Seneca Township (part 20 of 60)

After his return to Tiffin, Mr. Haines had the satisfaction of being able to purchase the old home farm, where he 'continued to reside until 1870, at which time he sold it, its present owner being James Pennington, and removed to the farm which he now occupies. Here he has a fine farm of ninety-four acres which he has placed under a fine state of cultivation, while he has also made substantial and permanent improvements, which have added greatly to its appearance and value.

Mr. Haines was married, in 1858, to Miss Xancy Terflinger, and a family of six children was born to this union, named : Levi, Esther, Ida M., Charley, Leroy and Bertha, all of whom are still living.

Centennial Biographical History. 34 1

In his political connection Mr. Haines has been all his life identified with the Republican party. In 1864 he enlisted as a private in Q)mpany B, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and was with his regiment when it was sent to the defense of Washington city. He is a member of General W. H. Gibson Post, G. A. R., of Tiffin, and is a very active member of the Masonic fraternity, with which he has been connected for forty-eight years. He was one of the charter members of Wyandot Lodge, No. 315, of McCutchenville, with which he is still in connection, and where he has served in a number of official positions. The only other charter members still living are George Mulholland, of the vicinity of Adrian, who is still a memjber, and Benjamin Brundage, of Bakerville, California.

Mr. Haines is one of the very intelligent, substantial and responsible men of this township. He has been a successful agriculturist and has done much to develop the resources of his fine estate, making another of the fine farms which are the pride of Seneca county. He enjoys the respect and esteem of the public as a man of integrity, while he is much beloved - in the narrower circle of private life.

Hon. James V. Magers

Among the distinguished citizens of Tiffin, Ohio, James V. Magers has been prominent for a number of years, being a well-known educator and successful business man, as well as a leader in political life, and a factor of value in the development of this section of the county. He is now occupying the highest political office in the gift of his fellow-citizens, that of mayor of the city of Tiffin.

Mr. Magers is a product of the state of Ohio, his birth having taken place in Canton, Stark county, May 17, 1842. The home of the paternal ancestors of our subject was for several generations in the state of Maryland, his great-grandfather having belonged to the company of gentlemen who accompanied Lord Baltimore in his visit to the colonies. Law- rence Magers, the grandfather of James V., was a resident of Baltimore, Maryland, and there occurred the birth of Joseph E. Magers, the well known father of our subject, of this city. As soon as Joseph E. Magers attained a suitable age he entered upon an apprenticeship to a millwright, and when proficient made his way to Canton, Ohio, where there was need of his skilled services in the construction of mills. He was there eng^aged in mill construction, when, on account of failing health he was obliged to give up his work. He came with his family to Seneca county and engaged in farming, having invested in land in Seneca township. Afterward he bought another farm situated two and one-half miles east of Tifiin and resided here from 1871 to 1894, at which time he retired from active agricultural life, thenceforth residing in this city until his death in the following year at the age of seventy-seven.

Mr. Magers had been for years prominently identified wHith Democratic politics and served this county as commissioner for six years with the greatest efficiency, filling at various times other offices of responsibilty. He was long a justice of the peace, also served in the capacity of infirmary director. He was a man of strong political convictions, never swerving in his adherence to the party of his choice. He was married in Stariv county to Miss Mary A. Sneeringer, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and who accompanied her mother to this locality. Her death took place in 1897, at the age of seventy-three years. A numerous family consisting of eleven children was born to Mr. and Mrs. Magers, six of whom grew to maturity.

James V. Magers was ten years old when his parents located in Seneca county. His early years were passed in attendance at school and when about seventeen he entered Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, where he was pursuing his studies at the outbreak of the Civil war, which interrupted his college course for the time being. This interruption caused Mr. Magers to turn but more closely to an intellectual life, and he naturally engaged in teaching, occupying his winters in this way, while there was always need of his assistance on the farm during the summer seasons. For nine years prior to 188 1 he devoted the entire school year to teaching in this county, making his home in New Reigel and becoming one of the most popular educators in the county. During this time he served for two years as clerk of Seneca township, and seven years as clerk of Big Spring township, during all these years making warm and loyal friendships. In 1881 Mr. Magers was elected clerk of Seneca county. Abandoning the professional life he moved to Tiffin to enter upon the duties of his office. These obligations were performed in a manner which resulted in a re-election in 1884. Later he became part owner and manager of the Tiffin Weekly News, a journal which had' a large circulation throughout the county. While engaged in this line of business he was appointed assignee of a large manufacturing concern, the Belgium Glass Works Company, and as the affairs of this company were in a complicated condition he severed his connection wth the paper and gave his whole attention to the final adjustment of the company's affairs.

Mr. Magers then embarked in the business of fire insurance, which he carried on until 1900, although in 1899 he had been elected by his fellow citizens to the office of mayor. So well did his administration suit the populace that his re-election in 1901 gave universal satisfaction. As a public official Mr. Magers has upheld the dignity of the place and with commendable public spirit has encouraged all the measures which he has been assured would reflect honor upon the city.

Mayor Magers was united in marriage on January 7, 1868, to Miss Mary J. Adelsperger, of this county, and six children have been bom to this union, two of whom died in infancy, the survivors being: Charles F., who is a rising young physician, of this city; and Olive I., Camilla E. and Victor L., the last mentioned a student of Heidelberg University. The family is one of culture and refinement and prominent in social circles.

Mr. Magers has been a consistent politician, never wavering in his devotion to the Democratic party, in which he has been active since his sixteenth year. He has personal friends by the score and his political friends know that he has always been true to them. Mr. Magers is highly esteemed in Tiffin ; while many do not agree with him on political matters, they give him unbounded credit for the excellent administration he has given their city.

Michael Arbogast

Michael Arbogast, who is engaged in general farming and stockraising in Seneca township, was born in Pendleton county, Virginia, August I, 1824, and is a representative of one of the early families of the Old Dominion. His grandfather was Henry Arbogast, whose son, Peter Arbogast, the father of our subject, was likewise a native of Pendleton county. When he had attained his majority he married Sophia Arbogast, who was bom in the same locality, and they became the parents of four children : Jesse, who died near Bushnell, Illinois ; Phebe, who became the wife of T. J. Windsor; Christina, who married Aaron Carr; and Michael. With the exception of our subject all have now passed away. It was in the fall of 1826 that Peter Arbogast, accompanied by his family, together with Andrew Arbogast and his family, left Virginia for Ohio. The Buckeye state was just then being opened up to civilization. Some districts had previously been settled, but the greater part of the land still belonged to the government and progress and improvement were scarcely known. The party left Virginia with a four-horse team and traveled across the country, fording streams and making their way through almost impenetrable forests until they reached Seneca county. Casting in his lot with its pioneer settlers, Peter Arbogast purchased one hundred and eighty acres of land in Hopewell township. This had previously been entered from the government and upon the farm was a log cabin containing one room. There was also a log bam and a few acres had been cleared. It is a part of the farm now owned by Mr. Zarges. Mr. Arbogast resided upon that place until his death, which occurred in 1835. He aided in laying out roads and in organizing schools, always performing his share in every frontier work which has led to the present develoimient and progress of the county. His wife survived him many years, passing away in 1861. She had received the constant care and attention of her son whose solicitude was never abated.

all the years of his childhood and manhood. He aided in the difificult task of clearing the famij and preparing the fields for cultivation, and when the land became arable he bore his part in the work of plowing, planting and harvesting. As his father died when he was only nine years of age, he and his mother carried on the farm, together operating the land, with the aid of an ox team. It was in 1855 that he took up his abode upon the place where he is yet living. All through the years of an active and useful manhood he has devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits and in the legitimate channels of business he has won a very desirable competence.

On the nth of March, 1852, Mr. Arbogast was united in marriage to Miss Jane R. Stoner, a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Reagan) Stoner, and she died June 23, 1882, their union having been blessed with nine children, namely: Alice, who mai'ried Jacob Staib, is now deceased; John F. is a resident of Seneca township; Nettie is the wife of Robert E. Lutz, of Oklahoma; Lewis is a mechanic and resides in Tiffin; Charles resides near Bushnell, Illinois; Rush operates the homestead farm; and three sons passed away in childhood.

Mr. Arbogast put forth every effort to make a comfortable home for his family and to give his children those opportunities by which they were well prepared for the practical and responsible duties of life. He first purchased, in 1854, one hundred and twenty-three acres of land, the improvements on which consisted of a log house and a log^ bam. He went in debt for the entire amount, three thousand six hundred and ninety dollars, and this was all paid in three years. Fifty acres had been cleared and in course of time his fields were green with the crops that promised golden harvests. As his financial resources increased he added to his landed possessions and within the borders of the home farm are now comprised two hundred acres. He also owns, another farm, of one hundred acres, in Seneca township, and upoiu both he has made excellent improvements, erecting in 1875 one of the* most pretentious brick residences m the vicinity. He has used the latest machinery for facilitating farm work, has erected good baras and outbuildings for the sheker of grain and stock and has in every way a very valuable and desirable property. He has never sought office, for his attention has been claimed by his business interests. His residence in the county covers more than three-quarters oi a centurj-, ana the present generation cannot realize the changes which have occurred during this period. Mr. Arbogast remembers seeing many Indians in the locality and has driven througli Tiffin with ox team many a time when the mud came up to the hubs of the wagon wheels. The flourishing city then contained only a few pioneer cabins and the county gave little promise of its present splendid development. Howe\*er, the pioneers laid broad aitd deep the foundation for its present progress, Mr. Arbogast performing his full share in ihe work of citizenship. He has ever favored reform and improvement, and his labors have been effective in promoting the general welfare. Owing to his father's death he early had to take up the responsible duties of a business career, and industry, economy and honesty have been salient features in his history, enabling him to advance steadily until he now occupies a prominent place on the plane of affluence.

Aaron Shireman

In recalling the well-known and highly esteemed citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, who, by honest and industrious lives have accumulated property and attained prominence in this locality, Aaron Shireman, a resident of Seneca township, demands mention.

Mr. Shireman is a native not only of the county but also of the township where he now lives, having been born here on January 26, 1842, and his useful life of more than a half century has been passed in this state. His parents were Conrad and Margaret (Seip) Shireman, both of whom were born in Germany, where they were married and from which country they subsequently started for the United States. After reaching this country Mr. Shireman located first at BuflFalo, New York, where for some time he worked at his trade, which

- was that of blacksmith. Later he moved to Seneca county, Ohio, started iiito business in McCutchenville, and there conducted a blacksmith business for a number of years. He died at the age of seventy-four years, in 1877, the death of his wife being some ten years thereafter. They had five children, consisting of four sons and one daughter. The daughter, Kate, and one son, David, are now deceased, the survivors being as follows : Conrad, who carries on a prosperous shoe business in McCutchenville; Jacob, who is a skilled carpenter of the city of Fostoria; and Aaron, who is the subject of this sketch.

The boyhood and early youth of our subject passed away in Seneca township. Here he attended school, was a good student and became well grounded in the elementary studies. His father's f arm - afforded enough emplcyment, in addition to the assistance he could give at the forge, to keep him employed until he had decided his own vocation in life.

At the age of eighteen the youth entered upon an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, having always had a natural leaning and skill in that direction. He closely applied himself and soon became an excellent workman, and for some forty years his services have been in demand though the county. He can point with justifiable pride to a number of substantial structures which testify to his industrial ability, and a number of these have been built from his plans or suggestions.

Mr. Shireman is also a farmer and stock raiser, his farm of eighty acres being in a good state of cultivation, showing that his talents do not all lie in one direction. His buildings are commodious and substantial, his home being one of the most comfortable in the township.

Mr. Shireman was married in 1870 to Miss Emmarilla Harmon, who was born in Seneca township, a daughter of William and Mary Harmon. One child was born to this marriage, Ida M., who married Daniel Zeis, a talented young dental student in Columbus, Ohio.

In his political convictions Mr. Shireman has always been identified with the Republican party, but he is not a seeker for any political promotion, although strong, reliable, capable men like Mr. Shireman are the ones wiio most faithfully bear the responsibilities of office. Whatever success has attended Mr. Shireman's efforts is due entirely to his own energy, industry and ability. From small beginnings he gradually attained a prominence in his vicinity which entitles him to be regarded as a leading citizen of his township. His reputation is that of a man of business integrity and he is esteemed by all who know h'm.

Scott J. Matthews

In connection with an industrial enterprise of marked scope and importance the subject of this review has attained a high degree of success and is known as one of the representative business men of Seneca county, of which he is a native son.

He was born in the village of Bascom, this county, on the 8th of March, 1869, being the son of Henry W. Matthews, of whom specific mention is made on another page of this work. His early years were passed in the town where he has ever maintained his home, and after securing his rudimentary education in the public schools he became a student in that fine old Episcopalian institution, Kenyon College, at Gambier, Ohio, where he completed a thorough scientific course. As early as his fifteenth year Mr. Matthews initiated his active business career by being employed in the saw and planing rnill of his father, who was one of the founders of the town of Bascom. In 1890 our subject went to Tennessee, in the employ of the Matthews Lumber Company, of which his father is the principal owner, and he there remained as lumber inspector during the greater portion of the time until 1894, when he returned to Bascom and assumed charge of the lumbering interests of his father, acquiring an individual interest in the business, and has continued to operate the mill ever since.

His mechanical ability early became manifest, and soon after attaining his majority he began manufacturing small boats, of the skiff type, and from this he has developed an enterprise in the line that is one of marked importance. About the year 1892 Mr. Matthews constructed his first naphtha launch, the same having been made for his own use.

The boat proved to be a greater practical success than he has anticipated, and led to his making a careful study of the science of boat-building, in which he gained a high reputation for practical skill. In 1897 his ability in this line having attracted the attention of George Burwell, superintendent of the Lozier Manufacturing Company, of Toledo, now of Plattsburg, New York, which then controlled bicycle plants in the cities of Toledo, Ohio, Westtield, Massachusetts, Toronto, Canada, and Thomsonville, Connecticut, and he was given an order for a naphtha launch of his own design. The matter of providing a satisfactory motor came up, and Mr. Burwell decided to buy the castings and manufacture the motor in the Toledo shops. The practical result was most satisfactory, and from that time on Mr. Burwell has devoted his attention exclusively to the manufacture of motors of this type, his success having been as pronounced as has that of our subject in the line of boat-building. After Mr. Matthews had constructed the boat for Mr. Burwell they entered into a copartnership in the industry of building boats in Bascom, and the enterprise is now one of the most important in Seneca county. The motors used are all manufactured by the Lozier Motor Company, Plattsburg, NcAv York, and the boat factory in Bascom is known as the western branch of this company, though the business is conducted under the firm name of Matthews & Company.

In the local factory employment is given to a corps of about forty expert workmen, and the products of the establishment have a high reputation, the business having had a consecutive expansion under the able direction of Mr. Matthews and now standing as one of the leading industrial enterprises of this section of the state. Starting with a capital of one thousand dollars in 1892, it has now an investment of twenty-five thousand dollars, from thirty-five to forty thousand dollars being paid annually for operating expenses, and annual sales in the two plants amoimting to two hundred thousand dollars. All sales are made through the Plattsburg office, the boats being in demand on the great lakes and on both coasts of the United States, with a large and rapidly growing business from foreign countries. The new five-horse-power gasoline motor for Emperor William's yacht tender was made by this firm, which was selected after thorough tests by expert engineers. While Bascom is not a pretentious town, selection for such an industry w-as a wise one, labor conditions and abundant supply of material giving it precedence, and it may honestly claim to be the center of one of the important industries of the country.

In 1899 Mr. Matthews exhibited one of his naphtha launches at the International Export Exposition, in Philadelphia, and secured a medal on the same, while in 1900, at the Paris exposition, in competition with fully one hundred other manufacturers, his boat received the highest award, this fact being sufficiently s.gnificant to require no further statement as to the superior excellence of the boats manufactured by the concern.

Mr. Matthews is one of the able young business men of the county and is held in the highest regard by all who know him. In politics he exercises his franchise in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and while he is essentially public-spirited in his attitude he has never been an aspirant for political office. He is a member of Pickwick Lodge, No. 175, Knights of Pythias, at Tiffin, and is also identified with the uniformed rank of this order.

On the ist of August, 1894, Mr. Matthews was united in marriage to Miss Martha J. Miller, daughter of Wesley W. Miller, the present postmaster of Bascom, and of this union two children have been born, - Carl L. and Ward A.

John Seitz

John Seitz. one of the most prominent citizens of Seneca county, was born on the farm where J. K. Spitler now resides, in Bloom township, on the 1 2th of March, 1829. His paternal grandfather, Elder Lewis Seitz, w^as a native of York county, Pennsylvania. About the year 1800 he removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, settling near Lancaster, where he soon became recognized as one of the most enterprising and progressive citizens of the locality. At the public land sale he pur- chased about two htuidred and forty acres of land, but he never removed to that property and it was afterward divided among his children. He became a minister of the Primitive Baptist church, and throughout his life he was an active worker in the cause of the Master.

Elder Lewis Seitz, Jr., the father of him whose name introduces this review, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, October 21, 1802, and there he received his education and was early inured to the work of the farm. He, too, became a minister of the Baptist church, but as a means of livelihood followed the tilling of the soil, for he never received any compensation for his work as a minister. In 1825 he located on a part of the land which had been purchased by his father in Bloom township, on which he erected a one-room log cabin, in the woods. The land was then in its primitive condition, containing large groves of black walnut, butternut and poplar timber, but as the years passed by he succeeded in clearing and improving one hundred and sixty acres, and there he made his home until 1864, his landed possessions at that time consisting of two hundred and forty acres. In that year, however, he left his pioneer home and for a few years thereafter was a resident of Wyandot county, after which he returned to Bloom township, there maintaining his residence until his life's labors were ended in death, in 1890. For sixty-six years he served as the pastor of the Baptist church at Honey Creek, in Bloom township, and he also held various township offices, his political support having been given to the Democracy.

For his wife Mr. Seitz chose Miss Barbara Kagy, and they became the parents of fourteen children, twelve of whom grew to years of maturity: Catherine, who became the wife of D. H. Patterson and is now deceased; Lydia, the deceasd wife of Jacob Seiple; Elizabeth, the wife of Eli Bretz and a resident of Wyandot county, Ohio ; John, the subject of this review : Mary, who married A. D. Bretz and makes her home in Marion county, Ohio ; Annie, deceased, who married Samuel Bretz ; Barbara, Hannah, Abraham, Daniel and Lewis, all deceased ; Aaron, a prominent farmer of Bloom township; Lovina, who makes her home in Bloomville; and Jonas, also deceased. The mother of this family was called to her final rest when she had reached the age of forty-two years. She,

John Seitz, of this review, remained on the old home farm in Bloom township until he was eighteen years of age, during which time he pursued his education in the old log school-house of the neighborhood. He then entered the Seneca County Academy, at Republic, where he remained as a student for two terms, under W. H. Harvey as principal, and for a time thereafter he followed the teacher's profession in his native locality. After his marriage he continued to make his home under the parental roof for the following year, while for the three subsequent years he was engaged in merchandising in Bloomville, after which he returned to the locality of his birth and there located on eighty acres of unimproved land. Directing his energies to the arduous task of clearing and improving his land, Mr. Seitz soon had his farm under an excellent state of cultivation, and there he made his home until 1865, when he came to the farm on which he now resides, here purchasing one hundred and eighty acres. As the years have passed by and prosperity has rewarded his well directed efforts he has succeeded in placing his fields under a fine state of cultivation, has placed many valuable and substantial improvements on his land and has erected a large brick residence. His is one of the attractive arid valuable homesteads of the locality, and everything about the place indicates a progressive and thrifty owner. There he is extensively and successfully engaged in general farming and stock-raising.

On the 9th of April, 1851, Mr. Seitz was united in marriage to Miss Cecilia J. Hite, a daughter of David and Elizabeth (DeLong) Hite. Unto this union have been born seven children, namely: Milford K., a prominent jeweler of Bloomdale, Wood county, Ohio; Omar B., who was accidentally killed by a horse on the range in Texas; Marshall, a farmer and fruit-grower of Texarkana, Arkansas; May, the wife of R. W. Thornburg, a prominent physician of Toledo : Nettie, deceased ; and Orin K., who operates the home farm, married Rena Lamberson and they have one child, F. Marion.

taken an active and commendable interest in the public affairs of the county, and has held many positions of honor and trust. In 1862 he was elected to the office of justice of the peace of Bloom township, and eight years afterward, in 1870, was elected to represent his district in the legislature, and so acceptably did he discharge the duties entrusted to him in that responsible position that he was re-elected for a second term. In 1874 and again in 1878 he was a member of the senate. Allen O. Myers was at that time clerk of the senate, and he gave to our subject the appellation of the "watch dog of the treasury," it having ever been the aim of Mr. Seitz to work for the masses, and while a member of that important body he proved a power for good to those he represented. From 1867 he became known as a Greenback Democrat, and in 1880 supported Weaver for the presidency. In that year also he was nominated by the Greenback party for governor of the state of Ohio, and in the ensuing campaign he visited various parts of the state. In 1887 the Union Labor paity nominated Mr. Seitz for the same office, and he received twentyfive thousand votes, after an active campaign. In 1891 he was the nominee of the People's party for governor, again visiting nearly every section of the state, making an able and spirited canvass, and on this occasion also receiving a vote of twenty-five thousand. He had as competitors both McKinley and Campbell, and upon Labor Day he spoke from the same platform in Cincinnati, and the papers reported his speech as having effectually captured the crowd. During this period Mr. Seitz also edited a column in the interests of the People's party in the Cincinnati Post. In 1892-3 he published in Tiffin the "Plow and Hammer,*' in the interests of the same party, and he has rendered most effective service I'l upholding the principles which he advocates, having been in demand as a campaign speaker in Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia, Texas, etc. The late General William H. Gibson, of Tiffin, paid him a marked tribute, saying that he was logical and eloquent and that there was but one man in northwestern Ohio who excelled him. In 1896 Mr. Seitz was one of the presidential electors on the Bryan ticket, and was active in the campaign, under the direction of the campaign committee, and he has since

Mr. Seitz is a man of strong mentality, keen discernment, great tact and resolute purpose and is therefore well fitted for the political honors which have been conferred upon him. He commands the respect of his fellow men by reason of his sterling worth of character, and Ohio numbers him among her honored sons.

^ The subject of this sketch was a masterful man in his church, the Reformed church in the United States, and likewise in educational circles. Born on the 22d day of November, A. D. 1822, in the vicinity of Reading, Pennsylvania, it was in the Reading Academy he was prepared for pursuing a regular college course in famous Marshall Collie, subsequently called Franklin and Marshall College. He distinguished himsdf at Marshall College and afterward in the theological seminary of the Reformed church. He was the "honor man" in his class, and while he ranked first in scholarship he was also considered as ranking first in leadership of his fellow students, both in college and theological seminary. When Mr. Good was barely twenty- four years old he was induced by his distinguished instructors, especially by Professor Philip Schaff, D. D., LL. D. (who was impressed with the fact that the Reformed church needed a college in Ohio), to head such an educational movement by coming west in person and giving himself to the work. For three or four years he earnestly strove to make this educational movement in the Ohio synod something more than mere "synodical resolutions." No money was promised, no students pledged, nothing in fact but "wind" and "resolve" was Synod's contribution thus far toward founding a college as an adjunct of the theological seminary of the Reformed church. This latter school of theology had just made an inauspicious beginning, under Rev. Professor A. P. Freese, at Columbus, Ohio, and was hardly expected to live. College-bred students for the seminary were likely to be lacking until the church itself put both institutions into such successful , operation that the one might complement the other. To do this fifty years ago was many times more difficult than now, because a long campaign of information and the instilling of enthusiasm throughout the church in eastern and southern Ohio had to be kept up under the alert management of Rev. Mr. Good and a few personal friends. In the central part of the state he labored personally and in the other parts by correspondence. By his wonderful hopefulness and persistence Professor J. H. Good, as the acknowledged champion of the great cause, carried the undertaking to a successful termination in the founding of Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, in tihe month of November, A. D., 1850. During the four preceding years of his residence in Ohio, first at Lancaster and then at Columbus, so much apathy existed among the lay members of the Reformed denomination throughout the state, who were expected in their material prosperity to liberally furnish funds and students for an institution of higher learning, that Professor Good at his own financial risk, but w-ith synodical authority, beg^n, in the latter part of the year 1848, the publication of a church or denominational paper (the Christian World, now published at Dayton, Ohio), with tjie avowed purpose of making it the instrumentality of forwarding the college movement. The labors of this gifted leader in the Ohio synod were indefatigable, - in his private academy at Lancaster, Ohio, meant to be a starter of the church college, which might be relocated elsewhere; then in Columbus, Ohio, where he edited the church paper and taught in the theological seminary to prevent its becoming disorganized, all the while keeping up an extensive correspondence with Rev. Hiram Shaul, residing in Tiffin, which latter labor was wondrously fruitful, in that the citizens of Tiffin through Rev. Mr. Shaul finally made satisfactory proposals for locating the church's institutions in the enterprising little city of Tiffin. Its citizens, together with some Reformed people living in the vicinity, guaranteed a reasonable percentage of the large expense for grounds and. the erection of a three-story college building, should the Ohio synod under Professor J. H. Good's leadership, be induced to found a first-class col- lege in this new portion of the Buckeye state. What Rev. Mr. Good forecast and optimistically outlined in personal speech and in his wide and burdensome letter-writing was fully realized. Much had to be taken in faith on his personal assurance and pledge to the citizens as to what he could |>ersuade synod to do in the case. The synod seemed likely to choose the central part of the state for locating the college, and. in fact, at a hastily called special meeting, its constitutionality being questioned at the time, it was in some unsatisfactory way or manner **resolved'' to do this very thing. A few months later, however, the synod convened constitutionally in Navarre, Ohio, and accepted Professor J. H. Good's view of the situation. By an almost unanimous vote his outspoken preference for Tiffin over any and all completing localities was in constitutional form indorsed. Furthermore he was at this meeting elected professor of mathematics. He received four-fifths of all the votes of synod, being considered the best mathematician ever graduated by Marshall College. He was expected to prepare a constitution and by-laws for the projected college, which he wrote and reported to synod and the same was adopted.

Rector Reuben Good's scliool, begun in Tiffin immediately after the meeting of the Navarre synod, had in a few weeks so increased in the number and in the quality of its students as to have a satisfactory percentage of those advanced in the higher branches of study and prepared for a classical course in college in the near future. The number of these, together with the less advanced students, one hundred and fifty in all, made it necessary for the strenuous mathematical professor to do a large amount of teaching during the first year of the school's existence, while having upon his broad shoulders many other very heavy burdens. The prosperity of the school, however unexpected, justified the wisdom of synod in its "resolution" to have a charter from the state of Ohio. On the 19th day of February, 185 1, the general assembly of Ohio passed the act "to incorporate Heidelberg Collie, at the city of Tiffin." W'lih a legal status thus secured, much was to be done, and nearly all de\^olved on the energetic Professor J. H. Good, in the absence of a president of the newly chartered college. Being a member of the board of trustees, by the logic of events he must needs be its controlling spirit anil leader. He served on all its important committees and s^w that said committees did their work, or else he did it for them. He prevailed on his personal friend, Rev. Hiram Shaul to give up the pastorate of the First Reformed church, at Tiffin, to accept the position of financial agent and to devote his entire time to collecting funds for the seminary aaud an endowment for the college, thoroughly canvassing eastern Ohio and other portions of the state. It was arduous and discouraging work, and the agent was in constant communication with Professor Good, who animated and directed his work. At one time he actually prevented, by his own personal influence, the abandonment of the task. Professor Good's spirit was abroad in every part of the synod's territory; his correspondence was immense, and most men would have quailed before the stupendous work to be done. Fortunately he was in the prime of life, in full possession of noble powers and his heart knew no fear. With faith in God and faith in his own resourceful nature he could not fail. Nay, this great father of Heidelberg lived to see a glorious success achieved. A building adapted to the needs of the college was imperatively demanded. "Much of the labor connected with the erection of a suitable building devolved upon the energetic professor of mathematics," is the testimony of ex-Chancellor Kefauver after investigating documentary evidence. A site being chosen in the eastern portion of Tiffin, Professor Good, as chairman of the building committee, prepared the plans for the contemplated college edifice. The basement story was put up in the autumn of 185 1 and the corner stone was laid by Major Lewis Baltzell, in behalf of the board of trustees. May 13, 1852, when General Samuel F. Carey pronounced an oration before a crowd of about seven thousand people.

Professor Good's temporary connection with the theological seminary had not ceased upon his coming to Tiffin, in 1850, owing to the fact that the professor-elect of theology had not yet arrived. With the arrival of Professor E. V. Gerhart, A. M.. in the latter part of May, 1 85 1, he was relieved of further supervision in reorganizing the theological seminary, but his work in the college was increased and he was compelled to take additional branches of study, as was also the case with Professor Reuben Good, to whom the college trustees assigned the department of natural science; and this was also the case with Professor Sarah J. Thayer, a fine classical scholar, who gave the higher classes instruction in both Latin and Greek, in addition to other college duties. President E. V. Gerhart, of course, did his full quota of work in the chair of mental and moral philosophy, while Professor S. S. Rickley taught some of the normal branches of study, coming into the faculty a year later. The number of students rapidly increased from one hundred and fifty to very nearly two hundred, including those in the seminary. Thus there was sunshine as well as shadow in those early days of Heidelbergf s history, when the pioneer settlers were not fully prepared, if in purse (which may be indeed questioned) yet not understandingly, for several years to adequately support the self-sacrificing professors and instructors. The latter defect was ably and grandly supplied by the sainted Henry Leonard and others whose names became imperishably connected with Heidelberg's history.

Rev. A, Nelson, D. D., of the Methodist Episcopal denomination, says : "Heidelberg College and Heidelberg Theological Seminary, especially the former, made a strong showing from the very beginning." Rev. Leonard Bacon, D. D., LL. D., several years later says: "The college (Heidelberg), by reason of its able faculty and its determination to do thorough educational work, had a more encouraging outlook than many other western colleges which I personally visited and inspected by direction of the Western College Society of New England;" and he recommended a donation of twenty-five hundred dollars to Heidelberg's contingent fund by his society. The society got into financial straits before this was paid, but from this eminent Congregational is t minister's good words Heidelberg realized something in aid in another form.

Turning now to the personal characteristics of the "father of Heidelberg," who for thirty-eight years was one of Tiffin's distinguished citizens, we quote again from ex-Chancellor Kefauver, incidentally remarking that when about forty-five years old Professor Good received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Franklin and Marshall

College : "Dr. J. H. Good was wonderfully constituted. We find men greater than he was in some particular endowment, but few are his equals in gifts that make a man's life as s)mimetrical as was his. In his habits he was methodical in all his work. System was a g^eat object with him. To this trait can be attributed largely the abundance of his labors. Dr. J. H. Good possessed a logical mind. He never jumped at conclusions, but in the smallest matters reasoned them out. It was owing to this fact that his religion was not of the emotional type, he being ready always to give a reason for the hope within him. He alarmed a congregation in our city not many years ago when he announced that there were twenty-nine propositions in the text, and entered upon their discussion with considerable animation. Before he had proceeded to any length in the sermon his hearers discovered that there was much in store for them, and that they would get it, too, without any trespassing upon either their time or patience. He was quite a literary man, being the author of a number of books, and a frequent contributor to our different church papers." Dr. Kefauver adds: * Intellectual giant as he was, he was not such a slave to his views as to suppose all others differing from him must be in the wrong. He was willing to allow to others of opposing sentiments the possibility of being right ; and whenever the cause of truth required absolutely a union of sentiment between contending parties he had the magnanimity to do his part of the yielding in the case."

So much has been recorded on these pages about our subject as the father of Heidelberg and the institution's early history interwoven with his young life that of necessity much has been omitted regarding hSs happy domestic life, his pulpit ministrations, his active pen in controversial writing, his encouragement of the enlistment of college students for the defense of the Union in the dark days of 1 86 1-5, and his subsequent occupancy of a position, from 1868 to 1888, at the head of Heidelberg Theological Seminary, when (1868) he gave up the chair of mathematics to Professor C. Hornung, A. M., - all of which must be left to the writer of a larger biography than this short sketch.

latter came to Ohio, gives us in fitting language these concludii^ words: -'Scholarly, deeply pious, devotedly attached to his church, a vigorous and honest antagonist, an excellent citizen, he has gone from the church militant to .receive the reward that awaits good and faithful servants. The church will be unworthy of her history when s-he forgets the memory of men like Jeremiah Haak Good/*

Dr. Good died in Tiffin January 25, 1888, and over his grave, in beautiful Greenlawn cemetery, his monument bears the simple inscription **Resurgam," expressive of his immortal hope.

Daniel H. Cramer

The prosperity of any community, town or city depends upon its commercial activity, its industrial interests and its trade relations, and therefore the real upbuilders of a town are those who stand at the head of the leading enterprises. One of the most progressive, energetic and reliable business men of Seneca county is Danid H. Cramer, who is extensively engaged in the manufacture of lumber. His home is in Loudon township and he was born on the farm where he now resides, November 22, 1858. his parents being William and Charlotte (Snyder) Cramer, the former a native of Pennsylvania. In their family were the following children: Daniel H., of this review; William A., Morgan E., John J. and Frederick V., all of whom reside in Fostoria; Jane, the wife of Isaac Stultz, of Jackson township; Nettie, the wife of John Hazen, of Loudon township; Amia, who married Edward Seeman, of Dunkirk, Indiana; Allie A., who resides at home; and Nellie, who died at the age of six years.

Under the parental roof Daniel H. Cramer was reared, and in the common schools he acquired a knowledge of the branches of English learning usually taught in such institutions. His business and mechanical training w^s received in his father's mill, and there he worked until 1893, mastering every department of the business and becoming thoroughly familiar with the work of manufacturing lumber, both in prin- ciple and detail. In the year mentioned he purchased the business of his father and has since been at the head of what is now one of the leading enterprises of the community. From the time he was fifteen y^rs of age he has been the head sawyer in this mill. When he entered upon the duties of the fK>sition he was so small that he had to stand upon a box. There is no planing mill in this portion of the state that is better equipped or more complete in its appointments. It is supplied with modern machinery of the latest improved kinds needed in the business, much of which has been introduced since our subject Became the owner. He is a splendid busmess man, enterprising and wide-awake and knows how to reach maximum results with minimum effort. There is nothing wasted about his place, every slab being used in some manner. His careful supervision has made the enterprise one of profit, and in addition to its control Mr. Cramer is also engaged in contracting and building, having erected some of the best houses and barns in this section of the county. He is also the owner of three or four threshers, which he operates in conjunction with his other business affairs.

On the 13th of December, 1880, Mr. Cramer was united in marriage to Miss Isa Overmeire, a native of Sandusky county, Ohio, and a daughter of Hugh Overmeire, a retired farmer now living in Fostoria. In his political affiliations Mt. Cramer is a Republican, but has never sought or desired office, preferring to give his entire attention to his business interests. To him there has come the attainment of a distinguished position in connection with the great material industries of the county, and his efforts have been so discerningly directed along welldefined lines that he seems to have realized at any one point of progress the full measure of his possibilities for accomplishment at that point. A man of distinct and forceful individuality, of broad mentality and most mature judgment, he has left and is leaving his impress upon the industrial world. For years he has been an important factor in the development of the natural resources of the state, in the upbuilding of the county and in the promotion of the enterprises which add not alone to his individual prosperity but also advance the general welfare and prosperity of the county in which he makes his home.

When the history of Seneca county and her public men shall have been written its pages will bear no more widely known name and record no more distinguished career than that of Judge John McCauley. If ^'biography is the home aspect of history/' as Wilmott has expressed it, it is entirely within the province of true history to commemorate and perpetuate the lives and characters, the achievements and honor of the illustrious sons of the nation. The name of Judge McCauley is inseparably associated with the history of jurisprudence in this part of Ohio, and his characteristics are not unlike those of Carlyle, the philosopher, for there have ever been manifest in him a certain rugged strength, strong determination and decisive views, which have been powerful agents in winning him success at the bar.

The Judge is a son of Henry and Susan (Kelley) McCauley, both of whom were born and reared in Paisley, Scotland. They were married in 1834 and immediately afterward emigrated to the Union States, settling in Columbiana county, Ohio, where they purchased a farm. Later they sold that property and bought a tract of land in Wood county, Ohio, where they lived for about six years, when they removed to a farm in Hancock county, Ohio, where the father spent his remaining days, his death occurring in 1881, when he was seventy-seven years of age. His widow survived him twelve years, dying at the home of the Judge, in Tiffin, at the age of eighty-seven.

Judge McCauley was born in Columbiana county, December 9, 1834. and attended the primitive schools of Wood and Hancock counties until sixteen years of age, when he entered the academy at Republic, Seneca county, three years being devoted to preparation for college. At the age of nineteen he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, completing the classical course by graduation in 1859, and receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He taught several terms of schod in order to pay his expenses while pursuing his education in the academy and college. The resolute spirit which enabled him thus to make his own way through school has also been an important factor in his pro- fessional career and has gained him advancement to a prominent place in the ranks of Ohio's able attorneys. On the ist of September, 1859, he began reading law with the late Judge James Pillars, one of the most brilliant and prominent attorneys and jurists of northern Ohio. By hard study and close application he was enabled to pass the examination at the end of a year and was accordingly admitted to the bar. In i860 he began practice in Tiffin, and in 1875 he entered into partnership with Robert G. Pennington, a distinguished member of the Seneca county bar, this relation being maintained for four years. Later he became associated with Henry J. Weller, his present partner, the firm of McCauley & Weller taking a foremost position at the bar of central Ohio, and the important litigation with which their names are connected being an indication of their ability and the esteem in which they are held.

Mr. McCauley was elected prosecuting attorney of Seneca county in 1865 and re-elected in 1867, serving for four years. In 1874 he was elected a member of the convention called to revise the state constitution. In 1879 he was elected judge of the common-pleas court for the tenth judicial district of Ohio, a district comprising Wood, Hancock, Hardin and Seneca counties. After three years upon that bench he resigned, in order to accept the position of a member of the supremecourt commission, which was tendered him by Governor Charles Foster, in April, 1883. His duties in this capacity were no less arduous and important than were those of the supreme court judges, though he served faithfully as a member of this commission until its work was finished in 1885, when he resumed the private practice of law. His knowledge of the law being comprehensive and profound, he was well qualified for the important duties which devolved upon him, and he was accredited with strict fairness and impartiality in his rulings on the bench. He fully sustained the dignity of the office, permitted no contention or wrangling an^ng counsel and despatched the business of the court with*remarkable facility. His appointment to the supreme-cuun commission was generally recognized by members of the bar as one of peculiar fitness, and at no time did his course fail to justify their high regard for him.< His advice is freely and constantly sought by the younger members of the bar, and is generally given. He has been remarkably successful in practice, is ix)\verful in argument before court or jury and marshals his pc^ints in evidence with masterly skill, and with marked accuracy applies to them the principles of law bearing upon the subject.

In 1864 Judge McCauley was united in marriage to Miss Josephine Lockwood, a daughter of Dr. Alonzo and Marinda (Newcomb) Lockwood, of Fostoria, Ohio. Unto them were born five daughters, of whom one died in infancy. The Judge is of a most sympathetic disposition and those in need or distress never appeal to him in vain. There is no display or ostentation connected with his benevolence and he is entirely free from vanity, being a plain-spoken, large-hearted and fair-minded man. He holds no membership relations with church or secret society, but is guided by a high sense of morality and broad humanitarian principles.

Joseph Shaw

Captain Joseph Shaw, now deceased, was through many years numbered among the representative citizens of Seneca county, and by an upright and honorable career commanded the respect of all who knew him. He was born in Scipio township, Cayuga county. New York, March 20, 181 1. His father, Rolxrt Shaw, was born in 1785 and was a farmer by occupation. After arriving at years of maturity he wedded Sarah Keller, who was born in 1787, and in 1836 they came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Scipio township, where Robert Shaw purchased several hundred acres of land and located upon the farm, on Morrisson creek, now owned by Mrs. John Rosenfeldt. Unto him and his wife were born ten children : Mary, Eliza, Joseph, Matilda, Sallie, Silas, George, Roxa, Jerome and Alfred. The last named is the only one living, and he resides at Chicago, Illinois. The father of this family remained an honored resident of Seneca county until his death, which occurred August 14, 1864. His wife survived him about four years, passing away in 1868.

Captain Joseph Shaw, whose name introduces this re\'iew, was reared in the state of his nativity and when a young man was captain of an Erie canal boat for seven years, running between Albany and Buffala In 1 84 1 he came to Seneca county, making his way by canal to the Great Lakes, and when he arrived in this portion of the state he became identified with agricultural interests, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Scipio township, two and one-half miles west of Republic. He at once began the cultivation and improvement of his farm, w^hich in course of time he transformed into a valuable property.

In the year of his emigration westward Mr. Shaw was united in marriage, at Genoa, New York, to Rachel Ogden Price, a native of that place. They became the parents of three children, the eldest being Jane E., who married Captain George Tubbs. The second, daughter, Helen, is the wife of Sergeant E. E. Heath, and Annie E. is the wife of G. R. Hemmingway, the proprietor of the Miller House, in Ashland, Ohio. Captain Shaw, with his family, returned to New York in 1850, remaining for twenty years, much of the time being spent as a hotel proprietor at various points. He returned to a farm west of Republic in 1870, but his last years were passed in Republic, where he died August 20, 1877. His widow survived him twenty-three years, dying in Ashland on March 30, 1900.

Jane E. Shaw, their eldest daughter, was born in 1843 and on the 26th of May, 1868, she gave her hand in marriage to Captain George Tubbs, who was a native of Elmira, New York, born May 19, 1833. At the time of the civil war he aided in organizing the One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment of New York Infantry, being elected second lieutenant of Company I. He was promoted to first lieutenant and at the battle of Resaca he was wounded by a minie ball, which struck him in the rig'ht foot. After his recovery he was gfiven charge of an invalid corps for a short time, but later was detailed as topographical engineer on the staflf of General Knipe, commanding a brigade of the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps. Subsequently, on the march from Savannah through the Carolinas, he was appointal topographical, engineer on the staflf of General JeflFerson C. Davis, of Indiana, who com- manded the Fourteenth Army Corps. These honorable positions on staff duty were conferred on Captain Tubbs both for his efficiency as an officer and on account of his physical inability to march and command his company.

After i>articipating in the grand review, in the city of Washington, Captain Tubbs returned to the Empire state, where he was married. He resided in Candor, Tioga county, New York, where he conducted an iron foundry for four years. On the expiration of that period he souc^ht a home in Ohio, living in Republic and vicinity. Here he maintained pleasant relationship with his old army comrades through his membership in Robinson Post, G. A. R., at Republic. He served as commander of Robinson Post, as mayor of Republic and was serving his second term as justice of the peace at the time of his death, which occurred on the 2d of March, 1899. For the past fifteen years Mrs. Jane E. Tubbs has been actively engaged in Relief Corps work, and is filling the position of president of Robinson W. R. C. for the fifth time. She is also a member of the Farmers' Household Club, the Reading Circle and the Daughters of Rebekah. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs was blessed with three children : Joseph K., who is an oil producer living in Rollersville, Ohio; Robert M., who is in the office of F. E. Myers & Brothers, at Ashland, Ohio; and Charles E., who is living with his mother in Republic.

Francis J. Bork

Among the prominent and successful citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, must be mentioned Francis J. Bork, who is a prosperous fanner and respected and useful member of society. His valuable estate, which is located two miles south of Tiffin, attracts attention and favorable comment, not only on account of the evidences of agricultural superiority but also by reason of its attractiveness and its air of generous comfort.

ship, Seneca county, being a son of Frederick and Margaret (Young) Berk, natives, respectively, of Germany and France. His early life was spent on a farm and his experiences were those of the average youth of his locality, - plenty of farm work in the summers and study in the district schools in the winters. Until he had reached his seventeenth year Mr. Bork lived with his parents in Bloom ' township, and in i860 he^ accompanied them on their removal to Seneca township, remaining at home and assisting his father until the date of his own marriage, eleven years later.

The marriage of Mr. Bork was to an estimable and attractive young lady of his neighborhood. Miss Elizabeth Smith, who became his wife on Januar>- 29, 1871. They have one child, Maria, aged nine years. Soon after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bork came to their present farm, and here they have made their home ever since. Although the hospitable home of our subject and wife is one of the most comfortable and well appointed in this township, this is almost wholly due to the industrious eltorts of its owner, ds very few improvements had been made on this farm when Mr. Bork came to it.

When he purchased his farm it was with the intention of engaging extensively in farming and stock-raising. It consists of one hundred and fifty-nine acres of land and is unusually valuable on account of its close proximity to the city of Tiffin. Being a practical man, Mr. Bork understands all these advantages, and he has one hundred and thirty acres of his land under cultivation, raising grain and other products for which this. part of the state is notable. As a successful stockraiser he is well known in the township, his superior methods of feeding and sanitary housing meeting with excellent results.

Mr. Bork has taken a deep and intelligent interest in his vocation and he has also taken pride in his surroundings. In 1881 he built one of the most commodious and complete barn structures to be found in this neighborhood, its dimensions being thirty-eight by eighty feet. This was followed, in 1888, by the erection of a large, modem brick residence, of pleasing appearance without and solid comfort within. Mr. Bork has

For many years Mr. Bork has been a leading member of the Democratic party in this section and served as township supervisor for a long period. In this position he looked carefully after the interests of the tax-payers and his administration has reflected credit upon the office. In religious life he is a consistent member of St. Joseph's Catholic church. Mr. Bork is a quiet, unobtrusive citizen, busily occupied with his own large interests, but takes a public-spirited pride in the advancement of enterprises which promise to be of benefit to his township. He is charitable in his benefactions, liberal in his. support of public enterprises, honest and upright in his business dealings and kind and devoted in the bosom of his family. He is a man who not only possesses the esteem of his fellow citizens, but who also deserves it.

Mrs. Bork was born in Germany, the daughter of Matthias and Mary Ann (Smith) Smith, who emigrated to America when she was two years of age, locating on a farm in Liberty township, Seneca county. Ohio, whence they e\^entually removed to Lucas county, where Mr. Smith's death occurred. His widow still maintains her home in that county. Mrs. Bork was a young lady of twenty-one years at the time of her marriage, and she has proved a true companion and helpmeet to her husband.

Rev. George W. Williard, D. D., Ll. D.

As a minister of the gospel and as editor and educator Rev. Dr. George W. Williard was widely known, and although his life's labors have been ended his influence is yet w'idely felt in the lives of those with whom he was associated, and bears fruit in the kindly deeds and virtues of those who follow his example and carry out his precepts. - Instructing through the press, from the pulpit and in the school-room, the lessons which he expounded fell deep into the heart of many a reader or auditor and aided in the development of upright manhood and Christian womanhood. Tiffin, Ohio, knew him long and well as the president of Heidelberg College, which he raised from a comparatively insignificant institution to the rank of the best colleges of the land.

George \V. Williard was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, where he was born on the loth of June, 18 18, the son of John and Alary (Shafer) Williard. His ancestors were French Huguenc.ts, who fled from their native land to escape the peVsecutions inci.dent to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, proceeding to Germany and thence emigrating to America in the early colonial epoch. Dr. Williard's early educational advantages were very meager, but, having determined to devote his life to the Christian ministry, he eagerly availed himself of every opportunity which would enable him to broaden his knowledge and thus be better prepared for the exalted calling. To this end he entered the high school at York, Pennsylvania, when sixteen years of age. There he remained until the school was removed to Mercersburg, where Marshall College was established in 1835, and in the latter institution he was graduated with the class of 1838. It may be noted, incidentally, that Marshall College was later merged into Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and that the institution is maintained under the auspices of the Reformed church. He studied theology at Mercersburg and was licensed to preach in October, 1840, being soon afterward ordained a clergyman of the Refornied church. He spent four years in simultaneotis charge of three congregations, one being in Virginia, twelve miles distant from his two Pennsylvania churches. On the expiration of that period he went to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in preaching and also taught in the local academy. For three years thereafter he was pastor of a church in Winchester, Virginia, and then became pastor of the Reformed church at Columbus, Ohio, continuing at that place until 1855, when he resigned to accept a call from a church in Dayton, Ohio, where he labored as an earnest and zealous minister of the gospel until 1866. In that year he accepted the presidency of Heidelberg College, in Tiffin. Previously to this time, in 1853, he was elected editor of the Western Missionary, the organ of the Reformed church in the west, and he continued to fill that position, in connection with his pastoral work, until his removal to Tiffin. He found the aifairs of the college in a very discouraging condition, there being few teachers and scarcely any endowment. It was, in fact, little more than an academy, but gradually he succeeded in placing it on a solid financial basis and in raising the educational standard to an equality with that of other colleges of the land. During the presidency of Dr. Williard, which continued for twenty-four years, there were erected on the campus a president's home, a boarding hall for young women and a commodious college building, at a cost of seventy-two thousand dollars. These buildings were all paid for before he left the institution, and there was handed to the trustees ninety-one thousand dollars safely invested and bearing seven per cent, interest, together with notes to the value of twenty-five thousand dollars, bearing six per cent, interest. A library fund of about six thousand dollars was also secured, together with a considerable beneficiary fund for the aid of indigent young men. There were three hundred and forty-six students enrolled in 1890, when he resigned the presidency, and the school w^s in a most flourishing condition, as the result of his untiring labors, his zeal and his ability. Added to his comprehensive knowledge, mature wisdom and Christian piety was a practical business acumen and a singular facility for the effective imparting of instruction, and all of his varied powers were constantly exerted in behalf of the college.

In 1890 Dr. Williard, after a regime of nearly a quarter of a century as president of Heidelberg, accepted the chair of ethics and apologetics in, and was acting president of, Ursinus College and Theological Seminary, at Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where he remained for nearly three years. After a short residence in Lancaster, that state, in 1895, he founded and organized the Hivling Memorial Reformed church, of Dayton, Ohio, and he presided as pastor of the same until his death, which occurred on the 17th of September, 1900. The congregation first met in a car shed, which had previously been used as a stable, but under the control and guidance of the devoted pastor the church became strong and prosperous, and an edifice was erected at a cost of nearly twenty thousand dollars. With untiring effort, with a nature so hopeful as to ever baffle discouragement. Dr. Williard carried forward his work of improving the mental and moral condition of his fellow men and aided in the development of sterling character, which represents all that is of definite and permanent value in life, - the only thing that commands true respect and honor and that broadens the nature and fits it for the progression in the life to come.

Xot only was Dr. Williard known for his pastoral and college work, but he also won distinction in the realm of religious literature. His literary productions were quite extensive and were widely read among the people of his denomination. In 185 1 he published a translation from the original Latin of Dr. Ursinus' Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism. In 1871 he assisted in the preparation of the Western Litr.rr; of the Reformed Church ; in 1879 he wrote and published the History of Heidelberg College, together with thirteen addresses and sermons delivered to the graduating classes; in 1883 he edited a Treasury of Family Reading, which had a wide circulation; in 1890 he published the Life, Work and Character of Henry Leonard, who for thirty years was the successful financial agent of Heidelberg College; and his best and most importrnt work was the Comi>arative Study of the Dominant Religions of the World. He was also a frequent contributor to the different periodicals of the church. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Franklin and Marshall College, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1866, and that of Doctor of Laws by Monmouth College, of Monmouth, Illinois, in 1888.

Dr. Willard was thrice married. On the 21st of April, 1841, he wedded Miss Louisa C. Little, a daughter of Dr. P. W. Little, of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, and after her death he married Miss Emily Jane Hivling, a daughter of Colonel John Hivling, of Xenia, Ohio, the marriage being solemnized on January 3, 1866. Her death occurred in 1891, and on the 7th of October, 1893, Dr. Williard was united in marriage to Miss ^lary E. Gormley, a daughter of Joseph Gormley, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who survives him. By the first marriage there were five children, of whom two are living at the present time, the eldest of these being Dr. George P. Williard, a prominent physician of Tiffin, to whom individual reference is made in appending paragraphs. His brother, Rev. Edwin R. Williard, was for nearly a decade pastor of Grace Reformed church, at Akron, this being one of the most flourishing churches of the Ohio synod, and his pastorate there was terminated in 1900. He is now in pastoral charge of the Salem Reformed church, at Canal Fulton, Ohio.

Death came to Rev. Dr. Williard when he was eighty-two years of age, and after he had devoted a half-century to the work of Christian education, through the school, the pulpit and the press. He labored without ceasing, and his zeal supplemented broad knowledge that rendered him a forceful and convincing speaker and an entertaining and instructive writer. His mind was analytical and inductive, his arguments logical and his leasoning strong and convincing. At this point it would be almost tautological to enter into any series of statements showing Dr. Williard to have been a man of high intellectuality and broad public spirit, for these have been shadowed forth in the lines of this review. Strong in his individuality, he never lacked the courage of his convictions, but there were as dominating elements in this individuality, a lively human sympathy and an abiding charity, which, taken in connection with the sterling integrity and honor of his character, gained for him the respect, confidence and honor of men.

For more than a quarter of a century George Parker Williard ha? been engaged in the practice of medicine in Tiffin, and the years have told the story of a successful career, due to the possession of innate talent and acquired ability along the line of one of the most important professions to which man may devote his energies, - the alleviation of pain and suflfering and the restoration of health, which is man's most cherished and priceless possession. This is an age of progress in all lines of professional achievement, and Dr. Williard has kept abreast of the advancement that has revolutionized methods of medical and surgical practice, rendering the efforts of the physicians of much more avail in warding off the inroads of disease than they were even at the time when he entered upon his professional career.

The Doctor is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Huntingdon, that state, on the ist of July, 1845. He is a son of Rev. Dr. George W. Williard, subject of the foregoing memoir. His boyhood days were spent under the beneficent influences of a cultured and refined home, the family having removed to Columbus, Ohio, in his early childhood, while he was ten years of age when they located in Dayton, this state, where he prosecuted his studies in the public schools, being graduated in the Dayton high school when seventeen years of age. Almost irrtmediately thereafter he began reading medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. John Davis, of that city, and on the 9th of March, 1867, he was graduated in the Jefferson Medical College, in the city of Philadelphia. Thus amply fortified for his chosen calling, he opened an office in the village of Fort Seneca, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 29th of June, 1867, and for six years he continued in active practice. In 1873 the Doctor went to California, where he became associated in practice with his cousin. Dr. Cephas L. Bard, a brother of United States Senator Thomas R. Bard, and this professional alliance continued two years, at the expiration of which Dr. Williard returned to Ohio and located in Tiffin, where he has continuously been in practice for the long period of tw^enty-six years. Long since he left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few, his ability and devotion to his profession gaining him this relative precedence. He has studied and read broadly, carrying his investigation into every field of thought bearing upon his profession and having readily adopted those methods and improvements which wide experience and sound judgment indicated to him a definite valuation in connection with his work.

When nineteen yeais of ag:e, in 1864, Dr. Williard became a member of Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-first Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, and with that command went to the front for service in the war of the Rebellic«i. They were sworn in at Dayton and thence proceeded to West Virginia. The Doctor first served as regimental steward, at Harper's Ferry, and later was post steward in the fort at Federal Hill, Baltimore, Maryland. While in the military service he had six hemorrhages, and as a result became so debilitated as to necessitate his discharge from the service, and he endured seven other hemorrhages after his return home, but he eventually recovered his health and has never asked for a pension. Dr. Williard holds membership ia General William H. Gibson Post, No. 31, Grand Army of the Republic, and thus maintains friendly relations and comradeship with those who were loyal defenders of the integrity of the Union during the dark dayr> of the civil war. He is also identified with Tiffin Lodge, No. yj, F. t& A. M., of which he is a valued member. In politics he has always been a Republican, and while he warmly endorses the principles and policies of the party and is a liberal contributor in the promotion of its cause, he has never accepted office, preferring to devote his entire time and attention to his practice. For several years he has held the position of local surgeon for the Big Four Railroad and also for the Fostoria & Tiffin Electric Railroad. The Doctor is one of the leading physicians of this part of the state, with broad and comprdiensive knowledge of the theory of medicine and surgery and wide experience in practice, his ability being attested by the representative support he receives in the community where he has so long lived and labored and where his popularity is of the most unequivocal order.

On the 1 6th of February, 1881, Dr. Williard was united in marriage to Miss Electa Stout, of Dayton, Ohio, a daughter of Elias Stout and the granddaughter of David Stout, who was one of the pioneers of Dayton, where he located when it was a mere village. Mrs. Williard was reared and educated in Dayton and is a woman of gracious presence and innate refinement, being prominent in the social life of Tiffin. She has made her home celebrated for its pleasing hospitality and godl cheer. She holds membership in the Presbyterian church, in whose work she takes a deep interest.

George W. Herr

The name of Herr is one known throughout Seneca county, for here our subject has passed his entire life and here his parents resided for many decades. He was born on the farm on which he still resides, on the I2th of February, 1865, a son of George and Elizabeth (Shoeffer ) Herr. The father was born in Prussia, Germany, April 10, 1822, and in the place of his nativity he learned the carpenter's trade. In 1848 he crossed the Atlantic ocean to the United States, and after his arrival in this country he made his way to the Buckeye state, spending a short time in Chillicothe, and from there removed to Galion. At the latter place he was married, and there worked at his trade for about four years, on the expiration of which period, in 1852, he came to Seneca county, purchasing eighty acres of land where our subject now resides. Later he added to his original purchase an adjoining eighty acres, making his landed possessions to consist of one hundred and sixty acres. In 1891, however, he laid aside the active cares of a business life and removed to New Washington, where his death occurred about six weeks later. He gave his political support to the Democracy, but was never a seeker after the honors of public office, preferring to give his time and attention to his business interests. He was a worthy member of the Lutheran church, and was highly esteemed for his many noble characteristics. His widow is still living, being now in her seventy-third year, and is a resident of New Washington. Of their eight children four now survive, namely : Elizabeth, the wife of S. J. Kibler, of New Washington, Ohio; Susan, who makes her home with her mother; George W., of this review; and Louise, the wife of Frank Schoff, of Venice township.

George W. Herr is indebted to the public-school system of Seneca county for his elementary education, and later he became a student in the New Washington high school. At the age of nineteen years he accepted a clerkship in the employ of Jesse Marquardt, a New Washington druggist, with whom he remained for about eighteen months, when he returned home and assumed the management of the old home farm.

Soon after his marriage his parents left the old homestead and removetl to Xew Washington, and since that time our subject has had entire control of the place. He is engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and his is one of the valuable and model hoinesteads of the township. He is progressive in his methods, is ever ready to adopt new and modern improvements and is recognized as one of the representative agriculturists of the community.

December 9, 1891, was celebrated the marriage of ]Mr. Herr and Miss Ida Buchman. She is a native of Bloom township, Seneca count)-, and a daughter of P. A. and Rose Ann (Brillhardt) Buchman, he a general merchant of Carrothers. This union has been brightened and blessed by the presence of two children. - Marie E. and Marion M. Mr. Herr gives his political support to the Democracy, and for three years he served as a director of the schools. The family are members of the Lutheran church, in which he has held the office of deacon.

Charles Olmsted

Charles Olmsted for many years has been an active factor in the financial circles of Fostoria through connection with both public and private interests. At the present time he is sen-ing as city treasurer ajid his record in this direction is remarkable, for he has been the incumbent since 1870. No higher testimonial could be given of his efficiency and trustworthiness than the proof of their faith in him which his fellow townsmen give at each election. His name is synonymous with integrity in every community where he is known, and over the record of his public career and his private life there falls no shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil. His residence in Fostoria covers a period of almost half a century, and while he has prospered in his business undertakings the community has also been greatly benefited by his eflForts in its behalf.

Centennial Biographical History, 377

'Stock, his great-grandfather having* served his country in the war for independence. The family was founded in New England at a very early epoch in our colonial history. Judge Jesse S. Olmsted, the father of our subject, was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and for a time resided in Albany, New York, whence he emigrated westward, taking up his abode in Lower Sandusky, among the pioneer settlers of that portion of the state. He became quite prominent in public affairs in that portion of the state, and was honored with several public offices. He was associate county judg^ of Sandusky county, was also county treasurer and a member of the school board. One of the early merchants of Upper Sandusky, he carried on business there for many years and was an active factor in commercial circles. He married Azuba Ferguson, whose parents remj:>ved from New York to Ohio, becoming early settlers of Sandusky county.

In the place of his nativity Charles Olmstead, of this review, spent the days of his boyhood and youth, and in the public schools he obtained his education, but from early manhood he has been a resident of Fostoria. Removing to this place in 1856, he established a dry-goods store and also carried on general business interests, dealing especially in grain. He was a member of the firm of Foster, Olmsted & Company, the senior partner afterward becoming the governor of Ohio. The dry-goods business was sold out in 1876, but the firm continued in the grain trade under the samte firm name! until 1890. Since that time Mr, Olmsted has given his entire attention to the banking business and to the management of the city's finances. In 1891 he established the Mechanics' Savings Bank Company, became its president and continued its conduct until 1899, when he sold to the Mechanics' Banking Company, of which he is one of the directors. He is a man of keen discernment in business, his judgment being rarely, if ever, at fault, and his efforts have been an element in producing business stability and progress in the city in which he has so long made his home.

In Fostoria, in i860, Mr. Olmsted was united in marriage to Miss Margaret E. Skinner, a daughter of the Hon. Morris P. Skinner, one of the early settlers of this place. Her father owned and operated a farm and was pTX)minent in public affairs. He was honored with election to the office of representative in the state legislature, was also county commissioner and was well known in public life, leaving the impress of his individuality upon public thought and feeling. Unto our subject and his wife were born two children: Jesse S., of this city: and Mary A., the deceased wife of Frank Carroll, of Columbus.

Every interest calculated to benefit the community - to promote its welfare along lines of material, social, political, intellectual and moral advancement - receives the endorsement and co-operation of Mr. Olmsted, and therefore he is accounted one of the most valued citizens of Fostoria. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, in which he has attained the Knights Templar degree, and the basic principles of the order find exemplification in his helpful relations with his fellow men. For six years he served as a rryember of the school board, and the cause of education has found in him a warm friend, - one who believes in keeping a high standard of intellectual improvement. In politics he has been a stanch Republican since the organization of the party. He was first elected to the office of city treasurer in 1870 and at each election since that time has received not only the united support of his party but also the ballots of many members of the Democracy. No trust reposed in him has l)een betrayed in the slightest degree, and he has made for himself an unassailable rq)utation in public office. His manner is genial and cordial and the qualities of an upright manhood have won for Mr. Olmsted a position of distinction in Seneca county.

Judge John Kaull Rohn

One of the most talented and distinguished lawyers and jurists connected with the bench and bar of the Seneca circuit was Judg^ John K. Rohn, who, in a profession where advancement must depend upon individual merit and ability, gained a most proininent iX)sition. The profession of the law, when clothed with its true dignity, purity and strength must rank first among the callings of men, for law rules the universe. The work of the legal proession is to formjulate, to harmonize, to regulate, to adjust, to administer those rules and principles that underlie and permeate all government and society and control the varied relations of men. As thus viewed there attaches to the legal profession a nobleness that cannot but be reflected in the life of the true lawyer, who, rising to the responsibilities of the profession, and honest in the pursuit of his purpose, embraces the richness of learning, the firmness of integrity and the purity of morals, together with the graces and modesty and the general amenities of life. Of such a type Judge Rohn was a representative and his career was one which reflected credit upon the bar of his district.

It was on the 5th of April, 1859, that the Judge was born at the family home, two and a half miles east of Tiffin, on the North Greenfield road, on the farm now owned by Rev. Dr. Rust. His parents were Asia and Eliza (Kaull) Rohn. The father was born in Catasauqua, Lehigh coimty, Pennsylvania, December 23, 1814, and was the youngest in the family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, born unto Daniel and Catherine (Helman) Rohn, the former of French lineage and the latter of German extraction. The mother of the Judge was born in Trexlertown, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, October 14, 1817, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Swartz) Kaull, and her father was the eldest in the family of six children born to John and Maria (Steininger) Kanll. Her mother was a daughter of Samuel and Mollie (Gregory) Swartz, the former of German and the latter of English birth.

Asia and Eliza (Kaull) Rohn, the parents of the Judge, were reared and married in the Keystone state and in the spring of 1849 started for Ohio, arriving in Seneca county three weeks later, making the entire journey by wagon. They settled on a farm two and a half miles directly east of the court-house on the North Greenfield road, and there resided for twenty-six years. In 1875, however, the father sold the old farm and purchased the home place which is still owned by the mother, near the Green Lawn cemeterv.

Early in life Judge Rohn became imbued with a strong desire to acquire a more advanced education than the public scliools afforded and bent every energy to its accomplishment. His own labor made possible his collegiate course in Heidelberg College, which he entered in the fall of 1875. He pursued the scientific course and was graduated on the 19th of June, 1879. During the succeeding winter he engaged in teaching school in the Stickney district about two and a half miles east of Republic. He desired, however, to make the practice of law his life work, and,. with a broad general knowledge to serve as the foundation upon which to rear the superstructure of professional learning, he began reading law in the office of the firm of Noble & Adams, attorneys of Tiffin, and was regularly admitted as an attorney and counselor at law by the supreme court of Ohio, October 2, 1882. In the spring of 1883 he established an office in Tiffin and soon he manifested abiHty that showed him capable of handling most important and involved litigated interests. Gradually he rose to prominence. In the preparation of cases he was most thorough and exhaustive; he seemed almost intuitively to grasp the strong points of law and fact, while in his briefs and arguments the authorities were cited so extensively and the facts and reasoning thereon presented so cogently and unanswerably that he left no doubt as to the correctness of his views and conclusions. His devotion to his clients' interests was proverbial and all who entrusted their interests to him had in him implicit confidence. He made a specialty of corporation law and was particularly strong in that branch of jurisprudence. His pi'actice was very satisfactory and he had the gratification of receiving from the highest courts of Ohio decisions favorable to his clients. In 1896 Judge Seney resigned from the bench of the circuit court and Governor Bushnell apf>ointed Judge Rohn to fill the vacancy. He took his place upon the bench and served with marked ability, his decisions displaying marked judicial soundness, thorough knowledge of the law and ready adaptability of its principles to the points in litigation, together with marked impartiality and freedom from judicial bias. Owing to the heavy Democratic majority of the county he was not chosen at the next election and resumed the private practice of law, having a distinctively representative clientage. He was thus engaged until stricken with the illness which termiinated his life on the 15th of June, 1901.

In connection with his profession Judge Rohn was connected with one of the most important industries of this part of the state, being a heavy stockholder in the National Machinery Company, of Tiffin. He. was one of its incorporators, its secretary and a member of its board of managers. It was capitalized for three hundred thousand dollars and has paid from sixteen to eighteen per cent, annual dividends. The plant has been recently enlarged and the success of the enterprise was attributable in large measure to the wise counsel and efforts of Judge Rohn. His wife is now a member of its board of directors. He was also attorney for the Tiffin Commercial Bank and of the Pennsylvania and Lake Erie Railroad Companies, and also represented other corporations as their legal adviser.

June 16, 1886, the Judge Avas united in marriage to Miss Augusta Schliff, of Springfield, Illinois, and unto therm were born two daughters, - Helen Elizabeth and Margaret Louise. He foimd his greatest happiness in his home and he considered no personal sacrifice too great that would enhance the happiness or promote the welfare of his wife and children. Two months before his death he was informed by the physicians of the serious nature of. his illness and at once began making preparations for his family, daily instructing his wife concerning his business affairs that she might know how to superintend her property interests. His keenest anxiety was that his wife and daughters should be well provided for, and Mrs. Rohn has displayed excellent business and executive ability in controlling her affairs. When the end came the funeral services were held by the Rev. J. P. Stratton and the interment made at Green Lawn.

To his family Judge Rohn left the priceless heritage of an unsullied reputation. He was a gentleman of innate culture and refinement, a lover of art and of the beautiful. He followed the injunction of Shakespeare, "Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice." He was ever affable, courteous and kindly, and was entirely free from ostentation or display. He lcx)ked fully ten years younger than he was, for the years had fallen lightly upon him. Faultless in honor, fearless in conduct and stainless in reputation, he commanded uniform regard, and from his friends he won love and esteem.

Conrad H. Zutavern

There is no nation that has contributed to the complex makeup of our American scjcial fabric an element of more sterling worth and oi greater value in supporting and fostering our national institutions than has Germany. From this source our republic has had much to gain and nothin?^ to lose. Germany has given us men of sturdy integrity, indomitable perseverance, higher intelligence and much business sagacity, - the result being the incorporation of a strong and strength-giving fiber ramifying through warp and woof. A man who may well look with pride upon his German-American origin is the subject of this review, who is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Seneca county, where he has passed his entire life, and where he is personally recognized as a representative citizen, having attained a high degree of success through his operations in connection wnth the great basic art and science of agriculture.

Mr. Zutavern was born on the old homestead farm, in Bloom township, this county, the date of his nativity having been April 2, 1848. He is one of the eleven children born to Jacob H. and Margaret (Geigerj Zutavern, and of the number six are living at the present time, namely: Christina, the wife of Jacob Horn, of Michigan; Lucinda, the wife of Conrad Lebold, of Venice township; Conrad H., the subject of this sketch; Caroline, the wife of Benjamin Shelhorn, also of Michigan; Arrfcelia, the wife of Leonard Smeltz, of Kansas, Seneca county; and Paul, a resident of Bloom township. Jacob H. Zutavern was born in Baden, Germany, whence he, as a lad of eight years, accompanied his parents on their emigration to America, the family settling in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he was reared to maturity and where his marriage was solemnized. A year after this important event in his life he came with his wife to Seneca county, where he took up a pre-emption claim of one hundred and sixty acres, in Bloom township, the tract being heavily timbered. Here he erected the approved form of log cabin common to the pioneer epoch, and then gave his virile strength and energy to the work of reclaiming the land for cultivation. His industrious efforts were prolific in ultimate success, and he eventually purchased' forty acres of adjoining land and also became the owner of the farm of one hundred and four acres where his son, our subject, now lives, and also accumulated six hundred acres in Michigan. From these statements it may be gleaned 'that his success was pronounced and that he was an influential citizen, while his integrity of character and his kindly nature gained him a warm place in the confidence and esteem of those with whom he came in contact in the various relations of life. He lived to attain the age of sixtyeight years, his demise occurring in the year 1873. He identified' himself with the Republican party at the time of its organization and ever afterward continued a stanch advocate of its principles. He was a member of the Reformed church, as was also his wife, w^ho survived him by about eight >'^ars. He became one of the wealthiest men of Bloom township and his influence was ever given in support of all worthy enterprises and projects for the general good, so that he stood as a model citizen and as one who had made a large contribution to the development and progress of this section of the state.