Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 127

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074

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moved to Delaware County, Iowa, where he engaged in farming and also conducted a small blacksmith shop .- Here he remained the rest of his life dying at the age of 88 years, and his widow lived to the advanced age of 90 years. Nine children were born to Rayen Kirk and wife, namely: Mrs. Caroline Eberhart, de- ceased : Andrew ; Mary, Mrs. McClelland ; Mrs. Jane Kimmel, deceased ; Mrs. Austria Kramer, deceased ; Austin Kirk, a twin of Austria, is a resident of Des Moines, Iowa; Ward, lives at Humansville, Missouri; Ralph, died in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Calvin lives at Strawberry Point, Iowa.

Andrew Kirk has been engaged principally in farming, but taught district school for two terms in Hubbard. and also at Brookfield, Trumbull County, Ohio, after which he com- menced farming in which occupation he has since continued. In 1856, he located on a farm which he owned in Brookfield, residing there until 1861 when he came to his present place, in 1865 building a fine large house, which he remodeled, 20 years later into a modern up-to-date residence. Mr. Kirk was also agent for sewing-machines many years, but since coming here has devoted his time almost entirely to general farming.

Mr. Kirk was married in 1855 to Letitia Mackey, a sister of James Mackey, a sketch of whom will be found in this work. They have reared a family of four children : Eugene, a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, a civil engineer and surveyor, who is married and has had two children, of whom but one, Helen, is living ; Carrie L., who lives at home, and has taught at the Union school on McGuffy street for 20 years ; and Natalie, and Emma, who are twins.

OLTAIRE J. BUEHRLE, who has been identified with the business in- terests of Youngstown for the past few years, conducts under his own name, at No. 232 Boardman street, a large china and restaurant and club furnish- ing business. Mr. Buehrle was born at Youngs-

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eldest son of John Buehrle, a well-known re- tired resident, who was the pioneer flour and feed merchant of Youngstown.

In 1893 the firm of Buehrle Bros, was formed, consisting of A. H. Buehrle and Vol- taire J. Buehrle, they purchasing the business of A. J. Williams. On September 7, 1900, another brother, John A .. M. Buehrle, bought into the firm. A. H. Buehrle sold his interest in the spring of 1901, and John A. M. sold his interest December 30, 1902, since which time, Voltaire Buehrle has been sole proprietor. He has just completed the erection of a fine four- story brick building, modern throughout, 36 by 13712 feet, with basement, and now has a floor space of 30,750 square feet. His busi- ness is both wholesale and retail and an im- portant feature is the handling of hotel, club and restaurant furnishings.

In September, 1896, Mr. Buehrle was mar- ried to Mrs. Carrie Gairing, who was born and reared at Youngstown. They have one child, Florence Lucille. Mr. Buehrle enjoys many fraternal, social and business connections, and he takes a good citizen's interest in politics, but his attention is mainly given to his business. .

SAAC RUSH, one of the oldest and best known residents of Coitsville town- ship, was born November 6, 1823, in the city of Youngstown, and is a son of John and Elizabeth ( Babbitt ) Rush. John Rush, father of our subject, was born in 1800, in Youngstown township, Mahoning County, Ohio, and was killed by a runaway team of oxen when only 33 years of age. His father, John Rush, Sr., came to this county from Washington County, Pennsylvania, in about 1799. Mr. Rush's grandmother was a sister of General Laycock, who laid out the cross cut canal.

Isaac Rush was reared in Youngstown township, and with the exception of four or five years spent in Trumbull County, Ohio, where he owned a farm of 30 acres, has passed his entire life in this county. After leaving his farm in Trumbull County, Mr. Rush located

just over the line in Youngstown township, where he resided for about five or six years. After selling his farm in Trumbull County he located in 1862, on his present farm. Coming to Coitsville township, he engaged here princi- pally in gardening, and owns 130 acres of land which he has recently divided among his chil- dren. The house in which he resides was built about 1807 and is still in a fine state of preser- vation.

Mr. Rush was married in 1846, on Easter Sunday, to Lucinda Eckman, a daughter of James and Mary ( Wilson) Eckman, the latter being a daughter of James Wilson, who was an officer in the Revolutionary War. James Eckman was born in Liberty township, Trum- bull County, Ohio, and died on the old Eck- man farm about one mile from Girard, in that county. Mr. Eckman was a soldier in the War of 1812. Mrs. Rush spent her girlhood days on her father's farm, and was housekeeper for her father after the death of her mother, which occurred when she, Mrs. Rush, was quite young. Seven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Rush : Mary, deceased, who married Wil- liam Tidswell and reared a large family ; Ruth, who married John Atkinson of Coitsville town- ship ; Lucy, who married H. Atkinson of Law- rence County, Pennsylvania; Jessie, the de- ceased wife of Hugh Showalter; Martha, who married George Atkinson of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania; John, who lives on part of the home farm; and Nora, who mar- ried John McGuire. Mr. and Mrs. Rush have several great-grandchildren. Mr. Rush served 20 years continuously as trustee of Coitsville township. In politics he is independent.

G. BYE, attorney-at-law, at Youngs- town, with offices at No. 43 Central Square, was born in 1868, in Colum- biana County, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel and Belle (Gaver) Bye. Both his paternal and maternal families are repre- sentative ones of Columbiana County.

The Bye family is of English extraction and Samuel Bye, the elder, the grandfather of

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H. G., came from Maryland to Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1808. Samuel Bye, son of Samuel and father of H. G. Bve, was born in Columbiana County and is now living retired in Lisbon, having been formerly an extensive farmer and stockraiser. He was very promi- nently identified also with politics for many years, served for seven years very acceptably as county commissioner of Columbiana Coun- ty, and held numerous township offices. He married Belle Gaver, who was born also in Co- lumbiana County, and who was a daughter of Hiram Gaver, whose father brought him to Columbiana County when he was six years old. The Gaver family was well represented in the Revolutionary War.

H. G. Bye was reared in Columbiana County, attended the local schools, Mt. Hope Academy and the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio. After teaching for five terms in the country schools, Mr. Bye entered the Cincinnati Law School, and in 1894 was admitted to the bar. He immediately entered upon the practice of his profession at Colum- biana. In 1898, he located at Youngstown where he has been engaged in active practice, meeting with very gratifying success. In 1898, Mr. Bye was married to Mary E. Greenamyer, of Columbiana County. Besides attending to his growing practice here, Mr. Bye is inter- ested in the concerns of a number of business enterprises, being a member of their directing boards. Fraternally he is a Mason, an Elk, an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Pythias.

1 SAAC STROUSS, president of the well known firm "Strouss, Hirshberg Com- pany," which is one of the largest dry goods concerns in the city, and with which enterprise he has been promi- nently identified since 1875, is one of the prom- inent and influential business citizens of Youngstown. He is a native of Rhine Hessen, Germany, born May 20, 1848, son of Jacob and Helena ( Mayer) Strouss, natives of Rhine Hessen, Germany, and Ilbesheim, Rhine Ba- varia, Germany, respectively.

Mr. Isaac Strouss came to Youngstown in 1865, and he engaged as a salesman in a mer- chant tailoring establishment, subsequently en- tering a dry goods store in the same capacity. In 1875 he formed a partnership with Mr. Hirshberg and engaged in the dry goods busi- ness under the firm name of Strouss & Hirsh- berg, which firm continued with good success until 1906, when Mr. Hirshberg withdrew from active business relations and the firm has since continued business under the firm name of "The Strouss, Hirshberg Company," with a capital stock of $100,000, and officers as follows : Isaac Strouss, president ; William R. Becker, vice-president and manager; Clarence J. Strouss, secretary and treasurer; and I. G. Goldsmith, assistant and advertising manager. They have in their employ about 100 people, occupying three floors and basement, and hav- ing about 25,000 square feet of floor space. Mr. Strouss is a stock-holder and director in the Dollar Savings and Trust Company of Youngstown, and also has other business in- terests, including mining stock.

Mr. Strouss was married September 23, 1874, to Miss Lena Pfaelzer of Philadelphia, and they have two children: Helen C., who married Harry Meyer, a well known business man of Youngstown; and Clarence J., who is secretary of "The Strouss, Hirshberg Com- pany" of Youngstown.

Mr. Strouss is a member of the Youngs- town Chamber of Commerce, is a life trustee of the City Hospital, and fraternally is con- nected with the Knights of Pythias. Relig- iously he is a member of the Rodef Sholem congregation.

J OHN D. REESE, a noted bone-setter, at Youngstown, was born in 1855, in Wales, and came to America and to Youngstown, in 1887.

In his own land, Dr. Reese attended the schools near his home, but went to work in the rolling mills, when still a boy. After com- ing to Youngstown he became a roller in what

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is now the Republic Iron mills, where he worked for five years. His becoming a sur- geon was the result of a natural aptitude for bone-setting. Away back in his boyhood he became interested in any kind of a surgical operation, and there were many which had to be performed in the mills, where imperfect machinery caused numerous sad accidents, and he had so closely watched and naturally com- prehended the work of surgeons called in on these occasions, that in the course of time, when no other help was to be obtained, he of- fered his services. It was remarkable how suc- cessful he was from the beginning, seeming to have a natural knowledge of bones, ligaments, muscles and nerves, and before long, so many were the calls made upon his time and strength, that he gave up mill work and devoted himself entirely to the treatment of strained and mis- placed bones. Without any effort on his part, his reputation has extended far and wide, and people come from all over the country to be treated. Since adopting this line of surgery exclusively. Dr. Reese has studied the subject with care, being very familiar with the scienti- fic works of Percival Fox.

Dr. Reese was married in Wales to Sarah Richards, and they have five children, namely : Polly, Sarah, Elizabeth, Katheryn and Gert- rude. Sarah married Theodore Johns, of Youngstown. Dr. Reese belongs to the Welsh Congregational Church. He is a 32nd degree Mason.

HRISTIAN WERREN, who owns an excellent farm of 60 acres, sit- uated in Goshen township, on which he successfully carries on general farming and dairying, is a well- known citizen highly esteemed in this locality. He was born December 3. 1865, in Berne. Switzerland, and is a son of Jacob Werren.

The father of Mr. Werren was born also in Switzerland, and came to America, with other members of his family, about 1881, set- tling in Smith township. Mahoning County.

where he still resides, being engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. He was twice married and eight of his children still survive, as follows: Christian, residing in Goshen township; Mag- gie, residing in Alliance, Ohio; Jacob, residing in Goshen township ;; Catherine, a resident of Stark County, Ohio; Sophia, a resident of Al- liance ; Elizabeth, residing at Salem; and Louis and Emma, both residing in Smith township.

Christian Werren was 16 years of age when he accompanied the family to America, and a course in the public schools of his native land, had afforded him a fair education. He re- mained with his father in Smith township and then moved to Stark County, Ohio, where he continued to follow farming until 1896, when he came to his present place in Goshen town- ship. He has a well cultivated farm and raises the usual grain of this section and devotes a portion to pasturage, as he keeps a number of cows for dairy purposes. He is a good farmer and excellent manager. He learned the En- glish language while attending school for two winters in Stark County.

In Stark County he married Mary Har- mon, who died in June, 1905. She was a daughter of Michael Harmon. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Werren, Clara E. and Bertha A.

LIAS BARE, a general farmer of E Boardman township, residing on a tract of 165 acres, was born March I, 1855. on the home farm in Beaver township, Mahoning County, Ohio and was a son of John and Anna ( Blosser) Bare.

John Bare was born in Pennsylvania where he was reared to manhood after which he came to Mahoning County, and settled on a farm in Beaver township. Here he married Anna Blos- ser, who was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, a daughter of John Blosser. When 16 years of age she came to Ohio with her father, who settled in Beaver township on a farm which was quite well improved and on

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which he and his wife . both died some years later. She was the eldest of the family of 12 children, namely: Anna, mother of Elias Bare; Rudolph, Enos, Joel, Noalı, Peter, Dan, Susan, Magdalene, Maria, Jonah, and Jacob. John and Anna Bare continued to reside in Beaver township all their lives, the former passing out of this life just previous to the birth of his son Elias. Seven children com- pleted their family, namely : Noah, David ( de- ceased ), John, Jacob, Jonas, Peter, and Elias, subject of this sketch. Mrs. Bare died in 1895 at the age of 83 years.

Elias Bare lived at home with his widowed mother until 12 years old, when he went to reside with his uncle Noah Blosser of Beaver township, with whom he remained until at- taining his minority. He assisted his uncle with the farm work and attended the district school, and he subsequently worked for two years for his uncle by the month. Shortly after his marriage he moved to his present farm of 165 acres which he purchased from the Barbara Klien heirs, and has since resided here engaged in general farming, being recog- nized as the most successful agriculturist of the township. He remodeled his nine-room frame house which was on the place when he purchased the land, and has made various other improvements.

Mr. Bare was married November 4, 1880. to Anna B. Musselman, who was born Novem- ber 26, 1864, in Page County, Virginia. Mrs. Bare is the daughter of Isaac and Catherine ( Blosser ) Musselman, who came from Vir- ginia in 1870, and settled in Green township, Mahoning County, where they both died. They were the parents of four children: Virginia, who married John Hendricks; Lydia ( Mrs. Allen Calvin ) ; Flora, who died young ; and Anna, the wife of the subject of this biography.

Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bare, namely : Noah, who died aged four months ; Warren, a resident of Green township, who married Blanche Hendricks, and has one child. Theda: Effie L .; Charlotte, who died aged three years: Eva I., Elmer, Alvin, Ho- mer, Mary and Leo.

Politically Mr. Bare is a Republican and is at present a member of the board of school directors. Religiously, he and his family are members of the Mennonite Church.

ILLIAM BONNELL, whose hon- ored name is indissolubly asso- ciated with the great iron industry at Youngstown, was identified for years with all that promoted the development of this section, and no history of the Mahoning Valley, however cursory, could be written without extended mention of his life of struggle and success. William Bonnell was born in Yorkshire, England. June 10, 1810, and was a son of John and Elizabeth (Gomersal) Bonnell.

Mr. Bonnell's parents were in but modest circumstances and the youth learned the busi- ness or trade of wool dyer, which, in the great manufacturing districts of his nativity, was one which gave him support. But after he married and had three children, his income proved in- adequate, and he decided to emigrate to Amer- ica, where, according to current report, every trade and craft flourished and high wages pre- vailed. Like many other credulous workmen, Mr. Bonnell found that many of the stories of certain prosperity were exaggerations, and after he reached Cincinnati, in March, 1841, he discovered that there was no call at all for the exercise of his skill as a wool dyer. In a new country without any friends to hold out a helping hand, and with a growing family to care for. Mr. Bonnell experienced many anx- ious months. Although entirely removed from any work that he had previously done, he at length decided to become an iron worker, for which class of labor there was a demand at New Castle, Pennsylvania, and in 1845, he removed with his family to that city. Here success crowned his earnest efforts. Mr. Bon- nell, perhaps to his own surprise, found how quickly he became interested in all the details of iron-making, and when he was taken into the offices of the company and made book-

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keeper, he continued his study of the processes of this great industry. He made friends with the capitalists with whom he was now associ- ated and his judgment was often consulted and his views accepted, while his services were em- ployed both at Pittsburg and New Castle.

In 1843, a small mill had been built by Youngstown capitalists, on the bank of the old Ohio and Pennsylvania Canal, near Youngs- town. but for want of practical operators the enterprise had not proven a success and the mill remained closed for some years. During the winter of 1854-55 this mill came into the united possession of William Bonnell, Joseph H. Richard and Thomas Brown, all practical iron workers. The concern of Brown, Bonnell & Company, was then founded, and from a mill which had a total capacity of but seven tons of product a day to the present plant, which is one of the largest iron manufacturing plants in the world, the progress has been continu- ous. The business was not incorporated until 1875, at which time the late Henry O. Bonnell was president, and William Scott Bonnell was treasurer. William Bonnell had lived to see the accomplishment of his great purpose, the building up, in a large degree through his own efforts, of a great industry which opened ave- nues of prosperity for his chosen place of resi- dence and brought peace and plenty into the homes of thousands of workingmen. Through all his great successes he never lost sight of the steps by which he had arisen nor forgot the friends of his early days. His death took place May 25, 1875.

On September 18. 1834, William Bonnell was married to Sarah A. Scott, a daughter of George and Sarah ( Hutchison) Scott, all of England. Eight children were born of this marriage, as follows: Sarah Jane, widow of G. H. McElvey, of Youngstown; Eliza A., widow of J. H. Bushnell : Henry O., born in England, who died . January 16, 1893: Wil- liam Scott, president of the Mahoning Na- tional Bank, and at the head of numberless other important enterprises, of whom a sketch may be found in this work; Caroline H., wife of John C. Wick, vice-president of the Dollar

Savings & Trust Company, at Youngstown, of whom also a sketch appears in this volume; Mary, who died at the age of three years ; Elizabeth, wife of Myron C. Wick ( see sketch) ; and Martyn, who is a large manufac- turer at Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Bonnell died in 1898. She was a lady of beautiful charac- ter, one in whom husband and children found devotion, affection and virtuous example. Both Mr. Bonnell and wife were consistent members of the First Presbyterian Church for many years, Mr. Bonnell serving as an elder.

ILLIAM TRAUT, proprietor of the Crab Creek Distillery Company, wholesale and retail dealers of liquors, of Youngstown, Ohio, was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, in 1857.

Mr. Traut was reared on a farm in Colum- biana County, and attended school until about 15 years of age, when he went to Pittsburg. Pennsylvania, and having already learned the tanning trade, he engaged there in that busi- ness, for about one year. Later he learned the , distillery business, on the Monongahela River. In 1896, he came to Youngstown and built the Crab Creek distillery, which he later sold, and is now a wholesale and retail dealer in liquors.

Mr. Traut was married in 1894 to Anna Miller of Allegheny, Pennsylvania. They have one son, William Traut, Jr. Mr. Traut is a member of the Elks, Eagles, Knights of Pythias, and is past master of the Stuckrath Lodge, No. 430, F. & A. M., of Allegheny. Pennsylvania.

D UNCAN LIVINGSTONE .* associate partner with Ezra C. Welsh in the firm of Wire, Welsh & Company, the largest distillers in Springfield town- ship or adjacent to it, with an im- mense plant at New Middletown, is one of Ma- honing County's popular citizens and success-

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ful men. He was born August 7, 1864, at Powers, at the foot of Loveland Hill, in Youngstown, Mahoning County, Ohio, and is a son of Andrew and Agnes (Calderhead) Livingstone.

Mr. Livingstone is of Scotch ancestry and parentage. His grandfather Duncan Living- stone, a mining contractor in Scotland, never came to America. In his native land he mar- ried Jane Claxton, and they had the following children: James, who came to Mahoning County but subsequently moved to Iowa ; Rob- ert. deceased; John, who resided for a time at Youngstown, and subsequently returned to Scotland; Duncan, who died in Scotland; An- drew, the father of the present Duncan Living- stone: Archibald, who is a civil and mining engineer, residing in Scotland; Mrs. Jane Hamilton, who died in Scotland; Agnes, who married William Hardy, residing in White County, Tennessee; Mrs. Margaret Currier, residing in Ireland; and several children who died when young.

Andrew Livingstone, father of Duncan, was born January 8, 1840, in Airdrie, Scot- land, and when young accompanied his parents to Armadale. Linlithgow, Scotland. In his native land he learned and followed the trade of miner. In Linlithgow, June 19, 1863, he was married to Agnes Calderhead. She was born about one mile from Glasgow, Scotland, February 8, 1845, and is a daughter of John and Agnes ( Bishop) Calderhead, farming peo- ple, who took up their residence in Linlithgow when she was young. She was one of the fol- lowing children: James, residing in Colorado; Thomas, also residing in Colorado; John, re- siding in Arkansas; Agnes, Mrs. Livingstone; Barbara, residing still in Armadale, Scotland, who married, first, a Mr. Morton and, second, a Mr. Forsythe.

In May, 1864, Andrew Livingstone came to this country, with his family and found em- ployment at the old Power coal mine in Ma- honing County, Ohio. In the fall of 1869, he settled in Springfield township, midway be- tween New Middletown and Petersburg, where

he continued to work at mining until June 24, 1882, when he was accidentally shot by a nephew, who had been out hunting with his son. He and his wife had nine children, namely : Duncan, subject of this sketch; Agnes, who married Ezra C. Welsh; John C., born Decem- ber 15, 1867; Jane, born August 22, 1869, who died September 9, 1870; Barbara, born April 7, 1871, who married Levi Witzerman, resid- ing in Medina County ; Robert, born December 9, 1872, residing at Alberta, Canada; James, born November 21, 1874, residing at Leth- bridge, Alberta, Canada; Jane, born June 2, 1876, who married Rev. John Wesley Miller, residing at West Alexander, Ohio; and Mar- garet, born January 16, 1879, who married Curtis Wekker, residing at New Castle, Penn- sylvania.

Duncan Livingstone was reared in Spring- field township and educated in the public schools for a short time attending a private school at Petersburg. He remained on the home place and worked at mining until 1890, when he went to Tennessee, where he secured a position as mine foreman, and it was while performing the duties of that position that he was appointed, in 1891, by President Harri- son, a storekeeper and gauger for the 18th District of Ohio, which position he continued to fill until March 15, 1894. On May 1, 1894, Mr. Livingstone became a partner with Wire, Welsh & Company, distillers, of which con- cern he is a joint owner, with his brother-in- law, Ezra C. Welsh.

Mr. Livingstone married Elsie L. Knesal, who was born March 10, 1870, at Petersburg, and is a daughter of John G. and Henrietta (Whitmyre) Knesal. They have one son, Duncan W., who was born at the family home in New Middletown. Mr. and Mrs. Living- stone are still members of the Methodist Epis- copal Church at Petersburg. In political senti- ment, Mr. Livingstone is a Republican. Fra- ternally he is connected with Starlight Lodge, No. 224, Knights of Pythias, at Petersburg; Allen Lodge, No. 276, F. & A. M. at Colum- biana, and the Eagles, at Palestine.

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Century history of Youngstown and Mahoning County, Ohio, and representative citizens, 20th, Part 127

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1074

Author: Sanderson, Thomas W., comp
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1074