USA > Ohio > Allen County > History of Allen County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part Two > Part 7
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Mr. Thomas was married October 13, 1887, to Lillie D. McPherson, daughter. of George. McPherson, a retired citizen of Preble County. They have two children-Earl W. and Minor M. Mr. Thomas is master of Lima Lodge, No. 205, F. & A. M .; high priest of Lima Chapter, No. 49, R. A. M. ; and acting recorder of Shaw- nee Commandery, No. 14, K. T. of Lima ; also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows.
ILLIAM J. WEMMER, vice-presi- dent of The Deisel-Wemmer Com- pany, one of the largest cigar man- ufacturing concerns in the country and one of the most important in- dustries of Lima, is a native of Germany, where he was born September 10, 1862.
Mr. Wemmer attended school in his native land and developed into early manhood at home, being one of a large family. When 19 years of age, he decided to emigrate to Ameri- ca in search of better industrial conditions than prevailed in his own section of Germany. After reaching the United States he lived for eight months in the city of New York, and then re- moved to Delaware, Ohio. There he was en- gaged in a cigar business for nearly five years. which he continued later at Toledo, coming to
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Lima, in 1890. He first entered the employ of Henry Deisel and later formed a business asso- ciation with the latter and, after the incorpora- tion of the business in 1902, became vice-presi- dent of The Deisel-Wemmer Company. This important office he has since filled. The un- usual expansion of the business made necessary the recently completed additions to their former large factory, which make it one of the promi- nent landmarks of this manufacturing city.
Mr. Wemmer, with Mr. Deisel and his brother, Henry G. Wemmer, deserve the high esteem in which they are held, for by their en- ergy and enterprise they have developed a business, within the short space of 14 years, which overshadows almost every one of its kind in the country. In addition to his extensive in- terests here, Mr. Wemmer is connected with other successful Lima enterprises, and is also one of the city's public-spirited, broad-minded and liberal citizens.
Mr. Wemmer was married January 2, 1884, to Helen Rickert, who was also born in Ger- many and came to America in girlhood. They have three children-Pauline, Helen and Will- iam Henry. The family is connected with the German Reformed Church, in which Mr. Wemmer. is a trustee.
Individually Mr. Wemmer has always been noted for his persistency, his energy and care- fulness. He has many personal, as well as busi- ness, friends, and he is fraternally associated with the Elks, the Red Men, the Odd Fellows and the Traveling Men's Protective Associa- tion.
E DWARD J. MAIRE, who is prominent in the business life of Lima, is a mem- ber of the firm of Maire Brothers, ex- tensively engaged in the production of oil. He is a son of Louis Maire, de- ceased, a native of France, who came to this country and settled in Crawford County, Penn- sylvania, where Edward J. Maire was born and educated. His first business venture was as a merchant in Bolivar, New York, but so much money was being made in the oil industry all around him that he finally embarked in that line. putting his money in the Allegany ( New
York) oil field from which he received hand- some returns. Encouraged by this success, he extended his operations to the oil fields of In- diana, Ohio, Kansas, Indian Territory, and in fact to these of almost every State in the Union in which oil was known to exist, devoting his entire time and capital to his enterprises, with the most satisfactory results. It has been some eight years since Maire Brothers came to Lima and established an office, which now transacts a large volume of business. Their well-ap- pointed headquarters are now in the Opera House Block, of which building they became the proprietors in November, 1905.
Mr. Maire has identified himself closely with the municipal interests, and is one of Lima's most public spirited citizens. He is a director of The Lima Trust Company and a solid, reliable business man. He is also a prom- inent Mason, being a member of the Knights. Templar.
ENRY DEISEL, president of The Dei- sel-Wemmer Company, cigar manu- facturers, at Lima, and one of the city's leading business men, was born in Germany, in 1862, and is a son of Edward Deisel who spent his whole life in his native land.
Henry Deisel was 19 years of age when he came to America. He had received a good edu- cation and been instructed in the cigarmaking craft and soon after locating at Lima, in 1881. he found employment at his trade with Henry Sontag, a pioneer in that business here. He remained with Mr. Sontag for two years, and then was employed for a year by another firm, but by 1884 he was prepared to embark in busi- ness for himself. He continued an individual business until 1891 when, in association with his friends, Henry G. and William J. Wemmer. also practical cigarmakers, he formed a part- nership which continued as Deisel & Wemmer until 1902, when the expansion of a great busi- ness made incorporation advisable. Through the energy and enterprise of Mr. Deisel and the Wemmer brothers, the establishment has be- come one of the largest cigar manufacturing houses in all this section. The present officers
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1
of the corporation known as The Deisel-Wem- mer Company are: Henry Deisel, president ; William J. Wemmer, vice-president ; Henry G. Wemmer, general manager and Robert J. Plate, secretary and treasurer.
In 1884 Mr. Deisel was married to Emma Wolf, who was born in Germany and is a daughter of J. B. Wolf. They have five chil- dren. Mr. Deisel and his wife are members of the German Reformed Church. He is a tal- ented musician and is the director of the church choir.
Mr. Deisel's fraternal connections are with the Old Fellows, the Elks, the United Commer- cial Travelers, and the Traveling Men's Pro- tective Association.
In addition to directing the policy of the im- mense business which he assisted in founding, Mr. Deisel is interested in a number of other successful enterprises. As a business man, Mr. Deisel stands deservedly high, and his career has been an almost unbroken line of successes. In the face of fierce competition, he has guided his great enterprise through every crisis, has outdistanced other firms and has established one of the important industries of this section, which is a credit to himself and a pride to the community.
B. CORE, who formerly conducted a first-class livery establishment at Lima, is an old and valued citizen and is also a survivor of the Civil War in 100 which he bore an honorable part for three years. He was born at Erie, Pennsyl- vania, in June, 1847.
Mr. Core was three years old when his par- ents moved to Trumbull County, Ohio, and but a few years older when they removed to Mor- row County. There he was reared to young manhood and was educated in the local schools. On the outbreak of the Civil War he was one of the first in his locality to indicate his will- ingness to take up arms for his country, enlist- ing in April, 1861, in Company A, 27th Reg .. Indiana Vol. Inf., being mustered into the ser- vice at Indianapolis. He accompanied his reg- iment to Washington and during the winter of
1861-62 it was quartered at Fredericksburg, Maryland. In the spring it took an active part in the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and during his service there he was captured by the enemy at Antietam. Later he was paroled at Annapolis, Maryland, joined the Army of the West and at the close of his term of enlistment was mustered out at Annapolis.
Mr. Core returned to Ohio and engaged in business at Columbus until he came to Lima, where he was the pioneer in the secondhand goods business, conducting a store for four years. From that he embarked in the livery business in which he continued until the fall of 1905.
In 1869 Mr. Core was married to Martha Simpson and they have three children, viz. : William E., who is employed by a wholesale grocery firm of Chicago; Martha, who is the wife of George Strang, an electrician with the Automatic Telephone Company; and Stella, who married Elmer Collier and resides at No. 522 West High Street. Mrs. Core is a mem- ber of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, of Lima.
D N. GENGLER, justice of the peace at Landeck, and the owner of a fine farm of 320 acres of well-improved land in sections 2, 10 and II, Marion town- ship, and 40 additional acres in the ad- joining township, and joint proprietor of the Landeck Tile Factory, was born in Germany, December 24. 1842, and is a son of Peter and Mary (Bonifas) Gengler.
Peter Gengler, emigrated to America in 1845 with his wife and our subject, Dominick, the eldest of the family of six children, the oth- er survivors of which are: Louis, who is a notary public in Indiana; Felix, who resides near Coldwater : and Thomas, who is a farmer in Putnam County. Peter Gengler came to Ohio and located on a small tract of 50 acres. then in the woods of Sen- eca County. where he lived for 17 years. having with the help of his children, cleared and developed it into a fine farm. In 1863. after disposing of it to advantage, he came to
FRANCIS ASHTON
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Allen County and purchased 160 acres of land south of the village of Landeck, in Marion township, and this land he improved and lived upon until his death on January 31, 1894, aged 78 years. He was one of the liberal contribu- tors to the building of the beautiful edifice of St. John the Baptist Church, at Landeck, and for a number of years was a member of its board of trustees.
Dominic N. Gengler attended the public schools in Seneca County, and under his father's direction grew into a capable, practical farmer. After his marriage he settled on a part of his present farm, consisting then of 80 acres. He now owns 360 acres of fine land, 40 of which were willed to him and the remainder has come into his possession by purchase. When Mr. Gengler settled here, the surrounding timber was full of game. He built a log house for im- mediate occupancy, drained and cleared his farm and gradually brought it to its present state of rich cultivation. In 1890 he erected his beautiful brick residence, one which arouses general admiration from the passing stranger and which is a model of comfort and conveni- ence for its inmates. It is beautifully situated south of the main road, and is enclosed with a neat, ornamental iron fence. In the charming arrangement of flowers and shrubbery, the good taste of both Mr. and Mrs. Gengler is shown. It is one of the most beautifully at- tractive homes in this section of Allen County .. Mr. Gengler has important interests in the Landeck Tile Factory which he opened on his farm in 1880. Here tiles are manufactured ranging in size from 3 to 12 inches.
On November 29, 1870, Mr. Gengler was married to Mary Ardner, who is a daughter of Nicholas and Susan ( Adantz) Ardner, the former of whom was born in Germany, May 5. 1822. Mr. Ardner came to America in 1846 and located at Tiffin, Ohio, where he was mar- ried in 1863. He came then to Allen County and settled on a farm of 80 acres, situated three miles southeast of Landeck, which he has in- creased to 200 acres. Here he remained until 1884 when he removed to a 10-acre farm near Landeck, in order to enjoy church privileges, being a devout member of the Church of St. John the Baptist. He owns other tracts of land
which have been developed out of the wilder- ness of Allen County. Mr. and Mrs. Gengler have five children: Nicholas, residing in sec- tion 10, where his father has built a nice home, who married Helena Roerig and has two chil- dren-Raymond and Rosala; John, residing in section 2, also owning a comfortable home, who married Clara Roerig, a cousin of Mrs. Nicho- las Gengler, and has two children-Loretta and Sylvester ; Margaret, who married Louis Karst, resides in a nice home in section 10 and has one son-Albert; Thomas, who is unmar- ried and remains at home managing the farms and the tile works; and Susan, who married C. H. Falter, of Seneca County, Ohio, and has three children-Armilla, Alwisa and John.
In politics Mr. Gengler is a Democrat. He has served on the School Board and is an ardent friend of the public schools. He has done his full share in the material development of his section of the county. In his earlier years he worked many a day on the roads of Marion township, giving his time to advance the gen- eral welfare. Since 1880 he has been a justice of the peace, and it has always been his endeav- or in his official position to serve as far as pos- sible as a peacemaker while administering the law. He is a Catholic and is one of the leading members of the Church of St. John the Baptist and, like his father before him, is a member of the church choir. .
RANCIS ASHTON, a retired business man of Lima whose portrait accom- panies this sketch, was for many years largely interested in the grocery and lumber industries of this city. He is a son of Francis and Elizabeth ( Mackinder) Ashton, and was born March 9, 1831, in Lin- colnshire. England.
Mr. Ashton came to America in early boy- hood and received his education in the State of Ohio. His first business venture was at Ken- ton. Ohio, where he and his brother. William Ashton. engaged in the hardware line. This was continued until 1854. when he came to Lima and opened a hardware store, which he conducted alone for about 15 years. Soon
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after retiring from this work, Mr. Ashton be- came interested in the grocery business, his partner being John Wheeler. The firm of Wheeler & Ashton was continued five years, when Mr. Wheeler retired and his place was taken by Henry Ashton, another brother of our subject. F. & H. Ashton conducted the business very successfully until 1880, when Francis Ashton became associated with Thom- as R. Dobbins and opened a lumber-yard on South Main street. Here they soon worked up a prosperous trade, which was continued until Mr. Ashton's retirement from business in the latter part of the '80's.
Mr. Ashton was married in 1856 to Mary Lantz and the following children have blessed their union : Elizabeth, wife of Charles Dunan, of San Francisco, California; Annie, wife of R. M. Hughes, with the MacDonald Jewelry Company of Lima; John R., of Lima; Hattie B., wife of Frederick J. DeGrief, of Lima; and F. L., a prosperous hardware merchant of Celina, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Ashton attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Ash- ton has been prominent in Odd Fellow and Ma- sonic circles for many years. He was treas- urer of Allen Lodge, No. 223, I. O. O. F., for 25 years and for several years held the same office in the Shawnee Commandery, No. 14, K. T. He was also for many years treasurer of Lima Council, No. 20, R. & S. M. He is one of the city's representative men, and has con- tributed largely to the prosperity and advance- ment which have attended the community in which he still takes a lively and substantial in- terest.
H. GLOVER, wholesale and retail dealer in millinery, of Lima, is a Canadian by birth, having first seen the light of day in that country in 1844. Mr. Glover was raised on a farm, and since early manhood has been engag- ed in mercantile business, first as a clerk in a dry goods store, later in a general merchan- dise store, and finally in a store of his own in Lima. Mr. Glover had traveled on the road for 25 years when he came to this city in 1889, and in partnership with A. A. Winters opened a
millinery store under the firm name of Glover & Winters. The business was a success from the start, and the volume of trade has extended until it has become one of the most extensive enterprises in Lima. In 1894 Mr. Glover pur- chased his partner's interest and has since then been sole owner. The business is both whole- sale and retail, the former covering an exten- sive territory.
Mr. Glover is interested in a number of en- terprises in Ohio, including properties in Tiffin and Van Wert. He has paid up stock in the Ger- man American Oil Company to the value of $6,000 and is owner of a thriving fertilizing plant at Muncie, Indiana. He has added materi- ally in the development of Lima. He is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Glover has been too much occupied with his business to dabble in politics. He was married in 1876 to Currence Winters.
EORGE D. KANAWL, formerly a member of the Board of County Com- missioners of Allen County, and now a retired resident of Lima, has been more or less actively identified with this city's interests for almost 30 years. He was born in 1849 in Juniata County, Pennsylvania, and there obtained the greater part of his edu- cation.
In 1866 Mr. Kanawl came to Allen County, and after working on a farm for three years went into contracting and bridge-building. He was so employed in Allen County, for 25 years, and during that period he put in the founda- tions of almost all of the important business blocks on Main street, Lima, and built the foun- dation for the Solar Refinery. His careful and lasting work is seen in many of the finest resi- dences all over the city. He did a large busi- ness all over the county in building bridge abutments and in bridge-work generally. He was well and favorably known in almost every branch of the building trade.
For many years Mr. Kanawl has been con- nected with politics and public affairs in Al- len County. Prior to his first election as count- ty commissioner in 1897, he had been an official
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in Bath township and had served as supervisor, trustee and justice of the peace in German town- ship. After serving most efficiently as a mem- ber of the Board of County Commissioners for three years, he was reelected in 1900 and serv- ed three years more. For the past three years he has lived without business care or official re- sponsibility, on account of failing health, and has taken this opportunity to travel over a large part of the United States. He spent last winter in the genial climate of Southern California and Mexico. At every point he has made new ac- quaintances and left friends behind.
Mr. Kanawl has been thrice married. His first wife was Adeline Ransbottom, a member of one of the pioneer families of Allen County, and they had two children-Charles and Fan- nie. The former is a commercial traveler and the latter is the wife of George Deimer, of Lima, who is foreman for The Lima Telephone & Telegraph Company. Mr. Kanawl married (second) Mary I. Murray, who was a daughter of John Murray, of German township, a mem- ber of one of the county's influential families. His third marriage took place September 6, 1905, to Mrs. Tina ( Moore) Crossley, who was the widow of Elmer Crossley.
Mr. Kanawl is a member of the Epworth Methodist Episcopal Church which he assisted very materially while it was in course of con- struction. Fraternally he belongs to the Odd Fellows and the Elks.
B F. WILLIAMS, an extensive oil pro- ducer, stands among the leading busi- ness men of Lima. He was born in Erie County, New York, in 1849, and is a son of the late J. W. Williams, a millwright by trade and a resident of New York.
B. F. Williams was reared and educated in Erie County, and as early as 1868 became in- terested in the Pennsylvania oil field, being a producer at Shamburg and Pleasantville until 1877, when he entered the Bradford field, where he operated until he came to Lima in 1898. His present interests are located in the Ohio, Indiana and Kansas fields, being a mem- 26
ber of the firm of The Roth-Argue, Maire. Brothers Oil Company, one of the most import- ant independent companies now operating, having 16 wells in the Bartlesville ( Indian Territory) field. This company has just shot a new well, which promises great results, as it already produces Soo barrels of oil daily. On October 8, 1904, the company drilled well No .. 4, which proved a natural well, flowing 800 bar- rels of oil, and that the same conditions attend their latest boring speaks well for the value of the field. In addition to these large interests, Mr. Williams is a stockholder in other enter- prises, one of them being The Lima Trust Com- pany.
In 1875 Mr. Williams was married to Ida J. Allport, who was born in Canada and died April 1, 1891, leaving four children, viz. : Harry, who is the manager of a wood-fiber company at Birmingham, Alabama ; Maud E .; Silas, who is a student at Orchard Lake. Michi- gan; and Helen. The religious connection of the family is with the Baptist Church. Mr. Williams is a good citizen, but not an active politician. He is a member of the Elks.
D ANIEL LORY resides on his farm of 80 acres in section 34, Richland town- ship, which he purchased about 35 years ago, soon after coming to Allen County. He grew to manhood on the farm upon which he was born May 26, 1847, near La Chaux de Fonds, in Canton Neuchatel, Switzerland. This property had been in the Lory family for more than 150 years, and was the home of his parents, Henry Louis and Mar- ion ( Herschey) Lory during their lifetime. Our subject was one of 12 children, three of whom died in childhood. Three of his brothers, -Louis, Frederick and Ulysses-came to this country and settled : Louis in Illinois and Fred- erick in New York. Ulysses returned to Switzerland and died there.
Daniel Lory came to America alone at the age of 18, and after spending one year on a farm in Wayne County, Ohio, came to Allen County and hired out by the year as a farm- hand for three years. He purchased 40 acres. of land in section 34. Richland township and
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was afterwards able to secure an adjoining 40, which he has in an excellent state of cultivation. He has erected substantial buildings on his property and is one of the progressive farmers of the county. A man of comprehensive know- ledge and a deep thinker, he brings to his work an intelligent understanding that iplaces him among the foremost agriculturists of his section and a leader in whatever he undertakes. Mr. Lory has had the advantage of a good educa- tion and is a fluent speaker in German, French and. English, which he writes with equal facil- ity. The German language was taught in the home, the French was acquired in schools in his native land, while the English was picked up after coming to this country.
Mr. Lory was married in 1867, soon after coming here, to Katherine Basinger who was born in Richland township, Allen County, Ohio, December 26, 1843, and is a daughter of Simon and Barbara (Steiner) Basinger. Her parents were among the first settlers of Allen County, coming here from Alsace, France, the place of their nativity. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Lory, four of whom died in infancy. The others are: Ferdinand, a resi- dent of Bluffton; Louis, living at home ; Eman- uel, who lives in Lima; Marianne, who died at the age of 20 years; Ida, living at home; and Daniel, who also lives at home. They are members of the German Reformed Church, of Bluffton, of which our subject was one of the first elders, serving in that capacity for a num- ber of years. He has always been a prominent citizen and has served as trustee of the town- ship for six years and as supervisor for eight years, having been elected on the Democratic ticket.
RANK W. HOLMES, one of Lima's prominent citizens, president of the Fi- delity Coal & Supply Company, and identified for years with the oil and other industries of this section, was born in Lima, March 18, 1858, and is a son of Branson P. and Jane W. Holmes.
The Holmes family is one of the oldest in the county. For ever 33 years Branson P. Holmes, father of Frank W., was a success- 1
ful merchant at Lima, and was an acknowl- edged founder of the city's prosperity. He died in 1870, a man generally esteemed and beloved. The aged mother stili survives him, and is an honored member of the family of her son Frank.
The death of the father of Frank W. Holmes, when the latter was only 12 years old, placed heavy responsibilities on the lad as the eldest son; but he was equal to the task and zealously assisted his widowed mother in her struggles to provide for the support and educa- tion of the family. Much space might be de- voted to narrating the various ways in which the youth concienciously tried to take his fath- er's place in the family, often willingly sacri- ficing his own ambitions and comfort. Thus he was able to keep intact the estate left by his father, which increased so much in value in later years. Under many discouragements he also continued his studies, and in 1876 graduat- ed in a class of 15 from the Lima High School. If conditions had been different, he would have taken a college course, but as that was impos- sible at the time he turned to the business field, accepting at first a position in the bank of a neighboring town. Here his only compensation was his board, but he remained nearly a year in order to increase his knowledge, and gain an insight into financial methods. He then return- ed to Lima and secured a position as clerk in the Lima Postoffice, at a salary of $20 per month, serving in that capacity for two years.
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