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 20
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 20
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 20
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 20
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52
DANIEL COLBORNE McTAGGART, M. D.
The medical fraternity of this section is noted for skill and learning, leadership therein not being easily obtained, and the subject of this sketch, a well-known physician of Bryan, may well take pride in his high stand- ing. Thorough preparation, united with fine natural gifts, assured his suc- cess from the start, even against able professional competitors, while his worth as a man and a citizen has contributed largely to the esteem in which he is held in the community.
Doctor McTaggart is of Scotch descent, and displays the best charac- teristics of that "canny" race. His ancestral home was at Tarbert, Argyle- shire (a small seaport not far from Glasgow, Scotland), at the mouth of the river Clyde, where the family has for several generations been connected with the fishing business. John McTaggart, his grandfather, was well ad- vanced in years when he decided to seek a new home in Canada, and in 1844 he set sail from Liverpool with his entire family except one daughter, who married Archibald McMillan and went to Australia. On landing at New York they immediately proceeded to Elgin county, Canada West (now Ontario), locating in the vicinity of St. Thomas. The region was then cov- ered with primitive forest, and the journey was made for many miles along a narrow trail through the woods; but the shrewd pioneer had faith in the future of the locality, and purchased a tract of six hundred and forty acres,
229
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
which he and his sons cleared and improved. He and his estimable wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Love, died there, and the remains of both were interred in the cemetery at St. Thomas.
Of the five sons, the eldest, Archibald, who was married in Scotland, took up government land near Port Bruce, in the same county, where he erected a sawmill, and he still (1898) resides there at the advanced age of ninety-four. John was married in Scotland, and made his home upon a part of his father's purchase. Duncan, who was also married in Scotland, located on a portion of the new homestead. Godfrey married in Scotland and his death occurred in Canada some years ago. Donald, our subject's father, located on the homestead, and thus the family was kept practically in one neighborhood. The descendants are now numerous in that local- ity, and the name is associated with a high order of citizenship.
The late Donald McTaggart was born in Scotland in 1814, and was educated for the ministry, the family being devout Presbyterians; but after seven years of study in a theological seminary he abandoned the idea, pre- ferring agricultural work at the new home. At the time of the removal to Canada he was about twenty-three years old and unmarried, and not long after his arrival he was married at the homestead to a Miss Esseltine. She died some years later, and he formed a second union, with Miss Sarah House, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Bacon) House, and a direct descend- ant of Lord Bacon, of England. By his first marriage there were two sons: John, who married Irene Stokes, and Isaac, who married Almeda Topping, both brothers being now residents of Springfield, Ontario. By the second union there were four children: Henry Alexander, who graduated at a medical college and engaged in practice at Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he died in the fall of 1877, at the early age of twenty-four, unmarried; Dan- iel C., our subject, who is mentioned more fully below; Mary, wife of Will- iam H. Healey, of Longwood, Florida, and Sarah M., who died at the age of four years. The mother of this family is still living, at the age of seventy- seven, and makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Healey.
The father died at the old homestead in Canada in 1891, aged sev- enty-seven, having resided there continuously for nearly fifty years. He was greatly respected in the community for his high character, and al- though he was never an office seeker he took an active and influential part in local affairs, and in the work of the Reform party, frequently serving as a delegate to county conventions. During his earlier years he was en- gaged in the lumber business, but later he devoted his attention to agri- culture. In religious faith he was at first a Presbyterian, having been reared
230
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
in that Church, but after his second marriage he united with the Methodist Church, of which he remained a devout member. His earnestness and zeal in the cause was shown in many ways, and for years he was in active service as a class leader and superintendent of the Sunday-school.
Doctor McTaggart was born July 19, 1856, and his boyhood was spent at the old home in Canada, his education being begun at Mapleton with Doctor Leonard Luton as his first teacher. Later he attended a gram- mar school at Springfield, Ontario, and when about eighteen years old he entered upon an apprenticeship with a brother in the carpenter and house building business. At the age of twenty-four he began the study of medicine at St. Thomas, his preceptor being Doctor Leonard Luton, under whom he had begun his elementary education years before in the schools of Mapleton, and who had later established a fine practice as a phy- sician. In the fall of 1885 our subject entered Pulte Medical College at Cin- cinnati, Ohio, and in 1887 he finished his course, being one of six students in a class of twenty-six to take special honors. On April I of the same year he located at Bryan, engaging in general practice, and he speedily built up a large and lucrative business. He is a prominent member of the Homeopathic Medical Society of Ohio, and at present holds the office of medical examiner of the Pulaski Council, National Union, and of Friendship Hive of the Knights and Ladies of the Maccabees, both at Bryan. In politics the Doctor is a stanch Republican, and although he does not aspire to official distinction his interest in educational affairs has led him to ac- cept a place on the board of education of his city. He and his family are identified with the Church of Christ at Bryan, and they are connected with the best social circles of the locality. Their home on the southeast corner of Main and Mulberry streets is a pleasant one, being both tasteful and commodious, and the Doctor occupies an elegant suite of offices there, con- sisting of three rooms on the ground floor.
On December 6, 1880, Doctor McTaggart was married at Mapleton, Ontario, Canada, to Miss Addie E. White, and the following children have blessed the union: Eva A., born September 6, 1881, who died June 27, 1896; Hazel S., born December 1I, 1885; Mildred, born March 10, 1889; and Kenneth White, born June 25, 1897. Mrs. McTaggart is a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Hull) White, prominent residents of Mapleton, Ontario, her father having been for a number of years a magistrate at that place. He was born near Stuttgart, Germany, and in early life engaged in business as an architect and builder, having been thoroughly trained for successful work in those lines. For a number of years he resided near To-
231
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
ronto, but since retiring from business he has made his home upon a farm at Mapleton. He and his estimable wife have reared a family of seven children: David, who married Miss Annie L. Linderderry, and resides at the homestead; Miss Carrie, who resides with her parents; Tillie, who mar- ried Doctor G. H. Gilbert, of Cleveland, Ohio, and has a son, Doctor F. G. Gilbert, also a practicing physician; William F., a successful physician at Marysville, Ohio; Annie, wife of Doctor I. B. Patterson, of Milford, In- diana; Addie E., wife of our subject; and Charles A., a practicing physician at Cleveland, Ohio.
HON. J. W. WILLIAMS, M. D.
This, the late assistant cashier of the Montpelier Banking & State Savings Co., was one of the most prominent, popular and influential citizens of Mont- pelier. His entire life, until his recent removal to California, was passed in Williams county, his birth occurring in Superior township, April 15, 1852. His father, Andrew S. Williams, who was killed in the war of the Rebellion, was one of the early settlers of the county, where he married Miss Mary Ann White, also a pioneer of Williams county, who is still living.
Upon the home farm in Superior township, Doctor Williams grew to manhood, acquiring his early education in the local schools, later attending the Normal School at Bryan. He began the study of medicine with Doctor P. O. Jump, of Bryan, and subsequently entered the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated in March, 1878, with the degree of M. D. On the Ist of the following April he opened an office in Bridgewater Center, Williams county, where he successfully en- gaged in practice until October, 1880, at that time locating in Montpelier, there following his chosen calling until April, 1893, when he accepted the position of assistant cashier of the Montpelier Banking & State Savings Co.
Doctor Williams was married in Montpelier, May 28, 1878, to Miss Emma Starr, who was born in Superior township, Williams county, her parents, Richard and Mary A. Starr, being early settlers of that locality. To the Doctor and his wife were born four children, three of whom died in infancy, the survivor being Richard Paul.
As a stanch Republican, Doctor Williams has taken considerable interest in political affairs, and by his party was elected to the Ohio Legislature, where he served with distinction for one term, refusing a re-election at the end of that time. In June, 1893, he was appointed a member of the examining board of pension surgeons, in which capacity he served some time, and he has also
232
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
been a member of the school board for six years, being president of the same for five years. For one term he filled the office of coroner of Williams county. Socially the Doctor affiliates with Montpelier Lodge, No. 745, I. O. O. F .; Montpelier Lodge, No. 547, F. & A. M .; Northwest Chapter, No. 45, R. A. M., of Bryan, and the Order of the Eastern Star. He is an active and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Montpelier, having contributed liberally toward the erection of the church edifice, and his public as well as his private life is above reproach. He is emphatically a man of enterprise, positive character, indomitable energy, strict integrity, and liberal views, and is thoroughly identified in feeling with the growth and prosperity of his native county. Dr. Williams is now in Los Angeles, California, hav- ing gone there for the benefit of his health.
ADAM HALL.
This gentleman, who is the efficient and popular superintendent of the Defiance County Children's Home, located in Tiffin township, was born in that township March 14, 1841.
Jacob Hall, father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania January 15, 1803, and in 1822 married Susannah Coy, who was born July 2, 1805, in Greene county, Ohio, in the fall of 1831. They came to Williams (now De- fiance) county, settling in Section 15, Tiffin township, where both died, the father on April 6, 1851, the mother on October 23, 1870. To them were born ten children-eight sons and two daughters-Adam being the eighth in order of birth.
The subject of this sketch, as will be seen, was ten years old at the time of his father's death, and he remained upon the home farm with his mother, aiding in the labors of the fields, until he attained his eighteenth year. He then started out to make his own way in the world, but continued to live with his mother until he entered the Union army during the Civil war, enlist- ing February 8, 1864, in Company E, Fourteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry (a veteran regiment). In May of that year he was placed on detached duty at the headquarters of the Third Brigade, Third Division, Fourteenth Army Corps, and remained in the service until hostilities ceased.
After his return from the war Mr. Hall engaged in carpentering in Tiffin township for about two years, and during the following two years and a half was in the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Co., at Stryker, Ohio. In the latter part of November, 1870, he returned to Tiffin township, where he again worked at the carpenter's trade for about
Elizabeth Hall Adam Hall
235
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
six years, and then turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of a good forty-acre farm in that township, which he has improved and placed under a high state of cultivation.
On September 14, 1865, in Tiffin township, Mr. Hall was married, by Houston Russell, J. P., to Miss Elizabeth Dieden, who was born there January 24, 1847, a daughter of Jacob and Hannah ( Clark) Dieden, honored pioneer settlers of Tiffin township, having come to Williams (now Defiance) county in 1843. The father was born in Bavaria, Germany, and died April 16, 1872; the mother was born in Virginia January 24, 1807, and died July 6, 1889. They had a family of five children-one son and four daughters-Mrs. Hall being the fourth child. Her grandparents on the father's side were born in Ebenburg, Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, and died there, the grandfather when seventy-two years old. Mrs. Hall's maternal grandparents were born in Virginia, whence they moved to Hocking county, Ohio; the grandmother died at the age of forty years, the grandfather at the advanced age of ninety- two years. To our subject and his wife have been born six children, as fol- lows : Henry H., married to Florence E. Balser ; Otto A., married to Hannah Greitman; Ernest A., married to Amanda Amsberger; Jennie M .; Western M .; and Roy B.
On September 4, 1895, Mr. Hall assumed the duties of superintendent of the Defiance County Children's Home, and is now filling that responsible position for the fourth year. The grounds include twenty-two acres in Tiffin township, and the Home will accommodate forty children. Mr. and Mrs. Hall appear to be the right people in the right place; everything about the Home is kept in the best of order, and neatness prevails everywhere; indeed, the affairs of the institution were never more capably managed than under their able guidance. They are sincere and earnest Christian people, active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Hall is serving as trustee. Socially, he affiliates with Evansport Lodge, No. 489, I. O. O. F .; and with Bishop Post, No. 22, G. A. R. He takes a commendable interest in the welfare of his township and county, and has acceptably served as assessor in Tiffin township for three successive terms.
JOHN ALBERT DEINDOERFER.
Mr. Deindoerfer, who is editor and proprietor of the German weekly, "Der Defiance Herold," published at Defiance, is one of the leading citi- zens of this section. He was born August 8, 1861, at Waucoma, Iowa, and, his ancestors on both sides being people of culture, it is not strange that
236
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
he should thus early have distinguished himself in a field which demands intellectual ability.
Rev. Johannes Deindoerfer, father of our subject, and a native of Ba- varia, was prepared for the Lutheran ministry in the Fatherland, graduating in theology at Nuremberg, and being ordained at Hamburg just before em- barking for America. In 1851 he came to the United States, locating in the vicinity of Saginaw, Michigan, where he was ordained and placed in charge of a newly organized congregation. While there he became asso- ciated with other Lutheran divines in the organization of the Lutheran Synod of Iowa, comprising a union of work-forces of the denomination in various States. He organized a colony of Lutherans at St. Sebald, Iowa, in 1853, and spent four years as pastor at Madison, Wisconsin. Later he was located at Waucoma, Iowa, and left that village in 1865 to take charge of St. John's Lutheran Church at Toledo, Ohio, corner of Erie and Harri- son streets.
There he remained until 1870, when he accepted a call to St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Defiance, which had just been newly organized. Here he found full scope for his ability as a practical and energetic manager of Church enterprises. Under his direction the brick edifice at the corner of Clinton and Arabella streets was erected in 1872, at a cost of about ten thousand dollars, and later the parsonage adjoining was built. He remained there until 1889, when he removed to Blissfield, Michigan, and four months later he went to Ripon, Wisconsin, his last charge. On retiring from the active work of the ministry, in 1893, he located permanently at Waverly, Bremer county, Iowa, where he now conducts the "Kirchen-Blatt," the official organ of the Lutheran Synod of Iowa and other States. Until 1893 he was vice-president of the Synod, and from 1873 to 1889 president of the Easterly District. In 1893 he was elected president of the Synod, which office he still holds, having been re-elected in 1896. He has always been considered one of the most earnest and conscientious ministers connected with that Synod, and he is also widely known and quoted as an authority on Church affairs. He is possessed of a most generous and kindly nature, any form of suffering or trouble finding in him a ready and practical sym- pathy, and he holds the esteem and affection of every congregation over which he has presided.
In 1852 he was united in marriage at Frankenhilf, Michigan, with Miss Katharina Weege, a native of Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, who came to America with her father, Heinrich Weege, a school teacher. To Johannes and Katharina Deindoerfer nine children were born, viz .: A still-born
237
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
son; Christina; Henry and Anna (twins), of whom the former died in 1884 at the age of twenty-five; John Albert; Godfrey Carl; Maria Anna; Carl, who died when one year old; and Lena.
The subject of this biography was carefully educated, being prepared for college under his father's direct instruction. He attended the parochial schools at Toledo and Defiance until 1874, when he began a course of pri- vate study in Latin and Greek with his father. Thus prepared, he in Sep- tember, 1876, entered Wartburg College, at Mendota, Illinois, which is conducted under the auspices of the Lutheran Synod of Iowa, and com- pleted the course there, graduating in June, 1879. In the following Sep- tember he began a course in theology at Wartburg Seminary, but in May, 1880, he was compelled to abandon his studies on account of ill health. The summer of that year he spent at Strawberry Point, Iowa, his health being much benefited by the change.
His brother, Henry J. Deindoerfer, founded "Der Defiance Herold" in 1881, with our subject as editor, the first number being issued on May 4. of that year. During the Bookwalter campaign in the fall of 1881, the two brothers disagreed as to the policy of the paper, our subject siding with Bookwalter, and this resulted in the transfer of the plant to White & Mains, in the spring of 1882, J. A. Deindoerfer being retained by them as editor. On March 28, 1886, he purchased the "Herold" for three thousand dollars, the actual value of the outfit, aside from the good will and the subscription list, being about five hundred dollars. He had only one hundred dollars cash capital; but, possessing plenty of pluck and confidence in himself and his friends, he went to work energetically, making improvements in the plant, putting in a new press and other machinery, all operated by electri- city, and enlarging the paper, adding new and attractive features. Under this enterprising management the paper has prospered as never before, the subscription list increasing gradually from seven hundred to one thousand five hundred. The "Herold" is a seven-column quarto, and being the only German paper in Defiance county it may be classed among the most desir- able journalistic properties in that section. Until 1894 Mr. Deindoerfer occupied rooms on the upper floor of the Dolke building, No. 210 Clinton street, but as his increasing business demanded better facilities he bought a lot at No. 510 Court street, and built a brick structure at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars for the accommodation of his plant. There are also two store rooms eighteen by thirty-six feet; one of these rooms on the ground floor is rented to the city for a public library, the other is used as the editorial room. While Hon. Elmer White was serving in the State
238
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Senate, Mr. Deindoerfer acted as local editor of the "Defiance Democrat," and afterward took the post of secretary of the Democrat Printing Co. On the organization of the Defiance Box Co., in 1892, he became a stock- holder in that enterprise, with which he is still connected. His executive ability and excellent practical judgment make him a valued worker in any business undertaking.
Mr. Deindoerfer is a Democrat in politics. In the fall of 1882, during the Hill-Brigham campaign, he took an active part for the first time as a public speaker, and since that date has been an ardent worker in every campaign. In 1890 he was elected county auditor, and served in that ca- pacity from September, 1891, to October, 1894. On April 4, 1898, he was elected mayor of the city of Defiance, on the Democratic ticket. He is a man of fine presence, and genial, generous spirit, attracting and holding the esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. As a public speaker he is among the best in this section. Socially, he is a member of the German Aid Society and the Ben Hur Lodge. He has an elegant home, built by himself in 1891, at No. 623 Jefferson street.
On April 27, 1882, Mr. Deindoerfer was married at Blissfield, Michi- gan, to Miss Lizzie H. Blackmore, of Aurora, Illinois, daughter of James H. and Jane Blackmore. Her father was superintendent of the Frazier Wagon Company's works at Aurora, and a highly respected citizen. Five children have blessed this union: Helen May, born May 14, 1886; John Albert, born November 17, 1888; William Robert, born February 5, 1891, and died March 15, of the same year; Charles William, born March 7, 1893; and Lillie, born October 14, 1897.
GEORGE L. MARTIN.
Few men are more familiar with the history of pioneer life in Will- lams county than this gentleman, who has watched its progress and devel- opment from a very early day, and has ever borne his part in the work of advancement and improvement.
Born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, December 11, 1818, Mr. Martin is a son of James and Mary (Lasure) Martin. His mother was a daughter of Abram Lasure, of French descent, and Huguenot stock. The Martins were of Irish lineage. James Martin, who was born in 1781, was reared in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and in 1833 came to Williams county, Ohio, where he entered four hundred and eighty acres of land. He then re- turned to Pennsylvania, where he spent his remaining days, dying on the
239
COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
old homestead in 1862. His wife, who was born in 1784, died in 1874. Both were members of the Presbyterian Church. The father made farming his life work, and was the owner of a large property. He also conducted a hotel on his land near Darlington, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and this hostelry was a popular resort with the drovers and other travelers in that section of the country. His children were: Daniel, who died in Kansas; Hugh and John, who died in Darlington, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, Jesse and Milo, who died in childhood; George L., of this sketch; Eliza, who be- came the wife of J. Elder, and died in Illinois; Robert, who died in Wash- ington county, Pennsylvania; Mrs. Maria Akins, who died in Galilee, Beaver county, Pennsylvania; and James Powers Martin, who died at Darlington, Pennsylvania.
George L. Martin, our subject, was reared in Pennsylvania, and in 1843, soon after his marriage, came to Ohio, bringing with him one horse, which he traded for a yoke of cattle. He remained at Evansport until the following spring, when he removed to his father's land, having to cut a road three miles through to the property. He built a cabin, and when he was settled upon the place he found that he had only ninety-five cents re- maining; but he worked at improving his land, and also engaged at cabi- net making in order to earn a living until his farm became productive. He helped to build the first hotel at West Unity, also did carpentering else- where, and when he had no employment in that line he continued his farm- ing, and after two years began planting. He had to go for supplies to De- fiance, and often brought grain and other provisions up Bean creek in ca- noes to the point nearest his home, whence he would carry them on his back to his settlement. Indian trails served in place of roads, and Mr. Martin has aided in cutting various roads through the forest. Game of various kinds, including deer, supplied the settlers with meat, and many other such experiences served to impress on the settlers that they were on the frontier. Mr. Martin at one time owned and operated one hun- dred and sixty acres of land. Of this he afterward sold forty acres, but has since purchased another tract across the road from the old home place, and has altogether two hundred and fourteen acres, one hundred and sixty of which are under a high state of cultivation. There are good dwellings and barns upon each place, excellent wells and all the improvements and conveniences which are found upon a model farm. In addition to the raising of grain, Mr. Martin also raises considerable stock, and in his business undertak- ings is quite successful.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.