USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 5
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and for thirty years of that time was his partner. He is now at the head of the Fostoria Novelty Company and controls the patents for fit- ting lead pipes without solder and iron pipes without thread. He manu- factures these pipe fittings on quite an extensive scale, and his business in this direction is steadily increasing. He also deals quite extensively in real estate and is the owner of much valuable property in Fostoria.
In 1867 Mr. Portz was united in marriage to Miss Hannah Adams, of Findlay, Ohio, a daughter of Louis and Mary (Junker) Adams, both of whom are now deceased. Her father was an early settler of Findlay and became one of the leading business men there, conducting a grocery and produce store, also a distillery. He came to Ohio from Alsace, France, and the business opportunities of the new world were so improved by him that he became the possessor of a comfortable competence. In religious faith Mr. Portz is a prominent Catholic and for almost thirty-five years has served continuously as a trustee of St. Wendelin church. His po- litical support is given the Republican party, but he has never been an aspirant for office, serving only as a member of the board of health. He has also been president of the board of trade of Fostoria and oc- cupies a most prominent and honorable position in business circles. From the age of twelve years until the present time he has been an active factor in the industrial and commercial life of his native city, and the extent and volume of his interests have contributed not alone to his own success but have also promoted the commercial prosperity of the town. His dealings have ever been conducted along the line of hon- orable effort and with strict regard for commercial ethics. He has maintained an unassailable reputation. He seems to have realized at each point of his career the highest degree of success possible at that point, and Fostoria claims him as one of her honored and representative citizens.
J. R. McCRAY, M. D.
No class of citizens are more justly held in high esteem than mem- bers of the medical profession, and in no other city of its size are more conspicuous examples of its skill and ability to be found than in Tiffin,
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Ohio. Here are gathered men of age, experience, study and research, and among them is Dr. J. R. McCray, who claims a fair portion of the lucrative practice of this vicinity.
Dr. McCray was born near the village of Barrackville, Marion county, West Virginia, on February 27, 1850. Like many others who later in life have achieved eminence in entirely different lines of activity, Dr. McCray was reared to farm life, although it never attracted him sufficiently to make him continue it as a vocation. He was of an active and inquiring disposition, though in his early years small opportunity was afforded him for more than elementary study as supplied in the common schools.
When he had reached the age of twenty-two years he had become' well enough acquainted with the carpenter trade to be employed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad on trestle work, and he continued with that road until he was prepared, in 1881, to enter upon the study of his chosen profession. His experience with men and affairs probably gave him that steadfastness of purpose and poise of character which have been of such marked service to him in the practice of his profession.
In 1881 he came to Fostoria, Ohio, and in the fall of that year he began his medical reading with the well-known Dr. Hickman, under whose instruction he continued for about a year. Then he came to Tiffin and became a student under Dr. Corfman, with whom he remained during two years, later attending the Physio-Medical College, in In- dianapolis, Indiana. After a course there Dr. McCray began the prac- tice of his profession in this city, though he soon returned to his native state, and for four years he was in active practice in Fairview, Marion county. His medical ability brought him a large practice, but desiring a more extensive field and wider opportunities, he returned to Tiffin, where his standing as a physician and citizen is unexcelled.
In 1884 Dr. McCray was united in marriage to Miss Clara Berk- shire, of Fairmount, West Virginia, a lady well adapted for the social position which she so well fills.
In political sentiment Dr. McCray is a Democrat, but he takes no very active part in political life, the demands of his profession allowing
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but little latitude for extraneous work. Mrs. McCray is a consistent and valued member of the Evangelical church, and the Doctor is liberal in supporting its benevolent and extension work. Fraternally he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, belonging to Seneca Lodge, of Tiffin, in which he has been a prominent worker. He belongs to the various medical associations, including the Ohio State and the American Medical Associations, attending their meetings and contrib- uting to their literature.
Dr. McCray is devoted to his profession and has a very large gen- eral practice, his skill being known through the city and vicinity, and he is very often called in cases of consultation. In many ways he is naturally adapted to his profession, his calm manner begetting confi- dence, and his gentle touch and encouraging smile often performing a cure when drugs would fail. He is a persistent reader and careful student, keeping abreast of the times in his profession, and is a worthy follower of the great Esculapius.
SILAS W. ROHRER.
Back to that cradle of much of our national history, the Old Do- minion state, must we turn in designating the place of nativity of Mr. Rohrer, one of the influential citizens and progressive farmers of Sen- eca county, Ohio, where he has passed practically his entire life, his ven- erable father being one of the honored pioneers of this section of the state and being still a resident of the county. Mr. Rhorer was born in Berkeley county, Virginia (now West Virginia), on the 8th of April, 1845, one of the two children of Benoni I. and Rebecca (Loose) Rohrer, the other *being Amanda, who is now the wife of Solomon Brets, of Tiffin, Seneca county. The father of our subject was likewise born in Virginia, on the 11th of January, 1816, his parents, who were of Ger- man lineage, having removed to the Old Dominion from Pennsylvania. where the respective families had been established in an early day.
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Benoni I. Rohrer grew up on the homestead farm in Virginia, receiving a good English education in the common schools, and being engaged in farming in his native state for some time after his marriage to Miss Loose, who was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and who is now a well-preserved woman of eighty-five years. He removed to Mich- igan in 1847 and there passed the winter, while in the spring of 1848 he came to Seneca county, Ohio, where he was engaged in tilling the soil on various rented farms for a period of six years. In 1854 he pur- chased seventy-five acres of the farm now owned by his son, in Hopewell township. He made substantial improvements on the place and ten years after purchasing the original tract added to its area seventy acres adjoining, so that the fine farm now comprises one hundred and forty- five acres. In the spring of 1879 Benoni I. Rohrer purchased another eighty acres of land, in the same township, and forthwith removed to the same and has there maintained his home to the present time, the place being well improved and under effective cultivation. He is the oldest man in his township, being now eighty-six years of age, and is revered as one of the patriarchs of the community and as a man whose life has been upright and steadfast in all its relations. He has been an active and zealous supporter of the cause of the Democratic party for more than half a century, and has been a man of influence in his home com- munity. He served for several years in the offices of assessor and trus- tee of his township and at all times has maintained a public-spirited attitude. In his advanced years he retains his mental and physical faculties in marked degree, being looked upon as one of the sturdy pio- neer citizens of the county.
Silas W. Rohrer was about three years of age when his parents located in Seneca county, and here he was reared on the farm where he now lives, acquiring his early educational training in the public schools. After assisting his father in the cultivation of the home farm until he had attained the age of twenty-four years, he took charge of the place, this being at the time of his marriage, in 1879, his father then removing to his new farm, as has been already noted. Silas operated the old homestead for his father until 1896, when he effected its purchase. He
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is constantly improving the farm and increasing its productive capacity by the utilization of scientific methods and by scrupulous care to every detail of the work. He has a commodious and attractive residence, and in 1897 he erected one of the largest and best bank barns in the town- ship. Mr. Rohrer has ever received the highest confidence and esteem of the community, ever giving his influence and aid to all worthy ob- jects for the general good and material progress of the neighborhood, and has been an active and influential worker in the ranks of the Demo- cratic party. He served one term as trustee of his township, and in 1898 was the Democratic candidate for the office of township treasurer, meeting defeat through normal political exigencies.
On the 18th of February, 1879, Mr. Rohrer was united in marriage to Miss Esther Britt, who was born in this township, the daughter of the late John Britt, one of the influential farmers of the county, where he located about 1852, having emigrated hither from Pennsylvania. Her mother, Mary (Nolan) Britt, died at about sixty-five years of age, being survived some five years by her husband, who was eighty-six years of age at the time of his death. Mrs. Rohrer was summoned into eternal rest on the 16th of November, 1882, leaving one son, Walter F., who lias attended Heidelberg College, and is now assisting his father on the farm.
DAVID HAVERSTICK.
Most consistently may we enter memoir in this work to one who stood as one of the honored citizens and successful agriculturists of Seneca county during the long years of an active and useful life, win- ning their regard of men by his sterling attributes of character and attain- ing success through the medium of his own ability and efforts. Mr. Haverstick passed to his reward on the 9th of February, 1898, and in his death Eden township was deprived of one of its most worthy and honored citizens and one whose life was such as to offer both lesson and incentive to all who came in touch therewith.
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Mr. Haverstick was a native of the old Keystone state, having been born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on the 9th of August, 1832, and was reared on the parental farm to the age of seventeen, having received his early education in the common schools. His father died when he was fifteen and he, instead of attending school, went to Middle- town, Pennsylvania, where he was employed in a planing mill for a period of four years, after which he came to Ohio and located in An- napolis, Jefferson county, where he worked in a meat market for a time and then returned to his old home in Pennsylvania, where he re- mained three years, working in a dairy, in connection with his brother. There, on the 3d of June, 1858, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Elizabeth Wolff, who was born in the same locality as was he himself. Shortly after his marriage Mr. Haverstick came to Seneca county, Ohio, in 1859, and purchased a farm in Clinton township, exchanging the property three years later for another farm, comprising sixty acres, in the same township, and continuing its improvement and cultivation for six years, at the expiration of which, in 1868, he traded the same for the homestead where his widow now resides, in Eden township. The original farm comprised one hundred acres, but as success crowned his efforts Mr. Haverstick added to the area of his property until he had a fine landed estate of one hundred and fifty-four acres. He placed the farm under most effective cultivation, directing his operations with marked energy and discrimination, and he made on the place the most admirable improvements of a permanent order, including the erection in 1878 of a large brick residence of attractive architectural design and modern conveniences and accessories. The farm is still maintained at its customary high standard, being devoted to diversified agriculture and the raising of high-grade stock. In politics the subject of this memoir was an uncompromising Republican and he was one of the devoted and valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Haverstick also is a member. The estate left by our subject also included a residence property in the city of Tiffin, as well as a smaller farm near his old home.
David and Elizabeth (Wolff) Haverstick became the parents of
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seven children, of whom we make brief record as follows: Sarah C., the wife of H. E. Rhodes, a banker of Tiffin; Hattie M., who married Isaac Martin and who is now deceased; William, who remains on the old homestead ; John, a successful farmer near Nevada, Wyandot county : Cora, the wife of Frank Othwaite, of Bellevue; Laura, the wife of Thomas Abram Miller, a banker of Tiffin; and Earl, who is now a resi- dent of Seattle, Washington. Mr. Haverstick was the architect of his own fortunes and upon his life there rested no shadow of wrong or injustice, while his kindly and genial nature won to him firm and abid- ing friendships. His memory rests as a benediction upon his devoted wife, his children and all who came within the immediate sphere of his influence.
FRANK COOLEY.
A number of the substantial and successful farmers of Bloom township, Seneca county, Ohio, have been born in this favored spot, and have thus been more thoroughly identified all their lives with its interests than those who have made it their homes only in recent years. Such is the case with Frank Cooley, who is one of the most highly esteemed and best known of the agriculturists of the township.
The birth of Frank Cooley occurred on December 19, 1865, in Bloom township, and he is a son of William H. and Rebecca ( Hillard) Cooley, the former of whom was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Decem- ber 10, 1825. Edward Cooley, who was the father of William H. Cooley, came from Maryland to Fairfield county with his family, and thence to Seneca county, in 1829. Here he entered land from the gov- ernment, the site being the present town of Bloomville, and here he lived until his death, in 1837, having been one of the pioneers of Seneca county. William H. was only eleven years of age when his father died, and the management of the farm fell upon his shoulders. He was a robust and industrious youth, and grew into a man of parts and prom- inence, improved this property, and sold it to advantage in 1866. His
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death occurred in 1897, on the farm now occupied by our subject. His mother had lived with him and she died at the age of ninety-one years. William H. Cooley was thrice married, his first union being with Martha Gifford, who at her death left one child, Martha, who is now the wife of John Wenner, of Swander, Ohio. The second mar- riage of William H. Cooley was to Mrs. Rebecca ( Hillard) Cooley, who was the widow of his eldest brother, Edward, and the three children born to this union were as follows: Stephen A., who lives in Clinton township; Charles, who is deceased; and Frank, who is the subject of this biography. The third marriage was to Mrs. Sarah J. (Shaffner ) Baker, who still survives and who resides with our subject, with whom she is part owner of the farm. She is a most estimable Christian woman, and a consistent member of the Methodist church.
Frank Cooley, who is our subject, was but six months old when his parents came to this farm, and here he has passed his life. He early became interested in agricultural pursuits and has continued to follow a general line of farming ever since he took charge of the estate. His education was acquired in the common schools of this district and he has been prominently identified with all matters of public interest in this locality ever since he attained his majority. His farm of one hundred and eleven acres is well adapted to the cultivation of the products com- mon to this part of the state, and also to stock-raising, in which he has been particularly successful. His methods have been progressive, and his improvements of a character which are indications of a thorough knowl- edge of his business and a deep interest in it.
The marriage of Frank Cooley took place in 1892, to Miss Clara Baker, who is a daughter of his own step-mother, and who was a child of twelve years when their parents were married. One daughter, Naomi M., has been born to this union, a bright and intelligent little school girl of seven. Both Mr. and Mrs. Cooley are valued members of the Bloomville Methodist Episcopal church, to which Mr. Cooley is liberal in his support and of which he is a steward. Mr. Cooley holds to the principles of the Republican party, but is not a seeker for political hon- ors, devoting his attention wholly to the demands of his private inter-
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ests. He possesses the respect of the citizens of his township, his family having been among the earliest settlers and most esteemed residents. Although he belongs to the younger generation of farmers, he is recog- nized as a man whose methods deserve approval, and his past success in his chosen llne gives promise of continued prosperity. Personally he is popular, and both he and wife are prominent in the social life in their neighborhood.
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JUNIUS V. JONES.
For a third of a century Junius V. Jones has been a leading prac- titioner at the bar of Seneca county, making his home in Fostoria, where he still resides. He is still in active practice, his attention being also given to the superintending of his investments and property interests. He was born in Gallia county, January 23, 1823, and is a son of James and Priscilla (Blagg) Jones, both of whom were natives of Pendleton county, in what is now West Virginia. Soon after their marriage, how- ever, they emigrated to the Buckeye state and took up their abode on a farm in Gallia county. In 1832 they removed to Wood county and set- tled in Perry township upon a farm adjoining Fostoria, then called Rome and Risdon. The father was one of the early commissioners of Wood county and also served as justice of the peace for a number of years. Other township offices were filled by him, and at all times he was a loyal and progressive citizen, who did his utmost to forward the substantial advancement of this community. He died in 1848 at the age of sixty-five years, while his wife passed away some ten years later.
In the family of this worthy couple were five sons and four daugh- ters : Honorable Gideon Jones, the eldest, was a noted civil engineer and surveyor in northwestern Ohio. He filled the office of county sur- veyor and was a member of the state legislature, representing Seneca county in the lower house. He was elected upon the Republican ticket at a time when the county had a usual Democratic majority of one thou-
4
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sand, and this fact indicates his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen. He made his home in Jackson township, and when called to his final rest his loss was keenly felt ; Simpson, the second of the family, followed farming for many years, but spent his last days in honorable retirement in Fostoria. He took a deep interest in the public schools and rendered effective service in their behalf while a member of the board of education, a position which he held for many years. He served as clerk of the board and endeavored to raise the standard of intellectual improvement. Junius V. was the third of the family. Major William H. is now a farmer of Kansas. He was at one time county clerk of Wood county, Ohio, and served as paymaster in the Union army during the Civil war. About eight years ago, however, he removed to the Sunflower state, where he is now living. Seneca died in childhood. Elizabeth became the wife of Joseph Chilcote, and both died at West Millgrove, Wood county. Emily also is deceased. Hulda became the wife of the Rev. John Miller and both died in De Kalb county, Indiana. Virginia, married Joseph Eckels, of Fostoria, and both are deceased.
Junius V. Jones, whose name introduces this review, pursued his education in Fostoria, and desiring to make the legal profession his life work read law in the office of the Honorable W. P. Noble, and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1868. He at once entered upon practice in this place, and for more than a third of a century has been one of the active and prominent legal practitioners here. He enjoys a distinguished and rep- resentative clientage, which has connected him with much of the im- portant litigation tried in the courts of his district, and his compre- hensive and exact knowledge of legal principles and his careful prepara- tion of his cases have enabled him to gain many forensic battles.
Mr. Jones was married, in Wood county, Ohio, to Miss Maria Musser, daughter of Michael Musser, of Portage township, that county. For many years she was a faithful companion and helpmate to her hus- band, but on the 30th of October, 1900, she was called to her final rest, passing away at the age of seventy-five years. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Jones were born seven children: James Edwin, now deceased; Charles
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V., who died at his home in Fostoria, in April, 1901, at the age of forty-seven years; Willis F., a printer of this city; Harry J., who is engaged in the same business; and Parley, Bert and Clara, all of Fos- toria ..
In his political views Mr. Jones has always been a Republican, and he has taken quite an active part in advancing the cause of his party. For many years he served as clerk of Loudon township, and throughout a long period he was township trustee, taking great interest in making ditches, whereby much of the land was reclaimed for purposes of civili- zation. He has also been a candidate for sheriff of Seneca county and for the state legislature. Long a member of the board of education, he served two terms as its president; he was city solicitor of Fostoria for four years, and in 1874 became mayor of the city, serving for a term of two years. No public trust reposed in him has ever been be- trayed in the slightest degree, and in office he has ever manifested un- swerving loyalty to duty and to the right. In early days he was a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and for many years he has been a zealous member of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. Honorable and upright in all relations of life, with due regard for the ties of friendship and the duties of citizenship, he has commanded uniform confidence and respect, and the success which he is now enjoying is well merited, coming as a reward of earnest and untiring effort in professional circles.
THOMAS G. SHUMAN.
A most exemplary citizen and an honored hero of the war of the Rebellion is Thomas G. Shuman, a prominent agriculturist of Liberty township, Seneca county. During his army career he was always found faithful to the duties imposed upon him, thus winning the confidence and high regard of his comrades and superior officers, while in his business life and social relations he has ever manifested the same justice, integrity and reliability, and none know him save to wish him well.
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Mr. Shuman is a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred on the 16th of September, 1841, and he is a son of Simon and Mary E. (Beck) Shuman. The father also claimed Pennsylvania as the state of his nativity, his birth having there occurred on the 29th of July, 1803, and there he grew to manhood and learned the trade of shoemaking. After his marriage he began work at his trade in what was then known as the town of Muttontown, now called State Line, where he made his home until 1846. In that year he emigrated with his family to Ohio, remaining for about one year in Mansfield, after which he came to Tiffin and one year later purchased forty acres of land on section twenty-three, Liberty township, where he spent the remaining years of his life. After his sons reached a sufficient age they assumed the management of the home farm, while he continued at his trade, and as the years passed by he was enabled to add to his original purchase a tract of forty acres a half mile west, in the same township. He gave his political support to the Democracy, and religiously was a member of the German Reformed church. His life's labors were ended in death on January 14, 1879, and thus passed from earth one of the honored pioneers of Ohio, and one who had nobly assisted in the trying task of planting the seeds of order in an unsettled country. His wife bore the maiden name of Mary E. Beck, and she likewise was born in the Keystone state, on the 20th of January, 1808. Her father, Felix Beck, was a commissioned officer in the Revolutionary war, and he died of cholera at an advanced age. Mrs. Shuman passed away in death on the 26th of March, 1889, at the age of eighty-two years. Unto this worthy couple were born fourteen children, nine of whom still sur- vive, namely : John, who served as a member of Company K, One Hun- dred and First Ohio Infantry, who was wounded at Chickamauga, and is now a resident of Greenleaf, Wisconsin ; Henry, who makes his home in Steuben county, Indiana ; William, who served as a bugler in the One Hundred and First Regiment, and is now a farmer of Pleasant township, Seneca county ; Thomas G., the subject of this review ; David, who was a member of the One Hundred and Eightieth Ohio Regiment, and now makes his home in Sandusky county; Daniel and Elias, twins,
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