Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 71

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 71
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 71

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In politics Mr. Sparks was an Old- line Whig, casting his first vote for that

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party in 1836. He was an earnest anti- slavery man, and when the Free-Soil party was organized he readily adopted its principles. A little later he helped to organize the Republican party in San- dusky county. When attending a con- vention of that party in Fremont he tried to secure the introduction in the county platform of a declaration "That the traffic in intoxicating drinks is a curse and ought to be prohibited by law." This resolution was rejected by the convention, and Mr. Sparks withdrew from the party and has since voted with the Prohibition cause. He has been a Church member for fifty-six years. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1885, and few if any residents in Sandusky county have been blessed with a married life of a duration as long as theirs. Both he and his faith- ful and devoted wife are hale and hearty at this writing.

0 RLIN W. HARRISON. In the tense strife and activity of modern times the man who excels in any field of action is necessarily en- dowed either with superior natural abili- ties or with a surpassing will. The men who are best respected hold their good name because of personal character, which is the resultant of inherited quali- ties and the efforts of will. Some men rise from the masses with no traceable ancestry of notable quality; but perhaps there are more whose prominence is easily explained by ancestral traits. Pioneer life breeds a stronger, more enduring race of men than a city housing. The mental life of Orlin W. Harrison has been marked by unusual activities, and he has proved to be well fitted for these conditions.

His ancestry, paternally, stretches back through records and parchment to the sixteenth century, and all the links in the genealogy have been landowners. His great-grandfather, William Marks Harrison, of New Jersey, was a descend-

ant of John Harrison, an early settler of Plymouth Rock, and the supposed an- cestor, also, of President Harrison. Or- lin W. Harrison was born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., October 4, 1844, son of William Marks and Adaline (Wright) Harrison. William Marks Harrison was born in Galway, N. Y., March 9, 1809, son of James and Clarinda (Rose) Harri- son. James Harrison was born in Tren- ton, N. J., September 9, 1779; Clarinda Rose was born in Windsor, Vt., October 8, 1782. After marriage they settled, in the spring of 1814, in Galway, N. Y., and removed to Chautauqua county in May, 1827. Here, at Panama, James Harrison died, January 12, 1858; his wife died September 24, 1853. William Marks Harrison was seventeen years old when he moved with his parents to Chautauqua county. There he purchased 120 acres of land from the Holland Land Co., and there engaged in farming until the spring of 1845, when he came to Ohio, purchas- ing eighty acres of land a half mile east of Clyde, on the Maumee and Western Reserve pike, a part of the old McPher- son farm. His wife, whom he married July 4, 1836, was born April 2, 1816, in Avon, N. Y., daughter of Eli and Martha (Bullard) Wright, who migrated from Massachusetts. The fathers of Eli and Martha Wright both served in the Revo- lutionary war. Martha's father was, with two companions, taken prisoner by In- dians. The savages painted the two companions black, which meant death; Mr. Bullard, however, was favored with a coat of red paint, which signified adop- tion. He witnessed the death of his two companions, who were burned at the stake. A squaw befriended him, and while the Indian war was still in progress aided him in escaping, Eli Wright was a soldier of the war of 1812. In 1845 he migrated from New York to Clyde, Ohio, where he lived until his death, which oc- curred when he was seventy-five years old. He was the father of seven chil-

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dren, all of whom came to Ohio, mar- ried and reared families.

William Marks Harrison resided on his farm east of Clyde until 1865, when he moved to that city. For over thirty years he was deputy sheriff of Sandusky county. He was the first high priest of Clyde Chapter No. 90, Royal Arch Ma- sons, the first worshipful master of Mon- ticello Lodge No. 244, F. & A. M., Clyde, also the first thrice illustri- ous master of Morton Council No. 38, Royal & Select Masters, and was a mem- ber of Erie Commandery No. 23, Knights Templar, of Sandusky. In politics he was an active Democrat, and while not a Church member led an exemplary moral life, religiously eschewing oaths, tobacco and intoxicating drinks. He had three children: Helen, for many years a school teacher, and still living at the old home; Orlin W., subject of this sketch; and Viola, wife of Eugene Mathews, and the mother of two children, Maggie and Pearl, of whom Maggie is the wife of Russell Mugg and has one child, Madeline. William Marks Harrison died, December 4, 1884; his widow died March 18, 1895, at Clyde. She was an active church goer and a highly-esteemed lady.

Orlin W. Harrison was educated at Clyde, and at the age of seventeen, Octo- ber 12, 1861, enlisted in Company A, Sev- enty-second O. V. I. The regiment was assigned to the army of the Tennessee, and participated in the battle of Shiloh. Mr. Harrison was taken sick after the battle with typhoid fever, and lay in the hospital tent at Shiloh, Tenn., until re- moved to Cincinnati, in May. He was unconscious all the way up the river, and after remaining two days at Cincin- nati was sent home on a thirty-days' fur- lough, afterward extended to sixty-days. Returning to Camp Chase in July, the board of examining surgeons discharged him from further service, despite his re- monstrance. He was sick all through the fall. In the spring of 1863 he entered

the Law Department of the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, but the war spirit was in his veins, and returning home he enlisted in the Fiftieth O. N. G., and was elected second sergeant of Company B. The imperfectly formed regiment did drill work during the summer and winter, and in the spring of 1864 went into act- ive service as the One Hundred and Sixty-ninth Ohio National Guard Infantry. From Washington city it was ordered on guard duty at Fort Ethan Allen, where it remained all summer. Returning to Camp Cleveland, the regiment was dis- charged, September 4, 1864. During the following winter Mr. Harrison pro- cured a recruiting commission, and re- cruited a portion of a company for the One Hundred and Ninety-eight O. V. I., until receiving orders in February, 1865, to stop further enlistments. For two years the young soldier remained at home, then in 1867 entered a department of railroad service which requires endurance and close application. He became a mes- senger for the Merchants Union Express Co., between Dayton and Cincinnati, and on various other western runs. In this service he remained two years, and was then for six years messenger for the United States Express Co., between Cleveland and Toledo, between Sandusky and Newark, between Cleveland and Sharon, Penn., between Columbus and Indianapolis and between Columbus and Chicago. He was also sent out at vari- ous times to relieve agents, and had charge of offices at Elyria, Monroeville and Tiffin. For four years-from 1876 to 1880-he traveled for Weideman Stet- son & Co., wholesale liquor dealers, and in 1883 entered the Lake Shore freight office at Clyde, and has been with that company ever since, excepting three years when he was clerk in Judge Lemmon's office. He is now billing clerk for the Lake Shore and Big Four joint office.

In politics Mr. Harrison has been a lifelong Republican. At the age of

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twenty-one he became a member of Monticello Lodge, F. & A. M., and has taken all the degrees. He is a member of Morton Council No. 38, Clyde, and of Erie Commandery No. 23, K. T., since 1877. He was secretary of the commit- tee which arranged for the McPherson monument unveiling, and in that capacity corresponded with President Garfield, James G. Blaine and other celebrities, entertaining some of them at his home.

In 1870 he was married to Anna L. Brown, a native of Tiffin, and daughter of Abordas Brown, who was born in Tomp- kins county, N. Y., and when a young man migrated to Tiffin, Ohio, where he married Miss Mary A. Taylor, and be- came one of the proprietors of the Tiffin Woolen Mills; he died in 1866. Orlin W. and Anna L. Harrison have one child, Clara. In manners Mr. Harrison is genial and sociable. He possesses a rare fund of information, and is a gifted con- versationalist. He would have been an attorney but for the war excitement dur- ing his early manhood. He is popular in the community at Clyde, and ranks with that city's most highly esteemed citizens.

F RANK M. INMAN is numbered among the leading educators of Sandusky county. He was born December 25, 1855, in Scott township, where he still resides, and is a son of Benjamin and Eliza (Jennings) In- man. His father was born in New Jer- sey, in 1817, made farming his life work, and became one of the pioneer settlers of Sandusky county more than half a cen- tury ago. Here he entered a claim, transforming the wild land into a rich and fertile farm, which our subject has re- cently sold. His wife was born in New York in 1820, and they became the par- ents of these children: Mrs. Amanda Put- nam, of Middleville, Mich .; Mrs. Annette Shiverly; Brazilla; Mary, wife of William Bates; Benjamin, deceased; Mrs. Eldo-

rado Fousy; Mrs. Alfarette Ralph; Frank, subject of this sketch; and Mrs. Candace Shawl. The great-grandparents were from England.

Our subject acquired his early educa- tion in the district schools of his native township, after which he pursued his studies in the Fremont High School, and the Ohio University, at Columbus. He was therefore well fitted for the profession of teacher, and has become one of the most successful educators of Sandusky county. In 1892 he was appointed to the county board of examiners of teachers of Sandusky county, and at the present time is clerk of the Sandusky county School Examiners; has held other posi- tions of public trust, having served for some time in the capacity of clerk of Scott township. He is a very progressive man, a supporter of the advanced ideas of mod- ern education, and has done much to raise the standard of schools in his locality.

On Christmas Day, 1875, Mr. Inman married Miss Dellia V. Ernsberger, of Fremont, Ohio, a daughter of John and Martha (Long) Ernsberger. Her father was born in Maryland, in 1836, her mother in Sandusky county, Ohio, in 1840, and their marriage was celebrated in 1858. They now have three children: (1) Ver- non, born in 1867, married to Lula Hal- ter, and they have two children; they re- side in Fremont, where he is engaged in the printing business; (2) Juniata, born in 1873, is the wife of Ralph Parke, of Ohio, and they have one child; and (3) Mrs. Inman, who was born January 4, 1860, and was educated in the district schools and in Fremont. Her paternal great-grandmother was born about 1783, died in 1870, and her paternal grand- parents, Michael and Sarah (Gear) Long, were natives of Ohio, the former born in 1817, the latter in 1819; his death oc- curred in 1892. Of their six children five are now living.

In 1875 Mr. and Mrs. Inman located on a farm which they have just recently

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sold to an oil company of Fremont, sev- eral good oil wells having been lo- cated on the place. They have since re- sided in Scott township, Sandusky coun- ty, with the exception of two years, when Mr. Inman was teaching in Martin, Otta- wa county. They have one son, B. M., who was born May 10, 1877, and obtained his early education in the district schools, after which he pursued a course in the Fremont High School. In 1894 he com- menced teaching in Rollersville, Sandusky county, and is now engaged in the oil business near his home. Frank M. In- man, the subject proper of this review, is one of the ablest educators in this sec- tion of the State. He is a man of broad general information, and has the happy faculty of imparting readily and clearly to others his knowledge. He also wins the respect of his scholars, and this, combined with his superior talent, has made his career one of success.

D AVID W. BOWE. About a half century ago, when Scott town- ship, Sandusky county, was an almost unbroken wilderness, be- fore roads were made or oil wells dreamed of, there settled on the now Greensburg pike, about two miles from the present vil- lage of Bradner, a gentleman by the name of George Bowe, and his wife, Catherine (Wegstein). Since that time the tract of land which he secured has been known as the "Bowe homestead." These honored pioneer people reared a family of six sons, five of whom are living, and are numbered among the most prominent citizens of the township, worthy representatives of the name. They are possessors of fine homes and extensive business interests, and are highly esteemed by all.

The subject of this sketch is the youngest of the five sons. Like his brothers, he was born on the farm which he now owns, the date of his birth being November 10, 1847. There is a marked

contrast between the farm as it appears to-day and that of half a century ago. The giant trees have fallen, and in their place, towering skyward, are the oil der- ricks. The old log house, in which the sons of our subject, as well as himself, were born, still stands and is well pre- served. In front of this, however, is a modern residence, large and commodious, supplied with many comforts and con- veniences. Mr. Bowe was educated in the district schools, and then took a trip through Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, returning after nearly a year. He next entered the Fremont High School, and on the completion of a two-years' course of study taught one term in a district school. In his mercantile career he began as a clerk in a jewelry store in Fremont, but on account of poor health he was obliged to abandon his labors in that direction, and employed himself in teaching for several terms.

On November 28, 1872, Mr. Bowe married Martha P. Lansdale, of Scott township, Sandusky county, who was born April 13, 1851, and is the only child of Rezin Addison and Martha (Moore) Lans- dale. Her father was born April 7, 1827, her mother December 19, 1833, and their marriage was celebrated June 27, 1850. Mrs. Bowe's maternal grandfather, Elisha Moore, was born December 27, 1809, and died in September, 1892. He mar- ried Phœbe Smith, who was born May 8, 1807, and is still living. Her father, Randall Smith, was born in 1779, and served in the war of 1812. He wedded Martha Crow, who was born about 1780, and was one of seventeen children. By her marriage she became the mother of thirteen children, three of whom are now living. Randall Smith was noted as a humorist. On one occasion he was pres- ent at a gathering, and remarked that he had a white Crow. This seemed such an improbability that his friends were rather inclined to question his statement, where- on he remarked: "If you will accompany

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me home I will prove to you I am a truthful man." This his friends concluded to do, and on reaching home he presented his wife, whose maiden name was Crow. They at once saw the joke, and joined with Mr. Smith in his hearty laugh at their expense. Mr. and Mrs. Moore were the parents of six children: Daniel W., born September 18, 1830; Charity Ann, born January 15, 1832, became Mrs. Braden, and died March 26, 1878; Mrs. Martha Lansdale, who died April 27, 1851; Mrs. Rachel Jane Edwards, born November 4, 1836; Mrs. Alvina Shively; and Mrs. Minerva Angus.

Mrs. Bowe was educated in the high school of Fremont, and at Milan, Ohio, and became a teacher of recognized abil- ity in Sandusky county. She is a lady of culture and refinement, and has been to her husband a faithful companion and helpmeet. They began their domestic life on the farm which is still their home, and to them have come three children: Agnes Estella, born January 8, 1876, died August 25, 1877; Hugh H., born January 19, 1880, now assisting his father in the oil business; and Warren W., born May 31, 1881.

After his marriage, Mr. Bowe engaged in farming and the dairy business, meet- ing with excellent success in his under- taking. About 1890 a new industry was established in this section of the country. Oil was found, and a few wells were pro- ducing quite fair returns. Our subject had many chances to lease his land to oil companies, but always declined. In March, 1895, he decided to find out if there was oil upon his farm, and accord- ingly sunk a well near the center of his land. It proved very profitable, and there has since been a steady yield. He has now sunk the sixth well, and from the oil business he is deriving a good income, and will continue to sink wells as long as practicable. In addition to his other interests, he has for some years been the owner of a fine apiary,

keeping some fifty - five colonies of bees.

In politics, Mr. Bowe is a Democrat, and has served as trustee of Scott town- ship for two years, as justice of the peace six years, and was president of the board of education for several years. He is devoted to the best interests of the com- munity, and no one is more deserving of the high regard in which he is universally held than David Bowe, a worthy repre- sentative of an honored pioneer family.

W ILLIAM MAURER, a retired farmer, of Fremont, Sandusky county, is a native of Ballville township, that county, where he grew to manhood and received a common- school education.

When the Civil war broke out Mr. Maurer enlisted August 7, 1862, at Fre- mont, in Company K, One Hundreth Regiment O. V. I., which was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Twenty-third Army Corps. At Lime- stone Station the enemy were about two thousand strong, under Gen. Jackson, while the Union forces numbered only three hundred, under Lt. - Col. Hayes. Like Spartans they held the Rebels at bay from 12 M. to 4 P. M., when they were surrounded, and all but one man taken prisoners. They were sent to Libby Prison, at Richmond, Va., for a few days, and then to Belle Isle, where they re- mained for six months, suffering great hardships and privations. In March, 1864, they were paroled and sent by way of An- napolis and Baltimore, Md., to Columbus, Ohio. Having recovered somewhat from the infirmities contracted at Belle Isle, Mr. Maurer was again sent to the front. He afterward took part in the battles of Columbia and Franklin, Tenn., and in the campaign under Gen. Cox against Gen. Morgan. On November 20, 1864, he was wounded in the wrist by a minie ball at the battle of Franklin, and he

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walked to Nashville, a distance of twenty- five miles, to the hospital, before having his wound dressed. After a few days he was sent to the hospital at Covington, Ky., and thence on a furlough of twenty days home, which was extended to forty days, when he returned to the hospital and remained until May 23, 1865, when he was mustered out. With the excep- tion of the time he was in prisons and in hospitals, he was with his regiment in all its marches and engagements, during two years and ten months of service. He is a member of Manville Moore Post, 525, G. A. R., Fremont, Ohio.

After the war Mr. Manrer returned to his father's home in Ballville township and resumed farming. On September 3, 1865, he married Miss Eliza J. Worst, who was born in Ballville township De- cember 7, 1845, daughter of Jacob and Hannah (Parks) Worst. Mr. Maurer built a fine farm residence on his excellent farm adjoining that of his father, and fol- lowed agricultural pursuits about fifteen years. He then moved to Fremont to give his children better opportunities for education, and for three years carried on a grocery store on Buckland avenue. The children of William and Eliza J. Maurer were: Lilly L., born March 6, 1867, was married April 16, 1888, to E. A. Adams, and died May 16, 1889; they had one child, Charles H., who died in infancy. Delphin B., born September 1, 1868, who graduated from the Oberlin Business College, and is now freight solicitor for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad at Toledo, Ohio. Orpheus C., born September 21, 1871, who attended Fremont schools and a few terms at Ober- lin College, then took a position in the Fremont Savings Bank, about five years, and is now traveling salesman for the Capewell Horse Shoe Nail Co.

Isaac Maurer, father of our subject, was born in Chester county, Penn., Jan- uary 2, 1809, came to Ashland county, Ohio, when a boy, and became a skillful

farm hand. In Wayne county, Ohio, he married Miss Mary Ann Ernsperger, and in 1834 moved to Ballville township, Sandusky county, where he cleared up a large farm and reared a family of chil- dren. He was a Republican in politics, and in religion a member of the Reformed Church. His death occurred October 31, 1893. His wife was born in Maryland in 1812, and died in Sandusky county in 1879. They had eight children, six of whom grew to maturity: Martin, who was a soldier in the Civil war, serving in Company H, One Hundred and Sixty- ninth Regiment O. V. I., and who now lives in Nebraska; Emanuel, a retired farmer and capitalist, at Springfield, Mo .; William, our subject; Eli B., who is a minister of the United Brethren Church, in Springfield, Illinois; Jane, wife of H. C. Smith, of Ballville township; and Owen L., a farmer, who lives on the old Maurer homestead.

C ASPER MOLITOR, a fruit grow- er and wine manufacturer of Dan- bury township, Ottawa county, was born in Rhenish Prussia, Germany, July 30, 1828, and is a son of Joseph and Katrina (Cleis) Molitor, also natives of Germany, who passed away in the Fatherland, the former about the year 1887, the latter in 1866. In their family were eleven children, and those who still survive are John Joseph, who since 1894 has resided in Chicago; Wentzel, a resi- dent of St. Louis, Mo .; Catherina Miller, living in Germany; Marie Josephine, wife of Henry Spay, a resident of Blooming- ton, Ill. ; and Moritz, who is still living in the Fatherland.

The gentleman, whose name intro- duces this record, was reared to manhood in his native land, and acquired his edu- cation in the common schools. His father was a contractor and builder, and in the days of his early manhood he acted as

Molitor

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overseer of his father's business. In 1849, on account of the Revolution then in progress there, he left his own country for France, and made his home in the Province of Loraine some two years. He then determined to try his fortune in America, and in 1851 crossed the At- lantic to New York, where he resided three years, A similar period he spent in Wisconsin, and in 1857 he settled in Cincinnati, where for a time he was engaged in the leather business which pursuit he had previously followed in Springfield, Ohio. In 1869 he re- turned to Germany, and there re- mained three years. In 1872 he again took up his residence in Cincinnati, and in 1873 removed to Sandusky, Erie coun- ty, Ohio, spending the succeeding four years of his life in that place, engaged in the manufacture of wine. In 1877 he purchased his present place of business, and erected the winery which he now owns, and which is one of the largest in the county, with a cask capacity of 150, - 000 gallons. He conducts his affairs on strict business principles, and is meeting with excellent success in his undertakings, deriving therefrom a good income.

Mr. Molitor has been twice married: first time to Mrs. Katrina Hemish, widow of Edward Hemish, the wedding being celebrated in Cincinnati. This lady died August 24, 1877, and in 1881 Mr. Molitor was again married, this time in Buffalo, N. Y., to Josephine, daughter of Mathias and Margaret Molitor, natives of the Rhenish Province in Germany, the former of whom has passed away, and the latter is now making her home in New Orleans. To our subject and his wife have been born five children, three of whom are liv- ing: Bertha Mina, born January 8, 1884; Theressa Josephine, born March 21, 1885; and Marguiretta, born January 12, 1889.

In his political views, Mr. Molitor is a Republican, having supported that party since 1856, becoming an American citizen,

and in its growth and success he takes a deep interest. Socially he is connected with Castle Rock Lodge, No. 21, Knights of G. R., of Lakeside.

P HILIP MICHAELS, retired agri- culturist, now residing in Fremont, Sandusky county, was born No- vember 10, 1840, in Fairfield coun- ty, Ohio, son of Isaac and Elizabeth (Hutchins) Michaels, who were of Penn- sylvania-German descent. Their chil- dren were: Jesse, John, Jackson, Sarah Jane, Philip, Thomas, James, Susan, and three who died in childhood.

Jesse Michaels was three times mar- ried: First to a Miss Carr; then to Miss Rit- ter, by whom he had three children- Hannah, Jemima and Martha; and, finally, to Miss Margaret Duncan, by whom he had one son -- John. John Michaels, son of Isaac, married Miss Mary Miner, in Hancock county, Ohio; he went as a sol- dier in the Civil war, from Findlay, Ohio, in the Fifty-seventh Regiment, O. V. I. Jackson Michaels married Miss Hoover, and lives at Green Spring, Ohio; they have three children: LeRoy, Richard, and a daughter; he was a soldier in a New York regiment during the Civil war, sery- ing as a teamster, and died in the service. James Michaels married a Miss Ritter, by whom he had one son; he also was a Union soldier in the Civil war, in the Forty-ninth Regiment, O. V. I., and died soon after his return home. Sarah Jane Michaels married Richard Bigelow, who followed various occupations; he was for a few years street commissioner at Oak Harbor, Ohio; they had four chil- dren: Mary Ann, Samuel, Samantha and Emma. Thomas Michaels, farmer, lived in Sandusky county, from where he en- listed, in 1862, in the Seventy-second Regiment, O. V. I. ; he died after the bat- tle of Shiloh, while on his way to Cincin- nati, where he was buried; he had one son, William. Susan Michaels married

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Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, Part 71

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