USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 47
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The marriage of Mr. Whitman was celebrated on the 23d of De- cember, 1884, when Miss Anna Songer became his wife. She is a native daughter of the Buckeye state, her birth occurring in Bucyrus, Crawford county. Her father, John Songer, is one of the well known farmers of Venice township, and he now makes his home in Attica. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Whitman have been born three children: Virda M., Alvin Ray and Glen L., all attending school. Mr. Whitman gives stanch support to the Democracy, and while a resident of Attica he served for one term as a member of the city council. He was reared in the faith of the German Reformed church and still holds membership relations with that denomination.
ELIJAH B. FERREE.
Elijah B. Ferree, who is a representative of the farming interests of Scipio township, is numbered among the citizens that Maryland has furnished to the Buckeye state. He was born in Washington county. Maryland, January 31, 1840, and is a son of Cyrus and Elizabeth ( Wy- dow) Ferree, in which family were but two children, the younger being Margaret, who married Benjamin Leckrone and died in 1898. Leav- ing his native state, the father emigrated westward and took up his abode in Scipio township, Seneca county, Ohio, purchasing ninety-one acres of land, from which he developed the farm upon which our subject now resides. This was but partially cleared and upon it he made his home until four years prior to his death, which occurred in 1894, when he was in his seventy-ninth year.
The subject of this review was a little lad of only eight summers when the family came to Ohio.' He worked in the fields and meadows, assisting his father in the farm labors, and through the winter seasons
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he attended school, acquiring a good English education to fit him for the practical duties of life. He was married March 4, 1866, to Elizabeth Smith, a native of Scipio township and a daughter of Abraham and Nancy ( Blakely) Smith,-the former a native of Virginia, while the latter was born in the Emerald Isle. Mr. Smith became one of the pio- neer settlers of Scipio township, taking up his abode upon a tract of land which had been entered from the government by his father. He had one hundred and sixty acres all covered with heavy timber, and in the midst of the forest he built a little log cabin and began clearing away the trees which still stood in their primeval strength. As acre after acre was cleared he plowed and planted it and in the course of time good harvests rewarded his efforts. His death occurred February 12, 1883, when he was seventy-five years of age, and his wife passed away in 1867. They were members of the Baptist church and were people of sterling worth who enjoyed the high regard of all who knew them. The mar- riage of Mr. and Mrs. Ferree has been blessed with two children,- Curtis H. and Martin W.,-both of whom are now married and reside on and manage the home farm. Curtis H. married Frances A. Will- iams and has three children,-Roy, Ruth and Sarah. Martin W. mar- ried Lola Egbert.
After his marriage Mr. Ferree removed to Clinton township, where he lived for twenty-two years, and then returned to the old homestead, where he now owns one hundred and eighty acres of land, together with sixty-five acres in Clinton township, which adjoins the homestead. He carries on general farming, his life being quietly passed, yet it is such a career that always commands respect, for he is honorable in business and trustworthy in all life's relations.
JOHN M. NAYLOR.
Honored and respected by all, there is no man in Tiffin who occu- pies a more enviable position than John M. Naylor in commercial and financial circles, not alone on account of the brilliant success he has
full Naylor
Cornelia. J. haylor
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achieved but also on account of the honorable, straightforward business policy lie has ever followed. He possesses untiring energy, is quick of perception, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution,. and his close application to business and excellent management have brought to him the high degree of prosperity which is to-day his. In. early manhood he entered upon his business career without capital, and, placing his dependence solely upon the sterling qualities of diligence, perseverance and honesty, he has worked his way steadily upward and now occupies a commanding position in the business circles of this city.
Mr. Naylor was born in Wooster, Ohio, December 9, 1822, a son of James and Eleanor ( Musgrove) Naylor, both of whom were natives, of Pennsylvania, the former born in Beaver and the latter in Dauphin county. The father was a carpenter by trade and was engaged in house -- building in Wooster, Ohio, for many years. During his boyhood John M. Naylor attended the public schools and before he had left his 'teens he engaged in teaching. In this way he earned the money with which to pay his tuition in Granville College, where he remained as a student for some time. His aim was to obtain a thorough preliminary education. and then study law, but at the age of twenty he was induced to accept a clerkship in a hardware store owned by the firm of Jacobs & Kouke, at Wooster. For four years he remained in that service and then en- tered into partnership with Harvey Howard. They came to Tiffin and opened a hardware store under the firm name of Howard & Naylor, and under that style conducted the business for four years, when Mr. Naylor purchased his partner's interest, conducting the enterprise successfully" for a number of years, when he sold his store. Under his management,. however, it grew to be the largest mercantile establishment in the town and was excelled by few, if any, in the northern part of the state. Mr. Naylor made a careful study of the wishes of the people and made an earnest effort to please, sincerely wishing to give good satisfaction as well as gain success. His honorable methods and enterprise brought him a continually increasing patronage and when he was enabled to com- mand an excellent income he made judicious and extensive investments in real estate. He has in many ways been connected with business ac-
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tivity in Tiffin. He was one of the founders of the National Exchange Bank, now the Tiffin National Bank, of which he has always been a director and large stockholder. He finally became its president and is now at the head of the institution, which owes not a little of its success to his excellent ability and sound judgment.
On the HIth of December, 1849, Mr. Naylor was united in mar- riage to Miss Cornelia T. Pittinger, a daughter of Judge Benjamin Pitt- inger, and unto them were born two children, but both are now deceased. Cora, born in 1851, died in 1853, and Frank, who was born in 1854, died in 1883, while on a visit to Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Naylor occupy one of the finest brick residences in the city, his success in former years enabling him to secure for them all the comforts and many of the lux- uries that go to make life worth the living. He is now seventy-nine years of age, but he is still very active and could pass for a man many years younger. Instead of retiring altogether from business life he still gives his attention to banking and to the control of his real-estate in- vestments, being still a valued factor in financial circles in Tiffin. Of a studious nature, he has devoted much attention to the study of standard works and has thus gained valuable and comprehensive information, such as is seldom possessed except by a college graduate. Tiffin has found in him a warm and helpful friend, ever ready to promote her wel- fare along the lines of substantial progress and improvement. For fifty- four years he has been identified with her business and social interests, and during this time has proven to be a man of excellent executive abil- ity with marked perceptive and reasoning faculties. His judgment and prompt decisions are seldom at fault and throughout the years his course has been characterized by a conscientious desire to be just and fair in his treatment of all. In politics he has ever been a stalwart Republican, but the honors and emoluments of office have had no attraction for him. During the Civil war he strongly endorsed the presidential policy and was a warm supporter of the Union. He holds membership in the Meth- odist Episcopal church and contributes most liberally to its support. When the new brick house of worship was erected he gave most lib- erally to the work and aided in pushing forward the enterprise in other
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ways. He is a man of even temperament, calm and self-poised, of re- fined character, in whom nature and culture have vied in making an hon- ored and interesting gentleman. His erect form and clear-cut features give little suggestion of the fact that he had almost completed eight decades since starting upon life's journey. Nature deals kindly with the man who abuses not her laws, and though Mr. Naylor's business cares have been extensive, age rests lightly upon him.
LESTER SUTTON.
Through the years of his manhood Attica has numbered Lester Sutton among its most prominent and progressive citizens. He may well be termed one of the founders of the city, for he has been the pro- moter of many of its leading business enterprises, and the growth and development of the city depend upon its commercial and industrial activity. His connection with any undertaking insures a prosperous outcome of the same, for it is in his nature to carry forward to suc- cessful completion whatever movement he is associated with. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business, and in his dealings is known for his prompt and honorable methods, which have won for him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellow men.
Mr. Sutton was born in Steuben county, New York, in the town of Hornellsville, July 13, 1836, his parents being John and Christina (True) Sutton. The father was born in Pennsylvania, April 2, 1800, and when a young man removed to Steuben county, New York. He had previously married a Miss Hendershot and to them were born six children, of whom three are living: Isaac, who resided until recently near Owosso, Michigan, and died May 19, 1902; William, also a resi- dent of Michigan; and Margaret, the wife of Thomas Doorley, of Steuben county, New York. In New York the father took up his abode on a farm in Steuben county, and in September, 1852, he removed to
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Seneca county, settling in Reed township, where he remained for sev- eral years. On selling that property he purchased a farm in Venice township, upon which he maintained his residence until a short time prior to his death, his last days being spent in Attica, where he died in 1878. His wife passed away in 1890. They had six children, of whom three are living: Lester; Susan, the wife of John H. Carpenter, of Tiffin; and Alva, who is with his brother in the bank. Mr. Sutton was again married, March 18, 1902, to Mrs. Rebecca Smith, who is a daughter of Jeremiah and Arvilla (Olds) Carpenter, both deceased. ' She was born in Venice township and was married at nineteen to James. M. Titus, and at twenty-one was a widow, and at length became the wife of Harvey Smith, who died about three years later. She has re- sided in Attica for years. She has two daughters: Myrtle Titus, the wife of W. S. Force; and Margaret Smith, the wife of J. W. Price.
In early life John Sutton was an ardent Whig and became a stanch Abolitionist. When the latter party ceased to have an existence he joined the ranks of the new Republican party, with which he contin- ued to affiliate until his death. He held membership in the Methodist Protestant church.
Under the parental roof Lester Sutton spent his early boyhood days and after attending the common schools was graduated at the academy of Republic, Ohio, at the early age of eighteen years. He then began teaching and for eight years successfully followed that pro- fession, five terms being in one district. In 1862 he took up the study of law under General Leander Stem, of Tiffin, remaining in his office until the death of his preceptor in the battle of Stone river. The office was then closed and Mr. Sutton resumed teaching, but continued his law reading until 1866, when he was admitted to the bar. A short time previously he had removed to Attica and here he opened an office, continuing in active practice until the present, during which time he has gained a large and distinctively representative clientage. In the year 1882 he established a private bank, known as the Banking House of Lester Sutton, which is the only institution of the kind in the town. From the beginning it has been attended with a high degree of success:
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and is of great value to the citizens as well as a source of income to the owner. For forty-five years Mr. Sutton has been in demand over a wide area as an auctioneer, and even in the last years, when he was occupied with other business, his services have been sought throughout the county. He has also been chosen as administrator of estates, his handling of such always being to the universal satisfaction of the heirs, the courts and of all concerned. Probably no man in the county has done more business in this particular line than he.
On the 20th of March, 1859, Mr. Sutton was married to Miss Emeline Rundell, a native of Seneca county, Ohio, and a daughter of William and Miranda Rundell, who were early settlers of this locality, coming to the Buckeye state from New York. Five children were born unto our subject and his wife, of whom four are yet living: Leonard L., a fire insurance and real-estate agent of Attica, Ohio; Laura, the wife of Ross W. Ayres, a business man of Chicago, Illinois; Charles C., in his father's bank; and Luella, who married E. S. Bernard, a deputy postmaster of Tiffin, Ohio. On the 7th of February, 1901, the wife and mother was called to her final rest, her loss being mourned not only in her own home but also throughout a large circle of friends.
Mr. Sutton has long been recognized as one of the most prominent, influential and active citizens of Attica. He has been solicitor for the town almost since his arrival here, and has been connected with every public interest or measure for the welfare and promotion of the place. In politics he is a stanch Republican, but has never sought or desired office. He belongs to Attica Lodge, No. 367, F. & A. M., and is also the only surviving charter member living in the town. He has held all of its offices and for thirteen consecutive years was its honored master. He has also taken the degrees 'of the Scottish rite up to and including the thirty-second, and has passed all of the chairs in Venice Lodge, No. 197, I. O. O. F. He is a member of the Baptist church and is deeply interested in everything pertaining to the material, social, intel- lectual and moral welfare of his town. He has ever discharged his duties with marked ability and fairness, for he is a most loyal, public- spirited citizen. As a business man he has been conspicuous among
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his associates, not only for his success, but for his probity, fairness and honorable methods. In everything he has been eminently practical, and this has been manifest not only in his business undertakings, but also in social and private life.
SAMUEL F. KAUFMAN.
In connection with the mercantile interests of Attica Mr. Kaufman has become well and favorably known, and by his own unaided efforts he has risen to his present high position in the business world. His birth occurred in Crawford county, Ohio, March 7, 1864, his parents being Daniel and Elizabeth (Kaufman) Kaufman. The father was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, in 1816, and the mother's birth also occurred in the Keystone state, in 1825, and both were of Dutch de- scent. The paternal grandfather of our subject was a merchant in that state, but meeting with financial reverses there he removed with his family to the eastern part of Ohio, his son Daniel being then a small boy. When twenty-five years of age the latter came to Crawford county, purchasing eighty acres of land in Cranberry township, after which he returned to his old' home and was married. He immediately brought his bride to his new Ohio home, erected a log cabin twelve by twelve feet in the dense woods, and after paying the first installment on the place he had but ten dollars left. As time passed by he succeeded in clearing his land, and there made his home until within six years of his death, when he purchased property in and removed to Tiro, there passing away in death in 1891. He gave his political support to the Republican party and was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. His widow is still living, and now makes her home with her son Amos in Tiro. This worthy couple became the parents of ten chil- dren, seven of whom are now living, namely: Mary, the wife of Peter Lash, of Crawford county : Sarah, the wife of Frank Lash, of Richland county ; Katie, the wife of Jacob Fike, of Los Angeles county, Cali- fornia ; Nora, the wife of J. E. Brown, also of that county; Emanuel,
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a stock dealer of Attica; Amos, of Crawford county; and Samuel, the subject of this review.
The last mentioned remained under the parental roof until his nine- teenth year, during which time he pursued his education in the district schools of his neighborhood. In 1882 he entered the grocery store of George H. Hamilton, of Attica, where he was employed as a salesman for two and a half years, on the expiration of which period he entered the jewelry store of T. K. Crane, with the agreement that he was to pur- chase the stock of goods after serving a given period. Accordingly, about eight months later Mr. Crane left the store, our subject then becoming its sole owner and manager. After two years had passed by he was enabled to purchase the stock of another jeweler of the town, and on the expiration of a similar period he became the owner of the business property, which he occupied for the following four years. Subsequently he built his present substantial brick building and about ten years ago he began adding to his jewelry stock until in addition thereto he now carries queensware, notions, stationery, books and many other articles. In the line of watches, especially, he not only enjoys a large retail trade but does quite a lucrative jobbing trade, selling to jewelers in various Ohio towns. In all his business relations he has been thoroughly up- right and conscientious, and has won the respect and esteem of those with whom he has had business or social intercourse.
The marriage of Mr. Kaufman was celebrated on the 30th of May, 1890, when Miss Icedore Huffman became his wife. She is a native daughter of Attica, and prior to her marriage she was a success- ful and popular teacher in its schools for a number of years. She is a daughter of Josiah and Sarah L. Huffman, and the former, who was one of the prominent farmers of Venice township, is now deceased. Unto our subject and wife have been born two children,-Morton L .. born September 25, 1893, and Paul H., born June 9, 1900. Mr. Kauf- man gives his political support to the Republican party, and for two years he was a member of the city council, serving in that position at the time of the building of the water works. Socially he was formerly a member of the Knights of Pythias fraternity in Attica, but has since
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withdrawn his membership therefrom. He is a member of Attica Lodge, No. 367, F. & A. M., of Bellevue Chapter, No. 113, R. A. M., in which he was initiated on the 3d of May, 1898. He became a member of Bellevue Council, No. 82, April 5, 1900, and on the 23d of May of that year was made a member of De Molai Commandery, No. 9, of Tiffin. He is also a member of Attica Lodge, No. 317, J. O. U. A. M., and Sappho Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
PETER DEWALD.
The unostentatious routine of private life, although of vast im- portance to the welfare of the community, has not figured to any great extent in history. But the names of men who have disinguished them- selves by the possession of those qualities which mainly contribute to the success of private life and to the public stability, and who have en- joyed the respect and confidence of those around them, should not be permitted to perish. Their examples are most valuable and their lives well worthy of consideration. Such are the thoughts that involuntarily come to mind when we take under review the career of such an hon- ored pioneer as the gentleman whose name initiates this paragraph. He is a representative of one of the old families of Seneca county, and his mind links the early formative epoch with that of latter-day progress and magnificent prosperity. Such are the men particularly worthy of mention in a work of this nature.
Peter Dewald, who has passed practically his entire life in Seneca county, comes of stanch old German lineage and is himself a native of the fatherland, having been born in the kingdom of Bavaria, in the year 1827, the son of John and Elizabeth (Rusick) Dewald, two of whose ten children are living at the present time, namely : Peter, the subject of this sketch, and Philip, who is elsewhere mentioned in this work. Maria, who became the wife of Jacob Starber, of Tiffin, died May 1, 1902.
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In the early '30s John Dewald emigrated from Germany to America and took up his residence in Seneca county, Ohio, locating on what were designated as the "Swale lands" north of the present village of Bascom, in Hopewell township. On account of the superabundance of water in that locality at the time, he removed to a point one mile south of the village mentioned, and there reclaimed a farm and con- tinued to reside until his death, in the year 1850. The subject of this sketch was reared on the old homestead farm and his educational privileges were such as could be supplied in the primitive log school- house of the period. In 1859 he was united in marriage to Miss Bar- bara Smith, who was born in Buffalo, New York, being the daughter of Jacob Smith, who located in Seneca county in the year 1833, settling in Loudon township. In his youth our subject learned the carpenter's trade, and for seven years after his marriage he continued to devote his attention to the same, his services being in constant requisition during the early days. In 1866 he erected a residence on his present farm. which is most eligibly located in Loudon township and which he pur- chased prior to his marriage. Upon the completion of this dwelling- house he took up his residence on the farm, and the same has ever since been his home and the scene of his well directed and successful efforts. He now has a landed estate of two hundred and fifty acres, the same being in three farms and all are in this township.
He has been indefatigable in his industry, has ever been animated by the highest principles and has been a valuable factor in the develop- ment and progress of the county, where he has so ordered his life as to gain and retain the unequivocal confidence and high regard of all with whom he has come in contact. He has made the best improvements on his estate, and it is interesting, in view of its present attractions and well tilled fields, to revert to the fact that he personally reclaimed from the virgin forests the greater portion of his home farm, which is one of the best in this section of the county. He has ever shown himself con- cerned in the enterprises and undertakings which conserve the general welfare, and has given his allegiance to the Republican party from the time of its organization, while his religious faith is that of the Zion
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Reformed church, of which he and his devoted wife have long been zealous and consistent members. Of their ten children all but one are living and all are well established in life and are numbered among the sterling and honored people of their home county, where all still reside, the following brief record being given concerning them: Mary is the wife of John Rainey, of Loudon township; Jacob is a farmer of Hope- well township; Margaret, unmarried, resides in Tiffin; Susan is the wife of John Coppes, of Loudon township; William is a farmer of Hopewell township; Peter remains at the parental homestead; Alice died in her twentieth year ; and Della, Nora and Leota remain at the home of their honored parents.
HENRY W. MATTHEWS.
The name of Henry W. Matthews is inscribed on the roll of Sen- eca county's honored and valued citizens, and the part which he has performed in the development of the county well entitles him to prom- inent mention in this volume. Almost entirely through his efforts the town of Bascom-so named in honor of a Mr. Bascom who was a resident here-was established, in which he has long made his home, laboring for its promotion and welfare.
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