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 80
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Our subject received such advantages for education as the schools of his boyhood days af- forded, and was reared by his father to agricult- ure. He also worked away from home, husking corn and doing other farm work, and for a time was engaged in hauling lumber to Fostoria. dur- ing the days when fine poplar brought only $8
per thousand. On October 12, 1864, he enlisted at Cincinnati, Ohio, in Company B. 55th O. V. I., Capt. H. Osborn, joining his regiment at At- lanta without any drilling whatever. Being taken sick here, he was returned to Cumberland Hospital, where he was confined ten or twelve days, afterward serving in Thomas' Division, and then starting for Savannah by way of New York. On the way he was captured by the enemy, who had torn up the railroad; but was shortly after- ward paroled and went on to New York, where he was seized with inflammatory rheumatism, and lay in a hospital one month. He rejoined his reg- iment at - Goldsboro, N. C., followed the cam- paign to the close of the war, participated in the Grand Review at Washington, D. C., and on July 1I, 1865, was mustered out at Louisville, Ky., being honorably discharged at Cleveland, Ohio.
On his return from the army our subject en- gaged in teaming and farming for some time. On March 12, 1868, he was united in marriage, in Portage township, with Miss Elizabeth Pal- merton. who was born February 13, 1852, in Marion, Ohio, daughter of Lyman and Nancy (Leslie) Palmerton, who came from New York to Marion county, Ohio, and thence to Wood county. Lyman Palmerton died in 1854, Icav- ing a widow and twelve children, and. though he left them eighty acres of land, it was little more than a swamp and a forest, and at that time would not have yielded enough for them to live on. But the brave mother worked earnestly and faith- fully to keep her large family, and supportcd them in comfort until they were able to take care of themselves, doing all kinds of hard labor, cut- ting corn, shearing shcep, working on the farm, sewing and spinning. She was a noble Christian woman, and her children revere the memory of a devoted, loving mother, who spared neither energy nor pains to rear her family in industry and comfort. She was buried in Sugar Grove cemetery, where Mr. Palmerton's remains also rest. At the time of his death there were no horses to take him to his grave, and oxen were used.
At the time of his marriage our subject was the owner of a horse and buggy, and he traded the buggy for another horse, afterward trading the team for the land on which he now lives. At first he did his farm work with a yoke of oxen. but by hard work and good management he pros- pered, and was able to provide himself with it- plements and horses, and to improve his farm in many ways. The forty acres of land in Section 25 which he still owns and on which he lives, are
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highly improved, and he made a most comfort- able home out of what was once a wilderness. Since 1891 he has lived comparatively retired, ill health compelling him to abandon active farm work, but he well deserves the rest he is now en- joying, having wasted no time in his younger days. He has resided on this farm with the ex- ception of ten months, when he lived on rented land in Portage township.
Mr. and Mrs. Clemens have had five children, as follows: Alonzo F., born January 19, 1869, who is a farmer and teamster of Portage town- ship; Nancy J., born September 21, 1872, now Mrs. Henry McEwen, of Portage township; Rosa M., born September 12, 1875, now Mrs. Frank Shaffer, of Portage township; Eva M., born October 25, 1881, and Lillie D., born June I, 1888. Mr. Clemens, like his father before him, is a stanch Republican in political sentiment. Socially he is a member of Randall Post No. 53, G. A. R., Freeport, Ohio.
MICHAEL AURAND, one of the enterprising, prosperous farmers of Portage township, is a na- tive of Ohio, born March 30, 1843, in Liberty township, Hancock county, a son of Samuel Aurand.
Samuel Aurand was born in Pickaway county, Ohio, where he passed his youth and early man- hood, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. During early life he also learned the cooper's trade, which he continued to follow as long as it was profitable; but he gave the greater part of his attention to farming, and was in comfortable circumstances. In Pickaway county he was mar- ried to Miss Rachel Truce, and the young couple removed to Hancock county, where Mr. Aurand's father had given him a piece of land, at that time unimproved and covered with timber, and they built the first house on the place. Here they passed the remainder of their long, busy lives, Mr. Aurand living to the advanced age of eighty-two years, his wife to the age of seventy- six. They reared a large family, as follows: Jonathan, who is a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Elizabeth (Mrs. William Tanner), who died at Dunkirk, Ohio; Rachel, who is the widow of Allen Twining; Susan (Mrs. Henry George), of Findlay, Ohio; Matilda, who is unmarried; Henry, a farmer of Hancock county, Ohio; Michael, whose name opens this sketch; Lucinda (Mrs. Michael Louck), of Findlay; Lydia (Mrs. James Irvin), of Putnamn county, Ohio; Simon, who is a sheep rancher in Montana; and Clifton, of Findlay, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Aurand both sleep their last sleep in the cemetery at Findlay,
Ohio." He was a Republican in politics, and served as constable and justice of the peace in Liberty township, Hancock county, though he did not devote much time to public affairs.
During his boyhood Michael Aurand attended the district schools in the neighborhood of his home, which in those days were far inferior to the schools of the present time. He was trained to farm work, and remained on the home place until his enlistment in the Union army, at Find- lay, Ohio, on August 22, 1862. He became a member of Company G, 118th O. V. I., Capt. Samuel Howard, and after camping at Lima for some weeks, they were sent to Cincinnati, at the time of Morgan's threatened invasion. After this they were detailed to guard the Kentucky Central railroad, being engaged thus for ten months. Their first active duty was in the en- gagement at Moss Creek, Tenn., and our subject participated in that, and in all other battles in which his command took part, being unfit for duty only two weeks during his entire term of service, which lasted until the close of the war. He was honorably discharged in July, 1865, and returning to Hancock county commenced to work as a farm hand on his own account, continuing thus until his marriage. At that time he had about $300 saved, and he rented a house on the home farm, and also rented land, which he worked four years, finally buying land in Jackson township. Hau- cock county, part of the home farm of his wife's parents. This he traded for a forty-acre tract in the same township, and later sold and bought fifty-six acres there, living in Hancock county until October, 1884, when he removed to his present farm in Portage township, Wood county. He bought eighty acres of land lying in Section 24, which was then in a very poor condition, almost entirely unimproved, and they lived in a log house for some time. But Mr. Aurand has worked steadily on the land since removing here, and its present condition is a credit to him, for he has sixty acres in a good state of cultivation, made fertile by care and good underdraining, and equipped with good buildings and other improve- ments, which give the place a neat and thrifty appearance. In September. 1893, the family moved into their fine new home.
In 1868, in Jackson township, Hancock coun- ty, Mr. Aurand was united in marriage, with Miss Catherine S. Misamore, a native of Hancock county, daughter of George and Sarah A. (Stont ! Misamore, farming people. Ten children have blessed this union, viz. : Sarah A. Mrs. Fred Metter), of Portage; Sherman E .. who lives at I home; Susan, who married Charles Musser, and
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died in Portage township; Nora E. (Mrs. Robert Bateson), of Six Points; William H. ; Bertha M. ; Early J .; Florence H., who died in infancy; Harry L., and Harvey M. Mr. Aurand is a Republican in political belief, and has served as school director of District No. 5, in Portage township; but aside from that he has not taken any active part in public affairs, devoting his time to his farm and home.
JACOB DIETER. Of the many German-born citizens who have assisted in the work of opening up the varied activities of this section, and estab- lishing its prosperity, the hardy pioneer whose name introduces this sketch is among the oldest now living.
He is a native of Wittenberg, Germany, born September 25, 1824, the eldest son and second child of Andrew and Barbara (Keller) Dieter. He attended such schools in the Fatherland as his father could afford, and, at the age of sixtcen, came to the United States with his parents. Here he spent one term in school, familiarizing himself with the English language: but, being the eldest son, he was the first to be of use to his parents, and his help was given at the expense of his edu- cation. Though not large, he was strong and robust, and could perform much work. He as- sisted at home until his marriage in Wayne coun- ty, Ohio, to Miss Altha Geer, a native of West- field township, Medina Co., Ohio, who was born December 28, 1827, the only daughter of Amasa Geer, a Yankee by birth, and his wife, Cynthia Hays, who was born in Maryland, of Scotch pa- rentage. Their children were as follows: War- ren went to Utah, and has not been heard from for many years; Joseph, a soldier, lost his life during the Civil war; Amasa died in childhood; Edward and Thomas died in youth; Alexander was killed while in the army; John, a peddler, mysteriously disappeared in Illinois, being proba- bly murdered; Altha married our subject, and Wesley died in Indiana. Mr. Geer died at the age of eighty-four years in Vermilion county, Ind .; but Mrs. Geer departed this life when her daugh- ter was only seven years old, and this caused the young girl to be placed among strangers to make her own way. She was a large, well-built girl, and possessed inore than ordinary strength, being able to do the work of any boy of her age, and more than some could do. Fortunately she found a good home, with the family of Calvin Putnam, a farmer, of Medina county, where she lived for some time. Her opportunities for schooling were poor, one winter term being the most that she had. The young couple had but few household
goods and fewer dollars, but each was healthy, strong and industrious, with the energy of youth to sustain them, and such an entrance on life's pathway did not discourage them. Mr. Dieter rented land in Medina county, and began farm- ing, remaining in that locality until early in the spring of 1850, when with his wife and baby he moved to Wood county and settled in Mont- gomery township. They drove through from their old home, and one wagon was sufficient to carry their entire belongings. It was necessary to rent land again, and not until 1853 did they have a home which they could call their own. Previous to this purchase they spent one year in Vermilion county, Ind., but on their return they bought twenty acres in Section 22, Montgomery township, a part of the "home farm" of the Dieter family. Mr. Dieter built a hewed-log house with his own hands, and here he and his wife spent many happy days. It was sparsely furnished, but it was their very own, and Mrs. Dieter took quite as much pride in keeping it neat and clean as she does in the appearance of their present modern residence. She was a power- ful woman, and often helped her husband in the fields, doing a remarkable amount of work. Mr. Dieter enlarged his income by working for others, chopping in winter and farming in summer. Money was scarce and wages low, and he walked seven miles to split rails at fifty cents per day. Thus they toiled, each year seeing their condi- tion improved, and soon more land was bought. and a better home built.
Nine children were born to them, whose names, with dates of birth are given here: Bar- bara M., July 16, 1849. married Thomas Laflure, of Bettsville, Ohio, and has three children -- Clara, Alla, and Maggie. (2) Alexander P., Feb- ruary 19, 1851, a farmer in Portage township, has three children-Bert. Charles, and Jacob. (3) Mary J., March 30, 1853, died October 15, 1856. (4) Julia A., December 25, 1855. mar- ried John Richards, of Idaho, and has two chil- dren-Ella and Frederick. (5) John H., Au- gust 31, 1857, a farmer in Montgomery township. has three children -- Carrie, Allen, and Frederick. (6) Christena C., born September 10. 1850. married Reuben Gardner, of Helena. Ohio, and has one child-Charles. (7) Mary E., February 10, 1862, married Charles Lawhead, of Mont- goinery township, and has three children-Wil- bur, Harvey, and Mablon. (S) Clara J., March 25, 1864, married Charles Cook, of Georgii, and has two children-Maud and Claude. 9, Charles F., born in 1872, died in infancy.
In 1870 Mr. Dieter moved to a farm in Sec-
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Jacob F Dieter.
Dieter.
Altha
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tion 28, Montgomery township, near Prairie Depot, and he now owns about 100 acres of val- sable land there, as well as one of the most de- sirable residences in Risingsun, where he lived from April, 1894 to April, 1896. He now re- sides upon his farm. He has a goodly compe- tence won by the efforts of the past years, and his estimable wife receives from him a large share of the credit for its accumulation. They have given each of their children a liberal start in life, and are generous contributors to any worthy cause. Mr. Dieter is a man whose integrity no person would question, and liis thrift and economy have not caused him to forget all aims except the se- curing of property. He and his wife have been consistent members of the Evangelical Church for more than forty years, and he has held various offices and is one of the pillars. To this and other churches he has given freely, helping to erect many new buildings, and his place will be hard to fill when he passes to his eternal reward.
Mrs. Dieter is held in affectionate regard among a wide circle of acquaintances for the kindly deeds which her strong but gentle hands have done in many sick rooms. Day after day she has spent in tender care for others, and her wholesome presence is of itself a help to recov- ery. Her vitality is wonderful, and, indeed. ex- cept for that fact, she could scarcely have lived through such a life as hers, and still be as active and well-preserved as she is. Few women will be more missed; a kinder-hearted neighbor or better mother could not be found.
In public affairs Mr. . Dieter has always taken an intelligent interest. Until Lincoln's candidacy he was a Democrat, but since that time he has been a Republican, and while he has not been an office seeker, he takes keen interest in the success of his party, and attends elections regu- larly. In local politics he is independent, sup- porting the best man, whatever ticket his name inay appear upon.
HENRY ADAMS, a well-to-do, progressive farm- er of Portage township, and a member of one of the pioneer families of the county, was born Sep- tember 12, 1845, in Bloom township, on a farm in Section 2. He is the eldest son and the second child of David and Lucinda ( Henry ) Adams.
In his boyhood Henry Adams attended the district schools of the home neighborhood, and subsequently spent two terms at school in Fos- toria, one at a select school, and one at the Union school there, receiving altogether a much better school training than most farmer boys of that
day. On January 20, 1867, he was united in marriage, in Portage township, with Miss Marga- retta Dresser, who was born in that township, October 22, 1840, daughter of Aaron S. and Es- ther (Davis) Dresser, the former of whom was from New Hampshire, the latter from New Jer- sey. Aaron S. Dresser was born July I, ISoo, in New Hampshire, and when twenty-four years of age migrated west to Ohio, where he married, on June 18, 1834, settling in Portage township, Wood county, on the S. W. } Sec. 25. Here he died at the advanced age of over ninety years, preceded to the grave by his wife, and they both rest in "Millgrove cemetery.
For three years after his marriage Mr. Adams continued to work on the home farm, during that time serving as guardian of his minor brothers and sisters. He then purchased forty acres of land in Section 36, Portage township, half of his present farm, which had been improved and cul- tivated, and was equipped with very fair build- ings, which at that time stood on the east side of the tract, and were moved by our subject when he purchased the forty acres adjoining, in 1880. He has remodeled most of the buildings and erected others, and his farm has a look of thrift and neatness which would do any man credit. He has been a lifelong agriculturist. devoting himself to this business exclusively, and has ac- quired a comfortable property.
To Mr. and Mrs. Adams have been born chil- dren as follows: F. B., born May 15, 1869, who is a prosperous young farmer of Portage township; and Mettie, born July 5, 1875, who is the wife of Charles Dicken. Mrs. Adams, in her younger days, was a school teacher, having taught with great success for seven terms in Portage and adjoining townships. Her first certificate bears the signature of Dr. Ranger, then living at West Millgrove. Mr. Adams is a Democrat politically. but takes no active part in public affairs. He is a representative go-ahead farmer of this section, and one of Portage township's most substantial citizens.
DAVID SMITH is an industrious, energetic man, and all that he has in life he owes to his own efforts. Dependent upon his own resources from an early age, he has made the best of his oppor- tunities, and now, as the reward of his labor, has a comfortable home. Mr. Smith is a native of Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Perry county, April 4, 1836. His father, Jacob Smith, was born in the Keystone State, July 8. 1797, and was a farmer by occupation. In Perry county he was married, April 1, 1820, to Anna
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Snyder, who was there born, June 27, 1798. They located on a farm of fifty acres, in Perry county, and in 1837 came, by team, to Ohio, the father purchasing an eighty-acre tract of tim- ber land in Jackson township, Crawford county. He built a hewed-log cabin, and continued the development of his land. His wife died Septem- ber 9, 1838, and on July 12, 1840, he married Miss Ruth Shorts, who died in August, 1852. Mr. Smith remained on the home farm until 1864, when he sold out, and removed to Wood county. Here, in Jackson township, with his daughter, he purchased one hundred acres of land, and there lived until his death, on July 5, 1883. To our subject's parents were born ten children: Susan- na, who was born October 20, 1822, and died September 21, 1882; Elizabeth, who was born December 25, 1823, and died in childhood; John, who was born March 13. 1825, and died in child- hood; Joseph, who was born February 9, 1827, and was never heard from after he left home in early manhood; Maria, who was born May 25, IS28, and is the wife of Jerry Schwartz, of Mor- row county, Ohio; Caroline, who was born June 14, 1830, and is the widow of Frank Rentz, of Bowling Green, Ohio: Catherine, born December 30, 1831, widow of Henry Parr, of Crawford county; Jonas, who was born August 9, 1833, and died in childhood; David, who was born April 4, 1836; John Jacob, who was born in September, 1838, and died in early life. The children born of Jacob Smith's second marriage are Samuel, born July 16, 1841, a carpenter of North Balti- more, Ohio; Anna Eliza, born November 6, 1842, wife of Otha Castle, of Gallia, Ohio; Sarah, born May 2, 1844, wife or John Speaker, of Toledo, Ohio; and Amanda Ruth, who was born October 9, 1846, became the wife of Peter Ockerman, and died February 22, 1878.
Our subject was only a year old when brought by his parents to Olrio. He did not attend school until fifteen years of age; but, largely through his own efforts obtained a practical education, and is now well informed. He is a capable car- penter, having learned the trade himself, and until twenty-seven years of age aided in the work of the home farm. He was married july 21, 1863, and on the 3Ist of August, 1864, brought his little family to Wood county, purchasing eighty acres of timber land in Henry township. He has since ditched, fenced and improved this place, and in the midst of the well-tilled fields now stands a large and substantial residence and good barns. The first home, however, was a log cabin, which was replaced by a more modern structure in 1888.
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Mr. Smith first married Hannah Magner, who died on the homestead farm May 8, 1879, at the age of forty-one. They had the following named children-Ortha Elma, born July 10, 1864, wife of William Henning, of Henry township; Charles Wesley, born March 22, 1866; Clara Belle, born June 16, 1868; Minerva Ellen, born October 22. 1870, now the wife of Albert Phoenix, of Bow- ling Green; Albert A., who was born October 15, 1872, and died February 12, 1874; Bertha I., born June 2, 1875; and Lettie Cyria, born Janu- ary 4, 1879. For his second wife, Mr. Smith married Leah Ronk, the wedding taking place in Crawford county, September 21, ISSO. The lady was born November 23, 1835, in Dauphin county, Penn., and is a daughter of Jacob and Rebecca Ronk. Her mother is still living. Her father died when she was fourteen years of age.
Mr. Smith has always followed carpentering in connection with farming, and is not only the architect and builder of his home, but has made almost all of the furniture. He still has in use the cook stove which his father used throughout his life, and a water pail which his father pur- chased in 1820. In the United Brethren Church, of which Church all his children, save one (who belongs to the Disciples Church) are members, he is an active worker, and has been a reader of the Telescope, the Church paper, for forty-eight years, while lie has read the Bible completely through seven times. His life has been an honorable, up- right one, and all who know him esteem him highly for his genuine worth.
JAMES M. FERGUSON, a public-spirited and progressive citizen, devoted to the best interests of Wood county, and having a wide circle of friends and acquaintances within its borders, is a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, born June I. 1839. He is the fourth in order of birth in a family of nine children, whose parents were James and Mary (Scroggs) Ferguson. He at- tended the district schools of his native county until thirteen years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Wood county. Here le engaged in hunting, and the money he thus made went to the support of the family. On one occasion he had a narrow escape, being attacked by a catamount, which sprang upon him, but after a time he succeeded in killing the animal.
In July, 1863, in McComb, Ohio, Mr. Fer- guson enrolled his name among the members of Company L, ist O. H. A., and soon after went to the front, where he remained until the close of the war, when he was mustered out at Knoxville. Tenn., in 1865, and immediately returned home
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The following year he was married in Milton Center, Ohio, to Miss Mandana Richardson, who was born October 8, 1846, and is a daughter of Asa and Jane (Staples) Richardson, the former a native of Vermont, the latter of Maine. Mrs. Ferguson was born in the Pine Tree State, and when a little girl accompanied her parents on their removal to Lorain county, Ohio, where they lived for two years, then came to Wood county. In 1870 Mr. Richardson and his wife went to Isabella county, Mich., where he died at the age of eighty-four. The mother is still living in that State at the age of ninety. They were parents of twelve children, namely: Polly, Seth, Caro- line, Fidelia, Bernard, Lucy, Fannie, Leland, Victoria, Charles W., Mandana and Abbie,
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson located on a forty-acre farm in Jackson township. and in 1883 Mr. Ferguson purchased his present place, to which he has since added until he now owns seventy-five acres. Their home has been blessed with twelve children-Jesse, who is mar- ried, and lives in Jackson township; and Madilla, James, Demus, Malcolm, Winfield, Clark, John Allen, Ern and Vern (twins), Charles, and Ola May, all yet under the parental roof.
Mr. Ferguson is a stalwart Republican, un- swerving in support of the principles of his party. Socially, he is connected with the Grand Army Post, of Hoytville, and, in the discharge of all his duties of citizenship, he displays the same loyalty that he manifested on Southern battle fields. He has been self-supporting from his boyhood, and as the result of his diligence and capable man- agement is now the possessor of a comfortable home.
JACOB C. YOUNG. Among some of the most enterprising citizens of Lake township are those who were born in Germany, and who have brought to this fertile and productive country the thrift and economy of the Old World. Among these there is no figure that stands out more promi- uently in the history of the township, than Jacob C. Young, one of the bold pioneers, who first broke the way for civilization into the timbered regions of this locality.
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