USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 32
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fessional career and has gained him advancement to a prominent place in the ranks of Ohio's able attorneys. On the Ist of September, 1859, he began reading law with the late Judge James Pillars, one of the most brilliant and prominent attorneys and jurists of northern Ohio. By hard study and close application he was enabled to pass the examination at the end of a year and was accordingly admitted to the bar. In 1860 he began practice in Tiffin, and in 1875 he entered into partnership with Robert G. Pennington, a distinguished member of the Seneca county bar, this relation being maintained for four years. Later he became asso- ciated with Henry J. Weller, his present partner, the firm of McCauley & Weller taking a foremost position at the bar of central Ohio, and the important litigation with which their names are connected being an indi- cation of their ability and the esteem in which they are held.
Mr. McCauley was elected prosecuting attorney of Seneca county in 1865 and re-elected in 1867, serving for four years. In 1874 he was elected a member of the convention called to revise the state constitu- tion. In 1879 he was elected judge of the common-pleas court for the tenth judicial district of Ohio, a district comprising Wood, Hancock, Hardin and Seneca counties. After three years upon that bench he resigned, in order to accept the position of a member of the supreme- court commission, which was tendered him by Governor Charles Foster, in April, 1883. His duties in this capacity were no less arduous and important than were those of the supreme court judges, though he served faithfully as a member of this commission until its work was finished in 1885, when he resumed the private practice of law. His knowledge of the law being comprehensive and profound, he was well qualified for the important duties which devolved upon him, and he was accredited with strict fairness and impartiality in his rulings on the bench. He fully sus- tained the dignity of the office, permitted no contention or wrangling among counsel and despatched the business of the court with remarkable facility. His appointment to the supreme-court commission was gener- ally recognized by members of the bar as one of peculiar fitness, and at no time did his course fail to justify their high regard for him. His advice is freely and constantly sought by the younger members of the bar, and
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is generally given. He has been remarkably successful in practice, is powerful in argument before court or jury and marshals his points in evidence with masterly skill, and with marked accuracy applies to them the principles of law bearing upon the subject.
In 1864 Judge McCauley was united in marriage to Miss Josephine Lockwood, a daughter of Dr. Alonzo and Marinda (Newcomb) Lock- wood, of Fostoria, Ohio. Unto them were born five daughters, of whom one died in infancy. The Judge is of a most sympathetic disposition and those in need or distress never appeal to him in vain. There is no display or ostentation connected with his benevolence and he is entirely free from vanity, being a plain-spoken, large-hearted and fair-minded man. He holds no membership relations with church or secret society, but is guided by a high sense of morality and broad humanitarian prin- ciples.
JOSEPH SHAW.
Captain Joseph Shaw, now deceased, was through many years nun- bered among the representative citizens of Seneca county, and by an upright and honorable career commanded the respect of all who knew him. He was born in Scipio township, Cayuga county, New York, March 20, 1811. His father, Robert Shaw, was born in 1785 and was a farmer by occupation. After arriving at years of maturity he wedded Sarah Keller, who was born in 1787, and in 1836 they came to Seneca county, Ohio, locating in Scipio township, where Robert Shaw pur- chased several hundred acres of land and located upon the farm, on Mor- risson creek, now owned by Mrs. John Rosenfeldt. Unto him and his wife were born ten children : Mary, Eliza, Joseph, Matilda, Sallie, Silas, George, Roxa, Jerome and Alfred. The last named is the only one liv- ing, and he resides at Chicago, Illinois. The father of this family remained an honored resident of Seneca county until his death, which occurred August 14. 1864. His wife survived him about four years, passing away in 1868.
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Captain Joseph Shaw, whose name introduces this review, was reared in the state of his nativity and when a young man was captain of an Erie canal boat for seven years, running between Albany and Buffalo. In 1841 he came to Seneca county, making his way by canal to the Great Lakes, and when he arrived in this portion of the state he became identified with agricultural interests, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Scipio township, two and one-half miles west of Repub- lic. He at once began the cultivation and improvement of his farm, which in course of time he transformed into a valuable property.
In the year of his emigration westward Mr. Shaw was united in marriage, at Genoa, New York, to Rachel Ogden Price, a native of that place. They became the parents of three children, the eldest being Jane E., who married Captain George Tubbs. The second daughter, Helen, is the wife of Sergeant E. E. Heath, and Annie E. is the wife of G. R. Hemmingway, the proprietor of the Miller House, in Ashland, Ohio. Captain Shaw, with his family, returned to New York in 1850, remain- ing for twenty years, much of the time being spent as a hotel proprietor at various points. He returned to a farm west of Republic in 1870, but his last years were passed in Republic, where he died August 20, 1877. His widow survived him twenty-three years, dying in Ashland on March 30, 1900.
Jane E. Shaw, their eldest daughter, was born in 1843 and on the 26th of May, 1868, she gave her hand in marriage to Captain George Tubbs, who was a native of Elmira, New York, born May 19, 1833. At the time of the civil war he aided in organizing the One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment of New York Infantry, being elected second lieu- tenant of Company I. He was promoted to first lieutenant and at the battle of Resaca he was wounded by a minie ball, which struck him in the right foot. After his recovery he was given charge of an invalid corps for a short time, but later was detailed as topographical engineer on the staff of General Knipe, commanding a brigade of the First Division of the Twentieth Army Corps. Subsequently, on the march from Savannah through the Carolinas, he was appointed topographical engineer on the staff of General Jefferson C. Davis, of Indiana, who com-
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manded the Fourteenth Army Corps. These honorable positions on staff duty were conferred on Captain Tubbs both for his efficiency as an officer and on account of his physical inability to march and command his com- pany.
After participating in the grand review, in the city of Wash- ington, Captain Tubbs returned to the Empire state, where he was mar- ried. He resided in Candor, Tioga county, New York, where he con- ducted an iron foundry for four years. On the expiration of that period he sought a home in Ohio, living in Republic and vicinity. Here he maintained pleasant relationship with his old army comrades through his membership in Robinson Post, G. A. R., at Republic. He served as commander of Robinson Post, as mayor of Republic and was serving his second term as justice of the peace at the time of his death, which occurred on the 2d of March, 1899. For the past fifteen years Mrs. Jane E. Tubbs has been actively engaged in Relief Corps work, and is filling the position of president of Robinson W. R. C. for the fifth time. She is also a member of the Farmers' Household Club, the Reading Circle and the Daughters of Rebekah. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Tubbs was blessed with three children: Joseph K., who is an oil pro- ducer living in Rollersville, Ohio; Robert M., who is in the office of F. E. Myers & Brothers, at Ashland, Ohio; and Charles E., who is living with his mother in Republic.
FRANCIS J. BORK.
Among the prominent and successful citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, must be mentioned Francis J. Bork, who is a prosperous farmer and respected and useful member of society. His valuable estate, which is located two miles south of Tiffin, attracts attention and favorable com- ment, not only on account of the evidences of agricultural superiority but also by reason of its attractiveness and its air of generous comfort.
Francis J. Bork was born on Christmas day, 1843, in Bloom town-
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ship, Seneca county, being a son of Frederick and Margaret ( Young) Bork, natives, respectively, of Germany and France. His early life was spent on a farm and his experiences were those of the average youth of his locality,-plenty of farm work in the summers and study in the dis- trict schools in the winters. Until he had reached his seventeenth year Mr. Bork lived with his parents in Bloom township, and in 1860 he accompanied them on their removal to Seneca township, remaining at home and assisting his father until the date of his own marriage, eleven years later.
The marriage of Mr. Bork was to an estimable and attractive young lady of his neighborhood, Miss Elizabeth Smith, who became his wife on January 29, 1871. They have one child, Maria, aged nine years. Soon after marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bork came to their present farm, and here they have made their home ever since. Although the hospitable home of our subject and wife is one of the most comfortable and well appointed in this township, this is almost wholly due to the industrious efforts of its owner, as very few improvements had been made on this farm when Mr. Bork came to it.
When he purchased his farm it was with the intention of engag- ing extensively in farming and stock-raising. It consists of one hun- dred and fifty-nine acres of land and is unusually valuable on account of its close proximity to the city of Tiffin. Being a practical man, Mr. Bork understands all these advantages, and he has one hundred and thirty acres of his land under cultivation, raising grain and other prod- ucts for which this part of the state is notable. As a successful stock- raiser he is well known in the township, his superior methods of feeding and sanitary housing meeting with excellent results.
Mr. Bork has taken a deep and intelligent interest in his vocation and he has also taken pride in his surroundings. In 1881 he built one of the most commodious and complete barn structures to be found in this neighborhood, its dimensions being thirty-eight by eighty feet. This was followed, in 1888, by the erection of a large, modern brick residence, of pleasing appearance without and solid comfort within. Mr. Bork has
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provided for safety from fire by having all of his numerous buildings covered with slate roofs, adding beauty to utility.
For many years Mr. Bork has been a leading member of the Dem- ocratic party in this section and served as township supervisor for a long period. In this position he looked carefully after the interests of the tax-payers and his administration has reflected credit upon the office. In religious life he is a consistent member of St. Joseph's Catholic church. Mr. Bork is a quiet, unobtrusive citizen, busily occupied with his own large interests, but takes a public-spirited pride in the advancement of enterprises which promise to be of benefit to his township. He is chari- table in his benefactions, liberal in his support of public enterprises, hon- est and upright in his business dealings and kind and devoted in the bosom of his family. He is a man who not only possesses the esteem of his fellow citizens, but who also deserves it.
Mrs. Bork was born in Germany, the daughter of Matthias and Mary Ann (Smith) Smith, who emigrated to America when she was two years of age, locating on a farm in Liberty township, Seneca county, Ohio, whence they eventually removed to Lucas county, where Mr. Smith's death occurred. His widow still maintains her home in that county. Mrs. Bork was a young lady of twenty-one years at the time of her marriage, and she has proved a true companion and helpmeet to her husband.
REV. GEORGE W. WILLIARD, D. D., LL. D.
As a minister of the gospel and as editor and educator Rev. Dr. George W. Williard was widely known, and although his life's labors have been ended his influence is yet widely felt in the lives of those with whom he was associated, and bears fruit in the kindly deeds and virtues of those who follow his example and carry out his precepts. Instructing through the press, from the pulpit and in the school-room, the lessons which he expounded fell deep into the heart of many a reader or auditor and aided in the development of upright manhood and Christian
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womanhood. Tiffin, Ohio, knew him long and well as the president of Heidelberg College, which he raised from a comparatively insignificant institution to the rank of the best colleges of the land.
George W. Williard was a native of Frederick county, Maryland, where he was born on the 10th of June, 1818, the son of John and Mary (Shafer) Williard. His ancestors were French Huguenots, who fled from their native land to escape the persecutions incident to the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, proceeding to Germany and thence emigrating to America in the early colonial epoch. Dr. Williard's early educational advantages were very meager, but, having determined to devote his life to the Christian ministry, he eagerly availed himself of every opportunity which would enable him to broaden his knowledge and thus be better prepared for the exalted calling. To this end he entered the high school at York, Pennsylvania, when sixteen years of age. There he remained until the school was removed to Mercersburg, where Marshall College was established in 1835, and in the latter institution he was grad- uated with the class of 1838. It may be noted, incidentally, that Marshall College was later merged into Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancas- ter, Pennsylvania, and that the institution is maintained under the auspices of the Reformed church. He studied theology at Mercersburg and was licensed to preach in October, 1840, being soon afterward ordained a clergyman of the Reformed church. He spent four years in simultaneous charge of three congregations, one being in Virginia, twelve miles dis- tant from his two Pennsylvania churches. On the expiration of that period he went to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in preaching and also taught in the local academy. For three years there- after he was pastor of a church in Winchester, Virginia, and then became pastor of the Reformed church at Columbus, Ohio, continuing at that place until 1855, when he resigned to accept a call from a church in Dayton, Ohio, where he labored as an earnest and zealous minister of the gospel until 1866. In that year he accepted the presidency of Heidel- berg College, in Tiffin. Previously to this time, in 1853, he was elected editor of the Western Missionary, the organ of the Reformed church in the west, and he continued to fill that position, in connection with his
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pastoral work, until his removal to Tiffin. He found the affairs of the college in a very discouraging condition, there being few teachers and scarcely any endowment. It was, in fact, little more than an academy, but gradually he succeeded in placing it on a solid financial basis and in raising the educational standard to an equality with that of other col- leges of the land. During the presidency of Dr. Williard, which con- tinued for twenty-four years, there were erected on the campus a presi- dent's home, a boarding hall for young women and a commodious col- lege building, at a cost of seventy-two thousand dollars. These buildings were all paid for before he left the institution, and there was handed to the trustees ninety-one thousand dollars safely invested and bearing seven per cent. interest, together with notes to the value of twenty-five thou- sand dollars, bearing six per cent. interest. A library fund of about six thousand dollars was also secured, together with a considerable bene- ficiary fund for the aid of indigent young men. There were three hun- dred and forty-six students enrolled in 1890, when he resigned the presi- dency, and the school was in a most flourishing condition, as the result of his untiring labors, his zeal and his ability. Added to his compre- hensive knowledge, mature wisdom and Christian piety was a practical business acumen and a singular facility for the effective imparting of instruction, and all of his varied powers were constantly exerted in behalf of the college.
In 1890 Dr. Williard, after a regime of nearly a quarter of a cen- tury as president of Heidelberg, accepted the chair of ethics and apolo- getics in, and was acting president of, Ursinus College and Theological Seminary, at Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where he remained for nearly three years. After a short residence in Lancaster, that state, in 1895, he founded and organized the Hivling Memorial Reformed church, of Dayton, Ohio, and he presided as pastor of the same until his death, which occurred on the 17th of September, 1900. The congregation first met in a car shed, which had previously been used as a stable, but under the control and guidance of the devoted pastor the church became strong and prosperous, and an edifice was erected at a cost of nearly twenty thousand dollars. With untiring effort, with a nature so hopeful as to
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ever baffle discouragement, Dr. Williard carried forward his work of improving the mental and moral condition of his fellow men and aided in the development of sterling character, which represents all that is of definite and permanent value in life,-the only thing that commands true respect and honor and that broadens the nature and fits it for the pro- gression in the life to come.
Not only was Dr. Williard known for his pastoral and college work, but he also won distinction in the realm of religious literature. His literary productions were quite extensive and were widely read among the people of his denomination. In 1851 he published a translation from the original Latin of Dr. Ursinus' Commentary on the Heidelberg Cate- chism. In 1871 he assisted in the preparation of the Western Liturgy of the Reformed Church ; in 1879 he wrote and published the History of Heidelberg College, together with thirteen addresses and sermons deliv- ered to the graduating classes ; in 1883 he edited a Treasury of Family Reading, which had a wide circulation; in 1890 he published the Life, Work and Character of Henry Leonard, who for thirty years was the successful financial agent of Heidelberg College: and his best and most important work was the Comparative Study of the Dominant Religions of the World. He was also a frequent contributor to the different periodicals of the church. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was con- ferred upon him by Franklin and Marshall College, of Lancaster, Penn- sylvania, in 1866, and that of Doctor of Laws by Monmouth College, of Monmouth, Illinois, in 1888.
Dr. Willard was thrice married. On the 21st of April, 1841, he wedded Miss Louisa C. Little, a daughter of Dr. P. W. Little, of Mer- cersburg, Pennsylvania, and after her death he married Miss Emily Jane Hivling, a daughter of Colonel John Hivling, of Xenia, Ohio, the mar- riage being solemnized on January 3, 1866. Her death occurred in 1891, and on the 7th of October, 1893, Dr. Williard was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary E. Gormley, a daughter of Joseph Gormley, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who survives him. By the first marriage there were five children, of whom two are living at the present time, the eldest of these being Dr. George P. Williard, a prominent physician of Tiffin,
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to whom individual reference is made in appending paragraphs. His brother, Rev. Edwin R. Williard, was for nearly a decade pastor of Grace Reformed church, at Akron, this being one of the most flourishing churches of the Ohio synod, and his pastorate there was terminated in 1900. He is now in pastoral charge of the Salem Reformed church, at Canal Fulton, Ohio.
Death came to Rev. Dr. Williard when he was eighty-two years of age, and after he had devoted a half-century to the work of Christian education, through the school, the pulpit and the press. He labored with- out ceasing, and his zeal supplemented broad knowledge that rendered him a forceful and convincing speaker and an entertaining and instructive writer. His mind was analytical and inductive, his arguments logical and his reasoning strong and convincing. At this point it would be almost tautological to enter into any series of statements showing Dr. Williard to have been a man of high intellectuality and broad public spirit, for these have been shadowed forth in the lines of this review. Strong in his individuality, he never lacked the courage of his convictions, but there were as dominating elements in this individuality, a lively human sympathy and an abiding charity, which, taken in connection with the sterling integrity and honor of his character, gained for him the respect, confidence and honor of men.
GEORGE P. WILLIARD, M. D.
For more than a quarter of a century George Parker Williard has been engaged in the practice of medicine in Tiffin, and the years have told the story of a successful career, due to the possession of innate talent and acquired ability along the line of one of the most important professions to which man may devote his energies,-the alleviation of pain and suffering and the restoration of health, which is man's most cherished and priceless possession. This is an age of progress in all lines of professional achievement, and Dr. Williard has kept abreast
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of the advancement that has revolutionized methods of medical and sur- gical practice, rendering the efforts of the physicians of much more avail in warding off the inroads of disease than they were even at the time when he entered upon his professional career.
The Doctor is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Huntingdon, that state, on the Ist of July, 1845. He is a son of Rev. Dr. George W. Williard, subject of the foregoing memoir. His boyhood days were spent under the beneficent influences of a cultured and refined home, the family having removed to Columbus, Ohio, in his early childhood, while he was ten years of age when they located in Dayton, this state, where he prosecuted his studies in the public schools, being graduated in the Dayton high school when seventeen years of age. Almost immediately thereafter he began reading medicine under the preceptorship of Dr. John Davis, of that city, and on the 9th of March, 1867, he was graduated in the Jefferson Medical College, in the city of Philadelphia. Thus amply fortified for his chosen calling, he opened an office in the village of Fort Seneca, Seneca county, Ohio, on the 29th of June, 1867, and for six years he continued in active practice. In 1873 the Doctor went to California, where he became associated in prac- tice with his cousin, Dr. Cephas L. Bard, a brother of United States Senator Thomas R. Bard, and this professional alliance continued two years, at the expiration of which Dr. Williard returned to Ohio and located in Tiffin, where he has continuously been in practice for the long period of twenty-six years. Long since he left the ranks of the many to stand among the successful few, his ability and devotion to his pro- fession gaining him this relative precedence. He has studied and read broadly, carrying his investigation into every field of thought bear- ing upon his profession and having readily adopted those methods and improvements which wide experience and sound judgment indicated to him a definite valuation in connection with his work.
When nineteen years of age, in 1864. Dr. Williard became a mem- ber of Company A, One Hundred and Thirty-first Regiment of the Ohio National Guard, and with that command went to the front for service
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in the war of the Rebellion. They were sworn in at Dayton and thence proceeded to West Virginia. The Doctor first served as regimental steward, at Harper's Ferry, and later was post steward in the fort at Federal Hill, Baltimore, Maryland. While in the military service he had six hemorrhages, and as a result became so debilitated as to necessi- tate his discharge from the service, and he endured seven other hem- orrhages after his return home, but he eventually recovered his health and has never asked for a pension. Dr. Williard holds membership in General William H. Gibson Post, No. 31, Grand Army of the Republic, and thus maintains friendly relations and comradeship with those who were loyal defenders of the integrity of the Union during the dark days of the civil war. He is also identified with Tiffin Lodge, No. 77, F. & A. M., of which he is a valued member. In politics he has always been a Republican, and while he warmly endorses the principles and policies of the party and is a liberal contributor in the promotion of its cause, he has never accepted office, preferring to devote his entire time and at- tention to his practice. For several years he has held the position of local surgeon for the Big Four Railroad and also for the Fostoria & Tiffin Electric Railroad. The Doctor is one of the leading physicians of this part of the state, with broad and comprehensive knowledge of the theory of medicine and surgery and wide experience in practice, his abil- ity being attested by the representative support he receives in the com- munity where he has so long lived and labored and where his popu- larity is of the most unequivocal order.
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