USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > Past and present of Wyandot County, Ohio; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27
c 77.101 197b 1.2 :58171
M
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
EN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02496 2547
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/pastpresentofwya02baug
C
PAST AND PRESENT
OF
WYANDOT COUNTY
OHIO
A. J. BAUghMAN Editor
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
977. 101 1976 1.2
CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1913
albert Rebar
BIOGRAPHICAL
258171
ALBERT REBER.
Among the agriculturists of Crane township who have achieved prominence as men of marked ability and substan- tial worth is numbered Albert Reber, one of the extensive landowners and successful business men of this locality. His holdings aggregate twelve hundred acres and his farm is con- ducted along such modern and progressive lines that his activ- ities have had an important effect upon agricultural standards in the state.
Albert Reber was born in Fairfield county, October 23, 1845, and is a son of Thomas V. and Rachael (Allen) Reber, both natives of the same section, the father born June 17, 1806, and the mother October 22, 1808. She was a member of a family that was well known in Wyandot county and for over one hundred years prominent in Fairfield county, and traced her ancestry back to the Pilgrims. The first of the family to come to America was Samuel Allen, who emigrated from Bridgewater, Somerset county, England, and settled in Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1620. His son, Samuel (II), was born in 1632 and his sister, born in 1639, married Joseph Standish, a son of Miles Standish, of the Mayflower. This Samuel Allen married Sarah Partridge and their son, also named Samuel, was born in 1660 and in 1685 married Rebecca Carey. Their son, Timothy Allen, was born in 1691 and became the grandfather of General Ethan Allen, of Revolu- tionary war fame. Rebecca Allen, the mother of Timothy, died in 1697 and his father subsequently married Mary Alden, a daughter of Joseph, a son of Captain John Alden, made famous by Longfellow in his poem on Miles Standish. Of this union were born six children, the eldest of whom was Joseph, whose birth occurred in 1701 and who with his parents and the rest of the family in 1727 moved to Connecticut and settled at Norwich. Later they removed from that place to Canter- bury. At Norwich Joseph Allen married Rebecca Fuller, of Preston, Connecticut, and their son, Barnabus, was born Feb- ruary 24, 1729, at Norwich. In 1752 Barnabus Allen married Elizabeth Fuller, a daughter of Randolph Fuller, and they had a son Silas, who was born in 1754. He enjoyed the advantages
5
6
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
of a superior education and embraced the profession of med- icine. On May 16, 1776, he married Mary Cleveland, a daugh- ter of Samuel Cleveland, his wife being a fourth cousin of Moses Cleveland, the founder of the city by that name in Ohio and related to the ancestors of Grover Cleveland. Soon after their marriage Dr. Allen and his wife moved to Middle- town, Vermont, and in 1800, left there for the west, intending to go as far as the Mississippi river, but arriving in Fairfield county and finding the country bordering Toby creek inviting they concluded to remain there and became permanent set- tlers. Among their eight children was Jedadiah Allen, the fourth in order of birth, and the father of Mrs. Rachael Reber. He was born in Vermont and at an early age came with his parents to Ohio, making settlement upon a farm in Amanda township, Fairfield county. Here he devoted his life to agri- cultural pursuits, becoming largely interested in stock-raising. A man of progressive ideas, he was prominent and influential in his community. He passed away on the 5th of September, 1856, at Royalton, Ohio. His wife was in her maidenhood Sarah Bull and her marriage to Jedadiah Allen took place in 1803, their children being: Rachael, the mother of our subject; Howard Allen, born in 1811; and Lyman Allen, born in 1813.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Thomas V. Reber have passed away, the father's death occurring on December 5, 1895, he having survived his wife for about five years, her demise occurring in 1890. To their union were born eight children: Felix, who died in 1878; Sarah, who passed away in 1904; Minerva, also deceased; Mary A., whose death occurred in 1911; John, who is a resident of Oklahoma; Lenox, who resides in Marion, Ohio; Albert, of this review; and Lucy, who has passed away.
Albert Reber acquired his education in the district schools and pursued his studies until he was eighteen years of age, at which time he entered his father's employ and worked in his interest for several years. He began his independent agri- cultural career by purchasing the family homestead, to which he has added from time to time until he has now accumulated twelve hundred acres, his land lying on sections 5, 7, 8 and 9, Crane township. The farm is one of the most noted proper- ties in Wyandot county, having been known as the Armstrong farm. It has been occupied for over one hundred years and comprises land that has never yet been under the plow. He raises thereon general farm products, specializing in corn and
7
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
hay, of which abundant crops are harvested owing to the care and labor which Mr. Reber bestows upon his fields. He fol- lows only the most modern methods of agriculture and uses the latest improved machinery to facilitate his labors so that his efforts are attended with gratifying success. In addition he is extensively interested in stock-raising, keeping fifty-five cattle, one thousand sheep, one hundred hogs and three horses, his stock commanding a high price and a ready sale in the local markets. In addition to general farming Mr. Reber has extensive and valuable business interests in Upper Sandusky, where he owns the Reber Hotel and two business blocks and is a stockholder and director in the First National Bank.
On the 5th of April, 1898, Mr. Reber was united in mar- riage in Upper Sandusky to Miss Mattie J. Bowman, the cere- mony being performed by Rev. D. G. Carson in the Presby- terian church. Mrs. Reber is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, the former a prominent farmer. The par- ents came originally from Pennsylvania, but the father was of German extraction and the mother of Scotch-Irish stock. Mrs. Reber was a school teacher for twenty years, being emi- nently successful along this line, and is a lady of rare refine- ment and many high qualities of mind and character. Her father died in 1885 and his wife's death occurred in the fol- lowing year. Mr. and Mrs. Reber became the parents of a son, Thomas A., who is attending school.
Mr. Reber gives his political support to the men and meas- ures of the republican party and, while he takes a deep inter- est in public matters, keeping himself informed on all the current topics of the day, he has never been active as an office seeker. His life has been one of continuous activity, in which has been accorded due recognition of labor, and today he stands as a representative of the substantial citizens of Wyan- dot county.
CONSTIEN BROTHERS.
The firm of Constien Brothers is one well known in Upper Sandusky, where they are conducting a growing and profitable business as growers of plants and flowers. These brothers, Bernhardt E. and Alvin A. Constien, are both natives of Up-
8
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
per Sandusky, the former born December 22, 1877, and the latter on the 19th of September, 1879. Their father, William H. Constien, was a native of Hanover, Germany, born Octo- ber 16, 1839, and was a gardener by occupation. He spent the first twenty-five years of his life in the fatherland and then determined to try his fortune in the new world. Accord- ingly he crossed the Atlantic and for several years was a resi- dent of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but in 1872 came to Upper Sandusky. He married Emily Benecke, who was born in Ber- lin, Germany, in 1843. Their marriage was celebrated in that country and after traveling life's journey together for a very extended period they were separated by the death of the wife on the 8th of August, 1902. Of their children Otto died in infancy. The others are Theodore, Emma, William H., Albert, Adolph, Bernhardt E., Alvin A. and Oscar.
Bernhardt E. Constien pursued his education in the public schools until he reached the age of eighteen, when he turned his attention to the business in which he is now engaged. His brother Alvin was a pupil in the common schools until he reached the age of thirteen, when he became a high-school student in Upper Sandusky. He afterward attended college at Defiance, Ohio, and was graduated there when eighteen years of age. He also attended the Ohio Normal School at Ada, where he devoted one year to the study of pharmacy, at the end of which time he passed the examination before the state pharmaceutical board and became a drug clerk, filling that position for two years. On the expiration of that period he took up the study of dentistry in the Ohio Medical College at Columbus and was graduated in 1894 with the de- gree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. He now practices at his residence but has been obliged to discontinue his professional work to some extent, owing to his health. He is associated with his brother in the growing of plants and in the sale of cut flowers, and they are prominent dealers in their line in the city.
Bernhardt E. Constien was married on the 3d of December, 1902, to Miss Marie Miller, a daughter of Alpheus and Jose- phine Miller, of Chatsfield, Crawford County, Ohio. They have two children, Karl and Norman. Alvin A. Constien wed- ded Laura Fink, a daughter of John and Mary A. Fink. His marriage occurred November 14, 1901, and they have one child, Raymond John. The brothers are independent in their
9
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
political affiliations. They hold membership with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Rebekahs, and their religious faith is that of the German Lutheran church. They have well equipped greenhouses and are conducting a successful business in plant culture while their sale of cut flowers adds materially to their own income. Their plant cov- ers five thousand square feet but the business is growing to such an extent, that at this writing four thousand more feet of glass area are being added to their greenhouses.
ALBERT H. MARTENS.
Starting out in the business world as an errand boy Albert H. Martens has gradually worked his way upward and is now owner of an extensive brewery, his property in that connec- tion being valued at twenty-five thousand dollars. Mr. Mar- tens is a native of Germany, born June 17, 1871. His father, William Martens, whose natal year was 1839, was a laborer of that country and when he came to America in 1882 he settled at Detroit, Michigan. Ten years later he passed away. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary Ott, was born in Ger- many in 1839 and died in 1897. In their family were five chil- dren: Rudolph, Bertha, Augusta, Louisa and Albert H.
The last named remained in Germany until ten years of age, when the parents came with their family to the new world and he completed his education, begun in the schools of his native land, by study in the public schools of Detroit. At fourteen years of age, however, he put aside his text-books and for a year thereafter worked as errand boy. He next began learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed until twenty- one years of age, when he entered the grocery and saloon busi- ness, opening a store of his own in Detroit. With the excep- tion of a year and a half spent as an employe in a brewery he continued in business there until 1911, when he sold his grocery store and saloon and purchased the Upper Sandusky Brewery. Since assuming its management he has been very successful, building up a trade which is constantly growing. The brewing plant is well equipped with modern machinery and is worth twenty-five thousand dollars, while its capacity is five thousand barrels annually. In addition to his other in-
10
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
terests Mr. Martens is also extensively engaged in the ice business, employing several wagons in the delivery of that product in Upper Sandusky.
On the 30th of January, 1906, in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Martens was married to Miss Lillian Egle, a daughter of Henry and Bertha (Zimmerman) Egle, the former well known throughout the country as a pottery manufacturer. Mr. and Mrs. Martens have but one child, Allen. The parents are members of the German Lutheran church and he belongs to the Personal Liberty League of Ohio. His political in- dorsement is given to the republican party but he has never sought nor desired office, preferring to give his undivided at- tention to his business affairs. He has worked earnestly and persistently to achieve success and is now at the head of an enterprise which is bringing him good financial returns.
WILLIAM A. GIPSON.
William A. Gipson is a dealer in coal and building supplies in Upper Sandusky. His success is due entirely to his own efforts, indefatigable labor and reliable methods having brought to him a gratifying patronage. He was born in Ply- mouth, Richland county, Ohio, January 26, 1843, a son of Lorenzo and Emilia A. Gipson. The father was born in Ver- mont, March 12, 1817, and was a mechanic. On coming to Ohio he settled in Mansfield in 1850 and on the 20th of Feb- ruary, 1868, he passed away. His wife, a native of Pennsyl- vania, was born May 16, 1822, and died February 12, 1877.
William A. Gipson became a resident of Mansfield, Ohio, in his boyhood days and there pursued his education in the public schools to the age of sixteen years, when he put aside his textbooks in order to earn a living. He worked at cooper- ing in a factory of that city for a year, at the end of which time the family removed to Upper Sandusky. Here he again worked at his trade until the outbreak of the Civil war, when his patriotic spirit was aroused by the continued attempt of the south to overthrow the Union and he enlisted in 1862 as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for three years. During an engagement he was wounded in the left side
WILLIAM A. GIPSON
13
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
by a spent ball, which forced him to remain out of active serv- ice for three weeks. He was twice taken prisoner and spent one night in Libby Prison. He was then transferred to Belle Isle, where he remained for sixty-two days. He was again captured at High Bridge and taken to Appomattox Court . House, where Lee surrendered, and stayed there for three days, when he was exchanged as a paroled prisoner. He par- ticipated in sixteen hard-fought battles and many skirmishes and with a most creditable military record returned to his home, having been honorably discharged at Camp Chase, Bal- timore, June 5, 1865.
In his business career Mr. Gipson has been quite success- ful and now owns and conducts a coal and building supplies business which he has carried on for many years. At dif- ferent times he has been interested in various commercial and industrial enterprises in the city and now devotes his entire time to the management of his coal and building supplies depot, where he carries a large stock, being accorded a liberal patronage. He began with but a limited capital but he pos- sesses unfaltering courage and determination and as the years have gone by his enterprise and perseverance have won him a most gratifying measure of success, finding tangible evi- dence in the judicious investments in property which he has made.
On the 12th of May, 1870, in this city, Mr. Gipson was mar- ried to Miss Addie K. Beistle, a daughter of Christian and Catherine (Houck) Beistle, the father a shoe merchant of this place. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gipson are: Blanche, the wife of Fred W. Zander, a dealer in plumbers' supplies in Buffalo, New York, by whom she has one son, Frederick G .; Myram M .; William A .; Matilda E .; Lucy A .; Alice; and Arland F.
Mr. Gipson and his wife are members of the English Evan- gelical Lutheran church, and he belongs to the Masonic fra- ternity, in which he has attained the Knight Templar degree. He is also a member of the Commercial Club and active in its efforts to promote the business interests of the city. He votes with the democratic party and has held several local offices. For ten years he filled the position of councilman and for twenty-one years has been a member of the school board. The cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He was also a trustee of the Ohio State School for the Deaf for twenty
14
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
years, being first appointed by William McKinley and later by different governors of Ohio. He was chosen for this posi- tion for four terms of five years each. He is a very popular man, well liked by all, and his many sterling traits of char- acter have gained for him enduring regard. In all his duties of citizenship in its broadest sense he has displayed the same loyalty which characterized his service when he followed the old flag on southern battlefields.
CHARLES C. KOUNS.
A record such as that of Charles C. Kouns is not an un- usual one in this country, where labor finds its just reward and close application and energy constitute the salient ele- ments of success; and yet, such a record never fails to elicit attention and commendation. The world admires the victor and in a successful business career the struggle is continu- ously waged for supremacy over adverse conditions, competi- tion and the obstacles which arise through the subversion of plans through outside influences. Without special advan- tages at the outset of his career, Mr. Kouns has made steady progress with the result that he has attained an enviable posi- tion in business circles, for he is today secretary and general manager of the Ohio Manufacturing Company at Upper San- dusky.
Mr. Kouns was born at New Holland, Ohio, September 26, 1885, his parents being Moses W. M. and Ella (Johnson) Kouns, both of whom were natives of Pickaway county, Ohio. The father, who was born in 1857, was for a considerable period president of the Ohio Manufacturing Company at Upper Sandusky, but his life's labors were ended in death in 1909. The mother still survives and is now living in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of fifty-three years. Their chil- dren are Leota, Jane, Charles C., Marie and Herbert. The eldest daughter is the wife of Dr. W. E. Robinson, a dentist of Washington Court House, and they have two children, Charles and William. Jane Kouns became the wife of A. B. Whitney, the president of the Ohio Manufacturing Company, and their two children are Richard and Virginia.
15
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
Charles C. Kouns attended the public schools of his native town, spent two years as a student in the schools of Dayton, Ohio, and two years at Bellevue, and then entered the high school at Washington Court House, from which he was grad- uated with the class of 1904. He immediately started in business with the Ohio Manufacturing Company, in which connection he has steadily worked his way upward until he is now one of its stockholders and its secretary and general manager. It is true that he entered upon a business already established but he has been active and energetic in enlarging and developing this and has contributed much to its success. He votes with the republican party but he does not seek nor desire office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs. He is regarded as one of the enterprising young men of the city upon whom the future of Upper San- dusky will largely depend.
ARTHUR M. BRINGMAN.
The commercial interests of Upper Sandusky find a worthy representative in Arthur M. Bringman, proprietor of a furni- ture store with which is combined an undertaking establish- ment. His is a very promising business, his patronage stead- ily growing, and he now carries a large and attractive line of furniture representing the best makes of leading factories throughout the country. He was born November 9, 1859, in the city which is still his place of residence, and he is the only child of Charles and Priscilla (Moody) Bringman. The father was born in Richland county, Ohio, June 29, 1829, and in early life learned blacksmithing. About 1855 he removed to Upper Sandusky where he followed his trade for many years. His wife, who was born in De Kalb county, Indiana, March 21, 1839, now makes her home with her son Arthur, but the father passed away April 14, 1906.
Reared under the parental roof, Arthur M. Bringman at the usual age entered the public schools and, passing through consecutive grades, continued his education to the age of nineteen years. Starting out in the business world he was employed as a shipping clerk in Mansfield, Ohio, for five years and then returned to his native city and entered the employ of David Moody, a grocer, with whom he continued for twenty- three years. On the expiration of that period he purchased
16
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
his employer's interest and conducted the store for two years, but at the end of that time sold out, thinking to find more con- genial occupation and perhaps larger profits in another branch of merchandising. Accordingly he opened a furniture and undertaking establishment on the 1st of October, 1908, and has been very successful in the conduct of the new venture. He carries a stock worth on an average of six thousand dol- lars and his trade is constantly growing in volume and impor- tance. His business methods are thoroughly reliable and he is an enterprising, energetic merchant, who seeks success in the legitimate lines of trade.
On the 21st of May, 1885, Mr. Bringman was married in Mansfield, Ohio, to Miss Anna Margaret Shanefield, a daugh- ter of John and Martha J. Shanefield, both of whom are deceased. The father was a merchant tailor during the years of his active business life. To Mr. and Mrs. Bringman has been born a son, Charles W., who married Hortense Neidig, of Upper Sandusky, and they have one child, Wallace P. The parents hold membership in the Lutheran Evangelical church, and are interested and active in its work. Mr. Bringman has voted with the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise but he has never been an aspirant for office. In Masonry he is of high rank, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, and he is in thorough sympathy with the beneficent spirit of the craft which is based upon a recognition of the brotherhood of man. He has a wide acquaintance in Wyandot county and his many friends entertain for him warm regard because of his well spent life.
THEODORE BOLISH.
Theodore Bolish is proprietor of a cafe in Upper Sandusky and as a wholesale and retail dealer in liquors has built up a business which is bringing him a good financial return. His birth occurred in Upper Sandusky, May 19, 1877. His father, Christopher Bolish, was born in Prussia, in 1829, and, cross- ing the Atlantic, became a resident of this city when a young man. He died in 1888 and is still survived by his widow. She was born in Luxemburg, September 4, 1843, and now makes her home with her son, Theodore. She was the mother of nine children, of whom three are living, the brothers of our subject
17
PAST AND PRESENT OF WYANDOT COUNTY
being Joseph and Benjamin. The former, now filling the posi- tion of county recorder, wedded Mary Weber and has two children. Benjamin married an Illinois lady and has also two children.
Theodore Bolish was a pupil in the Catholic schools of this city until twelve years of age, when he started out to earn his own living, being employed as a house boy and hostler for two years. He then began learning the baker's trade and after three years spent in that way worked with a fencing gang on the railroad for six years. Subsequently he spent one year as a bartender and in 1902 he opened a cafe of his own, con- ducting the business until the county voted against license in 1908. He afterward conducted the restaurant part of the business alone until 1912, when the county revoked its former vote and again Mr. Bolish began dealing in wines and liquors, which he sells largely to the wholesale trade. He has a first class cafe which is headquarters for his many friends.
On the 4th of November, 1903, Mr. Bolish was married in Upper Sandusky to Miss Susie Thiel, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Thiel, of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Bolish have four children : Anna L., Dorothy M., Edward A. and John A. The family home is a pleasant residence on North Eighth street and in addition Mr. Bolish owns property on North Seventh street, which he rents. He has always voted the democratic ticket and for two years he held the office of chief of the fire department. His fraternal relations are with the Eagles, the Mutual Aid and the Catholic Knights of America, and his religious faith is that of the Catholic church.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.