USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume I > Part 44
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Henry Boehler has always resided in this county and in his youthful days at- tended the district schools in the acquirement of an education. The periods of vacation were devoted to assisting his father in the work of the farm and thus he early gained practical experience that proved of value to him when, in 1877, he purchased his present farm from his father and started out in business on his own account. His home place, an excellent farm of two hundred and twenty- five acres, is situated in Lyme township and this and another property returns to him substantial annual profits. He has made all of the improvements upon the place, including the erection of a fine commodious residence and the farm is lacking in none of the equipments and accessories that go to make up a model property of the twentieth century. As he has prospered in his undertakings, he had added to his holdings from time to time and his success is indicated in the
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fact that he is one of the heaviest tax-payers in the township. He owes his suc- cess primarily to his own industry and to the intelligent appreciation of his op- portunities. He has ever been diligent, persevering and progressive and his ex- ample may well serve to encourage and inspire others, showing what may be accomplished when one has the will to dare and to do.
On January 4. 1877, Mr. Boehler was united in marriage to Miss Louise Horn, a daughter of Phillip and Katherine (Seel) Horn, natives of Germany. This union has been blessed with four children: Sarah, the wife of William Kom- dorfer, of this township, by whom she has one son, Clarence; Albert, who mar- ried Matilda Schug and with his wife and son, Henry, resides in this township, and Clara and Emma, at home.
Mr. Boehler's religious faith is indicated in his membership in the Lutheran church, while in politics he is a stanch democrat. His fellow citizens, recogniz- ing his ability and true worth, have elected him to office and for six years he served as township trustee, also township assessor and real-estate assessor. Many tangible evidences can be given of his devotion to the public welfare. His fel- low townsmen speak of him as the most public-spirited citizen in the county and there has been no man as active in support of good roads. That his labors have been effective is shown in the fact that Lyme township has the best roads in the county and for this Mr. Boehler is directly responsible. His determined pur- pose enables him to carry forward to successful completion whatever he under- takes and in his labors for the public highways his methods have been practical, resultant and beneficial. He justly deserves to be accorded the foremost place among the citizens of his township for he is an aggressive business man, of keen discrimination, laboring to promote the general welfare as well as individual suc- cess. The cause of education has found in him a warm friend, his many sterling characteristics have won for him the esteem and regard of all with whom he has come in contact, while the success to which he has attained along agricultural lines entitles him to rank among the representative farmers of this county.
A. D. SANDERS.
A. D. Sanders is widely known in connection with insurance interests in Nor- walk and is also an active factor in financial circles. His has been the progress which results from persistency of purpose and undaunted enterprise and the sal- ient characteristics which he has always displayed in his business life have formed the foundation of a gratifying success and have won for him an honored namne. He was born in Iola, Kansas, September 19, 1872.
His father, Charles M. Sanders, was a native of Peru, Huron county, Ohio, and on leaving this district became a resident of Illinois, where he remained for seven years. In the late '6os he went to Kansas, where he followed farming. He had previously engaged in teaching school in Illinois and in 1874 he returned to that state, where he remained through the succeeding five years. At the end of that time he once more became a resident of Peru township, Huron county, Ohio, where he gave his attention to general agricultural pursuits, bringing his fields
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under a high state of cultivation and adding many modern accessories to his farm. In 1905, however, he retired from active life and removed to Norwalk, where he is now living in the enjoyment of well earned rest. He married Louise Morse, also a native of Peru township, where her father, John E. Morse, settled at a period when this section of the state was largely a pioneer district. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Sanders are two sons, the brother of our sub- ject being Harry E., a resident farmer of this county.
In the district schools of Peru township A. D. Sanders acquired his early edu- cation and later attended the Norwalk high school, from which he was graduated with the class of 1892. He also pursued a commercial course in Oberlin and for three years engaged in teaching school. He then turned his attention to mercan- tile interests, doing office work for various manufacturers, and in 1897 he was called to a position of public trust through his appointment as deputy treasurer. He served for five years in this capacity and in 1903 he engaged in the general insurance business in connection with A. B. Bowen. He has been closely asso- ciated with Mr. Bowen for fourteen years, first in the manufacturing business and then when Mr. Bowen became county treasurer Mr. Sanders was his deputy. At the expiration of the term of office they engaged in the insurance business and are now operating under the firm style of Bowen & Sanders. They write a large amount of insurance annually and the business of the firm has now reached ex- tensive and profitable proportions. Mr. Sanders is also treasurer of the Home, Savings & Loan Company, having filled this position for a number of years and is likewise a trustee in the settlement of affairs of the Norwalk Savings Bank Company. His name is an honored one on commercial paper and his business rectitude stands as an unquestioned factor in his career.
On the 14th of October, 1903, Mr. Sanders was married to Miss Hettie Long- well, a native of Crawford county and a daughter of Asbury Longwell. They have two children : Ralph L., who was born October 10, 1904; and Martha L., born May 13, 1906. Both Mr. and Mrs. Sanders are members of the Universalist church and are interested and active in its work. He is now serving as church treasurer and as superintendent of the Sunday school. In politics he is an active and earnest republican and for the past six years has been the secretary of the Mckinley Club. Fraternally he is connected with the Royal Arcanum and the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics. He is in hearty sympathy with progressive movements, manifesting in his life a patriotic citizenship that is most commendable. He has based his business principles and actions upon the rules which govern industry and strict, unswerving integrity, and the success which he has achieved is the direct result of his persistence and well directed labor.
C. B. WEEDMAN, M. D.
Dr. C. B. Weedman who since 1894 has continuously practiced medicine and surgery in New London, his ability winning him an extensive patronage through- out this part of the county, was born in Ashland county, Ohio, on the 28th of January, 1858. His father, George W. Weedman, was also a native of Ashland
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county, while the grandfather was of German birth. Leaving the land of his nativity in early life he crossed the ocean to the new world and became a resident of Ashland county, Ohio, where amid pioneer surroundings he lived for some years. His son, George Weedman, was there educated and. determining upon a professional career, he took up the study of medicine, practicing continuously for forty years, maintaining his office at Nova, Ohio, where he died September 5, 1890. He was a republican in his political views and a very public-spirited citizen who sought ever the best interests of the community. He married So- phronia Richards, who was born at Orange, Ashland county, and to them were born two children, C. B. and Eliza.
The public-school system of his native county afforded Dr. C. B. Weedman his early educational privileges and he afterward attended the Berea Baldwin University. Whether environment, inherited tendency or natural predilection had most to do with his choice or profession it is impossible to determine, but at all events he resolved to follow in the professional footsteps of his father and studied medicine in the Western Reserve University, from which he was grad- uated with the class of 1880. He then entered into partnership with his father at Nova and they were associated in business for ten years, Dr. C. B. Weedman continuing there after his father's death. In 1904, however, he removed to New London and was no stranger here as his practice had extended to this county. In the intervening years his patronage has steadily increased and his success is the direct outcome of his skill and understanding of the principles of the medical science. He is a member of the Cleveland Medical Society and is examiner for the New York Mutual, the New York Life and the Bankers' Life Insurance Company of Des Moines, the Pittsburg Life Insurance Company, the Massachu- setts Life Insurance Company and the Pennsylvania Mutual Life Insurance Company. In twenty-nine years not a man examined by him has died-a re- markable record. In addition to all this he continues actively in general prac- tice of medicine and makes a specialty of diseases of children.
Dr. Weedman served as a member of the county pension board for eight years under appointment of President Mckinley and was the nominee of the republican party for the office of county treasurer of Ashland county, in 1904. His personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him were indicated in the fact that he reduced the normal democratic majority from seven hundred to two hundred. He has filled a number of local offices, but at all times has been stalwart in his cham- pionship of the republican party, believing most firmly in its principles. His position is never an equivocal one and neither fear nor favor can swerve him from a course which he believes to be right.
In 1880 Dr. Weedman was married to Miss Lucy Iona Dubois, a native of Plymouth, Ohio. Her grandfather, Hubbard Dubois, was a pioncer preacher and revivalist of the Methodist church, identified with the Ohio Northern conference. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Weedman have been born two children. The son. Dr. Don V. Weedman, is now a dentist of Toledo, Ohio, who was graduated from the Western Reserve Dental School in 1904. The daughter, Elizabeth, is a musician of note and a musical director of ability. Dr. and Mrs. Weedman have a wide favorable acquaintance in New London and enjoy the hospitality of the best homes here. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and his fra-
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. ternal relations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He is in hearty sympathy with the principles of those orders and his belief in the brotherhood of the race is evidenced in the broad humanitarian spirit shown in his practice.
WILLIAM C. HEYMAN.
William C. Heyman, who owns and occupies a farm of one hundred and forty- eight acres in Lyme township, was born in Sherman township, this county, April 18, 1870, the son of George G. and Elizabeth (Longshied) Heyman. Both of the parents were born in Germany, yet they were numbered among the early settlers in this part of the state. The father, who was born in 1826, came with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Heyman, to this state in 1848, locating at Hunts Corners, where the older people passed the remainder of their days. There George C. Heyman bought a small tract of land, on which he made his home. it being the nucleus of the larger tract which he later accumulated extending over seven hundred acres. Mr. Heyman was all his life identified with farming in- terests and was a man prominent in local affairs, holding such offices as township trustee here. He was also one of the pillars of the Reformed church, being an elder at the time of his death, and with his brother was one of those few who made possible the building of the church here. Seventy-eight years were the span allotted to him for his earthly course, but his wife had died twenty years previously. William C. Heyman was the tenth in a family of eleven children, the others being: Charles . George, deceased; Amelia, who married August Schied; Daniel ; Thomas; Mary, deceased ; Jacob; Philip, deceased; Mary, deceased; and Albert.
William C. Heyman passed the first twenty-one years of his life in Sherman township, where he attended the district schools, obtaining from them such an education as they were able to give at that period. From his childhood he has been identified closely with farming interests, learning the rudiments of agriculture un- der the guidance of his father. so that by the time he had attained manhood he felt fully competent to manage a farm of his own. Since coming to his present home he has greatly improved the place in many ways. In November, 1908, he had the misfortune to have his house burned to the ground and he is now building what will be a much finer residence. Though a good farmer and devoted to his vocation, Mr. Heyman has found time for engaging to a considerable extent in road contracting and has accepted several commissions to build the stone roads in the county. He also is possessed of a threshing machine and engine, thereby being enabled to increase the efficiency of his own farming, as well as to be of great assistance to his friends and neighbors.
In 1891 Mr. Heyman married Miss Lillian Evans, a daughter of James and Nancy (Nibelung) Evans. Both the parents are of European birth, but came to this country at an early date and are numbered among the old settlers of Wood county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Heyman have five children, all of whom are living, Clifford O., Clarence, Eva, Willard and Mae. The family are consistent mem-
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bers of the Reformed church, which Mr. Heyman's father did so much to estab- lish here.
Mr. Heyman is one of that legion of persons whose quiet useful lives do much to assure the stability of the nation. His life has been devoted to hard toil, which has brought its own returns in the returns he has won from the land he has tilled, and those who know him or are numbered among his friends speak well of his noble qualities.
GEORGE W. BIXBY.
George W. Bixby, who owns and operates a valuable and highly improved farm of one hundred and twenty-nine acres in Bronson township, is a native son of Huron county, his birth having occurred in Norwalk, Ohio, on the Ist of May, 1862. His father, Henry Clay Bixby, who was born in Vermont in 1829, made his way to this state in early manhood. When about twenty-one years of age he entered the employ of the Rutland & Burlington Railroad of Vermont as a brakeman, continuing in that capacity until he was promoted to the position of engineer. His health failing, however, he was at length compelled to abandon the road and afterward worked in the shops of the Lake Shore & Michigan South- ern Railroad at Norwalk. When about sixty years of age he took up his abode on his farm in Bronson township and afterward retired to private life, having won a competence that now enables him to spend his remaining days in well earned ease. He is a stanch republican in his political views and is well known and highly esteemed throughout the community as a most substantial and worthy citizen. In 1859 he married Sarah Holmes, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Holmes, of New York, and they became the parents of four children, but only two are now living, namely : George, of this review; and Anna, the wife of Ed- ward Butler, of Bronson township. The mother was called to her final rest August 20, 1906.
George W. Bixby obtained his education in the common schools and when twenty years of age started out in life on his own account, purchasing a tract of land of forty-nine acres from his father. He has since extended the boundaries of the place by an additional purchase of eighty acres and has made many sub- stantial improvements on the property, which is now considered one of the finest in the entire county, being equipped with all the accessories and conveniences of a model farm of the twentieth century. His time and energies are devoted to the cultivation of the cereals best adapted to the soil and climate and in the conduct of his agricultural interests he has met with a most gratifying measure of suc- cess, which is all the more creditable by reason of the fact that it has been at- tained entirely through his own efforts.
On the 22d of July, 1882, Mr. Bixby was united in marriage to Miss Cora Elvira Van Kleeck. in whom he has found not only a congenial companion but also a valuable helpmate on the journey of life. She was born in Allegany county, New York, on the 15th of January, 1861, a daughter of Lawrence Van Kleeck, who participated in the Civil war as a soldier of the Union army. On the Ist of
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HENRY CLAY BIXBY
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September, 1864, in Yates county, New York, he enlisted as a member of the Eighty-fifth Regiment of New York Volunteers and was honorably discharged in 1865, having taken part in several engagements and also spending some time in a hospital. During the greater part of the time he was stationed at Roanoke Island, under command of General Schofield. Mr. and Mrs. Bixby are the par- ents of the following children : Charles H., who was born October 11, 1883; John L., born January 30, 1886, who attended the business college at Norwalk ; Arthur P., whose birth occurred on the 23d of May, 1894; Harry E., whose natal day was November 23, 1895; and George R., who died in infancy.
At the polls Mr. Bixby casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of the republican party, believing that its principles are most conducive to good government. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church, while fraternally he is identified with the Maccabees. Throughout the county where he has always resided he has gained wide and favorable recognition as a most prosperous, enterprising and progressive citizen whose life record is a credit to the community.
PETER WILHELM.
General agricultural pursuits engage the attention of Peter Wilhelm, who owns a well improved and productive farm of one hundred and seventy-five acres in Peru township. He was born in that township on the 18th of March, 1860, his parents being John and Sophia (Shaffer) Wilhelm, both of whom were na- tives of Germany. When a young man of twenty-four years the father crossed the Atlantic to the United States and for about four years worked as a farm hand for different agriculturists of Huron county. On the expiration of that period he purchased a tract of forty acres and began farming on his own account but later disposed of that property and bought a farm of one hundred and eight acres. On selling that place he purchased a tract of one hundred and twenty-five acres, which is the old family homestead and on which his son Peter now resides. Energetic, industrious and enterprising, he won a goodly measure of prosperity in the conduct of his agricultural interests and was well known as a most sub- stantial and respected citizen of the community.
His political allegiance was unfalteringly given to the democracy and he faithfully discharged the duties devolving upon him in the position of township trustee. He was a prominent and active member of the Catholic church in Peru township, in the faith of which he passed away, his demise occurring in 1886, when he had attained the age of sixty-five years. His wife was but two years of age when brought by her parents, Peter and Catherine Shaffer, to the new world, the family home being established in Peru township, Huron county, Ohio. She was called to her final rest in 1906, when seventy-six years of age. By her marriage she had become the mother of nine children, as follows : Catherine, the deceased wife of August Dehe; Mary, who is the wife of John Geiger and lives at Clyde, Ohio; Angeline, the deceased wife of Constatine Spice; Peter, of this review ; Joseph, a resident of Norwalk; Fred, who makes his home in Toledo,
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Ohio; John C., likewise a resident of Toledo; Ida, who has passed away; and Tillie, the wife of Austin Garvin, of Clyde, Ohio.
With the exception of a period of three years spent in Sherman township and three years in Putnum county, Ohio, Peter Wilhelm has always made his home in Peru township, this county. In pursuit of an education he attended both the district and German schools, thus equipping himself by good mental training for the practical and responsible duties of life. As above stated, he devotes his time and energies to the cultivation of a tract of one hundred and seventy-five acres in Peru township, on which he has placed a number of substantial improve- ments until at present it is lacking in none of the equipments and conveniences of a model farming property of the twentieth century.
On the 25th of November, 1884, Mr. Wilhelm was united in marriage to Miss Clara Miller, a native of Lorain county. Ohio, and a daughter of Mathias and Magdaline (Neff ) Miller, of that county. Their union has been blessed with six children: Arthur, Otto, Theodore, Elmer, Verna and Walter. On the 25th of November. 1008. Arthur Wilhelm, the eldest son, wedded Miss Elizabeth Wise, of Sherman township, and they now have one child, Herman. They reside on a portion of our subject's farm.
Mr. Wilhelm has capably served in the position of trustee in Peru township and at present holds the office of township clerk, to which he was elected on the democratic ticket in 1906. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Catholic church of Peru township. He inherits the industrial qualities, to- gether with the honesty, of his German ancestry, and aside from being num- bered among the successful farmers of the community, he is also acknowledged to be one of the representative citizens of the township.
L. SNOOK.
L. Snook, for ten years a practitioner at the Norwalk bar and also active in local republican circles, is numbered among Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred in Wyandot county on the 14th of November, 1858. His father, William Snook, was a native of Licking county, this state, but lived for many years in Wyandot and Hancock counties. By trade he was a carpenter. He died in 1891 at the age of sixty-eight years and is still survived by his widow, who bore the maiden name of Nancy Starr and is a native of Fairfield county, Ohio. She now makes her home with her children.
In the country schools of Wyandot and Hancock counties L. Snook pursued his early education, mastering the branches of learning that constitute the public school curriculum. He afterward took up the profession of teaching which he followed for eighteen years in those two counties. He was not only able to main- tain discipline-an essential to good teaching-but also imparted readily to others the knowledge that he had acquired, bringing to his students a thorough under- standing of the branches of learning that he was required to teach. His leisure hours during a part of this period were devoted to the study of law. He had two brothers who took up the study of law, but L. A. Snook died in Sandusky,
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Ohio, in 1902, after practicing there for some time. The other brother; W. S. Snook, is now a successful representative of the bar in Findlay, Ohio. After mastering many of the principles of jurisprudence, becoming familiar with Kent, Blackstone and other commentaries, Mr. Snook successfully passed the required examination for admission to the bar in 1899. In the same year he came to Nor- walk, opened his office and has since continued in practice here. His life has been one of continuous activity in which has been accorded due recognition of labor. He is a strong advocate with a jury and concise in his appeals before the court. He manifests, moreover, a natural discrimination as to legal ethics and is able to base his arguments upon thorough knowledge of and familiarity with precedents and to present a case upon its merits. He throws himself easily and naturally into the argument, with a self possession and deliberation that indicates a thorough understanding of the situation. There is a precision and clearness in his statement and acuteness and strength in his argument which bespeaks a mind trained in the severest school of investigation and to which the ciosest reas- oning has become habitual and easy.
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