USA > Ohio > Crawford County > A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio > Part 31
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Mr. Smith has made Crestline his home since 1861. the year in which he entered the railway service. He is a Republican in politics and carried Major Mckinley in his caboose from Alliance to Canton when the Major was gov- ernor of this state. Mr. Smith tells how the president took his razor and shaved himself when the train was running at twenty miles an hour. Mr. Smith is a member of the Volunteer Relief Association and the Order of Rail- way Conductors. In all of his long and varied experience on the road he has never had a collision. He has run on one caboose for twenty-one years and is still in charge. He is most painstaking and reliable in the performance of his duties and enjoys the unqualified confidence and trust of his superiors. All who know him entertain for him high regard, for he possesses many excellent characteristics and is truly worthy of the friendship and esteem of his fellow men1.
PHILIP SCHULER.
Philip Schuler, who is a well-known representative of various reliable insurance companies and is regarded as one of the enterprising citizens of Galion, was born in Kenzingen, Baden, Germany, in 1853. his parents being Philip and Mary Anna ( Vogt) Schüler. The father was born in Ebringen, near Freiburg, Baden, in 1809, and the mother's birth occurred in Dorsenheim, near Heidelberg, in 1821. Their eldest son, William Schüler, is now a pro- fessor in the University of Bavaria. Another son, Edward Schüler, is a prominent railroad official in Carlsruhe in Baden. Mannheim, Baden, is the residence of Carl Schüler, a third brother, who is a manager in the transporta- tion department of foreign shipping for that district. Emil is in Saratow,
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Russia, where he is extensively engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements and motors and has a large plant there, employing two hundred men. At a former date he was a civil engineer on a Russian railroad. One of the brothers, Gustave Schüler, was engaged in the brewing business in Chicago, Illinois, and died in 1874, leaving a widow, Mrs. Johanna Schüler. One of the daughters of the family, Anna, became the wife of Carl Schreiber, of Donaueschingen, Baden, where he is engaged in the confectionery business. Louisa is the wife of R. F. Kleeman, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin ; and Rosa is the wife of Fred Amann, a grocer of Galion, Ohio. The parents of this family have both passed away, the father having died in 1882, at the age of seventy-three years, while the mother's death occurred in 1898, when she was seventy-eight years of age.
Mr. Schuler, whose name introduces this record, attended the schools of the fatherland until thirteen years of age and then crossed the Atlantic to America, where he continued his education for two years. On the expiration of that period he went to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was engaged in the confectionery business, and in 1873 he came to Galion, being then a young man of twenty years. Here he conducted a hotel until 1877, when he opened a grocery store, carrying on that enterprise until 1893, when he became agent for several well-known and reliable life, fire and accident insurance com- panies. As a representative of those firms he is now carrying on business, an- nually writing many policies. He has also been quite prominent in public affairs and his worth and ability have frequently led to his selection for office. in 1883 he was elected to the council of Galion, and was president of the coun- cil from 1885 until 1887. In the latter year he was elected to the state legis- lature, where he served his district so acceptably that he was re-elected in 1889. He was one of the active working members of the house, laboring earnestly to secure the passage of those measures and bills which were intro- duced and which he believed would prove of benefit to the commonwealth. He himself introduced several important measures and left the impress of his individuality upon the state during the term of his service. At the present time he is a member of the Galion city board of equalization. He still takes an active interest in politics and is heartily in sympathy with Democratic prin- ciples, believing that they contain the best elements of good government.
In Galion Mr. Schuler was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Amann, a daughter of George Amann, a retired farmer living in Galion. They now have seven children: R. F. is the manager and a stockholder in the Emil Schüler Manufacturing Company, of Saratow, Russia. In the spring of
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1901 R. F. bought out the Emil Schüler Manufacturing Company. He ac- quired his education in Galion and there learned the machinist's trade. In October. 1900, he married Eliza Ehrt. The second son, H. R. Schüler, was educated in Galion, is now a law student in Leyton University and acting as clerk in the census department at Washington, D. C. W. J. is employed as a machinist by the Erie Railroad Company at Galion. Laura, Estella, Marie and Catherine, the daughters of the family, are all at home. Mr. Schuler and his family are communicants of the German Catholic church and he belongs to the Catholic Knights of Ohio and the Catholic Knights of America, being presi- dent of the Galion branch of the latter.
HENRY LEIMENSTOLL.
Competence comes to the industrious and thrifty, and there is no element in the American nation in which these traits are more conspicuous than the German. Among the highly esteemed citizens of Holmes township, of Ger- man birth, is Henry Leimenstoll, who was born in Baden, Germany, on Feb- ruary 21, 1831, a son of Christian and Catherine (Silmen) Leimenstoll. There were two children of his parents, but our subject is the only survivor. The birth of Christian Leimenstoll was in Baden, Germany, in 1800, and he was there taught the trade of shoemaker. In Germany he married, and there both of his children were born. Abont 1834 he emigrated to America with his family, the hope of a more comfortable life, with its compensations, urging the breaking of old ties. No loitering was done in New York City, the family coming immediately to Sandusky, Ohio. There the mother and children re- mained for six weeks, while Mr. Leimenstoll looked for a suitable location.
With his brother-in-law, George Silmen, who came in the same vessel, he finally bought a farm of sixty acres, on the site of Scudder's Station, and here they lived until the following spring, when he sold his interest to Mr. Silmen and came on into Crawford county. He located one and one-fourth miles southeast of Chatfield, in Chatfield township, where he purchased forty acres of land, and here he built a hewed-log house in the forest. Rude and rough it was, but in it was the comfort of a home. In subsequent years he purchased a farm of eighty acres some four miles southwest of his home farm, but continued to make his home on his pioneer land until his death, in his sixty-fourth year. The mother survived until December 29, 1887, and died in her eighty-ninth year. Mr. Leimenstoll was a consistent member of a re- ligious body, and was an industrious and worthy man.
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Henry Leimenstoll passed his boyhood and youth on the farm, always finding something to do and cheerfully performing the duties which fell upon him, as the only boy of the family. On January 28, 1858, he was united in marriage with Sophia Linn, a native of Holmes township, the daughter of William and Sophia ( Veivle) Linn.
After marriage the young couple settled down to domestic life on the home farm, and the parents lived with them until they passed out of life. In 1866 Henry purchased his present home farm of one hundred and twenty acres, and exchanged the old parental home farm for the eighty acres located across the road from the new purchase. Later he bought forty acres and now owns two hundred and forty acres, on each side of the road, some of the best farm- ing land in the county. Fourteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Leimen- stoll, and twelve of these survive, viz .: Mary A., the wife of Henry Geiss- man, of Cranberry township, this county; Christian, of Whetstone township; Sophia, the wife of Charles Geissman, of Chatfield township; John and Jacob, of this township; Sarah, the wife of Wesley Krauter, of Liberty township; and Anna, Lydia, Daniel, Reuben. Martha and Louisa, all at home. The deceased children, Caroline and Catherine, died in childhood. Like his fa- ther, he inclines toward the Democratic party in politics. He is a member of the Pietist church, and is one of the thoroughly trusted and esteemed citi- zens of this section of the county.
HIRAM E. SMITH.
Hiram E. Smith, the subject of this sketch, was born in Erie county, Ohio, on the 21st day of February, 1866. His parents were Welding E. Smith and Charlotte (AAshton) Smith. On the paternal side we find his an- cestors on one side expelled from north France on account of religious differ- ences among the people at that time, and emigrating to America in the year 1743 and settling in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. On the other side his father's ancestors were English. They settled in and around Norwalk and Derby, Connecticut, early in the country's history. Here we find them fighting Indians and later doing good service against the British during the war for independence. On the maternal side his ancestors were all English. His grandparents, Thomas Ashton and Mary ( Edgar) Ashton, emigrated to this country as children from England with their parents early in the nineteenth century and settled in Huron county, Ohio. On both sides his ancestors were prosperous and enterprising people.
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In the spring of 1866 his parents removed to Monroeville, Ohio, where his father engaged in the manufacture of agricultural implements. At the age of six he entered the public school at Monroeville, graduating from that insti- tution in the spring of 1885. After teaching school for two years he decided to try his fortune in the west, and on the 4th of July, 1887, landed at Oberlin, Decatur county, Kansas. During the following September he settled on a quarter section of government land, when there was no house within sight of his. The wolves and coyotes were plentiful and made the nights hideous around his sod house. Antelopes were seen occasionally, and jack rabbits were common. Here he lived alone, boarded himself and taught school, riding from fifteen to twenty miles daily to and from school. During that winter the thermometer registered lower than twenty-seven degress below zero, Fahr., for six straight weeks. During the following March he proved up on his claim, and by paying one dollar and a quarter per acre received a government patent for one hundred and sixty acres of land.
In October, 1889, he returned to Ohio and went into business with his brother at Monroeville, Ohio, manufacturing bent wood and hardwood lumber. Here he remained until May, 1893, when he came to Galion, Crawford county, Ohio, bought out the stockholders of the Weaver Bending Company, manufac- turers of bent felloes, spokes and hardwood lumber, and has successfully carried on the above business for the past eight years.
On the 14th day of June, 1894. he was united in marriage to Miss Harriet G. Fish, daughter of George S. and Frances ( Buckingham) Fish, of Mon- roeville, Ohio. Two children bless the union, a boy and a girl, Walter and Dorothy.
He is a Republican in politics, a member of the Episcopal church, a thirty- second degree Mason and an upright, honorable and respected citizen.
MAJOR EDMUND ROBERTS KEARSLEY.
The history of a state, as well as that of a nation, is chiefly the chronicle of the lives and deeds of those who have conferred honor and dignity upon society. The world judges the character of a community by that of its repre- sentative citizens, and yields its tribute of admiration and respect for the genius, learning or virtues of those whose works and actions constitute the record of a state's prosperity and pride ; and it is in their character, as exem- plified in probity and benevolence, kindly virtues and integrity in the affairs of life, are ever affording worthy examples for emulation and valuable lessons
THE JERRY EN-19
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of incentive. Major E. Roberts Kearsley was long recognized as one of the most distinguished and honored citizens of Bucyrus and Crawford county, and maintaining deep interest in the affairs of life until called away in death, He led a long, honorable and useful career, which was an aid and inspiration to which occurred February 21, 1901, at the advanced age of eighty-five years. his fellow men and well worthy of emulation.
Fortunate is the man who has back of him an ancestry honorable and distinguished, and to be praised is he who has cast his lines of life in harmony therewith. In person, in character and in talents Major Edmund Roberts Kearsley was a a worthy scion of his race. Though his life was one rather of modest reserve thian of ambitious self-seeking, he was a peer of many of the most prominent men in the state, and in his adopted county he was a lead- ing figure in promoting the interests calculated to advance the material, in- tellectual and moral advancement of the community.
Major Kearsley was a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Harrisburg, on the 18th of May, 1816, his parents being Jonathan and Margaret ( Hetich) Kearsley. His mother died in 1821 and he then went to live with his grandfather, Samuel Kearsley, at Paxton, Pennsylvania. The latter had served as a captain in the Revolutionary war, under the immediate command of General Washington, of whom he was a great favorite, and in the possession of our subject's family is a sword, which was worn by Wash- ington at General Braddock's defeat, in 1755. It is a three-edged flint rapier. on which is engraved :
"Draw me not without reason ; Sheathe me not without honor."
At Valley Forge, during the war of the Revolution, while the American soldiers were suffering for food and clothing during the severe and memorable winter there, Captain Kearsley and his wife presented the troops with all the Hour and meat they could possibly spare from their own larder. Washington was deeply touched by this and ordered the troops paraded at headquarters. and, calling Captain Kearsley from the ranks, personally thanked him, com- mended his past bravery and his late generous act, and unbuckling the sword which he wore, presented it to the Captain. This weapon passed into the possession of Major Kearsley and was highly prized by him.
Jonathan Kearsley, the father of our subject, was born in Middletown, Pennsylvania, August 20. 1786, and at the age of twenty-five was graduated in Washington College, now Washington and Jefferson College, of Wash-
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ington, Pennsylvania. He was a man of superior intellectual attainments and for a time was professor of languages in his alma mater. In the war of 1812 he served as a captain, becoming a member of the staff of General Win- field Scott and participated in the engagements around Lake Erie. August 20, 1814. he was commissioned assistant adjutant general, with the rank of major. The loss of a leg caused his retirement in September, 1814. He was appointed, in 1817, collector of inland revenues in Pennsylvania, holding the position until 1820, when he went to Detroit as receiver of public moneys and as a member of the land board, serving in those capacities until 1849, when he retired to private life. As a citizen he contributed in large measure to the improvement and upbuilding of Detroit and at one time filled the position of mayor. His name is inseparably connected with the history of the early de- velopment and progress of Detroit and he won for himself a high place in the esteem and regard of his fellow men.
Major Kearsley remained with his paternal grandfather at Paxton, Penn- sylvania, until 1825, when he joined his father in Detroit and there entered the public school, which in those days was held in the officers' quarters in- side the stockade. At recess the students extracted much amusement from climbing over the pickets. The Major also pursued his education in Utica, New York, and from 1829 until 1832 was a student in Kenyon College, Ohio. He then went to Detroit as assistant receiver in the Michigan land office, under his father. He was so efficient that Major John Biddle, register of the land office, requested his removal to his department and made him chief clerk, in which service the Major continued until 18440, when failing health caused his retirement. Believing that he would be benefited by outdoor life, he then took up his abode upon a farm of six hundred acres in Oakland county, Michi- gan, where he remained until 1847. His health being fully restored, he re- turned to Detroit and among other things superintended the construction of the Biddle house. Descended from military ancestry, he possessed the same spirit of loyalty and patriotism that prompted his grandfather's service in the war of the Revolution, and his father's aid in the war of 1812. He was active in organizing the Brady Guards and became captain of his company. The organization was named in honor of General Hugh Brady, commander of the United States forces, and General Scott pronounced the guards the best drilled company under his inspection. During the Canadian rebellion of 1837-8 the guards were called into active service, which continued a year and a half. The company was composed of the best young men of Detroit, and during the severe winter campaign in protecting the border their services were so thor-
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oughly performed and hardships so well borne as to elicit the highest praise from General Brady. Many years later this general, while driving in Detroit, was thrown from a carriage and sustained injuries from which he died. Major Kearsley, who in the meantime had left the city, on hearing of the General's death, returned, and, calling the old Brady Guards together again for the last time, now composed of the solid business men of the city, commanded then as a guard of honor in escorting the remains of the brave General to his last resting place in Elwood cemetery.
Major Kearsley was for many years secretary of the Detroit fire depart- ment and was also appointed quartermaster of the state. In that capacity he served with Captain U. S. Grant, then stationed in Detroit. He remembered the future president and brilliant military commander as a mild and unassum- ing officer. In his younger days Major Kearsley was a thorough sportsman and Crawford county, Ohio, was his favorite hunting ground. During those expeditions he formed many pleasant acquaintances in the then newly settled country about Bucyrus, and in 1851 he took up his residence in the city, en- tering the office of his uncle, Charles Hetich, who was then county treasurer. In 1852 the Major became deputy auditor under A. M. Jackson. The follow- ing year he was elected county auditor and was re-elected for a second term. At the end of that time he was nominated by both parties for a third term, a compliment never before or since conferred upon a single official in Craw- ford county. During his service in the office the court house and jail were erected. It is needless to say that he was most faithful and capable, as his re-elections indicate this. In 1861 Major Kearsley retired from office, but ever afterward retained an active interest in public affairs, often assisting county officials in the settlement of questions requiring a ripe experience. Through a long period he was a member of the board of education and did much to advance the interests of the schools. In 1862 he was appointed draft officer for this county, where the draft was somewhat bitterly opposed and ¡trouble was feared, but Major Kearsley took personal charge and the con- fidence of the people in his integrity quieted the bitter feeling. In later years much of his time was given to business interests in Detroit and elsewhere. Often he was called upon to preside at public meetings, which were held in the interests of the city and all improvements found in him a cordial supporter and generous contributor. In his quiet acts of Christian charity he had a faith- ful assistant in his wife and their acts of benevolence were many, yet per- formed in true unostentation. The Major was a veteran of the Kearsley Cadets, a well drilled company composed of the best young men of the
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county seat. The Bucyrus Memorial Library, to perpetuate the memory of the soldiers and sailors of the Civil war, received his moral and financial support, and it was largely through his instrumentality that the library was placed on a safe financial footing. It stands to-day among the last of his many suc- cessful acts for the benefit of the citizens.
On the 27th of June, 1857, Major Kearsley was united in marriage to Miss Martha C. Sweney, a daughter of the Hon. Geroge Sweney, a member of congress. They had one child, a daughter, who became the wife of Elmer L. White, and her only daughter is Margaret Sarah. Mrs. Kearsley died February 25, 1874, and on the 7th of September, 1875, Major Kearsley was again married, his second union being with Miss Susan I. Phillips, then of Geneseo, Illinois, but formerly of Bucyrus. He was connected with various fraternal and social organization. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and took great interest in its work. Prominent in Masonic circles, he was for several years master of Bucyrus Lodge and was a member of the chapter and commandery. He was also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and passed all the chairs of the subor- dinate lodge, and Kearsley Encampment, of Bucyrus, was named in his honor. A man of strong integrity and honesty of purpose, he despised all unworthy or questionable means to secure success in any undertaking or for any purpose, or to promote his own advancement in any direction, whether politically or otherwise. Not even the tongue of calumny ever uttered a word to the con- trary, nor did the malevolence of detraction dare to assail his private reputa- tion. He was an earnest and consistent Christian, a member of the Pres- byterian church, and of the same faith as were his father, grandfather and many generations before them. It is our duty to mark our appreciation of such a man-a man true in every relation of life, faithful to every trust, a citizen diligent in the service of his country and seeking only the public good.
NATHAN LUST.
Nathan Lust, who resides in Liberty township, was born in Lykens town- ship, on the 30th of September, 1861. His father, Frederick Lust, was a na- tive of Wurtemberg, Germany, born December 24, 1813, and during his childhood he came to America with his parents. After a short stay in Penn- sylvania the family removed to Marion county, Ohio, where the grandparents tock up their abode. and as the sons, Caleb, Conrad and Frederick, attained sufficient age and strength, they secured work on the Columbus & Sandusky
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turnpike. In this way they earned the capital which they later invested in land, each securing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres early in the '30s. Caleb, who was married, and Frederick Lust came to Crawford county with their household effects loaded in a wagon, and on reaching Chatfield township, they located on a farm in the forest. Caleb there entered one hundred and sixty acres of land and erected a cabin as quickly and as cheaply as possible. while Frederick Lust, who was preparing for the ministry, boarded with his brother and sister-in-law. He adopted the ministry as his life work and for thirty years engaged in preaching the gospel. Although he was not a member of any organized church, he gained many followers through his teachings. his wonderful personality and his clear presentation of the truths of Christianity, and erected what was known as the Lust church. In recent years the old house of worship was torn down and a substantial brick church was erected, which is still known by the old name. Rev. Lust was a man of wonderful memory, of strong mentality and of unquestioned fidelity to the principles in which he believed and which he taught. He labored among his fellow men for their own good and upbuilding of the cause and never sought remunera- tion for his work in the church. Some time after his arrival in Crawford county he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land of Robert Knott, who was the original settler of the place. The farm was located in Lykens township and there he resided up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1883. In his political views he was a Democrat and he gave his hearty co- operation to every movement or measure which he believed would prove of public benefit. In early manhood he married Miss Sophia Beal, who was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1821, a daughter of Michael and Sophia Beal, both of whom were natives of Germany, but became early settlers of Crawford county. Mrs. Lust passed away December 23, 1864, when our subject was only four years of age, and the father afterward mar- ried Miss Dorothy Gross, who still survives him, and is now the widow of Ernest Wilhelm. Unto the parents of Nathan Lust were born nine children, five of whom are yet living, namely: Lydia, the wife of Frederick Hieber, of Liberty township: Sophia, the widow of Martin Durr, of Chatfield town- ship: Louisa, wife of Charles Lindner, of Valparaiso, Indiana ; Emanuel, who is living in Holmes township; and Nathan.
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