USA > Ohio > Greene County > History of Greene County, Ohio: its people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 66
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On December 27, 1899, in Harrison county, this state, John F. Puter- baugh was united in marriage to Mary V. Thompson, who was born on a farm in that county, daughter of Robert and Sarah ( Palmer) Thompson, both now deceased, and who died on January 27, 1908. To that union were born four children, namely: Robert Samuel, born on May 17, 1901 ; Julia May, December 13, 1902, who died on December 18, 1905; Florence Irene, September 9. 1904. who died on July 17, 1905, and Esther Lois, July 20, 1907, who is living with her mother's sister in Harrison county.
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
BENJAMIN WOLF.
Benjamin Wolf, a veteran of the Civil War and a retired farmer of Bath township, this county, now living at Osborn, was born in Bath town- ship on December 15. 1842, son of John W. and Rebecca (Swadener ) Wolf, the latter of whom also was born in this county, in Beavercreek township, and the former in the state of Pennsylvania.
John W. Wolf was a member of one of the first families to settle in the northern part of Greene county, he having been but a lad when his parents, George Wolf and wife, came here from Pennsylvania and settled in what later came to be organized as Bath township, where they were living, according to public records, when the first enumeration was taken in that township in the spring of 1807. George Wolf, the pioneer, was a native of Germany. Upon coming to this county 'he entered a half section of Congress land, the tract on which now stands the village of Byron, and there established his home. On that tract he set apart a plot for cemetery purposes, the Byron cemetery, and was the first person to be buried therein. his death occurring in 1813. He and his wife had seven children and the Wolf connection throughout this part of the country in this generation is therefore a quite numerous one. John W. Wolf, one of the sons of these pioneer parents, served as a soldier during the War of 1812 and after- ward took up farming, which he followed the rest of his life. After his marriage he established his home on a farm in Bath township and there lived to the age of eighty-five years and eight months, his death occurring in June, 1877. His widow survived him for sixteen years, her death occur- ring in 1893. They were the parents of six children, two of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch and his sister Martha.
Reared on the home farm in Bath township, Benjamin Wolf received his schooling in the local schools of that neighborhood and then was engaged in farming with his father until his marriage, after which for three years he lived on a rented farm nearby. He then moved up into Clark county and was there engaged in farming for seven years, at the end of which time he returned to Bath township and there bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, established his home on the same and there continued to reside until his retirement from the farm and removal to Osborn, where he and his wife are now living. Mr. Wolf is a Republican and for some time served as school director in his home district while living on the farm. During the progress of the Civil War he enlisted, in 1864, as a member of Company K, One Hundred and Fifty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. and was with that command during the hundred-days service. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church.
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
On November 8, 1870, Benjamin Wolf was united in marriage to Lenora Schauer, who also was born in the vicinity of Byron, this county, a daughter of George and Catherine (Brown) Schauer, the former of whom was born in this county, in 1825, and the latter in the state of Maryland, in 1830. George Schauer, who spent most of his life as a farmier in Greene county, was a son of Samuel Schauer, who had settled here in 1818, and he was reared on a farm in the Byron neighborhood. After his marriage he for a time lived in the neighboring county of Miami, but later returned to this county. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church and were the parents of children, of whom Mrs. Wolf was the second in order of birth, the others being Sarah C., wife of Simon H. Wolf. of Springfield, this state ; Samuel -William, deceased; G. K., the seed man, of Osborn, and Flora, wife of J. C. Smith, a dry-goods merchant at Dayton. Mr. and Mrs. Wolf have two daughters, Cora, who married George Will- iamson and has one child, a daughter, Grace Mae, who married Harvey Ferguson and has one child, a son, Richard Benjamin; and Harriet, who married Frank Routzong and has three children, Wilfred Wolf, Cora Eleanor and Catherine Louise.
SAMUEL MILTON SPAHR.
The late Samuel Milton Spahr, who died at his farm home in Beaver- creek township on March 14. 1917, and whose widow is still living there, was a native son of Greene county, a member of one of the pioneer families hereabout, and all his life was spent here. He was born on a farm in New Jasper township, April 19, 1853, son of Gideon and Amanda (Hagler) Spahr, the former of whom also was born in New Jasper township, son of Philip and Martha (Shook) Spahr, who had settled there upon coming to this county from Virginia. Reared on the home farm, Gideon Spahr remained there until his marriage to Mary Amanda Hagler, daughter and one of the fifteen children born to Samuel and Anna (Fudge) Hagler, Virginians, who had come up here from the neighboring county of Warren. For nine years after his marriage Gideon Spahr continued to make his home in New Jasper township and then he moved with his family over into Jay county, Indiana, but after two years of residence in the Hoosier state he returned to Greene county and here spent the rest of his life, his last days being spent at Bellbrook, where he died on September 4, 1891. His widow died on August 9. 1904. She was born on January 17, 1825. Gideon Spahr for years conducted his operations, farming hundreds of acres. in partnership with his son Samuel M. He was a Republican and by religions persuasion
SAMUEL M. SPAHR.
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GREENE COUNTY, OHIO
was a Methodist. To Gideon and Amanda (Hagler) Spahr were born six children, of whom the subject of this memorial sketch was the fifth in order of birth, the others being John L., a retired farmer of Cedarville township, who married Hannah Peterson and has three children, James Milton, Ida Jane and Osman P .; Mary Louise, who married Boyd G. Hopping, of Xenia, and died leaving three children, John, David and William; Philip R., now a resident of Dayton, who married Ella Cyphers and has six children, Lora, John, Ina, Emma, Philip and Esther; David M., who died in 1916, a farmer of Beavercreek township, who married Elizabeth Keiter, who now lives at Xenia, and had two daughters, Pearl and Edith Amanda; and Moses B., a Sugarcreek township farmer, who married Harriet Gatrell and had two children, Ethel MI. (deceased) and Walton M.
Samuel Milton Spahr grew up in Beavercreek township and received his schooling in the schools of his home neighborhood. In due time he effected a partnership with his father, the two extending their operations to cover the cultivation of a farm of nine hundred acres in the Trebeins neighborhood and later a farm of six hundred and forty acres in Sugar- creek township, where they spent eight years, at the end of which time they took over the Maxwell farm five and a half miles west of Xenia on the Indian Ripple road in Beavercreek township, and in 1893 Samuel M. Spahr Lought one hundred and thirty-three acres of that farm, the place on which his widow is now living on rural mail route No. 7 out of Xenia, and there he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring there, as noted above, in 1917. Mr. Spahr was a Republican and served for some time as supervisor of highways and as a member of the school board. For many years he was a deacon in the Reformed church.
On November 11, 1886, Samuel M. Spahr was united in marriage to Margaret Wolf, who was born in Cincinnati, daughter of Frank and Margaret (Sorg) Wolf, who had come to this country from Frankfort-on-the-Rhine in 1852 and had located in Cincinnati. Frank Wolf was a locksmith by trade and after working at his trade in Cincinnati for some time moved to Columbus, from which place in 1861 he came to Greene county with his family and settled on the Crawford farm on the Springfield pike. Later he bought a farm of one hundred acres in Beavercreek township and on this latter place he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of eight children, of whom Mrs. Spahr was the second in order of birth, the others being the following: Catherine, now deceased, who was the wife of Andrew Fisher ; Mary, wife of Charles Buck, of Xenia; Frank, also a resident of Xenia; Elizabeth, who married A. A. McElwain and is now living at Kansas City, Missouri; Clara, unmarried, who is living on the old home place in Beavercreek township: Charles K., who owns a farm
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adjoining Mrs. Spahr's, and Emma, who married Harry S. Gerlaugh and died in 1917. To Samuel MI. and Margaret (Wolf) Spahr were born four children, namely : Harry E., who is now engaged in the plumbing business at Xenia : Edna Mae, who was for years engaged as a teacher in the public schools of this county; Homer Milton, who is operating the home place, and Florence Louise, also at home. Since the death of her husband Mrs. Spahr has continued to make her home on the home farm.
FRANK ZEINER.
Frank Zeiner, a member of the firm of Zeiner Brothers, furniture deal- ers and undertakers at Jamestown, is a native son of Greene county and has lived here all his life. He was born in Cedarville on February 15, 1855, a son of John G. and Mary (Barr) Zeiner, the former of whom was of European birth, a native of the city of Bremen, and the latter a Pennsyl- vanian, who were married at Lewistown, Pennsylvania, and later came to Ohio and settled in this county, about 1862 moving from the Cedarville neighborhood to Jamestown, where John G. Zeiner opened an establishment for the manufacture and sale of furniture and developed the concern now operated by his sons. To John G. Zeiner and wife were born six children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being Margaret, wife of Cal Crane, of Xenia; Albert, who married Famey Ginn and makes his home in Jamestown, where he is associated in business with his brother Frank: James O., who was murdered at Bowersville. state, about thirty years ago; Florence, who married Charles Ridgewa. and lives at Cedarville, and J. W., of Jamestown.
Having been but seven years of age when his parents moved from the Cedarville neighborhood to Jamestown, Frank Zeiner completed luis schooling in the schools of the latter village and early became employed in his father's cabinet-shop and furniture store, making coffins when he was but fourteen years of age. He also became a carpenter and builder and after he had attained his majority was for about three years engaged in building operations in and about Jamestown. He then resumed the furniture and undertaking business, in association with his father, and after his father's death with his brother Albert, and the firm firm of Zeiner Brothers has ever since been thus engaged at Jamestown.
Mr. Zeiner has been twice married. In 1879, he was united in mar- riage to Anna Hickson, daughter of Elbridge and Ellen Hickson, of James- town, and to this union were born two daughters, Una Clare and Frances, the latter of whom married Glade Thomas, now living at Elyria, and has
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two children. Miss Una Clare Zeiner, who died in New York City at the age of twenty-one years, just as she had reached a point of assured success as a dramatic reader and actress, was fitted both by nature and preparation to be a reader and competent critics had, bestowed upon her compliments which more experienced readers would be glad to claim. From the days of her childhood Miss Zeiner had been accustomed to public appearances and had earned some very complimentary press notices, among these having been references to her "wonderful dramatic talent," her "remarkable versa- tility," her "rare ability as a reader," hier "unmistakable talent and pleasing personality" and her "wonderful powers as an elocutionist." Mrs. Anna Zeiner died in 1899 and on January 12, 1905, Mr. Zeiner married Alice Sheffield, of Athens, this state. To this latter union one child has been born, a daughter, Marguerite, born in 1911. Mr. and Mrs. Zeiner are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
JOHN J. WHALEY.
John J. Whaley, commercial traveler and the owner of a home and a tract of land adjoining the village of Osborn, where he has made his home for many years, is a native of the Empire state, but 'has been a resident of Ohio since he was three years of age. He was born at Utica, New York, June 23, 1850, a son of Daniel and Mary (Cain) Whaley, natives of Ireland, the former born in 1813 and the latter, in 1814, who came to Ohio in 1853 and settled in Clark county, where Daniel Whaley died in 1862. His widow later bought a piece of land in Clark county and there spent the rest of her life, her death occurring in 1903. Daniel Whaley and his wife were the parents of seven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the sixth in order of birth, the others being Thomas, deceased; James, deceased ; William, who lives at Osborn, his home place adjoining that of his brother John; Mary, wife of John Mahoney, of Roanoke, Virginia; Catherine, who married S. M. Morris and who, as well as her husband, is now deceased ; and Margaret, who died recently, unmarried.
As noted above, John J. Whaley was but three years of age when his parents came to Ohio and he received his early schooling in the common schools in the neighborhood of his boyhood home in Clark county, supple- menting the same by a course in the Clark County Academy. He then learned telegraphy and two years later, in 1872, was appointed station agent for the railroad company at Osborn, which position he occupied until 1883, in which year he moved to Akron as agent for the Erie railroad, remaining there for eighteen months, at the end of which time he moved
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back to Osborn, which ever since has been his home. In 1897 he became a traveling representative of the Thomas Phillips Company, paper manufac- turers at Akron, which position he ever since has occupied. Mr. Whaley resides just at the east edge of the village of Osborn and owns there a farm of one hundred and sixteen acres, thirty acres of which lies in Greene county and the remainder over the line in Clark county, renting his land for farming purposes. Mr. Whaley is a Democrat on national issues, but reserves his right to vote independently in local elections. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
On August 24, 1874, John J. Whaley was united in marriage to Mary E. Miranda, who was born at New Carlisle, in the neighboring county of Clark, where she was reared and where she received her schooling, and to this union have been born five children, namely: Earl E. Whaley, editor of The Implement Age, a trade paper published at Springfield, this state; Paul M. Whaley, a resident of Columbus, this state, and a traveling sales- man for the Fisk Rubber Company; William Marvin Whaley, proprietor of a flour-mill at Arcanum, in Darke county, this state; Mary E., wife of Dr. R. B. Hoover, of Dayton, and Cora A., wife of Fred McConnell, a Day- ton lawyer.
CHARLES HOOVER.
The late Charles Hoover, who died at his farm home in Jefferson town- ship on July 30. 1914, and whose widow is still living there, was born on a farm in the vicinity of Wilmington, in Clinton county, Ohio, June 14, 1845, son of Jacob and Rachel Hoover, both of whom were born in that same county, and who were the parents of eight children, those besides Charles being Calvin, Milton, Leander, George, Caroline, Amanda and Ella.
Charles Hoover remained on the home farm in Clinton county until his marriage in the fall of 1871, when he established his home on a forty- acre farm in Jefferson township, this county, the place where his widow is still living, and there he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in the summer of 1914. He improved the place and increased his acreage to one hundred and fifty-three acres. Mr. Hoover was a Democrat and had served on the school board. He was connected with the Odd Fellows lodge at Bowersville. He was buried in the cemetery at Sabina.
On November 9, 1871, Charles Hoover was united in marriage to Delitha A. Hunt, who was born in Jefferson township, this county, daughter of Hezekiah and Rachael (Johnson) Hunt, the former of whom also was born in this county and the latter, in Clinton county. Hezekiah Hunt was the owner of a hundred-acre farm in Jefferson township and there died at
MR. AND MRS. CHARLES HOOVER.
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the age of sixty-seven. His wife died at the age of sixty-five. They were Quakers and were the parents of six children, those besides Mrs. Hoover being Stephen, deceased : Eliza J., deceased; Jefferson T., who is still living on a part of the home farm: Clayton, deceased, and Almeda, deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Hoover eight children were born, namely: Calvin Albertus, married Ollie Harness and is farming in the vicinity of Jamestown : Elmer J., who married Allie Claybaugh and is farming the home place; John A. and James M., twins, the former of whom married Lola Stewart and is farming in the neighborhood of Bowersville and the latter of whom is farming at home : Clarence C., a clerk in a store at Sabina, who married Tina Pope : Donna E., who married Howard Cochran, of Dayton; Claude, proprietor of a garage at Wilmington, who married Loie Stewart, and Bertha A., who is at home.
GEORGE FEIRSTINE FERGUSON.
George Feirstine Ferguson, former trustee of Beavercreek township and the proprietor of a farm on the Dayton-Xenia pike, rural mail route No. 7 out of Xenia, where he has lived since the days of his childhood, was born in that township on March 7. 1850, son of John W. and Anna (Feir- stine ) Ferguson, the latter of whom was born in Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania. August 13, 1820, a member of one of the prominent Pennsylvania Dutch families of that county, her father, a landowner and tavern-keeper, having been for some time a member of the Pennsylvania state Legislature from his district. Her mother's name was Susan Illick. Anna Feirstine's eldest brother, George Feirstine, came to Ohio and located in Montgomery county and she later joined him there, thus being a resident of that county at the time of her marriage to John W. Ferguson. One of her younger brothers, Samuel Feirstine, also came to Ohio and was here when the Mexi- can War broke out. He enlisted his services, went to the front and died of a fever in the service.
John W. Ferguson was born in the neighboring county of Montgom- ery on August 18, 1818, a son of William and Jennie (Watson) Ferguson, the latter of whom was born in Ireland, of Scottish descent, and was but two years of age when she came with her parents to this country, the family locating in Delaware, where she grew to womanhood and married Will- iam Ferguson, who was born at Wilmington, that state, also of Scottish stock. Soon after their marriage William Ferguson and his wife came to Ohio, about the year 1812, and became pioneers in Montgomery county, establishing their home in Mad River township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. They had eight sons. John W. Ferguson grew
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up on the home farm in Mad River township, Montgomery county, and there married Anna Feirstine. Two years later he came over into Greene county and began working on the Gerlaugh farm, now owned by John Harbine, in the Alpha neighborhood in Beavercreek township, and presently was enabled to buy a farm of two hundred and twenty-one acres on the Dayton-Xenia road in that neighborhood, the place now owned by his son, George F., and had the same paid for when he died on May 15, 1861, he then being forty-two years of age. His widow was left with six children, the eldest of whom was but thirteen years of age: She did not remarry, kept the family together, maintained the operations of the farm, her sons taking over the management of the same when they arrived at proper age, and there she spent the remainder of her life, her death occurring in Decem- ber, 1898. she then being seventy-six years of age. She was a member of the Hawker Reformed church, as was her husband, and her children were reared in that faith. There were six of these children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, the others being William, a Beavercreek township farmer; Charles, who died of diphtheria in 1861, the year of the father's death. he then being nine years of age; Jennie, wife of John Kable, a Sugarcreek township farmer, living two miles north of Bellbrook; John, who died of diphtheria in 1861. he then being five years of age, and Robert, now a resident of Dayton, where he is employed as a bookkeeper in the service of the Miami "conservancy" board.
George F. Ferguson was but eleven years of age when his father died. He grew up on the home farm in Beavercreek township. receiving his school- ing in the Coy school and in the Lantz school, and he and his brother Will- tam continued the operation of the farm together until their mother's death in 1896, after which Mr. Ferguson bought the interests of the other heirs in the place and has since been proprietor. Since taking possession of the farm he bought an adjoining tract of sixty-six acres and now has two hundred and eighty-five acres. After his marriage in 1874 he erected a new house on the place and the same is still serving as a place of residence. Of late years Mr. Ferguson has been living practically retired from the active labors of the farm, having turned the management of the same over to his elder son, Edwin J. Ferguson, who is operating it. Mr. Ferguson is a Democrat, as were his father and grandfather, and for fifteen years served as trustee of Beavercreek township and was also for several years a member of the township board of education. In addition to his general farming Mr. Ferguson has for years made it a point to feed a car load of cattle for the market every winter. as well as a big bunch of hogs, and was one of the first in that neighborhood to recognize the value of alfalfa as a forage crop.
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On December 18, 1874, George F. Ferguson was united in marriage to Martha J. Zimmerman, who also was born in Beavercreek township, on a farm a mile west of where she is now living, daughter of Jacob and Mary (Shoup) Zimmerman, members of pioneer families in this county and both of whom are now deceased. To this union four children have been born, namely: Edwin J., unmarried, who is now operating the home place for his father and who is the owner of a farm of eighty acres of his own; Mary, who died unmarried at the age of twenty-six years; Clarence, who married Ora Morris and is now living at Louisville, Kentucky, where he is employed as an inspector for the National Lumber Association, and Lida M., who is at home.
CARL V. DRAKE.
Carl V. Drake, junior member of the firm of W. F. Drake & Son, buikdl- ing contractors and dealers in building supplies, stoves, electric-lighting fix- tures and the like at Yellow Springs, was born in the neighboring county of Clark on December 30, 1888, son of William F. and Melissa (Collier) Drake, the latter of whom was born in that same county, March 3, 1852, and both of whom are still living, for thirty years residents of Yellow Springs.
William F. Drake was born on a farm south of Xenia, in this county, December 14, 1848, and was married to Melissa Collier on March 3, 1870. He had been early trained to the carpenter trade and presently became a building contractor on his own account, eventually establishing his head- quarters at Yellow Springs. In 1910 he admitted his younger son, Carl V. Drake, into a partnership in the business, which since has been carried on under the firm name of W. F. Drake & Son. To William F. Drake and wife have been born five children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the last-born, the others being Grace May, born on July 25, 1871 ; Edith Pearl (deceased), January 18. 1873: James Earl, March 3, 1875, and Franklin C., September 18, 1877, who died on August 14, 1907.
Reared at Yellow Springs, for he was but an infant when his parents made their home in that village, Carl V. Drake received his schooling in the schools of that place. He early became familiar with the details of house building under the direction of his father and in 1910 became asso- ciated with his father as a partner in the business, junior member of the firm of W. F. Drake & Son, and has since been thus engaged, the firm also con- ducting a mercantile business at Yellow Springs.
On October 26, 1911, Carl V. Drake was united in marriage to Berthia
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