USA > Ohio > Seneca County > A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio > Part 52
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Aside from his educational work, which was unusually beneficial. Mr. Myers was prominent in other lines. In 1885 he was elected, as the candidate of the Democratic party, to the office of county treasurer, his record for ability and personal integrity giving him a very large majority ahead of his ticket. He efficiently served the county in this responsible position during two terms, and was one of the most faith- ful officials that Seneca county ever had. He was also interested in several commercial enterprises and was one of the organizers and stock- holders in the Tiffin Savings Bank, being its vice-president from its organization until his death.
Mr. Myers was married, in 1856, to Miss Leah A. Faulk, of Colum- biana county, Ohio, and to this union was born one son, Claude Eugene, who is still living with his mother. He married Miss Nellie C. Pindar. Mrs. Myers is still a resident of Tiffin, occupying a stately brick resi- dence on Clinton avenue, this beautiful place having been occupied and owned by them at the time of her husband's decease, July 20, 1896. It is located in a choice residence section of the city and is a valuable part
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of the estate which Mr. Myers had accumulated. He was a man of excellent business ability and was successful in his enterprises. He was an active member and liberal supporter of the First Reformed church, as is also his widow, and here he was sincerely mourned. In the church and in the social life of the community Mrs. Myers is known for her interest in good works.
As a man of the strictest business integrity Benjamin F. Myers will always be remembered by the public; as a careful and conscientious teacher many will long testify to his efficiency; while his genial, gen- erous disposition and kind and sympathetic nature endeared him to all who knew him and surrounded him with many loyal friends. In the death of Mr. Myers this city and Seneca county lost an esteemed citi- zen; the youth, whose characters are shaping for life's activities, lost an earnest and sympathizing instructor ; the church was deprived of a conscientious Christian and benevolent worker; and the family mourned a loving husband and father.
CASPER GUSS.
Among the highly esteemed residents of Tiffin, Ohio, and one who. has made many warm personal friends since his location in this city, in 1890, is Casper Guss, who is now living practically retired, after an agricultural life of many years.
Casper Guss was born on November 4, 1830, in Berks county, Penn- sylvania, being a son of Casper and Mary (Selser) Guss, both of whom were natives of the same county. The ancestry of both paternal and maternal lines traces back to German origin. Casper Guss, the father of our subject, married in his native county, and in 1834 he removed with his wife and eight children to Sandusky county, Ohio. At that time all transportation in this section was done by wagon, and it is quite probable that the wagon was the family home until a log cabin could be erected in the forest where the new home was located. Mr. Guss
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was one of the hardy pioneers of that section and he labored assiduously in the clearing and development of his farm. He was a hatter by trade, but gave his attention to agricultural affairs in his Ohio home. He died at the age of sixty-five years, having been a man who was beloved in his family and respected by the outside world. In politics he was a Demo- crat and in religion a Lutheran.
The mother of our subject, Mary (Selser) Guss, lived until the age of seventy-seven years, her death occurring in Sandusky county, Ohio. She was a woman of many virtues, a consistent member of the Lutheran church, a helpful wife and a devoted mother. Our subject was one of a family of ten children and is the only survivor.
Casper Guss, who is the subject of this biography, was three and one-half years old when his parents moved to Sandusky county, Ohio, where he grew up among pioneer surroundings. His educational oppor- tunities were few, on account of the conditions of the time and place, although he took advantage of all that he could secure. When he was nineteen years old he went to Fremont, Ohio, where he remained at work in a blacksmith shop for two years, but, finding that this line of work was injuring his health, he returned to the farm. Here he remained until his father's death, and then managed the estate for his mother until 1871, when he purchased a farm of eighty acres in Pleasant township, which he operated for five years. Selling this farm, Mr. Guss bought another containing sixty-five acres, in Eden township, and this he man- aged with success until he decided to somewhat limit his activity, and sold it, purchasing his present pleasant home on Greenfield street in Tiffin. Here Mr. Guss has enough land to enable him to take exercise in the raising of his choice fruit and vegetables, and to also enjoy the comforts and conveniences of city life.
The first marriage of Mr. Guss was solemnized in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1855, when Miss Malinda Bookwalter became his wife. They became the parents of six children, four of whom died in infancy, the survivors being: Eva, who married Daniel Hill; and Mary Charlotte, who mar- ried Reuben Hoyt, the renowned manufacturer of perfumes in New York. The second marriage of Mr. Guss occurred in 1870, when he
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wedded Miss Anna Niemeyer, who was born in Prussia, and three chil- dren were born to this union: The first child died in infancy ; Rufus, who is employed in the agricultural shops here; and Frank is a machinist in this city.
Mr. Guss has always been a Democrat and during his residence in Sandusky county held a number of the local offices. He is a valued and consistent member of the First Reformed church and is known to his fellow citizens as a man of unswerving integrity, of excellent example and of value as a citizen.
JOHN K. SPITLER.
Among the progressive and enterprising citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, none has more successfully supported its claim to be one of the best farming districts in the state than has John K. Spitler, a repre- sentative of an old and honored family of this vicinity.
Jacob Spitler, who was the grandfather of John K., the immediate subject of this biography, located here as early as 1826, at that time entering eighty acres of government land. Here he lived to old age, a man of excellent repute, leaving behind him a family of fourteen chil- dren. The Spitlers have ever been a vigorous race, the descendants of thirteen members of this family being numerous through this state, irany of them occupying positions of responsibility, and all displaying characteristics which reflect credit upon honorable ancestors.
Notably was Daniel Spitler, who was the father of John K., a worthy representative of his family. He accompanied his father from Fairfield county, where he was born, assisted him in his pioneer efforts and made his father's house his home until his own marriage. Daniel was the father of eleven children, of whom we enter record as follows : Martha married J. L. Hershberger, of Bloom township; Agnes is the widow of Ralph Tittle; Sabina is Mrs. Tonnessen, and lives in Indiana ; John K. is the subject of this biography; Eliza married G. B. Hall, of Tiffin ; Monroe is deceased ; May married Charles King, of Wood county, Ohio: and the others died in infancy.
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After his marriage to Hannah Kagy Daniel Spitler moved to a faim of his own, this containing eighty acres of wild land, and here he erected a log cabin and worked with unceasing industry, clearing his land, and beginning its cultivation, which he continued through life, accumulating satisfactory fruits from his toil. In this home of his own. making he died, in 1896, at the age of seventy-seven years. His widow survived until June 30, 1901, when she, too, passed away, at the age of seventy-seven years. Both parents had lived up to the teachings of the Baptist church, of which she had been a leading member and he an attendant and supporter.
John K. Spitler, who is the subject of this sketch, was born August 17, 1850, a son of Daniel and Hannah (Kagy) Spitler, who were then residents of Bloom township. He was reared on the home farm and was afforded better educational opportunities than fell to the lot of many youths of his age, his father consenting to his supplementing his common-school education with one term at Heidelberg College and an academic course of three terms at Republic Academy. Mr. Spitler grad- uated from the position of pupil into that of teacher, and although at this time he was but twenty-one years old he very efficiently fulfilled the duties of teacher for six terms in the Seneca county schools. In ali farming districts the summers claim the time and labor of the young people of school age, and it was only during the winter seasons that his services were in demand.
After his marriage, in 1873, Mr. Spitler settled down to an agri- cultural life, renting land for the first five years and then buying a tract of good land, in Eden township, where he remained for a period of ten years. In the meantime he had been looking about for a per- inanent home where he could carry on extensive operations in farming and the raising of high-grade cattle. He found a suitable place in his present fine estate, which was formerly the home of his wife's father and originally settled by Elder Lewis Seitz, and it is thus one of the old farmsteads of the county. A trade was soon effected which placed this very valuable property in his control. Mr. Spitler has, unques- tionably, one of the best improved farms in Seneca county, and here-
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he carries on general farming and stock-growing. In all his methods he is progressive and enterprising, and he has succeeded in his endeavors, as a result of intelligent, well directed effort. In addition to the two hundred acres of land included in the home farm Mr. Spitler also owns a valuable forty-acre tract in the oil fields of Wood county, on which are located seven productive wells.
Mr. Spitler was married on February 13, 1873, to Miss Martha Patterson, who was a daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Seitz) Patter- son, and four children have been born to this union, namely: Caivin B., who attended Heidelberg College and was graduated in the law school at Ada, is now a well known attorney in Tiffin; Cora B. is a talented musician, and a student in the Ursuline Convent, in Tiffin ; Worden M. is a teacher in district schools; and Ralph is at home. This comprises a family of unusual intellectual fiber.
In his political attachment Mr. Spitler has been a life-long Demo- crat. He is held in the highest esteem in his locality, being a man of responsibility, and he not only represents an honorable old family but also personally stands for all that is best in the life of his community.
CHARLES GEYER.
In the death of Charles Geyer, in 1891, the city of Tiffin, Ohio, lost one of its leading capitalists and esteemed citizens. For many years he had been identified with the development of business interests here, and was one of the progressive and public-spirited men who took a deep interest in promoting the institutions which seemed to promise to be of benefit to the county, and particularly to Tiffin, in which city he took a justifiable pride.
The birth of Charles Geyer occurred near Leipsic, in the kingdom of Saxony, Germany, October 13, 1827, and he was a son of Christian and Catherine Geyer, also natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1839, settling in Huron county, Ohio. Christian Geyer was a tanner by trade, an occupation in which the family had engaged for
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generations. He carried on a tanning business in his new home and became a prosperous man, early introducing his son in the business. Charles was instructed in the tanning business in the thorough manner indicative of the methods of a German father, and in 1859 he was com- petent to engage in the business himself. He opened up a tannery in the village of Caroline, Venice township, in Seneca county, where he also engaged in farming for some years. In 1871 he removed the busi- ness to Tiffin, where he continued it for some time, later becoming a dealer in hides and pelts, in which line he became very well known, his business being one of the largest in this locality. This he managed with increasing prosperity until 1889, when he retired from it in favor of his son Samuel, who carries it on at the old location.
Although Mr. Geyer built up his success by his own efforts he was for a number of years one of the most important factors in Tiffin's industrial life, and he became the owner of much valuable property in this city and vicinity. His accumulations were but the natural result of a life of industry and close attention to business. Among the valuable tracts included in his holdings is one tract of thirty acres, within the city limits, on which are located four paying oil wells, and in addition he owned a number of valuable building lots, some of these well improved, and also ten acres in the same tract which contained his own beautiful home, a large brick residence, surrounded with attractive grounds. The Empire hotel, one of the best arranged and most convenient hostelries of the city was also his property, and this he superintended until the time of his death, although he delegated its management to others. It is now ably conducted by two of his sons and is one of the leading hotels in Tiffin. He was one of the incorporators and until his death was one of the board of directors of the Commercial Bank, a leading financial institution of this city.
Mr. Geyer was married in 1854, in Chicago, Illinois, to Miss Ida Kaessmann, a native of Leipsic, Germany, where she was born on Novem- ber 23, 1836. In 1854 she crossed the ocean and went to relatives in the city of Chicago, where she met and married Mr. Geyer. A family of six sons and three daughters was born to Mr. and Mrs. Geyer, all
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but one of these still surviving and being numbered among the promi- nent residents of Tiffin. They are- as follows: Louisa, who grew to young womanhood and was educated in this city, married Hon. J. L. Kaley, of Omaha, Nebraska; C. Charles, who is engaged in the oil busi- ness at the wells here, married Miss Nellie Dean, of Tiffin; Samuel carries on the hide and pelt business established by his father; Emma married William Hertzer, who is the cashier of the Tiffin National Bank ;. Frank, who married Miss Ida M. Riedel, of Fostoria, is connected with his brother Arthur as joint proprietor of the Empire hotel, and, with their brother Charles, they are interested in the four oil wells located on their mother's estate; William is clerk in the Empire hotel ; Ida, a young lady, remains at the parental home ; and Oscar died at the age of six years.
Both Mr. Geyer and wife were prominent in the English Lutheran church, to which he was a liberal contributor. His death took place on May 6, 1891. Mr. Geyer was a man of large physique, and he was large in mind and heart, a man who was devoted to the welfare of his city, to his friends and to his family. On account of his business con- nections he was well known and his death was felt to be a serious loss to this community. The concerns which he was instrumental in organ- izing still flourish and reflect credit upon his business sagacity.
PETER BRAYTON.
The subject of this sketch, who is one of the representative farmers and honored citizens of Big Spring township, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of this section of the Buckeye state, and is dis- tinctly entitled to consideration in this publication. He was born in Crawford township, Wyandot county, then a portion of Crawford county, on the 7th of February, 1825, being a son of Elijah and Anna ( Holbrook) Brayton, of whose eleven children only our subject and his brother Asa survive, the latter being a leading physician of Carey, Ohio. Elijah Brayton was born in Vermont, about the year 1785, and was .
PETER BRAYTON.
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reared to years of maturity there. About the year 1816, in company with his wife and children, he emigrated to Ohio, settling in Crawford township, Wyandot (then Crawford) county, where he entered a claim to a tract of eighty acres. A few years later he built a gristmill om Tymochtee creek and operated it successfully for several years, this being one of the first mills in that locality: In the year 1826 Matthew Bray- ton, a brother of our subject, was stolen by members of a tribe of Sen- eca Indians from Canada, when he was seven years of age, and all efforts. to recover him proved fruitless and all trace of him was finally lost.
In 1833 Elijah Brayton removed with his family to Seneca county,. and here became the owner of about four hundred acres of land in Big. Spring township, the present home farm of our subject being a portion of the original estate. Here he passed the remainder of his long and useful life, passing away at the age of eighty years. In politics he was originally a Whig and later gave his allegiance to the Republican party. For a number of years he was the overseer of the poor in this township, and he was a man who commanded the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. He was a devoted member of the United Brethren church at Carey, in which he served as an official for several years. His house, which was erected in 1833, was the place of the earliest preaching of his church ministers. This house is still standing, in fair preserva -- tion. Mrs. Brayton died at the age of fifty years.
In Elijah Brayton's family were eleven children, of whom three: sons-William, Peter and Asa-reached maturity. The daughters were: Harriet, Lucy, Mary and Olive, who grew up and married. Harriet be -- came the wife of Jonathan Hildebrand and died at the age of seventy- five years. Lucy became the wife of William Davis and died at the age' of fifty years. Mary married David Burns and died at the advanced age of eighty years, in Audrain county, Missouri. Olive married Alvin Dow and died at the early age of twenty-two years. William Brayton became an extensive and prosperous farmer in Crawford township, where he. owned about seven hundred acres of land, most of which he had given to his children. He died in 1897, in his eighty-seventh year.
Peter Brayton received his early educational training in the log.
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school-house of the pioneer days, standing on the site of the present school-house. Of course it had the usual puncheon floor, slab benches and other characteristic equipments of the period. Young Peter was early called upon to assist in the work of clearing the homestead, which was heavily timbered, and thus he was enabled to attend school only at irregular intervals. He was married in 1845 and then located on a tract of sixty-one and a half acres which had been given to him by his father, and here he began farming. After the death of his father he purchased an adjoining eighty acres, which was a part of the old homestead; and as prosperity attended his efforts he purchased other land from time to time and became the owner of a fine estate of six hundred acres, the greater portion of which he has divided among his children. One tract contained the two famous springs that gave the township its name. In 1834 he attended the first town election, held in an Indian cabin at these springs, and he recalls that but thirteen votes were cast, almost every man securing an office and his father being chosen fence-viewer and his brother William clerk of the township.
Mr. Brayton's life has been one of signal usefulness and honor ; and now, as its shadows begin to lengthen, he rests secure in the high esteem of all who know him, and is known as one of the representative pioneers of his township. The only person now living in the township who was here when the Brayton family came is Austin Knowlton, now aged ninety-two years, who lives near the village of Adrian, on land that he entered a year or two previously to the arrival of the Brayton family. John Luzada, who is now a resident of the village of Springville and is eighty-seven years old, came with Elijah Brayton, being brought up by him.
In politics Mr. Brayton is a Republican, and his religious faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has long been a devoted member, at Carey.
On the Ist of January, 1845, Mr. Brayton was united in marriage with Miss Mary A. Ogg, who was born in Ross county, Ohio, the daugh- ter of Kinsey Ogg. She proved a true helpmeet during their married life of more than a score of years, her death occurring on the Ist of Au-
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gust, 1871. She is survived by five of her six children, namely: Jo- sephine, the wife of John Fulk, of Putnam county ; Jesse, also a resident of that county ; Emma, the wife of Joseph Crislip; Lafayette, a resident of Big Spring township; and Tefronia, who is the wife of Major Bright, of Hancock county. Newton, the third child, died at the age of twenty- two years, having devoted his life to the demands of the home. Forest E. Crislip, a son of Joseph and Emma Crislip, now manages the old homestead of Mr. Brayton, receiving the same for his devotion and at- tention to the declining years of his honored grandfather. He married Lucy Williamson, and they have one little daughter, Gertrude, of the fourth generation of the family to live on the old homestead.
In March, 1872, Mr. Brayton was married to Miss Hannah Little, who was born in Hancock county, a daughter of Solomon Little, who was a pioneer of that county; and the only child by this marriage is deceased. Our honored subject has seventeen grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
PLINY TRUMBO.
It is a well attested maxim that the greatness of a state lies not in its machinery of government, nor even in its institutions, but in the sterling qualities of its individual citizens, in their capacity for definite accomplishment and their devotion to the public good. One of the native sons of Seneca county who has attained marked success in con- nection with agricultural pursuits and who was a valiant soldier in the war of the Rebellion is Mr. Trumbo, who is now living retired in the pleasant village of Amsden. He belongs to that public-spirited, useful type of men whose ambitions and desires are directed in those channels through which flow the greatest and most permanent good to the greatest number, and it is therefore consistent with the purpose and plan of his work that his record be given among those of other representative citi- zens of Seneca county.
Mr. Trumbo was born on a farm in Jackson township, Seneca county.
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on the 17th of May, 1845, being the son of Enoch Trumbo, who was. born in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and where he learned the trade of stone mason. He came to Ohio in 1832 and assisted in the construction of the canal locks at Youngstown, while in the meanwhile he filed claim to one hundred and sixty acres of govern- ment land in Jackson township, Seneca county, where he remained a short time and then resumed his work on the canal. The same fall he came back to his farm, which was as yet a sylvan wild, being covered with a dense growth of hard-wood timber. Here he erected a log. cabin, sixteen feet square, in which he and his brother Andrew estab- lished "bachelor's hall" and instituted the work of clearing the land. In this township was celebrated his marriage to Eleanora Robertson, daugh- ter of Robert Robertson, who was born in Ireland and who was num- bered among the pioneer settlers in Jackson township. Of this union six children were born, namely: Rebecca, the wife of William Ash, of Jackson township; Daniel W., who died at the age of sixteen years ;. Maria, who died at the age of four years; Pliny, the subject of this. sketch ; Marcus D., who resides on the old homestead; and Mary E., the wife of John Pankhurst, of this township. The father died on the 30th of July, 1894, and his loss was deeply felt in the community, where he had ever been a progressive and representative citizen and one who, commanded unqualified confidence and esteem. He held the office of county commissioner, assisted in the organization of Jackson township,. and for many years was incumbent of the offices of township trustee and justice of the peace. His political support was given to the Repub- lican party, and he was actively concerned in the public affairs of local nature having been prominent in connection with the establishment of the early schools in the township and ever aiming to promote the general good by ready interposition and lively interest. He became the owner of more than five hundred acres of land and was numbered among the honored and successful citizens of the county. His wife preceded him into eternal rest, passing away on the 18th of June, 1873.
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