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 29
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after passing through the district school he matriculated at the Fay- ette Normal School. He was not, however, able to stay in that school for more than five months. Returning home, he devoted himself wholly to farm work, associating with his father in the operation of the home farm. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years old, when he married, and soon thereafter took upon himself the responsibility of independent farming. At the outset he rented a farm, continuing as a tenant farmer for three years, when he was able to purchase a small farm, one of thirty-five acres, in section 9 of York Township, only twelve acres of which had been cleared. He managed to prosper, notwithstanding the small acreage, and in course of time was able to acquire aditional acreage, until he was the owner of a well-balanced agricultural estate of eighty acres, of which twenty-seven acres are in timber, but useful in pasturing. Mr. Mil- ler has applied himself diligently to agriculture, and by skillful farming has reached a comfortable state, having a good property which yields very satisfactory returns. He has always been pru- dent in his farming, following the general line, and has had much success in stock raising, cattle, hogs and horses.
Personally Mr. Miller is a man of strong principle, upright and God-fearing. He has been a church worker throughout his manhood years, and has maintained an active interest in Sunday school work. He is an active member of the Christian Union Bethel Church, and has been superintendent of the Sunday school of that church for many years. In very many ways he has shown himself to be char- acteristically strong-in his manhood occupations, in his private life, and in his political activities. He has for years been a stanch prohibitionist, and was fearless in its advocacy long before it became of popular interest.
In February, 1897, he married Sophrona, daughter of Christian and Charlotta (Schlegel) Biery, of a well-known York Township family. His wife is also a native of York Township, and they have both taken active part in almost all phases of the affairs of that com- munity, in which they are both well regarded as good neighbors and reliable, useful citizens.
MICHAEL W. HARMS, an enterprising and respected farmer of York Township, Fulton county, has to his credit much pioneering work, although not in Fulton county; and he has in American history greater , credit for himself, in that, although himself of German birth, he sent both of his sons into the fighting forces of the United States to do their utmost for America in the recent war with Germany. He has during his life shown a commendable public spirit, has actively interested himself in educational matters, and has taken part in civic administration.
Michael W. Harms, was born near Berlin, Germany, in the vicinity of Greisvalt, on April 4, 1859, the son of John and Augusta (Meyer) Harms. He was only an infant when his parents came to the United States, and settled at Homestead Falls, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, two years later moving into Henry county, Ohio, where John Harms died in February, 1919, and where his widow still resides. Their son, Michael W., was not able to obtain much acade- mic schooling in his youth. The primitive facilities of the country schools in the section of Henry county in which he lived were all that were possible to him, and from the age of 'eleven years his time was practically given to farming occupations, he even as a boy working for monthly wages on neighboring farms. He con-
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tinued so employed until he was twenty-one years old, when he married, and took upon himself the responsibilities of independent farming. He bought a forty acre tract in Freedom Township, Henry county, where they lived for several years. It was all in timber, but eventually he elcared it, and sold the farm to advantage. He then purchased another farm of fifty acres in Freedom and Ridge- ville townships. Henry county, the house and buildings being in the latter township. Four years later he sold the farm, and bought a third timbered property in Freedom Township, and there the family lived for many years, eventually, however, selling it, and moving to a nearby farm of eighty acres, where they lived for three years, which brought them to the time when they came into York Township, having sold their eighty-acre farm in Freedom Town- ship, and purchased a well-improved farm of seventy acres in section 17 of York Township, Fulton county. There the family has since lived, and there Mr. Harms has had good success in general farm- ing, dairving, and stock raising. Characteristically Mr. Harms is
a man of abundant energy. His father was among the pioneers of Henry county, and he has himself cleared three forty-acre tracts of timber land. thus bringing into fertility a substantial acreage of wild land. When the family first went into Henry county there were no roads at all, everything was wilderness, heavy virgin tim- ber. The condition of that county in these days is a testimonial to the pioneering spirit of such men as Michael W. Harms and his father.
Politically Mr. Harms is a democrat, and he has followed local affairs interestedly. He has served his community as supervisor of roads, and has also been school director. Religiously he is a Congregationalist, a consistent Christian.
In December, 1880, he married Ida E. Lindley, who was born in Ridgeville Township, Henry county, Ohio, December 12, 1859, daughter of Josiah B. and Nancy (Durkee) Lindley, who were born in Lorain county, Ohio. She comes of an old colonial Vermont family, her grandparents, Owel and Betsy E. (Terry) Durkee, hav- ing been born in that state. Michael and Ida E. (Lindley) Harms are the parents of four children : Maude, who married Ezra Rychener, of Clinton Township; Mabel, who married Frank Hoffman, of Freedom Township, Henry county, Ohio; Ralph M., who has applied himself to the many duties of the home farm, is a veteran of the World war, and gave good service in France with an artil- lery unit, eventually receiving honorable discharge; and Raymond, also now at home, and also a veteran of the World war, his war service being in the naval forces, and he is yet in reserve subject to call. This is a creditable service to the nation by one family, rep- resenting as it does all that they could possibly have served.
The Harms family are well regarded in York Township, especially by their near neighbors, being reliable and hospitable.
THEOPHILUS AESCHLIMAN, a well-to-do retired farmer, now living in York Township, and well-known in German Township, comes of one of the old families of the county.
He is the son of Christian and Fannie (Fry) Aeschliman, who were pioneer residents in German Township. Christian Aeschliman was born in Switzerland, but his wife was of French birth and ances- try. They came to America, and for a while lived in Wayne county, Ohio, and eventually entered a tract of government land in German
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Township, Fulton county. It was all in timber, and the surround- ings were wild. There was an old log cabin upon the place, and it had evidently been used as a stable, but in that hut Christian Aeschli- man and his wife had to make their abode for a while. He was a typical pioneer, and resolutely applied himself to the great task of clearing his property of timber. . Eventually he owned 160 acres, most of which he cleared, and upon which he erect- ed adequate out-buildings, and a commodious, comfortable resi- dence. He died in about 1886, but his wife lived a widowhood of more than twenty years, her death not coming until the fall of 1909. They were the parents of twelve children : Pollie, now deceased ; Katie, deceased; Joel, deceased; Leah, who married David Krepf, and now lives in Schuyler county, Missouri ; Jonathan, deceased ; Rebecca, now living in Clinton Township, Fulton county; Nathaniel, also of Clinton Township; Levina, who married Andrew Vonier, of Jasper county, Missouri; Theophilus, regarding whom more follows; Emma- line, who now lives in Schuyler county, Missouri; Eli, now a resi- dent in Wauseon, Ohio; and Eliza, who married Christian Summer, but is now deceased. Eli and Eliza were twins.
Theophilus, ninth child of Christian and Fannie (Fry) Aeschli- man, was born in German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, on April 17, 1861, and was reared under somewhat primitive conditions that obtained in the township at that time. He attended the district school, and after leaving school took good part in the work of the home farm. He was almost twenty-two years old when he married, and for two years thereafter he and his wife lived in the log cabin on his father's property. During that time he worked for wages, but at the end of two years, he joined his brother Eli in purchasing a farm of eighty acres, to the southward of Archbold Village, Fulton county. The brothers jointly farmed the acreage for four years, and then sold the property to advantage, Theophilus soon after- ward going with his wife into Missouri, with the intention of buying a farming property in Schuyler county, of that state. They were only there for a few weeks, however, and did not purchase a property. Instead, they returned to Ohio and to Fulton county, taking up residence on the old Aeschliman homestead, in German Township. Theophilus farmed the property for seven years, and then went to Chesterfield, Ohio, where he purchased a partly improved farm of one hundred acres. He greatly improved the property during his occupancy of it, bringing all excepting twelve acres under cultiva- tion. In the fall of 1906 he sold the farm to good advantage, and returned to his native county, buying an improved farm of eighty- two acres situated in section 19 of York Township, upon which prop- erty he has since lived. During the last decade he has made exten-' sive improvements, remodeling the barns and outbuildings. The dwelling is of brick. He experienced good success in general farm- ing, and maintained a high degree of productivity, holding steadily to the farm management until 1917, when he decided to take things somewhat less strenuously than he formally had. He rented the farm to his son, which condition has held to the present, to mutual satisfaction, but he has continued to live on the farm.
Theophilus Aeschliman on April 10, 1883, married Fannie Vonier, who was born in France, the daughter of Andrew and Cather- ine (Guyman) Vonier, who settled in German Township, Fulton county, in about 1872, and continuing to reside there until their deaths. Mrs. Vonier died September 15, 1884, but Andrew Vonier
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lived to reach the venerable age of ninety-two years, death not com- ing to him until 1914. To Theophilus and Fannic (Vonier) Aesch- liman were born five children : Jemima, who married Aaron Klepfen- stine, of Clinton Township, Fulton county: Mary, who married Henry Richer, of the same township; Enos, a successful farmer. also of Clinton Township; Lucinda, who married Samuel Richer, of Clinton Township; and Benjamin, who rents his father's farm in York Township, and is cultivating it with good success.
The Aescliliman family in its three generations of Fulton county residence lias appreciably aided in the development of the agricul- tural land in the county.
JOHN M. RASHLEY, a successful and respected farmer of York Township, Fulton county, Ohio, has spent all his life in the county, and is one of its representative agriculturists. All his associations have been with Fulton county, and the Rashley family goes back to the early days of the county. His grandparents, both paternal and maternal, werc pioneers of German Township of Fulton county and so also were the grandparents of his wife, who comes of the well-known Rychencr family.
John M. Rashley was born in German Township, Fulton county, September 4, 1870, the son of Joel and Susan (Yost) Rashley. The Rashley family was originally of French ancestry, the American progenitor being David Rashley, grandfather of John M. He was born in France, and married Sophia Herman, coming early to the United States. They were for a while in Wayne county, Ohio, and came with other adventurous pioneers through the wilderness into Fulton county, settling in German Township, and the greater part of the life of David Rashley was spent in pioneering occupations in that township, where he died. Their son, Joel Rashley, was born in German Township, and eventually married Susan Yost, the Yost family being also among the pioncer families of German Town- ship. He died in the township in 1879, but his widow Susan ( Yost) Rashley, is still living, and in comparatively good health. She remained in German Township until 1910, but the last ten years she has spent in comfortable circumstances in the city of Wauscon. Joel and Susan (Yost) Rashley were the parents of five children : Sarah, who lives with her mother in Wauseon; John M., of whom further; Mary, who is the wife of Jonas B. Snyder, of Clinton Town- ship; Lydia, who married Joel King, of Gorham Township; and Samuel, who died in infancy.
John M. Rashley, son of Joel and Susan (Yost) Rashley attended the district school nearest to his home, but was only nine years old when his father died, and he being the only son responsibilities soon developed upon him. He was not very old when he undertook the whole management of the farm, and he continued to be the mainstay of his mother even after he had married. He was twenty- three years old when he married, but he and his wife continued to live on the family property, which he kept in good cultivation. In the following year they all moved into York Township, to a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, situated in section 18 of that township, his mother having some time previously purchased the property. There they all lived, a loyal united family, until 1910, when his mother went to live in the city of Wauseon, leaving the farm in the management of her son. During the years from 1898 to the present John M. Rashley has made much improvement in the farm; has brought it into a high state of cultivation, and has
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erected adequate modern buildings, including a comfortable and substantial residence, constructed of concrete blocks. He has pur- chased eighty acres from his mother, and acquired an additional forty acres from William Orndorff, and in the spring of 1919 he purchased about forty-six acres situated in section 19 of York Town- ship, all the acreage being improved land, so that his recent farm- ing has been upon an extensive scale. He has lived a steady, praise- worthy life of industriousness, and has prospered, having had in- variable success in general farming, dairying, and stock raising. He is a man of strong religious spirit and Christian principle, and has consistently supported his church. He is a member of the Reformed Mennonite Church, and a deacon. He has given generous support to many local projects of public consequence to the community, and during the war was one of the stalwart, whole-hearted workers in his district for the national cause, subscribing to the extent of his resources to the war funds.
On July 22, 1894, he married Nancy Rychener, who was born in German Township, Fulton county, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Eckley) Rychener, who also were both born in that township, and belonged to pioneer families of that neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Rashley are the parents of six children, five of whom are living. The children, in order of birth, were: Leva, who married Chalmer Shaffer, of York Township; Vernon, who is at home; Daniel, also at home; Bertha, also with her parents; Edwin, who died in November, 1917, at the age of seven years, and John. The family is well-regarded in York Township.
THOMAS CLINTON WARDLEY, who is among the representative farmers of Fulton county, comes of a family three generations of which have had residence in Fulton county. His family is of record in York Township in its early days, and he himself has lived all his life in the Wardley homestead in York Township, upon which he was born. The Wardley homestead is in section 17, of York Town- ship, and many of the older residents in the vicinity will remember Thomas Wardley, father, of Thomas C., who died thirty-four years ago.
Thomas Clinton Wardley was born June 29, 1867, in York Town- ship, the son of Thomas and Jane (Kane) Wardley, and grandson of Thomas and Mary Wardley. The family is of English origin, both paternal and grandparents, of Thomas C. having been born in that country. They appear to have early come to America, and for a while to have lived in New York state, for their son Thomas, father of Thomas C., was born in Palmyra, Wayne county, of that state, but they eventually came into Fulton county, and to York Town- ship, where their son, Thomas married Jane Kane, who was of Irish descent, born in Londonderry, Ireland, daughter of Thomas Kane, also a pioneer settler in York Township. After they had married, Thomas and Jane (Kane) Wardley settled in section 17, of York Township, their farm being in a wild state, and eighty acres in extent. This land Thomas Wardley gradually improved, clearing the whole acreage, and adding considerably to his estate before he died; in fact, in his later years in the township he owned 225 acres, most of which he cleared. He died in March, 1886, and his wife survived him by only two years, her demise occurring in April, 1888. They were the parents of seven children, of whom Thomas Clinton is the only surviving son. The children in order
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of birth were: Mary Olivia, who died at the age of eighteen years ; Anita, who married F. D. Morse, and now lives in Angola, Indiana; Lou, who married N. H. Johnston, of York Township; Charlotte, who married Joseph Rupp; of Delta, York Township; Sophia, who married George Pocock; Thomas Clinton, of whom more is written ; Henry, who died in infancy.
Thomas Clinton Wardley attended the district schools of his native place, and while still in school took upon himself the execu- tion of many of the minor tasks of the home farm operation, and as he grew became conversant with most of the operations of agricul- turc. He appears, however, to have preferred to enter commercial life, and presumably with that object took the course at the Business College at Chatham. He, however, was only eighteen years old when his father died, and the operation of the home farm developed upon him. He took the responsibility manfully, and has steadily and industriously farmed it ever since. He became entirely respon- sible for the extensive farm before he was twenty-one years old, for his mother died in 1888. He manifested commendable steadiness and strength of purpose in his early manhood, and added steadily to his possessions by skillful farming. He was thirty-two years old when he married, and he and his wife have since marriage lived on the old Wardley homestead of eighty acres, which with fifteen acres additional, is his property.
He has had good success in general farming, and has reached a comfortable independence. Politically Mr. Wardley is a democrat, although he has not given great heed to national politics, excepting great issues such as that culminating in the recent war, during which he manifested by his actions a whole-hearted patriotism, but in local matters, he has taken a close interest for many years, and had he so wished might have gained election to office in the local admin- istration. He and his wife have been liberal in support of local projects of civic, social or church importance, and are recognized as worthy, responsible and open-hearted neighbors.
His wife, whom he married in November, 1899, was Lou J. Burr, born in Benzonia, Michigan, daughter of Horace and Betty (Good- rich) Burr, both of whom were born in Huron county, Ohio. Mrs. Wardley is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
EDWARD A. BUEHRER, a well-regarded and well qualified under- taker of Archbold, is junior partner of the firm of Buehrer Brothers, furniture dealers and undertakers, of Archbold, Fulton county, Ohio, successors of Gype and Buehrer Brothers, which firm was one of the first to be established in its line in Fulton county, which is an inter- esting historical fact. He also has interesting place in Fulton county history by reason of the association of his family with the county in its early pioneer days. He is widely known throughout the sec- tion of the county that his undertaking firm serves, and has good professional credentials, being a graduate of the Barnes School of Embalming and Sanitary Science, Chicago.
He was born on the homestead of the family, near Archbold, Fulton county, Ohio, the son of Martin and Mary (Fisher) Buehrer, the former for the greater part of his life a successful business man of Archbold, where he still resides. The Beuhrer family is of Swiss origin, but has been resident in America for some generations. The first of the family to have record in Ohio was Jacob, grandfather of Edward A., who was an early settler in Lucas county, Ohio, and
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eventually entered government land near Archbold, Fulton county. There he lived for the remainder of his life, entering strenuously into the clearing of his land. There his sons and daughters, five in all, were raised. Martin, son of Jacob, and father of Edward A., was nine years old when his parents came into Fulton county, and he and his brother and three sisters spent most of their young days on the home farm near Archbold. About four years after the birth of Edward A., Martin Buehrer and his wife came into Archbold, and thereafter to the present that town has been their home. He was independently established in good business, as a furniture dealer and undertaker, very soon after moving into Archbold. Martin Buehrer has throughout his life manifested cominendable public spirit, enter- ing actively into public movements that concerned the community, and doing his best to promote the interests of the town.
Edward A., son of Martin and Mary (Fisher) Buehrer, was edu- cated in the public schools of Archbold. He had elected to take up a commercial career, and with that object became a student at the Davis Business College, at Toledo, Ohio, eventually graduating therefrom, Returning to Archbold, he associated with his brother, Jacob J., taking employment in a elerical capacity, with Gype and Buehrer, of which firm his brother was one of the principals. Two years later, in 1909, he went to Chicago, and there took the course at the Barnes School of Embalming and Sanitary Science, the diploma of which he ultimately secured, thus qualifying as professional aid to his brother in the extensive undertaking practice of the firm. After obtaining his diploma, however, he took further post-graduate work in undertaking, and for six months was in Wauseon, Ohio, with the firm of Gould and Company. When he returned to Arch- bold he did not at once resume business associations with his brother in the undertaking business, for he saw advantage in becoming con- nected with the manufacturing firm which traded as the Ohio Art Company. For three years Edward A. Buehrer was identfied with that enterprise, and at the end of that period he purchased an inter- est in the furniture and undertaking business of Gype and Buehrer, with which he has since been connected. A disastrous fire in 1913 caused him to temporarily take outside employment, but eventually he returned to Archbold, and is now doing an active business in the town and neighborhood. When he left Archbold in 1913, he entered the employ of Milner & Company, of Toledo, Ohio, as assist- ant manager of the furniture department and as such he continued in the employ of that firm for three years, and for a further six months was buyer and manager for the same house. Then followed two years in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as manager of the Martin Haller Furniture Company, after which he returned to Archbold.
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Politically Mr. Buehrer is a republican. Fraternally a Mason, he belongs to the Superior Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of West Unity, and to the Wauseon Chapter. By religious conviction, he is a Methodist, a member and a good supporter of the local church of that denomination.
In 1908 he married Meade daughter of Daniel and Anna (Roth) Siegel, of Arehbold. They have two children: Alice Elizabeth, who is now nine years old; and Virginia Ann, who is in babyhood. Mr. and Mrs. Buehrer have during their lives entered much into the church and social movements of Archbold, and have many friends.
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IRA O. BOURQUIN, a partner of the well-known tile manufactur- ing firm of Bourquin Brothers, of Archbold, and one of the conse- quential men of affairs of that section of Fulton county comes of a family which for three generations has had residence in Fulton county.
He was born in German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, in 1875, the son of Charles and Martha (Klopfenstein) Bourquin, and grand- son of James Bourquin, the American grand-ancestor of the Bourquin family, or rather of the branch to which Ira O. belongs in America. The family is of record in earlier centuries in Alsace, France. James Bourquin was born in that province of France, and there followed the trade of cabinet making. He came with his wife and some of his children to America early in his manhood, and after a short while spent in Williams county, Ohio, he came into Fulton county, settling about three miles to the west of Archbold, acquiring a tract of land in that neighborhood, and for the remainder of his life liv- ing there. The family homestead eventually became thic property of Charles, the father of Ira O., and was his place of abode and labor for the greater part of his life. In fact, it is only within recent years that Charles Bourquin has rested from his seasonal tillage of the par- ental acreage and taken up residence in the town of Archbold, where in declining years he might take life less strenuously than formerly. Charles Bourquin is still in comparatively good health, is in the em- joyment of adequate means for his material comfort and well-being, and by his long life of worth-while industriousness and production has gained a worthy reputation among those that know him well. There were four children born to Charles and Martha (Klopfenstein) Bour- quin, of whom Ira O. was the third-born.
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