USA > Ohio > Putnam County > A Portrait and biographical record of Allen and Putnam counties, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative citizens, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Ohio, pt 2 > Part 25
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The marriage of Mr. Kersting took place June 3, 1879, to Miss Anna Gieringer, who was born in White Oak, Hamilton county, Ohio, October 30, 1860, a danghter of Anthony and Thirsa (Blasi) Gieringer. To this uniou have been eight children, in the following order: Joseph, Felix, June 3, 1880; Julia Elizabeth, November 24, 1882; Stella Marguerite, Sep- tember 20, 1885; Edwin John, November 25, 1887; Frances Magdalene, June 5, 1889; Al- bert Waldemar Valentine, February 8, 1891;
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Alphonso Adam, June 5, 1893, and Carl An- thony, born August 16, 1895. The family are all communicants of Saint John's Catholic church at Glandorf. and the parents enjoy the esteem of the whole population of the city and township.
I. GNATIUS H. KAHLE, vice-president of the Bank of Ottawa, and one of the leading business men of the county of Putnam, of which he is a native, was born Angust 22, 1850. His parents, John F. and Bernardina ( Welberding) Kable, were na- tives of Hanover, Germany, the former born in Glandorf and the latter in the town of Stein- feld. John F. Kahle came to the United States in 1832, in company with Prof. Horst- man, and located at the town of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, where he ziterward en- gaged in farming, purchasing a section of land in the county of Putnam. In h' native coun- try he had been a merchant. mnd met with good success in that calling. He was a man of gencions impulses and provet a friend in- deed to many of his fellow-countrymen by assisting them in getting a start in this new country. He developed a large fact of land, became a successful agricultura, and to his public spirit is the town of Glandorf and the adjacent country indebted for which of the prosperity which they now enjoy Politically be was one of the leading democrats of the community in which he resided, and the Cath- lic church, in the faith of which he had been born and reared, always found m hun a devout riend and liberal patron. He ched on Palm Sunday. i. 1876, at the age of . venty-three years. Mrs. Kahle also reache : the age of seventy-tince and cheu in the year .4 1890. By a previous marriage' with a Mis. Meyers, Mr. Kahle had one child, August, who died while serving his country in the late Civi war. The
following are the names of the children of John F. and Bernardina Kahle: Bernardina, wife of William Maag; Bertha, wife of Henry Stech- schulte; Frank; Theresa, deceased; George, deceased; Paulina, wife of Henry Recker; Emelia, deceased wife of Herman Rolker; Jo. seph, deceased; Ignatius H .; Theresa wife of Joseph Smith, and Mary, wife of John Schroder
Ignatius H. Kahle, the gentleman whose name opens this biography, . is reared to fare life in Putnam county, and received 's educa- tional training in the district schools, which h attended during the years of his youth and early manhood, and on attaining his majorit. was put in possession of 156 acres of land in Greensburg township, but twenty-five acres of which were at that time improved. With the energy and industry characteristic of the mar Mr. Kahle began clearing his farm, and in due season had it well improved, thus greatly en- hancing its value. He continued the pursu of agriculture on this place until isse, but ir the meantime engaged in the manufacture o drain tile in partnership with Augu . Kahle, which venture was carried on with success an.' financial profit for a period of four : trs, the subject disposing of his interest at the end . that time to his partner. In 1881 M . Kahle was elected, on the democratic ticket, to rep. resent the county of Putnam in we lower house of the state legislature, receiving a me . jority of 1, 265 over his competitor. HE's record as a legislator was ... satisfactory to his co" stituents that, in 1883, he was re-elected by a largely av reased m perity, the number of vote. received an excess of those cast for his opp" nent ben g 1.935. a of the largest majoritie ever received in Patnam county. While ! the le Jature Le was imtiring in in .half of the interest of his rstitnets, and he took a active part in the memorable sena fal con. tests between Pay .. and Pendleton, standı . firmly to his convictions, regardless & the great
O, H. Kahle
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pressure that was brought to bear upon him. He proved a faithful and conscientious public servant, served on several important commit- tees, among which was that of public works.
In 1886 Mr. Kahle purchased a half-inter- est in the Glandorf flouring-mill, forming a partnership with Theodore Leopold, and under their joint management the mill was thoroughly remodeled and supplied with the latest im- proved machinery for the manufacture of flour by the roller process. The above firm con- tinued to operate the mill until 1893, in May of which year Mr. Kahle disposed of his in- terests, having in the meantime effected a co- partnership in the mercantile business with Joseph Kersting at Glandorf. Mr. Kahle was identified with the commercial interests of Glandorf from 1886 until 1893, when he sold out to his partner, and, arranging his business affairs, made a three-months' tour of Europe, accompanied by his son, Frank G. Kahle, visiting many places of interest in Germany. France, Austria and Italy. Not the least in- teresting point visited was his ancestral home at Glandorf, after which the settlement in Put- nam county was named. Returning home, Mr. Kahle determined to establish a bank in Glandorf, but seeing a better opening for such an undertaking in Ottawa, he reconsidered his decision, and in partnership with Dr. W. F. Reed and W. H. Harper, Jr., organized the Bank of Ottawa, of which he has since been vice-president. This bank does a general busi- ness, is successfully managed, and is one of the leading establishments of the kind in northwestern Ohio. While his business inter- ests are in Ottawa, Mr. Kahle has never changed his residence from Glandorf. He was married November 24, 1875, to Miss Mary A. Michls, daughter of George Miehls Mrs. Kah! was born in Pittsburg Pa., in 1853, and is the mother of the following children. Frank G., a graduate of the Glandorf schools, also of the
Toledo business college, and at the present time holds the position of assistant cashier in the Bank of Ottawa; Emma B., graduate of the public schools of Glandorf and a student of Winamac seminary, of Indiana; Adelia B., Laura M., George W., Harry I., Albert L., Bertha M. and Mary A.
As already stated Mr. Kahle is a Catholic, and his wife and different members of the family belong to the same church. In politics, he is a stanch supporter of the democratic party, and as such wields a potent influence in its councils in Putnam county. In matters educational he has always manifested a lively interest, and to him more than to any other man are the schools of Glandorf indebted for their efficiency. Mr. Kahle has met with suc- cess such as few attain, and has been through- out life a thorough business man, full of hon- esty and integrity. He is among the wealthy and prominent citizens of Putnam county and his name is without reproach among his fellow-men.
ICHAEL KEHRES, one of the old- est and most experienced agricultur- ists of Monterey township. Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of the vil- lage of Reunzenheim, Alsace, France.
His grandfather, Valentine Kehres, Sr., was born in the above named village, was a car- penter by trade, and married a Miss Elchinger, who bore him nine children, viz: Valentine, Michael, Sebastian, Joseph, John, George, Mary, Katie and Maggie. Valentine, the father, died in his native village at the age of sixty- five years, a member of the Catholic church. His son, Valentine. Jr., the father of our sub- ject, was born in the village above named in 1800, was also a carpenter by trade, and mar- ried Annie Morelotte, who was of French birth, and bore her husband seven children,
1
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named as follows: Valentine and Katie, who died young; Josephine, Michael, Maggie, Kate and Valentine the second. Valentine, the father of this family, died in Alsace May 10, 1882, at the age of eighty-two years, and was also a devout Catholic.
Michael Kehres, the subject of this sketch, was born February 24, 1834, received a very good education in the excellent common school of his native village, and also became a car- penter by trade. He came to America at the age of eighteen years, taking passage in a sail- ing vessel at Havre, France, and arriving in New York, after a voyage of thirty-six days, April 30, 1852. He came directly to Ohio and located in Seneca county, worked on a farm for eight years, and there married Maggie Perin, a native of Columbus, Ohio, and daugh- ter of Andrew and Louisa (Fary) Perin. The father, Andrew Perin, was an old settler of Putnam county, and owned a farm of 160 acres one mile north of Ottoville, where he was greatly respected. After inarriage Mr. and Mrs. Kehres settled, in 1860, on a sixty-acre farm in Monterey township, Putnam county, and to this farm Mr. Kehres has added from time to time until he now owns 120 acres of as fine land as is to be found in the county, all properly cleared up from the forest by his own hands and thoroughly drained. He has a tasteful frame residence of two stories, con- veniently arranged, and has improved the place with all necessary farm buildings of the most substantial construction. To Mr. and Mrs. Kehres have been born thirteen children, of whom ten are still living, viz: Caroline, Lou- isa, Bridget, Lizzie, Maggie, Mary, Fannie, Josephine, Regina and Michael. Mr. and Mrs. Kehres are ardent Catholics in religion, and he aided with his own hands in the construction of the stately Saint Mary's edifice in Ottoville, to which he also contributed from his means $200. In politics he is a democrat. He is
one of Putnam county's most respectable pio- neers, and has done much toward redeeming Monterey township from the primitive wilder- ness and making it the fertile and productive garden it now is. He has reared a respected family of children, who are an honor to their parents and a credit to the land they live in.
UGUSTIN KEHRES, a highly re- spected farmer of Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio, was born in Alsace, France, September 3, 1847, and springs from an old family of the village of Reunzenheim, in the district of Bishweiler. His grandfather, Valentine Kehres, was a car- penter, married Mary Elchinger, and of his children the names of the following can be re- membered, to-wit: Valentine, Magdalene, Se- bastian, Michael, Catherine, George, Carrie, Joseph, and John. Valentine, the grand- father, lived to be sixty-five years of age, died in his native village, and is still remembered by our subject.
Sebastain Kehres, father of Augustin, also became a carpenter under the instruction of Valentine, his father, and later served four- teen years in the armies of Napoleon III. He married, in his native village, Barbara Heintz- man (died 9th January, 1896), a native of Anenheim, Alsace, and settled down to his trade, at which he worked until 1852, in the latter part of March of which year he sailed from Harve, France, and after a voyage of thirty-six days arrived safely in New York, whence he came to Ohio and located in Sen- eca county, with his family, arriving May 1, 1852. After working at his trade two years he bought forty acres of land in the woods near New Riegel, and, with the assistance of his sons, cleared up a farm. He was a very hard-working man, and often, after laboring all day in the harvest fields for others, would
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work far into the night on his own land in his anxiety to make a home for his family. He frequently cut his wheat by moonlight, and the next day his mother, whom he had also brought with him, would bind it up. He suc- ceeded in clearing up his farm, but, as his family increased, he needed more land, and so disposed of his Seneca county farm, and in November, 1860, came to Putnam county and purchased 160 acres in Jackson township, of which about thirteen acres had been cleared, and on which stood a log cabin. With the help of his son he also succeeded in clearing up this place and in making a good home. By his thrift and industry Mr. Kehres earned the means necessary to purchase forty acres ad- joining his homestead, and also the eighty- acre tract on which his son Augustin, our sub- ject, lives, making his total possessions reach 280 acres, all now in fine condition and well improved.
Mr. Kehres was a man of more than ordi- narily robust constitution, was short of stature, broad shouldered, heavily knit, and phenom- enal strength, and well fitted for the life of a pioneer, and for subduing the heavily timbered forests of northwestern Ohio. In politics he was a democrat, and in religion a Roman Catholic. He aided in building the first Catholic church at Ottoville, and lived to con- tribute liberally toward the erection of the stately Saint Mary's church of the same vil- lage. His marriage was blessed with ten chil- dren, of whom one died in infancy, the sur- vivors being Augustin (our subject), Bridget, Charles, Sebastain, Andrew, Elizabeth, Bar- bara, John, and Helena-the first four natives of Alsace, and the remainder of Ohio-John and Helena of Jackson township, Putnam county. Mr. Kehres had reached the age of seventy-six years at the time of his death, which occurred April 2, 1892, and was well known among the neighbors for his sterling
worth, strict morality, charitable disposition and untiring industry.
Augustin Kehres, our subject, was between four and five years of age when brought to America by his parents, yet he still remembers his grandfather's death and many scenes in the fatherland; the wagon which bore the family from their native village, the ship and the voy- age across the ocean. He received the ele- ments of an education in Seneca county, and was about thirteen when the family came to Putnam county, and can easily recall the old pioneer days. He was early inured to hard work at clearing land and at farming. When about seventeen years old he left home and worked on the state boat on the Miami canal for two years, and was then employed in an elevator at Toledo for a short time; he next passed three years in Upper Sandusky, driving a team; next was employed at Massillon at the same work and in a stone quarry. He married at Massillon, Ohio, April 23, 1872, Miss Louisa Marks, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, a daughter of Matthias and Emma (Knobloch) Marks, both of Prussia. The father was a tailor by trade and died at Canal Fulton, Ohio, a member of the Catholic church and the father of three children- Louisa, Kate and Frank.
After his marriage our subject lived at Canal Fulton for a year, and then returned to Putnam county, and March 6, 1870, settled on his present farn, which he bought from his father, and of which ten acres had been par- tially cleared. He has since cleared up the entire eighty acres, drained the land and placed the farm under a high state of cultiva- tion, and improved it with substantial and commodious buildings. June 27, 1874, about three o'clock in the afternoon -- in the absence of the family, fortunately-a cyclone passed over the farm and destroyed his dwelling and barn, but left uninjured the two horses con-
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fined in the latter. He immediately re-erected his barn on the same site, and twelve years ago, August 23, 1883, when it was filled with hay, grain and farming implements, inchiding a threshing machine, it was struck by light- ning and destroyed by fire, with its contents.
To Mr. Kehres and wife were born five children, of whom two died infants; the living three are named Henry, Louisa and Annie. March 6, 1876, Mrs. Kehres died in the Catholic faith-a woman of many good quali- ties and the idol of her husband and children. Mr. Kehres next married, May 5, 1880, Maria A. Dunz, who was born in Cincinnati March 1, 1850, a daughter of George Dunz, a wagon- maker from Baden, Germany, who died in Delphos, Ohio, at the age of seventy-eight years, the father of six children-Maria A., Annie, Christine, Philomena, Lena and Eliza- beth. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Kehres went to housekeeping on the old farm, where they still live, the parents of four children -- Cecile, Ludwig, Francis and Walter. In pol- itics Mr. Kchres is a democrat, and has served as supervisor eleven years, as assessor four terms, as school director twelve years, and as land appraiser since 1890. He and family are all members of the Ottoville Catholic church. He is a self-made man, and no other stands higher in the esteein of the community in which he has so long lived and striven to serve.
a HARLES KEHRES, a successful farmer of Monterey township, Put- nam county, Ohio, and the head of a respected family, is a son of Sebas- tian and Barbara (Heintzman) Kehres, was born in Alsace, France, February 5, 1850, and at the age of two years was brought to America by his parents, and at the age of nearly eleven came with the family to Putnam county. They settled in Jackson township, where our
subject was educated in the common schools and reared to the hard work of clearing away the forest and of cultivating a rugged frontier farm. At the age of twenty-three years, Feb- ruary 18, 1873, he was married at Ottoville, by Father Mueller, to Miss Mary C. Hug, who was born May 24, 1852, on the wide, wide, sea, when her parents, John and Maria A. (Lichtle) Hug, were on the voyage from Europe to America. John Hug was a native of Alsace, where he owned a small farin, was there mar- ried, and to himself and wife were born six children, viz: Mary, Caroline, Kate, Louisa, Theresa and Elizabeth. The Hug family first located in Seneca county, Ohio, but shortly afterward came to Putnam county, bought a farm of forty acres where Peter Wannemacher now lives, cleared up the land, made a good home and then sold out and bought the eighty- acre tract on which Mr. Kehres now lives; this land he also cleared, and died here October 18, 1888, at the age of seventy-seven years- a devout member of the Catholic church, in which faith he also reared his children. He also aided from his means in the erection of the handsome Saint Mary's church at Otto- ville, and was a generous man, a hard worker, and earned his property by his own sturdy labor.
After his marriage Mr. Kehres and wife lived on this farm until 1880, when they went to Gasconade county, Mo., bought forty acres of land, on which they resided until 1886, then moved to Shawnee county, Kans., re- mained a year, and then returned to Putnam county, Ohio, in 1887, and settled on the Hug homestead, which, on the death of Mr. Hug, was deeded to our subject, who has drained and otherwise improved it. To Mr. and Mrs. Kehres were born eight children, named as follows: John S., Mary M., Charles A., Maria Rosalie, Mary C .. Mary Elenora, Mary Sabina and Leo Peter, The mother of this family, a devout Catholic and a lady of many
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shining virtues, was called away from earth at the early age of thirty-eight years, April 26, 1891. Since the death of his wife Mr. Kehres has remained unmarried, his household being cared for by his eldest daughter, Mary Matilda. Mr. Kehres was one of the most liberal of the contributors to the building fund of Saint Mary's Catholic church at Ottoville, of which he is a devout member. In politics he is a democrat and has filled the office of supervisor. He is having his children educated in the best manner possible, giving them the advantage of every facillty offered in the township. He is a practical farmer, and one of the most pro- gressive in the county, and is respected wherever known.
NDREW KEHRES, of Ottoville, Putnam county, one of the most pop- ular hotel men in northwestern Ohio, was born in Seneca county, Novem- ber 30, 1853. His father, Sebastian Kehres, was born January 22, 1816, in Alsace, then a province of France, served the obligatory term of seven years in the French army and then enlisted for an additional term of seven years. At the age of twenty-eight he married in his native village of Reunzenheim, Barbara Heitz- man, and ten children were the result, four of whom were born in Alsace and the remaining six after the parents came to America, which event happened in 1851. Mr. Kehres, on his arrival, bought forty acres of land in Seneca county, on which he lived with his family until 1860, farming and following his trade of car- penter, and then came to Putnam county and settled on 160 acres in the woods near Otto- ville. This land he succeeded in entirely clearing up from the forest and in increasing to 280 acres He was a devout Catholic and as- sisted in a pecuniary way, and as a mechanic in the crection of the beautiful Catholic chinch
edifice in Ottoville, and died in the faith at about seventy-seven years of age. He was an honored and respected citizen, and in politics was a democrat.
Andrew Kehres was but seven years of age when he came to Ottoville with his father's family. He was reared to farming, and for twelve years after reaching his majority had an interest with his father in a threshing machine. May 3, 1881, he married Antoinette Ann Miller, born in Ohio in February, 1860, a daughter of John D. Miller. For two years after marriage Mr. Kehres lived in Jackson township, Putnam county, and in 1883 started in the tile business in partnership with J. J. Miller and Frank Gmeiner, under the firm name of Frank Gineiner & Co., and for three years a success- ful trade was done, and then, for one year, Mr. Kehres was out of business; in 1890 he went to Douglas, Ohio, and bought a general store, kept the postoffice and was station agent of the Clover Leaf railroad company until 1893. when he returned to Ottoville and bought the Beck- man House, which, under his management, has been placed in first-class condition, and offers to the traveling public accommodations of a superior character, and at the same time is homelike and comfortable -- he proving him- self to be a genial landlord, anticipative at all times of the wants of his guests.
To Mr. Kehres have been born eight chil- dren, viz: Regina, Elizabeth, Josephine, Clara, Amelia, Ida; Barbara J. and Barbara C. both deceased. The parents are strict members of the Roman Catholic church, and, like all the faithful, have contributed liberally to assist in the erection of the beautiful Catholic church building in Ottoville. Mr. Kelires is also a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio. In politics he is a democrat. He is a gentleman of the strictest integrity, is of .. happy dispo- sition, and eminently qualified for the position he has so apropriately chosen.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
J OHN KEHRES, of Jackson township, Putnam county, Ohio, though still quite a young man, has already gained prom- inence and influence in his neighbor- hood. He is a prosperous farmer, living on the old homestead, which he inherited from his father, and where he was born February 27, 1862.
Sebastian Kehres, father of our subject, was born in Reunzenheim, Elsass, France (French spelling, Alsace), on January 22, 1816, where he was educated and learned the car- penter's trade. He was the sixth born in a family of nine children, viz: Valentine, Mag- dalena, Michael, Catherine, Anna, Sebastian, Joseph, John and George, the last named now living in Findlay, Ohio. Sebastian served the fatherland faithfully for six years in the army, and about 1845 married Barbara, the daughter of Joe and Margretha (Lang) Hintzman. She was born on December 31, 1826. For six years after their marriage they continued to live in France, and on March 25, 1857, they took passage for America, and located in New Riegel, Seneca county, Ohio, where he farmed and followed his trade for a number of years and then bought a farm of forty acres. In 1861 he moved to Putnam county and bought 160 acres of land, which he carefully cleared and brought to an unusually excellent state of cultivation. But the road to prosperity was not always to be smooth; in 1885, May 15, fire destroyed the home. He built himself a fine new handsome residence, in which he lived until his death occurred, April 2, 1892, his widow surviving until January 9, 1896, when she, too, died, at the age of seventy years and nine days. Mr. Kehres died a faithful member of the Catholic church, and was respected and honored by all. He was a democrat in poli- tics, and held the office of township supervisor and school director. His family consisted of ten children: August, born September 3, 1847,
in Elsass, France; Brigitta, born December 23, 1848, also in Elsass; Charley, born in Elsass February 8, 1850; Sebastian, also a native of Elsass, born January 22, 1852; and the follow- ing six children born in America: Andrew, November 30, 1853; Barbara, June 7, 1855; Lizzie, February 2, 1857 (deceased); Eliza- beth, June 28, 1859; John, February 27, 1862, and Helena, April 3, 1864. Of these children, August is now living on his farm in Monterey township, Putnam county, Ohio; Brigitta was married, November 8; 1870, to Peter Wurst, whose parents, Joseph and Magdelena (Kiener) Wurst, were Germans, but had early emigrated to America and located in New Washington, Crawford county, Ohio, where he was born July 13, 1838, but now lives in Jackson town- ship, Putnam county. Brigitta is the mother of nine children, named Barbara, who died when three years old; Annie, of Akron, Ohio; Lizzie, of Kalida; Lena, of Douglas; Mary, who is at home and who was fifteen years old February 19, 1895; with her, also, are Sebas- tian, thirteen years old April 25, 1895; August, eleven March 26, 1895; Thersa, nine March 20, 1895; Charlie, six April ISth of the same year. They are all members of the Ottoville Catho- lic church. The other children of Sebastian and Barbara Kehres, Charles is a farmer in Monterey township; Sebastian, Jr., is farming in Jackson township; Andrew is the proprietor of a hotel and saloon in Ottoville, Ohio; Bar- bara is in a convent in Tiffin, Ohio; Lizzie is deceased; Elizabeth is now living with her mother in Ottoville; John is the subject of this sketch, and Lena is a clerk at Delphos.
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