USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 39
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
Mr. Kramer was married May 8, 1889, to Senora Walck, who was born June II, 1868. Four children were born of this union: Joseph, born May 18, 1890, who died in infancy ; Beda, born July 8, 1892; Mary, born February 24, 1895, who died the same day; and Stella, born June 1, 1896. Mr. Kramer is a stanch Democrat and with his wife is a member of the St. John's Catholic Church.
Andrew Walck, father of the wife of our subject, was born September 22, 1837, in Stark County, Ohio. He went to Iowa when a young man and engaged as a general laborer. After returning to Ohio, he located at Middle- point, Van Wert County. In 1864 he enlisted in the army and was dis- charged in 1865, thereafter receiving a pension of $12 per month until his death, which occurred in 1893. He married Louisa Staples, who died in 1871, leaving four children: Kate, Frances, Senora and William. Mrs. Kramer, whose mother died when she was about three years old, lived with her father until her marriage with our subject.
ALPHEUS BREWER
ALPHEUS BREWER, who has been a resident of Mendon for several years, is a prominent and influential citizen of Union township. He was born September 17, 1849, in Auglaize County, Ohio, and is the son of Simon and Elizabeth (Powell) Brewer and a grandson of Isam Brewer.
Isam Brewer was born in the South and became one of the pioneers of Clinton County, Ohio. His wife was also a native of the South. They were the parents of six sons and four daughters, as follows: Nicholas; Lewis; David; Thomas; Simon ; Delaney, who married O. V. Casperson and resided in Auglaize County ; Celia, now deceased, who was married when very young to James Robbins, of Auglaize County, being the first of the family to locate in that county, which was then a part of Mercer County ; Sinia, deceased, who was the wife of Lewis Driscoll; Maria, who married Lewis Driscoll, after her sister's death; and Rebecca Ann, who is the wife of John Driscoll.
1
432
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
Simon Brewer, father of our subject, was born in Clinton County, Ohio, March 8, 1816, and there grew to manhood. In 1837 he moved to Auglaize County and settled in Salem township, where he entered land to which he continued to add from time to time. He was married to Elizabeth Powell, who was born in Virginia, August 30, 1823, and came to Ohio with her par- ents at an early age. Mr. and Mrs. Brewer had five daughters and four sons : Sarah A., the wife of J. M. Watts, who was born and resides in Union town- ship; Syrena A., who married J. B. Kennedy, of Lima, Ohio; Alpheus, our subject; Benjamin Franklin, a farmer of Van Wert County, Ohio, who mar- ried (first) Mary Rider, of Mercer County, and (second) Wealthy Griffis, a resident of Auglaize County ; Hugh H., a farmer of Auglaize County, who married Sallie Albert; Mira, the wife of W. W. Anderson, who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Union township, Mercer County; Carrie, who mar- ried B. W. Griffis, of Sidney, Ohio; Isam, who died aged 18 years; and Laura, who married W. F. Hayer and lives east of Mendon. Mrs. Brewer died September 1, 1887, and Mr. Brewer died December 25, 1874, aged 58 years.
Alpheus Brewer was reared and educated in Salem township, Auglaize County, attending the district schools of the township. He has for a number of years been a resident of Mendon, and is at present manager of the C. B. Collins farm, which consists of 288 acres of productive land. He was mar- ried December 19, 1872, to Mary E. Davis, a daughter of Justin B. and Susan (Murlin) Davis, and they are the parents of four children : Celia, Orin A., Albert and Dollie, all of whom have attended the Mendon High School, from which all have graduated but Dollie, who will finish in 1907. Celia married Walter Barber, June II, 1896, and resides on the old Barber place; they have four children: Vaughn, Kenneth, Janice and Keeth. Orin A. married Blanch Severns, a daughter of William Severns, and has three children: Beatrice, William Burdett and Mary Leah. Albert, who is single, is engineer of Station No. 208, Albany, Indiana.
Justin B. Davis, Mrs. Brewer's father, was born March 18, 1825, in Miami County, Ohio, and settled in Mercer County in 1833, locating in Union township. He died April 20, 1900, aged 75 years. Three daughters and one son were born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, namely: Sarah, residing in Union township, who married S. S. McGee, and after his death married W. A. Archer; Mary E., wife of our subject; Ella, who married Byron E. Wollam and lived and died at St. Marys, and S. S., residing on the Davis home place in Center township, who married Clarissa Wines, now deceased; his mother, who lives with him, is in her 75th year, her birth having occurred in 1832. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Brewer, Samuel Davis, was born in On- tario County, New York, and died in 1868, aged 82 years; he was a soldier
WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, M. D.
MRS. JENNOLA K. TAYLOR
435
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
of the War of 1812. The great-grandfather, Frank Davis, was killed in the battle of Cowpens during the Revolutionary War.
Mr. Brewer and all the Brewers with one exception are Democrats. He is a member of the Mendon Lodge, No. 586, F. & A. M., and also of Mendon Lodge, No. 750, I. O. O. F.
WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, M. D.
WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, M. D., one of the leading physicians at Fort 7 Recovery, was born February 3, 1850, in Switzerland County, Indiana, and is a son of William Penn and Elizabeth (Hannis) Taylor, and a grandson of James N. Taylor, who, although not a native of the United States, was long very prominent in public life.
James N. Taylor was born in the northern part of Ireland and came alone to America at the age of 12 years. For some years the circumstances of his life kept him in New Orleans, but later he went to Washington City, where he subsequently became chief clerk in the Treasury Department, a position he filled for 12 years. His public services closed during the administration of President Jackson. Later he resided at Philadelphia and at Pittsburg, but in 1816 he pushed into what was then the far West, locating in Switzerland County, Indiana, where he bought 800 acres of land. His eldest son, James; Dunlap Taylor, was later a man of great prominence; he became the editor of the Cincinnati Dollar Times, and through his instrumentality that paper be- came an important organ. The father of Dr. Taylor was born on the old family estate, in Switzerland County, Indiana, known as the "Walnut Ridge Farm," on May 20, 1822.
On the above mentioned farm our subject was reared and his first school- ing was obtained in the district schools in his native neighborhood. He taught school for two years and was then appointed county superintendent when but 22 years of age, in which capacity he served for two years. He then entered Urbana University, at Urbana, Champaign County, Ohio, and took a full scientific course during his stay of four years and three months, for a portion of this period being a member of the faculty. After leaving college he continued to teach for three years in Champaign County and in the meantime studied medicine. His brother, Dr. D. H. Taylor, was a practicing physician in Noble County, Ohio, and also the proprietor of a drug-store, and the younger brother joined him and while clerking in the drug store continued his medical studies. Subsequently he entered the Miami Medical College, at Cincinnati, where he remained two years, and then assisted his brother in his practice in Noble County for a year, later spending one term at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, at Baltimore, Maryland, from which he was grad-
23
436
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
uated in 1884. He then purchased his brother's business at Summerfield, Noble County, and continued in practice there until 1894, when he joined his brother, who had built up a large and prosperous practice in Wheeling, West Virginia. The latter is a member of the State Board of Medical Examiners and is also sheriff of Ohio County, West Virginia.
Dr. Taylor continued in partnership with his brother at Wheeling for one year and practiced alone for nine years more, when he came to Fort Recovery, locating in this place in April, 1901. He was president of the Ohio County Medical Society and was highly regarded as a physician there while a resident of Wheeling. Since coming to Fort Recovery he has easily built up a practice and stands with the leading practitioners of the place. He is a member of the Mercer County Medical Society and of the American Med- ical Association, and is a valued contributor to medical literature.
At Summerfield, Ohio, December 24, 1885, Dr. Taylor was united in marriage with Jennola Kean, a daughter of John N. Kean, and they have three children, viz .: Glen B., who is a student of veterinary surgery ; Beulah and Maurice. Fraternally Dr. Taylor is a Mason. Portraits of Dr. and Mrs. Taylor accompany this sketch.
DAVID GREEN
DAVID GREEN, a leading agriculturist of Gibson township, whose farm of 13734 acres is located in section 26, was born May 6, 1859, in Crawford County, Ohio, and is a son of Frederick and Louisa (Lutz) Green, and a grandson of Frederick Green, who was a resident of Crawford County, where he died on the old homestead.
Frederick Green, the father of our subject, was born in Germany, and came to this country when three years old with his parents, who settled in Crawford County when the country was still in a wild and unsettled state. Mr. Green was reared on his father's farm in Crawford County and after his marriage lived there until 1876 engaged in farming. He then moved to Mercer County, Ohio, and located on the farm now occupied by his son David. He had purchased a farm of 318 acres in Gibson township prior to his removal to Mercer County, and it was here he lived until 1903, when he sold the farm to his son David and retired from active work. He is now a resident of Fort Recovery.
David Green spent his boyhood days in Crawford County, and was 17 years old when his father moved to Mercer County and settled on the farm he now owns. In 1881 Mt. Green bought a farm of 80 acres in section 26, Gibson township, and after his marriage moved to this farm, on which he
437
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
made many improvements in the way of tiling and buildings, including a fine large barn. He sold the farm in 1903 to John Schmidt and purchased of his father his present farm, of which he already owned 571/2 acres. Mr. Green is engaged in general farming and also raises considerable stock, such as hogs and cattle. He also has a fine orchard of five acres, and raises grapes, plums, peaches, cherries, apples, etc.
On April 10, 1882, Mr. Green was married to Mary Breymier, a daugh- ter of Michael Breymier. They had one child, Benjamin, who lives in Craw- ford County. Mrs. Green died in 1887. On September 22, 1887, Mr. Green was married to Rosa Boltz, a daughter of Jacob Boltz. They became the parents of the following children: Edna, Lawrence, Oscar, Ida, Maggie, Clarence, Eva and Louisa. Mr. Green was formerly a member of the Luth- eran Church. His family are members of Trinity Lutheran Church of Fort Recovery.
HENRY BRANDENBERG BENNETT
HENRY BRANDENBERG BENNETT, one of the representative citizens and prosperous farmers of Franklin township, resides on his well-improved farm of 881/2 acres in section 21. He was born August 15, 1840, in Granville township, Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Landon and Elizabeth (Grant) Bennett.
The founder of the Bennett family in Ohio was Abel Bennett, the grand- father of Henry B., who was born in Virgina, married there and reared IO children, namely: Samuel, John, James, David, Landon, Nancy, Phebe, Sophia, Mary and Elizabeth. The first wife of Abel Bennett died in Vir- ginia in 1813 and he married a second time, and three more children were born after the family had settled in Indiana, namely: Moses, Washington and Sarah. All have since passed away, many of them leaving representa- tives who uphold the honorable old name.
Landon Bennett, father of our subject, was the youngest child of his father's first marriage and he was born in Virginia in 1808. He was five years old when his mother died and shortly afterward his father removed with his children to Cincinnati, but not finding that locality what they desired the family went by wagon to Hancock County, Indiana, where Abel Bennett bought a farm on which he lived during the rest of his life. At the age of 21 years, Landon Bennett was married in Butler County, Ohio, to Elizabeth Grant, who was born in 1806 and died in February, 1871. She was a daughter of Alexander and Polly (Boyd) Grant, pioneers of Mercer County. Alexander Grant was born in Virginia and moved to Ohio in early manhood, marrying in Butler County. In 1833 he entered 400 acres of land in Mercer
ยท
'438
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
County, east of Fort Recovery, and was one of the earliest settlers there. The children of Alexander Grant and wife were: James, Jonathan, Alexan- der, Marcus, Hezekiah, Elizabeth, Eva, Sallie, Rebecca, Amy, Rachel and a child that died in infancy.
The children of Landon Bennett and wife were: Mary, who married Ellis Myers-both now deceased; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of Eben Tyler; Lydia, who married Jacob Golder-both now deceased ; Rebecca, deceased, who was the wife of John T. Miller; Henry B .; and Alexander G., who married Sarah B. Thorpe. The first two named were born in Butler County, Ohio; all the others were born in Mercer County.
After his marriage, Landon Bennett started to keep house in a place he rented on Paddy's Run. He was a cooper by trade and he had a shop in his home, where, by the help of his very capable wife, he was able to turn out three barrels a day, which commanded $I apiece. In those days money was hardly earned, but Mr. Bennett seems to have been able to accumulate enough to have entered 160 acres of land in Mercer County, the transaction taking place in 1834. It was situated in Granville township, near Fort Recovery, on the Wabash River. Here he built a round-log house, which he subsequently replaced with a hewn-log one and there the rest of his life was spent, his death occurring in May, 1866.
Henry B. Bennett remained at home until his marriage, assisting in the management of the farm and attending the local schools. In 1863 he was married to Sarah Maria Milligan, a daughter of Samuel and Ann Maria (Palmer) Milligan. The father of Mrs. Bennett was born in Ohio and was a son of William Milligan, who was born in Maryland. The latter came to Ohio at an early day and settled in Fairfield County, where he reared nine children, his youngest son being Samuel. Samuel Milligan married (first) Ann Maria Palmer, who died in 1844, leaving one child, Sarah Maria, the wife of our subject. Later, Mr. Milligan married Louise Tabler, who died after the birth of one son, William H. Mr. Milligan married (third) Re- becca Gessell, and they had II children, namely: John E. (deceased), Mar- garet A., Amy F. (deceased), James, Joseph, Jane (deceased), Jessie, Louisa, Orville, Araminta and Ira.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennett have seven children and in their naming Mr. Ben- nett has shown his loyalty to his own country, having given them all the beautiful names of the States of the Union. They are as follows: Nevada, who is the wife of J. J. Beauchamp and the mother of five children; Dakota, who married Anna Mannering and resides at Mondon, Ohio; and Minnesota, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware and Vermont, all of whom reside at home. All of the sons are intelligent young men who have made successful teachers.
Several years after the death of his father, Mr. Bennett purchased the
439
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
old home farm from the other heirs, but he sold the property at a later date and in 1877 bought his present valuable farm, 881/2 acres of which lie along Lake Mercer. Both gas and oil have been found here but not in sufficient quantities to make their development very profitable. Mr. Bennett devotes his land to general. farming and stockraising, giving the most of his attention to corn and hay and to hogs. He is numbered with the township's successful agriculturists.
Mr. Bennett has always taken an intelligent interest in public matters where township affairs were in question and on numerous occasions he has been elected to office, having served as constable for some time and for five years he was assessor. He was elected infirmary director and served in this office for some six years, making a very efficient and capable member of the board. Mr. Bennett has been identified with the Masonic fraternity since 1865 and belongs to the Royal Arch Chapter. He and his wife, and all of his children but two, are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ALBERT MERSMAN
ALBERT MERSMAN, who is a director of The Mersman Bros., Brandts Company, of Celina, manufacturers of dining tables, and who holds the posi- tion of foreman of the shipping department, was born at Kendallville, Indi- ana, October 16, 1880, and is a son of J. B. and Mary (Maag) Mersman, the former a native of Putnam County, Ohio, who is now engaged in a lumber and sawmill business in Arkansas.
The subject of this sketch was educated at Ottoville, Ohio, and assisted his father in the planing and sawmill business at that place and was also em- ployed in the table factory that his father established in Celina. When the present company was organized he bought stock in it and is now a member of the board of directors.
Albert Mersman was married June 24, 1903, to Norah Fortman, of Celina, and has two children, Thomas and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Mersman are members of the Catholic Church.
GEORGE RAMMELL
GEORGE RAMMEL, a representative farmer of Granville township, where he owns a fine farm of 195 acres, with residence located in section 32, was born at Wendelin, Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Joseph and Anna Mary (Erlbeck) Rammel.
440
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
The father of our subject was one of a family of seven children born to his parents and the only one to come to America. He was born in one of the small provinces of Germany and grew up to be a farmer in his native land, where he remained until he was 42 years of age. His destination, after landing on American soil, was Mercer County, and he came directly here, by way of the lakes and down the canal to Minster, and thence by wagon to the locality where, he had been led to believe, he would be able to purchase a farm at a reasonable price. His first purchase was one of 40 acres, near Wendelin.
On the same vessel in which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, was a pleas- ant, attractive young woman, by the name of Anna Mary Erlbeck and during the long voyage they became well acqauinted and were married soon after they reached Wendelin. In her he found a hearty helpmate. They first- built a log house and barn in the woods that covered the whole country out- side of the village at that time. Later Joseph Rammel sold that farm and bought 80 acres in Granville township near our subject's present farm, and there he died on May 2, 1892. His widow still survives and resides in the home of her son George.
Joseph Rammel and wife had nine children, as follows: Joseph, deceased; Mary, who married Andrew Buehler; George; John, deceased; John (2), who married Catherine Borgerding; Frank, who married Catherine Sutter ; Leonard, who married Mary Plas; Peter, who married Maggie Lieser; and Catherine, deceased, who was the wife of William Sutter.
George Rammel was reared in Granville township and has witnessed the wonderful development which has taken place in this part of Mercer County. In his boyhood there were no roads, just paths through the woods, and deer and wild turkeys were frequently seen and sometimes wild beasts were visi- tors to the farm. He first went to school in an old log structure and great were the rejoicings when a neat frame building took its place. He remained at home assisting his father on the farm until his marriage, in 1878, after which he bought 40 acres of land from his father, the portion of his farm on which he has resided ever since and on which, in the fall of 1900, he erected his comfortable frame house. Later, he bought 40 acres more from.his father and subsequently he bought 80 acres from the W. Meinerding estate, all woodland, which he has cleared, and 25 acres from Michael Slageler. He rents a part of his land, which has a house and barn on it. He carries on mixed farming and has been very successful.
On October 27, 1878, Mr. Rammel married Mary Tobe, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Glencamp) Tobe. Both parents of Mrs. Rammel were born in Germany and both died in Mercer County, the mother when Mrs. Rammel was 10 years old, and the father in old age. The latter came to
44I
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
America when a youth of 18 years, settling first at Cincinnati, where he en- gaged in foundry work. Later he bought a farm near St. Henry, where the rest of his life was passed. Joseph and Mary Tobe had four children, name- ly : Joseph, who married Anna Siefering, first, and after her death, Caroline Collick; Benjamin, who married Bernadina Dahlinghouse; Fred, who mar- ried Elizabeth Dahlinghouse; and Mary, wife of our subject, who was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 21, 1855, and was about 18 months old when her parents brought her to Mercer County.
Mr. and Mrs. Rammel have four children, namely: William Joseph, George, Dora and John George, all at home.
In politics Mr. Rammel is a Democrat. He served one term as town- ship trustee and has been a member of the township School Board ever since 1878. With his wife and children, he belongs to St. Paul's Catholic Church, at Sharpsburg.
FRANK NIEKAMP
FRANK NIEKAMP, a representative farmer of Marion township, resides on his well-improved farm of 78 acres in section 9. Mr. Niekamp was born on his father's farm in Marion township, February 28, 1864, and is a son of Frederick and Catherina (Stammen) Niekamp.
Frederick Niekamp was born in Germany in 1811, and died in Mercer County, Ohio, in 1894. At the age of 22 years he came to America and, worked first at Cincinnati and is said to have assisted later in hauling the logs for the first houses ever built at Tippecanoe, Ohio, where he lived for some 15 years. In 1848 he moved to Mercer County and was one of the earliest settlers in Marion township. He was twice married, first at Dayton, Ohio, to Catherine Newhouse, who at her death left four children, namely : John, Clemmens, and Joseph, all deceased; and Mary, who married Rudolf Klostermann. He married (second) Catherina Stammen, who was also born in Germany and had accompanied her parents to Ohio. Ten children were born to this second union, as follows: Henry, who married Catherine Koch; Elizabeth, deceased; Philomena, who married John Ronnebaum; Gerhard, who married Elizabeth Mestemaker; Peter, who married Frances Bertke; Catherina, who died young; Frank, the subject of this sketch; Julia and Theodore, both deceased, and a babe that died in infancy. The mother of these children died in 1894.
Frank Niekamp attended the local schools and remained at home with his father, giving the latter assistance until he was about 32 years of age, when he was married to Elizabeth Klostermann, a daughter of Henry and Mary
-
442
HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
(Mestemaker) Klostermann. Five children have been born to this union, namely : Alfred, Gregor, deceased, Charles, Josephine and Roman.
The Klostermann family, of which Mrs. Niekamp is a member, is a very prominent one of Franklin township, Mercer County. Her grandfather, Henry Klostermann, was born in Germany, emigrated to America and after establishing himself in business returned to his native land, where he married Mary Hullman, whom he brought to America. His son Henry, the father of Mrs. Niekamp, was born at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1852. He resides on a fine farm of 100 acres situated in sections 28 and 33, Franklin township. He married Mary Mestemaker and their children were: Elizabeth, who became the wife of our subject; Joseph; Frances, who married Frank Watercutter, of Shelby County, Ohio; Emma, who married Charles Dorston, of Mercer County ; and Rudolph, who is in the employ of the "Big Four" Railroad Com- pany, at Dayton. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Klostermann married (second) Catherine Backs, and they have these children : Harmen, Augus- tus, Gregor, Rose, Richard, Albert and Alvina.
In 1896 Mr. Niekamp purchased his present farm from Bernard Froning, but the frame residence he built himself and also made other important im- provements. During a period of residence in Franklin township, he served one term as road supervisor and has served in the same office in Marion town- ship. Mr. Niekamp and family are members of St. Sebastian's Catholic Church at Sebastian.
JOSEPH SCHWIETERMANN
JOSEPH SCHWIETERMANN, who has been a resident of Mercer County for 54 years and owns a fine farm of 250 acres in Franklin township, was born July 9, 1852, in Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Harman Arnold and Mary (Broanian) Schwietermann.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.