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. 2 > Part 35
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subsequently married Lucy Emerson, who was born in Saratoga, N. Y., March 16, 1800, a daughter of Broadstreet and Lois (Phelps) Emn- erson. To the second marriage of Mr. Olney were born the following sons and daughters who lived to be men and women: Mary, widow of Samuel R. Junkins; Prof. Edward Olney, a na- tive of Saratoga county, N. Y., born July 24, 1827; Adeliza, who became the wife of George Kimberlin; George E., born October 24, 1832, and who died in the army July 24, 1863, a mem- ber of the ffith Regiment, O. V. I. ; Harriet, born October 27, 1835, died November 12, 1839; and Estella, born February 28, 1845, died Feb- ruary 4, 1873.
Benjamin Olney and family became pioneers of Wood county, settling near Grand Rapids in 1833. He was a useful citizen, and his name fre- quently appears on the early records of that part of the county. He served the citizens of that town- ship as trustee, justice of the peace, and in other official relations, and was associate judge in Wood county for a number of years. His death oc- curred near Grand Rapids, April 1, 1854.
Prof. Edward Olney was a natural-born stu- dent, and was especially gifted in mathematics. He was self-made, fitting himself for a teacher in Wood county by private study, and here taught his first term in the district school when nineteen years of age. At the time the schools of Perrys- burg were graded he took charge of the grammar department, and subsequently was appointed to the chair of mathematics in the college at Kala- mazoo, Mich., and there remained until 1863, when he was elected to fill the chair of mathe- matics in the University of Michigan, which he occupied until his death, January 16, 1887. He published several works, among which were the Olney series of school books on mathematics
DAVID K. McQUINN is well known throughout Montgomery township as one of its most thorough going farmers and prominent citizens. He is a native of Wood county, born in 1860, and is the son of James and Nancy (Ritchy) McQuinn, who came to this county from Wyandot county, and made their first location in Freedom township. The father was born under the shadow of the mountains of Scotland, and came to this country when a young man, poor in this world's goods, but possessed of a pair of willing hands and a determination to succeed in life. Though small, he was robust, and became one of the leading agri- culturists of Wood county, owning, at the time of his death, ninety acres of valuable land in Mont- gomery township, where he had made his home
for fifteen years, and placed many good improve- ments upon his farm.
The father was married after coming to the New World, and the family circle included six children, namely: James, who died while young; Alvira, who became the wife of Dolene Turner. and died at Fostoria, Ohio; Mary, now Mrs. Martin Lein, of Portage township, Wood county; William, a farmer in Montgomery township: Cin- derella, wife of James Lindley, of Fostoria; and David K., of this review. The father departed this life in Montgomery township, in 1876, at the age of sixty-eight years, and his wife, who sur- vived him until I878, died at about the same age. He was a stanch Republican in politics, regularly casting his ballot in support of that party, and, religiously, both he and his wife were consistent members of the United Brethren Church, with which he was officially connected.
Since the death of the parents, our subject and his brother, William, have purchased the in- terests of the other heirs, with one exception, and now operate the farm with good success. Their educations were such as the district schools of the neighborhood afforded, but their training at farm labor was not as meager as their educational ad- vantages. and they grew up to be useful and re- spected members of society. In manner, our subject is quiet and conservative, is energetic and industrious, and wins the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. He has never taken an active part in politics, but per- forms the duties of an American citizen, and, at the polls, votes the straight Republican ticket, which his brother also supports.
PAUL GREULICH, an agriculturist of energy and ability, who resides in Section 7, Troy town- ship, is a native of Medina county, Ohio, born in Liverpool township, in 1858, and is a son of John and Catherine (Weigle) Greulich. The birth of the father occurred at Frankfort, Germany, and at the age of eight years accompanied his father. John Greulich, Sr. . to Medina county, locating in Liver- pool township. At the age of nineteen he went to Cleveland, Ohio, but at the end of six years returned to the farm. In 1868 he removed to Toledo, where he was engaged in the dry-goods business on Cherry street for three years, and then again located on his farm in Liverpool town- ship, where he passed his remaining days. His wife had died in Toledo. A brief record of their children is as follows. Christ died on the bonne farin: Joe, John and Lonise, all died in Toledo: George is a resident of Lorain county, Ohio; Paul, of this review; Albert is engaged in the
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
clothing business at Lorain, Ohio; and Mrs. Minnie Moley is of the same city.
The early life of our subject was spent in his native township, and at Toledo, where he ac- quired a common-school education, and, on start- ing out in life for himself, he engaged in the dry- goods business with his father. In 1879 he came to Troy township, and in 1890 purchased his present farm, selling at that time fifteen acres of the farm now owned by William Armbruster. When he located upon his land only twenty of the sixty acres had been cleared, but now forty-five acres have been placed under the plow. In 1892 he built a barn. 40 x60 feet, and in 1895 erected his comfortable two-story dwelling, 18 x 26 feet, with an L, 16 x 20 feet.
Mr. Greulich was united in marriage with Miss Katie Sattler, a native of Rockport, Cuya- hoga Co., Ohio, and a daughter of John Sattler, who now resides upon a farm in Perrysburg township, Wood county. - By this union one child has been born-J. Don.
The political support of Mr. Greulich is given to the Democratic party. In ISSS he was elected a trustee of his township, which office he held for six years, and has also been a member of the school board. He served as adjuster and appraiser for The Lime City Insurance Company. Socially, Mr. Greulich holds membership with Perrysburg Lodge No. 774, I. O. O. F. He is pursuing the even tenor of his way as an honest man and good citizen, and to general farming devotes most of his time and attention.
JOHN SHERMAN holds a good position among the agriculturists of Troy township, where he is engaged in general farming in Section 12, and from which he derives a comfortable income. He was born upon his present farm in 1851, and is a son of Car! Henry and Mary (Myrose) Sherman. The father's birth occurred in 1826, in Hanover, Germany, and when about thirteen years of age he accompanied his stepfather. John Hartman, to America. The latter opened up a farm in Troy township, on which his death occurred.
For about seven years after locating in Wood county, the father sailed on the lakes between Buffalo and Toledo. In 1849, in Troy town- ship, he wedded Miss Mary Myrose, who was also a native of Hanover, Germany, and a daughter of Frederick Myrose, one of the pioneers of that township. Both of her parents are now deceased. After his marriage Mr. Sherman bought eighty- seven acies of wooded land, of which about six acres had been cleared, and thereon erected a log house, in which the family lived until 1861,
when the present residence of our subject was built. Politically the father was a Democrat, and served as a trustee of Troy township. Upon the home farm his death occurred in 1871, and there his wife died in 1886. In religious belief they were Lutherans, belonging to Salem Church, in Troy township. Seven children were born to them, all still living, and in order of their birth they are as follows: John, of this sketch; Mrs. Louisa Hoodlebrink, of Woodville township, San- dusky Co., Ohio: Mrs. Julia Niebhausmyer, of the same township; Mrs. Carrie Link, of Toledo. Ohio: Mrs. Sophia Akenberger, of Lake town- ship; Louis, who is married and resides in the same township: and Henry, who is married and lives in Perrysburg township, Wood county.
Mr. Sherman, of this review, grew to man- hood upon the home farm, receiving his educa- tion in the district schools of the neighborhood. and becoming familiar with agricultural pursuits. He aided in clearing the land, has tiled the entire place, and to its cultivation and improvement still devotes his time and attention.
In 1880, in Harris township, Ottawa Co .. Ohio, Mr. Sherman was united in marriage with Miss Nina Gilson, who was born there, and is a daughter of Richard and Eliza (Putnam) Gilson. both natives of New York, whence they removed to Ottawa county in 1851, locating upon an un- developed farm in the midst of the wilderness. where both parents are still living. In connec- tion with farming the father also worked at his trade of a millwright. They reared a family of five children-George, who is married and re- sides in Ottawa county; Mis. Mary Gilson, of the same county; Nina, the wife of our subject: Mrs. Ella Waldock, of Erie county, Ohio; and Ebon, of Ottawa connty. To Mr. and Mrs. Sher- man has been born a daughter -- Grace.
Our subject's farm comprises 122 acres of rich and arable land, and besides general farm- ing he is also engaged in stock raising. Like his father before him, he is a Democrat in politics. and is a member of the Lutheran Church. He is a worthy representative of one of the pioneer families of Troy township, and has seen the full and complete development of the locality.
JOHN C. F. WANSITLER. In this State, mid- way between the east and the west, are found the best representatives of that class of men known as self-made. They partake of the spirit of dauntless enterprise characteristic of the latter section, and this is tempered and guided by the more conservative methods of the East Our subject is one whose success may be attributed to
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his own efforts, and his career is worthy of per- petuation in this volume. He was born on a farm in Columbiana county, Ohio, August 13, 1858, and is a son of Samuel Wansitler, also a native of Ohio, where for forty years he followed the carpenter's trade. He was married, in Colum- biana county, to Mary Esther Carr, who was born in Scotland, and during her girlhood was brought by her parents to America. Some years after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Wansitler re- moved to Ross county, Ohio, where the mother died in June, 1862. Several years passed, and the father then wedded Mary E. Frantz. The children of the first union are Elizabeth, wife of John Nittrouer, of Columbiana county, Ohio; John C. F .; Charlotte, wife of Albert Scheltz, of Fostoria, Ohio; and Charles, a railroad employe, of Allegheny City. After residing at several dif- ferent places, the father took up his residence in Fostoria, Ohio, where he is now living retired. In politics he is a Republican.
At the age of ten years our subject first at- tended school, and his privileges in this direction were somewhat limited. After the death of his mother, he became an inmate of the family of Mr. Boice, where he remained for about seven years. At the age of eleven he began working for Jesse Dicken, ot Portage township, Wood county, and while with him he attended school through the winter season. At the age of fifteen he continued his studies in Jerry City, Ohio, and for three years was a student in the school con- ducted by Prof. Edwin Hubbard. At the age of eighteen he secured a teacher's certificate, and began teaching in a district school in Jackson township, following that profession until I891.
Mr. Wansitler was married in Jackson town- ship, in August, 1881, to Martha M. Mellott, who was born August 31, 1862. They have four children-Bertha E., Wellington George, Sarah E., and Elias Mckinley. They began their domestic life on their present farm, a por- tion of which Mr. Wansitler had purchased pre- vious to his marriage. He now owns 160 acres, of which ninety acres are cleared and under a high state of cultivation, while upon the farm arc three dwellings. He also owns a very nice resi- dence in Bowling Green. He has taken quite an active part in public affairs, and is an influential citizen of the county, whoin all esteem. Our subject figures quite prominently in politics as a supporter of the Republican party, and has served as a member of the county execative committee. He was eensus enumerator in 1890, and was deputy postmaster under Harrison. In the spring of 1890 he was elected constable, but
resigned the following spring, and since that time has been township trustee. He has also been chairman of the school board for six years, and is now serving his third term as notary public. Socially, he is a charter member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge, of Custar, also the Odd Fel- lows society of Jerry City, and the Encampment Lodge of Milton Center. He is a man of schol- arly attainments, broad-minded and progressive in his views, and an intelligent, esteemed gentle- man, whose affable, courteous manner has won him hosts of warm friends among his wide circle of acquaintances.
LEVI SIMON, one of the leading pioneers of Bloom township, is the oldest living member of a family which has given to that township more good, substantial citizens than any other. barring none. They have been farmers, officials and supporters of Churches from its early history, and the very name is synonymous with good citizen- ship.
The first American ancestor of this family was Johann Adam Simon, our subject's great-grand- father, who left Switzerland in 1735, when a young man, and after a stormy voyage of three inonths set foot upon American soil. He located first in the eastern part of the colony of Mary- land, but his last years were spent in Washing- ton county, Penn., where he died when nearly one hundred years of age. His love of civil lib- erty, and his invincible integrity during the Colo- nial period, and the Revolutionary war, subjected him to heavy losses and privations, but his un- daunted spirit sustained him through all, and in the end triumphed. He was the father of ten children: Michael, Nicholas. Andrew, Adam, Jacob, Mrs. Stahl. Mrs. Belz, Mrs. Dentzer. Mrs. Right and Mrs. Stark, all of whom reared large families. The first eighteen years of his imarried life were prosperous; but on the breaking out of the Narragansett war the Indians burned his house and its contents, the occupants having barely time to escape with what clothing they wore at the time. Michael, the eldest, escaped. though he was shot at several times. Andrew, then a lad of seven years, was working in a sugar camp some distance from the house with said Michael, and was captured. He suffered many cruelties, even being scalped; but after seven months he was exchanged and returned to his father, and our subject remembers seeing his de- nuded head
Michael Simon, our subject : grandfather, was boun February 2, 1,41. In isco he came to Trumbull county, Ohio, and bought nearly 1. 200
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Levi Simon
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
acres of wild land of Henry Boardman, who at that time owned the entire township. In 1802 he moved to his new property, his son Adam hav- ing settled upon it previously, and made some improvements. Michael Simon was married three times, and by his first marriage had twelve chil- dren: Michael, Jr., Peter, Andrew, Adam, George, Jacob, Barbara, Elizabeth, Margaret, Ann Mary, Esther and Mary C. His second wife, a Miss Althans, died within a year, her child dy- ing also. By his third marriage, to Mrs. Dice, he had two sons, Abram and Henry .. At his death, which occurred in 1839, his descendants numbered 485, sixteen of whom were in the fourth generation.
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Jacob Simon, our subject's father, was born in January, 1783, the youngest child of his fa- ther's first marriage. His education was self-ac- quired, without teachers or even books, except the Bible; but he became a man of notable intel- ligence, and he taught school successfully for many years. At first a Whig, he later became a Republican. He married Elizabeth Stemple, a native of Preston county, Va., born in 1788, the eldest daughter of David Stemple, whose wife was a Miss Rinehart. Nine children were born of this union: David, who married Miss Gamber, and died in Mahoning county, at the age of fifty- nine; Lydia, the wife of Eli Ruppert, who died in Allen county, Ind. : Delilah, Mrs. George Wormley, who died in Mahoning county at the age of sixty; Levi, our subject; Stilling, who first married Miss Fox, and for his second wife wedded Miss Gentholtz, who survives him, residing at their former home in Bloom township; Gideon, who married Leah D. Pfister, and died in Bloom township when seventy-five years old; Salome, the widow of Moses Webber, of Mahoning coun- ty; Selinde (Mrs. John Shaffer), of Allen county, Ind. ; and Jesse, a farmer of Mahoning county, who married Elizabeth Williamson. The father of this family died in Mahoning county, in 1858, aged seventy-four years, the mother in 1875 aged eighty-seven.
Levi Simon, the subject of this sketch, was born January 21, 1817. He was remarkably precocious, but the schools of his day and locality were poor, and, except for forty-three days of better instruction at Ellsworth, he is practically self-taught. It is to be regretted that his richly endowed mind did not receive the highest possi- ble development, as he has accomplished such unusual mental feats with so little help. The rapid and seemingly easy manner in winch he solved the most difficult mathematical problems was widely noted at an early age, and he has ;
never yet found one which he could not solve. His contributions in prose and poetry to various newspapers have been read with interest. . and display ability equal to that of many professional writers. Although he has been an industrious and painstaking farner throughout his mature years, he could always find time to read the Bible, and his equal as a student of that book of books can seldom be found. He can quote any passage at will; in the expounding of abstruse texts, many preachers have found him a valuable aid to their own studies, and he has himself de- livered many sermons. He was reared a Lu- theran, but on moving to Wood county, where no Church of that denomination existed, he joined the Methodists. As he was not encouraged to express his honest convictions when called upon to speak, he, therefore, severed his relations with them and attended the Disciples Church, in which he was a preacher for four years. His start in life was obtained by teaching school at $13 per month, and clearing land at meager wages.
On April 18, 1844, Mr. Simon was married in Trumbull (now Mahoning) county, to Miss Mary A. Pfister, a lady of German descent, and a native of Youngstown, born October 29, 1822, daughter of Jacob and Margaret (Hewitt) Pfister. They had ten children whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Myconius N., March 3, 1845; Rubellus J., August 9, 1846. (a leading physician and surgeon at Pemberville); Damiette, December 18, 1847 (she married Frank Led- yard, of Bloom township, and died Angust 23, 1884); Jerusha, October 10, 1850 (she died No- vember 10, 1872); Belenia. August 6, 1852 (she married D. A. Deal, and died November !I, 1884); Poliander, July 22, 1856 (a remarkable child, and at the time of his death, August 30. 1863, was intellectually equal to many of double his years); Montibello and Mettilene (twins). March 28, 1859 the former now a farmer and dairyman of Bloom township; the latter died September 4, 1863); Phoebe E., June 11, 1861 (an unusually gifted child, possessing mental de- velopment far beyond her age at her death, De- cember 30, 1877); and Elma O., February to. 1863 (now Mrs. Jacob Fischer, of Helena, Mon- tana).
For a short time after his marriage Mr. Simon followed farming in Mahoning county, bat in April, 1846, he came to Wood county with his wife and one son, traveling by wagon and spend- ing seven days en route. In 1839 he had bought forty acres of timberland in Bloom township. and here he built a log cabin and lived in print- tive style. He taught school for one term in the
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neighborhood. He has made a success in life. owning now ninety acres of excellent land, and has been a generous supporter of all philanthropic and religious enterprises. Although he is not a member of any sect, he has contributed toward the building of every church in Bloomdale and vicinity. Despite his advanced age he is as act- tive as most persons twenty years younger, and his mental faculties show no sign of impairment. He sympathized in early years with the Whig party, and since has been a Republican, but he is not slavishly bound by party ties. At different times he has taken an active share in local affairs, and he served as township clerk at a time when the records of that office had become very much complicated, requiring great skill and labor to adjust them. His wife died February 15, 1889, after nearly a half century of happy wedded life, and her mortal remains rest in the family burial lot in Bloom Chapel cemetery.
MYCONIUS N. SIMON, the eldest son of Levi Simon, now one of Bloomdale's inost progress- ive and public-spirited citizens, received good educational advantages in his youth, making steady progress from his first day in the old log schoolhouse with Miss Clarissa Russell as his teacher. After finishing the course afforded in the district schools he attended more advanced classes, and in 1872 and '73 was a successful teacher in Bloom and Perry townships. Later he was employed in the office of the recorder of Mahoning county, and he was the first station agent at Bloomdale of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, for which he afterward served as clerk, baggage master and night ticket agent at Fos- toria. He was accountant of the N. Y. P. & O. railroad at Youngstown in connection with the P. & L. E. railroad. In religious connection he belongs to the Wesleyan Methodist Church. In politics he is a Republican with Prohibition ten- dencies, and he is an ardent lover of the Ameri- can flag and all it represents. Fond of reading, he is a great student of the Bible, in which he is well informed. "Mac," as he is familiarly called, surely has not one enemy from just cause.
EBER WILSON JUNKINS is numbered among the early settlers of Wood county, dating his residence from 1858, for it was on August 10, of that year, that he was born in Weston township. He is one of the six children of Thomas and Elizabeth Nancy (Long) Junkins, highly esteemed people of this locality. He attended the district schools, and during the summer months aided his father in the cultivation and development of the home farm --- much of the work devolving upen
him as he was the eldest son. He remained at home until twenty-three years of age, and then began working for his uncle, Samuel Robert jun- kins, of Weston township, with whom he re- mained for two years, receiving $220 for the sec- ond year's service.
On January 1, 1885, in Washington township, was consummated the marriage of Mr. Junkins and Miss Annie Eliza Bachmann, a native of Erie county. Ohio, born November 24, 1859, and a daughter of Charles and Annie (Kistner) Bach- mann, natives of Germany. The father came to America when a young man, and soon after the mother crossed the Atlantic. Their marriage was celebrated in Cleveland, Ohio, but later they became residents of Wood county. Our subject and his wife began their domestic life on his uncle's farm, renting that farm for a year, then purchased eighty acres of land of his father, for which he paid $1,000. Of this tract twenty acres were cleared, but Mr. Junkins has made all of the improvements upon the property. has cleared off an indebtedness of $1,700, has erected a good residence, barns and other build- ings, and now has one of the model farms of Wood county. The home has been blessed with four children, namely: Goldie Mabel, Ila Fern, Zardie and Ernest.
Mr. Junkins votes with the Democracy, but has never been an office seeker, preferring to de- vote his entire time and attention to his business interests, in which he has met with excellent suc- cess. He has always been an advocate of prog- ress and improvement, and whatever tends to benefit the community receives his support. So- cially he is connected with the Odd Fellows So- ciety, the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Maccabees, the Temple of Honor, the Patrons of Industry, and the Grange.
MALON GAULT, who occupies a fine and well- improved farm in Perry township, is numbered among its leading farmers, who from a small be- ginning has built up one of the best homesteads within its borders. The residence and its sur- roundings are highly creditable to the proprietor. and indicate him to be a man of industry and energy, who has kept his eyes open on what is going on in the world around him, and availed himself of the most favored method of carrying on agriculture.
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