USA > Ohio > Crawford County > A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio > Part 42
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
James Madison Dickson, of this biography, passed his boyhood days on his father's farm and attended the common schools, and at the age of twenty- one years assumed the management of the home farm. He first cultivated it on shares, but after his father's death he was made administrator. When the estate was finally settled our subject purchased one hundred and seventy acres, which included the residence and the farm buildings, but in 1892 he removed to Tiro and rented his farm, although he still retains its management. During this same year the Tiro Building & Loan Association was formed and Mr. Dickson became the treasurer for two years, later the president, serving in that capacity ever since. In the spring of 1899 .A. C. Robinson, who was the presi-
47 I
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
dent of the Bank of Tiro, died, and Mr. Dickson purchased his interest and later was made the president of this reliable and substantial institution.
For many years Mr. Dickson has been a prominent politician, a leader in the Democratic party, and in 1893 he was made a member of the central committee of the township, and in the spring of 1901 he was elected township treasurer, entering upon his duties in September of the current year. He was a charter member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592, K. of P., and was the representative to the grand lodge both in 1899 and 1900, has passed all of the chairs in the order and at present is keeper of record and seals, serving for three years. Mr. Dickson is well known not only in this community but also through the county, and his social, political and business prominence makes him a thoroughly rep- resentative citizen of Crawford county.
SAMUEL GEE.
Samuel Gee was formerly express agent at Crestline, but is now living a retired life. A brilliant example of the self-made American citizen and an excellent exemplification of the progress that an ambitious foreigner can make in this country of unbounded opportunity is shown in the case of Samuel Gee, one of the leading English-American residents of Ohio. His increasing suc- cess is due to his own energy and the high ideals which his lofty and laudable ambition places before him. Success in any walk of life is an indication of earnest endeavor and persevering effort, -- characteristics that Mr. Gee pos- sesses in an eminent degree.
He was born in Nottinghamshire, England, July 21, 1816, and his ances- tors for many generations had been farming people of that country. His father, Samuel Gee, was a native of the same locality and was an agriculturist by occupation. In 1843 he came to America, taking up his ahode in Townsend, Ohio, where he followed farming for a short time. He was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, however, for death soon came to him and he passed away at the age of fifty-five years. His wife bore the maiden name of Hannah Willoughby, and was born in a parish adjoining her husband's birthplace. After his death she was again married, and removed to Michigan, where she died about 1855. By her first marriage she had two sons and two daugh- ters, but the latter died in early childhood. The sons are: Samuel and Peter, the latter being a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, a moulder by trade. He is eight years his brother's junior.
Samuel Gee, who was the eldest of the children, was reared and educated
472
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
in the place of his nativity, pursuing his studies mostly in a private school. He gave his attention to mastering the principles of English learning through the winter months and in the summer season assisted his father in the work of the farm. He and Queen Victoria were about the same age, and Mr. Gee saw the lovely English monarch many times, both prior to her coronation and after her marriage to Prince Albert. He witnessed the celebration there in honor of George IV, William IV and Queen Victoria in 1837. He was twenty- one years of age when she was crowned. He has lived during the reign of three English kings and one queen, as has his wife.
Mr. Gee was married in England, June 22, 1842, to Miss Mary Ann Rad- mall, who was born in Nottinghamshire, England, August 21, 1816, and there spent the days of her girlhood, acquiring her education in that locality. She was the eldest daughter in her father's family. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Gee located in Sheffield, England. He had been educated for the ministry and there engaged in preaching as a representative of the Methodist church, devoting his life to that work until 1845, when he came to America. His first appointment in this country was to the church in Youngstown, Ohio, where he remained for two years. He afterward spent one year as pastor of the church in Portsmouth, Ohio, then going to Brownsville, Licking county, Ohio, where he remained six years. On the expiration of that period he went to Tiffin, Ohio, where he continued for four years, serving also as pastor of the church at Fostoria during a part of the time. He then came to Crestline and secured a situation with the American Express Company, in which he continued from 1860 until 1893, covering a period of thirty-three years in the service of that corporation, at which time the company retired him upon a pension.
Mr. and Mrs. Gee became the parents of six children : William H., who died at the age of five years ; Samuel W., who is assistant manager of the Lake Huron steamboat lines : William A., who for many years has been a traveling salesman and is now living in Cleveland, Ohio; Lauretta, wife of Isaac B. Carlisle, of Buffalo, New York, where he is engaged in manufacturing ; Cyn- thia E., deceased; Frank B., who for twelve years was train dispatcher for the Big Four Railroad Company, on the Cleveland and Columbus division, and is now with the C. L. & W. Railroad.
Mr. and Mrs. Gee are living in quiet retirement in their home in Crestline, Ohio, having traveled life's journey together for fifty-nine years; during which time their mutual love and confidence have increased as they have shared to- gether the joys and sorrows, the adversity and prosperity which checker the lives of all. It is supposed that he was with the American Express Company
473
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
longer than any other employe, for he entered its service only ten years after the organization of the company. He has taken considerable interest in local affairs, and for some time was a member of the school board. Mr. Gee lias now reached the very venerable age of eighty-five years. He can look back over the past without regret and forward to the future without fear, for his has been a useful, honorable and upright life, true to his duties to his fellow inen1.
LUDWIG DURR.
Ludwig Durr was born in Chatfield township, June 7, 1845, a son of Henry and Cathirine ( Green ) Durr. In his early youth he attended the com- mon schools, and at the age of sixteen he began working for Adam Klink. receiving eight dollars per month in compensation for his services. He was thus employed for two years, and at the age of eighteen he began operating his father's threshing machine and also ran a wood-saw until his marriage. since which time he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits. He re- moved to Sandusky township, where he rented land for two years and then went to Chatfield township, where he also operated a rented farm for two years. On the expiration of that period he bought ninety acres of land in Chatfield township and afterward purchased two additional tracts of fifty and eighty acres respectively. In 1883 he removed to the farm upon which he now resides-a tract of one hundred and sixty acres in Lykens township. He also owns another farm of one hundred and eight acres, his landed possessions amounting altogether to two hundred and sixty-six acres. He carried on gen- eral farming and stock-raising until 1900, but is now practically living a re- tired life, the active work of the farm being performed by others, while he is enjoying a well-merited rest.
In the year 1869 Mr. Durr was united in marriage to Miss Mary Brown, a daughter of Caleb Brown, and they became the parents of four children : Eliza, the wife of William Fick, of Lykens township; Katie, who married Jacob Kellar, of the same township; and two who died in infancy. The eldest daugliter was a music teacher and Katie engaged in teaching school. Mr. and Mrs. Durr took into their home in 18744 John Baumgardner, of Columbus, who remained at their home until the age of twenty-one, when he began the manufacturing of tiles. They also reared Alpha Bardner, who resided with them between the ages of six and seventeen years.
In his political views Mr. Durr is a Democrat, and keeps well informed on
474
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the issues of the day, thus being able to support his position by intelligent argument. For two years he served as assessor. Starting out in life empty- handed at the age of sixteen years. he has been the architect of his own fortunes and has builded wisely and well, acquiring through determined and honorable effort a comfortable competence.
JOHN P. SHECKLER.
John P. Sheckler, who is the subject of this sketch, has been a life-long resident of a state which has become one of the most prominent in the great union of states, born in Richland county, on March 3, 1829. His parents were John and Rachel (Pettit) Sheckler, pioneers of the county and for a number of years among the most highly esteemed residents.
John Sheckler was born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, in Novem- ber, 1790, and he was a son of Frederick and Catherine ( Monroe) Sheckler. He grew to manhood in his native place and in 1812 made a trip to Ohio, where settlement was being made. However, after looking over the unsettled country, he returned to his home until the spring of 1819, when he returned to Ohio and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land in Auburn township, and this same farm is now the property of our subject. Two years later he returned to establish a home on this land, building a log cabin in the great woods, and soon after he brought his wife thither. At this time game was abundant in this locality, and, as Mr. Sheckler was a fine hunter. the larder was well supplied with venison and other game. In this pioneer home eight children were born, the four survivors being: Thomas, a farmer of Whitley county, Indiana; John P., the subject of this sketch ; George, of Whitley county : and Christina, the wife of William Willett, of Richland county, Ohio. When his eldest daughter was about thirteen years of age Mr. Sheckler was bereaved of his faithful wife, a blow from which he never recovered. This capable young daughter took charge of the housekeeping and cared for her father until his death, on August 15, 1859. In early life he voted with the Democratic party, but later he became a Republican, and he was a consistent member of the Baptist church, having lived a worthy and upright life.
John P. Sheckler is a worthy representative of this honorable and honest man. His early life was passed among pioneer surroundings and his educa- tion was acquired in the log school house of those days, with its puncheon floor and slab benches. When he was twenty-three years old, with his brother George, he began farming, on shares, and for two years the brothers managed
475
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the farm; then our subject decided to see something of the outside world, and made a trip to Indiana. For one year he worked as a farm hand in Whitley county, but decided to return to his heritage in Ohio, and there, with his brother George, again carried on farming operations. After the death of his father our subject purchased fifty acres of the home farm, and also a tract of sixty-two acres, which was desirable, as it lay immediately across the highway from his land. The owner, a Mr. Carlisle, was willing to dispose of it, and thus our subject soon had a farm of one hundred and twelve acres. In 1899 our subject's brother James and his two sisters died, and our subject then bought the remainder of the farm, making his holdings two hundred and twenty-two acres.
In 1862 Mr. Sheckler was married to Miss Lenora Ashley, who was born in Crawford county, a daughter of Ebenezer Ashley, who was a native of the state of New York and was one of the early settlers of Crawford county. Three children were born to our subject and wife, viz .: Mary, single, at home ; Blanche, the wife of D. F. Grove, of this township; and one who died young.
In politics Mr. Sheckler is an active Republican and takes a deep interest in the success of his party. For many years he has been a leading member of the Baptist church, in which he is a deacon, and he is fraternally connected with the Auburn Grange, No. 956, and the Patrons of Husbandry. Probably no man in the township is more highly esteemed. He is one of the leading farmers and a thoroughly good citizen, interested in every movement for the advancement of the various enterprises which promise to be of benefit to his neighborhood.
JAMES MORROW, SR.
James Morrow, a leading and representative citizen of Crawford county, owns and operates a fine farm in Auburn township. He is a native 'son of this township, his birth having occurred on the 30th of April, 1844, a son of James and Margaret (Ake) Morrow. At the early age of sixteen years our subject began operating on shares the old home farm, which was entered from the government by his grandfather, there continuing to make his home until the time of his marriage, which occurred on the 17th of December. 1868, Miss Mary E. Cory becoming his wife. She is a daughter of Thomas and Esther G. (Brown) Cory. In the following spring Mr. Morrow located on seventy- four acres of his father's farm, which he operated for one year, when his pres-
476
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ent home farm of one hundred and sixty acres was deeded to him by his father and he took up his abode upon his new possession. For the past fifteen or twenty years, however, he has rented most of his land, and, being a natural mechanic, has devoted much of his time to the work in his shop, where he does all kinds of wood and iron work. When he located upon his present farm it was covered with the native timber, with the exception of twenty acres which had been partially cleared and improved, and their first residence was a primi- tive log cabin which had been built by a former owner. Mr. Morrow, however, immediately began the arduous labor of clearing and developing his land. and although the task was a stern and hard one, he succeeded in placing his fields under a fine state of cultivation and made all other necessary improvements. His present commodious and comfortable residence was erected in 1871, and in the following year his large barn was built.
Mr. and Mrs. Morrow have had no children of their own, but they have an adopted daughter, Bernice C., whom they have reared from the age of two years. J. B. Finney, now a young man of nineteen years, has also found a pleasant home with this worthy couple for the past eight years. He is a bright and promising student in telegraphy in the Pennsylvania Railroad office in Tiro, Ohio, and expects soon to enter the employ of that company. In his political affiliations Mr. Morrow is a Democrat, and on that ticket he was elected for one term as land appraiser, and has also held many other minor offices, including those of supervisor and school director. He is uniformly honored and esteemed, and his record is one which reflects credit upon himself and does honor to the commonwealth in whose progress and welfare he is so deeply concerned.
GEORGE O. BLAIR, M. D.
Although Tiro, Ohio, is fond of boasting of its desirable location and its healthful breezes, it welcomes among its citizens a physician who comes with good credentials, who displays the requisites which go toward making not only an addition to the professional circles but also to those of society and business. Among those who have found a congenial home and an encouraging and in- creasing practice in this prosperous town is Dr. George O. Blair, who has been a resident since 1896.
The birth of Dr. Blair was in Cardington, Morrow county, Ohio, on February 12, 1865, and he was a son of James and Amy (Carr) Blair, who were the parents of eight children, the seven survivors being: Eva, who is the
477
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
widow of Zenas Worthington, of Cardington, Ohio; Mary and Robert, who are at home; George O., the subject of this sketch; Addie, the wife of George Crane, of Columbus; Amy, the wife of Roy Quay, of Iberia; and Kate, with her sister in Columbus.
James Blair was born in Richland county, Ohio, in 1816, and grew to maturity there, acquiring but a limited education. In his young manhood he read medicine for a short time, but circumstances caused him to give up the study and he devoted his time thereafter to farming. After leaving home he remained a short time in Knox county, Ohio, and then went to Morrow county, where he married Miss Ensign and had a family of six children, the three sur- vivors being: Alex, of Cardington, Ohio; Daniel, of Mansfield. Ohio; and Anna, the wife of James Duncan, of Chicago, Illinois After the death of the mother of these children Mr. Blair married our subject's mother, who. still survives. When he left his parents' roof it was as a poor boy, but his life. was one of energy and industry, and he left to his family, at his death, a fine, well-improved farm of one hundred and three acres, securing to his wife a com- fortable competency. In political life he advocated the principles of the Re- publican party, and was prominently identified with the Masonic order. Mr. Blair was very successful in both his farming and stock-raising, and possessed excellent judgment in regard to real estate.
The mother of our subject was born in 1837, and she was a daughter of Daniel Carr, both parents belonging to old New England stock. During her childhood she was bereft of her mother, and she was reared by a family of the name of Robinson, of Knox county, and grew into a most estimable woman, respected and valued in the Presbyterian church and beloved by her old neigh- bors, among whom she still resides, on the old farm at Iberia.
Dr. Blair was reared in a pleasant home and acquired the foundations of his education in the common schools. Later he became a student at the Ohio Central College and at Muskingum College, at New Concord, Ohio, and after passing a most satisfactory examination, prepared to teach school. Perhaps, however, he inherited from his honored father the inclination toward the medi- cal profession, which had been subdued in the latter, and instead of becoming a pedagogue he entered upon a course of medical reading in the office of Dr. W. C. Bennett, at Iberia. After one year of study, on September 15, 1889, he entered the Starling Medical College, of Columbus, where he attended lec- tures during that and the following winter, again entering Dr. Bennett's office,. returning to the college during the winter of 1891-2, in March, 1892, entering
478
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the Kentucky Medical College, at Louisville, at which he graduated with honor, on June 20, 1892.
Upon his return to Iberia, Dr. Blair entered into practice in association with his former preceptor, and remained with him until the following January, when he located in Louisville. Ohio, where he opened an office and for three years enjoyed a lucrative practice. In April, 1896, Dr. Blair decided to make Tiro his home, and since that time he has built up a growing practice and has won the esteem and confidence of the whole community.
The marriage of Dr. Blair was on March 28, 1894, to Miss Pearl Macin- tosh, a native of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and who is a daughter of George Macintosh,, who was a prominent lumber dealer of Williamsport, Pennsyl- vania. To our subject and his estimable wife one child has been born .- Mary Gladys, on February 9, 1895.
Dr. Blair is a member of Tiro Lodge, No. 592. K. of P., and also of the American Medical Society. He is still a student, for, like the leading members of his noble profession, he is not willing to allow any modern specific for dis- ease or new method of treatment to escape his notice. Outside of his pro- fessional duties the Doctor has proven himself a useful and desirable member of both social and business circles.
GEORGE W. HOOD.
George W. Hood, who through many years has been an engineer in the service of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, and makes his home at Crestline, was born in Carroll county, Maryland, June 7, 1837. His father, Thomas Hood, was a native of the same locality, born in 1809, and there he carried on agricultural pursuits throughout his active business career, making his home in his native county until his death, which occurred in 1895, when he had attained the ripe old age of eighty-six years. In his early political affiliations he was a Whig and voted for Henry Clay, and later he joined the ranks of the Republican party. He married Catherine Grimes, who was born in 1807 and spent her early life in Carroll county, Maryland.
George W. Hood was the fourth in order of birth in a family of nine children born unto this worthy couple, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of George W. Hood and his youngest brother. He acquired his education in the common schools of his native county, and in early boyhood began work on his father's farm, assisting in the cultivation of the fields until eighteen years of age, when, not wishing to follow the plow throughout his
479-
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
entire life, he determined to enter the railway service, and therefore he secured a position as brakeman on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, and was afterward promoted to engineer on that line in 1859, acting in that capacity until 1862, when he entered the service of the Northern Central Railroad Company, which is now part of the Pennsylvania system. He has continued with the road from that time to the present, and is, therefore, one of its oldest representatives. His first run was from Baltimore to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He then went to Pittsburg, and has been running between Pittsburg and Crestline from 1862 until the present time. For thirty years he has been a passenger engineer, and during that time has been in only two small wrecks, one being a head-end collision, which occurred June 2, 1864, between Salem and Lattona. At that time he was carrying a train load of mules for the government and the train was checked in time to avoid any serious damage, not one being injured. The other collision was with a freight train that was trying to clear the track for him but failed to get the engine off the main track. when Mr. Hood's engine struck the freight and he sustained a broken arm. With these two exceptions, however, he has never had any accidents, and is known for his watchful care and close attention to duty.
Mr. Hood has been twice married. In .1870 he wedded Lucy Ann Gray, and after her death he was again married. in 1893, his second union being with Effie E. Grim, who was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, in 1863. They now have one daughter, Georgia M .. who was born in Crestline, February II, 1897. Mr. Hood is a Republican in his political affiliations, and has never failed to cast his vote at the presidential elections since 1860, when with his first ballot he supported Abraham Lincoln. He holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church and is a very courteous gentleman, of even tem- perament, agreeable manners and kindly nature.
SAMUEL LUDWIG.
Samuel Ludwig was a son of Michael and Sarah ( Hanks) Ludwig, and the latter was descended from a family of English Quakers, or Friends. The first representative of the name in America crossed the Atlantic just after the edict of Nantes was revoked and took up their abode in Pennsylvania. Michael Ludwig died in early manhood, leaving a family of six children. His widow afterward became the wife of Nicholas Yocom, a wealthy farmer of Berks county, Pennsylvania, whose sons, Nicholas and Moses, became the larg .. est iron masters in east Pennsylvania. Samuel Ludwig and his half-brothers.
480
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
performed almost all of the work upon his stepfather's farm of four hundred acres, yet through industry and close application he acquired a good education, his intellectual training being largely directed by his mother, a lady of superior education and intelligence. After his marriage Samuel Ludwig removed to Reading, Pennsylvania, and became an active factor in the manufacturing in- terests of that city. He conducted a wagon and plow factory for twenty-three years, carrying on business on an extensive scale and amassing a fortune. He had the ability to formulate his plans readily and was determined in their exe- cution. His business judgment was rarely at fault and he seldom made a mis- take in even the slightest detail. He was a man of strong individuality, and one of his most marked characteristics was his great thirst for knowledge. His leisure hours were almost entirely given to reading, and he thus mastered to a marked degree subjects on chemistry, geology, natural philosophy and history, and his information on those subjects was only surpassed by professors in such lines. He was often offered positions of public trust, and his fellow townsmen greatly desired that he should represent them in the state legislature. but he preferred the quiet of his home and of his study to the turmoil of public life, and passed his most pleasant hours in the companionship of his books. In 1831 he visited Bucyrus and purchased one hundred acres of land adjoining the town on the east. He then returned home, and the same year brought his family to Crawford county. In 1832 he purchased an additional tract of eighty acres, bordering the east corporation limits of the city, and thereon he made his home for thirty-eight years. In 1840 the father was the owner of three thousand acres of land in Crawford, Seneca and Sandusky counties, Ohio, and was one of the richest men in this portion of the state. In 1849, at the age of sixty-two years, he successfully piloted a party of young men to California, then the scene of great mining excitement, and after seeing them landed on the Pacific coast in the Golden state he returned by steamer to New Orleans and then home to Ohio.
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.