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 66
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Mr. Brougher was born October 18, 1828, in the village of Liberty, Randolph Co., N. C. His great-grandfather was the founder of the family in America. The grandfather, Adamn Brougher, was a native of Pennsylvania, whence he emigrated to North Carolina. His son Fred- erick was born and reared in the latter State, and when a young man learned the trade of shoemak- ing, but on account of his health was obliged to abandon this, and turned his attention to the tanning business, which later he carried on in connection with farming. In Randolph county
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he married Miss Nellie Staley, a native of that county. Her father's mother was a cousin of the royal family of Germany. Frederick Brougher, after some years, removed with his family to Florida; but as his wife did not like that country, he returned northward, and for a short time lived in Ohio. He then removed to Fort Wayne. Ind., where he left his family, and on horseback journeyed over that part of the country in search of a suitable location. Not finding what he wanted, he spent a short time at Ft. Wayne, Ind., and returned to southern Ohio, where he remained two years, then removed to Allen county, Ohio, thence to Putnam county, where he entered ninety-three acres of land in Greensburg township, being the third settler there. From Allen county he brought with him a hand-mill in which he used to grind corn, otherwise he would have been compelled to go forty miles to a water- mill. This old mill of his has been on exhibition at the Pioneer meetings of Putnam county, as a relic of pioneer days. His farm he increased from time to time until it comprised 493 acres, and to its cultivation he devoted his energies un- til his death, which occurred there June 13, 1875. His wife passed away in 1889.
This worthy couple were the parents of the following children: Brockmon, who died on the old homestead in Putnam county, in 1894; Jack- son, who entered the army in 1861, and died in a hospital at Vicksburg; Hoadley, a farmer of Monroe township, Putnam county; Hogan, also of Putnam county; Staley, who enlisted in the army at the beginning of the war, served through- out the struggle, and is now following farming in Oklahoma; Bersheba, who became the wife of William R. Crow, and died in Putnam county: Mrs. Tennie Goris, of Montana, and Ann, widow of William Ault, of Putnam county.
Our subject was quite young when, with his parents, he left his native State. He accom- panied them on their various removals until their final settlement in Putnam county, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood and acquired his edu- cation in the district schools. When about eighteen years of age he inherited eighty acres of land from his father, and to this he added eighty acres, for some time clearing and cultivating sixty acres. He then sold, and purchased 520 acres in Palmer township, Putnani county, of which he remained owner for a year. He then disposed of the property, and returned to the okt homestead, buying out the interest of the other heirs. This he afterward sold, and in the spring of 1882 came to Wood county, where he pur- chased his present farm of 320 acres. He has
L. K. Brougher
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tiled and fenced the place, erected thercon good barns, and has made other excellent improve- ments, until he now has one of the valuable and desirable places of the community. He is a man of energy and determination, one who carries forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes, and his industrious efforts have brought to him a handsome property. In poli- tics he is independent, voting for the best man regardless of party. In religion he is a Free- thinker, regarding man's duty to man to be the only requisite.
WASHINGTON LINK, deceased, was born in Ingham county, Mich., on February 22, 1840. His parents, William and Sarah Link, were na- tives of New York, but their marriage was cele- brated in Ingham county, Mich., where the father carried on blacksmithing in connection with the improvement and development of his farm. There he died in March, 1889, but his wife still inakes her home in that county.
On attaining man's estate Washington Link was married in his native county, the lady of his choice being Elizabeth Guisfert, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, and they became the par- ents of three children, namely: Mrs. Myrtle Mitchell, of Plain township, Wood county; Well- ington, and William. In Ingham county, Mich., Mr. Link engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred in 1888, and his wife, who still survives him, now makes her home in Plain township, Wood Co., Ohio, where she has gained many warm friends. She is a lady of kind and generous impulses, was ever a devoted wife, and is a loving mother.
The early home of WILLIAM LINK was in Ing- ham county, Mich., where he first opened his eyes to the light of day in 1876. He was reared under the parental roof, and early became familiar with the duties of farin life. His education was ob- tained in the schools of his native county, and on coming to Wood county, in 1889, he located in Liberty township, but in 1895 removed to Plain. For two years after coming to the county he was engaged in the oil business, working on a salary, and is also employed now in the oil fields. He is one of the rising young business men of the county, and will, no doubt, make a success in life.
FREDERICK STROBLE, one of the thrifty and prosperous agriculturists of Perrysburg township, residing near Stony Ridge, was born March 7. 1831, in Wellenberg, Germany. He grew to manhood there, acquiring a fair education in the 52
public schools, and for a short time worked in a mill, but later determined to make farming his occupation. In 1859 he came to America in. search of better opportunities than his native land afforded, and after thirty days on the ocean, in a sailing vessel, he landed in New York.
On coming to Ohio Mr. Stroble located first at Liverpool, Medina county, but soon moved to Columbia township, Lorain county, where he worked for five years. He was married there April 10, 1862, to Miss Anna Eckler, a native of that township, born January 8, 1844. Her par- ents, Henry and Ann Eckler, were both natives of Germany, where they were married, coming shortly afterward to this country and settling upon a farm in Erie county for some years, but finally making their home in Lorain county, where they died, the father at the age of eighty- six, the mother at the age of fifty-seven. They had seven children: Catherine, the wife of H. Hempy, of Cleveland; John, who died at the old home in 1893; Margaret, who married Louis Ganss, and died at Toledo; Anna, Mrs. Stroble; May, the wife of Julius Kinesy, a miller of Lorain county; Elizabeth, the wife of Edward Bickle, a farmer of the same county, and Emanuel, a teamster in Elyria.
A few years after his marriage Mr. Stroble moved with his family to Wood county, settling upon the farm of seventy-two acres upon which they have since resided. Politically he is a Dem- ocrat, but he is not an active worker in party af- fairs, giving his influence in quiet ways to the support of the men and measures he deems worthy. He and his wife are leading members of St. John's Church (Lutheran) at Stony Ridge, the ancestors of both for generations having been adherents of the Lutheran faith. They have two children -- Frank L., born December 17, 1862. and Mary E., born October 21, 1878.
FRANK L. STROBLE is one of the sturdy, en- terprising young men who promise to make the future of our county a worthy advance upon the achievements of the past. He was educated in the schools of his district. and of late has assumed much of the labor and responsibility of the farm !. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party, and he is a member of the Knights of Honor at Stony Ridge.
JAMES TELLER, a successful farmer, business man, and financier of Portage township, was born in Westchester county, N. Y., one imile be- low the Croton Dam, April 14, 1836, and is the son of Samuel and Bashaba ( Underhill) Telier.
Solomon Teller, the paternal grandfather, was
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born of German parents, who came to America at about the time of the Colonial settlement at New York. He and two of his sons were in the war of 1812. He was a hatter by trade, and accumulated considerable property. He was twice married, his first wife dying when Samuel, father of our subject, was eight years old. When he married again his second sons were bound out to various trades, Samuel going to work in a woolen factory, which was situated just above the old Quaker bridge, near the mouth of the Croton river. He was born October 25, 1797, and had no opportunity for schooling. He served his ap- prenticeship from the time he was nine years old until he reached his majority, when he rented the factory, operated it for a number of years, making cloth from the raw material. Samuel Teller was married January 4, 1825, to Miss Underhill, who was born October 11, 1806, in Westchester county, N. Y. She was the daugh- ter of Benjamin Underhill, a farmer and a de- scendant of an old Colonial family. The follow- ing children comprised the family of Mr. and Mrs. Teller : Phoebe, born November 21, 1825, mar- ried and died in Huron county, Ohio; Charity, born April 22, 1829, was accidentally burned to death when twelve years old; James is our sub- ject: George, born July 22, 1834, died in Green- wich township, Huron county; Benjamin, born February 22, 1836, died in Portage township; Robert, born November 24. 1840, died when young; Mary, born January 8, 1843, died at the age of nineteen years; Martha, born April 4, 1846, died young; Emily, born April 4, 1850, married Henry Cline, and died in Greenwich township.
About the year 1836 the family came to Ohio, via the Hudson river and Erie canal to Buffalo, and our subject remembers the details of the trip. They came by boat from Buffalo to San- dusky, thence by wagon to Greenwich township. The father had means; but rented some land in- stead of buying it, as it was a new business to him. Besides operating the farm, he worked two or three years in a woolen factory at Monroe- ville, Ohio. His first wife died in Greenwich township, Huron county, in 1860, and was buried in Ruggles township, Ashland county. . Mr. Teller afterward married a Miss Foster, by whom he had no children. He died suddenly in Green- wich township, in 1876, and was buried by the side of his first wife. Both were Christians and strict observers of religions customs. In politics lie was a Democrat, and a regular voter, but never sought office. He was robust and active up to the time of his death.
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James Teller attended the district schools near his Ohio home, and worked upon his father's farm until he was twenty-one years old, occasionally doing some odd jobs for an outsider. In the fall of 1861 he left by wagon for Wood county, where, after looking around for a favorable locality, he bought 129 acres of land in Section 8, Portage township, which he paid for out of his own earn- ings. It was in its primitive condition of wilder- ness, and, while he was clearing a part of it, he boarded with some neighbors, until his marriage, July 22, 1862, in Perrysburg, with Miss Frances Casswell. She is a native of Jackson county, Mich., born .October 29, 1840, a daughter of Asa Casswell, a blacksmith. and Lucinda (Lewis) Cass- well, both of whom were born in New York. They had five children: Frances, our subject's wife; Jane and George, twins; Harriet, wife of Frank Stratten, of Portage village, and Isa. George was a member of Company C, 21st O. V. I., and died in Andersonville prison.
Mr. Teller's first house was built of round logs. hewed on the inside of the house, and was 18 x26 feet in dimensions. It stood north of and adjoin- ing the present home. Subsequently he bought forty acres in Section 4, also eighty acres in Sec- tion 5, and in 1880 built his present substantial residence. To our subject and his wife have been born children as follows: Emily, born December 14, 1863, now the widow of George Lembrick, of Portage; Nettie M., born December 10, 1865, inarried J. F. Wollam, of Jerry City, Ohio; Charles J., born July 20, 1868, lives on a farm in Port- age; Harriet L., born September 29, 1870, be- came Mrs. E. W. Fisher, of Portage village; Charity, born January 5, 1873. is at home; Anna, born September 16, 1875: Andrew, born Sep- tember 8. 1878, is at home.
Mr. Teller is a Democrat, has served twelve consecutive terms as township trustee; has also served as director in District No. 3: and has re- fused other offices. In the spring of 1895, he had 320 acres of land, eighty of which he gave his son Charles. His farin is drained by 75, 000 tiles. which, together with all the improvements of the place, has either been done by him personally or under his direction. He is a self-made man, pos- sesses good common sense and excellent judgment. and is one of the successful farmers of the town- ship. He has been a member of the Masonic Lodge No. 112, at Bowling Green, for over twenty years.
A. C. WALKER. The well-appointed farm of this gentleman is located in Section It, Portage township, and to it he has given his close atten-
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tion with results which can hardly fail to be satisfactory to himself and where his labors have met with success. He is a native of Scotland, born in the vicinity of Aberdeen, January 16, 1854, and in the following fall was brought to America by his parents, James and Anna (Mitch- ell) Walker.
The father took his family to Ruggles town- ship, Ashland Co., Ohio, where with his limited capital he purchased thirty acres of partially improved land. On that farm he passed his re- maining days, dying in 1878, at the age of eighty- four years. His wife survived him until Febru- ary 15, 1896. To them were born eight chil- dren, namely: George, of Bay City, Mich. ; Anna, now Mrs. C. A. Neuman, of Ruggles town- ship, Ashland county; William, of Fitchville town- ship, Huron county; Robert and John, both of Ruggles township, Ashland county; Jennie, now Mrs. David Crowell, of Savannah, Ohio: A. C., of this review; Jeannette; and Isabel. wife of Oliver Carpning, of Ruggles township, Ashland county. The father was a well-educated man, six feet tall and weighed about 185 pounds. He regularly supported the Republican party by his ballot, and was a faithful member of the Presby- terian Church, which he joined in Scotland.
Until reaching his majority, our subject re- mained a member of his father's household, aid- ing in the labors of the farm and attending the district schools of Ashland county; but at that time started out in life for himself, being em- ployed at farm labor. On February 19, 1879, he was joined in wedlock with Miss Anna Ems- lie, who was born October 17, 1858, in Roches- ter township, Lorain Co., Ohio, whence her parents removed to Ruggles township, Ashland county, when she was but an infant. There she was educatcd in the district schools and later married. Three children grace this union: Clyde M., born May 26, 1882; Alice W., born Novem- ber 3, 1885; and Lillian Lucile, born August 22, 1 896.
On a rented farm in Ruggles township. our subject began housekeeping, and there resided until Angust, 1884, when he removed to his pres- ent faim of forty acres in Section 11, Portage township. He has made many substantial im- provements upon the place, and thirty-four acres are now under a high state of cultivation. In the spring of 1891 he returned to Ashland coun- ty, but at the end of a year came again to his farm in Portage township, which he is my suc- Cessfully conducting. He is public-spirited and progressive, giving his support to all worthy en- terprises for the advancement of the community,
and socially is a member of Excelsior Lodge No. 223, K. O. T. M., at Prairie Depot. In religious belief both he and his wife are Method- ists, and he is at present trustee of Bethel Church of Portage township. His political affiliations are with the Republican party.
GEORGE AND CLAYTON ROGERS, who, under the firm name of Rogers Brothers, conduct an extensive trade in drugs and kindred articles at Bowling Green, are natives of Wood county, educated in her schools, and trained here to busi- ness life. Thus identified from birth with the interests of this locality, they have early taken a prominent place among the young business men of the county seat. The elder brother George, was born in Portage, May 10, 1864, the younger, Clayton, in Bowling Green, June 18, 1868.
Their father, the late Charles Rogers, was for many years a leading druggist in Bowling Green. After attending the excellent public schools there, during boyhood, they worked in the store, to which they succeeded on the death of their father, on March 10, 1891. Under their energetic management the prestige of the firm is not likely to suffer.
George Rogers was married April 24, 1888, to Miss Addie Clayton, of Weston, and on June 14, 1893, Clayton Rogers was united in marriage with Miss Kittie Theal, who was born in Tiffin, Ohio, in 1868. Both brothers are Republicans in politics, and while the elder is a member of the K. of P., the other belongs to the fraternal order of Odd Fellows.
CHARLES R. GERDING, the efficient postinas- ter at Pemberville, and one of the most prom- inent citizens of that locality, was appointed July 1, 1893, by the Honorable Byron F. Ritchie, of Toledo, Ohio, under Grover Cleveland's admin- istration.
His father, Yost Henry Gerding, was born ių Vardendorf, Amt Witlaga, Hanover, near Osna- bruck. Germany, in 1820. He married Anna Maria Harr, who was born in tszo, in Essen Anıt Village, near Osnabruck. a sister of John, Fred, Lewis, Charles, and Eliza Harr, all of whom are married, the last named being now Mrs. John Avers, of Gibsonburg, Sandusky county. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Gerding were born the following named children: Charles R., our subject; Harmon, Henry, Mary, and Fred. In 1846, soon after their marriage, the young couple came to New York City. After acquiring & knowwl- edge of the English language, during a period of six months, Mr. Gerding opened a grocery at the
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corner of Division and Forsyth streets, in New York City, where he carried on a successful busi- ness for nine years. During the cholera epidemic in 1854 he 'was attacked by the disease, which left his lower limbs partially paralyzed, and after trying many remedies without avail he was ad- vised to take an ocean voyage. He accordingly started for his native land with his wife and the four older children, and before he had been on the water three days, he began to regain the use of his limbs, and by the time the trip was over he had entirely recovered. He stayed at his birth- place for nine months, and as he was the legal heir to the family estate he almost decided to re- main there. The home was, at the time, occu- pied by his stepfather, who was expecting to marry Mrs. Graver, of Hurbenfelt, Amt Witlaga, near Essen, Germany, and who strongly urged him to remain, or to rent the estate to Fred Harr, who is now a resident of Troy township. Mr. Gerding had left his business and household goods in charge of Mr. Swacker, residing on Forty-first and Ninth avenue, New York City, and thought it best to come back and dispose of everything before finally retiring to his ancestral property. But three days before his arrival in New York a fire swept away his possessions there, upon which he received no insurance. Mr. Clous- ing P. Betts, of Forty-fourth street, between Eighth and Ninth avenues, an old and valued friend, saved a few effects and stored them away for him, but otherwise the loss was complete. In 1856 Mr. Gerding opened another grocery in Brooklyn, in Green Point, corner of F and Frank- lin streets, still intending, however, to rent his estate, or return to it himself. But on July 3 he was taken suddenly ill, and died the next day at 4 P. M., at the age of thirty-seven years, three months and eighteen days. He was buried on July 7, in the Lutheran cemetery, near Williams- burg, Middle Village, Brooklyn. Mr. Gerding was a prominent man in his day, and for seven years was second lieutenant in the 5th Regiment, W. H. Jefferson Guards, and was honorably dis- charged in 1856, by Mayor Fernando Wood, of New York. His widow and children are still living.
Charles R. Gerding was born January 31, 1846, on' Fifth avenue, between Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth streets, New York City. He left home six months after his father's death, and has made his own way in the world since that time. He clerked for C. H. Bulthauft, corner of Amity and Sullivan streets, New York City, until the war broke out, when his employer sold out his business and went to the front with the regi-
ment of militia to which he belonged, having en- listed for three months at the first call to arms. Mr. Gerding then entered the employ of Capt. Henry Barlach, at the corner of Forty-seventh street and Seventh avenue, remaining there until the fall of 1861, when he came to Ohio, locating first in Washington township. Wood county, where an uncle, Charles Harr, resided. For four years he worked for Lewis Avers, as a car- penter and joiner, and 'then for Hiram Helger- nick and A. W. Luckey, of Elinore, Ottawa county, for short periods, and, in 1868, he came to Pemberville, and worked for John Hathaway, Sr., until the spring of 1879. Here he met and married Miss Mary Herman, a native of the place, born May 1, 1847, one of the eight children of John Henry and Mary Herman, who were among the early settlers in Freedom township. They came to this country in 1844, locating on a farm northeast of Pemberville, where, by industry and thrift, they acquired a fine property. In his later years Mr. Herman invested his savings in a saw- mill and flourmill, and failed. He died in 1872 at the age of sixty-five, and his wife followed him seven years later, aged seventy years. Mrs. Ger- ding has lived at Pemberville all her life. Her brother, John, now the only other surviving mem- ber of the family, is a prominent farmer there, owning 120 acres two miles southeast of the town.
The first year after his marriage, February 28, 1879, Mr. Gerding rented a farm on the Portage river, five miles below Elmore; but the summer of 1879 was an extremely wet season, and, of fourteen acres planted in corn, seven were completely drowned out, and four acres of oats, out of twenty, were also lost. He secured 350 bushels of corn from the other seven acres, and had some oats to sell, for which he received thirty-one cents per bushel. Discouraged with these results, he sold out to his brother, Harmon, and went back to Pemberville, where he joined his wife's brother, W. Herman, in a combined sawmill and, shingle factory, which they con- ducted successfully for one year. He also clerked for eight years for William Keil & Co , hardware dealers.
In 1871 he built his present home on Water street, where five of his six children were born. the eldest, Anna, having been born at Elmore. The others are - John F., Alice, Amelia G., Carrie. and Carl, all of whom are at home. Mr. Gerding holds a prominent place in the commu- nity, and was one of the members of the first council of Pemberville, corporation mayor for one terin, member of the school board for nine years, and township clerk for eight years. He
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is a member of the Lutheran Church, having been confirmed in 1861 at Hessville, by Pastor Crowell, of Woodville. He belongs to the Masonic order, Blue Lodge No. 516, and Crystal Chapter, of Bowling Green.
A. E. BENTON. The New England branch of the Benton family has, at various times in our history, furnished men of brains and courage, both moral and physical, to meet the public questions and emergencies of their day. Such a memory is indeed a goodly heritage, and those of the nanie whose lives are spent in quieter and less- known paths of duty, may find there opportuni- ties for the exercise of the same qualities, in a measure, which in other circumstances have made their ancestors distinguished.
Our subject was born in Berkshire county, Mass., October 30, 1823, the son of Allen and Deidamia (Allen) Benton -- the former born No- vember IS, ISO1, died March 18, 1864; the latter born May 16, 1805, died February 26, 1857. When he was ten years old his father. a farmer by occupation, came to Ohio, locating in Litch- field township, Medina county, then a new sec- tion, and there both parents died. Of their five sons and three daughters, our subject was the second in order of birth. His schooling was so limited that he was eighteen or nineteen years old before he could write. The improved educa- tional methods and appliances of to-day meet with his hearty approval in behalf of the rising generation. He was reared as a farmer boy in old pioneer style, and well knows what hard work is. Before he was ten he had received cuts and scars, which have handicapped him seriously all his life. In early manhood he worked at making axe handles, and still follows sledge-handle manu- facturing to a considerable extent. At twenty- one he went to Cleveland and found employment on a lake vessel. At this time his strength was enormous, and on one occasion, while the ship lay at Mackinac Island, he lifted seven hundred pounds of iron -- dead weight-he and a half- breed Indian being the only ones out of five hun- dred men who conld lift it. He is now exceed- ingly well-preserved, considering his mishaps and laborious life.
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