USA > Ohio > Mercer County > History of Mercer County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 67
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Hopewell township; and Roy T., Benjamin H., Nora M. and Richard R., all at home. Mr. Eichenauer has given his children every advantage in his power and has seen them develop into bright, intelligent and respected young people.
In politics, Mr. Eichenauer is a Republican, but he has never been willing to accept any office except that of school director of District No. 4, which he has faithfully served in this capacity. He is a valued member of the Evan- gelical Association and takes a very active part in church and Sunday-school work. He is a very highly respected citizen, one who has prospered through his own industry and one who can number many friends among his neighbors.
WILLIAM WEIR
WILLIAM WEIR,* a representative farmer and well-known citizen of . Hopewell township, who owns a superior farm of 80 acres, situated in section 30, was born here, December 9, 1855, and is the only son of Christian and Minnie (Vogel) Weir.
The parents of Mr. Weir were both born in Germany and came to Mer- cer County as settlers when the greater part of this township was awaiting development. Christian Weir purchased 40 acres of land, right in the green woods, obtaining it from the government. He was a hard-working, thrifty man and cleared his land and reaped ample returns from it. He was twice married, the mother of our subject dying in 1871. Politically he was a Demo- crat. Religiously he was a consistent member of the Lutheran Church. Christian Weir lived to advanced age, dying May 17, 1902, in his 90th year.
William Weir remained at home assisting his father and securing a fair common-school education in the vicinity of his home. He has always devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits and, with the exception of a residence of nine years in Shelby County, has always lived in Mercer County.
Mr. Weir was married (first) to Mary A. Wenker, of Shelby County, who became the mother of four children: Clara M., wife of Charles Haney, of Hopewell township; Henry C., of Hopewell township; Minnie, who resides at New Bremen; and John William Edward, who lives at home. Mr. Weir married (second) Elizabeth Eichenauer, and the two children of the second marriage are : Ada L. and Orville E.
'Mr. Weir is a good citizen and an intelligent student of public affairs. He has not identified himself with any political party, but casts his vote as his judgment dictates. In local matters his fellow-citizens know that they can depend upon his support in promoting all objects looking to the development of the agricultural resources and the betterment of the public schools.
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FOSTER JACKSON
FOSTER JACKSON,* a prosperous farmer of Union township, residing on a farm of 80 acres owned by him and his brother, located in section 7, was born in York township, Van Wert County, Ohio, August 27, 1880, and is a son of Simeon and Rebecca (Hays) Jackson.
Simeon Jackson was born in Van Wert County in 1851 and died in 1902. He was a son of Federal Jackson, who was one of the pioneers of Van Wert County, and who died when his son was a small child. Simeon Jackson en- listed in Company A, 49th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and served four years and three months. He participated in a number of severe engagements, including the battles of Gettysburg, Shiloh, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain and Mis- sion Ridge. He was at Atlanta, also at Jonesboro and at Lovejoy. Mr. Jackson was mustered in at Lima, Ohio. He was wounded in the jaw during the war, which caused a cancer and resulted in his death in 1902. Mrs. Jack- son was born in 1851 and is still living at the age of 55 years. They became the parents of sons and daughters, namely : Otis, who is traveling through the West; Elzy, who married Etta Couch, of Spencerville and re- sides on the farm that he and his brother Foster own; Oscar, who lives on the home farm with his mother in York township, Van Wert County; Minnie, widow of George Lamb, residing with her mother in Van Wert County, who has two children-Leah and Leslie; Sallie, who married Charles W. Brown and died in 1897, leaving five children-Louis, Cole, Rea, Jessie and Florence (deceased) ; Willis, who married Ella Rickets, of Baltimore, Ohio, where he now resides-he has five children.
Foster Jackson was reared in York township, Van Wert County, until 15 years of age, attending school in District No. 3, and then went South to Birmingham, Alabama, being also at Chattanooga, Tennessee, for a time. After returning home, he went to Illinois and Indiana for one year, after which he returned to Ohio again and engaged in the moving business, moving houses and buildings. He met with much success and continued in this busi- ness until 1904, when he located on the Branson Roebuck farm. Two years later he bought the Doc. Cole farm of 80 acres, on which he now resides, where he has since been engaged in general farming. Mr. Jackson also owns an 80-acre farm in Idaho, which is under irrigation; on this land in 1906 he raised 1,500 bushels of wheat from 72 acres. The farm in Union township is owned in partnership with his brother, who is now engaged in the moving business.
Mr. Jackson was married in 1901 to Maud Dull, a daughter of Delbert and Melissa (Roebuck) Dull, of Union township. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Jackson: Ralph, aged three years, and Roy, who is one year old.
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WILLIAM CRON
WILLIAM CRON,* one of the leading business men at Celina, who con- ducts the largest carriage factory in Mercer County, is a native of Ohio and was born at Marysville, in December, 1848. He is a son of John and Theresa (Meyer) Cron.
John Cron, the father of our subject, was born in Germany and remained in his native land until he was 23 years of age. He then came to America, later to Ohio, and worked for a time at blacksmithing at Canton, and then settled permanently at Marysville (Cassella), where his death took place. He married Theresa Meyer and they had five children: John, Jacob, Mary, William and Adam.
William Cron was reared at Marysville and was educated in the district schools. He worked as a farmer until after the death of his father, when he went to Cincinnati, then to Indianapolis and in the latter city he served four years learning the blacksmith and carriage building trade. In 1869 he set- tled at Celina and for many years he has been a very prominent business man here. He established a carriage and wagon factory in connection with black- smithing and now controls a large part of the trade of the county in this line of industry. Constant employment is given a large force of expert workmen.
In January, 1871, Mr. Cron was married to Lizzie Hierholzer. They have seven children living, namely: John, who is engaged in carriage manu- facturing at Wauseon, Ohio; Flora, wife of B. H. Schele, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Fred, foreman trimmer in his father's carriage works; Ada, living at home; Harman, bookkeeper and salesman in his father's establishment; Carl, who is in charge of the distributing office of the Standard Oil Company, at Lima, Ohio; and Hildgard, who lives at home. The subject of this sketch is a member of the Catholic Church and, fraternally, of the Knights of Co- lumbus. He is a Democrat in politics and has held several city offices, at the - present time being a member of the Village Council. Mr. Cron is one of the self-made men of Celina and has become one of its capitalists, owning a large amount of real estate.
HERMAN PULSKAMP
HERMAN PULSKAMP,* a prosperous business man of Celina, a leader in the furniture line, has been established here since 1889. He was born in 1859, at Cincinnati, and is a son of the late Hon. H. H. Pulskamp.
Hon. H. H. Pulskamp was long a prominent citizen of Mercer County. He was born in Germany, emigrated to the United States and worked for a number of years as a wagonmaker at Cincinnati and at St. Johns, Mercer
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County. He served through two terms as county treasurer and two terms as probate judge of Mercer County. He died in 1892. His wife, Mary Schafer, who was also of German extraction, died in 1886. Their surviving children are: Catherine, wife of Henry Goecke, of St. Johns; Herman, of this sketch; Henry, a hardware merchant at Celina; John, cashier of the Commercial Bank of Celina; Bernard, a physician; George, editor of the Bote, a German newspaper at Celina; and Edward, who lives at St. Bernards, a suburb of Cincinnati. Four children died in infancy.
Herman Pulskamp learned the carriage-making trade at Celina, after completing his education, and worked at his trade for about 13 years and then engaged in the furniture business. To this he has added undertaking and the business is carried on under the firm name of H. & J. Pulskamp.
In September, 1881, Mr. Pulskamp was married to Catherine Hein, a daughter of Henry Hein, and they have four children, viz .: Fred, Clara, Nora and Ada. With his family, Mr. Pulskamp belongs to the Catholic Church. He is also a member of St. Joseph's Society and the Catholic Knights of Ohio. Among his fellow-citizens he stands as an honorable business man, who for the past 15 years has carried on business with methods which have won him the respect and confidence of all and the esteem and friendship of a large number.
PETER NIEKAMP
PETER NIEKAMP,* a representative farmer of Marion township, who owns an excellent farm of 160 acres in section 10, was born on this farm, February 10, 1859, and is a son of. Frederick and Catherine (Stammen) Niekamp.
The father of our subject was born in Germany in 1811 and came to America in young manhood. For a short time after reaching America, he worked at Cincinnati, as a laborer and then went to Tippecanoe, Ohio, where he lived for 16 years. He hauled the logs that were used in building thel first house in this place. Here he married a lady who was born at Dayton, Ohio, and they had four children, viz .: John, Clemmens, Joseph and Mary, who married Rudolf Klostermann.
In 1850 Mr. Niekamp moved to Mercer County and later traded an old surrey buggy for the land which is now a part of our subject's farm. About seven acres had been cleared. He was one of the earliest settlers in this region. He built first a log cabin which he replaced in 1872 by a large six- room brick residence which our subject now occupies. About two years after settling here, his first wife died and he married Catherine Stammen, who came from Germany. To this union were born these children: Henry, who
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married Catherine Koch; Minnie, who married John Ronnebaum; Gerhard, who married Elizabeth Mestemaker; Peter; Frank, who married Elizabeth Klostermann; and Elizabeth and Catherine, both deceased. Mr. Niekamp soon acquired fluency in speaking the English language and in the early days, with Joseph Siefken and a Mr. Loocterfelt, frequently accompanied German neighbors when they went to Celina to settle legal difficulties and business matters. He died August 18, 1894, aged 83 years, his wife having passed away in the month of May previous. They were most worthy people, widely known and highly esteemed.
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Peter Niekamp was reared in Marion township and worked for his father into manhood. On September 25, 1884, he was married to Frances Bertke, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Bertke, who was born in Germany and emigrated to America before the birth of Mrs. Niekamp. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bertke were: Elizabeth, who married Barney Vahorn; Ann, who became the wife of Harman H. Schwietermann; Mary, who married Barney Knopke; John, who married Dinah Clune; Mathias, who married Mary Hostelinger; and Barney, who married Catherine Knopke. The father as- sisted in the construction of the canal, from Cincinnati to the reservoir. He died in 1905, at St. Marys, where his wife had died in 1901.
Mr. and Mrs. Niekamp have had nine children, namely: Clemmens, Catherine, Fred, Matilda, Leboretta, Leo, Tocilla (deceased), Regina and Richard. Mr. Niekamp and family belong to the Most Precious Blood Cath- olic Church at Chickasaw.
In 1888 our subject bought this farm from his father. He is interested also in the Chickasaw Grain & Milling Company, having become a partner in 1906. This promises to be one of the leading business enterprises of the place.
JAMES K. HEAP
JAMES K. HEAP,* one of the prominent citizens of Fort Recovery, now retired from active business life, was born at Dayton, Ohio, September 19, 1848, and is a son of Henry and Olivia (Reed) Heap.
The father of Mr. Heap was born in England, where he remained until he was 20 years of age and then came to America, finding employment at Philadelphia, as a cotton spinner. In that city he married Olivia Reed, a daughter of William Reed, who was a prominent public official of Philadel- phia. During the War of 1812 Mr. Reed was powder inspector at Philadel- phia. After his marriage, Henry Heap removed to Dayton, Ohio, where he went into business with a Mr. Wise, as a woolen manufacturer, and later be- came foreman for the Gibson woolen-mill, a position he filled for a number of
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years. Both parents of our subject died at St. Marys, Ohio, the father in 1898 and the mother in 1895. Their children were as follows: Edward, who died when his parents were crossing the mountains, on their way to Ohio from Pennsylvania; Mary, deceased, who was the wife of Samuel Hoffman, also de- ceased; Ellen, who married (first) Noah Bretz, and (second) Howard Lev- ery ; Henry, a resident of St. Marys; Ann, wife of John Binkler, of St. Marys; and James K.
When our subject was about five years old, his parents removed to St. Marys, making the trip on a canal-boat. He was reared at St. Marys and at- tended the public schools and subsequently learned the grist-mill business, which he followed for some years. He then engaged in farming until 1881. He still owns 30 acres of fine land in Auglaize County. After leaving the farm he removed to St. Marys and was in the hardware business there until 1885, when he came to Fort Recovery and bought a grain elevator, which business he conducted until he sold it in November, 1905. Mr. Heap owns consider- able valuable property in addition to his farm mentioned. In 1890 he pur- chased his fine residence at Fort Recovery, located on a five-acre tract of land, and he has a number of improved lots in St. Marys. He has served on the village Council of Fort Recovery with efficiency and to the advantage of the public.
In 1872 Mr. Heap was married to Elizabeth Ferguson, a daughter of Archibald and Margaret Ferguson, and they have had four children, namely : Harry, who died aged nine years; Roy, who is in the clothing and men's furnishings business at Montpelier, Indiana ; Maude and James Edward. Mr. Heap's daughter is a very highly accomplished young lady. She graduated from the Fort Recovery High School and then became a student in the Lake Erie Seminary, at Painesville, Ohio. Since 1896 she has been a successful teacher in the primary schools at Fort Recovery. Every summer she enjoys a vacation course at Oxford, Ohio. The youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Heap is a practicing physician at St. Marys. He also graduated from the Fort Re- covery High School, later from the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati and spent one year at the Good Samaritan Hospital and one at the German Dea- coness' Hospital, Cincinnati.
Mr. Heap is prominent in Masonry, being a member of the chapter and commandery at Celina, and has been identified with the fraternity since he was 24 years of age.
LANNEY LEE SHEELEY
LANNEY LEE SHEELEY,* one of the prominent farmers and first-class citizens of Franklin township, resides on his 240-acre farm, located in section
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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY
28, and also owns 43 acres in section 16 and 59 acres more in section 21, mak- ing his total holdings 342 acres of some of the best farming land in the south- eastern section of the county. Mr. Sheeley was born June 27, 1870, on the old Sheeley home place in Greene County, Ohio, and is a son of Isaac and Susan F. (Richardson) Sheeley.
Rev. Philip Gatch, our subject's great-great-grandfather on the maternal side, was the first Methodist preacher in Ohio; he settled at Batavia, Clermont County, Ohio, as early as 1772.
The first member of the Sheeley family to settle in Ohio was our subject's great-grandfather, who was born in Ireland, emigrated to America and settled at Jamestown, Greene County, where his son William was subsequently born. William Sheeley married Elizabeth Ausborn and they had seven children, namely : Presocia, Sarah Mary, David O., Isaac, Lydia, Alice and Harriet, all of whom survive except Presocia and Alice.
Isaac Sheeley was born in Greene County, Ohio, May 14, 1849, and lived at home until his marriage, after which he purchased a farm in Fayette County, on which he resided for a time and then removed with his family to Mercer County, in the fall of 1881 settling at Montezuma. In Greene County he married Susan F. Richardson, who died in the spring of 1887. She was a daughter of Wilson Richardson, who came to Ohio from Virginia. Before the parents moved from Greene County, our subject and his sister Lou were born. Lou subsequently married H. F. Littlefield; they live in California.
Lanney L. Sheeley remained at home until the death of his mother, when he went to work for John Beauchamp, who was a farmer in Franklin town- ship, and made his home with him for two years. When he was about 19 years of age, he embarked in the fish business on his own account and con- ducted it at Montezuma before and after his marriage. He made considerable money in this venture, enough to enable him, in 1890, to purchase his first farm of W. F. Short. In 1898 he removed to his present farm, which he had bought of Hon. Stephen A. Armstrong and which is a very valuable property. All of his land is well located, his 43-acre tract in section 16 bordering on Lake Mercer and being also bounded by the Bennett turnpike and Prairie Creek. He carries on general farming and is very successful in his agricul- tural operations. -
On November 23, 1892, Mr. Sheeley was married to Laura Belle Wat- kins, a daughter of Ezra Watkins, of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Mrs. Sheeley has the following brothers and sisters: Mollie, who married Harry Sholley and lives at Lebanon, Pennsylvnaia; Almeda, who married John Miller and lives at Anderson, Indiana; Eri, who married Jane Downs and lives at Zanesville, Ohio; Charles, who married Nellie Peele and resides at Pickrelltown, Ohio; Jennie, who married Addison Clarridge and lives in Logan County near her
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brother Charles; Effie, who lives on the Watkins home place in Logan County ; and Howard, who married Alice Loughridge and lives at Lewisburg, Ohio- both he and his wife are preachers in the Society of Friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Sheeley have two children, namely : Beulah Elizabeth, born October 18, 1895; and Lysle Lee, born April 7, 1899. Mr. Sheeley and wife belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. The subject of this sketch has given efficient service on the township School Board, but has held no other office, devoting his time to his business. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Odd Fellows.
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HECKMAN BINDERY, INC. Bound-To-Please"
DEC 00
N. MANCHESTER, INDIANA 46962
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