USA > Ohio > Wood County > Commemorative historical and biographical record of Wood County, Ohio : its past and present : early settlement and development biographies and portraits of early settlers and representative citizens, etc. V. 1 > Part 91
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J. R. Hankey is a native of Ohio, born in Wayne county, March 16, 1843. a son of John and Polly (Fostnight) Hankey, the former of whom was born in Schuylkill county, Penn., in 1814. He was a farmer and merchant by occu- pation, and early in life came to Ohio, first lo- cating in Wayne county, during the war of the Rebellion moving to Medina county, where he died in 1868. He was three times married; first to Miss Polly Fostnight, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1819, and by her he had seven children, as follows: Solomon died in infancy ; Sarah married William Shammo, and is de- ceased; Lewis W. is a minister of the Evangel- ical Church at Tiffin, Ohio; John R., the subject proper of this memoir, comes next; then I. L. : two died in infancy. The mother of these de- parted this life in Wayne county in 1854, ani Mr. Hankey subsequently married Miss Margaret Reach, who died fifteen months after marriage. she had one child that died in infancy. For his third wife he wedded Miss Sarah Strouse, of Richland county, Ohio, by which union there were two children: Isaiah S., of Bowling Green. and Sarah Katherine, wife of A. L. Sourwine, a farmer in Crawford county, Ohio.
Our subject lived on a farm until he wa- eleven years old, when he went to Marshallville. He received his education in the common schools, and when fifteen years old went to Wooster.
John Rifleanker
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Ohio, where he entered the arena of business in the capacity of clerk in a clothing store. While so engaged the war of the Rebellion broke out, and at the first call by the President for three- years men to defend the Union, the lad. fired with the spirit of true patriotism, enlisted June 4, 1861, in Company E, 4th O. V. I., which was attached to the army of the Potomac, Gen. Sum- ner's corps, under Gen. McClellan ("Little Mac"). Private Hankey participated in many battles and skirmishes, and established for him- self the record of a good. dutiful and brave sol- dier. He took part in the battles of Winchester, Port Royal, Port Republic, and in all the engage- ments in front of Richmond in 1862; was at the siege of Yorktown, the battle of Fair Oaks, the seven-days' retreat, battles of second Bull Run and Antietam, up to and including that of Fred- ericksburg. At second Bull Run he had a very narrow escape from death, his haversack being blown to pieces by an exploding shell. His per- sonal injuries were not serious, but his rations were entirely lost, and for several days he had to depend upon the generosity of his comrades for food. After the battle of Fredericksburg Mr. Hankey was stricken with typhoid fever, neces- sitating his removal to the hospital, whence on his recovery he was transferred to the Invalid Corps, in which he served at different localities until his honorable discharge from the army, June 4. 1864, after an arduous and loyal service of three years, during which he never shirked his duty, but cheerfully and without a selfish thought risked his young life-amid shot and shell, in dreary and wearisome marches and counter- marches, in the trenches and at the storming of bastions -- that the integrity of the Union might be preserved.
Returning to Wooster, Ohio, Mr. Hankey found his old position in the store awaiting him, and that his salary had recommenced from the day of his discharge. He did not remain much longer, however, with the firm, for on the first day of January, 1867, we find him engaged by a Philadelphia woolen-goods house to represent them "on the road," a line of life better suited to his natural energy and push, and no doubt pal- atable to a certain love he had for "adventure," inoculated into him by his army experience. With this firm he remained ten years, in all, during which time, in January, 1869, he and another established a clothing and merchant tailoring store in Findlay, Ohio tat the same time retaining his connection with the Philadelphia firm, as trav- cler), and they conducted the same conjointly till 1871, when Mr. Hankey sold out his interest to |
his partner, and removed with his family to Wooster.
In August, 1874, he and Mr. White established a clothing business at Bowling Green, Wood county, under the firm name of Hankey & White, which they successfully carried on up to January 1, 1877, at which time our subject discontinued commercial traveling. On April 1, same year, he removed with his family to Bowling Green, where they have since made their home. In that city he has become identified with various under- takings, among them being the planing-mill al- ready referred to; he has also been interested in gas and oil enterprises, the firm of Hankey Brothers being among the most extensive promo- ters in that line in this region. He assisted in organizing, and was a heavy stockholder in, both the Bowling Green and the Crystal Glass Works, formerly located at Bowling Green; and stock- holder in the Foundry and Machine Shop. He was one of the founders of the First National Bank of that city, and is still vice-president there- of. He lias been an extensive dealer in real estate, much valuable property in and about Bowling Green having changed hands with him. He built and owns the fine new Opera House block on Main street, the Hankey block, north of the Opera block, besides the National Bank and Exchange Bank buildings. Indeed. it can be truly said of him that he has stood ready with his energy and means to assist in any and every measure tending to the development of the indus- tries of northwestern Ohio, more especially Wood county and the city of Bowling Green, whose present prosperity is due to him more than any other one person. For thirty-nine years he has not been a day idle, having been either in the employ of others, or in business for himself.
In 1867, at Wooster, Ohio, Mr. Hankey was united in marriage with Miss Emma T. Van Hou- ten, who was born in Wooster, in 1846. daughter of the late Philo S. and Elizabeth (Bartol Van- Houten, and three children have graced this union: Rufus P. (married to Miss Nettie Long. of Bow !- ing Green), Harry G. and Philo S .: of whom, Rufus P. and Harry G. have an interest in their father's planing-mill; Philo S. was employed in a bank at Bowling Green, but at present, owing to impaired health, is sojourning in the "Sunny South."
Philo S. Van Houten, father of Mrs. Hankey, was born in Marcellus, N. Y., December 25. 1810, and by assiduous industry. strict integrity and indomitable perseverance rose from compara- tive obscurity to be cashier of the Wayne Coun- ty Bank (now the Wayne County National Bank .
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Wooster, Ohio, an incumbency he filled with fidelity and ability for the long period of nearly a third of a century-in fact up to his death, which occurred April 9, 1881. He was a man of irreproachable private character, whose domestic life and habits were of that quiet and unostenta- tious kind so well calculated to endear him to family and friends.
On January 2, 1840, Mr. Van Houten mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Bartol, who was born in Elizabethtown, Lancaster Co., Penn., in 1820, daughter of Mathias and Elizabeth (Jontz) Bar- tol, both also natives of the Keystone State. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters -- George and John (who died in Ohio): Abraham (who died in California); Elizabeth; Margaret (Mrs. William Still), and Sarah (Mrs. Michael Rahn), all now deceased. The parents moved to Wayne county, Ohio, in the summer of 1831, and there passed the rest of their honored lives. The father was called to his final rest in 1843 at the age of sixty-two, the mother dying in 1863, aged seventy-two. Mrs. Elizabeth Van- Houten was a girl of eleven years when her par- ents removed to Wayne county, and as will be seen was nineteen at the the time of her mar- riage. Nine children were born to her and her husband, only four of whom survive, namely: Mary (Mrs. Wellington Curry, now of Chicago); Emma (Mrs. John R. Hankey); Edward, in Cali- fornia, and Anna (Mrs. Frank Eshelman), of Pittsburg, Penn. Those deceased are Jane (Mrs. Lee Scobey, who died in Wooster), Harry, Charles, John, and Caroline (who died in in- fancy). The mother of these was called from earth February 12, 1895. Like her husband she was a sincere and consistent member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church; was an ardent advocate of the cause of temperance, and a member of the organization known as the Evergreen Social Temple. By everyone who knew her she was justly held in the highest esteem, and is affec- tionately remembered for her many good qual- ities.
In his political preferences, Mr. Hankey is an uncompromising Republican, ever taking a lively interest in the affairs of the party as a recognized leader in its ranks, in Ohio, his ability, wealth and public spirit securing for him a powerful in- fluence in the party councils. Never an office seeker himself, yet, such is his popularity and usefulness, he has oft-times been sought after to fill positions of honor and trust. He has served as township treasurer twelve years; as member of the school board; and as trustee of the State Blind Asylum, five years. In local politics he is
an honest but hard fighter, and his all-round in- fluence enables him to assist a friend or effectu- ally bar the way to any adversary. For years he has been one of the most zealous factors on the county executive committee, and, while honor- ably aggressive, has on all occasions proven him- self to be a most liberal and generous opponent, true to his colors and promises, and securing alike the acclamation of his friends, and the respect of his rivals. In the fall of 1895 he was elected to the Thirty-third District of Ohio in the State Senate, the first time he has been called by elec- tion to any State office. Socially, he is a mem- ber of the F. & A. M., Royal Arcanum. I. O. O. F. and G. A. R. The family have an elegant home in Bowling Green, surrounded by an atmos- phere of comfort and refinement, and enjoy the respect and esteem of a wide circle of warin friends.
ERASMUS D. PECK, M. D., deceased. Among the able and cultured people who came from the East in the early days, and settled in Perrys- burg, giving to its society a notably refined and intellectual tone, none took higher rank than did the late Dr. Peck and his estimable wife.
The Doctor was born in Stafford, Conn., Sep- tember 16, 1808, a member of one of the old Colonial families, and was educated in the schools of Munson, Mass., and at Yale College, where he was graduated from the Medical Department in 1829, and was well fitted for the leadership. wherever his lot might be cast. The Peck family is of English origin, and the first of the American line, William Peck, settled in Connecticut in 1720. Dr. Peck's father, Daniel Peck, was a prominent physician in his day, and married a descendant of a well-known New England fam- ily, Miss Persis Ladd, by whom he had six daughters and four sons. After his graduation Dr. Peck came to Ohio, for some time living in Portage county, but in 1834 he came to Perrys- burg, where for over forty years he practiced his chosen profession. He formed a partnership. at . first with Dr. E. T. Tremaine, and later with Dr. James Robertson, but in 1854 his nephew, Dr. H. A. Hamilton, joined him in practice. This partnership continued antil Dr. Peck's death. which occurred December 25. 1876. A man of commanding influence in all lines of effort, Dr. Peck took a prominent place in the councils of the Republican party, which he entered on the disorganization of the old Whig party. He was a member of the Ohio Legislature in 1855-57. and in 1870 was elected to Congress, serving in the Forty-first and Forty-second sessions. He
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then retired from active participation in politics, and resumed his professional work. He was married in 1834 to Miss Mary Thorndyke Lincoln, a native of Jeffrey, N. H., who was born in 1808 and died in 1873.
H. E. PECK, the only child of these honored pioneers, was born in Perrysburg, April 30, 1838. He was educated in the schools of his native place, and has made his home there except one year he spent in the South, and one year in New York State. For twenty-five years he was en- gaged in the mercantile business, and on retiring from that he served four years as deputy collector of customs of this district. In 1873 he was mar- ried to Miss Mary C. Robinson, who was born in Middlebury, Ohio, and they have two children: Charles L. and Augustus H., the latter of whom is at school in New York.
COLLISTER HASKINS. Among that dauntless set of Eastern men who, ambitious to carve out for themselves homes from the then wilds of the West, and who left peaceful firesides and braved the dangers and privations incident to a frontier life, is he whose name introduces this memoir. Born of good parentage at North Prescott, Mass .. August 25, 1799, young Haskins was early edi- cated to habits of virtue, morality, order, indus- try and economy, and was therefore well pre- pared for the task before him. He removed to the Maumee river, settling at Waterville in 1817, and, June 16, 1818, was married to Miss Fanny, daughter of Martin Gunn, of that place, the cere- mony being performed by Seneca Allen, a justice of the peace. The mother of Collister Haskins, a woman of many virtues, was an own consin to President Franklin Pierce. The parents of Mrs. Haskins-Martin and Sarah (Winslow) Gunn- were from Massachusetts, becoming early settlers in the Maumee Valley; the Gunns were of Scotch descent.
To the marriage of our subject and wife were born children, as follows: Two (a boy and a girl) who died in infancy; Delia, who died un- married at Portage; Wealthy, the wife of Jolin De Witt, a farmer of Wood county; Sarah, the wife of Joseph Clark, a resident of Missouri; Henry, a resident of Butler, Ind., whose first wife was Hannah Fernside, and whose present wife was a Miss Hutchinson; Chrissa, who mar- ried Isaac Van Gordner, and resides in Portage, Wood county; Cynthia, the wife of Capt. James W. Knaggs, who resides near Portage; Charles, deceased; Eunice, the wife of Jesse Lane Rol- ler, a prominent druggist and business man of Toledo.
Pioneer Haskins, it will be observed, was only a boy of eighteen years at the time of his marriage; but, possessed of a good constitution, and being of a resolute and determined will, he at once set out to make for himself and family a home. During his stay on the Maumee river, he passed some three years on what is known as Granger's Island. In July, 1824, he entered, from the government, land in Section 12, Liberty township, this county, and in September follow- ing removed to the east half of the northeast quarter of the same section. When his cabin was ready to be raised, his friends came from Waterville, twelve miles distant, to assist him. This cabin was built of logs, and stood near the bank of a creek, not far from the old stockade made by Gen. Hull in 1812, and which was occu- pied by a few soldiers during the war, as an ad- vance post on the " middle route" to the Foot of the Rapids. Here Mr. Haskins began trading with the Indians. He kept a variety store, being supplied with such goods as were then in de- mand, and purchasing his goods from Gen. John E. Hunt, of Maumee City. During the first four years of his residence in Wood county Mr. Haskins' nearest neighbor was at Miltonville, twelve miles north, and his next, twenty-two iniles south. Through his efforts a post office was established at " Haskins Place." in January. 1829. He laid out the village of Portage in 1836, and was an honored citizen of that place and vicinity throughout his life. For some years after Mr. Ilaskins settled on the site of Portage, the Indians still lingered in their old homes, re- taining almost undisputed possession of their sugar camps and hunting-grounds, although the whites were rapidly appropriating the sites of their villages and their favorite fishing-grounds. A description of the Indians of this vicinty as they were from 1825 to 1840, which is of great interest, was given to history by our subject. The death of Mr. Haskins occurred at his resi- dence in Portage, May 7, 1872, after a life of great usefulness to the pioneer people among. whom he passed the vigor of his manhood. He had lived a pious life, and when death came it had no terrors for hin, his last words being: It is all right; glory to God."
With other early pioneers, Mr. Haskins passed through the hardships and privations incident to such a life, and performed the labors, which fell to his lot, with patience and cheerfulness, never murmuring at his misfortunes or losses, but ever laboring to make others happy, sacrificing his own means, case and quiet for others without reserve. His enemies, if he had any, were few, and his
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friendship was constant and sincere. He was a member of the Baptist Church. He was careful in his words and acts, calm in his demeanor. in- telligent in his conclusions, and outspoken in his sentiments, when he deemed it duty to speak thus, yet always mindful lest he might needlessly give pain or offense. Such a character was not formed hastily, resembling rather the oak which is the growth of centuries. In the death of an old man, whose memory is retentive and pure, much that is valuable to society dies with him.
A. E. ROYCE. The successful career of this leading business man and capitalist, who now holds the position of president of the Commercial Banking Company, of Bowling Green, proves the truth of the old saying. "There is always room at the top." The story of the lives of such men can not too often be told, that it may be- come an incentive to others whose early oppor- tunities were no greater, and whose chances for success are fully equal to those of the subject of this sketch.
Mr. Royce was born in Huron county, Ohio, July 25, 1844. and is the only child of William and Elizabeth (Scammon ) Royce. His father was born in New Hampshire in 1822, removing from that State to New York, and thence to Huron county. Ohio, where he located in Fair- field township. The greater part of his life he spent in the lumber business. In 1871 he located in Bowling Green, where his death occurred in 1884. He was a Democrat, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Elisha Royce, the father of William, was a lumberman in New England, but after removing to Huron county followed farming until his death, which occurred when he was at an advanced age. The Royce family are of Scotch and Irish extraction. The mother of our subject was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., November 23, 1824, and is still living, strong in body and mind. She makes her home in Bowling Green.
Mr. Royce spent his boyhood days in Huron county, attending the common schools and work- ing on his grandfather's farm in his leisure hours, the first money he ever earned being made in this way. On the death of his grandfather, however, the property was divided among the heirs, and he was thrown out of employment. He was then about seventeen years of age, and with the few dollars he had saved he went to Toledo, Ohio, to seek employment and to carve out his fortune. He began in a very humble way, hiring out as a common laborer, and carrying plank into a chair factory to be modeled by more skillful hands into
furniture, receiving for this work seventy-five cents per day. The grit and pluck of his sturdy Scotch ancestors were soon manifested in this young lad, for he made himsell so useful that at the end of ten years he was still in the employ of the same company, but no longer as a common laborer. At this time he was the chief engineer, at a salary of $110 a month.
It was during the latter part of his services in this factory, that what Mr. Royce regards as the most important event in his life occurred. Almost every evening as he went home from work, carrying his tin dinner-pail, he would meet upon the street the then opulent wholesale grocer, Peter Berdan, returning after his evening meal to look after the interests of his large business. The quiet demeanor of this successful merchant attracted the attention of our subject, and he philosophised that even Mr. Berdan must have started in an humble manner, and concluded that others with sufficient tenacity of purpose could do the same. Evening after evening he passed the old merchant in his regular walk to the store, and gradually Mr. Royce formed his resolution to give up his salary and position, and start in busi- ness for himself. Thus, without having the slightest knowledge of it, Mr. Berdan wielded a strong influence over our subject, who often points out this incident as an illustration of the unconscious power each individual in society exerts for good or evil upon the younger genera- tion around him.
With the courage of his convictions, Mr. Royce resigned his position, and with money he had saved up, purchased a horse and wagon. made his own harness, and began business as a huckster. This he carried on in Toledo, then removing to Bowling Green, where he rented a vacant room and started a grocery store. He hauled his entire stock of goods, about $150 worth, from Toledo at one load, in his one-horse wagon, put them up on the shelves of his room at night, and at early dawn had the doors opened to customers. Thus the first great step- in the career of one of the most successful men in northern Ohio had been attained, and his first ambition, which was to have a business of his own, was gratified. It was on a small scale. to be sure, but from this humble beginning Mr. Royce has built up a large and flourishing trade. As his means increased he extended his opera- tions in various directions, investing largely in property in Bowling Green, which then village he foresaw was destined to become a place of importance in trade in northern Ohio, especially as a grain center. He sold out his grocery stock
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in 1884. Prior to this he had embarked in the grain business, buying a car-load of corn, had it shelled by hand, and shipped it to Tontogany on the little railroad which was at that time the only one ruiming through Bowling Green. He was obliged to act himself as fireman in order to get this shipment to market at Toledo, and thus inay well lay claim to being the pioneer grain shipper of that section of the county. Subsequently Mr. Royce built a small corn crib, which was after- ward converted into an elevator, run by horse power, which he operated alone for some years, finally taking in as a partner Mr. J. J. Coon, of Toledo. The manner in which this business has succeeded is best told by its present condition, this firm now owning two large elevators, besides a mill in Bowling Green, and a mill in each of the following places: Tontogany, Custar, Hoyt's Corner, North Baltimore, and Dunbridge. Mr. Royce has entire charge of the business, and has enlarged it from that one car-load of corn, shelled by hand, to I 10 car-loads per week.
Soon after selling out his grocery business, in 1885 Mr. Royce organized the banking firm of Royce, Smith & Coon, and opened a private bank in Bowling Green, which was re-organized in 1890, under the laws of the State, as a stock company with $100,000 capital. This is one of the soundest financial institutions in Ohio, and Mr. Royce is its first and only president. He also owned the second oil well drilled in. this county, but finding he had already all the busi- ness he could attend to, he soon disposed of his interests in that direction. He owns a large amount of property in Bowling Green, and erected what is known as the Royce Building.
Our subject was married October 31, 1867, to Elizabeth Curson, who died in 1877. One child was the result of this union, Maud, who was born November 29, 1871, and is the wife of F. E. Whitaker, a merchant of Bowling Green. The present wife of Mr. Royce, to whom he was married January 31, 18SS, was Miss Hattie Cargo, and they have one child named Ethel. Mr. Royce is a Republican in politics, but in local affairs is not bound by party lines, voting for the inen he considers the best for the offices. Social- ly he belongs to the I. O. O. F. and the Royal Arcanum, and is prominent in all philanthropic work and enterprises which have for their object the welfare of the community.
HON. ASHER COOK (deceased; was born in Luzerne county, Penn., May 3, 1823. In carly childhood he came with his parents to Richland
Perrysburg, in Wood county. After a few years residence there, the family removed to Chicago (then a mere village), but not liking the place they soon returned to Perrysburg, where the sub- ject of this sketch spent the remainder of his life. The journey from Chicago to Perrysburg. about 250 miles, was overland, and Asher, who was a mere lad, traveled tile whole distance on foot, driving a few cattle, which, with a team, constituted the bulk of his father's possessions. The father was a stone mason and plasterer by occupation, and the son learned and followed the same trades for a short time. He worked as a common laborer in the construction of the Mad River railway (now the Sandusky division of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis rail- way); also served for a time as a common sailor upon the lakes. His ambition and thirst for knowledge, however, soon led him into a higher and broader sphere of usefulness. Without means, other than the earnings of his daily labor, he acquired a thorough knowledge of the com- mon branches of learning, as well as several of the higher, and he had an especial liking for the study of languages. Without the benefit of a college training he was able to read, with ease. Latin, French, German and Spanish. His large private library contained no less than 275 vol- umnes in those languages, and he spoke German and French almost as fluently as he did the English language.
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