History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 158

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 158

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).

Mr. Baker was married at Bellville, in Rich- land county, to Miss Ada A. Grogg, who was born and educated in Morrow county, and died at Galion, March 12. 1911, when aged 35 years. She is survived by three sons: Fleet

1044

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

L., Jay and Charles C. Mr. Baker was mar- ried second to Miss Myrtle Faine, who was born and reared in Crawford county. She is a member of the Baptist church, but Mr. Baker belongs to the United Brethren body. He is a Democrat in politics.

MICHAEL UHL, who is manager of the Uhl Hatchery, at New Washington, O., and widely known as a poultry raiser and fancier, was born in Cranberry township, Crawford county, July 30, 1871, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Nedolast) Uhl. Jacob Uhl came to New Washington in boyhood and his four sons all live in this place.

Poultry raising has been a successful in- dustry on the Uhl farm since Michael Uhl was a boy. He is now associated with his brothers, George and Lawrence, in the poultry business which has assumed large proportions. In 1900 the firm of Uhl Brothers started the Uhl Hatchery in a small way, with one incu- bator, while their present plant covers five acres and has a 120,000 egg capacity in their three buildings. On an average from 30,000 to 35,000 chickens are hatched a week, all pure bred, of 18 different breeds and for these they get fancy prices, sometimes $25 per hundred. Chick shipments are made by express, in spe- cially prepared boxes, and they begin about Feb. Ist of each year to cover their territory which includes the New England states and as far south as Tennessee and Kentucky and as far west as Nebraska, their shipments closing about the first of September. This enterprise has been successful from the start and the busi- ness is constantly growing. Michael Uhl lives at the hatchery and employment is afforded eight girls and seven men.

Mr. Uhl married Miss Mamie Strausbaugh, a daughter of James and Eva Strausbaugh, former residents of Tiffin, O., but now of New Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Uhl have one son, Robert. They are members of the Roman Catholic church.

CHARLES EDLER, a retired farmer now living quietly at Galion, O., where he has very comfortable surroundings and many warm friends, was born near Heidelberg, Baden. Ger- many, June 24. 1830. a son of Martin and Margaret (Shrake) Edler.

For many generations the ancestors of Mr. Edler, lived and died in the province of Sins- bein, Germany. There Martin Edler followed mechanical pursuits during his active life, liv- ing to the great age of 95 years. His wife died when aged 53 years. Of their family of nine sons and three daughters, but two sur- vive: Charles and a daughter, the latter a resi- dent of Germany.

Charles Edler was the second born of his parents' children and attended school in his own province and when 18 years of age, ful- filled the law of the land by entering the Ger- man army. When released from this patriotic service, being then 21 years of age, he took passage on a steamer to Havre, and from there on a sailing vessel for America and 27 days later was landed at the port of New York. He came on to Crawford county, this being in 1852. Charles Edler secured farm work at which he continued for four years and then rented land for himself, subsequently pur- chasing a tract in Whetstone township. Dur- ing the Civil War he sold his Crawford county land and bought 120 acres, situated in Tully township, Marion county, on which he lived for ten years and then returned to Crawford county and bought 120 acres in Jefferson town- ship. This land he greatly improved and still owns, continuing his residence on it until March, 1904, when he retired to Galion. Al- though Mr. Edler has always been an inter- ested citizen and law abiding in every partic- ular, he has never desired public office, his political activity being covered by his vote, cast with the Republican party. He is one of the leading members of the Lutheran church at Galion.

On July 31, 1856, four years after reaching Crawford county, Mr. Edler was married to Miss Martha Beach, who was born within four miles of Galion, May 8, 1836, and has spent her life in this part of the county. Her parents, George and Mary (Zimmerneaker) Beach, were natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger- many and came to the United States before marriage, both locating in Richland county, O., where they were subsequently married. The father was a carpenter by trade and as- sisted in the erection of many of the first frame houses in Richland county. He also was a coffin maker and on many occasions he would

1045

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

carry the completed coffin on his back to the house of bereavement. The Beach family ex- perienced and overcame all the ordinary hard- ships of pioneer life. The father died in October, 1862, his birth having taken place in February, 1812. When Mrs. Beach died in 1840, two children survived her: Mrs. Edler and a son, John, who resides in Marion county. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Edler, three of whom died in infancy and one daughter, Irena, at the age of 17 years. The survivors are as follows: Amelia, who is the wife of William Ricker, residing at Bucyrus; Mary, who is the wife of Samuel Ickhorn, a farmer living in this county, and has two sons; Katie, who is the widow of Levi Smith, who lives at Galion and has one son; Amanda, who is the wife of Henry Ise, and lives at Newcastle, Pa .; Edward, a resident of Galion, who has one son; George, who is a musician, and with his two sons are leaders of a band at Galion; Maggie, who is the wife of William Dickerhoof, and lives at Bucyrus, having three children; and Karl, who resides with his family, at Galion. Mr. Edler has witnessed many changes take place since he first came to Crawford county and his recollections of early days are very interesting.

JOSEPH PIFHER, whose fine farm of 135 acres is situated in section 6, Auburn town- ship, Crawford county, O., is one of the well known citizens of this section and is a veteran of the great Civil War. He was born in Thompson township, Seneca county, O., Aug. 7, 1842, and is a son of Mathias and Otella (Zenk) Pifher.

The father of Mr. Pifher sold his farm of 20 acres in Seneca county and then bought 62 acres in Cranberry township, Crawford county, which, at that time was all swamp and wood- land. With the help of his son the father cleared and improved the place and lived there until his death, at the age of 86 years and three months. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church at North Auburn. The mother of Mr. Pifher died in her 80th year and she also was a faithful member of the Catholic church.

Joseph Pifher did not have many advan- tages in his youth as he was obliged to assist his father and as soon as old enough he learned

the carpenter trade, mastering every detail so that all kinds of carpenter work came easy to him. He assisted to build the largest hotel at New Washington, O., and continued to follow his trade for 21 years. During the Civil War he served almost one year as a member of Co. F, 64th O. Vol. Inf. Mr. Pifher was ten years old when his parents moved to Cranberry township and he lived there until marriage, since when he has resided on his present place in Auburn township, and has made many im- provements here.

Mr. Pifher was married Feb. 22, 1870, to Miss Elizabeth Dewitt, who was born on the present farm, a daughter of Alfred and Sarah (Frey) Dewitt. The father of Mrs. Pifher was of German extraction, while the mother was born in Pennsylvania. She was a child when her parents moved to Ohio and spent the remainder of her life here. To Mr. and Mrs. Pifher three children were born, namely : Charles, who married Frances Forquer and has had three children, two of whom survive -Clarence and Grover-and who resides on the home farm and assists his father; Rose, who is the wife of Charles Mann; and Mary, who is the wife of Peter Alt, who lives in Au- burn township. Mr. Pifher and family are members of St. Mary's Catholic church. He is a good citzen and in every public matter acts for the general welfare, but he casts an independent vote.

GEORGE J. DIETRICH, deceased, was born at Shippensburg, Pa., in 1837, a son of Philip and Margaret Dietrich, who were na- tives of Pennsylvania but of German ancestry. They were good people and belonged to the German Lutheran church.

George J. Dietrich was an only son but there were two daughters, both of whom mar- ried dukes. Mr. Dietrich grew to manhood in his native section and about the close of the Civil War, embarked in the hardware business and continued until 1874, when he disposed of it and came to Galion. O. Here he established the hardware store with which he was con- nected for so many years and in this city be- came a well known citizen and successful busi- ness man. acquiring valuable property in real estate and securing the confidence of his fel- low citizens. His death occurred March 7,

1046

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

1904. Although thoroughly in sympathy with all public movements that meant progress and reform and never failing to give support to the Republican party, he never consented to accept any public office for himself. In his fraternal connections he was a Mason and an Odd Fellow:

Mr. Dietrich was married at Shippensburg, Pa., to Miss Josephine Boher, who was born, reared and educated there, and is a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Pague) Boher. The parents of Mrs. Dietrich were of German ex- traction but were born in . Pennsylvania. . . The father was a cooper by trade and for many years conducted a large cooperage plant at Shippensburg, where whisky and flour and oil barrels were manufactured. He died in 1895, when aged 78 years, his widow surviving until 1904, when then being aged 81 years. They attended the German Reformed church. Mr. Boher was a Democrat. Of their 13 chil- dren there are four sons and three daughters living, Mrs. Dietrich being the only one, how- ever, who resides in Ohio, her residence being situated at No. 231 Boston Street, Galion.

Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Dietrich, two of whom, Harry and Clarence, died in early childhood. Mary, the eldest daughter, is the wife of Harry W. Brown, a commercial traveler, and they reside at Logan, O., and have one son, Clarence Mert, who is a registered pharmacist, a graduate of the Ohio Southern University at Columbus. Myrtle, who is the widow of Frank Dehn, lives with her mother. Josephine is the wife of William O'Neil, a hardware merchant of Columbus, O. Mrs. Dietrich is a member of the 'Methodist Episcopal church as was Mr. Dietrich.

JAMES WILLIAM MILLER,* a well known member of the Bucyrus bar and for six years secretary of the Bucyrus Loan and Building Association, an important enterprise of this section, was born at Bucyrus, Aug. 5, 1878, and has always maintained his home in his native city.

The grandparents of Mr. Miller were Joseph and Sarah (Henry) Miller, and while they were of Scotch extraction they were born in Londonderry, Ireland. They married and lived there until 1844, when, with their three

children, they crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Canada and established themselves in Strat- ford, Ontario, and both died on their farm there, the grandmother in 1895 and the grand- father in 1905, he being then in his. 92nd year. They were members of the Presbyterian church. They had six sons and three daugh- ters born to them, some of whom still reside in Canada, while others are residents of- the United States.

John Robert Miller, the eldest son, was born in Ireland, Nov. 13, 1839, and was about eight years old when his parents came to Canada, where he grew to manhood and assisted his father in farming and dealing in horses. As his father's representative he came to Ohio for .the purpose of buying horses to send-to Canada, and on one of his numerous visits he met Miss Mary E. Mckinstry, who was then a teacher at Bucyrus. She was born Jan. 28, 1849, in Marion county, O., and still survives, residing at No. 856 South Sandusky Street, Bucyrus, which city has been her home for 50 years. She is a daughter of James and Re- becca (Garberson) Mckinstry, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania, June 18, 18II, and in 1831 came to Knox county, O. He was of Scotch ancestry while his wife was of German extraction. In 1861 they moved to Bucyrus, where Mr. Mckinstry died in 1902, the death of his wife having occurred in 1869. They were members of the Presby- terian church. Three of their children are yet living, namely: Amanda, who is the wife of T. F. Shotwell, who is an attorney at Detroit, Mich .; Mathew, who is in the real estate busi- ness in Colorado, and who married Katherine Mealer and has one daughter, Myrtle Amanda; and Mrs. Miller. On May 5, 1874, John R. Miller was married to Mary E. Mckinstry and then came to Bucyrus to live, establishing him- self in the lumber, carpenter and building business. His death was caused by an acci- dent, on Aug. 21, 1884, he being injured on his father-in-law's farm by some Jersey cattle. His children all survive. Gertrude, who was born June 7, 1878, is the widow of Frank W. Cory and resides at Cleveland, O. James William is the second born. Sarah, who was born in December, 1880, married G .- ' M. Meridith, of Indiana, and he is now a book- keeper with the American Clay Machinery

1047

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Company, at Bucyrus. John Robert, Jr., who was born May 23, 1884, is a civil engineer on the West Division of the Ohio Central Rail- road, with headquarters at Columbus.

After completing the High School course at Bucyrus, James William Miller entered the law department of the Ohio State University at Columbus, where he was graduated in 1901 and was admitted to the Ohio bar. He has been interested in the Bucyrus Loan and Build- ing Association since its organization in Feb. ruary, 1887. Its present officers are: W. F. Barth, president; Frank L. Hopley, vice presi- dent; George C. Gormley, treasurer; and James William Miller, secretary: The busi- ness is capitalized at $200,000, and the com- pany operates mainly in Crawford county.

Mr. Miller was married at Bucyrus to Miss Edith Tapling, who was born June 23, 1880, at Lindsay, England, and was two years old when she was brought to Bucyrus by her par- ents, Francis E. and Elizabeth (Rose) Tap- ling. They reside at Bucyrus, the father be- ing a carpenter by trade. Mrs. Miller grad- uated from the Bucyrus High School in 1898 and was a successful and popular teacher pre- vious to her marriage. They have one daugh- ter, Elizabeth Mary, who was born June II, 1910. They are active members of the Pres- byterian church. Mr. Miller belongs to the Masonic Blue Lodge, Chapter and Council, at Bucyrus, and for six years was secretary of the Blue Lodge, and also is past chancellor of Demas Lodge, No. 108, Knights of Pythias.

D. M. PEPPARD, one of the retired en- gineers of the Pennsylvania system, residing at Crestline, O., may be numbered with the old railway men of the State as his connec- tion with railroading began in 1853, about the time the Pennsylvania line was completed to this place, then known as the Ohio & Penn- sylvania. He was born near Crestline, Dec. 25, 1834, and has always lived in or near this city, a son of Francis and Mary A. ( Morri- son) Peppard.

Francis Peppard was born in Pennsylvania and in 1831 came to near Mansfield, O., where he married Mary A. Morrison, who was of Irish extraction, her people being pioneers in Richland county. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Peppard lived mainly at Crestline, where

his death occurred when almost 78 years of age, she having passed away at the early age of 36 years. They were of the Methodist faith, worthy people in every relation of life. Their. family consisted of two sons and three daugh- ters, all of whom survive, are married and have families.

D. M. Peppard was the eldest born of his parents' children and soon after his school days in 1853 went to work in the yards of the old Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad; and in 1854 was made a fireman and in 1859 was promoted to the position of engineer, first on freight trains and after more experience, a passenger engineer. From 1873 until 1882 he had charge of the round house at Crestline and in the latter year was promoted to be a master mechanic, a position he filled until 1891, having had charge of Division B of the Eastern lines and control of the lines from Toledo to Crestline. In 1892 he took an engine again and continued until 1897, when he became an engine shifter, which place of responsibility he held until his age retirement, Sept. 1, 1902. In Feb. 1893, Mr. Peppard met with a serious accident in a collision between Perrysville and Leonardsville, resulting in injuries that confined him to his home for seven months, and this, with one other, were the only disas- trous ones in his long career and neither were because of any lack of care or caution on his part for he was known to have a thorough knowledge of every signal used in the service and to be unusually observant of every detail of his work.

At Crestline Mr. Peppard was married to Miss Maria A. Huffman, who was born in Knox county, O. and was four years old when her parents, Nathan and Electa ( Par- rott) Huffman, came to Crestline. Mr. Huff- man was born in Ohio and his wife in New Jersey. After marriage he engaged in work at the blacksmith trade and engaged in farm- ing. He was born in 1813 and died at Crest- line in 1870, while his widow survived until 1900. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Sixteen children were born to them, Mrs. Peppard being the second in order of birth, and ten of these grew to ma- ture years, and eight married and have fam- ilies of their own.

Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs.

1048

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

Peppard, as follows: Mary, who is the wife of George Welshons, a farmer in Crawford county and has two children; Kate, who mar- ried E. West, who is connected with the Tube Works at Shelby, O., and has three children; Frank, who died at the age of 26 years, sur- vived by a widow and one child; William E., a merchant at Marysville, O., who married Lillian Gardner and has six children; Grant, who resides with his wife and seven children at Shelby, O .; Edwin, who owns a claim on which he resides, in Mexico; Harry, who died as the result of an accident when 39 years of age; and Samuel, who is a house decorator and still lives with his parents. Mr. Peppard and family are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. In politics he is a Republican but has never accepted public office. He is a mem- ber of the F. & A. M., at Crestline; and is a charter member of Division No. 306, formerly No. 8, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and in 1866 was a delegate to a convention of this body.

RENO R. SEERY, general farmer and one of the representative citizens of Lykens town- ship, Crawford county, O., who is operating 156 acres of land for his father, which is the old homestead on which he was born June 2, 1872, and is a son of Jacob and Lavinia (Coon) Seery.

Jacob Seery was born in Ross county, O., and during his active life carried on farming. He has always been a Republican in his polit- ical views and a prominent man of his sec- tion. He married Lavinia Coon, who was born in Canada, and four children were born to them: Alvaro, who is deceased; D. B .; L. M. D., who is now deceased; and Reno R.

Reno R. Seery attended the public schools in boyhood and before he took upon himself his present responsibilities, traveled all through the West, visiting points of interest and hav- ing a very enjoyable pleasure trip. He is a progressive, well informed agriculturist, suc- cessfully cultivating the land and raising some excellent stock. Sugar making is also one of the farm industries, a fine grove of sugar maples being on the farm.

Mr. Seery was married Sept. 18, 1894, to Miss Caroline Heinlen, a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Auck) Heinlen, who were sub- stantial and respected people of Holmes town-

ship and parents of three children; Emanuel, Clara and Caroline. To Mr. and Mrs. Seery a son was born, Orlo Dale, who died when six months old. They are members of the United Brethren church. Politically he is a Re- publican and has served several terms on the school board. He is a member of the Grange at Brokensword and of the K. O. T. M. at the same place.

EDWIN G. BEAL, cashier of the First National Bank of Bucyrus and an official who has had much to do with the prosperity of this institution was born near Bucyrus on his fa- ther's farm Sept. 1, 1876. He is a son of Ben- jamin and Lydia (Rexroth) Beal both of whom were members of prominent pioneer families of this community.

Edwin G. Beal was graduated from the Bu- cyrus High School in 1893. In the same year he became assistant to his father in the office of the Crawford county Farmer's Mutual Fire Insurance Company of which company his father was then secretary. Upon the death of his father in March, 1898, he was appointed secretary of this company which position he filled acceptably until the end of the com- pany's fiscal year. In 1896 he began his train- ing in practical banking in the Second Na- tional Bank of Bucyrus being made assist- ant cashier of that institution in January, 1898. In September, 1898, he entered the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, O., where he was graduated from the classical course in 1901 with his A. B. degree. From this institution he received the A. M. degree in 1904. After his graduation from the Ohio Wesleyan University he entered the senior class of the Law School at Ohio State Uni- versity in September, 1901, from which insti- tution he was graduated in 1902 with the de- gree of LL. B. In June, 1902, Mr. Beal was admitted to the bar of Ohio. After complet- ing his education he accepted a position with the First National Bank of Bucyrus and con- tinued until January, 1903, when he was elected assistant cashier of the bank. In November, 1904, Mr. Beal was appointed cashier of the same institution and has continued in this important position ever since, being now also a member of the Board of Directors of the bank.

On Sept. 20, 1911, Mr. Beal married Miss

1049

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Rachel Monnett, who was born at Bucyrus, was graduated from the Bucyrus High School and later from the Cincinnati School of Ora- tory. Mrs. Beal is favorably known as an elocutionist, having frequently appeared in public and on many occasions has given en- tertainments for charitable purposes. She is a daughter of Abram C. and Jane ( Walwork) Monnett, a granddaughter of Col. William Monnett and a great-granddaughter of Isaac Monnett, who came to Crawford county in 1828. Since its establishment in Ohio the Monnett family has been prominent in the af- fairs of the communities in which they have lıved.

Mr. and Mrs. Beal are interested members of the Methodist Episcopal church and both are active and appreciated workers in the Sunday School, Mr. Beal at present being its Super- intendent. Mr. Beal is a member of the Phi Kappa Psi college fraternity. Mrs. Beal is a member of Hannah Crawford Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

E. C. ASSENHEIMER, merchant tailor, one of the prosperous and representative busi- ness men of Crestline, O., who established his present store in 1906, has been connected with tailoring interests here, however, since 1895. He was born at Bucyrus, O., in 1872, and is a son of Christian and Bertha (Marggraf) As- senheimer.

Christian Assenheimer was born in the city of New York, Aug. 12, 1834, his parents be- ing Germans. As a young man he came to Bucyrus and has ever since lived in Crawford county, being now in his 78th year. He mar- ried Bertha Marggraf, who was born in Ger- many in 1838, but has spent the greater part of her .life in Crawford county. They are faithful members of the German Lutheran church. Eight children were born to them, seven of these still surviving.

E. C. Assenheimer was reared on a farm and attended the public schools prior to learn- ing his trade, at Crestline, after which he worked at his trade and for three years was in partnership in the merchant tailoring business with Jacob Sutz. In 1906, Mr. Assenheimer embarked in business for himself and has a commodious store well situated, the dimen- sions of which are 80x16 feet, on Railroad

Avenue. He carries a large stock of both foreign and domestic goods and has every facility for doing a first class business in his line. He has a wide city acquaintance and his patronage comes from the most fastidious class. Like his father, Mr. Assenheimer has always been a stanch Democrat. Mr. Assen- heimer is unmarried.

JAMES B. GORMLY, president of the First National Bank, of Bucyrus, O., and for years identified with numerous very impor- tant business enterprises of this section, has been connected with this financial institution since its organization, and has been at its head for a period of 53 years. He was born at Bu- cyrus, Nov. 23, 1836, and is a son of John A. and Louisa ( Bowman) Gormly.

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 158

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