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. 3 > Part 77
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next in order of birth; Sarah E., born July 20, 1863, is now Mrs. Finando Hastings, of Mont- gomery township; and Nancy, born August 7, 1865, died in infancy.
At the time of his marriage the father owned 200 acres of land one mile north of Eagleville, in Bloom township, Wood county, and on this land had the first home he could call his own, since leaving Germany. The place was a wet, swampy tract, and after a short residence there he returned to Seneca county, where he rented land until 1862, when he bought a farm in Venice township, that county. On that place he resided until April, 1871, when he came to Montgomery township, Wood county, locating upon one hun- dred acres which he had purchased in Section 6. The improvements were few and rnde, the dwell- ings built of logs, and the land was but partially cleared. To its development and cultivation he has since devoted his time and attention up to December, 1895, at that time laying aside active business cares. He has lived to accumulate a handsome cempetence, reared a large family, and he is the architect of his own fortune. In all his efforts he was ably assisted by his good wife, who died January 22, 1883, and was buried at Pemberville, Ohio. He erected all the buildings upon his farm, which now ranks among the best in the locality. In politics he is an ardent Dem- ocrat.
Upon the home farm, James H. Wensel was reared to the thrifty habits characteristic of the German people, early receiving instruction in the duties that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and, under tire able guidance of his father, has become a thorough and skillful farmer. His lit- erary training was obtained in the district schools. He has always remained under the parental roof, now having the entire management of the farm, and for some time lias been the main spoke in the wheel. His father, however, still resides with him.
In Montgomery township, on November S, 1883, Mr. Wensel was joined in wedlock with Miss Elizabeth Braden, of Morrow county, Ohio, where she was born December 25. 1862, the daughter of George and Rebecca (Wirebaugh) Braden. Five children were born to them-Ro- ley, born January 6, 1885; Irvin, who died in in- fancy; Grace, born June 8, 1888; Myrtle, born August 27, 1890; and Mary A., born February 27, 1892. The mother is a consistent member of the Methodist Church. Politically, Mr. Wen- sel affiliates with the Democracy, but has never aspired to public office, prefering to give his time and attention to his business interests.
H. A. KIEL. This republican government finds its best justification in the fact that the over- crowded population of the Old World can here seek homes, and, starting out on equal footing. secure the success which most abilities and dili- gence can obtain. Mr. Kiel is one of the adopted sons of America. He was born in Hanover, Germany, December 26, 1844, and is a son of Frederick and Mary (Benpoff) Kiel, also natives of Germany. In 1853 the father brought his family to America in a sailing vessel, which weighed anchor at Bremen, and after a voyage of more than four weeks reached the harbor of New York. He came direct to Wood county, and pur- chased eighty acres of wild land near Pemberville, on which he built a small log house, there making his home until his death, which occurred in the spring of 1859. His wife has since married again, and still lives in Pemberville. Mr. Kiel was a soldier in the German army, and throughout life made farming his occupation. His children were: Henry A. ; William, who died at the age of forty- three; Fred, a railroad watchman; and Herman, a grocer, of Weston, Ohio. By her second mar- riage the mother had two children-Edward, who is living on the old homestead, and John.
Our subject attended school for two years in his native land, and subsequently attended the district schools of Freedom township. His va- cation months during that time were spent at farm labor. At the age of sixteen lie secured a clerkship in the general store of fra Banks, with whom he remained for two years, and then, in 1864, entered the army, as a member of Com- pany C, 144th O. V. I. He joined the regiment near Baltimore, and continued at the front for one hundred days. On his return north he went to Toledo, where he worked in a sash factory for about a year. and then embarked in the grocery business in Weston, which he successfully carried on for a number of years. During that time he was associated with two partners, his brother being in the store with him front 1879 until 1884. He then sold his store and stock to his brother, and in 1886 he embarked in the gristmill business in Tontogany, although he continued his residence in Weston. For four years he followed that pursuit, and then located on his present farmi. since which time he has devoted his entire ener- gies to agricultural pursuits. He first purchased forty acres of land in 1877, but now owns 150 acres.
Mr. Kiel was married, August 2, 1866, to Miss W. Hartman, who was born in Troy town- ship, Wood county, April 19, 1845. a daughter of Frederick and Mary (Selecott) Hartinan.
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politics our subject is a Democrat, is deeply in- terested in the success of his party, and has held a number of minor offices; also served as county commissioner for two years. His life has been well and worthily spent, and has secured him the esteem of those with whom he has been brought in contact.
ISAIAH T. BRUNER, a thoroughi and skillful farmer, and a business man of more than ordi- nary capacity, is a representative of the agricult- ural interests of Center township. There he is recognized as an important factor in preserving the reputation of the township as one of the best developed sections in Wood county. He is a na- tive of the Keystone State, born in Perry county, August 10, 1847. His father , Jacob Bruner, was born in Pennsylvania, of German descent, and in the district schools of Perry county obtained his education. He there married Miss Hattie Mur- phy, by whom he had three children-Owen. a farmer of Minnesota; Isaiah T,, of this sketch; and John, a farmer of Pennsylvania. The mother died in 1849, after which Mr. Bruner was again married, his second union being with Miss Mary Owens, and they became the parents of four chil- dren, namely: Zraha, an agriculturist of Wis- consin; Annie, wife of William Smith, a contract- or and builder of Pennsylvania; Franklin, a rail- road man; and Charles, who still makes his home in Perry county, Penn. The father passed away in 1879, and his second wife died in 1887.
The common schools of Perry county afford- ed our subject his educational privileges, and un- der the parental roof he grew to manhood, as- sisting his father in the operation of his land. He then rented a farm for several years, after which he removed to Ohio, locating in Henry township, Wood county, where he bought eighty acres, which he cultivated until 1887. At that time he came to Center township, here purchas- ing eighty acres of land, a part of the tract owned by the late William Perrin, and to its improve- ment he has since devoted his attention, so that it is now one of the finest farms in his section.
In 1871, in Perry county, Penn., Mr. Bruner led to the marriage altar Miss Sarah Ebersole, a daughter of Samuel Ebersole, of that State, and they have become the parents of four children -- Mary, who is the wife of C. Jones, an oil oper- ator of Henry township, and has one child- Robert; Odessa, who was born in 1889; Jessie, born in 1881; and Samuel, born in 1874, who died in 1877.
Mr. Brnner is a thorough Republican in his political views, and adheres closely to patty lines
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at times of election, while his religious belief is that of the United Brethren Church. His suc- cess in life has been the result of honest, persist- ent effort, in the line of honorable and manly dealing. His aims have always been to attain to the best, and he has carried forward to success- ful completion whatever he has undertaken. In his pleasant home he is surrounded by a happy and contented family, who have the respect and confidence of all who know them.
GEORGE BRANDEBERRY. The subject of this sketch comes of a family of pioneers. The son of James and Jane (Bates) Brandeberry, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume, he was born in Section 10, Perry township, August 3. I855. and attended the common schools of Dis- trict 8, in Perry. Since his boyhood he has seen the schools greatly improved, and heartily endorses the movement in that direction. He also attended Heidelberg College at Tiffin for a short time.
Mr. Brandeberry, when but a boy, selected farming as a vocation in life, and under the tutor- ship of his father he received excellent training. His first ideas in this work were obtained on the farm where he now lives. On December 21, 1876, he was married in Perry township to Miss Lavina Baker, who was born in Scott township. Sandusky county, November 26, 1859, the par- ents of whom were Martin and Mary (Wise) Baker, both natives of Hancock county. The parents of Mary Wise were Benjamin and Lydia. who came from Pennsylvania. Mrs. Brande- berry was the only daughter among four children. the others being William, Amos and Emmanuel.
After his marriage our subject located on the home farm, in an old house which has since been torn down, and he and his father worked in part- nership until 1891, when our subject became owner of a portion of his present farin, and later bought the rest of his present home, consisting of 160 acres of as good land as there is in the county, 123 acres of which is cleared. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brande- berry: Howard, who died in infancy; and Lee. Jennie, and Guy, who are still living at home. Our subject was a Republican until 1892. when he joined the Prohibition party. He and his wife have been members of the Methodist Church for eighteen years, fourteen of which he has been a class leader, and for three years he has been superintendent of the Sunday-school. He also belongs to the Odd Fellows at West Millgrove Mr. Brandeberry is above the average man ir intelligence, and is well read, being a liberal
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patron of newspapers and periodicals that con- tain good, instructive matter. He is prosperous, a hard worker, a good manager and a thorough farmer.
ELIJAH HUBER. Among the young men of Portage township who have selected agriculture as their vocation in life, and who, judging from present indications, are bound to realize their most sanguine anticipations, is the subject of this biographical notice, who is residing on Section 12, where he has seventy acres of valuable farm- ing land. He was born in the same section, February 10, 1873, and is the youngest son of John U. and Clarissa (Foster) Huber.
The education of our subject was such as the district schools of the neighborhood afforded, his first teacher being David Van Voorhis. He was but a child when his father died, and remained upon the home farm until nineteen years of age. After a year then spent in the Eastern States, he returned to Portage township, where he has since made his home. At Bowling Green, on July 7, 1893, was celebrated his marriage with Miss Hen- rietta Cox, who was born in Portage township, May 30, 1877, and is the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Hemminger) Cox. They now have two children: John W., born December 30, 1894; and Charles J., born March 21. 1896.
For a short time after his marriage. Mr. Huber lived upon his father-in-law's farm, whence he removed to his present place, where he has erected all the buildings there found. Although young, he is rapidly growing into the esteem and respect of his neighbors, and bids fair, in the near future, to assume a prominent and influential position in the community. In his political views he coincides with the plat- form formulated by the Democratic party.
GEORGE HOFFMANN, the well-known proprie- tor of the oldest meat market in Perrysburg, was born February 4, 1836, in Bavaria. His parents. George Frederick and Margaret (Scheets) Hoff- mann, were also born there, the father in ISII, and the mother in ISIo. They came to this country in 1852, with their family of eight chil- dren, locating in Perrysburg township, where they both died of cholera (as did also two of the children-John and Elizabeth) two years later.
remainder of the family grew to maturity. John George married Catherine Cornelius, of Perrys- burg, and is a prominent business man of the same place; Barbara married Adam Hazel, of Perrysburg; Christina married Alex. Christ, of Toledo; Margaret is the wife of George Huber. of Toledo; and Mary married William Nopper, of the same city.
After working nearly five years for his first employer, our subject entered the employ of an- other, of whom he purchased a small piece of land. In 1858 he was married to Miss Elizabeth F. Cornelius, a native of Perrysburg, born Janu- ary 3, IS41. Fifteen children were born of this union: George W. married Victoria Schellinger. of Perrysburg; Christopher A. married Louisa Armbruster, of the same place; Elizabeth M. married Casper Brandhuber, of the same place; Ella A. married William L. Stebel, of Liverpool: Henry married Mary C. Armbruster, of Perry's- burg; Godfred. Valentine, Victoria, John and Joe are at home. John, Michael, Daniel, Mary and Anna died in childhood.
Mr. Hoffmann and his bride of sixteen endured many privations during the first years of their married life, but their mutual affections sustained them. He continued to work as a farm laborer until 1861, when he came to Perrysburg, and opened the meat market which he has ever since conducted. His sterling qualities of character have won him the respect and esteem of a wide circle of acquaintances, and he is a notable example among the self-inade men of the com- munity. He is a Democrat politically, and is a devout adherent of the Roman Catholic Church.
SABASTIN SHIPLE (deceased) was born in Bavaria, Germany, November 1, 1807, and ac- quired his education in the public schools. He afterward worked in a brewery for eleven years. and in 1840 he came to America, hoping to ben ?- fit his financial condition in the New World. H. made his first location in Toledo, Ohio, where he worked for a year as a laborer, and in 1842 lie came to Wood county, locating in Middleton township, where for a short time he was em- ployed as a farm hand. He then purchased 120 acres of land, covered largely with timber and water. In order to make this cultivable he tiled it, and then transformed it into rich fields. cleared forty acres, erected a good home and barn, and carried on the work of improveur at until he had a well-developed farm.
Mr. Hoffman, the eldest son, then a boy of eighteen, buried them all without assistance. the neighbors fearing contagion. This sad duty per- fornied, he took up the task of supporting the In 1847 Mr. Shiple was united in mariage. : Middleton township, with Margaret Fiets, who younger children, hiring out to work on a farm 0 by the month, and under his kindly care the | was born in Germany in 1822. They became
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the parents of five children: John, who is en- gaged in farming; Joseph, an agriculturist of Middleton township; Katie, wife of John Schwint: George A., of whom special mention will presently be made, and one that died in infancy. The father of this family was called to his final rest June 28, 1893. He was a Democrat in politics, and a faithful member of the Catholic Church, while his many excellencies of character made him a favorite with many friends who gave him high regard.
GEORGE A. SHIPLE has spent his entire life in Middleton township, and is one of the wide- awake and representative young farmers of the community. He was born on the old homestead, September 29, 1863, and acquired his preliminary education in the district school near nis home, but later attended the Catholic school at Perrys- burg, where he pursued his studies for a year and a half. He early became familiar with all the duties of farm life, and has always carried on agricultural parsuits. He is to-day operating sixty-two acres of well-cultivated land, and cares for and supports his widowed mother, who is now in her seventy-third year. He possesses excellent business ability, is honorable in all his dealings, and is meeting with success in his well- directed undertakings. He gives his political support to the Democratic party, and has held the office of supervisor for one term. He is a member of and supports the Catholic Church of Perrysburg; also belongs to the Altar Society. He is scrpulously faithful to every duty and every trust reposed in him, and his genial, social manner has gamed him many friends.
W. E. DOWLING, an industrious and enter- prising agriculturist of Wood county, is one of the leading residents of Montgomery township, in Section 29; he was born September 4, 1864. His father, William Dowling, was a native of Marion county, Ohio, born at Latimerville, on August 5, 1833, and was a son of Jackson and Betsey (Ar- buckle) Dowling. After the death of the latter, the grandfather of our subject married Eunice Biggs, a widow. His death occurred at Mt. Ver- non, Ohio.
William Dowling, the father, was a son of poor parents, and received only such educational wivantages as the district schools afforded during his younger years. During his youth, while not in school, he was employed in his father's store or upon his small farm. By teaching he secured money with which to pay his tuition at Hiram College, which he attended while James A. Gar- field was also a student there, but his college
course was interrupted at intervals when he was compelled to teach.
At Osceola, Marion county, in May, 1854, .. Mr. Dowling wedded Miss Mary S. Chapman, who was born at Montville, Mcdina Co., Ohio. De- cember 26, 1830, and was a daughter of Georgc and Lois (Bates) Chapman, the former a native of New York. Their first home was a humble log cabin, with a dry-goods box for a table, and a sugar trough was used for a cradle, in which the oldest child, Rosa, was rocked. The father taught school during the winter sessions in order to sup- port his family, and in the midst of all the trials and difficulties of those carly days, he suffered a severe attack of typhoid fever. During the early part of his married life he lived for one year in Indiana, to which State hc moved in a covered wagon. It was in 1860 that Mr. Dowling first came to Wood county, where he purchased eighty acres in Section 32, Montgomery township, where he lived for two years, when he sold at a profit, and purchased 140 acres in Scctions 28 and 29. To this he soon added, another thirty-acre tract, but there was no house upon the farm, and the family had to live in rented quarters for a time. He later bought forty acrcs in Section 29, which contained a house, into which they moved. From time to timc he extended the boundaries of his land, until at the time of his death he had 380 acres of excellent land, all in Montgomery town- ship.
At the age of seventeen years, Mr. Dowling became a member of the Disciples Church, and a few years later began preaching for that denom- ination. his first sermon being delivercd in 1854. In following that calling he was interrupted at different times by his efforts to secure a home for his family. His first charge was at Freeport, Ohio, and later he preached at various places throughout Wood county. In April, I8; 1, he was called to Konton. Ohio, where he had charge of a Church for nine years, and for the following scven years was thus employed in Marion coun- ty, after which he returned to Kenton, for eight- ecn months. His last charge was at Bowling Grecn, Ohio, which he was compelled to leave in August, 1889, on account of failing health. He never recovered, but died at the sanitarium at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, on March 7, 1890. His lov- ing wife remained at his side, and after his death made her home with her children, until she too passed away, July 29, 1893. She was a con- scientious Christian woman, and had engaged in teaching during her younger days. Both parents were buried at Freeport. The father was a sell- made man in the truest sense of the word, was
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ever prominent in Church work, and was one of the ablest pastors of the Disciples Church. In politics he regularly supported the Republican party.
Mr. Dowling, whose name introduces this record, is the fifth in order of birth in a family of seven children, the others being Rosa A., wife of William Williamson, a commission merchant of Buffalo, N. Y. ; Hattie F., now Mrs. J. L. Will- iamson, of Freeport, 'Ohio; Flora O., wife of Rev. G. T. Camp, a minister of the Disciples Church at Council Grove, Kans. ; Frank M., who is a minister of the same Church, and is now located at Pomona, Cal .; Alla M., wife of Rev. Charles M. Kreidler, who is pastor of the Dis- ciples Church at Lansingburg, N. Y. ; and Clarence E., a farmer of Montgomery township, Wood county.
During his boyhood, our subject attended the schools of Kenton and Marion, Ohio, during the residence of his parents at those places. He might have received a more advanced education, for which he had an opportunity, but he then lacked the desire for further study, and began work upon his father's farm as an employe, and later rented land from his father.
On September 10, 1885, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Dowling and Miss Ella A. Car- hart, a native of Marion county, Ohio, and a daughter of George W. and Anna E. (Merchant) Carhart. She is a graduate of the Marion schools, and by her marriage has become the mother of one child-Florence I., born April 16, 1890. This young couple began house-keeping upon the farm which is still their home, and have lived there continuously, with the exception of a year and a half spent at Kenton, Ohio. In politics, Mr. Dowling is a stanch Republican, always vot- ing for the men and measures of that party, and he and his wife are earnest and consistent mem- bers of the Disciples Church at Freeport. He is numbered among the best citizens of the town- ship, and is destined to be one of its most pros- perous and enterprising farmers.
JAMES DINDORE has been prominently identi- fied with the agricultural interests of Wood county for almost a quarter of a century, and now owns eighty acres of rich land in Perry township. His childhood's home was in Hocking township, Fair- field Co., Ohio, where his birth took place April 6, 1854, and he is a son of George and Sarah (Hoffein) Dindore. His father, who was also a tative of that county, died when our subject was only ten years old, leaving the widow with seven children, of whom James was the fourth in order |
of birth. Three children had died before the fa- ther passed away. By occupation he was a farmer, and left a good farm of sixty acres, so the family were comfortably situated. The op- portunities of our subject for securing an educa- tion were rather limited, as his services were needed upon the farm, and the districts schools of those days were not of a very high grade.
The first twenty-one years of his life Mr. Dindore spent on the farm where his birth oc- curred, and in 1875 he came to Bloom township, Wood county, securing work as a farm hand with Philip Brubaker. The following winter, how- ever, was spent in his native county, and in the summer of 1876 he worked for Orrin Stearns, in Perry township. He always gave the best of satisfaction, and his employers were always will- ing to hire him a second time.
Mr. Dindore was married in Perry township, on May 18, 1879, to Miss Ella Bosler, who was born there December 2, 1854, and is a daughter of Tobias and Catherine (Slatterbeck) Bosler. They have become the parents of three children -Cora, who was born June 8, 1880, and died July 8, following; Clarence L., born April 4. 1882; and Charles F., born January 23, 1884.
After his marriage Mr. Dindore operated two rented farms before purchasing property, his first land being forty acres in Section 17, Perry town- ship, to which he removed early in 1884. He had paid $200 cash for the place, only five acres of which were cleared, and the buildings con- sisted of a log house and a small frame stable. While clearing his place he operated land for neighboring farmers. As his land was still in its primitive condition, it was a case of pioneer life in the midst of civilization, as the buildings were very crude; no draining had been done, and all of the surroundings were exceedingly wild. The timber has now been cut from sixty acres, the fields have been tiled, a good barn 40 x 60 feet was built in 1893, and two years later a com- fortable, cozy house was completed.
Politically, Mr. Dindore is a reliable Repub- lican, one of the leading members of that party in Perry township; in 1892 he was elected a trus- tee, in which position he is yet serving, and is a member of the West Millgrove school board, in which special district he resides. Socially, he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Freeport.
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