USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume II > Part 40
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AUGUST A. RUFFING.
August A. Ruffing, the president and superintendent of the Gallup-Riffing Handle Company of Norwalk, is numbered among the worthy native sons of Huron county, his birth having here occurred on the 23d of February, 1871. He obtained a good practical education in the common schools of this county and assisted his father in the cultivation of the home farm until he had attained the age of twenty-one years. He then secured employment in the factory of C. W. Smith, where he remained for three years and subsequently removed to Chicago, working in a factory there for about eight months. At the end of that time, he
A. A. RUFFING
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returned to Norwalk, where he remained for a short time and then went back: to the home farm. Later he made his way to Miami county, Ohio, where he ac- cepted a position with a firm that was extensively engaged in the manufacture of wooden handles, remaining in that employ for five years. On the expiration of that period, he once more returned to Norwalk and in August, 1902, organized! the Gallup-Ruffing Handle Company, of which he was made president and has con- tinued as the chief executive officer of the company to the present time. The concern was organized for twenty thousand dollars under the laws of the state of Delaware and has since been incorporated under the laws of the state of Ohio. In the first year, the business of the company amounted to about twenty- five thousand dollars and during the seven years of its existence, has increased to sixty thousand dollars-a fact that would seem to augur well for its con- tinued success and prosperity. The shipments of the house extend throughout the United States, Canada and many foreign countries and the volume of their trade is constantly increasing. The plant is equipped with all of the latest machinery, some of which is the original design of the proprietors and fifty-five workmen are employed in the conduct of the business. H. A. Gallup is the secretary, treas- urer and financial manager of the concern, while Mr. Ruffing acts in the capacity of president and superintendent and the success which has attended the enter- prise is attributable in large measure to his excellent management, sound judg- ment and keen discrimination. He is now widely recognized as a prominent representative of the industrial interests of his native county and his life record stands as a splendid example of what can be accomplished through force of char- acter and unfaltering diligence.
On the Ist of August, 1899, Mr. Ruffing was united in marriage to Miss Anna M. Marsh, who was born in Huron county, March 6, 1874, her father being Thaddeus Marsh, an agriculturist of this county. They now have three children : Clare A., Clement H. and Veronica. In his political views, Mr. Ruff- ing is a stalwart republican, while his religious faith is indicated by his member- ship in the German Catholic church. His good qualities, and they are many, have strongly endeared him to those with whom he has been associated and wher- ever he is known he is popular with a large circle of friends.
GEORGE H. DAWSON.
George H. Dawson, who is one of the progressive farmers of Richmond township, Huron county, Ohio, has had a long and valuable experience as an agriculturist and shows the result of it in his work on his fine farm of one hundred and thirty-four acres. In addition to this property, he also owns one hundred and forty-nine and three-quarter acres in Richland county. Mr. Dawson was born in Richmond township, Huron county, May 26, 1864, his parents being James B. and Mary (Dickison) Dawson. When he was twenty-one years old, his father left England, his native land, hoping to find a broader field of operation in the new world. By occupation he was a farmer and was so successful that he was able to live retired during the last quarter of a century of his life. His death occurred
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November 11, 1908, and he was called upon to mourn the loss of his first wife in 1870. She had borne him the following children: J. W .; A. H .; Eliza J., who married W. G. Channey ; George H .; and J. E. Later he married Julia Sweet- land and their children were as follows: H. S., D. F., C. A., R. A. and Mary, who married D. W. Hillis.
Until he was nineteen, George H. Dawson attended the district school and made the most of his opportunities, although a year before he completed his course he was called upon to assume the management of his father's farm, and for the following twenty-five years he cultivated the property. In the meanwhile he invested in his two farms, and in 1909 he moved upon the Richmond township one and has since devoted his attention to improving and developing it.
In February, 1883, Mr. Dawson married Minerva Post, a daughter of Wil- liam B. and Rebecca Post, who were early settlers in Huron county, where both are still residing. Mrs. Dawson belongs to a family that is as follows: Rosetta, who married J. H. Hord ; Luella, who married S. N. Duffy ; Minerva, who is Mrs. Dawson ; Ida, who married M. L. Williams; W. C. Emmery ; Anna, who married J. W. Stevens ; and Ethel, who married Bert Steel. Mr. and Mrs. Dawson are the parents of the following children : I. L., Edna, Addie, Bertha, Adelbert, Altie and Laura. In politics he is a republican. The family belong to the United Brethren church and give that body their hearty support both in contributions and work. They are well liked in the neighborhood, and Mr. Dawson is recognized as a good farmer and excellent business man.
D. H. CLARK.
D. H. Clark, a resident farmer of Peru township, numbered among the men of unfaltering enterprise and progressive spirit, is successfully cultivating one hun- dred and seventeen acres of highly improved land. Although now seventy-six years of age, he yet gives personal supervision to the further development of his farm and his life record of unfaltering and intelligently directed activity should put to shame many a man of much younger years but of less resolute spirit who would relegate to others the burdens he himself should bear.
Mr. Clark is a native of New England, his birth having occurred in Vermont, July 21, 1833. His parents were Daniel and Diana (Warner) Clark. The father, who was born May 3, 1806, died in 1862, while his wife, whose birth occurred Aug. 9, 1806, passed away on the 30th of October, 1881. They came to Huron county, Ohio, in 1834, when it was still a frontier district, the work of improve- ment and development seeming scarcely begun. Many changes have occurred during that time and D. H. Clark has been a witness of the entire transformation. On reaching Huron county, the family settled in Peru township, and the father, who was a carpenter and joiner by trade, assisted in building a number of the log houses and barns in the locality in that early day. He also erected a log cabin for himself, and he and his family occupied that little home for a long time. He worked diligently upon his farm but never allowed his business affairs to exclude
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his interest in religious matters. He was a prominent man in the church and as- sisted in building the house of worship for the Universalists at Peru in 1840. He belonged to that church throughout his entire life, held a number of offices therein and was very active in the church work. In his family were eight children. Mariette, who was born September 22, 1831, married Lyman Johnson and both are now deceased. D. H. is the second in the family. Dean, who was born De- cember 6, 1834, died August 10, 1863. Henry, born July 19, 1836, died April 20, 1888. Warner, born May 24, 1838, died February 2, 1849. Cornelia, who was born February 1, 1842, died January 28, 1849. Francis M., born October 8, 1844, died March 5, 1849. Mary I., born January 22, 1848, died February 5, 1849. Thus four of the children died within a few days of each other in the year 1849.
D. H. Clark of this review has spent nearly his entire life in this part of Ohio, save for a few years which he passed in Kansas when a young man. He learned the carpenter's trade in his youthful days and followed that pursuit until about forty-five years of age, during which time he built a large number of houses and barns in his vicinity. In 1883 he erected the commodious residence which he now occupies and which stands as a monument to his thrift, skill and industry. His life has been a busy and useful one, and his success is the merited reward of earnest and persistent labor. Since his retirement from industrial lines he has given his attention to agricultural pursuits and is now cultivating an excellent tract of land of one hundred and seventeen acres, constituting one of the finely im- proved farms of the county.
Mr. Clark has always been interested in everything relating to the public wel- fare and has cooperated in many movements for the general good. He has served as school director for a number of years and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He has always belonged to the Universalist church and at the present time is the treasurer and one of the trustees of the church at Peru. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and he keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day, although he has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking.
Pleasantly situated in his home life, Mr. Clark was married March 1, 1865, to Miss Melvina Barker, a daughter of Robert and Lucy (Standish) Barker, who were early settlers of Peru township. Mrs. Clark was born upon the farm which is now her home in a little log cabin, in which her parents were living. They had come to Ohio from the state of New York when still single and were married in this county in 1837. Her father was born August 10, 1809, and her mother's birth occurred in March of the same year. Both are now deceased, Mr. Baker having passed away July 6, 1877, while his wife died on the 25th of October, following. They were, therefore, separated in death for but a brief period. They became the parents of three children : Liddie, who married Austin Patterson and is now a widow living in California ; Mrs. Clark ; and John, deceased. Mrs. Clark is one of the direct descendants of Miles Standish. By her marriage she became the mother of one son, Dean B., who was born October 18, 1878, and married Altah Baker, a daughter of Wilson E. and Mary Pauline ( Barnum) Baker, of Licking county, Ohio. They were married March 1, 1900, and have two children: Walter B. and Mary Louise. They reside upon the old homestead with his father and Dean B. Clark now operates the farm.
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Few citizens of the county can boast a longer residence here than D. H. Clark, who for seventy-five years has lived in Huron county and has been an interested witness of its growth and development. He has lived to see the forests cut away, the land reclaimed and converted into rich fields. He can remember the time when the harvesting was done with the scythe and the cradle, for it was not until he had become a factor in agricultural life that the modern reaper, mower and steam thresher were introduced nor was the riding plow known in the period of his boy- hood. The labor of the farm was much more arduous than at the present time. The homes of the settlers, too, were in many cases log cabins, and they were heated by fireplaces and lighted by candles and later by kerosene lamps. Mr. Clark has lived to see remarkable changes, carrying the county forward to its present state of progress when the agriculturist enjoys the advantages of the tele- phone and the rural mail delivery as well as the benefits of all the modern farm machinery which has so completely revolutionized the work of the fields.
GILBERT M. WOOD.
Gilbert M. Wood, one of the hard-working and quiet farmers of Fitchville township, Huron county, was born in New London township, February 1, 1862, a son of Willis and Hilda (Springstead) Wood. The mother was a native of this county, but the father was born in Putnam county, New York, and was only six years of age when his parents came to Ohio, settling in New London town- ship, Huron county. He followed the life of a farmer, was a man of fine character and intelligence, but of a retiring disposition, so that he was not well known be- yond his immediate circle of friends and acquaintances. He was quite a sports- man, however, and enjoyed nothing more than a seat on a fine horse, behind a leash of hounds, in pursuit of a fox. A good shot and a successful trapper, he yet derived more pleasure from the spirit of the chase than from the value of the pelts he secured. He died in October, 1886, leaving a widow and two sons, William J. and Gilbert M., who still survive.
Gilbert M. Wood was reared at home on his father's farm, and received his education in the district schools of New London and Fitchville townships. All his life he has been a farmer, even in the period of his childhood and youth as- sisting with the work on the home place and assuming responsibility as his age and strength increased. In 1886 he began life on his own account, engaging in farming in the neighborhood in which he had been reared. In 1892 he removed to Fulton county, Ohio, where for three years he devoted himself to agriculture, returning to his farm in Fitchville in 1895. On this he has since made his home, practicing a general line of farming, for which his land is excellently adapted.
In October, 1886, Mr. Wood was married to the woman of his choice, Miss Minnie Post, an orphan girl of German descent. To this union have been born two children: a son, Willis W., a bookkeeper employed by the Honing Electric Company, of Cleveland, Ohio ; and a daughter, Lillian, who remains at home.
Mr. Wood is deeply interested at all times in the matters that concern the public and the welfare of the citizens of this land, but he has never actively en-
ned
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gaged in politics nor has he sought or filled any office within the gift of the people. He believes, strongly, however, that every man should exercise his right of fran- chise, and so is unfailingly at the polls on election day, when his vote is cast for the democratic candidate and for democratic measures. But for all his reluctance to enter the public arena, he is a public-spirited man, an advocate of good govern- ment and progress, who gives his influence to the promotion of better conditions. He is particularly interested in the advancement of education in the township and in the improvement of the roads.
JESSE E. WHEELER.
The enterprising village of Chicago Junction has various citizens who contin- ually conserve its interests by their activity in business lines as well as through their relation to public affairs. In this class Jesse E. Wheeler was numbered, having for twenty years been engaged in the dry-goods business here. As a mer- chant he was very successful and was looked upon by everyone as one of the most agreeable and accommodating business men of the city. He passed away Octo- ber 2, 1909, and the fact that one thousand people gathered to pay their last trib- ute of respect to him was indicative of his high standing in the community. One of the native sons of the county, his birth occurred in Greenfield township, Jan- uary 22, 1854. His father, Calvin Wheeler, was born in the state of New York and when a boy came to Huron county with his father, John Wheeler, who settled in Greenfield township, casting in his lot with the pioneer residents who were ac- tively engaged in the arduous task of reclaiming wild land for the purposes of civilization. He cleared away the timber, turned the first furrows and in course of time gathered good harvests as a reward for his labors. Upon the farm which he developed and tilled he reared his family and lived to a ripe old age, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was a man of strong character and re- ligious nature and for many years was a local preacher in the Baptist church, so that he was uniformly styled Elder Wheeler throughout the entire community. He reached the venerable age of ninety-two years.
Calvin Wheeler, reared amid the wild scenes and environments of pioneer life, engaged in merchandising in Greenfield after attaining his majority. Meeting with success in business he continued as an active representative of commercial in- terests there for many years and by reason of his straightforward dealing enjoyed the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. He died in Chi- cago Junction, May 22, 1896, having for forty years survived his wife, who passed away on the 5th of March, 1866. She bore the maiden name of Mary Richards and was a native of New York. In her girlhood days she came with her parents to Huron county, the family settling on the present site of Chicago Junction. In the family of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Wheeler were twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, namely: Janette, who is deceased; Agnes; David, who has de- parted this life; Ben; Judson, also deceased ; Chauncey ; J. E. and J. A., twins ; Alice and Alfred, twins ; Lillis, and Linda.
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J. E. Wheeler was indebted to the country schools for the educational oppor- tunities which he enjoyed. He pursued his studies through the winter months and in the summer seasons worked on his father's farm, toiling in the fields from the time of early spring planting until corps were harvested in the late autumn. In 1875, when twenty-one years of age, he went to California, where he remained for ten years, giving his time to various pursuits. In 1885 he returned to Ohio and joined his brother. J. A. Wheeler, in the mercantile business in Steuben, Ohio, until 1889, when he came to Chicago Junction and opened a dry-goods store in an old frame building. Upon the completion of the opera house block the business was removed to its present location and there he conducted a well appointed store, supplied with all modern conveniences to facilitate the conduct of the trade. In the years which came and went prior to his death he built up a very extensive business. His sister Alice, now Mrs. Barber, was his partner in the enterprise from the time that he opened the store in Chicago. He was a man of progressive methods and the business was well managed, the stock thoroughly up-to-date in every particular and the trade of the house constantly grew. He made a study of the wishes of the people and his reasonable prices and honorable dealings con- stituted salient features in his success. His methods were always of a construc- tive character and never was he known to take advantage of the necessities of another in business transactions.
In 1890 Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage to Miss Mary Keesy, a native of Huron county and a representative of an old pioneer family. Her father, the Rev. W. A. Keesy, was a minister in the United Brethren church and his life was an influencing factor in the moral development of the community. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler was born one son, Raymond. The parents held membership in the United Brethren church and Mr. Wheeler was also identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In his life work he was actuated by laudable ambition and his record at all times was characterized by intelligent and well directed effort and by unswerving integrity and progressive methods.
For some months prior to his demise he complained of not feeling well and friends urged him to rest from business for a time, but he felt that he must con- tinue his attention to the store and did so until stricken with typhoid fever. He never recovered and on the 2d of October, 1909, passed away, his death coming as a distinct loss to the entire community. He always sought to do unto others as he would have them do unto him and was, therefore, a close follower of the golden rule. A lover of justice, his treatment of others was fair and his word was as good as a written promise. He never neglected his obligations nor his duties, was recognized as a man of determined character and one who maintained an unequiv- ocal position upon any vital question. He was a friend and wise counsellor in time of trouble and he gave liberally to charity. He was one of the first men to become a member of the Railroad Young Men's Christian Association and had continuously served as its treasurer since its organization. His funeral was one never to be forgotten by those who were in attendance. The services were of a most impressing character and all business houses of the city were closed from one thirty until four o'clock, and it is said that every firm was represented at the funeral.
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Steadfastness of purpose, an unselfish life and purity of heart were manifest in the career of Jesse E. Wheeler and will long be remembered by those who knew him, and constituted an example well worthy of emulation. He stood for all that is highest and best in manhood and in citizenship and was at all times loyal to the public welfare and faithful in his friendships, but his best traits of character were reserved for his own home and fireside, where he was known as a most devoted and worthy husband and father, neglecting no opportunity to promote the happi- ness and welfare of his wife and son, whose interests he ever counted above his own. He left the impress of a noble soul upon the community with which he was identified through two decades.
JACOB KOTZ.
One of the older generation of farmers of Ripley township, whose persistent efforts in the cultivation of crops have been rewarded with pronounced success is Jacob Kotz. Although not a native of this state, for the past twenty-eight years he has been one of its citizens and has taken a deep interest in the welfare of his township, welcoming and advancing any movements that make for its improve- ment. He was born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania April 3, 1838. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Schuman) Kotz, were also natives of the Key- stone state and reared a family of twelve children: John, Sarah, Edward, Isaac, Mary, Charity, Jacob, Rebecca, Christina, Catherine, Daniel and Charles. The paternal grandparents of Jacob Kotz were Henry and Charity (Snyder) Kotz.
Jacob Kotz was reared to agricultural pursuits. The educational facilities of his native state, though better than those in the territory farther west at the same period, were none too good as affording a preparation to meet the problems of life. Such as they were Jacob Kotz partook of them, working on the farm with his father in the spring, summer and early fall months, preparing his lessons and attending school when the inclemency of the season made outdoor labor impossible. The training was effective, though perhaps hard, for Mr. Kotz has been success- ful in his operations when he embarked on farming as his own vocation, by means of which he made a home for himself and family. In 1881 he came to Ripley town- ship and settled upon the land on which he lives today. Since his arrival here he has entered into the spirit of this locality, raised his voice, as one of the school board, for the betterment of the schools, and when the Boughtonville Telephone Company was organized, bought stock in the concern, became one of its promoters and is still interested in its financial stability.
On the 3d of November, 1860, Mr. Kotz and Miss Mary Ann Bitts were united in marriage. Mrs. Kotz was born January 5, 1840, in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Rasley) Bitts, and the grandaughter of Henry Bitts. She was the youngest of the four children born to her parents, the others being Reuben, Sarah and Elizabeth. To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Kotz have been born six children: Elizabeth, who was born July 20, 1861, married Jacob Snyder, and they have two sons, Franklin and Charlie. Uriah, who was born February 7, 1863, passed away at the age of two. Emma Frances,
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born March 15, 1865, married Fred Beelman and they have a son, Chester. Cath- erine, born January 5, 1871, became the wife of William Bender and the mother of seven children: Essel; Bessie; Mildred; Mabel, who died at the age of two years ; and triplets who died at birth. Ida, who was born July 19, 1877, married Charles Wentz. Frank, the youngest of the family, born February 7, 1880, mar- ried Miss Bertha McCormick and they have one daughter, Gertrude Irene.
The family were reared in the tenets of the Lutheran faith and still adhere to its doctrines. Politically Mr. Kotz is a firm democrat, though he is not prominent in party affairs. He enjoys pleasant fraternal relations with the Masons and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed the third degree in the for- mer and being past grand in the latter.
E. BIGLOW.
E. Biglow, a pioneer in the utilization of the rich clay deposits in the vicinity of New London and the founder and promoter of an important industrial enter- prise, is now extensively and successfully engaged in the manufacture of brick and tile. He was born upon a farm in Lorain county, Ohio, June 28, 1845, and is a son of Daniel and Martha (Stranahan) Biglow, natives of Ohio and Connecti- cut respectively. The parents were identified with the farming interests of Lor- ain county, where E. Biglow was reared to agricultural pursuits. Acquiring his early education in the country schools at the same time he received thorough and ample training in farm work as through the summer months, he assisted in the labors of the fields. He continued to engage in farming until the age of twenty-eight years, when he opened a general store in Westview, which he con- ducted for nineteen years. That enterprise proved a profitable and growing one, but at the end of six years his health failed, owing to the close confinement of the store and he partially withdrew from mercantile pursuits to give his time and energies to brick and tile making, taking up that line of manufacture in Columbia, Lorain county. He started the business on a very modest scale, but by close attention, unremitting energy and earnest study of processes of manu- facture and the adoption of practical methods, he prospered as the years went by, continuing at that location until 1897. By keeping in touch with everything concerning his line of business, he came to know of the wonderful clay deposits at New London and foresaw great possibilities there. Removing to this place in 1897. he established his business in a small way, paying thirty-five hundred dol- lars for the land and taking up the manufacture with five employees operating one kiln. At that time his son, E. O. Biglow, was old enough to join him and together they have built up from this humble beginning a business which is one of the important industries of the county and of which New London has every rea- son to be proud. They row employ fifty men, operate eight kilns and have made many improvements in their plant. They have erected a fine plant equipped with the most modern machinery and there is a constant and growing demand for their products, including tile and brick. Their output is sent to many states, being shipped to the eastern seaboard, to Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.
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