USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 50
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May 13, 1875, honored and respected by all who knew him on account of his sterling worth and strict integrity.
George W. Leiter received a good common-school education, and as he approached manhood worked on the farm, receiving a share of the crops in compensation for his labors. His entire life has been passed upon the old homestead, which he now owns and successfully operates. On the 6th of January, 1876, was celebrated his marriage to Miss Mary M. Marlow, also a native of Monroe township, this county, and a daughter of Moses Marlow, one of its early settlers and well-known citizens. Four children blessed this union, namely : Jessie M., D. Paige, and Georgia A., all at home; and Ada B., deceased. Politically Mr. Leiter is identified with the Republican party, and socially affiliates with Monroe Lodge, No. 224, I. O. O. F., of Lucas. He is one of the leading members of the Congregational church of that place, which he has served as the treasurer, and is one of the most highly respected citizens of his community.
SAMUEL B. LEITER.
Samuel B. Leiter, a son of David and Mary (Bell) Leiter, was born on the old Leiter homestead in Monroe township May 8, 1846, and there grew to manhood, aiding his brother in its cultivation and attending the district schools when his services were not needed at home. On the 2d of May, 1864, he joined the "boys in blue" of Company C, One Hundred and Sixty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and shortly after his enlistment was sent to Marlow's Division, Tenth Army Corps, under the command of General Terry. He was in the reserve force during the engagement on the Weldon Railroad, and was discharged at Columbus September 15, 1864.
Mr. Leiter was married December 8, 1870, to Miss Anna Charles, a native of Monroe township, this county. Her father, John S. Charles, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, and when a child came to Ohio with his parents. He is now a hardware dealer of Lucas, and served as postmaster at that place under President Cleveland. Mr. and Mrs. Leiter have two children, Mott W. and Star Hoyt, both at home.
After his marriage Mr. Leiter located upon his present farm of eighty acres in Monroe township, and in 1900 also purchased the old Cunning place of sixty-five acres, while his sons own the thirty-five acres lying between the two farms. As a tiller of the soil he has met with success, and is now quite well-to-do. He is a stanch Republican in politics and a member of Venus Lodge, No. 152, F. & A. M., and Chapter No. 28, R. A. M., of Mansfield.
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MACK H. DAVIS.
Mack H. Davis, of Shelby, Ohio, was born in Akron, this state, on the 17th of January, 1857, his parents being Baker and Lydia ( Henshaw ) Davis. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and the mother of New York. He was born January 1, 1827, his wife on the 3d of April, 1832, and their mar- riage was celebrated in Ohio in 1855. Two children were born unto them, the daughter being Martha M., who was born in Akron in 1865, and is now the wife of Elsworth M. Lewis, of Shelby, Ohio, their wedding being cele- brated in 1891. In 1876 the father became a resident of Shelby, where he entered into partnership with Cortez F. Fish and Daniel W. Storer for the purpose of conducting a flour-milling business, under the firm name of Fish, Storer & Davis. The father of our subject died in 1879 and his son suc- ceeded to a partnership in the business. In 1882 the enterprise was incor- porated under the firm name of The Shelby Mill Company.
Mr. Davis, whose name introduces this record, was graduated in the Akron high school in 1874, and for three years thereafter was the city editor of the Akron Daily Beacon. He then came to Shelby and accepted a position as the bookkeeper for the firm of which his father was one of the partners. As stated, he succeeded to a partnership in the business upon his father's death. The Shelby Mill Company is capitalized for one hundred and twenty- five thousand dollars, and at the time of the incorporation Mr. Davis was elected the secretary and treasurer. In 1892 he was chosen the president, and has since filled that position in a most creditable and satisfactory manner, his management bringing to the company well-merited success. The plant has a capacity of one thousand barrels of flour per day. The brick building is five stories in height, is supplied with elevators, and was erected in 1883. The supplies for the mill are shipped to Shelby from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, and the company markets its products in eastern states and abroad, making extensive shipments to Great Britain. The leading brands of flour are known as Storer's Best and Prize Winner. They have a cooper shop in connection with the mill, and employment is furnished to about sixty work- men, turning out one thousand barrels per day. The mill is in continuous operation night and day.
Mr. Davis is a man of resourceful business ability, of keen discrimi- nation in business affairs, of sound judgment and strong purpose. These qualities have enabled him to extend his field of labors into various lines. He carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and his interests have been varied and of an important character. He was one of
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the originators of the Shelby Tube Works, and was a director of the company until about two years ago, when he resigned. He is still a stockholder in the institution, however. He is the president of the Shelby Water Company. which was incorporated in 1897, with a capital of eighty thousand dollars. The plant has already cost about one hundred and twenty-five thousand dol- lars. There is a complete pumping station, having a capacity of four million gallons of water per day, the water supply coming from a driven well in the north of the village, near the city limits. They have fifteen acres of land, duplex pumps, a stand pipe one hundred and forty-five feet high and sixteen feet in diameter, twelve miles of mains and one hundred and nine fire hydrants, having an inexhaustible supply. He is the treasurer of the Shelby Electric Company, which he aided in organizing. It has a capital stock of two hun- dred thousand dollars and manufactures from six to eight thousand lamps daily, employment being furnished to one hundred and fifty people, one hundred of whom are girls. Mr. Davis is also the treasurer and man- ager of the Umbrella Company, and is a director in the First National Bank, also vice-president of the Shelby Building and Loan Association. He is the president of the Winter Wheat Millers' League, with headquarters at Indianapolis, an organization formed by merchant millers of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri and represents an invested capital of thirty million dollars and involving some three hundred mills. He has been the president of the Millers' National Association with headquarters at Chicago, holding that office in 1898, and at the present time is still a member of its board of managers. Its member- ship comes from thirty-three different states.
Mr. Davis was united in marriage, in 1878, to Miss Harriet Botsford, of Akron, Ohio, a daughter of Almon W. and Caroline ( Bolton) Botsford. Three children have come to bless the union, but one died in infancy. The others are Myra Grace, who was born July 1, 1884; and Almon Baker, who was born December 29, 1886.
Mr. Davis has been prominent in public affairs. In 1898 he was elected a member of the city council, and while serving in that capacity he caused to be introduced a bill in the state legislature for the purpose of having a special act passed to enable the council to bond the village of Shelby for the purpose of establishing a municipal electric-light plant. This was done and the en- terprise has proved a great success financially, and seems to have been the impetus that has brought about the growth and prosperity of Shelby in recent years. Thereby the streets are supplied with arc lights, and a complete in- candescent system for the use of private individuals and business firms was
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established. From the beginning this has proved a very successful enterprise, as the revenue from the incandescent service has been sufficient to pay all the operating expenses of the plant and has also created a fund sufficient to meet the bonds as they become due. Mr. Davis holds the rank of major in the Ninth Regiment of the 'Uniformed Rank of the Knights of Pythias. He belongs to the Colonial Club, which was organized by the business men of Shelby in 1898, at which time he was elected the president, having ever since served in that capacity. He is also a member of the Royal Arcanum, the National Union and the Pathfinders' Association. He contributes to the support of the First Presbyterian church, in which his wife and children hold membership. He has been identified with this section of the Union for many years and has contributed to its material progress and prosperity.
ED B. WALTERS.
Many lines of business are very efficiently conducted in the town of Shelby, Ohio, making this a pleasant stopping-place for the tourist and a ' delightful spot in which to found a home. Mr. Walters was born near Fredericktown, Knox county, Ohio, December 30, 1864, a son of John J. and Susan (Baxter) Walters, the former a native of Virginia, the latter of Ohio. The family of our subject's parents consisted of three sons and one daughter -Charles B., Hattie A., Frank L. and our subject, he being the second in order of birth.
The paternal grandfather of Mr. Walters was named Mahlon Walters, a man of Scotch-Irish descent, the paternal grandmother being a member of the old southern Taylor family, of Virginia. The maternal grandmother was named Harriet Le Fever, of French descent, and the maternal grand- father was David Baxter, a native of the state of Pennsylvania.
The father of our subject was engaged in the livery business many years before the birth of his son, his uninterrupted business life in Fredericktown numbering thirty years. He has lived retired from active life for the past seven years, our subject becoming his partner in 1887. In 1895 Ed B. Walters came to Shelby and opened up his present fine livery establishment, since which time he has been prepared to accommodate the public with the most substantial or elaborate vehicles in the market. This is appreciated, and Mr. Walters has no fault to find with his neighbors because of lack of pat- ronage. Mr. Walters is a genial, pleasant man, who has won the esteem of his neighbors as well as the public by his unvarying courtesy and the excellent and reliable character of his establishment.
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The marriage of Mr. Walters was celebrated January 18, 1888, when he wedded Miss Jennie A. Shafer, of Bellville, Richland county, Ohio, a dauglı- ter of Adam and Susan (Zimmer) Shafer, natives of Bedford county, Penn- sylvania, and two children have been born to them: . Harry E., born Novem- ber 21, 1888; and Grace, born March 9, 1890, who died April 21, 1896.
In his politics Mr. Walters favors the Democratic party, and has served as constable, being re-elected for a second term. He is connected with the Masonic fraternity, Ben Hur, and the I. O. O. F., being popular in all. Mrs. Walters is a member of the Lutheran church, where she is highly appreciated.
JAMES M. PEARCE.
James Mc Vay Pearce is one of the residents of Richland county, where throughout his entire life he has made his home. He was born December 19, 1835, in Washington township, and is one of the residents on the Mansfield and Newville road, having lived on that thoroughfare for sixty years. He is a son of Lewis K. and Elizabeth (Driscol) Pearce and a grandson of Stephen and Mary (Kinney) Pearce, who came from New Jersey, reaching their destination on the 19th of September, 1814. They settled in Washing- ton township, and the land they then entered from the government is still in the possession of their descendants.
The historical associations of their advent into Ohio are interesting to recall. The morning after the arrival of the Pearce family, as its members were watching the day break over the Washington township forest, Francis Scott Key gazed, "in the dawn's early light," over the bay at Baltimore and saw that the American flag still waved above Fort McHenry, and in the in- spiration of the occasion wrote that immortal ode, "The Star Spangled Ban- ner,"-a song that will ever be sung by the American people to voice the patriotic sentiments of their liberty-loving hearts. At that time Return Jonathan Meigs was the governor of Ohio, and the total vote of the state was twenty-two thousand and fifty, while it is now nine hundred thousand. Mansfield at the present time has a population of twenty thousand, and was then a village of about twenty houses, principally log cabins. What changes have taken place in the years that have intervened! It has well been said that the lamp of civilization has surpassed that of Aladdin. The forests have changed into fields of grain and the waste places have become gardens of flowers, towns and cities have been built with marvelous rapidity and show- ing splendid handiwork; but in this march of progress the work and hard- ships of the pioneers must not be forgotten.
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Mr. Pearce's father died in 1850, and in 1853 his mother married Landin McGregor, and the second union, like the first, was a happy one, for Mr. Mc- Gregor proved to be a kind husband and a good stepfather. He died Novem- ber 21, 1887, and his wife, the mother of our subject, passed away March 15, 1890, at the age of seventy-seven years. She was a typical pioneer mother and a woman of great physical strength. She could stand in a half-bushel measure and shoulder two and a half bushels of wheat! Feats of strength were often indulged in at gatherings during the pioneer period. The Pearce settlement was known in the olden time as The Beech on account of the abundance of beech trees in that locality. The Pearces were strong, athletic men in their day, and at musters and other gatherings engaged freely in the sports of the occasions which sometimes wound up in a rough manner ;. but the Pearces did not object to that, for they generally held their own with the best of the crowd.
Mr. Pearce, of this review, was named in honor of James McVay Pearce, a pioneer preacher of the Christian church. He owns a part of the original Pearce land, being a good farin of one hundred and twenty-four acres, and his orchards are far-famed. He has worked hard, has prospered and always .has "money to lend and corn to sell." He belonged to a family of eighteen children, and has two brothers and two sisters yet living. On February 10, 1897, he married Miss Catherine C. Miller, a daughter of Joseph and Cath- erine (Yager) Miller, of Monroe township, Richland county.
James M. Pearce is unostentatious in manner and has but little regard for display in dress, and might at times be mistaken for a man in indigent circumstances, as the following incidents will show: The child of a relative died and Mr. Pearce went to Lucas to buy some articles for the family. There was a new merchant there who did not know Mr. Pearce, and when he stated that the relative's child was dead and he wanted to get some mer- chandise, the proprietor, imagining he wanted credit, said, "I can't trust you." Mr. Pearce replied, "I must get the goods somewhere." Whereupon the merchant became more emphatic, "I tell you, sir, you can not get trusted here." During this talk a gentleman entered the store and hearing what the mer- chant said, and knowing Mr. Pearce, that he was wealthy and honorable in his dealings with his fellow men, exclaimed, "Trust him to the whole store if he wants it." "I did not ask for trust," said Mr. Pearce, as he left the store and went to its rival on the opposite side of the street, paying for his purchases from a large roll of bills! Upon another occasion Mr. Pearce stabled his horse· in a Mansfield feed barn and went around at noon to see if it had been fed ; and noting no remnant of food in either trough or manger, he called the
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proprietor's attention to the fact. In the dispute that ensued the stable official admitted that the horse had not been fed and doubted the owner's ability to pay for the feed. A neighbor of Mr. Pearce then came up and said, "Why, this is Jim Pearce; and he is able to give a check on the bank for your entire barn and its contents."
Mr. Pearce is an agreeable, well-informed man. His latchstring is al- ways out, and he greatly enjoys entertaining his friends, of whom he has a host.
HENRY E. SHEETS.
Of the "art preservative of arts," Henry Eugene Sheets is a representa- tive, being the well-known proprietor of the Shelby Republican. He was born in Ashland, Ohio, on the 18th of March, 1860, and is a son of Solomon and Christine (Weisinstein) Sheets. The mother was born in 1836, and by her marriage became the mother of five sons, of whom S. A., J. C., and Henry E. are residents of Shelby. The first named is a photographer, with a studio in this city, and J. C. is engaged in the practice of dentistry here.
Mr. Sheets, of this review, completed his public-school education in the high school of Ashland, and afterward continued his studies at Wooster (Ohio) University. Since 1887 he has been connected with the newspaper business. In 1890, at Great Falls, Montana, he began the publication of a paper known as the Industrial, and continued as its editor and proprietor for four years, when he sold out. He then became identified with the Pittsburg Dispatch, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, but after a year he came to Shelby and purchased the old Richland County Republican, which was published by William Tait. He became its owner in December, 1896, and changed its name to the Shelby Republican. The paper has a circulation of about fourteen hundred, and upholds the principles of the grand old party. Mr. Sheets is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Ashland Lodge, No. 151. He is well known in Shelby, where he is recognized as an earnest advocate of all measures calculated to prove of benefit to the city along any of the lines that contribute to the welfare and happiness of men.
REV. NATHANIEL H. LOOSE.
Rev. Nathaniel H. Loose, of Shelby, was born in Perry county, Penn- sylvania, September 5, 1834, his parents being Peter and Anna Mary (Rauch) Loose, also natives of the Keystone state. In 1845 they removed to Monroe, Michigan, where the father followed the occupation of farming.
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The subject of this review was reared amid the refining influences of a good Christian home and was well fitted for life's duties by excellent edu- cational privileges. He was educated in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, at which he was graduated in 1858, and in 1859 was graduated at the theo- logical seminary. He was ordained to the ministry in August of that year.
His first pastoral charge was at Sugar Grove, Ohio, where he remained from 1859 until 1863. In the latter year he accepted a call from the church i11 Shelby, Ohio, where he continued until 1877, and in that year he took up his work of attending to the spiritual needs of the church of his denomina- tion in Bellevue, Ohio, his pastorate at that place covering an entire decade. From 1887 until 1890 he was located in Plymouth, Indiana, and from 1890 until 1894, in Baltimore, Ohio, after which he returned to Shelby and has since been the esteemed and honored pastor of the Reformed church at this place. During the period of his former residence here he had been a valued member of the school board, having served as its president for six years, during which time the high school building was erected, standing as a monument to the progressive spirit of the members of the board and to the intelligence of the citizens of the town.
In 1858 the Rev. Nathaniel H. Loose was united in the holy bonds of matrimony to Miss Alma T. Kroh, of Tiffin, Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Saralı (Tice) Kroh. Their marriage was blessed with four sons, one of whom died in infancy. Ursinus K. was born at Sugar Grove, in 1859, and at the age of sixteen years entered the First National Bank, in Shelby, and was well known in business circles. After severing his connection with the bank in Shelby he went to Tiffin, where for three years he occupied the responsible position of teller in the First National Bank of that city. Then he spent five years as receiving teller in the First National Bank of Toledo. He afterward spent five years in Hartington, Nebraska, as cashier, and now occupies the cashiership in the bank at Snohomish, Washington. He is also connected with the Pacific coast lumber trade. Alvin B., born in 1863, is now in Columbus, Ohio, where he is associated in business with his brother, Clarence E., who was born in 1867. They are partners in the jewelry and optical business. The former is a graduate of the Chicago Col- lege of Ophthalmology. Two of the sons are married, but the youngest is still single.
Rev. Mr. Loose is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and also of the Royal Arcanum. He is a member of the Board of Regents of Heidelberg University, of Tiffin, Ohio, and by that institution the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him in 1893. He has perhaps
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married more couples and preached more funeral sermons in a given time than any other minister of the gospel in Shelby, for he is very popular not only among the people of his own denomination, but also among the representatives of other, churches. His has been a noble and upright life, unselfishly devoted to his fellow men in the endeavor to bring to humanity the needs of the human soul and the ennobling power of the gospel. He is a logical, entertaining and convincing speaker, having an excellent command of the art of rhetoric and under all an earnestness of purpose which colors his every utterance and leaves no one in doubt of his sincerity. Such a life is a benediction to all who come in contact with it.
NATHANIEL GUTHRIE.
Nathaniel Guthrie is one of Richland county's native sons, his birth hav- ing occurred October 6, 1843, on the farm which is still his home, his parents being John E. and Elizabeth (Crawford) Guthrie. His father was born in Harrison county, Ohio, and was a son of William Guthrie, who came to Rich- land county, Ohio, in 1815 and entered from the government the quarter section of land which adjoins Nathaniel Guthrie's present farm on the north. He was the fifth settler in Blooming Grove township. He was accompanied by his wife and eight children, and after building a log cabin he cleared an acre of land, with the assistance of his wife and three eldest sons, and sowed wheat upon it. They had no fodder for the cattle ; so the latter subsisted on browse. For a time the family was compelled to live on corn that had been frosted and which the cattle had refused to eat, for the supply of meal had become exhausted before the winter was over. With the aid of his sons, William Guthrie cleared his land and developed a good farm, upon which he spent his remaining days.
John E. Guthrie remained upon the old homestead until his twenty- ninth year, having about three months' schooling in the winter season. He was then married and removed to the farm upon which our subject now resides and which he had previously purchased. It comprises a quarter section of land, for which he paid four hundred dollars, and upon it he and his wife remained until called to the home beyond. They were members of the Pres- byterian church, Mr. Guthrie having become identified therewith in his boy- hood, and for many years he was a deacon in the church. He gave his political support to the Democratic party, while the grandfather of our sub- ject was a Whig. Unto John E. and Elizabeth (Crawford) Guthrie were born nine children, of whom four are yet living, namely: William, of White
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county, Indiana; Eleanor, the wife of Jacob DeLancey, of Cass township, Richland county ; James, a resident of Shiloh, Ohio; and Nathaniel.
The boyhood days of Nathaniel Guthrie were quietly passed on the home farm, and in the common schools he acquired his education. In his nine- teenth year, however, his mode of life became greatly changed, for on the 15th of October, 1862, he volunteered for service in the Civil war and was assigned to duty in Company K, of the One Hundred and Twentieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He remained at the front for one year, and then on account of disability was honorably discharged. He took part in the engagements at Vicksburg, Arkansas Post and the siege of Vicksburg, and thence returned to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was last in active service, being mustered out October 12, 1863. His brother William was a mem- ber of Company D, One Hundred and Second Ohio Infantry, and remained at the front until the close of the war, while James joined Company I, of the Fifteenth Ohio Infantry, and served for three years. He was captured at Stone river and held for three days and was paroled on the field.
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