USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part One > Part 51
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Mr. Adkins, like his father, is identified with the Democratic party. Fraternally he is a Mason and a Knight of Pythias.
LOUIS BARTH, decorator and dealer in wall-paper at Lima, was born in Marion County, Ohio, September 9, 1877. His father, William Barth, residing on Union street, is a native of Saxony, Germany. Our subject's mother, whose maiden name was Rhoda Burrey, was born in Marion County, Ohio. William Barth and his wife reared three children, viz: Elmer, of Lima; David, of Los Angeles, California; J. Louis, the immediate subject of this sketch; and Laura, wife of Harry Thew, of Lima.
J. Louis Barth has resided in Lima since his. childhood and when old enough to make his- own way in the world entered the Monroe fac- tory where he was employed about two years. He left that work to accept the management of the store room of Carnes, Agerter & Com- pany's car and machine works. After he had been in that position for two years, he decided to engage in business for himself, and to that end learned the trade of decorator. In 1899 he opened a store for the sale of wall-paper, etc., and has given such general satisfaction to his. patrons that to-day he is the leader in that line of goods in Lima. In his stock will be found fashionable papers suited to the most fastidious taste and ranging in price from 5 cents to $35 per roll. In addition to his extensive local trade, he has a large outside patronage, and is widely known for his skillful and excellent work.
Mr. Barth was married on May 31. 1904 ..
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to Jessie Eleanor Jenkins, daughter of Dr. J. S. Jenkins, of Venedocia, Van Wert County, Ohio. They have one child, Marvin Jenkins, born May 21, 1905. Mr. Barth is a member of the Presbyterian Church and a man of integ- rity and worth.
OHN R. HANCE, whose fine farm "Maple Grove," situated in section I, Spencer township, adjoins the city lim- its of Spencerville, was born Septem- ber 9, 1846, in Gallatin County, Ken- tucky, and is a son of Richard and Margaret Jane (Knox) Hance and a grandson of John and Keturah (Clements) Hance, natives of Lexington, Kentucky.
Mr. Hance comes of Revolutionary stock and of one of the old-established families of America. His great-great-grandfather, John Hance, who was a large slaveholder, came from England and was one of the very early set- tlers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. His great-grandfather, Richard Hance, took part in the Revolutionary War and removed from Maryland to Kentucky, locating first in Scott County. He was one of the workmen employed in the building of the State House, at Lexing- ton. Later he took up land in Bourbon County and passed the rest of his life there. He was considered a man of prominence and substance. His son John, born at Lexington, was the grandfather of our subject.
Of the family of 10 children born to John Hance and his wife, Keturah Clements, Rich- ard Hance, the father of our subject, is the only survivor. He was born September 7, 1824, in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and was reared and educated in that State, where he re- mained until 1849, when he came to Ohio. During his 18 months of prospecting, he lived on the Auglaize River. Finally, in April, 1851, he took up a tract of land in Jennings town- ship, Van Wert County, and on its southeast corner erected a round-log cabin, with a stick and clay chimney. The county at that time was still practically unsettled and deer and wolves were plentiful in the surrounding forest and even bear were not unknown. Mr. Hance, with
the assistance of his son John, cleared 80 acres of land and fenced his property with rails. All the luxuries and almost all of the necessities of what was then deemed comfortable living were produced at home, each member of the family having appointed tasks.
The family continued to occupy the first log cabin for a term of II years and then a more comfortable and commodious one was built of hewed logs, the work being done by Mr. Hance and his sons. "The old house still stands solid and secure, although the family moved to Spen- cerville in 1889: While residing on the farm, Mr. Hance was supervisor of his road district, at times ; he had much to do with making good roads.
In 1844 Richard Hance was married in Henry County, Kentucky, to Margaret J. Knox, who was a first cousin of James K. Polk, elected President of the United States in 1844. The Knox family is of Scotch origin and our subject's maternal grandfather took part in the War of Independence. The family first settled in Virginia and later assisted in establishing the colony on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Prior to the marriage of Margaret J. Knox, her people had located in Kentucky. She died in 1880. The children of this marriage who reached maturity were: John R .; William Clements, of Bartlett, Kansas, who married Caroline Masters and has two children living; Wilkison K., of New Carlisle, Ohio, who mar- ried Sarah Allen and has five children; Austin, a resident of Lima, who married Rebecca Shoemaker and has three children; Edward, who died aged 25 years; Icem, a resident of Lima, who married Eliza Snyder, and has three children ; and Ann Eliza, who married Gordon Baker and has two children living. Mr. Hance has 19 grandchildren and 12 great-grand- children.
On October 12, 1882, Richard Hance was married, second, to Mrs. Sarah C. Townsend, who was the widow of Jesse Townsend. Mr. and Mrs. Hance belong to the Baptist Church and reside at Spencerville.
John R. Hance accompanied his parents to Jennings township and grew up surrounded with pioneer conditions, these, perhaps, serving to develop both body and mind, for he was but
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20 years old when he became a successful and popular teacher in the district schools. His first term was taught in the winter of 1866-67. He continued to teach for 12 terms, mostly during the winters as his summers were employed in carrying on agricultural operations. In 1882 he located in Spencer township, Allen County, securing a partly improved farm on the edge of the corporation limits of Spencerville. Here he has continued to make improvements and has built and remodeled buildings so that his prop- erty has greatly increased in value. The Chi- cago & Erie Railroad passes through his farm, the rails having been laid in the year he secured the property.
On April 13, 1869, Mr. Hance was married to Margaret J. Van Sweringen, and to this union have been born these children : Sarah Isa- belle, who died May 26, 1886, aged 16 years ; Thomas E., who resides in Peru, Kansas ; Jen- nie, who married David A. Parrott, of Spen- cerville, and has two children living and two deceased; Charles and Franklin (twins), the latter deceased at the age of 17 days-the former married Ellen Rose and has four chil- dren living and one deceased; Mary, who is the wife of Robert Gracely Kossuth; Millie Ann, who married Clyde Robbins and died July 17, 1905, leaving two children-two other children died before their mother went to her reward; Nora Catherine, who married Webb D. Metz- ger, of Spencer township, and has one child; and Martha Rachel, who lives at home.
EORGE MCCAULEY conducts a flourishing meat market and grocery store in Lima, where he has been a life-long resident. He first opened his eyes to the light of day in this city in 1873, his father being Joseph McCauley, now deceased, who came here about 40 years ago and engaged in milling.
George McCauley became a wage-earner at an early age, first as newsboy and later as a clerk in Adams' grocery store. After clerking about six years, he formed a partnership with a Mr. Biggs, and for the next three years the grocery business of McCauley & Biggs claimed all his
attention. At the expiration of that time the partnership was dissolved, and during the fol- lowing three years Mr. McCauley ran the store at the old stand alone. His brother, S. E. Mc- Cauley, then bought an interest in the business, and the stock was moved to the corner of Jack- son and Mckibben streets and conducted under the name of McCauley Brothers for another three years. Since that time our subject has been in business alone at No. 930 East High street, where he continues to cater to an ex- tended and lucrative patronage.
An important epoch in his life occurred in 1904 when he was married to Florence Collins, a lady of many accomplishments and of pleas- ing personality. They have one son, Daniel Joseph, born November 23, 1905. Mrs. Mc- Cauley's parents D. E. and Ellen M. Collins, reside on Bellefontaine avenue Lima, and are prominent in the life of the city, the former being an oil gauger and the latter being a well- known dealer in real estate. Mrs. Collins is a shrewd, clearheaded business woman, and in addition to Collins' addition to Lima has vari- ous other properties in the city to rent and for sale. Mr. McCauley is a devout member of St. Rose's Catholic Church and a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters.
H. HUNTLEY, M. D., who has an enviable reputation as a physician and surgeon, not only in Allen County, but throughout the State of Ohio, is a citi- zen of Lima where he universally re- spected and loved. He was born in Hardin County Ohio, in 1851, and is a son of Joseph Huntley, an agriculturist of that section who moved to Allen Couny about 1853 and here en- gaged in farming.
Dr. Huntley was a cripple in his childhood and for more than 10 years was able to go around only by means of crutches. This in- firmity was overcome only after the fourth sur- gical operation had been performed upon his feet and doubtless to this affliction and subse- quent relief Allen County is indebted for one of her most skillful surgeons, the desire to enter that profession having entered the mind
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of the child at an early age and taken a firm hold upon it. So much interested was he in surgical work that when he was 12 years of age, he crawled up to a window, where he could command a view of the operating table, and watched Dr. S. A. Baxter amputate the leg of Mr. Shockey an old resident of the county. It was some time, however, before he saw the frui- tion of his hopes. His first labors were in a saddlery and harness shop where he learned the trade and followed it for three years. He then engaged in teaching school, never for a moment relinquishing his purpose of becoming a sur- geon, and was at last able to enter the medical department of the University of Michigan. Having entered upon the work, he left no stone unturned to master the profession. After one year of hard study at Ann Arbor he entered the Eclectic Medical Institute, of Cincinnati, grad- uating from that institution in 1878. He opened his first office at West Newton, Allen County, later removing to Alger, Hardin County, where he practiced for some time. He continued his studies and in 1890 was graduated from the Starling Medical College of Columbus, Ohio. He has taken two post-graduate courses in Chi- cago, two in New York City, one in Boston and one in New Orleans. Dr. Huntley located in Lima in 1895, and few surgeons have been bet- ter equipped or more efficient in their chosen work than he. Heretofore the Doctor has de- voted his time to both medicine and surgery, but after the first of January, 1906, he expects to confine his practice to surgery. His rare skill and almost phenomenal success has made the name of Dr. Huntley a familiar one in med- ical circles, while it is held in grateful love in hundreds of homes which his service's have blessed with health. While he handles all man- ner of surgical cases, and has an extended and enviable reputation in abdominal surgery, his specialty is in treating diseases of the limbs and feet.
Dr. J. H. Huntley was married in 1885 to Mary E. McClung, daughter of Hutchison Mc- Clung. Their union has been blessed by the birth of one daughter, Grace Darling, who is a young lady possessing many accomplishments and rare ability as a reader. Graduating from the literary department of Lima College in the
class of 1904 with the degree of B. L., she en- tered the Emerson School of Oratory at Bo's- ton, where she is now in her second year and has a reputation as a reader which is excelled by few. Like her father, she is an untiring stu- dent and compels success in whatever she under- takes. Dr. Huntley is a member of the Allen County, Northwestern Ohio, State and Ameri- can medical associations and is an instructor in the Lima Training School for Nurses. He is a Royal Arch Mason and a man who is looked up to and respected by all.
REDERICK GOODMAN, a represen- tative of one of Allen County's prom- inent pioneer families, is engaged in farming in Shawnee township, his- farm being located in section 4. He was born January 12, 1836 in Ross County, Ohio, and is a son of Peter and Diana (Shaffer) Goodman, and a grandson of Peter Goodman, Sr., who in 1803, with his brothers, Daniel and Samuel, removed from Reading, Pennsylvania to Ross County, Ohio. The three brothers were married and brought their fam- ilies with them.
Peter Goodman, father of our subject, was born in Pennsylvania in 1803 and was three weeks old when the family came to Ohio and located in Ross County. There in early life he engaged in hauling freight, consisting of all kinds of merchandise, driving six-horse teams. He acquired a piece of land in that county, which he cleared and cultivated until 1860, in which year he came to Allen County. Here he purchased a tract of 160 acres, located five miles east of Lima. There he farmed and resided until 1880, when he moved to the present Goodman farm in section 4, Shawnee town- ship. He died on this place April 9, 1882, aged 89 years. His wife, Diana (Shaffer) Good- man, was born in Virginia and was 17 years old when she came to Ohio. Her death oc- curred in February, 1870. Peter Goodman was a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Lutheran Church.
Peter and Diana (Shaffer) Goodman had the following children : Harriet ; Caroline, wife.
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of Daniel Moyer, living in Arkansas; Freder- ick ; Margaret; Charles, who lived on the home place until his death at the age of 46; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Albert Hefner, ex-county commissioner of Allen County ; David, deceased at the age of 22 years ; Calvin ; and Oliver who died at the age of two years.
There are two houses on the Goodman farm, one of them occupied by our subject and his family and the other by his sisters, Harriet and Margaret, and his brother, Calvin, who have never married.
Frederick Goodman was past 24 years of age when, in April, 1860, he accompanied the family to Allen County. He enlisted in the Union Army in 1862, and served three years in the Pioneer Corps, seeing hard service in the South and West. The work was very hazard- ous, as it was usually in advance of the fight- ing line. The detachments of the Pioneer Corps, while engaged at their work of clearing away obstructions, building roads and bridges, etc., were always subject to attacks by large forces of the enemy. They were in the woods cutting timber upon one occasion when they were attacked by 500 Confederate cavalrymen. Mr. Goodman was shot through the leg and was incapacitated for some time. He was hon- orably discharged in May, 1865, and returned to Columbus, where for about a year he fol- lowed his trade as a mechanic. He had fol- lowed his trade in St. Louis for a time before going to the war. Since returning to Allen County he has been engaged in farming, al- though he has done some carpentering.
In working upon the place some time ago, Mr. Goodman ploughed up a silver hair-comb, which Mrs. Goodman or her daughter some- times wears. Although buried in the ground many years, it is not in the least impaired. Our subject also has an old Indian scalping-knife, which was found on the place, and many other interesting relics of the period of Indian habi- tation in Allen County.
More than a century ago Turkey Foot, a member of the Shawnee tribe of Indians living in this vicinity, built on what is now the Good- man farm'a cabin which has since been known as "Turkey Foot's Cabin." It is still standing, although fast succumbing to the elements.
On February 5, 1884, Frederick Goodman married Loureath Hibbets, who was born in Jackson township, Allen County, Ohio, and is a daughter of John and Margaret (Harper) Hibbets. John Hibbets removed to Champaign County, Ohio, at an early date, and in 1830 came to Allen County, locating a farm situ- ated partly in Bath and partly in Jackson town- ship, the house being in the latter. His wife chopped down the first tree for the clearing where the log-cabin was erected.
Mrs. Hibbets was born in West Virginia at Harper's Ferry, and was a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Harper, who moved from Harper's Ferry, which was named after this family, to Champaign County, Ohio.
Mr. and Mrs. Hibbets had 10 children, namely : Maria, wife of Jesse Rambaugh, liv- ing in Iowa; Samuel, who lives in Michigan ; Peggy, Sarah, John, Caroline, Rosanna and Jane, all deceased; Loureath, wife of our sub- ject; and Aramitta, wife of Henry Bolton, of Lima. John Hibbets, father of Mrs. Goodman, finally moved from Jackson to Shawnee town- ship, and took up a farm which connects with our subjects. He died December 24, 1889; his wife died February 4, 1888.
To Mr. and Mrs. Goodman were born two children, as follows: Clara, deceased at the age of two years ; and Alta, born September 28, 1888, who lives at home.
Mr. Goodman is a Democrat in politics, and was six years on the township board. Mrs. Goodman is a member of the Methodist Epis- copal Church ; Mr. Goodman, while not a mem- ber, of the church, has always been a consistent church-goer and has contributed towards build- ing churches.
HARLES E. CRAIG, county sur- veyor of Allen County, and a popu- lar and efficient official, was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, December 3. 1870, and is a son of Silas and Mahala (Stepleton) Craig, who are natives of Allen County. They reared a family of seven children.
Mr. Craig, who is one of a family of seven children. was reared on his father's farm and
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THORNTON T. MITCHELL
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obtained his primary education in the public schools. Afterwards he became a student at the Ohio Normal University and still later, at Lima College. For probably 10 years he fol- lowed his profession as surveyor and engineer during the summer seasons in Allen County, spending his winters teaching school. In 1903 he was elected county surveyor of Allen County on the Democratic ticket. This position brings with it many important duties and requires a well-equipped man properly to perform them. Such Mr. Craig has proven himself to be. In addition to his own personal work, two deputy surveyors are required, over whom he has en- tire supervision.
Mr. Craig is looked upon as one of the ris- ing young men of Allen County, and he is per- sonally popular with his fellow citizens, irre- spective of party. He is fraternally connected with the Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Golden Eagle. At present writing Mr. Craig is unmarried and resides at No. 789 Oak street, Lima.
HORNTON T. MITCHELL, presi- dent of The City Bank of Lima, whose portrait accompanies this sketch, be- longs to one of the old pioneer fami- lies of this section. Mr. Mitchell was born on his father's Ohio farm, on August 27, 1827, and is a son of John P. and Maria ( Bent- ley) Mitchell.
The parents of Mr. Mitchell came to Lima when the present city was represented by noth- ing but a couple of log houses, in fact John P. Mitchell's family was the second one to really establish a home here, this being in 1831. The father died in 1834, leaving four children. Though the little home of logs was a building but 15 feet square, it was quite as pretentious as any of its neighbors for a long time fol- lowing.
Our subject was four years old when his parents came to Lima and here he grew to man- hood. He learned the harness-making trade as a means of livelihood and worked at this and the saddlery business until 1878. Since then he has been interested in banking, having bought out the business of Dr. S. A. Baxter.
The capital stock of The City Bank of Lima, is $50,000. Under Mr. Mitchell's careful and conservative direction, the bank has become one of the best known institutions of this city. The cashier is Elmer B. Mitchell and the assistant cashier is Ernest T. Mitchell, sons of our sub- ject.
Mr. Mitchell was married to Nancy Stevens and they have seven children, as follows : Roena F., widow of A. C. Baxter, Sr .; Elmer B., mentioned above; Mrs. Emma H. Decker ; Ernest T., also mentioned above; Dora F., wife of S. K. Blair, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, superintendent of the Western Division of the "Nickel Plate" Railroad; Mary E., widow of J. A. Hesse; and Thornton W., who is engaged in the oil business. All reside in Lima except Mrs. Blair. The family belong to the Presby- terian Church, of which Mr. Mitchell is a gen- erous supporter. He is interested in many be- nevolent institutions and is one of the most liberal men as well as one of the largest capi- talists of Allen County. The beautiful fam- ily home at Lima is situated at No. 304 West Market street. Politically Mr. Mitchell is a Republican. Fraternally he is a Mason.
D ANIEL J. O'DAY. The death of Daniel J. O'Day, which occurred May 28, 1905, at his home on the southeast corner of West and North streets, Lima, removed one of the city's most estimable and beloved citizens, and a man whose rise from a humble position to that of a distinguished one, in close association with the greatest combination of capital and brain that the world has ever known, was entirely through his own inherent ability. Thus his career, his methods, his personality and his victories pos- sess an interest not only for his family and im- mediate friends, but for the country at large.
Daniel J. O'Day was born October 2. 1857, at Ellicottville, Cattaraugus County, New York, and was a son of Daniel and Hannah O'Day, who died some years ago. Mr. O'Day was born into a large family, in which indus- try was considered a cardinal virtue. and fru- gality, a continuous necessity. His boyhood
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was passed on a farm and his opportunities for education and general culture were compara- tively slight. No disadvantages however, and no drawbacks were sufficient to discourage one who possessed determination and ambition united with a strong character. When the time came for him to make a choice of career, it led from the farm, and as he had already shown a remarkable aptitude for mechanics, he sought an opening where these inclinations could be properly molded. In 1873 he thus became an apprentice in the boiler shops of Gibbs & Rus- sell, at Titusville, Pennsylvania. Here his work was marked by carefulness, reliability and in- telligence, and when his apprenticeship ended, he had a thorough and practical knowledge of machinery construction which, although he did not then know it, was to be of the greatest value to him later, in life. In 1876 he entered the service of the American Transfer Company, at Oil City, Pennsylvania, where he remained un- til 1878, when he was transferred to Bradford, Pennsylvania, and shortly afterward was placed in charge of the United Pipe Line interests at Olean, New York, being at the time of assum- ing these important relations but 22 years of age.
Mr. O'Day's capacity and fidelity were rec- ognized and were still further rewarded in 1885, when he was appointed superintendent of the Macksburg Pipe Line, with headquarters at Macksburg, Ohio, where he remained two years, during that period developing a system which connected the different pipe-lines of this field, and which extended as far as Parkers- burg, West Virginia. Not only did Mr. O'Day accomplish a remarkable engineering feat, but by his shrewd, skillful and judicious manage- ment of all associated interests, still more fully proved to the company the great value of his services.
In January, 1887, Mr. O'Day was called to Lima, which city continued to be his chosen and beloved home until his death. He located here as general superintendent of the Buckeye Pipe Line Company, which then embraced the entire pipe-line system of the great Trenton rock oil field of Ohio and Indiana, the most far-reaching branch of the Standard Oil Company. This most responsible position he continued to ac-
ceptably fill until his decease. It was Mr. O'Day who was delegated by the Standard Oil interests to take charge of the great develop- ment of oil in Kansas and Indian Territory, in 1902, and, regardless of premonitions of illness, he gave his personal attention to the locating and constructing of the lines. This work was his last great accomplishment. During the many years of close association with men of all degree in the pipe-line business, he won respect and esteem. His bearing was ever genial and considerate and, knowingly, he never wronged an individual. His patience was remarkable and, as far as he was able, no employee had cause to resent an injustice done him. In fact, his practice throughout his business life evinced the impulses of a man governed by the highest understanding of business integrity and the de- termination to do right to the best of his ability. He never forgot old friends, nor ever attained to such an eminence that he considered it be- yond his dignity to extend a friendly hand and give a kindly greeting to an acquaintance, no matter what might be his garments or the con- dition of his toil-worn hand.
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