History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens, Part 185

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 185

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).

In addition to his educational and political

HOWARD H. SMITH, M. D.

1233

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

prominence, Mr. Willford is well known in a number of fraternal organizations. He is a Blue Lodge Mason, an Odd Fellow, Eagle, Knight of Pythias, Maccabee and Elk, and is or has been officially connected with several of the above orders. He is a member of Cran- berry Lodge No. 441, Odd Fellows, at New Washington, and at present is representative to the Grand Lodge of the state for the 19th District. For more than ten years he has filled the office of record-keeper for the K. O. M. at New Washington.

VERNE E. KIESS,* who is one of the enterprising and successful agriculturists of Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., operating 200 acres of farming land belonging to his father, was born in Whetstone town- ship, April 30, 1880, and is a son of Simeon and Catherine (Kile) Kiess. The father was born in Pennsylvania and the mother in Ohio, and they now live retired at Bucyrus. Three of their children died in infancy and three survive: Sidney, Harvey and Verne E.

Until he was 19 years of age, Verne E. Kiess attended school every winter and a por- tion of the time the summer sessions as well, but as he became strong enough his help was needed on the home farm, where ploughing, seeding, haying and harvest taxed the endur- ance of his father and brothers. He remained at home until his marriage, in 1904, and then took charge of the farm that he has been man- aging ever since. Like other members of his family he is a Democrat in politics but has never been a seeker for office.

On Oct. 20, 1904, Mr. Kiess was married to Miss Rebecca Neff, who is a daughter of John and Emma ( Mckinstry) Neff, farmers in Marion county, O. Mr. and Mrs. Neff had seven children : Rebecca, Kinsel, Lena, Laura, Paul, and two who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Kiess have two daughters: Marjorie, who was born Dec. 7, 1905; and Marion, who was born July 14, 1908. They attend the Evangelical church.

HON. P. W. POOL,* who is a prominent member of the Crestline bar and for many years identified with important movements, political and legal, in Crawford county, O., was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., in

1847, and is a son of Joseph M. and Mary (Woodsworth) Pool. The parents were of German extraction. The father died in Penn- sylvania and the mother some years later, in Summit county, O.

P. W. Pool enjoyed educational advantages of a high order, first attending Greensburg College, in Trumbull county, O., and later, Hiram College, where he became well ac- quainted with James A. Garfield, later Presi- dent of the Uniter States. Mr. Pool was an exceptional student in several branches, lan- guages and mathematics in particular, and afterward, when he entered the University of Michigan, led his class in law and was gradu- ated there in 1865. In the same year he came to Crawford county, where he was admitted to the bar. For two years he taught German at Bucyrus, coming to Crestline in 1867, where he has resided until the present. He has been a most active citizen, serving six years as prosecuting attorney of Crawford county, and for 17 years as mayor of Crestline. Neces- sarily politics have more or less engaged his attention and since early manhood he has been identified with the progressive wing of the Democratic party, on many occasions serving with party zeal as a delegate to both State and Congressional conventions.

Mr. Pool married Miss Augusta Frye, who died in 1901, leaving one son, Charles W., who is a commercial traveler who makes his home at Galion, O. Mr. Pool belongs to the various branches of Masonry, has been a dele- gate to the Grand Lodge of Odd Fellows, from Crestline, and is a member of the Elks at Bu- cyrus.

HOWARD H. SMITH, M. D.,* physician and surgeon at Bucyrus, O., has been estab- lished here since 1895, making a choice of this city as his field of professional effort imme- diately after his graduation from the Cleve- land University of Medicine and Surgery. He was born in 1869, at Wooster, O., and is a son of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Beerbower) Smith and a grandson of Jacob Smith.

Jacob Smith came to Ohio as a pioneer from Pennsylvania, in 1806, and located in Wayne county, taking up virgin land near Wooster and that land he improved and lived on during the remainder of his life. He married an

1234

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

estimable woman, the daughter of an Irish neighbor, and six children were born to them, all of whom became creditable members of society. Jacob Smith and wife were early supporters of the Presbyterian church in their neighborhood.

Cornelius Smith, father of Dr. Smith, was born in Wayne county in 1820 and continued to live on the old homestead and carry on its industries until within seven years of his death, when he moved to Wooster where he passed away April 25, 1901. He was recognized as a man of sterling character, for 18 years served as a justice of the peace, and for many years spent much of his time attending to the settle- ment of estates. In politics he was an un- flinching defender of Democratic principles. He was married in Wayne County to Elizabeth Beerbower, who was born in Wayne County in 1827, and died there March 10, 1910. Her father, Jacob Beerbower, was of German ancestry but was born in Pennsylvania. Like Jacob Smith, he came early to Wayne county, and secured unimproved and uncleared land in the vicinity of Fredericksburg, on which he made his home, married and reared his family there. To Cornelius Smith and wife the fol- lowing children were born: Benton D., who is in the livery business at Wooster; Kansas, a man of family, who is a retired farmer at Wooster; Emma, who is the wife of Brandon McClure, who is a large dealer in small fruits; Howard H .; Kate May, now deceased, who was the wife of Harper McDonald; James Wiley, who, at death, left a widow, one son and two daughters; and two who died young.

Howard H. Smith had excellent educational advantages in his youth, the fact of his home being in a college town contributing to this, and when he entered medical college had already a trained literary understanding. He is engaged in a general practice and has built up an enviable reputation for professional effi. ciency. He is identified with all the leading organizations of the Homeopathic School of Medicine and keeps fully abreast with the times in scientific discoveries.

Dr. Smith was married at Wooster, O, April 4. 1899, to Miss Ida Marie Smith, who was born in Wayne county, in 1872, and is a daughter of William N. and Adaline (John- son) Smith. The father of Mrs. Dr. Smith

was born at Steubenville, O., and was a son of N. W. and Maria ( Waits) Smith, who were pioneers in East Union township, Wayne county. The old home place, where Mrs. Dr. Smith was born, is now the Ohio State Ex- perimental Station. William N. Smith was a stock raiser and dealer. He died in May, 1898, aged 68 years. He married Adaline Johnson, who survives. Her parents were Isaac and Rachel (Ernst) Johnson, old Penn- sylvania pioneers of Wayne county. All these families have had much to do with developing that . section of Ohio and for years public record will show that they have been leaders in agricultural progress and in educational and religious movements. Mrs. Dr. Smith was carefully educated and is a graduate of Wooster University and also of the Conserva- tory of Music, taking both degrees in 1891. In music she was a pupil of Prof. Carl Mers and of Prof. Conrad, both of national reputa- tion. To Dr. and Mrs. Smith one daughter has been born, Pleasant Jeanne, an attractive little maiden of nine years. Dr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the Presbyterian church and are well known in the pleasant social life of the city.

SAMUEL KURTZ, a highly respected citi- zen of Bucyrus, a retired farmer, was born in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., Sept. 8, 1848, and is a son of George and Catherine (Shearer ) Kurtz.

The parents of Mr. Kurtz were natives of Germany, where the father was born in 1821 and the mother in 1827. They came to Amer- ica when young, the father of George Kurtz locating with his family in Lycoming county, Pa. About 1842 George Kurtz came to Craw- ford county and here was married some time later to Catherine Shearer, whose parents had also come to Ohio from Pennsylvania. The newly married couple settled on the Shearer farm and continued to live there, Mr. Kurtz assisting in its clearing. Mrs. Kurtz died there in 1868, at the age of 55 years. The second marriage of George Kurtz was to Catherine Geibler, who still resides on the old homestead in Whetstone township. There George Kurtz died in 1903, at the age of 82 years. To his first marriage two sons were born: Jacob and Samuel, the former of whom

1235

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

is a prosperous farmer in Tully township, Marion county, O. He was married (first) to Caroline Stoltz and they had one son, who survives. His second marriage was to Christi- ana Cover and they have two sons and two daughters.

Samuel Kurtz, in many ways, has been a very fortunate man, growing up on his father's farm with comfortable home surroundings and being afforded an education that included both English and German studies. In the course of years he became the owner of 78 acres of the old homestead and he also acquired 79 acres in another part of Whetstone township, and on these two farms he spent many prosperous years, carrying on large agricultural opera- tions until age and inclination led him to retire from further activities. In October, 1910, he and his wife took possession of their com- fortable residence at No. 947 Prospect street, Bucyrus.

It was in this city that Mr. Kurtz was mar- ried to Miss Margaret Rexroth, who was born near Bucyrus, Aug. 26, 1848, a daughter of John Nicholas and Anna Maria (Rittmann) Rexroth, one of a family of ten children. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kurtz, namely: John George, a graduate of the Ohio Northern University at Ada, O., who is a clerk in the Government service, re- siding on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, married Mary Myers and has three chilren-Loneta, Lowell and Kenneth; Sam- uel Aaron, also a grauate of the Ohio North- ern University, who is now science teacher in the Bellevue, O., High School, married Nellie Beldon and has four children-Russell, Marguerite, Wilbur and Elizabeth. Simeon Gershom, who also completed a course at the university, at Ada, O., now a successful farmer in Whetstone township, married Mrs. Emma (Stump) Lepp and has two children-Byron and La Verne; Mary Catherine, a handsome young woman and a most lovely character, who had musical talent of a high order and who had served the church as organist for several years, died on Feb. 23, 1897, in the twentieth year of her age; Bertha Rexroth, a graduate of expression and oratory at Ada, O., is the wife of Prof. Russel Myers, also a graduate of the Ohio Northern University and who is now principal of the High School at Columbus Grove, O .; Harrison, who also pur-

sued a course of study at Ada, O., has charge of the home farm, married Caroline Mildred Rexroth; Paul, who died in infancy; and Ed- win Charles, who attends school at Bucyrus.

Mr. Kurtz and family attend the German Reformed church. Politically, Mr. Kurtz is a Republican with independent tendencies.

Since the above was written and before it was in print Mr. Kurtz died. The end came suddenly while he was engaged in doing some light work on the form. Death was due to heart failure and occurred on the 13th of April.

Brief funeral services were held at the home with extended and impressive services at the Whetstone Reformed church, of which he had been a member most of his life and where he had held official relations as treasurer, sec- retary of the board, deacon and elder for many years, and Sunday-school superintendent for 16 years. Fitting eulogies were given by former pastors while Rev. Mr. Keller gave the main discourse. The choir rendered touching and appropriate music. The interment was in the Shearer cemetery.

HENRY C. DYE,* superintendent of the municipal light and power plant, at Galion, O., has been identified with this public utility since before he was 21 years of age. He is a native of Galion, born here in September, 1874, and is a son of Samuel and Rebecca (Ness) Dye.

Samuel Dye was born at Sidney, O., and for 36 years has been in the service of the Big Four Railrod Company, and as he has reached the age limit of about 60 years, will probably soon retire on a pension, which is the method employed by this great corporation to reward fidelity and efficiency. He and wife are niem- bers of the English Lutheran church and he belongs to the leading railway social and fra- ternal organizations. Nine children were born to Samuel Dye and wife and Henry C. is the eldest of the six survivors.

Henry C. Dye attended school at Galion but from boyhood was more interested in me- chanics than in any other study and this nat- ural leaning determined his life work. His study of engineering secured him a license and for nineteen years he has been connected with the light and power plant here and for ten years has been superintendent.

Mr. Dye was married at Galion to Miss

1236

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

Emma Helfrich, who also was born, reared and educated here, and they have one daugh- ter, Marjorie, a school-girl of ten years. Mr. and Mrs. Dye are members of the First Re- formed Church. Politically he is a Republi- can and fraternally is a Master Mason, is past chancellor in the Knights of Pythias, and is a charter member of the local lodge of Elks. He belongs also to the National Association of Stationary Egineers.

CYRE FIELD, was a veteran of the great Civil War, and for many years afterward was an honorable and successful business man of Bucyrus, O. He was born in Delaware county, O., May .12, 1840, and died Jan. 17, 1895. His parents were James and Mary (Landon) Field.

James Field was born in Canada, a son of Roswell Field, who came to the American colonies prior to the Revolutionary War and about that time moved to Canada, in order to escape fighting the army of his own land. It was during the war between the United States and Canada that he was forced to fight against his country. He finally located in Delaware county, O., where he lived into old age. James Field grew to manhood in Delaware county and became a farmer. His birth took place in 1806 and his death, at St. Louis, Mo., on May 7, 1875. He married Mary Landon, who was born in 1810, and died July 27, 1889. They were members of the Christian church. Of their nine children two survive: Rev. Sam- uel Field, who resides with his family on his farm near Francisville, Ind .; and Rev. Nicho- las Field, who now lives in the State of Washington. As the same family names appear it is reasonable to infer that the late merchant prince of Chicago, Marshall Field, belonged to a branch of this family, and also the poet, the late Eugene Field, together with many others of name and note in this country.

Cyre Field grew to manhood on the home farm. Early in the Civil War, with his brother Roswell, he enlisted for service, enter- ing the 49th O. Vol. Inf., on the first call and serving for three months, and later served out a second enlistment. He was well edt1- cated and successfully taught school for a time and then accepted a clerical position with the Erie Railroad and still later was with his

brother, James A. Field, a well known manu- facturer at St. Louis, Mo. In 1882 he came to Bucyrus and embarked in the mercantile business in which he continued until failing health made retirement obligatory and his death occurred two years later. He was, like the majority of the Fileds, of fine manly appearance. His manner was pleasant and his speech agreeable to the ear, while his kind- ness of heart was daily exhibited to those around him. For some years he was com- mander of the Kelley Post, G. A. R., at Bu- cyrus and always an interested member. . Po- litically he was identified with the Republican party.

At Marion, O., June 1, 1873, Mr. Field was married to Miss Margaret C. Brinker, who was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., in 1850, and was brought to Ohio at the age of two years by her parents, Jesse and Jane (Eagle) Brinker. Mr. Brinker was a car- penter by trade and after locating at Marion continued active in this trade until within a few years of his death, in May, 1895, when in his 73rd year. His wife passed away in 1854, when Mrs. Field was a child. They were members of the Free Will Baptist church. To Mr. Brinker's second marriage, one daugh- ter was born, who still survives. Mrs. Field was one of four children and she has two sisters: Mary, who is the wife of Henry Crosby, living near Cuyahoga, O., who has one son and two daughters; and Kate, who is the wife of J. L. Showen, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and has one daughter. To Mr. and Mrs. Field the following children were born: Lil- lian E., who is the wife of James Queeney, residing at Knoxville, Tenn .; Elva Florence, who is the wife of Clarence R. Corey, residing at Seattle, Wash., and has one daughter, Eleanor C .; Herbert C., an electrician, resid- ing in Southern Ohio, who married Clara Decker, and has two sons-James and Her- bert C., Jr .; and Catherine Estella, who resides with her mother. Mrs. Field is a member of the Christian church, as was her husband.

CHRISTOPHER W. DENNIG, builder and owner of the Dennig business block, at Galion, O., a commodious structure with di- mensions of 22x120 feet, and proprietor of an old established business here, his grocery

1237

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

store occupying the entire first floor, a part of the second and the entire basement, has been a resident of Galion, since 1876. He is a veteran of the great Civil War, in which he bore an honorable part both as a private soldier and later as an officer, and is known and re- spected the entire length of Crawford county. He was born in Baden, Germany, Feb. 9, 1839, and is a son of Francis and Magdalena (Schentenhart) Dennig.

Francis Dennig and wife were natives of Baden and prior to marriage he learned the wagonmaking trade. In 1852, with their one child, Christopher W., they started for Amer- ica, taking passage on a vessel that required 29 days to make the voyage across the Atlan- tic Ocean but which landed them safely at Castle Garden, New York. From there they continued their journey to Galion, O., Francis Dennig finally selecting a location for his small shop between Waldo and Marion, in Marion county, along what he deemed a well traveled road. His judgment proved correct and through hard work he accumulated some capital which he later invested in another part of Marion county but he died soon afterward, when aged 55 years. His widow and only son then moved to Marion and from there came to Galion, where the former died in 1900, when aged 73 years. They were worthy peo- ple and their son recalls them with respect and affection. They belonged to the German Methodist church.

Christopher W. Dennig learned the wagon- making trade under his father's supervision and assisted in his father's shop until he de- cided to enlist for service in the Civil War. On Nov. II, 1861, he enlisted in Co. D, 82nd O. Vol. Inf., which regiment was sent to the front, in West Virginia, and, with very little preparation found itself in active service. It was called on to face the forces under Gen. Stonewall Jackson, and participated in such hard fought battles as Cedar Mountain, the second battle of Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Missionary Ridge, Knoxville, Dallas, Bentonville and Goldsboro. His service all through the war covered two enlistments and during the second period he held the rank of second lieutenant. He took part in that remarkable triumphant review at Washington, D. C., after the close of hostilities, and re-

ceived his final honorable discharge on May 24, 1865, from a regiment that had lost over 500 members. Although he was ever at the post of duty, whether marching or fighting, Mr. Dennig escaped all injury and was never made a prisoner, while comrades fell by. his side and many were captured who never lived to return. On numerous occasions he had close calls, once a bullet singing his hair as it sped through his cap, while often shells ex- ploded near his path and enemies lay in wait when crossing streams.

After he returned from the army to Ohio, Mr. Dennig was married in Marion county, to Miss Mary Haberman, who died at the age of 43 years. In 1876 he came to Galion, hav- ing previously, for four years, been in the grocery business at Marion, and for four years was in the machine shops of the Big Four Railway. In 1880 he returned to the grocery business, and in 1893 he erected the Dennig block at Galion, his business having outgrown his first quarters, and he, in association with his sons, has been established here ever since, conducting one of the largest stores of this kind in this section of the county and carrying a complete stock of fancy and staple goods.

Mr. Dennig was married second to -Miss Mary De Vour, who was born in Columbiana county, O. She is a member of the Method- ist Episcopal church while he retains his mem- bership in the German Methodist church in which he was reared. Politically he is a Re- publican. He is much interested in Grand Army matters and is a member of Dick Mor- ris Post, No. 130, G. A. R.

WILLIAM HEIBERTSHAUSEN,* de- ceased, for many years was engaged in busi- ness at Crestline, O., where his life was mainly spent and where he was universally respected and much esteemed. He was born at Crest- line, Dec. 7, 1862, a son of John and Eliza- beth ( Pepper) Heibertshausen.

John Heibertshausen and wife were natives of Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, and were young when they came to America and later to Crestline, where Mr. Heibertshausen was one of the first to embark in the furniture and undertaking business, having learned the trade of cabinetmaker before leaving Germany. He continued in. business at Crestline until his

1238

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY

death, in 1889, when aged 56 years, his wife surviving him but a few months. They were members of the German Lutheran church. The family consisted of the following chil- dren : Charles, who lives in Indiana; William; Kate, who is the wife of Elmer Gilson of Crestline, and has two children; and Henry, who died at the age of 21 years.

William Heibertshausen attended the public schools at Crestline and assisted his father from boyhood, practically growing up in the business, and succeeding to it when his father died in 1889, and continued until his own death, in March, 1909. He was an honorable business man and public spirited citizen, and at times served in the city council. He was a strong Democrat all his life as his father had been before him.

On Nov. 22, 1887, Mr. Heibertshausen was married to Miss Lena Weber, who was born in Bavaria, Germany, April 4, 1867, a daugh- ter of Christian and Caroline ( Busche ) Weber. The Weber family came to the United States in 1867, landing in the harbor of New York and from that city removing to Erie, Pa., and soon after to Crestline, where Christian Weber entered the Pennsylvania Railway shops. His death was caused by an accident in the round- house, Dec. 8, 1899, when aged 56 years. He was an industrious man and was respected by all who knew him. His widow still lives at Crestline, the mother of seven children, name- ly: Lena, who is the widow of William Hei- bertshausen; Mary, who is the wife of Martin Wilkinson, proprietor of the Gibson House, Crestline; Henry, a railroad man, who mar- ried Irene Helfrich and has three children; Caroline, who died unmarried, at the age of 21 years; Minnie E., who is employed in a store at Cleveland; Charles, who is an engineer in a steel plant at Lorain, O .; and Edward, a machinist, who lives with his mother at Crestline. To Mr. and Mrs. Heibertshausen two children were born: Alma Mary, who was born March II, 1890, and who was graduated from the Crestline High School in the class of 1908; and Robert William, who was born Nov. 29, 1893, and who was graduated from the Crestline High School in the class of 1912, and is employed in the offices of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company in this city. The family belongs to the German Lutheran church.

JONATHAN SONGER,* deceased, was born in Ohio in 1834, a son of George and Sarah Songer, of German extraction, who settled in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., at an early date. They were par- ents of seven children, five of whom survive, and were devoted members of the German Lutheran church.

Jonathan Songer grew to manhood on his father's farm in Whetstone township, and there passed his life, following farming and stock raising and giving attention to public affairs and private duties as became a worthy man and good citizen. He died on his farm in the above township, March 4, 1872, at the early age of 38 years.

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 185

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