USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 44
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Enos N. Drake was reared in Union township and attended the district schools. In 1879 he took a trip overland to Kansas, driving through in a cov- ered wagon and being accompanied by his father and family. They settled in Osborne County, near the county seat, Osborne. On account of hot winds and failure of crops, they only remained one year. While there the oldest child, Osborne Kansas, was born. Mr. Drake has lived on his present 80-acre farm since 1881. He also owns a 60-acre farm one mile and a half west of where he resides. In 1901 he built a fine modern barn on his present farm and one year later erected one on the other farm. His fine new residence which was erected in 1905 is one of the most modern and up-to-date homes in the township, supplied with all the modern conveniences.
Mr. Drake was married June 30, 1878, to Elizabeth Youngblutt, a daughter of Charles and Lydia (Young) Youngblutt, of Van Wert County, Ohio. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Drake, namely: Os- borne Kansas, who married Irene Wharton, a daughter of Jesse Wharton, of Mendon; Otto, Gertrude, Elmer, Cora, Ray, Earl, Ora Belle (deceased), and Elry. Mr. Drake is a Republican in politics. He has served on the
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School Board of Union township for 12 years. He is a member of Mendon Lodge, No. 750, I. O. O. F.
HENRY C. FOX
HENRY C. Fox, general merchant and member of the milling and ele- vator firm of Fox & Hess, is one of the leading business men of Coldwater. He was born in Washington township, Mercer County, Ohio, April 26, 1860, and is a son of Mathias and Barbara (Weigel) Fox.
Mathias Fox was born in Prussia, Germany, and when a boy of 17 years accompanied his parents to America. They settled on a farm in Seneca County, near Tiffin, where Mathias Fox married. About 1850 he removed to Mercer County, locating in Washington township. In 1868 he removed to Jay County, Indiana, where he died in 1876, and his wife in 1878. Of their II children, six still survive, namely: John, residing in Butler town- ship; Henry C .; Joseph, residing at Cincinnati; Benjamin, residing at Day- ton ; Charles, residing at Indianapolis; and Sophia, wife of Charles Hess, residing at Coldwater. Those who died were: Mary, at the age of 47 years; Elizabeth; Margaret, who was known as Sister Blanche, in a convent at Quincy, Illinois, at the age of 52 years; George, at the age of 49 years; and Mathias, at the age of 18 years. Mary, who was the first born of the family, was married (first) to Max Stark, and (second) to Mathias Renn.
When Henry C. Fox was eight years old, his parents removed to Jay County, Indiana, and there he resided until 19 years of age. After complet- ing his district school education, he entered the Ohio Normal University at Ada, remaining three terms, and for one term was a student at Lebanon, Ohio. Upon his return to Coldwater, he taught school for some nine years, becoming one of the most popular of the public school teachers in the county. In 1889 he started the general mercantile establishment known as the H. C. Fox store, in a building in the west part of the town, but in the fall of 1889, after six months in the old structure, he moved into a building he had pur- chased and improved until it was adapted to his purposes. He continued to become interested in the town's important enterprises, was made president of the People's Bank, and entered into partnership with Charles Hess in a mill and elevator business at Coldwater and St. Henry, under the firm name of Fox & Hess. He has demonstrated high qualities commercially and enjoys the confidence of the business community.
In 1885 Mr. Fox was married to Rosa Schockman, and they have eight children, viz .: Norah, a graduate of the Coldwater High School and of the Ursaline Convent at Tiffin, Ohio, who is now engaged in teaching in Butler township; Urban, a graduate of the Coldwater High School, who is now a
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pupil at St. Joseph's College, at Collegeville, Indiana; Leo, who is a student in the Coldwater High School; Frances, Anna and Agnes, who are attending school; and Henry Paul and Raymond. The family belong to the Catholic Church.
Mr. Fox occupies a seat in the Village Council of Coldwater, and his advice as a man of business perception concerning village government is highly valued. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of St. John, of Coldwater, and to the Lima Council, Knights of Columbus.
CHRISTOPHER F. BOLMAN, M. D.
CHRISTOPHER F. BOLMAN, M. D., physician and surgeon at Coldwater, where he has been established since 1881, was born at Fort Wayne, Indiana, October 26, 1847, and is a son of Christopher and Charlotte ( Bloom) Bolman.
Christopher Bolman was one of the pioneer merchants of Fort Wayne and a leading citizen, and there Dr. Bolman, as a youth, was educated, first in the public and later in private schools. Having a natural leaning toward mechanics, he then learned the machinist's trade, at which he worked for nearly 13 years and during this period he assisted in building the old town clock at the Fort Wayne Court-House. He read medicine with a local prac- titioner and thus prepared to enter the medical college at Fort Wayne, where he was graduated in 1881. After a short period of medical work at Fort Wayne, he came to Coldwater, where he had been ever since and where he now commands a large practice, and enjoys the esteem and confidence of his fel- low-citizens.
In 1874, at Fort Wayne, Indiana, Dr. Bolman was married to Susan E. Lewis, a daughter of Washington Lewis, of Bluffton, Indiana. They have had four children, namely : Elsie, wife of Theodore Campbell, of Mansfield, Ohio; Lydia F., widow of Edward Taylor, a captain in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War, formerly a lawyer at Evansville, Indiana, who died of fever while in the service; Ralph Martin; and Susan, who married Joseph Burkmeyer of Coldwater. Ralph Martin is now a prac- ticing surgeon of considerable repute, at Fort Wayne, Indiana; he was edu- cated in the Coldwater public schools, the Ohio Normal University at Ada, later at the normal school at Lebanon, Ohio, and completed his medical course at the Fort Wayne Medical College.
Dr. Bolman served in 1902-03 as president of the Mercer County Medi- cal Society and is well and favorably known in various medical organizations in the State. For 18 years he has been a member of the School Board at Coldwater, and is a member of the present Village Council.
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HARMAN HENRY SCHWIETERMANN
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HARMAN HENRY SCHWIETERMANN
HARMAN HENRY SCHWIETERMANN, whose fine farm of 128 acres is situated in sections 22 and 23, Franklin township, was born September 14, 1842, in Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of Harman Arnold and Marial (Broaman) Schwietermann.
The parents of Mr. Schwietermann were both born in Germany. They both died in Ohio, the father in 1860, and the mother in 1869. They had these children : Gerhard, who was born in Germany, and married Josephine Munning; John Henry, the first child of the family born in America, married Mary Meinerding, and they now live on a farm adjoining that of our subject ; Harman Henry, who was the third in order of birth; J. Bernard, who married Catherine Depweg, and came into possession of the home farm, which he later sold and moved to Carthagena; Mary, who married Henry Gast and died at Chickasaw; Elizabeth, deceased; John, who married Mary Froning- both now deceased; William, who married Anna Fiely and lives at Cranberry Prairie; Anna, who married John Dorston and died in Franklin township; and Joseph, who married Elizabeth Ronnebaum and lives on a farm near that of our subject.
Our subject lost his father when he was 18 years of age, and he remained with his mother until her death, nine years later. All the sons worked on the home farm and all accumulated enough to purchase farms of their own. Harman Henry bought his farm in 1864, while his brother J. Bernard took the homestead on which his parents had settled when they came from Ger- many, in 1837. This was a farm of 80 acres in Marion township, for which the father paid the sum of $500. On this farm nine of the children were born, and the father worked it for 23 years; making it a valuable property. He assisted also in the building of the banks of the Grand Reservoir, this being one of the largest artificial bodies of water in the world.
Harman Henry Schwietermann was married in 1871, to Anna Bertke, a daughter of Barney Bertke, who was a resident of Mercer County for many years. Mr. Bertke was born in Germany, married in America and had these children : John, who married Josephine Clune; Anna, wife of our subject ; Mary, who married Barney Knapke and lives near Maria Stein; Mathias, who married Mary Puthoff, and lives on the Bertke home farm near Maria Stein; Barney, who married Catherine Knapke and lives at Cranberry Prairie; Frances, who married Peter Niekamp, and lives near Chickasaw; and Eliza- beth, who married Barney Fehorn and lives on a farm near Maria Stein.
Mr. and Mrs. Schwietermann have had children, namely: Elizabeth, who died when 10 months old; Barney, who is married and lives in Ohio; Xavier, a resident of Mercer County, who is married and has one child ;
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Frances, who married Charles Fleck, of Celina, lives at Covington, Kentucky, and has one son and one daughter-Lawrence and Edith; Mathias, who is studying for the Catholic priesthood at St. Charles Seminary, Carthagena; and Rose, Eleanora, Maria and Romey, all of whom are at home. This family is one to reflect great credit upon its parents, growing up industrious and in- telligent and taking respected places in society. They have all enjoyed good school advantages.
Mr. Schwietermann's farm is crossed by the Schwietermann turnpike, his name having been given it on account of the hard fight he made to get this public improvement. His land has been found rich in gas and he secured $1,000 for one well that was drilled on his farm. With four other families, he has put in a system by which all have the use of gas in their homes and the same parties have installed a telephone system. These modern improve- ments make country life very enjoyable and very different from what it was when Mr. Schwietermann was young. His handsome brick residence is shaded and surrounded by an orchard of cherry and apple trees, while a beautiful hedge fence surrounds the whole.
Mr. Schwietermann has long been considered one of the representative men of his neighborhood, and he has frequently been elected to offices of trust and responsibility in the township. He has served as school director and as supervisor, for eight years was trustee of Franklin township, for over six years was one of the commissioners of Mercer County, during which period many public improvements were made, and in 1904 he was elected treasurer of the School Board, an office he still fills. As a business man and honest and capable public official, Mr. Schwietermann stands out prominently in Frank- lin township. He is a consistent member of the Catholic Church. His por- trait accompanies this sketch.
REV. FRANK P. CORDIER
REV. FRANK P. CORDIER, residing on his well-cultivated farm of 1183/4 acres, in sections 9 and 10, Jefferson township, with 383/4 acres in Butler township, is one of the successful agriculturists of this part of Mercer Coun- ty. He was born in Granville township, Mercer County, Ohio, July 16, 1855, and is a son of John Adam and Hannah (Golder) Cordier.
John Adam Cordier was born in Germany and was seven years of age when he accompanied his parents to America. They settled at New Bremen, Auglaize County, Ohio, where he was reared and educated. After his mar- riage he moved to Mercer County and died at the age of 42 years. His wife still survives. They had six children, the survivors being: Elizabeth, wife of Robert Hart; Frank P., of this sketch; Mrs. Annie Davis and Mrs. Kate
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Coate. Mrs. Ellen Patton and Martha Jane are the deceased members of the family.
Frank P. Cordier was reared and educated in Granville township, where he lived until he reached his majority, when he removed to Butler township, where shortly afterward he was married to Mary E. Coate, daughter of Ben- jamin Coate, and settled on the farm which is still their home. They have had 10 children and all survive with the exception of the eldest, Mary, who died when eight years of age. The others are: Martha, who married Ralph Monroe and has one child, Helen; Kate, wife of David Baker, living in Mont- gomery County, Ohio; and George A., Joseph Benjamin, Harriet, Jenett, Ruth, Sarah and Fannie, all living at home.
Mr. Cordier has made many improvements on his farm since settling here and has everything snug and comfortable around him. In addition to looking after his farming interests in a very capable manner he also serves the German Baptist Brethren Church in the northern part of Butler township, as a minister. He is very much esteemed by a large congregation.
HENRY GAUS
HENRY GAUS, one of the highly respected German-American citizens of Butler township, residing on his fine farm of 325 acres situated in sections 17 and 18, was born in Hanover, Germany, March 31, 1849, and is a son of Ludwig and Dorothea Gaus.
When Henry Gaus was seven years old, his parents decided to come to America and locate in Ohio, where relatives were already doing well. On Christmas Eve, 1856, the family landed in the city of New York, in the midst of a snowstorm that made further transportation almost impossible for a short time. The travelers found difficulty in making their way to Shelby County, but finally reached Sidney and secured sleds to New Bremen. The distance to the home of their relatives was still four and a half miles, and this they walked, through the biting cold of the New Year, finding a hearty, old-coun- try welcome, however, at its end.
Ludwig Gaus bought 20 acres of land from his brother-in-law, as a be- ginning, and later, 40 acres, of Mr. Beezil, the banker, and subsequently 50 acres more, of Jacob Powell. A log house was built and the family made itself very comfortable while clearing the land. By 1880 Mr. Gaus had placed his farm of 90 acres in such fine condition that he received the sum of $4,500 for it, and he then removed to Butler township, Mercer County. Here he purchased 205 acres, borrowing a portion of the money from his daugh- ters, but placing the land in the name of Henry Gaus, a transaction that was
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approved many years since. These two sisters still survive and are: Mrs. Dorothea Horret, of Celina; and Mrs. Caroline Hammel, of Plymouth, In- diana. In 1892 Henry Gaus erected the handsome large brick residence.
On October 21, 1874, Henry Gaus was married to Wilhelmina Keck and they have a family of eight children, as follows: Henry, living on a farm of 60 acres owned by his father, who married Maud Smith and has three children-Orville, Beulah and Mildred; Lewis, who married Mary Brandon and has one child-Mabel Marie; George, who lives at home; Louisa, who married Henry Hammel and has one daughter, Ethel; Clara, who married Henry Steele and has one child, Walter; and John, Arthur and Cora, all at home.
Mr. Gaus and family belong to the Lutheran Church in which he has served for four years as an elder. He is one of the leading citizens of Butler township and is a member of the School Board.
J. H. WINKELJOHAN
J. H. WINKELJOHAN, lumber dealer at Celina, is one of the prospering men of this city where he has been established since 1894. He was born in Germany in 1863, was educated there and learned the carpenter's trade be- fore coming to America in 1882. He is a son of Mathias and Katherine (Tebbe) Winkeljohan, natives of Hanover, Prussia, the father born Septem- ber 26, 1835, and the mother, December 24, 1838. They came to the United States in 1892 and reside in Celina. They are the parents of 12 children, of whom II survive; all reside in the United States.
Shortly after reaching the United States, Mr. Winkeljohan located at St. Henry, Mercer County, and worked there as a carpenter and contractor for about seven years and then became connected with the St. Henry flouring mills. After working in the mills for a time, he purchased a half interest, and later was engaged for some two years in buying and shipping timber. In 1894 Mr. Winklejohan came to Celina and became associated with the Kuntz & Herr Lumber Company, and in the following year he became a member of the firm, the business later being incorporated as The P. Kuntz & Herr Lum- ber Company, with a capital stock of $5,000. The officers were: Peter Kuntz, president; C. E. Wright, vice-president; Charles J. Herr, secretary and treasurer; B. Romer, director; and J. H. Winkeljohan, manager. The present officers are: Peter Kuntz, president; B. Romer, vice-president ; and J. H. Winkeljohan, treasurer and manager. Mr. Winkeljohan is the only resident member of the firm. The company also operates a branch yard at
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St. Henry, dealing in hard and soft lumber and all kinds of building materials.
In addition to this large business, Mr. Winkeljohan is interested in the Mendon Lumber Company, in farm lands in Mercer County and owns val- uable property in Celina. . .
In 1891 Mr. Winkeljohan was married (first) to Anna M. Meinerding, who died the following year, and in 1894 he was married ( second) to Rebecca A. Romer, a daughter of B. Romer, of St. Henry, a member of one of the oldest families in Mercer County. They have five children, viz .: Agnes, Lucile, Ferdinand, Lillie and Hilda. Our subject is one of the leading mem- bers of the Catholic Church at Celina, and belongs to the Knights of St. John, the Catholic Knights of Ohio and to St. Joseph's Society.
REV. ABITHER DAVID COATE
REV. ABITHER DAVID COATE, an extensive farmer and representative citizen of Mercer County, resides on a finely-cultivated farm of 120 acres, in section 15, Butler township, on which he has made many improvements. He also owns a farm of 80 acres in section 10, Jefferson township. Mr. Coate was born in Butler township, Mercer County, Ohio, March 10, 1851, and is a son of Benjamin and Mary (Yaney) Coate.
Benjamin Coate was born at Ludlow Falls, Miami County, Ohio, and was a son of Joseph Coate, an old resident of Miami County. Benjamin Coate was about 10 years of age when his father entered land in Mercer Coun- ty, and Benjamin did the same when he reached his majority. Seven children were born to Benjamin Coate and wife, and four of these still survive, name- ly : Abither David; Noah, of Butler township; Mary E., wife of Rev. F. P. Cordier, of Jefferson township; and William, of Celina.
Abither David Coate was reared and attended school in Butler township and his occupation in life has always been farming. For a number of years he has been pastor of the German Baptist Brethren Church, in the northern part of Butler township, and is very highly esteemed by his congregation.
On March 10, 1879, Mr. Coate was married to Harriet Barker, a daugh- ter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Strait) Barker. They have had five children, viz. : Maggie P., who is the wife of Riley T. Waggoner, of Butler township, and the mother of one child, Irma Fern; Ida, who resides at home; Otto J., who died at the age of two years; Homer; and a babe that died in infancy. The family have resided in the residence in which they live, ever since Mr. and Mrs. Coate started to housekeeping, and naturally they are much at- tached to it. Here the children have been born and here some have died, and
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all the family joys and sorrows have been enjoyed or endured around the old hearth-stone. On many occasions it is the scene of pleasant family reunions.
Mr. Coate has always been a Democrat but has never accepted any political office except that of township trustee, in which he served for two terms, to the benefit of the community.
ANTON MESCHER
ANTON MESCHER, proprietor of the Mescher dairy and the owner of 80 acres of rich farming land situated in section 28, Butler township, is one of the substantial men of this part of the county. Mr. Mescher was born in Marion township, Mercer County, Ohio, February 16, 1852, and is a son of Bernard and Katherine (Tangemann) Mescher.
Bernard Mescher was born in Germany and came to America at the age of 18 years. He made his way to Mercer County, where he worked for several years on the canal then in course of construction, and then settled near Maria Stein. His wife was about 18 months old when she was brought to America by her parents who were pioneers in this part of Mercer County. Both parents of Mr. Mescher died in Marion township.
Anton Mescher was reared in Marion township and was educated in the district schools. He was trained to be a practical farmer and his father recognized his ability to operate a farm of his own, when he was still a young man, and purchased the present farm in Butler township for him. Anton settled on his property in the year preceding his marriage and has re- sided here ever since, carrying on extensive farming and successfully operat- ing a dairy. He has continued to improve his property and has erected a handsome brick residence and substantial barns and other buildings.
In 1882 Mr. Mescher was married to Mary Fischer, a daughter of Henry Fischer. Mr. and Mrs. Mescher have eight children, namely: Henry, Louis, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, Margaret, Bernard and Susan. Mr. Mescher has given his children good educational advantages and has also reared them carefully in the Catholic Church. His sons are members of the Knights of St. John. They all stand very high in public esteem, being noted for their industry and good citizenship.
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THE FORT RECOVERY STIRRUP COMPANY
THE FORT RECOVERY STIRRUP COMPANY, manufacturers of bent wood and metal bound saddle stirrups, the largest exclusive manufacturers of wood stirrups in the world, and the leading manufacturing establishment of Fort
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Recovery, was organized in 1899 by William Koch, president of the company, and his son Edward, who is secretary and general manager. The company employs from 18 to 20 men. Previous to its establishment, the building now occupied by the company was used as a tannery, which was owned and oper- ated by William Koch.
WILLIAM KOCH was born January 31, 1834, in Prussia, Germany, and is a son of Frederick Koch, a farmer by occupation, who emigrated to Amer- ica in 1845, locating at New Bremen, Ohio, where he died in 1856. William Koch moved to St. Marys when 18 years old and subsequently learned the tanner's trade at New Bremen, Ohio. He worked at his trade for seven years in St. Marys. In 1864 he moved to Fort Recovery where he opened a tannery, in which business he continued until the establishment of the stir- rup company, in 1899.
Mr. Koch was married in 1857 to Dorothea Backhaus, a daughter of Henry Backhaus. To Mr. and Mrs. Koch 10 children were born, six of whom are still living. The record is as follows: Lucilla, who married Charles Schneider ; William, who died in childhood; Julia, deceased; Frank, who lives at Lima, Ohio; Minnie, who married William Heiby; Flora; Ed- ward; Carrie, and two children that died in infancy. Edward Koch, who is secretary and manager of the Fort Recovery Stirrup Company, was married in 1901 to Matilda Frommel, a daughter of Edward Frommel. Mr. Koch is a member of Pisgah Congregational Church of Fort Recovery, and a member of the Fort Recovery Village Council.
DAVID A. BEAMS
DAVID A. BEAMS, formerly mayor of Coldwater, and one of the leading citizens of Butler township, owns 176 2-3 acres of fine farming land in sec- tion 20. Mr. Beams was born in Butler township, Mercer County, Ohio, August 4, 1847, and is a son of David and Margaret (Eaton) Beams.
David Beams was born in Pennsylvania. When he attained his ma- jority he came to Ohio and located at Piqua, where he married. In March, 1847, a few months before the birth of our subject, he removed to Mercer County where he acquired 240 acres of land in Butler township, east of Cold- water. He was a son of Col. Martin Bowen Beams, who commanded a Ger- man regiment during the War of 1812, and who died of yellow fever in Williams County, Ohio, while on his way home after the close of the war. His two brothers, Martin and John, were among the founders of the United Brethren Church in this locality.
David A. Beams was reared in Butler township and was educated in the
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district schools. After completing his education, he taught school for one year in Missouri, all of the family, with the exception of the youngest sister, having been successful teachers during their youth. With the exception of this one year, Mr. Beams has always lived in Mercer County, and has always devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, not, however, to the exclusion of all other interests. He has served as mayor of Coldwater, and also as constable, and is well and favorably known all over the county. Mr. Beams has re- sided on his present fine farm since March, 1903, just prior to this having sold a farm of 160 acres in Lancaster County, Nebraska.
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