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 5
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usually by the well-meant advice of his custom- ers. This proved vexatious at times, and wish- ing to perfect himself in the trade, he went to Ottawa, Ohio, where he worked under special in- struction for seventeen months, and then re- turned to his old shop, from which time it was distinctly understood that the proprietor would accept no suggestions as to his methods of work.
- He established a fine trade, and in 1882 sold a balf-interest to his brother, who took charge of the shop, while our subject opened a store for the sale of agricultural implements. Nine months later a fire destroyed everything he owned except a small dwelling house, he having no insurance, and was $2,000 in debt. He then went "on the road" as a salesman for different firms, and in a short time paid every cent he owed, besides $800 security for others. With the exception of a short interval in the grocery business, and, later, in a real-estate and life insurance enterprise at Bowling Green, he continued to travel until jan- uary 1, 1894-in all ten years-when he assumed the duties of his present position, of which he is making a great success. Previous to that time the liabilities of the Tribune were $4,000 more than the assets; in less than two and a half years the Tribune was out of debt under his man- agement, and a steady increase in circulation and advertising patronage promises rich rewards in the future.
Mr. Helfrich was married, in 1875, to Miss Mary M. Hardy, who was born in McComb, March 27, 1856. They have had three children: Myrtle Pearl, born February 15, 1876; Edward Earl, born June 27, 1878; and Hazel Lurain, born February 21, 1891. Our subject and his wife and children are members of the Presbyterian Church, and actively interested in its work. In politics he is a Republican, and he is a member of the K. of P., the I. O. O. F. and T. T. M. A. of Toledo, in all of which he is an enthusiastic worker. In and out of the Lodge roomns, no so- ciety or business is lowered any by having Mr. Helfrich as one of their number, but are bettered, morally, socially and financially.
LEWIS W. MCCRORY. There is in the char- acter of this gentleman some of the qualities of the Scotch-Irish ancestry from which he is de- scended --- the thoroughiness and unfaltering pur- pose of the former, and the adaptability to cir- cumstances of the latter. His fellow-towasmen recognize him as a gentleman of sterling worth; for his life has ever been an honorable one. He was born in the town of Wooster, Wayne Co., Ohio, November 5, 1835, and is a son of Samuel
and Hannah ( Pennypacker ) McCrory. His father was born in Mifflin county, Penn., May 7, 1795, and was reared as a farmer boy. Subse- quently he removed to Wayne county, Ohio, locating on a farm near Wooster, where he re- sided for twelve years. On October 6, 1836, he came to Wood county, and purchased eighty acres of wild land in Henry township, on which he erected a small log house. His death oc- curred in 1866, that of his wife on July 3, 1845. Their children were: John, who was born No- vember 20, 1819, served as a soldier in Com- pany H, 21st O. V. 1., and died February 6, :873; Mary, who was born March 19, 1820, be- came the wife of Reason Whitacre, and died in Bloom township; James, born March 13, 1823. died in Liberty township; Elizabeth, born May 15, 1825, became the wife of Isaac Whitacre, and died in Bloom township; Jacob, born March 14, 1827, died at the age of four years; Hannah. born March 7, 1829, married john Otterbach, and died in Liberty; Samuel, born April 12, 1831, died on the old homestead in Henry township; Daniel, born February 17. 1833: Lewis W .. our subject, comes next; and Liddy Ann, born December 26, 1837, became the wife of Jefferson Shinebarger, and died in Liberty township. The inother of this family having passed away, the father married Eliza Shaffer, and they had four children: Eliza Jane, born January 13, 1847, died in Henry township; Phi- lander, born November 20, 1848, a merchant of East Toledo, Ohio; Lucinda, born July 19, IS53, died in girlhood; Nancy, born in :850, now the wife of Frederick Sheron, of Portage township. The mother of these died December 28. 1859.
Lewis W. McCrory was only a year old when his parents removed to Wood county. He was educated in the district schools near his home, and in the usual manner of farmer lads was reared to manhood. He was married in Portage township, February 10, 1856, to Caroline Lucy Gorton, a native of Bloom township, whose par- ents came from Rhode Island to Wood county at an early day. They began their domestic life on a farm of twenty acres of wild land in Liberty township, and Mr. MeCrory continued its culti- vation until June 9, 1862, when he enlisted at Portage in Company A, Tooth O. V. I. Soon after the regiment went to the front, and was as- signed to the army of the Cumberland. He par- ticipated in the important battles of the cam- paign of that year, and September 8, 1863, at the battle of Limestone Station, was captured by the enemy and conveyed to Lynchburg, whence he was afterward first taken to Libby prison,
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Mrs. L. W. Mc: Prory
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Le Th. MEBroy
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then to Belle Isle, lastly to Castle Thunder; he was at the last two on two different occasions, and March 13, 1864, was conveyed to Anderson- ville, where he remained until March 27, 1865; until April 24, he was at Vicksburg, and on April 27, he was put on board the " Sultana." When the vessel was within seven miles of Memphis the boilers exploded, and 1,700 men lost their lives. Mr. McCrory clung to the wreck for hours, but it finally took fire and he was obliged to let go lis hold. He was also in the water nine hours be- fore he reached the shore, and narrowly escaped drowning. At length he was taken to Memphis in a boat, from there to Cairo, Ill., on the steamer ".Silver Spring," and was discharged at Columbus, Ohio, May 21, 1865.
In the meantime the news of the terrible disaster had spread northward, and Mrs. Mc- Crory was told that her husband was dead. When he appeared before her alive and well, the shock was too great for her, and caused her death seven days later. Their children were, Melissa, born December 10, 1856, now the wife of George Gorton, of Providence, R. I .; Silas Augustus. who was born October 13, 1858, and resides in Portage; Frances Imogene, born September 6, 1860, wife of William George, of Liberty town- ship; and Lewis La Fayette, born August 5, 1862, now in North Baltimore, Ohio. Mr. Mc- Crory was again married, this time on March II, 1866, to Julia A. Taylor, who was born Novem- ber 7, 1840, in Ashland county, Ohio, a daughter of David and Eliza (Myers) Taylor. They have always lived on their present farm, Mr. McCrory having in the fall of 1865 sold his first purchase and bought eighty acres in Section 25, Liberty township. They have four children: Florence May, born January 20, 1867, wife of E. C. Mar- vin, of Liberty township; Mary Gertrude, born September 30, 1868, died November 10, 1883; Tryphena, born December 25, 1870, died Jan- uary 27, 1874; Delia May, born February 4, 1874, now the wife of Albert Roberts, of Liberty township.
In his business interests, Mr. McCrory has prospered, and is known as a man of unquestioned integrity and honorable dealing, his success be- ing well merited. He has greatly improved his place, and has recently erected upon it a hand- some residence, wherein hospitality reigns su- preine. In politics he is a stanch Prohibitionist. and in religions faith he is an active member of the Disciples Church, in which he is serving as deacon. Since the fall of 1874 he has also been a member of Whitney Lodge No. 589, I. O. O. F., of Portage.
JAMES HUGHES, one of the oldest and most highly respected residents of Bowling Green, known to young and old as " Uncle Jimmey," was born in the County of Sussex England, july 26, 1819. His father, James Hughes, was also a native of Sussex, born in 1799, and previous to his emigration to America, in 1857, he was a farm laborer. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah Bachelor, was born in the same county, in 1801, and both spent their last years on a farm near Tontogany, Wood county, where Mr. Hughes, Sr., died in 1876, Mrs. Hughes surviv- ing him until 1890. While living in England they were members of the Established Church, and, in this country, of the Episcopal Church. The subject of this sketch is the eldest of their four children, the others being Charlotte, who died in youth; Harriet, the widow of James Ellis. of Wood county; and Ann, who married James Challen, of Tontogany.
Our subject was married in England, Decem- ber 31, 1844, to Miss Ann Evans, who was born November 8, 1829, the groom being twenty-five years of age, the bride a little over fifteen. The father of Mrs. Hughes, James Evans, was a farm laborer at Malsey,. Sussex county, and several generations of her family had been tenants of the same house in which she was born. He was a man of regular habits, and a devoted adherent of the Church of England, often walking ten miles to hear a favorite preacher. He married Jane Greenfield, also a native of Malsey. He had no brothers or sisters, and his wife was the only one of four children to live to maturity. Fifteen children were born of this union: Maria, who married William Challen. and came to Wood county, Ohio, in 1857, had also fifteen children: James came to America, and died after his return to England; William and the twins, Hannah and Samuel, all died in England; Elizabeth (de- ceased), married A. Mead, and lived near the old home; Jane, now Mrs. Phillips, lives in England; Ann became Mrs. Hughes; Sarah is the widow of Luke Marsh, and the mother of twelve children: Ellen (Mrs. White), lives in England; Alfred is a resident of Sussex, England; two whose names are not known; Susan, and Mary Cornwell. The youngest child was born when her mother was fifty-two years old. She married, and has a son who came to this country and now lives in Bowl- ing Green. Mrs. Hughes' father died at the age of eighty, her mother when seventy-two.
After their marriage our subject and his wife lived near the old home for ten years. In 1854. they came to America on the sailing vessel "Southampton," which was five weeks and three
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days on the voyage. For over two years they lived in Erie county, and then settled upon a farm in Plain township, Wood county, which he still owns. Of their eighteen children twelve grew to maturity, and eleven are still living: James lives in Bowling Green; he married B. McMillen, and has three children-Mina, Rollo and Bertha. Harriet is the wife of Todd Brown, of Plain township, and has five children-Carrie, Jesse, Howard, Blanche and Ethel. Rose mar- ried Albert Avery, of Wood county, and has three sons -- Harley, Homer and Allen. Hugh, who lives in Bowling Green, inarried Kate McCaulley, and has one son-Harry. Henry is a merchant in Bowling Green. John married Racy Bower- man, and is a resident of Bowling Green. Or- lando married L. English, and also lives in that city; they have four children-Viola, Arthur, Gertrude and Flossie. Frank married Bertha Mearing, and lives in Plain township; has one daughter-Helen. Adonna married Albert Huff- man, and has two children-Harrison and Aleta. Emma married Henry Ostrander, of Chicago, Ill., and has one son -- Harry. Burton married Chloe Rader, and lives in Bowling Green; they have two children -- Florence and Floyd. Sarah Aun married Henry Newton, of Perrysburg, and died leaving three children-Adonna, Willard and Coy-of whom, Adonna married George Haskill, of Columbus, Ohio, and has one child-Gladys; Willard married Gertie Hartman, and lives in Toledo; Coy is married and lives in Toledo. Mrs. Hughes passed away January 26, 1896.
Mr. and Mrs. Hughes visited England in 1866, and again in 1882. The last time the trip out was made in eight and one-half days, a striking contrast to their first voyage; but coming back the ship struck a sand-bar near Sandy Hook, and they were detained for three days just outside of New York harbor. Mr. Hughes has not united with any Church since coming to this country. In politics he is a Republican.
EDWARD ROE ( deceased ), who at the time of his death was a wealthy retired farmer of Bowl- ing Green, was one of the fortunate inen whose fertile acres have of late years given up their long-concealed treasures, and enriched their own- ers by copious supplies of oil. He was born May 12, 1838, in Monroe county, Mich., where his father. Dominick Roe, was also born, in the .year 1784.
The family is of French-Canadian descent, and are counted among the early settlers of Michigan. Dominick Roe was a typical pioneer, robust and powerful, and possessed of perfect
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health, never knowing a day's illness until death came to him in 1861. His first wife was a lady of French-Canadian stock, Miss Lucy Bumean. For some years they lived in Michigan, but in 1847 they came with their family to Liberty township, and settled in the swampy woods among the muskrats, deer and bears. Here, in time, a large farm was cleared and a comforta- ble home made. Eleven children were born of the first marriage, of whom the following lived to maturity: Dominick and John ( now deceased : Lucy, living near Detroit; Olive ( now deceased ) ; Stephen, living in Lucas county, Ohio; Victoria, the wife of Peter Malask: Jane ( now deceased ) ; Justus, now living in Michigan; and Edward, our subject. Three others died in childhood. Our subject's father was married, . second, to Miss Viana Leveret, by whom he had three children: Margaret (now Mrs. L. Garno); Mary, the wife of David De Sadler; and Eliza ( the wife of Frank Ducat ).
Edward Roe was about nine years old when he came to Wood county. He grew to manhood upon the old farm which he helped to clear, and November 14, 1860, he married Miss Margaret Ducat, a lady of French descent, born in Michi- gan December 30, 1841. Her father, Anthony Ducat, was born April 20, 1815, in the same State. He died May S, 1892, in Wood county. where he had located fifty years before. His wife, Margaret Renerdo, died in early woman- hood. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Roe lived upon a farm in Liberty township, removing some years later to another in Portage township. Ten children were born to them: Caleb, August 26, 1861, married Myrtle Gaghan; Robert, Au- gust 20, 1863, married Miss Addie Elder and had two daughters-Emily and Cora; Eliza, January 29, 1865, died at the age of fourteen months; Sherman, January 22, 1867, a farmer in Portage township, married Miss Bertie Creps, a native of Wood county, born October 15, 1871. and has two children-Burtsell and Floyd; Hiramn, Sep- tember 5, 1870, married Miss Myrtie Miller, and has two children-Loren and Harry, the younger of whom died in infancy; Alfred and Albert ( twins ), died at the same time and were buried in the same coffin; Louis, December 18, 1875: Lucetta, September 28, 1878; and Guy, April ;. 1880, are all at home.
After many years spent in farming his 280 acres, Mr. Roe began testing for oil with encour- aging results, and he owned ten wells at the time of death. A few years ago he and his wife came to Bowling Green to secure for their youngerehikt- ren advantages of education and society denied
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dwellers in rural districts. During the Civil * : Mr. Roe served for eleven months in Com- av .A, 182d O. V. I., and took part in the en- igement at Nashville. In politics he was a & publican. He passed from earth August 22,
ALBERT FRONEY, senior meinber of the lead- .. . dry-goods firm of A. Froney & Co., Bowling deven. has been a resident of that city since de commencement of its progressive period. Hc . .. distinctively self-made man, one who took the tide of fortune at its flood, and carried him- :- ){ to one of the highest placcs attainable in Pir commercial circle of Wood county.
Born in the kingdom of Hanover, Gerinany, mmptember 23, 1842, he was, in 1847. brought his parents, Augustus and Caroline (Gyer) Ttoney, to America, landing at New York on the 'st day of July that year. For a time the fam- y lived at Buffalo, N. Y .. then removed to El- gore, Ohio, at that time a mere village in the wilderness, where the parents both dicd in 1873, thin a few days of each other, the father at the age of seventy, the mother when sixty-four. They had a family of five children as follows: Henry, now a resident of Bay City, Mich .; Rachel, wife of George Gossman, of Elmore; George, a farmer at Kewanee, Wis. : Albert, ibject of sketch; and Sophia, wife of Daniel J.ckert, of Elmore.
Albert Froney received his education at the siblic schools of Elinore, and at the age of six- "en, in 1859, commenced his business career as wrl: in a dry-goods store at Pemberville, Wood county, his salary at first being sixty dollars per anun. In this connection, with the exception : a four-months' experience in the army during . . war of the Rebellion, he remained until De- mber I, 1865. So valuable were his services the store that before the end of the first year I.s salary was raised, and five years later he be- came a partner in the concern. On May 2, :4, he enlisted in Company C, 144th O. V. I., % a. appointed first sergeant the same day, and arved until the muster-out of the command Vigust 31 following, after a short but useful cam- Bagn in Maryland and the Virginias.
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In December, 1865, Mr. Froney embarked business, and soon won not only popularity Wako success in the village where he first :ered ot. his life's mission. He was one of the "troners for the incorporation of Pemberville 1876, treasurer of the town in 1877. and a hiful guardian of the public interests of the itious village of Pemberville. Elected treas-
urer of Wood county, he came to Bowling Green in 1886, took possession of the office and served one term, refusing point-blank to accept a second election on the grounds that the salary attached to the office did not warrant the financial risk carried by the incumbent. This political diver- sion was based on business principles, without any sentiment attached, and the experience of one term was quite sufficient to show him that mercantile life suited him better than official life. In 1889, selling out his business in Pemberville, he set out on a four-months' trip to Europe, visiting his birthplace and other points of inter- est. Returning to Wood county, he established in Bowling Green his present business, along with Mr. Boughton, under the firm name of Froney & Boughton, and with the exception of a four-months' trip through the Western States, his family accompanying him, the business thus established has claimed almost all his working hours, down to the present time. In 1892 he built a business block on South Main street, and in 1895 he erected his present three-story store building, 42 x 125, the first and second floors of which are occupied as the store proper, the third floor being utilized as a store-room. The store is equipped with all the latest improvements and accessories to be found in a first-class establish- ment of its kind, and filled with a large and well- selected stock of dry goods, carpets, etc., to the value of over $50,000, einployment being given to some dozen clerks. Mr. Froney's sole part- nors now are his son, B. J., and son-in-law, Mr. Moore, each of whom, like the senior member himself, holds an important place in the commer- cial and municipal economy of Bowling Green.
Politically Mr. Froney has been an ardent Republican since the formation of the party, and has well served his adopted county and city in various capacities, being a man of great public spirit, and taking a generous interest in every measure tending to benefit the community at large. In 1891 he was elected a member of the common council of Bowling Green, and in 1892 was a member of the City Hall building commit- tec. A reference to the chapter on Plain town- ship, to the political chapter of the general his- tory of the county, and to the sections of the chapter on Bowling Green, dealing with munici- pal affairs, will disclose the fact that once in a while Mr. Froney is drawn into public affairs, perhaps not infrequently against his inclination. With the leading institutions of Bowling Green he is closely identified, and he was one of the organizers of the First National Bank. of which he is a director. In addition to the business
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blocks, etc., already mentioned, he built a hotel and some private residences at Pemberville, also two stores, besides his residence in Bowling Green, two of the finest in the city.
On October 24, 1863, Mr. Froney was mar- ried to Miss Sarah J. Pember, who was born at Pemberville, July 8, 1842, a daughter of James Pember, the founder of that village, and one of foremost pioneers of the county; he never ran for office, but he possessed great influence in po- litical circles, and took an active interest in the movements which resulted in the formation of the Republican party. He lived to the age of seventy-five years. To Mr. and Mrs. Froney were born four children, as follows: Augusta, who died of diphtheria at the age of thirteen; B. J., a partner with his father; Florence, at home; and Stella, wife of Fred Moore, also a member of the firm of A. Froney & Co. The family at- tend the Presbyterian Church, and are held in the highest respect. Mr. Froney is broad- minded and liberal in his ideas, is charitable to the poor and needy, and in his unusually success- ful business career has developed the industry, souud judgment and frugality so characteristic of the German-American.
WILLIAM W. HILL, M. D., one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Weston, is a native of Ohio, born in the township where he now resides, September 6, 1845, and is the eldest in a family of ten children born to John and Hester (Crom) Hill. The birth of the father occurred Septem- ber 9, 1822, in Stark county, Ohio, where he lived until 1831, when with his father, William Hill, he came to Wood county, locating in Milton township, where his father purchased some gov- ernment land, and with the help of his sons began the arduous task of clearing and cultivating the same. William Hill came to this country from England after the Revolutionary war.
John Hill remained upon the farm of his par- ents for several years, but after his marriage to Hester Crom he removed to Weston township, where lie purchased a farm and immediately set about making the necessary improvements. In early life he was a member of the United Breth- ren Church; but after his removal to Milton town- ship, Wood county, where there was no Church of that denomination, he united with the Christian Church. At the end of an exemplary Christian life he passed peacefully away August 10, 1887. at the age of sixty-four years.
The mother of our subject was also a native of this State, born in Harrison county, January 5, 1821, and with her parents moved to Woodcoun-
ty, in 1831, locating in Washington township, where she lived until her marriage. Her father was an early pioneer preacher, who traveled through this country when it was inhabited mostly by Indians and wild beasts of all kinds. Like her husband she was first a member of the United Brethren Church, and afterward joined the Chris- tian Church. Her death occurred November 9. 1894, when she was seventy-three years of age.
At the early age of ten years our subject start- ed out in life for himself. As his father was in limited circumstances, and the family large, it be- came necessary that the older children should do all in their power to assist in maintaining the others. Although young, William was strong and willing to work, and soon found employment on a neighboring farm, where he was hired by the month. When a little past fifteen years of age he enlisted in Company G, roth O. V. C., with which he served for three years. On May 13, 1864, he was slightly wounded in the left hip by a piece of shell at the battle of Resaca, Ga., but as the wound was not serious he did not go to hospital; again, at the battle of Kenesaw Mount- ain he received a slight flesh wound in the right leg while supporting a battery. On August 20, 1864, he was again wounded, this time at the battle of Jonesboro, Ga., the ball striking him in the left leg about half way between the ankle and the knee, shattering both bones very badly. He was sent to Kingston field hospital, where he con- tracted gangrene in the wound, which proved very serious. Being granted a furlough in October. 1864, the Doctor returned home and remained at Perrysburg, Wood county, under the care of Drs. Peck and Hamilton for three months. When able to walk on crutches, he was ordered to report to David's Island, in New York harbor, where he remained until the close of the war, being honor- ably discharged, June 12, 1865. After his re- turn home, he did not recover from the effects of his wound. For seventeen years he was a con- stant sufferer, being at times compelled to walk on crutches, and in 1886 his life was despaired of. As a last resort his leg was amputated, since which time he has enjoyed good health.
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