USA > Ohio > Hancock County > A centennial biographical history of Hancock County, Ohio > Part 2
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died there in 1665. John Blackman, one of his descendants, became the fa- ther of Ebenezer Blackman, the great-great-grandfather of Mrs. Carrothers. Her great-grandfather was Enoch Blackman, who served at different times in the Revolutionary army, his last enlistment being August 1, 1780, and his dis- charge December 9, in the same year. Rev. Philo Blackman, father of Mrs. Carrothers, served as a private in the Fifteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and died in 1877. The mother of Mrs. Carrothers was born at Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, and died at Columbus Grove, Ohio, when eighty- one years of age.
After his marriage, Mr. Carrothers located on a farm in Crawford county, which he cultivated until 1882, when he came to Findlay, where he has since made his home. He engaged in the real estate business, which by good judgment and energy he has made quite remunerative. From 1887 until the fall of 1902 he was extensively engaged in the oil and gas business. He was one of the first men to engage in these industries in this district and in the main was successful. He has been a director of the American National Bank of Findlay ever since its founding. He increased the corporate limits of Findlay by an addition called after his name, containing eighty-four lots, and has erected forty houses on this land. He has been an active figure in the business affairs and industrial development of Findlay and served one term as gas trustee of the city. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, Republican in politics and belongs to Henry Lincoln Post, No. 343, Grand Army of the Republic, at Oberlin, Ohio.
GEORGE M. STOKER.
With the industrial interests of McComb this gentleman is closely as- sociated, being a member of the firm of Stoker Brothers, owners of the planing mill. He is a young man of enterprise and business capability and in his un- certakings is meeting with desirable and well merited success.
Mr. Stoker is a native of Hancock county, his birth having occurred in Allen township, upon his father's farm, in the year 1866. He is a son of T. A. Stoker, a well known agriculturist of this community. He remained upon the old homestead until fourteen years of age, during which time he pursued his education in the public schools of the neighborhood, and through the summer months and in the periods of vacation he worked in field and meadow, assist- ing in the cultivation of the farm, but believing that another pursuit would prove more congenial, when fourteen years of age he began learning the carpenter's trade, which he followed continuously until 1897. He became a
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proficient workman and evidences of his skill are seen in many substantial buildings of the county. In 1897 he joined his brother in the establishment of a planing mill business in McComb, and in the new enterprise they prospered, their business assuming large and profitable proportions. The Stoker Brothers are now manufacturing the Little Star grain separator for the com- pany of which they are now members, and of which company George M. Stoker is the manager.
In the year 1888 Mr. Stoker was united in marriage to Miss Lily Stout ; and they have one son, Fred. Mr. Stoker is a prominent Odd Fellow, belong- ing to both the lodge and the encampment, and in the former he has filled all of the chairs. He is now serving as treasurer of the town, being elected on the Republican ticket by a majority of ninety-five, although the usual majority is about thirty,-the increased vote indicating his personal popularity and the confidence and trust reposed in him by his fellow townsmen, who recognize his capability and his loyalty in citizenship.
WILLIAM H. PEPPLE.
The carpenter, always one of the most important characters in any com- munity, was especially so before the custom of using stone and metals came so much in vogue. In fact during the pioneer period the carpenter was indis- pensable-there could be no industrial growth without him. One of the old- est, it is also one of the most useful of all the mechanical callings, and usually this trade is regarded in rural neighborhoods as the very embodiment of in- dustry and good citizenship. Mr. Pepple, whose memoir it is now a pleasant duty to set before the readers of this volume, is a typical mechanic of the kind above alluded to. He has been following carpentering in Jackson township for nearly thirty years, and during that time has done a large amount of work in the line of his trade. In fact monuments to his skill are scattered around abundantly in the shape of scores of barns, all of which owe their erection to Mr. Pepple, and it is only necessary to examine them cursorily to find that they were put up by a first-class workman.
William H. Pepple was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1849, but only three years of his life were passed in the place of his nativity. In 1852 his pa- rents, Jesse and Mary (Tipple) Pepple, removed to Hancock county, located on a farm in Jackson township and lived there until 1870. In that year they went to Michigan and purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land, which they occupied and cultivated until both were claimed by death. William H. Pepple remained with his parents in Michigan until 1875,
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meantime beginning to learn his trade as carpenter and completed his ap- prenticeship after returning to Hancock county. He gradually developed into a mechanic of the best class, and as he got plenty of business to do was re- warded with a fair measure of this world's goods as proof of his industry and saving disposition. At the present time one may count in Jackson and sur- rounding townships one hundred and eighty-two barns, all of which were constructed by Mr. Pepple, to say nothing of many minor jobs turned out by him at different times. While doing well for himself he has done well for his community, of which he has long been considered a leading carpenter.
In 1871 Mr. Pepple was united in marriage with Miss Mary J., daughter of James and Elizabeth Jacobs of Marion township, and they have had six children, Martha, Mary, Jesse, Gertrude, Flora and James. At the present time Mr. Pepple owns and resides upon a farm of fifty acres, which makes a comfortable home for himself and family and a pleasant visiting place for his many friends.
LEWIS S. DUKES.
Throughout a long period Lewis S. Dukes has been a prominent figure in the annals of Hancock county, and has aided materially in its progress and development. By a life of uprightness, industry and honorable dealing-a life devoted to the support of whatever is good and true-he has won the genuine regard of a large circle of friends. He traces his ancestry back to the Old Dominion state, for in that commonwealth his father was born, but as early as the '3os he removed from Franklin county, Ohio, to Hancock county, Ohio, where he entered a large tract of land in Union township. As the years passed by he was enabled by his industry and excellent manage- ment to add to this tract until he became the owner of about one thousand acres. He was an excellent business man, a successful farmer and a man whose influence for good was felt far and wide in his township. He was twice married, first to a Miss Downing, by whom he had three children, two of whom are now living, George and William. For his second wife he chose Sarah Smith, by whom he had four children, and the two now living are Mrs. Mary Greeen and Lewis S. Nicholas Dukes was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in that faith he passed away in death in 1850, but he is still survived by his widow.
Lewis S. Dukes, whose name introduces this review, was born in Union township, Hancock county, on the farm on which he now resides, on the 6th of January, 1848. When about seven years of age he was taken by his mother to Pennsylvania, where she was a second time married, and in that
MRS. LEWIS S. DUKES.
Lewis S. Dukes
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commonwealth Lewis S. received his early education. Remaining in the Keystone state until arriving at his majority, he returned then to the town- ship of his nativity, where he has ever since devoted his time and energies to farming and stock-raising on an extensive scale. His landed possessions consist of three hundred and sixty acres of fertile and productive land, eighty acres of which are located in Putnam county, while the remainder lies in Union township, Hancock county. He is also the vice president and a director in the First National Bank of Bluffton, and his business interests are varied and extensive.
For his wife Mr. Dukes chose Miss Mary L., the daughter of John Weltner, their wedding having been celebrated in 1877. Unto this union were born six children, as follows: Elfa E., Grace A:, Ruth E., Lulu R. (deceased), Lela M. and Lewis W. The mother of these children was born in Pennsylvania in 1856, and on the 4th of July, 1898, she was summoned to the home beyond, aged forty-two years, nine months and twenty-two days. Having been a resident of the Buckeye state since pioneer days, Mr. Dukes lias watched with interest through the passing years its development and progress, and has borne his part in its substantial upbuilding. He is known as one of its reliable and progressive citizens and a man whose example is well worthy of emulation. In politics Mr. Dukes has been a life-long Re- publican.
ERWIN E. EWING.
Few men are better known in Hancock county than he whose name is given above, as he was long prominently identified with the political manage- ment of the county. As deputy sheriff for several years under different prin- cipals and later as incumbent of the sheriff's office for two terms, he became ac- quainted with nearly everybody in the county. Since his retirement from office, his connection with the oil industry has enlarged his acquaintance in business circles, where he enjoys good standing as an enterprising producer. His grandfather, Jacob Ewing, was a Pennsylvanian who settled in Ohio in early manhood, and ended his days in this state. The latter's son and namesake, and father of our subject, was born in Ashland county, Ohio, in 1836. Ten years later he came to Hancock county, engaged in farming and followed that pursuit until the time of his death, which occurred in 1878.
Erwin E. Ewing was born on a farm in Liberty township, Hancock county, July 6, 1862, and spent the first five years of his life at the place of his nativity. About the expiration of that time, his parents removed to a farm in Pleasant township, where he grew up and received his education in the
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country schools. After reaching manhood he took some interest in politics, worked for his party during campaigns and thus attracted the attention of the leaders. In 1890 he received the appointment as deputy under Sheriff George L. Cusac, and served acceptably in this position for two years. When Sheriff J. T. Barton took office, he too tendered a deputyship to Mr. Ewing, who accepted and served under that official for one year. His satis- factory service as deputy advertised him so favorably to the rank and file of his party, that he was urged for the main office by his many friends, and in 1896 received the nomination as the Republican candidate for sheriff. At the ensuing election he was triumphant, and served his first term so satisfac- torily that in 1898 he was honored by renomination and reelection. After retiring from the shrievalty, Mr. Ewing engaged in the oil producing busi- ness, and this is his present occupation. Mr. Ewing is not connected with any of the religious denominations, but shows fondness for the fraternities, en- joying the associations afforded by the various orders. He holds membership in the Knights Templar, Lodge No. 400, Knights of Pythias, the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, No. 75. In his fraternal, social and political relations, Mr. Ewing has culti- vated many friendships, which are as grateful to himself as agreeable to those who know and esteem him.
JOSEPH R. KAGY.
To give the causes of success or failure, to describe minutely the character and disposition of a man, is beyond the limits of a work of this nature ; all that can be done is to afford a bare outline of the outward facts and allow the world to judge the inner nature of the individual. In the case of the subject of this sketch there can be no doubt as to his peculiar fitness for the duties that have been assigned him in public life nor that he has well deserved the success he has won.
Joseph R. Kagy dates his birth as occurring in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 21st day of December, 1842, and he came five years later to Hancock county with his parents, who located on a farm near Van Buren, where his boyhood days were passed. Here he attended the district schools until he was eighteen and then entered the high school at Findlay, where he prepared him- self for the profession of teaching. He began teaching at the age of nineteen and was engaged in this in the winter and in farming in the summer up to 1877, for nine years of this time having charge of the schools at Van Buren.
While residing in Van Buren, Allen township, Mr. Kagy had served as
IMKisklid
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township clerk for two terms, as township assessor two terms, and as town- ship treasurer for about seven years. He was holding this last named office, when in 1877 he was elected auditor of Hancock county. He was reelected in 1880, serving for six years, then for eighteen months was deputy auditor and in 1885 was elected to the city council. Mr. Kagy served as member of the board of county .school examiners from 1871 to 1877-and as mayor of the city of Findlay to fill out the unexpired term of W. L. Carlin, who resigned to take his seat in the Ohio state senate. During the period from 1886 to 1889 he engaged in the oil and gas business at Findlay. January, 1890, found him one of the assistant clerks of the senate, and in the spring of that year he became deputy state superintendent of insurance under W. H. Kinder. For two years he carried on a real estate business at Findlay; and from 1895 to 1898 he served as roll clerk in the pension department at Columbus, Ohio, under General A. V. Rice. Since this time Mr. Kagy has successfully conducted a real estate and insurance business. In the fall of 1901 he was candidate on the Democratic ticket for state senator from his district, but failed of election.
On January 21, 1864, at Van Buren, Mr. Kagy became the husband of Catharine M., daughter of John Zarbaugh, and six children were born to them, of whom two died in infancy and one after arriving at maturity. Those living are Nora B .; Mary E., the wife of Dr. E. B. Jacobs, of Chicago; and David D., who is a teacher in the Findlay public schools. Mr. Kagy is an hon- ored member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Elks. He holds a highly respected place in society as a result of his long and successful career as farmer, teacher, public spirited citizen and office holder.
JAMES W. KIRKBRIDE.
James WV. Kirkbride, who has been identified with the oil producing dis- tricts of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio for many years, was born in Og- densburg, New York, November 22, 1854, and is a son of Joseph and Sarah (Nugent) Kirkbride. Joseph Kirkbride was born in Northumberland, County of Claire, England, December 6, 1821, and came with his father to America in 1833. The father of our subject has been indirectly associated with production of oil since 1863. Sarah Nugent Kirkbride died in 1860, leaving a family of seven children-four girls and three boys, of which James W. is the second son.
James W. Kirkbride grew to the age of thirteeen years in his native place, and at that time accompanied his father's family on their removal to
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Tidioute, Warren county, Pennsylvania, where he continued to attend school for several years. He began his business with his father, whom he assisted in the contracting and building of oil derricks and tanks, following this for about four years, when he removed to Parker, in Armstrong county, Penn- sylvania. His connection with the oil industry dates from early manhood, his thorough and systematic study of the Butler and Armstrong county fields being of untold value to him in later years. The development of a new field near Bolivar, Alleghany county, New York, called Mr. Kirkbride to that place in 1880, where he remained until the Ohio field was opened in 1886, then moving to his present home at Findlay. In 1887 he embarked in the wholesale and retail lumber business and until 1892 carried this on in connec- tion with his large oil interests, since that time devoting his time to the latter. November 15, 1894, he, in connection with a brother, drilled in the largest oil well that had ever been found in this country and from which the Kirkbride Brothers derived enormous dividends and not a little fame. Mr. Kirkbride is one of the largest independent producers of oil in the country, his produc- ing wells and leases lying in many counties. He also has extensive mining interests at Joplin, Missouri.
Since locating in Findlay he has become interested in various financial enterprises and is one of the directors of the Farmers' National Bank. In politics he is a Republican, but his attention to business has obliged him to refuse many flattering offers in politics, as he has also been obliged to decline many positions of trust in the world of business.
In 1877 Mr. Kirkbride was married in Parker, Pennsylvania, to Amy C. Carson, who is the daughter of George W. Carson, and they have three children, namely : Charles W., Amy G. and Harry C. Mr. Kirkbride is a lead- ing member of the Howard Methodist church, to which he is a liberal con- tributor. As a business man he is regarded with confidence and respect, while he has a wide circle of friends through the community who esteem him highly.
JOHN N. DOTY.
The gentleman above mentioned, who is at present a leading member of the Findlay bar, has served his fellow men in the triple capacity of teacher, farmer and lawyer. Nor is it at all in the nature of flattery to say that he lias made a marked success in each one of these calling's, having first been a good teacher, later a good lawyer and still later an agriculturist of the pro- gressive school. His family originated in Maryland and the Ohio branch was founded by Henry Doty, who came to the state early in the nineteenth
John M. Note ٠
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century, located in Fairfield county and lived there until his death in 1873. Though advanced in years at the outbreak of the Civil war, he was especially enthusiastic in support of the Union cause, and did all he could to uphold the government and assist the soldiers in the field. His son, William Doty, was born in Fairfield county in 1825, removed to Hancock county in his seven- teenth year and was identified with its agricultural interests for more than half a century. He was a man of vigorous understanding, noted for the uprightness of his character, and when on September 10, 1900, his long and blameless life came to a close, it was the general remark that Hancock county had lost one of its most esteemed citizens. In 1847 William Doty was mar- ried to Mary A., daughter of Levi Sampson, and a member of an old Mary- land family, who came with her parents to Hancock county when a child eight years old. After becoming the mother of eight children, of whom seven are living, Mrs. Doty ended her earthly career February 4, 1894, and was fol- lowed to the grave by a large concourse who mourned her sincerely as a true "mother in Israel."
John N. Doty, one of the seven surviving children of William and Mary (Sampson) Doty, was born on his father's farm in Jackson township, Han- cock county, Ohio, April 19, 1858. Having a natural turn for books and being an apt pupil, he received more benefits from his attendance in the coun- try schools than falls to the lot of the average boy. This is demonstrated by the fact that he had hardly ceased to be a student until he became a teacher. being licensed for that calling at the unusually early age of fifteen years. Boy as he was, however, he succeeded in convincing even his own neighbors that he was able to teach their children something, his first rather daring venture as a pedagogue being made in his native district. This success was followed by others and during his six years' tenure of the home school the young teacher grew in popularity while adding to his own mental culture and training as an educator. This novitiate, as it may be termed, was followed by a year's attendance in the Normal School at Lebanon, after which he entered college at Adrian, Michigan, and finished the literary course in 1881. Not content with the equipment thus gained but anxious to qualify himself thoroughly, Mr. Doty returned some years later to his alma mater at Adrian and added to his store of learning by taking a post graduate course. Shortly after leaving school, he located at Findlay and in 1882 was appointed school examiner of Hancock county, in which position he served two three-year terms with en- tire acceptability to all concerned. After leaving the office of examiner, Mr. Doty became one of the teachers in the Findlay high school, and continued in that occupation until his admission to the bar in June, 1887. With that
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event his career as a teacher ended and that of a lawyer began, with the re- sult that during his practice of about fifteen years Mr. Doty has established himself as one of the leading men of the profession in his native county. But, aside from his business as an attorney, Mr. Doty is largely interested in agriculture, and during the last fifteen years has managed his own farm, which consists of about three hundred acres of excellent land near Findlay.
December 29, 1881, occurred the marriage of John N. Doty and Bertha E., daughter of James and Mary A. (Ewing) Huston, all of Findlay, Ohio. Euclid DeLoss Doty, the only son by this union, is now in his closing high school year. Miss Maud Ethel Doty, the only daughter, died January 6, 1902, at the age of fourteen years and four months. Mr. Doty's religious affiliations are with the Methodist Episcopal church and he contributed one thousand dollars toward the building of the new house of worship of this denomination at Findlay. His fraternal connections are confined to mein- bership in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is past chief patriarch of the encampment.
JOEL ECKELS.
A worthy representative of the modern methods of farming prevalent in Hancock county is here presented to the readers of this volume. He lives in Cass township, where he cultivates a farm of ninety acres. He is the grand- son of William Eckels, one of the first pioneers of this county, who took up government land in 1833 under President "Hickory" Jackson, the tract being two hundred and forty acres in extent. Eighty acres of this tract had fallen to Charles Eckels, a son of William, which our subject now owns. William Eckels finally sold out his one hundred and sixty acres, and removed to the state of Wisconsin. He was an excellent farmer and an upright man in all his dealings with his neighbors. He held the office of justice of the peace for many years in Hancock county. He was a strong churchman, lent his in- fluence to the establishment of Methodism in the new country, and his home was always open to the itinerant preachers of that denomination, whom he delighted to honor. His death occurred in 1866 and Isabella, his wife, died .luring the previous year. They had ten children, and of this number one daughter is still living. Her twin brother, Irvin, was a captain in the Civil war and suffered death at the battle of River's Bridge in South Carolina, in the last months of the war. His company was a part of the Thirty-second Regi- ment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.
Charles Eckels was the son of the original pioneer and the father of Joel.
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His birth occurred in Pennsylvania in 1810 and came to Hancock county with his parents in 1833. He was a citizen of good repute, and like his father be- fore him a pillar in the Methodist Episcopal church. He held the office of as- sessor of Cass township for a number of years, and was also elected to other of the minor offices. He was interested in the public life of the community, and for a number of years was captain of a rifle company that had quite a reputation in Hancock county. He was a practical farmer and useful man in the commuity, whose hand was always outstretched to do good. He married Magdeline Karn, a native of Maryland, by whom he had eight children, two of whom now reside in the county. Charles Eckels, after a life of usefulness, died in 1852 and his wife passed away in 1877.
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