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 4
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 4
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 4
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 4
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tation Mr. Buffington dined with Mr. Chase the next day at his hotel; the trip and other political matters were discussed, but neither gentleman suf- fered from the previous day's exposure.
In 1857 Mr. Buffington was married to Harriet C. Piper, of Clifton Springs, New York, and they have three children: (1) Florence M., who married J. D. Lamb, an attorney at Defiance, and has two daughters and one son; (2) Mary Alice; and (3) Carie Edna, at home.
During the war of the Rebellion Mr. Buffington was warmly loyal to the Union cause. He was secretary of the military committee of Defiance county through the entire war; was deputy. United States provost marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, and assisted largely in raising two com- panies of men for the One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry and one company for the Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He never applied for any compensation for his services, but after the war the government, through their bookkeeping and accounts, discovered that compensation was due him, and the amount was sent, though through no solicitation on his part. Mr. Buffington has been identified with the busi- ness interests of Defiance in different ways: was formerly a director of the Merchants' National Bank, and is a stockholder in the Turnbull Wagon Works. He resides on the northeast corner of Jefferson and Second streets, Defiance, in a spacious house built by himself in 1877-78. It is one of the most convenient and desirable residence sites in the city.
GEORGE WASHINGTON DEATRICK.
The State of Pennsylvania owes its high standing, among the sov- ereign commonwealths that make up the United States, to the high char- acter and dauntless spirit of the settlers who made their home within her borders in the early days. To their inspiration and work is due her won- derful progress in agriculture and manufacturing and the arts. They opened the mines and cleared away the forests, transforming the wilder- ness into fertile farms; they established churches and schools in the sav- age wilds; laying the foundations for the grand institutions of philanthropy and learning which are the glory of the State at the present day. Among these brave and far-sighted pioneers the hardy, industrious and frugal emi- grants from Germany were leaders, and their descendants have ever been prominent factors in developing and sustaining the varied activities which, combined in a harmonious whole, constitute our modern civilization.
The family to which the subject of this sketch belongs was represented
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in those early days of Pennsylvania's progress by Johann Nicholaus Diet- rich (as the name was then spelled). He was born May 15, 1727, in the village of Rigswieler, near Semmern, in the Pfalz Palatinate, Rhenish Prus- sia, and as a young man came to America in 1748, and entered a tract of seven hundred acres of land a short distance northeast of Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania. There he spent the remainder of his life in agri- cultural pursuits, his death occurring in 1813. He was married in 1752 to Margaretha Haberin, who died in 1797. Both were devout adherents of the Lutheran Church, and were greatly esteemed for their worth. They reared a family of seven sons and three daughters. The eldest son, Jacob, our subject's grandfather, was a soldier in the Revolutionary army. He and his wife lived at the old homestead, where both died, the former in 1801 and the latter a few years later.
They had two sons and seven daughters, the youngest child being our subject's father, John Jacob Nicholas Deatrick, who was born at the farm near Gettysburg, March 24, 1799. He learned the details of manu- facturing linen and woolen goods in his youth, and carried on that busi- ness during his active life, first at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and then for a time at Gettysburg, but in 1834 he moved with his family to Ohio and established a woolen-factory at Fredericksburg. In 1864 he retired from business. In 1868 he moved to Defiance, where his last days were spent. His wife, Elizabeth Boyer, to whom he was married March 25, 1823, died there in 1875, and he breathed his last on February 23, 1888, the remains of both being laid to rest side by side in the cemetery at De- fiance.
Thirteen children blessed their union, the names with the dates of birth being as follows: Elenora, February 21, 1824, married Henry C. Lytle, of Wayne county, Ohio; Maria, January 6, 1826, died in infancy; Anna Margaret Rebecca, December 29, 1827, married James S. Ward, now de- ceased, and resides at Plattsburg, Missouri; John Frederick, November 26, 1829, is the present mayor of Defiance; Jacob Nicholas, November 14, 1831, died in infancy; Mary Jane, November 11, 1832, married (first) Rev. J. D. Long, who died in India, while they were serving as missionaries, and (second) wedded Rev. John Lehman, who is residing upon a farm near Sydney, Shelby county, Ohio; Daniel William, September 15, 1835, died in infancy; George Washington, July 9, 1837, is mentioned more fully be- low; Sarah Louise, June 9, 1840, and Henry Harrison, October 7, 1842, died in infancy; Harriet Amelia, December 19, 1844, is a successful teacher at Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Charlotte Albertine, September 10, 1847, mar-
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ried John H. Bleistein, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, now deceased, and she at present makes her home at Defiance; Charles Henry, September 19, 1849, is a resident of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
G. W. Deatrick is a native of the Buckeye State, having first seen the light at Fredericksburg, where he grew to manhood, attending the public schools, and familiarizing himself with the details of his father's business through practical work in the factory. On July 31, 1862, he joined the brave "boys in blue" in the struggle for the preservation of the Union, enlisting in Company H, One Hundred Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a pri- vate. He served gallantly until the close of the war, and was mustered out June 30, 1865, with the rank of sergeant. On returning to the paths of peace he secured a position as bookkeeper at Defiance, and followed that occupation until he was appointed postmaster of Defiance by Presi- dent Grant, his commission being dated February 26, 1875. So efficient did he prove himself to be, and so thoroughly satisfied with his adminis- tration were the people of the place, that he was re-appointed by Presi- dent Hayes and again by President Arthur, making three full terms. He resigned, however, at the close of the eleventh year of service to give place to an appointee of President Cleveland. Mr. Dcatrick retired from office with honor, having won by his ability and fidelity the esteem and good will of his fellow citizens without regard to party. He resumed his former employment as bookkeeper and accountant, in which he is regarded as an expert, and at present he has charge of the books of the Defiance Machine Works.
On March 14, 1860, Mr. Deatrick was united in marriage with Miss Anna Mary Ober, a daughter of Henry C. and Barbara (Murphy) Ober, well-known residents of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Of the four chil- dren of this union, the youngest, Anna Laura, died in infancy; the others are: Harry L., born February 24, 1861, now a salesman in a clothing store in Toledo; Alice Pearl, born November 7. 1867, is the wife of Ernest WV. Ryder, of Chicago, Illinois; and William O., born June 8, 1869. Mr. Deatrick resides at No. 209 Waync street, Defiance, in a pleasant home purchased in 1868, and rebuilt in 1894 with modern conveniences.
Always a stanch Republican, Mr. Deatrick is one of the leading coun- selors of the party in his locality, and he also takes great interest as a loyal citizen in any movement which promises to benefit his community. For twenty years past he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church at Defiance. Socially, he is affiliated with Bishop Post No. 22, Department of Ohio, G. A. R .; Defiance Lodge No. 147 B. P. O. Elks; and with the several Masonic bodies of the city.
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HON. LAFAYETTE G. ELY.
In the western part of Franklin township, Fulton county, is the excellent farm and elegant home of the Hon. Lafayette G. Ely, a man well known throughout this county and northwestern Ohio, as a successful farmer, a thorough-going business man, a trusted public servant, and a man of strict integrity and moral worth.
All this is said of him by many persons whose acquaintance with Mr. Ely is of long standing. The father and mother of our subject were natives of Pennsylvania, but at the time of their marriage were residents of Morrow county, Ohio (then Knox county), and our subject was born in that part of Knox county which afterward became a part of Morrow county. In his father's family were eleven children, of these Lafayette Gilbert Ely was the eldest, he being born on the 3d day of April, 1834. Of these children but seven grew to manhood and womanhood. George Ely was the youngest of those that reached man's estate. He enlisted in the service of his country, was a non-commissioned officer in Company C, of the One Hundredth Ohio Infantry, and was killed at Atlanta, Georgia, during Sherman's memorable campaign.
George Ely, senior, the father of Lafayette G., was the son of Asher Ely, who was of the fifth generation from Joshua Ely, one of the Puritans of New Jersey, and who died at an advanced age in 1704. Asher Ely was born in New Jersey in 1788, and with his parents moved to Pennsylvania in 1795. He was a soldier in the war of 1812-15. In 1826 he moved to Knox county (now Morrow), Ohio, where George Ely was married, and where our subject was born. In the year 1835 the father, George Ely, and his wife, Elizabeth (Folck) Ely, and their first-born, Lafayette G., then one year old, became residents of Williams county, Ohio, and were among the very earliest pioneers of that locality. Mr. Ely (George) was prominent in the improvement and development of that county. He assisted in the organ- ization of Brady township, voting at the first election held therein; and to him belongs much of the credit of its early improvement and development. George Ely, at the age of seventy-eight years, died upon the farm that he hewed out of the wilderness, and a little later his wife followed, both being highly esteemed by all who knew them.
The life of Lafayette G. Ely, up to the age of twenty-three, was spent upon his father's farm, and in attending school. After he was eighteen he worked upon the farm during the farming season, and taught school in the
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ALITTLE.
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winters. The early education of this family was by no means neglected, and while their father was unable to provide each with a home, when they reached man's estate he saw to it that the means and ability of earning a home was furnished, in teaching them industry, frugality and economy. This is well shown in the life and success of our subject.
On the 12th day of November, 1857, Lafayette G. Ely was united in marriage with Sarah S. Masters, the eldest daughter of the Hon. Ezekiel Masters, of Franklin township, and in the same year this young couple, with little financial means, but full of hope and energy, became residents of that township.
From that time Mr. Ely has continually resided in Fulton county, and his association with its civil and political growth is so well known as to require but brief mention in these pages, and in the township of his residence there lives no man who does not enjoy his acquaintance. His beginning here was necessarily small, for his means were limited; but the visitor at his present home is at once struck, not only with the attractiveness of its surroundings, the large and comfortable dwelling and out-buildings, but with the evidence of thrift and prosperity that everywhere around him prevail.
His farm is known as one of the best and most productive of the county, and now consists of about two hundred acres. From his farm can be seen the home of his boyhood days. The noble and devoted wife of Mr. Ely shared with her husband in the toil and economy that made this comfortable home ; she bore him four children, all of whom are now living, and have married and settled within a few miles of their father's home. The family were two sons and two daughters, and upon their marriage they were each quite liberally provided for, in a financial way, by their father.
After a congenial and most pleasant married life of nearly thirty years, Mrs. Sarah Ely, the wife and mother, on the 16th day of May, 1885, answered the Master's call. She was a most loving and devoted wife and mother, an excellent neighbor, and a faithful worker in the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which from her childhood she was a member, and in the teachings of which she had carefully reared her children. For nearly two years Mr. Ely lived a widower. He was again married, on the 30th of December, 1886, this time to Mrs. Mary H. Wood, a most worthy lady and a prominent teacher in the schools of Fremont, Ohio.
Lafayette G. Ely has been a resident and successful farmer of Franklin township for upward of forty years, and while in the main he has been devoted to agricultural life, he has found time to participate in the events of the political world to some extent, and although he cannot be classed with the politician
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and office-seeker, he has taken deep interest in the civil and political welfare of his county and State. In the earlier days of his residence in the county he held several offices of his township. In 1859 he was elected justice of the peace, which office he filled for twelve successive years.
In 1871 he was elected auditor of his county, and twice re-elected, hold- ing this important and responsible office six years. Each renomination was by acclamation, and each re-election by increased majorities, the last being much the largest, which indicated his popularity as a public servant. During the six years that he was the fiscal officer of the county he maintained a tem- porary domicile, at the county seat, but other than this he has resided upon his farm. In 1891 Mr. Ely was elected Representative in the General Assembly of Ohio from his county, and re-elected in 1893, filling this position four years. During the four years he was a member of the Finance committee of the House, the most important and responsible committee of the Assembly. He also served upon various other committees. He was the author of a number of important bills, several of which were enacted into laws. He took special interest in all legislation pertaining to the agricultural interests of the State, so much so that in this particular he was recognized as one of the leaders.
Just prior to the election of Mr. Ely to the Legislature, he had served two years as a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and at the close of his term in the Legislature he was again elected a member of the State Board of Agriculture. He is serving his fifth year upon this board, and is now its vice-president. His term will expire in 1900.
From the time that Mr. Ely chose farming for his principal occupation he has always manifested a lively interest in agriculture, and for forty years he has been a member of the Agricultural Society of his county; and has been a member of the County Board of Agriculture for the past twenty years, is its president at this time and has been for fifteen successive years. He has always labored to elevate the standard of agriculture, and sought to instill into the minds of the farmers and their families a true and commendable pride and love for their occupation and calling, and to his earnest, faithful and conscientious endeavor in this direction may be ascribed no small share of credit for the high standard to which agricultural education and develop- ment have attained in Fulton county.
When about eighteen years of age Mr. Ely connected himself with the Methodist Episcopal Church, to the faith of which he has constantly adhered, although he is no strict sectarian, as his contributions to many worthy causes outside his own society will fully attest. All share his bounty, and enjoy the
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benefits of his liberality and generosity, no worthy charity ever appealing to him in vain. Mr. Ely has likewise always been a friend to the young people around him, and shown a deep interest in their education and welfare, and his library, one of the largest and most complete in the county, has always been open to the free use of his numerous warm friends among the young people.
Mr. Ely is one of those persons who feel strongly attached to their chil- dren, and he manifests a constant and deep interest in their financial, social and moral welfare, feeling himself, however, amply rewarded for all his labor of love in their behalf in the full consciousness and realization of their appre- ciation and return of love and obedience as shown in their lives and their close and constant attention to his welfare and happiness.
ANDREW JACKSON TRESSLER.
On May 30, 1892, there passed away at his home in Bryan a man whose share in the development of this section should never be forgotten, and it is most fitting that a record of his life and personality should be pre- served for future generations in this volume, which will doubtless be fre- quently consulted by historians in time to come. It is safe to say that no man did more than Mr. Tressler to promote the varied lines of enterprise which go to the making of a highly civilized community, and, while his financial and commercial operations were remarkable for extent and scope, he was also prominent in political life, and in all movements tending to the advancement of temperance, religion, and education.
Mr. Tressler was born October 26, 1818, in Canton, Stark county, Ohio, where his father, Jonathan Tressler, was engaged in business as a miller. In 1839 he came to Williams county, and after spending a year upon a farm settled, in 1840, in Bryan, where he continued to reside until his death. In 1841 he purchased some lots there, his shrewd judgment being shown in the investment, and he taught the first school in the town. About this time he studied law and was also engaged in editing "The Northwestern." He was a leading factor in the organization of the First National Bank, of which he was the first cashier, and from 1872 to 1892 he was its presi- dent. For some time he was interested in the dry-goods business, and during his last years he was the largest stockholder in the Bryan Plow Com- pany. His real-estate interests were extensive, his operations in West Unity and other localities being notably successful. In addition to these lines of work he was often called upon to administer estates, his integrity
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and practical sagacity making him a valued adviser. None who sought his counsel failed to find him a safe and reliable guide, and his death caused sincere mourning among many who were outside the immediate circle of his friends. In all things he showed himself to be a true leader, never following the beaten track unless his individual judgment approved, and to enumerate the enterprises in which he was engaged would be to name every movement of importance in his county during his residence there.
He held various political offices, including that of postmaster at Bryan, but later, on completing a second term as county treasurer, he refused to allow his name to be again presented as a candidate, a resolution which he adhered to in spite of frequent invitations to take a prominent place on the Republican ticket by his fellow workers in that party. In religious faith he was first a Methodist, but later he became a member of the Pres- byterian Church, and he was a generous contributor to various lines of philanthropical work.
Physically he was strong and athletic, being five feet eleven inches in height, and well proportioned, and his face, which was usually smooth shaven, was lighted by a pair of expressive dark eyes. His disposition was most genial, and a prominent characteristic was his passionate love for music, doubtless inherited from his German ancestry. His home life dis- played his best qualities, his hospitality making his residence the center for a refined and cultured circle of friends, while his family made an attractive and loving group. His death was caused by blood poisoning arising from an organic trouble of long standing, but his final illness only lasted three weeks, during which he directed his business from his sick bed, being con- scious to the end. He breathed his last on the morning of the day set apart by our nation as Memorial day, and his mortal remains now rest in the family lot in Fountain Grove cemetery at Bryan.
Mr. Tressler was twice married, his union with Miss Oleva Kent being the first marriage celebration in Bryan. This estimable lady died in 1868, and on November 8, 1871, Mr. Tressler married Miss Emeline L. Richard- son, who now resides in the pleasant home at the northeast corner of Bryan and Lynn streets, provided by his loving care. By his first marriage he had five children, viz .: Arminda (deceased), Ellen, Andrew, Byron (de- ceased), and Elmore. By the second union he had three children: Annie R. (Mrs. J. P. Long), Emma L., and Austin J., all of whom survive. The family holds an enviable social position, Mrs. Tressler being a favorite in the best circles in the neighborhood in which she resides.
Mrs. Tressler is a daughter of Richard and Anna (Hendricks) Rich-
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ardson, of West Unity, the former of whom was born in 1798 and died in 1880, the latter born in 1804 and died in 1888. The father when a young man moved to Virginia. They were married in 1821 near Lisbon, Colum- biana county, Ohio, and came to Williams county, Ohio, about 1853. They had a family of seven children: James (deceased), Mary Ann (Mrs. Clark Chandler, now deceased), Miriam (deceased). George, Jason, Elizabeth (Mrs. John Webb), and Emeline L. (Mrs. Tressler). The father, who was a lifelong farmer, died in 1880, the mother in 1888, and they are buried near West Unity. While a resident of Columbiana county Mr. Richardson was a very prominent citizen and held several official positions of trust. His father, Fieldar Richardson, born in Maryland, was of English descent and died March II, 1813, aged forty-five years eleven months. The latter's wife, Marian (Griffith) was born in Wales April 10, 1774, and died in July, 1853. Great-grandfather Richard Richardson, who was born near Balti- more, Maryland, married Mary Moore, an English lady, and settled near Frederick, Maryland.
JACOB FRAKER.
The late Jacob Fraker was for almost forty years prominently identi- fied with the agricultural interests of Defiance county, and was numbered among the leading citizens of Mark township.
Mr. Fraker came from across the sea, his birth having occurred in 1827 in Germany, where he grew to manhood and married Miss Mary Sutter, who was born in the same country about 1830. In 1854 they bade farewell to friends and native land and sailed for America. Soon after their arrival in the United States they came to Defiance county, Ohio, and took up their residence in Section 13, Mark township, where Mr. Fraker died April 10, 1891; his widow is still living. He developed and improved a fine farm of two hundred acres, and to agricultural pursuits devoted his energies throughout life except a short term of eight years. In 1875 Mr. Fraker and family moved to Franklin county, Tennessee, and owned a farm of four hundred acres there. Leaving it to his two sons, Henry and Samuel, he in 1883 moved back on his old homestead in Ohio, where he remained until his death. An influential and public-spirited citizen, he took a deep and commendable interest in public affairs and gave his sup- port to all measures which he believed were calculated to advance the moral, intellectual or material welfare of his community. He was also a promi- nent member of the German Reformed Church and took an active part
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in all church work. In his death the community realized that it had lost a valued and useful citizen.
To Mr. and Mrs. Fraker were born eight children, namely: Frederick, Henry, Samuel, Mary (wife of Jacob Kaser), Louisa (wife of Houston Hanna), Jacob, John, and one son who died in infancy.
Of these children, JACOB FRAKER, JR., was born in Mark township, August 31, 1866, and has spent almost his entire life on the old homestead, although from the age of nine years until seventeen he lived with his parents in Tennessee. In the common schools he acquired a good practical education, and under the able direction of his father became a thorough and systematic farmer. Since the latter's death he has taken charge of a part of the home farm, which he successfully operates. He was married in Mark township January 16, 1896, to Miss Ella Dickey, a native of Henry county, Ohio, and a daughter of Moses W. Dickey, late of Mark township, Defiance county.
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