USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 62
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Daniel and Laura (Davis) Murlin had seven children, as follows :
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William, deceased in August, 1865, who enlisted, in December, 1861, in Company D, 7Ist Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., under Captain Goodwin, who organ- ized the company, and served until the close of the war; Jerusha, who married C. B. Collins, a prosperous citizen of Union township, July 1, 1865, and died July 2, 1866; Mary, a resident of Columbus, Ohio, who is the widow of J. J. Phillips whom she married in April, 1865; Samuel, who was among the fortunate when the oil boom reached the section of Auglaize County where he owned and operated a farm, and who is now retired, living at St. Marys, where he has built a home; Giles Peter, the subject of this sketch; Eliza, who married John Moore and resides in Center township, and Josephine, who died aged four years. Daniel Murlin died in 1875 at the age of 77 and his wife died in 1878, aged 62 years.
Giles P. Murlin has lived all his life on the farm where he was born. He received his education in the township schools, working on the farm during the summer and attending school in the winter. There was but little land cleared when Mr. Murlin began assisting with the work, and there were but few houses on the road to St. Marys. The farm was situated on one of the old Indian Trails and there was a bark shanty on the place which had been built by the Indians.
Mr. Murlin was married December 2, 1882, to Susan Barber, a daughter of Warren and Sallie Barber, of Union township. Mr. Murlin has one child, Josephine, who married Alpha Miller, a native of Auglaize County, on No- vember 26, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two children, Dwight Murlin and Clayton Leon, and reside with the subject of this sketch. Mr. Murlin has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for 44 years. He is a Republican, but reserves the right and privilege to support the best man for office. Mr. Murlin is a man of pleasing address and stands high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens.
JOHN JUTTE
JOHN JUTTE, a prosperous farmer of Recovery township, who resides on his well-improved farm of 100 acres in section I, was born in Washington township, Mercer County, Ohio, February 27, 1853, and is a son of Theodore and Catherine ( Flotamas) Jutte.
Theodore Jutte and his wife were both born, reared, educated and mar- ried in Germany. They came to the United States in 1846, locating in Wash- ington township on a farm of 80 acres which Theodore bought from his father, Henry Jutte, who had come from Germany in 1844, and had pur- chased 80 acres of timberland in Washington township. The land which
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Theodore Jutte bought from his father was all timberland, which he cleared and built a log cabin on the place. The forest was inhabited by game of all kinds, including deer, wild turkeys, wolves, etc. Mr. Jutte experienced many hardships incidental to pioneer life. Theodore Jutte died in Washington town- ship, September 7, 1887, and his wife survived him until August 16, 1890. They were the parents of six children: Mary, wife of Samuel Jacob, residing in Uniontown, Washington; Theodore, who resides at Genesee, Idaho; John; Bernard, who lives in Recovery township; Peter, who died in Uniontown, Washington, aged 46 years; and Philomena, who died aged nine years.
John Jutte was reared in Washington township, and received such an education as could be obtained in the period of his youth. Mr. Jutte moved to Recovery township immediately after his marriage, and located on his present farm, which then consisted entirely of timberland. He has made many improvements upon the place and now has one of the best improved and most highly cultivated farms in the township.
Mr. Jutte was married November 3, 1875, to Hannah Whitman, a daughter of Michael and Mary (Penter) Whitman, and has eight children, as follows: Catherine, who married Joseph Post of Jay County, Indiana, and has three children-John, Ferdinand and Minnie; Minnie, who married Jacob Wikle, of Washington township, and has four children-Emma, John, Hen- rietta and Albert; Barney, who married Elizabeth Homan and has three chil- dren-Mary, Theodore and Edward; John, who married Lizzie Custer; Peter; William; Clara, who died aged eight years, and Mary, who married Frank Post, of Washington township, and had three children-William, Clara (who died aged two years) and Matilda.
Mr. Jutte is a prominent Democrat of Recovery township, and has served on the Democratic County Central Committee twice and has also served on the School Board. He is a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church.
XAVIER RENTZ
XAVIER RENTZ, an old and highly respected German citizen of Butler township, and the owner of one of the best improved farms of this locality, consisting of 1491/2 acres of splendid farming land, was born in Germany, December 2, 1830, and is a son of Anthony and Agnes (Baumgartner) Rentz.
When our esteemed subject was one year old or a little more, his parents embarked on a sailing vessel with the expectation of being safely landed on American shores. The vessel, however, proved unseaworthy, and they suf- fered shipwreck and clung to the vessel for a day and a half after it foundered on a rock before they were rescued. They lost all their possessions but were
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thankful to escape with their lives and were subsequently landed in safety at Charleston, South Carolina. The family lived some years at Greenville, Darke County, Ohio, before they came to Mercer County, in 1847, and settled at Chickasaw, where the father followed his trade of tailor. Xavier Rentz was about 17 years old when he became a farmer in Marion township, Mercer County. Subsequently he acquired a farm of 235 acres, which he has recently deeded to two sons, August and Anthony. In 1895 Mr. Rentz settled on his present farm which is operated by his son Henry, who is a very capable and careful farmer.
Xavier Rentz married Barbara Fecher, who was also born in Germany, and they have had 12 children, of whom six are now living, as follows: John, Theresa, Anthony, Anna, August and Henry W. Of those that are deceased, the eldest son, Joseph, died aged six months, and August (the first of the name) died aged three and a half years. Xavier died aged two months and Mary died aged 33 years. Frank is also deceased. Joseph (2nd), another deceased son, was a most promising young man, who had been carefully edu- cated. After teaching school at Kenosha, Wisconsin, he went to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he became assistant city treasurer. He afterwards went to the State of Washington, where he took up a claim of 160 acres. Later still he engaged in partnership with a Mr. Passemeyer, in the grocery busi- ness at Tacoma, Washington, of which city he became a prominent man. He served as organist in the Catholic Church there. He died at Tacoma, Decem- ber 16, 1891, at the age of 26 years.
John Rentz, the eldest surviving son, has been an instructor in a large Catholic school at St. Paul, Minnesota, for the past 25 years. He is a talented and well-educated man; he was first a pupil at Chickasaw, spent one year at St. Mary's Institute at Dayton, Ohio, and completed his education at St. Francis, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He married Mary Rosenberger and they have four children, all of whom are well educated; Hilda, the eldest, is librarian of the St. Paul Public Library and in addition is organist in the Catholic Cathedral. Theresa is the widow of Barney Mestemaker, of Chicka- saw, and the mother of four children. Anthony married Mary Heyne and has 13 children. Anna married Andrew Stammen and lives at New Weston, Darke County. August married Anna Rose, lives on the farm he purchased from his father and has six children. Henry W. was born at Chickasaw, Mercer County, Ohio, January 29, 1874. He was reared and educated at Chickasaw and has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. On April 27, 1899, he was married to Elizabeth Pleiman and they have five children, as follows: Matilda, Rosa, Urban, Joseph and Arnold. Henry W. Rentz is treasurer of the township School Board.
Xavier Rentz has been for years a leading member of St. Mary's Cath-
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olic Church at Philothea and has reared his family carefully in the precepts of this church. Both he and his son Henry W. are wardens in the church, and Mr. Rentz also fills the office of treasurer. He has always been interested in the educational progress of his community, has given his children excellent advantages and for 25 years was a member of the School Board in Marion township.
RICHARD SEVERNS
RICHARD SEVERNS, a prosperous farmer and one of the leading citizens of Union township, where he owns a fine, well-improved farm of 140 acres, was born in Shelby County, Ohio, March 15, 1844, and is a son of Joseph and Catherine (Duffy) Severns.
The parents of Mr. Severns came to Ohio from Virginia and located in Shelby County, but later moved to Mercer County and settled on the farm in Union township, that is now owned by Joseph Severns. It consisted of 160 acres. Both parents died on this farm, the father in 1879, at the age of 79 years; the death of the mother followed later. Joseph and Catherine Severns had eight children, as follows: Franklin, deceased in 1900, whose widow, Mrs. Amanda (Boroff) Severns, is a resident of Union township; Mary, who married J. M. Hussey and resides in Union township; John, who died unmarried; Margaret, who first married Joseph McNicol and is now the wife of Milton Denison, living at Spencerville, Ohio; Francis, who died in the army in 1862, unmarried; Richard; Joseph, residing on the old home- stead, who married Martha Jane Griffin, a daughter of Claudius and Eliza- beth Griffin; and William R., who lives in Union township, near Mendon.
Richard Severns was eight years old when his parents, in 1852, came to Union township and settled in what was practically the forest. He remained on the farm assisting in the work until August 31, 1862, when he enlisted in Company E, 118th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., under Captain Kennedy and Lieut. I. B. Robbins. The regiment was attached to the Second Brigade, Second Division, 23rd Army Corps, and was mustered in at Camp Lima. His ser- vice was in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama and at the time of the closing of the war he was in North Carolina. He participated in many bat- tles, including Nashville, Franklin and Dalton and went through the Atlanta campaign. He vividly recalls the battle of Franklin, one of the notable ones of the war. For four months he was never out of the sound of cannonading. He was once struck with a spent ball and on one occasion a bullet struck the rim of his hat. On one occasion he was in a detail of 20 skirmishers of whom 13 were killed or wounded while on this duty. Mr. Severns' brother Francis was a member of the 46th Regiment, Ohio Vol. Inf. Mr. Severns is one of
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probably 25 survivors of the old regiment, who have earned and enjoyed the admiration and gratitude of their fellow-citizens. Mr. Severns was honor- ably discharged on June 24, 1865, at Salisbury, North Carolina.
After the close of the war, Mr. Severns returned to Mercer County, where he has ever since resided. In 1873 he purchased the farm on which he resides, 30 acres of which had been cleared, and has completed the clearing of all but 10 acres. In 1878 he erected his handsome home and later his sub- stantial barn and has made many improvements which make this one of the attractive homes of Union township. He carries on mixed farming and raises some stock. In addition to a natural fertility, the farm is also valuable on account of several oil-wells having been developed on it.
In April, 1869, Mr. Severns was married to Mary Gross, who was a daughter of Peter and Mary Gross, of Union township. To this union were born two children, namely : Etta L. and George, the latter of whom died at the age of three months. Etta L. married J. H. Tomlinson, a farmer of Union township, and has five children: William, Olga, Gayle, Orril and Mary. Mrs. Severns died in 1882. Mr. Severns was married (second), in January, 1886, to Annie Moler, who is a daughter of Abraham and Martha Moler. They have one child, Edna. Politically, Mr. Severns is identified with the Democratic party.
BENJAMIN HELLWARTH
BENJAMIN HELLWARTH, a representative agriculturist and well-known citizen of Hopewell township, resides on his well-improved farm of 160 acres, situated in section 21. On this farm he was born, February 18, 1854, being a son of George M. and Margaret (Wappas) Hellwarth, both natives of Germany.
George M. Hellwarth served six years in early manhood in the German Army and then emigrated to the United States, in 1831. Three years later he entered land from the government in Hopewell township, Mercer County, Ohio-the present homestead of our subject. In clearing, improving and cultivating this farm, George M. Hellwarth spent his whole subsequent life, which closed about 1865. He was a most worthy man in every relation of life. He was one of the early members of the Evangelical Association in his locality. His political views were in accord with the tenets of the Demo- cratic party.
Benjamin Hellwarth was reared to manhood on his present farm and in boyhood attended the district schools. He has always followed agricul- tural pursuits and in addition to the home farm owns 160 acres of land in Indiana. When he reached man's estate, he married Lena J. Will, a native
MR. AND MRS. LEWIS PLATT
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of Hopewell township and a daughter of George Will, a Civil War soldier, who was an old settler here but did not long survive the hardships of army life, dying soon after his return from the service. Mr. and Mrs. Hellwarth have four children, as follows: Ronello Blaine, Richard Garfield, Ray Mc- Kinley and Arlen Roosevelt. The family belong to the Evangelical Associa- tion.
In political sentiment, Mr. Hellwarth is an ardent Republican and an active supporter of its candidates and a firm believer in its principles. He is- one of the township's most successful farmers as well as most public-spirited. citizens and enjoys the esteem, respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens .. 1
LEWIS PLATT
LEWIS PLATT, one of the representative farmers of Butler township, who- resides on his valuable farm of 80 acres, situated in section 16, was born in Germany, May 4, 1839, and is a son of Conrad and Mary Magdalen (Stein- miller ) Platt.
The father of Mr. Platt died in Germany, when our subject was a child of four years. The mother struggled on as best she could for the next four years and then decided to emigrate to America where her boys could find better opportunities than in the old country. With her six children she landed in Mercer Couny, Ohio, in August, 1847, and remained for a time in Butler township. The mother then married Peter Gehron, a weaver by trade, who took the family to Montezuma, and in and around that village our subject was reared and educated. He also learned the carpenter's trade and was prepared to work at the same when the Civil War came upon the land. On October 16, 1861, Mr. Platt enlisted in Company A, 7Ist Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., which was forming at Celina, and shortly afterward was promoted to the rank of corporal and at Gallatin, Tennessee, on December 1, 1863, won his commis- sion as sergeant. He participated in many of the most important battles of the cruel war and saw much of its hardship. At the battle of Shiloh or Pitts- burg Landing, he was captured by the enemy and was confined at Memphis, Tennessee, taken from there to Mobile and Cahaba, Alabama, and thence to Macon, Georgia, where he was paroled. He then started for home but was stopped by Union troops at Nashville, who wished to detain him as a guard and it was with difficuty that he escape. ; duty, accomplishing it only by desperately "bolting" through the guards and boarding the transport steamer "General Grant." The paroled men were again stopped at Louisville, Ken- tucky, but at Cincinnati received transportation to their homes. As the war still continued, Mr. Platt concluded to reenlist, which he did, at Gallatin,
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Tennessee, on January 13, 1865. He remained in the service until his honor- able discharge at Camp Dennison, June 13, 1865. Mr. Platt will always carry the marks of his loyal devotion to his adopted country. At the battle of Nashville, Tennessee, on December 16, 1864, he lost the use of his right eye and was otherwise seriously injured, so that he was confined in Brown's Hospital, at Nashville, and later at Camp Dennison, Cincinnati.
After regaining his health, Mr. Platt resumed work at his trade and then settled down to farming. Before the war he had bought 40 acres and com- pleted paying for it while he was in the army; he purchased the other 40 acres in 1865, just after the close of the war. This beautiful property has all been . cleared and improved by Mr. Platt himself. He has substantial buildings of all kinds here, has excellent, modern machinery and owns considerable stock, all of this property having been accumulated by his own honest toil. In the meantime he has reared a family in comfort and has given his children super- ior educational advantages.
On December 5, 1867, Mr. Platt was united in marriage with Brittana Frank, a daughter of Joseph Frank, and they have had 10 children, as fol- lows: Fidella, born August 17, 1868, who married John Koons, and died May 9, 1894, leaving one child, Floyd Edward, who lives with his grand- father ; Mary Elizabeth, who lives at home; Sarah Lena, also living at home, who is a graduate of the Ohio Normal University at Ada, and of schools at Hartsville and Huntington, Indiana, has been a popular teacher in Mercer County and is now studying for the ministry of the Radical United Brethren Church at Huntington, Indiana, class of 1907; Zerilda, born November 21, 1873, who died October 24, 1895; Pearly, who married Rev. William Kindel, of the United Brethren Church, at Delphos, Ohio, and had one child that died in infancy; Eva, who died in infancy ; Melissa, who resides at home; George A .; and Carrie and Belle, both of whom are at home. Mr. Platt's only son, George A. Platt, was born August 17, 1881, and from boyhood, as a student in the district schools, showed unusual aptness in his studies. After complet- ing the ordinary course he taught school for three years, beginning when 18 years old, and then entered Oberlin College, where he was most creditably graduated, May 3, 1904. He next went to Columbus and took a special course in penmanship at the Zanerian College and then for a period of nine months, in 1905, he taught penmanship and bookkeeping in the Elwood (Indiana) High School. He is now in the clothing business at South Bend, Indiana.
Mr. Platt is one of the leading members of the Radical United Brethren Church and is one of the trustees. He is a man of sterling character and en- joys the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Platt accompany this sketch.
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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS CHARLES SEVERNS
CHARLES SEVERNS, a prosperous farmer of Center township, where he owns three farms of 80 acres each, was born in Union township, Mercer County, Ohio, April 14, 1860, and is a son of Franklin and Amanda (Boroff) Severns.
FranklinSeverns was born in Miami County, Ohio, in 1832, and his death occurred in 1900. He moved to Mercer County, in the early '40's and settled on the farm where his brother Joseph now resides. There he lived until his death, which occurred in 1900. Mr. Severns was a son of Joseph and Catherine (Duffy) Severns. Joseph Severns was born in 1800 and died in 1879, the death of his wife occurring later. Joseph and Catherine Severns had eight children, as follows: Franklin, the father of the subject of this sketch; Mary, who married J. M. Hussey and resides in Union township; John, who died unmarried; Margaret, who first married Joseph McNicol and is now the wife of Milton Denison, living at Spencerville, Ohio; Francis, who died in the army in 1862, unmarried; Richard, who married Mary Gross and resides in Union township; Joseph, residing on the old homestead, who. married Martha Jane Griffin; and William R., who resides in Union town- ship near Mendon. Mrs. Severns, the mother of our subject, was a daughter of William Harrison and Rebecca (Ross) Boroff. William Harrison Boroff was born in Dublin township, Mercer County, in 1812. Rebecca (Ross) Boroff was born February 26, 1821, in Franklin County, Ohio.
The following children were born to William Harrison Boroff and his wife: "Amanda, the mother of our subject, born December 24, 1838; Alfred, who resides in the South; Mary Melissa, who died in childhood; John R .; Nancy Ann, who married Charles Hardesty and resides at Spencerville, Ohio; Elizabeth, who married Reuben Haynes and resides east of Van Wert, Ohio; Sylvia, who died in childhood; Henry M., who lives in Hardin County, Ohio; William H. and Lewis R., who died in childhood; Jacob Alexander, who re- sides northeast of Elgin, Ohio; Jennie and Richard (twins), the former the wife of Lewis Edward Fox of Union township-the latter married Elizabetlı Goodwin and lives in Union township; Benjamin, who resides in Union town- ship; and Robert L., a resident of Muncie, Indiana.
, Eight children were born to Franklin Severns and his wife: Belle, who married George Washington Willcutt, of Union township; Charles, the sub- ject of this sketch; Emma, who married John Kelly, of Union township, and resides on the Claudius Griffin place; Alice, who married R. H. Smith and lives in Colorado; Ruth, who married Harry Robbins and lives at Mendon ; Joseph, residing in Union township on the Custer farm, who married a daugh- ter of George Custer, of Union township; Florence, who married Richard
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Crays and lives in Illinois; John, who married a daughter of Charles Hamil- ton, of Center township, and resides in the oil fields of Illinois.
Charles Severns, the subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood on his father's farm in Union township. In 1879, when 19 years of age, he started out in life for himself, locating on a farm half a mile from his present place. In 1898 he moved to his present farm, where he has since continued to reside, engaged in general farming. He now has three farms of 80 acres each. Mr. Severns raises principally clover, wheat and corn. He feeds his corn to his cattle, of which he always has a large number on hand, fattening them for market. Mr. Severns built his present comfortable home in 1896. He has one of the finest barns in the county, it being 40 by 90 feet in dimen- sions, with a cement floor ; it is about 45 feet in height. Besides being naturally fertile, his land is also valuable because of the discovery of oil, there being at present four fair producing wells; a fifth well has just been drilled.
Mr. Severns was married (first) to Maria Upton, a daughter of Thomas and Mehitable Upton, to which union two children were born-Clayton and Thomas, both of whom are single. Mr. Severns died December 24, 1893. The second marriage was with Edith Hebble, a daughter of Elam and Lorena Heb- ble, residents of Union township. Three children were born to this union, as follows: Cecil, Frank and Richard. Mr. Severns is a Democrat in poli- tics, but in local affairs votes for the man rather than the party.
ABRAHAM G. FAST
ABRAHAM G. FAST, an old settler and well-known citizen of Mercer County, who is also a survivor of the great Civil War, resides on his well-cul- tivated farm of 80 acres, which is situated in section I, Hopewell township. Mr. Fast was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, April 9, 1843, and is a son of Abraham and Mary J. (McGinter) Fast.
The parents of Mr. Fast were also natives of Fairfield County, where their parents had been among the earliest pioneers. Jacob Fast, the great- grandfather of our subject, came to Fairfield County from New Jersey at an extremely early date. In 1852 Abraham G. Fast accompanied his parents from Fairfield to Mercer County, and they settled in Center township, where they were among the early settlers.
Abraham G. Fast was reared in Center township, and enjoyed only the educational advantages offered by the pioneer schools. From his youth up he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. On February 22, 1864, he en- listed for service in the Civil War, entering Company D, 7Ist Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and remained in the service almost two years. During this time served
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under Generals Sherman and Thomas, and participated in a number of the great marches and battles which occurred in the closing years of the great struggle. He was present at the siege and taking of Atlanta, and after his regiment was attached to the Fourth Army Corps he was engaged in the battle of Franklin, the siege and battle of Nashville, and later was sent to Texas, where this army corps became a part of the Army of Observation. He was honorably discharged in November, 1865, at Columbus, Ohio, having been mustered out in Texas. He immediately returned to Mercer County, of which he has been a resident ever since. Although he was subjected to many dangers, he escaped them all and has the record of a brave, cheerful, faithful soldier.
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