USA > Ohio > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Ohio : containing a history of the county, its townships, towns portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of the Northwest Territory, history of Ohio, statistical and miscellaneous matter, etc > Part 83
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" Their children (all born in Maryland), were as follows: Robert, born September 8, 1798; died August 21, 1872; married to Mary Forsyth. John, born December 1, 1799; died March 9, 1851; married to Elizabeth D. Bool- man. Susanna, -; died August 7, 1802, in infancy. Jacob, born July
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
8, 1803; died -, 1879; married to Sally Boolman. George, born Feb- ruary 20, 1805; died -, 1881; married to Rachel Mills. James, born February 20, 1807; died March 16, 1867; married to Margaret Coplin. Moses, born January 20, 1809; died August 22, 1829; never married. Will- iam, born January 29, 1811; died February 1, 1859; never married. Maria, born December 16, 1812; alone survives, widow of Jonathan Dean (deceased). Elizabeth, born June 19, 1814; died Jannary 31, 1817; in infancy. Peter, born May 4, 1816; died August 19, 1855; never married.
"Elizabeth Dorothea Boolman, wife of John Dunn, second son of the third George Dunn, was born January 1, 1803, in Washington County, Md. Her father's name was Nicholas Boolman, whose father (first name unknown), came to Maryland from Germany, about 1765. Nicholas Boolman was born about 1774, his wife, Magdalene Troxel, was born about the same time. Of her family we know very little, except that she had a brother named David. The children of Nicholas and Magdalene Boolman, were as follows: Catha- rine, born about 1796; died, ; married to Hiram Lynch. Samuel, born in 1798; died in 1864; twice married; wives were sisters, last named Sarah A. Jacob, born -, 1800; died about 1817; never married. Elizabeth D., born January 1, 1803; died March, 1883; married to John Dunn. * Sally, born - -, 1804; died-, 1856; married to Jacob Dunn. Nancy, born about 1806; died about 1822; unmarried.
"John Dunn, his wife Elizabeth D., and their three eldest children removed from Maryland, with his (John's) father, George Dunn, to Fair- field County, Ohio, in 1826. From thence they removed to Green County, Ohio, thence to Knox County, Ohio, and in 1844 John Dunn and family removed to Wood County, Ohio, where he died as above shown. The children of John and Elizabeth D. Dunn, are as follows: Ann, born December 5, 1820; married Adam Cosner April 15, 1841. Jacob [B. ], born September 30, 1823; married Angeline Culp September 23, 1847. Joseph, born January 1, 1826; married Mary Niebel April 12, 1883. George, born October 3, 1827; died August 29, 1855; unmarried. Maria, born September 22,1829; married Wilson Stretcher July, 20, 1865. Aaron, born December 16, 1831; died October 20, 1846; unmarried. Samuel, born May 4, 1834; married Margaret Bishop March 3, 1859. Phebe, born May 7, 1836; married Joseph Hoot July 7, 1861. Nathaniel, born September 5, 1838; died October 14, 1846; unmarried. Elijah [T.], born June 20, 1840; married Martha I. Strother January 12, 1865. Mary Magdalene, born June 5, 1842; died October 17, 1846, in infancy. John [R. ], born March 24, 1844; died August 11, 1865; unmarried. Thomas Corwin, born November 3, 1847; married Emma T. Lewis March 9, 1871.
"The above names (not including the initials in brackets) are the names by which the children of John and Elizabeth D. Dunn were christened, the . initials 'B.,' 'T.' and 'R.' being afterward chosen by Jacob, Elijah and John, partly to aid in distinguishing from others having similar first initials, and partly to preserve traces of the old family names of Boolman, Troxel and Rench, though in what way we are related to the Rench family does not appear on any of our records. Our mother was related (though whether through the Boolmans or Troxels does not appear) to the Hagers, after one of whom Hagerstown, Md., was named. A family named Chambers, of Chambersburg, was also in some way connected with our ancestors."
*John and Jacob Dunn were brothers.
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
C. A. EBLING, merchant tailor, Findlay, was born in Leesport, Penn., May 24, 1853; son of Addi and Mary Ann (Bahr) Ebling, natives of Berks County, Penn. Addi Ebling served with honor in the late war of the Rebellion, and upon his discharge he came to Ohio, and in 1869 to Findlay; by his first wife, who died February 9, 1858, he had three chil- dren-two sons and one daughter-latter of whom died at age of two years and by his second wife, whom he married October 6, 1862, there are two children one son and one daughter. The subject of this sketch was raised to his present business (his father's) and April 17, 1880, embarked in it in Findlay where he has since been successfully connected with same. He was married in Findlay, in October, 1879, to Amanda, daughter of Thomas B. Scott, Esq., a native of Pennsylvania, and they have two daughters: Mary Ann and Clara Belle. Mr. Ebling and family attend the services of the Presbyterian Church. He has been a Mason since 1875 and was knighted in Shawnee Commandery at Lima, Ohio. He is also Past Chancellor in the K. of P. In politics he is a Republican.
CHARLES J. ECKELS, Findlay, was born in Westmoreland County, Penn., January 1, 1821, son of John and Esther Booth Eckels, also natives of Westmoreland County, who settled in Cass Township, this county, in April, 1836, with four sons, of whom William is deceased; James M. is in Fort Wayne, Ind. ; Charles J. in Findlay, and Cyrus L. near Findlay. The subject of this sketch spent several years at the carpenter trade; in 1854 he came to Findlay, where he assisted in carrying on undertaking till recently; meantime he took an active part in the advocacy of boring for natural gas and, in 1884, he with Dr. Osterlen and a few others. sank their celebrated test well and developed this wonderful interest, which now has seven wells yielding gas, and two oil. The company pro- pose putting other wells down in the near future, for gas and oil. The last well, known as the "Karg well," has the largest flow of any of the gas wells, yielding over 1,000,000 cubic feet of gas every twenty four hours. Findlay is now partially heated and lighted with natural gas. Mr. Eckels was married, in Cass Township, Hancock Co., Ohio, to Ann McMurray, who departed this life July 20, 1879, leaving one son and two daughters: James, a railway engineer, now with the Northern Pacific Railroad, run- ning from Glendive, Mont., west to Billings; Jennie E. and Margaret E. Mr Eckels has always taken an active part in the development of the indus- trial life of Findlay. During the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company A. Twenty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, for three months' service, then afterward enlisted and served in Company F. Twenty- first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and later in Company I, One Hun- dred and Sixty-first Ohio Volunteer Veteran Infantry, receiving an honorable discharge from each service. In politics he is a Republican.
W. EDWARDS, harness-maker, Findlay, was born in Tunbridge Wells, England, January 2, 1841, son of Elisha and Susan (Damper) Edwards, who came to our shores in 1846, and located in Findlay, Ohio, where the father died in 1849, leaving five sons and four daughters. William. our subject, when eighteen years old became apprenticed to the harness-making, and in 1867 embarked in the business on his own account, with which he has since been prominently identified in Findlay. He was married in Findlay, in 1865, to Catherine, daughter of Philip Hoch, of Eagle Township, this county, and they have five sons and three daughters: Ada, Charles, Merlee,
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
Annie, Kittie, Fred, George and Ralph. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards attend services at the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the K. of H. and of the Royal Arcanum. In the beginning of the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company B, Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and did active service for thirty-two months, when he was honorably discharged on account of disability, occasioned by wounds received at the battle of Chicka- mauga. He is an enterprising and progressive business man and a liberal contributor to measures for the welfare of his adopted city. Upon the organization of the Findlay Natural Gas Company he became a stockholder and has continued with it since. He is also a member of the Findlay Im- provement Company and other important industrial interests. In politics he is a Republican.
WILLIAM J. EDWARDS, livery stable, Findlay, was born in Phila- delphia, Penn., September 23, 1837, son of Josiah P. and Ann (Young) Edwards, natives of Ireland. Josiah P. Edwards learned shoe-making in Donegal, his native city, and when a young man came to this country and settled in Philadelphia. He afterward moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, and from there to Findlay, this county, in 1852, where he died in 1871. He had a family of three sons and three daughters, of whom one daughter and one son remain: Sarah Ann (wife of Luther Norton, of Charleston, Ill., and William J. Our subject carried on farming till 1866, when he came to Findlay and embarked in the livery business with which he has been favorably connected since. In 1874 he built his present ex- tensive barn and stables. He was married in Findlay, in 1860, to Lucinda J., daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Powell) Foltz, and they have one son and one daughter living: Wilson J. (married to Nettie Ferard, daughter of John F. and Fanny J. S. Ferard (they have one son and one daughter), and Clara Blanche, and have buried Margaret J., Emma May and an infant. Mrs. Edwards is a worthy member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which her husband is a liberal supporter. Mr. Edwards is an active and enterprising business man and a worthy citizen. He has had charge of carrying the mails here for the past fourteen years. He is a member of the K. of P.
FRANKLIN WAYNE ENTRIKIN, M. D., Findlay, late professor of gynecology in Fort Wayne Medical College, was born in Chester County, Penn., July 27, 1830; son of Emmor and Susannah (Bennett) Entrikin, of pioneer English Quaker ancestry in that State. In 1832 Emmor Entrikin moved to Columbiana County, Ohio, where he reared a family of five sons and one daughter in the Quaker faith. Franklin W. Entrikin received a good literary training and at seventeen entered the Quaker Academy at Salem, being a class-mate of Byron Shariton, M. D., professor of diseases of women, Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, Ohio. After completing a thorough literary and scientific course there he engaged in the study of dentistry, in which profession he spent a few years. He, however, con- tinued reading medicine and graduated from the Ohio Medical College of Cincinnati. In 1855 he came to Findlay, where he has spent most of his time since in excellent professional practice. He, however, has spent some considerable time in public lecturing on his profession, and for three years held the chair of gynecology in Ft. Wayne, Ind., Medical College. He is a scientist of considerable ability and has contributed leading articles to the Medical and Surgical Journal, of St. Louis, Mo., also to the Lancet and
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
Observer, of Cincinnati (now the Lancet and Clinic); the Medical and Surgi- cal Journal, of Toledo, and others. He is a member of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, and of the Cleveland Microscopical Society. The Doctor was married, in October, 1851, to Sarah Ann, daughter of Thomas Lyon, of Deerfield, Portage Co., Ohio, and by her he has three sons: Emmor Lyon, a leading jeweler in Findlay; Leonidas A., also a jeweler, with E. L .; Franklin Bennett, at home. Mr. and Mrs. Entrikin attend the services of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and is an A. F. & A. M. He is a hardworking, painstaking physician, and although possessed of an ample competence in the way of worldly goods, has probably earned a very great proportion of his money in medical prac- tice since he lived in Findlay. Besides his already mentioned professional connections he has had charge of the sanitariums in Cleveland and Green Springs. He possesses nearly all the known instruments used in surgery. Although old in the profession the Doctor is to-day as great a student as he was in his younger years. Dr. Entrikin was elected professor of gyne- cology in the Toledo Medical College in August, 1885, and delivered a full course of lectures in that institution in the session of 1885-86. He now holds that position. He is of strong physique and of a vigorous nature. In politics he is a Republican. His father was a Whig and he and all the sons early identified themselves with the anti-slavery movement and of course drifted into the Republican party.
JACOB FELLER, farmer and stock raiser, P. O. Findlay, was born in Northampton County, Penn., in 1806, and the following year his parents, Fred- erick and Susanna (Rabinalt) Feller, moved to Fairfield County, Ohio, where our subject was reared. In October, 1831, Jacob Feller came to this county, and has been successfully connected with his present industry (farming and stock raising) since. He was united in marriage, in August, 1830, with Mary, daughter of Peter Powell, Esq., and to them have been born seven sons and five daughters: Eli, deceased while young; Jonathan, a member of Company A, Twenty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, died in the army; Susanna, deceased wife of Samuel Biggs, Esq .; Samuel, residing in Dakota; Paul and Jacob, farmers of Findlay Township; Mary, wife of G. D. Insley, of Wood County, Ohio; Enos, residing in Wood County, Ohio; Elizabeth, wife of John D. Wagner, of Frankfort, Dak .; Timothy, a merchant, of Findlay, Ohio; Ella, wife of Marion Cox, of Wood County, Ohio, and Sarah Ann, wife of Adam Wagner, of Indiana. The subject of this sketch, Jacob Feller, Sr., came to this county when it was nearly new, and, settling in the woods, cleared land and made a home for himself. By steady and persist- ent industry he accumulated property, until at one time he owned over 400 acres of land. He is a worthy citizen, and a good husband and father, and has given each of his children a good start in the world. He is a member of the Evangelical Church; in politics a Republican.
FRANCIS W. FIRMIN, M. D., Findlay, was born in Richfield, Sum- mit Co., Ohio, July 15, 1842, and is a descendant of pioneers of that name in Massachusetts, who came to our shores in 1630, in the fleet with Gov. Winthrop, and followed literary and mercantile pursuits. He is a descend- ant of Solomon De Firmin, who followed the fortunes of William the Con- queror from Normandy, and settled at Ipswich, England, in the eleventh century. His descendants number among them leading ecclesiastics and preserve the original crest and shield with the motto Firmus in Christo
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
(Steadfast in Christ). The first records in this country show Giles, John, Josiah, Robert and Thomas Firmin, of whom Giles practiced medicine and preached the gospel, and died in Ridgewell, England, in 1697; John settled in Watertown, Mass., and Thomas, who was a merchant, settled in Haver- hill, Mass., and removed to Salisbury, Mass., in 1652. Josiah Firmin came to Boston in 1640, and lived with Gov. Winthrop; Robert settled in Newton, Long Island, in 1645. The subject of this sketch comes in all probability from John of Watertown, Mass. His father was Francis B., born in 1809, son of John, born in 1773, and he of John, born in 1713, at Somers, Conn., where his father lived. Here there occurs a break in the genealogy, but cotemporaneous genealogy of its different branches traces the ancestry to John Firmin, of Watertown. Dr. Francis W. Firmin, a son of Francis B. and Mary (Chapin) Firmin, received a good education in Wilbraham, Mass. (whither his parents had removed), and at Oberlin, Ohio, in 1862-63. In 1862 he came to Ohio and engaged in the study of medi- cine with his uncle, Dr. Lorenzo Firmin, and in 1867 he graduated from the Cleveland Medical College. He located in Findlay, this county, and has been in very creditable professional work here since. He married here in 1869, Mary L. D., daughter of the Rev. John A. Meeks, a pioneer minister of the Presbyterian Church. They have four sons and one daughter: Alfred Scott, John Meeks, Clara H., Frank B. and Carl Giles. Dr. Firmin was made a Mason in 1868 and is a member of Findlay Lodge, Chapter and Council, and of Shawnee Commandery, at Lima, Ohio; is also a worthy Odd Fellow and a member of the Patriarchs Militant. The Doctor is a member of the American Medical Association, the Ohio State Medical Association, and of the Northwestern Ohio Medical Association, and has been United States Examining Surgeon for pensions since 1872. During the late war of the Rebellion, July 15, 1863, he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and after doing service for eight months, was honorably discharged. He is a member of Stoker Post G. A. R. Dr. Firmin has always held himself aloof from public office, but has served with credit in the councils of the city. He holds high rank in his profession; is a liberal contributor to all measures tending to the develop- ment of the social and industrial life of this locality, and is a public-spirited citizen. In politics he is a Republican.
DR. LORENZO FIRMIN, retired physician, Findlay, was born March 31, 1808, in South Wilbraham, Mass., son of John Firmin. Our subject when a lad learned the trade of shoe-making with his father in South Wil- braham (now Hampden), Mass., with which he was connected in the East till 1834, when he came West to Richfield, Summit Co., Ohio, and entered into partnership with Dr. Secretary Rawson, in a tannery, which he continued in until 1841, when he sold out to O. M. Oviatt, of Richfield. In 1841 he came to Findlay, Ohio, read medicine with Dr. Bass Rawson and graduated in the profession. He practiced at Benton, this county, till 1847, when he returned to Findlay, where he has been favorably known since. He was married June 28, 1838, to Clara H., daughter of Dr. Secre- tary Rawson. They have no children. Dr. Firmin has always been a public- spirited and liberal man. He is a clever financier and has accumulated a handsome competence. He and his lady are worthy members of society, esteemed by all who know them.
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
REV. ANDREW J. FISH, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Findlay, was born near Springfield, Clark Co., Ohio, October 26, 1840, son of John and Justina (Myres) Fish, the former of whom, a native of Bremen, Germany, and a stone-cutter by trade, came to this country in 1834, he being then twenty-one years of age. He eventually settled near Springfield, Clark Co., Ohio, where he was favorably known in connection with impor- tant contracts for public road building, and prominently may be mentioned the National road between Springfield and Columbus, Ohio. His original name was "Fiersch," which for convenience he changed to "Fish." The Myres family come of a long line of German ancestry in Adams County, Penn. Rev. Andrew J. Fish, the subject of this sketch, is to a great extent self-made in his profession. In his earlier years he taught school and by this means furthered his education. At the age of twenty-three he entered the church, and when twenty-seven years of age he took charge of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Quincy, Ohio, his successive charges being Elida, Delphos, Greenville, Defiance, Van Wert, Toledo, coming to Findlay, this county, in the fall of 1884. He married, in Springfield, Ohio, Lusetta, daughter of the late Philip and Mahalah (Shockey) Kiplinger, and they have three daughters and two sons: Jessie May, Lou Anna, Samuel Rob- erts, Henry Wagoner and Aurelia Veda. Rev. Andrew J. Fish is an earnest and indefatigable church worker, and an ardent temperance advocate. Dur- ing his pastorate in Ohio he has dedicated seventeen churches for his own and sister denominations. In connection with the Central Ohio Methodist Episcopal Conference he instituted the "Preacher's Aid Society," which has raised a fund of $22,000, has served as conference missionary treasurer for twelve years and has been usually accepted as a leader in his profession. He is a worthy member of the Masonic fraternity and of the United Order of Honor. Besides his very active professional works Rev. Andrew J. Fish has given some attention to accumulating a competency for the better rear- ing and education of his little family, and has been eminently successful in this particular. His musical attainments should be remarked, he being a graduate in composition, and he has produced some very fine arrangements in music.
D. C. FISHER (deceased) late manufacturer, was born in Greensbor- ough, Penn., July 27, 1821, son of John and Esther (Smith) Fisher, of pioneer German ancestry, in that State. Jacob Smith, father of Mrs. Esther Fisher, served all through the Revolutionary war as a worthy officer under Washington. D. C. Fisher learned carpentering in his native place and was prominently identified with the building interests of that locality for many years. In 1861 he retired from business there and came to Find- lay, this county, to engage in the lumber trade, with which industry he was successfully connected up to his death. He was one of Findlay's most active citizens, and assisted materially in the development of many of its important manufacturing interests. In 1865 he built and established an extensive planing-mill and sash, door and blind factory, and upon the organization of the Findlay Stave and Handle Factory he became a leading proprietor, as also of the Findlay Manufacturing Company, both of which interests he retired from with loss. He married, November 12, 1850, in his native place, Deborah Miller, who bore him two sons and five daughters, of whom one son and four daughters survive: Harry W., Annabel (wife of Newton McLure), Addie M. (wife of Henry Byers), Bertha and Lulu.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
March 13, 1884, Mrs. Fisher passed away from this life in full communion with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and is laid to rest in Maple Grove Cemetery. Mr. Fisher died October 5, 1885, aged sixty-four years, two months, eight days. The family are all members of the Methodist Episco- pal Church, of which Mr. Fisher had been worthily connected for many years, and officially, in Findlay, for over twenty years. He was a member of the I. O. O. F. He always held aloof from public office, but served his adopted city with good repute in her councils. He was a worthy citizen, a genial gentleman and a public-spirited progressive business man, and his loss was deeply felt. In politics he was a Republican.
JOHN B. FOLTZ, recorder of Hancock County, Findlay, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, July 22, 1844, son of Philip and Sarah (Hiestand) Foltz, natives of Virginia. Philip Foltz's father, Balthes Foltz, served in the war of 1812. They trace their ancestry in Virginia to 1796, the year of the advent of the first of the name from Germany in that State. Sarah Foltz was a daughter of the Rt. Rev. Samuel Hiestand, one of the first three bishops of the United Brethren Church in Virginia. The Hiestands belong to worthy German pioneers in that State. In 1823 Philip and Sarah Foltz settled in Fairfield County, Ohio, from Trumbull County, Va. (the home of many of the Foltzes and Hiestands), and in 1845 they removed to Van Buren Township, this county. They had ten children, of whom six sons and two daughters survive; the eldest son, a clever attorney, died at Ottawa, Ohio; a daughter is also deceased (neither of these two left issue). The family are all of good attainments, and occupy respectable positions in the social and industrial life of their respective localities. John B. Foltz spent his early life on the farm, and has been prominently identified with agriculture in Madison Township, this county, where he has held impor- tant official positions. He married, March 1, 1866, Elizabeth, daughter of Abram and Margaret Radabaugh, pioneers of Madison Township. Mr. and Mrs. Foltz have two sons and five daughters: Emma M., Abram J., Hattie A., Mollie M., Isabelle, Henry H. and Menda M. Our subject and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has served as trustee and in other official capacities. Mr. Foltz has always been a public-spirited and enterprising farmer, of which industry he has always taken an active part in advancing here. In October, 1884, his constituents acknowledged his abilities by electing him, with a nice majority, to the re- cordership of Hancock County. In politics he is a Democrat.
JACOB FOSTER, farmer, Findlay, settled in Findlay Township, this county, December 24, 1828, and cleared the farm on Section 6. He has lived in town twenty years. He was united in marriage with Adeline De Witt, and they have eight children now living: Sarah, wife of Sylvester Geyer; Ellen, wife of Walter Watson; Mary, wife of Samuel Fisher; John; Edson; Hester, wife of John Lynes; Charlie, and Luia, wife of William Sultner. Mr. and Mrs. Foster attend the services of the Church of God. In politics he is a red hot Republican.
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