USA > Ohio > Preble County > A Biographical history of Preble County, Ohio : compendium of national biography > Part 72
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 (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74
553
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
sterling integrity and honor of his char- acter, naturally gained the respect and con- fidence of men.
SAMUEL MITCHELL.
Since early pioneer days Samuel Mitchell has resided in Preble county and through many decades has watched with interest the progress and advancement of this section of the state. He has ever borne his part in the work of improvement as a loyal citi- zen and as one whose public spirit has been manifest in his active co-operation with many measures that have contributed to the public good. He was born in Jefferson township, on the 29th of July, 1831, and belongs to an old Kentucky family. His father, John Mitchell, was born in Kentucky, March 16, 1787, and was there reared and married. About 1810 he came to Preble county, where he secured a tract of land from the government in Jefferson township, and began the development of a farm, upon which he made his home until his death, which occurred April 25, 1847. His wife was in her maidenhood Miss Betsy Bilben. She, too, was a native of Kentucky, born January I, 1790, and for eighty-two years she traveled life's journey. Her parents were natives of Ireland. John Mitchell had ten children : Sally, born February 4, 1809; Polly, born February 23, 1811; Robert M., born November II, 1813; Berten, born Au- gust 17, 1816; Peter, born November 16, 1818; John B., born April 24, 1821; Lewis F., born June 18, 1824; Cornelius, born April 20, 1826; and Franklin, born April 8, 1829.
Mr. Mitchell is the youngest of the ten children and was reared in his native coun- ty, upon a farm, which his father entered
from the government. He bore his part in the work of the field and meadow and thus. gained good, practical knowledge, which well fitted him for his own career as an ag- riculturist in later life. He was married December 9, 1855, to Margaret Simpson, who was born in Butler county, January I, 1838, a daughter of Jeremiah and Nancy ( Bare) Simpson, also natives of this county. Mrs. Mitchell is the eldest of five daughters born of her father's first marriage. By his second union he had four daughters and a son. He was also a third time married, but had no children. Mrs. Mitchell was reared in Jefferson township. Her mother died when she was but five years of age and she made her home in the family of John Shurman until she gave her hand in marriage to Mr. Mitchell and went to a home of her own. The young couple began their domestic life upon the old Mitchell homestead and there remained until 1889, when he put aside business cares and re- moved to New Paris. Their home was. blessed with the presence of seven children : Francis, who was born December 29, 1856, and married Dora Woofter; Flora E., who was born August 29, 1858, and is the wife of W. H. Alford, of Brown county, Indi- ana; Laura V., who was born December 14, 1860, and died June 14, 1861; Harry L., who was born April 14, 1863, and died Oc- tober 24, 1865; Minnie, who was born Oc- tober 3, 1866, and is the wife of C. M. Wilcox, a dentist of New Paris; Cora E., who was born October 29, 1870, and died on the 5th of March, 1871; and Merrill E., who was born November 23, 1876, and was married June 2, 1897, to Ruth K. Carlton, their home being now in Jefferson town- ship.
Mr. Mitchell is a stanch Republican in
-
554
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
his political affiliations, having been identi- fied with the party since its organization. He has served as a trustee of the township, has been a member of the agricultural board for several years and has taken a deep, active and commendable interest in everything per- taining to the welfare of the community and its promotion along material, social, edu- cational and religious lines. He is a con- sistent member of the Christian church, serv- ing as one of its deacons, and for some time he filled the office of school director, the cause of education finding in him a warm friend. Socially he belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Odd Fellows lodge of New Paris. He is one of the oldest settlers of the county, having through sixty-nine years witnessed the growth, development and advancement of this section of the state. He is familiar with its history from an early day and through a long, active and useful life he has ever merited the confi- dence and regard of his fellow townsmen.
HENRY M. HOFFMAN.
This honored veteran of the civil war and well-known farmer, residing on section 2. Harrison township, Preble county, Ohio, was born April 23, 1839, in Perry county, Pennsylvania, of which state his parents, Samuel and Elizabeth (Good) Hoffman, were also natives, the former born in Perry county, the latter in Dauphin county. Both were of Pennsylvania Dutch descent. The paternal grandfather, John Hoffman, was also born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, but his last days were passed in Montgom- ery county, Ohio, where his death occurred. The father of our subject spent his entire life in his native county, dying there at the
age of fifty-four years. The mother was about seventy years of age at the time of her death. They were the parents of eleven children, three of whom died young.
Of this family, Henry M. Hoffman is the fourth in order of birth. His early life was passed upon a farm in his native county, and he continued his residence there until after the civil war broke out. In 1862 he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Seventy-third Volunteer Infantry, with which he served eleven months, and was then discharged and returned home. In February, 1866, he came to Ohio, and first located in Montgomery county, where he followed farming until 1874, and then re- moved to Preble county, settling upon the farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Har- rison township, where he now resides. He has made general farming his life work and has been fairly successful in his labors.
In Perry county, Pennsylvania, Mr. Hoffman was married, in 1861, to Miss Susanna Long, a native of the same county, and to them were born thirteen children, all of whom are still living with the excep- tion of Calvin. They are Joseph, Kirk, Daniel, Minnie, Perry, Florence, Elizabeth, Samuel, Emma, Watson, Cora and Lester. At present all are married with the excep- tion of Watson and Lester. Most of them reside in Preble county, but some are in Darke and Miami counties, this state, and one is in Nebraska. There are also about thirty grandchildren.
Mr. Hoffman is an honored member of Parmelee Horn Post, No. 622, G. A. R., of Lewisburg, and is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles. He has been school board clerk for many years, and takes a deep and commendable interest in educational affairs.
555
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
GEORGE H. FOWBLE.
This gentleman is one of the leading business men of West Sonora, Preble coun- ty, Ohio, where, as a dealer in agricultural implements, machinery, buggies, etc., he has built up a large trade, and also conducts a hotel and livery stable. A young man of superior executive ability and of sound judg- ment, he already occupies an enviable po- sition in business circles, and has a fine pros- pect of reaching the topmost round of the ladder of prosperity.
Mr. Fowble was born in Harrison town- ship, Preble county, August 5, 1867, a son of Peter A. and Elizabeth (Lock) Fowble. His maternal grandfather, Jacob Lock, was one of the early settlers of his county. On the paternal side he traces his ancestry back to his great-grandfather, who came to this country from Germany and settled in Mary- land. The grandfather, George Fowble, was born in that state, and died in Darke county, Ohio, when about 1.inety years of age. Our subject's father wasalso a native of Maryland and as a boy came to Preble county, Ohio, with his parents, being reared in Harrison township, where he attended school con- ducted in a log school house. The family was one of the first to settle in that township, and he assisted in the arduous task of trans- forming a thickly wooded tract into a highly cultivated farm, through which the railroad subsequently passed. He was a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party, and an active and prominent member of the United Breth- ren church, of which he was a trustee at the time of his death. He also served as a class leader and filled other church offices. He died upon his farm, at the age of eighty- eight years; tlie mother of our subject, who was probably born in this county, died at
the age of sixty-two. To them were born five children, namely: Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Frazer, of Harrison township; Wesley, a resident of the same township; George H., our subject; Mollie, the wife of David Rookstool, of Harrison township; and Augusta, also a resident of Harrison township. The father was three times mar- ried, and by the first union had three chil- dren, by the second, one. The mother of our subject was his third wife.
George H. Fowble was reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys, assisting in the labors of the farm and attending the district schools of the neighborhood when his services were not needed at home. On the 25th of December, 1888, he was united in marriage with Miss Flora Pyles, who was born in Montgomery county, this state, and reared in Preble, Montgomery and Darke counties. By this union have been born two sons, Archie and Glenn.
Mr. Fowble remained upon the home farm until 1893, when he removed to West Sonora and embarked in his present busi- ness. He handles all kinds of agricultural implements, wagons and buggies, and in 1899 sold sixty-three binders and mowers. He also deals in tobacco. He owns his hotel and livery stable, and to the latter he has added eight hundred dollars' worth of im- provements in the last two years, making a fine barn. He keeps two men in his em- ploy most of the time, and is to-day the leading business man of the village. Be- sides his property in West Sonora, he still owns one-half of the old homestead, his brother, John, having the remainder of the farm. He is enterprising, energetic and thoroughly reliable, and the success that he has achieved is certainly well merited. His sympathies are with the Republican party,
556
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
but aside from voting he takes no active part in politics, preferring to devote his en- tire time and attention to his business inter- ests. He is a trustee of the United Brethren church, having succeeded his father in that office.
ELKANAH C. CRIDER.
The world instinctively pays deference to the man whose success has been worthily achieved, and who has reached a high posi- tion in the business world. This is a pro- gressive age, and he who does not advance is soon left far behind. By the improvement of opportunities by which all are surrounded Mr. Crider has steadily and honorably worked his way upward and has attained a fair de- gree of prosperity.
A native of Preble county, he was born in Harrison township, September 20, 1854, and is a son of John and Catherine (Disher) Crider. His paternal grandfather was Samuel Crider, a native of Pennsylvania, who came to Preble county at an early day, and was engaged in farming and milling, owning and operating a mill on Twin creek, near Lewisburg. He died at the age of fifty-four years. The father of our subject spent his entire life in this county and fol- lowed the occupation of farming. He died May II, 1888, at the age of fifty-nine years. In politics he was a Republican and in re- ligious belief a Lutheran. The mother of our subject was born in Virginia, but was only two years old when brought to Preble county by her parents, and was reared on a farm in Harrison township. Her father, Christian Disher, also a native of Virginia, purchased a tract of government land in Harrison township, for which he paid one dollar and a quarter per acre, and upon
that farm spent the remainder of his life, dying at the age of about eighty years.
Elkanah C. Crider is the fourth in order of birth in a family of six children and the only one now living. His boyhood was passed on a farm one mile east of Lewis- burg, and he attended both the district and town schools, acquiring a good practical ed- ucation, which enabled him to engage suc- cessfully in teaching for two years, having charge of the grammar school of Lewisburg one year. In early life he assisted in the operation of the home farm and continued to engage in agricultural pursuits for sev- eral years.
On the Ist of January, 1878, Mr. Crider married Miss Sarah Hahn, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1854, and came to Preble county, Ohio, with a brother in 1874. She is the fourth in order of birth in a family of six chil- dren, whose parents were Andrew and Susan ( Witmore) Hahn, also natives of the Key- stone state, and of Pennsylvania Dutch de- scent. She lost her mother when six years old and was reared by John and Rilla Re- bert. Mr. and Mrs. Crider have three chil- dren : Katie, born April 4, 1880; Earl, born January 6, 1884; and Lazzie, born April 2, 1888.
After his marriage Mr. Crider engaged in general farming east of Lewisburg until 1895, when he removed to that town, and has since engaged in buying and shipping grain as a member of the firm of Adam Stupp & Company. They own a warehouse at that place, and Mr. Crider still owns his farm of one hundred and eighty acres on sections 34 and 35, Harrison township. He is one of the stockholders and directors of the People's Banking Company, of Lewis- burg, and in 1899 purchased a grist-mill,
557
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
which he is now successfully operating. - It can be run either by water or steam power, and is used in the manufacture of flour.
Mr. Crider is a Republican in politics and his paternal grandfather was one of the first Abolitionists in his section of the county. Although he lived in a Demo- cratic towinship, our subject was called upon to fill the office of trustee many terms, his fellow citizens appreciating his worth and ability. He is an active and prominent mem- ber of the Grange and also of the Lutheran church, having held some office in the church and Sunday school since nineteen years of age, and now serving as elder. As a citi- zen, friend and neighbor he is true to every duty and justly merits the esteem in which he is held.
GEORGE W. GEBHART.
Prominent among the agriculturists of Harrison township is numbered this gen- tleman, whose home is on section 9. No one in the community is better known, for his entire life has been spent there, and all his interests from boyhood have been close- ly associated with those of that locality. In his chosen occupation he has met with success, and by the energy and zeal which he has manifested he has won the confidence and esteem of the public.
Mr. Gebhart was born upon his present farm, January 29, 1840, a son of David and Margaret (Pence) Gebhart, natives of Penn- sylvania and Virginia, respectively. The father, who was of Pennsylvania-Dutch ex- traction, came to Preble county at an early day and took up his residence on the farm where our subject now resides. He died there when our subject was only a year old. 34
The mother was very young when she came to this county, and she survived her hus- band for some time, dying when past the age of sixty years.
Of the six children born to this worthy couple, George W. Gebhart is the fourth in order of birth. He never left the old home- stead, and has never been away from home for more than nine days at a time. He was married in Harrison township, in 1861, to Miss Amanda Wolf, who was born there, and they have become the parents of three children, namely : Leonidas, deceased; Mary Jane, the wife of Joseph McCrate, of Darke county, Ohio; and Cranga, at home, who married Opal, a daughter of David Brown, and has one son, Oscar E.
Mr. Gebhart follows general farming and has a well improved place of eighty acres. He is a supporter of the Democratic party, and has efficiently served as school director in his district. He assisted in building the turnpikes and in clearing many acres of timber land in Preble county, thus materally aiding in its development and pros- perity. He is eminently public-spirited and progressive, and always has the best inter- ests of the community at heart.
ALLEN GARBER.
Allen Garber is a leading farmer and rep- resentative citizen of Harrison township, Preble county, Ohio, whose home is on sec- tion 16. He evidences by the manner in which he carries on his business that he thor- oughly understands the vocation in which he is engaged, and success is attending his efforts toward acquiring a competency. Neatness and order prevail upon his place, which is managed, with regard to its culti-
558
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
vation, in a manner which reflects great credit upon the owner.
Mr. Garber was born in Perry township, Montgomery county, Ohio, February 6, 1838, and is a son of Jonathan and Cath- arine (Rife) Garber, who was born, reared and married in Rockingham county, Vir- ginia. At an early day they came to Mont- gomery county, this state and first located in Madison township, but subsequently spent some time in Perry township, and then re- turned to Madison township, where they continued to make their home throughout the remainder of their lives. Both were faithful members of the Dunkard church, and the father was a Democrat in politics. He died at the age of seventy-six years, his wife at the age of seventy-three. They were the parents of seventeen children, two of whom died in infancy, but the others, six sons and nine daughters, are still living. One resides in Indiana, two in Illinois, and the others in Montgomery, Preble and Darke counties, Ohio. All are married except two daughters. Both the paternal and maternal grandfathers of our subject, John Garber and Jacob Rife, were natives of Germany, and when young men came to the United States, locating in Virginia, where they mar- ried and reared families. In religious be- lief they were Dunkards. John Garber spent his last days in Madison township, Montgomery county, Ohio, where he died at about the age of seventy-seven years.
The subject of this sketch is the oldest of the living children in his father's family. He attended the public schools of Montgom- ery county during the winter months and assisted in the work of the home farm in early life, remaining under the parental roof until he was married, in 1867, to Miss Catharine Kimmel. Both children born of
that union died in infancy. Mr. Garber was . again married, March 21, 1876, his second union being with Miss Adaline Hapner, by whom he has five children : Lee R., now a typewriter operator in Indianapolis, Indi- ana; and Alpha, Virgil M., Nina I. and Vinia B., all at home.
In 1867 Mr. Garber came to Preble county and first located on section 29, Har- rison township, where he made his home for two years. At the end of that time he removed to the west part of section 16, but now resides on the east half of the same section. He has a fine farm of one hundred and seventy-two acres under a high state of cultivation and improved with good and substantial buildings. In connection with farming he was engaged in the farm-im- plement business in West Sonora from 1878 to 1884, but now gives his entire time and attention to agricultural pursuits. By his ballot he supports the men and measures of the Democratic party, and he takes an active and prominent part in local politics, being three times elected township trustee, and serving as land appraiser in 1889 and 1890. He is well and favorably known and has a host of warm friends in the com- munity where he has so long made his home.
THOMAS F. RYDER.
Thomas F. Ryder, who is engaged in farming in Lanier township, was born on the Ioth of August, 1848, and is one of the ten children of John and Hannah (Gephart) Ryder. His grandfather, Jacob Ryder, was born in Pennsylvania and was of German lineage, his grandfather having come from Germany to the United States at an early period in the development of this country.
559
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
John Ryder was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, November 17, 1812, and when sixteen years of age accompanied his fa- ther to Ohio. They took up their abode in Montgomery county, near Liberty, where John Ryder was married to Hannah Gep- hart. She was born in Berks county, Penn- sylvania, August 13, 1816, a daughter of Henry Gephart. With her parents she came to Ohio when a maiden of twelve years, the family locating in Montgomery county, near Liberty, where her parents lived and died.
Soon after his marriage John Ryder came with his young wife to Preble county and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Lanier township, upon which his son, James, is now living. In the spring of 1876 he purchased one hundred and twen- ty-seven acres of land in Twin township, a mile west of West Alexandria, and with his family removed to his new home, leav- ing the subject of this sketch upon the old farmstead. There the father continued to reside until his death, which occurred March 30, 1887. He was a consistent member of the Reformed church, in which he served as deacon or elder during the greater part of his life. His political support was given the Democracy. His wife, too, was an active and earnest member of the Reformed church, and on the 6th of April, 1899, she was called to her final rest. Of the ten chil- dren born unto this worthy couple seven are yet living. In order of birth they are as follows: Mary, the wife of Henry Glander, of Lanier township; Sarah, deceased; Sam- uel, a farmer of Twin township; Catherine, the wife of Daniel Giddeon, of Montgom- ery county; Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Pundt, of Harrison township; John H. and Jacob, both deceased; Thomas F .; Martha
J., who is the wife of Detrick S. Glander, a farmer of Lanier township; and David F.
Upon the home farm Thomas F. Ryder was reared and early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He pursued his edu- cation in the common schools and at the age of twenty-two assumed the management of the home farm, his father retiring from active business life. He has been very suc- cessful in his farming operations, also as a stock dealer, and is regarded as one of the substantial residents of his community. His methods are practical and progressive. In all his dealings he is strictly honorable, and through the careful conduct of his affairs he has gained a comfortable competence.
On the 6th of June, 1872, Mr. Ryder wedded Miss Mary Alice Sauer, a native of Twin township and a daughter of Will- iam and Sarah A. (Potterf) Sauer. Her father was a native of Germany and with his parents came to America when a young man, taking up his abode in Butler county, Ohio. Some years afterward he removed to Twin township, Preble county, where he spent his remaining days. His widow, however, still survives and is now living in West Alexandria. She was born in Lanier township, Preble county, a daughter of Jo- seph Potterf, one of the early settlers of this locality. After his marriage Mr. Ryder continued to operate the home farm and after his father removed to Twin township, in the spring of 1876, he rented the place for a year. On the expiration of that period he purchased it and has since made it his place of abode. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Ryder has been blessed with one child, Minerva, now the wife of Oris Bru- baker. His father-in-law assists in the op- eration of the farm. Mr. Ryder exercises
1
560
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Democracy. He and his wife hold membership in the Reformed church and he contributes liberally to the support of all worthy charities and benevo- lent movements. His worth as a man and citizen is widely acknowledged and his cir- cle of friends in Preble county is very ex- tensive.
LEVI M. PONTIUS.
Levi M. Pontius is a prominent farmer of Preble county, who is successfully carry- ing on agricultural pursuits in Twin town- ship. Washington said that "agriculture is the most useful as well as the most hon- orable of all occupations," and this is as true to-day as when uttered. Upon the farmer. depends the commercial activity of the country. The crops and stock which he raises give the world its food supply, and the pur- chase and sale of the farm products form the basis of all business. Mr. Pontius has long been identified with farming interests in this locality, and is numbered among the native sons of Ohio, his birth having oc- curred in Clay township, Montgomery coun- ty, on the 4th of February, 1846. He is a son of John and Nancy (Marsh) Pontius and their only child to reach years of ma- turity. The father was born in Berks coun- ty, Pennsylvania, May 9, 1817, and was a son of Frederick Pontius, a native of Ger- many, who came to America soon after his marriage, taking up his abode in Berks coun- ty, where he resided unt.1 1825. He then came to Ohio, locating three miles east ·of Winchester, in Montgomery county, where he purchased eighty acres of land, making his home thereon until his death, which oc- curred when he had reached an advanced
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.