USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part Two > Part 51
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and after leaving college accepted. a position as bookkeeper with John Wanamaker, with whom he remained two years until failing health caused him to retire and seek a change of occupation. Returning to York County, he worked in a produce and general merchandise store, and about this time also became inter- ested in the creamery business. This he learned, becoming thoroughly familiar with every phase of the industry. Embarking in the enterprise for himself, he conducted his creamery in York County for six years and then came to Allen County, and purchased the cooperative creamery at Harrod, which he has operated since the spring of 1898. In addition to this business which he has made a profitable one, he bought a new engine, boiler, etc., and established the Harrod Stave and Hub Mills, which manufactures walnut gun-stocks, squares for ball bats, etc., sending its output to prominent manufacturers of those articles. He has not yet begun the manufacture of hubs but expects to start that industry soon.
On August 23, 1891, Mr. Miller celebrated his 27th birthday by marrying Annie Hoke, daughter of David M. Hoke, of York County, Pennsylvania. Three children have been born to them, viz: David, born February 15, 1892, and who died at the age of two weeks; Leroy, born February 1, 1894; and Diamond May, born May 19, 1905. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Lutheran Church while Mr. Miller be- longs to the German Reformed. He supports the Democratic National ticket, but in local politics is independent. Fraternally, Mr. Miller is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
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OEL G. HERSH, one of Lima's lead- ing professional men, with law offices situated at No. 5612 Public Square, has been a resident of this coun- ty for some 16 years. He is a native of Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio, and a son of the late Newton and Lydia (Chew) Hersh, his early life being spent on a farm.
Newton Hersh was born in 1834, in Rich- land County, Ohio, dying there in 1901, on the old homestead which had been entered by his father, Joel Hersh. The latter, with his wife, Catherine (Berny) Hersh, was born at Harris- burg, Pennsylvania, the couple settling in Richland County at. an early day. Politically Joel Hersh was a strong Whig, and through life was a friend and coadjutor of John Sher- man. He became one of the most prominent farmers in Richland County. He married Lydia Chew, a daughter of Samuel Chew, a substantial farmer of the county, who was killed in 1887 by burglars.
In 1889 Joel G. Hersh came to this county as a teacher, and subsequently entered the Ohio Normal University at Ada, from which he was graduated in the classical course, in 1894. Prior to this, however, he had been a teacher in Kansas for four years. After grad- uating from the university, he continued to teach in Allen County for nine years, a portion of the time at Gomer and West Cairo. Then he turned his attention to the legal profession, and in 1898 was graduated from the law de- partment of the university at Ada. In the fall of the same year he passed the necessary bar examination and immediately opened an office in the Metropolitan Block at Lima, being asso- ciated with Mr. Kilgore under the firm name of Kilgore & Hersh. This partnership existed until 1901, since which time Mr. Hersh has practiced alone. His practice covers all the courts of the State, and his ability is very gen- erally recognized. He is a member of the Allen County Bar Association.
Mr. Hersh was married in November, 1901, to Ora States, who is the eldest daughter of Aaron States, one of the most prominent citizens of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Hersh have two children, viz: Newton States and Mary Catherine. While a resident of Ada, Mr. Hersh united with the Presbyterian Church there. Mrs. Hersh is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Monroe town- ship.
Mr. Hersh is identified with the Republican party, and in 1900, during Mckinley's second presidential campaign, was chairman of the
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Republican executive committee of Allen County, since which time he has given his, en- tire attention to the practice of his profession.
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6 EORGE R. CHRISTIA, proprietor of the Philadelphia Dye Works, located at No. 320 North Jameson avenue, Lima, and one of the city's represen- tative business men, was born at To- ledo, Ohio, in 1851. He is a son of Hon. Rob- ert and Amelia A. (Ricketts) Christia.
The father of Mr. Christia was born in England and at the time of his death was a resident of Canada and a member of the Do- minion Parliament. The mother of our sub- ject belonged to the aristocratic old Van Cort- land family of New York.
Since 1883 Mr. Christia has been a resident of Lima. He probably enjoys the distinction of having been the youngest soldier ever en- listed for service in the Civil War from Ohio, and possibly of any State in the Union. When in his 12th year he ran away from home and joined the army as a drummer boy; al- though he fought with the men of the regiment at the battle of Shiloh, after it termination his captain sent him home. In May, 1864, he enlist- ed in Company B, 130th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., but shortly afterward, in front of Petersburg, he was taken sick and was again obliged to re- turn to his home in Toledo, in the fall of 1864. For the third time he entered the Union Army, enlisting in February, 1865, in Company C, 195th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., at Toledo, and ac- companied the regiment to the Shenandoah Valley and participated in the campaign there, being mustered out in December, 1865, reach- ing home in time to enjoy Christmas with his family.
Mr. Christia engaged for a time with a hatter and dyer, at Toledo, and then went to Boston, where he perfected himself in this business, returning after five years to Toledo. He continued in the dyeing business there and at Bellefontaine and then came to Lima, where,' since 1883, he has been considered an expert
in this line and conducts a large and growing business in cleaning and dyeing after modern, sanitary methods. Mr. Christia is also an ex- pert hatter.
In 1873 Mr. Christia was married at Bos- ton, Massachusetts, to Lelia L. Bliss, who is a daughter of H. C. H. Bliss, one of the lead- ing merchants of Boston, other connections being the Fairbank and Chandler families.
Politically Mr. Christia is a Republican and he has been chairman of the Republican City Committee. He is a man of substance, a stock- holder in the Farmers' Bank of West Mans- field, Ohio, and is interested in other enter- prises. From his youth he has shown courage and determination and these have been import- ant factors throughout his subsequent life.
ERE ROBINSON, who occupies the responsible position of district fore- man of the Ohio Oil Company, at Lima, has been a resident of this city since 1896. He was born at Newton Hamilton, Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, in 1851, and is a son of Robert and Ellen (Ste- phenson) Robinson.
The father of Mr. Robinson was born in Ireland. For many years he was a resident of New Castle, Pennsylvania, where he was con- nected with the building of public works. He died there in 1871.
Jere Robinson was educated in the schools of New Castle. He learned the trade of molder, at which he worked for five years and then became engineer of the public works at New Castle for two years. From there he went to the oil field of Clarion County as a pumper and continued there for five years. His next engagement was in the Bradford field, where he had seven more years of experience, and from there he came to Cridersville, in Auglaize County, Ohio, and took charge of the property of Roess Brothers & Company, of Oil City, Pennsylvania. He continued in this position until the Pennsylvania capitalists sold out to the Ohio Oil Company, and since then he has been associated with the latter company.
H. F. VORTKAMP
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For the past 18 years, with the exception of but three months, he has occupied the import- ant position of foreman. He is a man of large practical experience in oil and his efficiency is appreciated by the Ohio Oil Company.
In 1877 Mr. Robinson was married to Isa- bel Alexander, who is a daughter of James Alexander, of Pennsylvania. They have had five children, viz: Ivy May, wife of R. J. Banta, of the firm of F. J. Banta & Son, candy manufacturers of Lima; Mabel E., and Elsie R., students at Hollins Institute, Virginia; and Herbert and Albert, both deceased. The fam- ily belong to the Market Street Presbyterian Church. Fraternally Mr. Robinson is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of the Maccabees.
F. VORTKAMP, pharmacist, whose place of business is at No. 300 North Main street, Lima, on the corner op -: posite the Court House, belongs to the city's representative business men. He was born in 1858, at Senora, Preble Coun- ty, Ohio, and is a son of Bernard Vortkamp, long deceased, who was a faithful soldier in the Civil War.
H. F. Vortkamp was reared and educated in Cincinnati and was graduated from the Cin -. cinnati College of Pharmacy in 1880. He had previously creditably passed through the paro- chial high school at Cincinnati and .before en- tering the Cincinnati College of Pharmacy had - read medicine in the Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery. After his final gradu- ation in pharmacy, he engaged in the drug business in Cincinnati until 1886 and then re- moved his interests to Milford, Ohio, where he continued until 1893, when he came to Lima. He has continued here in the drug business ever since and has the confidence of the pub- lic; his experience and medical knowledge make his establishment regarded as the leading one in the city as to reliability. He is secre- tary of the Allen County Association of Retail Druggists and has held every office in the asso- ciation except that of treasurer. He has held every office in the Ohio State Pharmaceutical Association from the lowest to that of vice-
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president, and has on many occasions been a delegate to national and State pharmaceutical conventions. He was chairman of the Ohio delegation at the national pharmaceutical meeting held at Boston in 1905. At present he holds no official relation with that body, having felt compelled to resign on account of many pressing private matters of business.
. Mr. Vortkamp is a Democrat and has al- ways been more or less interested in politics. He was, a delegate to the State convention that nominated Pattison for Governor, and was the only. delegate : that remained all through faithful to. his! convictions. He is a member of the Lima Progressive Association and has served in the Lima City Council. He has other business interest in addition to those in Lima, namely : Stock in the Hollister Drug Com- pany, of Madison, Wisconsin; stock in the Sterling Remedy Company, of Kramer, In- diana; and stock .in: the United Drug Com- pany, of Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1880 Mr. Vortkamp was married to Carrie F. Fleischman, of: Cincinnati, a mem- ber of a distinguished family of that city, and they have three .sons and two daughters, viz : Harry F., who has just completed a six-year course at Niagara .University, New York; George J., who is a graduate of the Ohio Nor- mal University.at Ada and has passed his ex- amination before the State Board of Phar- macy; Charles, who is a student in St. Rose Parochial School, Lima; Henrietta, who is a Sister. of Charity, now teaching in Denver; and Elizabeth, who is a student in St. Rose Parochial School.
The family belong to St. Rose Catholic Church. Mr. Vortkamp is a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio and is vice-president of Branch No. 23. His portrait accompanies this sketch.
® EV. W. H. GALLANT, who for the past 35 years has been a minister in the Baptist Church, scarcely needs an introduction to the people of Allen County, for his religious work has covered so large a territory and has been pro- ductive of such wide-spread interest that there
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are few localities in which he is not well known. His birth took place in Hancock County, Ohio, May 28, 1841, and he is the only son of William and Emily ( Moore) Gallant.
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Mr. Gallant comes of Irish and English ancestry. His paternal grandmother was a cousin to that great statesman, Henry Clay. The father of our esteemed subject was born in January, 1811, and died from an accident in 1866. The mother was born in March, 1817, and died at Spencerville, at the home of her son, at the age of 83 years and 10 months, passing away just two hours later than Eng- land's venerable queen, in 1902. Mr. Gallant's parents were aged respectively 23 and 17 years when they were united in marriage in Delaware County, Ohio. They came from large families, both having brothers and sisters numbering II, but their children were eight in all, the survivors being: Amelia, widow of Joshua Stokesberry, now aged 69 years, who resides with her children; Martha, widow of Alfred Gorby, a farmer; and W. H., of Spen- cerville. The parents rest in Hassan Ceme- tery, eight miles northeast of Ada, Ohio.
W. H. Gallant was the only son of his par- ents' family and was born in the woods in Hancock County. He was reared on the pio- neer farm and, off an on, attended the district schools until he was 17 years old, enjoying also some advantages at Findlay. He then be- gan to teach school and for 14 years followed this profession at various times, teaching in all 28 school terms. His conversion dates from his 19th year, in March, 1859, and he was bap- tized on the 8th of the following June in the Old School Baptist Church. Before going into the details of his years of ministerial work, mention must be here made of his serv- ices as a soldier, these of themselves being of an important enough character to entitle him to the deep regard of his fellow-citizens.
From the opening of the Civil War his sympathies were enlisted, but he did not actu- ally enter the service until 1862, when he be- came a member of Company D, 99th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., from which he was honorably
discharged in March, 1863. The continuance of the rebellion made more troops necessary and in 1864 he again entered the service, en- listing in Company F, 122nd Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., under General Wright. On March 25, 1865, before Petersburg, he was terribly wounded, receiving three shots, the one in his left leg necessitating the amputation of the limb just below his knee. . In spite of the dis- advantages to which this accident has sub- jected him, he has never permitted it to inter- fere with his pastoral work and he has never on that account shirked any hard duty of his calling. He has ridden miles and miles over a rough country, through cold and storm to keep an appointment, to preach the Gospel, to. perform a marriage service or to say comfort- ing words above the grave.
After his return from the army and recu- peration from his accident and injury, he took up active work in the church, a burden he has never laid down. He remained in the Old School Baptist Church and then assisted in or- ganizing the Riley Creek Baptist Church and was its first clerk. He began preaching in 1869 and in December, 1870, he was ordained in the Riley Creek Baptist Church, only three days after its dedication. This was his first pastorate. He recalls his work in that church with feelings of the greatest satisfaction, it being on the ground where he used to play ball in his boyhood. He has served four pas- torates in this church, aggregating II years and, when far away has traveled a distance of 60 miles to attend some special service here, like the burial of an old pioneer, a member of one of his early congregations.
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Mr. Gallant has been pastor of 17 churches of the Auglaize Baptist Association, of which he is now moderator, and each pastorate in- cluded adjacent missions, as follows: Riley Creek, with four; Marion, four; Mercer, four ; Pleasant Grove, four; Waynesfield, three; Spencerville, four; Amanda, two; Will- shire, two; and one each at Neptune, McDonald, Haviland, Kenton, Providence, Blanchard Valley, Pleasant Mills ( Indiana). where he remained one year; Harrison,
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Pleasant View and South Lima. He built churches at Riley Creek, Marion, Spencer- ville, Willshire, Haviland and South Lima, assisted in having repairs made on the church at Waynesfield to the amount of $604, and cleared a debt of $872 at Mercer and one of $700 at Pleasant Grove. He has been uni- formly successful in evangelistic work and at one meeting, in 1885, 47 converts were made. He has extended the hand of fellowship to 100 converts in the Amanda, Riley Creek and Waynesfield churches.
In 1879 Mr. Gallant organized the Bap- tist Church at Spencerville. There were but four constituent members, viz: George H. Kephart and wife, Ella Kephart, Susanna Sut- ton and Mrs. Fisher. Through the efforts of Mr. Gallant, by 1881, a regular church re- placed the mission and by the close of the fourth year the little faithful body numbered 55. Only one of the original constituent mem- bers, Mrs. Susanna Sutton, is now living. The present church edifice was erected at a cost of $3,000, while its furnishings are also valuable and in accordance with present demands.
Mr. Gallant has been twice married. On November 1, 1860, he was married in Han- cock County, Ohio, to Lucinda Watt, who died in April, 1903, at St. Marys, Ohio, having been an invalid for a number of years. Dur- ing the whole period of illness she was ten- derly cared for by her husband whose minis- trations eased her months of helplessness. She was the mother of three children, viz: Effie, Charles William and Willard L. The daugh- ter was a popular teacher in the public schools prior to her marriage to Adolphus Bice; they have four children-Clyde; Hubert, a gradu- ate of the Spencerville schools, a teacher at the age of 16 years and now a student at Oxford; Nellie and Lucy. Charles William, the eldest son of Mr. Gallant, suffered for 12 years with heart trouble and died at the age of 19 years and 10 months. At the age of 18 he was bap- tized by his father at the Pleasant View Bap- tist Church, near the Indiana line. Willard L., the second son, married Alice Balyeat and they have a son, Jewell.
Mr. Gallant married, second, Mrs. Sarah Frances Kershner, who was born in Shelby. County, Ohio, and is a daughter of William Ginn. Her father was born in Ireland and came as an early settler to Shelby County, Ohio. He died at Dayton, the father of 14 children. He married three times, his second wife being Miriam Botkin, who bore five chil- dren, viz: Mary, John, James, Johnson and Sarah Frances, the last named born in 1849. On March 5, 1866, Sarah Frances Ginn mar- ried Francis Marion Kershner. He was born in Greene County, Ohio, near Xenia, in Jan- uary, 1841, and died in October, 1896. They had three children, as follows: William Erie, Lura M. and Anna. William Erie was super- intendent of schools for 16 years, during which he served these places: Mendon, Mer- cer County ; Prairie Depot, Wood County, and Columbus Grove. He resigned from the last named position to accept one with Lippincott & Company, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a traveling salesman, his line being school sup- plies. He married Mamie Barrington and they have one daughter, Helen Barrington. The eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kershner is Mrs. Otto Botkin; she has one daughter, Lil- lian Frances. The youngest daughter is Mrs. Reno Moore; she has two children-Marion Seymour and Naomi Ginn. On October 28, 1903, Mrs. Kershner was united to Rev. W. H. Gallant. She united first with the United Brethren Church in 1874 and with the Baptist Church in 1888.
Mr. Gallant can look back over many fruit- ful years. While he no longer feels called upon to risk his life and health in the long journey- ings which formerly were his daily task, on oc- casion he will go far to attend some particular church function, especially if in so doing he can recall memories and acquaintances of the early days of his ministerial life, for which he cher- ishes the tenderest recollections. In 1905 he made such a journey. Out of the 28 candidates to be ordained in his old church was a young man, one of his own converts-George Lewis. Mr. Gallant wished to be present at the ordi- nation of this young man, who had been
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chosen as a missionary to China, and it was a great pleasure for him to be chosen to offer the ordination prayer on this occasion in the very church where he, himself, had been ordained in 1870.
D ANIEL E. KIPLINGER. Probably of all the older citizens of Lima, none has better claim to be remembered than has the subject of this sketch, who for many years was closely iden- tified with the material growth of the city. It has been computed that if all the structures that he has erected here should be massed, a village of considerable size would be found. Mr. Kiplinger was born in June, 1830, in Springfield, Ohio, and is a son of Philip Kip- linger.
Away back to the days when white settlers fought in Ohio with the Indians before they could establish safe and peaceful homes, the Kiplinger family was known, and one of the name was a defender of Fort Defiance. The grandfather of our subject, Daniel Kiplinger, came from Virginia at a very early day and settled in Clark County, Ohio, and there Phil- ip Kiplinger, his son, also spent his life.
In March, 1854, Daniel E. Kiplinger came to Lima, and became one of the pioneer con- tractors. He was skilled far beyond any of his competitors and was so rapid in his work that it came to be a common saying that it was cheaper to hire Daniel Kiplinger by the day than any one else by contract. Almost all of the earlier business blocks in Lima were built by him, and some of these, notably the Collins Block and the Ashton Block, are still standing Many of the others have been torn down on ac- count of public improvements or to make way for larger structures. There are standing hun- dreds of neat residences and comfortable homes, built after the fashion of his day, and still stanch and true so far as their construction goes. Mr. Kiplinger continued contracting and building until forced to retire from con- stant activity, by failing health, in 1898. Since then he has occasionally assisted his son, the
leading carpenter and contractor of the city, C. F. Kiplinger.
Mr. Kiplinger was married, first, in Feb- ruary, 1855, to Mary E. Cookston, who was a daughter of the late Thomas Cookston. The two surviving children of that marriage are : Clifford L., a well-known contractor at Lima, and Clarence, a resident of Columbus. The mother of these sons died in 1861. On Octo- ber 2, 1862, Mr. Kiplinger was married to Mary E. Owens, who was born in Wales and is a daughter of Hugh Owens. Mr. Owens came to America and to Allen County in 1844 and settled in Sugar Creek township, where he cleared and improved a fine farm. He died in 1851, survived by his wife and five children. The estimable mother of Mrs. Kiplinger kept her children together and followed out her hus- band's wish in the development of the farm. She died in 1881, leaving but two survivors, Mrs. Kiplinger and a sister, Anna, who is the wife of O. A. Jones. The latter is considered one of the best farmers in Sugar Creek town- ship, having a record of raising 1,600 bushels of corn on 22 acres of land.
Mr. and Mrs. Kiplinger had three children, but have been bereaved of all. The eldest, James Edward, died at the age of 34 years after having won a place second to none among California journalists. Raymond D., the sec- ond son, was formerly yard clerk for the Cin- cinnati & Eastern Railroad, and died aged 22 years. The only daughter, Anna Mary, passed away in her 15th year. Mr. and Mrs. Kip- linger belong to Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. For four years he was a member of the Lima City Council, and for three years, of the Board of Equalization. Fraternally he is a Royal Arch Mason.
AURICE HOFELLER, of Lima, proprietor of one of the largest and most complete gentlemen's furnish- ing establishments in Northwest- ern Ohio, was born in Buffalo, New York. in September, 1866. His father dying when he was a child of five years, his
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mother recrossed the ocean to her native land, Germany, where our subject remained until 1882. Returning to America, he located in Chi- cago, and secured work in a wholesale house which handled ladies' cloaks and suits. Later he was employed in New York, and then en- tered a retail clothing store in Jamestown, New York, conducted by the Marble Hall Clothing Company, where he remained for II years.
In 1896 Mr. Hofeller came to Lima as manager of the Mammoth Clothing Store, and one year later, acting upon the advice of several local friends, opened a modest store devoted to gentlemen's furnishings. This business has grown from the first, the present stock being twice as large as the original, with much larger quarters to accommodate it. Mr. Hofeller has marked business ability, as is evidenced by the extensive patronage which he has secured and held. He is secretary of the Downward As- phalt Company of the Indian Territory, an or- ganization founded upon Lima capital. Mr. Hofeller was married, in 1900, to Emma Tig- ner, daughter of William Tigner. He is prom- inent in Lima Lodge, No. 162, B. P. O. E., as well as in Masonic circles, and is honored and esteemed both for his business and social qual- ities.
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