Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 13
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 13

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).

Alexander Clemons, father of our sub- ject, was born in Hiram, Maine, February II, 1794, and was a cabinet maker by trade, but after locating in Ottawa county engaged in stone quarrying. He was one of the best known and most prominent men of his day. He was married February II, 1824, to Almira Angeline Hollister, who was born in Glastonburg, Conn., April 5, I 806. Their children were: Winslow, born in Sandusky, Ohio, December 29, 1824; Milo, born April 6, 1827, and died March 6, 1888; William Alexander; Phineas

N/ A Clemens

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Harrison, born February 16, 1832; Sarah, born March 4, 1834; Frances, born April 6, 1836; Myron Elijah, born February 25, 1838; Albert Alonzo, born April 9, 1840; Lucian Monroe, born November 28, 1841; Lester Newton, who was born in 1843, and died March 5, 1846; Lucia Louise, who was born in December, 1 844, and died November 20, 1849; Hub- bard Mortimer, born March 27, 1848; Ai Jay, born June 17, 1850; Eunice, who died March 6, 1888; and one son who died in infancy.

When our subject was three years old he was brought by his parents to Dan- bury township, Ottawa county, and he is to-day an honored pioneer whose resi- dence covers a period of sixty-three years. His father passed away March 12, 1886, his mother on March 24, 1861. William obtained a limited education in the district schools, and then worked in his father's quarry, after which he en- gaged in business for several years with his brothers, but later was associated with no partner. Since 1891 he has lived re- tired, enjoying a rest which he truly earned and well deserves.

Mr. Clemons was married at Marble- head Lighthouse, January 1, 1856, to Alvira V., daughter of J. B. and Arvilla (Knapp) Keyes, the former a native of New York, the latter of Vermont. Her father was born May 8, 1815, was a sea- faring man, and for several years light- house keeper, at Marblehead. He was married December 24, 1834, to Mrs. Arvilla Wolcott, who was born Septem- ber 21, 1810, and February 21, 1830, married William B. Wolcott. In her family were cight children: Harrison W. born February 21, 1831; Mary E., born December 20, 1832, and Arvilla A., born April 21, 1835, all three now deceased; Alvira V., born September 17, 1837; Charles M., born October 28, 1840, now living in Sandusky City; Thomas J., born December 28, 1842, is at Berlin Heights, Ohio; Jane Ellen, born March 21, 1845, 6

died in infancy, and Jennie V., born Sep- tember 5, 1846, now the widow of Hor- ace Pond, of Elyria. The father died July 20, 1891, the mother on June 8, 1892.

Our subject and his wife have had twelve children, as follows: Ada V., born February 16, 1857, now the wife of Richard Coorty, a prominent merchant of Marblehead; Arvilla C., born March 1, 1860, and died December 3, 1869; Cora A., born April 19, 1862; Sarah E., born July 12, 1864; James A., born August 29, 1866, a merchant of Marble- head; Charles B., born August 22, 1868, now a member of the crew of the Mar- blehead life-saving station; Francis J., of Marblehead, born April 12, 1870; Harry R., born November 12, 1872; Clarence M., and Clement M., born June 17, 1874, and died in infancy; Walter L., born July 26, 1876; and Erie May, born Feb- ruary 21, 1879

In his political views, Mr. Clemons is a Republican. His business enterprises have been generally successful, and by in - dustry, integrity and perseverance he has accumulated a snug fortune, and to-day is in a position to enjoy the rest which he has so well earned. He has lived in Mar- blehead for sixty-three years, and has ap- plied himself to business pursuits unfalter- ingly, never failing to discharge his pe- cuniary obligations, and his business rec- ord is without a blemish. Most of the pioneers of the county have passed to their long homes, yet they were men of sterling integrity who left the impress of their individuality upon the community with which they were identified. The log cabins of the early settlers, in which all received a hearty welcome, have dis- appeared, and in their place stand hand- some and imposing residences. Where once there was nothing but a dense forest there are now well-cultivated farms and fruit orchards, and most of this change has taken place within the memory of Mr. Clemons. The good old pioneer days

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

have passed, but he well remembers the generosity and helpfulness which charac- terized the early settlers. He was fav- ored with but few advantages in his youth, yet he made the most of his opportuni- ties, and is known as a straightforward business man, a public-spirited and pro- gressive citizen, an affectionate husband and kind father, and a trusted friend and neighbor whose example is well worthy of emulation.

E LIJAH CULBERT, who has been a resident of Sandusky township, Sandusky county, for the past several years, is a native of Ire- land, born August 9, 1821, in the city of Belfast, County Antrim.

William Culbert, grandfather of our subject, was born in County Donegal, Ireland, and was there married to Sophia Greer, of the same nativity, by whom he had four children, as follows: David (our subject's father); Sophia, who married Hugh Patton, and died in Belfast; Mary, who married William Ross (they both also passed away in Belfast); and Andrew, who was drowned about the year 1830 at Belfast. The parents both died in that city. The family are of Scotch descent, the father of William Culbert having migrated from Scotland to the North of Ireland.

David Culbert, eldest son of William and Sophia (Greer) Culbert, and father of Elijah, was born in County Donegal, Ire- land, removing to Belfast with his father's family. He was a wholesale and retail merchant in glass, oils and colors. In his native land he married Eleanor Patton, who was born in Newtownards, County Down, Ireland, and a record of the chil- dren of this union is as follows: David, born January, 1817, died July, 1888, at Southampton, County of Bruce, Upper Canada (now Province of Ontario); Will- iam, born October 23, 1819, died in Toronto, Canada, July 16, 1893; Elijah,

who is the subject proper of this sketch, comes next; Mary, born in 1823, died in Belfast, Ireland, in 1828; Sophia, born in 1825, was married in 1857 to John Moore, and died in Lindsay, Canada, in 1877; Thomas, born August 12, 1828, died December 20, 1877, at Cape Croker, County of Bruce, Upper Canada (now Province of Ontario); Isaac Cookson, born in 1830, died in Lindsay, Canada, November, 1856; Mary Amelia, born January 19, 1834, in Lindsay, Canada, died September 12, 1855, in Toronto, Canada. All the others were in the city of Belfast, Ireland, and on April 26, 1833, the family set sail for the New World, Little York, Upper Canada (now the city of Toronto, Ontario), being their destina- tion. From there, after a brief sojourn, they moved to Lindsay, County of Vic- toria, where the mother died May 6, 1853, the father on Good Friday, 1856. He was a man of mark in his day, and while a resident of Lindsay held four commissions under the Canadian govern- ment, to wit: commissioner of the Court of Queen's Bench; commissioner of the Court of Requests: justice of the peace (under commission from the Governor General of Canada); and postmaster at Lindsay, holding all the offices up to the time of his death.

Elijah Culbert, of whom this memoir more particularly relates, was a lad of twelve summers when he accompanied the rest of his father's family across the ocean. On April 30, 1846, he was mar- ried at Port Hope, Canada, to Miss Eliza Day, Rev. John Genley officiating; in 1848 he moved to Lindsay, where he re- sided nine years, and then left Canada for the United States, making his first home under the Stars and Stripes at East Hamburg, Erie Co., N. Y. From there he, in 1859, removed to Fremont, San- dusky Co., Ohio, where he engaged in the nursery business for a short time, or until his enlistment in the Union army during the Civil war, an account of which

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

will presently be given. Since his dis- charge from the army in June, 1865, he has been engaged more or less in agricul- tural pursuits.

To Elijah and Eliza (Day) Culbert were born ten children, as follows: (1) Eleanor Jane, born in Toronto, Canada, March 2, 1847, died in Lindsay, Canada, September 2, 1848. (2) Sophia Eliza- beth, born in Lindsay, Canada, Jannary 21, 1849, graduated from the Fremont (Ohio) public schools, and is a teacher in the Fremont Grammar Schools of twenty- five years' standing. (3) Thomas Andrew, born in Lindsay, Canada, July 5, 1851, died at the same place, March 7, 1853. (4) Samuel James, born in Lindsay, July 22, 1853, married Margaret Conly, and has three children-Gracie, Walter, and one whose name is not given (he lives in Michigan). (5) John Patton, also born in Lindsay, Canada, September 1, 1855, died in Ballville township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, November 13, 1893; he married Lena Cook, and has six children -- Jessie, Eva, George W., Wilbur, Susan and Lula. (6) Letitia Emily, born in Lind- say, Canada, September 2, 1857, was married, in 1880, to John Nickles, by whom she had the following children- Lottie, Maud, Lucy E., Helen S., Addie E., Walter W., and Ruth, the last named dying August 11, 1894. (7) Charles Henry, born in Ballville township, San- dusky Co., Ohio, December 24, 1859, and died unmarried, December 10, 1889, in Sandusky township. (8) Albert Ed- ward, born in Ballville township, San- dusky Co., Ohio, March 27, 1862, married Mary Rose, and has three children- Chester, Stella and Ralph P. (9) Mary Eleanor, born in Ballville township, San- dusky Co., Ohio, January 15, 1866, and is still living at home, single. (10) Edgar Augustus, born in Sandusky township, Sandusky Co., Ohio, June 25, 1868.

War record of Elijah Culbert is as follows, from his own graphic pen: “On September 7, 1863, I enlisted at Fre-

mont, Ohio, in Company I, Twelfth O. V. C., for three years or during the war. My regiment belonged to the Fourth Cav- alry Brigade, Twenty-third Corps, Army of the Cumberland. I participated in three battles, the first being at Mt. Sterling, Ky., when we encountered Gen. John Morgan, Gen. Marmaduke and others. The engagement commenced in the early morn- ing of Thursday, June 9, 1864, and con- tinned until 9 A. M .; at IO A. M. Morgan was reinforced and the fight was renewed, lasting till 3 P. M., Morgan being defeated in both engagements, and terribly used up. On the Ticktown pike his dead lay like ranks of cordwood, presenting a hor- rible sight such as I wish never to set eyes on again. At 3:30 P. M. the Rebels start- ed for Lexington, Ky., twenty-six miles from Mt. Sterling, and there plundered the stores and banks, besides looting the government corrals of the best horses and mules they could lay their hands on, destroying the remainder. Our division lay at Mt. Sterling that afternoon and night, on the following morning proceed- ing to Lexington, Morgan's rear guard leaving that city just as our advance guard was entering it. At this time we were under Gen. Burbridge, who for some reason halted our division on the main street, keeping the men standing at their horses heads all day. At night we pur- sued the Rebels, and reached Paris about sunrise Saturday morning, June II, where we remained all day; the following night found us riding to Cynthiana, overtaking Morgan on the morning of June 12, with whom we had another stubborn tussel, again defeating him. This was Morgan's last fight, for we slew and took prisoners a great number of his men; most of the remainder sought safety in the mountains, while Morgan himself and his generals fled to Tennessee, where he was after- ward betrayed by a woman and killed.

" My third and last engagement oc- curred on Sunday, October 2, 1864, at Saltville, Va., when we fought against

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Gens. Early, Breckenridge, Roberts, Jackson and others. It looked as if the mountains were covered with the Con- federate soldiers, so vast was their num- ber, at least five to one of us. We ex- pected to be reinforced by Gen. Gillam, but his corps did not arrive in time; however, we kept the enemy at bay all day, and at night our division retreated. Our officers detailed men to light fires on the mountains and the Rebels thought they had us all ' bagged,' but our men got safely away. The Eleventh Michi- gan Cavalry was rear guard at first, on this retreat, and next day fought like good fellows, but were unable to check the enemy, who were now in full pursuit, and Gen. Gillam then ordered the Twelfth Ohio Cavalry to act as rear guard. In this engagement I, among hundreds of others, was taken prisoner, and we were at first confined in an old shed at Fort Breckenridge, Saltville, six days, where we were stripped of our boots and clothing, and fed on nothing but a little flour once a day. On the night of Octo- ber S. a bitterly cold night, we were hustled off, half-naked as we were, to Glade Springs, eight miles distant, where we changed cars for Lynchburg, but had to wait several hours for the train, during which time we tramped up and down the station platform on our bare feet, al- though the ice and snow was several inches deep. When we reached Lynch- burg prison we were driven, like so many hogs, into the yard which was paved with nigger-heads, and most of the prisoners had to pass the night there. I was more fortunate, being permitted to sleep with some others in a sort of boarded-up place under the stairs, but were nearly suffocated to death when the doorway closed. From Lynchburg we were con- veyed to Libby, arriving there October 13, where our first day's rations consisted of one tub of ' Mississippi pea soup' to be divided among 150 famishing men. Having no such luxury as a spoon or

ladle we were content to dip the soup up with the half of a tin tobacco box, and pass it round. This, however, was too slow a process for a lot of starving men, so three or four of the boys grabbed the tub, and turning it to one side, as many as could get their heads into it at a time did so; then they had to be choked off to allow others to get a chance, and such pushing, crawling and fighting over that tub I never saw equaled except, perhaps, by a lot of pigs at a newly-filled swill trough.

"I was confined in Libby until No- vember 8, 1864, and was removed to Pem- berton prison, at which time the cold was intense. There were 300 men on each floor, and when time to 'retire' at night we would divide into three squads of 100 each; one squad would take the center of the floor, the other two being stretched out by the walls. Before lying down we would take a sort of plebiscite vote as to which side we would lie on-' right or left '-and once down we could not 'turn over' until another vote was taken, the ma- jority always carrying the day-or rather ' the night.' This is only one example of the many methods we unfortunates used to adopt in order to keep ourselves warm; but in spite of all our precautions many of our poor boys were badly frozen. Our rations generally consisted of pieces of corn bread (two inches square, the flour being made of corn and cob ground together) every twenty-four hours, and if any mules got killed in battle, and any bones were left after the Confederates had picked them clean, we got the bones. I have even seen some of our boys hunt in the spittoons for any stray bones, which, if found, they would take to a windlass near by, crush them between the cogs and then swallow the fragments. But I will refrain from dwelling further on such disgusting episodes, true though they be, those I have here related being mild in comparison to many I could record. In December, 1864, I was seized with

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

congestive chills, and had to run up and down the prison floor for three consecu- tive days and nights, or die. On Christ- mas Day, 1864, I was carried to the Con- federate Hospital No. 21, Carey street, Richmond, the prison doctor who sent me there affirming that I could not live more than two or three hours. [Only the dying were sent to the hospital!] It was found I had pleuro-pneumonia, and I live to be able to say that I was the only pneu- monia patient in my ward who survived! "On the 5th day of February, 1865, I was paroled, and same day left Libby prison for home, after being a captive four months and three days. On Sun- day, February 5, 1865, we left Rich- mond, Va., on the steamboat 'Cyrus Al- lison' which conveyed us to Aikens Land- ing, on the James river, where I once more beheld .Old Glory,' at the sight of which tears came unbidden to my eyes. Aikens Landing, some nine miles from Richmond, was neutral ground, set apart for the exchange of prisoners. At this time one thousand and twenty of us were paroled and sent north, the Northern steamer 'City of New York' taking us down the river, on Sunday afternoon, as far as Bermuda Hundred, where we re- mained until morning, when we started for Fortress Monroe; thence crossed Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis, Md., which city we reached on Tuesday morn- ing in a furious snow-storm. All the clothing I had on was a ragged pair of pants, an old unlined blouse, with no shirt under it, a well-worn pair of shoes, four sizes too large for my weary feet, most of which apparel had been stripped from the dead body of one of my com- rades in the hospital-in fact the dead had to be stripped in order to provide covering for his living. But at Annapolis " Uncle Sam' supplied us with new and comfortable clothing. After remaining in camp there sixteen days, we were sent to Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, where, not having fully recovered my health and

strength, I received a thirty-days' fur- lough. On this I went home, but took a relapse and became very ill, so much so that I was under the necessity of having my furlough twice renewed before I was able to return to parole camp at Colum- bus. On June 10, 1865, I received my discharge from the service by War De- partment Order No. 770. Thus ends the record of my army service."

In May, 1886, Mr. Culbert was mus- tered into Manville Moore Post No. 525, G. A. R .; was junior vice-commander in 1890; elected senior vice-commander in 1891, and post commander in 1892. On September 4, 1889, he commenced re- cruiting for S. A. J. Snyder command of Union Veterans Union, an organization composed only of the soldiers who were in active service at least six months, a part of the time at the front engaged in actual warfare. On November 8, 1889, he had his command ready for muster-in, which was effected by Gen. Loomis, of Norwalk, Ohio, at that time Department commander in the State. Mr. Culbert was elected its first colonel; for two years was staff officer on Gen. Ellis' staff; in 1893 was elected lieutenant-colonel, and in 1894 was appointed colonel by Gen. WV. T. Clark, of Cleveland, Ohio, which position he holds at the present time.

C APTAIN ANDREW NUHFER, retired farmer, Woodville, San- dusky county, was born in Bava- ria, Germany, October 19, 1819, a son of Nicholas and Eve (Weaver) Nuh- fer, also natives of Bavaria.

They came to America and first set- tled in Lancaster county, Penn., in the fall of 1835, where for two years they engaged in the nursery business. In 1839 they removed to Maumee City, Ohio, remained two years, and then located in Woodville township, Sandusky county, on the Western Reserve and Maumee turnpike, three miles east of Woodville.

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Here Nicholas Nuhfer died, two years later, at the age of sixty-eight years, and his wife at the same age, in 1854. While in Germany they were members of the Roman Catholic Church, but soon after coming to Ohio they joined the M. E. Church. Their children, all born in Ger- many, were: (1) Frederick, a soldier and sailor: (2) Margaret, now dead, who married William Geyer, of Washington township; (3) Anthony, a baker, now living at Maumee, Ohio, who, at the time of his parents' emigration, was in the German army, as body guard to King Otto, whom he accompanied to Athens, Greece, and to other parts of the East, but, wishing to accompany his parents to the New World, escaped from a fort by a ruse, made his way to France, and thence to the United States; (4) Nicholas, who died in Toledo, Ohio, in 1892. was for- merly a well-known minister of the Ger- man M. E. Church; (5) Maria, wife of William Behrends, now living in Illinois; (6) Andrew, our subject; (7) Catharine, wife of Rev. E. Riemenschneider, who was sent as a missionary to Germany, by the M. E. Church, where she died; (8) Helen, who married Jacob Artz, and now lives at Lindsey, Ohio.

Our subject first came to Woodville with his parents. Later he spent three seasons as fireman and assistant en- gineer on lake steamers. After having learned the blacksmith trade in Maumee City, he returned to Woodville and started a blacksmith shop, buying his tools in Buffalo, and the first hard coal ever burned in Woodville township. He car- ried on his trade at this place with good success for twenty years, until the fall of 1861, when, under a commission from Gov. Tod, as second lieutenant, he en- listed and organized Company D, Seven- ty-second Regiment, O. V. I. This com- pany was composed largely of the best young men of Woodville township, and they subsequently chose him captain. At the head of this company he followed

the various fortunes of his regiment, par- ticipating in all its campaigns and en- gagements, except when incapacitated by wounds or confined in Rebel prisons. At the battle of Shiloh he was wounded, but he remained with his company until the enemy were driven from the field. For his bravery and soldierly conduct on this occasion he received special mention in the report of Col. R. P. Buckland who commanded the brigade. Owing to the serious nature of his wound he was sent to the General Hospital at Cin- cinnati, where his limb barely escaped amputation, and he was shortly after ordered home to recuperate. As soon as he was able to walk about he re- joined his command at Monterey, Miss., and later participated in Grant's futile campaign in northern Mississippi; helped guard our line of communications along the Memphis and Charleston railroad; took a part in the campaign which re- sulted in the fall of Vicksburg; was in two battles at Jackson, Miss., in the latter of which he commanded the skirmish line which drove the enemy into their breastworks on the day prior to their evacuation; was with the advance on Brandon, and for a short time was in command of the regiment at Oak Ridge, in October, 1863.

The regiment having by this time been much reduced in numbers, Capt. Nuhfer was sent home in charge of a recruiting party. While he was engaged in this duty, the regiment veteranized, and he rejoined it after its veteran furlough. He was with it at Paducah when Gen. Forrest made his attack, and when Sturgis made his first expedition into northeastern Mississippi. On the second and ill-fated Guntown expedition, along with about 250 other officers and men of his regiment, he was taken prisoner by the forces under Gen. Forrest and conveyed to Anderson- ville prison. Here Capt. Nuhfer, as the ranking officer of the regiment, and being able to speak German, was requested by

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

his comrades to interview Capt. Wirz, in command of the prison, and get him to allow all the officers and men of the Seventy-second regiment to remain to- gether. The request was made, but Wirz refused and at once became abusive. He held the privates at Andersonville, but sent the officers to Macon, Ga. When the latter place was threatened by Union troops, they were sent to Charleston, S. C., then to Columbus, S. C., then to Raleigh, N. C., then to Goldsboro, N. C., and thence to points in Virginia and to Wilmington, N. C., for exchange, after a confinement of nine months. At Columbia, S. C., Capt. Nuhfer was taken down with fever, and would have died had it not been for hisiron constitution and the care he received from a brother officer, Lieut. - Col. Von Helmrich, formerly an officer in the Prussian army, who also loaned him a sum of Confederate money. After his exchange he was furloughed for thirty days to recover his health, and meanwhile the war closed.

Capt. Nuhfer married, October 23, 1843, Miss Elizabeth Shuler, of Perrys- burg. Wood Co., Ohio, born in Witten- berg, Germany. Their children were: (1) John George, of Fremont, Ohio, who married Miss Olivia J. Totten, by whom he had one child, George Bartlett, after which she died, and he afterward married Mrs. Martha G. Hafford; (2) Caroline, deceased wife of Theobald Schunck, who had five children-George D., Charles, Caroline, William and Albert; (3) Sophia, who married John Otjen, and had four children-Caroline E., Nellie O., Kate and William; (4) Daniel, who died in in- fancy; (5) Catharine, who became second wife of Theobald Schunck; (6) Agnes Amelia, deceased wife of George Blake, who had one child-Flossie; (7) Esther Elizabeth, unmarried, who died at the age of twenty-seven; (8) Charles A., farmer of Woodville township, who mar- ried Caroline Baker, and has a son- Elmer L. ; (9) Minnie, wife of John Blake,

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co. Number of Pages: 1040

Author: J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Chicago, J.H. Beers & co.
Number of Pages: 1040