USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part One > Part 56
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58
Mr. and Mrs. Coon are members of the Con- gregational Church, of which he is a deacon and a member of the board of trustees.
Politically he is a Republican, but has never been willing to accept offices of a public char- acter. He belongs to Mart Armstrong Post, No. 202, G. A. R.
L. RUSSELL, president of The Bank of Lima, whose portrait ac- companies this sketch, is one of the leading men of this section of the State, identified with a number of its most important interests to such an extent that he has made a name for himself in busi- ness, social and political life. Mr. Russell was born at Zanesville, Ohio, and is a son of Anson Henry Russell, a well-known oil producer who now lives retired at Cleveland.
Mr. Russell received his educational train- ing in the public schools at Hanoverton, Ohio, Logansport, Indiana, and Saginaw, Michigan. His father was interested in oil production and the son entered into business as an operator and producer, first in the oil fields of Venango County, Pennsylvania. Since then he has in- vestigated intelligently the oil fields of almost all sections of the United States and has been
a producer in Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. At the present time ( 1905) le is personally interested in the operation of 475 wells. In addition he has company interests in a number of successful concerns which cover a wide territory. He is president of the Na- tional Consolidated Oil Company, Union Oil, Gas & Refining Company, Mount Joy Oil Com- pany, Bolton Oil Company, and Troga Oil Company ; and is a director and a member of the executive committee of the United States Petroleum Company. The last mentioned is the largest independent oil-producing company in the field and was organized by Mr. Russell. He floated it in France, its flotation being the lar- gest deal ever made in the oil fields, the sum involved being nearly $1,000,000. For some time Mr. Russell continued as president of the company, but subsequently resigned in order to give necessary attention to his many other enterprises.
In 1902 he came to establish his home at Lima. He is a man who impresses one most favorably, a man with clear insight into world . affairs, with a level head, an open, engaging manner and, in business, a perfect master, of diplomacy. His mingling with men of affairs in this and other countries has broadened both his mind and his sympathies, making him a citizen of whom Lima has reason to be proud.
Always alert in matters of business, when the great Klondike region began to attract visi- tors, he went with the great exodus from the East to that far-distant spot in the great frozen West. He was successful in attaining the re- sults which took him there and returned home in safety after an absence of 18 months, al- though he was on almost the exact spot where occurred the great snow-slide in which 86 men and three women lost their lives. Mr. Russell assisted in taking out the bodies of six of the un- fortunates.
Three years prior to his visit to the Klon- dyke region, Mr. Russell had made a business visit to Venezuela. South America, and while there he secured from President Crispo con- cessions for a long-distance telephone service. He also was the moving spirit in the building of 1,500 miles of trunk lines through the Andes Mountains and he established 17 local ex-
-
422
HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY
changes. It was during his strenuous work in those malarial regions that he was attacked with yellow fever. Although 20 of his employees died of the disease at this time, he survived, be- ing cured by a treatment of his own, with no medical assistance.
He was directly instrumental in saving the life of President Crispo at the beginning of a revolution; for this act he was decorated with the third degree of the Buste Bolivar, which he has in his possession. He is the only private citizen that ever received this decoration.
With the exception of his visits to South America, and the Klondike region, and their consequent business results, Mr. Russell has given his time mainly to the oil-producing bus- iness and in Ohio his name is almost as famil- iar a one as those of the leaders of the largest oil corporation in the world.
Politically Mr. Russell is a stanch Republi- can and he has always been more or less prom- inent in party councils. He was a delegate from the Fourth Congressional District of Ohio to the Republican National Convention which nominated Theodore Roosevelt for the presi- dency, a fact which has given him much satis- faction. He belongs to the Masons, the Elks and the Red Men.
ILLIAM E. REILLY, one of Lima's representative business men, in the line of real estate and insurance, was born at Chicago, Illinois, in 1860, and is a son of the late Pat- rick Reilly, who was a railroad man all his life, and who for 14 years was chief of the motive power department of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad.
In his childhood, the parents of our subject moved from Chicago to Burlington, Iowa, where he was reared and where he obtained his education in the public schools. After complet- ing the high school course, he went to Beards- town, Illinois, as clerk to the master mechanic of the St. Louis Division, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. In that capacity he re- mained three years, when he became storekeep- er of the Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Rail-
road, at Mattoon, Illinois, and continued thus until the fall of 1887. In September of that year he came to Lima as chief clerk of the me- chanical department of the Lake Erie & West- ern Railroad, his father at that time being chief of the motive power department. In this po- sition he continued until June, 1900.
In the spring of 1901, Mr. Reilly was elect- ed a justice of the peace and served in that ca- pacity until June, 1905. Since then he has been engaged in the fire and life insurance business, and has also dealt in real estate with it. He has. always been more or less interested in politics and is a ready worker for his friends.
Fraternally Mr. Reilly belongs to the Eagles and to the Elks. He is a member of St. John's Catholic Church.
ASPER EVERETT one of the promi- nent farmers of Allen County, has been a life-long resident of the farm in sec- tion 34, Monroe township, where he first saw the light of day November 16, 1850. He has 40 acres of land which he devotes. to general farming ; by giving it the proper at- tention, he manages to raise almost as much- produce as do many farmers with twice the acre_ age. His parents were Jacob D. and Elizabeth (Bush) Everett.
Jacob D. Everett was born February 27, 1807, in Erie County, New York, and belonged to one of the old New York families who were originally from England. His parents came to Allen County to spend life's sunset days. He was married December 30, 1828, to Elizabeth Bush, who was born in New York, Februry 12, 1806 and together they removed to Trumbull County, Ohio, and later, in 1835, to Allen Coun- ty, where he bought land of Samuel Miller. As there was no road within three-quarters of a mile of the property, he had to "blaze" the trees in order to make his way to and from his home. He became the owner of 280 acres of land, the greater part of which he cleared during his life. The log house which he built for his home is still standing as a reminder of the hardy and enduring character of the brave old pio- neer. His estate was left in the form of three
423
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
farms of 80 acres each, and one of 40 acres. He was a member of the Disciples' Church and a man who took a keen interest in the spiritual, moral and intellectual improvement of the new country. He was serving as treasurer of the township at the time of his death, May 30, 1852. His family consisted of nine children, namely : Hannah (Edgecomb) of Beaver Dam; Jona- than L., deceased; Mary, wife of Isaac Tharp of West Cairo; Abraham, deceased; Elias de- ceased who lived in Indiana; Frances L. de- ceased, who was the wife of Samuel Cramer, of Paulding County; Thomas, deceased; Esther deceased, who was the wife of William Beamer ; and Jasper. C
Jasper Everett, the immediate subject of this sketch, was married in 1872 to Margaret Reeder a native of Jackson township and a daughter of Henry and Sarah ( Hawk) Reeder, the former of Northurmberland County, Pennsylvania, and the later of Brown County Ohio. They were pioneers of Allen County, where they died. Mrs. Everett is the mother of six children, viz. : Elzie, of Monroe township; Emmett, an at- torney of Lima; Vacy, wife of Charles Lamb; Alzada wife of Frank B. Stockler ; Grover, who is in school and Yates. Mr. Everett is a Demo- crat and served for six years as township trus- tee, being elected to that office in 1891. He has been an Odd Fellow since 1881 when he became a charter member of Cairo Lodge. Mr. Everett had three brothers in the Civil War : Jonathan L. took part during the last year of the war, Abraham enlisted for 100 days, while Thomas reenlisted after serving three years and was with Sherman on the memorable "March to the Sea."
OHN KEITH, civil engineer and form- erly county surveyor of Allen County, now lives in a beautiful home at Lima, and owns one of the finest farms in Perry township. Mr. Keith was born August 27 1844, in Van Wert County, Ohio, and is a son of Johnzey Keith and a grandson of John Keith.
The Keith name has been one of prominence in Northwestern Ohio for many years. John
Keith, the paternal grandfather, migrated from Maryland to Van Wert County, Ohio, among the early pioneers in 1833, and became one of the prominent men of his day. Johnzey Keith, the father of our subject, was born at Baltimore, Maryland, and accompanied his parents to Van Wert County. With his father he entered gov- ernment land, which was long known as "Keith Island," because of the fact that then the land was covered or surrounded by water. He be- came a leader in public affairs and served in many responsible positions, holding local offices and serving two terms as county commissioner. His name was given to localities, streets and buildings, and it has been one which has been held in esteem in all this part of the State.
When John Keith, our immediate subject, was seven years of age, his parents moved to Mercer County, where they lived until the fall of 1854 when they settled in Allen County, at a time when Lima was but a village. The fath- er owned a farm and reared his son to agricul- tural pursuits, but the latter early turned his at- tention to civil engineering, and subsequently became so thorough and competent a surveyor that, in 1879, he was elected county surveyor of Allen County. In 1882 he was reelected to the office and on one occasion polled the second highest vote on the Democratic ticket. It was during this term of his public service that many important public improvements were made, one of these being the inauguration of an extended system of ditching. He was civil engineer of the work, while the Court House was being built. When it became a subject of vital import that Hog Creek, should be ditched, it was Mr. Keith who drew the designs for this important work. After his term of office expired, he re- turned to the farm, where he resided, with the exception of two years' residence in Spencer- ville, until he retired to Lima in 1902.
On December 23, 1869, Mr. Keith was mar- ried to Mary Partello, a daughter of Washing- ton R. Partello, who located at Lima in 1860, and later was elected for two terms as treasurer of Allen County. They have three children, viz .: Albert G., who is one of the chief clerks for the Hollingsworth & Whitney Paper Com- pany, of Boston, Massachusetts; Lillie, who is
424
HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY
the wife of Harry R. Post, of Laflin & Rand, of Haskell New Jersey ; and Donald Roscoe, who is a civil engineer in the county surveyor's office of Allen County.
In politics, Mr. Keith is a Democrat. In 1900, while a resident of Amanda township, where he owned 500 acres of land, he served as land appraiser. In 1902 he sold his property there and bought the old Ross Crossley farm of 340 acres in Perry township. For over 30 years he has been a member of the Masonic lodge at Spencerville.
C. SETTLAGE, secretary of the Peo- ple's Oil & Gas Company, of Lima, is an experienced oil and gas man and has been connected with some of the large enterprises, principally lo- cated in the Trenton rock fields of Ohio. He was born in 1846, at New Bremen, Auglazie County, Ohio, and is a son of Henry A. Set- tlage.
The father of Mr. Settlage was born in Ger- many and came to Ohio in 1838, settling among the pioneers of the Western section of Auglaize County. He was a farmer, and during the building of the Miami and Erie Canal was en- gaged as a contrator on that useful water-way.
H. C. Settlage was educated in the schools of Auglaize County, and then took a course in Baldwin University, at Berea, Ohio, follow- ing which he taught school for two years and then entered into a mercantile business at Wapakoneta, where he continued for the next IO years and where he still has his residence. He was then elected recorder of Auglaize County and served in that office for the follow- ing six years. After retiring from the record- ership he became associated with the Wap- akoneta Gas Company as general manager and secretary, which he managed for five years and then became interested in the production of crude oil, principally in the Trenton rock fields of Ohio. He organized the National Oil Com- pany, of which he is vice-president, and with other capitalists is interested in the Peoples' Oil & Gas Company of Lima, of which he is secretary.
The People's Oil & Gas Company is strictly a combination of business men and capitalists, who produce crude petroleum from tested fields. The policy of this company has always been to work leases in well-known fields, where the speculative feature is at a minimum. The officers of this large corporation are: Charles H. Hubbard, president ; Russell L. Armstrong, vice-president ; William M. Melville, treasurer ; H. C. Settlage, secretary, and William G. Bro- rein, general manager. The office rooms are at Nos. 410-411 Opera House Block, Lima.
In 1870 Mr. Settlage was married to Louisa Kattman, of Auglaize County, and they have three living children, viz: Laura, wife of Van Schwergen, of Lima, who is in the service of the Western Ohio Railway Company; Wesley, who is in the real estate and insurance busi- ness, at Wapakoneta ; and Fred, who is an em- ployee of the Kreitzer Buggy Company, of Wapakoneta.
Politically Mr. Settlage is identified with the Democratic party. When a resident of Wapakoneta he took an active part in the pub- lic affairs of the place. He is a member of Lima Lodge No. 162, B. P. O. E. He was reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church.
EORGE L. NEWSON,president of the City Council of Lima, and one of the leading business men, being the senior member of The Newson-Bond Com- pany, general house furnishers, was born in Morrow County, Ohio, May 13, 1865, and is a son of Samuel and Nancy ( Kingman) Newson.
Samuel Newson was born in Maryland, but subsequently moved to Ohio, where he followed an agricultural life until his death February 5. 1892. He reared a family of four, children.
George L. Newson was reared on his fath- er's farm and grew to manhood like most coun- try boys, differing from some in being more ambitious. He prepared himself for teaching. and for some four years he spent the winters as a pedagogue and assisted in the farm work dur- ing the summers. In 1891 he came to Allen County and accepted a position as clerk in a
425.
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
furniture business at Lima, paying such close attention to the demands and management of this line of business that in 1895 he embarked in the same with a partner, under the firm name of Newson-Deakin Company. This partner- ship lasted for two years and then a corporation was formed and the business was conducted un- der the style of Newson, Deakin, Bond Com- pany; two years later it was changed to its present style.
The Newson-Bond Company carries an im- mense stock of fine household goods and is the largest establishment of its kind at Lima. The value of the stock carried amounts to about $35,000; 15 salespeople are employed. A spe- cialty is made of fine purniture such as can only be found elsewhere in the large cities.
Mr. Newson was united in marriage with Anna B. Powell, a daughter of Evan Powell, of Morrow County, Ohio, and they have one daughter, Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Newson are leading members of Trinity Methodist Epis- copal Church. The charming family home is located at No. 133 North Collett street.
Politically, Mr. Newson is a stanch Re- publican and he has been an important factor in his party for many years. He was elected a member of the City Council and its president in 1902, and in the spring of 1905 he was hon- ored by his fellow-citizens by nomination as Representative. Primarily a business man with large private interests to make heavy demands upon his attention, he is public-spirited enough to assume the duties of office when he believes he can thereby work for the welfare of his fel- low-citizens.
.
CLINTON BEILER resides on a farm of 80 acres in section 14, German town- ship, and is one of the thrifty, influen- tial men of Allen County. He was born on the Van Wert County side of the canal in Delphos, Ohio, on April 20, 1850, and is a son of John and Margaret (Cunning- ham) Beiler. The Beiler family was establish- ed in America early in the 18th century, when the great-grandfather of our subject, Joseph Beiler, came from Germany and settled in
Pennsylvania. He afterwards moved to Car- roll County, Ohio, where he reared a family, among whom was David Beiler, who was born February 2, 1772. David Beiler remained in Carroll County and there married Nancy Sum- mers. Among the children born to them was the father of our. subject-John Beiler, who is a resident of Boston.
Through his mother's people, Mr. Beiler traces his ancestors back to Patrick Cunning- ham, of the Manor Cunningham, of Clough, Ireland, who died in 1644. The first one to- come to America was John Cunningham who settled in Philadelphia in 1737, and died there- in 1776 at the advanced age of 95 years. In 1832 William Cunningham came from Knox County, Illinois, to Allen County, where he is. still represented by numerous descendants. Mrs. John Beiler was a daughter of Archibald Cunningham and was the mother of 10 child- ren, namely: William Biebb, born December 4, 1845, who was killed June 27, 1864, in the battle of Kenesaw Mountain; Samuel L., born June 30, 1847; J. Clinton ; Clara, born January 13, 1852, who married A. A. Starkweather and. died August 29, 1898; Flora, born May 13,. 1853, and deceased on October 4th following ; Adam Clark, born August 17, 1854, deceased January 17, 1892; Emery Fremont, born March 15, 1856; Emma Summers, born March 15, 1856, deceased Septemebr 18, 1858; Josephine, born April 7, 1858, who became the wife of Frank Lochhead, and died December 7, 1894; and David Lincoln, born July 4, 1860, who died on August 2Ist of the following year.
Mr. Beiler received his education in the dis- trict schools and the Ohio Wesleyan University. He has been a farmer all his life. His farm of 80 acres, which he has placed in a high state of cultivation and improved by remodelling and adding to the buildings, is one of the most at- tractive and beautiful in German township. He was married on April 25, 1880, to Ida Faze, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Smith) Faze, of this county. She is a grand- daughter of Nicholas and Cordelia Faze, who were of French-German descent and who came to the United States from Germany in 1819. Mrs. Beiler was born March 31, 1852, in Berk- shire County, Massachusetts. Mr. Beiler be-
426
HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY
lieves in higher education for women and has given his children college training. They have four children, viz: Edna M., the eldest, born March 2, 1881, is a graduate of Lima College, class of 1903. After teaching two years in the Allen County Children's Home, she accepted a position in District No. 6, Sugar Creek town- ship. Ethel Elizabeth, born October 31, 1883, was graduated from the same college in 1904. She is now teaching in German township. Ida Zoe, born November 30, 1885, will graduate from Lima College in the class of 1906. Cora Lois, the youngest of the family, was born January 6, 1891. The family are Methodists, being members of Wesley Chapel in German township, where Mr. Beiler has served as trus- tee, class-leader and superintendent of the Sun- day-school. He is a Republican in politics.
ACOB R. WELCH, M. D., who has the distinction of being the oldest resident physician at Spencerville, as well as one of the town's busiest and most use- ful citizens, was born at Cuba, Putnam County, Ohio, March 16, 1859, and is a son of Jacob and Mary ( Allen ) Welch.
Jacob R. Welch was the only child of his parents and was born after the death of his father, who had been a practicing physician at Cuba. His bereaved mother survived until No- vember 15, 1883, and from the age of 10 years our subject had given his best efforts to make her life one of ease. He attended school dur- ing the winter seasons and through the good management of his mother and by reason of his own ambition passed creditably through the Fort Wayne (Indiana) High School. He worked at the various employments open to a youth at that time and proved his efficiency in many ways. In 1870 he entered the Methodist college at Fort Wayne and took a preparatory medical course and was graduated at the end of four years. He then followed teaching for three years in succession and, as chance offered, attended the Indiana State Normal School at Valparaiso. His medical reading was done under Dr. C. B. Stemen at Fort Wayne and in 1879 he reentered the college at Fort Wayne
and was graduated in medicine with the class of 1882.
As soon as he possessed his coveted degree, Dr. Welch, with a capital of $5 and abundant energy, came to the village of Spenvercille and entered into practice, first with Dr. C. B. Rice, whom he bought out six months later. One year after locating here, on November 28, 1883, he was appointed surgeon for the Chi- cago & Atlantic Railroad. For five years his manner of visiting patients scattered through Allen, Van Wert and Mercer counties was on horseback, and he was obliged to keep three saddle horses in order to attend to the needs of a large and constantly increasing practice. Now his automobile awaits at his office door but his field of practice has been confined to a much smaller territory than in the old days when a call was answered no matter from what distance, both as a matter of humanity as well as for selfish reasons. The town at that time had about 600 inhabitants. He recalls many of his earlier brother physicians, namely: Hart, Campbell, Renner, Travis, Rice, Pethrick, three of these still surviving and working in other fields.
On May 7 1885 Dr. Welch was married to Mollie Miller, a daughter of Harvey Miller, of Warsaw, Indiana. Three children were born to them. Their only daughter, Mildred, is a student in the Spencerville High School.
In addition to his heavy professional labors, Dr. Welch has been interested in a number of business enterprises at Spencerville, including a produce business, oil developing and the pres- idency of the Spencerville Artificial Stone Company, but his profession has always come first and in it he 'is honored and gratefully re- membered all through this section. He was one of the early promoters of the various medi- cal organizations and belongs to county and State medical societies, to the Northwestern Medical Association and to the other bodies of a local character. In civic affairs he has always shown a good citizen's interest and was serving as a member of the School Board when the handsome schoolhouse was erected in Spencer- ville. He belongs to Masonic Lodge No. 306 and to the Knights of Pythias. both at Spen- cerville.
HON. JOHN E. RICHIE
£
429
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.
ON. JOHN E. RICHIE, formerly judge of the Court of Common Pleas and now the senior member of the well-known law firm of Richie & Le- land, of Lima, was born in Crawford County, Ohio, March 28, 1838, and is a son of Mirabeau F. and Sarah (Eaton) Richie.
Mirabeau F. Richie was born in Pennsyl- vania but came to Ohio when he was but 12 years of age, and settled in Columbiana County, removing in 1839 to Van Wert County. His family consisted of 10 children, seven of whom still survive.
John E. Richie was a babe of one year when his parents settled in Van Wert County. He was a student in the first schoolhouse ever built in Harrison township and in youth at- tended school when not engaged in work upon the farm. He completed the school course be- fore he was 18 years old, and thereafter, until he reached manhood, he continued to assist his father on the home farm in the summer season, while in the winter he taught school. Arriving at manhood's estate, he began the study of the law, his reading being done under the super- vision of Edward A. Ballard, now of Denver, Colorado, a well-known former attorney of Allen County. He was admitted to the bar in 1867 and prior to coming to Lima practiced law for six months at Bluffton.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.