ever since the organization of the society, in ^larch, 1901. Pie is a man of kind disposition, good habits and very popular wherever he is known. All who know him admit that the many blessings fortune has bestowed upon him are well deserved.

JOSEPH MILLER, Jr., was born in Lake township. Stark county, March 23, 1843, the son of Joseph and Sarah (Zellers) Miller. The father was a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, while the mother was born in Lake township, this county. To them were born six children, one of whom, a daughter, died in infancy. The others are: David, Benjamin, Eranklin, Joseph and Emanuel. At the age of thirty-one the mother died in her native township of Lake, and the father married again, the lady being Esther Snyder, and they have resided in Lake township up to the time of his death, which occurred a few years ago, at the age of eighty-two years.

On his father's farm in Lake township Joseph Miller received his first lessons of usefulness in life. He secured a limited education in the schools of the township and when not so employed there was plenty of work for him to do on the farm. As he grew older he became interested in the manufacture of brick and followed that calling very profitably for about nine years. Through the savings of the first few years of his labor for himself he was enabled to purchase his present little farm, and from its productiveness he has been enabled to ornament it with fine improvements, buildings, fences, etc., with which it is supplied.

October 5, 1873, Joseph Miller was united in marriage to Miss Hannah M. Bechtel, a native of New Berlin, Plain township, who is the daughter of William and Sarah lieclitel. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller one son. Burton, has been born. Occupying one of the most comfortable homes in the county, ' with plenty of stock and well filled bins and granaries, it is quite apparent that the family of Joseph Miller are enjoying their full measure of prosperity, and that they are deserving of all the good things that have fallen to their lot is never questioned. Mr. Miller has won a competency in his field of labor wholly through his own exertions. In his case the reward of industry has been ample and it has fallen into the lap of one who has carefully husbanded it.

EMANUEL MILLER was born in Lake township. Stark county, Ohio, July 23, 1845. His parents were Joseph and Sarah (Zellers) Miller, the former a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, and the latter of Lake township, Stark county. Sarah Miller passed her entire life of thirty-one years in her native township. After her death her husband married again, the lady of his choice being Esther Snyder. He lived to be eighty-two years of age Ijefore death claimed him. Of his first union there were born six children, viz : Daniel, Benjamin, Franklin, Joseph, Emanuel and one daughter. Mho died in infancy ; and of the second union five children were born. - Mary E., Adam, Arrameta, John H. and Peter W.

On the farm owned and occupied by his parents the early life of Emanuel Miller was passed. He attended the district schools and despite the brevity of the terms, the crude methods of instruction and the deficient appliances, he managed to acquire a fair education. Always of a studious, thoughtful temperament, in his brief school days he not only acquired a taste for learning, Init also a fondness for lx)oks, through the means of which he has since added largely to his general knowledge. When not occupied with his books, the work of the farm demanded his attention. In "the early days, before good roads Ijecame common, and when railroads were few and far between, building material of the substantial sort was not as plentiful as it is now. The abundance and splendid quality of clay in the vicinity of their home early attracted the attention of the Miller boys. The profitable product was in great demand throughout the country for manufactured brick, and these circumstances were not long in determining Emanuel Miller to engage in the manufacture. Accordingly, a yard was established, the necessary^ appliances procured and within a short time Mr. Miller and his brother Joseph were deeply interested in the business, they being assisted by their father and brothers. The enterprise prospered and was profitable from the start, and for nine years they continued in this vocation with very satisfactory results, eventually giving it up only to engage in the more congenial pursuit of agriculture.

On May 2, 1875, Emanuel Miller was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Gassier, a native of Plain township and daughter of the late Samuel and Catherine (Cornwell) Cassler. Tiiey were the parents of one child. Pearl F., who IS the wife of Alfred E. Cashner, of Plain township, and to them has been born one child, A'ernon E.

Politically Emanuel Miller is a Democrat, and has always acted with that party, but he has never sought political preferment. By reason of his' services in that political organization, however, he was called upon to serve as assessor of New Berlin at one time, and in 1893 was elected president of the village board and for several years he ser\'ed as a member of the board, and was instrumental in establishing the Mt. Pleasant school district No. 11, Lake township, and having a school building erected therefor. He and his family are members of the Reformed church of Cairo, are zealous workers in its behalf and contribute liberally to its support. He was a member of the building committee having charge of the erection of the Reformed church parsonage at New Berlin and supervised the erection of the Mt. Pleasant school. In all matters in which the public good is concerned, Mr. Miller has always been found a leading spirit, this being especially true of religious, charitable and educational work. All that he does is done solely for the benefit of a worthy cause and not through the hope of any personal reward or benefit. He is a true, consistent, worthy man, whose services are highly appreciated by his fellow citizens.

GEORGE F. KNIGHT. - At this juncture it is a privilege to make note of an important industry in connection with a review of the successful and honorable career of its founder, George F. Knight, who with his son, Charles H., is at the head of the well-established concern known as the Knight Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of sawmill, well-drilling and prospecting machinery. The well equipped plant of this company is located at 171 8 South Market street, where the enterprise had its inception in the year 1892. Mr. Knight came to Canton in 1889 and became a stockholder in the Canton Saw Company, with which he continued to be thus identified until withdrawing his interests to found the present thriving enterprise of which he is the head. Mr. Knight was bom on a farm in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 4th of July, 1848, being of the third generation of the family in the Buckeye state. The Knights are of English extraction and were eai'ly settled in the state of Pennsvlvania, whence the grandfather of the subject came to Ohio in an early day, settling in Wayne county, where Benoni Knight, the father of the subject of this review, was born and reared, being a carpenter by trade and following this vocation in connection with agricultural pursuits. He died on his farm there when his son George was but four years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Eleanor Firestone, was a representative of a well-known pioneer family of Wayne county, where she passed her entire life, surviving her husband by a number of years and passing a^\'ay in 1899, at the age of seventy- four, years. Her husband, who died in 1852, was thirty-one years of age at the time.

George F. Knight was reared to the age of fifteen years on the homestead farm which was the place of his birth, and his educational privileges were such as were afforded in the district schools. At the age noted he set forth to become self supporting, and from that time forward he has been dependent upon his own resources. His first employment after leaving home was that of hauling coal at the Newman's Creek mine, in the western part of Stark county, b.is duties in the connection being to transfer the product to the canal for shipment, said watercourse having been at that time the chief means of transportation for all commodities brought into and shipped from this section of the state. At one time during the war of the Rebellion the miners in the district went out on a strike, and Mr. Knight was at the time one of five boys employed in hauling the coal from the mines and they determined that they also ought to secure a raise in wages, though this was not granted, but the operators of the mines after the strike was declared by the five boys,, gave to them the desired increase from three to three and one-half dollars per day, making the concession after work had been stopped for a half day only. Knight continued to be employed at the mines for one year, at the expiration of which, in the autumn of 1864, he went to Defiance county, this state, where he identified himself with the sawmilling business, eventually engaging in the same on his own responsibility, and it was through this apparently accidental turning of his attention to this line of enterprise that he laid the foundation of the success which has rewarded his efforts in the later years. He refmained in Defiance county until T8R9, when he came to Canton, as before noted, and here identified himself with the Canton Saw Company. He secured his definite start on the road to prosperity through the accidental breaking of a saw, having invented and patented a machine for holding the logs on the carriage of the saw-mill, the same being known as the Knight dog, while the same is now very generally used in sawmills in all sections of the United States and is manufactured by the Knight Manufacturing Company. He gained his idea for the invention through the breaking of a saw by reason of the defective meclianism commonly in use at the time for holding the logs on the carriage, and while he considered the damage to his mill a loss and misfortune at the time, it really proved the forerunner of his prosperity in the world of business. The various machinery turned out by the Knight Manufacturing Company is of the highest order of excellence in matter of constniction, material and finish, while the company also control valuable patents aside from the important one mentioned, so that there is a ready market demand for the various products of the establishment.

While he is essentially and primarily a business man and one whose days have been filled with persistent toil and endeavor from his boyhood up, Mr. Knight is ever loyal to the duties of citizenship and takes a lively interest in all that conserves the material prosperity and civic advancement of the city and county of his home. In politics he holds an independent position, giving his support to such men and measures as meet the approval of his judgment and not being dominated by a partisan spirit. He was formerly a member of the Disciples' church, but holds no regular church affiliation at the present time. Fraternally he is a member of Hicksville Lodge No. 478, Free and Accepted Masons. He is a man of marked business acumen and administrative ability, while he has at all times so ordered his course as to merit and receive the unqualified confi-

On the 3d of December, 1868, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Knight to Miss Margaret Price, who was born June i, 1851, in Defiance county, Ohio, where she was reared and educated, her father, John Price, having been engaged in farming in that county until the time of his death. To Mr. and ]Mrs. Knight have been born two children, Charles H.. wlio is associated with his father in business and of whom individual mention is made on another page of this volume, and Cora B., who at the time of this writing is a student under the tuition of John Orth, a noted teacher of music, in the city of Boston, she being a young lady of gracious personality and many accomplishments and a favorite in the social'' circles of her home city.

HIRAM BAIR was born July 9, 1839, in Plain township, and that municipality was his home for more than sixty years. His parents were Jacob and Nancy (Rhodes) Bair, natives of Pennsylvania, who were among the old settlers of Ohio. In the early 'thirties they took up their residence in Plain township and remamed among its inhabitants, doing their full share toward its development and improvement, up to the time of their deaths. He died when about sixty years of age, while his widow survived him many years, passing to her reward when she had attained the age of eighty-nine years.

On his father's farm the youth of Hiram Rair was passed, his first lessons being those of industry, lessons that were most useful to him during his after life. In his youthful days the educational facilities of Ohio were by no means what they are at present, so that the opportunities of acquiring an education at that time were quite limited. Nevertheless, through a persistence purely characteristic of the man, j\lr. Bair managed to secure ;> fair coinnion scliool education, which lie later ..upplemented liv wide and iudicidus reading", i'^ew men on the farm were ijetter informed on any ordinary .subject than he wa.s and few were more capal>]e of giving expression to an original thought than he. He was not imlx- a wide reader and student, hut a deep and Idgical thinker as well.

On iIk T4th day nf i)ecenilicr. iXix). Mr. Bair was united in marriage to Miss Barixira Cocklin. in the city of C'ant(Hi. Ohio. She is a native of l.ake townshi]). horn July 28, 1841. the daughter of .\dain and llarhara (Ciaerte) Cocklin, nati\-es of I'ennsyivania, but early settlers of Stark county. Her father died at the age of fifty years, while the mother lived to be seventy-five years nld. They and their family were recog-nized as among tlie best and most influential of the early inhabitants of the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Bair nine children ha\-e been burn, six of whom li\ed h> maturity and five of them are still living. Those who grew to maturit}- are. Er\in, Elma. George H.. Clara. James and I, aura. Clara <lving when twenty years of age. 'Hie others are intelligent, well educated men and women. e;ich living a u.seful and prosperous life.

Mr. Ijair was a member of the Cairo Reform church, with which Mrs. Bair still affiliates. She is especially interested in the work of that denomination and a liberal contributor to its support. She is a woman of firm purpose, much strength of will, yet kind. ])alient and generous, withal. Possessed of excellent judgment, she has been a valuable assistant not onl\ tn her husband and tamily. hut to the unfortunate and suffering who have lieen luckv enough to cume within her sphere of observation. Mr. Bair was also generous and charitable and always abetted the lilieral tendencies of his good wife. .\ happier or more congenial couple it would l)e <lifficult to find and of the good work they have accomplished, so silently has it been done, that but a little of it will ever l>e known, excej)! to the beneliciaries. Politically Mr. Bair was always a Democrat. He passed to liis final rest March 25, 1903, aufl in his death I'laiii township and the community at Large lost one of its most valued aiul representative citizens.

JOII.X H. SHEETS was lx>rn in Plain townshi]). Stark county. September 15, 1864, the son of Samuel C. Sheets, a sketch of whose career will be found in another part of this volume, and liis mother is Henrietta (Brillhart ) Siieets. Both parents are still living, residing in a comfortable home in Xew Berlin, the fatlier having accumulated a competency and retired from active business pursuits. Twi> children were born of this union, viz. : ,\da, the oldest child, died when sex'en months old. and John H.. tlie subject. On his father's tarm in Plain township John H. Sheets was reared. His education was secure<l at the coininon schools, in the graded schools of Xew Berlin and he devoted one year at the Ohio .Xormal L'niversity, at .\da. .\griculture and stock raising has been his life work and in i this ])ursnit and each branch of it he has been most successful. lie breeds Holstein b'riesian cattle and numerous handsome animals of this species niav alwavs be found on his premises. On Xovember 20. 1SS8. John 11. Sheets was united in marriage to Miss Minnie .\. Moore, who was born in 'Eake township. Stark count v. Se])tember 3. i8()(;, the daughter of Josrph P. and Rebecca (York) Moore, old sett'ers of Stark county, where they continued to reside, respected ;uid beloxeit, until the time of tb.eir deaths, some years ago. The young couple immediately took uj) their residence on the Sheets farm, one mile north of Xew Berlin, where tlie\- have continued to reside ever since. Two children lia\e been born to them. Cirace

In pnlitics John 11. .Sheets is a Republican and takes an acti\"e part in political affairs, especially in all that relates to local matters. tie ser\ed quite a length nf time as a member of the Ivepublican countv central committee, but has ne\er sought or held public oifice. He is a member of ^\'illiam McKinley Lodge No. 431. bree and Accepted Masons: of Canton Tent Xii. 28, Knights of the Maccabees: Cornelius .\ultman Council No. 161, Junior Order 1,'nited American Mechanics, of Greentown, and of New Pierlin Grange No. 1408, Patrons of Husbandry. He and his family are highly respected in the community and possess the confidence and regard (if all who know

SAMUEL C. SHEETS. - The subject of this sketch, who resides in New Berlin. Stark county, is one who not only has done his duty to the country, the community in which he li\ed and his family, l)ut has placed himself and his faithful wife in a position where the storms of their latter life may pass unheeded b\ them. He is a retired farmer, living in quiet comfort in a beautiful, richly furnished home in the village of New Berlin.

Samuel C. Sheets was born in Lancaster county. Pennsylvania. Eebruary 10, 1834, the son of John and Mary (Cassler) Sheets, also natives of Lancaster county. In ]\Liy, 1842, \\hen their son Samuel was eight years of age, they emigrated to Ohio, and settleil in Plain township, one mile north of the village of New Berlin. Here John Sheets engaged in agricultural pursuits, farming and stock raising, prosperity crowning his efforts until his death, which occurred some years ago, when in the seventy-eighth year of his age. His wife ^ur\ ived him several years, dying at the age of seventy-nine. They were the parents of five children, \iz : Samuel C. is the subject of this sketch : Maria is the wife of John B. Roush, of Canton: and Leah are Ijoth dead, and Emanuel C.

The bovhood of Samuel C. Sheets was passed on the farm of his father in Plain township. He attended the district schools and secured a fair education in all of the branches therein taught. By precept and example, his f.tther instructed him in lessons of thrift, economy and industry, which education he has found most valuable during the course of his long and busy life. In all of the work of the farm be became adept and made it a rule never to employ hired help to perform work that he had the time and ability to accomplish himself. While he worked hard and devoted many hours each day to tlie i)erformance of his labors, he guarded carefully the strength with which nature bad kindly blessed him. and by his regular habits and temperate, frugal life preserved his health.

January 15, i860. Mr. Sheets was united in marriage to Miss Henrietta Brillhart, a lady of amiable disposition and good judgment, who was inured to habits of industry and economy, a fitting helpmate for a man possessed of as many signal virtues as is the subject of this sketch. She was a native of Stark county. l)orn August I J, 1835, li^"" father being Christian Brillhart. a native of York county, Pennsylvania, where he was a prosperous fanner. On a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres ov.'ued by Mr. Sheets, he and his wife ttxik up their residence and year by year achie\-ed success and added to their material wealth. To them were born two children, Ada and John H., of whom .\da was the older and died in infancw

In politics Samuel C. Sheets is a Republican, and during each campaign takes an active part in behalf of his party, but has never aspired to political preferment at any time. He was elected and served as trustee of Plain township one term, which was long enough to satisfy him that official positions were by no means to his liking. Being in comfortable circumstances, with ample means to supply every want, he retired from the active duties of the farm in 1887, and erected a large and comfortable home in New Berlin, where he and his family have since resided, enjoying in quiet and comfort the reward of their industry, thrift and frugality. There, surrounded with all the ' blessings of domestic happiness, he and his faithful wife are whiling away the evening of their well-spent Hfe, proving to all of their numerous friends and acquaintances the truth of the saying that virtue is indeed its own reward.

MISS MARY KING. - Identified for a number of years with the educational interests of Canton, the subject of this sketch has achie^-ed distinction in the line of her chosen calling and won for herself worthy prestige among the successful teachers of the state. Miss King's paternal ancestors were Swiss, her grandfather, Adolph King, having been bom and reared in the capital of the little mountain republic which for centuries past played such an important part on the stage of European laistory. Adolph King was educated in his native city and became a learned and distinguished divine of the German Reformed church, dying in the land of his birth some time in the 'seventies. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Kupher, was also a native of Berne and spent all her life in Switzerland. She bore her husband two sons and three daughters, one of the former being Ernest King, whose birth occurred in the city of Berne about the year 1839. He enjoyed superior educational advantages and after graduation entered a school of design and became a skillful artisan in all kinds of fine woodwork.

^^'^ith the expectation of finding a favorable opening for the exercise of his talent in South America, he went to Brazil when a young man and opened a woodworking establishment in the city of St. Paulo. There he met the lady who subsequently became his wife, and after the birth of his daughter, the subject of this review, he left Brazil, on account of the climate, and came to the United States, locating about the year 1867 in Washington, D. C. After working at his trade in that city for a short time he changed his residence to Canton, Ohio, where for a period of twenty years he followed his chosen calling with fair pecuniary results. Subsequently he entered the employ of the Standard Oil Company at Canton, and since that time has served in the capacity of a salesman for that large corporation.

Ernest and Mrs. King are the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this review is the first born; the others are Rose, Sophia, William and Frederick, all still members of the home circle in Canton. Miss Mary King was only two years old when her parents left Brazil: consequently she has but a very dim recollection of the quaint city in which she first saw the light of day. Her sojourn in the city of Washington was also of limited duration and it was in Canton where she spent the years of her childhood and youth, entering as soon as old enough the public schools of this city. Miss King made a creditable record as. a student and at the age of eighteen was graduated from the high school, immediately following which she took charge of a country school and taught a very successful term. The next year she secured a position in the city schools and was assigned work in the building on North Cherry street, where her sen'ices were highly satisfactory to her superiors and tothe pupils under her care. Miss King had charge of various grades of work in different buildings until 1900, in the fall of which. year she was appointed principal of the Crystal Park school, a position of great responsibility awarded her in recognition of faithful and efficient service. She continued in that capacity until 1901, when she was transferred to the Clarendon building, of which she has since been principal, and as manager of which she has added greatly to her already well-established reputation as one of the ablest of the city's successful corps of teachers. Miss King is a member of the Stark County Teachers' Asso- and avails herself of every opportunity Avhich these and other educational organizations afford to enlarge the area of her professional knowledge. She is keenly alive to the necessity of keeping in touch with the educational thought of the age, spares no pains in broadening and enriching her mind and by coming in contact with the leading educators of the day in national associations, has become familiar with the latest modern methods, the merits or demand which she has practically demonstrated in the work under her charge. As a member of the First Presbyterian church -of Canton, Miss King is deeply interested in various lines of religious endeavor, having been a faithful teacher in the Sunday school for ten years, besides taking an active part in the work of the Buckingham mission. She has been an influential factor in moulding the model sentiment of the circle in which she moves and, hand in hand with intellectual instruction, she carries the higher work of character building without which educational training, however efficient and brilliant, fails in the accomplishment of its greatest and noblest purpose.

ADAM SHAFFER is a native of Stark county, Ohio, born in Washington township, on December 7, 1834, being one of thirteen children whose parents were Daniel and Elizabeth (Grace) Shaffer. The .Shaffers are an old and highly respected rennsylvania family, and it was in Schuylkill county, that state.

that the suliiect's father was born in 1802. In 1814 the parents of Daniel Shaffer moved to Stark county and settled in what is now Washington township, the country at that time being on the frontier and but thinly populated. Daniel grew to maturity on the land of his father and on attaining his majority received eighty acres in section jo, which in due time he cleared and reduced to cultivation. Later he increased his real estate by the addition of twenty acres and with the exception of the two years immediately preceding his death he spent his life and acquired a competency on this place. He was a substantial citizen, bore no unimportant part in the material progress of the country and devoted his life exclusively to agricultural pursuits, in which his success was encouraging. Originally a Whig, he afterward became a stanch adherent of the Republican party and as such wielded a potent influence in the public aft'airs of his township and county, though ne\'er an oflice seeker. In early life he was a Lutheran, but in after years severed his connection with that communion and united with the United Brethren church, to which he remained faithful until called to the spiritual kingdom in the world beyond the river of death.

Daniel Shaffer's first wife, by whom he had two children, was a Miss Snyder and some time after her death he married Miss Elizabeth Grace, who survived him several years. Mary, one of the children of the former union, is still living, being the widow of the late Jacob Harper. The second marriage was blessed with thirteen offspring, of whom the following survive: Adam, of this review; John, Elizabeth, Delilah. Eli, Amanda and Ellen. The father died in 1877, at the age of seventy-four, leaving to his children an honored name and the memory of a well-spent life.

Reverting to the career of Adam Shaft'er, the reader will find but little in his early life to attract the searcher after the strange or dra- matic. He was reared in tlie country and wliile still a mere lad learned by practical experience that the farmer's bread must be earned by honest toil and strenuiius endeavt)r. \\'\\.\\ the limited aiKantages which the indifYerent pulilic schools of the early days afforded, he managed to acquire a fair knowledge of the fundamental branches, his attendance being confined to three or iowY months nf the winter seasons from about his se\enth year until a yi:)uth in his 'teens. Reared under the wliDlesrime discipline of the farm, young .\dam's early physical development was all that could be desired, nor was he lacking in that sturdy mental growth which early prophesied the well-rounded, resourceful, self-reliant man which he ultimately became. He assisted his father with the varied work of the farm until reaching manhood's estate and in 1857. three years after attaining his majority, took to himself a wife in the person of Miss Catherine Unger, daughter of George and Catherine (Lower) Unger.

After his marriage ^Ir. Shaffer purchased a farm of forty-three acres in section 10. Washington township, and in\-ested the proceeds in the farm of eightv acres which he has since made his home. -\s an agriculturist it is needless to speak of the subject e.xcept in a general way, a.s his life since beginning for himself has been quiet, unexentful and in the main successful. Tn early life he de\'oted considerable attention to threshing grain and it was while thus engaged that he introduced into this part of the county a motive power for separators. He ran a thresher for about twehe years and did (jnitc a successful business, his engine giving him a decided advantage over the older and slower process of o]:)crating machinery by horse power.

Politically Mr. Shaffer has always been a stanch and unswcrxing Republican, though the honors and emoluments of office have never held any inducements fur him. He has ever maintained an .abiding interest in the onward march of progress and improvement, contributing of his means and influence for the upholding of the communitx" in material things, nor has he been less conser\ative when the moral and Social well being of his fellow men were concerned. Thrifty and pro\ident, he has reaj)ed ;ibundantlv from his toil and now, when the meridian of life has been passed and the afternoon comes on apace, he is blessed with abundant means for his declining years.

I'ersonalh", Mr. Shaffer is helil in high esteem and it is not too much to claim for him a pn)minent standing among the worthy and popidar citizens of the tcjwnshii) in which his life of nearlv three score and ten years has l)een spent.

The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Shaft'er h;is been blessed with three children, the oldest of whom is Elvira, wife of Syl\-anus Miller, of .\lliance. and they have one son. Lanson A. ; Celona. the second daughter, married .Anthony Shaffer, of Washington township, and lias one child, by the name of ]\Iable. who is now the wife of Clinton (irimes. To Mr. and Mrs. Crimes have been horn a son and a daughter. I'ldon Dwight and ."^tella Cay. whicii brings the subject's family down to the third generation. The youngest of Mr. Shaffer's children is May. now Mrs. I-"l(.)rian Aforris, who li\-es in the city of .\lliance. and they have two children. Helen and Hazel.