USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 15
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Mr. Morrison was married December 15, 1887, to Emma Ridenour, daughter of Jacob Ridenour, a lady of many estimable qualities. They have two daughters-Hazel and Helen.
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Mr. Morrison is a member of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is trustee, and also holds the same office in the Second Street Methodist Episcopal Church. He is an active worker in the church and has frequently been a delegate at conference meetings. He is a Re- publican and is at present` a member of the Board of Public Service of Lima, and has been a member of the City Council and Board of Health.
L UCIUS JOHN RUSSELL SIDDALL, long the leading man in the leading industry of Bluffton, Ohio, the pion- eer quarryman not only of Bluffton but of all Northwestern Ohio, was born in Mahoning County, Ohio, eight miles south of Salem, on the old mill property of the family, not far from the village of Ellsworth, July 29, 1838. His parents were Isaac and Rebecca (Altaffer) Siddall.
The father of Mr. Siddall was born in Vir- ginia and the mother belonged to a well-known Pennsylvania-Dutch family. She died when our subject was nine years old. The ancestors on the paternal side were from Ireland, and Isaac Siddall possessed many of the qualities which have made natives of that land success- ful men the world over. He was the father of 16 children by his first marriage and of two by his second; 14 of these grew to maturity. For years he was engaged in the milling business, and never ceased his industry until stricken with paralysis. He died in 1872.
Lucius J. R. Siddall was 10 years old when his parents moved to Rockport, Ohio. A few years later he accompanied his father when the latter went to Mount Blanchard to run the Fahls' mills, and two years later to the National mills, four miles up the river. Our subject worked there some four years, all the time with his father, and in 1852 came to Bluffton, where his father bought a log grist-mill, run by water power, together with 17 acres of adjoining land. He worked hard under his practical, in- dustrious father, and when the latter was dis- abled by paralysis, in 1867, he ran the mill by himself for two and a half years. When his father died, he bought the mill at the apprais-
er's valuation, $2,250. Subsequently he sold the mill and turned his attention to the stone and lime business.
In 1872 Mr. Siddall, in partnership with Elijah Reese, under the firm name of Siddall & Reese, bought and developed a quarry and later took in another partner and formed the firm of Siddall & Company. Some years later Mr. Siddall bought out the other partners and oper- ated the business alone, and still later opened up another quarry which covered seven acres. He took I. M. Townsend into partnership and the business was conducted as Siddall & Town- send for 18 years, when John Amstutz bought Mr. Townsend's interest and continued with Mr. Siddall for one season. Our subject then continued the operation of the quarry alone, adding a larger body of quarrying land, until the spring of 1905, when he sold out to the Buckeye Stone Company.
Since disposing of his quarry business, Mr. Siddall has been interested in a concrete busi- ness, having a large plant, with excellent facil- ities, producing a concrete which is used for cellars and other purposes, and making a fine macadam for roads. During his active opera- tions he gave employment to some 50 men. Another line in which he has been interested is the manufacture of the "Eureka" fence post, one of the most durable posts ever placed be- fore the market. For 50 years he has been a leader in business circles at Bluffton, and has been identified very prominently with the growth and prosperity of the town. He still owns 17 acres of land that is now within the town limits.
In 1865 Mr. Siddall was married to Mary Elizabeth Katherine Bridgeman, who was born in Hancock County, Ohio, about four miles from Bluffton, January 26, 1841, and is a daughter of George and Eliza (Grimm) Bridgeman, natives of Virginia. Mr. and Mrs. Siddall occupy a fine brick residence at Bluffton, which Mr. Siddall built seven years after his marriage.
Politically he has been a life-long Demo- crat, and on many occasions his fellow-citizens have chosen to show him honor and confidence. For six years he served on the Town Council and served several terms as a member of the
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HON. AZARIAH D. MILLER
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Board of Education. Fraternally he is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Bluffton Lodge, No. 371, and to Bluffton Encampment, No. 238. He is one of the oldest members of the subordinate lodge here, having joined the order in 1864.
A half century is a long period in any man's life, and to have passed through it, meeting competition on every side and overcoming ob- stacles as every business man must, and still, near its close, be able still to command the re- spect and esteem of one's fellow-citizens, re- flects much credit and should bring pleasant re- flections.
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h ON. AZARIAH D. MILLER, one of Allen County's prominent public men, probate judge, educator and success- ful attorney-at-law, was born June 18, 1853, on the homestead farm in Am- anda township, and is a son of Joseph and Min- erva J. (Shock) Miller.
Azariah D. Miller was liberally educated, completing first the common-school course, and later taking advantage of the educational in- stitutions of Lima and the National Normal School at Lebanon, Warren County, Ohio. From the age of 16 until he was 34 years of age, he taught school more or less continu- ously, the greater portion of this period in his native township, and it is safe to say that few men have more personal friends in this locality.
During 1871 and 1872 he was employed as bookkeeper in the freight and express office of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago Rail- way at Elida, Ohio, and as this did not require all of his time he served also as clerk in the mercantile establishments of Rice & Leist and G. W. Moore. During all this time he was quietly reading law, as opportunity afforded. In 1877 he was elected assessor of Amanda township, on the Democratic ticket, and in the following year was chosen justice of the peace -an office he satisfactorily held for the follow- ing five years. In 1885, having been admitted to the bar, he became a member of the law firm of Remington & Miller and began the practice of the profession in which he has met with deserved success. Fire destroying his law lib- rary in 1887, he relinquished his practice and
retired to his farm. After engaging in farm- ing pursuits and the contracting business un- til February 9, 1894, he was called from his se- clusion to accept the duties of clerk of the Probate Court. He was elected to his present position in 1899.
In 1876 Judge Miller was married to Dar- thula Place, who is a daughter of James and Susan Place, and they have these children : Lehr E., Fredia G., Susan A., James J. and Mabel. The family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Judge Miller has always been prominent in Democratic politics, has been a member of the Democratic County Central Committee, and was sent as a delegate to the St. Louis National convention from the Fourth Congressional Dis- trict. He is fraternally connected with the Elks, in which order he has held many posi- tions; is a charter member of the Spencerville Lodge of Knights of Pythias and of the Mod- ern Woodmen of America and the Home Guards of America. His residence at Lima is at No. 937 West High street. A portrait of Judge Miller is presented on a foregoing page in connection with this sketch.
S ALEM REED, one of Shawnee town- ship's leading citizens and substantial farmers, is also a survivor of the Civil War. He owns a well-improved farm of 80 acres, located in section 14, Shawnee township, which was formerly a part of the old Napier homestead. Mr. Reed was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, May 2, 1842, and is a son of Samuel and Mary M. (Aker) Reed.
Samuel Reed, the father of our subject, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, and was a son of Noah Reed, a native of Licking County, Ohio. He died on his farm in Shawnee town- ship in August, 1894, aged 79 years. He mar- ried Mary M. Aker, who was born July 30, 1814, and died in March 1905, at the age of 91 years. Their children were: Clara, Silas, Salem, Isaac, John W., Freeman, Nelson, Al- meda, Emma and Laura.
Salem Reed accompanied his parents to
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Shawnee township in 1853. He attended school until he was about 18 years old, and re- mained practically on the home farm until he had attained his majority, working for neigh- boring farmers as well as his father. On Feb- ruary 1, 1864, he enlisted for service in the Civil War, joining Company H, 74th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., in which he served until the close of hostilities. He participated in many battles, the first one of importance being that at Resaca. His regiment was often employed in guarding railroads, accompanying Sherman to the sea and participating in all that wearying campaign which resulted in such great victories for the Union cause. It remained in North Carolina until after the surrender of Johnston.
After the war he returned home, where he lived until his marriage, when he bought a tract of land in Shawnee township, near the family homestead and partially cleared it; but in a few years settled on another farm he had purchased, on which he resided for nine years. For the past 22 years Mr. Reed has been living on his present place, where he has carried on general farming and stock-raising.
In 1866 Mr. Reed was married to Elizabeth Adelia Napier, who was born in Mercer Coun- ty, Pennsylvania, June 28, 1841, and is a daughter of those honored old pioneer settlers of the township, the late William and Sarah (Huff) Napier. Her father was one of the leading men of the township during a long and exemplary life. He died in March, 1900, and is survived by his venerable wife who still re- sides on the old homestead in section 14, Shaw- nee township. Mr. and Mrs. Reed have had eight children, namely: Ida, who married William Hover and has two children, Palleene and Alleene; Samuel W., who married Florence Wilson and resides in Cleveland; Lulu, who married Frank H. Place and has seven child- ren-Frank, Belva, Lee Everett, Ralph, Eu- dora Lu, Olive, and an unnamed infant; Smith Hamlin, who married Lulu Klippinger and has one daughter-Evelyn, the family residing at Toledo; Florence La Verne, who married Clyde Coleman and resides at Toledo; Walter Cled- ith, a resident of Cleveland; Maud Sylvania, who married Clarence McDaniel, the couple living at home; and an infant, deceased.
Politically Mr. Reed is identified with the Republican party, but is not always bound by party ties, voting occasionally according to his personal judgment of candidates. Formerly he was active in Mart Armstrong Post, No. 202, G. A. R., at Lima; but, like his brother Silas, finds the distance too great to make at- tendance easy. He is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church and a liberal contribu- tor to its support.
A D. HILDRETH, the enterprising gen- eral superintendent at Lima of the Prudential Insurance Company of America, is a prominent and highly esteemed citizen of this city, who may always be depended upon to lend his influence and substantial support to any enterprise which has for its object the welfare of the place. He is a son of David Hildreth, who has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits in Union County, Ohio, where he is still living in the 84th year of his age. Born and reared in Union County, our subject received there the rudiments of his education, supplementing it with four years in the college at Delaware.
In January, 1896, soon after leaving col- lege, Mr. Hildreth located in Columbus, Ohio, where he at once became an agent for the Pru- dential Insurance Company. In a short time his ability received recognition and reward by his promotion to the office of assistant superin- tendent of the company, with headquarters at Columbus. Three years later he was placed in charge of the general offices at Lima, with supervision over a territory consisting of II counties. These offices were established in Lima in 1893, and were in charge of E. New- man until September 25, 1899, when Mr. Hild- reth was made general superintendent. He has branch offices at St. Marys, Findlay, Van- Wert, Defiance and Bowling Green, requiring eight assistant superintendents and 40 agents to handle the large volume of business which passes through their hands. The Prudential cices an extensive business, both in industrial and ordinary insurance, and is one of the strongest companies in the field.
Mr. Hildreth was married, in 1890, to Min-
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nie Baker, a daughter of Lyman G. Baker, a ro- tired farmer of Marysville, Ohio. They have one child, Harold A. Mr. Hildreth is a stock- holder in the Columbus Savings & Trust Com- pany, and also has other interests in that city. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and an earnest Christian who takes a leading part in the work of the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church and Sunday-school. He is also deeply interested in the progress of the Y. M. C. A., being vice-president of the Y. M. C. A. parlia- ment, a member of the board of directors of that institution and chairman of the member- ship committee.
ILLIAM A. BOWERS, a substan- tial resident of section 31, German township, was born in the neigh- ----- boring township of Amanda, on January 14, 1862. His parents. William and Rebecca (Barnt) Bowers, were well-known in Allen County, both of them hav- ing come here with their parents when they were children of eight years. The father was from Fayette County and was a son of Solomon Bowers. The mother came from Fairfield County. The family consisted of two sons and nine daughters, namely: Charles Wesley, a farmer residing in Amanda township; William A .; Hannah Jane, who married Nathaniel Stoup and is the mother of two children; Sarah Elizabeth, who married David Hillyard and died leaving seven children ; Deborah Ann, who married Levi Crites, of Kempton, and is the mother of two children; Mary Catherine, who married Franklin P. Shobe, of Amanda town- ship and has six children; Rebecca Angeline, wife of John Swartz, of Amanda township and the mother of two children; Martha, who died in infancy ; Curlila, who married Abia Carr, of Amanda township and has eight children ; Eliza who died at the age of five years; and Emma Sabina who married James Stalter of Muncie, Indiana, and has four children.
William A. Bowers was reared and edu- cated in his native township, where he engaged in farming for several years. He owned 104 acres of land situated in section 31, German township, and section 36, Amanda township,
He lived on his farm until 1901, when he moved to Lima and purchased the Botkins livery stable, which he conducted in partnership with Jacob Shobe. Later he sold his interest in the business to his partner and purchased the Fisher livery barn, which he ran for about 18 months. This was then sold and Mr. Bowers moved back to the farm. He purchased a farm in Wyandot County, which he traded for the Lima truck line, moving to Lima to take charge of the business. After operating it for 75 days he sold it to John Harley, and again returned to his farm in the spring of 1905. The follow- ing October he purchased the Shobe farm, which contains 65 acres, thus giving him 90 acres in one tract.
Mr. Bowers was married October 4, 1883, . to Nona B. Highland, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Berry) (McDonald) Highland, of Allentown. Joseph Highland was born March 7, 1837, and died December 26, 1891. His wife was a daughter of David and Elizabeth (McIntyre) Berry, who came from Westmore- land County, Pennsylvania, to Ohio, stopping a short time in Clark County and then locating in Allen County, when Mrs. Highland was about eight years of age. Mrs. Highland was born November 27, 1832, and was twice mar- ried, her first husband being William Wesley McDonald, who died in 1855 leaving two child- ren ; Mrs. Sarah Kennedy, of Lima and Gilbert McDonald. Mrs. Bowers has one sister, Ida Herring, and a brother, Marion, who died at the age of five years. Mr. Bowers has three children, Verne Lester, born August 16, 1887, who is a student at Elida; Myrtle Leona, born April 21, 1894; and Zelma Irene, born Septem- ber 28, 1897. Mr. Bowers is a trustee of the Christian Church in Amanda township, of which he is a member.
F. STOLZENBACH, president of the Stolzenbach Baking Company, and of the Allen County Building & Loan Association, is a prominent figure among the business men of Lima. Mr. Stolzenbach was born at Roseville, Muskingum County, Ohio, where he was reared and educated.
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After completing his schooling, Mr. Stol- zenbach entered his uncle's bakery at Zanes- ville, Ohio, with whom he remained for six years, in this time becoming a skilled baker. His uncle, Conrad Stolzenbach, is still in the business and is associated with the National Biscuit Company. From Zanesville our sub- ject went to Pittsburg, Detroit and Columbus, working in all these cities and learning every chemical secret of the trade as well as perfect- ing himself in the manufacture of every kind of bakery product.
Mr. Stolzenbach then located at Newcom- erstown, where he opened up a first-class bak- ery ; but he soon found that the place was too small for the goods he was able to put upon the market and he remained there only until 1889, when he bought the Diamond bakery at Lima, entering into partnership with a Mr. Benton under the firm name of Stolzenbach & Benton. After conducting the business for six months under that style, Mr. Stolzenbach bought the Benton interest and admitted his father to part- nership. The new firm became Stolzenbach & Company which continued thus until 1904, when the business was incorporated as the Stolzenbach Baking Company, with a capital stock of $30,000, fully paid up. The officers of the company are: C. F. Stolzenbach, presi- dent; J. H. Stolzenbach, vice-president; and Martin Stolzenbach, secretary and treasurer. The plant turns out weekly some 35,000 loaves, their specialties being "Butternut" and "Moth- er's" bread, both these brands being in large demand. The plant is equipped with every modern and sanitary appliance, its capacity be- ing 10,000 loaves daily.
In 1892 Mr. Stolzenbach was married to Magdalen Hickey, who is a daughter of Henry Hickey, of Putnam County, and they have six children : Edward, Mary Louise, Magdalen, Charles Henry, . Robert W., and an infant daughter. The family belong to the Lutheran Church and Mr. Stolzenbach has been a deacon of St. Paul's congregation for the past nine years.
Mr. Stolzenbach is a prominent member of the National Bakery Association of the United States. He attended the annual meeting of this body at the Arlington Hotel, Washington
City, on September 11, 1905, joining the Chi- cago contingent on a special car. He is one of Lima's capitalists, a stockholder and director in The Lima Telephone & Telegraph Company and is treasurer of the National Roofing Tile Company. For a number of years, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, he has been a member of the city Board of Health. He is always prominent in all public- spirited movements, gives largely to charity, and fulfills every duty incumbent upon a con- scientious, broad-minded man and citizen.
A ARON FISHER, one of the leading citizens of Delphos, and a member of one of the pioneer families of this county, was born January 1, 1847, near La Fayette, Allen County, and is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Long) Fisher.
The Fisher family originated in Germany, and the descendants have widely scattered, hav- ing been always distinguished as solid citizens, good home-builders, and industrious, intelli- gent and thrifty members of the communities in which they have lived. The father of our subject was born in Pennsylvania and accom- panied his parents to Perry County, Ohio, where he was reared and learned the black- smith's trade. In 1835 he settled in Allen County, locating on a tract of 80 acres of wild land which was situated in section 25, Jackson township, a mile and a quarter from LaFayette. As illustrative of those primitive days, Mr. Fisher recalls the stories told by his father of how he lived comfortably, for a time, under the shelter of an old oak tree, while the building of the log cabin took place. With an abundance of game of all kinds, including flocks of wild turkeys, the question of subsistence was merely a nominal one. The clearing of the farm fol- lowed, the old log house gave way to a modern, convenient frame residence, where, surrounded by an affectionate, obedient family, the father's life closed at the age of 70 years.
It is interesting to recall those days of early settlement in Jackson township. Considered in the light of the present, there seems to have been many drawbacks to content and comfort,
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but in those days they were taken as matters of fact and were looked upon with an indifference begotten of familiarity. The cultivation of the land was carried on entirely with the sickle, rake, old-fashioned horse plow and harrow, and the grain was threshed out on the barn floor with flails. Clothing was almost entirely of home manufacture, that for summer wear be- ing made from the flax grown on the farm and that for winter from the wool sheared from the flocks of sheep which formerly were raised in great numbers. The wool was taken to Del- phos and St. Marys to be carded. In a remin- iscent mood, our subject can recall how, as a little lad, he had to make a trip to mill, and was so small that he had to be strapped to the horse's back with the bag of grain, in order that both should not come to grief on the way. He re- calls that on a later occasion he took the grain to mill on a vehicle made of a wagon tongue and two wheels. This journey sometimes con- sumed several days, as each customer at the mill had to wait his turn, and the old-time con- struction of the grist-mills was such that exped- ition was impossible.
Mr. Fisher vividly recalls the boyish de- lights hovering around the cooking of the corn pone before the open fire-place in the old log cabin kitchen, with its pots and kettles in close proximity, and remembers the toothsome viands prepared in the old Dutch oven. In those days hospitality was an accepted virtue, and in no home was it more honored than in that of Jacob Fisher. His pioneer cabin was a traveler's inn, and on its threshold the weary stranger found the willing hand of brotherly friendship extend- ed. Especially welcome was the coming of the pioneer preacher, who brought with him news, not otherwise obtainable, of other sections of the State, and Mr. Fisher can remember when he and his brothers climbed on the fence to eagerly watch for his coming.
F.specially welcome on account of the many engaging qualities which he possessed, with his tried and true Christian zeal, was a Mr. Doner, who made the home of Jacob Fisher his headquarters when in Jackson township. The latter was the real founder of the Lutheran Church in his district, and assisted in the con- struction of the log edifice which was also used
as the first schoolhouse. Jacob Fisher was one of the men who should never be forgotten in Jackson township. Of his nine children all reached maturity except one. He gave three sons to the service of his country during the Civil War-Joseph, Benjamin and Noah-the last mentioned of whom never returned to his home, but fills a soldier's grave at Memphis, Tennessee. The three surviving daughters are: Susanna, who is the widow of Simon Fos- ter, of Middlepoint, Van Wert, County; Nancy (Hallman), a widow, who resides near La Fay- ette; and Mary Ann (Ernsberger), now of Decatur, Indiana, where she has resided for the past year, but formerly for 35 years a resi- dent of Delphos.
Aaron Fisher was the youngest child in the above family. He attended school in the near- by log schoolhouse, and learned to write with a quill pen and with ink made from bark and the berries of the poke weed. The advantages af- forded for an extended education were some- what meagre, but a taste for learning was in- spired and, for all practical purposes, a suffi- cient familiarity with reading, writing and ar- ithmetic was acquired by the pupils. At the age of 21 he married and moved to LaFayette, where he hired out as a carpenter and during the first year his wife taught the village school. For the next eight years he worked as a thresh- er, and also operated a rented farm. In the spring of 1870 he removed to Delphos.
After settling at Delphos, Mr. Fisher car- ried on a teaming business for a number of years. He began with a very small capital, but, through good management and industry, soon increased it, bought a livery stable, later ran an omnibus line, and started the first street sprinkler in Delphos. Subsequently he sold the site of his stable to the city, and the present Town Hall now occupies it. Later, through trading, he acquired a farm on which was an excellent stone quarry. This he operated for some years, and then purchased a tract of land inside the corporate limits of Delphos, which he afterward sold to his son and son-in-law, and which is still known as the Fisher stone quarry. In addition to his teaming and livery enterprise, he embarked in an ice business and all these lines are continued by his son. His
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