USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 15
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ceased; Rachel, the widow of John Bare, of Wyandot county ; George, deceased; Jane A., the widow of Jacob Heshberger, of Wyandot county ; Amanda, a maiden lady, who is likewise a resident of that county ; Will- iam, the subject of this sketch ; and Ellen, deceased. The devoted mother of our subject attained extreme longevity and enjoyed excellent health until a short time before her death, being cared for with true filial solici- tude by her children and passing away in 1897, at the venerable age of ninety-one years.
William Palmer, to whom this sketch is dedicated, was reared on the old homestead, early beginning to contribute his quota to the work of reclaiming and cultivating the same and receiving his educational training in the common schools of the place and period. At the age of twenty-two years he assumed charge of the homestead, and after the death of his father he, as the only living son, purchased the interest of the other heirs, so that he is now the owner of the fine farm, which com- prises the original quarter section, of which forty acres have been cleared under his direction, while the entire tract is now under most effective cultivation with the exception of twenty-five acres, which are still cov- ered with the native trees. He has improved the farm with commodious and convenient buildings, his residence being modern in style and equip- ment, and the entire farm presents a pleasing and attractive view. His efforts have resulted in the opening of the main road to Sycamore, adding materially to the convenience of the neighborhood.
He has shown himself to be a capable and progressive farmer and discriminating business man, and in addition to his agricultural opera- tions he has also been very successful in the raising of the best grade of live stock. His interest in all that concerns the progress and prosperity of his county is unabating, and those who have known him during his entire life are numbered among his cherished and devoted friends, while he commands unequivocal esteem in the community at large. His politi- cal franchise is exercised in support of the principles and policies of the Republican party, of which he is a stanch supporter.
On the 13th of April, 1880, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Palmer to Miss Jennie M. Cook, the daughter of Solomon and Lida
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(Lineberger) Cook, of Seneca county, and of their four children only one is living,-Leila, aged fourteen years. Frank died at the age of eight, Bert at the age of four and the other child in infancy.
JOHN HOLTZ.
One of the present trustees of Pleasant township is the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch. He is a scion of one of the pioneer families of the county and his present fine farmstead has been his home from the time of his birth, so that there are many points which render peculiarly apropos a consideration of his genealogy and personal career in connection with a publication of this order. He is one of the extensive and representative agriculturists of the county and one of its influential citizens, and the confidence and esteem in which he is held in his native township is clearly manifested in his tenure of the responsible office of which he is at present incumbent.
On the old homestead farm where he now lives Mr. Holtz was born, the date of his nativity being February 15, 1850. Here he grew to ma- turity, early beginning to contribute his quota toward the cultivation and improvement of the homestead and securing his educational discipline in the public schools. His parents were Jacob and Susan Holtz, both natives of Frederick county, Maryland, whence they came to Seneca county in an early day and here passed the residue of their lives, the father passing away in 1889 and the mother in 1896. They were folk of sterling character and all who knew them accorded them a full measure of esteem. Our subject is one of three children, of whom two are living at the present time. He was associated with his father in the improving and operating of the homestead until the death of the latter, since which time he has individually carried forward the work, having now a fine landed estate of three hundred and eighty acres, improved with modern buildings and under a high state of cultivation. The farmstead is given over to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade stock,
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and Mr. Holtz is known as one of the most progressive and successful farmers of this section of the state, while the regard in which he is held in the community would seem to set at naught the old scriptural adage that a "prophet is not without honor save in his own country." In poli- tics Mr. Holtz accords an unequivocal allegiance to the Republican party, and he has maintained a constant and lively interest in local affairs of a public nature, doing all in his power to conserve the material prosperity and general welfare of his township and county. In 1901 he was elected to his present office, and in this capacity he is giving signal and effective service. Mr. Holtz is one of the leading members of the Masonic fra- ternity in the county, and has advanced to the thirty-second degree of the Scottish rite in this noble and time-honored organization. His affil- iations are with Green Spring Lodge, No. 427; Tiffin Chapter, R. A. M .; De Molay Commandery, No. 9, at Tiffin, while in the Scottish rite he is a member of Cincinnati Consistory, S. P. R. S., at Cincinnati.
On the 26th of September, 1883, Mr. Holtz was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Corthell, who was born in Clinton township, the daugh- ter of George and Susan Corthell, and of this union one child has been born, Fannie, who is now a student in Heidelberg College at Tiffin. Mrs. Holtz died May 18, 1889, of consumption. The family has taken a prominent part in the social life of the community, and the attractive. home is a center of refined hospitality.
LEROY J. MICHAELS.
In connection with this work, touching upon the life histories of those who have figured as the founders and builders of this favored section of the Buckeye state, there is definite interest attaching to the career of Mr. Michaels, who stands as a representative of two of the early pioneer families of Seneca county, who is himself one of the prom- inent and influential citizens of the county and whose is the distinction of being a veteran of the war of the Rebellion.
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Mr. Michaels is a native son of Seneca county, having been born in Liberty township, on the 4th of September, 1845, the son of John and Eliza (Abbott) Michaels, of whose ten children only three are now liv- ing, namely : Elmina, the wife of John W. Baker, of Clinton township, Seneca county, Ohio; Leroy J., the subject of this sketch ; and Annie E., the wife of E. T. Olmstead, of Clinton township. Of the other three of the six children who lived to maturity we enter the following brief record: Jane F., who became the wife of David Rosenberger, died at the age of twenty-eight years, leaving three children: Jennie, the wife of Edward Heilman; Eli; and Mary Esther, the wife of David Zimmer- man. George F., who was a farmer in Clinton township, removed to Vandalia, Illinois, about four years ago, and there his death occurred on the 19th of February, 1902, at the age of sixty-eight years, his chil- dren being as follows: Eva, the widow of Adolphus Blue; Florence, the wife of Eli Rosenberger ; Oriette, the wife of Frank Rosenberger; Will- iam and Burton, who reside in Seneca county; and Arthur, a resident of Washington. Saraphina became the wife of Henry Houser and she died in 1869, at the age of thirty-three years, being survived by her daughter, Miss Minnie Houser.
John Michaels was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of January, 1804, and when he was about fifteen years of age his parents, Philip Michaels and wife, removed to Lancaster, Fairfield county, Ohio, where they passed the remainder of their lives, being num- bered among the early pioneers of the state. Their son John grew to maturity in Fairfield county, whence, about 1826, he removed to Seneca county, settling in Liberty township, where he purchased a quarter sec- tion of government land, at one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, this being the place now owned by Philip Stuckey. When he established his home here his place was covered with a heavy growth of oak and walnut, and he made a clearing in the forest and there erected a good house of hewed logs, after which he gave his attention to the reclaiming of the land and placing it under cultivation. He there remained until 1856, when he removed to the farm now owned by his son, the subject of this review. At the time of his death he was the owner of eight farms
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in the county, having six hundred and forty acres in Liberty township and five hundred and thirty acres in Clinton township, making him the most extensive owner of improved lands in the county. He attained marked success through his agricultural operations, his stock-raising and landed investments, and was known as one of the progressive and influential men of the county, ever commanding unequivocal confidence and esteem, by reason of his unswerving integrity in all the relations of life. In his early life he was a stalwart Jacksonian Democrat, later gave his support to the Whig party, still later became identified with the Know Nothing organization, while upon the formation of the Republican party he transferred his allegiance to the same and thereafter continued a stanch supporter of its principles and policies, deeming that they were most nearly in accord with the old Jacksonian ideas. Though he wielded marked influence in public affairs of a local nature he invariably refused to accept nomination for political office. He always had a deep appreciation of the elemental truths and teachings of the Christian re- ligion, but he did not identify himself with any religious body until late in life, when he became a member of the Methodist Protestant church, of which his wife had long been a member. His death occurred on the 4th of October, 1884, at which time he had attained the venerable age of eighty years. His wife, Eliza Abbott, to whom he was married December 25, 1831, was a native of Massachusetts, where she was born in the year 1809, being the daughter of Moses and Eliza (Snow) Abbott, who came to Seneca county about 1826 and settled in Clinton township. on the farm now owned by Henry Best. She died June 23, 1882, aged seventy-three years.
Leroy J. Michaels was reared to the discipline of the farm and acquired his early educational training in the public schools, after which he continued his studies for a time in Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, and supplemented this by a course in the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Dela- ware. It had been his intention to prepare himself for the profession of civil engineer, but as he was the only son remaining at the parental home, his father persuaded him to abandon his plans and continue in the vocation of a farmer. Such has been his success in this line, and such
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the independence maintained in the great basic art of agriculture, that he has never had occasion to regret the change made in harmony with his father's admonition.
On the 22d of May, 1864, Mr. Michaels enlisted as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, and he served one hundred days, doing guard duty in the defenses around Washington, and being mustered out on the 27th of August of the same year, when he received his honorable discharge. He then returned to his home, and. was here associated with his father in farming enterprises until his mar- riage, in 1867, when he located on the farm now owned by Jacob Hun- ker, the place having at that time been the property of his father. Here- he continued his farming operations, renting the land until 1881, when he removed to the farm now owned by Jacob Zeis, the same having likewise been a portion of his father's estate. This place continued to be his home until after the death of his father, when the estate was settled ; and our subject, by the payment of the amount of valuation above his share of the inheritance, secured the old homestead farm of one hundred and forty acres, which is one of the most valuable in the county, having the best of improvements and being under most effective cultiva- tion. The fine barn on the place is one of the best in this section of the state, being constructed of brick, with the main portion forty by eighty feet in dimensions and with a wing thirty-five by eighty feet. This building was erected in 1876, by our subject's father, while he himself, in 1887, erected the handsome and commodious brick residence which adorns the fine farm. For eight years, in the '8os, Mr. Michaels suc- cessfully operated a stone quarry, and since 1892 he has conducted a very successful dairy business known as the Willow Spring Dairy; in connection with his farming and stock-raising. In 1892 an oil well was sunk on his farm, and the same has produced more oil than any other in this field. In his political allegiance Mr. Michaels is stanchly arrayed in support of the Republican party, but, like his father, has never sought the honors or emoluments of public office. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Protestant church, of which his wife also is a
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member, and fraternally he is identified with General W. H. Gibson Post, of the Grand Army of the Republic, at Tiffin. He is one of the influential men of his community, and in his native county he retains the unre- served confidence and esteem of the people, being a worthy representative of early pioneer families of this section.
On the 8th of October, 1867, Mr. Michaels was united in marriage to Miss Mary I. Baker, who was born in Clinton township, this county, the daughter of William and Margaret Baker, who came to the county about the same time as did the father of our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Michaels became the parents of seven children, all of whom are living except Bessie, who died in childhood. The others are Ola B., Courtland L., William H., Margaret E., John, and Corinne D., all of whom remain at the parental home with the exception of Courtland, who is employed by the Sun Oil Company, in Tiffin.
PHILIP H. CULLER.
Philip H. Culler, now deceased, was for a number of years actively associated with farming interests in Seneca county. He was born in Frederick county, Maryland, in 1820, and was a son of Jacob Culler, who removed with his family to Ohio in 1825, taking up his abode in Richland county. There he purchased and developed a farm, on which he reared his family.
Philip Culler was one of eleven children, eight sons and three daugh- ters. He spent his boyhood and youth upon the old home place, in Rich- land county, and early became familiar with all the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist. On the Ist of July, 1845, he was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Koller, a native of York county, Pennsylvania, born in 1825. They resided in Richland county until 41856, and on the expiration of that decade came to Seneca county, set- tling upon the farm which is still the home of Mrs. Culler. A tract of land of ninety acres was first purchased, and later the boundaries of the
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farm were extended by the additional purchase of eighty acres. Through- out his entire life Mr. Culler was engaged in agricultural pursuits, and his labors brought to him a comfortable living.
Mr. and Mrs. Culler had no children of their own, but out of the kindness of their hearts, reared three, giving homes and loving care to them. For many years Mr. Culler held membership in the Lutheran church, and he died in that faith on the 20th of May, 1894, respected by all who knew him. His wife is a member of the same church. Since her husband's death she has continued to live upon the farm and super- intend the property. An estimable lady, her friends are many and well does she deserve mention in the history of this locality.
ABRAHAM RINEBOLD.
Through a long period the name of Rinebold has been prominently connected with the history of Seneca county. It is an untarnished nanie and one that is familiar to the people of this section of the state by reason of the honorable and useful lives of those who have borne it. Abraham Rinebold, of this review, is a gentleman whose history forms a connecting link between the pioneer past and modern present. He saw the country in the days when it seemed almost on the borders of civiliza- tion, its land wild and uncultivated, its forests standing in their primeval strength, its log-cabin homes widely scattered, and its evidences of devel- opment few. In the work of progress and development that has since wrought marvelous changes he has borne his part, and to-day ranks among those substantial and valued citizens of the community who laid broad and deep the foundation of the present prosperity of the country.
Mr. Rinebold is a native of Perry county, Ohio, where he was born on the 13th of October, 1822, being a son of John and Catherine ( Wein- inger) Rinebold. The father claimed Pennsylvania as the state of his nativity, and there he was born in January, 1797. When he was but three years of age his father, Matthias Rinebold, also a native of the
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Keystone state, removed to Perry county, Ohio, there entering three hundred and twenty acres of forest land, where the son John grew to years of maturity and was married. When he started out in life on his own account his father gave him a small farm, and there he continued to make his home until 1823, when he sold his little farm and removed to Richland county, Ohio, there purchasing a tract of eighty acres. In 1834, however, he again disposed of his land and in March removed to one hundred and sixty acres of our subject's present farm, which he had entered previously. The marriage of John and Catherine (Wein- inger) Rinebold was blessed with four children, two of whom still sur- vive, namely: Abraham, the subject of this review; and Rebecca, the widow of John Shonts, and a resident of Bloomville, Seneca county. Elizabeth, the wife of Henry Stahl, of Jackson township, died March 6, 1902 ; and Jacob, who resided in Jackson township, where he was a prosperous farmer, died at the age of seventy-two years.
Abraham Rinebold early in life assisted his father in clearing his little farm from the native timber and placing his fields under cultiva- tion. Immediately after his marriage he purchased eighty acres of land in Jackson township, where he made his home for ten years, when he disposed of that place, and in 1858 purchased the old Rinebold home- stead, for his father had died in 1853, and he returned to it in February, 1859. Here our subject has ever since continued to make his home, and as the years have passed by he has added to his landed possessions until he is now the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of excellent and productive land, constituting one of the finest farms in Seneca county. The work of this extensive place is now carried on by his sons, for Mr. Rinebold has laid aside the active cares of a business life, and to-day, after a useful and beneficent career, is quietly living at his beautiful home, surrounded by the comforts that earnest labor has brought to him. His political support is given to the Democracy, but although a public-spirited and progressive citizen at all times he has never been a seeker for the honors of public office, preferring to give his time and attention to his home duties.
In November, 1845, was celebrated the marriage of our subject and
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Miss Elizabeth Fruth, but after a happy married life of seven years the loving wife was called to her final rest. Three children were born to that union, but only two of the number are now living,-Rebecca, at home; and John, a farmer of this township, and formerly a director of the county infirmary. For his second wife Mr. Rinebold chose Miss Barbara Peters, their wedding having been celebrated April 7, 1853. She is a native of Germany, but when twelve years of age came with her parents to the United States, the family locating in Loudon town- ship. Eight children have been born of this union, namely: Catherine, the wife of George Yochum, of Jackson township; Levi, of Liberty township; Henry, deceased; Savilla, the wife of Fred Rosen, of Loudon township; Abraham P. is associated with his brother-in-law, Fred Rosen, in the operation of the homestead, each having separate implements ; Mary, deceased; Anna E., deceased; and Ephraim, who makes his home in Loudon township. The family are members of the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Rinebold long held office. His life is exemplary in all respects and he has ever supported those interests which are calculated to benefit and uplift humanity, while his own high moral worth is deserv- ing of the highest commendation.
HON. CHARLES FOSTER.
One of the conspicuous figures in the history of Ohio and in that of the nation is Hon. Charles Foster, the distinguished and honored citizen of Fostoria, Seneca county,-a man whose career has conferred credit and dignity upon the great commonwealth of which he is a native son and whose marked abilities have heightened the fame which the Buckeye state bears as the contributor of men of ability, honor and power in connection with the public life of the nation. A strong men- tality, an invincible courage, a most determined individuality have so entered into his makeup as to render him a natural leader of men and director of opinion. It is manifestly proper that a just celebrity should
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be given to those men who are distinguished in their day and generation, that the living may enjoy the approbation of their contemporaries as well as that of a grateful posterity .. Biography is the essence of all generic history and in it are to be found both lesson and incentive, to an extent not superficially evident. Called upon to serve in positions of distinguished public trust and responsibility, Charles Foster has dis- charged his assigned duties with ability, discrimination, integrity and with a high sense of his stewardship, and to him has not been denied that ample measure of objective appreciation and honor which is his just desert. As an influential member of the national house of repre- sentatives, as the governor of a great state and as secretary of the treas- ury, Mr. Foster made enviable records, and his name is lastingly inscribed on the roll of those who deserve well of the state and nation which he has so signally served.
Charles Foster was born in a log cabin on a farm near Tiffin, in Seneca township, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 12th of April, 1828, being the son of Charles W. and Loura (Crocker) Foster, the respective fam- ilies having been established in New England in the early colonial epoch. His father was of Scotch-Irish lineage and his mother, the daughter of John and Lucy (Bartlett) Crocker, is of Welsh-English extraction. Charles W. Foster passed away in 1883, but his wife is still living, at the venerable age of ninety-eight years ( 1902), being specially well preserved in both mental and physical powers. The parents of our subject were natives of Massachusetts, later became residents of New York, whence the Crockers moved to Ohio in 1824. His father came to Ohio in 1826, and his marriage to Miss Crocker here occurred in June of the following year. In 1832 they came to what was known as the "black swamp," in the northwestern part of this state, locating at Rome, a primitive hamlet in the forest wilds and the nucleus of the present city of Fostoria, which was named in honor of Charles W. Foster, who there engaged in business as one of the pioneer country merchants of Seneca county. He built a double log house, utilizing a portion of the same for the family dwelling and the remainder as a store, in which he displayed a small stock of general merchandise. He
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also began handling real estate in this section, and through this medium eventually accumulated a fine property. The preliminary educational discipline of his son, the future governor of Ohio, was received in a little log school-house, over which Warren P. Noble presided as teacher, and at the age of twelve years the lad became a student in the academy at Nor- walk, where he continued his studies about nine months, when illness in the family compelled him to return home to assist in the work of the store, of which he became manager at the age of fifteen years, while he was admitted to partnership when eighteen years of age and the following year assumed full charge of the enterprise. In this connection he made trips to New York city, where he purchased goods, and the enterprise soon became the most important of the sort in this section of the state, drawing its trade from a wide radius of country. To those who know the man and his alert mentality there is nothing strange to be noted in the broad fund of knowledge and the high intel- lectuality which is his, for the lack of early educational advantages of a specific order could not daunt a boy who was father to such a man, in harmony with the old aphorism. He made opportunities and by personal application supplemented his store of knowledge, making each day count for good and gaining valuable lessons in the practical school of experi- ence. At the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion Mr. Foster consented to assume the office of colonel of the One Hundred and First Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, but owing to imperative exigencies his parents prevailed upon him to refuse the commission. His patriotism was, however, shown in a practical way, since he granted credit to every soldier of the vicinity who required this aid, throughout the entire course of the war, while he was otherwise helpful in divers ways. In 1867 a change was made in the character of the mercantile business, a bank being established, a hardware store being opened and a grain and produce business being established, and the enterprise thus founded by his father was continued without interruption, and with the changes noted, until 1888,-a period of fifty-six years.
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