USA > Ohio > Preble County > A Biographical history of Preble County, Ohio : compendium of national biography > Part 47
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John C. Riner spent the first nine years of his life in Preble county, and then accom- panied his parents on their removal to But- ler county, but at the age of twenty years he returned and was married to Miss Lizzie A. Speer, on the 18th of June, 1873. She was born at Seven Mile, in Butler county, Sep- tember 26, 1851, and is a daughter of Jaques and Aurelia. (Hawley) Speer, both of whom are now deceased. They began their domes- tic life upon a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and their home has been blessed with the presence of seven children : Charles Hawley, who is now twenty-six years of age; Harry J., who was born in May, 1876;
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Edward Johnson, who was born in August, 1878; Clifford Chrisman, who was born in November, 1880; Nellie, born December 31, 1884; Edith, who was born in August, 1889; and Glenn, who was born in March, 1893. Mr. Riner follows general farming, making a specialty of the raising of corn, wheat and tobacco. In 1899 he had one hundred acres of wheat, making an average of twenty-two bushels per acre, and forty-five hundred bush- els of corn from seventy-five acres, while twelve acres were planted to tobacco, yield- ing thirteen thousand pounds. He also raises hogs, horses, cattle, sheep and mules and breeds them all. He has twenty-one horses, mules and jacks. His hogs are of the Duroc Jersey breed, of which he has some very fine specimens, annually selling from fifty to seventy-five head. His cattle are short-horns, and he keeps on hand from fifty to one hundred head of Oxford Down sheep. He has one of the best farms in this fertile section of Ohio. In 1879 he began the erec- tion of his present home, a commodious and substantial residence. His barn was built by his father fifty years ago. The place is well improved and everything about the farm is kept in first-class condition.
Mr. Riner is a Republican in his political affiliations, and has served for six years and one month as a county commissioner. His wife is a member of the Presbyterian church. They have an interesting family of children, of whom they may well be proud. They enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes in the community, and have a very large circle of friends. Mr. Riner has met with very creditable success in his business dealings, his work having been carried on along well defined lines of labor, guided by sound judgment and characterized by ster- ling honesty.
JOHN ANDERSON GRUVER.
A leading representative of the mercan- tile interests of Eaton is John A. Gruver, whose name introduces this record. He was. born in the city of Greenville, Darke county, Ohio, January 15, 1843, and is a son of John A. and Elizabeth ( Bowman) Gruver. Both parents were natives of the Keystone state, but were married in Greenville, Ohio, about 1835. The father was born in 1809. and became a shoemaker and farmer, fol- lowing those pursuits until within ten years. of his death. He spent the last decade of his earthly pilgrimage in retirement from business cares and died in Plymouth, Indi- ana, in 1894. His first wife died in Green- ville in 1857, and he also survived his second wife. Six children were born of the first union, namely : Mrs. Katherine Chase, who is living in Jackson, Michigan; Joseph, who follows farming near Eldorado, Preble coun- ty; John A., of this review; William B., a farmer of Plymouth, Indiana; Amanda, the wife of Benjamin Fritz, of Eaton; and Henry M., of Eaton.
John A. Gruver is indebted to the public school system of Greenville, for the educa- tional privileges which he enjoyed. He was reared on a farm until more than sixteen years of age, when he was apprenticed to learn the harness-maker's trade and that of carriage-trimmer. He was thus employed at the time of the inauguration of the civil war, and, putting aside all personal consid- erations, he enlisted, on the 30th of April, 1861, joining the "boys in blue" of Company C, Thirteenth Ohio Infantry, in which he served for three years and four months. His duties called him to West Virginia, where he remained until the beginning of 1862, when his regiment joined the Cumber-
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land Army under command of Generals Buell, Rosecrans and Sherman. He partic- ipated in the battles of Rich Mountain, Carnifex Ferry, Virginia; Shiloh, Pitts- burg, Perryville, Stone River, Silver Springs and Chickamauga. He was se- verely wounded at the battle of Stone River and had his first and second fingers and part of his left hand shot off. He was afterward on detached duty, performing clerical work in the quartermaster's department until hon- orably discharged in September, 1864. He was a loyal soldier, always found at his post of duty, and his military record is one of which he has every reason to be proud.
Mr. Gruver returned to West Alexandria, where he lived at the time of his enlistment, and there resumed his trade. Soon afterward he went to Arcanum, thence to Greenville and subsequently to Winchester, Indiana, coming from that place to Eaton. He en- gaged in merchandising on his own account in this city from 1867 until 1896. He then went to Marion, Indiana, where he carried on the harness and the carriage trade for a year and a half, when he sold out and re- turned to Eaton. For a year thereafter he was not connected with any business enter- prise, but in June, 1899, he opened the Racket store on Barrow street, where he car- ried a large stock of queensware, china, granite, tin and wooden ware, notions and novelties. He also carried a full line of light hardware, whips, robes and blankets. His stock is valued at about three thousand dollars and he employs from two to eight clerks according to the season.
Mr. Gruver was married in Greenville, Ohio, October 18, 1864, to Miss Emma Hervey, a native of West Alexandria, Pre- ble county, a daughter of Samuel Hervey, who was a bookkeeper by profession and died
in California while engaged in mercantile pursuits there. Mr. and Mrs. Gruver had but one child, Paul Halsey, now twenty- seven years of age. The mother died March II, 1894, and Mr. Gruver afterward married Mrs. Mary Wysong, a native of this county. She had four children by her first marriage, one of whom is still with her mother. Mr. Gruver is an active member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows, being past grand and past chief patriarch of the fraternity. He is also a member of the Grand Army of Re- public, is a strong Republican and served for nine years as postmaster of Arcanum and also as a member of the city council of Greenville, Ohio. His son is also a mem- ber of the order of Knights of Pythias, and is engaged in business with his father. He is a young man of strong mentality and takes a great deal of interest in amateur theatri- cals. His social and business qualities ren- der him popular in both circles. Mr. Gruver receives attention and recognition for his army services. He may be truly called a self-made man for his prosperity is the crown of his own labors. Industry has been the golden key that has opened to him the portals of success, and perseverance, careful atten- tion to details in his business and a determi- nation that has overcome all obstacles are numbered among his chief characteristics. Success in life is something to be proud of and the world is better for every successful man.
ANDREW HIESTAND.
In modern ages, and to a large extent in the past also, banks have constituted a vital part of organized society, and govern- ments, both monarchical and popular, have dependodl upon them for material aid in times
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of depression and trouble. Their influence has extended over the entire world, and their prosperity has been the barometer which has unfalteringly indicated the financial status of all nations. Of this important branch of business Andrew Hiestand is a worthy rep- resentative. He is the president of the Preble County National Bank, and has contributed toward making this institution one of the most reliable institutions of the kind in west- ern Ohio.
Mr. Hiestand is numbered among the native sons of the Buckeye state, his birth having occurred in Montgomery county on the 14th of March, 1827. The family is of German lineage. The father of our subject was John Hiestand, a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, who emigrated west- ward in 1812, becoming a resident of Mont- gomery county, Ohio. There he spent his remaining days, passing away in 1858. He was a cabinetmaker and farmer and very suc- cessful in his business affairs. He married Miss Barbara Cochrin, who was of Scotch lineage and died in 1871. She was the mother of nine children, four of whom yet survive, namely : Elizabeth, who is living in Warren county, Ohio; Jacob R., of Wis- consin; Julia B., of Warren county, Ohio; and Andrew.
Mr. Hiestand, of this review, pursued his education in the local schools and in early life learned the cabinet-maker's trade, which he followed for some time. Subsequently he conducted for six years a saw and grist mill in Montgomery county. During the period of the civil war he was very active in taking care of the soldiers' families and contributed most liberally toward their sup- port. After the death of the brother, H. C. Hiestand, in 1884. he came to Eaton to su- perintend the banking business, which he and
his brother had organized, and which had been conducted by the brother for a number of years under the firm name of H. C. Hies- tand & Company. In 1894 the business was reorganized under the national banking sys- tem and the name of the Preble County Na- tional Bank was assumed. Of this insti- tution our subject has since been the pres- ident.
The efforts of Mr. Hiestand have by no means been confined to ono line. He has been the president of the board of water works since its organization, and it was he who conceived the idea of transforming the fourteen acres of land surrounding the water works into a beautiful park that may be en- joyed by the citizens in Eaton for genera- tions to come. He has also been an activo factor in the upbuilding and material ad- vancement of the city by erecting an excel- lent class of buildings here, including the St. Clair office building, in which enterprise he was associated with several other prom- inent business men of the town. He is cer- tainly a public-spirited and progressive man, and his labors have secured marked ad- vancement along social, educational, mate- rial and moral lines in the city of his adop- tion.
Mr. Hiestand was united in marriage to Miss Ruth Witridge, a daughter of Dr. Wit- ridge, of New Paris, Ohio. They enjoy the hospitality of the best homes in Eaton, and their circle of friends is very extensive. Mr. Hiestand has been a successful man in busi- ness affairs and his success has been the re- sult of earnest and persistent effort in the line of honorable and manly dealing. His aim has always been to attain the best and he has always carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken. His life has marked a steady growth and now he
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is in possession of an ample competence, and more than all, has that contentment that comes from a consciousness of having lived for a noble purpose.
JOHN SCHNEIDER.
As a young man this gentleman came to America, and without capital started out in a strange land to overcome the difficulties and obstacles in the path to prosperity. His youthful dreams have been realized, and in their happy fulfillment he sees the fitting reward of his earnest toil. After many years of active labor he is now living a re- tired life at a pleasant home in Euphemia, Ohio.
Mr. Schneider was born in Germany, May 25, 1819, and is a son of Jacob and Agnes M. Schneider, who spent their en- tire lives as farming people in that country, where the father died at the age of eighty- seven years, the mother at the age of eighty- three. The maternal grandmother lived to the advanced age of ninety-four years. Our subject is the second in order of birth in a family of three children, and the only one to come to America. His brother George died at the age of about forty years, and liis sister Agnes at about the same age.
At the age of fourteen years John Schnei- der commenced learning the baker's trade. and after serving a two years' apprenticeship he worked as a journeyman in his native land for one year. He then went to Switzerland. where he was similarly employed for a time. On leaving there he returned to Germany in 1847, but after spending one week witli liis family he sailed for the new world. He landed in New York city and proceeded at once to Cincinnati, where he was first
employed in a pork-packing establish- ment, but later found work at his trade, remaining there until 1850, when he came to Preble county. For about three years he was engaged in the bakery business at West Alexandria, and in June, 1856, took up his residence in Lewisburg, whence he re- moved, in 1882, to Euphemia, where he has since made his home. In January, 1857, his bakery and its entire contents were destroyed by fire, and he came very nearly losing his life. Later in the same year, with the as- sistance of friends, he erected a building and again engaged in the bakery business, until 1861, when he built a hotel and carried it on successfully until 1881. He then sold out and bought his present comfortable home at Euphemia, where he is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of former toil.
On the 24th of January, 1853, Mr. Schneider married Miss Mary Schlotterbeck, who was born in Germany, November 5, 1833, and came to the United States with her parents in 1847, first locating in Penn- sylvania. Later she removed to Washing- ton county, Ohio, from there to Montgom- ery county, and to Preble county in 1852. To Mr. and Mrs. Schneider were born four children, three sons and one daughter, name- ly : John, now engaged in business in New York city; Frank, in business in Dayton, Ohio; Fred, who is on the board of trade in Chicago; and Bertha, at home.
Politically Mr. Schneider was first a Re- publican but is now a Democrat, and relig- iously both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. His course in life lias ever been such as to command the confidence and respect of all with whom he came in con- tact, and he justly merits the high regard in which he is hield by his fellow citizens.
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WILLIAM H. DAVIS.
William H. Davis is conducting a large and profitable business as a dealer in fine horses at West Elkton, and is recognized as a very enterprising and capable business man whose systematic methods and honorable policy have secured to him a place among the well-to-do citizens of his community. He was born in Union county, Indiana, July II, 1854, and was a son of Thomas Clarkson Davis, a farmer who emigrated to this state from North Carolina. Henry Davis, the paternal grandfather of our sub- ject, was also a native of North Carolina, but in early life removed from that state to Indiana, where he became a wealthy agricult- urist. The farm which he owned is still in the possession of, and is occupied by, his sons and daughters. The grandfather wedded a Miss Macy and they had eight children- four sons and four daughters-of whom two sons and the daughters are yet living. Five of the number were married and had fami- lies. Henry Davis died on the old family homestead in Indiana, when about sixty-five years of age, and his widow long survived him. He started out upon his business ca- reer empty-handed and steadily worked his way upward, overcoming all difficulties and obstacles in his path until he had acquired a handsome property, leaving to his family at his death a good estate. Thomas Clarkson Davis was reared in Indiana. Arriving at years of maturity hemarried Rebecca Blanch- ard, whoalso was a native of North Carolina. Their marriage occurred in 1845, and at the home of their son, William H., was cele- brated their golden wedding in October, 1895. Their union was blessed with nine children, of whom seven reached adult age, namely : Angeline, the wife of Isaac L. !
Taylor, died in Denver, Colorado, at the age of fifty years, leaving nine children; Laura is the widow of Enoch E. Stubbs, and lives near Frankfort, Indiana, with her daughter and two sons; William H. is the next of the family; Elwood resides in West Elkton and has three children; Florence is the wife of Joseph Elliott, of Sterling, Kan- sas, and has three children; Albert resides in Stafford county, Kansas, and has eight children; and Huldah is the wife of Max Julian, of Hudson, Colorado, by whom she has seven children. The father of this fam- ily resided for brief periods in the states of Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Kansas, and de- voted his life to the pursuit of agriculture. In the last named state he resided at the time of his death. In politics he was first a Republican and afterward, on account of his views on the temperance question, sup- ported the Prohibition party. He took an active interest in public affairs, believing most fully that it was the duty of every citi- zen to labor toward securing good officials. He died January 18, 1899, at the age of seventy-five years, and is still survived by his widow, who is now in her seventy-sixth year.
William H. Davis pursued his elementary education in the public schools of Indiana and Iowa. He was fifteen when his parents removed to New Providence, Hardin coun- ty, Iowa, and there completed a high-school education. The work of the farm early be- came familiar to him, and from early spring until crops were harvested in the autumn he assisted in the labors of the field. He was married December 13, 1877, to Rebecca Tay- lor, a native of Preble county, Ohio, and a daughter of Lewis and Martha (Stubbs) Taylor, both of whom are living, together with five of their six children.
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Mr. Davis came to Preble county in 1877 and engaged in farming until 1890, since which time he has devoted his energies ex- clusively to the purchase and sale of horses. From childhood he has been a lover of fine horses and has always dealt in them to a greater or less extent. With the exception of the period which he spent in Denver, Colo- rado, for the benefit of his wife's health, he has resided in this section of the country since 1877. He has had many high- grade horses and has succeeded in
selling them for good prices, selling one horse for six hundred dollars. He sold a fine matched team to the Honorable J. W. Goudey, minister of the United States to France, and received over a thousand dol- lars for the pair. He usually has from fif- teen to twenty head at a time, and within a year he has sold horses to the value of eight- een or twenty thousand dollars. He person- ally superintends the business, making all of the purchases and sales himself. He is an excellent judge of fine horses, understands the treatment they should receive and carries on the business along progressive lines, so that his labors have been crowned with a gratifying degree of success. Few if any have won a higher reputation in this line of business than Mr. Davis, who is especially well known to dealers throughout the coun- try, enjoying a very enviable reputation in stock circles.
Mr. and Mrs. Davis are members of the Friends' society. They have resided at their present home during the greater part of their married life. Having no children of their own, they have reared two children of other people-Maud and Lewis Taylor, to whom they have given the most loving care and at- tention. Excellent educational privileges have been afforded them, and they are now
students in Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana. A niece, Mamie Taylor, now a maiden of twelve years, is also living with Mr. and Mrs. Davis. The great kindness of their hearts has prompted them to bestow parental attention where otherwise it would have been denied. They are certainly de- serving of the filial gratitude of their adopted children. Their many excellencies of char- acter are well known; and while their lives are free from ostentation they have ever enjoyed the warm confidence and regard which is extended to true worth.
ADAM EHRHARDT.
One of the prosperous and progressive farmers of Somers township, Adam Ehr- hardt, has so ably conducted his business in- terests that success has crowned his efforts and given him a place among the substan- tial citizens of his community. He was born in Cincinnati, March 22, 1850. His father, Adam Ehrhardt, Sr., was a native of Gor- many, who married Rebecca Vogel, a native of Pennsylvania and of German parentage. She was reared, however, in Cincinnati, and in that city her marriage was celebrated, about 1846. His father's birth occurred in 1821, and his mother's in 1823. At the age of twenty-two years his father had sought a home in the new world, reaching America without capital. His brother, who had crossed the briny deep to New Orleans some years previously, had sent him money in order to pay his passage. He did not long tarry in the Crescent city, however, but started north for Cincinnati. He followed his profession of landscape gardening and reared his three sons in the same business. Fred and Henry Ehrhardt, brothers of our subject, are still engaged in that occupa-
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tion. The mother survives her husband and is now living in Cincinnati, with her three daughters. All of her six children are mar- ried and have families. The enterprise of the father brought to him a comfortable competence, and the mother is now well situated financially, so that she has been able to assist her children in getting started in life. Recently she gave to her son, Adam, two thousand dollars.
At his parental home our subject spent the days of his boyhood and youth, becom- ing an able assistant to his father. He was married in 1876 to Miss Minnie Seeger, and to them have been born the following children : Fred, who died at the age of six years ; Ada A., at home ; Ollie, the wife of Winfred Johnson, by whom she has John, Levi, Rebecca, Carrie, Lida and Edmond.
Mr. Ehrhardt is now the owner of two valuable farms, one comprising one hundred and sixty-three acres, the other one hun- dred and sixty-seven acres. He has a good house and barn upon the farm which he rents, and his own fine new residence is a two-story frame dwelling, which he erected in 1890. It stands on a natural building site and can be seen for several miles. All of his improvements are in keeping with those of a model farm and everything about the place is neat in appearance, indicating the careful supervision of the owner. He raises the crops best adapted to this climate, making a specialty of wheat and corn, and annually harvests about two thousand bushels of wheat and three thousand bushels of corn. He gives considerable attention to the raising of hogs and finds that a profitable source of income. He has Poland China hogs upon the farm and Duroc Jerseys, and sells annually about one hundred and fifteen head. He also has graded Shropshire sheep
and ten horses. His life has been an in- dustrious one and indolence and idleness are utterly foreign to his nature. He has ac- cumulated a fine property, to which has been added a handsome sum of money. When this sturdy farmer, in his working clothes, deposited two one-thousand-dollar bills in the bank recently the clerk was quite sur- prised ; but Mr. Ehrhardt has carefully hus- banded his resources, and his enterprise, supplemented by economy and good manage- ment, has brought to him deserved success. His political support is given to the De- mocracy and for three years he has capably served as road commissioner. As a citizen he is public spirited and progressive, with- holding his support from no measure or movement which he believes would prove of public benefit.
BENJAMIN D. MOSES.
The task of writing the biography of a living representative man is a most diffi- cult one, because the prevailing modesty of American manhood shrinks from personal prominence and invariably discourages even the most friendly attempt to uncover the se- cret of success or popularity in life. The subject of this sketch is a typical representa- tive of western enterprise and progress who has won success through well directed busi- ness efforts. He is now engaged in busi- ness in Eaton as an insurance, real-estate and loan agent and is meeting with credita- ble and gratifying success along those lines.
Mr. Moses was born in German town- ship, Montgomery county, Ohio, November 30, 1845, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Christ) Moses, the former a native of Au- gusta county, Virginia, and the latter of Rockingham county, that state. They were
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married in the Old Dominion and soon after- ward emigrated westward, taking up their abode in Montgomery county, Ohio. The father became the owner of a fine farm in German township and was regarded as one of the leading agriculturists of his commu- nity. He was a man of fair education, pos- sessing excellent judgment, and was uni- versally esteemed for his integrity and straightforward dealing. Throughout al- most his entire residence in Montgomery county he held either a township or county office, and no trust reposed in him was ever betrayed. In 1865 he removed to Preble county, locating at Enterprise, Lanier town- ship, where he engaged in merchandising. He died in that village in 1875, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife survived him for several years, passing away at the age of seventy-nine. She was born in 1802. The father was of English descent and the family was established in America by the great- grandfather of our subject, whose son John was the grandfather of Benjamin D. Moses. Twelve children were born unto Robert and Mary Moses, of whom four sons and three daughters are yet living, three having died in infancy, while two died after reaching mature years. Those who still survive are : John B., a resident of Saginaw, Michigan; Henry C., who is a retired farmer of Ger- mantown, Ohio; Elizabeth, who is now Mrs. McKean and resides in Winchester, Preble county; Mrs. Eliza Lane, of Olathe, Kan- sas; Columbus, a real-estate dealer of Day- ton, Ohio; and Mrs. Lydia Huffman, also of Dayton.
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