USA > Ohio > Richland County > A centennial biographical history of Richland county, Ohio > Part 66
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Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ferrell have been born two children,-Leo C, and Vida,-both at home. Mr. Ferrell votes with the Democracy, and, as every true American should do, feels an interest in the growth and success of his party ; yet he has never sought or desired office.
PETER LANEHART.
Germany has furnished to the new world many of her most valuable and useful citizens,-men who have taken an active and prominent part in the development of that section in which they locate. In Peter Lanehart we find a worthy representative of this class. He was born in the fatherland,
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October 13, 1815, a son of John W. and Mary Lanehart, in whose family were seven children,-three sons and four daughters. The father spent his entire life in Germany.
Peter Lanehart was reared upon a farm in his native land, and continued to make his home there until 1843, when he took passage on a sailing ves- sel, and after a voyage of fifty-three days landed in New York. By way of the Erie canal and Great Lakes, he proceeded at once to Cleveland, Ohio, and thence by team to Mansfield, where he found employment in the building of a railroad. He continued to work by the day from 1843 until 1850, and then he and his brother Philip purchased a forty-acre tract of land, which they worked together for four years. At the end of that time they bought a farm of eighty acres in Jefferson township, where they made their home for three years, and then our subject purchased eighty acres for himself in the same township, to the cultivation and improvement of which he devoted his energies for fourteen years. He then exchanged the place for his present farm in Washington township, consisting of one hundred and fifty-five acres, upon which he has made many useful and valuable improvements that stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise.
In March, 1854, Mr. Lanehart was united in marriage with Miss Mary Faust, and to them have been born nine children, as follows: Fred; John; William; Mary, deceased; Lewis; Philip; George; Albert and Christopher.
In religious belief Mr. Lanehart is a Lutheran, and in politics is a strong Democrat. On coming to America lie was two dollars in debt, but he has labored earnestly and persistently, and through his own well directed efforts has acquired a comfortable competence. In his farming operations he has met with the success that usually follows the industrious and enterprising man, and is now enabled to live in ease and comfort, surrounded by all that makes life worth living.
DAVID D. SAMSEL.
David D. Samsel, a native of Ashland county, Ohio, was born on the 12th of June, 1845, one of the five children of Peter and Elizabeth (Dick) Samsel. His father was a native of Bavaria, Germany, born in 1809, and in the land of his birth he was reared to manhood and learned the weaver's trade, following that pursuit in Germany until 1836, when, with his wife and two children he crossed the broad Atlantic to the new world, taking up his abode in Olivesburg, Richland county. There he resided for some time, working at the looms, and afterward removed to a farm a half-mile east of the village, in Ashland county, where he had purchased twenty acres of
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land. He continued weaving until the middle of the century and has since followed agriculture. He moved to a farm of sixty acres west of Olives- burg, in Weller township, Richland county, and on disposing of that prop- erty became the owner of the quarter section of land upon which our sub- ject now resides and where he lived until the time of his death, in 1883. He was a member of the Reformed church, a Democrat in politics and was one of the well known and influential men of the county. He married Miss Elizabeth Dick, and three of their children survive: Catherine, the wife of Reuben Zigler, of Williams county, Ohio; Jacob, a farmer of Butler town- ship; and David D., of this review.
In taking up the personal history of David D. Samsel we present to our readers the life record of one who has a wide acquaintance in Richland county and whose many excellencies of character have gained him high re- gard. As a schoolboy he learned the lessons taught in the common schools of the neighborhood and under his father's direction was trained to the work of the home farm. After his marriage he began working the old homestead, which he supervised until his father's death. He then purchased the farm, comprising one hundred and fifteen acres, forty-five acres of the place having previously been given to his sister.
In 1867 occurred the marriage of Mr. Samsel and Miss Margaret Huston, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and a daughter of Jesse Huston. Five children graced their marriage, of whom four are yet living: Walter, who is now the proprietor of a meat market in Mansfield, Ohio; Etta, the wife of Henry Wolf, who is cultivating her father's farm; Mary, the wife of William Hirsch, a druggist of Mansfield; and Arthur, who is now a student in the State Normal, at Ada, Ohio.
In his political faith Mr. Samsel is a Democrat. He belongs to the Reformed church and is a progressive and public-spirited citizen, deeply inter- ested in everything pertaining to the welfare of the community and with- holding his support from no measure for the public good. He is a broad- minded man, and his sterling qualities are those which in every land and in every clime command respect.
HON. JOHN M. MAY.
During the first half of the nineteenth century the name of John M. May figured conspicuously in connection with the history of jurisprudence in Rich- land county, for he located in Mansfield as a practitioner at the bar in 1815 and continued in practice here until his death, which occurred in 1869. He
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was born in Conway, Hampshire county, Massachusetts, October 13, 1787, and traced his ancestry in America back to John May, of Mayfield, Sussex county, England, who was the captain of the ship James which sailed be- tween the ports of New England and London from 1635 to 1640. He then located in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and from him are descended the Mays of New England, New York and Michigan, many of whom have been favorably known in military and civil life. Theodore May, the father of our subject, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war and received his pay in the greatly depreciated continental money, which his sons afterward used as thumb-papers in school, so great had its value decreased. In 1797 the family removed to Washington county, New York.
It was in the year 1811 that John Milton May came alone to Ohio, cross- ing the Alleghany mountains on foot, and proceeding from Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania, to Marietta, Ohio, by boat. During his sojourn in Marietta there occurred the great earthquake which is noted as the greatest known in the United States, being most forcibly felt in the Mississippi valley. In the fall of that year Mr. May began the study of law in the office of Philemon Beecher, of Lancaster, Ohio, his fellow students being the Hon. Thomas Ewing and. the late Judge Jacob Parker, afterward of this city. During his novitiate in the law he supported himself by teaching school in the winter season. Hock- ing H. Hunter was among his pupils.
Mr. May was admitted to the bar July 26, 1815, and in the autumn of the same year came to Mansfield, where he resided until his death. He was the first resident lawyer of the place. When he came to Mansfield the legal business was in the hands of non-resident lawyers, who would visit the differ- ent county seats, traveling on horseback. This was called "riding the circuit" -a practice which was common in pioneer days in many states. In 1816 Mr. May was elected prosecuting attorney, but resigned the office the follow- ing year because he could secure a better compensation for his services by acting as the counsel for defendant in the cases which came into court. He was the second prosecuting attorney of Richland county, and from the time he arrived in Mansfield until his life's labors were ended in death he was a prominent figure at the bar of his district. For many years he rode the cir- cuit of northern and western Ohio and enjoyed a large and lucrative clientage. For fifty-three years he practiced at the Mansfield bar and easily maintained a foremost position among the legal practitioners by reason of his compre- hensive understanding of the principles of jurisprudence, his thorough prep- aration of cases and his logical, masterly arguments. He was regarded as a splendid advocate as well as an able chancery lawyer, and in his later years
40
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among his associate lawyers he was styled the "Nestor of the bar," and was also known as "Father May."
In 1825 Mr. May married Miss Artemesia Wolfe, a representative of one of the pioneer families of the county, her people having removed from Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, to Knox county, Ohio, in 1809, at which time Knox and Richland counties were within the same territorial limits. At the same time Amariah Watson, Solomon Culver and the Ayres family also took up their abode in this locality. After settling in Knox county Mrs. Wolfe purchased a farm near the present site of Fredericktown. It was while the family were residing upon this farm that "Johnny Appleseed" made his mem- orable trip from Mansfield to Mount Vernon to obtain military protection for the Mansfield block-house, and in passing the Wolfe home he gave his shout of warning to the inmates to flee to the block-house, saying that Levi Jones had been killed and an Indian outbreak was expected. Soon after this the Wolfe family removed to Mansfield and lived in a house which stood on the present site of the First English Lutheran church.
Mr. and Mrs. May became the parents of but two children,-Judge Manuel May and Lizzie E. May; but the daughter died in 1866. The mother passed away in 1853 and Mr. May departed this life on the 12th of December, 1869, when eighty-two years of age. During his long life he aiways maintained a high character as a good citizen and an honest man and always enjoyed the confidence, good will and respect of every one with whom he came in contact.
WILLIAM BROOK.
William Brook, whose pleasant residence is situated on a farm of two hundred and twelve acres in Springfield township, Richland county, is one of the native sons of England who has sought a home in America, hoping here to benefit his financial condition; and in this he has not been disappointed, for prosperity has attended his efforts and he is now accounted one of the substantial residents of his community. He was born in Kent county, Eng- land. February 26, 1832, and in 1852 crossed the Atlantic, the voyage con- suming eleven days. He sailed from London to New York, but the voyage was a very rough one, the sails being broken and other damage done to the ship. He was accompanied by his brother John. They had no capital, de- pending upon their own resources for a living. To Cleveland they made their way, but, failing to secure employment there, they started with their . trunks upon their backs, walking twelve miles to Brier, where they worked
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on the new railroad, earning enough money to take them to Mansfield, where lived their uncle, John Mount, who had come to Richland county at an early day. With him they had a home until they found employment on a farm, working for eight dollars per month. Mr. Brook of this review was employed for four years, at eleven dollars per month, which was the largest pay given to any workman at that place. He was next employed as a section man on the railroad, receiving ninety cents per day, and later he secured work at an- other place, where he continued for six years, receiving from ninety cents to a dollar and a quarter per day.
During that time Mr. Brook was married, on the 15th of November, 1858, to Rebecca Scott, of Lincolnshire, who came to this country at the age of eighteen years with her two brothers and a sister. She is a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Holmes) Scott, and by her marriage has become the mother of six children, who are yet living, namely: Mary Ann, the wife of Theodore Forbes, of Topeka, Kansas, who is the proprietor of a grain elevator, and they have three daughters and two sons; Mrs. Emma Strofield, whose husband has a farm in Springfield township and who has two sons and one daughter; Mrs. Mattie Corman, whose husband has a farm six miles east of her father's home: William S., who cultivates the home farm and has one son, Russell; Grace, the wife of Milo McMickin; and Laura, the wife of George Shryock, by whom she has a little daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Brook also lost two sons and one daughter in infancy.
In 1865 Mr. Brook took up his abode upon his present farm of sixty-six acres, to which he has made additions from time to time until it now com- prises two hundred and twelve acres of rich and arable land. Through his own industry and capable management and the assistance of his able wife he has prospered. He has always devoted his energies to general farming. keeping his fields under a high state of cultivation and practicing the rota- tion of crops. He also seeds his fields occasionally to grass and is generous in the use of fertilizers. He has two sets of buildings upon the farm, his son occupying one of the residences.
Mr. Brook is but slowly recovering from a paralytic stroke which he suffered two years ago, but by the care and attention of his faithful wife he has been rendered quite comfortable. He has been a member of the Baptist church for more than forty-five years, and through a long period has served as one of its deacons. His wife and several children also belong to the same church. In politics he is a Republican, and he keeps well informed on the issues of the day, but has neither sought nor held office. In the evening
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of life Mr. and Mrs. Brook reside on their good farm, there enjoying the comforts of former toil, and throughout the community where they reside many entertain for them sincere friendship.
JAMES ZEHNER.
James Zehner was born in Milton township, in what is now Ashland county, January 19, 1835, a son of Peter and Mary (Cook) Zehner, who had but two children, twins, the sister of our subject being Mary, now the widow of Christ Stover, of Ashland, Ohio. The father was born in Schuyler county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Peter Zehner, a native of that state and of German extraction. The latter emigrated with his family to Ohio and entered from the government a tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres in what is now Milton township, Ashland county. There he and his wife spent their remaining days, his attention being given to the work of the farm. He had previously operated a sawmill in Pennsylvania, but on ar- riving in Ohio he built a log cabin in the midst of the forest and began to clear and cultivate his land, which was transformed into a very rich and valuable fields. In politics he was an old-line Whig until the dissolution of the party, after which he became an ardent Republican. He was also a consistent member of the Lutheran church and was a man of much influence in the neighborhood, highly respected for his many virtues.
Peter Zehner, the father of our subject, was reared to manhood amid the wild scenes of the frontier and with the family shared in all the hard- ships and trials of pioneer life. He wedded Miss Mary Cook and with his bride settled on the old homestead, working with his father until his death, which occurred in 1844, when he was still a young man. His wife had pre- ceded him to the home beyond several months, and their twin children, then nine years of age, were reared by their paternal grandparents. The sub- ject of this review acquired his education in the common schools, and at the age of sixteen went to live with his uncle, Henry Zehner, who also resided on the home farm, which he afterward purchased in connection with his brother Isaac. There Mr. Zehner remained until the time of his marriage, in 1859, Miss Catherine Letz, a native of Pennsylvania, becoming his wife. She was a daughter of John Letz, who emigrated to Ohio in 1850, settling in Milton township.
When sixteen years of age, James Zeliner had apprenticed himself to the carpenter's trade and continuously followed that calling until 1862, when the Civil war caused a cessation in building, and he accordingly removed to his
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father-in-law's farm, where he entered upon an active career as an agricult- urist. There he remained for eight years, and on the expiration of that period purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres four miles west of Ashland, in Milton township. That continued to be his place of abode until 1885, when he sold the property and removed to his present farm in Butler township, becoming the owner of two hundred and ten acres of rich and productive land. The fields yield to him an excellent return for the care and labor he bestows upon them. The farm is one of the best improved in the county, being supplied with all modern accessories and conveniences, includ- ing the latest improved machinery, substantial buildings for the shelter of. grain and stock and a pleasant residence.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Zehner have been born seven children, as follows: John T., a carpenter of Wabash county, Indiana; Samuel, a farmer of Butler township; Esther, now the wife of Irvin Schweyer, who runs her father's farm; Ella, the wife of Judd Cline, an agriculturist of Franklin township; H. Harmon, who is living in Cleveland, Ohio, where he conducts a grocery store; Dora, at home; and Kate, the wife of Alvin Wolford, a farmer of Blooming Grove township.
Mr. Zehner is unswerving in his advocacy of Republican principles, be- lieving that the platform of the party contains the best elements of good government. He is a member of the Lutheran church and contributes lib- erally to the support of all Christian and charitable work. His life is in harmony with his professions, and in business circles he sustains an unassail- able reputation by reason of his trustworthy methods. £ He is a man of ambition and much energy and his success in life is due entirely to his own efforts. His persistency of purpose has been the chief element of his success.
"Let the fool prate of luck. The fortunate Is he whose earnest purpose never swerves. His slighest action or inaction serves
The one great aim.".
SIDNEY ELLIS.
Recent researches concerning the early history of the Ellis family in America indicate that Robert E., the grandfather of our subject, was de- scended from one of three brothers who came from Wales to the new world at an early period in the development and settlement of New England. He died in Pompey, New York, at the age of seventy-six years. Clark Ellis, the father of our subject, was born in Massachusetts in 1789, and during his
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childhood accompanied his parents on their removal to Rhode Island and later to the Empire state, where he assisted in clearing, cultivating and improving his father's land. He wedded Miss Thirza Elwell, and afterward settled on a farm of sixty-three acres, of which he had become the possessor some time before. There he spent his remaining days, but extended the boundaries of his property by purchasing an additional tract of twenty-five acres and in- heriting another portion of twenty-five acres from his father's estate, his farm then comprising one hundred and thirteen acres. He lived a quiet, but useful and honorable life and died in 1843, at the age of fifty-four years. Of the Democratic party he was a stanch supporter. Unto Clark and Thirza Ellis were born thirteen children, of whom three died in infancy, while ten reached the years of maturity, the youngest of that number being fifty-two years of age at death. Four of the family are still living, namely: Eliza, the widow of John Hunter, of Huron county, Ohio; Polly, the wife of Gor- ham Randall, of Nemaha, Nebraska; Sidney; and Henry, who is living in Montgomery county, Missouri.
In taking up the personal history of Sidney Ellis, we present to our readers the life record of one who is well known in Richland county. He was born in the town of Pompey, Onondaga county, New York, November 9, 1824, and the days of his youth were quietly passed on the old homestead farm. His educational privileges were limited, but he has been a great reader throughout his entire life and has ever kept well informed on questions of general interest. After his father's death he entered upon an independent business career as a farm hand, working by the month for four years. In 1840 he purchased a farm of eighty-two acres lying between the towns of Pompey and Fabius and there began farming on his own account. The year previous he had married Miss Hannah Benedict, a native of Pompey and a daughter of Stephen Benedict, one of the wealthiest farmers of Onon- daga county. He had begun business as the possessor of only twenty-six acres of forest land, and with that to serve as a nucleus he added to his pos- sessions by his energy and perseverance until his realty and bank account made him one of the most substantial citizens of his community.
Mr. and Mrs. Ellis resided at their new home for only a year, however, when they sold the property and rented a farm. He there planted a crop, but sold the harvest ere it was garnered, and in the fall of 1849 came to Ohio, where, in Ripley township, Huron county, in partnership with his brother, Henry A., he had previously purchased a farm of one hundred acres. His brother Henry and four older brothers had preceded him to Huron county. His property had been leased to a man for a term of two years and during
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that time Sidney Ellis rented and cultivated other land. In 1851, however, he removed to his own home, but after a year he and his brother sold their land and for several months Sidney Ellis was a resident of Fitchville.
He next purchased one hundred and thirty-one acres of land in Butler township, Richland county, on which he resided for two years, when he sold that farm and removed to Huron county, having become the owner of fifty acres of a farm, upon which he resided for three years. During that time his father- in-law died, and disposing of his Huron county farm Mr. Ellis and his family returned to the Empire state, where his wife inherited thirty-six acres of her father's old homestead, with the buildings and residence upon the place. Mr. Ellis then purchased an adjoining forty-two acres and in New York they remained for four years, when they sold the property and returned to Ohio, once more becoming residents of Ripley township, Huron county. Mr. Ellis purchased there a tract of ninety-eight acres in the spring of 1862, and in July of the same year he became the owner of the remaining half of the farm known as the old Stiles place. In 1864 he removed to this half and made it his residence until 1873, when he sold the property for fourteen thousand dollars, and became the owner of his present home in Blooming Grove town- ship, Richland county, where he has one hundred and fifty-eight acres of valuable land. In 1887 he bought the Burgess farm in Greenwich township, Huron county-one hundred and eight and three-quarters acres-and it is still numbeed among his possessions.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Ellis have been born four children: Polly M., the wife of Alanson Maynard, of Blooming Grove township, where he follows farming : Ella S., the wife of Frank L. Baker, a farmer of Shelby, Ohio; Louise C., at home ; and Stephen E., who married Emma Sheely and is man- aging the home farm. Mr. Ellis is a stanch Democrat, thoroughly in sym- pathy with the principles of his party, and for many years served as a school director, doing everything in his power to promote the cause of education, for he realizes its importance in the active affairs of life as a training for the duties which a business career always brings.
LEVI H. HUMBERT.
Levi H. Humbert has a wide acquaintance in Richland county and in agricultural circles throughout the state ; and his many excellent qualities, his genial manner and kindly disposition have made him popular, gaining him many friends. His record therefore cannot fail to prove of interest to many of our readers.
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He was born a mile and a half northeast of Ashland, in Ashland county, Ohio, May 26, 1846, his parents being William and Margaret (Wolf) Humbert. His father was born September 20, 1821, and died January 30, 1890. His wife's birth occurred on the 3d of May, 1821, and she passed away November 14, 1899. After her husband's death she resided on the home farm with her son, Albert M.
The father of our subject was a native of Maryland, and in that state learned the shoemaker's trade, under the direction of his stepfather, Mr. Shaffer. After his marriage he located on the old Wolf farm near Ashland, renting that tract, which he cultivated in addition to working at his trade. Seven years later he removed to Cass township, where he purchased eighty acres of land, upon which he resided for three years. He then sold the property and in 1852 bought eighty acres in Blooming Grove township, now included within the old homestead. He was a very industrious and energetic man, working in the fields from early morning until late at night, and on rainy days continuing his labors at the bench. His success enabled him to add to his property and he extended the boundaries of his farm until it comprised one hundred and forty acres. In early life he gave his political support to the Whig party and after its dissolution joined the Democratic ranks. That he was regarded as a citizen of sterling worth and fidelity is shown by the fact that he served as a supervisor and a school director in his township for twenty years. He held membership in the German Reformed church. His wife, who proved to him a faithful companion and helpmate on life's journey, was a native of Pennsylvania, and during her early girlhood came with her parents, John and Mary Wolf, to Ohio, the family locating in Ashland. They were also natives of the Keystone state, and the former died in early manhood. By the marriage of William Humbert and Margaret Wolf eight children were born, of whom six are yet living.
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