USA > Ohio > Sandusky County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 87
USA > Ohio > Ottawa County > Commemorative biographical record of the counties of Sandusky and Ottawa, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens > Part 87
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John Babcock, the father of our sub- ject, was born in 1780 at Berkshire, Mass., and was a son of John Babcock, the latter a native of England, who took arms against the mother country during the war of the colonies for independence in 1775. John Babcock, Jr., received a very limited education, and learned the tade of a cabinet maker in Pittsfield. He was married March 17, 1808, to Clarissa H. Gray, who was born in 1787, and they became the parents of eleven children, as follows: Thaddeus G., born April 7, 1809; John G., born April 28, 18II; Sylvia Ann, born March 22, 1813, now the widow of Henry Roberts; Eliza
A., born May 5, 1815, deceased Novem- ber 21, 1854; James M., born July 4, 1818, at New Lebanon, N. Y .; Reuben M., our subject; Edwin H., born Novem- ber 4, 1822, died October 9, 1863, at the Chestnut Street Hospital, Philadel- phia, from the effects of a wound received during the Civil war; Adaline A., born February 16, 1825, died at Pittsfield, Mass., in 1893; George H., born April 20, 1826, at New Lebanon, N. Y .; Horatio N., born July 12, 1828, died January 23, 1853; and Clara A., born February 4, 1830, deceased wife of Frank Sparks. The parents of this large family have both passed away, the father having died July 22, 1860, the mother in 1857.
Thomas Ensign, father of Mrs. Reuben M. Babcock, was born May 27, 1790, at Pittsfield, Mass., and was a car- penter and joiner by trade. He was married February 16, 1814, to Electa Williams, whose father was a blacksmith, born in Connecticut, and they became the parents of five children: Mary E., born May 19, 1815, married September 22, 1835, to Calvin Carver; Kezia, born April 10, 1819, who was married April 1, 1838, to William Treadwell; Edgar N., born October 1, 1821; Lucy M., born December 22, 1823, wife of our subject; and James M., born April 2, 1826, who died in youth. Mr. Babcock is a stanch Republican, and the family are members of the Free Methodist Church.
P ETER LICKERT, one of the most prominent farmers of Benton township, Ottawa county, is a son of Daniel and Catherine (Pfaff) Lickert, and was born in Hesse, Ger- many, January 1, 1852.
The parents of Daniel Lickert, John and Sophia (Hassell) Lickert, were born in Hessen, Germany, in 1755 and in 1770 respectively. They had ten children, five sons and five daughters. Daniel Lickert was born in Germany January I,
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IS24: married Catherine Pfaff in 1847, and they had nine children, seven sons and two daughters, seven of whom are living, two sons having died. Daniel Lickert had the misfortune to fall from a scaffold, thus breaking his right leg in three places. Peter Lickert's maternal grandfather, John Pfaff, was born in Hessen, Germany, about 1780, and the maternal grandmother, Sarah (Suerbrei) Pfaff, was born about 1784. Mr. Lickert is related to the Crolls, who were also old settlers of Benton township, by the mar- riage of his uncle, Peter Lickert, Sr., to Miss Fulkert, a sister of Mrs. Henry Croll's father.
Peter Lickert, the subject of this sketch, lived in Hessen, Germany, until he was thirteen years of age, and acquired there a liberal education in the German language. He came to America to stay with his uncle, Peter Lickert, Sr., who lived near Elliston, in Benton township; here he has since had his home, and he owns one of the finest farms not only of Benton township, but of Ottawa county. At the age of fifteen he commenced life for himself by working on a farm for one year, receiving seven dollars a month. He then learned the carpenter's trade, in which he has always been very proficient, and has since planned and superintended the erection of his fine dwelling and all the outbuildings, besides other structures and many buildings for his neighbors. On February 18, 1874, Peter Lickert was united in marriage with Miss Sophia Ernsthausen, of Elmore, Harris town- ship, Ottawa county, and they have had eight children, namely: Henry, born De- cember 5, 1874; Clara, April 27, 1876; Sophia Catherine, January 28, 1878; Mary Elizabeth, May 18, 1880; William Henry, August 15, 1882; Edward, June 19, 1885; George Daniel, August 3, 1888; and John Henry, April 4, 1892. Mary died May 12, 1882. Mrs. Lickert has always been a faithful adviser and helper to her hus- band. She was born in Toledo, Ohio,
October 15, 1851. Her parents moved to Genoa, in Clay township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, when she was three years of age, and remained there nine years, thence moving to Gibsonburg, Sandusky county, where they lived eight years, and where she obtained her education. She then went to Elmore, in Harris township, Ot- tawa county, and remained there until her marriage, in 1874. Her father, Cas- per H. Ernsthausen, was born in Ger- many January 15, 1828, and came to America in 1842. Her mother was born in Germany September 15, 1827. They were married, in 1850, in Toledo, Ohio; have since lived in the State, and have had seven children, five of whom are still living. Mrs. Ernsthausen's mother, grandmother of Mrs. Lickert, whose maiden name was Sophie Gerwin, was born in Germany about 1812, and died in Elmore, Ohio, in 1878.
For eight years after his marriage Mr. Lickert continued to work at his trade. In 1877 he planned and built the Method- ist Church at Rocky Ridge, Benton town - ship; in 1882 he built the hotel at Graytown, Benton township, and a lit- tle later a large planing-mlil at Gray- town, Benton township. For seven years, from 1881 to 1888, he was land agent for Mr. A. W. Cutler, who owns extensive tracts of land in Ottawa county. In 1875 Mr. Lickert purchased a farm from Martin Witty, near Elliston, Benton township, hired a man to run it, and continued at his trade; about that time, also, he was associated with O. G. Guss in the erection of a planing-mill at Rocky Ridge, but they were soon burned out, in consequence of which he sustained a loss of two thousand dollars. He then went to Graytown and erected the mill now owned by W. H. Lachmiller, ope- rating it for one year, when Mr. Lachmil- ler came in as a partner, the firm being known as Lickert & Lachmiller. Mr. Lickert sold his interest in the mill to Mr. A. F. Frese in 1885, and purchased 440
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acres of timberland in Sections 12, 13 and 14, Benton township, on which there were no buildings and no fences. In the short space of ten years he cleared 330 acres of land, took out part of the stumps and fenced the entire 440 acres. In walking over this farm to-day, tilled by modern methods, one would scarcely realize that only a decade ago it was all a wilderness. Thus the hand of industry brings order out of chaos, and a home out of the wilderness. He sold off 200 acres of his original purchase, leaving himself 240 acres of highly productive and well-tilled land on which are three good barns and two spacious houses. It was through the efforts of Mr. Lickert and Mr. Muggy that School District No. 1I was organized, and a fine brick building erected, where the rising generations may be trained to usefulness in the world. All Mr. Lickert's children who are old enough to attend are having the advantages of this school which their father helped to organize. Politically Mr. Lickert is a Republican, and an earnest supporter of his party. He was president of the school board in his township for several years and has ever taken an active part in educational matters.
A UGUST FLECKNER. To the residents of Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, and to the traveling pub- lic, in general, there is perhaps no name in this section more familiar, or more respected, than that of August Fleckner, the genial proprietor of the " Wheeling Hotel," at Oak Harbor, and one of the most progressive citizens of Salem township.
Born in Prussia, Germany, December 31, 1851, he is a son of Frederick Will- iam and Caroline (Wiltke) Fleckner, both natives of Germany, the former born August 23, 1824, the latter on Janu- ary 8, 1831. They were married in their native land in February, 1848, and in
1872 emigrated to America, locating in Oak Harbor. Their family consists of five children, namely: Robert, born Feb- ruary 25, 1849, a resident of Oak Harbor; August, our subject; Frederick William, born August 30, 1853, a prominent agri- culturist of Carroll township; H. Otto, born January 11, 1856, a resident of Oak Harbor; and Hugo H., a farmer of Car- roll township. The father died March 3, 1875; the mother is now residing with her son in Carroll township.
August Fleckner, the subject proper of these lines, received his primary edu- cation in the schools of his native land, afterward learning the trade of a gardener, at which he worked until twenty years of age, when he entered the German army, seeing three years' service. In 1874, on receiving his discharge, he emigrated to America, locating in Oak Harbor, Ottawa Co., Ohio, where he remained eight years, working at his trade. In 1882 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio; but returning to Oak Harbor the following year he has since been a constant resident of that town, for the past eleven years engaged in the hotel business. He was united in marriage at Oak Harbor, May 12, 1877, with Augusta Louisa Feitz, a daughter of Gottleib and Caroline (We- zer) Feitz, born in Prussia, Germany, August 12, 1852. By this union there were three children, viz .: August, born April 11, 1878; Oscar Emanuel, born February 4, 1881; and Bernhardt Harry, born July 29, 1884, and died August I, same year. Mrs. Fleckner's parents were both natives of Germany, the father hav- ing been born there in November, 1822, and the mother on February 15, 1826. They were married February 16, 1848, and to their union were born thirteen children, only three of whom are now living, namely: Augusta Louisa, wife of August Fleckner; Caroline, born April 12, 1861, now the wife of John Forman, of Oak Harbor, and Frederick, born No- vember 18, 1869, residing in Toledo,
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Ohio. The father died in his native land November 25, 1874; in 1880 the mother came to America, and is now living with her son-in-law, August Fleckner, at the advanced age of seventy years.
Politically Mr. Fleckner is an ardent supporter of the Democratic party, and wields a strong political and social influ- ence throughout the country, being one of the most progressive men of his time and place. The family are members of the Lutheran Church.
J OHN MITCHELL, proprietor of the "Lake House," Port Clinton, Ot- tawa county, a well-established and popular hotel, is a native of New York State, born October 14, 1833, at Ithaca, a son of Patrick and Ann (O'Neil) Mitchell, natives of Ireland, who came to this continent about the year 1828.
Patrick Mitchell was a soldier in a British regiment stationed at Quebec, Canada, for about a year, then left for the United States, locating at Ithaca, where, in 1832, he married Ann O'Neil. Here for a time he followed the trade of stone mason, and some years later served in what was known as the Florida war, under Gen. Wool, having enlisted at Utica, N. Y., in Company D, Third United States Infantry; also served in the Mexican war, enlisting at Pontiac, Mich., and on his return from that campaign, in 1847, he died at Detroit, Mich. Later his widow (who with her only child, our subject, occompanied her husband during the Florida war), married Patrick Gillick; she died, in 1866, at Milford, Oakland Co., Mich., her second husband following her to the grave one year later.
John Mitchell, our subject, spent his childhood in Utica, N. Y., and his boy- hood in Fennville and Milford, Mich., until he was eighteen years old, when he moved to Detroit and hired out as team- ster to Reeves & Jennison, contractors and builders. After working for them
about a year they took a contract to build a large cement mill at Ottawa City, and sent him there to take charge of their teams, which he did until the mill was completed; after that he sailed the lakes about three years, as man before the mast, running chiefly between Toledo and Buffalo, aud occasionally to Lake Huron. He afterward worked among the farmers on the Peninsula, and was the first to fol- low fishing at Port Clinton with pound nets.
In 1861 Mr. Mitchell raised Company I. Forty-first O. V. I., for service in the Civil war, of which company, when or- ganized, he was elected captain. At the camp of instruction, Cleveland, he was by some unaccountable error, through no fault of his own, deprived of his rank, and obliged to go as a private, which he did, remaining with Company I until De- cember, 1864, during which time he had been promoted to second lieutenant, then to first lieutenant, later to captain. The war being nearly at an end, he resigned and settled on a farm he had bought on Catawba Island, which he cleared up and put into fruit. In the fall of 1866 he was elected sheriff of Ottawa county, and held the office four years. In 1870 he went into the lumber business, and four years later was re-elected sheriff, serving four years more. After this he followed lumbering extensively, in partnership with Alphonse Couche (since deceased), at va- rious localities-Port Clinton, Rocky Ridge, and several places in the State of Tennessee. After that he rebuilt a large gristmill at Oak Harbor, ran it several years, and then sold it to a Mr. Barnes. He then took charge of the "Central Hotel " at Oak Harbor, conducting it two years; after which he came to Port Clinton, and bought the "Lake House," of which he has since been proprietor.
On February 8, 1858, Mr. Mitchell was married at Port Clinton, Ohio, to Miss Nancy Ann Napier, who was born April 25, 1840, daughter of Benjamin
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and Erepta (Landon) Napier, the former by birth a Scotchman, the later being of English descent. Mr. Napier was a sailor on the lakes from his boyhood until seventy years of age, when he died of cholera at Chicago, Ill .; his wife passed away at Marblehead, Ottawa Co., Ohio, in 1890, at the age of eighty-six years. The children of John and Nancy Mitchell are: Jennie Ann (born in Port .Clinton lighthouse), John, Catherine, Delia, Clar- ence, James, Alpha, Frank and Robert Emmett.
E RNST HEMINGER, a promi- nent agriculturist and manufac- turer, of Salem township, Ottawa county, and a representative, pro- gressive business man, was born in Salem township, April 12, 1851.
The parents of our subject, Frederick and Katherina (Holt) Heminger, natives of Germany, emigrated to America and settled in Salem township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, in October, 1850, when that section of country was still in its primitive condi- tion. Their family consisted of ten chil- dren, as follows: Rosa, wife of Andrew Shegor, of Port Clinton, Ohio, and Fred- erick, of Cleveland, Ohio (children of the father by a former marriage); Ernst, the subject proper of this sketch; William, of Oak Harbor; Albert, of Lakeview, Oregon; August, of Erie county, Ohio; Louis, of Carroll township, Ottawa Co., Ohio; Amelia, wife of John Minke, also of Car- roll township; Nettie, wife of Ferdinand Shellhorn, of Sandusky, Ohio, and Chris- topher, of Erie county. The father de- parted this life January 16, 1887; the mother is still living, and is now a resi- dent of Oak Harbor.
Ernst Heminger, the gentleman whose name introduces this sketch, received his preliminaryeducation in the district schools of his native township, his early boyhood days being spent about the farm. On leaving school he served an apprenticeship
term to the trade of a carpenter, which vocation he followed for nearly ten years, then embarking in agricultural pursuits, lumber manufacturing and also in the manufacturing of wine and cider, his busi- ness relations extending over a large ex- tent of territory. In his different enter- prises, Mr. Heminger has ever proved himself a man of sound judgment and ex- cellent business qualifications, and it is needless to say that success has crowned his efforts.
Our subject was united in marriage, in Salem township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, April 16, 1877, with Miss Mina Huttenlocher, whose parents, Michael and Katherine (Gram) Huttenlocher, both natives of the Fatherland, crossed the ocean to the New World and settled in Salem township, Ottawa Co., Ohio, in 1852, where they have since resided. To Mr. and Mrs. Heminger have come nine children, as follows: W. F. August, born March 25, 1878; C. William, born December 7, 1879; E. Harman, born February 4, 1881; C. Anna, born March 13, 1884; Louis, born June 14, 1886; Rosa, born April 3, 1889; Emma, born March 30, 1891; Olga, born July 30, 1893, and Elizabeth, born Sep- tember 13, 1895. The family are devout members of the Lutheran Church. So- cially they enjoy the respect of the entire community. In his political preferences Mr. Heminger affiliates with the Demo- cratic party.
G EORGE BICKFORD, the owner of a fine vineyard on Put in Bay Island, is a native son of Ohio, born in Sandusky City, Erie county, August 24, 1834. He is one of the eighteen children of Hezekiah and Mary Charlotte (Gibaut) Bickford, the former born in Maine, May 2, 1808, the latter on the Isle of Guernsey, in the Eng- lish Channel, September 13, 1815. The paternal grandfather settled in Erie coun- ty, Ohio, at a very early day in the his-
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tory of that locality, and there he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. The father of our subject removed to Canada about 1840, and continued his residence in that country until called to the home beyond, April 6, 1879; his wife also died in Canada. Of their large family of children ten grew to mature years, and nine are now living, as follows: Charles, who resides in Essex county, Canada; Sarah, wife of William McLean, of the same place; George, subject of this sketch; Clarissa Ann, wife of Jacob Tuffle- myer, of Essex; Hezekiah, also of Essex; John, who is living in Fort Wayne, Ind .; William, Mary Jane (wife of Maxim Reyno), and Robert, all three living in Essex county, Canada.
We now take up the personal history of George Bickford. and feel assured that it will prove of interest to many of our readers, for he is both widely and favor- ably known in the locality where he re- sides. When about six years of age he removed with his parents to Canada, and was reared to manhood in Essex county, in the Province of Ontario, where he ac- quired his education in the public schools. He also learned the trade of blacksmith- ing there, and in 1856 he left his home in that locality to return to his native city, where for one season he engaged in fish- ing. In the spring of 1857 he located in Put in Bay Island, where for thirty-eight years he has made his home, and the length of his residence is equaled by the high regard in which he is held. During the greater part of the time he has fol- lowed blacksmithing and fishing, but dur- ing the past ten years has exclusively en- gaged in the cultivation of grapes. He is an energetic, industrious and enterprising man, and his earnest and well-directed labors have brought to him success.
Mr. Bickford has been twice married. On July 14, 1861, he wedded Mathilda Poskile, who died August 30, 1865, leav- ing two children- Hezekiah, born Sep- tember 30, 1862; and Jennie, who was
born February 11, 1864, and died March 30, 1867. For his second wife, Mr. Bick- ford chose Elizabeth, daughter of James and Hannah (Leard) Edwards, and born in Gosfield, Canada, February 13, 1843. They were married in Kingsville, Canada, February 14, 1867, and have had six chil- dren, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Ezra, January 14, 1868; Edith, June 12, 1869; Bertha, December 27, 1870, died December 26, 1886; Hannah, July 4, 1874, died December 21, 1886; Mina, October 3, 1878; and Ada May, August 7, 1882.
Mr. Bickford has served as township trustee, has been trustee of the public lawn of Put in Bay, and has held other minor positions, faithfully discharging his duties, and proving true to the trust re- posed in him. His political support is given to the Republican party, and he attends the Reformed Episcopal Church.
E NOS E. WILLIAMS, a prominent farmer of Carroll township, ranks among the oldest living pioneers of Ottawa county, having arrived here with his parents in 1834, when he was but a year old, and then the county was one vast forest, and still a part of Sandusky county. With the exception of four years spent in Indiana, he has been a constant resident of the county since that early date. His birth occurred in Guernsey county, Ohio, October 14, IS33, and in 1834 his parents, Nehemiah and Hester (Pickering) Williams, brought him to what is now Bay township, Otta- wa county. The sketch of his life can not be better written than by giving it in his own words:
" I recollect when there were no roads. and but very few bridges in the county, and at one time I was acquainted with every family in Port Clinton. At that time Lower Sandusky, Venice, and Mon- roe, Mich., were the nearest milling points, and to one or the other of these:
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towns the people were obliged to carry their grain to have it ground, many often going to Monroe with it in canoes, the trip occuping nearly two weeks. I have lived in Carroll township constantly since 1860, and have by my own hard work cleared up thirty-six of the forty acres of land I now reside on. I have run a threshing machine, worked at the carpen- ter trade, farmed a little, fished a little and done nothing the greater part of the time." At present Mr. E. E. Williams is a successful fruit grower, having now over 1, 100 peach trees under cultivation on his farm.
Mr. Williams has been twice married. On March 12, 1860, he wedded Mrs. Dorotha Leithenburg, a native of Ger- many, whose parents were early settlers of Ottawa county. In the spring of 1870, she was called to her final rest, and on the 19th of the following November, Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Mrs. Eliza Melissa (Root) Saddoris, widow of Elias Saddoris, and they have become the parents of five children-Eugene E., born August 20, 1871, now a student for the ministry, and is at present living on the homestead; Nina E., born June 4, 1872; Eva L., born February 23, 1875, died May 2, 1877; Maurice E., born March 21, 1877; and James E., born April 25, 1880, died August 8, 1895.
Mrs. Williams' birth occurred Decem- ber 14, 1835, and she is the daughter of Rev. V. S. and Lovica (Foote) Root, the former born in the Empire State, March 4, 1810, and the latter, also a native of the same State, born December 14, 1803. Her mother died November 21, 1847; the father, who hasreached the advanced age of eighty-five years, is a native of Tustin, Osceola Co., Mich. Rev. Root located in Carroll township, Ottawa county, in 1840, and there continued to make his home until 1880. He filled many im- portant county and township offices, be- ing the first notary public and the second justice of the peace appointed in the town-
ship. In early life he taught school and also practiced law for many years, but later engaged as a laborer in the Lord's vineyard. He is a man of fair legal abil- ity, excellent judgment and sound com- mon sense, while his unswerving integrity and general rectitude of life have gained for him an enviable reputation wherever he is known.
Mr. Williams has served his fellow citizens as road supervisor and school director, and for the past twelve years has been master of the Grange. The family are consistent members of the United Brethren Church, and belong to the Good Templars Society; he is also connected with the Knights of Honor, and has efficiently filled the office of reporter in that body for nine years. He has been successfully elected three times to repre- sent his lodge in the Knights of Honor in the State of Ohio. Politically he is a true-blue Republican. Surrounded by an interesting family, Mr. Williams is a thoughtful, devoted husband and a kind indulgent father. Among men he is gen- ial and companionable, manly and fear- lessly independent in character and thought; and consistent and temperate in all respects. He is a practical farmer and fruit grower; a man of taste and culture with broad and liberal views, and his in- tegrity is incorruptible. His social stand- ing is high, and he and his family have the esteem of all.
We can not well conclude this sketch without some favorable mention of Mr. Williams' eldest son-Eugene E .- who has early had a taste for literature, and knows the value of books. He is also aware of the fact that toil and frugality are essential to success, and by careful study and the practice of the latter prin- ciples is fitting himself to take a promi- nent place in this world, and point out to others the duties to be performed in order to fit themselves for the world to come. He is a writer of no mean ability, and has compiled a very interesting history of Ot -.
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tawa county. On September 20, 1895, he entered the Sandusky Conference of the United Brethren Church, where he re- ceived license to preach. He is at pres- ent engaged in teaching school at Lime- stone, Ohio.
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