USA > Ohio > Hancock County > A centennial biographical history of Hancock County, Ohio > Part 7
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It is hardly necessary to add that Robert L. Leonard and his family have the entire confidence of the community in which they reside, in which they are useful and loyal citizens.
JOHN W. S. RIEGLE.
The above named gentleman has succeeded well in the popular pro- fession adopted in youth, having served two terms as surveyor of Hancock county, and now being the city engineer of Findlay. His thorough educa- tion at the beginning, especially in mathematics, supplemented by subse- quent practical experience, has so qualified Mr. Riegle as to give him stand- ing as an expert in his calling, and one of the best civil engineers of his age in the state. He has given entire satisfaction by his work, both in public and private capacities, and being yet in the prime of life a successful and even brilliant future would seem to be before him.
John W. S. Riegle, son of Elias and Catherine Riegle, was born at Ar- lington, Hancock county, Ohio, July 29, 1866, and received his training as . well as his education in Madison township. Mr. Riegle, however, was de- sirous of something more than could be acquired in the country schools, so after leaving the latter he entered the Normal University at Ada, where he took a thorough course and was graduated with the class of 1887. Still un- satisfied, Mr. Riegle subsequently took a post-graduate course in mathe- matics at Findlay College, after which he taught school several years in Han- cock county. His first venture in the line of his profession was as civil en- gineer in the employment of the Ohio Central Railroad Company, with which
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he continued two years and did such satisfactory work as to receive com- mendation from his superiors. This performance led to promotion, as in 1890 he was nominated and later elected to the office of surveyor of Hancock county. He discharged the duties of this position so thoroughly and satis- factorily that by general consent he was given the renomination of his party and had little difficulty in securing a reelection in 1893. After serving two terms in this office, amounting in all to a period of six years, Mr. Riegle was appointed city engineer of Findlay in 1896 and has since discharged the duties of that place with entire acceptability.
In 1894 Mr. Riegle was married at Marysville, Ohio, to Miss Lorinda A., daughter of John and Susan Smalley, and their only son is named John William McKinley Riegle. After stating this fact it is hardly necessary to add that the father's political predilections are decidedly Republican, and he is usually at the front in campaign times among the most zealous workers for his party. His only fraternal connection is with the Masonic order.
ISAAC INSLEY.
The above named gentleman, whose postoffice address is Macomb, Ohio, is one of the thriving farmers of Hancock county, owning one hundred and thirty-eight acres of well cultivated land in Portage township devoted to gen- eral farming. It is only necessary to look over this farm to see that the owner understands his business and deserves to rank with those whose en- terprise and progressive spirit have given Ohio such high rank among the agricultural states. His father, Zacharias Insley, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, wedded Esther Sowards of Virginia, and after marriage resided in his native county for some years, removing in 1870 to Hancock county. He pur- chased one hundred and forty acres of land in section 21 of Portage town- ship, which at the time was in a fair state of cultivation. Being an indus- trious and practical farmer he prospered measurably and in the course of years made his farm one of the most desirable of its size in his neighbor- hood. He was a moral and upright man, a member in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal church and so bore himself as to earn general esteem. He died in 1892 and his wife two years later, having become the parents of twelve children, of whom eight grew to maturity and six are still living. Among the latter is Isaac Insley, whose birth occurred in Seneca county, Ohio, April 29, 1837, and there he grew to manhood. In 1862 he enlisted in Com- pany D, One Hundred and Twenty-third Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served gallantly and loyally until the close of the Civil war.
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Among the important battles in which Mr. Insley participated were those at Winchester, Cedar Creek, Lynchburg, James River, Petersburg and Appo- mattox Court House, not to mention the innumerable skirmishes which fell to the lot of the command to which he belonged. The fact that he was detailed as a sharpshooter is evidence of Mr. Insley's high standing as a soldier and the estimate put upon his prudence and bravery by his commanding officers. More than once a commission was offered to him, but this Mr. Insley declined, be- ing satisfied to do his duty as a soldier in the ranks. After a most creditable military career, during which he made a faultless record, this brave young soldier was honorably discharged from the service in 1865.
Isaac Insley was thirty-three years of age when his parents located in Hancock county. Eight years previous to this he had purchased about sixty acres of land in Portage township, to which he subsequently added until his entire holdings amounted to one hundred and thirty-eight acres. This land land he has cultivated most industriously and intelligently since taking posses- sion and his affairs have been generally prosperous. In September, 1870, Mr. Insley married Elizabeth A. Smith, who was born in Coshocton county, Ohio, November 10, 1848. Her parents were John W. and Catherine Smith, the former born May 15, 1815, and the latter in Virginia, October 25, 1804. In 1851 they removed to Hancock county and some years later located on a farm of eighty acres which Mr. Smith had purchased in Pleasant township. On this home place they both ended their days after useful lives, during which they played their parts well and earned general esteem. The union of Isaac and Elizabeth A. Insley proved both happy and fruitful, their children nun- bering nine, of whom seven are living. These, with the dates of their re- spective births, are thus recorded in the family Bible: J. W., in 1871; Al- bert M., in 1873; Cora B., in 1875; Rosetta M., in 1878; Harley L., in 1882; George R., in 1887; and Lester R., in 1895. In addition to her husband's property, Mrs. Insley owns thirty-six acres in her own right. Besides her virtues as a housewife and mother, she is a lady of excellent judgment and good business qualities. Including both parents and children, the Insleys constitute a worthy and deserving family.
GEORGE B. RUMMELL.
A native of the county of Hancock, Ohio, and a descendant from one of the pioneer settlers of the state is George B. Rummell, who was born at Find- lay, Ohio, in 1868, and was there reared and educated, and has lived there all his life, with the exception of about three years, 1893, 1894 and 1895, which
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he spent at Ottawa, Ohio. After leaving school in Findlay, Ohio, Mr. Rum- mell entered the Ohio Veterinary College at Cincinnati, Ohio, and gradu- ated from there in 1893. After leaving the college he decided to locate at Ottawa, and resided there for three years, but learning that there was an opening for a livery stable at Findlay, he returned to his native town in Jan- uary, 1896, and opened up in the livery business, which he now carries on, and for which he is peculiarly fitted, being a great lover of good horses, and thoroughly understanding their control and management and never so happy as when, holding the lines over one of his high steppers, he takes a friend for a spin along the drive. Mr. Rummell is a member of the County Agri- cultural Board of Hancock county, Ohio, where his knowledge of a good horse is well known and highly appreciated. Socially he belongs to the Odd Fellows, and in politics is an active Republican and interested in the welfare of his party.
Mr. Rummell's father, David Rummell, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, in 1828, and after a useful and industrious life spent at his chosen work, he died in December, 1896. He was a furniture dealer, and was also the father of W. R. Rummell, whose record appears elsewhere in this volume.
George B. Rummell was married in Findlay, Ohio, in 1888, to Etta, daughter of C. B. Struve, of Toledo, Ohio, and they are the parents of two children, as follows: Earl D., born in 1890, and Harry B., born in 1897. Mr. Rummell is progressive and energetic, happy in his home and prosper- ous in his business, a worthy citizen of Findlay, Ohio, and known and re- spected throughout Hancock county.
HENRY BYAL.
To have attained to the extreme fulness of years and to have one's view broadened to a comprehension of all that has been accomplished within the flight of many days, is of itself a sufficient cause for a consideration of such a life, but in the case at hand the tribute is all the more merited from the fact that it concerns a career of usefulness, of exalted honor, of charity, and one never darkened by wrong or injustice. It must ever be regarded as a mat- ter of regret that when an aged man of historical importance has been gathered to his father's later generations have not been given a more intimate knowl- edge of his personality and his actions ; that the lips have been silenced which might have told of incidents that had marked bearing on the thought and action of scenes of the past; and that there is denied a familiarity with the ambitions and struggles of his youth and the more crucial trials of his later
S. D. Calon Byal
Henry By al
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years. It is thus gratifying to enter a tribute to this venerable and honored citizen of Hancock county and to note the salient points in his long and useful life, whose declining days are crowned with well earned prosperity.
Grandfather William Byal was a native of Maryland and died in 1840 when at the age of sixty-seven years ; his son, John Byal, was also born in that state in 1791 and died in 1853. These are the forebears of Henry Byal, and it is evident that the family were established in this country during the colonial epoch. The birth of Henry Byal occurred in Stark county, Ohio, March 23, 1817, thus being a representative of one of the pioneer families of the Buckeye state. He remained in his native county, at an early day began to contribute his share to the work of the farm, and attended the country school as oppor- tunity offered, although his educational training was very meagre after he was fifteen years old. In March, 1832, his father brought him to Hancock county, locating in Findlay township about three miles west of the city of the same name; he erected a saw mill there and two years later built a grist mill. There young Byal lived and labored for about seven years; he then secured employ- ment in connection with the construction of the Wabash canal and during the ensuing winter worked on the St. Mary's reservoir in Mercer county. Until he was twenty-five years old he was engaged in various occupations. At that age he was married and after that he was employed on a farm in this county for four years. He was continually forging ahead in the world and his next venture was in the merchandising business in Ottawa, Putnam county, where he remained for eighteen months and also served as postmaster. He next engaged in business at Pendleton, Putnam county, where he continued for three years, and in 1853 came to Findlay. From this time up to the pres- ent he has been actively concerned in farming, has accumulated much valuable real estate in the county and has now retired from active affairs and enjoys the repose and freedom from care which are the rewards of toil.
Mr. Byal was elected to the office of justice of the peace in 1854; he was the candidate of the Democratic party and his personal popularity is shown in the fact that he overcame the usual Republican majority of about six hun- dred. He held this office for nine years and was one of the excellent public officials of the county during that period. For many years Mr. Byal has been a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, and has always been generous in aiding its work. Mr. Byal's first marriage occurred in March, 1842, to Dorothy Comer, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio. Her parents were Isaac and Hannah (Culp) Comer. Her father was born in the Shenandoah valley in Virginia in 1793, and died September 3, 1852, on the farm three miles west of Findlay, while her mother was born in Fairfield county, Ohio,
.
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as far back as 1803, and died on the old Comer farm in 1830. Isaac Comer married for his second wife Hannah Burton, with whom he came to Hancock county from Lancaster, Fairfield county, in 1832. Four children were born to Mrs. Dorothy (Comer) Byal, but she died in 1860, and all of her children have also passed away. As a memorial to his family Mr. Byal bequeathed the munificent sum of twenty thousand dollars, with which the Byal Memorial Chapel was completed in 1901, a beautiful tribute to those whom he loved so well. In 1861 Mr. Byal took as his second wife Mary Lamb, who was his faithful companion for thirty years, and passed away in 1900, leaving no chil- dren. On February 7, 1901, Mr. Byal became the husband of Lydia J. Eaton. who is his devoted partner for the remainder of life's journey. She has been engaged for forty years at Findlay in the mercantile and millinery trade.
JOHN B. HEIMHOFER.
The above named gentleman, during his life of less than forty years, has achieved a notable success in various lines of business, including those of oil producing, farming, banking and mining. He comes from an old Swiss family, both his grandfather and parents being natives of the famous Al- pine republic. The latter, whose names were John M. and Agatha ( Miller) Heimhofer, married in Switzerland and had three children: John B .; Fred H. and Ida. John B. Heimhofer, the eldest son, was born in Switzerland in 1863 and when still quite young was brought to America by his parents, who located in what was then Luzerne, now Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania. The father became interested in the oil business, then a leading industry in the Keystone state, and one in which his son was destined later to achieve success. The latter attended a select school at Archibald and by the time he was seventeen years old had acquired a fair education. About that time he accompanied his parents to McKean county, and the family found a location at the little oil town of Red Rock, where our subject remained and worked about two years in the butchering business. He soon abandoned this, how- ever, to engage in teaming in the oil field and soon realizing the possibilities for profitable investment in this line he lost no time in seeking connection therewith. In partnership with his brother Fred and E. V. Wyssbrod, Mr. Heimhofer purchased a lease in Mckean county, and the firm entered vig- orously into the business of oil producing. On the original lease, and others subsequently obtained, they owned in all about eleven wells. Eventually, the partners disposed of all their holdings in Pennsylvania and transferred their scene of operations to Ohio. In November, 1886, they opened a
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hardware store in Findlay under the firm name of Wyssbrod & Co., which continued business about three years, meantime resuming their original oc- cupation of oil producers. After the dissolution of the mercantile partner- ship, Mr. Heimhofer continued in the production of oil on his own account, and in 1899 bought a farm which he has since operated. Together with his brother Fred and E. V. Wyssbrod, he is also interested in zinc mines at Jop- lin, Missouri, and mineral lands in Arkansas.
When the Commercial Bank and Savings Company was organized at Findlay in 1901, Mr. Heimhofer was elected vice president, a position which he still retains. He is also a director in the Toledo Times, a daily morning paper, published in the famous lake port at the mouth of the Maumee.
In October, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of John B. Heimhofer and Miss Rosetta, daughter of R. W. Boyd, all of Findlay, Ohio. Two chil- dren have been born of this union, John Russell and Bessie M., of whom the former died in infancy. Mr. Heimhofer has served one term in the city council of Findlay as a representative of the Republican party, and his fra- ternal connections are confined to membership in the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. His standing in the business world is amply de- monstrated by the important positions to which he has been chosen and so- cially himself and family have the entree to the best society of Findlay.
JOHN L. KISSEBERTH.
Among the younger generation of farmers who have been operating during the last two decades in Hancock county, the above mentioned has taken rank as one of the most progressive and deserving. He owns a hand- some farm in Blanchard township, which he has managed and cultivated in such a way as to show that he is a complete master of his business and is not unworthy of comparison with the wideawake farmers for which Hancock county is noted. He is the son of Gabriel and Elizabeth Kisseberth, who were at one time residents of Hancock county, where the former owned and operated fifty acres of farming land. Later he removed to Putnam county and carried on a mercantile business at Gilboa, but at present is residing at Fostoria, where he leads a retired life. His first wife, Elizabeth, died Au- gust 2, 1861, and subsequently he was again married to the lady who now shares his home in retirement.
John L. Kisseberth, son of the first marriage, was born in Gilboa, in Putnam county, May 10, 1859, and received his education in the schools of his native place and Hancock county. After he grew up he entered his
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father's store, where in the capacity of clerk he assisted for several years in conducting the business. When he reached the age of twenty-one, however, he decided to abandon the mercantile for agricultural life, a step which was preceded by the selection of a partner to share his joys and sorrows. August 1, 1880, he was united in marriage with Miss America B., daughter of B. B. and Elizabeth Powell, substantial farmers of Hancock county, where the family had long been established. Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Kisse- berth purchased from his father-in-law the seventy-nine acres of land which constitute his present homestead in Blanchard township, and to the manage- ment of which he has since devoted all his time. He has made many im- provements, chief among which was the erection of buildings suitable for 1.is business, and the place is now attractive in appearance, everything indi- cating good management and orderly arrangement.
Mr. and Mrs. Kisseberth have had four children : Jessie V., Charles F., Edwin L. (deceased) and Lewis C. Jessie V., the eldest daughter, is now the wife of Aaron Slupe, a farmer of Pleasant township. Mr. and Mrs. Kisseberth are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an ac- tive interest in all matters concerning the work of that extensive denomina- tion. As a farmer, Mr. Kisseberth is up-to-date in all his operations, prac- tical in his methods and believes in keeping up with all modern improvements. He devotes himself to general agriculture, cultivating all the standard crops and raising the usual variety of stock found on Ohio farms. He does not branch out into experiments or "fads" but adheres to the safe system which experience shows is productive of the best results.
MILLARD C. COWLEY.
For twelve years the gentleman whose name appears as the subject of this sketch has been the agent at Findlay for the United States Express Com- pany. This is a position which brings its occupant into close and frequent contact with the public, and his personality, as well as his business qualifica- tions, are subject to close scrutiny and criticism. Few positions require more evenness of temper, self-possession and urbanity in the discharge of its duties, and only those men well equipped with the qualities mentioned will meet the requirements satisfactorily. Mr. Cowley, however, by his long tenure has evidently "filled the bill," and the reasons therefor are well understood by the people of Findlay whose affairs take them to the express office. Mr. Cowley understands how to dispatch business expeditiously as well as courteously, and by his general bearing has obtained the respect as well as the friendship
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of the city's entire population. He comes of excellent stock and traces his line- age through an ancestry that was always loyal and patriotic during the "days that tried men's souls." Jonathan Cowley, his grandfather, was born in Ire- land in 1752 and thirteen years later came to America with his father, St. Leger Cowley, who located in Scoharie, Delaware county, New York. About eleven years after the arrival of these Scotch-Irish emigrants in the then col- onies, the great American Revolution began in the war for independence and the Cowleys, true to the instincts of their race, espoused the cause of liberty. St. Leger Cowley was appointed adjutant of the Fifth New York Regiment of Continental troops and his son Jonathan joined the same command as a private. Both fought gallantly through all the seven years of that terrible conflict, and participated in the many dangers, privations and trials which fell to the soldiers who were making the fight for freedom.
After reading the foregoing record of honorable service at the period when the great republic had its birth, none will deny that our subject has a clear title to membership in the patriotic order of the Sons of the American Revolution. He does not, however, rest his claim for consideration upon an- cestry, but what he has been able to do himself and he has certainly proved by his conduct that he is not an unworthy son of worthy sires. Millard C. Cowley was born at Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, in 1851, but was taken later by his parents to Addison, New York, where he was reared and educated. This New York town continued to be his home until he had reached the age of twenty-six and his mature years were spent in work upon the farm until 1874. In that year he was offered and accepted a position as clerk in the office of the Erie Railroad Company at Addison. He remained in this employment for six years and during that time received the training and obtained the ex- perience which fitted him for the duties which he has since so well performed in his chosen vocation. In 1880 Mr. Cowley went to Allentown as agent for the United States Express Company but only remained there six months, being transferred to Elmira in the same state to become joint agent for the United States and Adams Express Companies at the union station. He held this position until 1886, when he was sent to Olean, New York, to take charge of the business at that point of the United States Express Company. After an experience of three years in this location, Mr. Cowley was transferred by his employes to Ypsilanti, Michigan, and remained their agent there until 1890, when he came to Findlay as agent of the United States Express Com- pany and has ever since continued to represent that corporation at this point. The best evidence of a man's efficiency is long continued employment by the same people, especially when the employers are of the exacting kind found at
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the head of all great business corporations, whose immense interests and count- less ramifications can only be satisfactorily attended to by trained and expert talent. Such a man has evidently been found in the person of Mr. Cowley and not only by continuous retention but in many other ways he has received evidence of the esteem and approval of his superiors. October 1, 1902, Mr. Cowley was promoted to the position of route agent for the company in the second division, comprising the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, with headquarters at Findlay.
While residing in Addison, New York, in 1877, Mr. Cowley was united in marriage with Miss Nellie M. Mullen, a worthy young lady of that city, and their union has been blessed by the birth of one daughter, Florence M. The family are members of the Presbyterian church and enjoy cordial rela- tions with the best society of Findlay.
DAVID SHERICK.
David Sherick, retired farmer, has spent almost his entire life in agri- cultural pursuits, and only put away the plow and laid down the hoe within the last two or three years, when, feeling old age creeping on him, he decided to move into town, and enjoy some of the comforts for which he had labored so long and industriously. It is the men who, like David Sherick, have worked early and late, year in and year out, tilling the soil and feeding the cattle, who have given Ohio the proud name which she bears of being such a great agricultural state and have enabled her to rank so high in this respect.
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