USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 23
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Mr. Sneath was united in marriage to Miss Mary L. Davis, who was born in Tiffin, being the daughter of Levi Davis, one of the pioneer settlers of the town. Mrs. Sneath was summoned into eternal rest some twelve years later, leaving two children, Fanny S., the wife of C.
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F. M. Niles, of Toledo; and Ralph D., to whom specific reference is made in the appended paragraphs. Mr. Sneath consummated a second marriage, Miss Laura A. Stephenson becoming his wife. She was born in Findlay, Ohio, the daughter of William Stephenson, and she now presides with gracious dignity over the beautiful home, which is the center of refined hospitality. She is a member of the Presbyterian church and is prominent in the social life of the city. Mr. and Mrs. Sneath have had two children,-Marian Lee, who is attending school ; and Richard W., who died at the age of seven.
RALPH D. SNEATH.
As may be seen from the foregoing sketch, the subject of this re- view is of the third generation of his family in Seneca county, and like his honored father is a native son of the city of Tiffin. Mr. Sneath is known as a young man of distinctive business acumen and sterling character, and he is a worthy representative of the honored name which he bears. He is the senior member of the well-known firm of Sneath & Cunningham, grain dealers and general commission merchants, with headquarters at Tiffin, and through his energy and progressive methods, with the able co-operation of his associate, the enterprise has been made one of wide scope and importance, having unmistakable influence on the industrial activities of this section of the state. An epitome of the career of Mr. Sneath is certainly apropos in this work.
Ralph Davis Sneath was born in Tiffin, on the 3Ist of October, 1863, being the son of Samuel B. Sneath, of whom individual mention is made in the preceding review. Our subject secured his preliminary ed- ucational discipline in the public schools of Tiffin and supplemented the same by attending Oberlin College for one year. When about nineteen years of age he was given a clerkship in the Commercial Bank, of which his father is president, and in this institution he gained that intimate knowledge of business methods which has been of such signal value to
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him in his later associations. He continued to be employed in the bank about four years and then became associated with his father in the grain and commission business. After three years he conducted operations on his own responsibility and thus continued until 1900, when he entered into the present partnership association with Arthur A. Cunningham, and since that time the business has been conducted under the firm name of Sneath & Cunningham, while the scope of operation is indicated in the fact that they now operate twenty-one elevators, located in Seneca and the adjoining six counties. Sneath & Cunningham are recognized as the most extensive grain dealers in Seneca county and their business is one whose value to the community is unmistakable, touching, as it does, the great productive activities of one of the best agricultural dis- tricts of the state. In politics Mr. Sneath is a stalwart Republican, though he is like his father, in never having sought or desired the honors or emoluments of public office.
On the 14th of July, 1886, Mr. Sneath was united in marriage to Miss Nancy Hurst Moore, who was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Rev. R. B. Moore, now a prominent citizen of Vineland, New Jer- sey. Mr. and Mrs. Sneath are the parents of two children,-Samuel, aged fourteen years (1902), and Emma Louise, aged ten.
JOHN R. HOLMES.
No citizen of Eden township, Seneca county, is more widely known or highly esteemed than John R. Holmes. Of a sterling pioneer family, he and his ancestors have been prominent in the development, organiza- tion and maintenance of this county, always being safely counted upon to endorse and support to the extent of their ability every good work, move- ment and enterprise.
Mr. Holmes was born in Eden township, July 27, 1837, a son of David and Maria (Downs) Holmes. The father was born in Holmes- ville, New York, but in 1825 he came from the Empire state to Ohio, and
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for a time thereafter made his home with his brother-in-law, J. Sher- man, in Eden township. He was a blacksmith by trade, and for several years he followed his trade at Melmore, while for a time he was also engaged in the operation of a threshing machine. His father, Jedediah Holmes, who was the founder and laid out the town of Holmesville, New York, subsequently joined him in the Buckeye state. After com- ing to this state he located in Eden township, and died here, aged sev- enty-seven years. In 1859 David Holmes joined the great army of gold-seekers who were making their way to the Pacific coast, and he made the journey to the Golden state with an ox team, and on his arrival there he located at Marysville, where he purchased cattle and drove them to the mines. After a residence of two years on the Pacific slope he again returned to his home in this state, locating on the farm which our subject now owns, but about 1879 he put aside the cares of a business life and from that time until his death, which occurred January 4, 1891, he lived in quiet retirement at Melmore. His wife passed away in death February 10, 1882. They became the parents of three sons,-Jeremiah, who was born in 1833, and died at the age of twenty-two years; John R., of this review; and James W., who is a practicing physician of Tiffin, Ohio.
John R. Holmes has spent his entire life in this locality and to its public school system he is indebted for the educational privileges which he enjoyed in his youth. At the age of twenty-two years he began the active duties of life on his own account, and as a life occupation he chose that to which he had been reared, namely, farming, to which he has de- voted the best efforts of his life. With the exception of one year, which was spent in Lucas county, his entire life has been passed on the farm which he now owns and occupies. It can be truly said of him that he has grown up with the locality. Here he was born, here his boyhood was spent and here he determined to achieve that success in life which illustrates his industry, his intelligence and his superior business quali- fications. Not daunted by any adverse circumstances but fastening his eye upon the object before him, by persistent effort and judicious man- agement his business career has been crowned with success. His farm
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now contains one hundred and twenty acres of valuable land, and here he is extensively engaged in general farming and stock-raising.
January 27, 1874, Mr. Holmes was united in marriage to Miss Annie Foley, and they have eight children,-Eva, Sheldon M., Bertha, Clara, Benton, Byron, Elson and Anna Helena. The family circle has not been broken by the hand of death, and they occupy an enviable position in society circles in Seneca county. Eva is a bookkeeper in Cleveland, where Sheldon M. is a drug clerk; Bertha is employed in Tiffin; and all the other children are at the parental honie. Mr. Holmes gives his political support to the Republican party, stanchly advocating the principles of that grand old party.
HENRY STUCKY.
Among the representative farmers and stock-growers of Seneca county is the subject of this review, who is the owner of a fine landed estate of more than four hundred acres and carrying on the various departments of his enterprise with that discretion and energy which are sure to find their natural sequel in definite success. To such men as Mr. Stucky we turn with particular satisfaction as offering in their life his- tories justification for works of this nature,-not that their lives have been such as to gain them wide reputation or the admiring plaudits of men, but that they have been true to the trusts reposed, have shown such attributes of character as entitle them to the regard of all, and have been useful in their spheres of action.
Henry Stucky comes of stanch German lineage, but is himself a native son of the old Buckeye state, having been born on a farm in Lykens township, Crawford county, Ohio, on the 5th of August, 1850. the son of Carl and Mary (Kiefer) Stucky, both of whom were born in Germany, where they were reared and where their marriage was solem- nized. In 1847 they emigrated to America, making the voyage on a sailing vessel and being forty days en route. They located on a farm in
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Crawford county, Ohio, the father reclaiming the same from the sylvan wilds, and in that county both passed the remainder of their lives, being folk of frugal, industrious habits and inflexible integrity of character. In his native county our subject was reared to the sturdy discipline of farm life, and his educational opportunities were such as were provided in the common schools of the locality and period. He began his inde- pendent career at the age of twenty-two years, when he secured employ- ment as a farm hand, and finally he rented a tract of land in Bloom township, Seneca county, where he remained eight years, at the expira- tion of which he located on his present homestead farm, in Eden town- ship. The same comprises one hundred and ninety-three acres, and he also owns another farm of eighty acres in the same township, one of one hundred and twelve acres in Bloom township, and still another tract, of thirty-five acres,-thus bringing the total area of his landed property in the county up to four hundred and twenty acres. The major portion of this land is under a high state of cultivation and of marked productivity, being devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade live stock. Mr. Stucky commands unqualified confidence and esteem in the community, gives his influence in support of all measures for the general good, is a stanch Republican in politics and is a consistent mem- ber of the Reformed church, of which his wife also is a devoted member.
On the 24th of December, 1874, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Stucky to Miss Almira Klaiss, and they are the parents of five chil- dren, namely: Emory K., Lucius C., Eliza E., Grattan H. and Grace. .
CHARLES D. HOLTZ.
A representative citizen of Seneca county and a member of one of the sterling pioneer families of this section of the Buckeye state, Mr. Holtz is peculiarly worthy of consideration in this compilation. He is a native son of Seneca county, with whose annals the family name has been identified from the early pioneer epoch, and in connection with the indus-
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trial development and material upbuilding of this locality the members of the family have played an important part, ever commanding the highest confidence and esteem of the community.
Charles D. Holtz was born in Pleasant township, Seneca county, on the farm now owned by his brother John, the date of his nativity being January 31, 1846. He is a son of Jacob P. and Susan ( Huss) Holtz, both of whom were born in Frederick county, Maryland, the former be- ing a son of Jacob Holtz, who was of stanch old German lineage. He was born in 1786, and his wife in 1788, and each lived to the age of about seventy-five years. Their children were as follows: William; Jacob P., the father of our subject; Mary Elizabeth; George; Lewis Ezra, now a resident of Putnam county ; Ann Charlotte; and Dennis, who 'resides on the old homestead in Clinton township. Jacob P. Holtz was born on the 14th of June, 1815, and in 1834 he came with his parents and their six other children to Seneca county, Ohio, the trip being made with teams and wagons. The grandfather of our subject purchased several hundred acres of land in Clinton township, and there passed the remainder of his life, having reclaimed a good farm with the assistance of his sons. Here was solemnized the marriage of Jacob P. Holtz to Miss Susan Huss, who was born August 5, 1818, the daughter of David Huss, who removed with his family from Frederick county, Maryland, to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1827, locating in Eden township, of which he was one of the first settlers. Jacob P. and Susan Holtz became the par- ents of three children,-Jacob S., who enlisted in the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and who died in July, 1864, in Ft. Strong hospital, at Arlington Heights, District of Columbia; Charles D., the immediate subject of this review ; and John, who is one of the representative farmers of Pleasant township. Shortly after his marriage the father of our subject came to Pleasant township and located on a quarter section of wild land, reclaiming the same and adding to his hold- ings from time to time until he had a fine estate of about seven hundred acres. Here he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred in 1889, his widow surviving until August, 1896, when she passed away at a venerable age. He was a man of distinct individuality
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and ability, was one of the influential citizens of the county and was a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities. His life was one of signal honor and usefulness and he was revered as one of the sterling pio- neers of the county.
Charles D. Holtz, the immediate subject of this review, was born on the old homestead, in Pleasant township, and was there reared to ma- turity, his educational advantages being such as were afforded in the public schools of the place and period. After his marriage he located on a farm of ninety-five acres, in Adams township, and there made his home for an interval of eighteen years, at the expiration of which he took up his residence in Pleasant township on the farm where he now lives, hav- ing here developed a fine property which was part of the old homestead, and having made the best of permanent improvements, including a com- modious and attractive residence. He now owns three hundred and fifteen acres of land, the major portion being under a high state of culti- vation, while he has also devoted considerable attention to the raising of high-grade stock, being successful in both departments of his enterprise, which is directed with ability and energy. Mr. Holtz is also the owner of two brick business blocks in the town of Green Spring, which is his post office address, and for more than fifteen years consecutively he has served as a member of the directorate of the Seneca County Mutual Fire Insurance Company, whose headquarters are at Tiffin. He was treas- urer of the company in 1896 and 1897, while in 1898 he was elected to the office of president, and has been re-elected consecutively ever since. He served one year as assessor of Adams township and for five years as trustee of the same township, being recognized as a capable executive and a man of spotless integrity in all the relations of life. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, of whose cause he is a zeal- ous supporter. Fraternally he is identified with Green Spring Lodge, No. 427, A. F. & A. M., of which he has served as worshipful master. In 1874 he became a member of Union Grange, No. 1078. Patrons of Husbandry, and has been one of its influential and active workers, having served the same in the various official chairs.
On the 9th of October, 1872, Mr. Holtz was united in marriage to
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Miss Mary L. Smith, who was born in Green Spring, the daughter of S. H. and Charlotte Smith, now residents of Bellevue, and of this union three children have been born, namely: Grace, who is a graduate of Heidelberg College, at Tiffin, and who is now the wife of H. W. Robin- son, a leading grain merchant of Green Spring; Nellie, who is likewise a graduate of Heidelberg College and who remains at the parental home; and Jessie, who is a student in the same college, being a member of the class of 1903.
MICHAEL BOROUGH.
The vicissitudes and conditions of pioneer life were not unknown to the subject of this sketch, and though he has marked the intervening years with "ceaseless toil and endeavor" he has had the satisfaction of realizing that his efforts have been crowned with success, since he stands to-day as one of the prominent and prosperous farmers of Seneca county and as one of its honored citizens.
Mr. Borough is a native son of the old Buckeye state, having been born in Sandusky county on the 16th of January, 1836. His father, Abraham Borough, was born in Pennsylvania, whence he was taken in his early childhood to Virginia, where he was reared and educated. He continued to reside in the Old Dominion state until 1828, when his father, Frederick Borough, removed with his family to Ohio, locating in Jackson township, Sandusky county, where he took up a quarter section of wild government land, upon which he erected a house of hewed logs, and then gave his attention to reclaiming the land. He was a tailor by trade and spent his last years with a son in Michigan, where he died at the patriarchal age of one hundred and five years, five months and twenty days. Abraham Borough married, in Wayne county, Miss Sarah Betts, and they became the parents of six sons and four daughters, namely : Samuel, a resident of Eaton county, Michigan; Michael, of this sketch; Henry, a resident of Hancock county; Daniel, of Wood county ; Mary, the wife of David Mowry, of Fostoria; Lily, the wife
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of Emanuel Snyder, of Arcadia, Hancock county; Amanda, wife of Reuben Ringle, of Gratiot county, Michigan ; and John, Levi and Sarah, who are deceased. In 1840 Abraham Borough removed from Sandusky county to Liberty township, Seneca county, where he remained a few years and then returned to Sandusky county, where he continud to reside until 1850, when he again came to Liberty township, and here purchased a tract of eighty acres, to whose cultivation he devoted his attention for the ensuing fifteen years. He then purchased a farm in Hancock county, but eventually came back to Seneca county, his death occurring in Fostoria at the venerable age of eighty years. His wife passed away at the age of sixty-nine years, both having been consistent members of the Evangelical church.
Michael Borough, the immediate subject of this sketch, grew up on the pioneer farms owned by his father, and his early educational advantages were such as the primitive log school-house of the period afforded, and he walked one and one-half miles to the school-house each day. He continued to assist his father in his farming operations until he had attained the age of twenty-two years, when he gave inception to his independent career by engaging in the work of clearing land and chopping wood, continuing to be thus engaged for three years. He there- after operated a threshing outfit and also engaged in farming on rented land, thus continuing until 1869, when he took up his abode on the farm which he now owns, near Fort Seneca, Pleasant township, and here he has made excellent improvements of a permanent nature, while he has placed the farm under a fine state of cultivation, having one hundred and eighty acres of as good land as is to be found in this favored section of the state, his farm bordering the Sandusky river. In his farming operations he also devotes special attention to the breeding of short-horn cattle and Shropshire sheep.
In politics Mr. Borough accords allegiance to the Republican party, and the personal estimate placed upon him in the community has been signified in his being called upon to serve in the office of township trustee. His religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which
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he has served as trustee, steward and class-leader for more than a quarter of a century, his wife also being a devoted worker in the church.
On the 5th of December, 1861, Mr. Borough was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary Oswalt, and they have three children,-William H., who assists in the management of the homestead, married Annie Hushey, of Sandusky, and they have two children,-Horace and Venona ; Jennie, the wife of Dr. J. C." Bowman, of Martin, Ohio; and Lola, the wife of Alonzo Taylor, of Oklahoma.
ELIJAH NIEBEL.
This honored veteran of the Civil war, and now a leading agricult- urist of Seneca county, may be justly termed a self-made man, for from his early years he has been obliged to make his own way in the world, and bravely and victoriously has he met adversity. He was born in Wyandot county, Ohio, January 10, 1839, a son of Levi and Elizabeth (Ritter ) Niebel. The father was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, in September, 1816, and in 1832 removed with his parents to Wyandot county. After his marriage he began farming in Fairfield, Ohio, and there the mother of our subject was called to her final rest in 1841, and of her two children Elijah alone survives. His only brother, John, was killed by acident at the age of thirteen years. After her death the chil- dren found a home with their paternal grandparents until the father's second marriage, about two years later, when Miss Hannah Bish became his wife. From 1844 until 1856 the father made his home in Bloom township, Seneca county, and in the latter year removed to the farm two miles southeast of Fostoria on which our subject now resides, but some time in the 'zos he left this place and removed to Fostoria, and since 1901 he has made his home in Hancock county with his son Henry.
Elijah Niebel, the subject of this review, received but limited edu- cational advantages during his youth and early manhood, for in early life lie was obliged to assist in the clearing of the home farm, but by
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constant reading, study and observation in later life he has added greatly to his knowledge and has become a well informed man. On the 3Ist of October, 1861, at the outbreak of the Civil war, he nobly offered his services to his loved country and was assigned to Company D, Seventy- second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, serving as a defender of the starry banner for three years and eight months. During his military career he took part in many of the hard-fought battles of the war, including those of Pittsburg Landing, the siege of Corinth, Vicksburg, Jackson and Brandon. After the last named engagement he returned home on a thirty days' furlough, after which he returned to his regiment and took part in the battle of Paducah. He was captured on the IIth of June, 1864, near Meridian, Mississippi, during the engagement at Price's Cross-roads, and was confined in the prison pen at Andersonville for three months. after which he was transferred to Florence, South Caro- lina, there remaining as a prisoner of war until the Ist of the following March. He was then paroled, at Goldsboro, and returned to his home. His army experience is one of which he has every reason to be proud, for he was ever found at his post of duty, and for his promptness, bravery and strict fidelity to duty he won the praise of his officers and the respect and esteem of his comrades.
In 1866 Mr. Niebel took up his abode in Fostoria, which continued to be his home for the following five years, during which time he was engaged in the arduous task of clearing land. For the succeeding twenty months he resided on his father-in-law's farm, in Loudon township, and he then became the owner of seventy-five acres of his present home place, where he has ever since continued to reside. As the years have passed by prosperity has abundantly rewarded his well directed efforts, enabling him to add to his original purchase until his landed possessions now consist of one hundred and fifty-five acres of rich and productive land. His success, however, is not the outcome of propitious circum- stances, but the honest reward of labor, good management, ambition and energy, without which no man can win prosperity.
On the 3d of October, 1865, occurred the marriage of Mr. Niebel and Miss Emily Young. Her father, David Young, was one of the early
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pioneers of Seneca county, Ohio, coming to this locality from Stark coun- ty. They became the parents of six children,-Flora Belle, deceased; one who died in infancy; Sarah A., also deceased; Minnie, wife of William Mathers, of Bowling Green, Ohio; Clara, wife of J. H. Arnold, of that city ; and Arthur C., of Toledo. Mr. Niebel is a stanch supporter of Re- publican principles, and socially is a member of Norris Post, No. 27, G. A. R., of Fostoria, and has revisited some of the scenes of former strife while he was a soldier. His religious preference is indicated by his member- ship in the First United Brethren church at Fostoria, of which he is a zealous member and active worker, and in which he has served in various official capacities, being a trustee at the time of the building of the present edifice.
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