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 69
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In November, 1911, Mr. Gottschalk was married to Blanche Foster, the daughter of Daniel and Henrietta (Green) Foster, of Wauseon. They are the parents of two children, Earl V. and How- ard Virgil.
Mr. Gottschalk gives his political support to the republican party, though he does not take an active part in public affairs. His religious affiliation is with the Christian Church. Mr. Gottschalk possesses those qualities which have commended him to the favor of all who know him, and he is numbered among the successful and progressive farmers of his section of the county.
CLARENCE R. KRAUSS. In all that constitutes true manhood and good citizenship Clarence R. Krauss, a well known farmer of Clinton Township, Fulton county, is a strong example, and none stands higher than he in the esteem and confidence of the commu- nity. A thoroughly practical and industrious farmer, he has achieved a satisfactory degree of success and is numbered among the pro- gressive citizens of his township.
Clarence R. Krauss is the scion of one of the pioneer families of Fulton county and has spent practically his entire life here. He
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was born in German Township in 1886, but attended the schools of Swan Creek Township until eleven years of age, when the family moved to the present homestead farm in Clinton Township, where he completed his education in the Lena School. When nineteen years of age he was employed as a stationary engineer in the plant of the Wauseon Electric Light Company, where he remained for one winter, and then, for three years he served in a like capacity for the Naomi Elevator Company at Naomi, Ohio. He then returned to the home farm, on the retirement of his father, and has since been engaged in its operation, in which he has met with a very gratifying degree of success. Persistent industry and good manage- ment have been contributing elements to his success, and he enjoys an excellent reputation in the community as an enterprising and progressive farmer. His farm, which comprises eighty acres of land, is well improved and is devoted to general farming operations.
In 1908 Mr. Krauss was married to Lola First, the daughter of Silas and Mary (Hoffmire) First, and they are the parents of two children, Tressa Lenore and Merle Wayne.
Politically Mr. Krauss is independent, reserving the right to vote for the men whom he believes best fitted for office regardless of party line. He is a member of the Bethel Christian Union Church and consistently gives his support to all worthy movements for the welfare of the community. A man of genial disposition, he easily wins friends and enjoys a marked popularity in the locality in which he lives.
JOHN H. SCHULTZ, who has lived practically the whole of his life on the farm he now owns and operates in German Township, Fulton county, is one of the responsible, successful agriculturists of the county. He has lived a life of hard, industrious toil, and by well-directed farming has reached good success. He has been in useful production since early manhood, and has nevertheless taken good part in the public responsibilities of his township.
He was born in 1868, upon the farm in German Township to which his father had removed in 1865. His father, Frederick Schultz, was a Prussian by birth, but had come to the United States when he was seventeen years old. He settled in Napoleon Village, Henry county, Ohio, where for some years he found employment on the Wabash Railway as brakesman. He was a railroad employe for eight years, after which he learned the trade of mason, which he followed in Napoleon and elsewhere for the greater part of his life. He married Caroline Leininger, of a well-known German Township, Fulton county, family, and in 1865 acquired a farm of 142 acres in that township. For the greater part of his life he fol- lowed his trade, the farm being operated by his sons. There were seven children born to Frederick and Caroline (Leininger) Schultz, four daughters and three sons, among the latter being John H., who now owns the family estate in German Township.
John H. in his boyhood attended district school No. 14, con- tinuing to go to school until he was nineteen years old. He was then quite a sturdy young man, and had for many years been ac- customed to doing much of the minor tasks connected with the operation of the home farm, and taking part in, many of the major operations, especially during the long summer vacations. So that when he left school at the age of nineteen years and took indus- triously to farming the paternal acres he was not a novice. He was
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conversant with most of the operations of farming life, and as the years passed and he continued to steadily take more and more con- sequential part in the management of the home farm there came a time, in 1906, when the farm passed by purchase wholly to him. Since that time he has occupied the old Schultz homestead and tilled the 104 acres year by year to good advantage.
Politically he is a democrat. He has not taken very active in- terest in national political campaigns, but in local affairs he has throughout his life taken a close interest, but has not shown any desire to seek office. He has been ready to co-operate in any way possible in any local movement that promised some benefit to the community, and during the recent trying time of war he made his loval citizenship quite manifest. As a church worker he has been earnest and useful. He is by religious conviction a Lutheran, a member of the local church of that denomination, and in the work of that church and its upkeep he has taken good part, being now the leading deacon.
Mr. Schultz is in enviable repute in German Township, both as a farmer and as a reliable resident and neighbor. His private life has been estimable. He married in 1894, Louisa, daughter of Fred- crick and Dorothy (Schultz) Lienau, of Ridgeville Township, Henry county, Ohio. Two children have been born to them, both sons, Walter L. and Russel F.
JACOB STORRER, a native of German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, and of a family which has had residence in the county for more than seventy years, has of late years been farming 190 acres of agricultural land, partly his own, and some portion of it belonging to his aged father, in German Township. He is known in the town- ship as a man of commendable personal habits, as an enterprising and reliable farmer, and as a helpful, well-disposed neighbor.
Jacob Storrer was born in German Township on May 20, 1871, the son of John and Margaret (Shank) Storrer. The Storrer family is of Swiss origin, John Storrer, father of Jacob, having been born in the canton of Schauffhausen, Switzerland, from which part of Switzerland so many of the stalwart pioneer settlers of Fulton county, Ohio, came. John Storrer was twenty years old when he came to America in 1858, accompanied by his sister and a cousin. They had very little money, probably only the sum necessary to gain admittance to the United States, and by the time they had reached Toledo that sum had been liquidated. John Storrer found it necessary to borrow money to enable him to continue the journey on to Fulton county, where he and his sister settled in Franklin Township. For twelve months after his arrival he worked as a carpenter for his uncle, Sebastian Luip, receiving for the year's work the total sum of $94.00. He was an able carpenter, and his uncle did much contracting in the neighborhood, which was rapidly developing. Ultimately John Storrer also entered into business as a building contractor, one of his good contracts being the building of the Burton schoolhouse at Burlington, Ohio. He continued as a contractor, with good success, for some time, eventually purchasing a farm of eighty acres in German Township. After taking that responsibility he gave almost his whole time to its operation until 1892, when he sold it to advantage and purchased the farm of 100 acres upon which he has since lived in German Township, and which latterly has been managed by his son. Since 1905 he has rented
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his farm to his son, and for the last fifteen years has lived in com- fortable retirement upon his own farm, cared for by his son and his daughter-in-law. He is now eiglity-two years old, but is in com- paratively good health. He has many friends of long standing in German Township, and has lived a good, honorable life of useful industriousness. His wife, Margaret (Shank) Storrer, belonged to a Fulton county family. Their only child is their son Jacob, born in German Township in 1871. Jacob received his early schooling in the old Burlington School, attending that school until he .was twelve years old. For the next eight years he continued to attend school, going to the Lawrence School until he was twenty years old. Long before he had reached that age, however, he had been taking consequential part in the operation of his father's property. He took over most of the burdensome work of the home farm after he. left school, and from the age of twenty-eight years, when he married, he practically became wholly responsible for the farm, renting it from his father. He has lived a busy life, and has had good suc- cess in general farming. The years of steady application to agri- culture have not been without effect upon his material status. He is now well-placed financially, and the owner of a good property in German Township. Altogether he farms 190 acres, his father's farm of 100 acres and his own of ninety acres.
Politically he is an independent republican, although he does not interest himself very actively in politics, that is in national politics. In local public affairs he has been closely interested, but has not sought public office at any time. He is a God-fearing man, of good Christian principle, and a consistent church member.
He has been twice married. His first wife, whom he married in 1899, was Emma, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Kutzli) Bineh- man. She bore him one child, a son, who is now a promising young man of eighteen years. His first wife died on November 29, 1902, and he remained a widower for more than two years. On January 15, 1905, he married Katie Blanck, daughter of Joseph and Caro- line (Mangold) Blanck, of Greenwood county, Kansas. To them have been born six children, all sons. Mrs. Storrer was born near Metz, Alsace, about four years after the termination of the Franco- Prussian war in 1870-71.
LOUIS GUSTAVE MOINE, a respected and representative farmer of German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, where he has lived for practically the whole of his life of fifty-eight years, and where his father before him lived for seventy-seven of his ninety-three years, is of the third generation of the Moine family to have had residence in Fulton county, his grandfather and father being among the pio- neers of German Township. Louis Gustave Moine has been loyal to his native township throughout his life, has by his life of good neighborliness and industry earned good repute in the district, and had he wished he might have been elected to most of the township offices of honor and responsibility. Although he has co-operated use- fully in public movements in the township, and has for three terms taken the responsibility of the trusteeship of the township, he has generally refused to stand for office.
He was born in German Township in 1862, the son of Anthony and Mary (Ketly) Moine. The Moine family is of French origin,. and his father was only sixteen years old when he came with his
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parents to America. The family settled in German Township, Ful- ton county, entering government land in its wild state. Grandfather Moine spent most of his life in pioneer work, as did his son Anthony, father of Louis Gustave. Between them they cleared an acreage of 120 acres of heavily timbered land. The parents of Louis Gustave Moine were of steady temperament and good life, and both lived to reach venerable age, his mother being seventy-five years old when death came to her in 1889, while his father reached his ninety- fourth year, both dying in the family homestead and being buried in German Township.
Louis G. in his boyhood attended district school No. 12, continu- ing to go to school until he was fourteen years old. From that time he has farmed almost continuously. He worked with good filial earnestness for his father until he was twenty-five years old, when he married. Thereafter the farm became his, to all intents and purposes, for he took upon himself practically the whole burden of its operation, and continued to do so throughout the declining years of his father, and after the latter's death, the farm coming fully into his possession, he continued its cultivation year by year up to the present. With good general success, too, it must be stated. The farm was well adapted to general farming, which Mr. Moine has followed, and being a skilful and thorough farmer, with good busi- ness acumen, and an aptness in adopting new methods which could stand the practical test, he has reached a competence of material wealth. And during his steady work and co-operation in the gen- eral affairs of the township he has gained many sincere and life- long friends among his neighbors. He is a citizen of whole-hearted loyalty, as was proved by his helpful interest in the national welfare during the World war. Religiously he is a devout Catholic, a mem- ber of St. Peter's Catholic Church of Archbold. Politically he is a democrat, and has been stanchly affiliated with that party for the greater part of his manhood, while fraternally he is identified with the Archbold branch of the Knights of Columbus order. He and his wife, who was Louisa Hirsch, have been hospitable neighbors since the year of their marriage, 1888, and in their younger days took good part in the church and social movements of the commu- nity. They have two adopted children: Celia, who married Albert Grim, of Archbold; and Marie May, who is still with her foster- parents.
WILLIAM G. KUTZLI, an enterprising and active business man of Archbold, a baker by trade, and the owner of an established busi- ness, the Home Bakery at Archbold, was born in that town twenty- six years ago, in 1894, the son of John and Rose (Ehrat) Kutzli. He has spent all his life in Archbold, and since he has been in in- dependent business has manifested a capacity for responsibility and a steadiness of purpose, traits that lead to success. He has developed' a trade of appreciable volume by holding closely to the principle of giving the best possible service for the price asked. He has a good town and country trade, drawing business within a radius of six- teen miles of Archbold.
His education was obtained in the public schools of his native place. His parents, who are of good standing in the county, were able to give him a good education, which reached to the last year in high school. William was eighteen years old when he left high school and took seriously to business occupations. He had resolved
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to become a baker, and with that object served an apprenticeship in the bakery of J. S. Fenstermacher at Arclibold. One and one- half years later he took employment witli a relative, Frank Ehrat, of Archbold, and in 1915 purchased the bakery of the latter. Hc has since been the sole owner of that business, which is now con- ducted under the trading name of the Home Bakery, and during the five years of independent business has added much to his good repute in his home town. Hc is a man of strong, self-reliant char- acteristics, optimistic and energetic, a good tradesman, and a respon- sible resident. Politically he is a demoerat, and fraternally is con- nected with the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders, belonging to the West Unity Lodge of Frec and Accepted Masons, and to Archbold Lodge No. 731 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In May, 1914, when he was twenty years old, he married Ber- nice, daughter of Ira McClarren, of Toledo, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Kut- zli are members of the Reformed Church, and have taken part in church and social activities of Archbold.
THOMAS S. DE VRIES, who latterly has come somewhat prom- inently into the affairs of the borough of Archbold, Fulton county, Ohio, being the sole owner of the Archbold Electrie Light and Power Company, and also the owner and organizer of the Arch- bold Electric Company, which has a consequential business in sup- plies and electrical contracting, has had a somewhat varied life, hav- ing for fifteen years been employed in the plant of a furniture manu- facturing company, and having for a further fifteen years farmed a good acreage in Michigan, these thirty years of industrious effort having brought him into a satisfactory state of material wealth. Since he has lived in Archbold he has manifested many estimable qualities, is generally well-regarded, and has demonstrated that he is naturally of helpful public spirit.
He is of Dutch ancestry, and was born in the Netherlands, his native place being Schootrland, Friesland, and his parents S. T. and Jeltze (Hoogeboom) De Vries. His father followed the historic calling of the Dutch people, and spent much of his early manhood in maritime occupations. He married in Holland, and there Thomas S. spent the first thirteen years of his life. His parents came to America in 1881, and the family settled in Michigan, his father renting a farm near Grand Rapids.
Thomas S. as a boy attended the schools of his native land, and after settling in Michigan with his parents he began to take up the serious occupations of life without any delay. He was thirteen years old, and comparatively well educated, and although he could not speak English, he found many of his own countrymen employed in the furniture factory to which he went for employment. For the first eight years he lived in America he worked steadily in the plant of the Grand Rapids Chair Company, for the greater part of that time in the capacity of finisher. He was an industrious, alert boy, and soon became proficient in his duties, and in course of time thoroughly mastered the English language. After having worked for eight years in the furniture factory he spent some time in farm work, assisting his father in the work of the farm he had rented near Grand Rapids. Eventually, however, young De Vries again entered the factory, and altogether was connected with the furniture manufacturing industry of Grand Rapids for fifteen years. He
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married in 1889, being then twenty-one years old. After marriage he bought a farm in Michigan, and for the next fifteen years gave his time altogether to agriculture. He was generally successful in his farming, and had reached a satisfactory financial state by that time. In 1911 he saw an advantage in selling his Michigan farm and purchasing the Walters estate, which owned the electric lighting plant at Archbold, Fulton county, Ohio. That business interest brought the family into Fulton county, and into residence at Arcli- bold. Mr. De Vries has conducted the public utility enterprise since 1911 under the name of the Archbold Electric Light and Power Company, and his direction of the plant has resulted in a good serv- ice to mutual advantage. He has been accommodating in his service, and has always endeavored to meet the wishess of the community, and to meet the people reciprocally in any matter concerning the general welfare in its relation to his plant. And he has also shown sound business enterprise in establishing the Archbold Electric Company, which enters somewhat extensively into electrical con- tracting, and in the sale of electrical supplies. It does most of the electrical fitting and wiring in that part of Fulton county, and has a wide scope of supplies, being agents for the Western Electric Com- pany's electric-lighting systems. In ground storage batteries and in the charging of same, and in general repair work, the company has done a satisfactory degree of business during the last few years. Mr. De Vries has also other business interests, owns some real estate, and, generally, is well-regarded in the community as a man of affairs and one who has shown himself anxious to aid in the ad- vancement of the town and the betterment of things generally within the community.
Politically Mr. De Vries is a republican, although he apparently has never been disposed to take public office. During the war he evinced a whole-hearted, helpful patriotism, co-operating well with the local committees in bringing to satisfactory consummation the subscription of the local quota toward the various funded issues made by the national administration to meet the extraordinary needs of the nation in war.
In 1889 Mr. De Vries married Jennie Rodenhuis, daughter of Vandermeer and Trytyl Rodenhuis, who were people of Dutch ante- cedents then resident in Grand Rapids. Mr. and Mrs. De Vries are the parents of six children, four sons and two daughters. They also have reared a stepson, the child of Mrs. De Vries by her first mar- riage. Mr. De Vries is a member of the Missionary Church of Arch- bold, while Mrs. De Vries is a member of the German Reformed Church, and they are consistent Christians, helpful and earnest in church work.
JOHN T. WEBER, one of the leading and most successful farmers of German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, has had a notably suc- cessful life in agricultural activity. Without financial help, and by dint of hard work and skillful farming, he has gradually prospered until he today owns a total of 320 acres of good agricultural land.
He was born in German Township, Fulton county, Ohio, No- vember 12, 1859, the son of George and Barbara (Butch) Weber, who were both of Swiss birth. They were married in Switzerland, and lived at Schauffhausen, and there six of their children were born. George Weber was an agriculturist in his native land, and when he brought his family to America, and into Ohio, he settled
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down to farming occupations, at first living with his brother John in German Township, Fulton county. He died in 1865. John T. Weber, his son, attended the public school nearest to his home dur- ing the winter months, and during the growing summer season spent most of the time in farming tasks upon his father's property. He left school when he was about sixteen years old, and some time afterwards beeame connected with the Graff Sawmill in German Township. He continued in that work for twelve years, and al- though he did not earn very much, he was of economical habits and saved much of his earnings, so that when he married, in 1893, he was able to venture into independent work as a tenant farmer. He rented the Tedrow farm of 105 acres, and there lived for three years. For the next three years he worked a farm of 160 aeres near Archbold, and did very well on that place. However, it was to his advantage to then move to the farm of 120 acres belonging to his father-in-law. This farm, in German Township, he rented at first, but eventually purchased it outright from his father-in-law, and since that time he has steadily tilled it, generally to very good ad- vantage. He prospered by reason of skillful farming and persistent application to work, and eventually was able to purchase a further 200 acres, so that in all he has quite an extensive aereage in rich territory.
His wife, Leah, whom he married in 1893, was a daughter of Peter F. and Salvina (Burkholder) Wyse, of German Township. And to the marriage have been born five children: Elda Rosselli, who married Louis Merillat, of Franklin Township, Fulton county, Ohio, and is the mother of four children; Arthur Daniel, now a successful farmer in German Township, married Meda Grime, and they are the parents of six children : Clarenee A., who married Cassie Grime, of German Township, and has two children; Albert John, who married Marie Leminger, to them has been born one child; Pearl Mary, who is at home with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Weber have very many sineere friends in Fulton county, and are especially respeeted by the older residents of German Township.
WILLIAM E. HILL. Through a chain of circumstances over . which he had no control, William E. Hill, of Delta, enlisted four different times as a soldier in the Civil war, although his birth oc- curred Mareh 28, 1842, in the mother country-England. He is a son of Thomas and Mary Ann (Cullen) Hill. The father died in 1851, and with four small children the mother immigrated to the United States in 1858, locating in Delta. As bread winner of the family, W. E. Hill began working on a farm, but after one year he secured a position in a grist mill, where he remained for many years.
Mr. Hill enlisted in the Civil war at the first call for volunteers, and was one of the 100-day men in the service. It was thought 100 days' service would win the war, but not so, and in the summer of 1862 he enlisted again, this time in the Eighty-seventh Ohio Volun- teer Infantry. In about four months he was taken prisoner and immediately after his release he was discharged and sent home with typhoid fever. He lay in a hospital at Delaware, Ohio, finally reach- ing his home in Delta.
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