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 1 > Part 62
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After being mustered out of the service Mr. Wilch returned to Findlay, Ohio, and re- sumed his trade. He there married, January 25, 1866, Miss Annie Fleyge, who was of German parentage, and to this union have been born two children -Ida and Frederick. In 1872, Mr. Wilch removed to Bluffton, where he still makes his home. He and wife are constant members of the German Lutheran church, of which he has served as a member of the council four years; he is a member of Robert Hamilton post, No. 262, G. A. R., in in which he has held the office of vice-com- mander. He is a man of unflinching integrity and is greatly honored, not only for his splen- did military record, but for his usefulness as a citizen.
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OF ALLEN COUNTY.
P RANCIS H. WINEGARDNER, the junior partner in the firm of Hesser & Winegardner, of Harrod, Allen county, Ohio, of which further de- tails will be found in the sketch of Lucian E. Hesser, on another page, was born in Marion county, Iowa, August 23, 1862.
George W. Winegardner, father of our sub- ject, was born in Muskingumn county, Ohio, May 10, 1837, was a farmer, and married Mar- garet Ann Patterson, daughter of Samuel Pat- terson, a farmer of Marion county, Iowa, the marriage resulting in the birth of the following children: Emma R., wife of William Davis; Francis H., our subject; Mary M., wife of J. B. Andrews; and Clara D., wife of Thomas Drury. . George W. Winegardner was a young inan when he first became identified with the farmning interests of Marion county, Iowa, where he later married and where he resided a number of years; there, also, he lost his first wife, the mother of the above-named children. In 1872 he married Mary J. Myers, daughter of David Myers, of Auglaize county, Ohio, this union being favored by the birth of one son-John D. In 1875 Mr. Winegardner re- linquished his Iowa interests, returned to Ohio, and bought a farm of eighty acres in Wayne township, Auglaize county, on which he made his home until his death, October 20, 1892. He had been very popular as a democrat in Iowa, where for a number of years he held the office of justice of the peace, and, although equally popular in Auglaize county, he never there aspired to political preferment.
Francis H. Winegardner was reared on the home farm until twenty-two years of age, re- ceiving a good common-school education in the meanwhile. At the age mentioned he be- came identified with the village of Harrod, his present place of residence. During the first eight years after locating here, he was in the employ of his uncle, S. T. Winegardner, in a
saw-mill and planing-mill, learning, at the same time, the trade of carpenter under his relative's instruction. He was careful of his earnings, and in 1892 bought his half-interest in his present business, in conjunction with a wood-working shop and a modern blacksmith- room, with a buggy-trimming shop above. They handle buggies, wagons, carts, and all other kinds of vehicles, and do all kinds of re- pairing pertaining to this line of trade, and sometimes contract for the building of a special kind of buggy or other class of vehicle re- quired for some purpose outside of the usual demand. Their undertaking outfit is of a su- perior order, and they are well prepared to fill all orders in the line when called upon.
Mr. Winegardner owns and occupies .: neat modern village residence, and all he owns is the result of his own industry. He was mar- ried March 6, 1892, to Sydney C. Murray, daughter of Michael and Catherine Murray- the former an agriculturist of Hamilton county, lowa, and the latter deceased. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Winegardner has been blessed with two children-Lelah R. and the baby, deceased. Mrs. Winegarden is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and is faithful in her observance of its teachings. In politics Mr. Winegardner is a democrat, and fraternally he is a member of the Sager lodge, No. 513, F. & A. M., of La Fayette, Ohio. As a busi- ness man Mr. Winegardner is recognized as one of the brightest of his years in Auglaize township, and his social standing is with the best in the community.
ICHAEL J. YOAKIM, a progressive farmer of Jackson township, Allen county, Ohio, was born in Knox county, July 8, 1830, and is of re- mote German extraction. Michael Yoakim, grandfather of our subject, was born in Vir-
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ginia of an old colonial family, was married in that state and was one of the early pioneers of Knox county, Ohio, when the county was in its primitive condition, and the forest filled with game and Indians. He was commissioned a captain in the militia, served in several Indian wars, and his family, on more than one oc- casion, were compelled to desert their cabin and seek the protection of the block-house for shelter from the savage foe. He died in Knox county, Ohio.
Michael Yoakim, Jr., father of our subject, was born in Virginia in 1803. He was a young man when he came to Ohio with his parents, reached his majority among the pioneers, and there married Sarah Bird, who was born in Pennsylvania, January 28, 1809, a daughter of Burtis and Jemima (Fullerton) Bird, to winch union were born the following children: Jacob (deceased), Michael J. (our subject), Sarah (deceased), Whitefield, Allen, Charles, and Millie (deceased). After marriage Mr. Yoakim lived on his farin of forty acres, in Knox county, for a few years, and then, in 1839, came to Allen county and settled in Jackson township, then a land of forests and swamps, filled with deer, turkeys and a few bears. He entered a tract of 326 acres, and eventually became a leading farmer and an in- fluential citizen. He lost his wife in 1872; she died a member of the Methodist church, a truly christian and noble woman, who en- deavored to rear her children to become an honor to the family name; the death of Mr. Yoakim took place in 1883, a self-made man and an honored and venerated gentleman.
Michael J. Yoakim, whose name opens this biography, was reared on his father's farm. He received his primary schooling in a private elass before free schools were introduced, and has lived to see the township transformed from a wilderness into one broad expanse of waving grain. When he first came here there were
hardly any roads, the cabins of his neighbors were widely scattered, and markets at a great distance from his pioneer home. But he has done his share in making the township the prosperous and happy land it now is, and is duly honored and respected for the immense amount of labor he has performed and the many hardships he has undergone. His present farm comprises ninety acres, is improved with a good house and barn, and is under a high state of cultivation, comparing favorably with any farm of like dimensions in the township.
Mr. Yoakim first married Miss Clarissa Millican, daughter of Thomas B. and Eliza- beth (Moore) Millican, and to this union was born one child-Stanton E., who conducts a hack line in Lima, Ohio. The mother of this child died a devout Methodist -- a sad loss to her husband and son and a large circle of de- voted friends. The second marriage of Mr. Yoakim was with Miss Mary E. Bowers, who was born March 10, 1840, a daughter of Will- iam P. and Amy (McClain) Bowers, and the children that have blessed the union were born in the following order. Almond (deccased), Alford (deceased), Clarissa, Margaret, William, Arthur, Eve, Lulu and Mabel. William P. Bowers, the father of Mrs. Yoakim, was born in Richland county, Ohio, August 29, 1810, and his wife was born in the same county, July 17, 1814, of Irish descent. They were married in Richland county, September 11, IS32, came to Allen county in 1841, and set- tled in Monroe township (then in Putnam county). Their children were born in the fol- lowing order: Annie, William, Henry H. (de- ceased), Sarah, Mary E , Elizbeth, and Sol- omon F. S. The mother of this family having died March 28, 1846, Mr. Bowers married . Sarah A. Fuller, November 4, 1846, this union resulting in the birth of Eliza I. (deceased), and Abel. The mother died July 12, 1452, and the father January . 1891 both worthy
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OF ALLEN COUNTY.
members of the Methodist church. William H. H. Bowers was killed on the field of battle during the late Civil war, and his brother, Solomon F. S., was mortally wounded dur- ing the same conflict. Jeremiah Bowers, grandfather of Mrs. Yoakim, was a soldier of the war of 1812, was an early settler of Rich- land county, Ohio, married a Miss Pool for his first wife, and for his second Margaret Walker, both dying in that county, respected and hon- ored by all who knew them. Than the Yoakim family none ever stood higher in, nor deserved, the respect of the residents of Jackson town- ship, and the farm of Mr. Yoakim to-day stands as a monument in commemoration of his early pioneer labor and more recent industry as a true husbandman.
DAM YOUNGPETER, an enterpris- ing farmer, now of Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is a native of the Buckeye state, and was born in Seneca county July 11, 1847, of sterling old German parentage.
Hubert Youngpeter, father of our subject, was born in Belgium, one of the oldest mon- archies of Europe, and there married Anna M. Peter. To this union were born in the old country four children-an infant, deceased; Michael ( first ); John, who died in our Civil war, and Nicholas, who was killed by a falling tree after coming to America. In 1847 Hu- bert, with his small family, sought a home in the republic of the United States, and after his arrival here there were born to him and wife the following children: Annie, Adam, Susan, Thomas, Michael (second ), and Mar- garet-all of whom lived to reach maturity, but of whom three are only living-Adam, Thomas and Margaret. Mr. Youngpeter first settled in Seneca county, Ohio, where he bought a small farin of twelve acres, on which
he lived until September, 1861, when he came to Allen county and settled on an eightv-acre tract in the woods at Landeck, and was one of the first of the Landeck settlers to clear up a farm. He became prosperous and reared his family to respectability, dying at the advanced age of seventy-two years. Mr. Youngpeter was an ardent Catholic, was very liberal in his aid to the church, and was one of the fore- most in contributing to the erection of the Catholic house of worship at Landeck, and, indeed, was one of its founders. In politics he was a democrat, but was loyal to his adopted country, and yielded to its defense, as will have been seen, his son John, who died in hospital after three months of brave and faith- ful military service.
Adam Youngpeter was born eleven days af- ter the arrival of his parents in Seneca county, Ohio. His educational advantages were lim- ited, but he succeeded in gleaning a fair stock of information in the frontier school of his na- tive township. He was early inured to the hard work incident to the clearing up of a forest farm, and at the age of fifteen years came with his parents to Marion township, Allen county, where there was but little cessa- tion of this class of labor until he had reached his majority, if then.
July 3, 1871, Mr. Youngpeter was joined in the bonds of matrimony with Miss Lonisa Frend, daughter of Michael and Beatrice ( Lutz) Frend-parents of two children, Charles and Louisa. Mr. Frend is a pioneer of' Spencer township, Allen county, Ohio, coming from Elsass, now a province of Ger- many. He owns 160 acres of land in Spencer township, and, owning such a farm. in so favorable a locality, is necessarily wealthy. He and family are devout members of the Catholic church at Landeck. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Youngpeter settled upon and went to housekeeping on the old Youngpeter
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estate, and here have been born their nine children-John, who died at the age of sixteen years, Hubert, Edward, Annie C., Emma, and others, who died in infancy. This homestead he had purchased, being now the sole owner, and has placed it in a fine state of cultivation, and so improved that it compares most favor- ably with any other in the township. In ad- dition, Mr. Youngpeter is now in partnership with Peter Wagner in operating a threshing machine. In politics Mr. Youngpeter is a democrat; in religion he and family are Catho- lics, and few stand higher in the respect of the community, than he.
MOS YOUNG .- With only limited experience in any field of activity or thought, or with considerable expe- rience in a narrow field, it is difficult to become a man of broad and catholic views; but with much experience in many fields it is natural to acquire a broad-minded and gener- ous character and disposition. This consum- mation, so devoutly to be desired, it may be truthfully said has been attained by the subject of this memoir, Amos Young, at present treas- urer of Allen county. He is a native of Fair- field county, Ohio, was born June 25, 1843, and is therefore only in the prime of his life. Under natural conditions of health and fortune he has many years of usefulness yet to live. He is a son of John H. and Sarah (Meyers) Young, the former of whom was a native of Berks county, Pa., where he attained his majority, and where he received his educational training. There, also, he learned the wagon- maker's trade, which he pursued in that coun- ty until 1815, when he removed to Fairfield county, Ohio, locating in Clear Creek town- ship. In his new home he followed his trade of wagon-maker until his death, which oc- curred December 25, 1843, just six months
after the birth of our subject. His marriage took place, in Berks county, to Miss Sarah Meyers, who was also a native of the same county, and was a daughter of George N. Meyers, a native of the great state of Pennsyl- vania, and a farmer by occupation. To the marriage of Mr. Young and Miss Meyers there were born twelve children, viz: David, of Fairfield county, a farmer; John, Elizabeth, Samuel, Emanuel, Isaac, Lydia, Sarah, the last seven having died; Sylvanus, a wagon- maker and blacksmith of Fairfield county; Susanna, deceased; Silas, a farmer of Pick- away county, and Amos, the subject of this brief sketch. The parents of these twelve children were members of the Dutch Reform church, and Mr. Young was himself a demo- crat. At the time of his death he loft an estate of eighty acres of land, to which his widow, by careful management added! con- siderable sums of money, until, when she came to die, which was in 1878, she had besides the eighty acres of land left by her husband at his death, $6,000 in money. This is sufficient evidence of her economy and financial ability. Her remains were laid to rest in the Fairfield county cemetery.
Amos Young was reared to manhood on the old homestead in Fairfield county His education was such as was then afforded by the common schools of his youth, and he re- mained with his mother until he was twenty- one years of age, when he married and settled in the county named, where he was engaged in farming until 1867. At this time he removed to Allen county, and located in German town- ship, where he purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he devoted himself to agriculture until 1888. In October of that year he became superintendent of the Allen county infirmary, which position he held four years and a half. Then, accepting the nomination by the demo- cratic party of the county for treasurer, he was
Amos Gonna
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OF. ALLEN COUNTY.
elected by a majority over his republican op- ponent of 833, and took possession of the office in November, 1892. He was again nominated for the same office in 1893, and was elected, the second time, by a majority of 700. These two successive elections sufficiently in- dicate the confidence which is reposed in him by the people of Allen county. Since taking the office of county treasurer he has also had charge of the treasury of the city of Lima.
Amos Young was married in April, 1864, in Allen county, to Miss Rebecca Crites, a native of that county and a daughter of Charles and Sophia (Ludwig) Crites, mention of whom is made at some length elsewhere in this volume. To their marriage there were born two chil- dren, viz: Aurelia, deceased, and Malinda, wife of William Roush, a commercial traveler of Lima, Ohio. After the death of the mother of these children (in August, 1868,) Mr. Young married Catherine Pfeifer, November 29, 1874 This lady is a native of German township, Allen county, was born March 29, 1843, and is a daughter of Nicholas and Eve Pfeifer. Mr. Young, by his second marriage, is the father of two children, viz: Oscar N., of Lima, and Lela Mabel, who is living at home. Mr. Young and his wife are members of the Lutheran church, and he is one of the trustees of the church to which they belong. Frater- nally he is a member of lodge No. 91, K. of P., and of uniform rank, Agamemnon division, No. 11, of Lima. He if also a member of the society of Elks. Politically he is a democrat, as has been before intimated by his election to effice by that party. Mr. Young owns three lots in West Lima, his residence property, and, beside, 100 acres of land, all of which he has acquired by his own industry and good manage- ment. In the office of county treasurer Mr. Young has for deputy Mr. Henry Blosser, and for an assistant, Miss Mary Borst. Beside the office he now fills so acceptably to the general 22
public, Mr. Young served six years as town- ship clerk, previous to his taking the position of superintendent of the county infirmary. He was also appraiser of land and realty of Ger- man township in 1880.
ATEMAN ZOLL, mayor of Bluffton, and one of the most prominent cit- izens of Allen county, was born in Eagle township, Hancock county, Ohio, and is of sturdy Pennsylvania-Dutch an- cestry. His grandfather, Jacob Zoll, was born in Pennsylvania, and was a prominent pioneer of Hancock county, Ohio, settling there in the very earliest times. Previously, however, he had been one of the first settlers of Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio.
Joshua Zoll, the father of the subject. was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, and removed to Hancock county, with his father, when a boy. He married Mary a Cogley, daughter of Samuel Cogley, a blacksmith and farmer of Hancock county. Joshua Zoll was a carpen- ter by trade and a farmer. His children by his first wife were as follows: Bateman, Ma- tilda C., Eli, Amanda J., Sallie J., and John C. His wife died in 1869, at the age of forty- eight years. She was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal church, a sincere chris- tian woman, and possessed of many virtues. Mr. Zoll was next married to Sarah Bartoon in 1873, and by this marriage he had three children, viz: Clark, Cora and Lydia. Mr. Zoll is still living in Hancock county, and is hale and hearty. He has always been an in- dustrious man and an honored citizen.
Bateman Zoll, the subject of this sketch, was born October 11, 1845, was reared a fariner, received a good common-school edu- cation for his day, and also learned the car- penter's trade. He was first married October II, 1869, to Miss Matilda Christ, who was
متجرير
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
born in Hancock county, and is a daughter of Simon and Mary E. (Rinehart) Christ. To Mr. and Mrs. Zoll there were born three chil- dren, viz: Minnie E., Lawrence H., and Virtue E. Mrs. Zoll died in Hancock county; in 1875, a member of the Evangelica! church. Mr. Zoll married, a second time, September 16, 1877, in Hancock county, Miss Letitia E. Thompson, who was born in 1851, and was a daughter of Isaac and Louisa (Mckinley) Thompson. Isaac Thompson was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1827, and was the son of David and Eliza (McCoy) Thompson. David Thompson, the grandfather of Mrs. Zoll, was from either Trumbull or Columbiana county, Ohio, and was the son of one of the pioneers, also named Isaac Thompson, who married Miss Lovell. David settled after the birth of his fourth child, as a pioneer in Orange township, Hancock county. and was one of the first three or four there. His death occurred in 1853, when he was fifty-one years of age. Politically he was a democrat, and was one of the most prominent men of his day in his township. The first election in that township was held at his house, and he held the office of township clerk, later of township treasurer, and most of the other offices in the township at different times. His children was as follows: Matilda, Isaac, Alfred, Elizabeth, Hiram, David, Simon P., Thomas, Mary E., and Hawkins L. Two of his sons were in the Civil war, viz: David and Thomas. The former enlisted in the Fifty-first Ohio volun- teer infantry for one year, and was taken pris- oner in his first battle. He afterward enlisted in another regiment. Thomas was in the Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry, and was wounded twice, once in the side, and the sec- ond time in the back by a spent ball.
Mr. Thompson, by his own industry and thrift, cleared his farm from the wilderness, and accumulated other lands, to the total
acreage of 980 acres. giving to each of his children a fine farm, and retaining for himself a farn of 160 acres. Isaac, his son, and the father of Mrs. Zoll, was born in Stark county, Ohio, and removed with his father to Han- cock county, when he was but five years of age. His calling was that of a farmer, and he settled on eighty acres of land in the woods, which he cleared to a sufficient extent to have plenty of land for cultivation. By his own industry and good management he prospered, and at length owned a farm of 280 acres of fine land, much of which he has given to his children. but has retained enough for a fine farm for himself. He married Miss Louisa McKinley, daughter of David and Elizabeth (Hull) Mckinley. The Mckinleys are Ohio pioneers, and of the same stock came the recent governor of Ohio, William Mckinley. The grandfather of Mrs. Louisa (Mckinley) Thompson lived to be 104 years old, . "] the grandfather of Mr. Isaac Thompson lived to be 106 years old. When he was ninety years old he walked from Stark county to Hancock county, to make a visit to some of his relatives -a somewhat remarkable feat for a gentleman of his greatly advanced age.
Isaac Thompson and wife were the parents of six chidren, all of whom are living, as fol- lows: Letitia E., Mary J., Freeman F., Julia A., Willie H., and Chester E. Mrs. Thomp- son died December 30, 1887. She was a member of the Church of Christ, and in every way a good and worthy woman. Mr. Thomp- son was a democrat, and was a highly esteemed and honored citizen. He was one of the town- ship officials for years, holding at different times all the offices. He was a man of high character and was noted for l'is excellent judg- ment and general information. He was a man whom all the people trusted, and he drew up for them all their legal papers.
Mr. and Mrs. Bateman Zoll removed to
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OF ALLEN COUNTY.
Findlay, Ohio, where he for a short time fol- lowed his trade as a contractor. In 1892 they removed to Bluffton, their present residence. In 1885 Mr. Zoll purchased a farm within four miles of that city, and in 1892, when he moved to Bluffton, he purchased a pleasant home, in which he now resides. Politically Mr. Zoll is a democrat. He was elected to the of mayor of Bluffton in 1894 for two years, and fills the office to the general satis- faction of the people. He had also served the people in office in Hancock county, having been elected there to the office of justice of the peace, and was township trustee and also assessor four terins by election and two terms by appointment. He also served as a member of the board of education. He is now a mem- v ber of the Equitable Aid Union, an insurance society.
Mr. Zoll was a soldier in the Civil war, enlisting in Eagle township, Hancock county, county, and was sworn into the service at Lima, Ohio, February 16, 1865, as a member of company H, One Hundred and Ninety- second Ohio volunteer infantry, to serve for one year. He was honorably discharged at Winchester, Va., in September, 1865. His services were rendered in the Shenandoah val- ley, and he was in several skirmishes, but not in any severe battles. His duty was, however, performed promptly and cheerfully. Mr. and Mrs. Zoll are members of the Disciples' church, and they are among the most highly respected members of society. They have many warm and true friends, who take great pleasure in associating with them in their pleasant home in Bluffton. He is a man of most honorable character as a citizen of true worth, in every way being a self-made man. He is a member of Robert Hamilton post, No. 262, G. A. R., and has hekl the office of commander in that organization, made up of none but true sol- diers, honorably discharged.
J 'OHN C. CRONLEY .-- In the general conduct of life, as well as in special professions, such as those of the law, medicine, etc., intelligence and hon- esty, as is ever apparent to the observing, are essential to the highest success. The life of Mr. Cronley, surveyor of Allen county, Ohio, at the present time is one of the many illustra- tions of this fact, which is a pleasant duty on the part of the publishers to record.
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