Sandusky Township (part 27 of 57)

He enlisted in Captain Dodd's University Company, and was stationed at Camp Jackson at the state capital. In the fall he returned to college, but in the next year enlisted in what became Company A of the Eightysixth Ohio Infantry. His captain was Prof. R. W. McFarland, one of the most noted mathematicians in the United States. The summer of 1862 was spent in the Campaign of West Virginia, and returning to Miami University he was graduated in June. 1863. About that time he identified himself with Lima, where he was first known as a teacher and also as an employe in the auditor's office. He again returned to the war in July, 1864, at the head of a company which he had recruited, and he served as captain of Company E, One Hundred and Eightieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry during some of the notable campaigns in Virginia. Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas until the end of the war. He received promotion to lieutenant colonel but was never mustered in with that rank.

In the fall of 1865. after the war. Mr. Brice entered the law school of the University of Michigan, and in the following year was admitted to practice. His first partnership was with James Irvine at Lima, and for a dozen years he was a local lawyer of marked ability and prominence.

H"0\vever, his energy soon became absorbed in the promotion of railways, and he was let into that field as a member of the legal department of the old Lake Erie & Louisville Railroad. He became a stockholder in that road, subsequently known as the Lake Erie & Western, and was active in its development. He also carried through successfully the great Nickel Plate enterprise, and that brought him wealth and a station of prominence more ttian statewide. For years he was prominently connected with numerous other railroads and liis name is of special significance in coiniei'tion with the railroad development of the South. At Lima he organized and managed the Gas Light Company ; reorganized and assumed the controlling interest in the First National Bank of Lima, and was also identified with the Chase National Bank of New York and a leading spirit and director of the Southern Trust Company.

comiiiiltrc. When his jiarty caiiH' into power in Oliid \\v was I'lrctrd as till' Id'jiral choice for Uuifed States senator and took his scat in the Senate in 1891, serving until 1897, and he lived only about a year after he left the Senate. He was a member of the steering committee of his party in the Senate, and bore a very active part in national affairs during the decade of the '90s. when the democrats were in power in the National Legi.slafure.

On the campus of his alma mater, Miami University, one of the buildings is known as Brice Hall, which was named in his honor as an alumnus and trustee and as a generous donor to that school. He was vice president of the Ohio Society in New York, and of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity was a member until his death. He was also a member of the Manhattan, Lotus, Athletic and other clubs of New York City.

In 1869 Mr-. Brice married Catherine Olivia Meiley. At the time of his death he was survived by five children, three sons and two daughters.

In a former History of Allen County Dr. Charles C. Miller, the editor, presented an interesting biography of Mr. Brice, and from his article are taken several paragraphs that

"During Li Hung Chang's visit to the United States he spent his time asking questions - all kinds of questions. He found in Calvin S. Brice a man who could answer a larger percentage of his cjuestions than anybody else. In fact, Senator Brice was probably the best informed man, not only in a general way, but as to particular localities, of any man in the country. Even places tliat he had never visited he "had informed himself about. Li Hung Chang took a great fancy to Senator Brice and sought his company on every ]iossilile occasion. Being impressed with the railroad development of this country, he sought to interest Senator Brice and did so, the result being that the senator started out to organize a syndicate to be composed of fifty persons, each of wliom should subscribe .$5,000 for till' piii'iinsi' (if a jireliminary survey for a railrcad in ( 'liina. The senator did not crowd the .subsi-ripfidii (incsfinn nor did he allot places in the syiuiicafc until after iiiaii>- times the number df men t,. Inrm the syndieale had indicated a desire to .join. It prolialily represented the most wealth of any syndicate that was ever organized in this or any other country, embracing a number of London and Paris bankers as well as the leading financial interests of this country. In a word, it was a syndicate exactly to his liking and choosing. Its formation gave him as great pleasure as any one thing of the later years of his life and ita prompt carrying into completion was pre vented first by the death of Senator Brice and later by the death of Li Hung Chang. In the proposition he had Li Hung Chang's endorsement and hearty support and had both lived there would have been no halting in the early completion of this great enterprise in China. At the time of his death he had quite full.v matured plans for a seaboard outlet for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, diverging at Bluffton over the Northern Ohio, via Akron and Youngstown to the East.-

"Mr. Brice commenced life a poor boy, with only a sound constitution, an active, incisive mind, and genuine brand of American grit. He knew tlie value of an education, and he obtained it. He was not an orator, but no man ever put more common sense or business energy in a five-minute talk: and in thirty minutes at a meeting of railroad directors he would transact business involving the expenditure of millions. He never failed to answer a letter and to answer it promptly - punctual- ity and directness were rules of his life. When the writer of this sketch once asked him to aid a young man in the South who was struggling to a legal competency, but one question was asked, 'Is he honest?' Upon receiving a strong affirmative answer, Mr. Brice turned to his stenographer, and in one sentence directed work for the young man which gave him a legal prominence which he enjoys today.

"Mr. Brice never forgot a friend, and in this may he seen the main element of his success. He had no time or desire to punish an enemy, if he had one. When urged not to recognize a man who had vigorously opposed him in a political convention, Mr. Brice replied, 'Life is too short,' and the gentleman was accorded the same courtesy as any other man in the convention. He had the power of self-control to a remarkable degree, and when he turned from his office to his home, or his fi-iends, Inisiness care was put aside, and there environed by the love of family in his palatial home, he was delighted by the grace of culture, and the beauty of art, and there his friends also welcome."

Aarox a. Ballmer. Since the beginning of settlement in Henry County many worthy families have expended their Ijest energies in producing the results now seen on every hand - the making of farms out of the wilderness, the building of roads, the founding of schools and churches, and the development of towns and cities, commerce and transportation, and all the other factors that enter into a populous and highly civilized community. Of the older families who are still represented in the rnunty hardly any antedate in point of settlt-ini'iit the Ballmers, who are of substantial Swiss stock and have been here fully seventy years.

It was in 1845 that a family party, comprising ten or twelve, set out from Switzerland, crossing the ocean in sailing vessels, and after forty days landed in New York City. From there they came on to Fairfield County, Ohio, but in 1846 they arrived as a family in Richfield Township 'of Henry County. Their first home was on section 1. The land was covered with brush and timber, much of it swampy and undrained. There were no roads except trails, and there were few houses in the county at the time that boasted of more conveniences than the typical log cabins of the pioneer days.

Henry County, and died before they reached the age of sixty. The last of their children to die was Margaret, wife of Jacob Haas, residing on a farm in Wood County. She died March 26, 1917, aged seventy-five years. Most of the other children lived to grow up and marry, and two of the sons, August and Aaron, were soldiers in the Civil war, August fell before a hostile bullet, while Aaron sustained physical injuries bj' his service from which he died not long after his return from the war, leaving a widow and two children.

John Jacob Ballmer, Jr., was born in Switzerland September 11, 1827, and was eighteen years of age when he came to America. He was the eldest child in the famil.y. He was able to do a man's part in the clearing up of the old homestead in Henry County, and in 1853 he married and set up a home for himself. His wife was Barbara C. Maier, who was born in Wuertemberg, Germany, in 1834. When she was four years of age she came with her parents, Gottlieb and Barbara (Goodyear) Maier, to the United States and to Henry County. However, the Maier family lived for a time in Fairfield County and then settled in Damascus Township of Henry County, where they cleared up a substantial farm and improved it with good buildings, Gottlieb Maier died in 1885, just six days short of his eighty-fifth birthday. His widow died five years later, when eighty-seven. They were members of the Reformed Church. Mrs. John J. Ballmer is still living, at the age of eightytwo, and makes her home with her youngest daughter, Mrs. Nelson JlcClure. She is a member of the Lutheran Church. John J. Ballmer, Jr., was an active and successful farmer, and followed his vocation until he retired in 1892 to -McClure, where he died in 1900. He was a good citizen, always ready to join with his neighbors in carrying out any local improvements, such as the building of a church, the maintenance of a school or the improving of a road. He was a democrat, and filled for years such offices as tov^Tiship clerk and justice of the peace. His religion was that of the Lutheran Church.

Aaron A. Ballmer, who was born in Richfield Township, Henry County, -November 11, 1860. was one of eight children. The oldest, Mary A,, is the wife of Martin Miller, and lives in Damascus Township on a farm, and is the mother of eight children, Charles lives in Toledo. Doctor Emil, who died December 20, 1916, was a physician of high standing at Columbus Grove. lie was married and left two sons. August, who has a jrarage at Loma, ( 'dlorado. is married and lias two sons. .Jacob is a gifted student and educator, was for fifteen years connected with the Detroit High School and is now at Oak Harbor, Ohio, near Toledo, and is happily married and has two sons and one daughter. Frank, who lives in Detroit, has two sons and a daughter still living. Hc'i-tli.-i iiiai'i'ird \Villi:iiii \rl'<on, who is a pharni:icist and ucin'fal iiicivhaiit at Mc- Clnre. Ohio, and they lunc .seven sous.

While a boy growing up on the old homestead in Richfield Township, Aaron A. Ballmer made the best use of his opportunities to get an education in the local schools, and he also applied himself vigorously to such tasks as were assigned him on the home farm. Thus when he arrived at manhood he was well equiiiped for the career which he had marked out for himself in the world, and for the past thii'ty-five years, since ISSl, has been one of the practical and progressive farmers of the county. His homestead comprises 100 acres of some of the best land in Henry County, and he has shown a great di-al of thrift and ability in managing the resources of the soil and in keeping his improvements up to date atuLin line with the most advanced progress in farming methods. He raises not only good crops but some stock. Among the improvements on his farm is a substantial barn 34 by 40 feet, and a modern home with such conveniences as bath and hot and cold water and lighted bv acetelyne.

Mr. Ballmer was married in Putnam County, Ohio, to ilis-s Barbara Sutter, who was born there April 21, 1863. Her parents were Henry and jMargaret (Wahl) Sutter. Her father, a native of Switzerland, came to the United States in 1844 and was married in Putnam County, Ohio. He lived for a number of years in Fairfield County, and died at the age of fifty-seven. His widow, still active at the age of seventy-four, resides at Leipsic, Ohio.

Mr. Ballmer is a democratic voter, and he and his family are member.? of the Lutheran Church. He and his wife have worked hard not only to gain a home for themselves, but also to furnish a proper environment and advantages for their growing children. Their oldest child. Claude, is the wife of George Fister. a farmer in Richfield Township. Anthon. aged twenty-eight, was educated in the public schools, and married Gladys Nulton. of Richfield Township, who died at the age of twenty-three, leaving one daughter, Evelyn

Lillian ^Iinerva Bau.ey Colt, the youngest daughter of the late John Noble Bailey, pioneer banker and business man of Spencerville, was born in Spencerville and has spent her life in that fine old rdimiiiinity.

On April 11, 1900, she married Hurt Uniry Colt, who was born near Waterford, I'eunsyivania, and who died March 15, 1916. when forty-four years of age. He was reared on a farm, was educated in Waterford Academy, and came in 1899 to Spencerville and engaged with the Supply Company. Mr. Colt was a leading oil operator in the Ohio fields and was manager of the National Supply Company at Spencerville. For two years he served as chairman of the board of public improvements of Spencerville. He was a republican.

Herman D. Rehberg. Through the enterprise of certain individuals, industries were founded many years since on the fertile islands lying in Lake Erie, on the coast of Ohio, which have become vastly important and from which large revenues are realized by the landowners. Perhaps no one man deserves more credit for much of the prosperity now existing on Middle Bass Island, than the late William Rehberg, who not only was one of the first permanent settlers but is distinguished as the pioneer grape grower, setting out the first vines on iliddle Bass. This was not only the foundation stone of his own fortune but of an industry that now profitably engages, during the season, the activities of the majority of the permanent residents. His only son, Herman D. Rehberg, is one of the substantial and representative men of Middle Bass at the present time.

William Rehberg, locally known as "Count" Rehberg, and quite po.ssibly deserving the title, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany. The name of his father was John Rehberg. Prior to coming to the United States, in 1854, William Rehberg had become a skilled gun and locksmith and for some time he continued work at his trade at ]\lcCutchinville. Ohio, where he lived for a period, and at Cedar Point, but it is probable that this kind of work was done as a recreation in those days, because it was of such superior meclianism and such fine finish that considerable time must have been consumed in completing such artistic work as shown by the samples that are carefully preserved by his son. One of these is a particularly heavy rifle, beautifully inlaid with silver, originally completed with a flint lock but later changed to more modern form. It was ordered by an Indian chief l)ut the latter never appeared with sufficient money to pay for it and fortunately it never left Mr. Rehberg's possession. That he did not give constant attention to his trade is inferred because he so soon became identified with other undertakings in the new land in which he had decided to make his home.

First, Mr. Rehberg made trips among the islands and ere long went into the fishing business at Cedar Point. At that time Middle Bass Island was owned by ilr. Rivera and it was from this capitalist that William Rehberg purchased fifty acres on the western part of Middle Bass, known as Sugar Point, on account of the groves of sugar maples growing there. This tract of fifty acres was the first purchase of land made by any settler on Middle Bass. Mr. Rehberg brought his family with him and their residence was established on January 19, 1858.

Later, in partnership with Andrew Wehrle, George Cowell and John Lutes, he purchased the whole of the island comprising about 850 acres, but he retained his original purchase of fifty acres as his homestead. One object in locating here was because of the fine fishing facilities and as soon as well established he started a fishery of his own, continuing the industry as a private enterprise for many years and giving employment to a number of men.

The purchase of the island proved an excellent business investment for the discovery had been made that the soil and climate of the.se islands was extremely suitable for fruit growing, particularly for grape culture, and in a comparatively slinrt time the owners of the whole of Middle Bass were alile to dispose of the land profitably in small tracts of ten, fifteen and twenty acres, for vineyard purposes. On his own tract Mr. Rehberg made the first experiment on the island, bearing abundantly, some from the very roots that Mr. Rehberg planted with such hope .some fifty years ago. His success gave great encouragement to others and soon the grape growing industry was well founded. In 1869 he erected the first wine cellar on the island and started pressing his own grapes, producing a product that carried his name favorably all over this section, making at that time from 10,000 to 20,000 gallons annually. He continued in the business until within a few j-ears of his death when he and son practically discontinued the pressing of grapes.

When Mr. Rehberg built his wine cellar he erected a public hall above it, but soon found it inadequate and enlarged it in 1875 and put up the present commodious building with modern facilities in 1874. When the Toledo & Lake Erie Fishing & Boating Association was organized, he gave them land on Sugar Point for their clubhouse site, and later, when it became a popular resort for the families of the club members, he divided several acres there and sold lots for cottages to individuals, thus making the present Middle Bass Club location the exclusive territory it now is. He was deeply interested in everything that advanced the good name and prosperity of these islands. A democrat in politics, he took part in all local matters because of his public spirit, and he served on the school board and was the first trustee of Middle Bass.

In family life William Rehberg measured up to every standard and happiness ever prevailed in the domestic circle. Three children of the five born reached maturity, they being : Mar}', who is the widow of John Runkel, of Middle Bass ; Herman D. ; and Ida, who is the widow of Augiist Schmidt, of Sandusky, Ohio.

When the Rehbergs came first to the island it was so thickly wooded that no space was large enough on which to erect a cottage and I\Ir. Rehberg was obliged to cut down twenty-two trees before he could get a spot large enough on which to build his cabin. On this place his wife died in 1897 and his death followed in 1899 and they were laid to rest on the home grounds on Jliddle Bass in his family vault. He was a member of the Order of Druids, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and belonged to the advanced branches of Masonry, was already honored with the thirtysecond degree and had he lived one year longer, would have received the unusual thirty-third degree.

Herman D. Rehberg was born in Sandusky, Ohio, June 2, 1857. During his father's life he was closely associated with him and at the age of seventeen years was practically in charge of the hall his father had erected. Since his father's death he has continued the vineyard but has done comparatively little wine pressing, disposing of the grapes from his eighteen-acre vineyard as they are picked. In 1893 he bought the homestead and grows other fruit than grapes and raises general farm crops on a part of the land.

In 1882 ]\Ir. Rehberg was married to Miss Pauline Hoover, of Port Clinton, Ohio. In 1884 he purchased a 10-aere orange grove on Drayton Island, situated in the St. John's River, Florida, but has reduced his acreage in this fruit to six acres, having lost considerably in the venture when the unprecedented "freeze" killed so many of the orange-growers' trees. Politically he is a democrat and has served on the board of education and in other public offices. He is a man of wide business experience and keeps thoroughly informed not only of outside markets but of doings and conditions all over the United States, having visited almost every interesting section at one time or another during the winter seasons. He visited California in 1882, before he married. An echo of Civil war days may be found in the family history. The father of Mr. Rehberg and his sister Mary were passengers of the Philo Parsons at the time the vessel was captured, when the plot formed to liberate the Confederate prisonei-s held on Johnson's Island, came so near success. No injury was incurred by either Jlr. Rehberg or his daughter.

Charles E. Gordon, part proprietor and manager of "Gordon's," one of the oldest ladies' wear and cloak and suit houses of Hancock County, has inherited much of the business genius of his father, the late Israel Gordon.

The capacity of the late Israel Gordon for commercial enterprise amounted practically to genius. His was not a spectacular career so much as it was a success won by early self denial and unremitting energies, and a steady climb, often against adversities and over obstacles, to the pinnacle of merchandising prosperity. He was a native of Ru.ssia, emigrated to America at the age of fourteen, and though a stranger in a strange land he at once began selling goods as a pack peddler. His first location was near Bolivar, New York. He worked hard and long, was thrifty of his earnings, and finally accumulated a modest capital. That together with such credit as he could obtain from the wholesale merchants, he used to open a store at Bolivar. Hardly had the stock of goods been displayed before the building caught fire and burned down, and as there

Undispirited by this heavy calamity, Israel Gordon came to Findlay, Ohio, thirty-one years ago» He opened a stock of general dry goods in the Kimmel Building. From the start he was successful. After five years in the first location he had advanced so far as to purchase the block now called Gordon's Block, across the street from the present location of the business which bears his name. There he continued actively as a merchant until his death in 1912. In the meantime his enterprise had also been extended by the establishment of a branch store at Upper Sandusky, but after a short time he discontinued it. Israel Gordon married Etta Weiner, who is now living in New York City. The children were: Nathan B., an attorney at Cleveland; William H., a physician at the University Hospital in Ann Ar1)or, Michigan ; Charles E., a merchant ; Rii'hard E., a student in Columbia University at New York City; and Lillian R. and lllaiirh R.. who are students in the Benjamin Dean Sdinol at New York City. Mr. Charles Iv (Jorddii, though only twentyfour years of age. has made a splendid record as administrator of the store and business established by his father, and his future is a bright outlook. The Gordon business now has branch stores at Lima and Piqua, Ohio, and Mr. Gordon plans a gradual extension of the business to include many such stores. In fact he regards as his trade territory the entire northwestern section of Ohio.

He was reared and educated in Findlay, attending the grammar and high schools. He is unmarried, is independent in politics, and is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Miner Albert Atmur. As an active member of the Allen County bar for nearly a ((uarter of a century. Jliner Albert Atmur wields an influence at Lima that only men of strength and character can exercise in a community. He comes of Revolutionary stock on both sides of the family, and is a direct descendant of the Englisli Marshall family of which Chief Justice John ilarshall was the illustrious head, and is connected with the old and honored Berkley, Marshall and Newman families of Virginia, and descends from Capt. John Marshall, who came to America in 1650. The Berkley family once owned the property on which is now situated Arlington Cemetery, at Washington, D. C.

The original English spelling of the Atmur name was Atmore, but succeeding generations have adopted its present form. Marshall Atmur, the father of iliner A., was bom near Bridgeport, Harrison County, Virginia, November 29, 1828, of English, Irish and Highland Scotch ancestors. He came from Virginia to Ohio, settling first in Champaign County in 1834 and in Allen County in 1848, where he passed the rest of his active life in agricultural pursuits. Mrs. Atmur, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Hoffman, was born in York County, Pennsylvania. March 30, 1833, a daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Gotwald) Hoffman.

Miner Albert Atmur received his early education in the public schools, this being supplemented by special courses, and after reading law in the office of James 0. Ohler, was admitted to the Ohio bar, March 6, 1890. For 21/2 years thereafter he was engaged in representing the holders of leases on oil and gas properties in Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia, as an attorney, and in 1892 returned to Lima, and formed a partnership with James 0. Ohler in the practice of law. This association continued until 1895. when Mr. Atmur became justice of the peace, for the City of Lima, a position which he held for six years, and during that time acted also as United States commissioner for the Northern District of Ohio.

Mr. Atmur is a progressive republican, holds membership in the Allen County Bar Association, the Allen County Historical Society and the Sons of the American Revolution, and is a thirty-second degree and Knight Templar ]\Iason. He was born on a farm in Allen County, November 23, 1865, and was married at Lima, August 17, 1893, to Miss Henrietta ]\Iary Hageman, daughter of Joseph and Henrietta A. C. Hageman, formerly of Putnam County, Ohio. They have one son, Loren Miner, born December 14, 1900, who is attending the Lima High School.

Edward Warren Misamore, M. D. His work as a physician has made Edward Warren Misamore well known in several parts of Northwest Ohio. He is now enjoying a successful practice at Findlay. He is a man of high ideals in the profession, and not only has the experience but the native accomplishments and the thoi-ough training which are the prerequisites of large success in this branch of professional service.

Hancock County :May 28, 1877. a son of Michael and Harriet (Greer) Misamore. His father was a farmer in Hancock County. As a boy Doctor ilisamore attended the Mount Blanchard common and high schools and spent four years of his early career as a teacher in the public schools of Hancock, Henry and W^yandot counties.

In 1902 he entered the Ohio Medical College at Columbus and remained there until he graduated M. D. with the class of 1906. For the following eight years he was in successful practice at Cygnet, in Wood County, Ohio, and while there was appointed and served two years as coroner.

In 1914 Doctor ]\Iisamore gave up his profitable business in Wood County and spent a year in post-graduate studies. Six months of this time were spent in the Ohio State University at Columbus, with special attention to surgery and diagnosis, and the balance of the time at John Hopkins University in Baltimore. On October 23, 1915, he located at Findlay, and in this larger city his talents have already gained wide appreciation. He is now physician to the board of health of Findlay. Politically he is an independent republican and fraternally is identified with the Masonic Order, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Loyal Order of Moose.

In October, 1906, he married Alta Jackson, daughter of Daniel Jackson. Mrs. ]Misamore died in May, 1907. In 1912 he married Mary ilyers, daughter of Samuel and Laura Myers of Cygnet, Ohio. Her father was a successful merchant of Cygnet. Doctor and Mrs. Misamore have one son, Darwin, born in May, 1914.

Oliver Henry Saunders, M. D.. began the practice of medicine twenty-five years ago, and since 1900 has been in the enjoyment of a large practice and much prestige as a physician and surgeon at Findlay.

In ancestry he represents the English Puritan and the Pennsylvania German stock. He was bom at Benton Ridge, Ohio, March 22, 1864, a son of Thomas J. and Hannah Lucretia (Ballardl Saunders. He made the best of his early advantages, and at the age of sixteen was qualified to teach in a country school. For nine years he was one of the ablest teachers in Hancock County. He was not content to follow in the beaten track of that profession, but instituted many reforms and methods to stimulate the interest and co-operation of his pupils, and thus did a great work among the schools where he was employed. He seldom resorted to punishment, and his almost invariable rule was kindness and courtesy in the treatment of his pupils, all of whom became his fast and loyal friends.

In 1877 the Saunders family moved to Findlay, and Doctor Saunders there began the study of medicine under Doctor Galloway, whose pupil he remained three years. In 1888 he entered the Ohio Medical College, and in 1891 w^as graduated M. D. from the University at Cincinnati.

After two years of practice with his former preceptor Doctor Galloway he went to West Independence, Ohio, and remained there eight years. Since 1900 he has lived in Findlay.

Doctor Saunders is thoroughly devoted to his profession, but is equally so to his family, friends and the pleasures of outdoor life. He is a great lover of flow-ers, and is also an ardent fisherman. He has a cottage at Green Lake, Michigan, and spends a part of every year there.

hi 1892 he married Anna E. Winbigler, whose father was a minister in Maryland. Dr. and Mrs. Saiinders have a son Ralph, who was born in 1893 and is now a senior in the medical department of the Ohio State University. They also have a daughter ]\Iarie Lucretia. born in 1899, and now a student in the Findlay High School. Doctor Saunders served as a member of the Findlay Board of Education from 1901 to December, 1911, and for four years of that time was secretary of the board. He is affiliated with the Tribe of Ben Hur and with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Joseph H. Bishop has been for many years and still is one of the high pressure farmers of Northwest Ohio, a man whose success in life is based iipon substantial and unusual achievements in his fields and in the prompt and efficient handling of the multitude of duties which are part of a farmer's life.

]\Ir. Bishop is a champion gi'ower of the great native American crop which the Indians introduced to the knowledge of Europeans - "the golden corn within whose yellow heart there is of health and strength for all the nations." What Mr. Bishop has done in this line is in a fair way of duplication and enlargement by his industrious and sturdy sons, three of whom have been successively prize winners in the boys' corn crop contest and have had a chance to see the capital of the

United States and enlarge their vision of the true value and meaning of agriculture by trips granted them as prizes to Washington, District of Columbia, where they attended as delegates the King Corn Convention. One of his sons obtained the phenomenal yield of 119 bushels to a single acre. These boy corn growers when they attend the convention at Washington are objects of special interest in the national city and have many favors shown them, usually being received by the President. One of Mr. Bishop's sons was a successful contestant in the year 1913, another came along with the prize exhibit in 1914, while the third son was a prize winner for 1916.

The homestead and the center of the Bishop family activities is on section 36 of Marion Township in Henry County. i\Ir. Bishop is the owner of 320 acres of some of the finest land to be found in Northwest Ohio. It is nearly all improved and drained, and the 320 acres is divided into two complete farms, each with a set of buildings including modern and substantial houses and barns. He also has eight}' acres in Bartlow Township of the same county, and that is a completely equipped farm by itself. Mr. Bishop not only grows the finest corn in Henry County but produces all the other cereals. As a general farmer he has likewise kept improving his stock, and while the chief factor in his success has undoubtedly been experience he has always shown a willingness to learn from others and is a scientific farmer in the best sense of that term. His fame as a corn grower has spread over several states. His corn- has taken local prizes in state and county fairs, and his exhibit was awarded a gold prize at the Omaha Exhibition in 1899.

Mr. Bishop has lived in Marion Township since before the close of the Civil war and grew- to maturity on the farm he now owns. He was l)orn in Crawford County, Ohio, September l-t, 1859, and was a child when his parents removed to Henry County and secured their farm on the Ridge Road, one of the most noted thoroughfares in Northwest Ohio. His parents, Joseph and Eliza (Cole) Bishop, were born in Ohio, and were married in Crawford Coiinty where eight of their nine chldren were born. Joseph Bishop had about eighteen acres of land in Crawford County and in order to provide more generous opportunities and privileges for his children he traded that land, with some additional cash, for 160 acres in Henry County. He was a man of sturdy mold and after the conflict with pioneer conditions which took his energies for a number of years he lived in the enjoyment of a substantial success and prosperity, and attained long life. He was eighty-seven when he died March 18, 1911, having been born January 1, 1823, iu Ashlaud County. - He went with his parents to Crawford County when he was thirteen years of age. His wife died in Henry County March 31, 1901. She was reared a member of the Methodist Church, while he was a Lutheran, and at the time of their death they were members of the Evangelical Church. Joseph Bishop was a democrat and had served as town trustee.

Joseph H. Bishop was the second in a family of three sons and six daughters. Two of the daughters died after they married, leaving children, while the other seven are still alive, all of them farming people, and all but one have children.

Joseph H. Bishop was married in Putnam County, Ohio, twenty-seven years ago to Miss Nancy Casteel. She was born in that county June" 22, 1868, and was reared and educated there and was a teacher before her marriage. Her parents were Andrew and Margaret (Sterrett) Casteel, both natives of Licking County where they were married, but soon afterwards moved to Putnam County and acquired a tract of laud in a wild part of Liberty Township. Ilcr fatlier Andrew Casteel is still living on his old farm in Putnam County, past eightv-three years of age, and is up and doing in spite of his years. His wife died there in November, 1906. Andrew Casteel was a loyal soldier in an Ohio regiment, enlisting from Licking County, and tliough in the army for four years and a participant in many hard fought battles came out without a scratch.

Mr. and ]\Irs. Bishop are not yet old people, have the promise of many useful years before them, and are now in a position to enjoy their well earned success and share their experience with their children. Their oldest child, Minnie, was graduated from the Deshler High School, taught school for five years, and is now the wife of Harry H. Townsend, who is president of an oil and gas company at Leipsic, Ohio. Orlo E., who is twenty-four years of age, has had a grade school education, and is now living on his father's farm in Bartlow Township. He married Sheila Hoskins, of Putnam County. Orlo was the winner of the 1913 corn contest, and was the first of the sons to enjoy the pleasure of a trip to Washington as a delegate to corn convention. Ina E.. the next of the children, was educated in the high school and married Alfred S. Warren of Putnam County. They now live on her grandfather's old homestead and are the parents of three children, Serge, Evelyn Elizabeth and Joseph. Amos C, now past twenty years of age, is still at home with his father and was the winner of the corn contest in 1914. Wvly G., aged eighteen, was the prize winner for 1916. Homer il., the youngest, is fifteen years of age, is still in school, and is also looking forward to the distinctions which his brothers have won as sturdy and able young agriculturists. Mr. and ^Mrs. Bishop "are members of the Christian Church, and Mr, Bishop is a democrat.

Geoege Emerson Harper, D. D. S., now one of the leading dentists of Findlay, has been actively identified with his profession for more "than fifteen years and is also well known in Northwest Ohio as a newspaper publisher.

He was born in Jackson County, Ohio, in what is known as the Hanging Rock Iron Region, October 12, 1870. His parents were J. Charles and Mary Jane Harper. His father, of Scotch-Irish ancestry, was a school teacher bv profession and served long and faithfuUy as a soldier of the Union during the Civil war. He was corporal for a time, and was finally appointed captain of a company in a negro regiment. His death occurred at Colton, Ohio, December 21, 1893, and the widowed mother is now living at Wellston.

One of a family of eight children, and born in a log cabin, "Doctor Harper received his early training in the public schools of Liberty and" then entered the Colton Normal School at Colton. training himself for educational work. Receiving his teacher's certificate in 1892, he taught two years in Pike County and also had charge of the ninth grade of the Central Public School at Wellston.

He began the study of dentistry under Doctor Fitzpatrick. witli whom he remained five months, and in 1896 entered the Cincinnati College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated in 1899. For eleven years Doctor Harper had his ofBce and enjoyed a large clientage at Forest in Hardin County, Ohio, From there he came to Findlay in August, 1910, and his prestige as an able dentist followed him to the larger city where he now has a large practice.

For many years Doctor Harper has been activelv identified with newspaper work. In 1900 h"e bought the Advertiser at Forest, and in 1914 bought the Review and consolidated the two papers under the present name Forest Review and Advertiser, of which he is now sole proprietor. Doctor Harper is known among his associates as a very hard worker. He is independent in politics, a member of the First ]\Iethodist Episcopal Church at Findlaj^ and is affiliated with the ^Masonic Order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

August Frederick William Gohlke is a successful young business man of Findlay. and has marched through difficulties and handicaps to his present position. He is now member of the firm of Evans & Gohlke, general grocers, at 315 North ilain Street.

Thougli his life since early childhood has been spent in America, Mr. Gohlke was born in Stettin, Prussia, in 1888, a son of William and ]\lary (Wilke) Gohlke. His father was a wagon maker in Germany and made many vehicles of that kind almost entirely by hand. When the son August F. was four years of age the family came to America, locating at once in Findlay. Here the father assisted in building the Toledo & Ohio Central Railway.

Mr. Gohlke grew up in Findlay and was in public school until fourteen years of age. He was then stricken with a severe illness which left him practically an invalid for four years. As soon as he was able to work he became clerk in the grocery house of Karst, Wise & Company. He spent three years with that firm and then continued clerking until he had gone the rounds of nearly all the better known grocers of the city. He remained from a year to three years in each place, and all the time he was thriftily saving his money and improving his experience with a view to engaging in business for himself.

His opportunity came when lie and Carl Smith opened a grocery store under the name Smith & Gohlke. This firm enjoyed a prosperous business from the start and in April, 1916, Mr. E. W. Evans bought the interests of Smith and the firm has since been Evans & Gohlke.

Mr. Gohlke is an independent republican, and is a member of the German Lutlieran Church, in which his father served as deacon for twelve years. He is a member of Findlay Lodge, No. 227, Free and Accepted Masons.

Hexry Andrew Kilmer. The Gordon Lumber Company of Oak Harbor is one of the largest and most vigorous enterprises cf the kind in Northwest Ohio outside of Toledo.

It is the outgrowth of the early enterprise of Washington Gordon, who many years ago establisluxl the first sawmill in Oak Harbor. Subsequently the business was conducted as W. Gordon & Company, while in 1903 it was incorporated as The Gordon Lumber Company, and this in turn in 1907 was succeeded by The Gordon Lumber, Basket & Manufacturing Company. In 1916 the company sold the manufacturing end of the business and resumed its former name of The Gordon Ijumber Company.

When Mr. Gorgon first established the sawmills he employed them for sawing up the enormous quantities of hardwood timber which came oft' the lands of Northwest Ohio as they were being cleared up for agricultural purposes. Only a comparatively small area of such timber still remains in this section of the state. Much of the products of the old mills were shipped to eastern markets and to points along the Great Lakes, and the business was chiefly of a wholesale character. Today Tht> (ioi'ddii Lumber Company is exclusively retail iind Mip|ilii's lumber and builders' material in ils \ai'ii)us forms to a large, and increasing trade. The company also handles both anthracite and bituminous coal, and that is now a valuable adjunct to the other interests The company maintains yards at Oak Harbor, Limestone, Swanton, and Fremont the main offices being at Oak Harbor. It has a capital stock of $150,000, and officers are: William Gordon, president; Charles Roose, vice president ; F. A. Kilmer, secretary and treasurer ; H. A. Kilmer, general manager.

For a number of years Henry Andrew Kilmer supplied much of the practical sen.se and skill and business enthusiasm to the growth and development of this prominent industry, and at the same time he has fitted himself into much of the civic life of Oak Harbor. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, IMarch 1, 1862, he is a son of Henry and Kunigunde (Schuchhart) Kilmer. His father was a painter and decorator by trade. Henry A. Kilmer was educated in the 'public and parochial schools. For a time he operated a drug store at Williston, Ohio. In 1887 he established his home in Oak Harbor, and for three yeai-s was in the drug business. In 1890 he entered the employ of W. Gordon as manager of the sawmills. These mills were then sawing up great quantities of timber used in railway construction work. The Gordon mills sawed the white pine used by the Nickel Plate Railway along its route as far west as Chicago, and also the

For two terms Mr. Kilmer served as town and township clerk and has served for a number of years as member of the city council. He is an active democrat in politics and in 1904 was a delegate to the national convention of that partj^

On November 17, 1887, at Oak Harbor he married Miss Nora Gordon, a daughter of Washington Gordon and a sister of Congressman Gordon of Cleveland. They are the parents of three children. William Frederick is a traveling lumber salesman. Lawrence Otto is with the lumber company at Oak Harbor. Evangeline Florence is now a student in the Thomas Normal Training School of Detroit. Mr. Kilmer is a trustee of St. John's Lutheran Church, of which his family are members. He was elected treasurer of the Ohio Association of Retail Lumber Dealers at the convention held at Cedar Point in June, 1916.

Frederick August Kilmer, brother of Henry A. and secretary and treasurer of the Gordon Lumber Company, has likewise had an extensive business experience. Born in Cleveland, March 31, 1866, he was educated in the public and parochial schools, and for ten years was a clerk and bookkeeper with the Standard Oil Company. He then became assistant cashier of the Lorain Street Savings Bank of Cleveland, remained with that institution nine years, and in 1898 became identified with W. Gordon & Company at Oak Harbor, and on the reorganization of that concern under its present title became secretary and treasurer.

His name is likewise familiar in public affairs at Oak Harbor, and since its organization he has been president of the Oak Harbor Public Library. On September 5, 1894, he married Florence May Towson of Cleveland. She died April 19, 1916. They had one son, Franklin Towson, now in school.

Otto Henry Kilmer, the youngest of the three brothers, is manager of the Oak Harbor Basket Company. He was born in Cleveland, January 3, 1869. He secured an education from the same sources as his brothers, and then learned the machinist trade. For twenty-three years he was one of the skilled employees of the L^nion Steel Screw Company of Cleveland, but in 1907, on the organization of the Gordon Lumber, Basket & Manufacturing Company he came to Oak Harbor as superintendent of its mill department. In 1916 when the basket factory was sold to the Oak

On October 8, 1906, he married Miss Christine Horn of Amherst, Ohio. They have four children : Catherine Horn, Florence Gerti-ude, Ruth Christine and Robert Jason.

George W. Skelding is commissioner of inspection of the City of Toledo. It is a position of the heaviest responsibility and is one that is vitally related to the welfare and well being of every citizen, ilr. Skelding has unusual qualifications for the post, since he is a builder by trade, and for a number of years was associated with his father in the contracting and building business.

^Ir. Skelding was born in Toledo, April 2, 1879, a son of T. W. Skelding, wdio is now retired at the age of sixty-eight years, but spent the greater part of his active life as a contractor and builder. He was the father of two sons and one daughter.

George W. Skelding was educated in the public schools of Toledo, and after leaving high school he learned the trade of carpenter. From that time forward he was associated with his father in the contracting and building business until June 12, 1914, when he accepted his present post of responsibility as chief building inspector for the city government.

He is active as a republican, is a member of the Knights of P\i:liias and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, but gives all the energy and skill at his disposition to the duties of his office. Mr. Skelding married ]Miss Tula Vosburgh. daughter of ;\Iartin Vosburgh of Toledo. They have five children : Martin, Chester, Robert, Clara and Paul.

Fred Rickenbekg. During his lifetime of more than fifty years spent in Henry County, Fred Rickenberg has found success in the truest sense of that term. He has a splendid farm, enjoys the esteem of his fellow men, and has taken a public spirited share in the social and civic life of his community.

He was born on the farm where he now resides in section 5 of Napoleon Township in 1865. He grew up there, attended the local schools, and is now the prosperous owner of a place of 166 acres in one tract. He first bought the old homestead of forty acres which his father had cleared up from the wilderness, and subsequently he purchased the 126 acres adjoining. Mr. Rickenburg also has a farm of 77 acres in Defiance Countv, located

By trade ]\Ir. Rickenberg might be called a blacksmith. He has a shop on his farm which is now employed for the repair of his own implements and machinery. For twentythree years he conducted a smithy as a convenience to the entire neighborhood, and made that shop a center to which all the farmers for miles around brought their tools and implements for repairing and dressing. As a farmer ilr. Rickenberg has made a success in growing all kinds of cereals and keeps excellent livestock.

His parents were Henry and Elizabeth (Mordits) Rickenberg. Both were born in Hanover, Germany, and six months after their marriage they set out on a sailing vessel from Hamburg and after a voyage of eight weeks arrived in Baltimore. From there they came on to Henry County where so many of their fellow countrymen had already located, and began life in a log cabin in the woods of Napoleon Township. Henry Rickenberg had to boiTow $2.5 in order to get to America. He was a carpenter by trade, but spent most of his career as a farmer, and in the course of many j-ears worked out a commendable success. His death occurred in 1909 when past eighty-one years of age, and his widow passed away in 1913 aged seventy-six. Both were active members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and politically he was a democrat. In their family were four children: Henry, who is a farmer in Monroe Township of Henry County and is married and has a family ; George, who died after his marriage leaving children; one that died in infancy; and Fred.

Mr. Fred Rickenberg was married in 1888 to Miss Ida Barnes. She died and was buried on her tenth wedding anniversary. The children that survive her are Emma, Carl, "William, Albert and Fred. In his home township Mr. Rickenberg married for his second wife Dora Helberge, who was born and reared in Henry County, and she died at the birth of her first child, Edward, who is now five years of age and is a very promising youth. The mother of this child died at the age of thirtysix. For his present wife Mr. Rickenberg married ^Mrs. Emma Dachenhause, widow of Fred Daehenhouse. Mrs. Rickenberg is a daughter of Louis Bockelman. She has no children by either of her marriages.

Mr. Rickenberg and family are active members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church and he formerly served it as an oflScial. For two years he was township trustee, and his business interests also extend to the Napoleon Stock and Grain Company, which was organized July 15, 1913, and of which he is secretary and treasurer. For some years he was also a director of the Henry County Agricultural Association.

H.\KRY W. Buckley is not one of the old residents of Deshler, having been in that city only thirteen years, but in those qualities which are often described by the phrase "live wire" and in aggressive business enterprise and public spirit he has become a most decisive factor in local welfare.

Mr. Buckley is president and general manager of the Buckley Cigar Box Company, manufacturers of cigar boxes and packing cases. This company has a lai-ge plant on Vine street and the business is one of the most important in the thriving little industrial center of Deshler. The company was incorporated October 9, 1912, with a capital stock of $10,000. Mr. Buckley is president and general manager, his brother, C. S. Buckley, is vice president, and A. A. Buller is secretary and treasurer. In 1917 they also iucoi'porated another company with headquartei-s at Columbus, Ohio, Charles S. Buckley being its pi-esideut and general manager, while Harry W. Buckley is vice president. This company is incorporated for $15,000. In the two plants are employed aver tifty workmen. The business has had a rapid increase and at the present time the output averages 4,000 cigar boxes and packing cases in a single day. The boxes are used by some of the largest cigar manufacturers in the i\liddle "West. The Deisel-Weimer Company at Lima uses the Buckley cigar boxes for two of their large plants, and sometimes three. The raw material for the manufacture of the boxes and cases comes chiefly from the states of Missouri and Alabama. The enterprise has a history of only a few years, but its growth has been almost phenomenal in that time.

ilr. Harry W. Buckley is also president of the Rentschler Company of Deshler. This company was incorporated eight years ago with a capital stock of $16,000. Edward H. Rentschler is general manager, and Mr. Andred A. Buller secretary and treasurer. Mr. Buller is a resident of Toledo.

pharmacists aud both received their technical training iu this line in the Ohio Northern University at Ada. Harry Buckley took his degree in 1901 while Charles S. is a registered pharmacist of twenty-seven years standing. Charles S. Buckley was a druggist in three different localities, Leipsic, McComb and at Findlay, Ohio. Harry W. Buckley was for eight years engaged in the drug business at Deshler.

Mr. Buckley was born at Leipsic, Ohio, May 11, 1880, and has had a very strenuous career for so young a man. He was educated in the local public schools and the high school, and subsequently went to Findlay, Ohio. While there he enlisted in the regular United States army and saw three years of service as acting hospital steward. One year he spent in Alaska in the Skagway district. At the end of his three years he was discharged in the State of Washington. He next removed to Toledo, where he was connected with the large drug house of Newcomers of that city. For a time he was in the iledical department of the Ohio National Guard under Dr. D. W. Eiford. In April, 1904, he came to Deshler and entered the drug business. He subseciuently became connected with the furniture company, and besides the business activities already enumerated was a stockholder of the Deshler State Bank, where he was active for four years. He is a Knight Templar Mason, affiliated with the commandery at Findlay, and with the Chapter and Blu& Lodge at Deshler. He also belongs to the Consistoi-y of Scottish Rite at Toledo and Zenobia Temple of the Mystic Shrine in that city. He is an official member of Deshler Lodge No. 617, Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

He was married in Toledo to Miss Lena Croner. Mrs. Buckley was born and reared in Pennsylvania of an old Pennsylvania family. She is a gracluate of the high school at Pemberville, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Buckley have one son, Harry William Jr., now five years old. Both are active members of the Rebekah Lodge, in which Mrs. Buckley is past noble grand. Jlr. Buckley, as is fitting, is a leader in the Booster Club of Deshler, and that club is honored by the membership of such a live and enterprising man.

WiLLi.\M T. Davies, whose place of business is at 604 Main Street on the east side of Toledo, has been handling groceries at that stand for upwards of thirty years. He is one of the oldest business men of that locality of the city and has one of the finest stores of its kind in Toledo.

Mr. Davies is a native of Ohio, having been born at Mineral Ridge in Trumbull County, July 19, 1865. His parents D. T. and Martha Davies were born and reared and married in Wales, and in 1862 came to America with their one daughter. They had a family altogether of twelve children, ten of whom are still living. The father located in Trumbull County, was a merchant there, and afterwards for twenty-five years was superintendent and manager of the rolling mills at Youugstown. In 1888 he removed to Toledo and took charge of the shipping department iu a rolling mill in this cit.y. He then devoted some of his time assisting his son in the grocery business, and his death occurred at Toledo in 1908. A thorough business man, he was a worker almost until the time of his death. He was a faithful and devout member of the Congregational Church, in which he always took an active interest. He was affiliated with Lodge No. 572 of the I\Iasouic Order.

William T. Davies was the first child born to his parents after they came to America. Most of his early youth was spent in Youngstown, where he attended the grammar and high schools. At the age of sixteen he left school to begin work in the rolling mills and had experience in different departments until he was twentj'-one years of age. He learned the grocery trade by clerking in a store at Youngstown for three years. On coming to Toledo in 1888 Mr. Davies embarked in the retail grocery business at 604 Main Street, where he has remained steadily ever since. His place of business is a landmark in that section of the city and the people there associate the store with reliable merchandi.se and a complete service. Mr. Davies is a republican in politics. In many ways he has used his influence to promote the public welfare and has always shown an intelligent interest in public affairs. He was a member of the city waterworks board one term. Fraternally he is affiliated with Lodge No. 572 and also with the Royal Arch Chapter and the Knight Templar Commandery and has filled various chairs in these orders. He also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Roval Arcanum. He married Miss Louisa M.

Ernest Irving Antrim, of Van Wert, is one of Northwest Ohio's notable literary men, and literary work and literary interests have shared his time jointly with the management of important financial affairs at Van Wert. Though he hinaself has no military record, he has always been interested in military aft'airs, and this is perhaps due in a measure at least to the fact that each of his ancestors for the preceding three generations saw service in the first three great wai's in which our nation was engaged. His great-grandfather John Antrim was a soldier in the American Revolution from 1777 until the close of that struggle. His grandfather Jacob Antrim was engaged in the War of 1812. Jacob Antrim was a minister in the United Brethren Church, and married a daughter of Bishop Zeller of the same church. Jacob Antrim was author of the early hymn book of the church.

Ernest Irving Antrim was born at Germantown, Ohio, February 21, 1869, a son of Francis Titus and Mary Ann Antrim. His father saw active service as a Union soldier durinsr the Civil war.

There are few men in Northwest Ohio who have had such superior scholastic advantages as Mr. Antrim. He is entitled to write three degrees after his name, Bachelor of Arts, which he received from DePauw University at Greencastle, Indiana, in 1889 ; Ma.ster of Arts, awarded him by Boston University at Boston, Massachusetts in 1890 ; and Doctor of Philosophy, which he acquired in 1897, at Goettingen University at Goettingen, Germany.

For about five years he was actively engaged in educational work as a teacher and taught in the Wyoming University at Laramie and in Belmont College, College Hill, Cincinnati. For the past seventeen years his time has been divided between his financial activities in bank and investments and his literary work. Mr. Antrim is co-author of ' ' The County Library," published in 1914. and author of "Fifty Million Strong," published in 1916, besides a number of articles on various themes of current and historical interest.

Some years ago ilr. Antrim organized the Farmers and Citizens Savings Bank at Germantown, Ohio, and is now vice president and director of the Van Wert National Bank at Van Wert and also does an extensive business in land investment. He is a trustee of both the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association of Van Wert County. In politics he is a republican and in 19*12 was delegate from Van Wert County to the Fourth Ohio Constitutional Convention. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi college fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, and the TrewUaw Club of Van Wert. He has long been prominent in the Methodist Episcopal Church and in iMay, 1916, was a delegate to the General Conference of the church, being one of the ten laymen selected from the West Ohio Conference. On October 17, 1899, at Van Wert he married Saida May Brumback, daughter of John Sanford and Ellen (Purmort) Brumback. John S. Brumback was one of the most distinguished citizens of Van Wert County, was president of the Van Wert National Bank, was founder and president of the Central Manufacturers ilutual Insurance Company at Van Wert, and gave to his home city and county the Brumback Library at Van Wert.

John Sanford Brumback was one of the finest figures who adorned the commercial life of Northwestern Ohio during the last century. He was a merchant and banker and a highly influential and successful physician of Van Wert, and an entire community mourned his death on December 11, 1897. In the splendid Brumback Library, which was erected by his children, according to the wishes expressed in his will, the cit}' has an important monument to his honorable career, and through that institution his ability to render service, which was so highly developed in his life, is made effective to .generations yet unborn.

He was born on a farm in Licking County, Ohio. March 4, 1829, a son of Davis and Frutilda (Beams) Brumback. His paternal grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Rothgeb) Brumback, while the maternal grandparents were George and Catherine Beams. The first American Brumback emigrated from Switzerland and settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1760. ilembers of the Beams family came from Pennsylvania to Ohio in the very early days. Frutilda Beams was a remarkable type of the early pioneer woman, and from her John S. Brumback inherited many of his sterling qualities of mind and heart.

oped land with only a log house on it. The only source of support for this numerous family was what could be produced from the soil of a siual^ and unimproved farm. The widowed mother bent herself to the task unflinchingly. Her very courage was an inspiration, and while the little household lived most frugally and with only the bare items of existence, they looked forward to better times and better things, and their desires as well as their labors helped to bring about fulfillment. In a few years the widowed mother was called upon to mourn the loss of her older son. He had already begun to bear some of the burdens of farm management, and his death left her with her four daughters and with such assistance as could be rendered by John, who was then a very small boy. As she was unable to spare him from his woi-k except in the winter season, his early education consisted of the crude instruction received in a country school during the few winters he was privileged to attend. Quick to learn, even in this short time he acquired the rudiments of an education that, added to and rounded out by a lifetime of close observation and keen perception, made him a man of general information and broad intelligence.

From childhood he was trained to depend upon himself and to battle with the world. He learned to labor for those whom he loved, and grew up capable, self-reliant and generous, winning and retaining the affection of those who knew him. His mother, in telling of his capability and self-reliance, used to say that she trusted him at the early age of ten to take the surplus products of the farm to market, and he sold it with rare judgment for one of his years. At fifteen he was as good a horse trader as David Harum himself. His mother said she never knew what horse John would bring home. He would recall with a laugh the fact that he got beaten in a horse trade only once, and that was when he traded a horse for a cow - and the cow died.

Having the commercial instinct so highly developed, his mother realized that his efforts were being misdirected on the farm. When he was seventeen she readily entrusted him with the $50 which represented all her careful savings, and that was the capital which he used to open his first general store. Going to Cincinnati, he so won the confidence of wholesale dealers by his frank and manly bearing, that they sold him on credit enough goods to open a country store at Ashley in Delaware Countv, Ohio. With the native ability and the energy which he brought to bear upon his business, he was only a short time in repaying his creditors and he thus laid the foundation of his success and fortune.

At Ashley, Ohio, on May 26, 1852, John S. Brumback married Ellen Perlena Purmort. She was born at Jay, New York, August 10, 1832. and was of English-French descent. Her lineage includes the eminent jurist Chancellor Walworth. When eight years of age she went with her parents to Kempville, Canada, where they lived until she was fifteen. In the summer of 1847 the family moved to Berlin, Delaware County, Ohio. There she taught a term or two of school, and gained the reputation of being the little teacher who was able to manage the rude rough boys, some of whom were older than herself. From the time of her marriage she proved an unfailing inspiration as well as a helpmate to Mr. Brumback. Upon the death of her mother in 1850 the care and responsibility of a large family had fallen upon her young shoulders, and thus like her husband she had to assume tasks and duties beyond lier years. As the oldest of the children she shared the trials and sorrows of her parents in many losses and removals, yet always retained the courage of her heart and an unfailing cheerfulness against all the trials of the world. Soon after her marriage she and Mr. Brumback, with the spirit of love and self-sacrifice which then and later and always prompted them to deeds of benevolence, took into their home Mrs. Brumback 's five young brothers and sisters, who had just been left fatherless. Two of these were reared as their own children to lives of usefulness. What this meant in the early days can hardly be appreciated in this time of labor saving appliances and small families. Mr. and Mrs. Brumback with all the difficulties of their lot enjoyed the greatest of happiness in the early years of their married life, and the world helped them because they helped themselves by living sober, prudent and industrious lives.

Soon after their marriage, owing to the impaired health of Mr. Brumback, they moved to a farm on the old State Road north of Worthington, Ohio. That was their home two years. In 1858 thej' went to Casey, Clark County, Illinois, in which village Mr. Brumback engaged in mercantile business, and was so well prospered that when in the spring of 1862 he came with his family to Van Wert, Ohio, he brought with him $5,000 in gold. Van Wert Countv fiftv-four vears ago was a comparatively new and thinly settled district. Its population at the previous census was only 10,238. In the Village of Van Wert he established a dry goods store, but soon became interested in the stave business. That was a leading industry in Van Wert County as well as in other sections of Northwest Ohio at that time, because thousands of acres were covered with some of the finest hardwood timber. In ISS-t Mr. Brumback sold his dry goods business and purchased a controlling interest in the Van Wert National Bank, of which he became the president. His associates for many years felt that he exemplified almost a perfect balance between the conservatism and progressive qualities which are the ideal virtue of a successful financier. During his thirty-five years of residence at Van Wert, whether as a banker or as an individual, Mr. Brumback helped to promote and finance many enterprises of great value to the people. One of these was the Cincinnati, Jackson and Mackinaw Railroad, now the Cincinnati Northern, a part of the New York Central System. He gave his financial assistance to this road when its failure was imminent. Other of his interests were : The Central Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Company of Van Wert, of which he was president to the time of his death; the Farmers Bank of Rockford, Ohio; the Union Savings Bank of Toledo ; and The Monroe Street Railway of Toledo, which he put on a basis of financial security when its future was uncertain.

Mr. Brumback was a liberal supporter of the First ^Methodist Church of Van Wert, for a number of years was a trustee, and he was also a charter member of the Odd Fellows Lodge in Van Wert.

In his later years he planned, with the counsel of his devoted wife and his children, an effective disposition of his surplus means in such a manner as to benefit permanently the locality with which he had so long been identified. His purpose culminated in a plan to build a public librarj- for his home town and county. That was before Mr. Carnegie began his extensive library giving and there were not many precedents for the establishment of a public library from private means. After consulting the members of his family and receiving encouragement from them, he ordered plans prepared for a building to be located in a park in Van Wert City. About the time the plans were perfected he was taken seriouslv ill, and he then called his son

Orville. a prominent lawyer of Toledo, to the home in Van Wert and discussed the project thoroughly with all the members of the family, Orville being entrusted with the duty of drawing up the will providing for the library. A clause in the will made it possible for amof the heirs to defeat the project if unwilling to join in the expense. However, not only were they willing to carry out the wishes of their fathei-, but they constructed an even better building than he had planned. Concerning the Brumback Library, its founding and its career of usefulness, an appropriate sketch will be found on other pages.

At his death Mr. Brumback was survived by Mrs. Brumback, two sons, Orville S. and D. L. Brumback, and two daughtei-s, Mrs. J. P. Reed, Jr., and Mrs. E. I. Antrim of Van Wert.

Lewis P. J.\CKS0n, BI. D. The family represented by this well known physician of Van Wert has been closely identified with every phase of history in the county since pioneer times. Fully eighty years have passed since the first of the name arrived in this portion of the wilderness, and since then the family has distinguished itself as hard workers, energetic citizens and as useful and honorable men and women.

The founder of the family was Doctor Jackson's grandfather Ferdinand Jackson. He was probably born in Madison County, Ohio. From that county in 1836 he removed to Van Wert County. His was one of the first settlements planted in York Township. He entered government land, put up a log cabin in the wilderness, and lived there until the close of his useful life. Besides the work of farming, which occupied so many of his years, he also followed his trade as a chairmaker. He was probably the first *ehairmaker in Van Wert County. Every winter season he would manufacture a number of chairs and in the spring or early summer would load them on a raft and convey them to Fort Wayne, where they found a ready sale. Ferdinand Jackson married Charity Mortimer. She was born in North Carolina and survived her hiisband many years. Her brothers Robert and Shadrach Mortimer were also among the first settlers in York Township of Van Wert County. Her brother-inlaw. Rev. Jesse Tomlinson, was one of the first if not the first Methodist Episcopal minister to hold services in this section of Ohio,

John Jackson, father of Doctor Jackson, was born in Madison County, Ohio, and was one year okl whcL brought to Van Wert County. Here he grew up amid pioneer scenes. For many years such wild game as deer and turkey were abundant in the surrounding woods and the commonest meat on the table of the early settlers was game. His mother also cooked the meals by the open fireplace and all the family were dressed in homespun. After reaching manhood John Jackson built a log house across the road from his mother's place. While the main part of the structure was of logs the top was of frame, and a kitchen was added boxed in with boards. John Jackson went steadily ahead with his work as a farmer, cleared up 100 acres, and from time to time put up buildings which made his one of the ihost valuable farms in the county. He lived there until his death at the age of sixty-six. When twenty-one years of age he married Jemima Prime of Licking County, Ohio. She survived her husband, spending her last days in Lima, and died in 1915 at the age of eighty-two. She reared six children named Elizabeth, Rachel, Ellen, Frances. Lewis P. and Jennie.

Doctor Jackson was born on the old farm in York Township of Van Wert County and he had the wholesome associations and experiences which are part of the experience of a farmer boy. Besides the district schools he attended the Middle Point Normal School and at the age of nineteen began teaching in Liberty to\ynship. Later he taught in Jennings Township and put in about six years as a teacher. Having made up his mind to study medicine, he entered the Starling Medical College at Columbus, where he was graduated Doctor of Medicine with the class of 1898. He first located for practice at Elgin in York Township, then in 1901 removed to Delphos and in 1915 came to Van Wert, where he now enjoys a large practice and an excellent reputation as a physician and surgeon. He is a member of the Van Wert County and the Ohio State Medical societies, and is also a member of tjtie United States Board of Pension Examiners.

He cast his first presidential vote for Benjamin Harrison in 1892, and has steadily supported the republican nominee on the national ticket ever since. In 1902-03 he served as coroner of Van Wert County and has also been a deputy state inspector of elections.

In 1898, the year he graduated in medicine, Doctor Jackson married Miss Grace il. Morris. She was born in Middle Point, Ohio, daughter of Frank P. and Alice (Bechtel) Morris. Doctor and Mrs. Jackson have three children : Lewis Paul, John Franklin and Mary Alice.

Jacob Steel Zook, who is now living retired at Van Wert, was for many yeai-s one of the foremost building contractors in that section of Ohio. It is said that when he completed his apprenticeship as a carpenter and did his first year of journeyman labor he was paid only $22 a month. Mr. Zook was one of the resourceful and energetic men of the last generation who proved themselves capable and equal to any emergency which arose and on the basis of a trade built up a splendid business and became highly successful men. He has done much for others as well as himself and many will recall his recent donation of $30,000 to the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware for the purpose of founding a chair in physics.

His birth occurred on a farm five miles from Wooster in Wayne County. Ohio. April 5, 1838. Back in colonial times his ancestors came from Switzerland and made settlement in Pennsylvania. His Grandfather John Zook was a native of Pennsylvania, married there, and in 1832 set out with wagon and team and made the long and tedious journey to Ohio, locating in Wayne County. His first purchase of land was four miles east of Wooster. In 1844 he removed to Crawford County, Ohio, buying land six miles west of Bucyrus, and there he and his wife spent their last years. His wife before her marriage was Jliss Evans.

Daniel Zook, father of Jacob S.. was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1814, and was eighteen years old when he came to Ohio. Two years later, in 1834. he was married in Wayne County and then started his career as a farmer. He was prosperous according to the standards of the time and in 1844 he removed to Crawford County and soon afterward bought a tract of land one mile south of Nevada in Wyandotte County. This was heavily timbered land, and after making his first clearing he erected a log house and barn. For nearly ten years he was busied with the improvement of his farm.

In 1854 he made a trip to Upper Sandusky for the purpose of paying his taxes. A short time before tlie first railroad had been built through that town and Daniel Zook was accidentally killed on the railroad, his being one of the first accidental deaths resulting from this improved form of transportation in that section of Ohio. Daniel Zook had married Nancy Steel. She was born in Pennsylvania, and her father, Jacob Steel, a native of the same state, moved to Wayne County, Ohio, in very early times and bought timbered laud six miles east of Wooster. It was a wild and sparsely settled district, but Jacob Steel found it very much to his liking, since he was a noted hunter, and he achieved a great reputation by his prowess in that direction. He cleared and improved his farm and lived there until his death. Mrs. Daniel Zook, after being widowed by the death of her husband at Upper Sandusky, married Goodwin Hall, and continued to live in Wyandotte County until her death. Her children by Daniel Zook were Mary Adaline. Jacob Steel, Amanda Ellen, John Walker, William Newell and Dennis C. Jacob S. Zook was about sixteen years of age when his father died. His education was largely a product of the old fashioned log cabin schoolhouse. With such industry did he apply himself to the limited curriculum of that time that he came to manhood with a better than ordinary education. At the age of eighteen he had begun to learn the trade of carpenter with John Done at Osceola, and spent three years in his apprenticeship. After that he worked as a journeyman for Mr. Done a year at the wages alread.y mentioned, and then formed a partnership. Their business was chiefly done in the country districts, in the erection of farm homes and barns. A year later they dissolved partnership, and Mr. Zook then continued as a contractor in Crawford County until 1862. In that year he removed to Nevada in Wyandotte County and in 1873 he transferred his business headquarters to Van Wert. Van Wert was then a small town, and his enterprise as a builder has added to its architectural features as a city. He continued actively in the business of contracting until 1912, when he retired. Some of the best known and most valuable buildings in Van Wert attest his skill. Among these are the Methodist Episcopal Church, Brumbach Public Library, the Marsh Hotel, the handsome Home Guard Office Building, and many business and private structures. He had a profitable business and has likewise proved wise' in his investments, and besides city property he owns a large amount of farm lands. Mr. Zook is still a director in the Van Wert National Bank.

On January 12, 1862, he married IMiss Amanda Barrack, who was born in Crawford County, Ohio, daughter of John Barrack, and she died in 1902. In 1903 Mr. Zook married i\Irs. Rosa (Gamble) DeMoss, a daughter of William Wilson and Mary (Thomas) Gamble, who were among the early settlers of Van Wert County.

Mr. and Mrs. Zook are active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which he has served as a trustee for upwards of forty years, and has also been active as class leader, ile is one of the prominent Methodist laymen of Ohio and his contribution to the Ohio Wesleyan University was in the nature of a gift to the church as well as to higher education. In a public way he has served as a member of the city council of Van Wert, and while living in Nevada he was town treasni'tr. ^Ir. Zook has for years taken much iiitcrfst in Masonry," and "is affiliated with Van Wert Lodge, No. 218, Free and Accepted Masons, Van Wert Chapter, No. 71 Royal Arch Masons, Van Wert Council, No. 73, Royal and Select Masons, Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 54, Knights Templar, and Toledo Consistory of the Scottish Rite.

LAA\TtENCE H. Wise is a veteran lumberman of Northwestern Ohio. He began sawing up some of the trees of the forest when the greater part of Van Wert and adjoining counties were covered with dense timber, and he has continued the industry long after the forests have practically disappeared. He represents a family that settled in an early day in Van Wert and practically all branches of his family connections at one time lived in Southwestern Pennsylvania in old Washington County.

Mr. Wise was born in Steubenville. Jefferson County, Ohio, February 27, 1847. The Wise ancestry goes back to Germany. His Grandfather Andrew Wise was born in Pennsylvania, and for a number of years lived in the locality known as Ten Mile in Washington County, one of the very historic localities of that state. From there he removed to Stark County, Ohio, and later to Adams County. Indiana. Andrew Wise was one of the pioneers of Northeastern Indiana and bought 640 acres of Government land. At that time and for years afterwards there was not a single railroad through the state. There were no large cities nor convenient markets. He took his grain to mill at Piqua, Ohio. His hard working days were devoted to the clearing and subsequently the cultivation of his land and he lived there until his death at the age of sixty-seven. He married a Miss Leatherman and they reared six sons and three daughters named Uriah, Hamilton J., Parker, Reuben, Andrew, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Jane and Melinda.

Hamilton Jefferson Wise, father of Lawrence H., was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, in 1818. In 1838 he also went to Indiana and settled in the wilds of Allen County, twelve miles southeast of the City of Fort Wayne, which was then only a village. He lived there a few years, and ou removing to Steubenville, Ohio, in 1842 kept a hotel and entertained many of the travelers who passed up and down the Ohio River on the steamboats of that period. Returning to Indiana in 1851, he located in Adams County and there became operator of a grist and saw mill located on the banks of St. Mary's River. This mill was a decided advance in the way of milling machinery since it was operated by steam power.

It was in 1855 that Hamilton J. Wise removed to Van Wert, which was then a small village. Here he resumed his business as a landlord and kept hotel in a building on the site of the present Marsh Hotel for one year. After that he was in the butcher business and later became a grocer, removed in 1869 to Cincinnati and spent a year in that city, and after returning to Van Wert continued the grocery business until late in life. He died at Pentwater, Michigan, at the venerable age of eighty-six. His wife was Catherine Van Winkle Sheppard. She was born in Bergen, New Jersey, and after the death of her father her mother removed to Washington County, Pennsylvania. Catherine Wise was a remarkable woman in character and in physical vitality. She lived to be ninety-two and was mentally sound until the last. Her children were named Uriah, Lawrence H., Emma. George. Charles, Elizabeth, William, Hamilton and Mary H.

Mr. Lawrence H. Wise was about eight years of age when his parents removed to Van Wert. He grew up in this city, attended the public schools there, and though a small boy at the time his patriotism rose to fever heat earlv in the war and tinallv he could not be restrained from enlisting. On October 10, 1864, he entered the service of the United States and was assigned to special duty. At the close of the war he was attached to the Thirty-second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry and was given his honorable discharge ou May 23, 1865.

After the war for a short time he was in the provision business at Van Wert and then took up the grocery trade which he followed until 1869. It was in that year, upwards of half a century ago, that Mr. Wise turned his attention to the lumber business. As very little land had been cleared in Northwest Ohio, timber was abundant, lumber was plentiful and cheap and there was a gi-eat field for the operation of the practical lumberman. Mr. Wise formed a partnership with James Webstei', and in a few years they w-ere doing a very extensive business. They got out great quantities of railroad ties, staves and other material, and operated a heading factory at Riehey. They were in business before the railroads quit using wood for fuel, and they fui'nished many thousands of cords to the locomotives. This firm also has the distinction of having built ten miles of railroad lines connecting with the Pennsylvania System at Riehey. Though the big woods are now gone and many changes have come about in the lumber business, Mr. Wise still continues to operate a mill, and now uses electric power to drive the machinery. His mill is located in the City of Van Wert.

On October 19, 1869, he married Miss Frances A. Jolley. She was born at Lima in Allen County, Ohio, and her father Elijah Jolley was born in Washington County, Pennsylvania, moving from there to Marion, Ohio, where he followed his trade as a tailor, and from Marion he went to Lima, where he was one of the first tailors in the town. He lived at Lima until his death at the age of sixtyseven. Elijah Jolley married Aehsah Davis, who was born in New Jersey and died at the age of sixty-seven. Mr. and Mrs. Jolley had children named Minerva, James, Cassius, Sarah, Frances, Josephine and William.

Mr. and Mre. Wise have reared three children: Charles R., Josephine E. and Frederick Lawrence. Charles R. married Minnie Haines of Taylorville, Illinois, and their five children are Lawrence, Josephine, Ray, Irene and Charles. The daughter Josephine is the wife of Roy C. Gasser. and she is the mother of three children, Frances. James and

Mr. Wise cast his first presidential vote for General Grant soon after the close of the war and has steadily supported republican principles and candidates for upwards of half a century. He has served as county commissioner and has well earned a reputation a.s a public spirited and useful citizen. He is affiliated with Van Wert Lodge, No. 1197 Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

THOM.A.S FR.A.NKLIN Priddt! The pioneer history of Van Wert County might properly be related in its entirety to describe the environment of the Priddy family. The Priddys were among the very first settlers of the count.y. It is more than eighty years since they came and located the first log cabin homes, and they not, only participated in the hardships and labors of the time, but also did their part toward introducing schools and churches and elevating the moral character of the neighborhood.

While the men of the household swung the axe in the forest and kept their ox teams working to break tip the heavy soil, the women were at home cooking by the open fireplaces, carding and spinning wool and flax and making the homespun garments which were worn both by the children and adult members of the household. The wild game of the forest supplied the meat for their tables, and they endured all their limitations and discomforts with a brave and courageous spirit.

The founder of the family here was Rev. William Priddy, who was born either in Fayette County, Ohio, or in the State of Virginia. He lived from an early age in Fayette County, and from there, in 1833, removed to Allen County, Ohio, spent the following winter and in the spring of 1834 arrived in Van Wert County. The date of his arrival is all that is needed to confirm the claim that he was one of the first permanent settlers. He secured a tract of government land on the Ridge Road six miles east from the courthouse. But there was no courthouse at the time and not a single dwelling or other building stood on the site of the present thriving City of Van Wert. When this village was finally platted and became the county seat, Mr. Priddy took the contract to put up the first house on the site. It was built of hewed logs and the partitions between the two rooms were also of hewn timber. William Priddy was not only a home maker, farmer, builder, and well versed in all other pioneer activities, but was a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church and if not the first was one of the first preachers to permanently locate in the county. As a result of his strenuous endeavors carried on over a considerable period of years he cleared up a large tract of land and lived on the farm until his death at the age of fifty-two. He married a iliss Butler, and they reared five sons named Sofosterus W., Archelus T., Thomas D., John N. and William B., and three daughters named Mary Ann, Martha and Elizabeth.

Archelus Tucker Priddy was born in Fayette County, Ohio, in 1818, and was sixteen years old when he came with his parents to Van Wert County. Until he reached mature age he never knew anything except the pioneer surroundings in which he had been reared. He had a home and family of his own before the first railroad was built through Ohio, and he had to gain his, education as best he could in the very primitive subscription schools that existed when he was a boy. On February 14, 1837, he was married in Van Wert County to Miss Sarah Brown. She was also a native of Fayette County, Ohio, and had come to Van Wert County with the William Hill family. Soon after marriage Archelus T. Priddy bought eighty acres of government land four miles southeast of Van Wert on the Mendon Road. There he erected a log cabin and undertook the task of clearing. Later he bought eighty acres adjoining his first purchase, and with the exception of one year spent in the City of Van Wert his home was on the farm until his death in November, 1880. His wife died in 1870. He was a man of considerable prominence in his locality, filled the township offices of treasurer, trustee and assessor, and for one term was county treasurer. He and his wife reared six children: Sofosterus A., Smith H., Liberty W., Eliza, Jane and Thomas F.

Thus two generations of the Priddy farnily precede the career of Thomas Franklin Priddy, who has lived in the county for more than seventy years and has himself made a record which is a contribution to the history of the family and has constituted a worthy service to his community. He was born on the old farm along the Ridge Road six miles east of Van Wert, March 20, 1845. His early life was spent in the scenes of a rural com- munity, and work on the farm alternated with attendance at the district schools. For many years he lived with his father while the latter was growing old, cared for him, and subsequently succeeded to the ownership of forty acres of the old home place.

Mr. Priddy also has a record as a soldier, though he was only a small boy when the war broke out. February 11, 1865, he enlisted in Company B of the One Hundred and Ninety- Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and went with his command to Virginia and was in service until after the close of the war. He received his honorable discharge September 7, 1865. On returning home he took up farming in earnest and lived on the old place until 1882 when he sold out and removed to Berrien County, Michigan. After one year there he returned to Van Wert County and then bought forty acres a mile south of the courthouse and continued to farm it with his characteristic energy until 1907. Since then he has lived retired in the City of Van Wert.