USA > Ohio > Hancock County > A centennial biographical history of Hancock County, Ohio > Part 23
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
CHARLES HENRY BIGELOW.
Born on a farm now included in the corporate limits of Findlay and resident here all his life, the subject of this sketch has pursued the "even tenor of his way" unobtrusively, fulfilling without ostentation all those duties and meeting all the obligations required of a good citizen. He has devoted all his time to the peaceful pursuits of farming, his only ambition being a desire to be considered a worthy member of that class whose ingenuity and enterprise have placed Ohio among the first of American states in all that relates to advanced agriculture. Mr. Bigelow is descended, both on the side of father and mother, from an ancestry that takes us back to the earliest history of America, and to a period very remote in the chronicles of England. The genealogy runs to 1243. Henry Bigelow, grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Colchester, Connecticut, February 20, 1778, and became a man of distinction in New England. He attended Yale College, was grad- uated there in 1802, subsequently achieved fame as a Congregational minister, and died at Middletown Springs, Vermont, June 25, 1832. His son, Philip D. Bigelow, was born at Middletown Springs, Vermont, December 1, 1812, came to Ohio in early manhood and settled in Hancock county in 1841. He engaged in merchandising at Findlay, which he followed until 1853, when he purchased a farm near the city and lived there until his death, which occurred August 13, 1868. During his residence in Ohio he acquired a position of standing and influence, serving on the State Board of Equalization in 1859- 60, and for a long period as justice of the peace in Fairfield county. July 10, 1839, he was appointed by General Wilson Shannon as major of the Ohio Militia, and in the discharge of this, as of all other trusts conferred
212
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
11pon him, showed himself to be a man of energy and good business quali- fications. May 5, 1840, he was married in Erie county to Harriet Hine Frisbie, daughter of Calvin Frisbie, and the three survivors of their five children are Frank F., Charles H. and Ella J., the latter now the wife of George L. Cusac, of Findlay.
Charles Henry Bigelow, second in age of his father's living children, was born June 5, 1854, on the farm where he now resides, in the present corporate limits of Findlay, Ohio. He grew up on this place and nearness to town gave him the benefits of good schools, of which he availed himself to acquire a fair education in youth. After leaving college, Mr. Bigelow re- turned to his farm, the cultivation and care of which has furnished his contin- uous occupation from that time up to the present. He has made a success of his business and the appearance of his place indicates that he is a painstak- ing as well as an industrious husbandman. October 15, 1879, Mr. Bigelow was united in marriage with Miss May, daughter of H. M. Vance, member of a substantial family at Findlay. Bernard Barton Bigelow, whose birth occurred on the 5th of August, 1882, is the only child of this union. Mr. Bigelow is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and politically in accord with the principles set forth in the platform of the Republican party.
JOHN PARKER.
We must turn to the state of Virginia in tracing the genealogy of Mr. Parker, who has passed his entire life in Findlay, Ohio, where he has been prominent in political and civic affairs and in connection with industrial en- terprises of importance. Records extant show that the Parker family has long been identified with the annals of American history. Joseph Parker, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Virginia, and died in Ohio at the age of sixty years. His son Jonathan was likewise born in the Old Dominion, in 1808, and was reared and educated in Ohio, learning the trade of a carpenter. He came to Findlay, Ohio, in 1831, thus becoming one of the pioneers of Hancock county, and he built and operated, in company with William Taylor and A. Daughenbaugh, the first steam sawmill in this county. He continued to make Findlay his home until his death, which occurred in the year 1879, and his life was one of activity and honor, gain- ing to him uniform confidence and esteem in the community, while he was also known as an able and progressive business man.
John Parker, the immediate subject of this review, was born in Findlay, on the 3Ist of January, 1842, and here he has ever maintained his home, hav-
213
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
ing received his educational discipline in the public schools and having early become identified with business enterprises. In 1868, under the firm name of J. Parker & Company, he became associated with his father and brother in the flouring and planing-mill business, and continued to be actively identi- fied with the same until 1886, after which he turned his attention to the real-estate business, in which he continued until 1894. In that year he was elected to the office of county treasurer, being chosen as his own successor in 1896, and thus serving continuously for four years, giving an acceptable ad- ministration of the fiscal affairs of the county. Since his retirement from office Mr. Parker has not been actively concerned in any business, though he is associated with his brother in the lumber business, under the firm name of Parker Brothers. In politics he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party and its principles, while fraternally he is identified with the Masonic" order.
FREDERICK J. BICKELHAUPT.
It is a fact to which due recognition is not always accorded that the German element of our national commonwealth has been a very important one in advancing the material interests of the nation, but on investigation it will be found that a large percentage of the successful business men are of German birth or lineage. Mr. Bickelhaupt is a representative of the father- land and was long one of the leading and enterprising merchants of Findlay, but now after a useful and beneficent career he is living retired at his pleasant home in this city, surrounded by the comforts that earnest labor has brought to him.
Frederick J. Bickelhaupt was born near the river Rhine, in Hesse Darm- stadt, Germany, in 1843, his father being John Bickelhaupt, who was born in the fatherland in 1821, and the latter died in Findlay, Ohio, in 1896. In 1851 the family bade adieu to their old home in Germany and crossed the Atlantic to the United States, locating first in New York city, and a year later came to Findlay, where the son, Frederick J., has ever since made his home. During his youth he received but limited educational advantages, but by reading and observation he has continually broadened his mind and he is now a well informed man. During the period of the Civil war he nobly re- sponded to the call of his adopted country, and in October, 1862, at Findlay, he enlisted as a private in Company G, Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, in which he served for four months, while for the following three months he was confined in a hospital, and on the expiration of that
214
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
period he received an honorable discharge. Returning to his home in Findlay, he embarked in the grocery and produce business in this city in partnership with his father, which relationship was continued until 1881, when the latter retired from the firm. The business, however, was continued by our subject until 1896, when he, too, put aside the active cares of a business life and has since lived quietly, enjoying the fruits of former toil. His business career was one of activity and industry, and his methods have always been in keep- ing with the highest principles of fair dealing and with conscientious regard for the rights of others.
Mr. Bickelhaupt has been twice married, his first union occurring in 1870, and in 1894 he was united in marriage to Addie D. Folk, whose father, George Folk, is a resident of Findlay. Her ancestors have resided in the · Buckeye state for many years, and in this commonwealth her maternal grand- father, Isaac Pence, was born, and he served as a soldier during the war of 1812. By his ballot Mr. Bickelhaupt supports the men and measures of the Republican party, and in its progress he takes an active and commendable in- terest. In his fraternal relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In the city in which he has so long made his home he stands high in public esteem, and is recognized as one of its most loyal and promi- nent citizens.
LOUIS LONGBRAKE.
Prominent among the self-made inen and successful agriculturists of Jackson township is numbered the subject of this review, who now owns and operates a valuable and well improved farm of eighty acres. He was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1843, and in the fall of 1844 was brought to Hancock county by his parents, Simon and Caroline (Hizey) Longbrake, who were born, reared and married in Fairfield county. The family is of Holland descent. On coming to Hancock county they located in the woods at Union Center, Union township, where the father of our subject engaged in farming until 1864, when he removed to Rawson town- ship and there also owned and operated a farm. He removed to Eagle township in 1868 and while living there he and his wife parted, after thirty- five years spent together. A year and a half later he was again married and subsequently made his home in Rawson and Mount Cory. He died at Bluffton in 1894, at the age of seventy-five years. He had two brothers living in this county, namely: Emanuel and Perry. The latter, who was the last surviving member of the family, resided in Jackson township, and died
215
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
in March, 1901. In the family of Simon Longbrake were nine children, namely : Harrison W., a resident of Jackson township; Louis, of this re- view; Perry E., a resident of Liberty ; Mary C., of Findlay ; Daniel; Abraham; Thomas; Amanda, and Libby.
Louis Longbrake made his home with his parents until twenty-six years of age, though he spent the winter of 1867-8 in the pine woods of Michigan, and then rejoined his father, who in the meantime had removed to Jackson township. He subsequently worked by the month as a farm hand until his marriage, which was celebrated in 1869, Miss Charlotte E. Houck becom- ing his wife. Her father, Jacob F. Houck, lived at Houckton, being the founder of that place, which was at first called North Liberty. Unto our subject and his wife were born three children: Carrie May, now the wife of William Bower, of Houckton; Minnie Maud, wife of Frank Davis, who is living with her father; and Charlie Dale, who died of tubercu- losis in February, 1902, at the age of twenty-one years, five months and fourteen days, after a lingering illness covering several months. His death was deeply mourned, not only by his immediate family, but by many friends as well.
After his marriage Mr. Longbrake spent two years and a half on his present farm, then owned by Mrs. Rachel Plotner, and in 1875 purchased the property, paying thirty-two hundred dollars for eighty acres, but he had to go in debt eighteen hundred dollars. When it came into his possession the farm was all run down, it being only partly cleared and but poorly culti- vated, while the buildings were in a dilapidated condition. It took five years to pay off the debt, and at the end of that time Mr. Longbrake began the erection of modern and more substantial buildings. He also laid about twenty-five hundred rods of tiling, and has made many other useful and valuable improvements until to-day he has one of the best and most desir- able farms of its size in Hancock county. He is interested in stock raising and feeds most of his crops to his stock.
By his ballot Mr. Longbrake supports the men and measures of the Democracy and has often served as a delegate to county conventions of his party, but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. He is, however, serving as township trustee, having already filled the office one term of three years, and has entered upon his second term. He is also serv- ing his term as a director of the Mutual Fire & Storm Insurance Company of Jackson, Amanda and Delaware townships, which association has about four hundred and forty thousand dollars at risk at a very low rate, costing about one-fourth as much as ordinary insurance. They insure only country
216
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
property, including churches and school houses in the country, and are now doing a large business, the company being thoroughly reliable, and having at its head some of the best and most successful business men of the locality. Mr. Longbrake is a recognized leader in public affairs and is accounted one of the most valued citizens of Jackson township.
JASPER N. HARTMAN.
A hardy representative of the agricultural class of Hancock county, Ohio, is this gentleman, who lives in Marion township, and is well known all over the county for his upright and manly principles. His residence, which is of modern construction and suitable convenience, is situated on the original site of the historic old Marvin Tavern, an institution which saw very much of the early pioneer life of the county. This tavern stood on its original site for a long number of years, and was regarded as one of the institutions of the county, but it became necessary for it to give way for a more modern structure, and in 1891 Mr. Hartman, desiring the site for a building, tore it down and built his present commodious dwelling house. Mr. Hartman is a practical and successful farmer, owning one hundred and thirteen acres of valuable land, on which there is one gas well, supplying his home with light and fuel free, the balance belonging to the Findlay Light & Coke Company. He was born in Wayne county, Ohio, April 24, 1847, and is the son of Samuel and Eva (Whonsetler) Hartman. He received his education in the common schools in his native county, where his uneventful but useful life was spent up to 1870, at which time he removed to Hancock county. During the period of his residence in this county he has been engaged in agricultural enterprises, and has evinced his superiority above the average farmer who knows nothing but to scratch the ground and plant the seed. Mr. Hartman has twice tasted of the sweets of matrimony, first when he was joined to Mary E. Skinner, on the 18th of September, 1866, in his native county, and who bore him seven children, six of these now living, Addie L., Franklin M., Rose J., Mary E., Jolın V., and Zella F., who is a student attending medical college in Cleveland, and an infant deceased. Mrs. Mary E. Hartman, who was a woman of many noble traits of char- acter and an excellent mother to this family of children, died on the 28th of September, 1885, and in 1888, on the 6th of May, Mr. Hartman was again married, this time selecting Emma Smith, a daughter of Isaac and Mary B. Smith, of Hancock county, Ohio. To this second very felicitous and happy minion there have been born six children, namely: Ethel M., Edison C., Ro-
217
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
setta B., Lella G., Ova F., and an unnamed deceased infant. Mrs, Emma Hart- man is a native of Hancock county, and was born in Eagle township on Oc- tober 30, 1859. She comes of one of the oldest and most respected families in the county, who have been extensive farmers in this section of the country for a long period of years. He operated a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, and in connection with which was the conduct of an extensive sawmill. In his younger days he was a shoemaker by trade, but abandoned that for the more congenial vocation of an agriculturist.
Mr. Hartman, the subject of this immediate review, is a man of excellent character, and with a reputation for honesty and uprightness of purpose among his associates. While not particularly given to taking part in public affairs, he has always done his duty when called upon by his neighbors, and has held the different township offices with a great deal of credit to himself and pride to his constituents. In religious faith he cleaves to the principles promulgated by the old regular Baptists, in which organization he is a prom- inent worker. His parents were natives of Washington county, Pennsyl- vania, who came to Ohio in the very early days, and settled in Wayne county, where they passed their lives and are now deceased.
SULLIVAN POWELL.
Sullivan Powell, a young farmer of Liberty township, Hancock county, Ohio, is a worthy representative of one of the old pioneer families of Fairfield county. His great-grandparents, Peter and Mary (Alspaugh) Powell, en- tered that county among its earliest settlers, and later on made a home in Hancock county, in which they spent the remainder of their lives.
Samuel Powell, the grandfather of Sullivan, removed from Fairfield to Hancock county in 1834. He married Sarah Robenault, and together they worked on the farm obtained from the government, acquired a com- petency and reared a family. Of their children, Andrew, who was born on May 25, 1827, became well known in Hancock county. His first marriage was to Phebe A. Yates, on December 20, 1848, to whom were born six chil- dren. Mrs. Phebe Powell died September 15, 1859, and in 1860 Andrew Powell married Caroline Dotson, who died in 1877, and seven children of this union still survive. In 1878 he married Mrs. Sarah A. Longbrake, and two children were born to this union. Mr. Powell is well known as an ex- perienced man in the bee industry, the products of his apiary bringing him iarge returns.
Sullivan Powell, who was born March 21, 1865, is a son of Andrew and
14
218
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
Caroline (Dotson) Powell, the latter of whom was a native of Pickaway county, Ohio. His education was obtained in the country schools and he grew to manhood on his father's farm, with but one year of absence, during which time he worked for his brother. Thus our subject became a thor- oughly practical farmer and his present estate of fifty-seven acres, purchased of his father in 1897, shows the effects of intelligent cultivation of the soil.
On March 4, 1891, our subject was married to Miss Agnes V. Shank, who was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, on May 25, 1866, and is a daugh- ter of Robert and Mary (Porter) Shank. There were four children by this marriage, namely: Marie M., born September 11, 1892; Roy C., born August 21, 1895; Arthur E., born November 15, 1898; and Dwight R., born February 21, 1902. The father of Mrs. Powell was born in Pennsylvania, and her maternal grandfather was a clergyman.
Mr. Powell is a man whose integrity, coupled with excellent business ability, has given him success. He is known as a good neighbor, a kind father and devoted husband, in every way fulfilling the duties of a first-class citizen.
W. H. ADELSPERGER.
It gives the publishers of this volume pleasure to do honor to the old soldier element of the county. In the past it has been the custom to give recognition only to those who were high in office and took a prominent part in the great struggle for the maintenance of the constitution. We believe, however, that no man who unselfishly gave his services to his country during the dark days of the Civil war should be slighted in written history if it is possible to give him mention. We are therefore glad to present to our readers the name of one of this honored element. Mr. Adelsperger is at the present time a prominent agriculturist residing in Big Lick township, where he owns and operates a large tract of four hundred and forty acres of land. He is extensively engaged in stock-raising, and is looked upon as one of the best farmers in the county. This gentleman was born in Seneca county in June of 1842. His father was John Adelsperger, and his mother Lucinda Ricketts. The father was a native of Maryland, while the mother was born in Seneca county. Their marriage occurred in Seneca county in 1818. Our subject's grandfather, Jacob by name, is noted as having been a member of that gallant army which repelled British invasion in the war of 1812, and whose martial blood is still flowing through the veins of his loyal grandson. John Adel- sperger was a prosperous farmer while a resident of Seneca county, and passed
219
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
there a life of usefulness. He died in the year 1878. Mrs. Adelsperger died in early womanhood, the year being 1846. They reared but three children, John F., Joseph A. and W. H. There was a second marriage, however, which resulted in the birth of twelve children. Eleven of this last number, and one of the first family, are still living. It is remarked that John F., the eldest member of the first family, was also a gallant soldier in the Civil war, a private in Company D, Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. At the battle of Spring Hill, Tennessee, he unfortunately was taken prisoner and being sent to that horror of horrors, Andersonville Prison, was starved there, the date of his death not being known.
W. H. Adelsperger received his early training and education in Seneca county. While still in his "teens" he was apprenticed to the blacksmith trade, and was engaged at that occupation when the rumblings of the Civil war burst forth in a tempest. He was one of the first to go to the front, enlisting in September, 1861, as a private of Company F, Forty-ninth Regi- ment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In this organization, which became a part of the Army of the Cumberland, he participated in all the battles which that organization fought. At the bloody battle of Stone River he with others became detached from the main command, and before they could re- join it the entire body was taken prisoners. He, however, did not remain long in the enemy's lines, having been paroled and afterwards exchanged. At the end of three years he received an honorable discharge, but being of that number who did not know when he had enough he immediately re-enlisted, this time becoming a member of Company D, Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In this organization he engaged in a number of the bloody battles of the last year of the war, being present at Franklin, Nash- ville and numerous other smaller encounters. In 1865 he was a second time honored with discharge, and returned to civil life with the consciousness of duty well and bravely done. All honor to the boys in blue, who saved the south from rending the constitution. On his return to civil life Mr. Adelsperger turned his attention to the carpenter's trade and continued to work at this until 1873. In the year 1871 he chose for a life companion Miss Sophia, daughter of John and Margaret Kenner. Four children were born to the marriage, Minda A., deceased; John F., deceased; Joseph and Milton L. The mother of these children is a native of Germany, where she was born in 1851. Mr. Adelsperger first began his active farming operations in the year of his marriage, when he purchased in Big Lick township one hundred and twenty-eight acres, to which he added at different times until he is now in possession of one of the largest farms in Hancock county. Mr. Adelsperger
220
CENTENNIAL BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY
is a man of high repute in his immediate section of the county, and he and his wife are honored for their many good qualities and excellencies of heart and mind.
GRANT THOMAS.
Among what may be called the middle generation of farmers in that part of Hancock county included in Jackson township, perhaps none are better known than Grant Thomas. He is a "native and to the manner born," his father being one of the earliest pioneers of the county, and the family form a part of Hancock's history for more than eighty years. When John S. Thomas, a raw Irish lad just over from the old country, arrived in Han- cock county in 1822 there was not much inviting in the prospect. The county was still a wilderness, with all the adjuncts of Indians and beasts of prey that characterized the west at the first advent of the white man. There had been little clearing done as yet, settlers were few and far between, there were no roads worthy of the name and altogether the outlook was not en- couraging to the young Irish immigrant. But John Thomas was made of tough fiber and not to be discouraged by any ordinary hardship or mishap. As soon as he grew to manhood he effected an entry of one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which he set to work energetically with ax and mat- tock and in course of time reduced to presentable shape. Of course it took much hard work, all pioneers expected this, but the hope of a smiling home and productive farms in time spurred them on from year to year until their desires were realized. John S. Thomas prospered and eventually added sixty acres to his original purchase of land, all of which by degrees was much improved and brought into a high state of cultivation. Personally he is described as a kind but firm man in his dealings with his family as well as the outside public. His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian church, and his political predilections with the Republican party. He lived to advanced age, not dying until 1898, when eighty-three years old. In early life he married Elizabeth Camp, who died after leaving him two children. Some years later Caroline Hoage became his second wife and the mother of five additional children, after which she also joined the "innumerable caravan" of the departed. Mr. Thomas' third and last wife was Miss Sarah J. Hall, a lady of Irish nativity, who presented him with two children and survives as his widow, at the age of sixty-four years. Of the nine children by the three marriages the eight survivors are: Sarah J. Gilbert, Marie J. Mc- Dowell, Henry A., Phebe Damon, Tillie Phillips, Mary Wisely, John M. and Grant.
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.