USA > Ohio > Miami County > Troy > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 59
USA > Ohio > Miami County > Piqua > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 59
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On March 12, 1848, Mr. Drury was mar- ried to Mary Ann Stortts, who was a daughter of John J. and Mary Ann Stortts, and there were eight children born to this union, namely: James; John H., who is deceased; Thomas J .; Alice A .; George G., who was married June 3, 1894, to Rebecca Ann Elliott, daughter of Flem- ing and Barbara Elliott; Mary E., and two children who died in infancy. Mr. Drury is very well known in the commu- nity in which he resides, and bears the reputation of a man of honor. integrity and publie spirit. A Republican in his political views, he has served as school director for two years.
II. E. CLEMM, of The Francis & Clemm Company, retail lumber dealers at Troy, has been a resident of this city for the past fifteen years and is a native of Miami County, having been born Novem- ber 21, 1863, in Union Township.
The late Daniel P. Clemn, father of HI. E., was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, after his parents had settled there on com- ing from Maryland, the original home of the C'lemms. Daniel P. Clenun was a rep- resentative citizen and substantial farmer of Miami County. He was a man of in- telligence and public spirit and was iden- tified with the Republican party.
H. E. Clemm secured his early educa- tion in the schools near his home, later at- tended the Georgetown Academy and spent one summer in the Normal school at Danville, Indiana. Following this he taught school in Miami County, Ohio, for nine years, and then came to Troy, where he went to work for Mr. Francis in his lumber yards. Ile was apt, capable and industrions, and in 1902 he was invited into partnership, the firm style then be- coming W. H. Francis & Co., which con- tinned until April. 1908, when the firm he- came the Francis & Clenn Company. The officers of the company are: W. H. Fran- cis, president : H. E. Clemm, secretary; and N. Rathbun. vice-president. The busi- ness engaged in is the manufacture of sash and doors, in their planing-mill, and deal- ing in lumber. Their well equipped plant is situated on Walnut and Race Streets, at Troy, Ohio.
On April 7. 1889. Mr. Clem was mar- ried to Miss Olive M. Mote, who was born in Union Township. Miami County. Ohio, and is a daughter of W. C. Moto. They have two sons, Merrill W. and Herbert HI.,
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both of whom are students in the Troy High School. Mr. Clemm is a leading member. of the First Christian Church, a deacon in the same, a member of the official board and superintendent of the Sunday School. This position he has held for the past fifteen years in Troy, Ohio, and three years at Ludlow Falls, Ohio, and by his enthusiasm and energy he has contributed largely to the membership and efficiency of both schools. He is a mem- ber of Troy Lodge, F. & A. M. No. 14, also a Knight Templar Mason. In business as well as in personal standing, he is one of the representative citizens of Troy.
T. H. NORR, who is engaged in the tin, iron and slate roofing business at Piqua, with headquarters at No. 114 East Water Street, is one of the representative busi- ness men of this city, where his interests have been centered for the past eighteen years. He was born in 1871, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he attended school.
When a young man, Mr. Norr learned the tinner's trade with Becker & Son, at Fort Wayne, and after he came to Piqua he worked for Lenox & Co., for one year, for J. M. Heim, for three years, and later for the Barnett Hardware Company and Dewees & Woodcox. In 1900 he formed a partnership with W. F. Lentz, under the firm name of Lentz & Norr, which con- tinued until 1903, when he sold out to his partner and embarked in business for him- self at his present location. He does all kinds of roofing and cornice work, making a specialty of heavy iron work, such as boiler building and smoke-stack construc- tion, having the largest business in his line in the county, and affording employ- ment to fourteen to twenty-three skilled
men. His reputation for satisfactory work and materials extends far beyond the city and he is kept busy with contracts and orders from distant as well as local points. This business Mr. Norr has built up through his own industry and efficiency.
In 1895 Mr. Norr was married to Miss Georgianna Schutte, of Troy. He is a member of a number of fraternal organ- izations : the Masons, including the higher branches and the Scottish Rite, the Red Men, the Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and the Eagles, and belongs to the Elks Club.
WILLIAM ANTHONY, one of Staun- ton Township's representative and re- spected citizens, resides on his excellent farm of forty acres, which is situated in Staunton Township, about four miles north of Troy. He was born February 9, 1859, on the old Anthony place south of Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio, and is a son of John and Christianna (Baltz) Anthony.
John Anthony, father of William, was born in Germany and lived there until he was about forty years of age, mainly en- gaged in teaming and working around a mill. When he came to the United States he lived for a short time in New Orleans, from there made his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, and was employed on the construc- tion of the Dayton & Michigan Railroad in Montgomery County. There he bought a small farm, which he sold in 1872 and then came to Miami County and bought a farm situated southwest of Piqua, on which he lived until old age. He then re- tired to Piqua, where his wife died first and his death followed, at the home of his daughter Lena, having passed his eighty- seventh birthday. He was married in Montgomery County, Ohio, to Christianna
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Baltz, who was also of German birth, and they had five children, namely : John, who died young; Jacob, who also died young; William; Lena, who married John F. Cath- cart; and John, who resides at Piqua.
William Anthony obtained his education in the schools of Miamisburg and was fif- teen years old when he came to Miami County. He remained at home and worked for his father until he was of age, when he started out for himself, working as a farm hand and also in the shaft and pole works at Piqua. In 1886 he bought his present farm with the large farm house on the place. It was a part of the old Sutton estate and has always been consid- ered excellent land. Mr. Anthony carries on general farming. In addition to this property, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony own a valuable residence property on Wayne Street, Piqua.
On February 22, 1887, Mr. Anthony was married to Miss Ida Scharff, who was born at Springfield, Ohio, and is a daughter of Charles Frederick and Wilhelmina (Uhlery) Scharff, both of whom were born in Germany, where they were married. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony have two children : Minnie Christine, who was married Jann- ary 28, 1909, to Harry Free; and Ethel Louisa. Mr. Anthony and family are members of the Lutheran Church. In pol- ities he is a Republican.
J. B. WILKINSON, of the prominent general insurance firm of Mendenhall & Wilkinson, at Piqua, has been a resident of this city for over a quarter of a cen- tury and is numbered with its representa- tive men. He was born in 1873, at Dayton, Ohio.
Mr. Wilkinson was brought to Piqua
when a lad of eight years and received his education in the common and high schools. His first business position was with the in- surance firm of Grafflin & Co., and one year later, Mr. Grafflin became postmas- ter, but this did not interfere with the in- surance business, and by the time Mr. Wil- kinson was twenty-one years of age he had a pretty thorough knowledge of this line of work. About this time the firm became Mendenhall & Co., which was later succeeded by Mendenhall & Wilkinson, the senior member being Joseph E. Menden- hall. This firm does the largest general insurance business in Piqua and repre- sents twenty-two of the leading fire insur- ance companies of the country. Independ- ently, Mr. Wilkinson represents the North- western Mutual Life Insurance Company.
In 1897 Mr. Wilkinson was married to Miss Katherine Hughes, the eldest daugh- ter of the late Rev. Dr. T. L. Hughes, of the Presbyterian Church, and they have two children, Jane Hortense and Ruth Clare. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson are mem- bers of the First Presbyterian Church. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason and an Elk and belongs to the Piqua Club, of which he is secretary and treasurer.
C. C. HOBART, president and general manager of the American Fixture and Manufacturing Company of Troy, Ohio, has been a resident of this city for a period of fifteen years. He was born in 1857, in Vermont. When about eighteen years of age Mr. Hobart left his native State for school at Colgate University at Hamilton, New York; later spent one year in the Chicago Law School, and in 1881 was graduated from the law department of the Iowa State University. For two
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
years after that Mr. Hobart was engaged in teaching school and then became inter- ested in operating a paper-mill at Middle- town. Ohio. About 1888 he established the Ilobart Electric Manufacturing plant at Middletown, which he subsequently moved to Troy. and which he then developed into one of the largest manufacturing enter- prises of the city. In 1905 he sold his interest in that plant and established the American Fixture and Manufacturing Company, of which he is president and general manager. The business is the general manufacture of electrical material and cabinets. He is interested addition- ally in some enterprises outside this city. He has proved himself an active and use- ful citizen of Troy and served for two years as a member of the Board of Public Service.
Mr. Hobart was married in 1886, to Miss Lou E. Jones, of Middletown, Ohio, and- they have three sons: Edward, who is a student at the Ohio State University ; and Charles and William, students in the Troy schools. Mr. Hobart and wife are mem- bers of the Baptist Church. He belongs to the Troy Club and is a member of the fraternal order of Knights of Pythias.
WV. R. ELY, who is engaged in a com- mission brokerage business at Piqua, has been a resident of this city for the past six years, and in this time has shown him- self an enterprising and progressive man of business. He was born in 1881 at Wash- ington Court House, Ohio, and was edu- cated in the schools of his native place.
After qualifying as an expert teleg- rapher, Mr. Ely worked two years as an operator in the railroad service, and then took up the brokerage business. His meth-
ods are careful and conservative and he has a very satisfactory number of clients.
Mr. Ely was married in 1903, to Miss Grace Surgeon, of Jamestown, Ohio, and they have two children, Hope and Ruth. Mr. Ely is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Elks and the Elks' Club and of other organizations.
THOMAS B. STEWART, whose valu- able farm, containing 120 acres, is situ- ated in Staunton Township, is a repre- sentative citizen of this section and is a veteran of the Civil War. He was born September 22, 1840, in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, and is a son of Robert and Sarah (Barnett) Stewart.
The Stewart family is of Scotch descent and both father and grandfather were life- long residents of Pennsylvania, and both lived into old age. The mother of Mr. Stewart was also a native of Pennsyl- vania, and she only survived her husband for thirteen days. They had the follow- ing children: Robert, who is a minister; Sarah, Margaret E. and Nancy R., all three of whom are now deceased; Thomas B .; John J .; Harriet C., who resides in In- diana ; and William C.
Thomas B. Stewart passed his boyhood and youth on the home farm. always find- ing plenty of hard work ready for him to perform. After his marriage, in 1872, he came to Ohio, and in the spring of 1873 he bought his present farm from Daniel Sut- ton, and has done a large amount of im- proving here. His land is fertile and compares favorably with the old home farm in Dauphin County. In September, 1861, on his twenty-first birthday, he en- listed for service in the Civil War, hecom- ing a private in the Seventh Regiment
MRS. ANNIE D. DRAKE
THEODORE A. DRAKE
DANIEL DRAKE
MRS. MARGARET C. DRAKE
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Penna. Vol. Cav., and later for gallant action was promoted to the rank of ser- geant. He served faithfully for three years, and took part in many important battles, including Stone River, Siege of AAtlanta, and Chickamauga. He is a mem- ber of the Grand Army of the Republic. In recognition of his services to his coun- try when she needed them, he receives a pension of $12 per month. In politics he is a strong Republican.
On December 31, 1872, Mr. Stewart was married in Pennsylvania to Miss Matilda MeElheny, a daughter of Samuel and Han- nah (Radel) MeElheny, and eight children have been born to them, namely: Robert E., who resides at Troy, married Bertha Heikes. and they have one child, Robert Clair: John J., who resides in Staunton Township, married Harriet Free and they have two children, Earl and Elsie May : Sallie E., who married Samuel MeCurdy, of Troy, has three children-Ralph. Myrtle and Fred; Thomas R .; Arthur, who died aged about seven months; Nora; Charles G., who operates the home farm; and Pearl Edna, who married Murry G. Mill- house, of Spring Creek Township, and has one child, Helen Frances.
HERMAN GRUNERT, a member of the Board of Trustees of Washington Township, Miami County, and engaged in business at Piqua as a cigar and tobacco manufacturer, is a progressive and enter- prising citizen and one who is held in the highest esteem by those with whom he has business relations. He was born in 1861. in Germany, and when six years of age he was brought to America by his parents.
Mr. Grunert's first year was spent on his uncle's farm, after which his rearing
and educating were accomplished at Piqua. He learned the cigar and tobacco manu- facturing business, which he has very she- cessfully carried on in his own interest for the past ten years. He has taken quite an active part in town polities, and in the fall of 1906 was called upon to fill out an unexpired term of one of the township trustees, serving in the same very accept- ably, and through election, 1907, still fills the office.
In 1880 Mr. Grunert was married to Miss Mary Erb, who died in 1886, leaving no issne. In 1901 he married Miss Lillie Lye, and they have two children, Marie and Lewis. They are members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, of which he is an official member and active worker. He is identified with both the Masons and Odd Fellows at Piqua.
THEODORE A. DRAKE, one of Wash- ington Township's representative citizens, residing on his valuable farm of 138 acres, which is situated ahont two miles south- west of the postoffice at Piqua, has spent his life here, having been born December 28, 1840, on the old Drake homestead, on the Washington Turnpike, Miami County, Ohio. His parents were Daniel and Mar- garet (Curry) Drake.
Daniel Drake was born in New Jersey and in 1833 he accompanied his brother Jonathan and the latter's wife to Wash- ington Township, settling on the farm which is now owned by Mrs. Jennie Drake. lle married Margaret Curry, who died while her children were yet small, but he survived until 1892. The family consisted of five sons and two daughters, namely : Levi. who died in boyhood: Eliza, who is now deceased, was the wife of A. M.
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
Morrow; John C. and Theodore A., both of whom are farmers in Washington Township; Caroline, who married D. F. Licklider, of Piqua; and Thomas L. and George H., both of whom are deceased.
Theodore A. Drake attended the neigh- borhood schools in his boyhood and grew to manhood as his father's main helper on the farm. When he married he im- mediately built a fine brick residence in which he lives and moved from the old house into the new one as soon as the lat- ter was completed. With the assistance of his son Bernice L. he carries on general farming and fruit growing, making a spe- cialty of strawberries, but having an abun- dance of all kinds of small fruit, which he markets, together with garden produce. The farm is one of the most productive in the neighborhood and shows intelligent and careful cultivation.
In 1862 Mr. Drake was married to Miss Annie M. DuBois, who died on December 21, 1908. She was born in Warren Coun- ty, Ohio, a daughter of William B. DuBois, but from the age of eighteen years lived in Miami County. Mr. and Mrs. Drake had eight children born to them, as fol- lows: Edgar, who died aged six months; Meroa ; Edith V .. who is the widow of Hart J. Reynolds, has three children-Martha, Mary and Wayne: Alva D., who married Etta B. Rike, a resident of Miami County, resides in Van Wert County, and has three children-Helen, Margaret and Alma Dorothy; Otis, who died aged twelve years; Gertrude, who married Eugene Peck, has two children-Rnth and Carl; Bernice L., who resides on one section of the homestead, married Cora Farrow and they have two children-Theodore and Mary; and Ruth, who is a graduate of
Dennison University and for three years was a teacher at Duquoin, Perry County, Illinois. Mr. Drake and family belong to the Baptist Church at Piqua. He takes only a good citizen's interest in politics, but in matters of local improvement and progress he has accepted responsibilities, at present is serving as school director, has served two terms as judge of election and refused appointment to the assessor's office.
CHARLES W. KISER, treasurer of Miami County, Ohio. The office of county treasurer has had no more popular, effi- cient and satisfactory incumbent than the subject of this sketch. Elected in Novem- ber, 1905, he took office in September, 1906. By virtue of a change in the statute regu- lating the terms of county officers in this county, his term was extended one year, and he retired from office in September, 1909, having served three years instead of the statutory term of two years, as provid- ed by the old law. His many friends, re- gardless of partisan ties, urged him to be a candidate for a second elective term, confi- dent that he would have an excellent pros- pect for re-election, although making a con- test in a county nominally against his party by 1,200 to 1,800 majority. This view did not meet with his approval suffi- ciently to overcome what he regarded as a sense of propriety in the matter. He uni- formly acknowledged that his first election to the office was brought about by the help of his many personal friends, heretofore aligned with the Republican party. This he fully appreciated and was grateful for, moreover, the provisions of the new stat- ute extending his term one year had weight with him in deciding to not ask his friends
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
again for their suffrage, and he preferred to retire with the good will of all his friends, regardless of party ties, and with the sense of duty well performed.
Charles Walker Kiser is the son of W. I. and Martha A. Kiser, and was born in Fletcher, Miami County, Ohio, December 10, 1867, where he received his carly edu- cation and training. He comes of worthy pioneer stock. His grandfather, the late Squire Isaac Kiser, was the first white male child born in Brown Township. Charles Kiser's father, W. I. Kiser, bet- ter known as "Billy Kiser," and who died suddenly a few years ago, was perhaps one of the best known men in Miami Connty and came within six votes of be- ing elected county treasurer in this county in opposition to a strong man when the normal vote of the county was about 1,800 Republican. He was a member of Com- pany E. 110th O. V. I. and a brave and gallant soldier, as the many wounds re- ceived on the field of battle evidenced.
In 1884 Charles Kiser moved to Piqua with his parents, where he assisted his father in the agricultural implement busi- ness with the firm of Kiser & Hall. So snecessful was the business, dne as much to the enterprise, industry and shrewdness of the younger Kiser, that the father and father-in-law-Mr. Kiser in the meantime having married Miss Sadie Hall, daughter of the junior member of the firm-decided to reorganize the firm, Mr. Hall retiring and going to Sidney, where he established a thriving business, and Charles Kiser taking his place in the new firmn under the name of W. I. Kiser & Son. The new firm was a most successful enterprise and the father, having implicit confidence in his son's ability, finally concluded to retire
and turn the business over to Mr. Kiser, who afterward conducted it under the name of Charles W. Kiser at the old stand in Piqua. His successful and honest con- duct of his own business affairs was an as- surance to his friends that he would do likewise in a public office, and the people of this county in his election secured a model official, fully justifying their confi- dence.
No man in the state has the confidence of his fellow business men to a greater de- grec than that enjoyed by Charles Kiser, due wholly to honest dealing. He is well and favorably known in church and fra- ternal circles and is every way competent and is an indefatigable worker and of a most obliging disposition, attributes which are sure to make a most popular official.
JACOB D. DEITZER, general farmer and tobacco grower, residing on his excel- lent farm of eighty acres, which is situa- ted in Concord Township, was born at Shelbyville, Indiana, May 24, 1860, and is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Posz) Deitzer.
The father of Mr. Deitzer was born in Germany and was eighteen years of age when he came to America. He lived at Shelbyville, Indiana, when he married Elizabeth Posz, who was also a native of Germany. She was brought to America by her parents. Two children were born to this marriage: Margaret, who is the wife of Joseph Midkiff, of Johnson Coun- ty, Indiana; and Jacob Daniel. The father died at the age of twenty-eight years, and prior to the birth of his son, who was given his. name. Later the widow married Michael Shuler, and they had one daugh-
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
cer, Elizabeth, who married Augustus Steekleman, of Marion. Indiana.
When the fatherless little Jacob Deitzer was but five years old he also lost his mother. and was then taken by his ma- ternal grandfather, with whom he lived until he was twelve years old. He then went to work for his uncle, Valentine Posz, who was a farmer in Shelby County, In- diana, and remained there until he was eighteen years of age. From his uncle's farm he started ont then to work by the month, securing his first employment with Daniel Gayhimer, with whom he remained during one summer, receiving $15 a month. He then worked for two years for Daniel Callahan, also in Shelby County. He was about twenty-one years old when he came to Ohio, and during the first season he worked for John Halterman, near Dayton, Ohio, after which he came to Troy and hired out for one season to William Camp- bell, and later to both Benjamin and Joseph Enyart. During this time he was seeing considerable of the country, was getting well acquainted with some of the best class of people. and was learning all kinds of farming and saving some money.
When Mr. Deitzer was about twenty- five years old he was married to Miss Alice Alexander, a daughter of Henry and Eliza (Boone) Alexander. Henry Alex- ander was formerly a county commissioner of Miami County. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Dietzer moved to what was known as the Tobey farm, south of Troy, where he remained two years. Then, for the following twenty years, he rented other farms, but at length decided to settle permanently, and with this end in view, in February, 1907, he bought the old Stahl farm, from Frank Tenney, its improve-
ments being the buildings now standing. Mr. Deitzer devotes eight acres to tobacco and raises some stock and excellent erops of grain and hay. Mr. and Mrs. Deitzer have two children : Horace and Raymond. The family belong to the Methodist Epis- copal Church. In politics Mr. Deitzer is a Republican. For some years he has been a member of the order of Modern Wood- men at Troy.
D. L. LEE, United States storekeeper located at Troy, Ohio, was born in this city in 1843, a son of the late A. J. Lee, who was born in Virginia, of the celebrated family of that name, and came as an early settler to Miami County.
D. L. Lee was educated in the district schools of Miami County, and had searcely left school when he enlisted for service in the Civil War, in which he remained from November, 1861, until its elose. He en- tered Company E, Seventy-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private, and was mustered out with the rank of ser- geant. After taking part in the battle of Shiloh, he participated in the arduous campaign through Tennessee and Georgia and was on every noted battlefield where his regiment was engaged until the battle of Nashville, when he was so severely wounded that it was found necessary to amputate his left leg, the operation being performed in a field hospital. On one oe- casion he was captured by a band of gueril- las, six companies being forced to surren- der to Colonel Mason, at Clarksville, but he was paroled forty hours later. There were few hardships of war that Mr. Lee escaped. the entire record of his service being one to reflect honor on his name as a soldier.
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