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 77
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A. Pryor, of Prairie Depot, Wood county; Nancy, widow of Hosea Henry, of Perry township, this county; Thomas, father of our subject; Samuel, of Montgomery township; Charles, of Milton township, Wood county; and Elizabeth, wife of David Lusk, of Prairie Depot.
Thomas Smith was quite small when he ac- companied his parents to this county, where, during his youth, he experienced all the trials and difficulties of pioneer life. Schools had not yet been established, and his education was therefore quite meager. He remained at home until his marriage, in Montgomery township, February 24, 1847, to Miss Jane McGill, who was a native of Scotland, born near Glasgow, June 9, 1823. When ten years old she came with her father, John McGill. to the United States, where the parents died of cholera soon afterward, at Tiffin, Ohio. She then made her home with a Mr. McDowell, of Carey, Ohio, until fourteen years of age, when she came to Montgomery township, making her home here with her sister Mary, wife of Thomas Adams, until her marriage.
The parents of our subject began housekeep- ing upon the same farm where he now resides, in a small log house that stood just north of his present home. There they lived until called from this life, the mother dying August IS, 1874, and the father March 29, 1892. Their remains were interred at West Millgrove, Ohio. Their family comprised the following children: Mary, the wife of Daniel Hile, of Montgomery town- ship; Charles W., subject of this sketch; Ellen, now Mrs. W. G. Lawhead, of Portage township. Wood county; and Ida, wife of Stephen Morgan, of Montgomery township. In his political views the father was a Republican, and he was an up- right, honorable man, one who had the respect of all who knew him.
The district schools afforded our subject his educational advantages. Being the only son he early became familiar with the duties that fall to the lot of an agricultorist, and his entire life has been passed upon the old family homestead. which he purchased of the other heirs. On March 30, 1879, in Montgomery township, was cele- brated the marriage of Mr. Smith and Miss Edna Hastings, a native of that township, and a daughter ef Robert Hastings. She passed away August 30, 1880, and was laid to rest in the cemetery at West Millgrove. In politics Mr. Smith is a Republican, with no aspirations for office. He is largely interested in any movement that is for the improvement of the township and county, or that will elevate or benefit the people. among whom he lives.
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
DANIEL M. YATES, one of the successful agriculturists of Perry township, was born in Sycamore township, Wyandot Co., Ohio, Octo- ber 23, 1839, and is a son of Thomas and Eliza- beth (Craun) Yates.
Thomas Yates was a native of West Virginia, was the son of poor parents, and had to rely on his own efforts for a start in life. He was married in Seneca, Ohio, and bought a small farm of sixty- five acres in Wyandot county, where he resided until the fall of 1860, when he located in Section 7, Perry township, on 160 acres of land. He cleared forty acres of this, and built a log house, in which he and his wife lived. Their children were John W., who was a member of Company H, 49th O. V. I., and was killed at Nashville, December 16, 1864; he had been appointed first sergeant November 2, 1864. Thomas E., of West Millgrove. Sarah J., who married F. R. Sherman, of Charlotte, Mich. Daniel M., our subject. William L., of Butler, Ind. Lewis L., a farmer in Perry township. Ruth E., de- ceased. Henry and Andrew, twins-Henry be- ing now in Henry county, and Andrew in Perry township. James A., residing in Perry township. Mr. Yates resided in Section 7 until his death, which occurred when he was aged seventy-four years .. His wife died when seventy-two years old, and was buried in West Millgrove. Mr. Yates was spare in build, taller than the average man, and capable of a great deal of hard work. In his youth he had been employed in a distillery and tobacco factory, but was always strictly temperate and a friend to the cause. Politically he was at one time a Democrat, then he joined the Republican ranks; but toward the latter part of his life was a strong sympathizer with the Prohibition movement. For sixty years he was a member of the Methodist Church, was class- leader and steward, and foremost in all Church work.
Daniel M. Yates was reared a farmer's boy, working out at various places and attaining such education as was afforded by the district schools. He lived at home until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he enlisted, August 15, 1861, in Company H, 49th O. V. V. I., under Capt. O. B. Hays. His first fight was in the battle of Shiloh, after which he participated in all the en- gagements with his regiment. After his time had expired he re-enlisted, and was appointed cor- poral November 1, 1864, and sergeant April 15, 1865. He remained with hisregiment continual- ly, and only missed one battle (Chickamauga). at which time he was with the ambulance corps. During the campaign of Atlanta, from Chatta-
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nooga, he was wounded in the head by a minie ball, which, had it struck one inch lower, would have caused instant deatlı; as it was, he was able to report for duty the next day. He was hon- orably discharged November 30, 1865, after a service of four years and six months, and then came to Wood county. He was married Novem- ber 28, 1872, in Perry township, to Miss Ella Kiger, who was born in that township June 2, 1854, a daughter of Josiah and Eleanor (Kelley) Kiger, the former of whom was an early settler of Perry township.
Previous to his marriage Mr. Yates, with his brother Willian, bought 120 acres of the " home farın," which they cultivated together. Later our subject bought out his brother, and when he was married went to housekeeping on the Kiger farm. He afterward bought his brother's inter- est in the 120 acres which they first bought, and he has since purchased the remaining forty acres of the quarter section. To Mr. and Mrs. Yates have come the following children: Josiah C., born October 14, 1874, is a farmer of Perry town- ship; Thomas H., August 24, 1878, at home; Dwight R., June 8, 1881, at home; Roxie E., February 9, 1886, at home. Mrs. Yates died October 17, 1888, and is buried at West Mill- grove. Our subject now has 162 acres of his own, and has, since 1872, looked after 160 acres of the Kiger farm. He also has five town lots and two acres of land in West Millgrove, on which are three houses. He has always been a Republican, his first vote being cast for Abraham Lincoln when he first ran for President, and he has served two terms as trustee of Perry town- ship. He is a member of the Methodist Church, as was also his wife, and belongs to Yates Post, G. A. R., at West Millgrove, of which he is a charter member. He is at present class leader and steward of the Methodist Church, in which he was licensed to exhort, but has never done so.
Mr. Yates started in life a poor boy. Part of the $400 he received for his services in the army was lost in oil speculation; the remainder he invested in land, and to-day he possesses com- fortable means and is one of the substantial citi- zens of Perry township. He is generous, hos- pitable, an excellent neighbor, and is regarded as one of West Millgrove's best citizens.
SAMUEL B. HENGSTELER, one of Risingsun's leading citizens and substantial business men, is also the owner of a farin which, for fine improve- ments and scientific management, ranks among the best in Montgomery township. He is exten- sively interested in oil producing as a partner iu
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Daniel yates
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
the enterprising firm of Hengsteler Bros. and Bigely & Hengsteler Bros.
The family is of German origin, his father, Lewis Hengsteler having come from the Father- land with his parents at twelve years of age. They settled in Pennsylvania, where the young emigrant grew to manhood and married Miss Mary Bauders, locating afterward upon a farm in Westmoreland county. He started with nothing but his own abilities and robust health as a capi- tal, but he succeeded, although his hard work un- doubtedly shortened his life. In 1865 he came with his family to Ohio, and secured a farm of 160 acres in Jackson township, Seneca county, of which only eighteen acres were cleared. The dwelling house and other buildings were of logs, and, while the soil was rich and productive, much labor was necessary to bring the property into good condition. Later he removed to Pleasant township, Logan county, where he died in Janu- ary, 1892, at the age of sixty-six years. In the fall of 1893 his widow followed him, and the mortal remains of both now rest in Logan county. He was highly respected among his associates. In religious faith he was a Lutheran. While his political sympathies were with the Democratic party, he was no politician. Our subject is the eldest of six children: Lizzie married Samuel Shaw, of Perry township; George W. is a promi- nent business man of Risingsun: John L. and Lewis A. are well-to-do farmers in Logan county, and Charles E. resides in Wood county.
Samuel B. Hengsteler was born in Westmore- land county, Penn., October 9, 1854, and at- tended the district schools of the time in his na- tive State, and in Ohio. Believing that the schools upon which the people at large must de- pend solely for their education should be of the best sort obtainable, he endorses the improve- ments in those of to-day, and advocates still greater advance for the future. He remained at the family homestead until his marriage, in Oc- tober, 1877, in Seneca county, Ohio, to Miss Laura A. Bates, who was born May 9, 1860, in Scott township, Sandusky county, the daughter of William and Catherine (Smith) Bates. For some time he was engaged in farming upon his father- in-law's estate in Seneca county, and later he bought forty acres in Jackson township, in the same county, where he remained soule time. This was not his first purchase of real estate, however, as he already owned a town lot in Ris- ingsun. After a few years he came to Wood county, where he and his father-in-law bought 120 acres of land in the western part of Mont- gomery township, and five years later Mr. Heng-
steler removed to his present farm of eighty-six acres in Sections 34 and 35, where he has made many improvements and constructed substantial and tasteful buildings. Since the fall of 1892 he has been a resident of Risingsun, his first home there being on Walnut street, and in the latter part of 1894 he completed his present residence. on the corner of Main and Mervin streets, one of the finest homes in the town. Aside from the farm and dwelling houses mentioned, he owns twelve city lots in Fostoria, Ohio. His only son, William L .. born March 23, 1878, is at home.
Mr. Hengsteler is a Democrat in State and National affairs, but is not radical, and in local politics he selects the most honest and capable man without regard to party. He served two years in the village council, and two on the board of health. Thoroughly progressive and public- spirited, he is prompt to assist any worthy move- ment. Socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F. of Risingsun.
O. W. SMITH, one of the most successful ag- riculturists in Montgomery township, is not only a shrewd and prosperous man of business, but he has identified himself with various movements tending to the public welfare, and thus made his influence a power for good.
He is a son of H. E. and Hannah (Bates) Smith, and was born March 12, 1850, in Scott township, Sandusky county, where he attended the "Earl Schoolhouse" in boyhood, with John Long as one of his first teachers. There has been a vast improvement in educational methods in the rural districts since that time, and no man is more ready to forward the movement than he. His early years were passed at the old home- stead. On June 19, 1871, he was married in Fostoria, Ohio, to Miss Elizabeth Riley, daugh- ter of Thomas Riley, an Englishman by birth. and a leading agriculturist of Jackson township. Seneca county, who left at his death an estate of 240 acres. Mr. Smith took his young bride home for a short time, and then worked one year for Daniel Earl, a farmer in his native township. The next two years he spent upon the farm of Rufus Gossard, of Greensburg, Sandusky county. now Tinney. In 1874 he purchased seventy-five acres in Wood county, in Section 34, Montgom- ery township, paying $700 down, and incurring a debt of $2, 100. The only buildings were a log house and barn, and the land was sadly in need of tiling and ditching, and he promptly went to work to improve the place, which is now one of the best of its size in this section. With the ex- ception of two years of work upon his father's
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
farm, he has lived at this place ever since. His residence is tasteful and comfortable, and his other buildings are models, the scale-house being notably tine. He also owns three dwelling-houses in Risingsun, and has given another to his eldest daughter. His children are five in number, and the three older ones are married and live at Ris- ingsun: Bertha is the wife of James Meeker; Blanche married Walter Clay, and Jennie mar- ried LeRoy Stahl. The other two, Eldredge and Eskil, are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are leading members and liberal supporters of the Radical U. B. Church, in which he is a trustee. Politically he was at one time a Democrat, but he now votes the Prohibition ticket; he is no office-seeker, and has declined offers of minor positions more than once.
SYLVANUS O. CRANDALL is a worthy represent- ative of the agricultural interests of Wood coun- ty, and in Section 34, Ross township, operates a fine farm, that he has brought to a high state of cultivation. The childhood of our subject was spent in the Green Mountain State, his birth tak- ing place at Jay, Orleans Co .. Vt., in 1840.
Adna Crandall, his father, was born and reared in New Hampshire, and there married to Anna Sanborn, by whom he had five children, namely: Mary, who died in Manchester, N. H .; George W., who died at Jay, Vt., August 7. 1877; Eben- ezer, who died at the same place, October 5, 1867; Sylvanus O., of this review; and B. M., who resides in Lake township, Wood Co., Ohio. During his early life the father served for some years as captain of militia, and not long after his marriage removed to Jay, Vt., where he died in 1872, at the age of seventy-four years, and his wife in 1854, at the age of fifty-five years.
Sylvanus O. Crandall spent his early life at Jay, where he attended school, and followed farm- ing. At East Harwick, Caledonia Co., Vt .. Au- gust 8, 1862, he enlisted in Company B, 15th Vt. V. I., for nine months, and was mustered into service at Brattleboro, that State, as a mein- ber of the army of the Potomac. He was later transferred to the Sixth Army Corps, and partici- pated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancel- lorsville and Gettysburg. On August 5, 1863, he received an honorable discharge at Brattleboro, and returned to Caledonia county, where he re- mained until March, 1866, when he migrated to Wood county, Ohio, locating upon his present farm in Ross township.
In 1868, in Ross township, Mr. Crandall was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Angela Stevens, a native of Madison county, N. Y., and
a daughter of Perry and Lydia (Kent) Stevens, who were also born in New York, where their marriage was celebrated. The father was of Scotch ancestry. In 1845 he brought his family to Wood county, and in Section 33, Ross town- ship, purchased eighty acres of timber land, to which no road had been laid out, the only path being an Indian trail. He there opened up and cleared a farm, on which he departed this life in 1890, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife also died in Ross township in 1874. They were the parents of six children, namely: Angela, wife of our subject; Sarah and William, who both died in New York; Mrs. Frances Barclay, of Colorado. Tex .; Henry, of Clay Center, Ottawa Co., Ohio; and Edwin, who died in Wood county. in 1855. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Crandall, Gay- lord Stevens, served in the war of 1812, and was always known as " Captain.
To our subject and his wife have been born eight children-Perry, Louise, Chester, Wallace, George, Roy, Allen and Bradley. For twenty- one terms, or in all eight years, Mrs. Crandall en- gaged in teaching in Middleton and Ross town- ships. She formed an intimate acquaintance with the hardships and privations of pioneer life, and has been an eye witness of almost the entire de- velopment of Ross township. Her uncle, Oliver Staves, was one of the first settlers of this section of Ohio. Mr. Crandall is a supporter of Repub- lican principles, in behalf of which he casts his vote, and has served as supervisor of his town- ship. He holds membership with Ford Post No. 14, G. A. R., of East Toledo.
DE WITT STEVENS. There is a peculiar in- terest attached to the history of the pioneers of any portion of our country, and particularly to that part of it with which we are closely con- nected. In this connection a brief sketch of De- Witt Stevens, one of the early settlers of Ross township, will be of unwonted delight to those interested in local history. He was for several years identified with the history of Wood county. but now makes his home in Kansas.
Our subject is a native of Wisconsin, born in Walworth county, in 1845, and is the son of James and Betsy (Scott) Stevens, natives of the Empire State. In 1838 they became pioneers of Wisconsin, and as early as 1853 located in what is now Ross township, Wood Co., Ohio. Both parents died in Lucas county, Ohio, the father in 1881, and the mother in January. 1896. Their family consisted of six children, who are still living: Mrs. Evaline Perrick, of Walworth county, Wis .; De Witt, of this sketch; Charles.
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
a resident of Lucas county, Ohio; Ellen, wife of Ebenezer Davidson, of Walworth county, Wis .; and Emma and William, both of Lucas county.
Filled with patriotic ardor, De Witt Stevens enlisted, in Perrysburg township, Wood county, in 1864, in the Heavy Artillery, at first belong-
ing to the army of the Potomac.
After the
close of the Civil war he was ordered to Browns- ville, Texas, and continued in the service for five years. His army experience was similar to that of thousands, whose sufferings, dangers and hardships have remained among the unwritten records which comprise so large a part of the life of a private soldier, faithfully performing his duty. After being discharged he returned to Perrysburg township, where he remained four years, but since that time has lived in Kansas.
E. J. ROSENDALE, one of Wood county's rep- resentative farmers, residing in Bloomdale, is a native of Yorkshire, England, born February 16, 1834, son of William and Jane (Brown) Rosen- dale, who came to America when our subject was nine years old. . They had a large family and but limited means, and their earliest years in this country were full of toil and hardships. Their first home was in Grafton township, Lorain Co., Ohio, then a frontier section, and in April, 1854, they came to Wood county, and bought a tract of heavily timbered land in Sections 24 and 25, Bloom township, where the father died July 23, 1870, at the age of sixty-three years, the mother surviving him three years. The remains of both now rest in Bloom Chapel cemetery. The father was a man of active habits and powerful physique, six feet tall and as "strong as an ox." He was a Democrat until the war issues arose, when he became a stanch Republican.
E. J. Rosendale, "Ted Rosendale," as he is called by his many friends, was the third son and fourth child of his parents, and in his early years he enjoyed the usual privileges of pioneer farmer boys-poor schools and plenty of work. He was a robust young man when the family came to this county, and he and his brother William walked all the way, driving the cows. Their new home did not present an inviting appearance, swampy and covered with fine large trees, which to the homesick boy represented merely so many days of hard work in clearing the way for the plough. When he was twenty-five he began working in a sawmill, and later built and operated one of his OWI. At the age of twenty-five he married Miss Alice Hebbert, a native of Delaware county, and a daughter of William Hebbert, a prominent farmer of Bloom township. The first land that
he purchased was a tract of forty acres, which he cleared and cultivated, although he never lived there. · About 1873 he bought his present farm near Ted, and he is now one of the largest resident landowners in Bloom township, his farms com- prising 685 acres of choice land. He has been a hard worker, few if any men of this vicinity equal- ing him in this respect. A shrewd and careful manager, he has at the same time established a well-deserved reputation for fairness in his deal- ings with others. In 1883 he opened a general store at Eagleville, conducting it successfully until 1893, when he sold out. He and his wife are prominent members of the Church of Christ. They are spending their later years in freedon from care, and in 1889 Mr. Rosendale made a trip to England, visiting the scenes of his youth. Their children are doing them credit, settling down in life near them, and taking honorable po- sitions in society. James is a dealer in imple- ments at Bloomidale; Edward B. is a farmer in Bloom township; Carrie married Harry Richard, who died, and she is now at home; William and Charles are farmers in Bloom township, and Harry, Scott, Ray and Edna are at home. In addition to this large family Mr. and Mrs. Rosen- dale have provided a home for one other child. In politics our subject is a Republican, and he has always been influential in local affairs, has been township trustee for two terms, and school director for many years. For eight years he was postmaster at Ted, which office he established, and in whose honor it was named, and after the discontinuance of the office he was instrumental in its re-establishment. He is a member of the. Odd Fellows Fraternity.
S. A. LINHART, one of the most progressive and popular business men of Bloomdale, junior member of the firm of Bryant & Linhart, manu- facturers of lumber, was boin April 20, 1850, in Allegheny county, Penn. Christopher Linhart was a farmer there, and his son Phillip, our sub- ject's father, was born March 28, 1813, and was married October 27, 1833, to Miss Eliza Hutten- hower, who was born June 6, 1812. at the pres- ent site of Pittsburg, daughter of Louis Hutten- hower, a blacksmith, and his wife. Margaret Bergman.
Before his marriage Philip Linhart had learned the millwright's trade, but he afterward followed farming. In 1863 he moved to Cass township, Hancock Co., Ohio, there remaining tritil De- cember, 1875. when he came to Bloomdale and bought a tract of land within the present cor- poration limits, on the west side of Main street,
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WOOD COUNTY, OHIO.
upon which he built a substantial brick house, then one of the finest residences of southern Wood county. . Many of the handsomest houses of the town now occupy the land once owned by hint. While he had not enjoyed good educa- tional advantages in youth, he was a man of good common sense and wide practical information. He was a Republican, and a regular and con- scientious voter, but he never sought office. On business and public matters his advice was often sought and found valuable. He possessed high moral principles, and his word was never ques- tioned. In early life he united with the Lu- theran Church, in which he held the office of elder for fifty years, and he was one of the founders of the Church at Bloomdale. His death, which occurred July 21, 1894, when he was aged eighty-one, was quite unexpected, as his powerful constitution had not been appar- ently much weakened by the hard toil of his life. The sad event caused sincere inourning through- out the community, and the mayor issued a proclamation closing business houses from 9 to 12 A. M. on the day on which his remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Fostoria. His estimable wife survived him until February 23, 1896, when she, too, passed away. and was buried beside him. This honored couple were the parents of eighteen children: William P., of Pittsburg; \John B., of Bloomdale; Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, triplets, of whom the first two died at the age of three months, and the last when twelve years old; Lewis H., now ot Den- ver; Margaret, the widow ot David Boyd, of Tippecanoe City; Harriet, Mrs. Jerry Miller, of Bloomdale; Elizabeth, Mrs. J. L. Andress, of Bloomdale; Joseph F., of Fostoria; Ann, Mrs. John Kelley, of Bloondale; Mary, Mrs. Peter Sheats, of Bloomdale; Sarah E., Mrs. Morris Hosler, of Findlay; S. A., our subject; Susan E., Mrs. Samuel Shank, of North Baltimore; Letitia A., Mrs. John Hyter, of Perry township; Frank K., of Bay City, Mich. ; and Christopher P., of Schenectady, New York.
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