USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 52
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Henry Streacker, who is a native of Germany, came to America with his father, Gerke Streacker, when four years old. The latter settled in Auglaize County, where Henry was reared. Henry was married at the Streacker home place, where he lived for 50 years and reared nine children, six of whom are living. He now resides at Berlin, Shelby County.
Anton Streacker was reared in Shelby County, where he continued to live until March 6, 1906, when he moved to his present farm, which he had purchased December 23, 1905, of Henry Hoyng. He has made a great many changes on the place, an important one being the erection of a large barn and other necessary outbuildings in 1906. In the spring of 1896 Mr. Streacker was married to Sophia Zacaarias, a daughter of Christian Zacaarias, and they have five children : Martha, Annie, Bernard, Bertha and Leonard. Mr. Streacker is a member of the Catholic Church.
FRANK C. STARK
FRANK C. STARK, one of Celina's active and enterprising business men, leading in the line of gentlemen's furnishings, was born in Celina in 1874 and is a son of John Stark.
John Stark was born in Germany, but was a citizen of Ohio for many years and during a large number of these was engaged in business at Celina, where he died in 1884, respected by all who knew him.
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Frank C. Stark attended school until he was 13 years old and then be- came a clerk for H. F. Juneman & Company, dealers in gentlemen's furnish- ings. He learned the business pretty thoroughly before entering the employ of Betz & Meyer, at Celina, with whom he remained for a little over 10 years. In 1900 the firm of Dysert, Howick & Stark was formed, which continued for three and a half years, when Dysert & Stark succeeded and this style continued until June, 1905, when Mr. Stark bought out Mr. Dysert's interest and since then the business has been conducted under the firm name of Frank C. Stark.
In 1904 Mr. Stark was married to Julia Rentzsch, who is a daughter of Otto Rentzsch, Sr., who was a well-known merchant of Celina, now residing at New Castle, Indiana. Mr. Stark is a member of the Catholic Church. He belongs to St. Joseph's Society and to the German Independent Aid Society. Mr. Stark stands very high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, both as a business man and as a citizen.
JAMES L. MORROW
JAMES L. MORROW, justice of the peace and prominent citizen of Hope- well township, owns two fine farms in this township which aggregate 200 acres of land. He was born February 22, 1858, in Mercer County, Ohio, and is a son of William and Mary (Wilson) Morrow.
William Morrow and wife were both born in Ohio; the former still sur- vives but the latter died in 1901. William Morrow came from Perry County, Ohio, to Mercer County and settled about 1841 in Hopewell township, where he has spent his life and is now one of the most highly respected citizens. . For a number of years he served as a justice of the peace, was also township assessor and township treasurer and is probably as well known as any man in the township. He has always supported the Democratic party. Of his chil- dren, the six survivors are: Jennie, widow of the late Dr. A. J. Lininger, of Celina ; John Henry, of Hopewell township; James L., of this sketch; Louisa, wife of Jacob M. Weaver, of Hopewell township; George W., of Celina; and Thomas C.
James L. Morrow was reared in Hopewell township where he obtained his primary education. Later he attended the normal school at Valparaiso, Indiana, and subsequently became a teacher. For 14 consecutive years he taught winter schools in his township. In the spring of 1892 he removed to Celina, where he embarked in a mercantile business which he continued until 1898, returning then to Hopewell township and settling on the farm he now occupies, which is located in section 14.
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Mr. Morrow was united in marriage with Dellie Weaver, a daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth Weaver, the latter of whom is deceased. Mr. Weaver still survives, in his 80th year, and is one of the most venerable and highly respected citizens of his neighborhood. Of the eight children born to our subject and wife, the seven survivors are: Daisy, Minnie, Maud, Russell, Dillon, Marie and Glen. Letitia is deceased.
Mr. Morrow is now serving in his second term as justice of the peace, having given satisfaction to all concerned in his first term. Politically he is a Democrat, like his father, and has always taken an active part in campaign work. He is a member and one of the board of trustees of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Morrow is a very busy man, having business inter- ests of various kinds, at Celina in particular. He is interested in the marble works in that city and he is also secretary of the Mercer County Mutual Tele- phone Company.
W. A. J. McDANIEL
W. A. J. McDANIEL, who is at the head of a large furniture and under- taking establishment at Celina, established here in 1884, was born in Lima, Ohio, in 1861 and is a son of M. McDaniel, who was engaged in the furniture and undertaking business practically all his life. M. McDaniel died in 1901.
The subject of this sketch lived in Troy, Ohio, until about seven years of age, his parents having moved there from Lima in his infancy. His parents afterward moved to Greenville, Ohio, where he was reared to man- hood, learning his present business of his father, who had a furniture and un- dertaking establishment. After attaining his majority, he became a member of the firm of M. McDaniel & Son. In 1884 the firm moved to Celina and engaged in the same business and since 1885 it has been owned and under the charge of W. A. J. McDaniel. Mr. McDaniel was assisted in the undertaking department by Asa W. Meister until August, 1905, when the latter became a partner in the undertaking business. Our subject is an Odd Fellow and Knight of Pythias.
JOHN BEIERSDORFER
JOHN BEIERSDORFER, one of the progressive and enterprising business men of Celina, who has met with success in several lines of activity, was born in Auglaize County, Ohio, August 20, 1849, and was there reared and educated.
Mr. Beiersdorfer learned the carpenter's trade and worked at this in
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Auglaize and Shelby counties until 1888, when he joined his brother Philip in the meat business at Celina; together they ran a butcher shop and also engaged in the buying and selling of live-stock. They continued in this business until 1903, when our subject opened a grocery store and carried that on for 18 months. Mr. Beiersdorfer has also been interested in brick manufacturing, in dealing in timber lands and in oil production. He has been instrumental in opening up some 22 oil-wells. He was also one of the promoters of the can- ning factory at this point, which has become such an important industry. In fact he has been one of the active, enthusiastic men needed in every community to open the eyes of the residents to the business opportunities within reach. He has served on the Village Council much to the advantage of the munici- pality and takes a lively interest in all public matters.
On October 3, 1873, Mr. Beiersdorfer was married to Mary Brueninger, of Shelby County, Ohio, and they have eight children, viz .: Cornelia, wife of A. J. Wolf, of Dayton, Ohio; Elizabeth, wife of John Beckman, a merchant at Celina ; Charles, a jeweler at Atlanta, Georgia; Albert, who is employed on the Pacific Coast ; Edwin B. and William B., of Dayton; and Paul and Ernest, at home.
Mr. Beiersdorfer is a member of the Catholic Church. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus and for the past 13 years has been president of the German Independent Aid Society, an important charitable organization of Celina.
PRESTON WILEY FISHBAUGH
PRESTON WILEY FISHBAUGH, M. D., who is engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Mendon, was born on a farm in Washington town- ship, near Erastus, Mercer County, Ohio, February 22, 1864, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Morton) Fishbaugh.
The Fishbaugh family was established in Fairfield County, Ohio, by the grandfather of Dr. Fishbaugh, Mordecai Fishbaugh, who was a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and was a blacksmith by trade. He married a Miss McDonald and they reared a large family, many of whom still reside in Fair- field County.
Samuel Fishbaugh, father of Dr. Fishbaugh, was born in Fairfield County, in 1829, and located in Mercer County in 1863, purchasing 160 acres of land, which he still owns, although for the past 10 years he has been a resident of Bellefontaine, Logan County. In Fairfield County he married Elizabeth Morton, who died in 1878, aged 42 years. They had seven chil- dren, the three eldest born in Fairfield County, as follows: Emma, wife of Samuel Cormack, residing at Erastus; Anthony, an attorney and surveyor,
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living at Celina; Laura, wife of Moore McMillan, of Xenia, Ohio; M. Byron, a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, formerly a medical practitioner at Coldwater and St. Henry, who is now practicing at Wabash; Francis Mahlon, a traveling salesman, residing at Toledo; Preston Wiley; and Ann Isabel, who was accidentally killed at the age of seven years.
Preston W. Fishbaugh attended the normal school at Portland, Indiana, for two years and then spent a year at the Ohio Normal University at Ada. The next five years he spent in the educational field in Mercer County, in the meantime reading medicine, and in 1890 he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, from which he was graduated in the class of 1893. In the spring of that year he located at Mendon and here he has continued in the practice of his profession, building up a large and satisfactory practice by his skill and faithful attention to his patients.
Dr. Fishbaugh was married on August 25, 1894, to Ida May Schenck, a daughter of Rev. Daniel and Mary (Chillcote) Schenck, of Decatur, Indiana. They have four children, viz. : Paul Schenck, Anthony Wayne, Mary Belle and Grace Lenora.
Dr. Fishbaugh keeps closely in touch with the advance of professional thought and is a member of the Mercer County Medical Society and the North- western Ohio Medical Association.
EDWARD LANDFAIR
EDWARD LANDFAIR, who for six years served the village of Celina as mayor, is one of Mercer County's prominent citizens. He was born in Fair- field County, Ohio, in 1845, and was about six years old when his parents' moved to Washington township, Mercer County, settling on a farm in the woods.
Edward remained at home, giving assistance to his father in clearing up the farm, until he was about 17 years of age, when he went back to Fairfield County and for a time engaged there in farm work. In the meantime he took advantage of every opportunity to secure an education and when about 20 years of age returned to Mercer County and for a time taught school during the winters and attended school as much as possible, during the summers. He thus became very well known and in 1870, when he came to Celina, he was in- vited to take charge of the village schools. During the four years that he re- mained at their head, they made great advances. He was too intelligent a man not to be interested also in public affairs and became something of a politician. In 1868 he was appointed a member of the County Board of School Examiners, a position he held for 17 consecutive years. In 1871 Mr.
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Landfair was elected recorder of Mercer County and served in that position for six years. In 1881 he was elected clerk of the courts of Mercer County and assumed the duties of the office in 1882, which office he held for six years, being twice reelected. From 1899 until 1903 he was mayor of Celina. Since retiring from public life, Mr. Landfair has been in the loan and investment business.
In 1868 Mr. Landfair was married to Adarene Blake, who died in April, 1903, leaving one son, Robert B. The latter was educated in the schools at Celina and Lexington, then studied law, was graduated from the Cincinnati Law School and was admitted to the bar before the Supreme Court of Ohio at Columbus, all this before he had reached his majority. He is one of the suc- cessful young law practitioners at Celina.
HENRY FULLENKAMP
HENRY FULLENKAMP, one of the leading farmers and solid, substantial citizens of Marion township, who resides on a fine farm of 240 acres in sec- . tion 2, and owns another tract of 40 acres, belongs to one of the old pioneer families of this section of the State. Henry Fullenkamp was born November 4, 1848, in Jackson township, Auglaize County, Ohio, on the farm on which his father had settled in the woods, and is a son of Nicholas and Mary Adaline (Vonderhar) Fullenkamp.
The Fullenkamp family is of German origin and it was established in America by the grandparents of Henry Fullenkamp, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean and penetrated into what was then a wilderness, settling in Jackson township, on the county line of Auglaize County, Ohio, where they died. The name of the grandfather was Herman Fullenkamp. They had three children, namely : Nicholas; Henry; and Elizabeth, who became the wife of Henry Bertke.
Nicholas Fullenkamp, who was 15 years of age when he accompanied his parents to Ohio, spent the remainder of his life in Auglaize County, where he died in 1891. He married Mary Adaline Vonderhar, who came to America with her cousin, from Hanover, Germany. She was born May 20, 1826, and still resides on the old farm. Nicholas Fullenkamp and wife had 10 children, as follows : Catherine, now deceased, who married (first) Clement Smith, and (second) Henry Bisick; Henry; Joseph, who married Mary Knapke; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Jacob Brown ; an infant, deceased; Barney, who married (first) Anna Brown, and (second) Mrs. Fisher; John, who married Mary Bruns; Nicholas, who married Mary Hausfeld and lives on the home
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CAPT. SAMUEL A. NICKERSON
MRS. LUCINDA M. NICKERSON
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farm; Anthony, who married Anna Westgardes; and Frank, who married Anna Bruns.
Henry Fullenkamp was reared in Jackson township, Auglaize County, on the home farm and had few educational advantages as the country was little settled. He remained at home, assisting in the clearing and developing of the farm until his marriage, when his father gave him 80 acres. To this he sub- sequently added 160 acres, which he bought from Peter Barnhard, and still later he acquired 40 more acres, which he bought from the Schrage estate. His land is under a fine state of cultivation, improved methods of farming being the rule and large returns are realized. The pleasant farm house is beautifully shaded from the heats of summer and protected from the winds of winter by a large orchard situated in front.
On August 21, 1873, Mr. Fullenkamp was married to Mary Hulskamp, who is a daughter of Dietrich and Elizabeth (Tangeman) Hulskamp. The parents of Mrs. Fullenkamp were both born in Germany, the mother being two years old when she was brought to America. Mr. and Mrs. Fullenkamp have six children, namely: Elizabeth, who married Frederick Voskuhl, resides in Recovery township and has had seven children-John, Frank, Vincent (de- ceased), Catherine, Mary, Joseph and Edward; Anna, who married Henry Dwenger, lives at St. Rosa and has two children-Elizabeth and Mary; Cath- erine, who married Henry Buddendick, lives at St. Peter and has two children -Anna and Mary ; John H., born February 10, 1882; Bernard, born Decem- ber 27, 1884; and Joseph, born April 8, 1886. The three sons work for their father on the home farm. . They are fine specimens of young manhood. The family belong to the Catholic Church; the sons are members of St. Alosius' Society and the father, of St. Joseph's Society.
CAPT. SAMUEL A. NICKERSON
CAPT. SAMUEL A. NICKERSON, formerly county treasurer of Mercer County, and the well-known proprietor of "Lake View Farm," a body of 80 acres of excellent land in Jefferson township, situated in sections 4 and 5, township 6, range 3 east, is also a surviving officer of the great Civil War, in which he distinguished himself by gallant service. Captain Nickerson was born in Preble County, Ohio, April 17, 1834, and is a son of Joseph Colby: and Anna (Everman) Nickerson.
The Nickerson family is of English extraction and its American founders came to Massachusetts Bay Colony as early as 1637. The old home seems to have been in the vicinity of Norwich, England, and from there came one
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William Nickerson, who landed at Boston, June 20, 1637, after a stromy crossing of the Atlantic in a frail little sailing vessel of the time. Afterwards he bought land of the Indians in what is now Chatham, which forms the el- bow of Cape Cod, and from that point noted for its fishing and ship building have spread the sturdy family of Nickersons of which our subject is a most worthy member.
From the coast of Massachusetts the Nickerson sons adventured north and a branch found a home in Maine and there Rev. Joshua Nickerson, the grandfather of Captain Nickerson, was born, as was also his son, Joseph Colby Nickerson. Rev. Joshua Nickerson served in the Revolutionary War under General Washington at Valley Forge.
About 1815 Joseph Colby Nickerson came to Ohio and settled near Eaton, in Preble County, where he entered 80 acres of land. He had already had a somewhat adventurous life, having served in his youth as a sailor and also worked along the coast as a ship carpenter. He had also served as a soldier in the War of 1812, under Generals Wilkinson and Harrison, and participated in the battles of Shady Four Corners and Stone Mill, along the Canadian border. After settling permanently in Preble County he worked as a carpenter and millwright and built the first mill and the first jail in that county. About 1837 or 1838 he brought his family to Mercer County, Ohio, our subject being then about three years old, and settled in Recovery town- ship, where he entered land on the Wabash River at the point called the Second Crossing. In Preble County he married Anna Everman, a daughter of Samuel Everman. Her only brother, Philip Everman, was in General Hall's army at the surrender of Detroit.
At the little settlement of Second Crossing, Samuel A. Nickerson was reared and his education was secured in the neighboring district schools. He was a young man of 26 years of age when the call came for loyal soldiers to go out to defend the Nation's flag and he was one of the first to respond, en- tering Company I, 17th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and served as a private through the three months of his first enlistment, passing the most of this period at Camp Anderson, Lancaster, Ohio. He returned home only to volunteer under Captain Stone and went with his company to Lima, where he was appointed an orderly sergeant and was sent home to recruit. While engaged in this duty the regiment went on to Cincinnati, where Sergeant Nickerson later re- ported with his volunteers and the company was assigned to the 118th Regi- ment, Ohio Vol. Inf.
On the reorganization of the regiment, Sergeant Nickerson was pro- moted to 2nd lieutenant of Company I, receiving this commission on August 13, 1862. On February 1, 1864, he was promoted to Ist lieutenant of Com- pany B, 118th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf., and on October 12, 1864, he was made
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captain of, Company B. His honorable discharge was received April 15, 1865, at Mosely Hall, North Carolina, on account of ill health brought on by exposure and the vicissitudes of a soldier's life. During the siege of Atlanta he was very seriously injured, and on numerous occasions his life was in momentary jeopardy for hours at a time. Captain Nickerson's army record is that of as brave a soldier as ever wore the Union blue, his rapid promotion giving testimony to this fact. Among the many adventures in which he was prominently concerned, the complete routing of the Confederate raider Cald- well was a typical one and may be briefly related here. Extracts are made use of from a Celina publication many years after the events took place.
"The notorious Jim Caldwell of the Rebel army was in the habit of visit- ing every few weeks, a place known as Morris Mills, in the upper part of Campbell County, North Carolina, where he obtained recruits, horses, sup- plies, etc., a regular correspondence and communication being kept up with sympathizers in the border counties of Kentucky." As a result, Lieutenant Nickerson with 13 men was detailed to capture Caldwell and to break up his line of communication. In referring, years after, to this event, Captain Nick- erson said: "After all these years, looking back over the many hard cam- paigns which we passed through during the war, I can think of none fraught with more danger or that produced better results according to the number en- gaged in it. We pursued, met and defeated a force twice our size and ad- vanced so far into the enemy's country that our entire force could have been surrounded and cut to pieces. As to the fatigue we had endured, the first night out we had moved over 20 miles on foot, the greater portion of the time on the double quick. For two days and two nights we were almost continually in the saddle. As to the results, it not only drove Caldwell out of Kentucky, but put an end to the Rebels sending spies through our lines into Covington and Cincinnati to spy around General Burnside's headquarters. It also broke up their mail routes from Cincinnati into the Rebel lines, stopping the sending of supplies and recruits into Humphrey Marshall's army and it effectually quieted that part of Kentucky."
The capture of Caldwell was not accomplished, as he fled at the first approach of Lieutenant Nickerson's brave men, who, however, captured three other prisoners, two of whom were officers of the Confederate Army, viz. : the notorious Major McGraw and Capt. William Corbin, on whose persons were found contraband goods and letters to the enemy. Strange as it may seem, neither Lieutenant Nickerson nor his men ever received any special recognition from the government for one of the bravest raids ever made by that command and one which had far-reaching consequences.
After his retirement from the army, Captain Nickerson returned to Mercer County and settled down to farming. On June 13, 1877, he married
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Lucinda Myers, a daughter of George and Eliza Myers, old residents of Mer- cer County. Mrs. Nickerson's great-grandfather, John Myers, was a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War in the British Army, having been pressed into the service; at his earliest opportunity he deserted and after- wards settled in Hamilton County, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson have no children of their own, but they have reared George and Savella Myers, a nephew and niece, as a son and daughter.
For a number of years Captain Nickerson resided at Fort Recovery and while living there he carried on a livery business. He was also made justice of the peace and filled this office for 12 consecutive years to the satisfaction of all concerned. While residing at Fort Recovery, he also was engaged in a drug business and was one of the leading citizens of the village. Politically he is a stanch Democrat and it was on the Democratic ticket that he was elected treasurer of Mercer County, in which office he served for four years, proving a capable official, devoted to the interests of his fellow-citizens. After retiring from that office, he purchased his present farm near Celina, to which he gave the pleasant name of "Lake View," and here he is surrounded by all that is calculated to make the evening of life a compensation for all the hard- ships or disappointments which may have gone before. He is active in the Grand Army of the Republic and is president of the Mercer County Pioneer Association. Portraits of Captain and Mrs. Nickerson accompany this sketch.
PHILIP BEIERSDORFER
PHILIP BEIERSDORFER, one of Celina's substantial men and leading busi- ness citizens, who has offices on West Livingston street, is identified with the grain and elevator interests, a large creamery enterprise and has long been a successful buyer and shipper of stock. Mr. Beiersdorfer was born March 31, 1853, in Auglaize County, Ohio, and was mainly reared and educated there.
Mr. Beiersdorfer learned the butchering business and was engaged in that several years prior to moving to Lima, where he continued in the same line for several years more. In 1879 he came to Celina and entered upon the same business, which he carried on continuously until 1906, when he retired; a portion of this time he was in partnership with his brother John. His markets were well known for the fine quality of their goods. He has, in the meantime, been interested in other successful enterprises, has a large grain and elevator business and was one of the early buyers and shippers of live- stock in this locality. In partnership with John E. Hamburger and Julius Theiman, he has established a creamery with every prospect of doing an ex- tensive business. He is also interested in a stave factory at Ada, Ohio. Mr.
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