USA > Ohio > Darke County > History of Darke County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume II > Part 35
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Sylvester A. Meyers attended district No. 4 school in Neave township, now known as special No. 5, but his educational ad- vantages were somewhat limited, owing to the fact that his father died when he was still a lad and it was necessary that he help as much as possible in carrying on the operation of the home farm. It was necessary that he practice habits of in-
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dustry and economy in his youth and these have since proven important factors in his success. At about the age of eighteen years, he was given the management of the farm, having proved his capability, and he has since continued to operate it with a full measure of success. His land is splendidly im- proved, the great fields of waving grain giving evidence of his careful supervision and industry, while the buildings are large and substantial and kept in the best of repair. Mr. Meyers also raises fine stock and has engaged in shipping cattle and hogs for some years, and his well managed business affairs have brought him a very desirable. competence. Mr. Meyers' mother, who still survives, makes her home with her son and is one of the well-known and greatly beloved old ladies of the township. On September 1, 1891, Mr. Meyers was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Jenkinson, of Darke county, and to them there have been born ten children : Mabel, who is the wife of Clyde Drake: Opal, Juna, Ruth, William, Frank, Charles, Samuel, Mary and Paul. The children have all been given good educational advantages, have been reared to lives of industry and honesty, and fitted for whatever positions they may be called upon to fill. Although Mr. Meyers is not af- filiated with any particular church, he supports liberally all worthy religious and charitable movements, and has ever been ready to lend a helping hand to the unfortunate. In politics, he is a stalwart supporter of Democratic principles and candi- dates, and has been honored by election to the office of town- ship trustee of Neave township, in which he has rendered ex- cellent service for a period of six years. His useful career is one well worthy of emulation by those of the younger genera- tion.
ISAAC M. ROSS.
The record of men who have gained success in their chosen fields of endeavor needs no introductory preface among the citizens of their native county, and the gentleman who is the subject of this review is undoubtedly a member of the class just referred to. By his strict personal integrity and honorable dealings, combined with brilliant business qualifications, this honored veteran of the great Civil war has become one of the leading citizens of German township. Now, in the evening of life, he may look back over wellspent years, surrounded by his family and friends, enjoying the comforts of retirement in his
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pleasant home on the Ross gravel pike, one mile east of Pales- tine. Mr. Ross was born August 25, 1841, on his present farm, and is a son of Robert S. and Maria (Mitchell) Ross.
Henry and Sarah (Cook) Ross, the paternal grandparents of Isaac M. Ross, belonged to the first families of Virginia, and migrated to Darke county in 1817, after a short stay in Franklin county. The grandfather settled on a farm in section twenty-four, German township, here cultivated a farm, reared his family, and became one of the substantial men of his com- munity. Robert S. Ross was three years of age when he was brought to Darke county by his parents, and here he received his education in the public schools and was reared to agri- cultural pursuits. After his father's death he bought the in !. terest of the other heirs in the homestead, and this he con- tinued to cultivate throughout the remainder of his life. Mr. Ross married Maria Mitchell, daughter of Robert. Mitchell, a soldier of the war of 1812, and granddaughter of a Revolu- tionary soldier, and they became the parents of twelve chil- dren, as follows : Josiah, a Union soldier during the Civil war, who died on the field of battle while fighting with Company H., One Hundred Fifty-second regiment, Ohio volunteer in- fantry; Isaac M., of this review; J. S., a veteran of the Civil war, who was wounded in battle at Liberty, Va., and is now a resident of Arkansas-City, Kan .; Mary, who married Mr. Wen- ger and now lives at New Carlisle, Ind .; Charlotte, who mar- ried Mr. Wheeler-and is now deceased; Rebecca O., the widow. of Mr. Berry; David, a resident of Rossberg, Ohio; Amanda, who married Mr. Herculin and lives at Leesville, Ohio; Robert W., a resident of Allen township, Daske county ; Sarah C., who is deceased; Jane, who married Mr. Francis, and resides at Columbus, Ohio, and William T., a-resident of British Co- lumbia.
Isaac M. Ross attended district school No. 8, in German township, and was engaged in assisting his father and brothers in the work of the home farm at the outbreak of the Civil war. At that time, with his brothers and a number of other young men of his neighborhood, he offered his services to the govern- ment for duty in the ranks of the blue, and being accepted was assigned to the Forty-fourth regiment, Ohio volunteer in- fantry. After the expiration of his term with that organiza- tion, he re-enlisted, becoming a member of the Eighth regi- ment, Ohio volunteer cavalry, and in all his.service covered. four years, he being connected with the Army of. the Po-
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tomac, under Cols. A. S. Gilbert of the infantry, and Colonel Moore of the cavalry, and Colonel Owens of the regular army. For a time he was in the command of General Crook, who dis- tinguished himself at South Mountain, Antietam, Chicka- mauga and Appomattox and after the war achieved celebrity in campaigns against the Indians as commander of the dis- tricts of Idaho and Arizona. Mr. Ross saw an active service. On one occasion he was wounded when a bullet struck a rock in front of him and the fragments flew in his face, and he also had several other narrow escapes. Among his more prominent engagements were Lewisburg, Va .; Siege of Knoxville, Cum- berland Gap, Liberty, Va., where his brother was wounded; Lynchburg, and Beverly, Va., the latter being a hand-to-hand struggle, in which Mr. Ross was captured five times by the enemy before breakfast and escaped as many times. Upon the conclusion of a brave and faithful service, Mr. Ross re- turned to his home and again took up the duties of citizen- ship. He completed his education in the schools of Palestine, and then resumed agricultural work, in which he continued until advancing years and a well-earned competence caused his retirement. During his active years he was known as one of the skilled agriculturists and good judges of stock of his township, and he still takes a keen interest in the progress and advancement of agricultural work. He still maintains his pleasant home in German township, but spends his winter months at Zephyr Hills, Fla., where he has a commodious residence.
On March 23, 1867, Mr. Ross was married to Miss Eliza Jane Peden, daughter of Gibson and Phoebe (Wright) Peden. Mrs. Ross was born at Hollansburg, Darke county, Ohio, September 15, 1845, and died September 5, 1908, at the homestead in Ger- man township. She was an active member of the Hollansburg Christian church, did much for charity, and was generally be- loved by those who knew her. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ross : Ida Mae and Herschel M. The former married J. J. Ross, of another family, and had four children, the oldest among whom, Claude, graduated from an Indiana high school, spent two years in study in Delaware, and is now preparing for the Christian ministry. Herschel M. Ross was educated at Ada, Ohio, where he took a classical course. He is now en- gaged in farming in German township, with his home at Pales- tine, and is known as one of the progressive and enterprising young agriculturists of this section.
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HERSCHEL A. WAGNER.
For four generations, a period covering nearly ninety years, Oak Valley farm, located in German township, has been the property of the family of Wagner, whose representatives dur- ing this period have been closely identified with the agricul- tural interests of Darke county. The present owner, Herschel A. Wagner, is a man of prominence and influence in his com- munity, where he has long been known as a friend of progress and advancement. He was born January 30,.1863, on the old Wagner home place in Neave township, Darke county, Ohio, and is a son of Jonathan and Emmeline (Throp) Wagner.
John Wagner (or Waggoner, as the name was then spelled), the great-grandfather of Herschel A. Wagner, was the founder of the family in Darke county, Ohio, bringing his family here in 1816, from Berks county, Pennsylvania, and settling on government land, although it was not until 1825 that he en- tered this land, the deed for which, dated August 12th of that year, is now owned by Herschel A. Wagner. John Wagner continued to be engaged in agricultural pursuits in German township throughout the remainder of his life and was known as one of his community's substantial men. His son, William Wagner, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and was ten years of age at the time the family migrated to Darke county, Ohio, where he likewise was a lifelong farmer. He married Elizabeth Browers, who was born in Frederick county, Mary- land, and both died in German township. Jonathan Wagner, son of William Wagner, and father of Herschel A. Wagner, lived through much of the pioneer history of Darke county, and his youth was passed in the hard, unremitting toil of clear- ing and improving land. He early adopted the vocation of farmer as his life work, and upon attaining his majority en- tered upon his career well fitted to rely absolutely upon his own ability, in subsequent years making a decided success of his ventures and accumulating a handsome cempetency. He married Miss Emmeline Throp and they became the parents of eight children, namely : Madison, who is engaged in farming in Neave township; Herschel A., of this review; William, who lives in Montgomery county, Ohio; Luella, who married a Mr. Haynes; Frank, who is deceased; Hattie, who married a Mr. Thomas and resides in Colorado, and Ed, a resident of Greenville.
Herschel A. Wagner received his education in the Neave
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township schools and those of German township, and was reared to become an agriculturist, a vocation which he adopted immediately upon reaching manhood. At the age of twenty- one years he began renting land from his father and continued as a renter until, by industry, thrift and good management, he had accumulated enough to purchase the old original home- stead, upon which he has since continued to make his home. A typical, hard-working, self-made man, his success in life is well-merited, and his ready willingness to help others has made him well liked and respected by those who have come in contact with him, either in business or social life. He has made numerous improvements of a modern character on his prop- erty, and his residence is one of the beautiful dwellings of the township. Although he carries on general farming, he makes somewhat of a specialty of raising corn, in which he has met with excellent success, and for a hobby does much in raising Duroc swine. His views upon the temperance question make him an ardent Prohibitionist, and he takes a lively interest in any enterprise for the welfare of his community, being recog- nized as a public-spirited citizen in every way.
On October 26, 1889, Mr. Wagner was married to Miss Lou Baird, daughter of Andrew and Miranda (Collett) Baird, resi- dents of Neave township. Andrew Baird was born in Warren county, Ohio, and came to Darke county in young manhood, subsequently serving in the Civil war, becoming prominent in Republican politics, and achieving success in business life. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Wagner: Carl B., aged twenty-two years, who is now managing his father's property, and Edith, who is the wife of Walter Bratchie.
MRS. H. K. SCHOPP.
Mrs. Hildegard ( Koeberlin) Schopp, widow of Colonel J. Schopp, is a woman of independent thought and action, and although naturally of a retiring, modest disposition, is ready to give her earnest support to any movement for the general good. Hildegard Koeberlin was born at Ironton, Ohio, daugh- ter of Reverend Constantine Koeberlin, who presided over the Lutheran church at Greenville from 1869 to 1876. Both par- ents were natives of Germany and are deceased. Rev. Koe- berlin is remembered by the older residents of Greenville as an earnest worker for the church and an upright citizen.
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He and his wife had two children, Mrs. Schopp and another daughter, Miss Amelia, for a number of years a teacher in Greenville public schools. The Koeberlin family has been identified with church work in Germany for many genera- tions; in fact, some member has been in religious work since the time of the Reformation.
Mrs. Schopp received her education in Illinois and Ohio, attending the public schools of St. Clair county, Illinois, and of Greenville, Ohio, which was supplemented by a course in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was married April 15, 1891, to Colonel Philip J. Schopp. Mr. Schopp enlisted for services in the Union Army and served as Captain, Adjutant- General and later Colonel of his regiment, the Seventy-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteers. After he passed away he was buried with full military honors, conducted by Jobes Post, G. A. R. He was well known and had many warm friends. By occupation he was a civil engineer, a' member of the U. S. surveying corps.
Mrs. Schopp is a member of the Civil League of Green- ville and has served as chairman of the Children's Auxiliary of this association, a worthy cause. She is broad and pro- gressive in her views and of a practical turn of mind, making her influence strongly felt wherever she enlists it. She be- longs to the Sorosis Club, a literary society and to church missionary and other societies. Her greatest joy is found in doing for others and she is interested in everything af- fecting the general progress of the county or state. She is well read and keeps up with the times in regard to general affairs and public issues. She has the happy faculty of making friends with young and old alike and enjoys the full confidence of her associates. She is quiet and dignified in manner, but easy of approach and very friendly in disposition. She has a pleasant home at 423 West Third street.
SAMUEL F. METZCAR.
Numbered among the men who are maintaining Darke county's supremacy in the field of agriculture is found Sam- uel F. Metzcar, of German township, who for many years has carried on farming and stockraising and is now living a some- what retired life on his eighty-acre farm, located about one and one-half miles from Palestine. He is a native of this county,
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having been born on his father's farm in Wayne township, in 1853, and is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Puterbaugh) Metz- car.
The paternal grandparents of Mr. Metzcar, Jacob and Bar- 'bara (Graymire) Metzcar, came from the vicinity of Xenia, in Greene county, Ohio, during the administration of Presi- dent John Quincy Adams, the grandfather entering eighty acres of land in the uncultivated region of Wayne township. There he passed the remainder of his life in making a home for his family, and died in advanced years, the owner of a valuable property. His son, Jacob, the father of Samuel F. Metzcar, was born in Greene county, Ohio, and was a lad when he came with the family to Darke county. He was reared to farming, and at the time of his father's death inherited the homestead, known as the old Murphy farm, this being the scene of his activities throughout the remainder of his life. He did not enter actively into public life, being content to fol- low the pursuits of tilling the soil, but was nevertheless known as a good citizen and one who had the interests of his com- munity at heart. Jacob and Elizabeth (Puterbaugh) Metzcar were the parents of eleven children: Lavina, who married a Mr. Harper; Mary A., who became the wife of Mr. English; John, who enlisted during the Civil war in Company E, Fortieth regiment, Ohio volunteer infantry, and died of small- pox at Shields Mills, Eastern Tennessee, when only seventeen years of age; Charlotte, deceased, who was the wife of a Mr. Browder; four children who died in infancy; Samuel F., of this review ; Barbara, who married a Mr. Penny, and Jacob W.
The district schools of Neave and Patterson townships fur- nished Samuel F. Metzcar with ordinary educational advan- tages, and as a youth he assisted his father and brothers in the work of the home place. Being of a mechanical turn if mind, he learned the trade of carpenter, which he followed at various times for short periods, but the greater part of his at- tention has been devoted to farming, which occupation has been the medium through which he has achieved his success. About the time of his marriage, he began operations on his own account, and he is now the owner of a good farm of eighty acres in German township, on which are found all modern and substantial improvements. He has given close application to his farming and stockraising interests, but of late years has turned the heavier work of his land over to younger hands, feeling that he is entitled to a rest after his years of strenuous endeavor.
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Mr. Metzcar was married in 1878 to Miss Milandi Ballinger, daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Hassafoos) Ballinger, and to this union there have been born five children : Orlando, who married Ada Hill; Doilard, who married Dona Sawade and has two children; Bessie, who married Clifford Carpenter, and has six children, Dwight, Knoll, Alberta, Florence, Marvin and one deceased; Mabel, who is single and lives with her par- ents, and Lottie also single, a teacher in the Normal school. Mr. Metzcar is independent in his political views, exercising his prerogative of voting rather for the man than the party. He is a supporter of all worthy charitable and religious move- ments. He enjoys the companionship of his fellow men, and is a popular member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he has passed through all the chairs and represented his lodge, No. 652, Palestine, in the Grand Lodge of the State. He also holds membership in the Grange and the Horse Thief Asso- ciation. As a farmer and stockraiser Mr. Metzcar has exer- cised excellent ability in the management of his affairs and has thereby acquired a competence that enables him to pro- vide a comfortable living for himself and his family. He has ever been known to be reliable in all trade transactions, so that he has won the confidence and good will of his fellowmen, as evidenced by the fact, that in 1907 he was elected justice of the peace, which position he has held continually since.
HORACE B. KERST.
Many of the agriculturists of the younger generation are carrying on operations on the farms on which they were born, and with the conditions and possibilities of which, accordingly, they are thoroughly familiar. These are the men who are pro- gressively carrying forward the development commenced by their fathers, and which has changed Darke county from a wild and unproductive waste into one of the garden spots of the Buckeye State. The owner of a handsome tract of one hundred and fifty acres of land in Greenville township, three miles northeast of Palestine, Horace B. Kerst has resided on this property all of his life and is known as one of his com- munity's most energetic and enterprising farmers. Like many of the more progressive men of his locality, he has devoted his energies to specializing, his specialty being the raising of live-
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stock, in which he has met with well-merited success. Mr. Kerst was born June 16, 1882, in the old family homestead in Greenville township, and is a son of Morgan and Cynthia (Diveley) Kerst.
The Kerst family has been known in Darke county since pioneer days, the progenitor being the grandfather of Mr. Kerst, Samuel Kerst, who married a Miss Moyer and came to this section from Berks county, Pennsylvania. Morgan Kerst was born at Bakers Store, a small hamlet of this county, and was a farmer and stockraiser throughout his life, his earnest and well-directed efforts gaining him a handsome competency, while his good citizenship at all times assured him a high place in public esteem. Mr. Kerst married Cyn- thia Diveley, of Darke county, and they became the parents of the following children: Anna and Georgia, who are deceased; Stella, who married Mr. O'Brien; Wilber, Horace B., and one child who died in infancy.
Horace B. Kerst may be truly termed a self-made man, for he started out in life without capital, and through his industry and perseverance has steadily advanced as the years have gone by until he is now numbered among the leading and in- fluential men of his community. He received his education in the country schools, in the meantime assisting his father in cultivating the fields of the homestead farm, and when he reached years of maturity adopted the vocation of agriculturist for his field of endeavor. In order to secure capital with which to pursue his chosen occupation, he rented land for some years and carefully saved his earnings, with the result that he was soon able to invest in his original piece of property. That he has prospered in his venture is indicated by the fact that he today owns a valuable farm of one hundred and fifty acres, the property being improved with good buildings and a nice home, which is supplied with all modern conveniences and ac- cessories. He is carrying on general farming, following the most practical and progressive methods in the cultivation of his fields, so that he is meeting with a most gratifying success. For about ten years he has been interested in breeding Duroc hogs, and his success in this line encouraged him to experiment with cattle, and he is at this time shipping a large number of stock to the markets. In addition he is the owner of a number of blooded jacks and a fine Belgian horse, which he keeps for breeding purposes. Mr. Kerst is a member of the Horse Thief Association, a local protective organization. In political mat-
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ters he is a progressive Republican, and in community affairs he takes an active and helpful part and his labors have been directly beneficial and far-reaching. He has made for himself an honored place in business circles, and his signature bears weight on commercial paper.
On December 16, 1912, Mr. Kerst was married to Miss Cres- sie Henry, daughter of Joseph and Amanda (Bell) Henry, the latter of whom is deceased, while the former is a resident of Castine, Ohio.
ED SHAFER.
Ed Shafer, clerk of Darke county courts, is a young man of promise, progressive and earnest in his thoughts and ideas, and well fitted by nature and training for the responsible position he fills. He has the full confidence of his fellowmen throughout the county and stands well with all classes. He is a native of Richland township, Darke county, born Febru- ary 27, 1881, a son of John C. and Rachel (Earhart) Shafer, also natives of Darke county. John C. Shafer was born in Richland township May 13, 1858, and was a farmer by oc- cupation, having now retired from active life. His wife was born in Greenville township, March 17, 1861. They now live in Greenville, the father having retired from active life. They had two children, Ed, the elder, and one daughter, Bessie, at home.
Mr. Shafer attended the rural schools and his first work after leaving school was assisting in the work of the home farm. He continued until his marriage, October 16, 1904, to Miss Bertha Kley, who was born in Wayne township, Darke county, April 17, 1884, and died September 10, 1912, being buried in Greenville Cemetery. She was the daughter of Lewis and Hulda (Taylor) Kley. Mr. Kley was born in Cammerforst, Germany, September 17, 1832, and Mrs. Kley, who was born in Wayne township, August 11, 1829, near Versailles, Darke county, Ohio, died April 29, 1913. He still resides in Wayne township. They had six children, three of whom survive: Salem, of Wayne township; Anna, wife of Ed Williams, of Versailles, Ohio; Charles, of Wayne township; three who are deceased, including Mrs. Shafer. Mr. and Mrs. Shafer had one child, a daughter, Ruth Vivian, born September 22, 1911, who lives with her father's parents,
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where he also now makes his home. Mrs. Shafer was a devoted member of the Christian church in Versailles and Mr. Shafer belongs to the church of the same denomination in Greenville. Mr. Shafer had lived in Greenville from March until October, before his marriage, and continued his residence there until after their marriage and there made many friends in various circles. Mrs. Shafer was a charming young woman and her death was a sad loss to her family and friends.
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