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 85
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
banking and railroad interests here for several years. Mr. Hosler was mar- ried, in Stark County, in 1842, to Susan, daughter of Conrad Sherman, and a native of Maryland, and estimable lady and worthy help-mate to him, who has blessed him with a large family -- eight sons and four daugh- ters: Jeremiah, Thomas Benton, Morrison and David are all able farmers in Washington Township, this county; Sarah Ellen is the wife of Frederick Manicke, of Fostoria, Ohio; William F. (youngest son) is assistant cashier in the Farmers' Bank at Findlay. The deceased are Mary Catharine, Frances Adelia, Cora Bell, George Henry, Marcus Peter and Huston (the latter died in Washington Township, leaving a widow and two sons: Charles, with the mother on the farm, and Peter, a bright young lad, with his grandparents here). Mr. and Mrs. Hosler have been worthy members of the Lutheran Church for many years. They are highly esteemed citizens of Findlay and Hancock County, and have the pleasure of seeing their chil dren taking an important part in the interests of this county. Mr. Hosler is a man of strong constitution and vigorous disposition (he stands about six feet, and is compactly built), and bids fair to "serve his time and place" in the rank of Hancock County's leading pioneers. In politics he is a Democrat.
SAMUEL D. HOUPT, dealer in dry goods, clothing, etc., Findlay, was born in Melmore, Seneca Co., Ohio, May 12, 1841, son of Henry and Julia Ann (Gehringer) Houpt, natives of Pennsylvania, and of pioneer people in that State. Henry Houpt located in Seneca County in 1836. He was a carriage builder by profession, and carried on his business at Melmore and at Mccutchenville. At the latter place he completed the contract for build- ing the National Coach Line (a large contract in those days), and stood con- temporaneous in his business with the late Peter Van Nest, of Tiffin, Ohio. He died at Mccutchenville in 1880, leaving two sons and one daughter: Samuel D., Thomas and Mary, now the wife of M. V. Gibson, of Upper Sandusky, Ohio. The subject of this sketch, at the age of fourteen, was apprenticed in the store of M. Brockley, merchant, of Mccutchenville. In 1860 he came to Findlay, and after selling goods for two years went as sut- ler in the Second Missouri Regiment. After the war of the Rebellion he sold goods for a few years, and in 1866 embarked in the business of mer- chant tailoring on his own account, being joined the following year by Henry Byal, his father-in-law, in general merchandise. After about two years Mr. Byal retired from the business, since which time Mr. Houpt has carried it on alone. He was married, in 1864, to Mary Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Byal, Esq. They have no children. Our subject has ever been a liberal contributor to the social and industrial interests of his city and county, and, although adverse to holding office, he has served for six years with credit in the councils of the city; as a member of the board of trustees of the Ohio Institute for the Blind, and for two years on the board of trus- tees for the Ohio Industrial School at Lancaster. In 1884 he was elected delegate from this district to the Democratic National Convention, and aided materially in the nomination of Grover Cleveland. Latterly he has paid some considerable attention to experimental inventions, and has in his " Carbon Transmitter, or Microphone." one of the most important advan- tages in telephoning. He has added very materially to the use of natural gas by his " Natural Gas Burner," an invention deserving of important no- tice in the consumption of that production here. He has always been a progressive business man and has accumulated a handsome competency.
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
Upon the organization of the Findlay Natural Gas Company he took an active part, and has since served as one of the board of directors. He and wife attend services at the Presbyterian Church.
CAPT. SAMUEL HOWARD, ex treasurer of Hancock County, Find- lay, was born in Westmoreland County, Penn., December 7, 1814, son of John and Abigail (Simpson) Howard, natives of that county. The grand- father of John Howard, a native of Ireland, settled in Maryland. The grandfather of Abigail (Simpson) Howard, a Welshman, was a pioneer set- tler in Maryland. In 1815 John Howard removed to Richland County, Ohio, where he had previously been, having served under Gen. Harmon in the war of 1812-14, and assisted in building Fort Meigs. In 1833 he came here and entered land in Portage Township, and died in 1875 or 1876. Our subject, when a lad, assisted his father in clearing land here, and eventually be- came interested in farming and stock raising, in which he has been uniformly successful. He was married in Wood County, Ohio, in 1837, to Elizabeth, daughter of George and Amy Carrel, Pennsylvania pioneers, and also of Wood County, Ohio. Capt. and Mrs. Howard have had eleven children, six of whom are living-two sons and four daughters: Nancy (wife of William Adrain, merchant, of Mansfield, Ohio), Mary (wife of J. R. McLeod, phy- sician, of Benton, Ohio), Dallas (farming in this county), Margaret (wife of Joseph Goodwin, of Findlay), Isabel (wife of Thomas Clifford, of Findlay) and John L. (a farmer). Capt. Howard raised Company G of the One Hun . dred and Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in 1862, and did active and honorable service for two years, when, upon breaking his leg, he was com- pelled to resign his commission. He served for four terms altogether as treasurer of this county, and has filled other important public official posi- tions. He is a worthy Mason and Odd Fellow; is prominent among the leading public-spirited men of Hancock County, and is a liberal supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Democrat.
BENJAMIN HUBER (deceased) was born in Lancaster County, Penn .. in February, 1807, and removed to Fairfield County, Ohio, with his father's family, in 1819, where he, in 1829, was married to Mary Macklin, who bore him five children : E. A. (deceased), J. M., Samuel, Mrs. Phœbe Burns and Mrs. Ly- dia Shipman. Mrs. Huber died in 1839, and our subject subsequently mar- ried Margaret A. Paden, of Fairfield County, Ohio, who bore him three chil- dren: J. P. (deceased), Mrs. D. D. Snyder and Mrs. David Callahan. Benjamin Huber came to Findlay, Ohio, in 1845, and engaged in flour-milling busi- ness, buying the Eagle Mills of his brother, Martin Huber, who had pur- chased the mills and operated them for a few years prior. This was one of
the few mills of any importance in the county at that time, and consequent- ly was largely patronized by the settlers many miles around it. In 1865 he withdrew from this business, and took an interest in the drug store with his sons, J. M. and Samuel, remaining connected therewith until 1873, when he withdrew from it. Benjamin Huber's dealings with the public during his early residence in Findlay, as well as each succeeding year up to the time of his demise, September 10,1884, were such as to make plain his honesty, ability and integrity, and he was put forward as a candidate for treasurer of this county by the Know-nothing party, in 1854, and, although the Democracy was largely in the ascendancy of all the combined organizations of the county, yet he was elected over the worthy Joel Pendleton, and two years later defeated Robert S. Mungen by a majority of three votes for the same
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
office, and, in 1862 was again elected. In 1870 he defeated Henry Bowers, and in 1872, after the great Wall defalcation, he was elected over Samuel Howard by a majority of thirty-four votes, and at the end of this last term he retired, having faithfully and honestly served his county as treasurer for four terms. Benjamin Huber's death cast a gloom over the community, and this county will look long for a miller, a neighbor, an officer or a man who can fill the place of " honest" Benjamin Huber, whose por- trait will be found elsewhere in this volume.
JACOB MACKLIN HUBER, druggist, Findlay, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, December 14, 1835, son of Benjamin and Mary (Macklin) Huber. Upon attaining his majority our subject embarked in the drug business here, which he has carried on uninterruptedly since. He was mar- ried, in Fremont, Ohio, in 1862, to Julia, daughter of Martin Royce, of that city, and by her has two daughters: Fannie E. and Hattie, young ladies of fine attainments. Mrs. Huber and daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to which Mr. Huber is a liberal contributor. He is a worthy Mason of several years standing, and a Knight of Shawnee Commandery, Lima, Ohio. He is also a member of the Legion of Honor and of Stoker Post, No. 54, G. A. R. Mr. Huber served with credit in Company F, Twenty-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the late civil war. In politics he is a Republican.
SAMUEL HUBER, druggist, Findlay, was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, October 13, 1837, son of Benjamin and Mary (Macklin) Huber, worthy pioneers here. Benjamin Huber was a native of Pennsylvania and came from that State when a lad with his father, Jacob Huber, who settled in Fair- field County, Ohio, in 1819. He was twice married, and by his first wife had three sons and two daughters. He was married on second occasion to Mar- garet Ann Paden, who bore him one son and two daughters. Benjamin Huber, who was among the early flour-millers, owned the first Eagle Mills here. He died in Findlay in September, 1884, in his seventy-eighth year. He served his county as its treasurer for four terms and was a worthy pub- lic-spirited official in several other capacities. Samuel Huber, when a lad, became apprenticed to the drug trade. Upon the breaking out of the late civil war he enlisted his services in defense of the Union and served as an officer of Company G, Eighty-seventh Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the war he returned to the drug business and has been actively identified with that industry here since. He was married here to Amanda C., daughter of Eli S. Reed. They have one child: Emma, now the wife of Mr. Markle, Mr. Huber's partner in the drug business. Col. Huber has been a worthy Mason for many years, is also a member of the K. of P. He has always been public-spirited and liberal in the support of measures contributing to the growth and development of this locality. In politics he is a Republican.
JASPER G. HULL, cashier of the Farmers' Bank, and president of the Findlay Gas-Light Company, Findlay, was born in Delaware County, Ohio, November 20, 1846, son of George W., and Artamesia (Scribner) Hull, of New Jersey and Connecticut ancestry, respectively. Benjamin Hull, black- smith, father of George W., located in Crawford County, Ohio, at an early period of its history, and reared ten children (three sons and seven daugh- ters) in that and Delaware Counties. In 1856 George W. Hull removed to Morrow County, Ohio, where the subject of our sketch received a good lit- erary education and embarked in farming; being possessed of financial abil-
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
ities, he succeeded well. In the fall of 1879 he sold his interest there and came to Findlay. January 1, 1880, Mr. Hull united with Mr. Peter Hos- ler, the present president, in the Farmer's Bank, of Findlay. In 1882 he purchased a half interest in the Findlay Gas-Light Company, completing the entire purchase the following year. In 1884 he "put down" a "gas well," and the enterprise being successful, he has enlarged upon it, and now has ten wells in active operation. Mr. Hull is an energetic, clever bus- iness man, and has been an important acquisition to the business interests of Findlay. He is a liberal contributor to measures tending to the devel- opment of his locality, and gives with a willing hand to charitable institu- tions. Mr. Hull was married in Morrow County, Ohio, in 1867, to Mary J., daughter of Abraham and Catharine (Brougher) Monnett. They have five daughters: Attie C., Amina May, Imogene, Leona Blanche, and Bessie Leonore. He and his wife are worthy members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hull is an active worker in the temperance cause. In politics he is a Prohibitionist.
ANSON HURD, M. D., Findlay, comes of a worthy line of Connecti- cut pioneers in Ohio. He was born in Twinsburg, Summit Co., Ohio, De- cember 27, 1824, son of Robert and Mary (Brainerd) Hurd, whose ancestry in Connecticut dates back to the first settlements in that State as a colony, and numbers many of the important provincial families, as the Brookses, of Saybrook, the Hurds and Brainerds. In 1820 Dr. Hurd's father removed from Connecticut with his family, and settled in Twinsburg, Ohio, as agent of the twin brothers, Moses and Aaron Wilcox (after whom the township was named), whose extensive land interests he managed there for many years, and served as an active official (viz .: justice of the peace) for eight- een years in the early times. In 1839 he removed here, and was promi- nent before the people many years as a leader in the development of Han- cock County's interests, among which may be mentioned the laying out and platting of the village of Arlington, in 1844. He died in 1860, at the age of seventy-six, leaving a large family (who had become scattered consider- ably through the West), viz. : William Brainerd, Lorenzo Wellington, Brooks, Jared, Anson, Evaline, Mary Ann, Betsy, Huldah and Cordelia. He had buried three sons: Harlow, Phineas and Edwin. Our subject was reared in Twinsburg, Ohio, and in 1839, with his brother, Jared, came to this county, and at Arlington cleared the land and built the cabin occupied by their father on his arrival. Upon attaining his twentieth year, Anson, being anxious to obtain means for his education, etc., presented his father with $50 for his time, and returned to Twinsburg, where he remained for three years under the instruction of the Rev. Samuel Bissell, D.D., president of Twinsburg Institute. He then taught school in Pike County, where, be- coming acquainted with the Hon. J. I. Van Meter, of that county, he ob- tained a scholarship in Delaware College. After spending three years in that institution he engaged in the study of medicine with Dr. William Black- stone, of Athens, and after a year repaired to Columbus and read in the office of Prof. Samuel M. Smith, graduating from Starling Medical College in March, 1852. He then located in Oxford, Ind., where he remained in pop- ular professional connection for many years. In 1861 he represented the counties of White and Benton in the Legislature of Indiana, in both the regular and extra sessions, and the same year (after the firing upon Fort Sumter) he was invited by Gov. Morton, of Indiana, to accept the post
760
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
of assistant surgeon of the Twentieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which he accepted, serving through the first campaign to Hatteras. Returning to Fortress Monroe he resigned his commission in the Twentieth, and accepted that of surgeon of the Fourteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and served in all the battles of the campaign of 1862. In January, 1863, he resigned his commission, and in April moved to Findlay, where he has since been engaged in the practice of his profession. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the State Medical Society and the Northwestern Ohio Medical Society, of which he has been President and a prominent and active member. In 1876 he served as delegate from the Tenth Congres- sional District to the International Medical Congress, held at Philadelphia, Penn. He is a professional scientist of no mean note, and has for many years contributed to the pages of many leading medical journals of this country, among which may be mentioned the Medical and Surgical Re- porter, of Philadelphia; The Clinic (late the Lancet and Clinic), of Cincin- nati; Medical Record, of New York; the Detroit Lancet, Columbus Medical Journal, Toledo Medical Journal; Therapeutical Gazette of Detroit, and medical works of Philadelphia, and ha's frequently read papers on scientific work before medical meetings throughout the State. Dr. Hurd was mar- ried, in 1853, in Oxford, Ind., to Amanda V. Cell (originally Zell), of pio- neer German ancestry in Pennsylvania. She is a daughter of the Rev. David Cell, a worthy deceased minister of the Baptist Church. They have a daughter, Huldah, wife of N . F. Hardman, of Findlay. Mrs. Hurd and daugh- ter are worthy members of the Presbyterian Church, to which the Doctor is a liberal contributor. He is also an Odd Fellow. Dr. Hurd has al- . ways been a liberal supporter of measures tending to the growth of the social and industrial life of his community, and has taken a leading position with many. He is at present president of the Findlay Improvement Asso- ciation. The Doctor is of fine physique, vigorous nature, and bids fair to hold his place in the front rank of active professional work for many years to come. In politics he is a Republican, and takes a deep interest in the success of that party.
BENJAMIN F. HYATT, post-trader at Ft. Defiance, Arizona Territory, P. O., Findlay, Ohio, was born in Findlay, this county, March 18, 1840, son of A. H. and Eleanor (Baldwin) Hyatt, pioneers of this county. The former descended from early Pennsylvania stock, came to this county and was among the early settlers of Findlay; he engaged in merchandising, at which he was very successful, and by his upright dealings won the confi- dence of a very large circle of patrons; he died in 1859, leaving his busi- ness to his son, Benjamin F., who has placed his father's portrait in this history. He had four children --- two boys and two girls-our subject being the only one living. Benjamin F. Hyatt spent his early life in his father's store, and upon the latter's death conducted the business till 1860. He, however, was actively connected with merchandising in Findlay till November, 1879. June 3, 1881, he received the appointment to his present position, which he has held continuously since. He was for some time connected with banking at Carey; afterward spent some time traveling in commercial trade of Eastern houses, and retiring from this, returned to Findlay intend -. ing to locate in the insurance business. His interests have always been prominent here and he has been one of the liberal contributors to leading projects for the development of the social and industrial life of the city.
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FINDLAY TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE.
He is a prominent Mason and Knight of the Shawnee Commandery at Lima. He served in Company G, Fifty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry for six months. Mr. Hyatt married, December 18, 1861, Mary Keeler, a native of Vermont. He and his worthy wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he is a Republican.
ELIJAH P. JONES, banker, Findlay, was born March 6, 1820, at. Rochester, N. Y. The family came originally from England. His grand- father on the paternal side conducted a very large business in the tanning and manufacturing of leather in Connecticut. His father, Elijah Jones, was born in New Milford, Conn., but immigrated to central Pennsylvania, where he engaged in shipping lumber to Baltimore and other points; thence he went to Rochester, N. Y., where he engaged in general merchandising and in the manufacture of pearl ash for foreign shipment. Hannah (Pel- ton) Jones, subject's mother, though of Scotch ancestry, was a native of Connecticut. Three Pelton brothers immigrated to America-one settled in Boston, one in Connecticut and one in Long Island, N. Y. From the Con- necticut branch the mother of Mr. Jones sprang. The Peltons were a fam- ily of considerable distinction in Connecticut. Ebenezer Pelton served in the commissary department of the Revolutionary Army. In 1826 the fam- ily of the subject of our sketch came to Ohio and settled in Willoughby, seventeen miles east of Cleveland, at which place Elijah P., Jr., remained until the age of fourteen years, when he spent four years on a farm. In the meantime he improved his mind by private study, and in the winter en- gaged in teaching. When eighteen he secured a situation in the Cleveland postoffice as clerk, and remained there three years. He afterward at- tended the academy at Norwalk, under the tuition of Dr. Thompson (who eventually became bishop). He spent one summer as general agent for the Sandusky & Mansfield (now Baltimore & Ohio Railroad). When twenty- three years old he went to Sandusky City and entered the service as general agent for the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad (afterward the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland). In the fall of 1849, the branch from Carey to Findlay having been completed, Mr. Jones leased it for two and a half years, the company furnishing the motive power and cars. When this contract expired he renewed the lease for five years. In 1852 he formed a copartnership with E. N. Cook and George H. Jones, of Salem, Oreg,, to carry on a general merchandise and trading business. This partnership continued five years, and was then dissolved, after which Mr. Jones spent five years in New York engaged in the money brokerage business between New York and the Pacific Coast. In the spring of 1863, upon the passage of the National Bank act, Mr. Jones applied in person for a national bank charter, the bank to be established at Findlay, Ohio; but he was informed by Secretary Chase that his was the first appli- cation, and that the Treasury Department was not prepared to receive and receipt for the bonds as the Bank Department of the Treasury was not fully organized. Thereupon, depositing his bonds in the Park Bank, New York, he proceeded to Findlay, and on his return to Washington, subse- quently, he found a number of banks chartered before him and he had to take a lower number. The bank was immediately organized at Findlay and he became its president and principal stockholder. He still acts as presi- dent and is owner of more than two-thirds of its capital stock. He is con- servative in his ideas of banking, as he believes the banker should hold
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
himself aloof from speculation. Mr. Jones owns considerable real estate both in Findlay and vicinity. He has always been a prominent citizen; is public spirited and has ever been in advance in forwarding measures that would benefit the town. Careful in his business affairs he does not lack that boldness which frequently insures success. He married, January 9, 1862, Miss Mellie E. Johnston, of Piqua, Ohio, a graduate of the Ohio Wesleyan Female College, and they have three children: Cornelia Frances, Mary Gertrude and George Pelton, and the daughters are graduates of Vassar College. In politics Mr. Jones is a Republican.
CHARLES ECKELS JORDAN, retired farmer, Findlay, a leading pioneer of Hancock County, was born on Indian Run, upon the present site of Bellaire, Ohio, May 23, 1800, son of Charles and Jane (Eckels) Jordan, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled in what is now Richland Township, Belmont Co., Ohio, in 1793. Our subject, at the age of fifteen, learned the trade of boot and shoe-making, which he followed for a few years, re- tiring from it at Wheeling, Va., in 1822, and then returning to his native State, where he carried on farming. After securing a little money he pushed westward, and in November, 1830, came to what is now Arcadia, and entered land. October 2, 1833, he removed there with his family, where he engaged successfully in farming and stock rearing till September, 1875, when he retired from it and came to Findlay. He was married in Alexandria, Penn., in 1827, to Margaret Moore, who died in 1871 and is buried in Arcadia. Their family consisted of six sons and three daughters, viz. : Daniel S., farming in Missouri; Martha, widow of David Miller, re. siding in Findlay; William, farming in this county; John, who died of wounds received in the late war (leaving five orphan children of whom Mr. Jordan is guardian); James B., killed in action at the battle of Dallas, a member of the Forty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; Charles Wesley (de- ceased); Nancy Jane, wife of Steele Smith (on the old homestead); Mary (deceased), and Robert D., farming in Jewell County, Kas. Mr. Jordan married, on second occasion, Mrs. Elizabeth Winders, whom he survives. He always took an active interest in public affairs and served Washington Township as an official for many years. He attended the first election held therein when the enrolment showed but fourteen votes. Although not hav- ing attended public school more than two months his keen natural abilities placed him as a leader and besides serving as justice of the peace for several years he was among the first to organize the schools and other social inter- ests of that township. He assisted in organizing the first Lutheran society in Washington Township and has remained a worthy member of that church for over fifty years. Upon the breaking out of the late civil war he united his interests with the war party of the Democracy, and although too old to serve in the ranks he did good service in other ways. Five of his sons en- tered the army and did honorable and creditable service (two of them sacri- ficing their lives). During this time Mr. Jordan made several trips to the headquarters of Sherman's army and gave encouragement by act and deed as best he could for the sustenance of the Union. He has been a voter for over three score years; upon National matters has always given his pro- nounced support to the Democratic party. He is still active and vigorous, and enjoys the happy retrospect of a life well and honorably spent, esteemed by all who know him.
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