USA > Ohio > Williams County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 2
USA > Ohio > Fulton County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 2
USA > Ohio > Henry County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 2
USA > Ohio > Defiance County > Commemorative biographical record of northwestern Ohio : including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams and Fulton, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 2
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A son, Nehemiah, the next in direct line of descent, was born at Middle- town, July 22, 1721, and died in Holland Patent, New York, March 11, 181I. He served for many years in the French and Indian wars of his time. He was married October 12, 1748, to Sarah Sill, who was born January 2, 1728,
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and died August 10, 1814. Thirteen children blessed this union, the third. Nehemiah, being the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He was born April 10, 1752, in Middletown, Connecticut, and was thrice married, first in 1777 to Cornelia Willis, who died November 28, 1781. On February 12, 1785, he married Lucy Starr, and at her death he married Widow Hannah (Burnham) Latimer. He took a leading part in the stirring events of his day, and at his death left what was then considered a large fortune. At the age of fourteen he entered the store of Matthew Talcot as a clerk, and remained until he attained his majority, when he engaged in trade with the West Indies, first as supercargo and later as captain and merchant. In 1776 Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut, appointed him paymaster of Colonel Burrell's regi- ment from the colony, and in May, 1777, General Greene appointed him deputy quartermaster-general for Connecticut. He was present at the siege of York- town and the surrender of Cornwallis, and possessed the warm esteem of General Washington, Governor Jonathan Trumbull and Alexander Hamilton, autograph letters from all of whom, expressing friendship and confidence, being now in the possession of the family. Many of his accounts while pay- master were audited by General Washington, and these have also been preserved by his descendants. He and Colonel David Humphreys, a relative of Judge Hubbard on the maternal side, held memberships countersigned by General Washington and General John Knox in the "Society of the Cincin- nati," composed of commissioned officers in the Colonial army. At the close of the Revolution he resumed his mercantile business, and later, from 1808 to 1822, was president of the Middletown Savings bank. He was active in local affairs, serving as treasurer and justice of the peace, and his memory is indis- solubly connected with the progress of the city of Middletown, one of his chief benefactions being the gift of the land for the Wesleyan College. As one of the original members of the Western Reserve Land Co., he became the owner of nearly eighteen thousand acres of land in this State, and the town of Hubbard, Ohio, was named in his honor. He died February 6, 1837.
By his marriage with Lucy Starr he had children, one of whom was a son, Richard, the Judge's grandfather, who was born March 27, 1792, and became a prominent resident of Middletown. In 1838 he was elected mayor of the city, and for many years he was president of the Middlesex Mutual Assurance Co. A graduate of Yale College, he was a man of fine culture, and, like all the family, he displayed much public spirit and liberality. On September 7, 1814, he married Mary Cone, who was born February 27, 1793, the daughter of Salmon and Mary Pinneo Cone, of Colchester, Connecticut. He died September 1, 1839, and her death occurred in Ashtabula, Ohio, in 1850.
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Their son, Edward Cone Hubbard, our subject's father, who was born September 27, 1824, eventually inherited the extensive tract of land in the Western Reserve, and in 1856 he removed to Ashtabula, where he made his home until his death, in 1892, at the age of sixty-nine years. His widow, Mrs. Sarah M. (Humphreys) Hubbard, who was born June 5, 1830, still resides at that place. She was a daughter of William and Maria Beach Hum- phreys, and a grandniece of Colonel David Humphreys, mentioned above, who served in the war as an aid on the staff of General Israel Putnam, and later on the staff of General Washington. A warm personal friendship was thus begun between him and Washington, which continued without inter- mission until the death of the latter. At the time Washington became Presi- dent, Colonel Humphreys, at his request, assumed the duties of Major-Domo of his official residence, and after his retirement passed months at a time at Mount Vernon, as the honored companion of his former chief.
He was also minister from this country at Madrid and Lisbon, and while acting in that capacity succeeded in bringing to this country one hundred of the finest Infantado Merino sheep, in spite of the penalty of death provided by the laws of Spain for the taking of a Merino out of that country. With the flock thus acquired, he became the first manufacturer of fine woolen cloths in this country, and Thomas Jefferson, at his inauguration as President, wore a suit made of broadcloth manufactured and presented to him by Colonel Humphreys. In the War of 1812 he became a general, and he was prominent in the settlement of Marietta, Ohio, where he owned a large tract of land. He married the Countess Walewski, in France, where he afterwards died. Her maternal grandfather, Captain John Beach, was a captain in a Connecticut regiment in the same struggle, and the silver-mounted sword that he carried is a treasured heirloom in the family.
It will be seen that Judge Hubbard comes of ancestry with whom high purpose and courageous achievement was "bred in the bone." While his life has happily fallen in peaceful times, there has been no lack of opportunity for the exercise in the forum, and in the world of business, for the shrewdness and valor which won success for his forefathers in other fields. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut, April 15, 1850, but his education was begun in the public schools of Ashtabula. At the age of nine years he was placed under the care of a private tutor, Rev. James Bonner, D. D., a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, eminent for his scholastic attainments, and a well-known clergyman of the Episcopal Church. For seven years he remained under this gentleman's instruction, acquiring a thorough knowledge of Latin and other branches. At the age of nineteen he accepted a position
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as civil engineer in the construction of certain railroads in Missouri and Kansas, and while thus employed he began the study of law. Having fully decided to make the legal profession his life work, he returned to Ashtabula in 1870, and continued his studies while holding a position as bookkeeper and paymaster for contractors who were engaged in building railroads in Ohio. In 1871 he was admitted to the Bar at Columbus, Ohio, on motion before the Supreme court, and soon afterward he began to practice his pro- fession at Ashtabula. In 1873 he was admitted to practice in the United States District and Circuit courts for the northern district of Ohio, and later, on motion of Senator Edmunds, was admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court.
A pleasing incident, credible to both parties concerned, is connected with this event. It seems that Senator Edmunds made it a rule never to make a motion of that kind unless he knew positively that the applicant was thoroughly qualified, and he took a most ingenious way to test the fitness of Mr. Hubbard, with whom he was acquainted socially. While chatting one day the Senator began to look up some records, and would frequently ask his young friend's opinions, which were given, of course, with great freedom, and with no thought of any momentous issue depending upon their accuracy. This unique method of examination proved very satisfactory, and on parting the Senator requested Mr. Hubbard to be present at the next session of the Supreme court, offering to move for his admission.
Judge Hubbard attained a high standing among the legal fraternity at Ashtabula, and he remained there until February, 1881, when he removed to Napoleon, Ohio, where his abilities were likewise appreciated. In 1885 he located at Defiance, forming a partnership with Hon. W. D. Hill, then a member of Congress. This continued until 1891, when Mr. Hill moved to the West, and in 1893 Mr. Hubbard took another partner, J. H. Hockman, under the firm name of Hubbard and Hockman. This lasted until the fall of 1896, when Mr. Hubbard was elected Judge of the Court of Common Pleas.
The Judge is a close student, keeping well abreast of the times, a strong and accurate logician, and a thoroughly reliable counsellor. As a trial lawyer he is considered one of the ablest in northwestern Ohio, the fact being especially worthy of note that he never lost a case among all that he argued before the State Supreme Court. He accepted the position of city solicitor of Defiance for two terms, and has had some very important cases for the city. One of them, The Wabash Railroad Co. vs. The City of Defiance, lately decided in favor of the latter by the Supreme Court of the United States, is now the leading case in this country, on the subject of municipal control of
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the occupation and crossing of streets by railroads. Another, involving the validity of city bonds to the amount of ninety thousand dollars, is now pend- ing in the United States Circuit Court, and is the only case in which he is still acting as counsel. In this case many new questions of great importance are to be determined. His course upon the Bench has demonstrated his eminent ability and impartiality as a judge, and scarcely any of his decisions have been reversed by the higher courts. Outspoken, fearless, strictly hon- orable in his dealings, the Judge holds the admiration and respect of all classes in the community, while his genial manners and sterling qualities of character quickly transform acquaintances into fast friends.
The Judge has always taken an active interest in politics, and at the age of nineteen began to defend the principles of the Democratic party from the rostrum. Since that time, each campaign has found him among the leading champions of that cause upon the "stump."
In 1881, Judge Hubbard was united in marriage with Miss Mary Moore, daughter of Rev. Dr. Moore, an Episcopal minister formerly of Balti- more, Maryland, and later of Ohio. Under the administration of the late Bishops McIlvaine and Bedell, he was one of the examining chaplains of the Diocese of Ohio, and also presiding judge of the Ecclesiastical court.
The Judge and his wife have three children: Lucy M., Edward M. and Nannie C., aged respectively (1898) fifteen, fourteen and eleven years.
WILLIAM C. HOLGATE.
For many years Mr. Holgate, our subject, was a leading citizen of this section, and this volume would not be complete without an account of his effective work in developing the varied activities which mark a civilized community of the highest type. To his energy, foresight, and public spirit many beneficial enterprises owed their success, and his career demonstrated that a man may gain a commanding place in business circles through methods which bring lasting good to the people at large.
Mr. Holgate was of English descent on the paternal side, and the first ancestor of whom we have record was Dr. Holgate, a surgeon in the British army, who came to America in Colonial times, and died while in the service, his remains being buried at sea between Boston and Halifax. Dr. Hol- gate had but one son, Asa, our subject's grandfather, who served as a private in the British army during the French and Indian wars, and after- ward settled near Brattleboro, Vermont, where he married a daughter of Captain Kathan, a Scotchman, who owned lands for nine miles along the
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Connecticut river in that locality. Curtis Holgate, the father of our sub- ject, was born at Dummerston, Vermont, August 28, 1773, the youngest in a large family of children. As the real estate which he might have hoped to inherit became lost to the family, he started in business life without capital, but through industry and economy he managed to save from his earnings the sum of fifteen hundred dollars by the time he was thirty-six years old. In the meantime his first wife died, and he married Miss Alvira Prentice, the daughter of a physician in northern Vermont, and soon afterward he located at Burlington, in the same State.
There he invested his funds in the construction of extensive wharves and docks, his enterprise gaining for him the title of "the Napoleon of Burlington." His docks were completed just before the war of 1812, and were of great service to Commodore McDonough when he fitted out his forces for the battle of Plattsburg. During this war Mr. Holgate, with others, prepared and manned a gunboat which repulsed a British vessel that had cannonaded the city, doing special damage to Mr. Holgate's house. At the close of the war he sold his docks for twenty-two thousand dollars and removed to a farm two miles south of Burlington, his real- estate holdings including at that time about eight hundred acres, a portion of which was on the other side of the lake. He laid out the town of Port Douglas, where he built a wharf, warehouse, hotel, store, and sawmill, and he also purchased six or eight vessels for lake traffic. After a year he sold Port Douglas to a steamboat company, receiving all his expendi- tures, with six per cent interest, and later he disposed of his other property in the vicinity and arranged to move to the West. The journey was made in one of his own boats by way of the Northern canal, and he stopped at Troy, New York, to procure a stock of general merchandise. He then proceeded by way of the Erie canal to Salina, New York, now a part of the city of Syracuse, where he spent one year conducting a store and two salt works purchased soon after his arrival. His children being of an age to require better educational facilities than the locality afforded, he removed to Utica, New York, for a time, but in 1835 he came to Ohio and located at Defiance. He was almost the first man to bring any capital to the town, and with characteristic enterprise he engaged in real-estate operations, purchasing one half of the site of Defiance and one third of the site of Napoleon. In 1836 he removed to Buffalo, New York, but in the fall of 1837 he returned to Defiance, where his death occurred January 15, 1840. He was a man of strict moral principles, and in every walk of life was gov- erned by a high sense of honor, his sterling qualities of character winning for him the esteem of all who knew him.
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The subject of our sketch was born November 23, 1814, at Burlington, Vermont, and in 1835 was graduated from Hamilton College, near Syra- cuse, New York, that institution six years later conferring upon him the additional degree of A. M. He studied law with William Crafts, of Utica, New York, and Horace Sessions, of Defiance, being admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1838. His abilities commanded success from the start, and, while he served for some time as clerk of the court and as prosecuting attorney, his most notable professional achievements were in the line of general practice. In 1844 he was chosen to present a petition to the Legislature for the separation and organization of Defiance county, and during the following winter he went to Columbus, where he succeeded in securing the enactment desired, notwithstanding strenuous opposition from the enemies of the measure.
On his return to Defiance he received a royal reception from the citi- zens, who fully appreciated his efforts in their behalf. He was instrumental in securing for his town the Wabash & Pacific railroad and the Baltimore & Ohio railroad on lines surveyed and laid out by himself and others, and for some time he served as a director in the latter. The town of Holgate was named for him by the citizens in recognition of his efforts in securing that railroad for the place. He was the prime mover in the organization of the Defiance County Agricultural Society, and for years he took upon himself all the business cares of the society, while for many years previous to his death he was president of the Merchants National Bank, and of the Defi- ance Manufacturing Company. His energy and determination were irre- sistible when applied to the prosecution of a definite plan, all his enterprises proving successful, and his dealings characterized by unwavering integrity. He accumulated a large fortune, and at his death, which occurred August 13, 1888, he left an estate valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
As a citizen Mr. Holgate took much interest in public questions, being first a Whig and later a Republican; in religious faith he was a Presby- terian, the church at Defiance receiving from him substantial support. In 1850 he was married to Miss Mary Hoelrich, who died June 6, 1864. He had two children: W. Curtis Holgate, born November 29, 1854, and Miss Fannie Maude Holgate, born October 2, 1856.
W. CURTIS HOLGATE on September 14, 1876, was married to Flor- ence Gleason, and to them were born two children-William C., July 19, 1877, and Robert Gleason, October 1, 1880. Mr. Holgate followed farm- ing, also was interested in the breeding of fine trotting horses, and was an eminently honored and respected citizen. He spent much time in travel
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throughout the country. He died January 31, 1887. His widow, Mrs. Florence (Gleason) Holgate, was married May 16, 1893, to Elmer T. Clark, and now resides in Defiance.
HON. JOHN WASHINGTON WINN.
The man who achieves success in the legal profession is even more strictly the "architect of his own fortune" than is the average self-made busi- ness man, there being in the keen competitions of the lawyer's life, with its constantly recurring mental duel between eager and determined antagonists, no chance for the operation of the influences which may be called to the aid of the merchant, the manufacturer or the financier.
Among the men of this section who have demonstrated their abilities in that difficult field, the Hon. J. W. Winn, of Defiance, holds a leading place, and his history affords an interesting example of ambition rightly directed and pursued with a zeal which overcame all obstacles. He was born March 4, 1855, near Norwich, Muskingum county, Ohio, but since the age of nine he has had his home in Defiance county, and his interests have always been identified with this locality even when he has been called to duty in a wider sphere. His father, Elisha Winn, was also a native of Muskingum county, and fol- lowed agricultural pursuits there for some years in early manhood, but in 1857 he and his wife, Huldah E. (Chapman), removed with their family to Vinton county, Ohio, and from there came to Defiance county, arriving on New Year's day, 1865. They located first in Milford township, and in 1871 moved to Washington township; but since 1891 the father has lived at Hicksville, Ohio, having retired from active business.
Mr. Winn's elementary education was acquired in the schools near his father's home, and when sufficiently advanced in his studies he entered the academy at William's Center, Williams county, Ohio. On leaving this insti- tution he taught school for several years, and while thus engaged began the study of law, in 1878, with Hardy & Johnston, of Defiance. After two years of preparatory work he took the senior course in the Cincinnati Law School, and was admitted to the Bar April 5, 1881, but for a year con- tinued to teach at Farmers Center and Brunersburg. His professional career was begun in April, 1882, when he established himself at Defiance, and, in partnership with K. V. Haymaker, speedily secured a fine practice. As an advocate he has won some notable victories, and he is regarded as one of the best trial lawyers in this part of the State.
In 1881 Mr. Winn became an active worker in the Democratic party in
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his locality, and since that time he has been a potent influence in shaping its policy, both as a member of the county central and executive committees and as delegate to numerous State and district conventions. In 1884 he was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney, and so ably did he discharge its duties that he was again elected in 1887, receiving the regular nomination of his own party and an endorsement by the People's party. His term expired in January, 1891, and in June of that year he was nominated by the Democratic convention as a candidate for the State Legislature. He was elected, served two years, and was re-elected in 1893, his talents winning for him recognition as a leader there as in the local work. During his last term he received the complimentary vote of the Democratic members, then in the minority, for speaker of the House of Representatives, which was a formal acknowledgment of his leadership.
Since his retirement from the Legislature, Mr. Winn has devoted his attention to his practice, but men of his character and ability are not soon forgotten by the public when once known. He has been prominently men- tioned as a candidate for Congress, and in 1897 was discussed in all the papers of the State as an available man for governor; but he declined to be con- sidered as in the race for either position.
A few years ago Mr. Winn became the owner of what is known as the "Gorman Homestead," one of the most beautiful and pleasant suburban homes in Defiance, at No. 1005 Jefferson street, where he now resides, surrounded by everything necessary to make life pleasant. He was married in Defiance, September 4, 1881, to Miss Lotta M. Yeagley, daughter of William Yeagley, a well-known resident of Farmers Center. They have four children, viz. : Mabel M., born December 13, 1883; Claude R., born April 2, 1885; Lotta B., born March 6, 1889; and John W. Winn, junior, born July 24, 1898.
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As a citizen, Mr. Winn enjoys the esteem of all classes. Socially he is active and prominent, and in 1885 he became a member of the Masonic fraternity, in which he has taken great interest. In 1886 he united with the Knights of Pythias, and has held every office in the grand lodge, serving as grand chancellor from May, 1897, to May, 1898.
ADAM WILHELM.
This well-known business man of Defiance, although now past the allotted limit of three-score and ten years, is still vigorous and alert, and is active in the management of his large estate, and also in public affairs, in which he wields wide influence.
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Like many of our leading citizens, he is of German birth, having been born June 23, 1823, at the village of Oberkerchan (Upper Church), near St. Wendel and Kuzell, in northern Prussia. His father, Jacob Wil- helm, a farmer, came to the United States in 1835, with his wife, Atilla Smith, and their family of children. They first located at Bethlehem, Stark county, Ohio, where the father and the older sons were employed in the mines for two years. The family then spent one year at Bolivar, Stark county, and three years in Tuscarawas county, near Canal Dover. At the latter place all suffered extremely from fever and ague, even the dogs being afflicted, one falling away to "skin and bone" from the effects of the disease. The bills for medical attendance amounted to fifteen hundred dollars, and on one visit the doctor told our subject, then a lad of twelve, to tell his parents to move to another climate, as there were not enough drugs in his drug store to cure them. About this time an Indian woman came to see his mother, who was then sick in bed as a result of her protracted suffer- ings, and told her to take pure pepper, grind it, and take a spoonful in vinegar or whisky. This simple remedy was tried and proved effective, two or three doses all around banishing the ague forever from the house- hold.
In 1840 the family moved to Brunersburg, Defiance county, and in the same year our subject bought a farm in Marion township, Henry county, where both his parents breathed their last, the mother in 1844, and the father in 1876. When the family first settled there their only neighbors were Indians, who were most amiable and friendly, doing them many favors, even bringing occasionally a pail of wild honey or a saddle of veni- son. The father was an old-fashioned Democrat, and in religious faith was a devout Catholic, his remains being laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at New Bavaria.
As Adam Wilhelm was about twelve years old when he came to this country, he had already had some education in the schools of his native land. He attended school in Tuscarawas county while living there, and for two years he and a little girl from a neighboring family, named Hughes, rode three miles to school on a mule. In the fall of 1840 he took a position as clerk for Sidney & Sprague at Defiance, and six months later he was asked to take charge of a toll bridge which had just been built by Mr. Sprague and others. The offer was made by the other members of the company, but Mr. Sprague objected strongly, saying that Mr. Wilhelm was the best clerk he had and he could not spare him. However, his partners overcame his unwillingness and Mr. Wilhelm took charge of the bridge, remaining
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