A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio, Part 40

Author:
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 864

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He was born in the land of the Alps, April 25, 1848, and is a son of Frederick and Magdaline (Myers) Trott, in whose family were twelve children,-six sons and six daughters. The grandfather, Henry Trott, was a French soldier with Napoleon's army when they crossed the Alps. When on the return trip he was taken ill and the army moved on, leaving him, but eventually he recovered, was married and settled in the village where he had been left by the military forces. He was a blacksmith by trade and carried on business in that line throughout his life. The father was a tinsmith by trade and in May, 1848, he sailed with his family for

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America. There were no steamers at that time and the sailing craft was upon the bosom of the Atlantic for forty-seven days before it reached the harbor of New York. The Trott family did not continue long in the east, coming at once to Ohio. They stopped first at Sandusky city and in a short time Mr. Trott had his family comfortably located on a small farm near that place. In 1865 he came to Seneca county and purchased one hundred and forty acres of land in Seneca township, constituting the farm upon which our subject now resides. He continued its cultivation until his death, but was not long permitted to enjoy his new home, for his life's labors were ended in 1869. His widow still survives him, at the old home, and is now in her ninety-first year, being well preserved in her faculties. Three of the brothers of our subject were soldiers of the civil war, responding to the country's call for aid in suppressing the re- bellion of the south. Of these Henry is now deceased, while Frederick is in the west and Jacob resides in Adams township.

Christian Trott accompanied his parents to Seneca county at the age of seventeen years. He is almost entirely self-educated and' has earned the proud American title of a self-made man. He did not have the op- portunity to attend school, for when eight years of age he began earning his own living, working on a berry farm for fifteen cents per day. When his father died he took charge of the home farm and has since resided thereon, devoting his energies to its further cultivation and improvement. He has cared for his mother, returning in his filial affection the love and care which she bestowed upon him in his early youth. On the 9th of March, 1875, he was united in marriage to Miss Tabitha Eakin, and unto them have been born eight children, as follows: Emma, wife of George Wagner ; George, a resident of Idaho; Ida, the wife of Andrew Wagner; Mary, who is teaching school and resides with her parents; Frank, en- gaged with the Pennsylvania Railroad ; Ella, who married William Wal -. ton ; Clara and Cora, both at home. The family have a very pleasant home on the old farm, and the members of the household enjoy the warm regard of many friends in the community. Mr. Trott owns one hundred and ninety acres of valuable land bordering the Sandusky river, the tract being rich and arable and returning to him excellent harvests as a reward

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for his labor. The Trott residence stands on an eminence about one hundred feet above low water of the principal river in northern Ohio, commanding a delightful view of several miles of as fine a section of country as the state affords. Mr. Trott's methods are progressive and a glance will indicate to the passer-by that the owner is a man of industry, careful management and practical ideas. He votes with the Republican party, having endorsed its principles since becoming an American citizen. In 1896 he was appointed commissioner of Seneca county, serving for eight months. In 1890 he took the United States census for his town- ship. He belongs to Wyandot Lodge, F. & A. M., of Mccutchenville, and enjoys the high esteem of his brethren of the fraternity, being treas- urer of his lodge for thirteen years. Mr. Trott certainly deserves great credit for what he has achieved in life. Without any pecuniary advan- tages or influential friends to aid him at the outset of his career, he has advanced steadily to an honorable position of affluence, overcoming all obstacles and difficulties by determined purpose, his trials seeming to come as an impetus to renewed effort. He is now classed among the rep- resentative agriculturists of Seneca county and his career is in many re- spects well worthy of emulation. A man of independent and earnest thought, his line of action has come from a line of reasoning based upon his own observation and familiarity with passing events, not being gov- erned by the ideas of others unless they seem to him based on sound principle and reason.

MINRAD BORK.

Minrad Bork is a representative of an honored pioneer family of Seneca county, and throughout his entire life he has resided within the borders of this county, his birth having occurred in Bloom township on the 3d of October, 1856. He is a son of Frederick and Margaret (Young) Bork. The former was born in Germany and was a son of Philip Bork, with whom he came to the United States, taking passage on a sailing vessel which reached the harbor of Baltimore after forty days.

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The family at once continued their westward journey, and on arriving in Seneca county made a location in Bloom township. Here the grand- father was connected with the development of a tract of wild land and with agricultural pursuits until his death, which was occasioned by an accident on the railroad. The first possession of the Bork family in this county was a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of wild land which they secured from the government, and their pioneer home was a little log cabin built in the usual pioneer style save that it contained two rooms instead of the usual number-one. With the work of clearing and de- veloping this farm Frederick was actively associated, and throughout the years of his residence here he carried on agricultural pursuits. Here he reared his family of ten children, as follows: Philip, a farmer of Sen- eca township; Eva; Frank, a farmer of Eden township; Magdaline, the wife of G. Fred Buchman; Mary, who has passed away ; Lewis, a resi- dent of Benton county, Indiana ; John P., who is living in Eden town- ship; Minrad, the subject of this review ; and Philomenia and Elizabeth, both living in Tiffin.

The subject of this review was only four years of age when his father removed to the farm upon which he now makes his home. Here he was reared to manhood and early became familiar with the work of the farm in all its departments, laboring in the fields and meadows. He also attended the district schools, pursuing his studies through the winter months when the work of the farm was practically over for the year. He assisted his father throughout the period of his minority and when thirty years of age he took charge of the old homestead and has since: devoted his energies to its cultivation. In 1884 he purchased this prop- erty and he now owns two hundred and forty-two acres, all in one tract in Seneca township. His fields are well tilled and surround good farm buildings. In his pasture lands are seen high grades of stock, and all modern equipment and accessories are found upon his place. He makes a specialty of raising Durham cattle and has some fine specimens of that breed. One hundred and fifty-five acres of his land is under cultivation and annually he harvests rich crops.

On the 4th of March, 1885, was celebrated the marriage of Mr.

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Bork and Miss Annie Reinhart, by whom he has three children, Edward, Clara and Joseph. The parents are well known in the community, hav- ing always resided in Seneca county, and the hospitality of many of the best homes of the locality is extended freely to them. In his political affiliations Mr. Bork is a Democrat, and while he always casts his ballot for the men and measures of the party and loyally advocates its inter- ests, he has never sought or desired public office. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church.

PHILIP H. BORK.

It is a notable fact that Ohio's sons always have a deep attachment for their native state, and indeed Ohio's history has been a wonderful one in many respects. Her sons have become prominent in every walk of life, and several of them have become the nation's leaders, occupying the chair of chief executive of this great republic. One man alone, or even a few men, do not constitute the strength of the commonwealth. It is the aggregate endeavor of loyal citizenship of the vast majority, and in this respect Ohio has been fortunate, for her representatives have been enterprising, resolute men, who have striven with natural conditions until they have made the country bloom and blossom as the rose, and have car- ried forward the work of progress and improvement until Ohio occupies a leading position in the great galaxy of the Union. Mr. Bork, of this review, is numbered among the wide-awake, alert men of Seneca county, and to-day is successfully carrying on agricultural pursuits in Seneca township.

He was born in Bloom township, January 19, 1841, and is a son of Frederick Bork, whose birth occurred in Germany, whence he crossed the Atlantic to America in 1834 in a sailing vessel, which after a voyage of forty days dropped anchor in the harbor of Baltimore. With horses he proceeded westward until he reached Seneca county and took up his abode in Bloom township. Mr. Bork entered one hundred and sixty acres of

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land from the government, constituting the farm upon which Peter Stuckey now resides. As this district was heavily timbered, logs were the best available material for building houses, and he erected a little log cabin containing two rooms, the structure being formed of round logs. With determined purpose he undertook the task of clearing his land, which was covered with walnut and hard-wood timber. Many trials and difficulties were to be endured by the pioneers, but they met these with resolute hearts and continued their labors until success crowned their efforts. Frederick Bork was accompanied to Ohio by his father, Philip, and family, and the former was accidentally killed on the railroad at Monroe, Michigan. It was in August, 1838, that Frederick Bork was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Young, a native of Germany, who came to America two years after the emigration of her husband. Ten children were born of this union: Philip, our subject; Eva; Frank, a. farmer of Eden township; Magdaline, the wife of G. Fred Buchman; Mary, who has passed away; Lewis, a resident of Benton county, In- diana; John P., who is living in Eden township; Minard, of Seneca township; and Philomenia and Elizabeth, both living in Tiffin.

When the family arrived in Seneca county their cash capital con- sisted of but two hundred dollars, but in a frontier region determination, hard work and perseverance count for more than money. At the time of his marriage Frederick Bork brought his bride to the old' homestead farm in Bloom township and there he remained until 1861, when he removed to Seneca township, taking up his abode on the place where his son Minrad now lives. It continued to be his residence until 1885 when he removed to Tiffin, there to enjoy a well earned rest, living in retirement until the 31st of January, 1899, when he was called to the home beyond in his ninety-first year. He was a consistent member of St. Joseph's Catholic church, to which his wife also belonged. Her death occurred June 13, 1891. At one time he was the owner of nearly three hundred acres of land in Eden and Seneca townships, and his property was all acquired through his own untiring efforts, his life record proving con- clusively what a potent force are diligence and resolution in the active efforts of business life.

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Philip H. Bork was born and reared in Bloom township, where he. spent the first twenty years of his life. He attended the public schools and assisted in the labors of the home farm, going with his father's fam- ily to Seneca township in 1861. He was married on the 22d of October, 1872, to Miss Mary Fisher of Fremont, and unto them have been born two children,-Mary M. and Frank O.,-both at home. The son has been a student in Heidelberg College. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bork settled upon the farm which has since been their home. The same fall he sowed some seed for fruit trees and gradually increased his nursery business until he now has an excellent nursery of three acres and enjoys a very liberal patronage in that direction. His farm comprises one hundred and three acres and is divided into fields of convenient size, where each year he harvests good crops of wheat, oats, corn and other cereals adapted to this climate. He has made a close study of the best methods of farming and his broad experience has enabled him to so direct his efforts as to win success in his undertakings. He and his family are communicants of St. Joseph's Catholic church and in politics he is a Den- ocrat, though in local matters he supports the best men,-those whose honesty is above question.

ABRAHAM H. DELAPLANE.

One of the well-known, representative farmer-citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is Abraham H. Delaplane, who has been identified with the progress and agricultural development of this county for a number of years. He has lived in various sections of it, his farm in Seneca town- ship being his present home.

Mr. Delaplane is a native of Maryland, a state which has contributed to Ohio many of the latter's best and most progressive and successful citizens. The birth of our subject was in Frederick county April 14, 1831, and he was a son of Frederick and Fanny ( Huff ) .Delaplane, who removed from Maryland to Ohio in 1846, locating in Seneca county, in

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the vicinity of Tiffin. Later they occupied a farm near American, Ohio, and there our subject continued to reside with his parents until 1852. His education was acquired in the common schools of this locality, and was such as was afforded the farmer youths at that time, consisting prin- cipally of irregular attendance during a few winter sessions. Mr. Dela- plane has supplemented his early education with reading, travel and asso- ciation with men, and is now, notwithstanding former advantages, a well informed citizen.

When the whole country was aroused over the finding of gold in California Mr. Delaplane joined a party going to the west and made the trip by water in 1852. He visited the various mining camps and re- mained engaged in prospecting and mining for a period of two years, with varying success. He then came back to Mexico, Ohio, bought a thresh- ing machine and outfit and for several years followed the threshing busi- ness, this proving very lucrative. After his marriage, in 1859, Mr. Dela- plane settled down to farming, locating first on a tract of good land in Venice township, which he cultivated for three years. Then he took charge of a farm in Eden township, on which he carried on farming with success for two years, finally permanently locating, in 1863, on his present well cultivated and highly productive farm in Seneca township, which has been his home ever since. Mr. Delaplane is a practical and experienced farmer and stock-raiser, takes a deep interest in his vocation and devotes close attention to it.

The marriage of Mr. Delaplane was in 1859, to Miss Mary A. Penn- ington, who was born in Eden township, Seneca county, a daughter of Adam and Cynthia Ann (Wagner) Pennington, and five children were born to this union. Three members of this family are now deceased, namely : Nellie, Lena and Ettie, all of whom died of consumption in young womanhood, the survivors being as follows: Jennie, who mar- ried Barn Burton and resides in Gratiot county, Michigan; and John F., who is a farmer in Wyandot county, Ohio.

In political sentiment Mr. Delaplane has always been in affiliation with the Republican party, but he is a man of quiet, domestic tastes and has never sought political recognition. During his residence in the far

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west he saw life in many phases and under many conditions, and it only gave him a more sure conviction that in the long run the fruits of the soil are more satisfactory than the products of the mines. He is a man 'who is highly regarded as trustworthy and honorable in all business transactions and worthily represents Seneca township as intelligent and progressive.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Delaplane are consistent members of the Mc- Cutchenville Methodist church, where they are valued for their many estimable traits of character. Their home is one of hospitality and they enjoy the respect and esteem of a wide circle of friends.

JAMES M. BARE.

James M. Bare is a representative of the farming interests of Seneca township. He was born near Mexico, Wyandot county, Ohio, June 29, 1832, and is a son of Abraham Bare, who was born in Virginia, and who, as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life, chose Polly Miller. They became the parents of eight children : Ephraim, a resident of Wyandot county ; John, who has passed away; James M., the subject of this review; Mary, the wife of Lewis Palmer and resides in Henry county ; Elizabeth, the widow of Hosea Palmer and resides in Iowa; Eliza, who married John Istone, a resident of Iowa; Abraham, who makes his home in Wyandot county; and Emma, who became the wife of Lewis Lundy, of Wyandot county. The father of these children removed from Virginia to Fairfield county, Ohio, and it was there that his marriage took place. He remained in that county until 1827, when he went to Wyandot county and entered eighty acres of land from the gov- ernment. Upon this claim he built a log cabin of one room. It had a puncheon floor and a chimney built of mud and sticks, through which the smoke had its egress from a broad fireplace. The land was covered with a dense growth of timber, the trees growing so thick that the sun- light could hardly penetrate to the ground beneath, but in the course

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of time this was cleared away and the fields brought forth good harvests. The father was a cabinetmaker by trade, and in addition to his other work he engaged in making coffins for the early settlers. He afterward operated a carding machine and continued to make his home upon the farm which he developed in Wyandot county, it being his place of resi- dence until his death, which occurred in 1869, when he was sixty-nine years of age. His wife died in 1866. Both were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and all who knew them respected them for their genuine worth and many acts of kindness. Mr. Bare was particularly prominent in church work and was a man of strong tempera- ment whose influence for good was widely felt. He was also known on account of his temperance principles and by reason of the work which he accomplished in behalf of the county in laying out roads and otherwise assisting in its pioneer development.

It was upon the old farm homestead described above that James M. Bare first opened his eyes to the light of day. There he spent his childhood and youth, enjoying the sports common to boys of that period and assisting in the cultivation of the fields. He remained under the parental roof until January 1, 1855, at which time he was married, Miss Eliza Pennington becoming his wife. They are now the parents of five children, who are yet living: Ada C., who married Charles Mangus; John, who is the proprietor of a hotel in Buffalo, Illinois ; Elva, a brick and tile manufacturer of Tiffin; Alma, the wife of Rev. John T. Miller, a minister of the Church of God; and James L., a merchant at Mccutchen- ville. Seymour, the eldest, became a farmer of Eden township and is now deceased.

After his marriage Mr. Bare rented a part of his father's farm and continued to make his home thereon for fourteen years, on the expiration of which period, in 1868, he came to Seneca county and purchased the farm upon which he now resides. He owns here one hundred and ten acres of land, and the soil is productive and returns to him golden har- vests in rewards for his labors. He also engages in the raising of stock and has excellent equipment upon his place, all of which indicate that the owner is a progressive and practical agriculturist. In 1876 Mr.

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Bare was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife, and in 1878 he was again married, his second union being with Miss Ellen Bercaw. They have a pleasant home in Seneca township and have made many warm friends during their residence in this county. Mr. Bare exercises his right of franchise in support of the men and measures of the Repub- lican party. He can relate many interesting incidents concerning pioneer life in Ohio and his knowledge comes from practical experience. He attended school in the little building which was erected of logs and in which the seats were made of slabs. The other furnishings were as prim- itive and the methods of teaching were totally unlike those of the present day. Great changes have occurred, not only in educational lines, but in all departments of life, and no one has been more in favor of progress and improvement in beneficial lines than James M. Bare, who is an enter- prising and public-spirited citizen.

WILLIAM ASH.

It is now our privilege to touch briefly upon the life history of one of the representative and successful citizens of Seneca county,-one who has passed practically his entire life within its borders, being a member of one of its pioneer families and a man who has commanded at every stage of his career the unqualified confidence and esteem of the com- munity, as is evident when we revert to the fact that he has been a long time incumbent of offices of distinctive trust and responsibility. He has achieved a high measure of success through his indefatigable and well- directed efforts and is one of the substantial and honored citizens of Jackson township, where he has a finely improved landed estate of six hundred acres.

Mr. Ash claims the old Keystone state of the Union as the place of his nativity, having been born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of April, 1830, a son of George and Letitia (Reed) Ash, of whose six children three are living at the present time, namely: Upton,

MRS. WILLIAM ASH.

WILLIAM ASH.

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a successful farmer of Liberty township; William, the immediate sub- ject of this review; and Sarah, the wife of George Sour, of Jackson township. The father of our subject was born in Bedford county, Penn- sylvania, in the year 1799, and removed thence with his family to Sen- eca county, Ohio, as one of its pioneers in 1833, our subject being at that time a child of about three years. George Ash entered a claim to one hundred and sixty acres of heavily timbered land in Liberty town- ship, reclaimed and otherwise improved the place and here continued to make his home until his death, at the patriarcial age of ninety years, his wife having passed away at the age of sixty-eight years.

In the primitive log school-house of the pioneer epoch William Ash received his early educational training, and he well recalls the meager equipments of the little institution of learning, with its puncheon floor, slab benches and wide fireplace. He contributed his quota to the work of the homestead farm until the time of his marriage, in 1852, when he . inaugurated his independent career by purchasing eighty acres of his present fine estate, much of which has been cleared and improved under his personal direction. As success crowned his efforts he continued to purchase additional land, until he now has upward of twelve hundred acres, all within three miles of the home farm of four hundred acres. The same is one of the most attractive rural homes in this favored sec- tion of the state, having a commodious residence of pleasing archi- tectural design, together with excellent barns and other farm buildings of the most approved type. He now keeps all his eight farms rented. He has himself converted five hundred acres of wild land into valuable farms. His lands are now valued at from eighty to one hundred dollars per acre. He was about the first to begin the use of tile for underground drainage,-a feature of improvement that he has continued, laying tile every year for twenty-five years, till all his farms are in most excellent condition. He has spent thousands of dollars in tiling, but this has converted flat land covered with water much of the year into the most productive farms of the state. About the year 1870 Mr. Ash began buy- ing and shipping live stock, his operations extending over a wide area. For about a decade and a half he was extensively engaged in stock-

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A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio, Part 40

Author: Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 864

Author:
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 864