USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume I > Part 32
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Lewis J. Haas was reared to the duties of the home farm, assisting his father in its operation during the spring and summer seasons, while in the winter months he pursued his studies in the district school at Weavers Corner. He remained under the parental roof until February, 1905, when he purchased of his father his farm, consisting of sixty-eight acres, lying in Sherman town- ship. He has made improvements on this place and now has a good house and substantial barn and outbuildings. He gives his time to general farming and in his efforts is meeting with success.
Mr. Haas was married on the 8th of February, 1905, to Miss Louisa Beck- stein, a daughter of Ernest Beckstein, of Lyme township, a sketch of whom appears in this work. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Haas has been blessed with an interesting little daughter, Freda.
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Mr. Haas supports the men and measures of the democratic party, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church, in the work of which he takes an active part. For seven years he was a teacher in the Sunday school, while for three years he has been Sunday school superin- tendent. He works earnestly and persistently in carrying on his business affairs and if the present is any criterion, the future undoubtedly holds for him still greater successes.
PETER ROTH.
Germany has sent to the United States many enterprising and progressive men who, by their industry and perseverance, have acquired a substantial meas- ure of success. Among this number was Peter Roth, now deceased. He was born November 12, 1835. in Hamburg, Germany, a son of Joseph and Elizabeth Roth. His early youth was spent in the fatherland, where he acquired his edu- cation in the common schools of that country. Rumors soon reached him con- cerning the business advantages offered by the new world. and thinking to find better opportunities for advancement here than in his native land, at the age of seventeen he bade adieu to home and friends, and, alone, sailed for the United States. He did not linger on the eastern coast but came direct to Ohio, locating at Sandusky where he was engaged as a farm hand by the month until he was twenty-eight years of age. He was not afraid of work and during the intervening years he labored earnestly and diligently, so that eventually, through well directed efforts and careful saving of his earnings, he had accumulated a sum of money sufficient to justify him in establishing for himself a home. Con- sequently, on the 27th of November, 1861, he was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Schoen, a daughter of Paul and Barbara Schoen who, in 1851, came from Germany to the United States, locating in Sherman township, Huron county, Ohio, where the father was engaged in farming.
After their marriage Peter Roth and his wife took up their abode upon a farm in Sherman township which Mr. Roth had previously purchased. There he engaged in agricultural pursuits for thirteen years, during which period he met with most gratifying success in his undertaking. Subsequently he removed to Weavers Corners, Sherman township. and became identified with mercantile interests, his connection therewith continuing for twenty-nine years. He was progressive and up-to-date in his business methods, possessed keen discrimina- tion, was actuated by the laudable desire, to succeed and the fairness and integ- rity of his business policy won for him a large and distinctly representative pat- ronage which continuously expanded as he became better known throughout the community. In 1902 he retired from the active duties of business life and, selling his mercantile interests, he purchased a farm in Townsend township, to which he removed with his family and upon which he resided until his death.
As the years went by the home of Mr. and Mrs. Roth was blessed with thir- teen children, namely : Henry ; Peter ; Mary, the wife of Paul Puffing, of Bel-
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levue ; George; Joseph; Charles; Anna, who married Peter Weidenger; Anna and John, both deceased ; John ; Jacob; Elizabeth ; and Josephine. Mr. Roth held membership in the Catholic church, to which his family also belong. In politics he was democratic, supporting that party at the polls and doing all in his power to extend its influence throughout the community. He was not, however, an office-seeker, preferring to devote his time and attention entirely to his business affairs. He had been singularly successful in both his agricultural and mer- cantile interests, and not once did he ever have occasion to regret his determina- tion to seek his fortune in this new world where, although competition is strong, advancement is rapid and individual effort is unhampered by caste or class. His personal characteristics were such that, during his long residence in Huron county, he gained an extensive circle of friends who held him in high esteem and regard. He passed to his final rest April 16, 1903. His wife and family still reside upon the home farm and are prominent and highly respected through- out the community.
CHARLES F. BROWN.
Charles F. Brown, the owner of a well improved and valuable farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Peru township, was born in that township on the Ist of January, 1867, his parents being Jacob and Mary (Adleman) Brown. The paternal grandparents, Jacob and Mary Brown, both natives of Germany. were among the earliest settlers of Peru township, this county, and here spent the remainder of their lives. At the time of their arrival this part of the state was practically covered with timber but they resolutely faced the hardships and privations of pioneer existence, built a little log cabin and cleared a tract of land for farming purposes. They were people of the highest respectability and their labors constituted an important element in the work of early development and upbuilding. Jacob Brown, the father of Charles F. Brown, spent his entire life in Peru township, where his birth occurred in the year 1837. He was an agriculturist by occupation and in 1871 purchased the farm on which our sub- ject now resides from James Easton. He built a commodious residence, also barns and outbuildings for the shelter of grain and stock and in fact equipped the place with all the accessories of a model farm. Subsequently he bought a tract of ninety-eight acres adjoining, on which his widow now resides, giving his time and energies to its cultivation and improvement until called to his final rest in 1904. He was widely recognized as a most successful farmer and public-spirited citizen, and for a number of years did effective service for the cause of education as a member of the school board. A Catholic in religious faith, he was a prominent member of that church and his upright and honorable life won him the respect and esteem of all with whom business or social rela- tions brought him in contact. His widow, likewise a native of Peru township, stil! survives at the age of sixty-four years. They reared a family of nine chil- dren, as follows: Charles F., of this review; Alfred: Eva, who is the wife of John Grisner and resides at Norwalk, Ohio; Ida, also a resident of Norwalk.
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who is the wife of Peter McEnroe ; Arthur, Otto and Theodore, all of whom live with their mother and operate the old homestead farm; Eleanor, the wife of Peter Lynch, of Norwalk, Ohio; and Laura, who makes her home at Milan, Ohio, and is the wife of William Heddie.
In his youthful days Charles F. Brown attended the district and Catholic schools of Peru township, thus equipping himself by good mental training for the practical and responsible duties of life. Since putting aside his text-books he has been engaged in the work of general farming and in this line of activity has won a goodly measure of success as the result of his untiring labor and capable management. His property comprises one hundred and fifty acres of rich and productive land, and on the place are found many substantial improve- ments that in.licate the progress that has been made in agricultural lines.
On the 14th of February, 1900, Mr. Brown was united in marriage to Miss Anna Heddle, a daughter of Adam and Anna ( Harn) Heddle, of Huron county Like his father, Mr. Brown is a valued and consistent member of the Catholic church. Having always made his home in Peru township, he is widely and favorably known throughout the community and well deserves mention in this volume as a worthy representative of a family that has been prominently identi- fied with the agricultural interests of this county from pioneer times down to the present.
CALVIN CARL HEYMAN.
Calvin Carl Heyman, a farmer of Lyme township, Huron county, and the owner of ninety-five acres of land on which he lives with his sister, who is part owner of the estate, was born on this farm, July 4. 1886. He is the son of Wil- liam F. and Verena ( Ballmer) Heyman, both of whom were of European birth. The father was born in Germany, February 18, 1839, but was only nine years old when he came to this country with his parents. The family settled in Lyme town- ship in 1848, at a time when primitive conditions still prevailed. Their first hab- itation was a log cabin and it remained their home during the life of the older people. William F. Heyman, on attaining his manhood, bought land extensively and became possessed of three farms in this county, aggregating about three hundred and sixty-five acres. He was a prominent member of the Reformed church, having been at one time one of its elders, and having given, with his brother, the most of the money which made possible the erection of its edifice in 1863. In 1863 he married Miss Verena Ballmer, who was born in Switzerland. May 7, 1844, but came to this country with her parents when very young. She died January 10, 1901, her husband surviving her something over four years, his death having occurred April 3. 1905. on the home farm. Twelve children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Heyman, all of whom are living, namely : Samuel: Julius : Oliver : Charlotte ; Verena, who married William Longshied, of Lyme township : Walter : Arnold : William F., Jr .; Roscoe ; Arthur ; Paul : and Calvin Carl.
Calvin Carl Heyman has passed all the years of his life in this county. From the district school he received all that it could give in the way of formal preparation
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for life. He early turned his attention to farming, in fact, he has known almost no other life, for as soon as he was able he was assigned his regular tasks in the economy of the home, which gradually increased in importance and responsibility until he was fully competent, when he reached man's estate to assume the man- agement of his own farm. When he felt that the time had come for him to enter the battle of life for himself, his sister Charlotte united her money with his and the two bought the farm upon which they both live from their parents. To- gether they have shared the responsibility and the labor, though of course the heavier burden has fallen upon the man. During the period of their possession. however, the farm has been greatly improved and the soil coaxed to its greatest productiveness.
Mr. Heyman is a member of the Reformed church, in which all the rest of the Heyman family have also been confirmed, and he upholds the traditions estab- lished in it by his father. He is a hard-working young man and a good manager, so that it is not surprising that he should be reckoned as one of the prosperous farmers among the younger generation in his locality. His life has meant a great deal of persistent labor, but even now he is beginning to see the generous returns this will bring him as the years pass on.
MRS. SUSANNA STIMSON.
Mrs. Susanna Stimson, of Ridgefield township, is the owner of a well im- proved and valuable farm of one hundred and one acres. It was in Ridgefield township that her birth occurred. her parents being Ziba and Asenath ( Jefferson) Surles, who were natives of Pennsylvania and New York respectively. She traces her ancestry back to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Surles were early settlers of Monroeville, Huron county, Ohio, the father becoming a pioneer blacksmith of this community. They were married at Monroeville and continued worthy and respected residents here until called to their final rest, the father passing away in 1890, at the age of eighty-eight years, while the mother died in 1898, when eighty-two years of age. Unto this worthy couple were born ten children, namely: Cithera : Willard J .; Susanna, of this review; Sarah and Stella, who are deceased; James H .; one who died in infancy; and Lillie. Flora A., and Jessic, all of whom have passed away.
On the 4th of April, 1866, Miss Susanna Surles gave her hand in marriage to Garner Stimson, who was born in Cambridgeshire, England. January 2, 1836, his parents being Joseph and Mary Ann Stimson. He was about fifteen years of age when he accompanied his parents on their emigration to the new world, the family home being established near Monroeville, Ohio. His mother died about six weeks after her arrival in this county. Garner Stimson was the second in order of birth in a family of nine children, his brothers and sisters being as fol- lows : Jane, Elizabeth, Joseph B. and Charles, all of whom are now deceased ; Frank ; John; Ruth; and Arthur.
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In the fall of 1866 Garner Stimson purchased the farm on which his widow now resides and as the years went by made many substantial improvements on the property, winning a gratifying and well deserved measure of success in his agricultural interests. On the 4th of September. 1861, he enlisted for three years' service in the Union army as a member of Company B, Third Ohio Vol- unteer Infantry, and re-enlisted February 10, 1864, while on the 2d of August, 1865, he was honorably discharged at Nashville, Tennessee. He was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant of Company I, December 2, 1864, and on the 2d of August, 1865, the day on which he was mustered out, received a commission as captain. That his military service was of a most arduous and hazardous character is indicated by the following list of battles in which he participated : Corinth, Mississippi; Gunther's Landing, Lexington, Kentucky ; Hartsville and Gallatin, Tennessee; Stone River ; Bradyville, Liberty, Snow Hill and Franklin, Tennessee ; Elk River ; Pulaski ; Alpine, La Fayette and Chickamauga, Georgia; McMinnville, Farmington, Charleston, Cleveland and Loudon, Tennessee ; Mur- phy, North Carolina ; Moulton, Alabama ; Big Shanty; McAfee's Crossroads ; Tennessee Creek ; Kenesaw Mountain; Atlanta and Lovejoys Station, Georgia ; Good Hope Church ; Gadsdin, Georgia; and Blue Mountain.
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Stimson were born seven children: Jessie L., is the wife of Fred P. Rosecrans, who was formerly a school teacher and is now the man- ager of a store on the Hawaiian Islands. They have two children, Garneffie and Rita O. Effie C., the wife of James R. McDonald, resides at Boulder. Colo- rado and has two children, Ronald J. and Thera G. William S. and Elver re- side on the home farm with her mother. Susanna S. has passed away. Susie A. gave her hand in marriage to Allen C. Setchell and makes her home in Huron county. Ambrose H. wedded Miss May Bailey, of Norwalk, and lives on the old homestead farm. They have one child, Erma May.
Mr. Stimson was a consistent and valued member of the Baptist church, in which he served as a deacon and in the faith of which he passed away on the 2d of June, 1904. His demise was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for he had gained an extensive circle of friends during the fifty-three years of his residence in this county, his life being characterized at all times by high and honorable principles and worthy motives. For many years he maintained pleasant relations with his old army comrades through his membership in the Grand Army post. Mrs. Stimson, who still survives her husband, has an ex- tensive circle of warm friends throughout the county in which her entire life has been spent, her many good traits of heart and mind having endeared her to all with whom she has come in contact.
HON. H. N. DONALDSON, D. D. S.
Hon. H. N. Donaldson, who is now acting as chief executive of Bellevue. where he is also conducting a dental office, his professional ability gaining him rank as a representative of the dental fraternity in this county, was born on a farm in Washington county, Pennsylvania, on the Ist of June, 1869. He comes
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of Scotch-Irish ancestry, the family having been founded in America by his great-grandfather, Jacob Donaldson, who on crossing the Atlantic settled on a farm in Mount Pleasant township, Washington county, Pennsylvania. His son, Isaac Donaldson, was there born and the same neighborhood was the birthplace of Dr. Donaldson and his father. The latter was Robert Donaldson, whose natal day was June 5, 1831. He is still living in the county of his nativity and is one of the worthy and respected citizens of the community. In early manhood he married Rachel Walker, who was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1832 and died in 1871. They were the parents of six children: Frank, who died in 1900 at the age of forty-two years ; Flora, the wife of J. M. Dinsmore, living in Washington county, Pennsylvania; Anna, who became the wife of Dr. Hugh Hanna, of Philadelphia, and died in 1903; Sarah, the wife of J. M. Thompson, a resident of Washington county, Pennsylvania; Charles, who is living on the old homestead in Washington county ; and H. N.
Dr. Donaldson spent the period of his minority in his native county and attended the district schools there, after which he continued his education in an academy at Buffalo, Pennsylvania. He prepared for a professional career by a course of study in the Pennsylvania Dental College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1891. In that year he came to Bellevue, Ohio, and succeeded to the practice and patronage of Dr. Kirk. He has since followed his profession here and is a capable dentist whose broad understanding of the scientific principles that underlie his work, together with his mechanical skill and ingenuity, make him one of the foremost practitioners among the represen- tatives of the dental fraternity in Bellevue. He is very careful in all his work and his patience and courtesy as well as his professional skill have made him a popular dentist of Bellevue.
Dr. Donaldson has been married twice. He first wedded Miss Minnie Wade, a daugliter of Lewis and Mary Wade, of Urbana, Ohio. The wedding was celebrated June 22, 1892, and they were separated by the death of the wife on the 4th of November, 1905, Mrs. Donaldson being then about thirty-five years of age, her birth having occurred April 9, 1870. They were the parents of two children, Robert and Mildred. Dr. Donaldson was again married at Bellevue in 1907, his second union being with Miss Emma May Barb, a daughter of James C. and Hannah A. (McDonald) Barb. Her father was born in 1834, and died in 1901 while the mother, who was born in 1835, passed away in 1891. Mr. Barb was a Lutheran minister, devoting his entire life to the work of the church. In his family were six children: J. Ernest, who is now a minister ; Jolin M. ; Elsie L .; Ida ; Bertha, deceased ; and Mrs. Donaldson, the latter a native of Tennessee.
Dr. Donaldson has been prominent and influential in community affairs and his fellow citizens, recognizing his public spirit, his business ability and his de- votion to the general good, have called him to public office. He was a member of the school board for about thirteen years when he resigned and was elected mayor of Bellevue on the democratic ticket in November, 1905. So acceptably did he serve during the first term that he was reelected in 1907 and has now en- tered upon the fourth year of his service as chief executive of the city, in which connection he is giving a business-like and progressive administration charac-
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terized by retrenchment of all useless expenditure but by wise investment in lines of municipal progress, reform and improvement. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, belonging to the lodge and chapter at Bellevue and also to the Elks lodge of this city. He is likewise a member of the Royal Arcanum and of the Congregational church and his life is actuated by high and honorable principles, to which he is loyal in every relation of life. He sustains a high reputation as a capable representative of his profession, as the city's chief execu- tive and as well in all those relations of life where warm friendships and strong personal attachments are formed.
MRS. JOSEPH SWEET.
Mrs. Joseph Sweet, the owner of eighty-four acres of land in Lyme town- ship, Huron county, is the daughter of Samuel E. Nims and comes of a family that has been intimately connected with the history of this country from the time the thirteen colonies battled for their independence from the mother country. Asa Nims, Mrs. Sweet's great-grandfather, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and when his son Samuel came to Ohio, he accompanied him and partici- pated in the struggles of the few pioneers here. This Samuel Nims was ... n in Franklin, Massachusetts, in 1790, and with his wife Mahala, came to Huron county, Ohio, in 1826, but she did not long survive the hard life and its struggles, dying in her thirty-sixth year. She left two children to mourn her loss. The older, Betsy, married Rufus Russell, and with her husband has passed beyond earth's worries. The second child was Samuel E. Nims, the father of Mrs. Sweet, who is still living, though at a very advanced age. For his second wife, the grandfather, Samuel Nims, married Miss Fannie Peck, who was born in 1800, and came from Shelborn, Massachusetts, as did his first wife. She be- came the mother of two daughters, Augusta and Ardelia. The former was born in 1837, and in the course of time married Samuel Bemiss. She died October 22, 1907. Ardelia was born two years after her sister and married Edward A. Barton. She has since passed away, but her husband is living in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Samuel E. Nims, the father of our subject, has always lived in this part of the state. He received his early education in the district schools here and later attended the high school at Bellevue. In after years he demonstrated that he was a man of many capabilities, who took an active and practical interest in public affairs and he was elected a member of the school board and was also made township assessor. In both capacities he acquitted himself with distinction, leaving a fine record behind him. On the 5th of October, 1859, he married Miss Julia Stebbins, a daughter of Alfred Stebbins, and through her was blessed with two daughters : Mattie E., who is the subject of this sketch ; and Nettie C. The latter married E. W. Avery and now lives in Erie county. They have three children : Helen, Leland Ford, and Myron M.
Mattie E. Nims was born in this county, October 7, 1862. She received the best education the schools of this locality afforded and also attended Lake Erie
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College at Paynesville, Ohio, and spent two years at Oberlin Conservatory. She passed her days on the farm, fulfilling the duties around the house that fell to her share, but otherwise living in comparative quiet. On the 16th of February, 1888, she married Joseph Sweet, of Shelborn, Massachusetts, who was born September 27, 1858, and during the forty odd years of his life pur- sued the vocation of a farmer, becoming a most successful man. He was a stanch member of the Congregational church and a thorough Christian in his manner of life, and when he died, December 28, 1903, he left a large number of friends to mourn his loss. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Sweet were born two children : Gretchen M., who was born January 19, 1890; and John M., born December 10, 1891.
Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Sweet has carried on the work and business of the farm and has not found the task beyond her powers. In fact she has grown up to her responsibilities and has demonstrated how a capable woman can conduct a man's work. Some of the courage of her soldier great- grandfather and grandfather, the latter having fought in the war of 1812, would seem to flow in her veins, for she never falters before a difficulty and valiantly comes out ahead in all her struggles.
IRA L. WYANT, M. D.
Dr. Ira L. Wyant is an example of the self-made man, who has never sought success by devious methods but in a profession where advancement depends en- tirely upon individual merit, has made continuous progress, proving his ability to cope with the intricate problems that continually confront the physician. One of Ohio's native sons, he was born in Sandusky county, on the 10th of March, 1870, a son of Reuben K. and Sarah (Overmeyer) Wyant. His father was a native of Pennsylvania and in his boyhood days accompanied his parents to Sandusky county, Ohio. Both he and his wife died, however, during the early childhood of their son, Ira, and that he has attained to his present enviable posi- tion as one of the leading physicians of the county is an evidence of his industry, perseverance, determination and mental capacity. His early education was of a spasmodic character, being interrupted time and again by the necessity for him to provide for his own support. He spent two years as a pupil in the district schools, two years in Huron high school, and one year at the Ohio Normal at Ada. Becoming imbued with a desire to enter the medical profession, he eagerly availed himself of every opportunity that advanced him in that direction. Dur- ing the summer months he sailed on the lakes in various capacities and during the winter seasons studied at the Homeopathic Medical College at Cleveland, thus continuing his course until he was graduated with the class of 1894. He then located for practice in Chesterland, Ohio, where he remained for twelve years, when, seeking a broader field of labor he came in 1906 to Norwalk, where he has since remained and in the intervening years has built up a good prac- tice. By reading and research he keeps in touch with the most progressive ideas and methods of the profession and his close conformity to a high standard
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