USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 38
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In 1872 Mr. Hover was married to Eliza- beth A. Bresler, a daughter of the late Joseph Bresler, who was a pioneer citizen of Lima and was marshal of the city during the Civil War. Of the children born to this union, three are
living, namely : C. A., manager of the Muncie (Indiana) Builders' Supply Company; Kath- rine, wife of Charles Herbst, of Nelson & Herbst, merchant tailors of Lima; and Har- riet. Mr. Hover is a member of the Knights of Pythias. He was reared a Presbyterian.
JACOB MOSER, secretary and treas- urer of the South Side Building & Loan Association, of Lima, and a member of its board of directors, is one of the city's well-known and re- spected business men. Mr. Moser was born in Moutier, Canton Bern, Switzerland, April 13, 1835, and is a son of David and Anna (Ha- begger) Moser.
David Moser was also a native of Switzer- land, where he married and carried on busi- ness as a hatter. After he came to America, in 1853, he engaged in farming in Wells County, Indiana, in the vicinity of Newville. His family consisted of five children, viz : Jacob; Mary, wife of A. Ramseyer, of Lima; Eliza, wife of G. Sourer, of Newville, In- diana; Mrs. Rosina Anner, of Newville, In- diana; and Fred, who is in the drug business at Lima.
Jacob Moser, who was the eldest of the family, was educated in Switzerland and learned the hatter's trade with his father. After coming to America, he located at Bluff- ton, this county, and embarked in the drug business, in which he continued for some eight years, then locating in Lima, where, in asso- ciation with J. Myers, he conducted a well- patronized drug-store for five years. In 1884, after selling his interest, he engaged in the furniture and undertaking business and as a member of the firm of Townsend, Moser & Company, was so occupied until 1893. Mr. Moser is known as one of the honest and up- right business men of this city, and has a wide circle of personal, as well as business friends. He is social by nature, and for many years has been active both in the Odd Fellow and Ma- sonic fraternities.
In 1888 Mr. Moser became associated with the South Side Building & Loan Association,
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and has been its secretary since that year. He is a man of public spirit and may always be found with those who work for the best inter- ests of the city.
On March 11, 1861, Mr. Moser was united in marriage with Elizabeth Neuenschwander, of Wayne County, Ohio, a native of this State. Four children have been born to them, viz : Emma, who married Dr. F. G. Stueber, of Lima; Bertha, wife of W. H. Deakin, of Lima; and Calvin and Albert, both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Moser have a very pleasant and attractive home, which is located at No. 506 West North street.
Albert Moser, A. M., M. D., Mr. and Mrs. Moser's younger son, was a graduate both of Oberlin College and the medical department of Harvard University. He served in the Span- ish-American War, where he contracted the illness which terminated in his death, Decem- ber 8, 1903, at the Saranac Lake Sanitarium, New York.
OHN BIXEL, cashier of the First Na- tional Bank of Bluffton, has been a lifelong resident of the town, having been born here June 11, 1869. His father is Peter Bixel, Sr., a farmer re- siding near Bluffton. Mr. Bixel acquired a good, practical business education, attending the Bluffton High School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1889. The following eight years were spent in teaching in district schools, during which time he took the work of the Ohio Normal University at Ada, Ohio. His first venture in the commercial world was in the grocery business with his brother David. Bixel Brothers conducted their store for three years, and then our subject disposed of his in- terest in the concern to his brother and became a partner of B. C. Mann, who was engaged in the shoe and clothing business. Two years later the firm of Bixel & Mann was dissolved by Mr. Bixel's withdrawal from the company.
About this time the First National Bank was organized, Mr. Bixel being one of the promoters of the enterprise, and he was chosen as cashier, a position which he has since re- tained to the perfect satisfaction of all con-
cerned. The first officers of the bank were: Simon Herr, president; Lewis S. Duper, vice- president; John Bixel, cashier, the foregoing with Amas A. Geiger and A. J. Solomon con- stituting the board of directors. The only change made since in this list of officers was occasioned by the withdrawal of Mr. Solomon, who sold his stock to Henry Gratz, who was later elected a director. Mr. Bixel was one of the chief promoters of the Beaver Dam Bank, which was organized in 1902. This is a private bank, of which Mr. Herr is president and our subject, one of the directors.
Mr. Bixel married Halla Russell, who is a native of Bluffton and a daughter of Orin and Ella (Halla) Russell. Her grandfather was Daniel Russell, one of the first residents here. He was president of the first bank established, the People's Bank, and also conducted a gen- eral merchandise store and grain depot, his son Orin being a partner under the firm name of Russell & Son. Both are deceased. Mr. Bixel has one child, a son, Russell L., born April 19, 1899. Our subject is a member of the Men- nonite Church and one of Bluffton's most forceful and enterprising men.
AMES M. COCHRAN, one of the well-known residents of Marion town- ship and a veterinarian of great skill, belongs to one of the very old famil- ies of Tennessee, which is also num- bered among the old and honored pioneer families of Allen County. His male ancestors were distinguished both in the War of the Revolution and in the War of 1812.
James M. Cochran, the great-grandfather of the present James M., was born in Scotland and came to America prior to the Revolution- ary War. He settled among the mountains of Tennessee, took an active part in the affairs of his section, participated in the border wars and, as far as known, protected his property and family in those pioneer days, as became a man of sturdy courage. His three sons were named, William, Benjamin and Isaac.
William Cochran, the eldest, was our sub- ject's paternal grandfather. He was born in Tennessee and served seven years in the In-
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dian wars of his native State. In the War of 1812 he also served as a soldier and for this service received a land grant of 200 acres lo- cated in Paulding County, Ohio. He had set- tled, prior to this, among the pioneers of Ross County, Ohio, where he married Betsey Man- nery, a lady of Irish extraction and of Revo- lutionary ancestry. To this marriage were born 10 children, of whom the following reached mature years : John M., Jane, James, Catherine, Nancy and William. Of these, John M. was treasurer. of Putnam County. When he went to the county seat to make set- tlement, he carried the funds in his wallet on horseback, the amount at that time not exceed- ing $60. William, his brother, was one of the early sheriffs of Putnam County, a represen- tative man of his day, prominent in political and business life.
William Cochran the elder was an able man and left the impress of his sterling char- acter on every locality in which he lived. From Ross County he moved in 1821 to what is now Allen County. He "squatted" on a small farm on the Auglaize River and during his short period of residence cleared up one field. This farm, located in section 4, Marion township, is now owned by the King family and is occupied by a Mr. Wagner. After the land came into the market Benjamin Cochran bought it and William then removed to the farm now occupied by Mr. Long, located two miles north of Dr. Cochran's home in section 22, with the Auglaize River bordering it on the west. Later he bought 103 acres at Mid- dlepoint, Van Wert County, and this, together with his land in Paulding County, made him the owner of 310 acres. He died on his farm at Middlepoint, at the age of 88 years, one of the few survivors of the pioneers who had come to Allen County before the Shawnee In- dians had departed. He served officially in Putnam (Allen) County, and was a circuit court judge, being appointed at Kalida, Ohio.
James Cochran, the third son of William Cochran and the father of Dr. Cochran, was born in Ross County, Ohio, November, 25, 1804. Born among pioneer surroundings, his education was limited. School terms were of short duration in those days and accommoda-
tions necessarily poor in the small, hastily con- structed log school-houses; but he possessed the native ability of his family and was reckoned among the well-informed men of his day. The large amount of active, outdoor exercise in- volved in clearing and cultivating the pioneer farm, gave him a stalwart frame and the ro- bust health which prolonged his years for be- yond those of his contemporaries. He died in Marion township, Allen County, June 12, 1893. His son, our subject, can recall many of the conditions of pioneer life from his own experience and many others from hearsay, and they are very interesting as presenting a pic- ture so different from what may be seen here at the present day.
The family home was built first of round logs, right in the forest, but a more secure one was later constructed of hewed logs. The clearing of the 100 acres, on which Dr. Coch- ran now resides, was done with ox teams, the great strength of the oxen performing the tasks which now would be done by machinery. Mr. Cochran used the old wooden mold-board plow and threshed his grain with a flail. The Shawnee Indians were yet a powerful tribe in this section, in fact, when Mr. Cochran came to the county he had but three families of white neighbors. Treating the Indians with justice, Mr. Cochran made friends with the braves and they traded together to their mutual benefit, and no Indians ever endangered the peace of his family. With the assistance of his white neighbors, Mr. Cochran blazed paths through the forests. Wild animals still roamed all through this section, the wolves and deer com- ing to the very door. A number of the latter were shot from the doorstep, for food. The larder was also easily supplied with fish from the clear Auglaize River.
For household supplies it was necessary to go to Defiance by boat, and to Pickaway with grain for the mill, the latter trip being one of importance and requiring a week's absence from home. With his neighbors Mr. Cochran assisted in the building of the canal, worked in the timber getting out material for the build- ing of the locks on the same, and also worked on flatboats which were built at Wapakoneta for use on the river.
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James Cochran was twice married; first on September 10, 1826, to Julia Ann Russell, who was a daughter of one of the first settlers in Amanda township, where he located in 1817, lived at Fort Amanda and was a large Indian trader. The children of this marriage were: William R., who was born in 1829, and two daughters, both of whom died. The mother of these children died in 1834. Two years later Mr. Cochran married Isabella Sunder- land, and 12 children were born to this union, the survivors being: Elizabeth, wife of Isaac Stemen, of Huntington, Indiana; Julia Ann, wife of Henry Temple, of Convoy, Ohio; Mary, wife of Robert Martin, of Nebraska; James, the subject of this sketch; Ellen, wife of William Daniels, of Missouri; Nancy, wife of Clarence Hurlbutt, of German township; and Orlando, a resident of Boston, Massa- chusetts. Hattie, deceased, was the wife of Frank Elder. George served in the Civil War as a member of Mclaughlin's Squad, Ohio Cavalry, and was taken prisoner in Stone- man's raid. He was incarcerated in Ander- sonville Prison and died in Mellon Prison in October, 1848. James Cochran was a magis- trate in Marion township and served in a num- ber of the township offices. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church.
James M. Cochran, the immediate subject of this sketch, was educated in the schools of Marion township, in which township he has always had his residence. When not more than seven years of age, he assisted in filling in the embankment of the P., Ft. W. & C. Railway near his home, hauling the dirt in his little cart. He well remembers the old days of harvesting, when he used the old-fashioned cradle almost from sunrise to sunset, for 75 cents a day. His present fine farm is operated by a tenant along modern lines. His beautiful residence and substantial farm buildings are very noticeable from the Lima turnpike road, the highway which passes his gate.
Dr. Cochran has always taken more than the usual interest that an agriculturist and stockman takes in the health and development of animals, appreciating their many admirable qualities and understanding their structure and ailments. During the Civil War, as a member
of Company B, Mclaughlin's Squad, Ohio Cavalry, he put many of his theories into prac- tice, which resulted in the saving of many horses to the service. Since 1880 he has given almost constant attention to a veterinary prac- tice which extends all over the county. He has attended no college; but he has gained a wonderful amount of useful knowledge in his profession through practical experience and real interest in his work.
Dr. Cochran has been twice married; first to Ellen Roush, who was a daughter of Jacob Roush of Amanda township. The death of his first wife and two sons, William S. and Edward, left him not only with his domestic peace disturbed, but just at that time overcome with financial difficulties, in fact without a dol- lar. He was living on his father-in-law's farm and Mr. Roush insisted upon his remain- ing there. Through great industry and perse- verance he managed to regain his financial . standing, and now is one of the substantial men of the township. In 1878 he married, second, Catherine Baxter, who is a daughter of Samuel Baxter. He has one daughter by his first marriage, Almerta, who is the wife of Charles Ford, of Marion township. The three children of his second union are: Dora, wife of Jesse S. Myers, who resides in Marion township, south of the homestead; Orlando Bertrue, living at home; and Viola, wife of Ernest East, of Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Cochran remained for a time on Mr. Roush's farm in Amanda township, then rented the homestead farm and finally pur- chased it. It is a fine property and possesses more than the usual amount of interest for the Doctor, as he assisted very materially in the clearing of the greater part of it from the primitive forest.
OWARD B. HOVER, pharmacist, controls one of the largest drug- stores in the city of Lima, his busi- ness having a very favorable location at No. 38, Public Square. Mr. Hover represents one of the old pioneer fam- ilies of the county. A son of David E. Hover, he was born in 1868 in Shawnee township,
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B. F. THOMAS
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within 1,000 yards of the old Shawnee Council House, on the first ground cleared by the In- dians.
The Hover family claims Scotch descent, but the founders of it in the United States sailed from Holland. The American fore- fathers were John, Emanuel and Peter, who probably settled in New Jersey some time prior to the Revolutionary War, in which they all participated. John Hover was killed by the Indians in the early period of the conflict, and Emanuel Hover, the head of the branch from which our subject sprung, was a captain under Washington.
Ezekiel Hover, the great-grandfather of our subject, removed in 1800 from Sussex County, New Jersey, to Western Pennsylvania, and then to Trumbull County, Ohio, in the Western reserve. In 1833 he located in Allen County as one of the first settlers. His son, Emanuel Hover, was born in the Western Re- serve and accompanied the family to Allen County. In 1836 he returned to Trumbull County, there married Margaret Carlisle and then returned to Allen County, locating first in Amanda township and later removing to Shawnee township. Two children were born to him and his wife: David Ezekiel and Sarah Ann (Hanson) the latter deceased in 1881.
David Ezekiel Hover, was born in the cabin of the Shawnee chief, Pht, in Shawnee town- ship, in 1837, but he was mainly reared in Trumbull County. In 1859 he returned to Allen County. He resides in Shawnee town- ship near Lima and is a member of the board of trustees of the Allen County Children's Home. He married Susan Boyd, and to them were born five children, of whom Howard B. and his twin sister, Margaret Anna, are the youngest.
Howard B. Hover was reared and educated in Shawnee township. His literary training was obtained at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, where he also took a course in pharm- acy. He then entered the drug-store of Mr. W. M. Melville, and in 1893 became connected with Mr. Truesdale, at Lima. In 1897 he purchased Mr. Truesdale's entire interest and has not only continued the business, but has greatly enlarged its scope. He is recognized
as a reliable pharmacist and compounder of prescriptions and an enterprising and honor- able business man. His professional standing is evident by his close association with the leading drug organizations of the country ; he is a member of the National Association of Re- tail Druggists, and the Ohio State and Lima pharmaceutical association, and has served as secretary of the last named body.
In 1897 Mr. Hover was married to Flor- ence Fisher, a daughter of George Fisher, who is a hardware merchant of Auglaize County. They are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Hover's fraternal connections are with the Elks and Knights of Pythias.
B F. THOMAS, while yet a young man, has evinced an aptitude for business which has placed him at the head of one of the leading industrial establish- ments of Lima. As president of the Lima Pork Packing Company, which he founded several years ago, he occupies a prom- inent position among the leading men of the city, and has been the means of drawing to this city a volume of business which has largely added to her present prosperity. Mr. Thomas was born in New York City in 1871, and is a son of Morgan Thomas, who conducts a very profitable butter, egg and poultry business in Lima and is one of the city's representative men.
B. F. Thomas was a small child when his parents moved from New York to Sidney, Ohio, and a lad of 12 years when they located in Lima. After his school days were past, he became a partner with his father in the butter, egg and poultry business, the company of M. Thomas & Son doing an extensive business and handling large quantities of produce. Young Thomas saw the success that would result from a packing plant in Lima, and in 1898 withdrew from the partnership with his father and opened a pork packing plant. This he conducted more profitably than he had anticipated, and as the volume of business continued to increase the present company was incorporated in 1901, with a capital stock of $60,000. The officers
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of the company are : President, B. F. Thomas; vice-president, Ira P. Carnes; treasurer, W. C. Bradley ; secretary, D. W. Leichty. The plant slaughters weekly from 40 to 60 beeves, and from 200 to 600 hogs, besides sheep, lambs and calves, in addition to handling about 25 car- loads of pickled meats a year. It manufactures daily about 4,000 pounds of sausage, bologna. Employment is given to some 35 men. The two traveling salesmen of the concern visit 60 or 70 of the leading towns in this part of the State, where they find a ready market for the products of the plant. Mr. Thomas is a stock- holder and director of The Ohio National Bank and the Superior Brick Company. He was married in 1896, to Anna M. Armstrong. His portrait accompanies this sketch.
D. CARPENTER, one of the old and well-established business men and a leading confectioner of Lima, was born at New Salem, Fairfield County, Ohio, and is a son of H. M. Carpenter, a pioneer merchant at Granville, Licking County, Ohio, where he was a valued business man for over 30 years.
During our subject's infancy his parents moved from Fairfield to Licking County, where his father, as above stated, established himself at Granville. Here the child grew to young manhood, receiving his education in the schools of that place. He then learned the tin- ner's trade, and subsequently became foreman of the tin department in the Soldiers' and Sail- ors' Orphans' Home, at Xenia. After remain- ing four years in that institution, he removed to Wellington, Clinton County, and there found a favorable opening for a bakery and confectionery business. During his three years there he developed such skill in this line that he removed to Lima to occupy a wider field. Here he carried on both lines of business for a year and then sold his bakery interests in order to give more attention to his rapidly ex- panding confectionery trade. He is the pio- neer in this business here and at present con- trols the bulk of it. He is a large manufact- urer, and Carpenter's caramels and Carpenter's
ice cream are well known throughout this en- tire section.
In 1880 Mr. Carpenter was married to Julia Miller, who is a daughter of Albert Mil- ler, a prominent farmer of Greene County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are members of the Presbyterian Church at Lima. Frater- nally he is a Mason and a Knight of Pythias. His business location is No. 9 Public Square, where his display of confections is large and attractive, and where a visitor may discover the sanitary conditions and scientific methods, which makes the sweets manufactured here both digestible and wholesome.
n EWTON C. BEERY, one of the trus- tees of German township, and one of the county's substantial farmers and representative men, was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, Jan- uary 7, 1854, and is a son of John H. and Delilah (Niswander) Beery.
The father of Mr. Beery was born in Vir- ginia, August 20, 1831, came to Allen County and settled in German township. He died September 11, 1896, and is buried in Sugar Creek cemetery. He married Delilah Nis- wander, who was born near Edom, Rocking- ham County, Virginia, May 5, 1830, and died November 23, 1904. She was a daughter of Christian and Susan Niswander. Her last years were spent with her son, Newton C. The children of John H. and Delilah Beery were: Lydia E., born March 23, 1857; Isaac N., born August 10, 1860, who died Decem- ber 2, 1863; Benjamin F., born November 2, 1863, who died January 5, 1864; and New- ton C.
Newton C. Beery was reared and educated in Rockingham County, Virginia, where he re- mained until the spring of 1875, when he came to his present farm, on which his father. settled. He has continued to reside here ever since and is considered one of the township's foremost agriculturists. On September 5, 1878, Eliza- beth Herzog became our subject's wife. Mrs. Beery is a native of Pennsylvania, born Feb- ruary 20, 1858.
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To Mr. Beery and wife have been born these children : George W., born near Lima, Ohio, September 20, 1879, who married Min- nie Irvin December 25, 1901 and has two chil- dren-Irvin, born November 16, 1902, and Edith E., born January 18, 1904; Minerva, born July 5, 1881, who died August 23, 1881 ; Cora E., born July 15, 1885, who is a profes- sional nurse; Isaac, born March 1, 1888; Eph- raim, born July 24, 1890; and Lydia E., born May 12, 1893.
Mr. Beery is a prominent member of the Dunkard Church. He is a stanch Democrat, and in 1899 was elected trustee of German township. The duties of this office were per- formed with the integrity which marks the character of Mr. Berry, and makes him a man honored and esteemed by his neighbors.
J OSCAR HOVER, one of the leading and influential men of Lima, vice- president of The Lima Trust Com- pany and The Hall & Woods Com- pany, operating the Model Mills, in- terested in many other enterprises, and for years closely identified with the oil developing in the Ohio and Indiana fields. He was born at Lima, April 19, 1850, and is a son of the late William Ulysses Hover.
The father of Mr. Hover come to Lima among the early settlers, locating here in 1833, when the present city of some 22,000 people was represented by only eight families. Migrating from Trumbull County, Ohio, he established a foundry and tin-shop at Lima, but subsequently engaged in farming and devoted the remainder of his life to agricultural pur- suits. His death occurred in 1896.
J. Oscar Hover was educated in the public schools of Lima, and of Shawnee township, his entrance into business life being as a clerk in a merchantile establishment of his native city. After an experience of five years, he became associated with his brother, T. L. Hover, un- der the firm name of Hover Brothers, in a general mercantile business at Cridersville, Ohio, which was successfully continued for 25
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