Seneca Township (part 22 of 60)

At the close of the general assembly in 1879 Mr. Norton returned to Tiffin, which he made his headquarters while acting as general manager and solicitor for the Wiley Construction Company, of Massachusetts. During 1880 he purchased the paper known as the Herald, and edited it with such vigor that the first issue brought a five-thousand-dollar libel suit, which, However, was never prosecuted. The Herald was later sold to Dr. E. B. Hubbard, and subsequently became the Tribune. Mr. Norton still kept an active interest in local politics, serving as president of the school board, president of the common council, and as a member of the Seneca County Agricultural Society. Tlie only political defeat that Dr. Norton ever met was when he ran for councilman on the famous "cow ordinance." Standing for rigid enforcement of its provisions, he was defeated by the vote of a large number who wanted their cows to run at large. In 1884 he was delegate to the national Democratic convention. In August, 1885, he was appointed auditor of Seneca county in place of

F. E. Stoner, deceased, and in October of the same year was elected to the office, and again in 1887 was re-elected. He was apix)inted as United States inspector of customs at Panama by President Cleveland, but declined. He served as chairman of the Democratic state central and executive committees, and as chairman of the state convention. In 1890 he was appointed by Governor Campbell as state commissioner of railroads and telegraphs, serving the state with fidelity and success during the whole of Governor Campbell's administration, and for four months under Governor McKinley, when he resigned to accept a position in the law department of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. In 1896 Dr. Norton was nominated by the Democracy of the thirteenth district of Ohio for representative in congress, at a convention held at Marion, Ohio. In 1898 he was renominated, at Upper Sandusky; in 1900, at Bucyrus, he was again for the third time nominated; and in 1902, at Sandusky, by an overwhelming majority, he was again selected as candidate for the fourth term in congress, and each time he has been elected by increasing majority.

In congress he has served on the invalid pensions and District of Columbia committees, and he has given time and attention to the duties of his office. His quick perception, his sound judgment, wise counsel and unfailing good nature join in giving him a firm hold upon the esteem, confidence and friendship of his fellow members. He is ever ready to champion the principles of his party, and is ever at the front, taking the advance step, and points out in speeches of combined logic, argument, sarcasm and eloquence the true position upon which Americans, as such, regardless of party can stand.

Dr. Norton, with his social nature, jof course could not but have some affiliation wjth fraternal organizations, so we find that in the winter of 1864-5, at Louisville, Kentucky, he became a member of Compass Lodge, No. 222, F. & A. M., and in 1882- a member of Tiffin Lodge, No. 80, Knights of Pythias. He was a charter member of Leander Stem Post, G. A. R., and a regular attendant until, at the death of General W. H. Gibson, this post united with another post and took the name of W. H. Gibson Post; then Mr. Norton, w'ith a large number of others, withdrew, believing it was a wrong to the memory of the heroes who died on the field of battle to drop their name for one who had no greater military claim and who had been honored in civil life. Mr. Norton is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and finds pleas-^ ure in the friendships and fraternal spirit found in that order.

Generous to a fault and social to a high degree, Mr. Norton wins friends easily, and he has the happy faculty of drawing them closer to him as the years pass by. View^ed in a personal light he is a strong man, of excellent judgment, fair in his views and highly honorable in his relations with his fellow men. His integrity stands as an imquestioned fact in his career and his example is well worthy of emulation.

Henry K. Funk

An old resident, esteemed citizen and successful agriculturist of Seneca county, Ohio, is found in Henry K. Funk, who was born on the farm which he now owns and occupies, in Seneca township, March 19, 1837. He was a son of Daniel and Sarah (Kearns) Funk, the former of whom was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on June 21, 1804, and passed out of life on August 19, 1879. The latter was also born in Fairfield county, on April 11, 1812, was reared and educated and also married. April II, 1829, in that county, but died in Seneca county on October 17, 1893.

Although a family of seven children w^s born to the parents of our subject, the only survivor is the latter. The others were as follcms: Ellen, who married Daniel Hemming and died at the age of twenty years; Ann Catherine, who married Henry Jones and died in 1875, ^S^^ forty-one years ; Mary, who became the wife of Daniel Reisz and died when thirty-three years of age; Jacob, who married Sylvia A. Stoner, the eldest sister of the wife of our subject, and they have five children, - Oliver M., Hattie Ellen, Arthur, Bertha and Harry. Jacob died February 19, 1890, in his forty-ninth year; and John and Daniel, the other brothers of our subject, died unmarried.

It was in the year 1834 that Daniel Funk moved from Fairfield county to Seneca county, where he entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of government land on section 19, in Seneca township, now comprised in the farms of Jacob and Henry Funk. Upon this land he immediately erected a hewed-log cabin, containing* but one room, in which picturesque little home his family was safely sheltered. This land was heavily timbered and became of value as the town of Tiffin expanded into a little city, and railroad lines began to connect this locality with the great west. Mr. Funk was an industrious man, one who enjoyed the esteem of his neighbors and was well known at the time of his death, in 1879. His widow survived until her eighty-first year, dying in 1893.

Henry K. Funk, who is the subject of this sketch, was reared on the farm of his birth, and remained at home until the outbreak of the civil war in 1861. When every town, village and country lane was responding to the call for young life to be offered upon the altar of country, our subject was one of that courageous and loyal band. He entered Company K, Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for a service of three years, and with his regiment was sent into the locality which soon became historic and sacred ground to the true American citizen. He took part in his first battle at Green river, Kentucky, and then came Nashville, Corinth, Missionary Ridge, Chickamauga and then Nashville again. Mr. Funk was twice wounded, first at New Hope Church, when he was incapacitated by a ball passing through his left cheek, coming to the surface under his right ear. This serious wound kept him in hospitals in Louisville and camp for three months, his regiment being in Georgia when he returned to it. He accompanied his comrades in the last war movements when his portion of the army marched from Nashville to New Orleans and then to Texas, where his term of service expired, and he was mustered out on November 13, 1865, at Columbus, Ohio, his gallantry have caused his promotion from private to sergeant.

Mr. Funk returned to the old home and in this vicinity he w^s married, in March, 1866, to Miss Elmira Shoup, and a family of five children was born to this union, two of whom died in infancy, Daniel B. and John dying of scarlet fever in young boyhood, and Qara, reaching matur-

The second marriage of Mr. Funk was on July 21, 1891, to Mrs. Rozella (Stoner) Snyder, who was the widow of Frank Snyder, and the daughter of George and Louisa (Wilkins) Stoner. Two children have been born to this marriage, namely: Rolla C, April 13, 1892; and Henry Franklin, October 8, 1898.

Soon after his first marriage Mr. Funk went to Harrison township, Henry county, where he lived for seven years, coming then to his present farm, where he has been a successful farmer and stock-raiser ever since. The excellent improvements which make this one of the model farms of the township have been placed here by him, who now has one of the best arranged, most comfortable and attractive homes in this vicinity. Here he has one hundred and twenty-five acres, which is in a high state of cultivation.

Mr. Funk has always upheld the principles of the Republican partv, although he has been no politician in the real sense of the word. His quiet, busy home life has had more attraction for him than the excitements of politics. For some forty years, however, he has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a valued brother Mason in Wyandot Lodge, No. 314, at McCutchenville.

Mr. Funk has many friends in this township, where his character as an upright and honorable man is well known. He is pleasant and agreeable in manner, and both he and estimable wife delight to offer the hospitality of their pleasant home to their many friends.

Vernon H. Slosser

Of all the young men who have acquired their educational discipline in Seneca county and have had their characters molded and developed in its institutions, receiving here the impetus toward progress and achievement characteristic of the times, certainly none have reflected greater

Centennial Biographical History. 43 1

Mr. Slosser was born on the farm on which he now resides on the 13th of May, 1871, a son of John and Louisa A. (Wolf) Slosser, and of their two children he alone survives. The father was born in Virginia October lo, 1811, and in 1830 he came with his parents to Seneca county, Ohio, his father, Peter Slosser, locating land in Clinton township, where he continued to reside for eighteen months. In the meantime he had entered the farm which our subject now owns, on which he erected a cabin, and there the grandparents lived and died. The grandfather and his eldest son, Peter, together acquired about eighteen hundred acres of land in Seneca county and also about two hundred acres in Wood county, the latter being heavily timbered, and there they conducted a sawmill for a number of years. After the grandfather's death the son John, the father of our subject, was made administrator of the estate, and as his share of the property he acquired the home farm of one hundred and sixty acres. Soon afterward he was married to Miss Emaline Wolf, but three years later their happy married life was ended in death, the wife having been called to the home byond. Mr. Slosser afterw^ard married her cousin. Miss Louisa A. Wolf, who was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, August 13, 1834, a daughter of Andrew Wolf. Mr. Slosser continued to reside on the homestead farm until his death, which occurred on the 17th of October, 1897, ^^ his eighty-sixth year, passing away in the faith of the United Protestant church, in which he had long served as a deacon. He gave his political support to the Republican party, and for many years he was a justice of the peace, during which time he united in marriage many residents of the county. The year following her husband's death Mrs. Slosser removed to Bascom, where she has ever since made her home.

Vernon H. Slosser, the immediate subject of this review, was reared to manhood amid the refining inHuences of a cultured home, and the educational advantages which he received in his youth were those afforded by the common schools of the neighborhood. After his marriage he took charge of the old family homestead, which he farmed on the shares for a time, and after his father's death he acquired as his share of the property one hundred and twenty acres, where he is extensively engaged in general farming. He is a your\g man of keen foresight and sagacity, and therefore is enabled to make judicious investments, which yield him a good profit. He is energetic, enterprising and reliable, and therefore has won and retains the confidence of the residents of the locality in which his entire life has been passed.

On the 22d of December, 1892, Mr. Slosser was united in marriage to Miss Cora Dewald, a native of Loudon township, Seneca county, and a daughter of Philip Dewald, one of the early pioneers and prominent farmers of that township. Three children have graced this marriage, but only Nina E. is now living. Marion J. died of pneumonia February 20, 1902, aged two years and seven months.

James H. Knapp

The Empire state has sent her sons into every portion of the Union, Seneca county claiming a share of those who have come to Ohio. Among them is James H. Knapp, who was born in Putnam county, New York, July 12, 1842, his parents being Gilbert and Cynthia (Chase) Knapp. In the family were three children, John and Cyrus, both residents of Erie county, Ohio, being the younger brothers. They are operating the old family homestead near Castalia, Erie county, where their father purchased one hundred sixty acres of land, to which he added as his financial resources increased, until his farm cormprised three hundred and twenty acres. He made extensive improvements and, converting his land into productive fields, they annually returned to him abundant harvests. Throughout his entire life he was a farmer and died at the old homestead March 8, 1894, at the age of seventy-two years. His widow still survives him, now in her eighty-second year.

ices to the government, joining ConDpany I, One Hundred and Fortyfifth Ohio Infantry, which was in the hundred-day service in defense of Washington. In 1867 he went to Marshalltown, Iowa, where he was engaged in the dry-goods business two years. Returning, he located in Scipio township, where he took charge of the farm for his wife's step-father, Hon. Daniel Brown. Here he has since resided, and that he is an enterprising and energetic farmer is indicated by the farm's neat and thrifty appearance.

On the 1 2th of October, 1870, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Knapp and his cousin, Mrs. Joanna Crissel, a native of Putnam county. New York, and the widow of Captain W. J. Crissel. Captain W. J. Crissel w^as a native son of Perry county, Ohio, and in his youth learned the hamessmaker's trade, though quite early in life he became a merchant, conducting a successful dry-goods trade at Republic for several years. His marriage to Miss Joanna Brown took place in 1853, from -which time he resided on the present home, whei;e he died February 9, 1869. At the outbreak of the Mexican war he enlisted in an Ohio regiment, serving as sergeant throughout the war and receiving a wound in one arm during one of those ever memorable and desperate battles. In 11864, when the national capital was thought to be in danger, he organized a company for its defense. At the organization of the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment he was elected captain of Company K, and so served during the brief but interesting period required by the government. He was a brave, popular and efficient officer and one wht) gained and retained the esteem of his mien. As in all matters in which he became interested, he took a leading part in advancing the farming interests of the community, and rendered much encouragement and help in the introduction of the best breeds of stock, his farm really l>ecoming headquarters for sheep men, as imany sales of Vermont Spanish Merinos were held here and breeders -from all sections of this and surrounding states came to recognize him as a wide-awake, enthusiastic and progressive citizen. The results of his ambition were well exemplified in the many substantial improvements he made on the farm, which had been for many years the well-known home of his wife's parents.

Captain Crissel's enthusiasm was never shown to better advantage than when he was advocating the principles of the Republican party, and being thoroughly infonned on ix>litical history, he was never at loss for ^bstantial argument to maintain his views, which were ever foremost, though his strength lay largely in his personal contact with men and- his i>ersuasive private conversation. Though never aspiring to political honor, he ably filled various local offices. His wide reading and scholarly attainments made him one of the best-informed men vi the township, and his active participation in public matters and the Masonic fraternity, in which he was highly honored, coupled with pleasing personality and aflfable manners, mede him universally respected and loved. Two sons were lx>rn to Captain and Mrs. Crissel : Daniel R. , and Fred, both of whom are residents of Scipio township.

The parents of Mrs. Knapp were Hon. Daniel and Sally M. (Chase) Brown, who, in the year 1836, came from Tompkins Cimnty, New York, to Seneca county, Ohio, where her father purchased one hundred and thirty-three acres of land, constituting the fann \\\yn\ which Morgan Ink now resides. He there cleared the fields and deveU^i>ed an excellent farm property, upon which he resided until 1853, when he came to the farm which is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Knapp and which adjoins the old homestead. There he died in 1872, at the age of seventy-two years. He was a member of the state legislature in 1844-5 and was widely recognized as a leader of public thought and opinion in his locality. He also held some local offices, including those of justice of the peace, coroner and trustee, and after the organization of the Republican party he becamle one of its stanch advocates and worked unceasingly to promote its growth and insure its success. Of the Universalist church he was an active and zealous member. His wife survived him for many years and passed away January 25, 1896, at the age of eiglity-one. Their only child was she who is now Mrs. Knapp.

Mr. Knapp is now the owner of three hundred and thirty-five acres of rich and arable land, all in one body, and carries on general farming and stock-raising, making a specialty of the breeding of short-horn cattle. In public affairs he takes a deep and active interest, and his fellow townsmen elected him township trustee for ten years and in further recognition of his worth and ability elected him county coinmissioner in 1895. Mr. Knapp is active and earnest in his adherence to and advocacy of Republican principles, though his ability and proved lioncsty as a trustee gave him, when a candidate for the commfissionershi]}. the support of a large element within Democratic ranks. He received a majority of about eight hundred, when the county is conceded to the Democrats by about eleven hundred under normal conditions. Such extravagance had crept into the management of the county's affairs that a man was needed whose influence would tend to counteract that tendency, arid Mr. Knapp was thought to possess just the essential elements, - sagacity, keen business acumen, absolute honesty and a will that could be stubborn if necessary. In 1882 he had been selected as secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Relief Association, and during his ten years of service its business had more than doubled, having four millions of insurance at risk in 1895. His value as a shrewd financier and economical manager was thus well known, and that no mistake wa*^ made in his selection as commissioner is amply proven by reference to the financial condition of the county when he entered upon his duties ?nd that shcAvn two and one-half years later. The total indebtedness March i, 1895, was in excess of $161,500, while Septeml)er 21, 1897, it was but $17,750, a reduction of $143,800. A comparison of tax levies? is e\'en more interesting. In 1894 it was se\^en and seventy hundreilths, while for 1897 i^ ^^'^^ but three and seventy-six hundredths. Tlie above statistics amply illustrate the value of such a man on the Ix^ard of commissioners. Yet in the face of what was accomplished for the county, Mr. Knapp was defeated for re-election.

The Knapp homestead, one mile south of Republic, on the Kilburn road, is not only one of the best appointed farms of the comity, whose operation returns ample tribute to the owTier's sagacity and management, but it is also noted for the cordial hospitality' ever extended, whether to the personal friend or to the stranger. No children have crowned the union of Mr. and Mrs. Knapp, yet one little girl, Minnie Knapp, was taken into the family and an excellent permanent home provided; and now that she has reached mature womanhood she still remains to partially compensate in presence and tender attention for the generous solicitude of which she has been the recipient. It affords us pleasure to present herewith excellent portraits of this esteemed couple.

Daniel Reisz

One of the excellent farmers, old settlers and prominent citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is Daniel Reisz, who owns and occupies a farm in Seneca township, a tract of valuable land which his father entered from the government in 1833.

The birthplace of Daniel Reisz was in the Rhine province of Bavaria, Germany, November 9, 1829, and he was a son of Jacob and Mary E. (Scheer) Reisz, both of whom were natives of the fatherland. Jacob Reisz and family started from Europe in 1833, taking passage on a French sailing vessel, finally reaching the friendly shores of America after fifty-one days of exposure to the tumults of the ocean. Mr. Reisz brought his wife and children to Seneca county, Ohio, and as he found land in this locality to suit his purpose he entered eighty acres and immediately began its improvement. The first work was the building of a log house, and although it contained but a single room it proved a comfortable home in which a family of sixteen children found parental care. Mr. Reisz was a hard-working man and lived to be only fifty years of age, dying in 1846. Twelve of his children grew to manhood, the wholesome, outdoor life with its accompanying duties making these children strong and robust, able to fill successfully useful positions in life. At the outbreak of the civil war three of these home-bred boys offered their lives for their adopted country, our subject being the only one who survived. John became a private soldier in the Fifty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry and died in 1862, in Memphis, Tennessee; and Jacob joined a Wisconsin regiment, and later was sent home on account of disabiHty, his death occurring ten days later.

Our subject was not four years old when his parents located on this farm. It was wild timber land, crossed by a trail of the Seneca and 'Wyandot Indians, and it was no uncommon sight to see memt>ers of these tribes on some part of the farm. Mr. Reisz had few educational opportunities, no schools having been established in the vicinity, and as early as eight years old his services were of considerable value in the clearing of the land. Game was plentiful and when only five years of age he was entrusted with a rifle and added to the contents of the family larder by shooting squirrels.

Until his enlistment for army service, in 1864, our subject remained on the farm, but at that date he followed the example of his brothers and became a private in the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, was mustered in at Sandusky, and joined the regiment at Qiattanooga. He participated in the battles at Pulaski, Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville, and remained in the service until the close of the war, accompanying his regiment in all of its movements, finally returning unharmed to his old home. Here Mr. Rdsz has resided ever since, engaging successfully in farming and stock-raising, having brought his land to a high state of cultivation, his improvements making it one of the most desirable farms in Seneca township.

The first marriage of Mr. Reisz was in i860, to Miss Mary A. Funk, whose death occurred in 1872. In 1873 he was united in marriage to Miss Susan Henry, and to this union a family of four children has been added, viz. : Lucy Idella, who is the wife of William Herbert^ of Loudon township ; Laura, who resides at home and is a popular teacher in this county; Lamanda J., who is an expert dressmaker residing at home ; and Charles Tecumsch Sherman, who is a teacher and one of the successful farmers of this vicinity.

In his political convictions Mr. Reisz has never Avavered in his allegiance to the Republican party. He was reared in the Lutheran church, where he has officiated the greater part of his life, though holding decided views on questions relating to theology, being a close Bible student and familiar with both ancient .and modem history. For fortythree years Mr. Reisz has been a member of the Masonic fraternity, hav-

Mr. Reisz is widely known and universally esteemed. His long residence here has identified him with the changes which have taken place in this county, and he has ever been an important factor in promoting enterprises looking to the upbuilding of the agricultural interests of Seneca township and county. Ever alive to the advantages of education, he has not only afforded his own children the best opportunities, but also has constantly worked for a better grade of public schools, seeing in them the greatest safeguard to American institutions. -

In viewing the mass of mankind in the varied occupations of life, the conclusion is forced upon the observer that in the vast majority of cases men have sought employment not in the line of their peculiar fitness, but in those fields where caprice or circumstances have placed them, thus explaining the reason of the failure of ninety-five per cent, of those who enter commercial and professional circles. In a few cases it seems that men with a peculiar fitness for a certain line have taken it up and marked success has followed. Such is the fact in the case of the subject of this biography. He has attained to a distinguished position in connection with the medical fraternity of Seneca county, making his home in Attica.

He was born in Hardinsburg, Indiana, April 2, 1858, and is a son* of Alfred and Lucinda (Davison) Force. His father was born in Schuyler county. New York, June 8, 1822, and was there reared to manhood. He engaged in farming and was also well known for his musical ability and talent, giving instruction in vocal music. Later he entered the Scudder Medical College at Cincinnati, Ohio, and was graduated in 1857, after which he went to Hardinsburg, where he practiced for three years. He then came to Attica and opened an office and practiced until 1864, when he sent his family to the east while he enlisted in the Union army as a surgeon in the One Hundred and Eighty-first Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, remaining at the front until the close of the war. He rendered valuable service to the sick and suffering troops, and when hostilities had ceased he went to the east, locating in Horseheads, New York. There he remained until 1881, when he again came to Attica, where he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 17th of September, 1900. He was one of the most prominent and skilled physicians of the county and had a large and important patronage. His political support was given the Republican party and he was an active and influential member of the Universalist church. The Force family is of French lineage, the name having been originally La Force. The mother of our subject was of Scotch-Irish descent. She was born in Schuyler county. New York, February 20, 1826, and died May 5, 1895. In the family cf this worthy couple were four children, of whom three are living: Winfield S. ; Alice, the widow of Rev. S. T. Tackabury ; and C. A., of this review.

Dr. Force, whose name introduces this review, was reared under the parental roof, and after attending the graded schools was graduated in the high school in Horseheads. In 1879 he took up the study of medicine, his reading being directed for two years by Dr. R. P. Bush, of Horseheads. Later he became a traveling salesman and for two years represented a Philadelphia drug house. In 1883 he came to Attica and in the fall of the same year matriculated in the Starling Medical College at Columbus, where he completed a regular course and was graduated in the spring of 1885. He then entered into partnership with his father, with whom he practiced until 1889, when, on account of ill health, the senior physician retired from active connection with the medical profession, and Dr. Force, of this sketch, succeeded to the business of the firm. He has built up a very large and lucrative practice and is ranked among the leading physicians of the county.

On the 15th of September, 1885, Dr. Force was united in marriage to Miss Emma Tendick, a native of Attica, Ohio, and a daughter of the Rev. Peter Tendick, now deceased. They have two children, Mary H. and Rockwell C. The Doctor belongs to Attica Lodge, No. 367, F. &

A. M., has filled all of its offices, and is identified with Attica Lodge, No. 302, K. of P. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and for eight years was a member of the town council, while for about ten years he was the health officer. He is now the president of the school board at Attica and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend. He also served for three years as president of the water-works. His j>ublic-spirited interest in the general good has been manifest in many ways, especially in the hearty co-operation which he gives to every movement or measure calculated to advance the general welfare. However, he makes his fwofessional duties his first care. He took a post-graduate course in New York in 1888 and another in the same school in 1895, while in 1901 he pursued post-graduate work in the Clinical School and the Cook county hospital, of Chicago. He is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, and through reading and investigation keeps in touch with the advanced thought of the profession. Anything is of interest to him which tends to bring to man the key to that mystery which we call life. He has the closest regard for the highest professional ethics and enjoys in an unusual degree the respect of the members of the medical fraternity as well as of the public.

Charles Ash

Seneca county, Ohio, has been the home and scene of labor of many men who have not only led lives which shouW serve as a lesson and incentive to those who come after them, but who have also been of important service to their county and state through various avenues of usefulness. Like his honored father, Charles Ash has been an important factor in connection with the industrial activities of this his native county, where be has not only attained a high degree of success in connectioo with the great basic art of agriculture, but has also done much to promote the industry of stock-raising and forward the agricultural interests as a buyer and shipper of grain. In September of the present year

(1902) Mr. Ash will enter upon the active duties of the office of treasurer of Seneca county, and his election to the same is significant of the hip^h estimate placed upon his integrity and abilities by the people of his native county, for he was chosen to this responsible office as the candidate on the Republican ticket, by a majority of about twelve hundred votes, and that in face of a normal Democratic majority of about fifteen hundred in the county. His preferment under these conditions is, indeed, significant, and no further endorsement need be entered as indicating the confidence and esteem in which he is so uniformly held, for the public is a discriminating factor and ever pronounces unequivocally upon the intrinsic worth of the individual.

Charles Ash was born on the parental homestead, in Jackson township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the i8th of December, 1857, being the son of that honored pioneer citizen, William Ash, to whom individual reference is made on another page of this work, so that a genealogical recapitulation is not demanded at this juncture. Our subject was reared on the old homestead and received his early educational training in the public schools of the locality. At the age of eighteen years he became actively associated with his father in the buying and shipping of live stock, soon giving evidence of that discrimination and that executive capacity which have been the conservators of his success. In February, 1885, ^I^- -^^h effected the purchase of eighty acres of his present fine homestead, and forthwith located on the same, where, in connection withgeneral agriculture, be continued to devote his attention to the buying and' selling of live stock for a number of years, his operations in the line being of marked benefit in furthering the advancement of the stock industry ini this locality. He has added to his landed estate until he now owns six: hundred and ninety-one acres, in five farms, of as valuable land as canr be foimd in the county, the same having been equipped with the l>est of permanent improvements and standing as model farms of this section of the state. His farming is conducted by tenants, though in past years he did an extensive business, cultivating several hundred acres, with sev^eral men in his employ. His principal crops are wheat, corn, clover-seed and hogs. For twenty years he tilled on a much larger scale than at present, thcnigh he ncxw manages the home farm of three hundred acres, growing nearly one hundred acres of corn as one feature of this line of his business. He. also owns three hundred and twenty acres of land in Logan county, Kansas. Nearly a decade ago Mr. Ash enlarged the scope of his operations by beginning to buy and ship grain, initiating this enterprise in a somewhat modest way. It has, however, been cumulative in character, and in the summer of 190 1 he erected a well-equipi>ed grain elevator in the village of Amsden, and has since handled a large business in this line, making extensive shipments and thus aiding materially in advancing the agricultural interests of the locality. He is essentially aJert and public-spirited in his attitude, and his interest in all that conserves the general welfare is unabating.

In political matters Mr. Ash has ever been found stanchly arrayea in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and ne has been called upon to serve in postions of local trust and responsibility aside from that to which reference has already been made. He was incumbent of the position of township clerk for two years, and for the past sixteen years has served as justice of the peace, an office in which his father gave able and efficient administration for more than a quarter of a century. In November, 1901, our subject was elected to preside over the fiscal affairs of the county, and, as before stated, will enter upon the discharge of his duties as treasurer in September of the present year. In 1900 he served as land appraiser of his township. Fraternally Mr. Ash is identified with Fostoria Lodge, No. 305, Independent Order of Odd Fellows with Kansas Lodge, No. 183, Knights of Pythias, at Kansas, this county ; and with Kansas Tent, No. 282, Knights of the Maccabees.

On the 25th of March, 1883, Mr. Ash was united in marriage to Miss Belle F. Foster, who was bom in Jackson township, the daughter of Sampson and Margaret (Stahl) Foster, an influential farmer of that locality, and of this union five children were born, namely : Earl, Herbert F. and Carmen, who remain at the parental home ; and William and Rebecca, who died in infancy. Mrs. Ash is a m'ember of the Methodist Protestant chiirch, and while our subject is not a member of any religious body he is chairman of the board of trustees of the Methodist Episcopal church at Amsden and takes a consistent concern in the promotion of religious, educational and other interests for the general good.

Thomas Blair

Thomas Blair, who is engaged in general farming in Seneca township, is numbered among Ohio's native sons, for his birth occurred near New Lancaster on the ist of January, 1816. More than eighty-five years have passed since that' time and great changes have occurred in the Buckeye state. It has long since ceased to be a "western" state, for progress and civilization have moved far beyond the Mississippi. Its wild lands have been reclaimed and transformed into fertile farms, towns and villages have sprung up and some of the most extensive business interests of the country have been established within its borders. Mr. Blair has taken a deep interest and just pride in what has been accomplished here, and at all times in a quiet but loyal wa^ he has supported the measures and movements which he believed to be for the general good.

His parents, John and Rachel (Wilson) Blair, were honored pioneer settlers of Ohio and in 1824 they came with their family to Seneca county, taking up their abode in Seneca township, living upon the Indian reserve for a few years. Mr. Blair afterward entered eighty acres of land from the government and erected a hewed-log house. His land wais covered with heavy timjber and it required persistent and hard work to clear it and make it ready for the plow. As the years passed, how^ever, great changes occurred in the appearance of the farm, which became a very attractive tract of land. The father of our subject made his home thereon until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-five years of age, while his wife had reached the age of seventy years, she dying but five days after him. They were the parents of se\^en children : William, who died at sixty-five; Rachel, who married John Swaney and died at seventy-five; Thomas, the subject of this review; James, a resident of

In taking up the personal history of Thomas Blair we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in Seneca county, his residence here covering more than three-fourths of a centur)'. He was a little lad of only eight years w'hen he arrived in Seneca township and for a few^ years thereafter his playmates were the children of the ^lohawk Indian tribe. He became thoroughly familiar with the Mohawk tongue and greatly enjoy-ed the sports of his Indian frienci^. He never had any trouble with them and expresses strongly the opinion that there is more honor among the red race than is often found among the white men. All the experiences and trials of pioneer life were familiar to him, as well as pleasures of a character that are unknown at the present day. When nineteen years of age he entered upon an independent business career, hiring out to clear land, and from that time forward he has dq)ended entirely upon his own resources for all that he has enjoyed in the way of material comforts.

Mr. Blair was first married in 1840, the lady of his choice l,eiii^:^ Mary Sailor, by whom he had five children : John W., who lives in Montana; Thomas J., a resident of Gratiot coimty, Michigan; Rhoda, the widow of Benjamin Clay, of Adrian, Ohio; Jeremiah, who also resides in Montana : and Samuel, who died at thirty-two. After the death of his first wife Mr. Blair was again married, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Si)itler. by whom he also had five children, as follows: Ju>eph. v.ho makes his home in Montana; Mary, the wife of Joseph M. Conoway, of Virginia: Grace, who married John Fnith: Frank, at home: and Amanda, who married Albert Fruth.

At the time of his marriage Mr. Blair had but one horse and his financial resources were very limiteil. He erected a log cabin on the farm where he now resides, the primitive home containing but one room. Long since, howe\'er, it has been replaced by a commodious modern residence, and good barns and outbuildings have been added and all desirable improvements made. He owns one hundred and twentj' acres of land, which he cleared and improved, making the place a rich and arable tract, the fields yielding to himl a golden tribute in reward for his labor. For many years he has served as school director and has ever taken a deep and attaching interest in all that pertains to intellectual development. As one of the honored pioneers of the county, he justly deserves representation in this volume. His memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present and few men now living in Seneca county are better informed concerning its history when Ohio was a frontier state than is Thomas Blair, whose reminiscences of the early days are miost interesting.

Alfred L. Shafer

The agricultural interests of Seneca county have no better representatives than its native-born citizens, many of whom are classed among its most practical, enterprising and successful farmers. One of the number is Mr. Shafer, who is one of the prominent citizens of Pleasant township. Dependent upon his own resources from his boyhood, he has so applied his energies and ability as to attain a success worthy the name, while his high standing in the community indicates the objective appreciation of his sterling character.

Mr. Shafer was born in Clinton township, this county, on the 30th of Novemlber, 1841, being the son of Joseph and Susan (Cain) Shafer, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania, where their marriage was solemnized. They became the parents of four children, namely : Mary J., the wife of Ransom Meredith, of Marshall county, Indiana; Eliza, the widow of W. P. Daywald, of Qinton township; Alfred L., the subject of this review; and John A., who died in Indiana, at the age of fiftyseven years. The parents of our subject came to Seneca county in 1837, locating on a farm in Qinton township, where the father reclaimed a tract of wild land and where he made his home until his death, in 1849, at the age of forty-seven years, his wife passing away in 1881, at the age of seventy years.

Alfred L. Shafer was reared in his native county and when but ten years of age he assumled the practical responsibilities of life, working by the day or month for his board and clothing, and being in the emplo}- oi others until 1861. He secured his early educational discipline in the public schools, and through his own efforts accumulated sufficient funds lo enable him to ccntinue his studies for a time in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin. That he duly profited by the opportunities afforded him is evident from the fact that he began teaching school when seventeen years of age, and he continued his pedagogic work in Seneca county for twenty years during the winter months, w^hile during the summers he devoted his attention to farm work. In 1861 he rented a farm/ and continued agricultural operations under these conditions until 1868, when he located on his present farm, which he likewise rented, the same being then the property of his father-in-law. In 1872 he purchased the farm, which comprises one hundred and forty acres, and here he has made the best of improvements and placed the land under a high state of cultivation, his success being due to his energy, discrimination and progressive inetJKxls.

^Ir. Shafer has ever maintained a lively interest in public affairs of a local nature and has been influential in his township. He is a stalwart advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and for nearly thirty years served as justice of the peace, while he was a trustee of Pleasant township for several years. He is a man of forceful individuality and marked intellectuality, and to him has been given the mc<t unequivocal confidence and esteem of the f>eople of the community. He is one of the prominent and enthusiastic memibers of Union Grange, Xo. 1078, Patrons of Husl^andry, of which he is the master at the time of this writing, and his religious faith is that of the Reformed church, being a member at Glade Union, in which he has been an elder for many years.

On the nth of April, 1865, Mr. Shafer was united in marriage to Miss Rachel McMeen, wlio was born in this county, being the daughter of William S. and Sopliia (Stewart) McMeen, a pioneer farmer of this section of the state. Our subject and his estimable wife have four children, namely : Alice L., the wife of Frank J. Stinchcomb, superintendent of schools at Pavne, Ohio; Xora, who remains at home, a popular and successful teacher, having attended the Ada and Fostoria Normals and Heidelberg College; Nellie, the wife of Forrest Niswender, at Swander^ Ohio; and Glenn, who is a student in Heidelberg College.

William S. McMeen was born in Scotland; married in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, Sophia Stewart, a native of Ireland. The}- locatetl on the present homestead of Mr. Shafer in 1835, then in the wcxxls, and here Mrs. Shafer was born on the 7th of April, 1839. The father died at seventy-seven, the mother in her ninety-seventh year, having l>een born in 1799. Of their eleven children six reached maturity, and Mrs. Shafer is the only survivor. Two brothers, Robert and John, were killed in the war, Robert in the One Hundred and First Ohio Volunteer Infantry, wounded at Murfreesboro and dying from the effects. John was in the cavalry and was killed in action. Two died in California, - William and James, - who went there during the gold excitement. The only sister, Sophia, married Emmet F. Drake and died at the age of thirty-five years. The parents were among the original members of the Presbyterian church in Tiffin.

James Stinchcomb

Among the early settlers and representative farmers of Seneca county is James Stinchcomb, a veteran of the great civil war, who was born in Bloom township, this county, March 25, 1832, a son of John and Barbara (Turflinger) Stinchcomb. The father was a native of the state of Maryland, born in 1799, and when a child he was brought by his parents to Ohio, locating near Salem, in Fairfield county, where the son grew to years of maturity and was married. In 1827 he t(x>k up his residence in Seneca county, but two years previous to that time he had visited this section and had here entered eighty acres of land in Bloom township, on which he made his home until 185 1. In that year he disposed of his possessions there and came to Clinton towTiship, purchasing the one hundred and sixty acres of land which is now owned by Qiarles Bender, and there his remaining days were passed, he having passed away- ih death in 1854. His political support was given to the Whig party, and religiously he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. By his marriage to Barbara Turflinger he became the father of ten children, four of whom are now living: Elizabeth A.; James; Henry, of Odessa, ^lichigan ; and John W., of Canton, Ohio.

James Stinchcomb of this review has spent his entire life in the county of his nativity, and to its public-school system he is indebted for his early educational privileges. Later he became a student in Heidelberg College, and at the age of twenty years he became a meml^er of the teachers' profession, continuing as an instructor for twenty-two terms during the winter months, while in the summer seasons he was engaged at carpentering and farming. After his marriage he located on the farm belonging to his father-in-law, but still continued the teacher's profession until the property passed into the possession of his wife, when he gave up that occupation, and since that time has devoted his entire time and attention to his agricultural interests, his farm' being three miles north of Tiffin and containing one hundred and forty-seven acres. Through the careful direction of his business interests and by indefatigable industry he has acquired a handsome property and at the same time has so conformed to the ethics of business life that he has the unqualified confidence of all with whom he has had business transactions. During the civil war he entered the Union army on the 2d of May, 1864, becoming a member of Company B, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and for four months was on detailed duty at Washington. Previous to this time he had served as a miember of Company F, Home Guards, and while a member of that body was called to Johnson's Island at the time of the \'allandigham alarm.

In 1870 Mr. Stinchcomb was united in marriage to Miss Matilda .E. Baker, who was born in the house in which our subject now resides. In Februar\% 1871, this loving and devoted wife was called to the homt beyond, and afterward Mr. Stinchcomb was married to her sister. Miss Anna S. Baker, and they have one son, Robert S. Mrs. Stinchcomb died August 2, 1890. The Prohibition party receivesi Mr. Stinchcomb's support and co-operation. He is well known for his uprightness and relia-

No man has taken keener or more decided interest in educational advancement than Mr. Stinchcomb. When in the profession he took a hand in securing better wages for teachers, enabling them to prepare better for that noblest of professions. He helped to organize the teachers of the county into a union, and a decided stand was taken that resulted in much better compensation to teachers, and, in consequence, much better schools throughout the county. He has pronounced views on the live questions of the day and is fearless and vigorous in his* expression, touching the abuses incident to present systems of government and struggles for civilization.

Jacob Staib

Among the native sons of Seneca county who still maintain their residence within her borders is Jacob Staib, who resides in Seneca township, owning a valuable tract of land which each year returns to him a comlfortable income. He was bom in this township August i8, 1849, and is a son of Jacob Staib, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany. When the father had reached man's estate he sought a comi>anion and helpmate for the journey of life and wooed and won Miss Sarah Haug, also a na^ tive of the same kingdom. They became the parents of six children: Caroline, residing on the home farm; Jacob, our subject; Nellie, the wife of Valentine Hoffman; Catherine, who married Carl Wittig and resides at Deep Water, Missouri ; Elizabeth, also residing on the home farm ; and Magdalena, who died in childhood. The father was a landscape gardener in Germany, continuing that pursuit until 1833, when, at eighteen years of age, he resolved to test the truth of the favorable reports which he had heard concerning the opportunities furnished by America in business circles. Accordingly he engaged passage on a sailing-vessel, - for it was prior to the era of steamboat navigation, - and after forty-two days spent on the briny deep, landed in New York. He made his way to Seneca county, Ohio, taking up his abode upon the farm which three years later was purchased by his parents, Jacob and Catherine (Kloepfer) Staib. The government still owned the greater part of the land and he entered a claim of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he built a log cabin with but one room. In that he kept bachelor's hall for two years, and in 1846 he was married, his wife coming with him from Germany, where he visited after being twelve years in America. For almost twenty years he continued residing upon his first farm, but in 1855 removed to the farm upon which his remaining days were passed and on which his death occurred September 20, 1901, when he had reached the age of eightysix years, seven months and seven days. His w^as a busy, useful life, in consistent harmony with his professions as a member of the Lutheran church. In politics he was a Democrat, always endorsing the principles of that party but never seeking office. His wife died in 1883. His father died at eighty-seven, while his mother survived to the age of ninety-seven years.

Jacob Staib, Jr., was a little lad of only six years when his parents removed to the farm upon which he is now living. The common schools afforded him his educational privileges, and as he was the only son he always remained at home in order to assist his father in the cultivation of the land. After he had attained to man's estate he took charge of the farm, erecting a second brick house. The farm now contains ninety-seven acres, upon which he resides, with twenty acres of the old homestead which his father secured in its wild state more than two-thirds of a century ago.

On the 23d of October, 1879, Mr. Staib was united in marriage to Miss Alice Arbogast, wdio died May 16, 1885, and unto them were born four children. These are Nettie I., Lorenzo M., Victor J. and Alverda J. They hold membership in the Evangelical Association and are earnest Christian people whose well-spent lives commend them to the esteem of their fellow men. Mr. Staib exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democratic party andj has been honored with sorme local offices, serving as school director for many years, while for three years he was a township trustee, just now being re-elected.

No word of blame could ever be attached to him in relation to the discharge of his official duties, for he was ever prompt, reliable and capable. His work in private life is equally well known and in his history there are many lessons well worthy of emulation.

Samuel Eakin

Throughout life this gentleman has been prominently identified with the agricultural interests of Seneca county, Ohio, and is to-day one of the leading farmers of Seneca township. He is one of the county's native sons and a representative of one of her honored old families, whose identic fication with her history dates from an early period in the development of the county.

Mr. Eakin was born on the farm where he now resides, and is a son of James Eakin, a native of Washington county, Virginia. His paternal grandfather, James Eakin, aided the colonies in their struggle for independence, serving for six years in the Continental army during the war of the Revolution. At an early day the father of our subject went to Illinois, making the entire journey on horseback, then returned to Virginia, but soon after located in Delaware county, Ohio, whence he came to Seneca county in 1822. He entered three hundred and twenty acres of government land in Seneca township, and in the midst of the wilderness opened up the farm on which our subject now lives. His land, being the choicest of this region, was covered with a heavy growth of timber, principally poplars and walnuts, and the forests had to be cleared away before the land could be cultivated. Mr. Eakin's first home in this county was a rude cabin of one room, built of round logs and furnished in the most primitive style. With the early development and progress of this section of the state he was prominently identified, and on the roll of Seneca county's honored pioneers his name should be among the foremost. At one time he bought two hundred and eighty acres of land in Wyandot county, at an Indian land sale. In early manhood he was united in mar- riage with Miss Susan Anderson, and to them were born fourteen children, of whom eleven grew to manhood or womanhood, and nine are still living. The father died on his farm in Seneca county in 1879, at the age of eighty-seven years, and his wife passed away in 1886. They were people of fwominence in the community where they had so long made their home, and were highly respected and esteerrted by all who knew them.

Samuel Eakin was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his day, aiding in the arduous task of improving a new farm, and pursuing his literarj^ studies in a log school-house. He obtained a good common-school education, which has well fitted him for the practical duties of life. With the exception of six years he has spent his entire life on the farm where he was born, and is now the owner of one hundred and seventy-six acres of the old homestead bordering the Sandusky river. He carries on farming and stock-raising successfully, and in all his undertakings has displayed marked ability as a business man. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Democracy, but has never sought office, preferring to give his undivided attention to his farming interests. He is widely and favorably known and is recognized as one of representative men of his community.

Rev. Aaron Yambert

Among the old and honored residents of Seneca county, Ohio, who will long be recalled with feelings of true respect and affection, was one who for a period of twenty-seven consecutive years followed the example of his holy Master, "going about doing good." This was Rev. Aaron Yambert, who passed out of life on July 4, 1888.

The birth of Rev. Mr. Yambert w^as February 14, 1809, i" Berks county, Pennsylvania, and he was a son of John H. and Sybilla (Click) Yambert. In 1831 he accompanied his parents when they removed to Seneca county, Ohio. At the age of eighteen he learned the carpenter*s trade and at this age also became converted to the truths of religion. He lived' a life of morality and exerted a good influence on his fellow workmen during his young manhood, but he did not begin his ministerial labors until 1832. He was ordained in the Evangelical church and started out to his first pastorate in Pickaway county, Ohio. This was but the entrance into a ministerial life which continued with his years. He became a vigorous preacher, thoroughly persuaded to the truths he taught, and he easily led others, and on all occasions, without fear or favor, was ready to uphold his belief.

In 1845 he settled with his family on what is known as the old Yambert homestead, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty-two acres. As his family increased he felt it his duty to provide for their welfare, and this farm was carried on with care and miade productive and valuable.

The marriage of Mr. Yambert w^as on February 10, 1839, to Miss Sarah Huffer, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, December 28, 1 81 3. She was a most estimable woman, a devoted wife and tender mother, and for fifty- four years was a worthy example of Christian goodness. She died on February 27, 1887, at the age of seventy-three years. Mr. and Mrs. Yambert had a family of thirteen children, namely : Caroline, who married George Rosier, of Seneca township; Mary, who married Chauncy Boucher, of Williams county, Ohio; Lovina, who married Joseph Conklin, of Seneca township ; Joshua J., who lives in Woodford county, Illinois : Aaron H., who lives at Rising Sun, Ohio; Sarah C, who is the widow of George Ingman, of ^lexico, Ohio; Susanna, who married J. W. Boucher, of Will'ams county, Ohio; Sybilla, who resides on the old homestead ; and Julia, deceased, who was the wife of Daniel Ellenberger. Four children died in infancy.

Mr. Yambert, when he first started out in his ministerial work, made his visits from one part of the country to the other on horseback, and many were the stories he could relate of the lonely districts into which he brought spiritual comfort. This great state, which now teems with every industry and overflow's with population, was at the time of the beginning of his work sparsely settled in many localities, Seneca county being still traversed by old Indian trails. He was one of the pioneer preachers and was well fitted by nature for his work. Although he enjo>'ed the fruitful rewards of agricultural industry, he turned his back on the comforts of home and braved storm and flood, in many mstances, to comfort the dying or to help the living.

Mr. Yambert was sadly missed when advancing years kept him more closely at home. He was known as the friend of the poor, and probably the most characteristic qualities belonging to him wxre usefulness and industry. He was devoted to his work and was permitted to see many fruits of his faithful service. The old home, consisting of residence and sixty-two acres of valuable land, is owned by his daughter, Miss Sybilla Yambert.

Christian Trott

Christian Trott is well known as an enterprising and progressive citizen of Seneca tCAvnship, where he is engaged in agricultural pursuits, his well-directed eflforts bringing to him gratifying success in his undertakings. Switzerland has sent her proportion of citizens to the new world and they have becom»e valued' residents of the communities in which their lots have been cast. They have ever been a valiant people, strong of purpose, fearless in defense of what they believe to be right, industrious, persevering and reliable, and the characteristics of his race are found in Christian Trott.

He was bom in the land of the Alps, April 25, 1848, and is a son of Frederick and Magdaline (Myers) Trott, in whose family were twelve * children, - six sons and six daughters. The grandfather, Henry Troti, was a French soldier with Napoleon's army w^hen they crossed the Alps. When on the return trip he was taken ill and the army moved on, leaving him, but eventually he recovered, was married and settled in the village where he had been left by the military forces. He was a blacksmith by trade and carried on business in that line throughout his life. The father was a tinsmith by trade and in May, 1848, he sailed with his family for until his death, but was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, for his life's labors were ended in 1869. His widow still survives him, at the old home, and is now in her ninety-first year, being well preserved in her faculties. Three of the brothers of our subject were soldiers of the civil war, responding to the country's call for aid in suppressing the rebellion of the south. Of these Henry is now deceased, while Frederick is in the west and Jacob resides in Adams township.

Christian Trott accompanied his parents to Seneca county at the age of seventeen years. He is almost entirely self-educated and' has earned the proud American title of a self-made man. He did not have the opportunity to attend school, for when eight years of age he began earning his own living, working on a berry farm for fifteen cents per day. When his father died he took charge of the home farm and has since resided thereon, devoting his energies to its further cultivation and improvement. He has cared for his mother, returning in his filial aflfection the love and care which she bestowed upon him in his early youth. On the 9th of March, 1875, he was united in marriage to MSss Tabitha Eakin, and unto them have been born eight children, as follows : Emma, wife of George Wagner; George, a resident of Idaho; Ida, the wife of Andrew Wagner; Mary, who is teaching school and resides with her parents; Frank, engaged with the Pennsylvania Railroad ; Ella, who married William Walton; Clara and Cora, both at home. The family have a very pleasant home on the old farm^ and the members of the housdiold enjo}' the warm regard of many friends in the community. Mr. Trott owns one hundreil and ninety acres of valuable land bordering the Sandusky river, the tract being rich and arable and returning to him excellent harvests as a reward for his labor. The Trott residence stands on an eminence about one hundred feet above low water of the principal river in northern Ohio, commanding a delightful view of several miles of as fine a section of country as the state affords. Mr. Trott's methods are progressive and a glance will indicate to the passer-by that the owner is a man of industr\', careful managemient and practical ideas. He votes with the Republican party, having endorsed its principles since becoming an American citizen. In 1896 he was appointed commissioner of Seneca county, serving for eight months. In 1890 he took the United States census for his township. He belongs to \\T>'andot Lodge, F. & A. M., of McCutchenville, and enjoys the high esteem of his brethren of the fraternity, being treasurer of his lodge for thirteen years. Mr. Trott certainly deserves great credit for what he has achieved in life. Without any pecuniary advantages or influential friends to aid him at the outset of his career, he has advanced steadily to an honorable position of affluence, overcoming all ol>stacles and difficulties by determined purpose, his trials seeming to come as an imipetus to renewed eflfort. He is now classed among the representative agriculturists of Seneca county and his career is in many respects well worthy of emulation. A man of independent and earnest thought, his line of action has come from a line of reasoning based upon his own observation and familiarity with passing events, not being governed by the ideas of others unless they seem to him based on sound principle and reason.

Mixrad Bork

Minrad Bork is a representative of an honored pioneer family of Seneca county, and throughout his entire life he has resided within the borders of this county, his birth having occurred in Bloom township on the 3d of October, 1856. He is a son of Frederick and Margaret (Young) Bork. The former was born in Giermjany and was a son of Philip Bork, with whom he came to the United States, taking passage on a sailing vessel which reached the harbor of Baltimore after forty days.

The family at once continued their westward journey, and on arriving in Seneca county made a location in Bloom township. Here the grandfather was connected with the development of a tract of wild land and with agricultural pursuits until his death, which was occasioned by an accident on the railroad. The first possession of the Bork family in this county was a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of wild land which they secured from the government, and their pioneer home was a little log cabin built in the usual pioneer style save that it contained two rooms instead of the usual ntimber - one. With the work of clearing and developing this farm Frederick was actively associated, and throughout the years of his residence here he carried on agricultural pursuits. Here he reared his family of ten children, as follows : Philip, a farmer of Seneca township; Eva; Frank, a farmer of Eden township; Aftigdaline, the wife of G. Fred Buchman ; Mary, who has passed away ; Lewis, a resident of Benton county, Indiana; John P., who is Jiving in Eden township; Minrad, the subject of this review; and Philomenia and Elizabeth, lx>th living in Tiffin.

The subject of this review was only four years of age when his father removed to the farm upon which he now makes his home. Here he was reared to manhood and early became familiar with the work of the farm in all its departments, laboring in the fields and meadows. He also attended the district schools, pursumg his studies through the winter months when the work of the farm was practically over for the year. He assisted his father throughout the period of his minority and when: thirty years of age he t(X)k charge of the old homestead and has since devoted his energies to its cultivation. In 1884 he purchased this property and he now owns two hundred and forty-two acres, all in one tract in Seneca township. His fields are well tilled and surround good farm buildings. In his pasture lands are seen high grades of stock, and all modern equipment and accessories are found upon his place. He makes a specialty of raising Durham cattle and has some fine specimens of that breed. One hundred and fifty-five acres of his land is under cultivation and annually he, harvests rich crops.

Bork and Miss Annie Reinhart, by whom he has three children, Edward, Clara and Joseph. The parents are well known in the community, having always resided in Seneca county, and the hospitality of many of the best homes of the locality is extended freely to them. In his political affiliations Mr. Bork is a Democrat, and while he always casts his ballot for the men and measures of the party and loyally advocates its interests, he has never sought or desired public office. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church.

Philip H. Bork

It is a notable fact that Ohio's sons always have a deep attachment for their native state^ and indeed Ohio's history has been a wonderful one in many respects. Her sons have become prominent in every \\^lk of life, and several of them have become the nation's leaders, occupying the chair of chief executive of this great republic. One man alone, or even a few men, do not constitute the strength of the commonwealth. It is the aggregate endeavor of loyal citizenship of the vast majority, and in this respect Ohio has been fortunate, for her representatives have been enterprising, resolute men, who have striven with natural conditions until they have made the country bloom and blossom as the rose, and have carried forward the work of progress and improvement until Ohio occupies a leading position in the great galaxy of the Union. Mr. Bork, of this review, is numbered an]ong the wide-awake, alert men of Seneca count)% and to-day is successfully carrying on agricultural pursuits in Seneca township.

He was born in Bloom township, January 19, 1841, and is a son of Frederick Bork, whose birth occurred in Germany, whence he crossed the Atlantic to America in 1834 in a sailing vessel, which after a voyage of forty days dropped anchor in the harbor of Baltimore. With horses he proceeded westward until he reached Seneca county and took up his abode in Bloomt township. Mr. Bork entered one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, constituting the farm upon which Peter Stuckey now resides. As this district was heavily timbered, logs were the best available material for building houses, and he erected a little log cabin containing two rooms, the structure being formed of round logs. With determined purpose he undertook the task of clearing his land, which was covered with walnut and hard-wood timber. Many trials and difficulties were to be endured by the pioneers, but they met these with resolute hearts and continued their labors until success crowned their efforts. Frederick Bork was accompanied to Ohio by his father, Philip, and family, and the former was accidentally killed on the railroad at Monroe, Michigan. It was in August, 1838, that Frederick Bork was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Young, a native of Germany, who came to America two years after the emigration of her husband. Ten children were bom of this union: Philip, our subject; Eva; Frank, a farmer of Eden township; Magdaline, the wife of G. Fred Buchman; Mary, who has passed away; Lewis, a resident of Benton county, Indiana; John P., who is living in Eden township; Minard, of Seneca township; and Philomenia and Elizabeth, both living in Tiffin.

When the family arrived in Seneca county their cash capital consisted of but two hundred dollars, but in a frontier region determination, hard work and perseverance count for more than money. At the time of his marriage Frederick Bork brought his bride to the oldf homestead farm in Bloom township and there he remained until 1861, when he removed" to Seneca township, taking up his abode on the place where his son Minrad now lives. It continued to be his residence until 1885 when he removed to Tiffin, there to enjoy a wdl earned rest, living in retiremlent until the 31st of January, 1899, when he was called to the home beyond in his ninety^first year. He was a consistent member of St. Joseph's Catholic church, to which his wife also belonged. Her death occurred June 13, 1891. At one time he was the owner of nearly three hundred acres of land* in Eden and Seneca townships, and his property was all acquired through his own untiring efforts, his life record proving conclusively what a potent force are diligence and resolution in the active efforts of business life.

Philip H. Bork was barn and reared in Bloom township, where he spent the first twenty years of his life. He attended the public schools and assisted in the labors of the home farm, going with his father's family to Seneca township in 1861. He was married on the 22d of October, 1872, to Miss Mary Fisher of Fremont, and unto thein have been born two children, - Mary ^I. and Frank O., - both at home. The son has been a student in Heidelberg College. Soon after their iruarriage Mr. and Mrs. Bork settled' upon the farm which has since been their home. The saine fall he sowed some seed for fruit trees and gradually increased his nursery business until he now has an excellent nursery of three acres and enjoys a very liberal patronage in that direction. His farm comprises one hinidred and three acres and is divided into fields of convenient size, where each year he harvests good crops of wheat, oats, corn and other cereals adapted' to this climate. He has made a close study of the best methods of farming and his broad experience has enabled him to so direct his efforts as to win success in his undertakings. He and his family are communicants of St. Joseph's Catholic church and in politics he is a Democrat, though in local matters he supports the best men, - those whcise honesty is above question.

Abraham H. Delaplaxe

One of the well-known, representative farmer-citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is Abraham H. Delaplane, who has l3een identified with the progress and agricultural development of this county for a number of years. He has lived in various sections of it, his farm in Seneca township being his present home.

Mr. Delaplane is a native of Maryland, a state which has contributed to Ohio many of the latter's best and most progressive and successful citizens. The birth of our subject was in Frederick county April 14, 1 83 1, and he was a son of Frederick and Fanny (Huff) Delaplane, who reinoved from Maryland to Ohio in 1846, locating in Seneca county, in the vicinity of Tiffin. Later they occupied a farm near American, Ohio, and there our subject continued to reside with his parents until 1852. His education was acquired in the common schools of this locality, and w^as such as was afforded the farmer youths at that time, consisting principally of irregular attendance during a fevv winter sessions. Mr. Delaplane has supplemented his early education with reading, travel and association with men, and is now, notwithstanding former advantages, a well informed citizen.

When the whole country was aroused over the finding of gold in California Mr. Delaplane joined a party going to the west and made the trip by water in 1852. He visited the various mining camps and remained engaged in prospecting and mining for a period of two years, with varying success. He then came back to Mexico, Ohio, bought a threshing machine and outfit and for several years followed the threshing business, this proving very lucrative. After his marriage, in 1859, Mr. Delaplane settled down to farming, locating first on a tract of good land in Venice township, which he cultivated for three years. Tlien he took charge of a farm in Eden township, on which he carried on farming with success for two years, finally permanently locating, in 1863, on his present well cultivated and highly productive farm in Seneca township, which has been his home ever since. Mr. Delaplane is a practical and experienced farmer and stock-raiser, takes a deep interest in his vocation and devotes close attention to it.

The marriage of Mr. Delaplane was in 1859, to Miss Mary A. Pennington, who was born in Eden township, Seneca county, a daughter of Adam and Cynthia Ann (Wagner) Pennington, and five children were bom to this union. Three members of this family are now deceased, namely: Nellie, Lena and Ettie, all of whom died of consumption in young womanhood, the survivors being as follows : Jennie, who married Barn Burton and resides in Gratiot county, Michigan ; and John F., who is a farmer in Wyandot county, Ohio.

In political sentiment Mr. Delaplane has always been in affiliation with the Republican party, but he is a man of quiet, domestic tastes and has never sought political recognition. During his residence in the far west he saw life in many phases and under many conditions, and it only gave him a more sure conviction that in the long run the fruits of the soil are more satisfactory than the products of the mines. He is a msm who is highly regarded as trustworthy and honorable in all business transactions and worthily represents Seneca township as intelligent and progressive.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Delaplane are consistent members of the Mc- Cutchenville Methodist church, where they are valued for their many estimable traits of character. Their home is one of hospitality and they enjoy the respect and esteem of a wide circle of friends.

James M. Bare

James M. Bare is a representative of the farming interests of Seneca township. He was born near Mexico, Wyandot county, Ohio, June 29, 1832, and is a son of Abraham Bare, who was born in Virginia, and who, as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, chose Polly Miller. They became the parents of eight children : Ephraim, a resident of Wyandot county; John, who has passed away; James M., the subject of this review; Mary, the wife of Lewis Palmer and resides in Henry county; Elizabeth, the widow of Hosea Palmer and resides in Iowa; Eliza, who married John Istone, a resident of Iowa; Abraham, who makes his home in Wyandot county ; and Emma, who became the wife of Lewis Lundy, of Wyandot county. The father of these children removed from Virginia to Fairfield county, Ohio, and it was there that his marriage took place. He remained in that county until 1827, when he went to Wyandot county and entered eighty acres of land from the government. Upon this claim he built a log cabin of one room. It had a puncheon floor and a chimney built of mud and sticks, through which the smoke had its egress from a broad fireplace. The land was covered with a dense growth of timber, the trees growing so thick that the sunlight could hardly penetrate to the ground beneath, but in the course of time this was cleared away and the fields brought forth good harvests. The father was a cabinetmaker by trade, and in addition to his other work he engaged in making coffins for the early settlers. He afterward operated a carding machine and continued to make his home upon the farm which he developed in Wyandot county, it being his place of residence until his death, which occurred in 1869, when he was sixty-nine years of age. His wife died in 1866. Both were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and all who knew them respected them for their genuine worth and many acts of kindness. Mr. Bare was particularly prominent in church work and was a man of strong temperament whose influence for good was widely felt. He was also known on account of his temperance principles and by reason of the work t\hich he accomplished in behalf of the county in laying out roads and otherwise as.sisting in its pioneer development.

It was upon the old farm homestead described above that James M. Bare first opened his eyes to the light of day. There he spent his childhood and youth, enjoying the sports common to boys of that period and assisting in the cultivation of the fields. He remained under the parental roof until January i, 1855, at which time he was married, Miss Eliza Pennington becoming his wife. They are now the parents of five children, who are yet living: Ada C, who married Charles Mangus; John, who is the proprietor of a hotel in Buffalo, Illinois ; Elva, a brick and tile manufacturer of Tiffin; Alma, the wife of Rev. John T. Miller, a minister of the Church of God; and James L., a merchant at McCutchen. ville. Seymour, the eldest, became a farmer of Eden township and is now deceased.

After his marriage Mr. Bare rented a part of his father's farm and. continued to make his home thereon for fourteen years, on the expiration of which period, in 1868, he came to Seneca county and purchased the farm upon which he now resides. He owns here i^ne hundred and ten acres of land, and the soil is productive and returns to him golden harvests in rewards for his labors. He also engages in the raising of stock and has excellent equipment upon his place, all of which indicate that the owner is a progressive and practical agricrlturist. In 1876 Mr.

Bare was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife, and in 1878 he was again married, his second union being with Miss Ellen Bercaw. They have a pleasant home in Seneca township and have made many warm friends during their residence in this county. Mr. Bare exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Republican party. He can relate many interesting incidents concerning pioneer life in Ohio and his knowledge comes from practical experience. He attended school in the little building which was erected of logs and in which the seats were made of slabs. The other furnishings were as primitive and the methods of teaching were totally unlike those of the present day. Great changes have occurred, not only in educational lines, but in all departments of life, and no one has been more in favor of progress and improvement in beneficial lines than James M. Bare, who is an enterprising and public-spirited citizen.

William Ash

It is now our privilege to touch briefly upon the life history of one of the representative and successful citizens of Seneca county, - one who has passed practically his entire life within its borders, being a member of one of its pioneer families and a man who has commanded at ev^ery stage of his career the unqualified confidence and esteem of the community, as is evident when we revert to the fact that he has been a long tinne incumbent of offices of distinctive trust and responsibility. He has achieved a high measure of success through his indefatigable and welldirected efforts and is one of the substantial and honored citizens of Jackson township, where he has a finely improved landed estate oi six hundred acres.

Mr. Ash claims the old Keystone state of the Union as the place of his nativity, having been bom in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of April, 1830, a son of George and Letitia (Reed) Ash, of whose six children three are living at the present tirrte, namely : Upton, a successful farmer of Liberty township; William, the immediate subject of this review; and Sarah, the wife of George Sour, of Jackson township. The father of our subject was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1799, and removed thence with his family to Seneca county, Ohio, as one of its pioneers in 1833, our subject being at thnt time a child of about three years. George Ash entered a claim to one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land in Liberty township, reclaimed and otherwise improved the place and here continued to make his home until his death, at the patriarcial age of ninety years, his wife having passed away at the age of sixty-eight years.

In the primitive log school-house of the pioneer epoch William Ash received- his early educational training, and he well recalls the meager equipments of the little institution of learning, with its puncheon floor, slab benches and wide fireplace. He contributed his quota to the work of the homestead farm until the time of his marriage, in 1852, when he inaugurated his independent career by purchasing eighty acres of his present fine estate, much of which has been cleared and improved under his personal direction. As success crowned his efforts he continued to purchase additional land, until he now has upward of twelve hundred acres, all within three miles of the home farm of four hundred acres. The same is one of the most attractive rural homes in this favored section of the state, having a commodious residence of pleasing architectural design, together with excellent bams and other farm buildings of the most approved type. He now keeps all his eight farms rented. He has himself converted five hundred acres of wild land into valuable farms. His lands are now valued at from eighty to one hundred dollars per acre. He was about the first to begin the use of tile for underground drainage, - a feature of improvement that he has continued, laying tile every year for twenty-five years, till all his farms are in most excellent condition. He has spent thousands of dollars in tiling, but this has converted flat land covered with water much of the year into the most productive farms of the state. About the year 1870 Mr. Ash began buying and shipping live stock, his operations extending over a wide area. For alx>ut a decade and a half he was extensively engaged in stock- raising, doing much to promote the interests of this important industry in this section of the state, and incidentally, through his discriminaion and marked business acumen, attaining a success of a distinctive order^

In politics Mr. Ash has ever given an unqualified allegiance to the RepubHcan party, and as one of the able and honored citizens of his community he has naturally been called upon to serve in local offices of important nature. He was incumbent of the office of justice of tiic peace for the long period of twenty-seven years, within which he did much to bring about an amicable adjustment of minor difficulties among his neighbors ; he served three terms as trustee of Jackson township, and in 1890 was elected land appraiser of his township. He is one of the leading stockholders in the First National Bank of Fostoria, in which he has held the office of vice-president for the past fourteen years.

On the 1st of January, 1852, Mr. Ash was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Trumbo, who was bom in this county, the daughter of Enoch Trumbo, one of the pioneers of the township. Mr. and Mrs. Ash became the parents of three children, of whom two survive, namely : Ellen, the wife of Alfred Mowrey, of Jackson township; and Charles, who is engaged in farming and grain dealing at Amsden and was elected in 1901 to the office of treastu^r of Seneca county, being a well-known Republican worker, chosen in a strong Democratic county, the first instance of the kind in the county. The youngest, Jessie Fremont, died when seven years old.

No man is more highly esteemed in the community than is Mr. Ash, and it is a pleasure to incorporate this brief tribute to one of the county's sterling citizens.

William H. Zeis

Among the leading and successful farmer citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, William H. Zeis has long been one of the representative men. Since 1883 he has been a resident of Seneca township and has been all his life identified with the interests of Seneca county.

December 24, 1838, and he was a son of Jacob and a grandson of Martin Zeis, the latter of whom was one of the pioneer settlers of Seneca county and one who was notable in its early enterprises. As early as 1816 Martin Zeis left Germany on a sailing vessel, bound for the United States. Three long months w-ere spent on the Atlantic ocean, and the tired voyagers then made their way to Frederick county, Maryland, where they lived for eleven years, Mr. Zeis having brought his family with him. It was just at this date that the agricultural advantages which settlement in Ohio promised began to attract sturdy pioneers from other states, who saw in this opportunity a future provision for the large families which at that time were not unusual. Hither came grandfather

Zeis and his ten children, the trip consuming a long time, on account of the poor roads, many of them almost impassable. Mr. Zeis located in Liberty township, Seneca county, entering here one hundred and sixty acres of land from the government, and here the remainder of his life was spent. By trade he was a shoemaker and he carried this on in connection with farming and became one of the leading citizens of his township. He was a man of great industry and was earnest in his desire to promote the advancement of his township. It was his personal effort which cut the first road through the forest from Shiloh church to Cromer Station, his land covering a part of the present site of the village of Cromer. With the assistance of his many sons he soon built a comfortable log cabin and established here a family which has ever since been one of respectability in the county.

Jacob Zeis, who was the father of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, and he accompanied his parents to America and was his father's helper in his early settlement in Seneca county. He married Abbie Craun for his first wife, and they had three children, the survivor being Martha, the wife of Thomas Guinn, a resident of Iowa ; John M. and Jacob being deceased. The second marriage of Jacob Zeis was to Elizabeth Lauer, who was born in Wittenberg, Germany. She came to America at eighteen years of age and died in her sixty-second year. Fourteen children were born to this union, of which our subject was the oldest. The others were as follows : Lewis, deceased ; Jacob, of Qinton township; Christiana, deceased; Daniel, a private in the Twenty-eighth Iowa Infantry, who died during the war ; Rebecca, the widow of David Fought, of Seneca township; Lucinda, deceased; Theodore, deceased; Matilda, deceased ; Charles, a resident of Indiana ; Truman, a resident of Hopewell township; Benjaijiin, a farmer of Liberty township; James, the farmer on the old homestead in Liberty township; and Leander, a resident of this township.

After his first marriage Jacob Zeis bought eighty acres of land in Liberty township and there he made his home during the continuance of his life. This farm is now the property of his son, James F. Zeis.

The early life of William H. Zeis, of this biography, was spent on the old home farm in Liberty township. He embraced every educational opportunity within his reach, his advantages being limited. He recalls very distinctly the old log schoolhouse with its uncomfortable slab benches whereon the children of his day sat with aching backs, on account of no supports being provided, while a scarcity of books was felt by almost all of the pupils. The teacher was usually partly paid by subscription and was expected to board around among the families. Many romances have been written of those days, but Mr. Zeis needs none of these, as he easily recalls them and is able to compare the chances which the children of today enjoy beyond those offered to their forefathers.

There was plenty of work to be done on the home farm and Mr. Zeis remained assisting his father until he was twenty-seven years of age. Then he married and bought sixty acres of land and for two years operated both that and his father's farm, moving then into Seneca township and operating a farm there for the two following years. Mr. Zeis then removed to his former home in Liberty township, where he made many substantial improvements and remained from 1870 to 1883, coming then to his present most desirable farm in Seneca township. Here Mr. Zeis owns one hundred and fifty-five acres in section 27, and has given his attention to general farming and stock-raising. He is well known in agricultural circles and his methods of farming and management of stock commend themselves to his neighbors as wise and productive of excellent results.

Centennial Biographical History, 469

Although the greater part of his life has beeii given to cultivating the soil, Mr. Zeis has had other interests, and has always arrayed himself on the side of law and order. In 1862 he became a member of the Home Guards and w-as w^ith Company E, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Regiment, when it went, in 1864, to serve in the defense of the nation's capital. It is a well-known fact in his locality that he is an uncompromising Republican.

The first marriage of Mr. Zeis was to Miss Ellen Cromer, wdio was a daughter of Ezra Cromer, and the children of this union were as follows: Ira N., who is a practicing physician in Carey, Ohio; Daniel W., who is attending a dental college of Columbus, Ohio ; and Elizabeth, who died in infancy. Mrs. Zeis died in 1872. The second marriage of Mr. Zeis was to Miss Sarah Cromer, who w^as a sister of his first wife, and the children of this marriage are as follows: Ezra E., Jesse W., and Lula L., all residing at home.

Mr. Zeis is highly esteemed in his township as an honorable man and is known to be interested in matters of public moment, having always done his part to advance every worthy enterprise, looking to the agricultural development of this part of Seneca county.