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 65
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R. A. M. ZEBOLD, of Palmer town- ship, Putnam county, with his resi- dence at Hector, is one of the most prominent physicians and surgeons of northwest Ohio, and although a resident of a few years only of Putnam county, has here at- tained a most enviable reputation. He was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, October 17, 1853, and is of German descent.
George Zebold, grandfather of our subject, was born in Baden, Germany, February 8, 1803, and was a brother of Christian Zebold, a famous general of the German army. He married Elizabeth April, who was born Au- gust 19. 1805, and there were born to this union, in Germany, three children - John, George and Louisa, and after the coming of the fandly to the United States, in 1832, there were born Christian, Andrew, Daniel and Mary P. On coming to America, the grand-
father located in Fairfield county, Ohio, near Basil, and engaged in work on the Hocking Valley canal, but a few years later moved to Hocking county and bought a tract of govern- ment land, at $1.25 per acre. This land was all in timber, but by strenuous exertion and unceasing industry Mr. Zebold cleared it from the forest, converted it into a productive farm, improved it to the utmost, and eventually be- came one of the most substantial farmers of the county. Mr. Zebold, until the opening of the late Civil war, was a democrat in his poli- tics, but afterward became a republican. He was an active member of the German Metho- dist church, in the faith of which he died in March, 1867; his wife survived him until Sep- tember, 1874, when she passed away in the faith of the German Reform church.
George Zebold, Jr., sen of George and Elizabeth (April) Zebold, spoken of above, was born in Germany, as stated, November 24, 1829, and was but three years of age when brought to Ohio by his parents. He received a good common-school education and learned the trade of millwright. In 1850 he married Miss Louisa Lance, who was born in Hocking county, Ohio, November 12, 1829, a daughter of Christian and Sarah Lance, natives of Penn- sylvania and of German extraction. Mrs. Sarah Lance died a devout member of the Methodist church July 26, 1861, a true Christian woman and devoted mother. To George and Louisa Zebold were born four children, in the follow- ing order: Elizabeth, October 18, 1851; Abra. ham M., October 17, 1853, Christian, January 6, 1856-died May 9, 1888, and Samuel, born January 21, 1858. The father of this family enlisted August 3, 1861, in an Ohio infantry regiment, and gallantly served until honorably discharged August 3, 1864. He was the first man to mount the breastworks at Corinth, an act of daring for which he was very highly commended. In 1866 he took for his second
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helpinate Louisa Simon, and this union has been blessed with five children, born in the following order: Hannibal E., November 9, 1868; Carrie B., June 3, 1870; Olona H., January 9, 1872; Francis A., December 2, 1875, and Mary A., December 30, 1877. Mr. Zebold is politically a stanch republican, a Methodist in religion, and fraternally a member of McCoy post, G. A. R., and is also a Mason.
Abraham M. Zebold, the subject proper of this memoir, passed his early years on the home farm, and at the age of twenty-one entered the Northwestern Omo university at Ada, where he remained three years, acquiring a sound literary education. He then taught school for eight consecutive years, meeting with exceptional success. In 1881 he began the study of medicine under Dr. Davis Hard- erman, of Sterling Medical college, from which he graduated March 4, 1884, and located for practice in Saint Clair county, Mo., where his superior abilities were at once recognized, and after four years of remunerative practice in that county was appointed assistant physician at the Kansas State Insane asylum, which po- sition he filled for five years with great credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the authorities, availing himself, in the meantime, of the opportunity for the investigation of the idiosyncrasies of the demented inmates, and storing up the results of his observations for future use. He then, in 1893, came to Hec- tor, Putnam county, Ohio, where he has al- ready established a Incrative practice, extend- ing for miles into the surrounding country.
The marriage of the doctor took place March 3, 1886, to Miss Annie J. Sniffen, who was born in Marietta, Ohio, September 12, 1866, a daughter of Joseph and Eliza A. (Westerman) Sniffen, the result of the con- genial union being four children, viz: Mabel A., born July 8, 1887; William T., July 4, 1880: Russell W., May 28, 1893, and Cloyd
Meakin. The doctor and his wife are both members of the Methodist church, of which he is a Sunday-school superintendent, and their social standing is in the best circles of Putnam county. Politically the doctor is a republican, and fraternally he is a member of the North- western Ohio Medical society, of Osawatomie lodge, No. 264, Ancient Order of United Work- men of Kansas, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, lodge No. 72, of Deep Water, Henry county, Mo. The doctor keeps well abreast of the advances made by the profes- sion, being a subscriber to most of the higher class of medical journals of the United States and to several of the more important publica- tions of Europe. His library is well supplied with all the standard authorities up to dore, and, being a close student and constant reader, he has made himself familiar with the con- tents of all these various volumes. But it is to his own keen powers of observation that the doctor's success is mostly due, and he would seem to be endowed with an innate aptitude for the profession which he has adopted for his life work.
0 ANIEL ZEIGLER, a prominent and fore-handed farmer of Perry town- ship, Putnam county, Ohio, is the son of Peter and Sarah (Fullmer)
Zeigler. The father was born in Northumber- land county, Pa., October 11, 1806, his father, Jacob Zeigler, being also a native of Pennsyl- vania. He was a carpenter by trade, and married and became the father of seven s'il- dren, Peter, our subj et's father, being the eldest. Peter Zeigler was reared on a farm and in the year 1827 married Sarah Fullmer, a danghter of John Fullmer, also a native of Pennsylvania and an carly settler of Ashland county, Ohio. Mrs. Sarah Zeigler was Yorn in the same state, February 10, 18to, and
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died November 2, 1892. She was the mother of eleven children, as follows: Caroline, de- ceased; John, a farmer; Daniel, of this sketch; Catherine, widow of William Leathers; Han- nah, widow of Isaac Fellows; Jacob, a farmer of Illinois; Elizabeth, widow of William Rosen- dale and later widow of Samnel Heaton; Sarah, wife of George Browneller; Peter, of Kansas; Adeline, deceased, and Emanuel, farmer.
In the spring of 1834 Mr. Zeigler came to Ashland county, Ohio, and bought a tract of uncleared land, which he improved and farmed until 1852, when he moved to Wood county, Ohio, where he remained until eight years ago, when he removed to Bloomdale and retired from active life. He has been a successful man in many essential respects - financially he is well-to-do, and is highly esteemed by all who know him; he is liberal and public spirited, and never loses sight of the welfare and best inter- ests of any place in which he lives. In poli- tics he is a democrat and in religion a Lutheran.
Daniel Ziegler was born in Northumber- land county, Pa., July 19, 1833, remained at home until twenty-five years of age, and on January 1, 1859, was united in mar- riage to Mary Jane Cushman, a daughter of John and Nancy (Russell) Cushman. This marriage took place in Pennsylvania, and to them was born seven children, viz: Calvin, a farmer of Dupont; John, born July 4, 1861, now of Dupont; Ella, born Jannary 19, 1865, wife of Albert Thomas, an engineer of Dupont; Liberta, born in 1869, wife of Albert Neff; Corintha, wife of (. Ladd of Dupont; Virgil, born 1871, now at home, and Lisle, born 1873, at home. The mother and wife was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1835, on the toth day of February, but when twelve years of age went to Pennsylvania, where she lived until married to Mr. Zeigler. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania, and was the parent of nine children, viz: Russell, of Waterville,
Wood county, Ohio; David, of Michigan; Mrs. Daniel Zeigler; Squire, of Michigan; Celestia, widow of George Ward, of Michigan; Corin- thia, wife of Orlando Russell, of Saint Louis, Mo., a retired lawyer; Almeda, wife of Samuel Robinson, of Philadelphia; John, a publisher, of Detroit, Mich., and Calvin, also of Mich- igan. Mrs. Zeigler's father died in 1852, but her mother is yet living in Michigan; both were members of the Disciple church, and the father was an old-line whig.
After his marriage Daniel Zeigler came to Wood county, Ohio, where he lived on the home place until 1862, when he moved to Paulding county, and bought a traet of land, which he partly improved; thus, in 1874, he sold and came to Putnam county, where he bought forty aeres of partly cleared land in Perry township, which he continued to im- prove and on which he built a house and barn, but in :888 he sold this and bought his present place of 120 acres of the best-improved farm- ing land in the township. Here he has a handsome home, surrounded with the elegancies and conveniences common to modern farm life, and when we look upon this comfortable homestead and remember that but a few years ago the owners' worldly goods were represented by one horse, it is understood what pluck and perseverance mean. He is a liberal man- both in purse and in character-broad viewed and generous-a man who makes any com- munity richer and better for having lived in it. He is a member of the United Brethren church, but has the wide faith that there is good in other societies, and believes that a Christian is known by his deeds and not his creed. Mrs. Zeigler is a member of the Chris- tian church, to which denomination Mr. Zeig- ler donates liberally. In politics he is a democrat in principle, and has held minerons offices. He is a member of the G. A. R. post, No. 93. of Dupont, having served in the late
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war, enlisting February 10, 1865, in company H. One Hundred and Ninty-first Ohio volun- - teer infantry, serving until the close of the war, and receiving his discharge at Camp Chase in September, 1865. As a general fariner and breeder of fine horses, our subject stands among the first in the county. He is enterprising, honest, and liberal, a combination of qualities that rarely fails to make a good citizen.
a ILLIAM S. ZELLER, member of the firm of J. J. & W. S. Zeller, the leading insurance and loan firmn of Ottawa, is a native of Putnam county, Ohio, born near the "old Ashenfelter mill", Blanchard township, on the 8th day of October, 1865, and a son of J. J. and Eliza A. (Ashenfelter) Zeller. Until his thirteenth year, the subject lived with his parents in the town of Gilboa, Putnam county, and then came to Otta, with the family, and has since made this city his home. He enjoyed the advantages of a good education in the Ottawa schools, grad- uating from the same in 1885, after which he accepted the position of deputy postinaster of Ottawa, under his father, serving in that ca- pacity until commissioned to the railway postal service. He was the first postal clerk on the Pittsburg, Akron & Western railroad from Carey to Delphos, and after serving as such for sixteen days, was transferred to the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton road, his run being from Toledo to Cincinnati. Mr. Zeller remained in the mail service for a period of two years, nine months, and thirteen days, during which time his reputation was second to that of no other clerk on the ronte.
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At the expiration of his term of service, Mr. Zeller engaged in the insurance business in Ottawa, and at this time, as already stated, is the leading insurance man in the county.
Associated with him in the business is J J. Zeller, the firm thus constituted having been organized in 1889, since which time he has been operating extensively in Putnam and counties adjoining. So encouraging has been the success of the Messrs. Zeller that, in 1894, their business was much greater than that of all other firms in the county combined. They represent at this time fifteen of the largest and most responsible fire companies in the country, give considerable attention to life and aceident insurance, and have a large and lucrative bus- iness as loan agents. Mr. Zeller is one of the progressive men of Ottawa, and his success is due to his own energy and untiring industry. Politically he is a democrat, and fraternally stands high in Masonry, belonging to Ottawa lodge, No. 325, Ottawa chapter, No. 115 and Putnam council, No. 89. He is also promi- nently identified with the I. O. O. F., and the Pythian order, in the deliberations of which he takes an active interest. Mr. Zeller was married December 17, 1890, to Miss Ella H. Musser, daughter of Henry and Lila (Hagen- baugh) Musser. Mrs. Zeller was born at Os- borne, Greene county, Ohio, September 17, 1865, and is the mother of one child, Ann T. Zeller, who was born September 19, 1891.
B EV. CHRISTIAN ZINNERLY was born in Putnam county, Ohio, Oc- tober 6, 1841, and is still a resident of his native township of Riley. He is the youngest of three children born to John and Anna (Burner) Zinnerly, both natives. of Alsace, France. The father came to America in 1831, and to Ohio in the same year, tarry- ing in Wayne county until about 1834, when he came to Putnam county and entered the land on which our subject now lives. The father, although a cripple, was very industnons; he was a weaver by trade, and filled in his
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spare time in making wooden rakes and forks. After entering his land he began improving it, and after his marriage, which event did not take place until he was fifty years of age, he found in his wife a faithful and valuable help- mate. The three children born to this union are Peter, a farmer of Allen county, Ohio; John, of the same county and following the same calling, and Christian, our subject. Mr. Zinnerly died June 21, 1855, his wife surviving until March 23, 1894.
Mrs. Anna (Burner) Zinnerly, mother of our' subject, was a daughter of Nicholas Burner, who served as a soldier in the armies of the great Napoleon and died in France. His wife, Margaret, subsequently came to America and settled in Wayne county, Ohio, her family consisting of herself and three daughters .- Catherine, Mary and Anna. Of these Cathe- rine was first married to a Mr. Sutter, by whom she became the mother of seven chil- dren, and after his death she married A. Luga- bill, to whom she has borne one child, Magda- lena. Mrs. Margaret Burner ended her days in peace in Wayne county, highly respected by all who knew her.
Rev. Christian Zimmerly, whose name opens this biography, was tanght the rudiments of English ni the old log school-house of his dis- trict and was reared to endure the severe train- ing of farin life on the old homestead. At the death of his father, as above related, he be- came the chief aid and reliance of his mother and virtually had charge of the farm in the interest of his mother, and her children until he himself bought the right of the heirs and became sole proprietor of the place.
While still a single man, Mr. Zinnerly taught school for a number of years, giving instruction in both German and English. After his mar- nage, of which further mention will be made further on, he connuenced preaching, in 1876, in the Swiss Mennonite church, having that
year been ordained a preacher, and in 1888 was ordained an elder. Since 1872 he has had charge of various flocks and is now a bishop, his diocese comprising two churches, with three ministers and an attendance of over 1,000 communicants, supplemented with well attended Sabbath-schools. The marriage of our subject was solemnized May 26, 18;0, with Miss Mary Welty, who was born in Putnam county, Ohio, November 20, 1849. The father of this lady, John Welty, was born at Berne, Switzerland, was there married to Mary Ann Garber, and then came to America, buying, a few years later, the farm on which he still lives, in Riley township, Putnam county, Ohio. He has reared a family of twelve children, viz: Frederick, John N., Abraham, Fannie, Chris- tian, David, Mary, John, Amos, Peter, Sanmel, and Anna. The mother of this fannly died September 29, 1892, aged seventy-forr years; the father still survives, at the age of seventy- eight, and, with the children that still surround him, is a faithful member of the Monnonite church.
The union of Rev. Mr. Zimmerly and wife has been blessed with the following children: Sarah, born April 1, 1871, wife f Levi Oberly, a farmer; Caroline. born July 10, 1872; Mary A., March 20, 1874; John, De- cember 15, 1875; David, September 25, 1877; Anna, May 26, 1880; Lavina, July 18, 1882; Paulina, August 31, 1884; Arden Christian, December 5, 1886; Leonard Milton, March 6, 1889, and Homer C., September 20, 1891. Mr. Zinnerly has been very successful in his ministerial career and has brought, through his eloquence and fervid exhortations and lucid explanation of the doctrines of his church, many within its fold, who would still. were it not for him, be as lost sheep in the wilderness, and his efforts have been fully appreciated, not only by his immediate adherents, but by the public at large.
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