Fulton Township (part 27 of 34)

Mr. Schlatter is a son of Rudolph and Luisa (Gugerlie) Schlatter. His grandfather, Jacob Schlatter, came from Switzerland and was an early settler in Franklin Township of Fulton county. He located there when a young man and in addition to clearing up and managing his eighty-acre farm he practiced his profession as a veterinary surgeon. He reared a family of three sons and three daughters. Rudolph Schlatter was the youngest child and spent his life on the homestead farm, where Henry Jacob Schlatter was born in 1876. The latter was five years old when his father died, three years later his mother died, and nine days previously the only daughter in the family passed away. When Henry J. was eleven years old he lost the other member of the household, his only brother. That left him alone in the world and under the guardianship of his uncle, John W. Meister. Under such conditions he had to face the test of unusual responsibilities at an early age. He attended country schools in winter, worked on the farm in summer, and at the age of seventeen made a regular contract with his uncle for farm services at fifty dollars a year. At nineteen he went into a factory making buggy bodies at Auburn, Indiana, and worked a year as a driller. Returning to Fulton county, he resumed farm work in Dover Township at sixteen dollars a month, and then farmed forty-two acres which he personally owned in Franklin Township. Selling out, he bought sixty acres elsewhere in the same township and remained on it, farming, for four years.

In 1901 he became a clerk in the well known Wauseon mercantile firm of Eager, Standish & Company, and was with them almost continuously until 1911. During six months of that time he was on the road selling farm implements. January 1, 1911, he engaged in the hardware: business with I. W. Douat at Wauseon under the name Douat & Schlatter. They took in G. W. Howard; and the firm became Douat, Schlatter & Company. November 11, 1911, occurred a disastrous fire, after which the business was resumed and Mr. Schlatter and Mr. Howard soon bought the half interest of Mr. Douat and since then the firm has been under its present title. They handle general hardware, furnaces, roofing and do a large business both in city and country.

In 1896 Mr. Schlatter married Bertha Clark, daughter of E. H. and Matilda (Bennett) Clark of Dover Township. They have one daughter, Olive Esther, who is a graduate of the Wauseon High School, spent one year in the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware,, is a graduate of the Davis Business College at Toledo, and is now employed in the county superintendent's office. .

Mr. Schlatter is a republican, a member of the Methodist Church and is affiliated with the Lodge of Masons, Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen of America, all at Wauseon. During his many years in business Mr. Schlatter has worked. out a system of keeping stock records that is thoroughly practical and admirable, since it enables him to know at an instant just what is on hand and what has been sold, and the purchase of new supplies is therefore quickly and promptly adjusted to the changing demands.

Lewis E. ConNnELL is proprietor of the Maple Avenue Stock Farm in Gorham Township. This farm is widely known in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio as the home of one of the best herds of Holstein cattle in the country. Mr. Connell is a noted breeder of this dairy stock, and is president of the Holstein Association in Fulton county and a director of the Ohio State Holstein Breeders Association.

His farm is part of the old Coffin estate, his wife's people, and was taken up by Mrs. Connell's grandfather in pioneer times, more than eighty years ago. Lewis Connell was born in Williams county, Ohio, at West Unity, in 1860, a son of William James and Martha L. (Shepardson) Connell. His father was a native of Columbiana county, Ohio, and his mother of Lenawee county, Michigan. His grandfather, Dr. Aaron Connell, a New Englander, moved west to Columbiana county and for years was a hard working country physician in that locality. The maternal grandparents, Lewis and Emily (Gunn) Shepardson, were natives of Massachusetts, and were early settlers in Lenawee county, Michigan. William J. Connell was one of seven brothers, and all of them except one, who at the time was an editor in a southern state, enlisted and served in the Union Army during the Civil war. William J. Connell was in Company C of the One Hundredth Ohio Infantry and made a gallant and faithful record throughout the struggle. All these brothers are now deceased except D, C. Connell, who was born in 1833 and is now living in his eighty-seventh year at Findlay, Ohio. He is well preserved for his years, is strong and active, and is now a magazine agent. William J. Connell and wife after their marriage settled at West Unity, and on his return to that county from the war he developed his talent as a vocalist by special instruction in Xenia College, and for many years was a teacher of vocal music. Later he moved to Fayette and in 1873 to a farm in Gorham Township of Fulton county. He was elected sheriff of Fulton county about 1888 and served two consecutive terms of two years each. Following the war for many years he was in the lumber business, operating sawmills in different localities of northern Ohio. William J. Connell was born in 1839 and died in January, 1913. His wife was born in 1838 and died in 1901. Lewis E. is the oldest of their children. Edwin J. resides at Monroe, Michigan, and Dr. C. V. is a veterinary surgeon at Decatur, Indiana.

Lewis E. Connell acquired his early education in the public schools of Fayette, later attended Valparaiso College in Indiana, and at the age of twenty-three began farming in Gorham Township on his father's place. He remained there about twelve years, and during that time specialized in pure-bred Berkshire hogs. Since then his home has been on the Coffin place, formerly owned by his wife's father, in section 21 of Gorham Township. The Maple Avenue Stock Farm comprises 120 acres, and the big feature is the herd of registered Holstein cattle. Mr. Connell keeps about fifty head of pure bred-bred stock and ships large quantities of milk to the condenseries. He was one of the organizers of the Fayette Elevator Company and is president of that institution.

In 1884 Mr. Connell married Dora E. Coffin. She was born on the farm where she now resides, a daughter of George W. and Emily (Hill) Coffin. Her father was born at Williamsburg, Massachusetts, and her mother near Detroit, Michigan. Her grandparents were Freeman and Hannah (Whitmarsh) Coffin, natives of Massachusetts, who in 1835 came west and entered a tract of 820 acres from the government in Fulton county. All this land was then covered with dense timber and Freeman Coffin cleared up and developed about 160 acres, selling the remainder. His farm was transferred to his son George W. Coffin and 120 acres of it eventually came to Mr. and Mrs. Connell. Much of its splendid fertility and up-to-date improvements belong to the period of ownership by Mr. and Mrs. Connell.

The two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Connell are, Laura L. and Elsie L. The family are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Connell is now serving his second term as township trustee of Gorham Township. He is a republican, is affiliated with Tent No. 1186, Knights of the Maccabees, at Fayette, and also with the Gleaners.

Letanp D. Westsrook. The agricultural interests of Fulton. county are among the most valuable assets of this region, and the men who are engaged in promoting them are to be accounted the supporters of the county's prestige. One of these men who is making a success as a farmer, stockraiser and dairyman is Leland D. Westbrook of Swan Creek Township. He was born in section 8 of this same township on May 23, 1877, a son of George and Phebe (Williams) Westbrook, and grandson of John and Elizabeth Williams.

George Westbrook was born in New York state, but was brought to Swan Creek Township, Fulton county, Ohio, by his mother, then a widow, and was here reared and married. Following his marriage George Westbrook and his wife located on eighty acres of land in Swan Creek Township, which was covered with heavy timber, and worked hard to get it cleared and developed. His death occurred in March, 1912. His widow survives him and lives at Kendallville,

Indiana. Their children were as follows: Addie, who is Mrs. John Griesinger, of Pike Township; Elsie, who is Mrs. Elmer Deck, of Franklin, Pennsylvania; Ina, who is Mrs. John Green, of Swan Creek Township; Celia, who is Mrs. Roy Woodring, of Fulton Township; Leland D., whose name heads this review ; William, who ' resides at Knoxville, Tennessee; and Gertrude, who is Mrs. Charles Miller, of Kendallville, Indiana.

Leland D. Westbrook attended the local country schools, and learned how to be a practical farmer from his father. Until 1916 he conducted rented land, but then bought forty acres of the old homestead, and has since devoted it to general farming, stockraising and dairying, having always been occupied with these lines of endeavor. The year following his purchase his house was destroyed by fire, and he replaced with the present modern residence, and he has built the barns and other structures on his farm. This property is well improved and shows that the owner takes a pride in keeping things in good order. ;

In December, 1898, Mr. Westbrook was united in marriage with Carrie Woodring, born at Ida, Michigan, a daughter of David and Jeanette (Shide) Woodring, natives of Pennsylvania and Germany, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Westbrook have two children, namely: Nellie and Harold, both of whom are at home. In his political convictions Mr. Westbrook is a republican. He has long been a consistent member of the Union Church of his neighborhood, and for seven years served as superintendent of its Sunday School. He is a man who lives up to his creed in his everyday life and sets an example for others to follow of right living and stalwart honesty, and few men stand any higher in public esteem than he. While he has not cared for public honors, he is always willing to do a good citizen's part in maintaining the proper amount of development in his township, and is thoroughly representative of the best type of Ohio farmers.

DanteL Peter CuristMAn, of Swan Creek, was born at Waterville, Lucas county, December 5, 1872, in the same house in which his father, Daniel Christman, Sr., was born and where the Christman family had lived from pioneer days until 1895, when they removed to Brownhelm, Lorain county. The mother, Elizabeth, (Hartzing) Christman, was born at Perrysburg, Wood county. The grandparents, who were early residents of Lucas county, died early. They were farmers and helped clear up the timber country.

When Daniel Christman removed to Lorain county he had a sawmill and operated it four years, when he sold it and removed to North Olmstead. In 1917 he came to Fulton county to visit his son, Daniel Peter Christman, and died there. Mr. Christman's mother now resides in Cleveland. On December 23, 1894, he married Minnie Heckerman. She is a daughter of August and M Heckerman, and was born at Kelley's Island, Ohio. The father was born in Germany and the mother in Ireland.

After Mr. Christman's marriage he worked his father's home farm for eight years, then came to Fulton county and bought © fifty-acre farm in Pike Township, one mile north of Delta. He remained seven years on this farm, improving it, and when he sold it he doubled his money on it. He then bought eighty acres 2% miles south of Delta in Swan Creek. Six weeks later he went to Toledo by buy clover seed, and met with a serious misfortune.

It was April 16, 1910, that Mr. Christman went by the Toledo & Indiana Electric Line to Toledo, and on his return he left the car at the Lincoln Hotel in Delta. There was a severe electric storm, and as he was making his way to the home of a friend that night he became entangled in live wires, the traction wire having been blown down and lodged across some high tension wires, and he was struck by a telephone wire with 18,000 volts. In order to protect his face he grasped the wire with his hands and could not let loose of it again.

It was after night and storming and no one was out to hear his cries for assistance, and Mr. Christman stood holding that live wire one hour and ten minutes, every minute filled with agony. Finally, between eleven and twelve o'clock, some one heard the call of distress and notified the town marshal, who came to his relief. He was carried into a nearby house and doctors were called and the injured hands were dressed, although he was so badly burned they assured him he would not live until morning.

Next day Mr. Christman was taken to the Wauseon Hospital, and three days later the hands were amputated as the only possible relief. He was in the hospital three weeks and under the care of the doctor for seven weeks. The damage case was settled out of court, the Toledo & Indiana Traction Company paying him something like $21,000 in money. In the following December Mr. Christman left the farm and settled on a smaller place suburban to Delta. He still owns the farm in Swan Creek Township.

Mr. Christman has invented an artificial hand with which he can accomplish almost anything he undertakes. It is patented and he receives a royalty on the sales, thus benefiting from it financially as well as physically, and he is able to do the work on his smaller farm adjoining Delta. Mr. Christman is a trustee in the Christian Church and also trustee in the Modern Woodmen of America. In a political way he votes the democratic ticket. His children are: Floyd M. Christman, manager of the United States Express Company's business at Rochester, Indiana; Beatrice, who is now teaching school; and Ruth and Roland Frederick, who live at the home of their father.

The Fulton county record of the Christman family is throughout one of honorable industry and public spirit, and it is a significant illustration of the character of the family stock that Mr. Christman when handicapped by physical energies has been able to continue a life of usefulness and "by using his head"' is able © to do more than many otherwise able-bodied men are competent to accomplish.

Harry B. Mack. The Fairmont Farm, known as the Mack family homestead near Delta, was entered from the government in the territorial days of Fulton county history. Although of Scotch parentage, Eliza Brooks Mack was born May 3, 1804, in Donegal, Treland. She boarded a ship, June 18, 1823, at Londonderry, Ireland, and sailed for the United States. It was August 15 that she landed in New York City. She was almost two months crossing the Atlantic.

This young Irish woman remained in New York until December 1, 1829, when she married William Mack, who had also come from Ireland. They located in Jefferson county, New York, where they remained four years before coming to Perrysburg, Wood county, Ohio. They lived in Wood county from 1834 until 1840, when they moved to the timber land they had entered in the wilds of what is now Fulton county. There were twelve children born in the family, and the father died April 30, 1872, and the mother lived until May 7, 1899. She was a charter member of the Presbyterian Church which was organized in John King's barn one mile south of Delta..

Harry Brooks Mack now owns Fairmont Farm, the old Mack homestead of pioneer days in Fulton county. He is a grandson of the woman who immigrated from Ireland and bears her name as well as the Mack family name. On March 23, 1904, he married Florence LaVerne Haley. She is a daughter of John Rutter and Elizabeth (Roos) Haley. She was born in Chesterfield. The Haley grandparents were John and Sarah (Rutter) Haley. He was from Holmes county, Ohio, and John R. Haley, father of Mrs. Mack, was born there. The grandmother was born in Pennsylvania, but the mother was born in Chesterfield. The maternal grandfather, John Philip Roos, was born at Red Hook, New York, and he is descended from Dr. John Philip Burchard -Roos, who joined Washington's army in the Revolutionary war. They are of Hessian descent. The grandmother, Emily (Noblis) Roos, was born at Warsaw, New York, but her parents came early to Chesterfield.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Mack are: Agnes Elizabeth, May 5, 1906; Harry Haley, March 3, 1909; and Norman Brooks, July 26, 1915. The family are members of the Christian Church. Fairmont Farm is one of the oldest family homesteads in Fulton county.

The farm comprises eighty-three acres, is practically all under cultivation, and its improvements easily identify it among the better country homes of the county. To a large degree the success of this modern farm has been due to the intelligent efforts put forth by Harry B. Mack, who in his own character worthily upholds the record of this honored pioneer name in Fulton county.

Francis JERoME Hoyt. Having spent his life in Swan Creek Township, Francis Jerome Hoyt, one of the progressive farmers of Fulton county, naturally is much interested in this region and an active factor in promoting its welfare. He was born in Swan Creek Township on January 18, 1856, a son of Charles and Amelia (Mc- Cullough) Hoyt, he born near Batavia, New York, and she in Sandusky county, Ohio. In 1844 Charles Hoyt came to Cuyahoga county, Ohio, with his parents, but later left them and settled on the Maumee River in Lucas county. Following his marriage he spent a few years in Henry county, and then bought eighty acres of wild timber land in Swan Creek Township, Fulton county, which he cleared off, improved and resided upon until his death, which occurred on March 16, 1889. His wife passed away in 1875, having borne him the following children: Marietta, who is Mrs. John Alonza King of Weston, Ohio; Ruth Alice, who is Mrs. Eugene Kane, of Toledo, Ohio; and Francis Jerome, who is the youngest. Charles Hoyt had a daughter by a previous marriage, who is Jane Mrs. Robert Wood, of Wood county, Ohio. i

Francis J. Hoyt was married to Isabella Hulet, a daughter of Edward and Rachel (Lindley) Hulet, born in Cuyahoga county Ohio. Mr. Hulet was born at Brunswick, Medina county, Ohio. In

1860 the Hulet family moved to Swan Creek Township, Fulton county, and Mr. Hulet bought ninety acres of land in section 9. This land was covered with timber, and Mr. Hulet worked hard to clear it off until his death, which occurred on February 14, 1878. His widow survived him until February 4, 1912. Mrs. Hoyt is the only child of her parents.

Following his marriage Mr. Hoyt moved on the old homestead of his father-in-law, and after the latter's death cared for Mrs. Hulet as long as she lived. Mr. Hoyt now owns 150 acres of land in his home place and two other tracts, one of twenty acres and the other of forty acres. He has 110 acres under cultivation, the rest being in woodland and pasture. Mr. Hoyt has always been a general farmer and stockraiser, and is recognized as one of the enterprising men in his line.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt became the parents of the following children: Charles Edward, who lives at Toledo, Ohio; Francis Leon, who is also at Toledo; Beulah Isabella, who is at home; and Raymond Harold, who died in infancy. While Mr. Hoyt's educational advantages were confined to those offered by the district schools of his neighborhood, Mrs. Hoyt attended Delta High School and the normal school at Medina, Ohio. In the faith of the United Brethren Mr. Hoyt finds expression for his religious views. He is a strong republican and has been elected on his party ticket to the offices of township trustee and school director, and held the former one for three years. In addition to making a success of his farming, Mr. Hoyt has also gained the respect and confidence of his neighborhood, and is recognized as an excellent type of the Ohio farmer and citizen in good standing. The name of the Hoyt farm home is Seven Oaks.

DanieL Lityey. Agriculture today continues as essential to peace as it was to war, and consequently now more than ever must the farmer receive due credit for what he has accomplished. Fulton county is producing some of the best agriculturists now, just as it has done in the past, and these men are making magnificent records for their section. One of these progressive citizens is Daniel Lilley, who is engaged in farming in York Township. He was born in Ontario, Canada, on March 24, 1871, a son of Hugh and Jane (Montgomery) Lilley, natives of Ireland and Ontario, Canada, respectively. The paternal grandfather, Hugh Lilley, died in Ireland, and the maternal grandparents, Frank and Jane Montgomery, were natives of the Emerald Isle.

When he was seventeen years old Hugh Lilley, the younger, came across the ocean to Canada and learned the trade of a mason, but later became a farmer. In 1874 he came to the United States, . and located in York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, buying eighty acres of land that was very heavily covered with timber. He cleared off his land and placed it under cultivation, and there he died in 1911, his widow surviving him until 1916. Their children were as follows: Mary, who is Mrs. F. J. Shannon, of Michigan; Sarah, who was Mrs. Datin Roach, is deceased; Matilda, who is deceased; Rachel, who is Mrs. Fisk Brainard, of Alabama; Frank, who died at the age of three years; Anna, who is Mrs. Vernon Kesler, of Fulton county, Ohio; Daniel, whose name heads this review; Jennie, who is the widow of David Mack, lives at Delta, Ohio; Hugh, who 'sa resident of York Township; John, who is a resident of Toledo,

Daniel Lilley attended the district schools and remained at home until his marriage, which occurred on August 9, 1896 when he was united with Orpha Aummend, born in York Township, May 1, 1874, a daughter of Samuel G. and Martha (Misson) Aummend. For the year following his marriage Mr. Lilley lived on rented land in York Township, and then moved on the eighty-acre farm he owned in section 35 in the same township. This he improved and lived upon from 1898 until 1913, when he sold it and moved to Delta and spent a year. In the meanwhile he had bought the old homestead of his father, and in 1914 moved on it and it has since been his home. Here he is carrying on general farming and dairying, keeping from six to twelve cows of the registered Holstein strain. Since coming here he has either rebuilt or replaced all the buildings and has everything in fine condition. Seventy acres of his land is under cultivation, the remainder being in pasture, and his farm is one of the best improved in the township. ; '

Mr. and Mrs. Lilley became the parents of the following children: Howard, one of the veterans of the great war, was discharged from the navy during 1919, after a service of about eight months; and Marion, who is at home. Mrs. Lilley was given the advantage of attendance at the Wauseon Normal School and for eight terms taught in the district schools of Mahoning county prior to her marriage. She is one of the following family: Mrs. Oliver George, who lives in York Township; Flora, who was Mrs. George Bowers, is now deceased; Clark, who lives in Pike Township; Alpha, who is Mrs. Daniel Ringel of Huron county, Ohio; Thomas, who lives in York Township; Minnie, who died at the age of fifteen years; Mannie G., who lives in York Township; Dora, who is Mrs. Waldo Smith of Aurora, Illinois; Mrs. Lilley; Mabel, who is Mrs. Terry Tremain of York Township; and Harry, who died at the age of four years. Mr. Aummend, father of the above mentioned family, died in 1900, but his widow survives him and makes her home with her daughter Mrs. Oliver George.

Mr. Lilley is a democrat, but has no official record, his tastes leading him to keep out of politics. Fraternally he belongs to the Knights of Pythias No. 199 of Delta, Ohio, and he has held the office of doorkeeper in that lodge. A hard worker, he has striven to do whatever he undertook well and to render an efficient service, and as a result he has acquired a fair competency and good standing in his neighborhood.

Dr. JAMES ALEXANDER CrarG. While he now lives on a Fulton Township farm and devotes himself to pursuits agricultural, Dr. James Alexander Craig supplemented his common and high school education in Christian county, Illinois, with a medical education in Washington College of St. Louis. For a number of years he practiced medicine in Illinois.

_Doctor Craig was born June 26, 1875, in Christian county, IIlinois, and is a son of James and Narcissa (Rape) Craig. The father came from Glasgow, Scotland. The mother was a native of Sangamon county, Illinois. When James Craig was fourteen years old he came with a younger brother to Canada, but he soon crossed the boundary into the United States. He worked on farms in New York until he was twenty-one years old, when he' went to Spring- field, Illinois, where he again worked on farms in Sangamon county. After the Civil war he removed to Christian county. He bought land there in 1867. He died there in 1918, his wife having died ten years before that time.

Their children were: William, of Christian county; Elizabeth Jane, widow of Robert Armitage, of Taylorsville, Illinois; Minnie Alice, wife of F. W. Kepper, of Jasper, Missouri; Ada and Ida, twins, deceased ; Jacob, of Christian county; and Dr. J. A. Craig, the youngest of the family. In August, 1897, he married Edith M. Aymer, of Christian county, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Ann (Beckingham) Aymer. They were from England.

Doctor Craig practiced medicine at Farmersville, Illinois, for five years, when he removed to Pawnee, Christian county. In 1916 he purchased a farm of 295 acres in Fulton Township and removed to Fulton county, Ohio. The Doctor laid aside his profession for the oldest occupation known to the sons of men - agriculture. Beside general farming and livestock industry he gives special attention to a fine Holstein dairy.

The children of Dr. and Mrs. Craig are: Jessie M., wife of George E. Kessler of Fulton, Arthur F., James A., Bonnie Marie, Robert E., Alice E., Aymer D., Bessie, Bernidie and Dorothy. The family are members of the Methodist Church. The Doctor votes the democratic ticket and while living in Illinois he served as a member of the Board of Education. His Masonic Lodge membership is in Pawnee, Illinois, Gerard Chapter.

While one of the newcomers in Fulton county, the community has welcomed a man of such progressive type as Doctor Craig exemplifies. He is a man of scholarship and education, well qualified for leadership in agriculture, and his opinion is naturally respected on many subjects affecting the interests of the community.

Frep Lewis Ricwarps. The Richards family is one of the oldestablished ones of Ohio and Fulton county, and its representatives have long been associated with those industries which are connected with agricultural activities. One of the members of this family who has attained to a well-merited prosperity is Fred Lewis Richards of Swan Creek Township. He was born in York Township this county on March 12, 1876, a son of Leander E. and Ida (Holborn) Richards, natives of Indiana and Fulton county, Ohio, respectively. A sketch of Leander E. Richards and his wife appears elsewhere in this work. .

Fred Lewis Richards attended the public schools in the several localities in which his parents' interests caused them to reside, and when he was seventeen years old he began working as a farm hand by the month, and was so engaged for a period of five years. On September 4, 1898, he was married to Ella Detwiler, born in Swan Creek Township, a daughter of Oliver and Mary (Teft) Detwiler, and they have three children, namely: Ophal May, Floy Oliver and Bertha, all of whom are at home. 1

Following his marriage Fred Lewis Richards bought thirty-two acres of land in section 30, which was all cleared, and he has been a farmer of Swan Creek Township ever since. He subsequently added twenty-five acres to his farm, which is also improved, and now has a very valuable property. The present buildings have all been erected by him and he has made other improvements to bring his farm up to modern standards. Here he is carrying on general farming and dairying, his herd numbering eight cows of the Holstein strain. Having spent all of his life in farming, Mr. Richards is thoroughly experienced and is not afraid to try new methods, for he recognizes the fact that something is constantly being brought to light. When he finds one which suits him and his work he adopts it. In this way he has brought his operations up to the highest degree of efficiency, and his land produces banner crops. _

Owing to the fact that he has been so occupied with his farming Mr. Richards has not cared to enter public life, but, like his good father, he always votes the republican ticket and upholds the principles of his party. While not a member of any religious organization, he attends the services of the Raker Universalist Church, and contributes toward its support. Having spent practically all of his life in Fulton county, he is naturally interested in its growth and development, and can be depended upon to back any movement which in his opinion will bring about these results.

Creek Township, and is recognized as one of the representatives of the agricultural class in Fulton county. He was born on the Island of Guernsey in August, 1848, a son of John and Sophia (DeGaris) de La Mare, also natives of the Island of Guernsey, who came to the United States in 1861. After a short period spent in Cuyahoga county, Ohio, they came to Swan Creek Township, buying eighty acres of partly cleared and improved land, of which they later sold their son Alfred half, residing on the other half for some years. They then sold it and bought another forty-acre tract a half mile south of their original farm, and there Mrs. de La Mare died, following which Mr. de La Mare went to live with his son Alfred, and remained with him as long as he survived. His children were as follows: Sophia, who was Mrs. Manuel Cole, is deceased; Alfred; Louisa, who died in infaney; and John, who died at the age of five years. When he was twenty-one years of age Alfred de La Mare went to Cleveland, Ohio, and worked at gardening for one season and then drove a milk wagon for three years. He then returned to Swan Creek Township, to the forty acres of land he had bought from his father. This property was partly improved, but it had no buildings and he had to erect all of them. He has kept four acres of the original timber land, but has the remainder under cultivation, and has added to his farm until he now has sixty acres on the west side of the road and thirty acres on the east, and his wife owned ten acres one mile north of their farm. This had an old mill dam on it for furnishing the water power to run the Raker mill. This small tract is also operated by Mr. de La Mare. He carries on general farming and keeps a good-sized dairy and breeds cattle, hogs, horses and sheep.

_ On November 25, 1875, Mr. de La Mare was united in marriage with Sarah Engleman, a daughter of John and Catherine (Smith) Engleman, born in Ohio. Mrs. de La Mare died on October 2, 1897, having borne her husband the following children: Sophia, who is Mrs. Royal Reighard, of Swan Creek Township; an unnamed son who died in infancy; and Ethel, who married Carl Watkins, now piriege Ae home farm, while Mrs. Watkins keeps house for her father. Mr. de La Mare is a member of the Raker Union Church. He is a strong prohibitionist and rejoices in the passage and ratifica- tion of the Eighteenth Amendment. When he and his associates in this movement began their fight the general public had but little _ Sympathy with them, never for a moment thinking that it would ultimately be successful. These early workers endured much in their efforts to educate the people with reference to the evils of the liquor traffic, and to them is due the credit for the great reform wave which has swept not only over this country, but is reaching out to include others, so that it is only a matter of time until the entire world will be "dry."

THOMAS JEFFERSON WaacGoneR. The honored name he bears would suggest that Thomas Jefferson Waggoner of Swan Creek Township is affiliated with the democratic party. Mr. Waggoner was born in Washington Township, Henry county,. February 2, 1858, and he is a son of John B. and Catharine (Kessler) Waggoner. In early life he attended the district school, but hard work has always been part of his life history.

On November 8, 1879, Mr. Waggoner married Mary Alice Null, who is a daughter of George and Christina (Arnold) Null. For two years after his marriage he resided with his parents, then he bought forty acres of land, with fifteen acres partly cleared, and he at once cleared all of it but five acres retained for pasture. The rest of the land is under cultivation. All necessary farm buildings have been added, and later his father gave him another tract of forty acres. Later he bought thirty-nine acres only a short distance from it, and withal he has one of the good farms in Swan Creek Township. On each tract there is a small amount of timber, and timber always adds to the value of farm land when the beauty is taken into consideration.

The children in the Waggoner family are: Nettie, the wife of Louis Hoffman, of Swan Creek; Myrtle Belle, wife of John Sweeny; James, who farms the home place; Alice, wife of Allen Worden, of Toledo; George, of Henry county; Jesse, of Minneapolis; Ethel, wife of Charles Detwiler, of Toledo; Pearl, wife of Floyd Baker, of Swan Creek; Harry, of Toledo; and Le Roy, of Toledo, who served in the Light Artillery in France in the World war.

It will be noted that Mr. Waggoner had a.son in the World war. That is an additional service to one of the most patriotic families found in Fulton county. Mr. Waggoner's own father was a Civil war soldier, and his first American ancestor bore arms for the independence of this country in the War of the Revolution. While the family has done its part in the various wars of the nation, their sustained service has been equally notable in making homes and clearing lands in the middle west, and the farm and home of Mr. Waggoner in Swan Creek Township is an impressive evidence of the substantial character and industry of its owner.

Roy O. Merritz, of Ai in Fulton county is yet a young man, having been born April 18, 1891, in Fulton Township, Fulton county. His father, Frank C. Merrill, was born near Ottokee, while the mother , Etta (Nobbs) Merrill, was born at Ai. They still reside in Fulton Township, Fulton county.

On March 7, 1914, Roy O. Merrill married Ruby Stillwell, of Adrian, Michigan. She is a daughter of Amos P. and Eva (Blair) Stillwell. After his marriage he resided on his father's farm two years, then bought sixty-five acres, and he has improved it with necessary buildings and fences. He has tiled a great deal and with a Hee aheratlon is increasing the soil fertility. He has twelve head of Holstein dairy cows.

Mr. Merrill has two sons, Marion Homer, who was born February 19, 1916, and Deane Louis, born January 18, 1920. Running back the Merrill family tree, Frank C. Merrill is a son of Ozias - and Jane (Vaughn) Merrill, the father having been born August 2, 1827, in Maine. The mother was born May 5, 1829, in Holmes county, Ohio. The next generation of Merrills was Levi and Lucy (Staple) Merrill. : :

It was in. 1838 that the original Merrill family came by the Erie Canal to Buffalo and by a lake vessel to Toledo, and they soon settled where they have always lived in Fulton county. It was a wild part of the country when the Merrills came into it. They have witnessed the transformation.

It is known that Alexander and Rebecca (Jones) Vaughn, of the family ancestry, were natives of Holmes county, and that in 1834 they came into the limits of what is now Fulton county. Their son James Vaughn was the first white child born in Fulton Township. They lived at Ai. Ozias Merrill conducted a general store in war times - Civil war. He served as auditor of Fulton county in its early history. He was engaged extensively in the real estate business for several years. His death occurred in 1903, while Mrs. Merrill had died seven years earlier. Their children were: Frank C.; Horace A., deceased; Eugene, of Wauseon; and Minnie, wife of William Biddle, of York Township.

Frank C. Merrill married Etta E. Nobbs March 22, 1882, and they located on a farm in Fulton Township. Her parents, James H. and Ann (Fetterman) Nobbs, had come from Pennsylvania. With the land they purchased and the land given them by Mr. and Mrs. Nobbs, the Merrills had 129 acres all under cultivation but twelve acres in timber and pasture. Since 1917 Mr. Merrill has rented the land to his son. The children of the Merrills are: Herma, wife of William Walters, of Fulton Township; Clayton, of Fulton; Florence, wife of Dwight Hand, of Ypsilanti, Mchigan; Roy O. of this sketch; Lucy, wife of Clark Drennan, of Lucas county; Koyrl, of Ypsilanti; and Mildred and Raymond. The members of the family have had common school educations, and the vote is with the republican party. Mr. Merrill has served as trustee of Fulton. He is a Mason in Swanton, and different members of the family belong to the Grange.

WiriramM EH. Watrers, of Fulton, was born August 9, 1880, in Dover. He is a son of O. O. and Ellen (Hoffmeyer) Walters, the parents both natives of York. For twelve years after his marriage O. O. Walters lived in Dover, but in 1882 he bought a farm in Fulton. There are 106 acres of the land and he cleared and improved it. He died there March 16, 1918. The wife still lives there. Their children were: Lulu, wife of Albert Greisinger, of Fulton; William ee who heads this review, and Etta, wife of Edson Harger, of 'ulton.

On November 10, 1904, Mr. Walters married Herma Merrill, of Fulton, a daughter of Frank C. and Etta (Nobbs) Merrill. He had already rented a farm, but after marriage he removed to another at Ai, and for seven years he was a tenant, but in the spring of 1912 he bought forty acres where he lived five years, then rented it

There is one daughter, Elnetta, born July 1, 1906. The family attend Union Church and Sunday School and Berry Grange, and they are members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners of Ai. Mr. Walters is a republican, and since 1917 he has served as a member of the Fulton County Central Committee.

Quimpy Barporrr. While he is a native of York, Quimby Batdorff, of Fulton, is in the third generation from German ancestry. He was born December 2, 1848, and is a son of Jonah and Elizabeth (Biddle) Batdorff. The mother was born in Holmes county. It was the grandparents, John and Betsey Batdorff, who came from Germany. The grandparents on the other side, Samuel and Elizabeth (Knight) Biddle, were from Pennsylvania.

Both families of the grandparents of Quimby Batdorff were early residents of Fulton county. For a few years Jonah and Elizabeth Batdorff lived in York, where their oldest son was born, and then they lived in Clinton. Later she died in Michigan, and after some years he died in Fulton county. Their children were: Quimby, who enrolls the family; William, of Presque Isle county, Michigan ; Mary Ellen, wife of Marion Fashbaugh, of Clinton; Samantha, wife of Samuel Blair, of Ogemaw county, Michigan; and Hiram L., of Wauseon.

On Christmas Day, 1870, Quimby Batdorff married Maggie Mack, of Swan Creek. Her parents, William and Eliza (Brooks) Mack, were from Donegal, Ireland. For a time they lived on the Batdorff farm, then rented another in Fulton, where they lived eight years. When he bought an eighty acre farm Mr. Batdorff immediately put out an orchard, built fences and remodeled farm buildings. In 1868 he learned house painting, and for half a century that has been his principal business while a son looks after the farm requirements.

The Batdorff children are: Jennie, wife of Willard Gunn, of Toledo; James, who is the farmer at the homestead; William, of York; Brooks, of Fulton; May, wife of Henry Moore, of Fulton; Ella, wife of John H. Hable, of Fulton; Joseph, at the homestead; Jonah, of Toledo; and Harry, of Swanton.

Mr. Batdorff has an unusual Civil war record, having served his country exactly five years. He was a member of Company B, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged June 18, 1866, exactly five years from the date the regiment entered the service. He is a member of McQuillan Grand Army of the Republic Post, and reviews in the way of campfire reminiscences many of the hard fought battles of the war. His ballot is cast with the republican party.

Dr. ARTHUR BUCHANAN LaTHROP represents at once both the professional life and the business interests of Swanton. He was born September 27, 1856, at Berkey, Richfield Township, Lucas county. He is ason of Clark C. and Louisa (Tuttle) Lathrop, the father from Rochester, New York, and the mother from Fairfield Township, Lenawee county, Michigan. When his father, Clark C. Lathrop, was only twelve years old he was brought by his father, Aruna Lathrop, to Lucas county.

try to Fairfield Township from Maumee. The father and mother of Doctor Lathrop met and married when the country was primitive, and they settled on a farm near Berkey. The father died in 1905, at the age of eighty-two years, and the mother, at the age of eightyseven, lives with her son in Swanton. Their children are: Dr. A. B. Lathrop; Edgar E., of Lorain county; and Alva A., who died June 9, 1919, in Swanton.

Doctor Lathrop as a boy attended the common schools, and later went to high school in Sylvania. He still later attended a school near Adrian, Michigan, and the Valparaiso Normal at Valparaiso, Indiana. For four years he attended Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan. The doctor is a graduate from Starling Medical College in Columbus, and from Bellevue, New York. He began practicing medicine in Swanton, and has been there continuously except in 1900, when he took a post graduate course in New York City and also visited Europe. :

In 1876 Doctor Lathrop married Louie M. Clark. Their children are: Homer C., of Indianapolis, who is with the firm of Lathrop, McFarland Company in the automobile business there. Emily is an expert accountant and Louie, who is a graduate in the department of agriculture in the University of Nebraska, operates one of the Lathrop farms near Sylvania. -

Doctor Lathrop's second marriage was with Lillian M. Printup, of Sylvania. She is a daughter of John Printup, who came as a babe six months old with his parents to Sylvania Township, Lucas county, in 1835 - another pioneer Lucas county family. From this marriage there is dne daughter, Helen Lucile. She is a Flower Hospital nurse in Toledo. The doctor and the nurse are both adjuncts to the community.

Doctor Lathrop was the democratic member of the Fulton County Board of Pension Examiners under President Cleveland. He is a Swanton Knight of Pythias, and a Mason up to the thirtysecond degree. In the way of a business investment Doctor Lathrop owns a large farm near Sylvania, and is president and manager of the Swanton Home Telephone Company. For nine years, Doctor Lathrop was engaged in private banking business, in the Bank of Swanton, which was taken over by the Farmers and Mechanics Deposit Company.

Horatio Burkey. While he was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1835, Horatio Burkey, of Fulton Township, has lived in Fulton county ever since 1858 - three years before he enlisted in the Civil war. He is a son of Jacob and Sarah (Burkey) Burkey, of Pennsylvania. After coming to Fulton county in 1858 Mr. Burkey worked by the month among farmers until August 21, 1861, when he enlisted in the service of his country. He was a member of Company I, Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He was discharged from the service December 10, 1863, and next day he re-enlisted in the same company and regiment for three years or until the end of the war.

Mr. Burkey received his final discharge July 12, 1865, near Louisville, Kentucky. He did not escape without injury. He had his knapsack shot off of his back, and he received a gunshot wound in his right wrist. The doctor probed for the bullet and secured it, and Mr. Burkey has it among his treasures today. Aye, the veterans of the Civil war had their share of narrow escapes, and

When this veteran of the Civil war returned to Fulton county, he bought an eighty-acre tract of timber in Fulton Township and he cleared it. Finally he and his wife owned 250 acres of well improved farm land, but in their old days they gave all to their children except a five-acre tract, where they they live in comfort. Mr. Burkey contracted deafness in the Civil war, and it grew worse until since 1898 he has been totally deaf.

Of the children born to Jacob and Sarah Burkey, those living today are: Anna Eliza, wife of David Livingston, of Holsapple, Pennsylvania; Sarah, who is married and lives in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and Horatio Burkey, of Fulton county. On July 1, 1866, Jacob Burkey married Rebecca Greisinger. She was born in the community where she has always lived, May 18, 1846, a daughter of Henry and Esther (Shultz) Greisinger. The father was born in Germany while the mother was a native of Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Mrs. Horatio Burkey had seven children: Laura F., wife of Frank Enfield, of Fulton; Amelia, who died at thirteen and Abba, who died at eleven; Erwin, of Fulton; Ezra, who is married and lives in Fulton county; Edna, wife of Peter Leibel, of Fulton; and Leonard, who is an Evangelical minister located at Copemish, Michigan. Mr. Burkey belongs to the same denomination as the son

This is a simple record of an old soldier who gave several years from the flower of his youth to the service of his country, and for many years since has suffered partial impairment of his faculties because of his patriotism to the old flag. And after the military record comes the record of many long years spent in the toil and sacrifice of developing a farm and making a home, and that achievement well performed is an additional solace to a man who has lived four score and five years and in every one of life's numerous relationships has deserved well of his country and his fellow men.

Cuaries I. Fraker, who for many years was in business with his father in Delta, Fulton county, Ohio, but who since the retirement of his father and the latter's ultimate death has devoted himself to the tillage of the old Fraker farm, which has been in the possession of the Fraker family for four generations, ever since the time it was deeded to their pioneer ancestor by President Pierce. The original parchment bearing the United States president's signature is still one of the treasured possessions of the family. The Fraker family has been in Ohio for more than a century, Thomas Fraker, great-grandfather of Charles I., was born in Pennsylvania, but his son George, grandfather of Charles I., was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1819, his parents, Thomas and Nancy (McKee) Fraker, having an adventurous early life in Ohio, the Indians being troublesome in their vicinity in those days. Thomas Fraker came to Fulton county in 1834, and entered government land, gaining title to 320 acres in Swan Creek and York Townships, and eventually receiving the parchment deed signed by the president of the United States. The land was heavily wooded, all wilderness, but the wood was valuable, for the most part walnut, elm, and oak.

Gradually a good acreage was cleared, his son George doing much of the Seana? and eaten Uys the work after his father's death. Thomas Fraker was a typical pioneer, a man of strong purpose, courageous and determined. And he was a man of influence in the township, as the early record shows. His son George, who was born in Wayne county, Ohio, in 1819, and came with his father into Fulton county, married Mary Ann Gorsuch. He was of worthy record in the county, and should be placed with his father as one of the pioneers of Swan Creek and York Townships. His son Andrew J., who was born in Clinton Township of Fulton county, married Rachel Fauble, who was born in Fulton Township of the same county, the daughter of Isaac Fauble and his wife, Rachel A. (Watkins), who were both born in Wayne county, Ohio, he in 1815 and she in 1818, and both of them the children of worthy pioneers of that part of Ohio. Michael Fauble, father of Isaac, was born in Germany, and was the American progenitor of the family and the pioneer ancestor in Wayne county, where he died. Isaac Fauble was in Fulton county soon after he had married, and secured several hundreds of acres of undeveloped government land situated in Fulton Township, Fulton county. There he and his wife lived for the remainder of their lives, and there their daughter Rachel, who married Andrew J. Fraker, was born. So that in both paternal and maternal lines the ancestry of Charles I. Fraker of Delta goes back to pioneers of the earliest days of Fulton county, a record which makes a review of his life of particular interest and value in this edition of Fulton County History. .

Andrew J. and Rachel (Fauble) Fraker were married on January 14, 1878, and soon afterward settled in Pettisville, Fulton county, where he established himself in a sawmilling enterprise. In the next year, however, he settled in Delta, having purchased an established saw and planing mill at that place. For twenty-one years thereafter he conducted that business, developing also quite a substantial trading in lumber. In 1900 he saw that it would be to his advantage to sell the business, and did so. However, three years later he again acquired the mill, and for the next six years operated it as a stave and heading mill. In 1909 he dismantled the mill and retired altogether from business, having acquired much material wealth by his years of trading. He died nine years later, on December 10, 1918, aged seventy years, having been born on June 26, 1848. Andrew J. Fraker was an able business man, and attained prominent place among the people of Delta. Throughout his life he showed commendable public spirit, and when he became a capitalist he became somewhat widely-known as a banking official. He was one of the founders of the Farmers Savings Bank of Delta, and for very many years was its vice president. His widow, who was born in 1857, still resides in Delta, and is in comparatively good health. The children of Andrew J. and Rachel (Fauble) Fraker were: Charles I., of whom more follows; William H., of Delta, now vice president of the Farmers Savings Bank of Delta, succeeding his father to the office; Herma Jane, who married the Rev. W. D. Hendershot, of Zanesville, Ohio, the latter in the Christian Church ministry.

Charles I. Fraker, eldest child of Andrew J. and Rachel (Fauble) Fraker, attended the elementary public and also the high schools of Delta, graduating from the latter in 1901. He took a collegiate course at Hiram College of Portage county, Ohio, and eventually entered business life in association with his father, continuing to take part in the business until his father decided to retire altogether, and to dismantle the mill. Charles I. then gave his attention to the cultivation of the Fraker farming property of 120 acres adjoining the borough of Delta on the southeast, the property eventually becoming his by inheritance and in 1919 he added sixteen acres to it. His decision to work the farm himself arose not only because it was a rich agricultural property, but family associations had some influence in bringing him to a decision, for it is the property upon which four generations of his family have lived, and representing the initial pioneering effort of his great-grandfather, who received title to the property from President Pierce, the original parchment bearing the signature of the nation's then chief executive being still in the possession of the family. Mr. Charles IJ. Fraker entered into the management of the farm with energy, proved himself apt and ultimately a skillful farmer. He cultivates about 100 acres of the 120 acres, the remaining twenty acres being in timber and pasture, and he has built two large barns, has laid much tile, and in other ways has appreciably improved the property. His farming is of general character, to which the property is well adapted, and he has had good success with cattle and registered Duroc Jersey hogs, raising poultry also somewhat extensively.

Politically Mr. Fraker is independent. He is a Mason, a member of local lodge No. 248, and he is a director and stockholder in the Farmers Savings Bank of Delta. He is widely known throughout that section of Fulton county, and has proved himself to be a man of fine character and strong purpose.

On November 12, 1918, he married Grace Vanaman, who was born in Bartlow Township, Henry county, Ohio, June 8, 1894, the daughter of Chester and Freda (Bundy) Vanaman, who were both natives of Fulton county, and granddaughter of Robert Vanaman, who was of German descent. Mr. and Mrs. Fraker are the parents © of three children: Herma Jane, who was born on April 8, 1915; Andrew Jackson, who was born on January 4, 1917; and Fred Carlton, born March 1, 1919.

CLARENCE C. Smit, B. A., prominent in Fulton county educational circles, a well-known school principal, and latterly superintendent of schools of Delta, Fulton county, Ohio, is a native of the county, and is giving his most earnest attention to the betterment of public facilities in the county generally, and especially to the elevating of the standard of public education in the county. He has had a good collegiate and academic record, and entered upon his life work well qualified, having graduated from the Tri-State College, Angola, Indiana, and Oberlin Business College, Ohio, and attended the Ohio State University at Columbus. He is a member of the Fulton County Board of Examiners of Teachers, and, being still quite a young man, he will, it seems, most probably take even more prominent part in educational matters as the years pass.

He was born on May 14, 1882, the son of Hiram B. and Evelyn (Kyper) Smith, his birthplace being in Swan Creek Township of Fulton county. His father was born in Huron county, Ohio, but his mother was a native of Swan Creek Township, Fulton county, Ohio. The Smith family is of British origin, but the branch to which Professor Smith belongs has been resident in America since colonial days. His grandparents, John and Jane (Barber) Smith, were both born in New York state, but were early settlers in Huron county, Ohio, coming into Fulton county in 1865, when they settled in Swan Creek Township. His genealogy connects with a Pennsylvania family of English descent, his maternal grandparents being Cyrus and Cynthia (Spaulding) Kyper, both of Pennsylvania birth, the former the son of Africa Kyper, who was born in England, but who in 1835 is of record among the pioneers of Swan Creek Township, he having in that year entered government (wild) land in the vicinity of Swanton, and gaining title to several hundred acres. So that in both maternal and paternal lineage Clarence C. Smith comes of families which are among the early residents of Fulton county. All the grandparents of Professor Smith died in Swan Creek Township, and his parents, Hiram B. and Evelyn (Kyper) Smith, settled in the township soon after marriage, the former farming independently from his parents. Eventually Hiram B. Smith became superintendent of the Fulton county farm, holding that office until his death on June 16, 1914. His widow still resides in the family homestead in Swan Creek Township, in which all of their children were born. The four children of Hiram B. and Evelyn (Kyper) Smith were: Clarence C., regarding whose life in its connection with Fulton county more is written below for this edition of county history; Grace, who married A. E. Lawrence, but is now deceased; Maude, who married E. A. Jones, and now lives with her mother and brother on the home farm; and Fred, who resides with the mother on the home farm.

Clarence C., eldest child of Hiram B. and Evelyn (Kyper) Smith, in his boyhood attended the district school nearest to his home, and later passed through the high school of Delta, after which he enterd the Tri-State College at Angola, Indiana, eventually graduating. He also attended Oberlin Business College, and was a student at the Ohio State University at Columbus. He early entered the teaching profession, being only seventeen years old when he was first appointed a member of the teaching staff of Swan Creek district school. He was a district school teacher for six years, and for seven years was a teacher in the Delta High School, eventually, on June 1, 1916, becoming the superintendent of schools of Delta, which office he has since held. He has a recognized place among the able educators of the county, and is well-regarded in Delta. He is a member of the Fulton County Board of Examiners of Teachers.

_Mr. Smith is of good personal repute, is an earnest church worker and is esteemed as a man of high moral integrity. By religious conviction a Methodist, he has entered earnestly into church work, is a steward of the Delta church of that denomination, and has been a Sunday School teacher for many years. Politically he he is a republican and fraternally is a Mason, of Royal Arch degree, member of Octavius Waters Chapter of Delta.

On December 29, 1907, Clarence C. Smith married Chloe Putnam, who was born in Fulton county, daughter of Israel and Mary (Bratton) Putnam, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Smith in descent is German-Irish, the paternal line being of German antecedents, and her mother having been born in Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Smith have two children: Roscoe, who was born April 21, 1910; and Ross, born May 5, 1911.

county, and well-regarded in his home township, has succeeded well as a farmer, and has shown commendable public spirit, and a consistent earnestness in church work. He has been a trustee of his church for twenty years; has served as school director; and has several times been elected to high office in a fraternal order instituted by agriculturists. And he comes into Fulton County History with particular interest, his grandparent, John Batdorff, having been one of the pioneer settlers in York Township.

Merlin A. Batdorf was born in York Township on September 5, 1874, the son of Aaron Benton and Mary Jane (Minnich) Batdorf, and grandson in the paternal line of John and Elizabeth (Morgan) Batdorf, who were both born in Pennsylvania, but came to York Township, which then was in Lucas county, Ohio, in the early '40s. They entered government land and lived the lives of pioneers, gradually clearing a good acreage and having a comfortable old age. Their son Aaron Benton, father of Merlin A., was born in York Township, and in due course attended the district school, although in those days the school was practically open only for the winter months, the summer vacation extending over most of the growing period of the year. After leaving school he gave his time wholly to his father, and did much pioneering work on the home estate. He married Mary Jane Minnich, who was born in Marion county, Ohio, daughter of David and Hannah (Crawford) Minnich, both born in Marion county, Ohio, but eventually residents in Delta village, York Township, where David Minnich followed his trade, shoemaking. After marriage Aaron B. Batdorf and his wife settled on the farm in York Township upon which they raised their children, living there until 1907, when they moved into the city of Wauseon. In that city Aaron B. Batdorf died on December 21, 1918, his widow; however, still living a quiet comfortable life in that city. They were the parents of six children, who in order of birth were: Jessie, who married John W. Sands, of Toledo, Ohio; Merlin A., of whom further; Cora E., who married Blanchard Miller, but is now deceased: Ethel M., who married Jonas Snyder, of Toledo, Ohio: Frances E., who married Charles Snyder, of Wauseon, Ohio; Nellie A.. who married Frank Zeigler, of Toledo, Ohio.

Merlin A. Batdorf attended the York Township district school nearest to his home, and when sixteen years old went to live with his paternal grandparents in York Township, with whom he lived until his twenty-second year, when he married. With that responsi- . bility Merlin A. began to independently farm, and for two years rented properties in the township. In the third year of his married life, however, he acquired a farm of twenty-five acres of cleared land, but without buildings. He erected the necessary buildings, and had good success in his cultivation of the land, so much so that eight vears later he purchased an additional twenty-five acres, ten of which were in timber. He has farmed enterprisingly and thoroughly, and his industry has brought him good return. He has followed general farming, to which his acreage was adaptable, and has had good success in stockraising, and dairying. vm

During his years of busy farming he has not neglected public responsibilities. He has taken close interest in local affairs, and has been ever ready to support personally and financially local movements of civic, social or religious character. He has been especially interested in educational matters, and has devoted some of his time to the duties of school director. Politically he is a republican, but he has not actively concerned himself in national political campaigns. He has always been sincere in church matters. By religious conviction he is a member of the United Brethren denomination, and has been a trustee of the local church since 1900. Fraternally he has been prominent in the functioning of the Ancient Order of Gleaners, an organization composed mostly of agriculturists. In that organization he has held the office of chief gleaner for several years. In November, 1919, he was elected township trustee. On July 22, 1896, he married Laura A. Williams, who was born in York Township, daughter of John and Ann (Struble) Williams, well-known residents. Mr. and Mrs. Batdorf raised a large family, having had eight children born to them, only one of whom, their first born, is deceased. Their children in order of birth are: Ralph B., who died in infancy; Walter C., now successfully established in Clinton Township, and married to Mabel Turney; Mildred M., who has taken a business course in the State University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and who is now employed by The Old Line Bankers Life Insurance Company of Lincoln, Nebraska; Frank H., at home; Lowell E., also at home; Lawrence C.; John Cair; and Marion L.

Epwin B. Perkins has lived in York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, for almost sixty-three years. He comes of pioneer residents of Clinton and York Townships, and has given his whole life to useful development and profitable industry in York Township, where he is esteemed as a substantial and industrious resident, and public-spirited and good-hearted neighbor.

Edwin B. Perkins was born in York Township, Fulton county, on March 15, 1857, the son of Evander and Susan (McAllister) Perkins. In the paternal line he comes of an old colonial New England family, and through his mother his genealogy connects with a New York state family. His father was born in Connecticut and his mother in New York state, where they were married, and from which state in 1845 they eventually came into Ohio, and to Clintom Township of Fulton county. Four years later Evander and Susan (McAllister) Perkins moved to York Township, having purchased the farm known as the Steadman Farm, upon which for the next ten years they resided, and upon which their son Edwin B. was born. Evander Perkins died in 1867, but his widow lived a further thirtythree years, her demise not occurring until 1900. They were the parents of five children, namely: Eliza, who is the widow of William Welling, and now lives with her brother Edwin B.; Eunice, who married Solomon Fisher, but is now deceased; Lydia, also deceased ; William A., a successful farmer in York Township; and Edwin B.

Edwin B. Perkins was reared in the wholesome environment of the parental farm, and in due course attended the public school of his home district, giving, as he grew, increasing assistance to his father in the operation of the farm. He was ten years old when his father died, and thereafter his part in the operation of the farm became increasingly important. With his elder brother he remained near his widowed mother until he was thirty years old, when he married and set up a separate establishment, residing on the seventyfive acre farm that he in partnership with his brother owned. The farm was to the southward, in section 7 of York Township, and it was his home until 1897, when he sold his interest in it to his brother, and soon afterwards bought a farm of 104 acres in section 31 of York Township, a good farm, well improved. There he lived and worked for the next twenty-one years, until 1918, when he acquired sixty acres of the farm in section 7 he had formerly occupied and had sold to his brother. He resides there, but his days of strenuous labor are over, and his agricultural property he now rents to a reliable tenant. He has lived an energetic life, has farmed well and enterprisingly, and during his life has manifested commendable personal traits. Consequently he has good place among the leading residents of that section of Fulton county. Politically he is a republican, and during his life has shown close interest in local movements of public character; yet he has never sought public office, contenting himself by contributing by his industry to the progress of the county.

He married on January 1, 1888, Nettie, daughter of Spencer and Anna (Criswell) Fouty, and granddaughter of William Fouty, a pioneer settler in Clinton Township. William Fouty was born in» Switzerland, but was an early settler in Ohio. In 1851 he came into Fulton county, having acquired a tract of eighty acres of virgin timber land in Clinton Township. Spencer Fouty, father of Nettie, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, and Anna Criswell was born in Wayne-county, Ohio. James Criswell, father of Anna, was born in the United States, but was of Irish descent. Nettie Fouty, who married Edwin B. Perkins, is a native of York Township, Fulton county, and received her education in the local school, and during her long life in the community has been interested and active in the church and social affairs of the township. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin B. Perkins are the parents of-two children: Walter W., who now manages the home farm; and Vern E., who also has stayed with his parents. Walter W. married Georgie Biddle, daughter of Stillman and Mina :(Highshoe) Biddle, of York Township, April 16, 1919. ;

Davip WrtiiaM GorsucHu. A traveler through Fulton county is immediately impressed -by the fine farms and modern improvements of the rural regions and realizes the value of these investments not only to the individual owners, but the country and world, for from them and similar ones comes a large amount of the food for mankind. The agriculturists of Fulton county are particularly awake to the responsibilities and dignity of their calling, and are. living up to the best conceptions of it. One of these men who is tvpical of his associates is David William Gorsuch of York Township.

eee William Gorsuch was born in Clinton Township of this county on September 13, 1868, a son of Ephraim and Maria (Cantleberry) Gorsuch, he born at Centerville, Wayne county, Ohio, and she in Holmes county, Ohio. The grandparents were Nathan and Elizabeth (Ayers) Gorsuch, he born near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and she a'native of Ohio, and David and Eliza (Davenport) Cantleberry, natives of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, respectively. The paternal grandparents located in Clinton Township, Fulton county, in 1846, the maternal grandparents arriving in Fulton county in 1844. At that time practically all of the county was in the timber, and Wauseon was not then even thought of, and David Cantleberry had his choice of the location of the eighty acres of land he entered from the government, all of which was covered with timber. On this farm the eastern outskirts of Wauseon now stand. Nathan Gorsuch had nearly as good a choice when he arrived two years later, and he entered 160 acres of government land. All of the grandparents died in Fulton county. whi

Following their marriage Ephraim Gorsuch and his wife settled 31% miles west of Wauseon on 100 acres of land he owned. In addition to it he had other property, namely, 280 acres in Clinton Township and 100 acres in Pike Township. Later on in life he turned these farms over to his sons and bought a five-acre tract two miles west of Wauseon, and he died June 1, 1918, closely following his wife, who passed away on April 7 of that same year. Their children were as follows: Edward, who lives in Clinton Township; Nathan, who lives at Toledo, Ohio; David William, who was third in order of birth; and Frank, who is on his parents' old homestead.

Growing up on his father's farm and learning to operate it, David William Gorsuch attended the local schools and the Wauseon Normal School, and for three winter seasons taught the country schools of Clinton Township and for one those of York Township. On November 25, 1897, he was married to Ida M. Bryant, born in Lenawee county, Michigan, a daughter of John and Sophronia (Vedder) Bryant, the father born in New York state and the mother born in Lenawee county, Michigan. For five years after his marriage Mr. Gorsuch lived on a farm of eighty acres his father owned in Clinton Township, and in the spring of 1903 he and his wife bought 160 acres in York Township, which has since been their home. On it he has erected a fine modern residence. The house is supplied with hot water heat, electric ight, and a full water system gives plenty of hot and cold water on both floors. In addition to erecting his house Mr. Gorsuch rebuilt his barns, and has everything in fine order. Here he carries on general farming and dairying, his herd being composed of twelve cows of the Holstein strain. Mr. and Mrs. Gorsuch have three children, namely: Louella, Howard and Isabelle, all of whom are at home. They are consistent members of the Christian Church, and take an active part in its good work. Well known as a Mason, he belongs to Wauseon Lodge No. 349, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Gorsuch has worked steadily and hard, and invested his savings wisely, and he and his wife are now enjoying many comforts. Their beautiful rural home compares very favorably with those in adjoining cities, and they have the further advantages of urban life. As a citizen Mr. Gorsuch is held in high esteem, and both he and Mrs. Gorsuch have many warm personal friends in their neighborhood.

Witxi1AM Bartiterr. The man who invests in farm land and devotes his energies to improving and cultivating his property not only is an excellent business man but a good citizen, for no community can make progress unless its residents are willing to lend a hand and through their individual efforts raise the standard of living. Such a man is William Bartlett of York Township, whose well cultivated farm, with its good improvements, is one of the best in Fulton county.

William Bartlett was born in Holmes county, Ohio, September 10, 1855, a son of Jacob and Martha (Bates) Bartlett, natives of Ohio, he born in Wayne county, and she in Holmes county, re- spectively. Jacob Bartlett was a veteran of the great rebellion, having enlisted April 22, 1861, for 100 days' service. He re-enlisted and received his commission as second lieutenant from Governor Tod on December 1, 1861, for Company E, Sixty-eighth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, receiving his discharge from same February 14, 1863. He once more enlisted and on July 4, 1863, received his commission as captain of Company E, First Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry in Fulton county. As such he served until the close of the war. .

The parents were married in Holmes county, Ohio, and lived ' there until 1856, when they came to Fulton county and bought fiftythree acres of timberland in what is now York Township, which they soon thereafter traded for 160 acres of partly improved land in the same township. Here he died June 29, 1906, his wife having died on October 30, 1901. Their children were as follows: Sarah, who is Mrs. G. A. Hendricks, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Elizabeth, who died at the age of two years; Jennie, who was Mrs. A. E. Dunham, of Toledo, Ohio, died January 16, 1917; William, whose name heads this biography; Millicent and Ada, both of whom are deceased; and George M., who lives in Arizona, and who was one of the Rough Riders with Roosevelt in Cuba and was also a body guard of General Funston in the Philippine Isles.

William Bartlett has always lived on his present farm since his parents located on it, and he acquired his education in the schools of the district. He bought the old homestead of 160 acres, and has all but ten acres under cultivation, it being devoted to timber. After becoming the owner of the farm Mr. Bartlett began replacing the old buildings with new ones, and in the spring of 1917 rebuilt and remodeled the house into one of the most convenient and modern ones on this section. He installed heat, hot and cold water, bathroom and toilet and artificial lights, so that it compares favorably with homes in adjoining cities. In addition he has tiled the farm, put up new fences, and in fact made all the improvements necessary to put it in first-class condition and increase its producing power. Mr. Bartlett has always carried on general farming, and now has a dairy and manufactures butter and other milk products.

In October, 1877, Mr. Bartlett was married to Maria Shreves, of Fulton county, Ohio, a daughter of C. R. and Thankful (Stone) Shreves, natives of New Jersey and Connecticut, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett became the parents of the following children: Minnie, who is Mrs. William Robinson, of York Township; and Lottie, Jay, Florence, Burr, Celia and Laura, all of whom are at home.

The Taylor Methodist Episcopal Church holds Mr. Bartlett's membership, and he has served it as a trustee for some years. He is a republican and has been road supervisor. A Mason, he belongs to the Blue Lodge. Chapter and Council, all of Wauseon. Mr. Bartlett's success in life has not come to him through any extraordinary processes but is the natural outcome of steady, intelligent and practical efforts. He has always endeavored to keep abreast of inventions and discoveries of new methods in his work, and has never felt that he was through with his improvements. His experiments are watched with interest by his neighbors, for they realize that he knows what he is doing and that if he decides anything is worth while they had better follow his example if they want to keep up with his production. Both as an official and a private citizen he has been a friend of good roads, for he recognizes their value to the individual farmer and the neighborhood. In fact William Bartlett is a man who measures up to the best standards of American manhood, and Fulton county may well be proud of him.

HerMAn Epwarp Strona. Occupying the farm formerly owned by his father in Pike Township, Herman Edward Strong has developed into one of the prosperous and representative men of Fulton county, of which he is a native son. His birth occurred in Fulton Township on May 9, 1866, and he a son of Hiram and Sophia Ann (Johnson) Strong. Hiram Strong was born in the vicinity of Syracuse, New York, and his wife in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, and they were married in Michigan, following which they located in Fulton county, Ohio, first owning a farm in Fulton Township, known as Dutch Ridge. From there in 1872 they moved to another farm owned by him, located in Pike Township, and there he erected a sawmill. After two years he sold that farm and bought one in Swan Creek Township, but subsequently sold it and returned to Pike Township and bought another farm, which he conducted until 1885, and then moved to Delta and for 244 years owned an interest in a grocery, but disposed of it and bought a farm of sixty-five acres in Pike Township, on which he died in 1890. His widow survived him until 1910, when she passed away. She was a widow, Mrs. Draker, when she married Mr. Strong, and had three children by her first husband, namely: Jeanette, who died at the age of three years; Adelia, who was Mrs. Uriah Fuller, of Detroit, Michigan; and Arake, who is Mrs. Israel Salsbury, of Pike Township. Mr. and Mrs. Strong became the parents of the following children: Elisha, who is deceased; Volney, who lives in Michigan; Amos, who is a resident of Zurich, Montana; Angeline, who is Mrs. A. P. Ross, of Fayette, Ohio; Herman Edward, whose name heads this review; Nathan Wesley, who lives at Moorcroft, Wyoming; and Alonzo, who died in infancy.

Herman Edward Strong grew up in Fulton county and attended its country schools, while at the same time he was acquiring a working knowledge of farming under his father's supervision. When he was seventeen years old he went to Iona county, Michigan, and worked as a farm hand for one year, and as his parents during that time had moved to Delta, he went to Benton Harbor, Michigan, instead of returning home, and was engaged in working at various jobs for two years. He then came back to Fulton county for a time, when he returned to Michigan. In 1897 he went to Toledo, Ohio, and for three years worked at painting and paper-hanging for various concerns of that city, at the expiration of that period coming back once more to Fulton county and working on the home place in Pike Township. After his mother's death he bought out the other heirs to the homestead of sixty-five acres of partly improved land. Since then he has rebuilt all the buildings and put up some new ones, ditched the place, erected a silo, and otherwise improved it, having now a very valuable property, on which he carries on general farming. At times he works at his trade, generally to accommodate one of his neighbors, all of whom appreciate the excellence of his work.

Malinda (Luke) Enfield, natives of Pennsylvania and Ohio, respectively. Politically Mr. Strong is a republican, and served as road supervisor for two years, and during that period did some excellent work in behalf of securing good roads for his section, and since then has supported the "good roads" movement, for he realizes what a necessity they are in order to keep a community abreast of modern development. Good roads more than pay for the initial expense through the amount of business brought in over them since the almost universal use of the automobile. Those communities which have the misfortune to be off the improved highways cannot hope to compete with the ones which have a constant stream of tourists passing through them daily. Mr. Strong is one of the men who has traveled considerably and been broadened through a varied experience, and so he appreciates the value of improvements of all kind, both private and public, and is in favor of them, and of raising the general standard of the neighborhood through the education of the masses.

Oscar S. Grer. A number of the enterprising farmers of Fulton county have found it profitable to engage in dairying, this region being admirably adapted to the production of milk, and one of these men so engaged is Oscar S. Geer of Pike Township. He was born in Clinton Township, Fulton county, Ohio, on June 29,. 1872, a son of Milo and Rebecca (Parker) Geer, natives of Fulton, county, Ohio, and Newark, New Jersey, respectively. The Geer family was founded in Fulton county by the grandparents of Oscar S. Geer at a very early day.

'Both Milo Geer and his wife were reared in Fulton county, and after their marriage they located in Clinton Township, which continued to be their home until 1884, when they moved to Pike Township, where he bought a farm and conducted it. When he retired in 1886 he moved to Delta, and there he died in 1899, his widow surviving him until 1911. Their children were as follows: Lutissa, who died in childhood; Lucy, who is Mrs. E. L. Smith, of Delta, Ohio; Perry, who is a resident of Delta; Elsie, who is Mrs. S. P. Dennis, of Pike Township; Edward, who died in infancy; Oscar S., whose name heads this review; Harvey, who is a resident of Toledo, Ohio; Minnie, who is Mrs. Dell Rieghard, of Delta, Ohio; and Samuel, who died in infancy.

Oscar S. Geer was reared in Fulton county and attended the country schools. His wise father taught him to be a farmer, and from childhood he was occupied with work on the homestead, so that when he started out in life for himself he was prepared to do so intelligently and achieve an ultimate success. For five years subsequent to his marriage he had charge of his father's homestead, and then for six years operated rented land in Fulton Township. He then bought eighty acres of land in Pike Township that was unimproved, although partially cleared. He has kept sixteen acres of the woodland, but the remainder of the farm is under cultivation, and all of the modern improvements on the property have been put in by him. The house, barn and other buildings are thoroughly modern, the land is all tiled, and the fences are well kept up, the entire place showing that much care and thought have been expended upon it. Mr. Geer has always been occupied with general farming and dairying, and now has a fine herd of ten cows.

On March 19, 1896, Mr. Geer was united in marriage with Orrie Watkins, born in Fulton Township on December 13, 1875, a daughter of Thomas and Anna (Bundy) Watkins, of Fulton Township. Mrs. Geer's grandparents were Wesley and Catherine (Fesler) Watkins, and Eli and Mary (Wilbur) Bundy. Mr. and Mrs. Geer became the parents of the following children: Ethel, who is Mrs. George Hines, of Pike Township; and Ralph, Ross and Ruby, all of whom are at home. Mr. Geer is a strong republican, and has been a member of the School Board of his district since 1917. In his fraternal affiliations he maintains membership with Delta Camp, Modern Woodmen of America. An excellent farmer and sound business man, Mr. Geer deserves the prosperity he now enjoys, as well as the esteem of his neighbors, which he also possesses,

Hersert E. McQuiiin. After a life devoted to general farming and stockraising, Herbert E. McQuillin has developed into one of the prosperous men of Fulton county, and owner of forty acres of his father's homestead in Pike Township. His finely improved farm speaks for the ability and foresightedness of the owner, and his public acts show that he is one of the enterprising citizens of his section. Herbert E. McQuillin was born in Pike Township, Fulton county, on October 1, 1866, a son of John W. and Elizabeth (Dunbar) McQuillin, natives of Pennsylvania and Fulton county, Ohio, respectively, and grandson of David and Rachel McQuillin, who came from Pennsylvania to Fulton county at an early day.

After their marriage John W. McQuillin and his wife settled on a farm of 120 acres in Pike Township, which was covered with timber, and he cleared off many acres of it by his own efforts and improved his property, on which he lived until 1903, when he moved to Delta, Ohio, and there she died on January 18, 1911, he surviving her until April 14 of that same year, when he, too, passed away. They were most excellent people in every respect and held the confidence and respect of their neighbors. Their children were as follows: William and James, both of whom live at Delta, Ohio; John, who lives at Wauseon, Ohio; Herbert E., whose name heads this sketch; Eva, who is Mrs. Newton Ward, of Fayette, Ohio; and Frank, who occupies a portion of his father's homestead.

For a time following his marriage, which occurred in 1892, Mr. McQuillin rented the Rupp farm in York Township, and then bought sixty-one acres in Pike Township. The greater part of this property was then covered with timber, and the only house was a small one that he has replaced with a nice modern frame one. Mr. McQuillin has also rebuilt the barn, put up fences and other buildings, and now has his place in splendid condition. He cleared off the land and grubbed out the stumps of that portion of it he desired to put under cultivation. The land is fitted for a diversity of crops and stockraising, and he is engaged in both lines, having always found them profitable. ; i

On November 23, 1892, Mr. MeQuillin was united in marriage with Alice Rupp, born in Hancock county, Ohio, a daughter of Michael and Mary (Gassman) Rupp, also natives of Hancock county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. McQuillin became the parents of the following children: Walter, who lives in Pike Township, married Effie Miller, and they have one son, Herbert; Bert and Mary, who

Mr. McQuillin is a friend of the public schools, all of his educational training having been obtained from them, but when they were in a far less satisfactory condition than today, and in order to secure for his own children and those of the neighborhood better educational facilities he has given his services to the School Board for a period of nine years. In politics he is a stalwart republican, and one of the leaders of his party locally. In 1915 he was appointed one of the township trustees to fill a vacancy, and so efficient did he prove that in December, 1915, he was elected to that office, and filled it with satisfaction to his constituents and credit to himself. For some years he has been a faithful member of the United Brethren Church, and donates generously toward its support. The watchword of Mr. McQuillin has been hard work. He does not believe there is any royal road to honest success. Prosperity in his estimation only lies at the end of the road of honorable endeavor, which must be trod, even though the way be steep and the going hard, in order to reach the ultimate goal. His own experiences has taught him this, and he is proud of the fact that he has earned all he now possesses through his own efforts, which he has endeavored to direct in an intelligent manner.

JAMES H. Disprow. The Disbrow name belongs to the early history of Fulton county, although James H. Disbrow, who lives in Pike Township, is still a young man. He was born in Pike Township October 29, 1874, and is a son of Lewis K. and Alice (Thornton) Disbrow. The Thornton side of the family came from New York. George and Jane (Corry) Thornton came to Fulton county early in its history. When Lewis Disbrow married he settled in Pike, and continued his home there until 1878, when his ~ death occurred. The widow married Giles McArthur, deceased, and two sons were born: Elmer, of Pike, and Frank, of Ottokee.

On May 8, 1911, James H. Disbrow married Hazel Aulman, of York Township. She is a daughter of Clark and Evelyn (Sheffield) Aulman, the father of York and the mother of Swan Creek. The grandparents, Samuel and Martha (Misson) Aulman, were born in England. William and Mary (Guthrie) Sheffield were also early settlers in Fulton county. They were all of them farmers in their days of activity. P

Since 1900 Mr. Disbrow has lived as tenant and later as owner of the present home place in Pike Township, buying part of the land in 1908 and the rest of it later. He rebuilt the house and added the necessary barns and stables. Nearly all the land is under cultivation, and Mr. Disbrow operates a Holstein farm dairy. There is one daughter, Alice. Mr. and Mrs. Disbrow attended Delta High School, and for four years she was a teacher in common schools. In politics he is a republican. They are members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners.

Erwin M. Tappan. Both as a farmer and public official Erwin M. Tappan measures up as a man of sound principles and efficient methods, and it would be difficult to find one more universally popular in either Pike Township, where his farm is located, or Fulton county, of which he is a native son. He was born in Pike Town- ship on February 3, 1879, a son of Herman M. and Harriet A. (Wood) Tappan, and grandson of Moses and Hettie (Miller) Tappan, natives of New Jersey, who located at Toledo, Ohio, in 1836, and William H. and Laura N. (Fuller) Wood, who came to Fulton county, Ohio, from Medina county, Ohio.

Herman M. Tappan was born in Pike Township, Fulton county, on July 15, 1848, and his wife was born in Medina county, Ohio, on February 15, 1849. After their marriage Herman Tappan and his wife settled on his father's old homestead in Pike Township, and there he died in 1914, she surviving him until 1917. Their children were as follows: Walter A., who is a resident of Pike Township; and Erwin M., who is the younger.

Growing up in Pike Township, Erwin M. Tappan became a pupil of its public schools, and while gaining an educational training he learned to be a farmer through practical work on the homestead. On November 25, 1900, he was married to Bernice Sindel; born in Pike Township, a daughter of John M. and Elizabeth E. (Elliott) Sindel. After his marriage Mr. Tappan lived with his parents for four years, and then took possession of eighty acres of the homestead, on which he erected a comfortable residence, barns and other outbuildings, and began farming on his own account. His property is now in fine condition, and in addition to it he owns eighty acres in section 34, his homestead being in section 10. Ever since he began farming he has raised diversified crops and stock, and carried on dairying, and each year has seen a substantial increase in his profits.

Mr. and Mrs. Tappan have two children, namely: John H., who was born on January 23, 1905; and Mary E., who was born on March 9, 1909. In the Christian Church Mr. Tappan finds the expression of his religious creed, and he has long been a member of the local congregation, and is now one of its deacons. In 1912 Mr. Tappan was appointed a township trustee, and has served in that capacity continuously ever since. In politics he is a republican, and is looked upon as somewhat of a leader in his party. Believing in the work of the Grange, he has taken an active part in it, and still belongs to the one in his neighborhood. Few men are held in higher regard than he, and he is justly recognized as an excellent type of the modern agriculturist.

AuBert Kutzui. The farm of Albert Kutzli in Pike Township is one of the well improved rural properties of Fulton county, and the entire premises show the care of an efficient farmer and good business man. Albert Kutzli was born in Ridgeville Township, Henry county, Ohio, on April 16, 1871, a son of Blessy and Susan (Spiess) Kutzli, natives of Switzerland, and grandson of Henry Spiess. Both the Kutzli and Spiess families located in Fulton tounty, Ohio, three generations ago, and their representatives were among the early settlers on wild land in this region.

Blessy Kutzli and his wife moved to Henry county, Ohio, after their marriage, and she died there on July 2, 1908, but he survives, an aged man, having been born in January, 1838, and still makes his home in Henry county. Children were born to them as follows: Mary, who is deceased; Conrad, who lives at Archbold Ohio; Henry, who lives in Dover Township; Barnet, who resides at Archbold, Ohio; Susan, who is Mrs. Adam Mohr, of Ridgeville