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 76
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ductive, succeeding so well that he now has one of the best farms in the vicinity. In 1882 he erected the comfortable home which the family now occupy, and in ISS3 built a good barn, be- sides which there are other buildings and many improvements which testify to the thrift of the owner and enhance the value and appearance of the farm. He has added forty acres to the orig- inal purchase, his place now comprising 120 acres of good land. Mr. Bossler is a hard worker, and has a reputation among his neighbors for industry and good management. of which he may well be proud.
Mr. and Mrs. Bossler have had children as follows: Arthur (who died at the age of eight years), Fay T .. Etta P., Floyd L. and Henry O. They are members of the Congregational Church. In politics he is a Republican, but, though inter- ested in public affairs, he is not active in politics, preferring to devote himself to his agricultural in- terests exclusively.
JAMES FRUSHER was born December IS, IS39, in Norfolk county, England, a son of Thomas and Frances (Lois) Frusher, who came to the United States and settled in Monroeville, Huron Co .. Ohio, when our subject was twelve years old. In 1855, the family removed to Wood county, and took up their residence on the plank road near Perrysburg, where the father died in IS63, at the age of fifty-four years, the mother surviving him until abont twelve years ago. Three of their children were reared in this coun- try, namely: Thomas; James, our subject; and Frances, who is now Mrs. James Byrn.
James Frusher spent his boyhood upon his father's farm, and obtained such schooling as was possible in the district schools of the locality. He had scarcely attained his majority when the Civil war broke out, and he at once offered his services for the defense of the government, en- listing August 8, 1861, in Company A, 14th O. V. I., and serving until the close of the war. He was first discharged in 1863, but veteranized and continued in the army until his final discharge on July 11. 1865, after peace had been declared. During this time he took part in many important battles, among them, the siege of Corinth, Mission Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga, and Resaca. He marched with Sherman to the sea, and entered Savannah about Christmas.
On October 11, 1867, Mr. Frusher was married to Miss Laura M. Tracy, and three children have been born of this union: Chester W. died at the age of one year and ten months; Edith M. married John M. Pope, and has one child -- Win-
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ifred Dorothy; Winifred is now teaching in Plano, III. These daughters have received superior educational advantages, and with their mother are among the brightest and most highly cultured women in the community.
Mrs. Frusher was born in Blandford, Hamp- den Co., Mass., November 16, 1844, the daugh- ter of Avery and Polly Ann (Lathrope) Tracy. Her paternal grandfather was a soldier during the Revolutionary war, and was on Long Island at the time of the battle there. He was among the early settlers of Blandford, the town being named for the ship which brought the people of the colony over. He left a family, of which the following record is given: Henry died in Well- ington, Lorain Co., Ohio; Levi has been lost trace of by the family; Roswell Watson died of yellow fever in Savannah, Ga .; Bathena died in Massachusetts; Emily married Myron Hawley, and lives in Huntington, Lorain county; Avery, father of Mrs. Frusher, was the youngest child of this family. He was born and educated in Blandford, Mass .; his first wife was Charlotte Shepherd, and after her death he married Polly Ann Lathrope. They came to Ohio when their daughter, Laura M., was a child, locating first in Lorain county, and later removing to Perrys- burg, where the father died in 1877, at a good old age, his birth having taken place in 1790. He was originally a Whig, and on the formation of the Republican party joined its ranks. Both he and his wife were members of the Pres- byterian Church. Polly Ann Lathrope was born in Litchfield county, Conn., and died in Winsted, that State, in 1874, at the age of fifty-seven years. She was the mother of four children- Charlotte, who died in early youth; Frederick H., living in Winsted, Conn. ; Laura M., now Mrs. Frusher; and Ellen A., the wife of John Hood, of Perrysburg.
Mr. and Mrs. Frusher, with their family, have a large circle of friends, and hold a promi- nent place in the community.
THOMAS CROSSE, a prominent agriculturist of Center township, residing near Bowling Green, was born July 13, 1846, in the County of Hereford, England. His father, James Crosse, a native of the same place, and a farmer by occupation, mar- ried Elizabeth Tew, and had nine children: James, who lives in England; Elizabeth, deceased; Har- riet, who resides in England; Susanna, deceased; John, who resides in England; Thomas, our sub- ject; and three who died in infancy. The father of this family died in 1871, and the mother sur- vived him only five years.
Mr. Crosse received a good education in his early days, and worked upon his father's farm until the age of twenty, when he became a member of the police of the County of Hereford, England. In August, 1874, he came to Ohio. locating in Wood county, where he worked for the first two years on a farm in Center township. He then bought fifty acres of land in the same township, which he improved, putting in tiling and ditches, plant- ing an orchard, and erecting suitable buildings. Later he added eighty acres to the original pur- chase, the farm being all under good cultivation at the present time. He was married in England, in 1870, to Miss Emily Luggar, who was born March 3, 1846. They have seven children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Alice L., December 28, 1872, the wife of Henry Nixon, a farmer of Van Wert county; Rosa A., February 21, 1875; Albert S., November 28, 1876; Minnie G., October 30, 1878; May F., April 2, 1880; Thomas E., February 18, 1882, and Earnest J., November 18, 1888, all, except the eldest, being at home.
Mr. Crosse is a Republican in politics, and has always taken a deep interest in all public questions and in local affairs, serving nine years as school director. He and his family are leading members of the U. B. Church at Maple Grove, of which he was one of the first trustees, and he has been the superintendent in the Sunday-school for ten years.
NOAH BAIGHTEL, a farmer and fruit grower of Washington township, was born in Maryland, July 13, 1843, and is a son of Samuel and Mary (King) Baightel, whose family numbered six chil- dren-Emmet, who died in Frederick county. Md., at the age of twenty-three; Ezra, who died in Carroll county, at the age of sixteen; Uriah. a resident of Nevada City, Cal .; Isaiah, who died in Sandusky county, Ohio; Jonas. a resident of Frederick county, Md .; and Noah. . The parents were of German lineage. The father was a cooper by trade, but made milling his life wo k. His death occurred in Maryland, in 1846, and his wife died in Maryland, July 13, 1894.
Our subject acquired his education in the county of his nativity, and remained on his fa- ther's farm until twenty-three years of age, when he started out in life for himself. In isto be removed to Sandusky county, Ohio, and for eleven years operated a rented farm near Fre- mont. In ISSI, he went to Putnam county, where he purchased and improved eighty acres of land, which he sold eighteen months later. He next came to Wood county, and having pit- chased eighty acres of his present farm in Wash-
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ington township has here since made his home, devoting his energies to the cultivation of liis land which is now most highly improved.
In 1873, in Fremont, Ohio, Mr. Baightel married Caroline Hite, a widow. Her father belonged to an old Virginia family, and was twice married; by his first wife he was the father of .twelve children, and eight children graced his second marriage; and her mother was born in Pennsylvania, in 1827. They had the following children-Noah. a resident of Henry county, Ohio; Mary, wife of T. Minkuits; Uriah, of Iowa; Josiah, deceased; Phoebe Ann, wife of M. Bundy, of Paulding county, Ohio; and David. of Balti- more. Mr. Hite died near Fremont in 1862. He was a member of the United Brethren Church, and a minister of that denomination. He and his three brothers were soldiers in the war of 1812. After his death, Mrs. Hite married Rob- ert Vanaman, by whom she had two children- Rebecca, wife of Harrison Clay; and Chester Le- roy, formerly of Putnam county, who died May 29. 1891.
To Mr. and Mrs. Baightel were born two children-George D., born May 19, 1876, seems to possess much natural talent for art, and if he develops this will undoubtedly do some most creditable work. He is a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Good Templars of Tontogany. Eva E., born February 20, 1887, is still in school. Mr. Baightel is a stalwart Republican, always voting the ticket of the party, in whose principles he so firmly believes.
E. B. WILCOX. The subject of this sketch, who is one of the enterprising, intelligent and in- fluential business men of Bowling Green, was born in Sandusky county, Ohio, November 12, 1854, and is a son of Sterling and Nancy (Bush) Wilcox.
The father of our subject was born in Onon- daga county, N. Y., January 9, 1827, and came to Ohio when eighteen years of age, settling in York township, Sandusky county, where he was married; he died December 15, 1889, near Hastings, Mich., when over sixty-two years old. His wife was a native of Connecticut, where she was born in 1824, but was reared in Sandusky county, and is now making her home at Bowling Green, Ohio. To this worthy couple, eight chil- dren were born, as follows: Otis lives in Mich- igan, near Hastings; Phoebe died when two years old, and Freeman when a year and a half old; Lydia is the wife of Isaac Van Voorhis, and lives in Howell county, Mo. ; E. B. is the subject of this sketch; Emma is the wife of Michael Amos, of
Portage township, Wood county; Frederick died when eighteen years old, and Elmer resides with his mother in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Our subject spent his boyhood days near Clyde, Ohio, and when fourteen years old came to Wood county where he worked on a farin near Portage township, at the same time attending the district school. When about twenty-eight years old he went to Michigan, locating on a farm near Hastings, where he spent four years. during that time being united in marriage. March 13, 1888, with Miss Lou Miller, who was born in Barry county, that State, April 22, 1867. Three children have been born of this union: Blanche, Beatrice and Mildred.
Soon after his marriage Mr. Wilcox removed to Bowling Green, and in the fall of 1888 became a partner with S. Becker in the livery business, in which he remained until August of the follow- ing year. He had in the meantime taken the agency for the Grasser & Brand Brewing Com- pany, of Toledo, and after giving up the livery business devoted his attention to the interests of this company, also putting up a small ice house on the lot adjoining his residence, and engaging in the sale of pure lake ice. He has lately built a large ice house with cold storage for beer, etc., and is doing a flourishing business. During 1894 he sold over thirteen hundred barrels of beer for the brewing company, and had 12,580 tons of lake ice stored in his ice house. This is located on the C. H. & D. railway, where he owns eighty feet of coal sheds, and handles the Jackson, Ohio,
soft coal and Lehigh Valley hard coal. He also handles all kinds of soft drinks for the Hoppe & Strube Mineral Water Co., and is agent for the L. Z. Foerster Co., of Ypsilanti, Mich., brew- ers. He is one of the progressive and enterpris- ing men of Bowling Green. and contributes liber- ally to whatever is of public interest. In pol- itics he is a Democrat, and socially belongs to the K. of P.
ADAM E. LEYDORF, a leading agriculturist and influential politician of Perrysburg township, was born May 25, 1856, in Ersrode, Hessen Nassau, Germany, the home of his ancestors for many centuries. Fred Leydorf, father of our subject. was born there October 1, 1822. and married Katie Eve Sdippig, also a native of that province, born January 27, 1823. He came to America with his family in 1865, and located first at Hull Prairie, but after one year moved to Perrysburg township, on the Findlay pike, where he followed the blacksmith's trade, and cleared and cultivated the farm on which he still resides.
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He is one of the most prominent of the sturdy German settlers in this vicinity, remarkable for his physical strength, doing the work of a man of middle age, notwithstanding his seventy-four years. He is a Democrat in politics, and has been for many years a member of the German Reformed Church, exemplifying his Christian faith in his daily life. To Mr. Leydorf and his wife were born five children, namely: Dora E., the wife of Jacob Mutchler, of Middleton town- ship; John C., a resident of Perrysburg; Mary E., the wife of Jacob Artz, of Chicago Junction; Adam E., our subject, and Henry C., a well- driller in this county.
Our subject obtained his early education in the county, attending the district schools near his home, and the German school at Haskins. Practical work on the farm and in his father's shop taught him the all-important lesson of earn- ing a livelihood. He followed the blacksmith's trade for seven years, and has a shop on his farm now, but his attention has been given chiefly to the cultivation of his seventy acres of fine land, which he works by the most improved methods. A man of keen and active intellect, he takes great interest in all public measures, and is one of the influential workers in the Democratic party in this locality. He is now serving his second term as township trustee, and has discharged this and every other trust committed to him, with a faithfulness and discretion which have still fur- ther strengthened him in the confidence of the community.
On January 17, 1882, Mr. Leydorf was mar- ried to Miss Mary E. Landefeld, who was born in Oberthalhausen, Germany, June 12, 1859. They had five children, whose names with dates of birth are as follows: Fred G., August 15, 1883; Henry J., November 10, 1885; Cris. C., November 18, 1888; Annie M., March 19, 1891, and Louise E., October 15, 1894. Mr. Leydorf and his family follow the religious faith of his forefathers, and adhere to the German Reformed Church.
JACOB BAIR, a prosperous farmer of Wood county, was born in York county, Penn., Novem- ber 3, 1835, and is the son of Jacob Bair. who was a fariner in York county, and there died September 25, 1845. The death of Mr. Bair left his widow with four children and a small amount of property. In the fall of 1848, she and her family moved to Richland county, Ohio, where some foriner neighbors lived. In the spring of 1849, Mrs. Bair removed to Jackson township, Seneca county, where she bought
eighty acres of land, paying part cash for it. Later she sold this, and came to Montgomery township, where she bought eighty acres of land. She subsequently moved to Fostoria, where she died in 1872, at the age of sixty-six years. Her children were as follows: Susan, now Mrs. Nicholas Burchard, of Fostoria; Jacob, our sub- ject: Lydia, who married Henry Wollam, of Portage township; George, of Hancock county, Washington township.
Oursubject, being the eldest son of his widowed mother, assumed the responsibility of a father while still young, so that his chances for getting an education were limited. He remained with his mother until his marriage. The first property he ever owned was a half interest in a sawmill, in Montgomery township, and it was while work- ing here that he was married. August 2, 1863, at Freeport, to Miss Sarah Graham, who was born October 1, 1842, in Portage township, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Lefler) Graham. After his marriage, Mr. Bair located in Montgomery township, in an old plank house that stood near his sawmill. His first purchase of land was eighty acres in Portage township, which he bought of an acquaintance. The latter deceived him, as a mortgage of $500 was on the property, which re- sulted in our subject being forced to sell it. He lived awhile in Fostoria, and was employed in a sawmill there until an attack of typhoid fever laid him up for a year. Upon recovering, he moved to the Graham home farm in Portage township, where he farmed for two years. In IS68, he bought, in Section 34, Montgomery township, eighty acres of land, with a log house on it, which had to be roofed before it could be occu- pied. In December, 1868, he moved to his pres- ent farm, which at that time had only two build- ings, a log cabin and a barn. Twenty-four acres had been chopped over, but they were in no shape for farming, and considerable work was required before the land was in proper condition. Mr. Bair has added to his farm at different times until now he has 240 acres, and he also owns five town lots in Hatton. Two children have been born to him and his wife: George A., a farmer in Mont- gomery township; and Irene M., at home. Po- litically, Mr. Bair has always been a stanch sup- porter of the Republican party. He has held the office of director in District No. 5. He and his wife are members of the Congregational Church, at West Millgrove, where he is a trustee. Aside from the $2, 800 received by his wife from her father's estate. his property is the result of his own industry, economy and business sagacity. He is a well-known citizen, an excellent neighbor,
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highly respected by everyone. His good wife has been of much assistance to him in his endeavors.
George A. Bair, son of our subject, was born in Section 36, Portage township, January 6, 1868. He attended the district schools of his time, and was reared to the duties of a farmer's boy. He remained at home, helping his father, until December 22, 1889, when he was married, in Bowling Green, to Miss Carrie M. Pelton, a native of Perry, where she was born October 27, 1870, the daughter of Henry J. and Amanda (Baird) Pelton. Mr. Bair first located on a por- tion of his father's farm, there remaining until February, 1892, when he moved to his present farm of eighty acres, in Section 33, Montgomery township. Here he is carrying on general farm- ing, and, having been well instructed in the busi- ness, under his father, has prospered in his voca- tion, and is now one of the most promising young farmers in the county. He is a straightforward, honorable man, a hard worker, and is on the highway to financial success. Mr. Bair has two children: Charles J., born March 10, 1891. and Jacob P., born August 9, 1895. In politics he is a Republican, but has never aspired to public office.
FRED BURGESS, a prominent young agricult- urist of Webster township, residing near Fenton, was born November 7, 1861, son of O. S. and Sarah (Myers) Burgess, well-known and highly respected residents of Webster township.
Mr. Burgess was educated in the district school near the old homestead, and at the age of twenty-five, having thoroughly learned the busi- ness of practical farming at home, he bought forty acres of land in Webster township, and be- gan to improve it. In 1886 he was married to Miss Eva C. Van Pelt, of Bowling Green, a lady of fine mental culture and genial nature. She was born at Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, August 28, 1859, the daughter of Louis and Henrietta (Anglaire) Van Pelt. Her father was a native of Sylvania, Ohio, and a shoemaker by trade; her mother was a native of Paris, and at the time of her marriage was teaching music and French in Cincinnati. The first years of their married life were spent in Iowa, but they later removed to Bowling Green, Ohio. Here, in 1877. Mrs. Van Pelt died of grief over the sudden death of her fourteen-year-old son, Willie, who was killed in a runaway in To- ledo (where he lived with an uncle). Mr. Van- Pelt married, for his second wife. Josephine Frame. by whom he has had four children-Floyd, Lula, Eda and Vera. He is a Republican in politics.
Shortly after their marriage Mrs. Burgess pur-
chased a farin of 120 acres, which, with what Mr. Burgess had previously secured, now makes one of the finest estates in the vicinity; they also own a nice house and lot in Bowling Green. Mr. Burgess devotes his attention chiefly to stock- raising, and especially to the breeding of fine horses. His home is a charming one, the social center for a refined circle of acquaintances. Mrs. Burgess is a member of the Episcopal Church. and her rare gifts and accomplishments make her prominent in the society of that locality. Three children gladden this home: Mary B., born March 21, 1887; Lavada Carmelite, born July 17, 1889; and Luella Alphia, born October 3. 1891.
Mr. Burgess is a Democrat in politics, and is actively interested in all local affairs, serving as school director for several terms. He is a mem- ber of the I. O. O. F., Middleton Lodge, of Dun- bridge, and his wife is a member of the Rebekah Lodge of the same city.
O. N. BRYANT, the postmaster at Prairie De- pot, comes of the old well-known family of that name, and was born in Prairie Depot August 25. 1854. His parents were William R. and Melissa (Sherman) Bryant.
Our subject's early education was obtained in the common schools, his first teacher being Mr. William Vetter. Later he attended the academy at Fostoria, where J. Fraise Richard was princi- pal. Mr. Bryant taught three terms of school, beginning when eighteen years of age. On De- cember 23, 1875, he was united in marriage to Miss Lucy Shue, who is a native of Montgomery township, born in Section 23. a daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Kizer) Shue, early set- tlers of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Bryant re- sided on his father's farm for a short time, and then went to Jerry City with his brother, DI. WV. Bryant. Our subject remained in that town several years, engaged in trading, and for four years holding the office of postmaster. He thien returned to Prairie Depot and resumed farming. After a time he began clerking for Palmer Bran- dow, a dealer in general merchandise, with whom he remained until he sold out, and then accepted a position with H. L. Hathaway. His last po- sition as a clerk was with O. A. Diver; a merchant of Prairie Depot. On October !, 1893. Mr. Bryant was appointed postmaster at Prairie Depot, which position he at present fills, with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of the public. He is a Democrat, a hard worker. interested in his par- ty's success, and, although no office seeker, is foremost in tlre Democratic ranks in lris portion
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of the county. He has served as township clerk of Montgomery, and was corporation clerk while at Jerry City.
Mr. Bryant is a charter member of Petroleum Lodge No. 499, K. of P., belongs to the I. O. O. F .. and with his wife is a member of the Rebekah Lodge, all of Prairie Depot. Mrs. Bryant is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They have one child, Ober W., who was born August 8, 1880, and is at home. Our subject owns considerable real estate in Prairie Depot, and is an excellent citizen, wide-awake and popular.
CHARLES W. SMITH, one of the energetic and progressive farmers of Montgomery town- ship, resides upon the well-improved farm which he owns in Section 18. There he has spent his entire life, his birth having occurred on the place November 2, 1855, and since old enough he has devoted his attention to its improvement and cultivation with most excellent results. He is honored and respected by the entire community, which looks upon him as one of its most wide- awake farmers and model citizens.
Thomas Smith, the father of our subject, was born March 11, 1823, in East Union town- ship, Wayne Co., Ohio, and was the eldest son and third child of Charles and Elizabeth (Wither- spoon) Smith, who had located in that county about 1818. Charles was the son of Thomas Smith, who was born in Maryland, in which State the family had been founded in America, but he spent most of his life in Pennsylvania, where his death occurred. It was in April, 1834, that the grandfather of our subject arrived in Montgomery township, Wood county, where he built a cabin in Section 8, but most of his land was in the northwest quarter of Section 17. He brought with him three of his children-Sarah, Thomas and Samuel, and after his home was prepared, returned and brought the remainder of the family, in June following. Later he built a log house upon his land in Section 17, where he died at the age of fifty-eight years, having at that time 160 acres, and leaving his widow and family comfortably provided for. He was a man of ordinary build, but was never robust on ac- count of an accident in early life. He was one of the representative pioneers of the township, and a stalwart Democrat it politics. Mrs. Smith lived to be nearly ninety years of age, and at her death was buried by the side of her husband in West Millgrove cemetery. All of her children were living at that time, and attended hier funeral. They are as follows: Sarah, widow of William
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