History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 131

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302

USA > Ohio > Crawford County > History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 131

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).

William F. Crowe was left fatherless in his boyhood, and, as it so often has been the case.

the seven children of the family owed their rearing, education and encouragement to the brave and devoted mother. In 1849 the fam- ily set sail for Quebec, Canada, and after voy- aging for seven weeks and three days, were safely landed. From there they traveled to Burlington, Vt., and in the fall of the same year reached New Franklin, in Columbiana county, O., and from there, in the autumn of 1851, to Richland county, William F. then be- ing ten years of age and picking up a knowl- edge of books wherever and whenever oppor- tunity offered. In the following year removal was made to Mansfield and there he attended school until 1853, when he came to Crestline, finding employment with the Pennsylvania Railroad as a driver. In 1854 his mother and the younger children joined him and here the remainder of her life was passed and it is a satisfaction to her son, that each year it grew more comfortable and less filled with care. She passed away in 1895, when aged 81 years and her burial was in St. Joseph's cemetery, she having been a faithful Catholic all her life.

Of the family of seven children, the follow- ing survive: William F .; John, who served all through the Civil war in the Federal Army as a member of Co. E, IoIst O. Vol. Inf .; Mrs. Ellen Purcell, who lives at Alliance, O., and has three children; and Jane, who is Mrs. Francis J. Gosser, and lives at Crestline, the mother of one son and one daughter.

In all essentials, William F. Crowe is a self- made man. His early opportunities were lim- ited and those he enjoyed he had to make for himself, yet, before he reached the prime of life he is found serving his fellow citizens in honorable positions and respected and looked up to as one in authority. For more than 40 years he has held official responsibilities at Crestline, serving seven years in the council, for two terms was county recorder, for ten years was corporation treasurer, twice has served the city as mayor and for the past 14 years has been justice of the peace. He has been regardful of the city's interest in the per- formance of all these public duties and his record as a citizen not only shows unselfish public spirit, but the ability and foresight of a thorough business man, making his services of permanent value.

Judge Crowe was married at Marion, O., to

863

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Miss Ellen Haley of County Kerry, Ireland, who accompanied her parents, Bartholomew and Ellen (Lynch) Haley, to America and she and one sister Mrs. D. Cusick of Marion, O., are the only surviving children. Mr. and Mrs. Crowe have the following children : Mary, who is the wife of H. L. Sossen- heimer, agent for the Berger Manufactur- ing Co., and lives at St. Louis, having one daughter, Colletta, at Cleveland, O .; Ellen, who is in the dressmaking business at Crest- line; Anna M., who has been a teacher in the Crestline union schools for some ten years; Jane, deceased, who was the wife of W. H. Bagley of Tulsa, Okla., and is sur- vived by one son, Paul S .; Frances, who is the wife of Francis Charon, of Oklahoma, and has two sons-Francis H. and William R .; Agnes, who occupies a clerical position at Wagner, Okla .; Florence who is in the mil- linery business at Cleveland; John W., who is connected with a gas company in Oklahoma, as a machinist; and Eugenia and Josephine Hortense, who reside at home. Judge Crowe and family belong to St. Joseph's Catholic church at Crestline and his daughter Anna M. is president of the L. C. B. A., a most worthy charity connected with the work of the Cath- olic church, one that was organized by Kate Crowe, a daughter of Judge Crowe, and its first president. She was the first president of the emergency hospital maintained by the pub- lic. In 1861 Judge Crowe was active, with others, in securing the erection of the first church edifices for St. Joseph's congregation and has always been hearty in its support. In his political views he is a Democrat.

MRS. SAMUEL MILLER,* who in maiden life was Mary Catherine Swartz, is a native of this county, being a daughter of George and Eliza (Staufer) Swartz.

George Swartz was born in Richland county, Ohio, and his wife in Pennsylvania, but came to Crawford county, Ohio, when children, this region being then a wilder- ness. Mr. Swartz as a farmer endured the hardships of the early settlers and cultivated his land successfully. To him and his wife were born the following children: Sarah Jane, deceased, who was the wife of A. M. Zook; Mary Catherine, the subject of this ar-

ticle, who on Dec. 28, 1887, was married to Samuel Miller, of Wyandot county, and James Benjamin, deceased.

Mrs. Miller owns 60 acres of well developed land and has a modern, attractive home and substantial farm buildings, which she has built. Mrs. Miller does not make a specialty of rais- ing any particular product on her farm but rather lets her land yield the ordinary crops that are most successfully raised in the sec- tion of Ohio in which she resides. Stock suffi- cient for her own use is also raised.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Miller are the parents of six children, namely: Grace, Maud, Donna, Lester, Garrett and Lena. Grace is the wife of Grove Maley and they have three children- Merl Allen, Maud Fern and Robert Edwin.

DAVID PETRY, whose well cultivated farm of 132 acres is located in Bucyrus town- ship, was born in Schuykill county, Pa., July 4, 1841. His parents were Charles and Phoebe (Knepper) Petry. They were natives of Penn- sylvania and moved to Ohio about 1851 or 1852, locating first east of Mansfield. There they remained one year when they removed to northeast of Lexington and from there came to Richland county, where they spent the rest of their lives. Mrs. Petry died on the home farm but her husband's death occurred in Mansfield, where he was living retired after his life of farm work. He was affiliated with the Democratic party and with his wife be- longed to the Lutheran church. Three chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Petry : William; David, our subject; and Sarah, the wife of George Stewart. After the death of the mother of these children, Charles Petry remarried, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Strater, who was born in Germany.

David Petry received his education in the common schools of his locality and after that assisted his father in the farm work until he was 21 years of age. He then rented the home- stead farm but after eight years that was sold and in 1872 David Petry and his father came to Bucyrus township and together purchased the farm on which our subject now lives and which he successfully operates.

In 1862 David Petry was united in mar- riage with Miss Mary Ann Wert, a native of Germany, who came to this country when eight

864

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

years old and spent the last years of her life in Crawford county. She died Feb. 13, 1910 and was buried in Bucyrus cemetery. She was a daughter of Christian and Margaret Wert, both natives of Germany, who had the follow- ing children: John, Christiana, George and Mary Ann (Mrs. Petry). One daughter was born to David Petry and his wife-Amanda, the wife of Joseph McHenry, a farmer of this township.

Mr. Petry is a Democrat politically and in religious faith, a Lutheran.

DAVID L. ZINK, who is secretary of the Crestline Building & Loan Association, of Crestline, O., is one of the well known and most active business men of Crawford county, long connected with railroad life and since then keenly interested in other lines of activity and usefulness. Mr. Zink was born at Mari- etta, Lancaster county, Pa., Dec. 1, 1833, a son of Samuel and Sarah Zink, one of three children. Mr. Zink has one brother, Samuel, also a resident of this city.

Early in life Mr. Zink had spent some time with his father at Pittsburg, Pa., and in the early fifties went into the commission business in that city with a relative, and from there, in September, 1856, came to Ohio and located at Crestline. Here he found his most promising business offer in a railroad office and went to work for the Pennsylvania line in the freight department. On Feb. 1, 1861, he was ap- pointed agent for the Pennsylvania company at Crestline, this point having become one of great railway importance. Mr. Zink still re- tains this official notice as it bears the signa- ture of the late Augustus Bradley, once a rail- road magnate and his friend, then being su- perintendent of the eastern division of the Pennsylvania lines. In May, 1865, he was appointed ticket agent of the Big Four Rail- road, serving for about 47 years for the Penn- sylvania road and jointly for both roads un- til his age limit retirement, Dec. 1, 1903. Dur- ing this long period he handled railroad money amounting to millions of dollars and his books and records showed an accuracy that was per- fect. When he retired he was the recipient of many congratulatory messages and of personal testimonials that would seem flattering if they were not so thoroughly just. Many men after

so long and arduous a business life and re- tirement on a pension, would feel justified in putting aside business care and devote some time to rest and refreshment, but this was not the feeling that Mr. Zink had when released for his railroad duties. From youth a hard worker and still being in vigorous health of mind and body, he merely turned his attention in another direction and has devoted himself closely to the interests of the Crestline Building & Loan Association, of which he has been se- cretary since its organization. This was on Oct. 23, 1891, and business was begun Jan. I, 1892. The capital stock was $50,000, which was increased to $300,000, on March 1, 1892; and was further increased, in 1906, to $600,- 000, a prosperous business having been done from the beginning. The original officers con- tinue : C. P. Frank, of Crestline, being presi- dent; David L. Zink, being secretary; and Jacob Babst, being treasurer. The board of di- rectors is made up of the following reputable and stable business men : C. P. Frank, W. R. Boyd, F. M. Anderson, Joseph Ims, Jacob M. Winter, John Marquart, Jr., and A. A. Reeve.

On Aug. 25, 1855, Mr. Zink was married at Pittsburgh, to Miss Mary Jane Hall, who was born at Chambersburg, Pa., June 30, 1830, and of their family of eight children all sur- vive except one son, Robert George, who died in infancy. The others are: John E., who is joint ticket agent for the Big Four and the Pennsylvania Railroads, and freight agent for the Pennsylvania Lines, at Crestline, and who resides here with his wife and two sons; Sarah Alice, who was educated at Oberlin College, who married H. E. Atkinson, and lives at Landsdown, Pa., and has three living daugh- ters; Jennie, who is the wife of Frank Snyder, a machinist residing at Kankakee, Ill., and has one daughter; William H., who is freight agent for the Pennsylvania Company at Ro- chester, Pa., and lives there with his wife and son; Emma F., who is the wife of James Har- rop, of Bucyrus, O., and who has two sons: Wesley S., who is storekeeper with the Rock Island Railroad at Chicago, and has one daughter ; and Walter, who is a machinist with the Big Four Railroad and lives at Bellefon- taine, O., with his wife and one son. The mother of the above family died on March 14, 1903.

865

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

On Dec. 1, 1908, his seventy-fifth birthday, Mr. Zink was tendered a reception and spent a long to be remembered evening surrounded by his family and old friends who gladly gathered to offer good wishes and recall old memories. Mr. Zink has witnessed many changes come over Crestline since he first made it his home, and in every possible way has contributed a share in bringing about its present prosperity.

JOHN WENTZ, a retired farmer and highly respected citizen of Bucyrus, O., has long been prominent in the affairs of Craw- ford county and for years has been very ac- tive in all that pertains to the great agricul- tural order, the Patrons of Husbandry. He was born at Chambersburg, Pa., Sept. 1, 1837, and is a son of John and Mary (Manard) Wentz, and a grandson of Philip Wentz.

Philip Wentz lived and died in the home of his ancestors in Hesse Darmstadt, Ger- many. He was a small farmer and inn keeper. He was the father of four sons and three daughters, all of whom except the oldest came to America and settled mainly in Penn- sylvania, Ohio and Indiana. John Wentz, the second son, was born in Germany about 1810 and was a young man when he took passage on a sailing vessel that landed him, 90 days later, in the harbor and port of Baltimore, Md. He was the pioneer of the family in the United States. As a farmer in Franklin county, Pa., he was satisfied at first to work for $10 per month, and later accepted fifty cents a day for railroad work and was offered what was then considered a necessity, a certain amount of rum a day. He was temperate in his habits and made friends with some of his Irish fel- low workmen by turning this allowance over to them. He took care of his wages, small as they were, and in the course of time he had enough capital to warrant his looking for land in which to invest it. In the meanwhile he married and located at Chambersburg, from which place, in 1839, with his small family and household possessions, all packed in a one- horse wagon, he journeyed as far as Black- ford county, Ind., which was then practically a wilderness. There he invested his savings which amounted to $200, and on the land then purchased both he and wife died. She also

was born in Germany, a native of Langstadt, and had come alone in early womanhood to the United States and lived at Chambersburg, Pa., at the time of marriage. She died in 1871, when aged 65 years, being survived by her husband into his 85th year. They were mem- bers of the German Lutheran church. Their family record reads as follows: One babe died in infancy. Elizabeth died when aged 17 years. Mary, deceased, was the wife of Louis Schmidt. Tena died at the age of twelve years. Jacob lives at Findlay, O., a retired farmer. He married Elizabeth Kanable and they have children. John was one of the early born in the family.

John Wentz was 20 years of age when he came to Ohio in October, 1857, having ob- tained his schooling in Indiana. On Thanks- giving Day of the above year he was married to Miss Catherine Greenish, who was born at Waynesboro, Pa., May 30, 1836, and the daughter of Jacob and Christina Greenish. Mrs. Wentz was reared from the age of six years in Crawford county, where she died June 21, 1908. She was a woman of kind and loving impulses and a Christian, being a de- voted member of the Methodist Episcopal church. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wentz, as follows: Mary, the widow of Thomas Caldwell, who lives in Crawford county and has seven children; Annetta, who is the widow of John Bell and has four chil- dren : Clement C., a resident of Bucyrus, who married Mary Schaffner; Willis, a farmer in Crawford county, who married Mary Miller ; Alice, who married H. M. Dobbins of Bucy- rus and has three children; Ida M., who is the wife of Henry Shafner of Galion, O., and has two children; Emma P., who lives with her father; John Earl, who manages the home- stead farm, who married Lillie Florence Miller and has three children.

Mr. Wentz was a very successful farmer and conducted his agricultural operations along the lines that have brought prosperity to men in that line of business from early days-con- stant industry, careful oversight, good seed and good judgment, the last named being a very necessary part of the farmer's equipment as it is of any vocation. In the earliest days of its organization, 1874, he became interested in the Bucyrus Grange, Patrons of Husbandry,

866

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

this body being of considerable importance as it is the only order in the county that has never surrendered its charter. Mr. Wentz is the only surviving charter member and he has served in all its offices. He has also been prominently identified with the Crawford County Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany, which is, with but one exception, the largest mutual fire company in Ohio, and for 24 years was its treasurer and later, for two years was vice president of the company, re- tiring from office in June, 1910. In politics he is a Democrat but has never accepted pub- lic office to a large degree, although in 1890 he was appointed land appraiser of. Holmes township.

WILLIAM A. BILSING, proprietor of Rock Brook Farm, a fertile tract of 163 acres of valuable land, situated five miles north- west of Crestline, O., has been interested in agricultural affairs ever since his school days. He belongs to a pioneer family of Ohio, his grandfather having come from Germany and settled in Crawford county at an early day. At that time his father, Adam Bilsing, was a boy of ten years.

Adam Bilsing grew to manhood in Craw- ford county where he married first Lavina Swisher, a native of Crawford county. To them were born the following children: John* H., Barnet C., Mary C., William A., Anna D., Eliza, Samilda C., Flora A., and Margaret E. Of these, John H. married Nancy Laughbaum and lives in New Mexico. Barnet C., who lives in Jefferson township, Crawford county, married Elizabeth James, who is deceased. Mary C. is deceased. Anna D., who married John Rader, died in 1885. Eliza became the wife of Allen Laughbaum and lives at Daven- port, Wash. Samilda C. is the wife of Lin- coln Hoover and they live in Vernon town- ship, Crawford county. Flora A., now de- ceased, was the wife of Prof. Franklin Brin- ing, formerly a civil engineer in the employ of the British Government and at present an instructor at Thomason College, in India. Margaret E. died at the age of two years. Adam Bilsing married secondly Catherine Dap- per and to them were born four children, namely: Aaron, Augusta (wife of George Brown), Franklin D. and Frances.

William A. Bilsing obtained a district school education and then turned his attention to farming and this has been his main interest ever since. Rock Brook Farm is considered one of the finest farms in Vernon township and Mr. Bilsing has taken pride and pleasure in improving it.

In early manhood Mr. Bilsing was mar- ried to Miss Catherine A. Weaver, a daugh- ter of Henry and Charlotte (Heis) Weaver, the former of whom died in 1908. The mother of Mrs. Bilsing survives, being now in her 79th year and lives at Leesville, O. Mrs. Bilsing had two sisters and one brother: Ellen, who is the wife of Frank Cassel and lives at Crest- line; Charles B., who died at the age of two years; and Mary E., who died when aged 40 years. Mr. and Mrs. Bilsing have two children: Alma E., who married Calvin B. Parr; and Sherman, who is a graduate of Ot- terbein University and is now a student in the Ohio State University preparing for a profes- sion. Mr. Bilsing and family are members of the United Brethren church, of which he is a trustee and has held the office of superin- tendent of the Sunday school and class leader. In politics he is a Republican. He is well known all over the county and is correspond- ent for three of the county newspapers.

JOHN A. LAUTHERS,* one of the highly respected citizens of Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., is also one of the most substantial and owns 175 acres of fine land in this township and 25 acres in Liberty town- ship, and has additional interests. He was born in Huntingdon county, Pa., July 8, 1858, and is a son of Samuel and Sarah Jane (Seibert) Lauthers.

The parents of Mr. Lauthers as well as the paternal grandfather, James Lauthers, spent their lives in Pennsylvania. They had the fol- lowing children: James; Sadie, who is the wife of Andrew Shearer; John A .; Anna, de- ceased, who was the wife of William Trego; Samuel Morrison; and Belle, who is the wife of Samuel Widney, she being the eldest of the family.

John A. Lauthers obtained a district school education in his native place and remained on the home farm with his father until he was 21 years of age, when, in answer to a gen-

867

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

eral call for help on western farms, he came to Ohio and for two years following worked on farms by the month. Afterward, for three years he rented land and then bought 80 acres in Dallas township, from L. H. Ross and lived on that place for seven years. In 1893 he. purchased his present home farm in Whet- stone township from John Brehman and has resided here ever since, having everything ex- ceedingly comfortable about him. Later he sold his farm in Dallas township and bought 154 acres in Sandusky township, and all told owns about 354 acres of rich land in Craw- ford county and also has stock in the Summer addition of Bucyrus and in the Second Na- tional Bank of that city.

In November, 1882, Mr. Lauthers was mar- ried to Miss Celestia Carpenter, of Mount Gilead, O., a daughter of Charles and Lydia (Bingham) Carpenter, farming people in Mor- row county. Mrs. Luthers has two sisters : Carrie, who is the wife of Frank Pitman; and Jennie. Mr. and Mrs. Lauthers have two sons : Walter L. and Charles W. The family be- longs to the Presbyterian church and is a prom- inent one in Whetstone township. While Mr. Lauthers is a stanch Democrat he has no polit- ical aspirations.

ABRAM C. MONNETT, deceased, was an honored veteran of the Civil War and for many years after its close was a successful farmer and stock dealer in Crawford county. He came of an old Ohio family of some mili- tary distinction, and was born at Bucyrus, March 31, 1839. His parents were Col. Wil- liam and Elizabeth (Cahill) Monnett.

Col. Isaac Monnett, the grandfather, was born in Pickaway county, O., and died at Bucy- rus, Crawford county, when aged 92 years. For many years he was identified officially with the state militia. The family was an agricul- tural one and he owned and cultivated large tracts of land. With other members of the family he was active in his support of the Methodist Episcopal church, being a lay preacher in the same himself, while his brother Thomas and son William, both be- came accepted ministers in the same. He mar- ried Elizabeth Pittenger, who was born in Ross county, O., and died in old age at Bucy- rus.

Col. William Monnett, a son of Col. Isaac and father of the late Abram C. Monnett, was five years old when he accompanied his par- ents from Ross to Pickaway county and some years after marriage he moved to the plains of Crawford county, where he acquired 1,000 acres of land, mainly situated in Cranberry township. When twelve years old he united with the Methodist Episcopal church and was a militant Christian, accepting election as col- onel of the IIth O. militia on the same day that he was licensed as a Methodist minister. For II years he continued active ministerial work, failing health then requiring his resig- nation. He married Elizabeth Cahill and they had five children: Abram C .; Mary J., who married Hon. S. R. Harris, both now de- ceased; Rachel, who married William H. Kin- near, both now deceased; Sarah L., who is the widow of L. L. Walker, of Whetstone, O .; and Isaac W., who died in Washington state, when aged 43 years. The father of the above family died in 1884, the mother surviving un- til 1891.

Abram C. Monnett was reared on his father's large estate and attended the district schools in youth. When civil war was pre- cipitated he entered the Federal Army, enlist- ing in the 34th O. Vol. Inf., in which he served until the close of hostilities, escaping wounds and capture but suffering all the rest of his life from the exposure to which he had been subjected. After he returned to peaceful pursuits he resumed his agricultural activities and continued the same during the remainder of his active life. Like all his people he was an interested and conscientious citizen, doing his full public duty on every occasion but ask- ing no political reward. He was a Republi- can. His death occurred at his home in Bucy- rus, April 17, 1879.

Abram C. Monnett was married at Bucyrus to Miss Jennie E. Walwork, who was born at Saratoga, N. Y., and is a graduate of the Al- bany State Normal School. She came to Bu- cyrus as a teacher and five years later was united in marriage with Mr. Monnett. Her parents were Thomas and Mary (Stevens) Walwork, the former of whom was born in Liverpool, England, a son of Thomas Wal- work. The younger Thomas Walwork came to the United States in early manhood and was

868

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

married near Philadelphia, Pa., to Mary Stev- ens and they subsequently moved to Sara- toga, N. Y., where Mr. Walwork established and opterated a large woolen factory. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They were people of social standing and the father possessed an ample enough for- tune to give his children excellent educational advantages.

To Mr. and Mrs. Monnett the following children were born: Frank W., M. Elizabeth, Julia A., Wallace L. and Rachel. All have been given superior educational advantages. Frank W., the eldest son, was a graduate of the Cincinnati law school when he enlisted for service in the Spanish-American War, and died in the Philippine Islands, when aged 29 years. M. Elizabeth, who was the wife of Rev. James Cass, died at Bucyrus in 1902. She was a graduate of the Bucyrus High School and also a graduate in music and was not only a young woman of great talent but was amiable and engaging in social and domestic life. Julia A. is a graduate of the Conservatory of Music and Oratory at Cincinnati, is married to Rev. James M. Cass, pastor of the First M. E. church, at Westport, and has one daughter, Ruth E. Her home is on Lake Champlain, at Westport, N. Y. Wallace L. is a graduate of Bucyrus High School and of the Cincinnati Law School and at present is serving in the office of referee in bankruptcy. He resides with his wife and four children, at Bucyrus. Rachel, the youngest member of the family, is a graduate of the Bucyrus High School and the Cincinnati School of Music and Oratory, and is the wife of Edwin G. Beal, cashier of the First National Bank of Bucyrus.

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.

History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 131

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850- Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1302

Author: Hopley, John E. (John Edward), 1850-
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago,Ill., Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1302