Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 26

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 26
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 26

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married Rev. Mr. Dahouf. Catharine married Emanuel Roberts, and had two children, both now deceased. Polly, who married Benjamin Hammit, a farmer of Iowa, has eight children; he is a Demo- crat and a Baptist. Peter, also a farmer in Iowa, married Elizabeth Hill, and had five children; he is also a Democrat and Baptist. The name of the ninth child is Betsy.

The children of Silas and Barbara Kenan, parents of our subject, were: Hugh, who died in childhood; George W .; Thomas J., born in 1826, who married Jemima Housman, and was killed in a runaway at Fremont, Ohio, December 31, 1864, being preceded to the grave by his wife, who died August 23, 1864; Peter, born November 22, 1829, who was mar- ried March 4, 1856, to Sarah A. Hodgson and has had one child; William Manville, who, in 1878, married Miss Sylvia A. Powell (he has a fine collection of Indian relics); Minerva, born December 6, 1830, who married William Jackson, of Fre-

Elisabeth Kenan.

& H. Kenan

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mont, Ohio, and has two children- Thomas G. and Charles B. (Mr. Jack- son is a Republican); Mahala, born April 24, 1832, who married Thomas J. Eld- ridge, a farmer of Indiana, who was a soldier in the Civil war (he is a Repub- lican and a member of the U. B. Church); Francis, a blacksmith of Green Spring, Ohio, who married Eliza Strouse, and has four children-Ellen, Minerva, William O. and Birchard (he served in the Civil war in Company I, Seventy-second O. V. I.); Mary Ann, who married Charles Robinson, a farmer of Michigan, and has six children-Francis, Milo, Charles, Clif- ford, Howard and Minnie (Mr. Robinson is a Republican and a member of the M. E. Church; he was a soldier in the Civil war); Oscar, who is a farmer near Gales- burg, Ill., married Margaret Ickes, and has five children (he is a Republican and a member of the M. E. Church); and Caroline, born July 10, 1847, who mar- ried Daniel Condon, a carpenter and school teacher, and died July 25, 1871 (they had a child that died in infancy; Mr. Condon is a Republican).

Our subject started out to work on a farm by the month when he was only ten years of age, saved his money and made prudent investments, and is now enjoying the fruits of his early economy and in- dustry. At the age of twenty-seven, Oc- tober 13, 1851, he married Miss Elizabeth Posey, who was born August 30, 1832, and they had seven children, of whom, Orin married Angeline King, and has two children-Frank and Lulu (he is a Demo- crat and a member of the U. B. Church); Charles, who is a farmer, married Mary Cookson (he is a Democrat and a member of the Evangelical Association); Lodemie married Michael Mowery, and has three children-Charles, Lewis and Webb; Mar- shall, a farmer, married Miss Carrie Smith (he is a Democrat); Lorema married Elijah Voorhies, a farmer of Seneca coun- ty (he is a Republican and a member of the U. B. Church); Frank, a farmer, of

Jackson township, married Miss Clara Havens (he is a Democrat); the name of the seventh child is Barbara A. Mrs. Kenan is the daughter of Isaac and Sabra (Preston) Posey, both of whom were na- tives of Pennsylvania, the former born in 1804 near Philadelphia, the latter in 1810 in Mercer county. They had a family of children as follows: Sarah, Elizabeth (Mrs. Kenan), Sabra, Luther, Rachel and Hannah (twins), Harriet, Bell, Susanna, Martha, Mary, John, David, Esther and William, ten of whom are living. Mr. and Mrs. Posey migrated to the Black Swamp, Ohio, when Mrs. Kenan was but two years of age, and the father died in 1858, the mother September 20, 1888. Grandmother Elizabeth Preston was born in England, about 1777, and had six chil- dren, four of whom are living. Mrs. Kenan's paternal grandfather, Micaga Posey, was a major in the Revolution- ary war.

The first land Mr. Kenan bought was 180 acres in Jackson township; he next purchased 122 in Scott township, then about 200 of his neighbor's land, making in all 327 acres. He has retired from farming, his son, G. F. Kenan, operating the farm; but during his active life he cleared many acres of heavily-timbered land which he now owns. He has leased his land in Scott township to the Stand- ard Oil Co., receiving a snug income from this source. In politics he is a stanch Democrat, and in religious faith a member of the Baptist Church, to which he con- tributes liberally.

Z ACHARY TAYLOR. In the two worlds of Clyde, Sandusky county, its business and its social circles, the names of Zachary Taylor and his accomplished wife rank as lead- ers; and in the joyous and prosperous lives of these two people the two spheres are most happily blended. Mrs. Taylor, while possessing all the womanly graces

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of her sex, has a keen business sense, a rare taste and judgment, exercised in the selection of stock which attracts to her husband's dry-goods store the best trade from a wide region of country. The mer- cantile career of Mr. Taylor has not been one succession of successes. Sunlight has followed shadow, but through it all runs the gleam of mercantile ability. As a child of six years Zachary Taylor sold ap- ples on the train and peddled molasses candy. At the age of thirteen years he went behind the counter for W. B. Clock, and for ten years he clerked for various firms before entering business for himself. He has become a prominent merchant of northern Ohio, and is distinctively a self- made man-one who realizes the talis- manic powers of industry and business push.

Mr. Taylor was born at Clyde Sep- tember 16, 1849, son of George W. and Abigail C. (Whitcher) Taylor. George W. Taylor was born in Rensselaer county, N. Y., in 1825, and comes from old Ver- mont stock of Scotch and Irish ancestry. He learned the saddler's trade in New York and followed it at Troy and at New York City. Coming west, he worked at his trade for a short time at Milan and Sandusky, and about 1845 came to Clyde. Here he conducted a dry-goods and gro- cery store for a time, but later returned to the saddlery business. He was a Re- publican in politics, and his blameless life was dominated by a spirit of practical Christianity. He died of paralysis in 1881. Abigail (Whitcher), wife of George W. Taylor, was born at Gasport, N. Y., February 3, 1828, and migrated with her brothers and her widowed mother to Milan, where she met her future husband. The Whitchers are of English extraction. Generations ago three unmarried brothers of the name came to America, two of whom returned to England, where they acquired wealth and died childless. The third married in America, and from him the present Whitchers in this country

have descended. An absence of legal records prevents the representatives from obtaining the English inheritance. The Whitchers are hardy, frugal, honest peo- ple, of great industry, and it is from his mother that Zachary Taylor has inherited his push and executive business ability. To George W. and Abigail Taylor four children were born: Erastus, accident- ally killed at the age of fifteen years, while hunting; Zachary; Emma A., wife of L. C. Carlin, a real-estate dealer of Findlay, and Ida L.

At the age of twenty-three Zachary Taylor, in partnership with G. S. Rich- ards, established at Clyde a dry-goods business, which they conducted seven years. In the latter years they did not prosper, and were compelled to make an assignment; investigation revealed that a confidential clerk had been a large em- bezzler. Left penniless at thirty by this betrayal of trust, Zachary Taylor went on the road; first traveling through Ohio and Indiana for E. M. McGillen & Co., of Cleveland, for three years, then for Mills & Gibb, a New York house. In 1888 Mr. Taylor was again on his feet financially. He re-established a business at Clyde in dry goods, carpets, furnishing goods, etc., which has grown rapidly. He now employs from six to seven clerks, and occupies two floors, 25 x 100 feet, centrally located. When he opened his business in 1888 most of the best trade of Clyde was going elsewhere, but he put in a line of goods that could not be excelled, and as a result Clyde not only holds her own in trade, but draws upon that of other neighboring cities.

Mr. Taylor was married, October 2, 1877, to Miss Julia R. Klink, who was born December 24, 1861, daughter of Rev. Charles M. and Julia (Black) Klink. Rev. Klink was an English Lutheran minister. He was born at Newville, Cumberland Co., Penn., in 1824, son of John George and Elizabeth (Humes) Klink. John G. Klink was born in Eng-

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land of English and German parentage. He was a man of force and character, but without titled name. Elizabeth Humes, the girl he loved and married, was the daughter of an English lord, and for her plebeian marriage she was dis- inherited. The young couple emigrated to America, settling at Newville, Penn., and here Mr. Klink acquired wealth. He was a man of temperate habits, and was highly honored for his integrity and many other virtues. Charles M. Klink attended a theological seminary at Cincinnati, Ohio, expecting to become a Presbyterian minister, but at the earnest solicitation of his father he was ordained a minister of the English Lutheran Church. At Cincinnati he met his future wife, Miss Julia Black. She was born at College Hill, a suburb of Cincinnati, and was a cousin of Henry Ward Beecher. Mr. Klink was introduced to her by that afterward dis- tinguished divine, who was a fellow stu- dent at the seminary. Many years of his pastoral work were spent by Rev. Klink at Middletown, Md. He was there during the Civil war, and had just completed a new church when the battle occurred in that vicinity. His new church was con- verted into a hospital, and the wounded and disabled soldiers were the first bene- ficiaries of the new upholstered seats. His health failing, Rev. Klink came to Ohio. He purchased the Uriah Lemon farm, south of Sandusky, and sitting in a chair he preached on the last Sunday of his life; he died in 1862. To Rev. and Mrs. Klink six children were born: Mary Elizabeth, wife of Arthur G. Ellsworth, a farmer of Sandusky county; George A., in the oil business at Cleveland, Ohio; John W., a farmer of Eaton Rapids, Mich .; Jennie E., wife of W. E. Bunker, of Eaton Rapids, Mich .; Julia R .; and William E., an insurance agent of Rich- mond, Va. To Zachary and Julia Taylor one child, Z. Arthur, was born March 11, 1881.

Mrs. Taylor is a member of the M. E.

Church and a leader in Church work. She has been a member of the choir, and as a Sunday-school teacher her class grew in a short time from eighteen to fifty-six members. Both Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are members of the Chosen Friends, and he is now Regent of the Royal Arcanum. In politics he is a radical Republican. In business Mrs. Taylor is of great assistance to her husband. It would be difficult to find anywhere a woman of superior or even equal business abilities. In busi- ness and social relations they work as one individual. Mr. Taylor is a great "home man," and perhaps carries inore insur- ance than any other resident of Clyde. The city is indebted to this couple per- haps as to no other for the charms and refinements of its better life.

D ANIEL BEMIS, widely known as a liberal and well-to-do farmer of York township, Sandusky county, was born in Ontario county, N. Y., July 3, 1825, son of James and Anna (Morely) Bemis, both natives of Connec- ticut.

James Bemis, when a young man, emigrated from his native State to New York, and about 1832 came to Ohio. He located in Groton township, Erie county, erected a shop on his farm, and for many years engaged jointly in clearing and till- ing the soil, and in following his trade of blacksmithing. He was an Old-line Whig, and died before the war. Both he and his wife were buried at Bellevue. Their family of nine children were as fol- lows: James, who died in Clyde, aged seventy-two years; Harriet Nichols, who died at her home in Clyde October I, 1894; Chauncey, of Strawberry Point, Iowa; Shepherd, of Bowling Green; Daniel, subject of this sketch; Harvey, who died at his home in Illinois, in Sep- tember, 1895; Sally Ann, wife of James Tuck, of Lansing, Mich .; Emeline, wife of John Gardner, of York township; and

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Leonard, who died at the age of fourteen years.

Daniel Bemis grew to manhood on his father's farm in Erie county, and received his education in the district schools. He was married, March 2, 1854, to Cordelia Laughlin, who was born July 8, 1835, in Erie county, daughter of John and Harriet (Call) Laughlin. John Laughlin was born in Beaver county, Penn., March 3, 1796. His father was a native of Ireland. John Laughlin was a soldier in the war of 1812, and when a young man he came to Berlin township, Erie county, where he married Harriet Call. She was born in New York State, November 26, 1807, daughter of Rev. Call, who was a Baptist missionary among the Indians. He had married a Miss Cross, and settled in Ber- lin township, Erie county. After marriage John and Harriet Laughlin lived in Berlin township until 1842, and then moved to Beaver county, Penn. Nine years later they returned to Erie county, where the father died soon after, on September 3, 1851; the mother survived until Novem- ber 19, 1857. The children of John and Harriet Laughlin were as follows: Melissa, born April 7, 1833, married Reuben Met- calf, and lives in Muscatine county, Iowa; Cordelia, wife of Mr. Bemis; Levi, born September 17, 1837, lives in Wood coun- ty, Ohio; Cyrus, born December 24, 1839, enlisted in the autumn of 1861 in Company F, Forty-ninth O. V. I., and died at Louisville, Ky., in August, 1864, from a wound received in service; Hud- son, born May 9, 1842, died July II, 1857; Clara, born August 1, 1846, mar- ried Zeno Bush, and died August 23, 1875; Dana Franklin, born September 23, 1850, died March 12, 1852.

After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Bemis began housekeeping on a farm in Erie county, and remained there until 1856, when they removed to Sandusky county, where they have since resided. To them have been born children, as follows: Emeline, born April 11, 1855, died June

19, 1856; Daniel H., born July 11, 1858, died April 18, 1865; George Laughlin, born May 12, 1861, married and has one child-Edna-born March 12, 1888 (they live in Sandusky county); Effie, born July 25, 1863, died April 5, 1864; Fred H., born February 16, 1865, married Nellie Pickering, and they are the parents of three children-Elsie, Zeno and Her- bert; Zeno, born June 14, 1870, resident of Iowa; Clara B., born March 1, 1875, at home; and Burton W., born July I, 1877, at home. Mr. Bemis takes an active interest in politics, and is a stanch mem- ber of the Republican party.

G EORGE B. SMITH, dental sur- geon, one of the leading profes- sional men of Fremont, Sandusky county, is a fair example of the success which may be attained, even early in life, by concentration of purpose and thoroughness of preparation in any chosen calling.

Dr. Smith, who was born May 5, 1864, in Ballville township, Sandusky county, was the son of a farmer, but decided to forsake the pursuit of agriculture which so many of his ancestors had followed, and to prepare himself for a professional ca- reer. His early education was acquired in the district school, that alma mater to which so many of the brilliant minds, not only of Ohio, but of numerous other States, owe allegiance, this being followed by a course in the high school at Fre- mont. He began the study of dentistry under Dr. Cregar, of the same city, and afterward attended the Dental College at Philadelphia, Penn., from which he was graduated in 1887. He returned to Fre- mont and at once entered upon his pro- fession, in which he has been eminently successful, having built up a large and constantly increasing practice.

Dr. Smith is so admirably equipped for his work, both from natural ability and thorough acquaintance with its details,

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that the public place the utmost confidence in his professional skill. Added to this, his well-known integrity and many de- lightful social qualities render him a very agreeable companion, and it follows as a matter of course that he occupies a promi- nent place in the community. He is president of the Epworth League of Fre- mont, and is also a member of the I. O. O. F. He is non-partisan in politics, but rather leans to the Republican party, with which he generally casts his vote. On May 1, 1893, he was married to Miss Iva M. Fitch, who was born in Angola, Ind., and is a daughter of Dr. John and Emma Fitch. Dr. Fitch died from the effect of wounds received in the army; his widow still resides in Fremont. The pleasant home of Dr. and Mrs. Smith is the resort of a large circle of friends.

It may not be amiss to add here a short sketch of the immediate family of our subject. His father, John C. Smith, who is a farmer of Ballville township, was born in Warren county, N. J., July 9, 1828. He was a son of William and Sarah (Trimmer) Smith, of Dutch de- scent. William Smith's father was Peter Smith, who was born in Holland, emi- grated to the United States, served dur- ing the Revolutionary war, and died in New Jersey. William Smith grew to manhood in New Jersey, where he fol- lowed farming and teaming. He removed to Perry county, Ohio, in 1839, and to Ballville township, Sandusky county, in 1847, where he cultivated a farm; he died, in 1865, at the age of seventy-five years. In politics he was a Democrat. His wife died July 3, 1858, aged sixty-four years. Their children were: Henry, who is a grocer at Newark, Ohio; Sarah, married to Jacob R. Cole, a farmer of Ballville township; William, a farmer, who mar- ried Sarah Sibbrel, and was for eighteen years treasurer of Ballville township ; George, a farmer, married to Elizabeth Petty; John C., who was married Novem- ber 1, 1850, to Ellenora Bowland. and

Hannah Maria, who died when eleven years of age. The children of John C. and Ellenora Smith were as follows: Susan, born October 4, 1851, married Judge Kelley, of Port Clinton, Ohio, their children being Amy, Bessie and Donnell; Frank P., born July 27, 1855. is a farmer (he married Laura Spade, and has two children, Homer and Cleve), and George B., the subject of this sketch.

A ARON SMART. This well-known farmer and lumber-mill owner has been identified with the growing interests of Townsend township, Sandusky county, for a period of thirty

years. Much of the prosperity of this township, as well as of the village of Vickery, is due to his progressiveness and indomitable industry, and, knowing and appreciating this fact, his fellow-citizens hold him in high esteem and regard.

Mr. Smart was born in Erie county, Ohio, December 18, '1842, and is a son of Pettis and Sophia (Kraemer) Smart, who had a family of eight children, of whom the following named five survive: Camellia, wife of Franklin Plantz, residing in Kan- sas; Aaron, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, wife of John Leary, residing in Wood county; Martha, wife of Fred- erick Wallie, living in Elmore; and La- fayette, residing near Fremont. When four years of age Aaron Smart came with his parents to Madison township, San- dusky Co., Ohio, his boyhood days being spent here upon his father's farm, and he received his education in the dis- trict schools. Here he resided until 1861, in which year he enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Eleventh O. V. I., and

served his country faithfully for three years during the war of the Rebellion, taking part in no less than thirty-one en- gagements. He was mustered out and finally discharged at Cleveland in the spring of 1865, and went to Fremont, Sandusky county, whither his parents

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had removed during his absence. He there again engaged in agricultural pursuits for about a year, removing to Townsend in 1 866, since which date he has been a con- tinuous resident of that township, closely identified with its varied interests.

In Riley township, Sandusky county, January 1, 1867, Aaron Smart was united in marriage with Abigail Lutes, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, March 30, 1846, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Faber) Lutes, and they had ten children, eight of whom are now living, their names and dates of births being as follows: John W., August 6, 1870; Samuel M., March 11, 1872; Clara B., June 10, 1875 (she is now the wife of Ernest Werman); Wes- ley P., November 3, 1877; Aaron L., December 27, 1879; Zella E., January 9, 1882; Roscoe C., May 8, 1884; and Glennie G., March 3, 1886. Politically, Mr. Smart is a good, active Democrat. He has served his township efficiently as trustee for six years, and has also held other township offices. Both he and his family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.

H ENRY SCHROEDER was born in Hanover, Germany, October 19, 1829, and is a son of Charles and Julia (Glaisecik) Schroeder. Charles Schroeder, a shoemaker in Ger- many, came with his family to America in 1842, and located in Woodville town- ship, Sandusky Co., Ohio. Here he bought eighty acres of timberland, cleared it, and made it his home until his death, which occurred in February, 1882. His widow died in 1893.

Henry Schroeder was reared on his father's farm, and obtained a good En- glish and German school education. In his eighteenth year he went to Toledo, Ohio, where he worked three years at the shoemaker's trade. He then returned to Woodville, Sandusky county, and became associated in business with Nicholas

Smith, continuing for only three months, when he built a shop, and went into busi- ness for himself. In 1852 Henry Schroe- der was united in marriage with Sophia Dickmeyer, by whom he has had eight children, as follows: Lucy, who married Fred Sandwisch, of Woodville township; Richie, who married Henry Snyder, and lives in Michigan; Carrie, who married Gus Shepherds. and is living in Michigan; Minnie is deceased; Charles married Amy Kinker, of Toledo, Ohio; William lives in Michigan; Harry died in infancy; Sophia is deceased. Mrs. Henry Schroeder died December 18, 1874, and in October, 1876, Mr. Schroeder again married, taking to wife Angeline Shepherds, daughter of Harmony Shepherds, a farmer of Indiana.

Mr. Schroeder still has forty acres of valuable land in Woodville township, San- dusky county, which he rents out. He is a Democrat in politics, has been superin- tendent of roads, is trustee, and is a mem- ber of the Lutheran Church.

H G. GIBBONS is a leading real- estate dealer of Clyde, Sandusky county, and is a native of New York State, born July 27, 1842, at Lisbon, St. Lawrence county.

On his father's side he is descended from old English stock, while on his mother's he claims Scotch descent. His paternal grandparents in an early day emigrated from their native land, Eng- land, to Upper Canada (now Province of Ontario), where, in the then village of Renfrew, they passed the rest of their lives. Their children were: James, Will- iam, George, Joseph, Thomas and Mary, of whom James was a ship captain on the lakes many years; William and George were extensive lumber and timber mer- chants; Thomas was the father of our sub- ject, and will be more fully spoken of presently; Mary married Philip Thomp- son, all of whom made their home in the vicinity of Renfrew, Canada.

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Thomas Gibbons was born at Renfrew, Canada, in 1810, whence he moved to New York State, making a permanent settlement there. For many years he was clerk of the court at Canton, St. Law- rence county, and enjoyed a wide popu- larity. He owned a large farm, and at one period of his life was a steamboat clerk on the river St. Lawrence, at another time conducting a mercantile business. He was married at Canton, N. Y., to Isabella Thompson, who was born in Scotland in 1810, and when an eight- year-old girl came to America with her parents, who settled in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., where they followed agri- cultural pursuits. To Thomas Gibbons and his wife were born eleven children, a brief record of whom is as follows: (1) William was a veteran in the war of the Rebellion, and was made prisoner at the battle of Spottsylvania Court House, where he was wounded; he died recently in St. Lawrence county, N. Y. (2) James was a clerk in Ogdensburg, N. Y., for about fifteen years, and subsequently fol- lowed the trade of jeweler. (3) Jona- than was a wholesale merchant at Flack- ville, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. (4) Isaac ran a mail stage for many years at Ogden, N. Y., and is now a wholesale merchant at Hermon, N. Y. (5) Mary Jane married Eli Vandelinder, and they live at DeKalb Junction, N. Y. (6) Ag- nes married Samuel Baxter, a farmer and dairyman of DeKalb, N. Y. (7) H. G. is the subject proper of this sketch. (8)

Marcelia married Joseph Lawrence, and they are residents of New York State. (9) Susannah married Thomas McConkey, and they moved to Toronto, Canada, where they died. (10) George is a whole- sale and retail merchant at DeKalb Junc- tion, N. Y., where he is a leading politician. (1]) Helen married Albert Lawrence, a furniture dealer of DeKalb Junction, N. Y. The parents of this numerous family died, the father in 1860, the mother in 1874.

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 26

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