Canton Township (part 37 of 62)

Prof. J. M. Wyman was born on the old homestearl in Paris township. Stark count}", Aug"ust 6, 1857. When nine years old he lost that best of all earthly friends, his mother, after which his early training was only too sadly neglected. \\'ithout tlie hrm but gentle inlluence wiiich none but a mother can exercise, he was permitted largely to follow his own inclinations, the result being" the development of an independent and rather wa\ward disposition .which his father and afterwards his teachers founil it difficult to curb. The father's absence from home while Avorking at his trade left the lad to follow his own sweet will and being thrown in the company of otiiers as full of life and vigor as himself, he .s<^)on became exceedingly impatient of any kind i"if restraint. Until his eighth year he ne\"er saw the interior 6f a school house as a pupil and he was fully aware tint he could not distinguish one letter fi'om another. When he finally entered school it was to canse liis teaclier. i\Iiss Molhe Rouch, no end of trouble, and to suppress the animal spirits of the Httle reiiel, she was obliged frequently to test the efficacy of a handful of tough willows. -Miss Rouch's experience was about the same as of several of her successors and it was not until about his fourteenth year that the wayward l)oy opened his eyes to the advantages and real necessity of educational training. Finalh' a teacher Iiv the name ol liiliu fTart took charge of the school and to him yunng AVyiuan yielded a rather reluctant obethence. Taking advice from his better judgment, the Ijoy at last resolved to make the most of his opportunities and, applying himself diligentl}- to his studies, soon made such ad\-ancenu-nt as to place himself at the head of nearly all of his classes. From now on his progress \\as rapid and in every way commendable, and in a few years he had so mastered the common branches as to pass successfully the rctpiired examination for a teacher's license. Mr. Wyman received his first certificate when eighteen years old, but did not begin teaching until the year following, when he took charge of the Oneida district at a compensation of one dollar and forty cents per day. His first term ])ro\ed eminently, satisfactory and such was the reputation be achieved in i-nanaging what was considered a difficult school that the patrons of adjoining districts made a liberal ofifen for his services the following year. Accepting their proposition, he not only taught the ensuing year in iheir district, but continued there for eight successi\-e terms, meantime spending his \acations attending school with the oljject in \iew of fitting himself for greater efficiency as an instructor. To this end he spent the spring and summer seasons from 1879 to 1881 inclusive in Ada College, and during the spring and fall of 1882-83 pursued his studies in Mt. Union College. Following this, he taught the Pleasant Valley school f(nu" }-ears and later spent the same length of time with the Ouida sch(ji J. after which he taught one term in the Roberts- \ille district. Fie then took charge of the schools of Pekin, Carroll county, where he taught five terms, and at the expiration of his period of service there he accepted, in 1892. . the principalship of the North Cherry Street school, Canton. After filling this position two years Prof. Wyman was transferred to the East Fourth Street building, where he remainecf diu'ing the ensuing six years, at the end ot whic time he was returned to the North Cherry Street school, his ])resent ]ilace of labor. Prof. Wyman is identified witli the Stark County Teachers' Institute and the Ohio State Teachers' Association, being a regular attendant at their sessions and an active participant in their deliberations. As a teacher he has feuequals in Stark county and his name is widel\* known in the educational circles of the state. He is a fine scholar, a polished gentleman and possesses in a marked degree those traits of character which insure success in his chosen calling and popularity in (lie domain of citizenship. His career as an educator presents a series of continued advancements and his present responsible position has been won by merit alone. Prof. Wyman is not entirely tied down by the claims of his profession, but is a publicspirited man. deeiily interested in whatever concerns the material and moral good of the city and county of his residence. Fie is a member of the Masonic lodge in this city and for a number of years has been a zealous worker in the First Presbyterian church of Canton, in which he now holds the office of elder. Before moving to Canton he was for six year.? elder of the Bethlehem church, served three years as superintendent of the Sunday school of that organization, besides holding for the same length of time the superintendency of the Sunday school with which he is at present connected. Prof. Wyman is a liberal in politics, but in state and national affairs generallv supports the Democratic party. He reads much, keeps himself well informed upon current events and national issues and has no hesitancy in expressing" his opinions. He discliarges the duties of citizenship as becomes an intelligent, broad-minded American and in every relation of life endeavors to live up to the right as he sees and understands the right. Prof, was married on the i6th of Tebrxiary, 1S82, to Miss Althea M. Crowl, -whose birth occurred near Minerva, this county, May 28, 1 861. Mrs. Wyman is the daughter of George W. and Caroline (McNamara) Crowl, the father deceased, the mother still living. Prof, and Mrs. Wyman are the parents of four children, namely: Myrtle J., born March 8. 1883; Victor G., born July 8, 1892; 'Wilbur 1'".. born July 2, 1895, and Wilma Caroline, who was Ijorn on the 25th of August, iqoj ; the twn older were born in the town of Minerva, the other two in the city of Canton.

GEORGE H. WALLACE was secretary of New Mexico at the time of his sudden passing away, which carried bereavement to a large circle of friends throughout the United States and in various parts of the world. Of Scotch- Irish ancestry, the sturdy traits of the Scot found an able exponent in him who bore the name so dear to those who trace their lineage to "Old Scotland." From childhood he was known to all who came in contact with him as "a true Wallace." His grandfather, George Wallace, with his brother Robert, sons of James Wallace, went from New Hampshire to Youngstown, Ohio, in 1795, where they engaged in surveying. They afterwards located on the site of the present city of Cleveland, and were largely interested and instrumental in the development of that section in the early part of the last century. Dr. Perkins Wallace, father of the deceased, was educated at Cincinnati, and in 1834 was married at Canton, Ohio, to Rebekah, daughter of William and Elizabeth Seabury Fisk Raynolds, in the homestead on South Market street, by the Rev. Timothy Hopkins, the Presbyterian minister. Captain Fisk, a retired wealthy sea-captain, went to Canton in 1810 and invested in a large tract of land, taking with him from Rhode Island his motherless and only child, Betsy. In 181 1 she became the wife of William Raynolds, recorder of the United States land office, whose father, Major William Raynolds, removed from Virginia to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1802. The son William settled in Stark county in 1808. An active business man, he established a sawmill, large flour and woolen mills. He died at the early age of thirty-seven years.

Dr. and Mrs. Wallace lived at Massillon ; later they resided for a time at Akron, where, on December 26, 1842, their son, George II. Wallace, was born. They removed to Massillon, where the residence built by Dr. Wallace is still st;uiduig. In 1847 they returned lo Canton, to reside permanently in the old homestead built by Captain Fisk for his daughter, the mother of Mrs. Wallace, and where she, ]Mrs. Raynolds, died in 1853. Of the seven children born to Dr. and Mrs. Wallace, only one, the youngest, Cora Bell Wallace - Mrs. W. R. Farrand, of Detroit - survives.

Mr. Wallace was educated in the public schools of Canton, in the organization of which his father had taken a most active part. He became a favorite pupil of Miss Betsy Cowles, who was a graduate from Oberlin and a wellknown educator in northern Ohio. His warm attachment and grateful appreciation of her thorough teaching were often manifested in later life. At this early stage he developed a special aptitude for mathematics. His interest in public afifairs, in national questions, may be directly traced to the influence and early teaching" of his father, one of the ablest physicians in northern Ohio, who was for several years an invalid, suffering from asthma, which resulted from the fatigue and exposure incident to a large practice in that early day. Rarely is the influence and teaching of the parent more marked, and the attachment between parent and child stronger, than in the case of Dr. Wallace and his son - "My dear son," as he was always called by the father in his letters or in his diaries, so carefully and methodically kept. The boy read much aloud in those stirring times, when conditions were leading on to the Civil war ; and the father spared no time, no pains, to give clearly, and in detail, correct knowledge and thorough understanding of all he read - a gift he possessed in rare degree, and which also developed in the son. Many, both children and adults, have admired the accurate and lucid explanations of obscure points so aptly and readily given by Mr. Wallace. His uncle. General W. F. Raynolds, of the engineer corps in the regular army, was placed in command of an expedition for the exploration of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in May, 1859. His nephew, but little more than sixteen years of age, was made a member of it. His duty was to make astronomical observations, and to calculate latitude and longitude, which proved congenial work, as he inherited from his mother a liking for mathematics. It was hoped that roughing it m the mountains might materially aid in strengthening a delicate constitution. That hope was realized. From a slender lad of scarce more than one hundred pounds he returned, at the end of eighteen months, weighing one hundred and sixty pountls, and the father's joy was expressed in the greeting. "Thank God, he is big !"

The mountain experience proved a neverfailing source of pleasure and interest, not only to himself but to others, by reason of his gift of vivid portrayal of scene and incident. His naturally keen powers of observation were quickened and developed, his love of nature was cultivated, and his knowledge of men and life was extended. It was an education of a rare and beneficial kind, under exceptionally favorable conditions and guidance. The white man for the first time saw the smoke of the Yellowstone Geysers, and looked down into the wonderful section since made the National Park. Professor Hayden, of the Smithsonian Institution, was a member of the party, as was also Colonel James Stevenson, afterwards a famous collector for the Smithsonian, then learning his first lessons with Professor Hayden. The collection of birds made by the expedition was classified, arranged and described by Dr. Elliott Coues, whose book on "The Birds of the Northwest," among the earliest of his works, is still the recognized authority on that subject. The last two summers of the life of this eminent and lamented scientist, a warm personal friend of Mr. Wallace, were spent in Santa Fe in study and research. The association thus made possible was a source of much pleasure to both. The government report of this important and interesting expedition was lost sight of in the exciting events of the Civil war. Mr. Wallace was not permitted, on account of his physical constitution, either to pursue a collegiate education or to enter upon the confining duties of a professional life, which seemed most unfortunate, as he was posses.sed of an eminently legal mind.

When the Civil war began he was pursuing a special course of study in an institution at Cleveland, Ohio. He gave himself at once to his country's defence, and the first duty to which he was assigned was the hospital service. Afterwards, as division superintendent of military telegraphs, he served in the Army of the Cumberland, but always where he could be readily released if summons came from his invalid father. After the war he engaged in commercial life, upon which he entered first at Wilmington. Delaware, then at Omaha, Nebraska. But not until 1868 did the final message come which summoned him home. It was a source of lifelong sorrow and regret that he was unable, on account of distance from the railway, to return in time for his father's blessing". With his sister, he tenderly nursed his mother in her last painful illness in 1870. On March 14, 1 871, he was married at Wilmington, Delaware, to Miss Eliza Bradley Jones, who died of consumption on the 31st of the same month. He was at Omaha through that most interesting'time in its history, the building of the Union Pacific Raih\ay. I^ater, connected with a manufacturing firm at Canton, he travelled extensi\el)' throughout the states. Always active in church work, he aided materially, while at Canton,, in keeping up the services in St. Paul's Episcopal church, acting as lay reader under Bishop Bedell. On October 14, 1875, he was married at Massillon, Ohio, to Miss Catharine .\. Patten, niece and ward of Thomas McCullough. ]\Iost of the centennial year was spent at Philadelphia.

In the spring of 1877, seeking the benefit of an cnitdoor life, he bought a plantation in Howard county, Missouri, one of the oldest-settled and most conser\-ati\'e sections of the state, the home of many of the most eminent Missouri statesmen and officials, where he engaged in sheep-raising and wool-growing'. With his strong Republican principles and patriotic temperament he soon entered upon his political duties and organized the county and district, and had Republican tickets out for each election. He was chairman of the congressional committee, and for ten years a member of the state central committee. In 1888 he declined the nomination for congress, and, although the convention had adjourned, they met again and re-nominated him. The following day, most unexpectedly to him. he was nominated by acclamation, in the state convention, for lieutenant-governor. Then followed one of the most exciting, vigorous campaigiis ever conducted in Missouri. At the election Mr. Wallace ran several thousand ahead of the ticket. As a result of the wearing campaign, bronchial trouble and asthma developed, necessitating a change. For months his Hfe seemed to hang by a thread. Under the care and skillful treatment of Dr. Biggar, of Cleveland, the bronchial affection was healed and the asthmatic conditions reheved, though not entirely overcome.

While residing on his plantation, which was four niiles from Fayette, the county seat, he acted as lay reader under Bishop Robertson in the little parish of St. Mary, one of the oldest in the diocese of ^Missouri, taking the services one Sunday in each month for some years, during the ministration of the venerable father. Rev. J. L. Gay. When the time came to leave this section, the expressions of regret, of appreciation and of kindly good-will, came fi^om all. of Avhatever creed or political faith.

An ardent protectionist, and believing that "the wool tariff is the keystone of the arch of protection," Mr. Wallace, working always in the interest of the farmer, the jiroducer, gave careful studv to the question of the tariff on wool. As president of the ^Missouri Wool- Gro\\ers' Association, his energy and ability made that organization one of the most acti\'e in the country. Through his efforts in enlisting the interest of the citizens of St. Louis, and the members of the Cotton and Wool Exchange, the Wool-Growers' First National Convention and Sheep-Shearing was held in that city in 1886, with Hon. Columbus Delano, ex-secretary of the interior, as president, and General Sherman one of the speakers. Delegates were attendance from New England, the northern states, the west and southwest, and from Old ]\Iexico. A large sum of nioney, contributed in St. Louis, was paid as premiums in the competitive sheep-shearing.

As secretary of the National Wool-Growers" Association he spent the winter of 1889-90 in Washingttin, working with Hon. Columbus Delano and Judge Lawrence in the formation of schedule "K" of the ]\IcKinley tariff bill. His appointment as consul-general to Melbourne was delayed till the bill had passed the lower house of the national congress in the last week of J\lay. After he had left Washington in preparation for the journey abroad he was called back to \\-ork for its passage in the senate, and did not sail from San Francisco till three months later. His appointment as consul-general to Australasia was not made as a local one credited to Missouri, but, as President Harrison stated, it was a national one, asked for and lu^ged 1)}" the wool interests from Boston to California, from Oregon to Texas. In August, 1890, he sailed for Melbourne. During his residence in that city, while the present governor-g-eneral of the federated colonies, the Earl of Hopetoun. a true and loyal Scotchman, \\as governor of Victoria, he won the confidence and esteem of all. Before he comjjleted his term of office he visited each of the fiN'e colonies of Australia, also Tasmania and New Zealand, thus gaining personal knowledge of the \'arious consulates, and was the first Ignited States representative to visit, officially, the ports of \A"est Australia. He travelled as the guest of the go\'ernment, and every courtesy, official and social, was shown him. When by reason of the change in our national administration, he returned to the United States, universal regret was expressed. It mav well be doubted if any representati\'e of the United States go\-ernment to Australia equalled him, from a social as \\ell as a commercial standpoint, in kindling warm and kindly 4'eelings toward the United States. The thorough study he gave to the wool industry of Australasia resulted in an exhaustive special consular report which has proved invaluable to the wool interests in our country. The Ijetter part of a year was occupied in making the journev Ijack to the United States liy the perilous passage along the coast of Queensland : passing Thursday Island: tln-ough the Arafura and Flores seas to Java; through the straits of Sunda to "India's utmost isle," "'heavenly Ceylon," which he loved so well ; spending several weeks in India, followed by a month in Egypt; across the Mediterranean to Italy, over the Alps, through Switzerland to Paris and London, thence to New York ; thus completing the circuit of the globe.

Attracted by the favorable climatic conditions of New Mexico, the winter of 1895-96 was spent at Las Vegas, and the followingwinter at Santa Fe. Mr, Wallace organized the New Mexico- Wool-Growers' Association, of which he was made an honorary member, and, as ever, was at work with his pen to further the cause of protection and the sheep industry. In April, 1897, he was called to Washington b_v Judge Lawrence, to a meeting of the National Association, to assist in securine' protection for the wool-gro'wers in the formulation of the Dmgley tariff bill. Early in June he was appointed l)y President McKinley secretary of the territory of New Mexico. He remained at Washington a month after, working in the interest of the wool-growers, confident he could thus better serve the people of New Mexico than by at once assuming- the duties of his office. His interest in this subject never flagg'ed. Notwithstanding the many demands on his time and strength, he responded liberally to the constant solicitations from the press for \\ool-tariff propaganda. Official duties pre- \eiUed his attendance at the meeting of the National Association of Wool-Growers at Salt Lake City in January. 1901 ; however, he prepared the prcigram, and, by request, furnished twi) of the papers read in that convention.

The fondness for travel de^-eloped in early life was never lost. Aside from the physical benefit, no opportunity thus afforded for enriching his funrl of information escaped so keen an oljserver as JNIr. Wallace; and. being thorough and practical, he lost no detail. His resignation had l>een in the hands of the President for several months, and plans were being made for rest and foreign travel when the duties of the office, necessarily confining, should be given over, when the final end came. His life had been varied and eventful, his talents versatile, and his attainments only limited by physical infirmities. He was a man of indomitable energy and perseverance, sterling integrity, unswerving loyalty and devotion to duty, with marvelous patience and cheeerfulness and Christlike forbearance. In all his physicial suffering no complaint was ever heard. Of a delicately-sensitive organization, sympathetic, tenderhearted as a child, he was always ready with a kind word, a cheering smile and a helping hand to brighten the lives and lighten the cares and sorrows of others. The precious memory of the beautiful life, so lovingly unselfish, so tenderly gentle, so patiently cheerful, so firmly upright, . lingers - lives to bless, to strengthen, to sweeten many lives. It seems eminently fitting that the passing of the spirit came quietly, without a pain or struggle. At the dawn of the early morning the gates of Life were opened, and the patient spirit entered in. His death occurred on April 13, 1901, at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

People who have met Mr. Wallace, the United States consul-general to Australia, will regret that the system of political patronage that prevails in America necessitates a change of consuls with a change of government. A typical American in face, manner and speech, the retiring representative of the government at Washington has made for himself scores - nay hundreds - of good, sound friends in this country, who will not soon forget him. He is a capital public speaker. T-Iis oration at the Columbus Centenary celebration last vear was a model. - Melbourne Argus. August, 1893.

The retirement of Mr. G. H. Wallace from the American consulship in Melbourne is. naturally, a subject for regret. .'\t the mayor's luncheon, yesterday, Mr. Wallace was good enough to say that the consulgeneral to Victoria has not been recalled, as he would always be a permanent resident in the colony, although represented by different individuals. But that is a matter which calls for regret. The position is unchanged, but the men are different. But with no feeling of disrespect to Mr. Wallace's unknown successor, it may still be pointed out that the former's continuance in ofificial position would be exceptionally pleasing to Melbourne citizens. It must be of some concern to the country interested to have its affairs looked up by a gentleman who enjoys the respect and confidence of all circles. This was the position occupied by Mr. Wallace ; consequently, it is a pity that circumstances do not permit of the extension of his stay in Victoria.^ Melbourne Evening Standard, August 10, 1893.

We learn that, by reason of the change in administration, yoii are soon to return to the United States, and we desire to express our appreciation of the valuable services you have rendered during your residence among us as consul-general to Australasia, and to bear testimony to the prompt attention and courtesy you have extended to all having business connected with the consulate, to the patience and readiness with which you have furnished valuable information, to your interest in and study of the development of our industries, with a view to facilitate and increase trade relations between the United -States and Australia.

The uniform urbanity and manly patriotism with which you have discharged your duties - business, official and social, have not only gained for you the esteem and regard of the entire community, but endeared you to them personally, and we trust the pleasant, interested association j'ou have had with us may help to draw the people and interests of the two great countries, America and Australia, into closer relationship.

Ill expressing our regret at the severance of the pleasant relations which for the past three years have existed, we desire to add the hope that health and prosperity may attend you, and that you will cherish pleasant memories of Australia and her people.

Some men die, and their passing away makes scarcely a noticeable impression on the community. Others die, and everybody stops and wonders, and is sad. Even little children are made unhappy. The death of Secretary Wallace was a shock to Santa Fe. He had so identified himself with the community's life and welfare that bis loss was like a personal bereavement. It will be a long time before Santa Fe can forget his .genial personality, his devotion to her

Mr. Wallace took up his work as Secretary of the Territory comparatively unknown to the rank and file of its citizens. Tie at once evinced'such capacity for the duties of his ofhce, and such integrity and fidelity, as won for him the esteem and confidence of our best public men. This esteem and confidence he held until he died. Indeed, 1 have heard it said repeatedly by well-infornicd men that no one has ever occupied official position in New Mexico who was better equipped by business ability and culture and unswerving honesty than Secretary Wallace. This is high tribute, and well deserved. It is all the more notable when one reflects upon the general reputation of public men in this oppressed territory, and when one considers the opportunities for dishonesty and the chances of escaping detection. To lose such an officer as Secretary Wallace is a public calamity, and especially so at this time, when men of strong character are needed to save New Mexico from the greed of irresponsible officialism.

No man had the interests of the territory more profoundly at heart. He believed in the territory's resources and possibilities, and was stirred by a strong desire to promote her best development. He was anxious to do something to overcome the difficulties that have so long retarded her progress, and that ought never to have been in her way. I have talked with him again and a.^ain on public aft'airs. and 1 know that New Mexico had no stauncher friend. He had large faith in the capacity of the native people, and always spoke in deep interest of them. He condemned indignantly the .shameless instances in which the personal greed of the American had robbed them of their rights, and he saw that nothing but honorable dealing with our Mexican population wo\ild win them to good government and bring the territory to fitness for larger responsibilities. If New Mexico had always been governed by men of his convictions and capacity, she would have been long ago in her place among the sisterhood of states.

It has been worth while that Secretary Wallace came among us, even for so few years. His manly life, his straightforward public career, his fine example everywhere, will not soon fade from memory. He has left a record to be emulated by our boys and young men. On moral questions, his position was wise and .strong. He lent his influence to every public good. He encouraged every progressive enterprise. He was a religious man, but not narrow. His friends were in all denominations. A thorough Protestant, he numbered among his closest associates many e.xcellent Catholics. His gentle tolerance and kindly spirit made him beloved by all creeds.

One other thought. His home was the synonym for hospitality. How many have been at his table and enjoyed his sincere friendliness ! His devoted wife was his happy counterpart. They were among the first to welcome me and my family to Santa Fe, and the warmth of their welcome is still a pleasant recollection. To say that these good people are missed seems little ; but what words can more strongly express their worth and the vacancy they have left in many hearts? They are sadly missed. Another Wallace made the old Palace famous by his Ben-Hur. This Wallace and his lovely wife have made it famous by their hospitality. Long may the memory of their residence spread its fragrance among us ! W. Haves Moore,

JOHN E. RARER. - Among the prosperous industries which contrilnite to the prestige of the city and county is that conducted under the title of the Columbia Iron & Wire Works, of which the subject of this review is proprietor, being recognized as one of the energetic and representative liusiness men of C'antoii. The concern has a large and well equipped plant and the same is given over to the manufacture of builders' iron, wire and brass goods of divers descriptions, including architectural iron work, wire and brass work of every sort, wire window guards, elevator cabs and enclosures, liank and office railings, and iron stairs, fencing, fire escapes and other specialties. The plant is located at Union street and in juxtaposition to the tracks of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, thus controlling excellent shipping facilities.

John E. Raber was born on a farm sixteen miles south of the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on the 31st of October, 1864, being a son of Emanuel and Harriet (Myers) Raber, the former of whom is a native of Stark countv and representative of one of its pioneer families, having been born in Greentbwn, and having been a resident of Canton for more than thirty years. His wife was liorn in Millheim. Summit county, this state, her father having removed there from Pennsylvania and was an early pioneer farmer. She died in Uniontown, tliis count}', in 1873, and her husband later married Mrs. Mary Daum, who is still living. \\ hen the sul)jcct of this sketch was four years of age his parents remo\-ed to Uniontown, this county, and he passed his boyhood days in that village and Greentown, while his tirst educational advantages were comprised in attending two winter terms in the country schools and two in the public schools of Canton, while later he was a student in the high school and continued his studies for one term in Oberlin College, after which he effectively supplemented tliis discipline by taking a three years' course in the Ohio Xornial University, at Ada. He then returned to Canton, his funds being entirely exhausted at the time of reaching his home city, and he walked from this place to Akron, having no mone}' with which to pay railroad fare, and there he took the teachers' examination, having just enough money left to buy a simple luncheon after thus proving that his mental resources were not at so low an ebb as his financial. He then returned on foot to Canton and w;is employed in the harvest tield during that summer, also selling implements for the handling of hay. In the autumn he was matriculated in the Indiana Normal School & Business University, at Valparaiso, Indiana, where he continued his studies for two years, working on a farm in Stark county during his vacation. Thereafter he was successfully engaged in teaching school in Summit county for the ensuing four years, principally at Lake View, in the mining district, and his experience with the somewhat incorrigible children of the miners taxed both his mental and physical powers. This school was also taught previously by his father, who there had his first pedagogic experience. In 1888 he was married in that county, and shortly afterward he removed to Detroit, Michigan, where he entered the employ of J. E. Bolles & Company, manufacturers of iron and wire goods, remaining with this concern four, years and gaining an intimate knowledge of the business in its various details. In 1893 ^^^ returned to Canton and engaged in the same line of enter- ])rises on his own account, and here he has succeeded in building up a large and profitable business under the title of the Columbia Iron & \Vire Works.

In Summit county, Ohio, on the 5th of April. 1888, Mr. Raber was united in marriage to Miss Emma Moss, who was born in that county, being a daughter of William and Anna (Littlewood) i\Ioss. her father being superintenden.*: of mines at Lake View, that county. Mr. and Mrs. Raber ha\'e four children, Irene May. aged fourteen ( 1903) ; Ethel Edna, aged thirteen ; Grace, aged nine ; and Florence Er- \-eta, aged two years. Mr. and Mrs. Raijer are members of the First Alethodist Episcopal cliurch in Canton, politically he is a Republican, and fraternally a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

HIUVRV M. WATTS is a native of the state of New Jersey, having l)een born in the town of Washington, on the 12th of August, 1864, and being a son of William H. and Rachel F. (Fries) ^^'atts, the former of whom now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ijeing a tinner by trade and vocation, while the latter, who was for many years prominenth- engaged in the milliner business in Canton, died in this citv in x886. Our sul)iect was reared ti;> the ag'e of eleven years in his native place, where he received his earl}- educational training, and he then came with his parents to Canton, where he continued his studies in the public schools until he hatl attained the age of se\enteen years. He began his identification with the "art preservative" by assuming the dignified antl independent position of "devil" in the job-printing establishment of Charles Thompson, of Canton, and after becoming a skilled workman he

\v;is for five years employed at his trade in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1896 he returned to Canton, and was here employed by tlie Gibbs ]\Janufactnring Company until the year 1900, having had charge of the book department of their printing and publishing business. In January, 1900, l\Ir. Watts laid the foundation of the important business of which he is now the manager, by establishing a small job-printing office in a room of his residence, and May 7. 1901, he effected the organization of the Watts Printing Company, which is a stock concern and incorporated under the laws of the state. Concerning the establishment we can not do better than to quote from two articles which appeared in the News-Democrat of Canton : "The growth of the Watts Printing- Company during the past yean has been remarkable. It is attracting attention everywhere. The business was started one year ago last April, by II. M. Watts, with one small ji:>b press, and cmpli:)yed but one boy and occupied two hundred and sixteen feet of floor space. At that time they were able to print <n\\ calling cards and other job work of that kind. The business has been steadily developing until it now has eighteen hundred and eighty feet of floor space, employs twenty-eight persons and has nine first-class job presses. The presses and type are all new and modern, making this the model printing plant of the city. The company can now print anything from a calling card to a catalogue, and they have all the latest improved machinery of a supplemental nature, such as machines for punching, perforating, numbering, cutting, etc., and an important feature of the enterprise is that only first-class union men are employed. Commercial printing is the specialty of the concern. The Iniilcling utilized was remodeled -^l^ecially for the purpose and is occupied e.\clu- >i\ely by this concern, llie rapid growth of the l>usiness ind'cates that the excellent work

In politics Mr. Watts is a stanch Republican, taking a public-spirited interest in the affairs of the day, and fraternally he holds membership in the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and the Woixlmen of the World. As a business man he is energetic and progressive, as is clearly evident in the light of the fine enterprise which he has built up, and he is held in high esteem in the community.

In this city, on the 1 ith of August, 1888, Mr. \Vatts was united in marriage to Aliss Nellie A. Miller, wdio was reared in Stark county, being a daughter of Louis and Jennie Miller, who now reside in Canton. Air. and Mrs. Watts have one child, Vivian M.

LEON P. W. STIEHL. - Among those who have accomplished notable results in connection with the establishing and maintenance t)f the highest grade of commercial and business colleges is Mr. Stiebl. who has an able coadjutator in his wife, a thi:)roughly skilled and capable teacher. Mr. Stiehl's operations in the educational field ha\e been of wide scope and importance, as is evident when we refer to the fact that he has been the founder of the business colleges which bear his name in Canton and Uhrichs- \'ille, Ohio; San Francisco, California: Charleston, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; Lynchburg, V^irginia ; and Salt Lake City, Utah. He is at the present time owner of the Ohio schools mentioned and remains a stockholder of several other of the institutinns \\hich owe their organization to him.

Mr. Stiebl comes of stanch old Revolutionary stock in both the paternal and maternal lines, and is a native of the state of ^^'est \'irginia. having been born in Monroe countA'. on the 23d of September, 1854. and being a ^^p of \\. G. and Alalinda (Blanton) Stiehl, the former of whom was born in the state of Virginia and the latter in Kentucky. The subject received his early educational training in the public schools of Pennsyh'ania and Ohio and thereafter continued his studies in various institutions, making it his special aim to thoroughly fortify himself for the successful handling of practical educational work. Thus it may be said that he was a student in the National Normal School, at Lebanon, Ohio ; the Spencerian Commercial and Shorthand School, at Cleveland, Ohio; Packard's Business College, New York city ; the Graham Shorthand School. New York city; the Pitman I'honographic Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio; and the San Francisco Business College, in the ciiy of the same name, while both he and his \\ ife have the most flattering endorsments and credentials from many of the leading educators in 'the business line from all sections of the Union. It is not incompatible at this point to enter a list of the colleges and celebrated authors from whom i\lr. and Mrs. Stiehl have received diplomas or certificates : Spencerian Commercial and Shorthand School, Cleveland; San Francisco Business College, L. C. Ellis and N. S. Phelps, founders, and also authors and publishers of the Ellis System of Fiusiness Practice and Practical Bookkeeping ; Phunogra]>hic Institute, Cincinnati, Benn Pitman and Jerome B. Howard, founders and conductors, and also authors and publishers of American Pitman Shorthand, etc. ; Andrew J. Graham, author and publisher of Standard Phonography, New York city ; S. PI. Goodyear, associate author and publisher of the Goodyear- Marshall Systems of Bookkeeping and Business Practice, and also president of the company; George \Y . Davis, principal shorthand department of the Bryant & Stratton Business College, Buffalo, New York, and author of Shorthand Simplified, exemplifying the Graham system; Isaac S. Dement, author, publisher and champion stenographer of the world ; National Associations of Accountants and Bookkeepers, of which Mr. Stiehl is a member ; H. M. Rowe, associate conductor of Sadler's Bryant & Stratton Business College, Balfimore, Maryland, and author of Sadler-Rowe publications. The Stiehls are also authors and publishers of works on various branches of the work to which they have gi\-en their attention for the past twenty years or more, and it is needless to say that Canton is fortunate in \va\- ing secured the establishment of one of their colleges within its confines. Their institution here was founded in September. if)02, and has met with a gratifying support, while its business is certain to be cumulative as its superior advantages in all departments become more widely known. The school at Uhrichsville. Ohio, was established in 1896, and both are under the immediate control and supervision of Mr. and Mrs. Stiehl, the latter being principal of the school at Uhrichsville.

Mr. Stiehl is a man of fine executi\e ability, as is evident from the success that has attended his \'arious educational enterprises, and the cor]:)s of assistants retained in his colleges is selected with special reference to the ability of each individual as pertaining to the special work assigned. In politics Mr. Stiehl accord? allegiance to the Republican party, and fraternall}- he is identified with the Free aufl Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Order of Red Men, and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He has gained the confidence and esteem of the business men and general public in Canton, and his college is here maintained under most favorable auspices.

In the city of San Francisco, on the 9th of October. 1890, Mr. Stiehl consummated a marriage, being united to Miss Lula A'incent, a daughter of Thomas Vincent, and a lady of fine attainments, and she has proved a most enthusiastic and capable coadjutor of her bus- band in his chosen field of endeavor. He has one son, Harry Garfield Stiehl, who is identified with him in his chosen work and gives promise ot carrying on the work in due course of time.

THEODORE PARKER PAXSON. - Holding the important position of cashier of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Canton and enjoying distinctive prestige not only in railway circles but as an accomplished business man and public-spirited citizen, the subject of this review is entitled to specific mention with the I'epresentative men of Stark county. Mr. Paxson is of English descent and his paternal ancestors were among the early settlers of Pennsylvania. His grandfather, Rev. Joseph Paxson, for many years a well known clergyman of the United Brethren church, was born near the city of Harrisburg and in early life moved to Columbiana county, Ohio, where in addition to the duties of the ministry he gave considerable attention to mechanical pursuits. In an early day he had charge of a number of churches scattered over a large territory and in order to reach them was obliged to ride his extensive circuit on horseback, being frequently absent weeks at a time in the discharge of his pastoral functions. He lived to the remarkable old age of ninety-two years, dying in 1892. His children were Josiah, Jesse, Milton, Jane, Hannah, and John, the father of the subject of this sketch.

Theodore Parker Paxson was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, on the 23d of September, 1854, and spent the first fourteen years of his life in that county. During his boyhood he attended the public schools in his native town, and after his parents removed, in 1868, to Stark county, he prosecuted his studies for a period of four years at Mt. Union, subsequently spiending one year in the Canton high school. Mr. Paxson accompanied his parents to Canton and later accepted a clerkship in a grocery at Alliance, in which capacity he continued until 1881, when he resigned his position and returned to the former city. Shortly after his return to Canton he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad company as clerk in the office at this place. In 1892 he was promoted cashier of the freight department, which position he still holds. Mr. Paxson's business career has been one of success, the result of industry, integrity and faithfulness to duty, and he has the confidence not only of his superiors in the railway service, but of his fellow citizens. His official functions have not interfered with his duties to the community as a citizen, as he maintains a deep interest in the welfare of the city of his residence. In the spring of 1902 he was elected to represent the first ward in the common council and as a mem.ber of that body he has been given places on some of the most prominent committees, notably among which, being the fire department, ways and means and city offices. He has been active in promoting much important municipal legislation and spares no pains in proving himself worthy of confidence as a faithful, judicious and conscientious public servant. Politically he votes the Republican ticket, but in local affairs is more interested in getting the right kind of men into office than he is in strictly upholding party principles. Fraternally he holds membership with the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders, in which he is in good standing. Mr. Paxson was married, at Alliance, Ohio, in 1880, the lady of his choice being Miss Emma Clappsaddle, daughter of Samuel Clappsaddle, of that city, the union resulting in the birth of one child, Rachel Beatta.

GEORGE NAGLE WEBB is one of the highly respected citizens of Canton, where he was born on the 4th of August, 1832, and where he has passed the greater portion of his long and useful life. He is a son of George N. and Eliza (Cake) Webb, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania, and the latter in Hagerstown, Maryland, of German extraction, while they became numbered among the pioneer settlers of Stark county, where they continued to reside until their death. The subject of this brief sketch secured his rudimentary education in the primitive schools of the pioneer days, attending the same during the winter terms, and when fifteen years of age he entered the newly organized union schools in Canton, where he continued his studies until he had attained the age of nineteen years. He then entered upon an apprenticeship in a carriage manufactory in his native town, serving two years and three months and becoming a skilled workman. After learning his trade he went to Salem, Ohio, in order to gain a broader experience and perfect himself in all details of his trade. He there entered the employ of the Sheets Carriage Company, and remained about one year and three months, returning to Canton in 1855 and there securing employment in the shops of C. Aultman & Company, manufacturers of agricultural machinery. He was employed in the wood-\\orking department and later identified widi the construction of the wooden portions of various machines manufactured, and he has been consecutively in the employ of this concern for nearly half a century, having seen the industry - levelop from a modest enterprise into one of tlic most extensive of the sort in the Union, Avhile he has ever retained the confidence of the com])any as is evidenced by his long ser- ^ice (luring the various changes in executive control of the management. He was until the first of April, 1903, engaged with the great sho])s of the company and was one of the oldest ruid most trusted employes, though he was compelled to resign on account of ill health. PTe was liked by both em]:)loyer and employes and is held in the highest esteem in the city which has been his home for so many years. In politics he was a Democrat up to the time of the Civil war, when he arrayed himself in support of the Republican party, and in later years he has been affiliated with the Prohibition party. He was for two years a member of the board of education of Canton, and from his youth he has been an earnest and consistent member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a trustee for a number of years and also assistant superintendent of the Sunday school, taking an active interest in all departments of church work and ever striving to follow in the footsteps of the lowly Nazarene and to aid in the uplifting of his fellow men. He was formerly a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, l)ut has permitted his active affiliation to lapse.

On the 30th of March, 1858, Mr. Welil) was united in marriage to Miss Susan Miller, \\lio was born on a farm in Sandy township, this county, on the 28tli of April, 183 1, jjeing a daughter of Samuel and Esther Miller, one of the sterling pioneers of the county. She was summoned into the life eternal on the 27tli of April, 1902, having been the devoted companion rmd helpmeet of her husband for more than two score years, and having been a valued menii)er of the First Methodist Episcopal church for the greater portion of her life. Her remains rest in the beautiful cemetery of Westlawn and the spot is sacred to the large circle of friends who loved her in life. Of the children of this union we enter the following epitomized record: Harry X., who was born in 1859, 'S cashier for C. Aultman & Company, of Canton ; Charles Lee. who was born in 1861, is a resident of Canton, where he is connected with the Best Street Light Company; Etlia Esther, who was born in 1865. is the wife of Varian S. Corey, a sketch of whose life apjiears el.-ew'here in this volume; and Clara Ann, wlio was born in 1872, is now- the wife of Finley T. Fisher, anti resides in Canton.

SAMUEL BECHERER. - The subject of this brier sketcli is one of the old and honored citizens of Canton, a native of Stark county and a representative of one of its sterling- pioneer families of the stanch old German stock. He was for a number of years turnkey of the city prison and was a faithful public servant and as one merited the confidence and esteem in which he was so uniformly held.

Mr. Becherer was born on the old homestead farm in Plain township, this county, on the 27th of January, 183CS, at which time was but a village. He is a son of Constantine Becherer, who was born in Baden, Germany, where he was reared to maturity, being a laix)rer by occupation and ready to turn his hand to any honest occupation. He emigrated from the fatherland to the United States in the year 1834, landing in the city of New York, whence he soon afterward came to Stark county, where he purchased of Peter P. Trump a tract of fifteen acres of land, in.Plain township. In the following year he returned to Germany, \vhere he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Langenbach, and he shortly afterward came again to Stark county with the bride whom he had made sO' long a journey to Aved. They took up their abode on the little farm, where he continued to reside until about 1878, when he disposed of the property. In 1866 the house on the farm was set afire by some miscreant who imagined the family had money which might be secured during the excitement, and though Ixith the father and mother of our subject were ill at the time, the former managed to carry his wife from the burning building to the home of a neighbor, where she was kindly cared for, but she died only a few months later. After disposing of his little farm, in 1878, Constantine Becherer came to Canton and passed the remainder of his life in the home of his son, the subject of this sketch. He died in 1881, at the age of seventy-three years, while his wife was sixty-nine years of age at the time of her death, in 1866. Both were devoted communicants of St. Peter's church, Roman Catholic, in Canton, and were conscientious and worthy persons, hard-working and Godfearing. Mr. Becherer assisted to the best of his ability in effecting the erection of St. Peter's church, and he also aided in building old St. John's church. This worthy couple became the parents of nine children, John, Samuel, Catherine, Mary, Emma, Constantine, William, Elizabeth and Louisa, the latter two dying when quite yO'ung, the balance reaching the age of maturity.

Samuel Becherer, the immediate subject of this review, was reared under the conditions of the pioneer epoch in the county, and as a boy began to assist in the work of the home farm, while he attended the little school in the Mexico district of Plain township for the three-months' winter terms, the institution being of the primitive type implied in the log school house, with its puncheon floor and slab seats and benches. At the age of twelve years he dame to Canton and secured a position as porter in the old Franklin hotel, which stood on the site of the present Hurford house. He was employed there for six years, at the e.xpiration of which he became an employe of the American hotel, and he had charge of this hotel during the illness of the proprietor, John D. Snyder, and for one year after the death of the latter, whose widow came into control of the property at the time. Mr. Becherer then learned the trade of carpenter under the direction of Joseph Weaver and George Geiger, receiving forty dollars for his services the first year, fifty the second and seventy-five the third year of his apprenticeship. He thereafter continued to work at his trade as a journeyman until there came to him the call of higher duty, when the war of the Rebellion was inaugurated. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company E, One Hundred and Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the same being commanded by Colonel Lucey, while the captain of the company was Joseph Harter. He continued in the service until the close of the war, his command having been in turn attached to the Twelfth and Twentieth Army Corps, and he assisted in the building of block houses along the line of the Chattanooga & Nashville Railroad, a body of troops being detailed for this purpose, in order that the line might be protected and communication afforded with the troops at the front. Mr. Becherer held the rank of sergeant over the men thus engaged in the construction of the block houses. During Hood's raid out of seven of these block houses the only one not destroyed was that in command of Lieutenant Glosser and the subject, who defended the same with but thirty-two men, and they received a letter of commendation and thanks from Major General Thomas for the gallant defense which they made on this occasion. Mr. Becherer received his honorable discharge in Cleveland, Ohio, in July, 1865, having rendered the valiant service of a loyal son of the I'epublic. He has suffered more or less ever since from a partially disabled leg, from the effect of erysipelas contracted while in service. He returned to Canton, where he was engaged in the work of his trade for the ensuing eight years, after which he engaged in the restaurant business and still later opened a grocery at the corner of North Market and Second streets. He conducted the latter enterprise for six years, and soon afterward was made a member of the Canton police force, under the administration of Mayor John F. Blake, and he served as policeman and city marshal for the long period of fifteen years, gaining a high reputation for his faithful and capable discharge , of his official duties. In 1897 he was appointed turnkey at the city prison, and remained an incumbent of that position until July, 1903. He is well known to all classes of citizens and is held in high esteem as a man and officer.

He is a member of McKinley Post No. 25, Grand Army of the Republic, and is a communicant of St. Mary's church, Roman Catholic, having served on the building committee of the same at the time of the erection of the present edifice. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Democratic party, in whose cause he has ever taken an active interest.

On the 28th of October, 1865, Mr, Becherer was united in marriage to Miss Mary Walter, of Canton, she being a daughter of Anthony and Elizabeth Walter, natives of Germany, whence they came to Stark county in the early days. Mrs. Becherer was summoned into eternal rest on the 21st of October, i88t, having became the mother of six children, Laura A., Henry J., Minnie I.. Clara O. (deceased), Charles A., Victor F.

ARMSTRONG ASHBROOK is the present efficient and popular city auditor of Canton, to which responsible office he was elected in April, 1903, by a majority of one hundred and fifteen votes, as the candidate on the Republican ticket. He was born on a farm in Augusta township, Carroll county, Ohio, on the 8th of April, 1861, being a son of William and Susan (Turnipseed) Ashbrook, the former of whom was born in Little Washington, Washington county. Pennsylvania, whence he came to Carroll county, Ohio, with his parents when a boy, being there reared and educated. He learned the trade of blacksmithing and followed that vocation for many years. He still resides in Aug-usta, that county, and has attained the ripe old age of seventyfive years, while his wife, who is a native of Carroll county. Ohio, is now seventy-four years of age. Mr. Ashbrook is a Republican in his political proclivities and both he and his wife have long been zealous members of the Disciples church. They ijecame the parents of four children, of whom tliree are living at the present time. The ancestry in the paternal line is of blended Scotch, Irish and Dutch extraction. Henry Turnipseed came from West Virginia to Ohio, and his father had been a slaveholder in Virginia and a man of prominence in the Old Dominion before the segregation of West Virginia.

Armstrong Ashbrook, whose name initiates this article, was reared to maturity on the old homestead, while his early education was received in the common and select schools of the locality. He continued his educational work until he had attained the age of twentytwo years, but at the early age of fourteen he had initiated his business career, securing at that time a position as clerk in a general store, and he was thus employed during the school ^-acations for a number of years. He finally accepted a clerkship in a dry-goods establishment at Augusta, Ohio, where he was employed for some time, when he secured a position as traveling salesman for an eastern house, selling carpets and other lines and continuing to be thus engaged for four years. He then came to Canton and became a salesman in the dry-goods establishment of Haldeman, Kiplinger & Company, with whom he remained for a number of years, while later he was in the employ of other local concerns for varying intervals, while for the two years prior to his election to the office of city treasurer he was with the firm of Kenny Brothers, who are here engaged in the drj'-goods business. He thus gained a wide acquaintanceship in Canton and the county., and his popularity in the city is indicated in the official preferment which has come to him and in which he is making a most excellent record. He has been a radical advocate of the principles of the Republican party from the time of attaining his majority, and has taken an active part in forwarding the cause of the same in a local way. He and his wife are members of the First Baptist church, of Canton, and fraternally he is affiliated with McKinley Lodge No. 60, Free and Accepted J!vlasons; Fleetfoot Tribe No. 139, Improved Order of Red Men, and the Home Guards of America.

In Carrollton, Ohio, on the 28th of March, 1883, Mr. Ashbrook was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Scott, daughter of Dr. George Scott, of that place.

WILBUR C. ANDERSON. - The career of the subject of this sketch has been one of varied experience, characterized throughout by a devotion to principle and loyalty to duty, which have g.iined for him a position of no sn:all influence and importance in the business world. Wilbur C. Anderson is descended from an old Pennsylvania family, the history of which in this country dates from the time of the colonies. His paternal great-grandfather served as an artilleryman in the war of the Revolution, and at the close of the struggle settled at Canonsburg, Washington count}-, Pennsylvania, where the family continued to reside until some time in the 'sixties, when they removed to the state of Delaware. Subsequently they returned to the former state and located in Huntingdon county, of which the subject's parents, Stephen and Alice (Wilson) Anderson, are still honored residents.

Wilbur C. Anderson was born November 12. 1869, in Mill Creek township, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, and remained under the parental roof until a youth of fourteen, enjoying- meanwhile the advantages of a common school education. From fourteen to seventeen he attended an academy at Cassville and on lea\ing that institution engaged as clerk with the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company at Orbisonia, in which capacity he continued until 1889, when he resigned to accept a position with the Thompson-Houston Electric Company of Philadelphia. Shortly after entering the employ of the latter firm he was assigned to duty in the plant at Hoboken, New Jersey, and later he was made collector for the company, the duties of which responsible post he discharged until his promotion in 1893 to the position of assistant superintendent. Mr. Anderson continued in the latter capacity until 1899, when he severed his connection with the firm to become secretary of the North River Light, Heat and Power Company at Hoboken, anil after holding the position one year he engaged as office manager with the Rider, Erricson Engine Company of New York city. His period of service with that enterprise terminated in 1901, at which time he was employed by the Electric Company of America to take charge of the light, heat and power plant in the city of Canttm, which honorable and responsible position he still holds. As already stated, Mr. Anderson's business career has been a very active one and from the beginning it has been marked by a series of continued advancements, which demonstrate his ability to fill worthily important positions and to manage faithfully and well enterprises requiring a high order of business talent. In every post to which called he has enjoyed the unbounded confidence of his employers and his relations with the public have'l)een such as to gain him the confidence and esteem of all classes of people in his different fields of labor. Thoroughly conversant with his duties, a skillful accountant and possessing fine executive ability, he devotes his attention closely to the important trust now in his charge and the e>:cellent condition of everything connected therewith and the satisfactory manner in which he discharges his functions indicate a supervision which none but a safe and reliable manager could exercise.

In the year 1894, at Newark, New Jerse}-, l\Tr. Anderson was united in marriage with Miss Emma A. Eno. daughter of Joseph and .Annie (Bovingdonl Eno, the father a prominent inventor of tliat citv, the mother a native of London, England. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have a pleasant home and their domestic circle in addition to themselves includes two bright and interesting children, whose names are Harriet J. and Wilbur C. In politics Mr. Anderson gives an unwavering support to the Republican party and his fraternal relations are represented by the Alasonic brotherhood and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

]MILTON BALL. - The Balls were among the early settlers of Stark county, the subject's father, the late Colonel E. Ball, having been one of the pioneer manufacturers of Canton and a man of high standing and commanding influence in the city's social and business circles. He married in this county a Miss Lavina Babb, and reared a famih- of se\^eral children, the oldest being Milton of this review, whose birth occurred at Greentown on July 23, 1836.

Milton Ball sjient his early life in his native tillage, and after recei\ing a good education in the public schools and under the direction of private tutors, took up the trade of molding in the siiops of Ball, Aultman & Company, at Canton, coming to this city in 1850, when fourteen years of age. After becoming an efficient workman he was employed b\- the above company and continued with the sanic until b-is father, w ho was a partner in the business, withdrew from the concern and resigned his position to become superintendent of the reaper works, wliich the latter established. As long as the elder Ball continued in the manufacturing business his son Milton served as superintendent of the works and right loyally did he discharge his duties in that responsible and exacting" position, his efforts as manag"er contributing greatly to ihe success of the enterprise, which, as all know, became one of Cantor.'s most important industries. When the father sold out and retired the subject resigned and, in partnership with a gentleman by the n-iine of Kuhn, purchased a sliop at IJniontovvji, Oliio. which was removed to Canton with every prospect of doing a large and lucrative business, withdrew from tlie concern and resigned expectations were not to he realized, lor while transferring the establishment he contracted a severe cold, \\hich, developing into tuberculosis, finally resulted in his death, the event taking place on the i6th of May, iS6q. Mr. Ball's business career \vas creditable in every respect and it demonstrated his capacity as a resourceful man and capable manager of important trusts. He mastered thoroughly everything committed to his care, possessed sound judgment, keen perception and rare foresight; as superintendent lie did much to promote the success of the enterprise with which he was connected and had he lived he would doubtless have become a leader in the city's industrial circles. Socially Mr. iJall was a most agreeable gentleman, always genial and pleasant in manner, a loyal friend and an excellent neighbor and as a citizen intertisted in every laudable movement for the general good of the community, he i"anked with, the best of his compeers. A Rejjublican in politics, he was never misled by political aspirations to the neglect of his business interests and with no ambition to gratifv in the way of public di^'tinction, he prosecuted his affairs with diligence and dispatch, satisfied with the legitimate gains accruing therefrom and contented with his lot as a common man of the people.

The married life of Mr. Ball began in i860, on September 4th of w hich year he entered into a matrimonial alliance with Miss Susan Swisher, of Canton. She is a native of Wayne count} , Ohio, w here her birth occurred May 2.i, T83S, and is a daughter of Abraham and Hannab. (Tate) Swisher, a union blessed with one child, a son by the name of Charles M. Ball, who was born July 2, 1861, in the city of Canton. * sch.ools and in a private institution of learning conducted under the efificient management of Profes.^or Avery, one of Ohio's most successful teachers, and the training thus received was afterwarrls sup]>lemented by a business course in a commercial college at Poughkeepsie, New York. Mr. Ball's first experience in the practical affairs of life was as clerk in the old St. Clotid Hotel, then kept by Mr. Barnett. He was later employed in the office of r. C. Snyder, manufacturer of steel roofir.g, and after spendin.g two years in ihat gentleman's employ he resigned his position to become clerk <if the Burford Hotel in Canton. He remained twel\e years with this house, became widely acquainted and deservedly popular with the traveling public, and 1)\- his courteous and obliging demeanor won a large number of warm, de\-oted friends and made himself indispensible to his emplo\er. He married in this city Miss Flora Bockins and lived tiie life of an upright, exemplary citizen, making his influence felt for good in all of his relations and gained a large share of public esteem. Endowed by nature with good men.tal powers and possessing the energy to direct his faculties into proper chaimels, he ro.se to a respectable position in the business world and his death, which occurred on March 30, 1897, was felt as a keen personal loss by his many friends in Canton and throughout Oliio and other states.

JAMES A. BROOKS is a native of the old Keystone state, having been born in Allegheny county on the 31st of January, 1848. the original ancestors in the paternal line having settled in that section of the state many generation.? ago, having emigrated to America from Germany. James Brooks, father of our subject, passed his entire life in Pennsylvania, as did also his \\ife, ^\-hose maiden name was Rachel Scott. Thcv became the parents 01

James A. Brooks was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm, continuing to assist in its work and to prosecute his studies in the local schools until he had reached the age of nineteen years. He then entered upon an apprenticeship at the trade of carpenter at Sewickley, to which he there continued to devote his attention for some time. He came to Stark county, Ohio, in 1870 and was united in marriage at Mount Union on the 29th of September of the same year to Miss Mafia Painter, daughter of James and Sarah Painter, pioneers of the county. Soon after his marriage he retu.rned with his bride to Pennsylvania, where he remained until July, 1879, when he brought his family to Canton, wdiere he was engaged independently in the work of his trade until the autumn of 18S0, when he entered the employ of the John Danner Manufacturing Company, mak'ers of desks and fine cabinet work of other descriptions, and he has ever since been identified with this firm in a responsible position, being a skilled mechanic and having excellent executive ability.

Mr. Brooks has ever accorded a stanch support to the Republican party and its principles, and while he has not been imbued with officeseeking proclivities, he was made the candidate of his party for member of the council from the sixth ward in the election of April, 1903. and was accorded a gratifying majority at the polls and entering upon the discharge of his official duties on the 4th of the following May. His first presidential vote was cast for General Grant at his second candidacy, and from that time forward he has been known as a zealous advocate of the cause of the "grand old party." He and his wife hold membership in the Simpson Methodist Episcopal church and fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

enter the following brief record : William Edgar, who is a druggist in Canton, married Miss Vinnie Crowd ; Sarah L. is the wife of Charles Bevington, of Canton ; James R., who is a machinist at the Hamdon works in this city, married Miss Grace Guest, and Nettie and Dora May remain at the parental home.

ARTHUR C. OBERLIN is the son of Joseph Oberlin, whose life story will be found at some length on another page. On the 8th of July. 1864., in Tuscaraw'as township, where he now resides, the subject first saw the light of day, and since that time his life has been spent at or \'ery near the ])lace of his birth. His childhood and youth on the farm tended to the development of a well-rounded character and his physical growth amid such favorable environments was all that bracing air, active exercise and sound health could possibly produce. T'br some years during his minority, his time was divided between labor and study, and until about twenty-four years old he remained under the parental roof, doing all within his power to assist his father, the meanwhile formulating ]Vians for the guidance nf his future course of action.

Mr. Oberlin made a wise choice when he decided to devote his life to husbandry, as the series of continued successes that have attended his efforts bear witness. He began farming upon his own responsibility in 18S9, and has pursued the vocation ever since with marked results, owning at this time one hundred and forty-nine acres of fertile and well-improved land in Tuscarawas township, besides various interests in other enterprises. For a number of years he has been cpiite actively engaged as a coal driller in Stark county and other parts of Ohio, his efficiency in this line of w^ork having long since brought him to the favorable notice of some of the leading coal operators in the eastern part of the state. He has a full and complete equipment for successful effort ia this line, understands every detail in the business, and his ^vork has resulted in the great financial advantage of the different men and firms by whom, from time to time, he has been employed. Another line of activity to which Mr. Oberlin gives considerable time and attention is that of threshing grain, having followed the same with handsome profits during the past seven years. In this he is also well equipped, owning a complete threshing outfit of the latest and most approved pattern, which is in great demand throughout the county during the seasons when it can be utilized. He is a member of the Threshers' National Protective Association, and as such has been untiring in his efforts to make tlie organization meet the purposes for which intended, taking an active interest in its sessions and doing all within his power to reduce such important work as threshing to something more than the mere semblance of a system.

Mr. Oberlin is a man of much more than ordinary energy and personal force, possesses fine business and executive abilities, and seldom fails in any of his undertakings. He foresees with remarkable clearness the possible outcome of future action and, gauging his efforts in harmony therewith, is rarely mistaken in his conclusions. He wields an influence for the Democratic party, but is not a politician in the sense the word is generally accepted, taking no very active part in public affairs and having no political ambitions to gratify. Mr. Oberlin believes in a strict enforcement of the law of the land, and has little sympathy with the class that habituall} violates or sets them at defiance. Such a man cannot be indifferent to the claims 'if the Christian religion and a number of years .go he joined the Reform church and began a course of life which he has since very closelv followed, a life of faith and active service bearing rich fruitage in his own character and in making his presence a blessing to the world.

Mr. Oberlin chose for a life companion an estimable lady who formerly bore the name of Jennie Christman and to whom he has united in the tonds of matrimony on the 4th of October, 1888. She is the daughter of William and Lavania (Felder) Christman, both natives of Pennsylvania and now residing in the township of Tuscarawas, throughout which they have been known and respected by reason of exemplary lives and upright conduct. Mr. and Mrs. Oberlin have one child, a daughter, Zella Grace, who was born April 28, 1892. Mrs. Oberlin is a faithful member of the church to which her husband belongs, and, like him, is deeply interested in its various lines of Christian work.

CAPTAIN THOMAS WILSON was born in Monroe county, Ohio, on the 12th of December, 1836, being a son of William and Mary (PTupp) ^^'ilson, of whose ten children six are living at the present time. The father is still residing on his fine farm estate in Monroe county and has attained the patriarchal age of ninety years, and this old homestead is the one on which his father also lived and labored, having been one of the early pioneers of the county. His paternal grandfather served under General ^Yashington for seven years during the war of the Revolution, while the father of his wife. Henry Hupp, was a lieutenant in the war of 18 [2 and commanded his company during much of its active service. The paternal grandfather of our subject's mother also won an enviable military record as a scout and Indian fighter, having been for twenty years in the employ of the government in the protection of the frontier and having been a contemporary of Boone and Kenton, in many of whose scouting expedition.s he jiarticipated. He was in Crawford county, Ohio, at the time when Colonel Crawford was burned at the stake by the Indians and had been in conversation with

Uiis martyr shorti)' before his death. This stalwart and patriotic ancestor of Captain Wilson was an inveterate and implacable foe of the Indians, and it is not strange that such was the case, for his mother, a brother and a little sister and his stepfather were all massacred by the bloodthirsty red men. For his distinguished services during the war of the Revolution the government gave him a large grant of land in Florida, and in later years the mother of our subject released all claim to her share in this valuable heritage for the diminutive consideration of one hundred dollars. Captain Wilson's great-grandmother in the agnatic line lived to attain the age of one hundred and five years. She was present at the siege of Wheeling during the Revolution and personally saw the intrepid heroine, Betty Zane, when she left the fort and, in the face of the firing of the Indians, carried back a quantity of powder to the beleaguered garrison.

The father of the subject has devoted his entire life to the great basic art of agriculture, and r.otwithstanding his great age he personally supervises tlie work of his fine farm of about four hundred acres, while he individually continues his physical labors with as much energy as many a man thirty years his junior. He is remarkably well preserved, his intellectual faculties being unimpaired, while he is revered as one of the jjatriarchs and sterling pioneers of the Buckeye state. He voted for William Henry Harrison at the time of his first election to the prcsidenc}-. and thereafter gave his support to every Whig candidate up to the time of the organi/iation of the Republican party, for whose every presidential candidate likewise he has cast his l)allot, being a stanch advocate of the princi]^les of the "grand old party," whose age is far less than liis own, and keeping well informed in regard to the questions and issues of the hour. J^is devoted wife was summoned into eternal rest in 1891 at the age of seventv-seven veru'si haviu"" lieen a zealous

Captain Thomas Wilson, whose name initiates this resume, was reared on the old homestead farm, assisting in its work and receiving his early educational discipline in the common schools of the locality, while he has ever continued to be an extensive reader and careful student of events, and thus, as coupled witli the valuable lessons learned under the direction of the wise head-master, experience, have made him a n.ian of broad information and mature judgment. As a young man he became identified with the development of the Macksburg oil fields, in Washington county, and was a successful operator in this line of industry at the time of the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion. Hi=; inherent and intrinsic patriotism was forthwith stirred to responsive protest, and he laid aside his business affairs without regard to the sacrifice invoh'ed, and turned his attention to doing his part in preserving the Union, whose integrity was in dire jeopardy. Under a military commission he recruited Company D of the Twenty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry in June and July, 1861. He was placed on detached duty and did not serve with this company. In August. 1862. he enlisted and was commissioned captain of Company K. Ninety -.second Ohio A^olunteer Infantry, ha\-- ing likewise recruited this company, and he proceeded with his command to the front, the regiment being assigned to the Army of West Virginia. He continued in active service until July. 1864, when he was mustered out on account of ])hysical disability, receiving his honorable discharge at Tullahoma. He reci\uited and sent to the front fully three hundred men. and his service in all capacities was that of a loyal and fervent patriot.

buying and shipping of live stock, retaining his residence in Monroe county, where he was the owner of a valuable landed estate of two hundred and twenty acres, and Jie continued to be most successfully identified with this industry until 1888, when he came to Alliance in order to afford his children the advantages of Mount Union College. In the following j'ear he was elected to the city council of Alliance, and he served four years as president of tlie body and > tAAO years as vice-president, while he continued to be a member of the council for a full decade, his continuous tenure of this office being longer than that of any other man who has ever served in this capacity, while his efforts were such as to gain to him the heartiest endorsement and such as to conserve the best municipal government. In Monroe county he was for eighteen years incumbent of the office of justice of the lieace, iiis commission ha\ing been signed by Rutherford B. Hayes, ihen governor of the state. He is at the present time ser\-ing his fourth year as a member of the county board of elections and he is one of the stalwart advocates of the cause of the Republican party, in wh.ich he has been an active worker from the time of its inception. Fraternally he vitalizes his interest in and association with his old comrades in arms through his affiliation with John C. Fremont Post No. 789, Grand Army of the Republic, in Allipnce. of which he is a valued and popular member, while he holds the confidence and regard of all who know him and is one of the representati\e men of the city of his home. He and his wife are devoted members of the Union y\\-enue Methodist Episcopal church and are active in its work.

On the 30th of April, 1858, was solemnized the marriage of Captain Wilson to Miss Rachel Flannah, vdio was l)orn in Guernsey county, Ohio, being- a daughter of John ami Elizabeth Flannah. while her paternal grandfather was a soldier in the war of 1S12 and her great-grandfather. Judge Charles Hannah, was an influential citizen of Center county, Pennsylvania, and the founder of the town of Hannah, that county, which was named in his honor. Captain and jNlrs. Wilson became the parents of nine children, of whom seven are living, and these seven, all but the two elder, received the pri\ileges of Mount Union College. Of them we enter record as follo^vs : Oscar P. is a successful farmer of Washington township, this countv ; Alston G. is engaged in farming and stock raising in the same township ; Thomas E. is engaged in banking in JMineral City, Ohio; John V.'. is postmaster at Del Norte, Colorado: Rev. Allicrt H. is a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church; Charles F. is identified with mining operations at Cripple Creek. Colorado ; and Irene J. is the wife of Clarence Egan, who is likewise engaged in the same line of enterprise at Cripple Creek.

PERRY A\". AA'ErdxER, M. D. - Comspicuous among the men who have gi\-en dignity and prestige to the medical profession in eastern Ohio is the distinguished physician and surgeon of .\lliance whose name furnishes the caption of this sketch. By no means an old man. Dr. Welker has already had a life full of worthy lal)or, crowned with signal professional success and he stands today in the front ranks of those who devote their energies and abilities to the noble work of alleviating human suft'ering-. Paternally the Doctor comes of sturdy German stock, the history of the family in this countrydating from the early settlement of Pennsylvania. Many years ago his grandfather, Philip Welker, moved from the state to the wilds of eastern Ohio, settling in ]\Iahoning county, of which he was one of the first pioneers. He entered land, improved a farm, reared a family, and spent the remainder of his life in that county, dying' a number of years ago where he originally settled, after reaching an advanced age. The AA'elkers have long been noted for longe\- ity, eight of the nine children ol the above Philip having lived beyond four score years, a record perhaps unparalleled in the history of any family in the state of Ohio. David Welker, son of Philip and father of the subject, was born in Mahoning county, in the year 1812, and grew to manhood amid the stirring scenes and varied experiences of the pioneer period. In his youth he learned the carpenter's trade but devoted the greater part of his life to agriculture, having cleared and improved a farm adjoining the old homestead while he was still a young man. David Welker was a successful farmer and a most excellent public-spirited citizen. In early life he was a stanch Whig, but later became a Republican and as such exerted considerable influence for the party in his community. For many years he divided his time l:)etween agriculture and carpentry and many monuments of his skill as a builder are still standing in various parts of Mahoning county, as his services appear to have been in great demand throughout a large area of that section of the state. Elizabeth Davis, wife of David Welker, was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, in 1822 bore her husband three children and departed this life in the year 1898, at the age of seventysix. Mr. Welker preceded his wife to the other world by about four years, dying some time in 1894. Of their three children, two are living at the present time, William, of Mahoning county, and the subject of this review.

Perry W. Welker, a native of Mahoning county, Ohio, and was born on the old homestead December 22, 1852. Plere he was brought up, sharing all the hardships and pleasures incident to farm life until his seventeenth year, his education the meantime consisting of the best the country schools afforded, his attendance being alternated with work in the fields. The intellectual discipline thus derived was supplemented by a course in the Poland Seminary, after which, when only seventeen years old, he began teaching in the public schools of his native country, which line of work he follow'ed of winter seasons for three years with a creditable record as an instructor. Having decided to devote his life to the medical profession, Mr. Welker began a preliminary course of reading under Dr. S. S. Schiller, of Youngstown, and after pursuing his studies there until 1872, entered the Eclectic Medical Institute at Cincinnati, from which he was graduated three years later.

Immediately after receiving his degree the Doctor opened an office at Petersburg, Mahoning county, and during the ensuing four years practiced in the town and surrounding country, building up a large patronage which was satisfactory both professionally and financially. Desiring a larger field wherein to exercise his talents, he wound up his affairs in Petersburg and in 1879 removed to Alliance where he has since steadily grown in favor as a successful physician and skillful surgeon, his practice taking a wide range and earning him a reputation second to that of none of his compeers. While combining many of the essential qualifications of the ideal family physician and meeting with distinguished success in the general practice, the Doctor is especially efiicient as a surgeon, a branch of the profession in which he has few equals in this part of the state. He has attended many critical cases in his own city and elsewhere and his services are frequently called into requisition by his associates when delicate operations, requiring a high degree of skill, are to be performed. He has availed himself of every opportunity to keep in touch with modem medical thought and the most approved methods of practice, devotes himself assiduously to his laborious duties, and as a consequence has built up one of the largest practices in the city, to say nothing of the lucrative patronage that comes to him from places at a distance. His popularity, which is steadily growing", is in the main attributable to Iiis efficiency as a healer, but not a little of it is due to his genial nature as well as to his tnct in winning the confidence of patients and their friends, characteristics which enter largely into the make-up of the enterprising, successful practitioner. The Doctor is a member of the various local medical societies of Alliance and Stark county and he also belongs to the National Medical Association and the Sfite Medical Association of Ohio. For the past ti fteen years he has served the city as health officer, and since 1882, with the exception of President Cleveland's administration, he has been - member of the Stark county board of pension examiners.

Dr. Welker is a Republican in politics and since coming to Alliance has been active in behalf of his party's interest, local, state and nation d. While a .7ealous partisan and a man whose advice is always looked for and of much weight in party councils, he has ever sought to advance the interest of others, rather than to pave his own way to public preferment. He is an enthusiastic member of several fraternal organizations and a leading spirit in the affairs of the various lodges to which he belongs. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias, being a member of the Uniform rank, belongs to L.odge No. 467, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, which meets in Alliance, and also stands high in Masonic circles, holding membership with the blue lodge in this city and with the Al Koraii Temple, Mystic Shrine, in Cleveland.

Dr. Welker was lirst married, in .\pril, 1875. to Miss Bina Heisy, of Columbiana county, who died after a brief but happy wedded life of only six months' duration. Subsequently, '879, he contracted a matrimonial alliance with his present companion, Miss Jennie C. Swisher, of Petersburg, Mahoning county, the union resulting in the birth of a son, Paul R., who died in childhood.

CHARLES O. SILVER is a native of Pennsylvania and the only child of Amos C. and Sarah A. Silver, both parents born in Ohio. Amos C. Silver first saw the light of day September 3, 1838, in Columbiana county, and was one of three children whose parents were James and Nancy (Tharp) Silver. He received a liberal education at New Lisbon school and Damascus Academy, taught school for several winters and in 1861 entered the Union service as a builder and repairer of telegraphs. By reason of an injury in 1865, he was obliged to leave the service and after his return home the following year he engaged with the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago and Cleveland & Pittsburg railroads to keep their telegraph lines in repair, continuing in that capacity until 1878. At the latter date he embarked in the boot and shoe business in Alliance and was prominently identified with the city's commercial interests until his death, in the year 3892. January 11, 1866, he married Sarah A. Ivelty, who, like himself, was a native of Columbiana county and who is still living in the city of Alliance.

Charles O. Silver was born Jul}' 6, 1869, in Rochester, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and received his education in the public schools, supplemented by a commercial course in Mt. Union College. When quite young he entered his father's store, where lie obtained his first practical instruction in business and during his school years he spent his vacations behind the counter, in this way developing early not only a liking for business life but also great efficiency as ?. salesman. He continued as his father's clerk until the latter's death in 1892, when he took up painting and paper lianging, which trades he followed until entering the employ of the American Express Company four years later. His position with this company was that of chief clerk to the general agent in the main office in Cleveland, a responsible post, requiring a high degree of clerical ability, and he held the same tor a period of two years, discharging his cUities in snch a manner as to gain the confidence and eHcit the praise of his superior. Resigning his position in 1897, ^^i'- Silver resumed painting and paper hanging at Alhance and was thus engaged until his appointment as journal clerk of the house of representatives of the seventy-third general assembly, which position he filled with an honorable record. During the years IQ00-2 he was secretary of the state ]x)ard of equalization and after his duties in that capacity ceased he served for some time as assistant clerk of the lower house of the state legislature. Mr. Silver, on July 21, 1902, was appointed city clerk of Alliance to fill out the unexpired term of J. H. IVlcConnell, which position he has since held with credit to himself and 10 the entire satisfaction of the public, his previotis business and clerical training peculiarly fitting him for the office. Careful, methodical, thoroughly competent and with the good of the pulilic at heart, he discharges his duties efliciently, as his record thus far attests, and his relations with all having business to transact in his ofhce have Ijeen as courteous and agreeable as to win for him a measure of popularity such as few of his predecessors enjoyed. May 4, 1903, Mr. Silver was, by a large majority, elected city auditor.

Air. Silver is a Republican of the most orthodox type and for a number of years past has been one of the standard bearers of his party in Alliance. He has rendered valued service as a member of the Lexington township central committee and as an effective campaigner is perhaps without a superior among the aggressive and intiuential young Republilicans of Stark county. He is a member of Line Rock Lodge No. 23, Knights of Pythias, Blaine Tent No. 220, Knights of the Maccabees, and Alliance Lodge No. 467, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and in religion is a Methodist, belonging to the First churc\i of that denomination in Alliance. He was married, on the 14th day of February, 1901, to Miss Lotta Craft, of North Benton, Mahoning county, the accomplished daughter of Eli Craft, formerly of North Benton, but now a resident of Alliance. Mr. and Mrs. Silver have no children. They are popular in social and religious circles, are identified with much good work in the city of their residence and their home is a congenial resort where hospitality and refined good cheer are dispensed with a liberality and bountifulness bespeaking an earnest effort to make pleasant the lives of those with whom they associate.