USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part Two > Part 44
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H. CORY, president of the Superior Brick Company, has been a resi- dent of Lima for almost a quarter of a century. He was born in Mor- ris County, New Jersey, December 26, 1839, and is a son of James Cory, formerly well known in railroad circles.
Until 16 years old, our subject lived on the home farm in Morris County. The family then moved to Paterson and the youth entered upon an apprenticeship in the Cook Loco- motive Works, which covered four years, nine months and 17 days. As a machinist he then became connected with the old Camden & Am- boy Railroad, now. the Pennsylvania, but one year later came West in search of fortune, and entered the Illinois Central Railroad shops at Centralia, Illinois. He worked for three months as a machinist and then was foreman there for four and a half years. For six and a half years more he held the same position in the shops at Cairo, still later being advanced to the position of division master mechanic for the Illinois Central Railroad at Champaign, Illinois. Mr. Cory continued to advance, be- ing rapidly promoted from one important pos- ition to another. He became general master mechanic at Carmi, for the Cairo & Vincennes Railroad, serving two years, and going from there to Marshalltown, Iowa, as master mech- anic for the Iowa Central for two years; thence to Portsmouth, Ohio, as master mechanic for the Scioto Valley Railroad; thence, two years
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later, to Fostoria, as superintendent of con- struction for the "Nickle Plate"; 18 months later he went to Saratoga, New York, as super- intendent of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel & Western, for four years; and then came to Lima as superintendent of the motor power of the C., H. & D. Railway. After serving in this capacity for 19 years, he gave up railroad work.
Since February, 1905, Mr. Cory has given his attention to his many personal business in- terests, many of these being of a very important - nature. He is president of the Superior Brick Company, is a director in the National Roofing Tile Company, is vice-president of the Lima Home Savings Association, is a director of the Metropolitan Bank and is one of the trustees of the Lima Hospital.
Mr. Cory was married in the spring of 1870 to Mary L. Young, who is a daughter of Rufus Young, formerly a prominent railroad man. They have five children, viz: Charles H., an electrician at Dayton; Louis H., with the Pacific Coast Pipe Line Company, at Men- dota, California; Frederick R., a machinist at Lima; Carrie M., wife of M. C. Purtscher, bookkeeper in the Metropolitan Bank; and James, a chemist, in charge of the acid depart- ment of one of the large refineries here.
For years Mr. Cory has been one of the trustees of th Market Street Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge at Cairo, Illinois. He is identified with the Republican party ; but his many private in- terests have precluded great activity in public affairs. Like many other successful men, Mr. Cory has risen step by step, by persevering in- dustry, close attention to the duty in hand, and by the exercise of those kindly instincts which have brought him many friends.
€ M. GOODING, the leading shoe mer- chant at Lima, where he has been es- tablished since 1881, was born in 1858 at Delaware, Ohio, and is a son of the late Mathew Gooding, formerly a farmer at Delaware, where he died in 1902.
E. M. Gooding was reared in his native
place and attended school until 17 years of age, He then became a partner in a mercantile en- terprise, conducted under the firm name of Beathridge & Gooding, and located at Lewis Center, a small town south of Delaware. The business was continued there for five years, fol- lowing which Mr. Gooding came to Lima, on November 16, 1881, and established himself in the shoe business at No. 230 North Main street, where he has continued until the present time. He has a fine business location, carries a com- plete line of goods and enjoys the largest pa- tronage in the city. He has additional busi- ness interests and is a representative of the commercial men of Lima.
On September 8, 1886, Mr. Gooding was married to Anna De Grief, who is a daughter of Jacob De Grief, a prominent politician of Tuscarawas County. They have two sons, Fred E. and Joseph D., the former of whom is a student at Hamilton College. The family belong to the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Gooding is a 32nd degree Mason and belongs to the Commandery, Chapter and Council at Lima and to the Consistory at Cin- cinnati. He belongs also to the Elks and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the Shawnee Country Club and the Lima Progres- sive Association.
E M. HALE, a successful business man and leading jeweler of Lima, was born May 4, 1835, in Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio, his father be- ing William Hale, one of the best known citizens of that county. William Hale built the Court House in Clinton and was a prominent man during his lifetime.
E. M. Hale remained in his native county until 1858, when he entered a jeweler's shop to learn the trade, and in November of that year went to Lebanon, Ohio, to engage in the busi- ness for himself. He was a member of the firm of Baker & Hale for 10 years, when Mr. Baker retired and his place was taken by a Mr. West, the new firm being known as Hale & West. They added a line of books to their
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stock of jewelry and built up a brisk business, conducting it together about 10 years, when Mr. West purchased the entire business. Mr. Hale then opened another store where he han- dled jewelry and musical instruments about three years, until October 3, 1881, when he came to Lima and located his present enterprise on the Public Square. During the quarter of a century in which he has been established in Lima, he has built up a reputation for reliabil- ity and integrity that it would be difficult to equal, and his business has flourished to a re- markable degree. He has been ably assisted in his business by J. W. Puetz, who has been confidential clerk and manager for more than 24 years.
Mr. Hale was married in 1872 to. Mrs Frances Van Note, widow of William Van- Note, formerly Frances A. Pauley. They have one child, Helen M., wife of E. B. Ed- monds, a prominent merchant of Bluffton, In- diana, to whom Mr. Hale has given the busi -* ness established by him at a previous date. Mr. Hale is a member of the Knights of Pythias (Uniform Rank), Independent Order of Odd Fellows (both subordinate lodge and encamp- ment) and the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Coun- cil of Free and. Accepted Masons.
AMES L. HEATH, postmaster at Her- ring (village of LaFayette), is en- gaged in the grain and fuel business. He is a native of this county, having been born in LaFayette, March 14, 1858. His parents were Samuel G. and Mary D. (Hadsell) Heath, who came from Massa- chusetts at an early day and settled in Ashta- bula, Ohio, later removing to Allen County. The parents of Mrs. Heath came to this coun- ty in 1832, and she lived in Lima when the present Public Square was covered with dense timber and there were less than a dozezn houses in the town. She was the mother of IO children, nine of whom she reared to ma- turity and saw happily married. Four of the sons and one daughter are residents of this county and in comfortable circumstances.
Mr. Heath had but meagre opportunities" for obtaining an education, being unable to at- tend school after his 12th year; but he was given a thorough business training, which has'. enabled him to become a practical man of af- fairs and to make his way in the commercial world. When he was 12 years of age, he be- came a clerk in a general store and later en- tered the employ of Owen & Treat as clerk in' their dry goods store at Lima. He remained in their employ three years. When he was. 20 years old he returned to LaFayette and en- gaged in the grain business with N. R. Park at his present stand. The business flourished and 14 years later he became sole proprietor, handling grain, seed, coal, wool, flour and feed. Later he became a partner of C. A. Gra- ham and put in a stock of general merchan- dise, which has proved to be a good invest- ment.
Mr. Heath was married February 9, 1881, to Sarah E. Knoble, who was born at Mount Eaton, Ohio, April 12, 1858, and is a daugh-" ter of Samuel and Jane E. (Chiddester) Kno- ble. Her father was a native of Switzerland, coming to this country when a boy. There. are five children in the Heath family, viz : Olive B., wife of A. M. Barber, who is in the employ of his father-in-law; Avery C.,' who died at the age of eight years; and Ralph L., Paul Marvin and James Richard, aged respec- tively, 16, 11, and 4 years.
Mr. Heath is a Republican and has been elected township treasurer in a township that is strongly Democratic. He enjoyed the dis- tinction which has never been accorded an- other of holding every treasurership in the township at one time, viz: treasurer of the township; of the township 'school funds; of the special school district; of the village corpora- tion and of Sager Lodge, No. 513, F. & A. M. He was appointed postmaster of Herring (vil- lage of LaFayette), August 2, 1898, and has been retained in office since. He has served on the auditing committee, appointed by the probate judge, to examine the accounts of the county treasurer. He is a member of the Christian Church and has ordered all the sup- plies for the Sunday-school for the past IO
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years. He assisted in building the new church and was one of three on the pastoral commit- tee. He is a member of Sager Lodge, No. 513, F. & A. M .; Order,of the Eastern Star ; I. O. O. F. and Rebekahs.
D. CARPENTER, vice-president and general manager of the Western Ohio Railway Company, has been a resident of Lima since 1900. He was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in July, 1850, and is a son of Richard and Mary J. (Dimock) Carpenter.
Richard Carpenter, father of F. D., was born in Dover, Vermont, and was a son of John Carpenter, one of the first settlers on the Cuyahoga River. He made the journey from New England with an ox team, but did not settle in the rich valley land, thinking the sandy soil not adapted to agriculture. He es- tablished his home some II miles from the river, in the midst of the forest. In associa- tion with Judge Coe, another of the first set- tlers, he bought up a large tract of country and a part of this was later cleared, laid out and sold to settlers, and thus the town of Do- ver, named for the old Vermont home, came into being. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Rev. Solomon Dimock, one of the pioneer Baptist ministers of Ohio, who rode over a wide circuit and encountered many hardships in order to fill appointments in iso- lated regions.
F. D. Carpenter's schooling included sev- eral terms at Oberlin College; but he grew up on a farm from which he did not move until 25 years of age, when he engaged in the flour- ing-mill business at Cedar Point, Ohio. He remained in that business for seven years and then organized the Walton Fertilizing Com- pany, which was incorporated with a capital stock of $20,000, and began the manufacture of fertilizers. Mr. Carpenter was president of the company and owned three-fifths of the stock and continued to push this business for eight years. It was during this time that he organized the Cleveland & Elyria Electric Railway, which was afterward consolidated
and operated as the Cleveland & Southwestern Traction Company. He was associated with L. M. Coe and continued a member of the board of directors of the former road until he- came to Lima, still retaining an interest in the latter company. He was also one of the pro- moters and general manager of the Cleveland & Chagrin Falls Railway, which he operated for one year.
In 1899 Mr. Carpenter came to Lima to secure the right of way and to build the West- ern Ohio Railway, and he has been superin- tendent of all its work ever since. A company was formed and incorporated with a capital stock of $3,000,000, with E. A. Akins, of Cleveland as president and Mr. Carpenter, as vice-president and general manager. This road extends from Piqua to Findlay, with branches from Wapakoneta to St. Marys and Celina, Bremen and Minster, with a total mile- age of 112 miles. Mr. Carpenter is also a director in the Ohio Central Traction Com- pany. His fine homestead is situated 12 miles west of Cleveland.
Mr. Carpenter was married, in 1872, to Levia A. Coe, who is a daughter of the late Judge Coe, mentioned before as one of the early settlers of Cuyahoga County, and they have two children, viz: Richard H., a grad- uate of the Cleveland Business College, who is general passenger agent of the Western Ohio Railway Company; and Harriet, who is the wife of Howard Storer, who is in the insur- ance and real estate business in Cleveland. Mr. Carpenter and family belong to Pilgrim Church, of Cleveland. He takes no active part in politics, but served as township trustee while living on the farm. He belongs to the: Masonic order.
H. TOMPKINS, the well-known dealer in staple and fancy grocer- ies at No. 236 South Pine street, Lima, is one of the progressive business men of the city. He was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1845, and is a son of Joel Tompkins.
The father of Mr. Tompkins was born in Pennsylvania and for 18 years was a car-
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builder, in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, at Altoona, where he was also a prominent citizen and a member of the City Council. At the opening of the Civil War Joel Tompkins enlisted as a private in the Pennsylvania Reserves, but later resigned, having in the interim been promoted to a 2nd lieutenancy. He then reenlisted in the 20th Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol, Cav., and for a time was in charge of the commissary depart- ment of the regiment. His death took place in 1884.
W. H. Tompkins was reared and educated in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, and left school when 18 years of age in order to enlist for service in the Civil War. His first service of six months was in Company E, 20th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Cav., during which time he was engaged mainly in West Virginia. On August 29, 1864, he reenlisted in Company F, 19th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Cav., at Mem- phis, Tennessee, and took part in the closing campaigns of the war in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. He was discharged in June, 1865, having served his country with loyalty and devotion. Mr. Tompkins then returned to Huntingdon County and entered the railroad shops at Altoona, where he worked as a car- builder until 1881, when he came to Lima and resumed work of the same kind in the shops of the L. E. & W. Railroad. Here he was made assistant foreman, in which position he continued until 1887 when he was placed in charge of the car-building department. Mr. Tompkins continued in this responsible posi- tion until he retired from the service in April, 1905, after an association of 24 years with this company, during 17 of which he was in charge of the car department. The department in which he was most interested was at that time moved to the shops at Collinwood; but Mr. Tompkins had made investments at Lima and had formed pleasant social ties here and was not disposed to change his home. Hence he entered into a new line of business, opening up a fine grocery store which has prospered from the beginning.
Mŕ. Tompkins was married September 17, 1865, to Clara Johnston, who died in August,
1901, leaving five children, viz: Emma, wife of J. F. Van Horn, of Lima; Laura May, widow of W. H. McClellan, a railroad fire- man who was killed while on duty; Charles E., a carpenter; A. J., in charge of the "Red. Cross" drug-store at Lima; and William Roy, a machinist in the L. E .. & W. Railroad shops at Lima. On October 7, 1903, Mr. Tomp- kins was married to Sarah McClellan, who is a daughter of John McClellan, a retired citizen of Lima.
Mr. Tompkins is a member of the order of Odd Fellows and belongs also to the Mart Arm- strong Post, No. 202, G. A. R. He is a mem- ber of the First Baptist Church of Lima.
ACOB HALL, a veteran farmer of Monroe township, owning 110 acres of land in sections 26 and 35, to the improvement of which he has devoted the past 50 years, was born in Hun- terdon County, New Jersey, October 5, 1830. His parents moved to Carroll County, Ohio, when he was three years old and one year later settled in Tuscarawas County where they lived for about 12 years, coming to Allen County in 1854. His parents were William and Chris- tina (Smith) Hall, natives of New Jersey. They were farmers and owned about 300 acres of land in Monroe township. The father died at the age of 74 years, while the wife reached her 87th year. They were the parents of nine children, namely: Delila, Mary, John, Abra- ham, Diadama (Lackey), Sarah Ann, Jacob, Salinda (Jennings) and Isaac. Except our subject and Mrs. Jennings, who resides in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, these children have all passed away.
Jacob Hall resided with his parents until his 24th year, renting his father's farm for two years previous to purchasing his present property of II0 acres. At the time of pur- chase, this land was covered with a heavy growth of timber, all of which has since been cleared off. The property has all been put under cultivation except about 25 acres of pasture land. During the war, Mr. Hall was
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HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY
extensively engaged in shipping stock, but has since been doing general farming and has improved his place until it is among the best in the vicinity.
Mr. Hall was married August 16, 1855, to Harriet Wallace, who was born in Nor- thumberland County, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1836, and came to Allen County 10 years later with her parents, who were John and Rebecca (Poyer) Wallace, of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. They died in Allen County. The mother had one daughter. by a previous marriage and four children by her union with John Wallace, namely: Charles, of Van Wert County; Harriet; William, of Monroe town- ship; and 'John. M., who moved to Kansas, where he died. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hall, as follows: Hilas, who died at the age of 32 years; Annetta Bell, wife of Albert Herron; Rebecca Alice, wife of Adam Roberts, of Columbus Grove; Chris- tina, wife of Jacob Miller; and William O. Except Mrs. Roberts, all the children live in 'Monroe township, the son living on 40 acres of the homestead. Mr. Hall has been a Re- publican since casting his ballot for Gen. John C. Fremont. He is a member of the Metho- dist Church and a man universally respected and esteemed.
L. McCLAIN, who is engaged in the mercantile business at Lima, belongs to one of the pioneer fam- ilies of Allen County. He was born in 1866 in Perry township, and is a son of Isaac and Mary (Crumrine) McClain.
Isaac McClain was born in 1837 on the McClain homestead, one and a half miles north of Lima, and is a son of, Andrew and Nancy McClain. The former was born near Lancas- ter, Fairfield County, Ohio, and was a son of Thomas McClain, who came to Allen County in 1832 and located in Bath township, where few of his contemporaries still live. Not one tree on that land had yet fallen by the hand of man on the farm which he cleared and where
he died in 1842. His wife survived him until 1873. They had nine children and Isaac was the seventh of the family.
Isaac McClain went first to school in a church in Lima, and then to a select school kept on the old farm in a little log building, which had been constructed for the purpose. After the death of his father, he remained at . home with his mother until his marriage, and then moved to the McDonel place .- Here he lived one year and then built a shanty on the site of his present comfortable residence. His wife owned 40 acres and Isaac McClain bought 40 east and 80 west, thus making a very fair-sized farm. In 1873 the present ex- cellent home was built, which is supplied with gas from the wells flowing on the place.'
In 1864 Isaac McClain married Mary Crumrine, who was born September 20, 1841, and is a daughter of Martin and Catherine (Brocies) Crumrine. The nine children born to this marriage were: Lucinda, wife of U. C. Apple, born September 21, 1864; William Leonard, born November 15, 1866; Charles Albert, born December 13, 1868; Henry Ed- ward, born April 13, 1871; Florence May, born September 10, 1873; John Timothy, born March 6, 1875; Roscoe Franklin, born March 31, 1877; George Webster, born May 23, 1879; and Minnie Rachel, born March 10, 1886.
The farm occupied by Mr. McClain is known as the "Central Ridge Farm," where great attention is paid to the breeding of fine sheep. Mr. McClain owns a very valuable full-bred Shropshire sheep, which was bred by Carpenter, of Toronto. Politically he is a Re- publican. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
William Leonard McClain, our immediate subject, was reared and prepared for college in Allen County, and spent two years at the Tri-State Normal School at Angola, Indiana. After completing his collegiate course, he went into business in the oil field of his native State and continued thus engaged for 14 years. In 1901 Mr. McClain came to Lima and em- barked in the grocery business under the firm name of W. L. McClain & Company. He car-
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ries a complete stock of both staple and fancy groceries, at his location, No. 720 South Main street.
-In 1890 Mr. McClain was married to Flor- ence A. Jamison, who is a daughter of A. W. Jamison, who has interests in the Ohio oil fields. Mr. and Mrs. McClain have two chil- dren, viz: Merlin Bonard, born March 22, 1902; and Mildred, born August 4, 1905. He is a member of the Odd Fellows. In political sentiment he is a Republican and at the present writing (1905) is the nominee of his party for the City Council as councilman-at-large.
ILLIAM WILSON, a respected cit- izen of Lima, member of the Board of Public Service and a leader in Democratic politics, was born in 1851 in Scotland, and came to America when a youth of 18 years.
Although Mr. Wilson was not much more than a boy when he landed in a strange coun- try, he was already provided with a self-sup- porting trade, that of blacksmith. He had been left an unprotected orphan when 10 years of age, and from that time to the present he has made his own way in the world. It was pretty hard at first, working in a brick-yard where all the bricks were made by hand and he could earn but three pence a day; but Scotch pluck provided the courage and he managed to im- prove his condition gradually and, as stated, learned the blacksmith trade. He located first at Detroit, Michigan, and immediately found work with the Detroit Bridge & Iron Works, remaining with that company for three years. He then went to Adrian, Michigan, for a short season, and then to Aurora, Illinois. There he worked for some 18 months in the shops of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and then went to Elkhart, Indiana, where he found employment in the shops of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway for a shore time; later he returned to Adrian, Michi- gan, and was assistant foreman in the railroad shops there for 12 years.
Mr. Wilson then came to Lima and still
continued in the railroad shops for about seven years and since then has been foreman for The Sinclair & Morrison Company's shops. For nine years he was also interested in a shoe business on the corner of Main and Kibby streets, this enterprise not interfering with, his employment at his trade. Mr. Wilson is one of the directors in the South Side Building & Loan Association. In 1905 he was nominated by the Democratic party for membership on the Board of Public Service at Lima, and was elected by a majority of 449, although the city is considered Republican.
Mr. Wilson was married November 15, 1870, to Mary Viola Hill, who is a daughter of Cyrus Hill, and they have one daughter, Margaret, who is the wife of Edward Helser, a photographer at Lima.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Main Street Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the board of trustees. He belongs to the Masons and to the Odd Fellows.
BIA JOHN, deceased, for many years one of the most highly respected resi- dents of German township, was born in Ross County, Ohio, October 14, 1831, and was a son of Griffith John, one of the first settlers of Allen County, whose sketch may be found in the general history of German township in Chapter VII of this work.
Abia John was about one year old when he was brought to Allen County, by his parents, who located in German township, where he was reared and educated. He learned the trade of carpenter ; but remained at home, as- sisting his father on the farm until he reached his majority. Preferring to work at his trade rather than on a farm, he then went to Illinois and remained in that State for four years, working at various points as a carpenter, and at the end of this period returning to Allen County. The death of his father followed shortly after, and on his mother's behalf the young man then took upon himself the man- agement of the general store, which his father had conducted so successfully.
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