USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume II > Part 51
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Following in the footsteps of his father who joined the republican party when it was first being organized, Mr. Cox has always cast his vote for its candidates, not through a blind acceptance of his father's principles alone but because he be- lieves that in its platform are included some of the best principles for the govern- ment of a nation. Although he has not taken a very active part in public mat- ters, Mr. Cox served one term as road supervisor. He belongs to the Church, of God in Richmond township and is zealous in fulfilling his religious duties and generous in his contributions to the support of the church.
HOWARD LOFLAND.
Howard Lofland, who for more than two score years has lived upon the farm in Ripley township which is now his home, was born near Plymouth, in Rich- land county, Ohio, October 9, 1848, and is a son of Solomon and Eleanor (Ty- son) Lofland. The father, who was born near Mansfield, Ohio, in 1810, was a son of Thomas Lofland and a brother of Dorman and Comfort. The mother was born in England in 1812 and was about twelve years of age when her par- ents, William and Ann Tyson, came to America. They settled in Richland county, Ohio, near Plymouth, and contributed their share toward making the county a farming section, for they had to hew their fields out of the forests. Mrs. Lofland was the youngest of four children, William, John and George being her elder brothers. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Lofland was born eleven chil- dren : William, Henry, Smith, Howard, Charles, Ned, Thomas, one deceased, Jane, Frances and Emma.
Howard Lofland grew up under the careful guidance of his parents, from whom he received that instruction in the principles which should guide his life and which have proved of inestimable value to him as the years have passed. His
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early education, however, the training in the rudiments of English learning, was received in the little district school, and had it not been supplemented by prac- tical experience would scarcely have sufficed for the business of life. Upon the completion of the course of study prescribed by his teachers, Mr. Loffand turned to the serious work of the farm, assisting his father in whatever way he could, and then assuming full charge of affairs as the older man's advancing age made it increasingly difficult for him to do the heavier labor. About twenty years ago his father was released from the cares of this world and Mr. Lofland bought the farm from his heirs and has since had possession of it. A fine tract of ninety- nine acres, it well repays the earnest work he puts upon it.
In 1878 Mr. Lofland was married to Miss Lucy Mutler, of Plymouth, and a daughter, Ida, was born to them in 1879. After the death of his first wife Mr. Lofland married, October 9. 1888, Miss Catherine Monteith, who was born in Ireland in January, 1861, and was but four years old when brought by her par- ents, John and Catherine ( Baird) Monteith, to this country. The family settled in Plymouth, Ohio, and there the children-John, Andrew, Mary and Catherine- grew to maturity. Of Mr. Lofland's second marriage there has been but one child born, Carl Monteith, whose birth occurred April 16. 1890. He is a promis- ing young man who is now in the employ of the People's Bank at Plymouth.
Mr. Lofland and the members of his family belong to the Presbyterian church and are loyal in their support of its doctrines. Politically he adheres stanchly to the republican party, believing that in its platform are embodied the best principles for the government of a nation. A hard working man, he has won success from a difficult life through his own efforts and not through the misfor- tunes of others less able to withstand the struggles of life.
JACOB M. FINK.
Jacob M. Fink, a prosperous member of the farming community of Rich- mond township, was born on the farm on which he now lives, October 6, 1854, and is a son of John R. Fink and his wife, who before her marriage was Miss Matilda Miller. On the paternal side he is of remotely French descent, and on the maternal of German, though for several generations both families have been of American birth and have participated in the affairs of this country. John R. Fink was born February 22, 1826, and like his father, John S. Fink, was a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where also was born, January 11, 1828. the woman who became his wife. In 1854 John R. Fink came with his family to Richmond township, Huron county, settling on the farm where his son now lives. Two years later, however, he removed to the farm adjoining it on the east, on which he passed the remainder of his days. The Fink family are thus widely interested in the farming conditions of the township.
Jacob M. Fink was reared on the home farm, devoting himself to the nec- essary work during his vacation periods and even during the few months when the schools were in session. for with the majority of farmer's boys lessons find what place they can in the midst of sterner duties. He married Miss Martha
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Beamer, December 23, 1883. She is a daughter of Mathias and Margaret (Thompson) Beamer, both natives of Ohio. the father having been born in Tus- carawas county, the mother in Carroll county. They were married in the former county, then removed to Van Wert county, whence they came to Huron county, where they resided the remainder of their lives and where they were buried when they were released from the cares of this world, the father September 10, 1898, the mother less than six months later, February 23, 1899. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Elizabeth, who is deceased, was the wife of John Faint ; Hannah married George Cole; John F. was the fourth child; Anna mar- ried Jacob Rapp; Lucinda first married Louis Rapp and after his death married Lewis Livenspiker ; Ellen became the wife of Charles H. Clark; Allen was the seventh in the family ; and Martha is the wife of Jacob M. Fink, of this review; and Emma is the wife of Sam Garber.
On the farm which has ever been his home and from the field whose char- acter he knows so well, Mr. Fink obtains more than the necessities of life, being the owner of one hundred and thirty-six acres of well improved land. By skill and industry he has been able to reap bountiful harvests and by thrift and good management he has been able to save something from each year's yield. He has not taken part in the public life of the township, for the cares of his farm have left him little time for other matters,
WILLIAM W. HOPKINS.
William W. Hopkins, a farmer of Greenwich township and also a contracting builder, is a well known citizen of the county, being especially active in Grand Army matters, having been a worthy wearer of the blue during the trying days from 1861 to 1865. He was born September 27, 1844, and is a native of the town- ship where he resides. His parents were Willard K. and Jane U. (Easterly) Hopkins, the father a native of Barnstable, Massachusetts, the mother of Glov- ersville, New York. Her uncle was the pioneer glovemaker of that village. Willard K. Hopkins came to Greenwich township in 1838 with his first wife, Lucy Reed, of a New York family, who died shortly after coming to Ohio, leav- ing two children, Mary A. and Lucy M. In 1843 occurred the second marriage of Mr. Hopkins and eight children were born of this union, namely: William W., Albert J., Francis T., Elizabeth J., Julia E., Isadora A., Arman B., and George H., all living but Elizabeth. The father was one of the pioneers who hewed their farms out of the forest and lived to see them cultivated and im- proved tracts. He was a man of strong character, quiet and of homelike tastes, and greatly respected by those who knew him. He and his wife lie together in Greenwich cemetery, the father passing first in May, 1879, the mother in 1882.
William W. Hopkins was reared to pioneer life and received but the rudi- ments of an education in the crude schools of his time. Being of an observant turn of mind, he has made up for many delinquencies in the school of life as time has passed. A lad yet in his teens when Old Glory felt the traitor's blow, he soon found himself beneath her folds, as a private in Company D, of the One
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Hundred and First Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He served two years and ten months, to the close of the struggle, for the greater part of the term in the middle west with the Army of the Cumberland, doing faithful service in the memorable Atlanta campaign.
Soon after returning home, Mr. Hopkins was joined in marriage to Phoebe J. Beers, a daughter of Lewis and Dorothy A. (Percy) Beers. Her father was from Connecticut, and lived his life at Clarksfield, his wife having been a native of that town. He was a millwright and carpenter of great industry and of force- ful character. His wife died in 1853, while he lived to an advanced age, dying in 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are the parents of six children: Lewis W., a resident of Akron, Ohio; Clarence R., of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; Maude E., deceased : Clayton J., a farmer of Richland county, Ohio ; Nellie C., the wife of Charles Daty, a jeweler, of Canton, Ohio; and Willard K., of Akron.
From 1869 until 1872, Mr. Hopkins and his family resided in Norwalk township and then removed to Greenwich township, where he followed farming until 1879. Since then he has made his home in the village of Greenwich and has engaged in business as a brick-mason and builder.
He is a republican in politics and has always been a wise counsellor in the deliberations of the party in his community. As township trustee, constable, member of Greenwich council and waterworks trustee, he performed the duties of the various positions with the greatest efficiency and to the best interests of the public.
In his social life Mr. Hopkins gets most of his pleasure in serving the Grand Army. He is a past commander, has served in all of the minor offices and is a familiar figure at the different reunions of that grand organization. He and his family are active members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and as a member of the board of trustees and as financial and recording secretary has done good service in the church. His wife is an intelligent and refined woman, active and forceful in the church and its various interests, and a worker in all charities of the community. The Hopkins home radiates an influence which is a great factor for good, and both parents and children receive, as they should, the esteem of the whole countryside.
JOHN S. BERRY,
John S. Berry, who has been prominent in Greenwich township, Huron county, as a stockman, and in the mercantile world for almost half a century, was born January 12, 1831, in Onondaga county, New York, a son of Clark and Elmira (Pettis) Berry. The family came to Fairfield township, Huron county, Ohio, in the fall of 1832, having made the journey from their old home by wagon, ex- periencing many hardships on the way. The father bought a farm in the woods and built a log cabin which was to serve for their home and immediately started to clear the land. In his family were six children, who all had a taste of these primitive conditions. They were : John S., Isaac J., Danford W., Wheaton, Chaun- cey. and Celia, now Mrs. Nathan Carpenter, of Reading, Michigan. She and
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John S. are now the only survivors, the others having come to their deaths in rather unusual manner. Wheaton was teaching and lecturing in Texas before the war and because of something said publicly that was displeasing to the people there he was one evening shot upon the street. Isaac J. and Danforth and his wife were drowned with several others in Clear Lake, Michigan, on the Fourth of July some forty years ago. Chauncey died on Christmas day, 1908, from the effects of a paralytic stroke received six years before. The parents were people of sterling character and highly respected in the community in which they lived. The father died in the spring of 1885 and was buried in the cemetery at Fairfield beside his wife, who had preceded him to her last resting-place some twelve years, her death having occurred in October, 1873.
John S. Berry lived with his parents until he was twenty-one. He received his early education in the common schools of the county, later attending the high school at Fairfield. When he attained his majority he entered the mercantile world in that town with Hiram Barnum, and that partnership continued for about four years, when Mr. Berry commenced farming, which he followed for two years. He then opened a grocery in Greenwich, and during the years that have since passed he had also been engaged in buying and selling stock and shipping it to the eastern markets. For a number of years he also engaged in buying and selling wool and during the period of the Civil war he handled large quantities of this commodity and stock, from which he derived a considerable profit. He continued in mercan- tile business in Greenwich for about twenty years, but has been engaged in the stock and wool industry for forty-one years, during which time he has had deal- ings with every farmer and wool grower for miles around. The result of these transactions has gained for him the reputation, well earned indeed, for fair and honorable dealing. At one time he was also the owner of considerable land, four hundred acres being the extent of his possessions, and he still owns two hundred and fifty acres and a commodious house in Greenwich. He worked hard and for- tune looked favorably upon him.
On the 21st of November, 1852, Mr. Berry was united in marriage to Miss Lucy M. Gifford, a daughter of Abraham and Marietta ( Blockmore) Gifford. The par- ents came to Ohio in 1832 from Erie county, New York, and settled in Greenwich township, where the father began farming and became a large landowner and a highly esteemed citizen. When he died, August 24, 1878, he was buried by his wife, who had died January 4, 1864, in Ripley. Mr. and Mrs. Berry are the parents of two children : Charles A. and Eva Eldora, both of whom died within a week of one another in September, 1865. Shortly after this loss they adopted a niece who came to the family when a mere child, and to whom they gave the name of their deceased daughter, Eva Eldora. She is now married to George E. Richey, of Columbus, Ohio. On the 21st of November, 1907, Mr. and Mrs. Berry celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their marriage, at which many friends proffered their good wishes and their hopes that for many more years they might traverse life's pathway together.
Mr. Berry has all his life been a very busy man and has had little time to give to public affairs. He has always been a republican and when a younger man was very active in the interests of his party though he never sought office. His influence has ever been exerted for the good of the community and for a number of years he
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filled the office of township assessor. He is a member of Greenwich Lodge, No. 543, F. & A. M., and with Mrs. Berry belongs to the Eastern Star. He is also a member of the chapter at New London, and both he and his wife have been mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church for more than half a century, for forty years of which Mr. Berry has been its treasurer and in other ways active in the af- fairs of the church. In short he is a man, who looking back over the many years that have been granted him, can feel satisfied with the use he has made of them and the good will of his friends.
HENRY BORES.
Henry Bores, a prominent farmer of Sherman township, Huron county, and the owner of the one hundred and twenty-two acres of land on which he lives, was born in that township, about one mile east of his present home, on the 25th of July, 1860. He is a son of David and Anna M. (Fachinger) Bores, both of whom were born in Germany, but have for many years been citizens of this county and are at present living upon two hundred and forty acres of land in Sherman township. David Bores was born January 22, 1833, and was but twenty years of age when he embarked upon the journey to this country, alone, for his parents, John and Catherine ( Klepel) Bores, had too many ties in their native land to relinquish them and make a new home amid new surroundings. There were other ties just as strong as home that held them to Germany, ties of patriotism and loyalty, for John Bores had been a soldier and in serving his country fought against Napoleon in 1815. David Bores landed in New York on coming to the United States and proceeded to Ridgefield township, Huron county, Ohio, where he worked by the month for different farmers for about three years, and then rented a tract of land for perhaps six years. Two years after coming here, he married Miss Anna M. Fachinger, who had come to the United States with her brother Joseph from Germany, and to them were born six children : Joseph, deceased; Elizabeth, who married C. Wilhelm; Henry ; August ; John; and Emma, the wife of William Ringland. David Bores was a member of a family of five children, having two brothers and two sisters: John, Louis, Elizabeth and Minnie. He was a young man when he came to this county and soon identified himself with local affairs, taking a prominent part in po- litical and governmental matters. For a number of years he served as township trustee and as road superintendent, to which office he was elected on the democratic ticket. He and his family were all members of the Catholic church and from its foundation were active in promoting its welfare.
In Sherman township Henry Bores has spent the greater part of his life. He was reared at home and acquired his education at the district schools, early en- tering upon the occupation which his father followed and in addition to farming engaging to quite an extent in threshing. In 1897 he bought his present farm from Joe Long, on which during the past twelve years he has made a number of important improvements. A successful farmer, Mr. Bores follows in the steps of his father in other respects as well, taking an efficient interest in public affairs
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and being selected by the people to serve them in two capacities. As a trustee of this township he has had a guiding hand upon its government and as a member of the school board he has done much to advance the cause of education here. He is not much given to fraternal organizations and societies, but is a member of the National Protective Legion and is interested in its work.
On the 3d of February, 1885, Mr. Bores was united in wedlock to Miss Mary Bauman, the daughter of John and Barbara (Barbrick) Bauman, of Sherman township. The former is still living, in Monroeville, but the mother has passed . away, after having reared a family of three children: Emma, who married Anthony Hammersmith, of Erie county, Ohio; Mary; and Allie, who married August Bores, a brother of our subject. Mrs. Henry Bores was born in Sherman township and is the mother of six children: Anna, the eldest of the family and now the wife of Lawrence Myers, of Sherman township. Louisa, who married Stephen Lash, and also lives in Sherman township, being the mother of three children, Walter, Clarence and Marian. The four youngest of the Bores family, Benjamin, Walter, Carl and Ramon live at home. The whole family are members of the Catholic church at Bismarck, which the elder Mr. Bores helped to build.
Henry Bores is one of the prominent farmers of Sherman township and well he might be, not only for the skill he has evinced as a tiller of the soil, but also for the concern he has shown in public affairs and for the service he has rendered the people. His assistance has ever been that of an honest and upright man, and he is held in high regard by those who know him.
ADAM BIUERLE.
Adam Biuerle, who is one of the three heirs to the father's estate of one hun- dred and twenty-eight acres lying in Richmond township, Huron county, Ohio, owns in his own right thirty-seven acres adjoining the home place on the east. He was born in Cincinnati, August 23, 1853, and is a son of Leonard J. and Catherine (Leitenberger) Biuerle. His paternal grandparents were Adam and Christina Biuerle, while his maternal grandparents were George Adam and Mary Susan Lei- tenberger, who were born in Germany and never left their native land. Leonard Biuerle and the woman who afterward became his wife came to the United States as young people about the year 1847. In the city of Cincinnati they were married and a couple of years later, about 1854, came to Huron county, where they lived until their death. The mother passed away September 4, 1884, while the father sur- vived until April 11, 1891. They were buried in Richmond township. In their family were five children : Catherine, Adam, Caroline, Christina and Mary. Of these the two eldest were born in Cincinnati, the others in Huron county. Caroline, now deceased, was the wife of Christ Aichholz ; Mary wedded John Marshall, but Catherine, Adam and Christina have never left the home place.
Christina Biuerle received her early education in the public schools of Huron county. and later for two terms was a student at Ada, Ohio. Upon the completion of her own training she engaged in teaching, first for a number of years in the schools of Huron county, then for two terms in Seneca county, and lastly, for two
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years in the Chicago high school. She was successful in her profession, but gave it up that she might be at home and assist in the conduct of the farm. Catherine Biuerle attended the district schools until twelve years of age and then devoted her time to assisting her mother, who was in ill health and needed her help in carrying on the work of the home.
Adam Biuerle obtained all his education in the district schools, and though he remained at his lessons until he was twenty-one, it was for but a few months a year, and even then his summers and spare time was spent in work on the farm. He be- came a skilled agriculturist, however, with the passing of the years, able to take charge of affairs and competent to conduct the farm upon a paying basis. He has also taken part in the public life of the community to a slight extent, following in his father's footsteps in the various offices he has held, for like the older man he has been road supervisor and one of the directors of the educational interests of the township. He too has espoused the cause of the democratic party, finding that its platform is more in accord with his own views. The brother and two sisters con- duct the affairs of the farm that was left to them by their father and unite their ef- forts in making it one of the most fertile and productive tracts in Richmond town- ship. They are members of the Lutheran church, stanch in their support of its doc- trines, which find practical application daily in their lives.
HENRY LUTMAN.
Henry Lutman, one of the prosperous farmers of Ripley township, who owns one hundred and ten acres of land in the vicinity of Boughtonville, was born in France, May 15, 1853. He is the only son of Philip and Christina ( Noacher) Lutman, who came to America when he was but eighteen months old, for they were anxious to make a start in life where conditions seemed more favorable than in the turbulent land of their birth, and they were desirous that their son should have the many advantages that need only be grasped by the young men of this country.
Reared to the life of a farmer, Mr. Lutman has devoted himself unremittingly to the culture of fields since he attained his majority. He never shunned hard work, but with the determination to succeed, which is characteristic of his race, he pushed straight ahead, exchanging one piece of land for another wherever he saw an opportunity to better himself. About nine years ago he bought his present farm in Ripley township. To this, too, he has given his attention with practical - enthusiasm and has felt fully repaid for the privations which he endured and the hard work which he had spent, when at harvest time each year he was better off than he had been the year before. His labors have not, however, been all selfishly directed ; he has for thirteen years found time to devote to the educational inter- ests of the township, serving the people faithfully as a member of the school board.
In 1877 Mr. Lutman was married to Miss Sarah Grover, who is a daughter of Solomon and Catherine Grover and the sister of George, Isaac, John, Susan and Mary, the other children of her parents. To Mr. Lutman and his wife have been
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born three children: Anna, who married Arthur Watts; Dora, who became the wife of Clifford Knight ; and Lewis, who married Miss Nettie Palm.
When called upon to exercise his right of franchise Mr. Lutman invariably casts his ballot for the candidate of the democratic party, for he is a firm be- liever in its principles as defined in its platform. An American in all but birth, by his industry, his frugality, which constitute his example to his neighbors and friends, he is deserving of the success which has rewarded his hard work. and it is without the bitterness that taints the good fortune of those who have built their little world on the ruins of the hopes and aspirations of others.
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