USA > Ohio > Crawford County > A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio > Part 9
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1884 he organized the W. A. Blicke Fire, Life & Accident Insurance Agency, which is still one of the leading insurance organizations in the county. He has been auditor of the People's Savings Loan & Building Company since its organization in 1889, and has capably controlled these various interests.
The marriage of Mr. Blicke was celebrated in 1889, Miss Antonia L. Mader, of Bucyrus, becoming his wife. The lady was a daughter of J. G. Mader, a director of the Bucyrus City Bank. She died in 1891, leaving one son, Frederick F., who is now in school. In 1901 Mr. Blicke married Nelle A. Hall, daughter of Joseph Hall, postmaster of Bucyrus. Mr. Blicke is connected with Demas Lodge, No. 108, K. P., and Bucyrus Lodge, No. 156, B. P. O. E., and of the latter is trustee. He also belongs to the German Lutheran church. In 1888 he was elected city clerk of Bucyrus and filled the position for a term of twelve years. His entire life has been passed in the city which is yet his home, and the fact that those who have known him from boyhood are numbered among his warmest friends is an indication of an up- right and honorable career. He has ever won the respect of his fellow men by his fidelity to duty and his worth as an individual is indicated by the warm esteem in which he is uniformaly held.
CHARLES LAKE.
The history of Charles Lake forms an integral part of the annals of Craw- ford county, for he has been engaged in the jewelry business in Bucyrus for fifty years and is one of the most successful and enterprising merchants of the city. His life has been an evidence of the fact that ambition, enterprise and diligence can cope with an adverse fate and ultimately reach the goal of prosperity. He arrived in Bucyrus in 1852, and since that time he has advanced steadily toward prosperity and is to-day accounted one of the pro- gressive, respected and well-to-do merchants of this portion of Ohio.
Mr. Lake was born April 20, 1838. in Chester, which was then the county seat of Meigs county, Ohio. His father, Joseph Lake, removed from Hartford, Connecticut, to the Buckeye state in 1800. He was then a young man desiring of improving his financial condition in the west. He secured a tract of land, cleared and improved it and developed it into a fine farm. He married Eliza Cassell, who was of Scotch descent and came to the Buckeye state from Hartford, Connecticut. Their son, Charles, was reared in the county of his nativity, pursued his education in the public schools there and learned the jeweler's trade in Cincinnati, Ohio. He came to Crawford county
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from the vicinity of Pomeroy, Meigs county. On arriving in Bucyrus he opened a jewelry store, and his close attention to business and honorable methods have enabled him to command a liberal share of the public patronage and therefore enjoys a large and constantly increasing trade and a good in- come. He carries a well selected stock of goods and his splendidly equipped store would be a credit to a city of much greater size than Bucyrus.
Mr. Lake was united in marriage to Miss Appalie Seiser, of Bucyrus, a daughter of William H. and Salome (Lozier) Seiser. The father came to Ohio from Germany with the Zoar colony. One daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Lake, Helen, who is now the wife of James Aylward, of Toledo, Ohio. They also lost a daughter, Fanny, and one son, Edwin, who died at the age of eight years. The mother was called to her final rest in December, 1890, at the age of forty-five years. In his political affiliations Mr. Lake is a Republican, earnestly advocating all measures of his party, believing that it contains the best element of good government. He is an attendant on the services of the Methodist Episcopal church and is a gentleman of scholarly attainments, his library being one of the important features of his pleasant home. From an early age his life has been one of ceaseless activity, and all that he has acquired is the reward of his own labors. He is a man of strong purpose and resolution and brooks no obstacles that can be overcome by deter- mined and honorable effort, and it is these laudable qualities that led to his success. He justly merits the high regard in which he is held and his example should serve as a source of encouragement to others.
DANIEL W. LOCKE.
Holding marked prestige among the prominent members of the Bucyrus bar is Daniel Wheeler Locke, who has been successfully engaged in the prac- tice of the legal profession since the Ist of October. 1879. There are few men whose lives are crowned with the honor and respect which is universally accorded him, and through twenty-one years' connection with the legal inter- ests of the county his has been an unblemished character. With him success in life has been reached by sterling qualities of mind and a heart true to every manly principle. In his varied business interests his reputation has been unassailable, and in offices of public trust he has displayed a loyalty that has classed liim among the valued citizens of the commonwealth. In the courts
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of his district he displays strong mentality and a power of argument that has won for him many notable forensic victories.
Daniel W. Locke was born in Bucyrus September 25, 1858, his parents being Daniel Wheeler and Martina ( Bodine) Locke. His paternal grand- parents were John and Ruth (Saxon) Locke. The former was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, June 10, 1752, and died March 31, 1834, in Choco- nut, Pennsylvania. He was one of fifty men who, disguised as Indians, threw the tea into the Boston harbor on the 16th of December, 1773, an act which has since become historic under the name of the Boston Tea Party. Opposed to the policy which Great Britain was pursuing toward her American colonies, he joined the Colonial army and was mustered into the service March 19, 1777, as a member of Captain Blodgett's Company and Colonel Enoch Poore's Regiment of New Hampshire troops. He marched with the company of Captain Melwich to the relief of Ticonderoga. In 1775 he had served as a minute man in Captain Parson's Company, and this proved an excellent training school for his later military service. In 1781 he was a member of a company commanded by Captain Thomas and attached to the New Hampshire Militia Regiment commanded by Colonel Renal. He was a loyal defender of the colonies, doing all in his power to secure independence for the republic.
Nathaniel Reed Locke, the grandfather of our subject, was born at Deer- field. Connecticut, in 1792, and after arriving at years of maturity he wedded Hester Ross, a daughter of Dr. William and Sophia ( Merceran) Ross. Her mother was a daughter of Joshua Merceran, who served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Washington on Long Island. Daniel Wheeler Locke, Sr., father of our subject, and a son of Nathaniel R. and Hester ( Ross) Locke, was born in New York and came to Crawford county, Ohio, when a young man about twenty years of age .. Here he joined his brother, David R. Locke, in the publication of the Bucyrus Journal. The latter went from Crawford county to Findlay, Ohio, and thence to Toledo. He became famous under the nom de plume of Petroleum V. Nasby, of the Kentucky Cross Roads. His first article written under this name was due to a remark of a German minister named Vail, who, while attending a funeral of a Union soldier at Wingerts Corners, in Crawford county, in his prayer asked God "to have mercy on another victim of this God-damned abolition war." This appeared to David Locke as very ridiculous in a minister of the gospel and inspired his first article on the slavery question. The preacher's name was Peter Vail,
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and Mr. Locke changed this to Petroleum Vail, adding the name of Nasby, which was that of a quaint, humorous and original character who lived near Benton, Crawford county, named Nasby Wilcox.
Daniel Wheeler Locke, the father of our subject, abandoned the journal- istic and printing business on account of trouble with his eyes, and then began dealing in stone. He died in Crawford county in 1858, at the age of twenty-eight years, from injuries sustained in a runaway. He had mar- ried Miss Martina Bodine, a daughter of Peter and Susan ( Ervin) Bodine. Her mother was a daughter of Peter Ervin, who served as a colonel in the Revolutionary war. The Bodines resided in Cayuga county, New York. Mr. Locke died very suddenly at a time when his wife was ill in bed. She was left with no patrimony and with three small children to support. She borrowed money at ten per cent. interest, purchasing a sewing machine, and- by doing work as a seamstress began to provide for the support of herself and her children, Daniel W. and Ross, the latter now in the newspaper business in Tiffin, Ohio. Another brother, Mathew Bodine Locke, the twin of our subject, had died in childhood. After a time Mrs. Locke had saved enough money to purchase a home for her little family. She gave to her children good educational advantages and did everything in her power for them. There was something heroic in the sacrifice which she made for her sons, putting aside every personal interest in order to provide for them and gain for them a good start in life. She is still living, at the age of sixty- nine years, and has the gratitude, respect and unbounded love of the two children for whom she cared and who have now attained to man's estate, being numbered among the respected citizens of the communities in which they reside.
Daniel W. Locke, whose name introduces this record, began to assist his mother as early as possible, and when only fourteen years of age engaged in teaching. He also sold books and did everything else he could in order to make an honest living. His preliminary education, acquired in the public schools, was supplemented by study in the high school of Bucyrus and in Wooster University. Desiring to engage in the practice of law. he began reading under the direction of the well known firm of Scott & Harris, of Bucyrus, and when he had mastered many of the principles of jurisprudence he passed an examination before the supreme court at Columbus and was admitted to the bar on the Ist of October, 1879. His success in a profes- sional way affords the best evidence of his capabilities in this line. He is a strong advocate before the jury and concise in his appeals to the courts.
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He is also remarkable for his wide research and the provident care with which he prepares his cases. In no instance has his reading ever been con- fined to the limitations of the questions at issue; it has gone beyond and compassed every contingency and provided not alone for the expected, but for the unexpected, which happens in the courts quite as frequently as out of them. His logical grasp of facts and principles and of the law applicable to them has been another potent element in his success ; and a remarkable clearness of expression, an adequate and precise diction, which enables him to trake others understand not only the salient points of his argument but his every fine gradation of meaning, may be accounted among his most con- spicuous gifts and accomplishments. He was one of the organizers of the Bucyrus Loan & Building Company, in February, 1887, and since that time has been its secretary.
In Bucyrus, in 1887, Mr. Locke was united in marriage to Miss Eva Kerr, a daughter of John Kerr and a granddaughter of Robert Kerr, who was one of the pioneers of Crawford county and one of the wealthiest men in this portion of Ohio. Her mother bore the maiden name of Alice Chambers, and in early life resided in Carey, Ohio. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Locke have been born two sons,-John George Gormley and Daniel Wayne. Mr. Locke is identified with the Knights of Pythias fraternity, has served as past chan- cellor in the local lodge and is now a representative to the grand lodge. In the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks he is serving as chaplain. is past chancellor in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and past councilor in the Junior Order of American Mechanics. He also belongs to the Inde- pendent Order of Foresters and to the Presbyterian church, and in the latter he is now serving as trustee. His political support has been given the Republican party and he is an enthusiastic advocate of its principles and policy. He does all in his power to promote its growth and success and has several times been honored with nominations for office. He was a candidate for congress in the thirteenth district in 1900, and, although the district has a Democratic majority of seven thousand, he made a strong race and suc- ceeded in largely reducing the vote given to the Democratic candidate. He is a man whose life experiences have been broad and varied, and as the years have passed he has learned the lessons of life and become imbued with humanitarian principles. His strong individuality, his generous sympathy and marked intellectuality have rendered him one of the honored and valued citizens of his native state, and his record now forms an important chapter in the history of Crawford county.
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WILLIAM H. HISE.
One of the most widely known and highly esteemed citizens of Liberty township, Crawford county, is William Hise, who for forty years was an eminent justice of the peace and for a period of four years the careful and efficient treasurer of Liberty township. By birth Mr. Hise is a Pennsylvanian, being born in York county, on July 25, 1818. His parents were John and Eve E. ( Kunckle) Hise, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, and the fathers of both were born in Hesse, Germany. They came to America as soldiers in the British army during the Revolutionary war and both the grand- fathers participated in one engagement, but after it was over both of them deserted from the British army, joined the troops under General Washington and continued their services in the Patriot army until the close of the struggle. Many of their Hessian acquaintances who were taken prisoners at the battle of Stillwater did likewise. After the close of the war, Mr. Hise and Mr. Kunekle made their way to York county, Pennsylvania, where they settled and turned their attention to farming, literally turning their swords into plough- shares. There both lived to advanced age.
This Hise, of Revolutionary fame, reared four sons, and one of them, John, became the father of our subject. He learned the trade of shoemaker, married in York county and then lived for a time in Adams county, coming to Crawford county, Ohio, in 1824. Here he entered eighty acres of land in Jefferson township, built his log cabin and established a shoe shop. His land was cleared by hired help, as he was able to earn enough by his trade to pay for having it done. Here he prospered until he removed to Bucyrus, in 1832, and to Circleville in 1836.
William H. Hise learned the shoe trade of his father and worked with him in Crawford county until the latter's removal. He then opened a shoe shop at Parcher's Corners, in 1844. The following year, on March 13, 1845, he was united in marriage to Miss Isabella Ridgely, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, who was born on July 15, 1818. She was a daughter of Wesley Ridgely, who came to Crawford county either in 1818 or 1819 and settled in Jefferson township. Later he sold his first farm and located on another two miles east of Bucyrus, and in 1844 removed to Cass county, Michigan, where he died in the following year.
Mr. and Mrs. Hise had seven children, the six survivors being: Sarah C., the widow of Nelson Smith, of Bucyrus, Ohio; John W., of this township; Andrew H., of Carrollton, Ohio; Samuel L., of this township; Nora B., the
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wife of O. E. DeWitt, of Bucyrus ; and Rebecca, at home. Mrs. Hise, the de- voted wife and mother, passed out of life on March 10, 1895.
Following his marriage Mr. Hise removed to Liberty township and bought an acre of land upon which was a house and shop and began work at his trade, which he followed industriously and continuously until about 1887, a period of nearly forty-two years. Then he gave up work and since that time has devoted his attention to the cultivation of his farm of eighty acres, which he purchased about 1865, and removed to this property in 1876, his sons managing the farm while he continued his work at his trade, which always was pressing.
Mr. Hise has been very active in Democratic circles in the county and has been held in such high esteem that his selection as township treasurer met with approval from both parties. Four years of service were faithfully given, and also several years as township trustee. For forty years his decisions as justice of the peace were upheld by the superior courts and he then declined to serve longer. Although Mr. Hise has reached his eighty-third year he is a man of much younger years in appearance, rides a bicycle with pleasure and during the past year not only seeded but cultivated seven acres of corn and seven of oats by his own labor! Through this section of the county no one is better or more favorably known than William H. Hise.
FRANK DICK.
Close application to business, aptitude for earnest labor and indefatigable enterprise have been the salient features in the success which has crowned the efforts of Frank Dick, the well known proprietor of the Dick Brewery and Artificial Ice Factory, of Bucyrus. He has carried on business here since July, 1889, his trade constantly increasing.
Mr. Dick was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, in the year 1861, but his parents were both natives of Baden, Germany, whence they crossed the At- lantic to the new world. Under the parental roof he was reared, and in early life he became associated in business with his father, who owned and operated a brewery in La Porte, Indiana. He was admitted to a partnership in the enterprise, but in 1889 he sold his interest and came to Bucyrus, establishing the brewery of which he has since been proprietor. In 1890 he erected a large brick and stone building, a model, and in connection with the brewery business added the manufacturing of artificial ice, and in both lines of business he has enjoyed a constantly increasing trade. He confines his sales to this section of
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Ohio, having a large patronage from surrounding towns. He gives close attention to his business affairs, allowing no outside interest to interfere with the duties that come to him in this relation. Each year he overhauls and equips his plants, which are supplied with the latest improved machinery and all modern conveniences and accessories. He now employs a large force of workmen, and he is familiar with his business in every detail. He per- sonally conducts all transactions with patrons and is in full control of the business, being acquainted with the work done in every department.
In 1893 Mr. Dick was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Aichner, of Chicago, Illinois, and they have a pleasant home in Bucyrus. He takes an active interest in political affairs as a supporter of Democratic principles, and does everything in his power to advance the growth and insure the success of the party. He has served as a member of the county and other committees and is a recognized leader in Democratic ranks. He belongs to the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks, but his time and attention are largely given to his business affairs, which are constantly growing in volume and importance, and are therefore annually augmenting his income.
AARON J. QUAINTANCE.
Aaron J. Quaintance is one of the highly esteemed and public-spirited men of Crawford county. His birth was in Holmes township, on March 4, 1834, a son of Joseph and Hannah ( Hale) Quaintance, and was one of a fam- ily of ten children, five of whom survive, namely: Aaron, of this sketch ; Samuel, of Todd township; Angeline, the wife of Edward Smith, of Todd township; Lucetta, the wife of Valentine Underwood, of Todd township; and Fisher, of Todd township. The father was born in the state of New York, a son of Samuel Quaintance, who came to Crawford county, at an early day, settling in Holmes township, on the Tiffin road about two miles north of Bucyrus, where he entered eighty acres of land and built a log cabin in the forest, passing the rest of his life there. After Joseph Quaintance married he settled on a tract of forty acres given him by his father, on the east of the home farm, on which he built a cabin, cleared the land and lived there some years and then sold it to buy a farm of eighty acres in Liberty township, where he spent the remaining years of his life. In his political life he was an active Whig and for very many years was a leading member of the Methodist church.
Our subject was reared on the farm and acquired but a limited education
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in the common schools, as his services were so often needed in the manage- ment and clearing of the land. About the age of sixteen the death of his father threw upon him the responsibility and care of the family, as he was the eldest son. Most worthily did he perform this duty, taking the place of his father with a judgment far beyond his years and earning the affection and gratitude of the other members of the family.
In 1857 Mr. Quaintance was united in marriage to Miss Mary Heller, a native of Pennsylvania, the daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Gingery) Heller, who came to Crawford county about 1839, settling in Liberty township for one year and later permanently settling in Holmes township, where they died. When the home farm was sold, one hundred and three acres of our sub- ject's present farm was purchased, and our subject's mother lived with him some years, when he bought the estate from her and she passed her last days in Todd township. Some years later Mr. Quaintance purchased an additional fifty-seven acres, making the amount in his possession one hundred and sixty acres, a fine and valuable estate.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Quaintance numbered twelve, and ten of these survive, namely: Joseph, of this township; Leroy, of Bucyrus, Ohio; Martha E., the wife of William Dobbins, of Sandusky township; Daniel, of Johnson county, Kansas : Oscar, of Whetstone township, Crawford county, Ohio; Blanche, the wife of D. S. Kimble, of the same township ; James, of Bucyrus ; Olive E., at home; Orland J., and Onie M., who is the wife of Albert Brown, of Bucyrus, the latter two being twins. Israel and Hannah are dead. The political affiliations of Mr. Quaintance is with the Repub- lican party, while religiously all the family are connected with the United Brethren church, where they are highly esteemed.
PETER HELFRICH.
Peter Helfrich is the ancestral head in America of one branch of the family of that name that has helped Crawford county to a citizenship which lias always proven a credit and a substantial support. He came from Ger- many to this country in 1830. His birth occurred in the fatherland and he was the son of parents who were well-to-do and prominent people. His father served as burgomaster, an office equivalent to that of mayor in this country, and was also public administrator, in which position his duties were similar to those performed by the sheriff in the United States. Peter Helfrich acquired a good common-school education which he broadened by study at home and his
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appreciation of education was indicated by the liberal advantages which he afforded his children, a large family of farmer's children seldom receiving such good opportunities as he gave to his sons and daughters.
Ere leaving his native country, Peter Helfrich was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Burmuth, and when they came to the United States they brought with them their daughter. Margaret, then two years of age. The voyage across the Atlantic was made on a sailing vessel and consumed eighty- five days, while to-day the same trip can be made in one-fourteenth of that time. Mr. Helfrich first settled in Pennsylvania and in 1835 he came with his family to Crawford county, taking up his abode in Whetstone township. Here he entered land from the government, built a house and established the Helfrich family, which, grown very numerous, celebrated a reunion on July 4, 1901.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Peter Helfrich were born the following named : Jacob, now a prominent farmer of Missouri ; Nicholas C., who for thirty-three years has been a representative of the ministry of the Presbyterian church and is now located in Columbus, Ohio; Catharine, the wife of John C. Sherer ; and Elizabeth. The Helfrichs, with one or two exceptions, were identified with the Lutheran church. The death of Peter Helfrich occurred in 1862, but he is still remembered and honored by those in Crawford county who knew him and yet survive him.
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