USA > Ohio > Fulton County > A standard history of Fulton County, Ohio, an authentic narrative of the past, with an extended survey of modern developments in the progress of town and county, Vol. II > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76
When Mr. Roberts engaged in farming he rented a place in Chesterfield, then later he bought an eighty acre tract in Royalton. It was swampy land, but he drained and improved it. He built a fourteen-room brick house on the farm in Royalton. While he engaged in farming, he gave special attention to dairying, and he had a cheese factory on the farm.
Mrs. Roberts died in 1879. The children of the first marriage are: Anna, deceased, was the wife of Charles Stutesman; Thomas, deceased; Benjamin, of California; Henry, deceased; Ida, wife of Chase Ragan, of California, and Nora Belle, widow of Marshall Munn, of Sycamore, Illinois.
On December 14, 1881, Mr. Roberts married Mathilda Grimm, who survives him. Her home was at Whitehouse, Lucas county. She is a daughter of Frederick and Harriet (Brainer) Grimm. Her parents came from Germany. The children of this marriage are: Carrie, wife of Richard Cook, of Royalton; Frances, wife of Eu-
68
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
gene Blaine, of Royalton; Mary, widow of Bert Thrydouble, lives with her mother at the family homestead, and Belva, wife of Harvey Disbrow, of Toledo.
Mr. Roberts was a democrat and served the community many years as justice of the peace. He died July 7, 1918, and Mrs. Rob- erts remains on the farm, although she rents the land to others. They are members of the Universalist Church and of the Grange.
Death came to him in the eighty-seventh year of his life. He had lived long and usefully, and there are many who can testify not only to his industry, but also to his high character and the good in- fluence he steadily radiated in his community.
CYRUS DOWNER, who died March 18, 1919, at the family home in Lyons, was born April 11, 1833, in Branch county, Michigan. He was a son of Ormil and Amanda Downer, of Branch county. At the age of eighty-seven years, Mrs. Downer resides in Lyons.
Cyrus Downer married Martha A. Green on August 21, 1857, and soon afterward he located in Royalton. He was a farmer there until 1903, when on account of the infirmities of age he was foreed to relinquish it. He was a man who always had a smile and a pleas- ant greeting for every one. He owned a good deal of land and always loaned considerable money. As a creditor he was always lenient with persons unable to promptly meet their obligations.
Of the Downer ehildren, Minnie A. died in infancy. F. O., of Indianapolis, owns burial casket factories in Indianapolis and Al- bion, Michigan. He married Harriett Stowe, and has one son, Paul. Mary, who lives at the home of her mother, is the wife of Emery Elsworth Johnson. He is a stationary engineer and has always re- sided with the Downers. He came from Williams county. The Johnson children are: Burt Leo, of Wauseon, and Tony, who operates the farm in Royalton. Burt L. married Goldie Sharp, and they have one daughter, Laone Margaret.
The Downer family belong to the Radical United Bretheren, and Cyrus Downer always held some official capacity in it. He was a demoerat and frequently served the township in different offices. When he was a boy of ten years Mr. Downer moved with his parents from Michigan to Dover township, Fulton county, Ohio. They settled on a timber claim and only managed to clear and plant one acre to corn that year, and they had to get up early in the morning to keep the birds from taking the corn before it could sprout and come through the ground in the field.
In those days there were Indians in Fulton county, and Cyrus Downer's companions were the young Indians roaming about the forests. Because the country was undrained the family had to cut wild grass and stack it on the higher points of ground in order to have feed for their livestock. Young Downer never had shoes or boots in winter until he was fourteen years old. He wore his father's old ones or wrapped rags about his feet to keep them from freezing in the cold weather. He knew all of the hardships of the pioneers.
Mrs. Downer was the widow of Josiah Green when Cyrus Dow- ner married her. Her first husband died soon after their marriage. She was a daughter of James T. and Almira Shaw, and her home was in Allegheny county, New York. In her time she was school teaeher, milliner and dressmaker. In the wilderness days her home was a social and business center in the frontier community.
69
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
ELMER EDGAR. Ireland has given another family to the history of Fulton county. While Elmer Edgar, of Royalton, was born De- cember 9, 1866, in Clinton township, his father came from the Em- erald Isle. William Samuel Edgar was an Irish immigrant, while his wife, Susannalı (Pontious) Edgar, was a native of Ohio, born in Pickaway county.
When William Samuel Edgar was but eighteen years old he came with an older brother to Henry county. They were six weeks on the Atlantic, and when he reached Buffalo, N. Y., he only had twenty-five cents in money. He reached Toledo by working his way and he was fortunate in securing work immediately in a saw mill at Durain, Ohio, which is on the Maumee river, and he worked there three years, saving his money for something better. The young man had never been quite out of money, and he had the habit of econ- omy.
At the end of three years the Edgar brothers rented a farm- the Stebbins farm, and before long they bought land and farmed for thenselves. His parents joined them while living there, and in 1865 William Samuel Edgar bought a place in Clinton, and here is where Elmer Edgar's life story had its beginning. The family lived in Clinton until 1869, when the farm was sold and they bought another in Royalton. It was 200 acres of prairie and timber, and they added to and improved it, until in 1902, when the parents moved to Delta, they had a farm of 480 acres in Royalton. The father died in Delta in 1913, and the mother died six years later.
The children in this Irish immigrant family are: William R., who died in 1907; James, who died at the age of two years; Alca, of Royalton ; Elmer, who enrolls the family in the Fulton County His- tory ; Albert, of Delta, and George D., of Defiance, Ohio.
When the father and mother left the farm and moved to Delta, Elmer Edgar remained on his portion of the home farm in Royalton. In all he had acquired 200 acres of good land, and while the home- stead part had been well improved, he added to the buildings and now has everything modern and up-to-date in the way of farm im- provements. Farming and dairying have always been the source of income there.
On December 25, 1901, Elmer Edgar married Emma Smellie. She is a daughter of Gavin and Julia (Whittaker) Smellie. While the father is a native of Fulton the mother was born in Cuyahoga county. . Their children are Doyle S., Donald G., and Doris, who died in infancy. The wife and mother died November 26, 1907, and on April 10, 1912, Mr. Edgar married Mabelle Quick, of Lena- wee county, Michigan. Her father, Frank Quick, was born there, while her mother, Carrie E. (Mead) Quick, was born in Chester- field. Three children were born of this marriage: Harold F., Lau- rence E., and Helen Elizabeth.
Mr. Edgar had a common school education, and he has served Rovalton township as a trustee and member of the board of educa- tion. In politics he is a republican. The family are members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners and of the Lyons Christian Church. Since 1909 Mr. Edgar has served as one of the board of deacons in the Christian Church of Lyons.
A native of Fulton county and for over half a century a resident of Royalton, Elmer Edgar is still a very busy man, and his years of successful experience as a farmer and dairyman make him one of the exceedingly useful men of Fulton county in this era of high pres- sure agriculture. His chief work has been done on the land, but
70
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
some of the estecm he enjoys is the product of his public spirited relationship with the community.
WILLARD MARION DRISKELL. Both the Driskell and Blaine ancestry of Willard Marion Driskell of Royalton were early settlers in the community. He was born October 5, 1866, and has always lived in Royalton. His father, William Driskell, was born Feb- ruary 1, 1841, in Medina county, and on March 29, 1842, his mother, Almina Blaine, was born in what is now known as Royal- ton. She lived there before Fulton was an organized county. The Driskells came from York State to Medina and then to Fulton county. Charles and Rachel (Betholt) Blaine were natives of Ohio, and they were also pioneers in Royalton. William Driskell and Almina Blaine grew up in the same community. They married and always lived in Royalton. He died April 22, 1918, and she now lives in Toledo.
The children in the family of William Driskell are: Clara, deceased wife of Fletus Johnson; Willard Marion, who enrolls the family; Wallace, of Toledo; and Luella, wife of Myron Dernier, of Sylvania. On July 23, 1890, W. M. Driskell married Julia Higley. She was born June 25, 1869, in Amboy. She is a daughter of Darius and Sabina (Johnson) Higley. The father was born April 3, 1845, at New London, Ohio, and the mother, December 21, 1847, in Mercer county, Pennsylvania. She was a daughter of Robert and Mary Johnson.
Mrs. Mary Johnson died January 11, 1896, while Mr. Johnson survived until December 11, 1916, one month short of twenty years later. The children in the Higley family are: Maria, wife of William Baldwin, of Amboy; Harvey, of York; Albert, of Amboy ; Lula Ada, deceased; Ella, wife of Charles Webber, of Metamora; and Bessie, wife of Lyman Pfaff, of Fulton.
When W. M. Driskell married he resided for a time with the Driskell grandparents in Royalton. A house was then built on forty acres that he inherited from them, and later he bought seventy acres and he now has a well developed farmstead. The buildings are modern and he has electric lights in the farmhouse. In 1920 he secured the old homestead of eighty acres, making a total of 190 acres.
Sherman, the oldest son in the Driskell family, served in the Army of Occupation in Germany. On December 22, 1917, he mar- ried Lela Clark. She is a daughter of Lewis and Anna (Zuber) Clark, and came from Paulding county. The others are: Olan and Donald.
WV. M. Driskell votes the republican ticket. He and his wife are members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners. The family has been represented in two wars-a son, Sherman, in the World war, and the grandfather, William Driskell, in the Civil war. He cnlisted May 2, 1864, in the One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and received his discharge September 22 of the same year. Sherman Driskell entered the service on the 24th of July, 1918, and was dis- charged June 6, 1919.
WILLIAM BURGESS AND HARRY L. BURGESS. William Burgess, of Royalton, was born May 23, 1843, in County Carlow, Ireland. He is a son of William and Mary (Scanlon) Burgess. They lived and died in Treland. On October 12, 1865, William Burgess mar- ried Mary Earl. She is a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Swain)
71
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
Earl, who came in 1849 to Cuyahoga county, Ohio. Eighteen years later her parents moved to Lenawee county, Michigan. Her father died there, while the mother died in Delta at the advanced age of 101 years.
In 1866 William Burgess came to Huron county, Ohio. He was only there six weeks when he went to Lenawee county, Michigan. Two years later he came to Royalton, and bought a forty acre farm with a frame house on it, and thirty acres had "been chopped over," and he finished clearing it. Thirty-five years later he moved again, buying more land and today he has 221 acres of good farm land in one body in Royalton. There are two sets of farm buildings, one occupied by a son and the other the family homestead.
Mr. Burgess has the distinction of having bought and owned the first Ford tractor in the State of Ohio. Until recently he was an active farmer, and he still has an oversight of affairs. His chil- dren are: Thomas Earl, and M. D. of Toledo; William A., of Trumbull county ; Lyman Henry; Carric Belle, wife of C. J. Pren- tiss of Napoleon; Mary Jane, wife of George Nevitt, of Amboy, had two sons: William, deceased, and Clyde, accidentally killed at the age of twelve years.
Mr. Burgess is republican in his political faith, and for two years he has been a member of the town council of Lyons. He is a Mason, both chapter and council in Wauseon, and a Sir Knight of Toledo.
Harry L. Burgess, of Royalton, was born October 17, 1871, and has always lived near Lyons. His lineage dates back to Ireland, being a son of William and Mary (Earl) Burgess, but since 1867 their activities have been in Royalton.
When Harry L. Burgess was nineteen years old he began work- ing in a general store at Seward, and remained 41/2 years as a sales- man there. Later he spent one year at Fayette College, and then engaged in farming on land owned by his father, William Burgess, near Seward. There are 142 acres in the place, and aside from grain farming Mr. Burgess specializes in Shropshire sheep and O. I. C. hogs.
In April, 1904, Harry L. Burgess married Allie Belle Brown, of Seward. She is a daughter of G. D. and Sylvia (Holmes) Brown. The father is a native of Fulton while the mother was born in Mon- roe county. Mr. Burgess does not adhere to any particular political party. He is a Mason, a member of Lodge No. 434 of Lyons.
The distinctive achievements to be credited to the Burgess family during a residence of more than half a century in Fulton county are a part in developing the lands of the wilderness, the creation of a valuable and modern farm, the upbuilding of homes, progressive leadership of agriculture and public affairs, and in view of these facts and what has been related above it is not strange that the name Burgess has always been linked with the best citizenship of Fulton county.
CHARLES W. Cox. It was in 1902 that Charles W. Cox of Royal- ton became a resident of Fulton county. He was born March 18, 1855, in Wood county, Ohio. His father, Joseph Cox, was a Vir- ginian, while his mother, Jane R. (Underwood) Cox, was an Ohio woman. They always lived in Wood county. Their children are: Noah, Wesley, Benjamin, Joseph and Thomas-all soldiers in the Civil war; Esther, Deborah Ann and Samantha, deceased; John of
1
72
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
Wood county, Charles W., who relates the family history, Manson of Wood county; and Elizabeth, deceased.
When Charles W. Cox was twenty-one years old he began doing for himself, and worked by the month for two years, when he began farming, ditching and teaming-always working for himself. On December 24, 1882, he married Anna E. Harriman, a daughter of Jonathan A. and Anna ( Wickham) Harriman, of Wood county. The father was from Maine and the mother from Finley, Ohio. They first lived in Webster township, Wood county, on a farm. In 1896 they sold it and moved to Paulding county. Six years later they located in Royalton.
When Mr. Cox came to Fulton county he bought an improved farm of eighty acres and later he added twenty acres, and aside from sixteen acres of timber and pasture land it is all under cultiva- tion. The children are: Charles Perry ; Floyd, of Lenawee county, Michigan ; Ross, of Lansing, Michigan; Edith; Beulah, wife of Ray Cook, of Westover, Maryland; Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Huldah; Esther, wife of Herman Woodring, of Amboy; Bernice; and Joseph, who died at the age of one year.
Mr. Cox casts his ballot with the republicans. He is a member of Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 622 of Lyons, and has filled all of the chairs.
While he came to Fulton county in the modern era of the twen- tieth century, Charles W. Cox has made his industry count in the program of good farms, progressive agriculture and all the things that lend attractiveness to country life in this rich section of Ohio. Here and elsewhere he has done his work well, and as a man of industry and thorough integrity of character deserves all the good things said of him by his friends and neighbors.
ORLANDO BIXLER. For two or three generations the Bixler family represented by Orlando Bixler of Royalton had lived in Stark county Ohio. He is the son of Baltzer and Sarah (Deck) Bixler, and was born April 6, 1857, in Stark county. Samuel and Susan (Mott) Bixler, of an earlier generation, also lived there. Samuel was a son of Jacob Bixler, who had settled in Pennsylvania as early as 1780, in the time of the Revolutionary struggle in establishing American independence.
The maternal grandparents, Abraham and Sarah (Snyder) Deck, had come from Pennsylvania, and they were also among the early residents of Stark county. After his marriage Baltzer Bixler remained in Stark county until 1861, when he removed to Fulton county. He located at Swan Creek, and remained there until his death, October 16, 1894, and the widow lived there until her death, which occurred February 12, 1920. She was born October 6, 1839, and was among the older residents of Fulton county.
Orlando Bixler, who enrolls the family, was the oldest child, and the others are: S. H., of Swan Creek; Sarah, wife of J. W. Snyder, of Delta: Florence, wife of J. F. Whitmer, of Swan Creek ; Thomas A., of Swan Creek; Iva, wife of W. F. Miller, of Swan Creek; and Lyman of Swanton.
On March 22, 1885, Orlando Bixler married Ida E. Keffer, of Wayne county. She is a daughter of Daniel and Christine (Lay- man) Keffer. For a time they lived on a rented place at Swan Creek. Mr. Bixler was a saw mill man and a brick maker by trade, and in 1888 he went to Wellston, Jackson county, where he operated a brick yard and became interested in coal production. He lived for
73
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
a while in Athens county, but in 1894 he returned to Fulton county.
When Mr. Bixler returned to his native heath-Fulton county, he worked his father's farm one year, then lived on another rented plaee until 1907, when he bought an eighty aere farm in Royalton, remodeled the buildings and built fenees and tiled the land, and it is all under eultivation. He does general farming and operates a farm dairy, selling the milk instead of making butter.
The children in this generation of the Bixler family are: Ethel, wife of P. D. Lee, of Clinton; Walter W., who served in light artil- lery in Franee; Eva, wife of S. L. Standish, of Royalton ; Corbie B., of Royalton ; Maggie, wife of Howard Sohn, of Wauseon; Myrtle and Carrie.
Mr. Bixler had a common school education and he casts his ballot with the republican party. The family belongs to the United Brethren Church, and they are active in affairs of the community
EDWIN S. FRANTZ. The Frantz family of which Edwin S. Frantz of Royalton is a representative, was resident of Lenawee eounty, Michigan, in an early day. E. S. Frantz was born January 1, 1868, in Lenawee county. He is a son of Philip and Charity (Upton) Frantz. The father eame from New York while the mother had always lived in Michigan. The grandparents, Daniel and Havila (Tunison ) Frantz, were early settlers in Lenawee county. William and Charity (MeConnell) Upton, who came from Belfast, Ireland, were very early settlers in Lenawee county. While E. S. Frantz now lives in Ohio, he certainly is identified with the early history of Lenawee county, Michigan. His aneestry located there when it was a wild eountry.
Philip and Charity Frantz married and lived many years on a farm in Lenawee county, and for a time they lived in Hillsdale, but sinee the spring of 1917 they have lived in Adrian. Edwin S. Frantz is their oldest son, and he has one brother, Arthur Frantz, who lives in Youngstown, Ohio.
On December 24, 1891, Edwin S. Frantz married Margaret Smith, of Royalton. She was born Deeember 13, 1870, and is a daughter of William S. and Elizabeth (Renwiek) Smith, her father from Scotland. The grandparents, John and Margaret (Seott) Smith, had come early to Royalton. William and Elizabeth had married and settled in Royalton. They retired to Wauseon, where he died in 1900, and she died twelve years later.
When Edwin S. Frantz was married he moved on the farm of William S. Smith, father of Mrs. Frantz, and this farm was willed to Mrs. Frantz at his death. Her father lived on this place fifty years, having eleared the entire farm himself. E. S. Frantz lived there sixteen years and spent one year in Adrian, where he elerked in a store before buying this 100-acre farm in the eastern part of Royalton. He made extensive improvements on this farm and lived there ten years. He rents the farm today and he lives in Lyons.
One son, William S., born August 29, 1892, lives on the Frantz farm. He married Hazel Dixon. Kenneth B., born September 5, 1895, is an official milk inspector for the state. He was a World war soldier, serving in the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh In- fantry, Thirty-second Division, and he was among the first soldiers in the Army of Oeeupation in Germany. He was diseharged from the service May 23, 1919, and returned to Lyons.
74
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
Mr. and Mrs. Frantz both received common school educations, and she had one year in the Wauseon Normal Training School. He is a republican, and has served as assessor several terms, and for five years he has been a member of the school board. The family are members of the Christian Church in Lyons. Mr. Frantz has been through all of the chairs in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 622 of Lyons, and with his wife he is a member of the Rebekahs. They are also members of the Ancient Order of Gleaners. Mr. Frantz is a stockholder and director in the Lyons Mutual Tele- phone Company:
Farmer and farm developer, business man and home maker, an earnest Christian citizen, doing his duty as he sees it, Mr. Frantz is justly esteemed both in Fulton county and over the line in his boyhood community of Michigan. Life has brought him many sub- stantial satisfactions, not least of which is the patriotic record of his son during the World war.
OLIVER PERRY BARNES. The late Oliver Perry Barnes, who is survived by his wife, Mrs. Oliver P. Barnes of Lyons, was born June 12, 1840, in Holmes county. He died May 25, 1911, in Royal- ton, after an active life both as a private citizen and as a Union soldier. He was a son of Leonard and Mary Ann Barnes.
Mr. Barnes enlisted in 1861 in Company H, One Hundredth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served all through the Civil war, receiving his discharge May 24, 1865, when he returned to Fulton county. He had married a Miss Scott, who died while he was in the service. While he lived Mr. Barnes was an active member of Baxter Post, No. 238, Grand Army of the Republic, and his army record was his pride.
On February 9, 1868, Mr. Barnes married Rebecca Andrews. She is a daughter of Mathew and Ann (Shopp) Andrews, and she was born at Akron, Ohio. For several years they lived in Wauseon, where Mr. Barnes was a teamster. When he moved to Gallatin, Missouri, he worked in a sawmill and on a farm. After seven years in Missouri they returned to Wauseon, where he teamed and worked as a carpenter. In 1888 they bought a farm of ninety-three acres in Royalton. They lived on this farm until 1902, when they located in Lyons. He had bought a lot. and being a carpenter he built his own house there. Mrs. Lyons lives there today.
The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Barnes are: Edwin, who died at the age of five years; Winfield, of Detroit; Fred, who lives at the family homestead in Royalton; William, of Lenawee county, Michigan ; and Lula, wife of G. F. Evers, of Lyons. While Mr. Barnes was a Methodist, Mrs. Barnes is a member of the Disciples Church. She is a Rebekah.
ROBERT S. BLAIR. The agriculturists of Fulton county are not content with ordinary progress, but are constantly adding to their improvements, thus increasing the value of their property and the efficiency of their working plant and giving their support to those measures looking toward a betterment of conditions in the county, notably that connected with the good roads movements. The farmer of today is a business man and understands thoroughly the value of systematic management and good equipment and a wise expenditure of public funds. One of the men belonging to this class is Robert S. Blair, owner of eighty acres of fertile land in Clinton Township, which he is devoting to general farming, as he believes that best suited to his land.
75
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY
Robert S. Blair was born in Wayne county, Pennsylvania, on February 4, 1847, a son of James and Sarah (Smith) Blair. James Blair come to the United States from Edinboro, Scotland, in boyhood, and his wife was brought to this country in girlhood from Ireland. Landing in New York City, James Blair found employment there, and while engaged in the construction work of the old Croton aque- duct he met with an accident which resulted in the loss of a leg. This necessitated his changing his occupation, and he went to Wayne county, Pennsylvania, taking with him the wife he had married in New York City, and bought 100 acres of land, on which he was engaged in farming for thirty years. At the expiration of that period he came to Ohio and bought eighty acres of land in Clinton Township, which he conducted until he retired, moved to Wauseon and there died in 1904. He had eleven children, of whom Robert S. Blair was the eldest.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.