USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 26
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The parents of Mr. Ross were Baptists and he was reared in that faith, but since coming to Fort Recovery he has been identified with the Methodist
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Episcopal Church, as a teacher in the Sunday-school and leader of the church choir. Since 1904 he has been secretary of the Board of Public Affairs of Fort Recovery. He has been identified with the Masonic fraternity for some years, and is junior warden of Fort Recovery Lodge, No. 539, F. &. A. M.
SYLVESTER WILKIN
SYLVESTER WILKIN, who fills the important position of superintendent of the public schools of Celina, is one of the best-known educators of the State and is popular as teacher and lecturer in various educational organiza- tions. Mr. Wilkin was born in Licking County, Ohio, December 17, 1857, and is a son of William O. and Angeline (Fry) Wilkin, being one of a family of six children. The parents were farming people of Licking County, where the family was one of substance and respectability. The father died in 1894.
Sylvester Wilkin was reared in his native county and was mainly edu- cated in Van Wert and Mercer counties until he entered the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, where he was graduated in 1878. His first loca- tion as a teacher was in Shelby County, Ohio, and from there he went to Miami County for a season, removing then to Union City, Indiana, where he remained until he was called to Celina on January II, 1905, entering upon the duties of his present position as superintendent of the Celina schools. In J. W. Pogue, principal of the High School, Mr. Wilkin has a very able as4 sistant. The pupils number about 600 and the corps of instructors is made up of 16 teachers.
Mr. Wilkin was united in marriage with Elizabeth Gray, a daughter of Daniel Gray. Mrs. Wilkin died in 1903, leaving five daughters. Mr. Wilkin and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. They have a pleasant home on East Fulton street, Celina. In political sentiment, Mr. Wilkin is a Democrat.
LOUIS FELTZ
LOUIS FELTZ, whose valuable farm of 97 acres is situated in section 20, Marion township, was born in Seneca County, Ohio, August 24, 1841, and is a son of Florenz and Margaret (Loeffler) Feltz.
The father of Mr. Feltz was born in that part of France that is now in- cluded in Germany in 1803, and served in the French Army for a period of eight years. He was twice married, first to a French lady, who accom- panied him to America, with their two children, Florenz and Joseph. The
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former married Lena Rable, served as a soldier in the United States Army, and now resides at Wapakoneta. The latter who is deceased, was also a soldier in the United States Army, and lived at Baraboo, Wisconsin. The mother of these sons died in Seneca County.' After some time, Mr. Feltz married Margaret Loeffler, and two children were born to this union, namely : Louis, of this sketch, and George, a prominent citizen of Lima, who married Elizabeth Holdgraven. George Feltz is auditor of Allen County, and for years has been a man of consequence there. While editing one of the Lima journals, he spent some time abroad and during this period wrote very enter- taining letters to his subscribers. Upon his return he had much to say in; praise of foreign countries, but always concluded with the statement "America is home."
When our subject was about nine years of age, his father sold the Seneca County farm and removed to Mercer County, buying a farm in Marion town- ship, upon which the family moved in 1851, as pioneers in their section. A log cabin in the woods was their home, and deer and other wild creatures roamed at will through the thick forest which stood where now are thriving villages and cultivated fields.
On the above farm Louis Feltz grew to man's estate. On May 18, 1865, he was married to Rosalia Schuler, who was born in France and accompanied her parents to America. The children born to this union were: Rosa, who married Joseph Fecher and lives at Wendelin; Adolph, an electrician, who is foreman of the Westinghouse branch at Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Frank, a blacksmith, who married Philomena Cron; Mary, who married Cornelius McGreevy, of Greenville, Ohio; William, now a mail carrier at Cincinnati, who served in the United States regular army and was wounded in the Spanish- American War-married Carrie Diehl; Elizabeth, who is the wife of Bernard Seitz and lives at Chickasaw; and Emil, who married Mallie Hierholzer, daughter of A. J. Hierholzer, and lives at Massillon, Ohio.
The second marriage of Mr. Feltz was to Josephine Sonderman, who was born at Fort Recovery, Ohio, December 10, 1869, and is a daughter of Frank Sonderman, who came to America from Germany and was married at Dayton, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Sonderman live on their home place at Victoria, near Fort Recovery. They had eight children. Mr. and Mrs. Feltz have had eight children, as follows: Elenora, who married John Vandrell and lives at Cas- sella; Henry, who is engaged in a blacksmithing business; and Florentina, Albert, Charles, Frances, Otto and Leona. The family belong to St. Mary's Catholic Church at Cassella.
Mr. Feltz was one of the founders of the Marion Mutual Fire Insurance 'Association and is a member of its board of directors. He has served as town- ship assessor, as land appraiser, and as a member of the School Board. His
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farm-the old home farm on which his parents settled in 1851-he purchased from his father, who died in 1889. The surroundings are very attractive, the house being almost concealed from the road by evergreen and well-kept orchards. Almost all of Mr. Feltz's children are gifted with a talent for music and he is giving them every advantage in his power. This is one of the representative families of Marion township.
GEORGE GREEN
GEORGE GREEN, deceased, who in life was one of the prominent farmers of Butler township, was born November 29, 1851, on the farm in section 24, Butler township, which is now occupied by his widow. The remains of his father and grandfather, both of whom were named John Green, rest in the cemetery at Montezuma. His father died on the homestead in Butler town- ship.
The Green family, which originated in England, was established in Ohio in the days of the great-grandfather of our subject. John Green, the grand- father, came from Hamilton, Ohio, to Mercer County at a very early day and first entered land in Franklin township, and later the family home in Butler township, the date of this transaction being September 4, 1838. The original deed, bearing the signature of Martin Van Buren, President of the United States, is still in the possession of the family; the land has always been kept intact, and is now occupied by the fourth generation.
The parents of the late George Green died when he was eight years old and his home was with Stephen Frank, at Coldwater, from that age until he was 17 years old, when he went to Illinois and later to Missouri, subsequently returning to his home in Butler township, when he was 23 years old. He had two brothers, William and Hiram, the former of whom died aged 22 years, of consumption. Hiram still survives.
On July 2, 1876, George Green was married to Catherine Smith, a daughter of Joseph and Caroline (Frick) Smith, the former of whom was born in New Jersey and the latter in Pennsylvania. Joseph Smith came to Ohio at an early day and was married in the vicinity of Dayton. Later he came to Mercer County and settled on a farm in Butler township, west of Coldwater, and there Mrs. Green was reared.
Mr. and Mrs. Green had nine children born to them, as follows: Ira, who married Salome Cable (first) and Emma Hitchens (second) and has one daughter-Doris Ollene; Harley George, who married Maud Wade, re- sides in Butler township and has one daughter-Thelma Opal; Ibbie Cath- erine, who married James Mowery and has two children-Benjamin Frank-
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lin and Vera Pauline; Blanche Belle; Bessie Hazel; Cassius Ford; Lily Opal, who died aged five years; Grace Glenna; and Chester Arthur, who died aged nine months.
Harley George Green enlisted at Toledo, Ohio, August 7, 1900, in the United States Army, and was sent to Fort Leavenworth, where he was en- rolled as a member of Company G, First Regiment, U. S. Infantry. On the 25th of August the regiment left Fort Leavenworth for the Presidio Bar- racks, San Francisco, California. On September 1, 1900, the First Regiment sailed under sealed orders on the U. S. transport "Logan," arriving at Hono- lulu, Hawaiian Islands, on the 8th of September, where the members of the regiment learned that their destination was the Philippine Islands, where they arrived on the 28th of September.' They were then orderd to the island of Marinduque to force the release of Company F, 29th Regiment, U. S. Volun- teers, which had been captured by the enemy. On December Ist the First Regiment sailed to the Island of Samar to relieve the 29th Regiment, U. S. Volunteers, stationed there and went through the entire campaign of Samar, from May 22, 1901, to December 25, 1902. The regiment was relieved by the 14th Regiment, U. S. Infantry, on the 17th of March, 1903, and sailed for Manila from which port it sailed to Nagasaki, Japan, and thence to San Francisco, where the regiment landed April 28, 1903. Mr. Green was stationed at Fort Wayne, Michigan, until August 6, 1903, being then dis- charged on account of the expiration of his term of service. In the service in the Philippines he took part in all battles and skirmishes of the regiment and sustained a most excellent character for honest and faithful discharge of duty. He was never wounded. Col. D. W. Dugan was in command of the First Regiment.
The death of George Green, the subject of this sketch, occurred on October 20, 1893, thereby removing from Butler township a very highly esteemed citizen. He was a kind husband and affectionate father, and pos- sessed many estimable traits, which made him popular with his acquaintances. The Green home has always been a hospitable one.
e ABRAHAM W. LARUE
ABRAHAM W. LARUE, a well-known and prominent farmer of Washing- ton township, residing on the homestead in section 5, who with his brother, Isaac Martin Larue, owns 400 acres of land in one body, was born in Butler County, Ohio, July 5, 1849, and is a son of Uriah and Lydia (Neff) Larue.
Uriah Larue and his wife were both born in Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania, where they were reared. They were married in Philadelphia and
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moved to Butler County, Ohio, where they resided for about five years, in 1854 moving to Mercer County, where Mr. Larue bought a 320-acre timber tract. They first moved into a log house. This primitive log structure was destroyed by fire after but a few weeks of occupancy. It was then in the dead of winter. They then erected and moved into another log house about one mile east, in the midst of the forest, first having to cut a road to the clearing where the house was built. Their present fine large home stands near where their first cabin, which was of round logs, was built by them and their neigh- bors after the fire and before their new hewn-log house was completed. Mr. and Mrs. Larue were the parents of eight children, namely: Abraham W., the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth E., deceased at the age of 18 years; Leah Ann, deceased at the age of 19 years; Uriah B., who died after reaching man- hood; Isaac Martin, who is part owner of the home farm; John B., who died in young manhood, while attending school at Valparaiso, Indiana; David F., living half a mile south of the homestead, who has two children living- Nellie and Leslie-and one deceased in infancy-Orville; and Lydia A., who died aged 10 years. Mr. Larue was a soldier in the Civil War, enlisting in 1862 and served three years. He died in 1884. His widow is still residing on the home place.
Abraham W. Larue was reared on his father's farm and spent the most of his boyhood days in assisting his father clear the land. In young manhood he taught school in the winter seasons for a number of years. He has never married but has lived all his life on the home farm. Both he and his brother Isaac are members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Pat- rons of Husbandry.
Isaac Martin Larue took for his wife Mary Weaver, who was born in Darke County, Ohio, and is a daughter of George and Joan (Slack) Weaver. They have two children : Kathleen and Mildred.
CHARLES A. BROWN, D. D. S.
CHARLES A. BROWN, D. D. S., who is practicing dentistry at Fort Re- covery, was born December 21, 1878, in Dayton, Ohio, and is a son of Col. D. G. and Sarah A. (Mills) Brown.
Col. D. G. Brown was born March 27, 1827, in York County, Pennsyl- vania. In 1850 he located in Camden, Indiana, where he remained for 14 years, removing in 1864 to Dayton, Ohio, where he engaged in the wholesale grocery business, under the firm name of Comer & Brown. He was after- wards interested in the Champion Iron Works, of Kenton, Ohio, for 12 years, and in 1886 became general agent for the Rogers Fence Company, of Spring-
HON. JAMES H. DAY
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MRS. FRANCES S. DAY
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field, Ohio. He remained with this firm until the time of his death, which occurred quite suddenly, January 26, 1887, while writing a letter in the Arl- ington Hotel, Buffalo, New York. Colonel Brown was one of the most prominent men of Dayton, Ohio. He served for 10 years as one of the directors of the City Workhouse and a number of years as member of the Board of Education. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge at Camden, Indiana; an Odd Fellow and a Knight of Honor. He was a church member, belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church. His wife, whose maiden name was Sarah A. Mills, died in August, 1902. They had six children, namely : L. M., born March 5, 1856, and deceased in 1895, who was manager of the Brown Tar Soap Company, of Dayton, Ohio-his father was the first man to manufacture Tar Soap; Joseph, who is cashier of the water-works at Dayton, Ohio; E. J., of Dayton, Ohio, who is principal of the Weaver School and connected with the Y. M. C. A. night school; Minnie E., now deceased; Walter M., advertising manager of the Brown Soap Company; and Charles A.
Charles A. Brown was reared in Dayton, received his education in the public schools and was graduated from the Steele High School in the class of 1898. He afterwards studied dentistry under Dr. Long, of Dayton, working under him for several years. He is a graduate of the Ohio College of Dental Surgery, Cincinnati, class of 1902-03. After practicing a short time in Day- ton, he moved to Fort Recovery on July 1, 1904, and bought out Dr. Sick- man's practice and establishment.
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Dr. Brown was married on Thanksgiving Day, 1903, to Beatrice Patton, a daughter of A. D. Patton. They have one child, Helen. Fraternally, Dr. Brown is a Mason, an Odd Fellow and a member of the Psi Omega dental fraternity.
HON. JAMES H. DAY
HON. JAMES H. DAY, president of the First National Bank of Celina, for 25 consecutive years a judge of the Common Pleas and Circuit courts, in Mercer County, displayed on the bench those qualities that an intelligent, law- abiding community approved and has still other claims to distinction in his native State. A surviving officer of the great Civil War, since his retirement from military life a prominent member of both bench and bar, he has also been a very important factor in business and social life. Judge Day was born February 10, 1840, near Findlay, Ohio, and is a son of Ezekiel P. and Mar- garet (Barr) Day.
The Day family originated in England and the Barr family was of Scotch-Irish extraction. The Days settled at an early date in New Jersey and the Barrs at an equally early period in Pennsylvania. The father of
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Judge Day was born in Morris County, New Jersey, April 10, 1798, and the mother, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1798. Ezekiel P. Day died October II, 1849. He was survived many years by his widow and by a number of his 10 children.
James H. Day was educated in the public schools of Hancock and Van Wert counties, remaining at his books until 16 years of age, when he went to Van Wert and two years later entered upon the study of the law in the office of Edson & DePuy, a reputable law firm there, where he continued for 21 months. In 1861 he embarked in a mercantile business at Celina, but in July of the following year he gave up his business prospects in order to enter the Union Army in his country's defense. He was commissioned major of the 99th Regiment, Ohio Vol. Inf., and served with efficiency until impaired health made his resignation necessary. After a short time in the business field at Celina, he resumed his law studies and was admitted to the bar on August 20, 1869. His evident ability in the profession was immediately recognized and during the succeeding decade he was more or less prominently identified with the important litigation engaging the attention of the courts of Mercer County.
The qualities displayed by Judge Day in his private practice emphasized his fitness for a position on the bench and in October, 1879, he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas in the First Sub-Division of the Third Judicial District. This comprised Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Shelby and Van Wert counties. Judge Day entered upon the duties of this office on February 9, 1880, and was subsequently re-elected twice, serving 13 consecutive years. He retired from this position only to accept one on the circuit bench, to which he was subsequently re-elected. It did not take long for his fellow-citizens to realize that Judge Day, in an official position, deserved their profound respect. He proved himself impartial, consistent, learned and fearless and retired from judicial life with his robes untarnished.
On June 10, 1863, Judge Day was united in marriage with Frances O. Small, a daughter of Richard W. and Elizabeth Small, of Celina, Ohio. Their four daughters are: Margaret R., who married Andrew G. Briggs, a prominent oil producer, banker and merchant, at Geneva, Indiana; Annie L., who married John W. Loree, a prominent attorney at Celina; Elizabeth S., who married Hon. William E. Tou Velle, one of Celina's prominent lawyers, now representing this district in Congress; and Frances Edna.
Judge Day is a Democrat and has been an active member of his party. He has always advocated an effective public school system and has served as a member of the Celina Board of Education. Fraternally he is a Mason Portraits of Judge and Mrs. Day are shown on nearby pages.
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WILLIAM H. BASTIAN
WILLIAM H. BASTIAN, a prominent citizen of Liberty township and a member of the township Board of Education, resides on his well-appointed farm of 80 acres, which is situated in section 34. Mr. Bastian was born Feb- ruary 20, 1862, in Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of old pioneer settlers, George and Mary (Fennig) Bastian.
The Bastian family was established in this county by our subject's grand- father, George Bastian, who emigrated from Germany, with his family, when his son George was six years of age. The rest of his life was spent in Marion township, where he was one of the first settlers. George Bastian, father of our subject, lived for many years in Washington township, where he was well- known and highly esteemed. He served the township as trustee and was ever prominent in the consideration of affairs looking to the welfare of his neighborhood, being a man of most excellent judgment and of the highest integrity. The township lost a valued citizen when he died on December 24, 1903, when over 80 years of age. Of his children, nine survive, as follows : Elizabeth, wife of Solomon Stilgebouer, of Red Willow County, Nebraska; Levina, wife of James Pearson, of Washington township; Mary, widow of James Davis, residing in Nebraska; Caroline, wife of Oscar Dumbauld, of Washington township; Catherine, widow of Paul Egger, residing in Wilson- ville, Nebraska; Hannah, wife of A. M. Shorey, of Wilsonville, Nebraska; Samuel, of Red Willow County, Nebraska; Philip, of Rockford, Ohio; and William H., of this sketch.
William H. Bastian obtained his education in the schools of Washington township. He was reared on his father's farm and practically trained in agri- cultural pursuits. On December 24, 1885, he was married to Minnie M. Mercer, who was born in Liberty township, Mercer County, Ohio, July 28, 1867; and is a daughter of Robert Mercer and his wife, Louisa (Sheward) Mercer, nee Kritzwiser. Robert Mercer, was born in Ohio.and was a direct descendant of the distinguished British officer, Gen. John Mercer. 5
Gen. John Mercer and his wife, Elizabeth (Bentley) Mercer, who was a niece of Henry VIII, King of England, had one son, Gideon, who married a Miss Harper and had 16 children. Robert Mercer, son of Gideon, married Elizabeth Brown and had 12 children. Joseph Mercer, son of Robert, mar- ried Comfort Nottingham and had seven children. Joseph Mercer, son of Joseph, married Ann Day and had II children-seven sons and four daugh- ters-as follows: Louisa (Trexler.), deceased; J. N., Mary Jane (Farrar), and Comfort (Burnside), residents of Indiana; Rebecca (Poor), of Cali- fornia; Robert, father of Mrs. Bastian; Marion, of Indiana; John, of Wis- consin; Washington, of Missouri; Winfield, of Indiana; and Faulkner, of
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Wisconsin. Mrs. Bastian is one of the 800 heirs to the great Mercer estate, valued at $500,000,000, which has been in litigation for many years, and which includes 212 acres of land in New York City, 28,000 acres in the State of New Jersey, 300 acres in Ireland and some in Scotland. James V. Snyder, of Harvey, Illinois, is secretary of the Mercer heirs' association.
Robert Mercer, father of Mrs. Bastian, faithfully served his country through three years of the Civil War and received an honorable discharge. He died June 18, 1894. He was a valued member of the Christian Church and was much esteemed throughout Liberty township. Mrs. Mercer also belonged to an old family that settled here in pioneer days. The two sur- vivors of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mercer are : Minnie M., wife of Mr. Bastian; and Edith L., wife of Edward Terry, of Van Wert County, Ohio. Mrs. Mercer by her marriage to James Sheward had three children: Jennie, deceased; James W. and Nancy.
Mr. and Mrs. Bastian have three children, namely: Fern L., who was married to William A. Hoover on October 3, 1906, and now resides in Mont- pelier, Indiana; May M. and Jay W. The family belongs to the Church of God, in which Mr. Bastian is serving as an elder. Politically, Mr. Bastian is a Democrat. He is one of the representative men of the township and for some time past has served on the township Board of Education.
JOHN IMWALLE
JOHN IMWALLE, who resides on his valuable farm of 140 acres situated in section 25, Marion township, was born August 7, 1860, and is a son of Herman and Elizabeth (Heckman) Imwalle.
Herman Imwalle was born in Germany. Upon reaching manhood, he came to America and settled in Marion township, Mercer County. He mar- ried Elizabeth Heckman, a daughter of Henry Deitrich Heckman. They had two children : Frederick, who died aged five years; and John, the subject of this sketch. Herman Imwalle died May 19, 1872; his wife survived him 29 years, dying June 29, 190I.
Henry Deitrich Heckman, the maternal grandfather of our subject, was of German nativity. When he settled in this country, he entered land in the State of Ohio. During the first summer he worked on the canal which was then being built, and in the following winter devoted his time to clearing his land, thus making it possible to cultivate the land the next summer. He was later able to ship what farm produce he could spare to other points on the canal. This land was purchased by the father of our subject and later in- herited by John Imwalle at the death of his mother.
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John Imwalle, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm in Marion township and has always lived on this farm. He received his edu- cation in the district schools and, having always lived in this locality, is well known all over the county. Mr. Imwalle was married April 10, 1882, to Catherine Bruggeman, a daughter of Bernard and Elizabeth (Wildenhaus) Bruggeman, natives of Germany. Catherine Bruggeman was the youngest of a family of five children, namely: Elizabeth, Joseph, John, Herman and Catherine. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Imwalle: John, de- ceased; Frederick, Joseph, Herman, William, Sophia, Rosalia, Matilda, Vin- cent and George, all living at home. Mr. Imwalle and his family are mem- bers of St. John's Catholic Church at Maria Stein. He is also a member of St. Joseph's Society.
WILLIAM M. SHELLEY
WILLIAM M. SHELLEY, a leading citizen of Uniton township, who has lived on his 80-acre farm in section 10 for the past 15 years, was born No- vember 26, 1856, in Wayne County, Ohio, and is a son of Daniel and Eliza (Anderson) Shelley.
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