USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 64
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holding membership in the United Brethren church. The mother died in Worthington township, at the age of forty-eight years, but the father sur- vived until May 29, 1900.
Amos D. Norris remained at his parental home until twenty-one years of age as his father's assistant, and then began cultivating the home farm on the shares, his attention being thus occupied until after his marriage. He then purchased seventy-five acres of land and upon that tract has since made his home. His landed possessions, however, have been largely increased in the meantime, and he is to-day the owner of three hundred acres of val- uable land, the greater part of which represents his own earnings. His wife inherited five hundred dollars from her father, but with the exception of this assistance Mr. Norris has depended upon his own resources for his prosperity. He has one of the best improved farms in the county and his reputation as a horticulturist extends far beyond the limits of the local com- munity. He has sixty-two acres planted to peaches, pears, plums, cherries and apples, and about thirty acres in berries. His opinions are received as authority on matters connected with the growth of fruit, for he has made a close study of this, and his knowledge of the habits and needs of fruit is comprehensive and accurate.
Mr. Norris married Eliza Ann Snavely, a daughter of Joseph Snavely, and unto them were born six children, but two of the number died in infancy. The others are Corie E., who rents one of his father's farms; Joseph, who is employed by a street-car company of Chicago; William G., who works the home farm; and Ada, the wife of Reman Piper, of Chicago.
The political issues and questions of the day have led Mr. Norris to give his support to the men and measures of the Republican party. For nine years he has served as a school director and for two terms was super- visor, and in both positions discharged his duties with promptness and fidelity.
JOHN J. FREEZE.
Of the farming interests of Richland county John J. Freeze is a rep- resentative, owning and cultivating a tract of land on section 12, Spring- field township. He was born in Crawford county, Ohio, in June, 1848, and his father, Samuel Freeze, is an octogenarian of Crawford county, whither he was taken when a babe in his mother's arms eighty years ago. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, his father being John T. Freeze, whose birth occurred in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1788. About 1803 he came alone to this country, having lost both of his parents, who died
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at about the same time. He landed in New York city with two dollars and seventy-five cents in his pockets. He was also the possessor of a Swiss watch. Going to Philadelphia he there worked for eleven years in the employ of a baker. During that time he was married, in 1816, to Miss Eldis, who was born in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. They removed to Holmes county, Ohio, and soon afterward to Crawford county, where the grandfather of our subject purchased eighty acres of land. At his death he owned four farms, comprising five hundred and forty-three acres. He was a shrewd, enterprising business man, and his boys cultivated the farm while he speculated in stock. He reared five children,-three sons and two daughters,-but Samuel Freeze is the only one now living. The grandpar- ents were buried in the old cemetery in Galion, Ohio.
Samuel Freeze was reared in Crawford county, and having arrived at man's estate he married Magdalena Eberly, a native of Prussia, Germany. She was born about 1826. Their marriage occurred in 1845. Four chil- dred graced their union, namely: John J .: Caroline, the wife of Frederick Tile, of Crawford; Elizabeth, the wife of John Stoley, of Bucyrus; and William Albert, who is living on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres left by the grandfather.
John J. Freeze, the subject of this review, was reared to farm labor and early became familiar with all the duties that fall to the lot of the agri- culturist. By practical training he was thus well fitted for his own business career as a farmer. He received a common-school education and remained at home until his marriage, which occurred November 19, 1869, Hannah C. Snyder becoming his wife. She was the youngest of a family of thirteen children, and by her marriage she became the mother of two sons, one of whom was killed by a mule at the age of seventeen. She died May 1, 1873. and Mr. Freeze was afterward married to Miss Margaret Trumpler. Their children are: Albert R., Lulu, Samuel Frederick, Ora Minnie, Hattie, Ada, Roy Edward, Mary Elizabeth and Melvin Guy, the last named being only two years of age, the oldest child about twenty-one.
The family reside on the home farm in Springfield township, where Mr. Freeze has carried on agricultural pursuits for seventeen years. The place comprises one hundred and sixty-five acres, a part of which he pur- chased of his father. It is called Fountain farm, on account of a flowing well which is upon the place. The land is a rich alluvial soil and the fields are well tilled, yielding good crops, which bring an ample competence to the owner. He and his wife are members of the Presbyterian church and he belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Grange. He has served as
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a school director and is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the welfare and improvement of his community. His farming methods are progressive and his well-conducted place indicates that he is one of the lead- ing agriculturists of the neighborhood.
MRS. SARAH JANE ARTER.
Mrs. Sarah Jane Arter is one of the estimable ladies of Sandusky township, Richland county. She has long resided here, so that she is widely known in the community. She is the widow of George Arter, who died on the old home farm June 21, 1896, in his seventy-fifth year. He was born in Sandusky county December 20, 1822, and a son of Henry Arter, who was born in Maryland in 1799 and died in Wyandot county, Ohio, in 1879. His father, George Arter, was a slaveholder in Maryland. The fam- ily originated in Germany. Henry Arter came to Ohio about 1830, previous to which time he had wedded Miss Susannah Musselman, also a native of Maryland. Coming to the Buckeye state, they began life anew in the woods in Springfield township, two miles from the present Arter homestead. There they reared seven of their nine children. After the death of the mother the father wedded Delilah Huddle, who bore him three children, and of his ten sons and daughters who reached mature age and were married four are yet living, namely : Musselman, who resides in Williams county, Ohio, at the age of seventy-four; Elizabeth, the widow of Timothy Young, and is living in California, at the age of seventy-one years; John, who is living in Bushnell, Illinois, at the age of sixty-nine; and Daniel, who also is living in Bushnell, at the age of sixty-seven.
George Arter was reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life in Rich- land county, and after he had arrived at man's estate he wedded Sarah Jane Walters, a daughter of George and Mary (McGrew) Walters. Her father was born in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, in 1799, and her mother in Jefferson county, Ohio, in 1803. They were married about 1820 and located on a tract of timber land east of Mansfield, this having been entered by his father from the government. There they became the parents of five children, three of whom reached adult age, namely: John, who was born in 1822 and is now a retired farmer of Crestline; Rebecca, the wife of Matthew Reid, who went to California, her death occurring in Los Angeles, . that state, about 1890; and Mrs. Sarah Jane Arter. The father died in 1875, being killed on the railroad track. His wife survived him until 1879, passing away at the age of seventy-six.
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Mrs. Arter acquired a good education in the district schools and was early trained to the work of the household. On the 31st of December, 1846, she gave her hand in marriage to George Arter and they began their domestic life in Putnam county in the midst of the forest. The land had been entered from the government by her father, but was wild and unim- proved. After making some improvements there they sold the property and removed to Crawford county, locating near Crestline. This was in 1850. Again Mr. Arter began the development of a new farm in the midst of a forest, having sixty acres of land, which he cleared and placed under a high state of cultivation. He erected good buildings on the place and made many substantial improvements, after which he sold the property and came to the homestead in Sandusky township in 1874. Here he secured one hundred and five acres. He improved the land and continued to make his home upon the place until his death. He followed progressive methods of farming. He built a new house upon his farm and carried on his place with marked energy. His determined purpose enabled him to conquer all difficulties and work his way steadily upward. Thus he acquired a hand- some competence, becoming one of the wealthy agriculturists in his section of the county.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Arter were born nine children. They lost one son in infancy, and John D., their fourth child, died at the age of seventeen years. The others are: Rebecca Ellen, the wife of Daniel Bean, a farmer of Sandusky township; George Fremont, who follows farming in this local- ity ; Mary Alwilda, the wife of Aaron Oldfield, of Crawford county ; Sarah Jane, the wife of John Hout, of Springfield township; Delilah Grace, the wife of Frank Smith, of Crestline; Charles Henry, who cultivates the old home farm of one hundred acres; and Florence Bell, the wife of Willard Frank, of Galion. These children were all reared to farm life and received good educational privileges. Mrs. Arter has lost one grandchild and now has eleven granddaughters, ten grandsons and four great-grandchildren. She is still vigorous in mind and body,-a most estimable lady, who enjoys the high regard of many friends. Her home is close to that of her son Charles, the two residences standing in the same yard.
Charles Arter was married, in 1891, to Miss Mollie L. Parke, who died in 1895, leaving two children : Ruth E., born October 24, 1891 ; and Charles Parke, who is now seven years of age. The father was again married in 1898, his second union being with Nora Shambaugh, by whom he has a little son, Clarence Albert, born September 9, 1899. Mr. Arter is a Repub-
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lican and has served as highway commissioner and is a member of the school board.
George Arter, the husband of Mrs. Sarah Jane Arter, was a vigorous and healthy man during the greater part of his life, and was a great worker, contin- uing his active connection with business affairs until but a short time before his death, when a small cancer developed upon his temple, soon terminating his life. He possessed excellent business and executive force. He was a man of keen discernment and of marked energy, carrying forward to suc- cessful completion whatever he undretook. He left to his family an estate valued at about one hundred thousand dollars, and thus his widow is amply provided with all the necessities and many of the luxuries of life. He was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church and with that denom- ination Mrs. Arter is still identified.
HARRISON M. ALVORD.
The spirit of self-help is the source of all genuine worth in the individual and is the means of bringing to man success when he has not the advantage of wealth or influence to aid him. It is this which has enabled Mr. Alvord to take his place among the substantial citizens of Mansfield, where for several years he has held the position of agent of the United States Express Com- pany. He was born January 4, 1840, in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The father, Joseph F. Alvord, was of English descent, and died in January, 1899, ai the advanced age of eighty-eight years, passing away in Bement, Illinois, where he had long resided. His wife is still living in Bement, at an advanced age. In their family are four sons who still survive. W. C. Alvord, now fifty-four years of age, is an influential citizen engaged in the insurance and brokerage business in Peoria, Illinois. George, aged fifty-six, and Albert and Louis, aged fifty-two and forty-five years respectively, are all residents of Bement, where they occupy leading positions in business circles. Two sons of the family gave their lives in defense of the country during the Civil war. Joseph C., who was a member of the Twenty-first Illinois Infantry, was killed at the battle of Stone River, December 31, 1862; and Oscar L., a mem- ber of the Fifty-first Illinois Infantry, died of typhoid fever in the year 1861, while serving his country at the front.
Prior to the Civil war Harrison M. Alvord accompanied his parents on their removal to the West. the family locating in Bement. Illinois. He watched with interest the progress of events which precipitated the country into civil war, and, when twenty-two years of age, he enlisted as a member
At Waword
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of Company D, Seventy-third Illinois Infantry. On the 21st of August, 1862, he was commissioned as sergeant, and was promoted as orderly sergeant on the 21st of December following. During a portion of the year 1864-5 he was in command of his company, and on the IIth of April of the latter year he was commissioned first lieutenant for bravery and meritorious service on the field of battle. In August, 1862, his regiment was assigned to the Thirty-fifth Brigade of the Eleventh Division of the Army of Ohio, and in September, 1862, the division became a member of the Fourth Corps of the same army. In November of that year his regiment became a part of the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the right wing of the Army of the Cumberland, and in January, 1863, became a part of the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the Twentieth Corps of the Army of the Cumber- land, while in October, 1863, it was transferred to the First Brigade, Second Division and Fourth Corps, thus serving until the close of the war. The Seventy-third Illinois was organized at Camp Butler and was mustered into the United States service on the 21st of August, 1862. The regiment was ordered to Louisville and at once began the pursuit of Bragg to Crab Orchard, Kentucky, the movement continuing from the Ist of October until the 15th. On the 8th of that month was fought the hotly contested battle of Perryville, in which the Seventy-third gallantly distinguished itself. On the 16th of October the troops marched to Nashville and on the 7th of December entered upon the Murfreesboro campaign, proceeding to Nolensville, Tennessee, on the 26th of that month. Two days later they entered upon the great battle of Stone River, the contest continuing there until the 3d of January, 1863. The regiment then remained at Murfreesboro until June, 1863, and then started on the Tullahoma campaign on the 24th of the month, participating in the battles of Hoover's Gap, June 25 and 26; Fairfield, June 27: the occu- pation of Tullahoma, on the Ist of July. This was followed by the Chatta- nooga campaign, in August; the battle of Chickamauga, September 19 and 20; the siege of Chattanooga, September 24-26; Orchard Knob, November 23 and 24; Mission Ridge, November 25; and on the 28th of November they marched to the relief of Knoxville, reaching their destination on the 8th of December. On the 14th of January, 1864, they were at Dandridge and participated in the Atlanta campaign from May until September, including the engagement at Catoosa Springs, May 5; Tunnel Hill, May 7; Buzzards' Gap, May 8; Rocky Face Ridge, May 9-11 ; Resaca, May 13-15 ; Dostenaula, May 16; Adairsville, May 17 and 18; Kingston, May 19; Altoona Hill, May 25 to June 1; Picket's Mill, May 27; Ackworth, June 3 and 4; Kenesaw Mountain, June 10; Pine Mountain, June 14; Lost Mountain, June 15-17; 39
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Culp's Farm, June 22; the assault on Kenesaw, June 27; Vining Station, July 3 and 4; Chattahoochie River, July 6-17; Peach Tree Creek, July 19 and 20; siege of Atlanta, from the 22d of July to the 25th of August; Ezra Chapel, July 28; Utah Creek, August 5-7; Jonesboro, August 31 to Septem- ber 1; Lovejoy Station, September 2 to 6; battle of Franklin, November 30; Pulaski, Tennessee, December 23; battle of Nashville, December 15 and 16; the pursuit of Hood, from the 17th to the 26th of December; and at Hunts- ville, Alabama, the troops there remained until March, 1865. They partici- pated in the expedition to Bull's Gap, Tennessee, from March 28 until April 6; and then remained at Nashville until June, 1865, when on the. 12th of the month the regiment was mustered out of service. Lieutenant Alvord was always found at the post of duty, faithfully protecting the old flag, whether on the tented field or on the scenes of contest between the armies.
In 1867 Mr. Alvord was united in marriage to Miss Mary Beach, the wedding taking place at her home in Mansfield. A year later the young wife died, and two years afterward Mr. Alvord was married, in Derby, Connecti- cut, to Frances W. Beach, a cousin of his first wife. They now have two children : Joseph Grant and Myrtle. The son enlisted in Company M, Eighth Ohio Infantry, at the beginning of the war with Spain and was com- missioned company quartermaster sergeant. The regiment went to Cuba and was on the firing line at Santiago at the time of its surrender. With his command Joseph G. Alvord then returned and was mustered out of the serv- ice. In May, 1899, however, he enlisted in Battery G, Seventh Artillery, of the regular army, and is now stationed at Fort Warren, near Boston, Massa- chusetts.
Mr. Alvord and his family attend the Grace Episcopal church in Mans- field, of which he is an active member, having for several years served as its treasurer. In politics he is a Republican, and in the Masonic fraternity he has attained the Knight Templar degree. He was an ideal and loyal soldier, is a reliable business man, a faithful friend, and his life record is in many respects well worthy of emulation.
WILLIAM BRADSHAW HAMBLIN.
As a contractor for street paving and grading, William B. Hamblin has heen actively identified with the business interests of Mansfield, Ohio, for over a third of a century, and is one of its representative and highly esteemed citizens. He was born in Knox county, this state, July 3, 1839. a son of Rev. Isaac and Luzella (Landerbaugh) Hamblin. The father was
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graduated at Knox (now Kenyon) College, at Gambier, Ohio, about 1838, was ordained a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and engaged in preaching in Indiana thirty-six years, being sent out by the North Amer- ican Bible Society. He was a very intelligent man and an able minister, and ciid effective work as a missionary among the pioneers. He built a church at his own expense on the state road near Jonesboro, Indiana. He died in 1880, at the age of sixty-three years, and the mother of our subject died in 1844, leaving two sons, who are still living: William B., our subject; and Charles, who lives near San Francisco, California.
Our subject's maternal grandfather was Charles Landerbaugh, who removed from Pennsylvania to Knox county, Ohio, about 1820. The pater- nal grandfather, James Hamblin, was a native of England, and on his emigration to America settled in Connecticut, but later made his home in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and spent his last days in Manchester, Iowa. He entered the land on which that town now stands, and much of the property is still owned by one of his sons, who is a very prominent and influential man in that community. The grandfather was an officer in the war of 1812, under the command of General William H. Harrison, and was taken prisoner during his service.
During his boyhood William B. Hamblin attended the common schools, and on starting out in life for himself engaged in street contracting. At the outbreak of the Rebellion he laid aside all personal interests and offered his services to the government, enlisting April 20, 1861, in Company D, Fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Second Corps, Army of West Virginia. He remained in the service three years and two months, and participated in a number of engagements, the last being that of Cold Harbor.
In 1859 Mr. Hamblin married Miss Lucinda A. Hulit, a daughter of James Hulit, of Lucas, Richland county, who was a deacon in the Baptist church and prominent in local matters. By this union were born two chil- dren that are still living: Ira, who is in business with his father ; and Will- iam Dexter, who is now serving as a foreman for his father. The family have a pleasant home in Mansfield, where they have lived for twenty years. The year of his marriage Mr. Hamblin removed to Mansfield, and has since successfully engaged in street paving and grading at that place. He served as a street commissioner four years, from 1889 to 1893, and has laid twenty-five miles of brick pavement in Mansfield. He has also done con- siderable paving in other cities throughout the state, and now gives employ- ment to thirty men. As a business man he is wide-awake, energetic and
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progressive, and carries forward to successful completion whatever he under- takes. Fraternally he is an honored member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and politically is an ardent Republican. In his religious views he is a Baptist and is an earnest supporter of the church.
PETER WENTZ.
This is a utilitarian age in which effort must contribute to some line of usefulness whereby may be promoted the welfare of an individual or of the public. The marked energy and enterprise of the west has brought about a marvelous change in the cities situated on this side of the Alle- ghanies. This change is the result of the aggregate effort of thousands of enterprising, wide-awake and industrious citizens, of which class Peter Wentz is a representative.
He was born in Perry county, Pennsylvania, November 13, 1828. His father, Peter Wentz, Sr., died on the 6th of July of that year, before his son's birth, being only twenty-three years of age. His wife bore the maiden name of Anna Berrier, and for seventy-two years she remained a widow. She reared her three children at the home of her father-in-law, and by her own earnest efforts provided for her little ones and gave them the privilege of acquiring good, practical education in the public schools.
Peter Wentz, of this review, learned the miller's trade of his sister's husband in Pennsylvania, and after following that pursuit for three years in the Keystone state he came to Richland county, Ohio, in 1849. locating in London, where he resided with an uncle, Henry Wentz. Here he engaged in chopping wood and in teaming, in connection with railroad construction. He also made shaved shingles of oak, and in August, 1850, he accepted a position as the head miller at Plymouth, and in 1852 came to his present mill in the employ of A. C. Welch and received two hundred dollars per year and his board in compensation for the service. In 1854, however, he re- turned to Plymouth, where he conducted a steam gristmill, for one dollar a day. In 1882 Mr. Wentz purchased his present desirable mill property. The building was erected there forty years ago by A. C. Welch and is operated by water power, supplied by two never-failing springs. In the pioneer days two men who came here to make homes placed their stakes for pre-emption claims on these two springs, and on the original papers giving them the ownership of the land is the signature of James Monroe. They are still in the possession of the family. The first owner was John Welch, the grand-
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father of Mrs. Wentz. In addition to his milling operations Mr. Wentz was interested in farming, being the owner of two valuable tracts of land.
On the 7th of November, 1854, Mr. Wentz was united in marriage to Margaret Benton Welch, who was born on the farm where she now resides, July 4, 1830, her parents being John and Janette (Wilson) Welch, the former a native of Pennsylvania, and the latter of Connecticut. Five children were born to our subject and his wife and the family circle yet remains unbroken by death. These are Anna A., the wife of James P. Seward, of Mansfield, by whom she has one daughter ; John Lincoln, who lives in the new residence on the home farm, which he cultivates : he and his wife have one daughter ; James C., who also is living on the old homestead and is the father of the only grandson in the family; Burt C., of Shelby, who has a wife and five daugh- ters ; and Frank P., who also is married and works one of his father's farms.
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