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 33
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In politics Mr. Lonb is a republican, is
quite popular with his party, and served as a school director for several years; for two years he had been township trustee, and still holds that office. He and wife are members of the Christian church, while his children are mem- bers of the United Brethren church. It will be seen that Mr. Loub is a self-made man, and too much credit cannot be awarded him for his life-long energy and his success in raising him- self to his present respectable and honored position in society.
'ILLIAM H. LOY, superintendent and member of the Buckeye stave factory at Kalida, Ohio, was born in Miami county, June, 1851, a son of John W. and Cynthia A. (Buckles) Loy. The father, John W. Loy, was born in Preble county, Ohio, January 1, 1820, and was a son of Peter Loy, a native of Maryland, of Ger- man descent, who early settled on a farm in Preble county, Ohio, and reared seven chil- dren, viz: 'Michael, Samuel, Mary, wife of Joe Long, Margaret, wife of W. Denis, farmer of Portland, Ind .; Jacob, farmer of Darke county, Ohio; Henry, farmer of Elkhart county, Ind., and John W., a farmer of Mi- ami county, Ohio, and father of our subject. Peter, the father of this family, was a soldier in the war of 1812, was a democrat in poli- tics, and died some time in the 'fifties.
John W. Loy, father of our subject, was reared a farmer and lived in Preble county un- til twenty years of age, when he went to Mi- ami county, where he learned the trade of carpenter, and where he married Miss Cyn- thia A. Buckles, daughter of James and Mar- garet (Northentt) Buckles, the union resulting in the birth of the following children: Will- iam H., our subject; Horace G., deceased at twenty-eight years of age; James W., imple- ment dealer in Columbus Grove; Luella Irwin,
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deceased at twenty-seven; Clara, wife of D. Peuterbaugh, farmer of Elkhart, Ind .; Nellie, teacher in the high school of Piqua, Miami county, Ohio; and Ed, a teacher in the same county and a student of medicine at Cincin- nati Medical college. After this marriage, John W. Loy settled in Miami county, there followed his trade forty years, and then re- tired. He served as captain in the 100-day service in the late war, is a republican in poli- tics, and in Miami county has held the offices of township trustee, township treasurer, and member of the school board; he is a member of the Piqua lodge, F. & A. M., and of the Baptist church, as well as trustee in the latter. His wife was born in 1829, in Miami county; her father, James Buckles, was a native of Connecticut, of English descent, born in 1801; he came to Ohio in his youth, was reared in Miami county, was a republican in politics, and died at the age of eighty-two years, a member of the Baptist church, his wife dying at eighty- four, in the same faith. Their living children are Robert, who served in the Civil war and is now a resident of Nebraska; Willis; George, also a soldier of the late war and now a farmer of Miami county, Ohio; Ellen, deceased; Cyn- thia A., mother of our subject; William, also an ex-soldier, and farmer of Miami county, and Mary, unmarried.
William H. Loy was reared a farmer until eighteen years of age, then learned building and contracting, which business he followed about ten years, or until 1879, when he en- gaged in manufacturing in Columbus Grove, Putnam county, until 1834, he went to Greens- burg, Kiowa county, Kans., embarked in the real estate business, continued in this until 1887 and then returned to Putnam county, Ohio. He first married Miss Zelia Deweese, December 19, 1872, who died April 10, 1877, having two children-Bertha, born December 17. 1873, and Carrie, born January 28. 1875 --
who reside at home. June 15, 1887, he mar- ried Miss Evaline Godfrey, daughter of Dr. Godfrey, of Ottawa, and this union has been blessed by the birth of one child-John God- frey, in August, 1891. After his second mar- riage, Mr. Loy located in Ottawa, where he was engaged in the hardware business until 1890, when he sold out and entered into the manufacture of staves at Kalıda and Avis, Ohio, at which he has been quite successful. He retained his residence, however, at Ottawa, where he again had the great misfortune of losing his wife, in 1894.
Mr. Loy is a republican in politics, and for two years was a member of the city council at Columbus Grove; he was also elected a mem- ber of the school board, but did not serve, as at this time he had gone west. He is a mem- ber of Ottawa lodge, No. 325, F. & A. M., chapter, No. 115, and council, No. 69, and order of the Eastern Star, No 28, of which latter his daughters, Bertha and Carrie, are also members. He is a trustee in the Presbyterian church, of which he has also been elected elder, but has declined to serve. Mr. Loy has led a most exemplary life and is highly esteemed as a citizen and neighbor.
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C. LUGIBILL, of Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio, is a native of the county and was born March 16, 1846, a son of Christ and Barbara (Hilty) Lugibill, natives of Alsace, France, and who were brought, when young, to America by their parents, who first located in Wayne county, where Christ and Barbara were mar- ried, but later came to Putnam county, where they were among the carly settlers. Christ Lugibill here entered a tract of land and cleared up a farm, and dso practiced as a vet- crinary surgeon to serve extent. He let his wife in 1853, and his own death took place m
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1855. The children born to Christ Lugibill and wife were nine in number and were named in order of birth as follows: John, who died young; Melaney, who married C. Steiner, a farmer; Catherine, wife of C. D. Amstutz also a farmer; David, who died, leaving a wife and seven children; Elizabeth, married to P. P. Steiner; C. C., our subject; Adam, of Bluffton, Ohio, in the hardware trade; Bar- bara, yet single, doing missionary work for the Mennonite church in Oklahoma, and Mary, married to P. D. Burkholder, of Indiana.
At the death of the parents of these chil- dren a guardian was placed in charge of the estate and the children were scattered and reared by different relatives. One year only was passed under such conditions, by our sub- ject, who, at the age of ten years, began work- ing in a brickyard, then handling brick in the erection of buildings for a year or two, and in 1864 began carpentering, which he followed a short period, and then for three years farmed on the old homestead; he next bought eighty acres of the old place, and in 1866 settled down to permanent farming. To this farm he has since added eighty acres, has cleared all but twenty acres, has erected a substantial dwelling and commodious out-buildings, and has planted a fine orchard. In the earlier part of his farin life he gave some attention to live stock, but now devotes his entire attention to his agricultural interests.
In 1866, Mr. Lugibill was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary Schumacher, a daughter of Peter Schumacher, a native of Switzerland, who was brought to America at an early age by his parents. He became a preacher in the Mennonite church, and was also a farmer. He died sudnenly, May 28, 1881, at the age of sixty-two years; his widow is now seventy-six years of age. They were the parents of six- teen children, all of whom grew to maturity and were married, as follows: Barbara, who 18
was first married to C. Arinstead, and, after his death, to D. Basinger; Melancy, wife of A. Bixler; Fanny, married to P. T. Steiner; Mary, wife of our subject, Elizabeth, wife of B. Hilty; Christian and John, farmers of Put- nam county; Catherine, who was married to J. Steiner, and died the mother of thirteen children; P. P., a farmer; David, farmer and quarryman; Adam, a Wayne county farmer; Daniel and Benjamin, farmers of Putnam county; Susan and Sarah, twins -- the former married to Ulrich Steiner and the latter mar- ried to M. Coley; Lydia married to N. Moser.
The union of Mr. and Mrs. Lugibill has been blessed by the birth of eleven children, of whom two died young, the survivors being named Peter P., a farmer; B. F., Martha, Elizabeth, Gideon, Mary, Alva, Daniel and Ora. Mr. Lugibill and all his family are members of the Mennonite church, and in national politics he is a democrat.
HARLES MOORE GODFREY, of Pennsylvania and Virginia parentage, was one of a family of eleven chil- dren and was born in Lattimore township, Adams county, Pa., June 17, 1816. His immediate ancestors were of some conse- quence in their communities, and in a minor way were given slight official recognition by the English government. They were members of the Church of England, and during the Revolutionary period were considered loyalists, taking no part, however, in the war. Will- iam Godfrey, grandfather of our subject, was an ensign in the colonial militia, his commis- sion being dated 1754, and signed by the English lieutenant-governor. He at one time owned the historic Valley Forge farm, but sold it to Benjamin Potts, a Quaker, when our subject's father was five of six years old, and purchased 800 acres of land in York and
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Adams counties. His son, Thomas, father of our subject, started well in life, being owner of a saw-mill, distillery and a 100-acre farm. He was a miller by trade, but never a proprie- tor. He learned the trade in Philadelphia, and soon afterward went to Virginia and rented the well known Darby grist-mill, then owned by a Mr. Beverly. There he made the acquaintance of and married Miss Mary Settle, daughter of Francis Settle, who lived in either Culpeper or Fauquier county. The only civil honor he ever bore was that of justice of peace, the appointment coming from the gov- ernment. He later acquired 2,000 acres of mountain land in Pennsylvania, improved the tract and built a stone house thereon.
His ninth child and second son, Charles Moore Godfrey, was named for an uncle, Charles Godfrey, and his paternal grand- mother, Hannah Moore. In the summer of 1837, his twenty-first year, he left home for the west, without any definite purpose other than to make a living, traveling with his brother-in-law, David Cox, who had gone from Ottawa, Ohio, to Pennsylvania, on business. He stopped, en route, at Leesville, Ohio, with a married sister, Lucy Ann Allen, visited about three months and then proceeded to Ottawa. Desirons of doing something for himself and aspiring to a more learned plane, he embraced the only opportunity that was offered for learning a profession, viz, the study of medi- cine: This was followed for two years under the tutelage of Dr. C. T. Pomeroy, then the only physician in the vicinity. During this time a post-office was established at Ottawa, and after considerable contention among vari- ous candidates a compromise was arrived at and he made postmaster. However, he acted as such but a short time, as the compensation was quite meager and the duties interfered with his medical studies. The citizens desired to have the village and post-office names coin-
cide, but as the post-office name of Oak Har- bor, Ohio, was Ottawa, they chose the name Buckeye. He attended lectures at the Ohio Medical college of Cincinnati during the winter of 1839-40, but was only able to do so by most rigid economy. Straightened circum- stances prevented completion of the course. -However, in 1856 he was made an honorary alumnus of the Cleveland Medical college Upon returning from Cincinnati he was elected colonel in the militia. Not being able to buy a uniforin, and the duties interfering with his medical practice, he soon resigned. He en- tered into a partnership with Dr. Pomeroy, which lasted two years, until he removed to Gilboa. After one year's residence there he was made the democratic nominee for county treasurer, and later was elected, his opponent being George W. Skinner, of Kalida. Then he removed to Kalida, the county seat, an served four years as treasurer, being re-elected in 1845. While living in Gilboa he married Miss Mary Chambers, daughter of Matthew and Mary Chambers, on December 8, 1842 To this union were born two children -- Edward S., who is yet living, and Bartholomew C ; who died in infancy. His wife died in Kalida on January 24, 1845. On June 4, 1846, he was again married, this time to Mrs. Jane Braucher, née Goble, who, with her daughter Elizabeth, who died October 21, 1855, was re- siding at Bluffton, Ohio.
A few days after marriage they attended a big rally at Ottawa that was devised to secure volunteers for the Mexican war. Dr. Godfrey, with sixty-six others, enlisted, but saw no serv- ice, as word was received that day from th adjutant-general that the requisition was full and three companies over. A few years after this, Dr. Godfrey was again elected colonel of the militia, which position he filled for about one year, when the law under which the state militia was organized was repealed. In 184'
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he was one of the democratic presidential electors, Cass and Butler being the candidates. In 1853 or 1854 Governor Medill appointed him to a vacancy on the board that was super- intending the construction of the Cleveland and Dayton insane asylums. This board con- sisted of six members, three mostly looking after the requirements of the Cleveland, and the other three looking after those of the Day- ton asylum. Dr. Godfrey was one of the latter most of the time. The compensation was $3 per day for work actually performed, but he received nothing until several years after the completion of the institutions, and then through the efforts of Hon H. G. Boeh- iner, representative from Putnam county. In 1854 he was solicited to come out for a con- gressional nomination, but would not allow his name to be used. In 1856, being dissatisfied with the policy of the democratic party re- garding the slavery question, he left it, and joined the republican party, and ever remained one of its strongest disciples and stanchest sup- porters. Upon conclusion of his service as county treasurer he resumed the practice of medicine in Kalida, a portion of the time being in partnership with Dr. R. W. Thrift. While there he also superintended the first ditch road improvement that was made between Kalida and Ottawa. In 1857, after a residence there of fourteen years, he again located at Ottawa, where he enjoyed a large and lucrative practice, a portion of the time having as a partner Dr. C. E. Tupper. He started the first drug store in Ottawa.
In 1859 he presided over the republican convention at Defiance, Ohio, that first nomi- nated James M. Ashley for congress. In 1861 he was selected by his neighbors as one of a committee to secure the incorporation of the village of Ottawa. In that year he was nom- inated and elected as state senator from the Thirty-third district. He took great interest
and was quite active in promoting the legisla- tion of that period, and was honored by the intimate acquaintance of the governor and other high officials, both civil and military. A renomination was declined because he was financially unable to neglect his medical prac- tice. In 1863 he was mainly instrumental in doing away with the frequent and inconvenient delays that resulted from the identity of the post-office names of Oak Harbor and Ottawa. A unanimous petition for a change was secured at home, and a big Fourth of July celebration was advertised for the former place, so that all the people could be present when the petition was circulated there. It was generally signed, and upon both papers being received at Wash- ington the change was made, so that for each place its village and post-office names there- after coincided. About this time he was ap- pointed pension examiner and acted as such for many years, with a brief interruption when he lived in Bluffton, and until the county board . system was established.
In 1864 he removed to Bluffton, Ohio, sell- ing his Ottawa property to H. F. Knowles, where he purchased the Goble farm of 300 acres. The practice of medicine was continued there, and for one year he owned an interest in a general merchandise store, being assciated therein with Miles Vance and A. G. Kibler. When there he also engaged quite exten- sively in sheep raising. In 1867 he disposed. of his Bluffton interests and returned to Ottawa, where he resided the remainder of his life. For a number of years he was a member of the Ottawa school board, being president of the same from 1875 to 1881. In 1874 he em- braced the Christian faith and nnited with the Presbyterian church, in which he was trustee and ruling elder for many years. In 1875 he was appointed by Governor Hayes as one of the board of trustees of the Dayton Insane asylmin. Being re-appointed several times, he
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continued as a member of the board for four- teen years. On February 6, 1877, his second wife died, leaving three children, Evaline, Zoe and Calvin P., only the two latter of whom are living, the first having died on June 26, 1893.
He early affiliated with the Masonic frater- nity and left a long and bright record in the annals of that order. He was made a master Mason in Tu-en-da-wie lodge, No. 195, at De- fiance, Ohio, in 1850, while that lodge was under dispensation. He was the first person in Putnam county to become a Mason. He was a charter member and first elected master of Kalida lodge, No. 285, serving as such one year; was a charter member and first elected master of Ottawa lodge, No. 325, serving as such at different periods seventeen years; was made a royal arch Mason in Lima chapter, No. 49, and was a charter member of Ottawa chapter, No. 115; was made a royal and select Mason in Lima council, No. 20, and was a charter member of Putnam council, No. 69, at Ottawa; was made a Knight of the Red Cross, Knight Templar and Knight of Malta in Shaw- nec commandery at Lima, Ohio; received Scottish rite grades to the eighteenth degree under the jurisdiction of the Valley of the Mi-a-mi, at Toledo, and grades to the 32nd degree in Ohio consistory Ancient & Accepted Scottish rite for the northern juris- diction of the United States at Cincinnati; was a life member of the grand lodge of Ohio, being connected with it for thirty years; was a member of the Ohio Masonic Veterans' asso- ciation, being vice-president for a number of years; was successively grand junior warden, grand senior warden and deputy grand master of the grand lodge, declining the office of grand master on account of age. In the grand chapter he held the office of grand master of the Third vail. By appointment from the grand master of Pennsylvania he was grand representative of the grand lodge of Pennsyl-
vania, near the grand lodge of Ohio, and by appointment of the grand high priest of Penn- sylvania he was the grand representative of the Holy grand royal arch chapter of Pennsyi- vania, near the grand chapter of Ohio. He was also grand representative of the grand lodge of Delaware, near the grand lodge of . Ohio, and was made an honorary member of Leipsic lodge, No. 548. He died on May 8 1895, after an illness of over four months, ar" was laid to his final rest on the third day fol- lowing. The obsequies, which drew together a great many friends and acquaintances, were conducted under the forms of the Masoni order, many prominent members of which, from various parts of the state, were in attend ance. Thus departed one of the most promi- nent pioneer citizens of northwestern Ohio.
Splendidly endowed in physical and mental make-up, he possessed and exercised thos. traits of intelligence, energy, industry and economy that are so essential to success in life As a man he was genial and entertaining, of positive information and firm conviction, whose confidence once shaken was hard to regain tender and sympathetic, yet apparently stern. a lover of the beautiful and admirer of the meritorious; of wide and solid reading, clear and accurate judgment, he had a constitu- tional and deep detestation of all duplicity and unworthy pretension. Of integrity unblem :- ished, mentality unquestioned, always actuated by laudable motives and high aims, he wel deserved, as he modestly bore, the honors that fell to him.
BRAHAM LUGABILL was born in Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio. on the farm he still resides upon and owns, the date of his birth being No vember 11, 1838. He is the sixth of ten chil- dren born to John C and Mary (Dilkt) Luga
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ill, natives of Switzerland, who came to America in May, 1824, making a sojourn in Holmes county, Ohio, until 1837, when they came to Riley township, Putnam county, where John C. bought the tract of land on which our subject now lives. Christian Lugabill, grand- 'ather of our subject, who came to America with his family, also entered a tract of land, n the same locality, in his own name. As nay be inferred, these lands were then all in the forest, and fever and ague, as well as the imbrageous forest giants, had to be overcome before a comfortable home could be estab-
ished or a profitable farm created. The grandfather eventually turned over his prop- erty to his children, and with them made his home until his death, September 18, 1847, at the age of sixty-eight years. His wife had died in 1832, leaving behind eight children, who were named, in order of birth, John C. 'father of our subject), Barbara, Christian, Elizabeth, Peter, Catherine, David and Mary, the last named being the only one of the fam- ily born in this country.
John C. Lugabill, while a resident of Holmes county, devoted all his attention to farming. He there found game in plenty, as well as beasts of prey, but grist-mills were rare, and he carried his first bushel of corn on his back for miles in order to get it ground into meal. He also underwent all the fatigue and leprivation incident to frontier life in Putnam county, but eventually succeeded in develop- ing the fine farm now occupied by our subject. May 26, 1853, he lost his wife, and on Octo- ber 6, 1873, was himself called to join the " innumerable caravan." The children born to John C. Lugabill and wife were ten in num- ber, and were named as follows: Christian, deceased; Peter, deceased father of four children; Catherine, deceased; David, de- ceased; Elizabeth, wife of A. M. Sutter; Abraham, our subject; Mary, who married
Ulrick Musser, and died in Indiana, the mother of five children; Barbara, wife of Christian Layman, of Indiana; Fanny, who married C. Locher, died and left nine children, and Ben- jamin, who died while yet young.
A. Lugabill, the subject proper of this sketch, was educated in both the German and English languages, assisted his father on the home farmi until 1863, then rented a part of the land, and married Miss Anna Locher. On the death of his father he bought the interest of the other heirs to this property, then con- sisting of 138 acres, and improved with sub- stantial buildings, and being under a fair state of cultivation. He was himself born on this farm, as intimated above, and in his early manhood assisted in clearing it up, and since he has become its owner has continued im- proving it-ditching, tiling, fencing, and doing all things necessary to bring it to it to its pres- ent splendid condition. He has handled con- siderable live stock, giving much attention to Hereford cattle and Belgium horses, but he has never neglected his farm and has never failed in making a crop.
Mrs. Anna (Locher) Lugabill was born in Switzerland in 1844, a daughter of John Locher, the family coming to America in 1848, locating in Wayne county, Ohio, then coming to Putnam county, and some years later removing to Tennessee, where the father died. The mother and her children then re- turned to Putnam county, where they still re- side. To our subject and wife have been born nine children, named as follows: Sarah, widow of Jonathan Amstutz and mother of four chil- dren; Peter; Mary, wife of Jonas Amstutz, a dry-goods merchant of Bluffton, Ohio; Lena, married to Adam Amstutz, a farmer of Put- nam county; Joshna, a dry-goods merchant of Bluffton; Levi, Lacey, Susan and William, at home on the old farm. Mr. and Mrs. Luga- bill, with their family, following the footsteps
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of their ancestors, are close adherents of the Swiss Mennonite church. Mr. Lugabill has a very pleasant home, and his agricultural train- ing has enabled him to so cultivate it that he has made it unequaled in productiveness and profitable results by any other in the county. The integrity of Mr. Lugabill has never for a moment been doubted, and as a consequence he is always a welcome visitor to the homes of the best society in his native township.
F. McCLANE, one of the oldest farmers of Sugar Creek township, Putnam connty, was born in Frank- lin county, Ohio, October 24, 1828, a son of George and Margaret A. (Flemming) McClane, the former of whom was born in Virginia and the latter in Kentucky, but who were married in Franklin county, Ohio. George McClane, who was a highly respect- able farmer, after residing in Franklin county, Ohio, for a number of years, came to Putnam county, settled on the farm now occupied by our subject, and here passed the remaining days of his life, dying in the year of 1853, and followed to the grave by his widow in 1875. Of their six children, Ellen, the first born, married Benjamin Morse, now of Illinois; Zachariah, the second, died in the army dur- ing the late Civil war; Elizabeth was married to Isaac Guffy, who moved to Kansas, where both died, leaving four children, W. F., the subject; Jacob, the fifth child lives in Kansas; and Margaret A., who has been twice married and is the mother of two children, is also a resident of Kansas.
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