USA > Ohio > Genealogical and family history of eastern Ohio > Part 17
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H. F. DUESING.
This gentleman is one of the vigorous young business men of Youngs- town, who by superior ability and a peculiar fitness for the position has at- tained merited prominence in the public eye. He is a product of the public school system of his city, and for that reason is keenly alive to the respon- sibilities of his position as member of the board of education, a position which he has held continuously since 1895. He was born in Germany in 1867 and came to America with his parents at the age of two years, locating at New- castle, Pennsylvania, and two years later at Youngstown. Here he was reared and educated in the public schools of the city. At the age of fourteen years he commenced his business career as a clerk in a grocery store, and in 1890 he began business for himself at the village of Brier Hill. In August, 1901, he opened a shoe store at 2230 West Federal street, which he conducts in addition to his present business of groceries and dry goods at 2246 West Federal. These business ventures have proved successful. He is now presi- dent of the Retail Grocers' Association.
He was elected to his present position as member of the board of edu1- cation in 1895, and has since been re-elected three different times, now serv- ing in his fourth term, and as a member of that body he has done most effi- cient service. He takes great interest in the social life of the city. He be- longs to the Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the R. E. John- son Lodge, No. 614, K. of P., to the Knights of the Golden Eagle, in which different orders he has frequently served in the prominent offices. He is a past chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, and is past grand of the
H.G. Ducamg
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Odd Fellows lodge. In political life Mr. Duesing adheres to the principles as set forth in the platform of the Democratic party. He has served as chairman of the Democratic executive committee of Mahoning county, and in 1900 his county was the only one of a few in Ohio which showed a gain.
The home of Mr. Duesing is graced by a wife and two children, Mrs. Duesing having been Bertha S., daughter of Captain John Bayer. This gen- tleman was Captain of Company A, Forty-first Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the Civil war. The names of their two children are Vera M., and Frederick H. The father of Mr. Duesing is Fred Duesing, born in Germany in 1840, and emigrating to America with his family in 1870. He is at the present time a trusted employe of the Youngstown Steel Company. His wife's maiden name was Louisa Vogelsang and to them were born six children, of whom five are now living: Herman F .; Elizabeth, wife of Fred Luther ; Anna, wife of Fred Stoll; Lena, wife of William Consoer; Minnie, wife of Herman Steinfurth.
ALEXANDER STEWART.
There is no family in Mahoning county which has a closer tie of union and has a more honorable ancestry than that of the Stewarts. They trace the line of their descent back to the seventeenth century, when religious freedom was not yet secure, and man might still be persecuted for righteous- ness' sake. John Stewart was a native of Scotland, was a Covenanter, and fled, on account of persecution, to Ireland, where he died in 1720, leaving, as far as can be ascertained from the records, one son Robert. The latter was born in Glasgow, Scotland, 1665, and died in Ireland in 1730. One of his sons was Samuel, who married Mary McClay, and he and his wife, with his brother Hugh, who was only sixteen years old, were among the Scotch-Irish emigrants who came to America and formed a substantial element of the population of Pennsylvania. They were farmers and influential people of the state, and held government positions. They had ten children, nine sons and one daughter, three of whom were born in Ireland. One of these was Robert, born in Ireland in 1732, settled in Adams county, Pennsylvania, with his parents in 1735, and died in 1811, his remains resting in the old Piney creek cemetery.
There were six brothers and two sisters in this last mentioned Stewart's family, and one of these, James, came with his brother John from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, to eastern Ohio in 1802. The latter negotiated a purchase of three hundred and seventy-four acres of land at two dollars and a half an acre, and there is an old deed in the possession of Alexander Stew-
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art, bearing date of December, 1802, with a receipt on the back for twenty- four dollars' interest paid in May, 1804. These two brothers divided this land, and James cut away the heavy timber and built a rude log cabin which is still standing as a memento of those early times. James was born in 1768 and was twice married, his first wife being Miss Smiley, of Washington county, Pennsylvania. By her he had four children, Robert, John, Anna and Sarah, and all lived past middle life but are now dead. He was married the second time to Jane Buchanan, of this county, and they had eight children, all of whom married except Jane, who died at the age of twenty; in order of birth they were: William L. Stewart, M. D., who died at an advanced age in Oregon; Jane; Mary married William A. Stewart, no relative, was the mother of two children, and died at the age of seventy; James was at the last Stewart reunion in August, 1902, on the last Wednesday of the month, and died the following Monday night, when very close to his eighty- first birthday; Joseph is an extensive farmer in Iowa, where he went in 1854, is an active man in spite of his seventy-nine years, and reared eleven children; the sixth was Alexander; David, a farmer in Brookfield, Trumbull county, Ohio, has two sons and one daughter; Samuel went to Iowa soon) after his brother and died at the age of forty, leaving one daughter, his second wife, and a fine property. The father of this family died on the old place in 1852 and his wife survived him for some years.
We now come to the member of the family whose name heads this sketch, Alexander, who was born in Coitsville township, Mahoning county, Septem- ber 3, 1825. He had a good education in the publc schools, and when he was twenty-five years old taught for one year. He came to Poland township in the early part of 1863 and purchased two hundred and twenty-three acres; for the first twenty-five acres he paid twenty-seven hundred dollars, paid sixty dollars an acre for twenty-five acres, eighty dollars an acre for seventy- seven, and seventy-two dollars an acre for ninety-six. There is a four-foot vein of fine coal under this land, which accounts for the high price paid for it, and he has sold over eight thousand dollars' worth of this staple product. He has been a successful business man, and although close to eighty years old, takes an interest in all that goes on around him.
On November 17, 1854, Mr. Stewart was married to Miss Mary Ham- mond, who was born in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, March 1, 1831 ; her parents were John and Margaret (Nelson) Hammond, farmers, who both passed away in Pennsylvania, he at the age of sixty and she at the age of ninety-one; they reared seven children. Mr. and Mrs. Stew- art became the parents of five children: James Rankin is at home on
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the old farm, has his second wife and two children; Laura Jane was a teacher for several years and died at the age of twenty-eight; David Ham- mond, a farmer near the home place, has two daughters; William Henderson, who lives in Poland, has two children, but their mother is deceased; Lillie Gertrude died at the age of ten. Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are members of the United Presbyterian church, in which he is a deacon; he is a Republican, but has voted for prohibition whenever that was an issue.
The many members of the Stewarts are wont to gather at yearly meetings on the last Wednesday of August; these have been held at different house- holds since 1887, with an average attendance of one hundred and fifty, and have been most productive of good in cementing the family tie and making those of one blood what they should be, a united whole assisting each other and fighting together the battles of the world. A "Stewart book" was published in 1899, which contains the will of grandfather Robert, the coat of arms of the family, the genealogy from the earliest times to the present, and many other interesting reminiscences in connection with the Stewarts.
FREMONT AND ENSIGN BAIRD.
It affords the genealogist and biographer great pleasure to record the lives of the above mentioned gentlemen in a work of this kind, not only because of their own personal worth as men of business acumen and public-spirited citizens whose influence has already been felt in their vicinity, but also because they are descendants of one of the first settlers in what is now known as Green township, Mahoning county, Ohio.
The great-grandfather of Fremont and Ensign Baird, John Baird, left his native country, Germany, and after a long and tiresome voyage came to Green township, where he erected a log cabin; he married a native of Ireland and began the life of a pioneer of Ohio, his wife's first name being Hannah. The space allowed would be all to short to detail the hardships endured bravely and patiently by these heroes of the wilderness, who made possible the ripe civilization of the present day. Among the great woods of the virgin forest these parents reared their family of sixteen children, and these in turn went out into the world to make new homes and bear their part in the development of that section of country. Not only did John and Hannah Baird look carefully after the physical well-being of their children, but they brought them up in the faith of the Lutheran church, of which they all be- came members.
Henry Baird, one of this family, was born in Green township in 1800, and was always an active and industrious man from the very beginning of his
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business life. After receiving his share of his father's property, he began to accumulate property and at one time was the owner of one thousand acres of choice land. While he never took advantage of any man, he understood the market and in time became immensely wealthy. One of his delights was the raising of fine stock, and in this branch of activity he was successful as in all his undertakings. For a number of years he was a member and elder of the Lutheran church, and politically was a Democrat. In early manhood he married Miss Sarah Sechrist of Columbiana county, Ohio, and they had six children, namely : Solomon, John, Jacob, Catherine, Samuel and Sarah A.
Jacob Baird was born in Green township, February 13, 1829. He started out in life a poor boy, but possessed good health and a determination to win, and success crowned his efforts to an unusual degree. Through his efforts, before he received any of his father's estate, he accumulated houses, land and other valuable holdings, and at the time of his death in March, 1901, his children had eight hundred acres of land in addition to his other possessions to divide between them. Like his father, he was very fond of raising stock and took a pride in having the best the market would afford, and his product met a ready sale at high prices. According to his religious training he was a Lutheran and gave liberally to the church of that denom- ination. Jacob Baird and Sarah Fullwiller, born in 1830 in Canfield township, were united in marriage and ten children blessed their union, namely: Urias, Sarah A., deceased, Henry, Charles F., Mary E., Emma, Fremont, Ora, Iri and Ensign. Mrs. Baird, the mother of this family, died in 1895.
Fremont Baird was born in Green township, May 8, 1865, and was reared and educated in his native township, where he has always followed agricult- ural pursuits. On November 1, 1894, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida Unger, a daughter of John and Sarah Unger, of Green township. To this union have been born two children: Edna, born September 1I, 1895, and Daisy, born February 14, 1900. Mrs. Baird was born in Green town- ship, on her father's farm, July 29, 1872. . Mr. Fremont Baird owns and operates a farm of sixty-nine acres and a half, and devotes it to general farming and stock-raising. He has built a beautiful house upon his property and is erecting a commodious and convenient barn for his stock.
Ensign Baird, the youngest of the family, was born on the homestead farm, February 7, 1871. He, like the other members of his family, received but a limited education, but his own intelligence and business tact stand him in good stead. Raising of fine stock seems to be a family trait, and he is re- garded as an authority on shorthorn cattle, in which he deals extensively.
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Until the death of his father, Ensign Baird lived with him, but he now owns and occupies one hundred acres of the home farm.
Both young men are numbered among the leading farmers of this locality and they have many friends throughout Mahoning county, where their name is so closely connected with the history of the country.
WILLIAM S. BAIRD.
William S. Baird, a prosperous and substantial young farmer of Green township, Mahoning county, Ohio, who operates all, and owns an interest in one hundred and fifty acres of valuable land, was born on this farm December 1, 1868, and was reared and educated in his native township. John Baird, his great-grandfather, founded the family in this country; he was born in Germany, emigrating to America at an early day, and located in what is now known as Mahoning county, Ohio. Here he entered a section of land from the government and began to improve the soil and establish a home for his family. In all of his work he was ably assisted by his wife Hannah, an estimable woman of Irish birth, and by his sixteen children, many of whom grew to be leading citizens of the several communities in which they made their homes.
Of these sixteen children, one was Henry, who was born in Green town- ship in 1800, and married Sarah Sechrist, a native of Columbiana county. Ohio; six children were born to this union, namely: Solomon, John, Jacob, Catherine, Samuel and Sarah A. Henry Baird was very successful, accum- ulating one thousand acres of land, and becoming an excellent farmer and stock-raiser. No better business man could have been found in his locality and when he died his heirs divided a very large estate which had been amassed through his efforts. He was a member of the Lutheran church, in which he held the office of elder. Politically he was a Democrat, but never took an active part in local affairs.
One of the sons of Henry was Solomon, father of William S., and he was born in Green township, Mahoning county, October 13, 1826. He . owned one hundred and fifty acres of good farming land, which he inherited from his father, and upon it his widow and son William S. now reside. Like his father, Solomon was a practical farmer and successful stock-raiser. and a man highly esteemed throughout the neighborhood. His name was enrolled upon the books of the Lutheran church, towards which he always contributed liberally. On December 5, 1847, he was married to Miss Eliza- beth Hively, daughter of Jacob and Catherine Hively, and they had these children, namely: Matilda, born April 16, 1849; Catherine, October 21,
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1854; Lucy A., June 8, 1858; Mary E., July 16, 1861 : Lydia E., March 9, 1866; William S., December 1, 1868. Mrs. Elizabeth H. Baird was born in Green township, September 29, 1829, and is still living. Solomon Baird died in 1888, aged sixty-one years.
The house in which our subject, his mother and wife reside, was erected about 1802, and was originally intended for a tavern, being operated under the name of " The Half Way House," it being located half way between Salem and Canfield and on the old plank road. The Hivelys, as well as the Bairds, are of German extraction, and located in America a short time after John Baird, about 1800. They settled in Beaver township. Jacob Hively owned two hundred acres of land and was a very successful farmer. His family consisted of ten children, four of whom are still living.
On April 19, 1894, William S. Baird married Miss Florence Clay, the daughter of Isaac and Clorinda Clay; there is no issue. Mrs. Baird was born in Canfield township, January 22, 1874, and both she and her husband are members of the Reformed Lutheran church. They are both very highly respected in their community and are numbered among the leading agricult- urists of Mahoning county.
WILLIAM H. SLAGLE.
William H. Slagle, who now carries on general farming near New Al- bany, in Green township, Mahoning county, and is also engaged in the opera- tion of coal mines, was born in September, 1855, in the township which is yet his home. His parents were Jonas and Nancy (Adair) Slagle, and the former was born near Baltimore, Maryland, in 1811, while the latter was born in Ohio in 1812. The father on removing westward took up his abode in Green township, Mahoning county, where he secured a half section of land in 1835. The tract was still wild and unimproved, but he at once began its cultivation. Soon afterward he disposed of all of this with the exception of one hundred and fifty-seven acres, which is still in the possession of the family. In early life Mr. Slagle had learned the miller's trade and fol- lowed that pursuit for many years after coming to Ohio. In his business relations he was eminently successful, and his labor and enterprise brought to him an excellent financial return. In 1837 he was joined in wedlock to Miss Nancy Adair, and they became the parents of eight children, namely : Elizabeth, Sarah J., Catherine, William H., S. E., Eli M., Solomon B., and Samuel F. The last named is now deceased. The father of this family was a Democrat, and gave an earnest support to the principles of the party. He believed firmly in the platform upon which Andrew Jackson was elected,
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and voted for him in 1832. At the age of eighteen years he became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and throughout his entire life was a faithful member and earnest supporter of that church. He passed away January 12, 1890, respected by all who knew him. His wife, Mrs. Nancy A. Slagle, passed away in December, 1890. Mr. Slagle was a worthy man and his wife was equally esteemed by friends and neighbors.
William H. Slagle obtained his early education in his native township and entered upon his business career in 1870 as proprietor of the store in Greenford in connection with his brother-in-law J. J. Paulin. This enterprise was conducted successfully until 1878, at which time Mr. Slagle disposed of his interest and began farming. He now owns and operates two hundred and twenty-five acres, which he devotes to general agricultural pursuits. His fields are well tilled and the place is neat and thrifty in appearance. His farm is underlaid with bituminous coal, varying from thirty to forty inches in depth, and he operates two mines.
In 1873 occurred the marriage of Mr. Slagle and Miss Idelia Bean, a daughter of Boyel and Susan Bean. Her father was a native of Virginia and came to Ohio as early as 1830. He was a shoemaker in early life, but for fifty years carried on agricultural pursuits on his farm of forty acres. He married Mrs. Susan Callahan, whose maiden name was Susan Koler. She was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, September 3, 18II, and in 1829 became a resident of Ohio. She became the wife of Mr. Callahan in 1832 and six children were born of this marriage. In 1849 she gave her hand in marriage to Boyel Bean. They became the parents of three children, and eighteen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren survive her. She lived to be ninety-one years of age and was remarkably well preserved up to the time of her death, which occurred on the 14th of February, 1903.
To Mr. and Mrs. Slagle have been born six children: Howard, Sylvia, Ralph, Frank, Ada and Dewey. Mrs. Slagle was born in Green township in March, 1853, and has been a faithful companion and helpmate to her husband. They have resided upon their present farm since 1881 and theirs is a hospitable home. They hold membership in the Lutheran church and also attend the services of the Union church of New Albany, of which Mr. Slagle is a trustee. He has held the office of township clerk for six years, and in all offices of public trust and honor he is found reliable and worthy of the confidence reposed in him.
JOHN CHARLES KELLY.
City civil engineer and county surveyor, East Liverpool, Ohio.
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CONRAD F. BRENNER.
The subject of this sketch, whose name is above given, has been a resi- dent of Youngstown for thirty-five years and during that time has been a conspicuous figure in the business and political life of the city. His principal prominence has been gained in connection with county politics, he having been an influential worker and leader in the Democratic ranks and a suc- cessful candidate for various important offices. He has been auditor of the county for two terms and was postmaster at Brier Hill under President Cleve- land. Meantime he has been active and influential in various lines of busi- ness and altogether a citizen who has made his energy and progressive spirit felt both for the betterment of himself and the community at large.
His father, Conrad Michael Brenner, was born in Baden, Germany, in 1824, came to America in 1852 and was shortly afterward located in Colum- biana county, Ohio. He was a German school teacher by profession and fol- lowed that occupation during his residence at various points in Ohio. In 1855 he was married at Pittsburg to Catharine Siegle, a native of Würtem- berg, Germany, and by her had nine children, of whom the six living are: Emanuel J. ; Conrad F .; Wilhelmina, wife of Sherman L. Ripple; Hannah M., wife of Lewis Bosser; Ernest J. and Frank S. The father was an earnest abolitionist conductor on the "underground railroad," and was anxious to enlist in the army, but was rejected on account of physical disability. He came to Youngstown in 1872, but only survived three years after arriving, his death occurring in 1875.
Conrad F. Brenner, second in age of his surviving children, was born on a farm in Columbiana county, Ohio, May 23, 1858, and remained there until he had reached the tenth year of his age. His educational advantages were obtained in the primary grades of the country schools and at Hull's Commercial College. He commenced his business career at Youngstown in 1868, his first ventures being as an employe in the greenhouse owned by John Manning, with whom he remained for four years. During this period he attended night school and took a course in Hull's Commercial and Busi- ness College, where he obtained a training which proved of value in his future life. After leaving the conservatory he found employment for three years in a milk and cream depot under George T. Lewis, followed by a year in a grocery business with W. J. Edwards & Company. He remained with this concern until 1881, when he formed a partnership with Fred C. Weller and opened a general merchandise store at Brier Hill, continuing in this con- nection until 1885, when his partner retired, and Mr. Brenner conducted the business alone for the five following years.
B.F. Branny
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In 1890 Mr. Brenner disposed of his grocery investment, entered into real estate dealing and insurance and has made that his chief employment up to the present time. In 1890 he was made his party's nominee for com- missioner, but was defeated by ninety-six votes in a county usually giving a majority of twelve hundred for the Republicans. In 1892 he was elected auditor of Mahoning county by one thousand and eight majority, a striking triumph, considering the usual political complexion of the county, and the result was a strong testimony to Mr. Brenner's personal popularity. After serving three years to the entire satisfaction of his constituents, Mr. Bren- ner was endorsed by a re-election in 1895 for another term. He was again nominated in 1898, against his inclinations and was defeated by only two hundred and forty three votes.
In 1882 Mr. Brenner secured the establishment of the postoffice at Brier Hill and four years later was appointed postmaster by President Cleveland and held the same for several years. In 1900 he was one of the organizers of the Equity Savings and Loan Association, of which he became the first secretary, and after holding that position for one year was made vice presi- dent and treasurer, which office he has since continued to fill. Since 1880 Mr. Brenner has been an active and enthusiastic Democratic partisan, and during that period has served as chairman both of the city and county ex- ecutive committees of his party. In 1889 he made a trip to Germany and Switzerland, during which he associated business and pleasure.
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