A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio, Part 9

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

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In August, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Dewald to Miss Clara Heiserman, who was born in Loudon township, this county, the daughter of Joseph Rhineboldt. Her mother died when she was an infant and she was then adopted into the family of Jacob Heiserman, re- maining in the home of her foster parents until her marriage and hav- ing been reared and educated in her native county. Mr. and Mrs. De- wald have one son and two daughters, namely: Earl, Edna and Dora.

JAMES T. CARBIN.

The march of improvement and progress is accelerated day by day, and each successive moment seems to demand of men a broader intelli- gence and a greater discernment than did the preceding. Successful

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men must be live men in this age, bristling with activity, and the lessons of biography may be far reaching to an extent not superficially evident. There can be no impropriety in justly scanning the acts of any man as they affect his public, social and business relations. If he be honest and successful in his chosen field of endeavor, investigation will brighten his fame and point the path along which others may follow, and thus his life becomes cumulative in its favorably influence. Among the able and representative business men of Seneca county is numbered Mr. Carbin, who has had to do with enterprises of wide scope and importance and whose executive capacity has been such as to enable him to achieve a noteworthy success, while the methods employed have been such as to gain and retain to him the confidence and high regard of his fellow men. It is both gratifying and profitable to enter record concerning the career of such a man, and in the following paragraphs sufficient will be said to indicate the forceful individuality, initiative power and sterling character of a well-known citizen of Bloomville.

James T. Carbin claims the national metropolis as the place of his nativity, having been born in New York city on Christmas day, 1856, one of the six children of Edward and Mary Carbin, and being the eldest of the three survivors, the others being Edward, who is ticket agent at the ferry office of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Jersey City, New Jersey; and Alexander, a business man of the same city. The father of our subject was born in the fair Emerald Isle, where he was reared and educated. As a young man he emigrated to America and located in New York city, where he passed the remainder of his life, passing away in 1876, at the age of forty-five years, while his wife survived him a score of years, her death occurring in 1897. He was a stalwart Democrat in his political proclivities and for years was a power- ful factor in municipal politics in New York city, being a man of distinct individuality, alert mentality and marked facility in leadership and in the directing of popular opinion.

At the age of eight years the subject of this sketch was assigned to the care of William Eastman, of Crawford county, Ohio, where he was reared to his twentieth year, securing his early educational training in the public schools of this state. In March. 1876, he returned to New

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York city and engaged in the oyster business in Newark bay, New Jersey, continuing operations until December of the same year, when he returned to Crawford county, Ohio, and secured the position as fore- man of the stone quarries operated by A. J. Brown, at Lykens. While there one of his fellow employes was H. E. Valentine, later state senator from Crawford county and now cashier of the First National Bank of Bucyrus, Ohio. Eventually Mr. Carbin turned his attention to contract- ing and bridge building, continuing in this line of enterprise until 1887, when he entered into partnership with William Cole and engaged in the general merchandise business in Lykens. At the expiration of a year Mr. Cole was succeeded by Jacob Brown, whose interests were pur- chased by Mr. Carbin about eighteen months later. He thereafter con- ducted the business as an individual enterprise until December, 1898, when he disposed of the same, having built up a large and profitable business. Mr. Carbin served as postmaster at Lykens for four years under the administration of President Harrison and for three years under President Mckinley, while he also acted as deputy to his partner, Mr. Cole, who was postmaster under Cleveland. For some twelve years prior to his removal from the town our subject was also incumbent of the office of notary public. He was recognized as one of the representative and most public-spirited citizens of the place, contributing in many ways to its advancement and material upbuilding, having erected two large store buildings and the town hall, and otherwise aided in the promotion of legitimate local interests.

As has been stated, Mr. Carbin disposed of his mercantile interests in 1898, but in the preceding year he had become identified with that line of enterprise in which he has attained so marked success and reputation in this section of Ohio. He began his operations in connection with the telephone business by constructing the first line from Lykens to New Washington, and, failing to secure a satisfactory agreement with the Central Union Telephone Company, he then entered the field as an active competitor in Crawford and Seneca counties, soon completing the con- struction of a line from Nevada, Ohio, to Bucyrus and Lykens, where he established a central office. Thence he constructed the line to Tiffin, Seneca county. At Bucyrus there was no local exchange, and he estab-

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lished his office in the Deal House, while at Tiffin the office was installed in the Morcher House. Mr. Carbin is still identified with the local telephone exchange in Lykens, and with the Bucyrus Telephone Com- pany, which has more than six hundred subscribers. In 1899 he estab- lished the telephone exchange in Bloomville, where he has more than one hundred subscribers and where he maintains his home. He has, however, devoted special attention to the construction and operation of toll lines, in which connection he now touches Tiro, Shelby, Attica, Chi- cago Junction, Republic, Lodi, Chatfield, Carrothers, St. Stephen, Poplar, Plankton, Lemert, Spore and other points in the counties of Crawford, Seneca, Richland and Huron, having in use more than one hundred and thirty-five miles of toll line. Mr. Carbin was a pioneer in the independent telephone business in this section, and it is needless to say that he has met with strenuous opposition on the part of the old and opulent telephone concerns, but the justice of his claims has been invariably recognized in the various litigations in which he has been involved, and he has never wavered in his determination and independence, proving himself an able executive and one whose administrative capacity is of high order. Upon engaging in the telephone business he associated himself with Capt. M. A. Charlton, whose interests he purchased two years later, in 1899, simultaneously changing the title of the concern from the Inland Tele- phone Company to the Carbin Telephone Lines, under which last the business has since been conducted, with our subject as the sole owner. The position which he has attained as a successful business man is the more gratifying to contemplate when we revert to the fact that it has been attained entirely through his own efforts and ability, as reinforced by an intrinsic integrity of purpose which has caused him to never deviate from an honorable and straightforward course. He has made the most of his powers and his opportunities in each transition stage, and the result is that the poor boy has won his way to a place of honor and definite success.

In his political allegiance Mr. Carbin is known as an ardent sup- porter of the principles and policies of the Republican party, and while a resident of Crawford county he was for years a prominent figure in local politics, having repeatedly served as delegate to state or congres-

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sional conventions, securing every favor which he saw fit to ask at the hands of his party and commanding the esteem of those who differed with him in political faith. He is identified with Wren Lodge, No. 530, Knights of Pythias, of Lykens, of which he was a charter member, and with the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.

In 1879 Mr. Carbin was united in marriage to Miss Kate E. Englert, who was born in Chatfield, Crawford county, being the daughter of Peter Englert, a native of Germany. Of this union four children were born,-Edward Blaine, Lloyd Garrison, Mellie and Pearl. Mrs. Carbin died on the ed of August, 1891, and in the month of December, 1893, Mr. Carbin consummated a second marriage, being then united to Miss Kate Laipply, who was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, the daughter of Levi Laipply, a native of the same county, she being but seventeen years of age at the time of her marriage. She has proved a true mother to the children of the first marriage, and to her they have ever accorded the deepest filial solicitude. Of the second union the following children were born: Prunella, Leland Mckinley (who died in infancy), Ben- son Dale and Harold Roosevelt. The family are prominent in the social life of the community and their home is one in which the refined amenities are ever in evidence.

The Carbin telephone lines are operated and controlled by the family, our subject being the owner, while his son, Edward Blaine, is manager, and the second, Lloyd Garrison, is chief operator. There is ample oppor- tunity in this connection for the service of the other sons when they are ready to assume the duties involved. It may be said that the names of Mr. Carbin's three sons indicate his political sentiments and allegiance, and a notable circumstance in this connection is that each of these sons, named in honor of a Republican presidential candidate, was thus named before the nomination of said candidate, showing how distinct has been the political prescience of Mr. Carbin, who gave the names.

ROBERT GILL PENNINGTON.

One of the conspicuous and honored figures in the history of Seneca county was Robert G. Pennington, the distinguished lawyer and public- spirited citizen of Tiffin and a man whose whole life was directed along

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a lofty plane of thought and action, inviting the closest scrutiny and offering a lesson to all who have appreciation of the true ethical values in the scheme of human existence. He passed to his reward on the 13th of March, 1892, rich in the honors and respect which follow an upright life that has ever been true to its ideals and its highest possi- bilities, and. it cannot be doubted that death came as a consistent crown to a worthy life. Strong in his individuality, Mr. Pennington never lacked the courage of his convictions, but kindliness, a lively human sympathy and an abiding charity were dominating elements in his com- position, softening and glorifying his life in every phase. It is fitting that a memoir be here entered concerning this good man and true.

Robert G. Pennington was born in Delaware county, Pennsylvania, on the IIth of December, 1816, of stanch old English lineage and sterl- ing Quaker stock. The ancestry is traced back to Isaac Pennington, an English gentleman of large influence and broad Christian charity. His daughter married William Penn, with whom he was associated in the organization of the Society of Friends, together with George Fox, Rob- ert Barclay, Thomas Elwood and others. The first American represent- ative of the Pennington family was Edward, a son of Isaac before men- tioned. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in company with his brother- in-law, William Penn, in 1082, and he married a daughter of Governor Jennings, of New Jersey. From this source the Penningtons of New Jersey and Pennsylvania claim to have origin, and the name has been prominent in the annals of our national history in the several genera- tions following the early settlement in the seventeenth century.

When Robert G. Pennington, the subject of this sketch, was eight years of age his parents, Joseph and Sarah Pennington, removed from Pennsylvania to Cayuga county, New York, where the ensuing nine years of his life were passed, his father being a mechanic by trade and also a successful farmer. With a view to securing more land he made a visit to Ohio and purchased a tract of land in Seneca county, where he located with his family in 1834, our subject being then seventeen years of age. He had secured good educational advantages prior to this time, and upon the removal of the family to the pioneer wilds of Sencca

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county, he entered Huron Institute, at Milan, where he completed the academic course. Mr. Pennington then began reading law under the direction of Abel Rawson, then a leading member of the Ohio bar, with headquarters in Tiffin. Mr. Pennington was admitted to the bar of the state in 1842, whereupon he entered into a professional partnership with his former preceptor, the firm of Rawson & Pennington obtain- ing until 1850, when the senior member retired. It was in the office of this firm that Hon. W. P. Noble and General W. H. Gibson read law and won their professional spurs, and the latter later became associated in practice with Mr. Pennington. Later, J. C. Lee, former lieutenant governor of Ohio, became Mr. Pennington's partner, and still later Judge John McCauley was associated with him in practice until he (McCauley) was elected to the bench of the common pleas court. In these years Mr. Pennington had gained no uncertain precedence at the bar, his powers being of a high order and winning him recognition as a careful and conscientious advocate, and a safe and conservative counsel.

Such a nature as that of Mr. Pennington could not fail to manifest a decided repugnance to human slavery, and thus his sympathies were given to the Union cause when the integrity of the nation was menaced by armed rebellion. In 1861 he assisted in raising and organizing the Fifty-fifth Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front in the capacity of quartermaster. Later he became adjutant on the staff of General Sigel, but after two years of service he was com- pelled to retire, by reason of ill health, and then returned to Tiffin and resumed the active practice of his profession. His devotion to his profession was exceptional, and early in his career he gained the repu- tation of being a most painstaking and honest lawyer and one who had a deep appreciation of the true ethics of his profession. This high repu- tation he maintained during his entire life of practice, covering a period of nearly half a century, and none ever presumed to question his integrity of purpose or his desire to forward the ends of justice by every means in his power.

In his political proclivities Mr. Pennington was originally found to be an ardent supporter of the Free Soil party, taking an active part

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in the campaign of 1856 and showing marked power as a public speaker. In the same year he was a member of the electoral college, casting his ballot in support of Bell for the presidency. Subsequently he transferred his allegiance to the Republican party, of whose principles he continued a zealous supporter throughout the residue of his life. He was often nominated for various official positions, but his defeat came as a normal political exigency, since the county is strongly Democratic in its com- plexion. In 1883 he served as a member of the committee which had the supervision of the erection of the new court house at Tiffin. He was at all times ready to lend his influence and aid in the promotion of pub- lic utilities and the conservation of the general good, his keen business sagacity making him a valuable coadjutor in any enterprise with which he became identified. In 1847 Mr. Pennington was one of the organizers and incorporators of the Seneca County Bank, the first establishment in the county. He became a member of its directorate and also served for an interval as its cashier. At the time of his death he was a director and large stockholder in the Tiffin Commercial Bank, while other im- portant enterprises to which he gave the benefit of his wisdom and powers were the Tiffin Gas Light Company, of which he was the projector and of which he served for several years as president; and the securing of railway facilities for the city and county; thus for several years he served as president of the Tiffin & Fort Wayne and the American & Central Railroads; while he also fostered numerous manufacturing pro- jects, in several of which he met with financial losses. He was success- ful both as lawyer and a business man, continuing to practice his pro- fession up to the time of his final illness, having given his attention more largely to office practice, as a counselor, during the later years of his life. In person Mr. Pennington was of medium height, carrying himself erect and having a face which showed the strength of his character and also the genial and kindly nature which was so intrinsically his. He was a man of high intellectuality, and in all the relations of life he was found to be true and well worthy of the confidence so freely and uniformly reposed in him.

On the 22d of February, 1842, Mr. Pennington was united in mar-

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riage to Miss Caroline A. Kuhn, who was born on the 24th of Septem- ber, 1822, on the island of Minorca, a Spanish province in the Mediter- ranean, being the daughter of Captain Joseph L. Kuhn, of the United States navy, and the granddaughter of General Lewis Chadwick Har- grave, then British consul-general to the Spanish Balearic isles. Dr. Henry Huhn, who was one of the prominent and talented early physi- cians of Tiffin, was an uncle of Mrs. Pennington, and married a sister of the subject of this memoir. Mrs. Pennington, now venerable in years but alert in both mind and body, survives her honored husband and still resides in the beautiful old homestead, so hallowed with the associations of years. She is a woman of gentle refinement and unfailing courtesy, and within the long years of her residence in Tiffin has gained and main- tained a strong hold on the affections of a large circle of friends, still taking a deep interest in the social life of the community. Of the three daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Pennington we make brief record, as follows : Eugenia H. is the wife of Almon Hall, a successful and prominent mem- ber of the Toledo bar; Caroline C. is the wife of Hon. W. R. Steel, ex- member of congress from South Dakota; and Louise A. is the wife of Samuel J. Keech, of New York.

FREDERICK W. BERLEKEMP.

The great empire of Germany has sent to the United States some of its most valued citizens and the vitality and stability contributed by this element in our national life can not be overestimated. One of the sterling German-American citizens of Seneca county, Ohio, is the gentleman whose name introduces this paragraph and who is one of the progressive and successful farmers of Pleasant township. He has won a position of independence through his own industry, and his honesty of purpose has never been questioned, so that he commands the respect of all who know him and is well worthy of a place in this work.

Mr. Berlekemp was born in Prussia, Germany, on the 17th of Jan- uary. 1834. coming of stanch old German lineage, and there he was

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reared to man's estate, receiving his educational discipline in the excel- lent schools of his native province. There, in October, 1856, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Eliza Kipker, who likewise was born in Prussia, and to them six children have been born, namely : Arnold, who is a successful farmer near Tiffin, this county; Eliza, the wife of Jacob Sheerer, of Pleasant township; Henry, a farmer of Sandusky county, Ohio; Minnie, the wife of Henry E. Berg, of Lodi; William J., engaged in farming in Pleasant township, Seneca county ; and Adolph, who still remains at the parental home, and who married Ida Ellen Lottig.

In 1876 Mr. Berlekemp emigrated with his family to America, com- ing to Seneca county, Ohio, where he was employed on a farm for a period of about six months and then took up his residence in the village of Bloomville, where he operated a stone quarry on shares for six years. Then coming to Pleasant township, he here leased a farm of one hun- dred and twenty-three acres, giving his attention to its cultivation and directing his efforts with such energy and ability that at the expiration of ten years he was enabled to purchase the place, paying seven thou- sand dollars, with three thousand dollars indebtedness. The farm is now unincumbered, is well improved, and the thrift and neatness every- where in evidence indicate the care which has been bestowed by the enterprising and industrious owner. In politics Mr. Berlekemp gives his support to the principles and policies of the Democratic party, tak- ing a lively interest in the questions and issues of the hour, and his re- ligious faith is that of the German Reformed church, of which his wife is also is an active member.

EDWARD WENNER.

Edward Wenner is now living a retired life, after many years con- nection with the tailor's trade. His success and rest are well merited, for his business career was ever a diligent and honorable one. Mr. Wen- ner was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, on the 6th of February.

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1826. The family is of German lineage. John Wenner, the grandfather of our subject, was born in Germany and came to the United States when a young man, settling in Pennsylvania, where he carried on farm- ing with a fair degree of success. In his political views he was a Whig and in religious faith was a Lutheran, long holding membership with that church. He married Elizabeth Kimel, who was a native of Penn- sylvania and there died at the age of eighty years, while John Wenner departed this life at the age of eighty-four years. Their son, William Wenner, the father of our subject, was a native of Lehigh county, Penn- sylvania, was reared upon a farm and followed that pursuit throughout the remainder of his life. He owed his success entirely to his own efforts, for he had no assistance when he started out upon his business career. He, however, secured a good home and a comfortable competence. He voted with the Whig party, but was not an active worker in political circles, his energies being more zealously devoted to the Lutheran church, in which he had long held membership. His death occurred when he had reached the age of seventy-four. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Strouss, was born in Pennsylvania, and was a daugh- ter of Henry Strauss, who was likewise a native of the Keystone state, but was of German extraction. Mrs. Wenner always resided in her native state, and died at the age of fifty-nine years, in the faith of the Lutheran church, to which she gave her allegiance and support through a long period.

Edward Wenner was the seventh in order of birth in his parents' family of ten children, all of whom reached mature years, although our subject is the only one now living. He spent his early boyhood days in his parents' home and at the age of sixteen years began preparing to face the responsibilities of business life, by learning the tailor's trade, at which he served a four years' apprenticeship near Allentown, Penn- sylvania, where he afterward worked for a year. In May. 1848, he came to Tiffin, where he followed his chosen calling for a time, after which he was employed as an expert cutter for many years. After working about nine years he opened a shop of his own and later added a stock of ready made elothing and men's furnishing goods. carrying on his store

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for five years, when he sold out and became cutter for a firm in Tiffin. He was employed in a similar capacity in Dayton for two years and in Bucyrus, Ohio, for ten years, and then returned to Tiffin, where he has since lived a retired life, enjoying a well earned rest afer many years active labor. Here he has an attractive home, and to some extent he deals in real estate, but is practically living retired.

Mr. Wenner was united in marriage to Miss Susan Thompson, a native of Ulster county, New York, and unto them were born three children: William E., who died at the age of nine years; Henry L., a practicing physician of Tiffin; and Ralph J., who died October 11, 1890, at the age of thirty years. He was a successful medical practitioner of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to his pleasant home in Tiffin Mr. Wenner owns a good farm a mile north of the city, which he rents, the place comprising seventy-four acres. He belongs to the Baptist church, as did also his cherished and devoted wife, both having been long rec- ognized as earnest and consistent Christian people. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his life exemplifies its be- neficent-teachings. At the time of the Civil war he was drafted for the service but the medical examiners found that he was not qualified to meet the rigors and hardships of war. In his political views he is a stanch Republican and is a loyal citizen. Although his life has been quietly passed in business pursuits, he has formed an extensive acquaint- ance and commands uniform regard by reason of his sterling worth. Mrs. Wenner passed away on the 20th of January, 1902, having been an invalid for several months, and her memory remains as a benediction resting upon those who came within the sphere of her gracious influence.

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A centennial biographical history of Seneca County, Ohio, Part 9

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