USA > Ohio > Crawford County > A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio > Part 12
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81
As a further preparation for a home of his own Mr. Denzer secured as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Matilda McNeal, of Crawford county, their marriage being celebrated on the 13th of March, 1850. The lady was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, December 6, 1826,
I30
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and proved of great assistance to her husband in his work. After his mar- riage Mr. Denzer rented one farm for six years, and in the meantime he pur- chased thirty-eight acres of land. In 1863 he bought his present homestead -one of the best farms in the county, the purchase being made possible through the enterprise and energy of Mr. Denzer, who has labored consecin- tively and industriously, thus working his way upward to a position of affluence. For ten years he operated a sawmill, working the fields in the day time and running the mill by night and through the seasons in which he was not cultivating his crops. He thus prospered and became one of the exten- sive and representative farmers and stock-raisers of the county. He made many improvements on his place, adding thereto all the accessories and con- veniences of the model farm.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Denzer were born the following children : Mary L., Jennie, Andrew, Esther, Simon J., Anson J., Ella, Alexander, Maggie, Lewis I. and Electa V. Two died in childhood-Florence and an infant son. In rearing their children Mr. Denzer and his wife brought up a family of sons and daughters who are a credit to their name, being valued and influential citizens of the respective communities in which they make their homes. Mr. Denzer cast his first presidential vote for Martin Van Buren and since that time has been a stalwart Democrat in his political views. For several years he has loved a retired life, owing to impaired health, and well he deserves his rest for he has passed the eightieth milestone on life's journey and his honorable, active and useful career descerves to be crowned with a period of rest. He is respected by all who know him, and his acquaintance has been a wide one through his residence of more than six decades in the county, which he has seen developed from a wild region into a splendidly developed tract of country, which has become the abiding place of a contented and prosperous people.
LEWIS I. DENZER. 1
Lewis I. Denzer is one of the native sons of Crawford county and is widely known among its citizens, where his educational work and his personal characteristics have made him popular and respected. He is a son of Jacob Denzer, an honored pioneer, whose sketch appears above. His birth occurred May 12, 1867, on the old family homestead in Bucyrus township, where his fa- ther is still living. There our subject early became familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. He assisted in the cultiva- tion of the fields, the planting and harvesting of crops and in the winter season
I3I
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
he pursued his education in the common schools. His preliminary course was supplemented by study in the Ohio Normal University, at Ada. He has fol- lowed his chosen vocation with success and for several years has been widely known as one of the most competent and popular teachers in the county. He is a follower of the Democracy, earnest and enthusiastic in support of the principles of his party, and on its ticket he has been elected for the second time to the office of township assessor of Bucyrus township, in which position he discharges his duties with promptness and fidelity. He still resides on the old family homestead, which is endeared to him through the associations of youth as well as those of his manhood. He is a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. His acquaintance is extensive, his friends many, and among the young men of the county he holds a high place in public regard.
MRS. LOUISA MILLER.
Perhaps there is no more highly esteemed resident of Holmes township than the most estimable lady whose name introduces this sketch. Born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1825, she has lived a long life filled with worthy deeds and has exerted an influence for good through the com- munity. Her parents were Cyrus and Margaret (Warner) Hacker, both of whom were natives of Dauphin county who emigrated with their family to Ohio, in 1835. Father Hacker purchased eighty acres of land in Liberty township, and settled down to make a living for his family. The soil was fertile, but it required hard work to clear the land, and only a portion of it was ready for cultivation when his death occurred, in 1848, when he was but forty-seven years old. His widow was left with a family of seven children to rear, under circumstances which would have completely crushed many a woman ; but Mrs. Hacker was made of strong nerve, took up her burden, man- aged her farm, reared her children to be capable and self-supporting and self- respecting men and women, and in her later years found a peaceful home with one of her excellent daughters in Indiana.
Our subject grew up at her mother's side and was taught all the house- hold duties of the time, and the art of spinning and weaving she put into practice in later life, after marriage, when she wove all the cloth for family use, working frequently by firelight, and to those early efforts much of the success of Mr. Miller was due. In 1848 occurred the marriage of Louisa Hacker to Joseph Miller, and during the succeeding ten years he farmed for his father,
I32
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
on shares ; but in 1858 he came to Crawford county and purchased eighty acres of land, in Holmes township, where the present Miller residence is located. The years that followed were years of hard work, but diligence and persever- ance had their final reward. The land was unimproved, and for eleven years a pioneer log cabin was the family home. In 1867 Mr. Miller erected a sub- stantial barn and two years later one of the best residences in the township. As he prospered he added eighty adjoining acres to his farm on the south, eighty more on the north and fifty a short distance east of his home farm, making his farming lands comprise about two hundred and ninety acres. During all these years, while life for Mrs. Miller was at its busiest and most demanding stages, for she was rearing her son and assisting in every way possible the business interests of her husband, Mrs. Miller was making a happy home and becoming a beloved neighbor in the rapidly growing com- munity. Mr. Miller died on January 28, 1897. a man of sterling worth, with a name which was ever recognized as good as his bond, and one of the leading members of the United Brethren church which he had faithfully served as trus- tee, class-leader and Sunday-school superintendent for many years. His early education was neglected because of the demands made upon him when a child when he should have been at school.
Joseph Miller was born in Richland county. Ohio, September 16, 1816, a son of Israel and Rachina ( Kitch) Miller, the former of whom was a native of Pennsylvania, a blacksmith by trade, which he followed in connection with farming. His marriage was in his native state and there his three children were born ; but Joseph, who was the fourth child, was born in Richland county. Some time about 1816, Israel Miller removed to Richland county, Ohio, and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, in Franklin township, building upon it a cabin and making other improvements, residing upon it until 1860, when he sold this farm and removed into Todd township, Crawford county, where he bought a small place of forty acres, and had his children settled com- fortably around him. Here he remained a number of years, but late in life removed to Osceola and spent his last days in retirement, dying on April 30, 1872, at the age of eighty-three years and six months. The separation was too great a blow to his devoted wife, and twenty-four hours later she also passed away, at the age of seventy-six years.
During life Joseph Miller voted with the Democratic party, having been reared in that faith. Since his death Mrs. Miller has continued to reside on the farm, her son, Ceno P .. living with her and managing the estate witlt
I33
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ability. Many changes have taken place since this estimable lady first made this her home, and it is with satisfaction that she can look back and realize how much of the improvement is due to her own efforts.
CONRAD HASSEL.
The life of a man who gives his years and his energies to evangelical, educational and charitable work is always interesting and valuable as show- ing men what a fellow man has done for mankind. Rev. Conrad Hassel, one of the most prominent preachers and workers in the field of Christian charity, living at Galion, Ohio, was born two miles southeast of Sharon, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, January 26, 1863. When he was six years old his parents removed to a point two and a half miles southwest of Sharon, Trum- bull county, Ohio, where he passed his boyhood and received his early educa- tion in the district school near his home and at a night school taught in that neighborhood in which special attention was given to arithmetic. He was instructed in the German language at his home by his parents and attended several winter terms of a German night school at Sharon, where he devoted himself to German, grammar and writing. In his boyhood he became a mem- ber and regular attendant of the Reformed church at Sharon. For a number of years he taught a class in the Sunday-school of that church and was a regular attendant at another Sunday-school in that neighborhood, the sessions of which were held on Sunday afternoons. The superintendent of the Sun- day-school last mentioned had a happy faculty for simple narration of the deeds and sufferings of Christ, and his presentation of the Savior's career and mission was so effective that it powerfully impressed young Hassel, who has no recollection as to when he first conceived a desire to enter the ministry of the gospel. As long ago as he can remember, he felt such a desire. Even at the age of seven, while reading the simple narratives of the Bible, he was strongly impressed by the Gospels and the Acts to preach Christ and Him crucified.
At the age of twenty young Hassel entered Calvin College at Cleveland, Ohio, where under the competent direction of the Rev. H. J. Ruetenik, D. D., LL. D., he took a full collegiate course and won a gold medal which was offered as a prize to the student taking first rank in the German language. After graduating, with the degree of B. A., he took a seminary course at Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio, where he was graduated with the degree
134
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
of B. D., and seven years later his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of A. M.
Rev. Hassel's first pastorate was composed of the Reformed church at Ashland and a country congregation near West Point, Ohio. That pastorate continued for two years and nine months, during which time the membership, especially in the country church, was greatly improved, and in many ways it was crowned with the reward of blessed work well done. Having accepted a call from the First Reformed church of Galion, Ohio, Rev. Hassel entered upon his second pastorate April 1, 1891. The tenth anniversary of his con- nection with the Galion church was made the occasion of an interesting cele- bration. His church has a membership of over six hundred.
In addition to his work in the ministry Rev. Hassel has distinguished him- self in connection with the Crawford County Historical Society. He began historical researches local in character in 1893 which attracted so much at- tention and prompted so much interest in the matters in question that the so- ciety was duly organized May 18, 1896, with Conrad Hassel as president. In the same year a monument was erected by the society on the site of the Olentangy battle-field, where on June 6, 1782, Colonel Crawford's retreating army faced about and had a battle with the pursuing Indian warriors from Sandusky and Buttler's Rangers from Fort Detroit. Though hard pressed the Americans gained the victory. Rev. Hassel's familiarity with the open- ing of the Northwest Territory gave him intimate knowledge concerning its early settlement and the trials and successes of such pioneers as Boone and his contemporaries, as well as the subsequent brave pathfinders of the wilderness. Rev. Hassel has been president of the Heidelberg Classis, president of the Central Synod, delegate to the General Synod and treasurer of the Home Mission board and is at this time president of the board just mentioned.
Rev. Hassel married Lydia Forwick, of Vermillion, Ohio, August 26, 1889, and their union was blessed with six children,-three boys and three girls, named as follows: Frieda, Alma, Otto, Irene, Carl and Ira. Mrs. Hassel is a daughter of a well known minister of the Reformed church, now deceased.
JAMES B. GORMLY.
The unostentatious routine of private life, although of vast importance to the welfare of the community, has not figured to any great extent in the pages of history. But the names of men who have distinguished themselves
THE TERRY ENGLO. COLUMBUS,D.
I37
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
by the possession of those qualities of character which mainly contribute to the success of private life and to the public stability and who have enjoyed the respect and confidence of those around them should not be permitted to perish. Their example is more valuable to the majority of readers than that of heroes, statesmen and writers, as they furnish means of subsistence for the multitude whom they in their useful careers have employed.
Such are the thoughts that involuntarily come to our minds when we consider the life of him whose name initiates this sketch. He is one of the most prominent representatives of the banking interests of this section of Ohio. A man of sterling worth, his ability in business and reliable methods have won for the institution with which he is connected a foremost posi- tion in money circles.
Mr. Gormly was born in Bucyrus November 23, 1836, and is the eldest son of John A. Gorily, whose birth occurred in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, July 19, 1804. His paternal grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Gill) Gormly. The former was born in county Tyrone, Ireland, in 1776, and about 1790 crossed the Atlantic to the new world, locating in Pittsburg, where he entered the milling business. He wedded Elizabeth Gill. a daughter of John Gill, who was born in Scotland and took up his abode in the Key- stone state prior to the Revolutionary war. When the colonies attempted to throw off the yoke of British oppression he joined the army and valiantly assisted in obtaining independence. About 1830 John A. Gormly removed to Brownsville. Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the dry-goods business, and while residing there became a member of the Presbyterian church. In 1833 he was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Bowman, and in 1836 they came to Bucyrus, Ohio, where he conducted a small general store on Sandusky avenue, having purchased property there. By close attention to business and careful management on the part of himself and wife he became one of the wealthy men of the county. He judiciously invested a part of his capital in realty, becoming the owner of valuable city property and one thousand acres of rich farming land. In 1859 he turned his attention to the banking business, establishing the People's Deposit Bank, which he successfully con- ducted until 1864, when he organized the First National Bank of Bucyrus and was chosen its president. acting in that capacity until his death, which occurred May 8. 1878, when he was in his seventy-fifth year. To his man- agement, fair dealing and integrity the bank owes its high reputation, which has not been lessened under the management of his son, James B. Gormly, who is now president. In church work he always took an active interest,
I38
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
doing all in his power to promote the cause of Christianity. In 1838 he was elected a ruling elder in the Presbyterian church and in 1868 was made a lay delegate of the presbytery from Bellfontaine to the general assembly in Brooklyn, New York. His wife passed away prior to his death, being called to her final rest May 6, 1872. In their family were three children, James B .. George C. and Mary L., the daughter being the wife of the Rev. James G. D. Findley, of Newburg, New York.
Mr. Gormly, whose name introduces this record, pursued his education in the schools of Bueyrus until his seventeenth year, when he entered the store of his uncle, James P. Bowman, with whom he remained for a year. In 1856 he was graduated in Bartlett's Commercial College, of Cincinnati, and then entered the Exchange Bank, of Bucyrus, as teller and bookkeeper there, remaining until 1859. In that year he and his father organized and became sole proprietors of the People's Deposit Bank. which ceased to do business ou the organization in 1864 of the First National Bank, of which the father became president, while Mr. Gormly was made cashier, serving in that capacity until 1878, when he succeeded his father to the presidency. For almost a quarter of a century he has occupied the position, and the safe, con- servative policy which he has followed has annually increased the business transacted over the counters of that institution.
A man of splendid executive force, of keen discrimination and of splendid powers as an organizer, he has been an active factor in the control of many important business concerns in this section of the state. From 1871 until 1875 he was secretary and treasurer of the Ohio Central Railroad Company and was treasurer of the Crawford County Agricultural Association from 1867 until 1878. He was for several years the president of the Gas & Electric Light Company and is now president of the Bucyrus Water Works Company. Of the former he served as president until its sale in 1901. In 1893 he was made assignee of the estate of ex-Governor Foster, of Fostoria, Ohio, the business of which he has just brought to a conclusion. In connection with Colonel W. C. Lemert, he was one of the organizers of the Fry-Sheckler Company, now the American Clay Working Machinery Company, of which he was treasurer for several years. This is the largest enterprise of the kind in the world. In 1859 Mr. Gormly was united in marriage to Miss E. Virginia Swingly, a daughter of Dr. Frederick and Mary (Denman) Swingly. Their children are: Ella K., now the wife of F. S. Monnett, ex-attorney general of Ohio and now a resident of Columbus : Susie E., wife of W. H. Picking, a hardware merchant of Bucyrus; and James B. The
139
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
son was educated in the schools of Bucyrus, and in 1890 entered the First National Bank, where he is now acting as assistant cashier. The family is one of prominence in the community and attends services at the Presbyterian church, of which Mr. Gormly is an elder. In politics he is a Republican. There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect whichi is uniformally accorded him, and through more than a quarter of a century's connection with the business interests of Ohio his has been an unblemished character. With him success in life has been reached by his sterling qualities of mind and a heart true to every manly principle.
FREDERICK SWINGLY, M. D.
No representative of the medical fraternity in Crawford county has had a more extended patronage or a higher reputation in the line of his profession than Dr. Swingly, late of Bucyrus. He was born in Washington county, Maryland, November 22. 1809, and was a son of Leonard and Prudence (Brentlinger) Swingly. At the usual age he entered school and continued his studies in the schools of Hagerstown, Maryland, until eighteen years of age. Subsequently he determined to make the practice of medicine his life work and became a student in the office and under the direction of Dr. Russell, of Mt. Vernon. Ohio, who planned his reading until he matriculated in the Jefferson Medical College, of Philadelphia. In 1840 he was graduated in the Ohio Medical College, of Cincinnati, and immediately afterward began practice in Chesterville, Ohio, where he remained for seven years. Subsequently he spent one year in Mt. Gilead. His success in his profession was so pronounced that his reputation extended to surrounding counties and he became recognized as one of the leading members of the medical fraternity in this part of the state. In 1843 he came to Bucyrus, where he was already known by reputation, and at once secured a lucrative practice. The Doctor spent many years in his profession. His work was arduous, for the practice of medicine in those days involved long and dreary rides by day or night, in storm or sunshine, and he often had to make his way over almost impassable roads or through stretches of forest, but he never failed to respond to the call of the sick and suffering. Often times he knew that no pecuniary remuneration would be received, but his generous spirit and broad humani- tarianism prompted him to relieve those in need of professional service. On the 21st of June, 1836, Mr. Swingly was united in marriage to Miss Mary,
'140
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
daughter of Joseph and Mary (Trobridge) Denman, of Knox county, Ohio. Their children are: Edith V., now the wife of J. B. Gormly, a banker of Bucyrus; Ellen M., who for several years was principal of the schools of Bucyrus, and is now the wife of Major E. C. Moderwell, of Chicago, Illinois; John R .; Frederick; Mary D., wife of Colonel C. W. Fisher, of Bucyrus ; and Kate M., the wife of H. M. Fulton, also of Bucyrus. The mother of this family died February 28, 1874, and on the 5th of June, 1889, the Doctor was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Barbara Van Vorhees, widow of Isaac Van Vorhees, one of the early settlers of Crawford county.
Dr. Swingly passed away June 13, 1900, at the age of ninety-one years. His was a long, useful and honorable career, and his life history forms an integral part of the annals of Crawford county. Probably no man in the community was more widely known than this loved family physician in many a household. His work brought him into close contact with a large majority of citizens, and his sterling worth gained him very warm regard.
SYLVANUS CHARLES CHANEY.
A good name is a priceless legacy and one of which the children of an ordinary man should be more proud than the children of a great financier who had died and left millions smirched with dishonor. Sylvanus Charles Chaney, in his time one of the prominent citizens of Crawford county, Ohio, left such a priceless legacy to his descendants and to his children, property of considerable value which he won by hard work and honest dealing with his fellow men.
Sylvanus Charles Chaney was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, July 5, 1830, a son of Johnson and Mary ( Brooks) Chaney, who had six sons and two daughters, only two of whom-James Chaney of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Mary, who is the wife of Elija Moore, of Columbiana county, Ohio,- survive. His parents were both of Irish blood and his grandfather died when Johnson Chaney was only a lad, leaving his widow with a family of six chil- dren and without means adequate for their support. When our subject's father was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he began to work out by the month to assist in the maintenance of the family. After his brothers and sisters had become old enough to be self-supporting, he married and took up the career of a farmer in Columbiana county, Ohio, where he lived until his leath which occurred in 1875 at the advanced age of ninety-three years .
14I.
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Sylvanus Chaney was one of six brothers, five of whom, including himself, learned the carpenter's trade and one of whom became one of the most skill- ful workmen in his line in the country. After he finished his apprenticeship, he took up the work of his trade and in connection with farming he contin- ved it until the spring of 1860. In September, 1858, he had come to Crawford county for his bride, whom he took to Columbiana county where they lived about a year and a half. In the spring of 1860 he returned to Crawford county where he took up his residence and in connection with Eli Q. Lones, his brother-in-law, rented a farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres, which belonged to his father-in-law, which they worked together for three years under lease. At the expiration of that time, they bought the farm and owned it in partnership. Eli Q. Lones living in Mr. Chaney's family, until 1876, when Mr. Lones married and the property was divided and Mr. Chaney became owner of one hundred and fifty-six acres of the original farm. Later he pur- chased of the Lones heirs seventy acres of land, which is now the home of his son, Lambert. As a farmer he was thoroughly enterprising and his splendidly improved property and everything upon it afforded ample evidence of his thrift and of the excellence of his business management.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.