History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 55

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985

USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 55

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In 1881 Salmon Flory was married to Susan Eikenberry, who was born March 22, 1862, in Preble county, Ohio, a daughter of Henry and Sallie (Teal) Eikenberry. To this happy union, four children have been born, Harry, who has been in the ice business for several years and is also a motion-picture operator at Eaton, and Iva, Oakley and Jennie, at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Flory are devout members of the German Baptist church in which they have always been prominent.

MINFORD D. JOHNSON.

Specific mention is made in this volume of many worthy citizens of Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio. Many of its present living citizens have figured in the growth and development of this favored locality, men whose interests are identified with its every phase of progress, each con- tributing in his sphere of action to the well being of the community, and to the advancement of its normal and legitimate growth. Among this num- ber of men is Minford D. Johnson, one of the leading farmers and stockmen of Lanier township.

Minford D. Johnson was born, March 4, 1870, on the farm where he now lives. He is the son of Alfred and Mary J. (Trout ) Johnson, who were the parents of three children, William, deceased; Mrs. Nora Flory, of Lanier township, and Minford D.

Alfred Johnson was born in 1837 in Gratis township, and was a farmer throughout his life. He came to Lanier township in 1858 where he engaged

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in farming on two hundred and twenty acres of land in section 28. He directed the operations of this farm until 1892. In the fall of 1892 he moved to Gratis, where he remained until his death, May 16, 1912. His wife, the mother of Minford D. Johnson, was born in 1838 on the same farm where Minford D. Johnson now lives. She is now living with her daughter, Nora. She is the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth ( Bowman) Trout, natives of Rockingham county, Virginia.

Minford D. Johnson was reared on the farm and attended school in district No. 3 in Lanier township. He has always remained on this farm and is now renting it from his mother. Mr. Johnson is a rather large share- holder in the telephone company of Preble county and a director and share- holder in the Farmers and Citizens Bank of West Alexandria. He also has property in Gratis and has an interest there in an undertaking establishment. Mr. Johnson will become the sole heir at his mother's death of two hundred and forty acres, the farm on which he now lives. He has made extensive improvements on this farm and at this time is engaged in extensive drainage projects. Minford D. Johnson is a scientific farmer in the practical sense of the word and has made his knowledge of the science of agriculture pay him handsomely. He believes in modern methods of agriculture and he believes in them, not so much because they are the methods which are being promoted in the colleges and universities, but because, by his own practical experience, he has demonstrated that farming is a real business which, if carried on successfully, must have the same attention as any other vocation.

Minford D. Johnson was married in 1892 to Clara B. Glander, an ac- complished young woman, who was born in 1874, in Preble county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of two children, Melva and Emerson W., both of whom are at home. In all of his enterprises, Mr. Johnson has had the hearty co-operation of his good wife and to her counsel, he owes part of his success as a twentieth-century farmer.

CHARLES D. FADLER.

Prominent in the affairs of Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, and distinguished as a citizen whose influence has been felt in the community where he lives, the name of Charles D. Fadler stands out. For several years he has been a successful farmer and stock breeder. All of his under- takings have been actuated by noble motives and high resolves, characterized

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by remarkable wisdom and strong individuality. His success and achieve- ments but represent the results of utilizing his natural talents and in direct- ing his efforts along those lines where mature judgment and rare discrimina- tion lead the way:

Charles D. Fadler was born, April 6, 1876, on the farm where he now lives, the son of John and Mary E. (Saures) Fadler, to whom six children were born. Only three of these children are now living, William, who lives in Phoenix, Arizona; Mrs. Dora E. Michael, of Washington township, and Charles D., the subject of this sketch.

John Fadler, the father of Charles D., was born in June, 1828, in Germany, and left there in 1847, settling in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a laborer for a few years. Subsequently, he went to Wisconsin. In the meantime he learned the shoemaker's trade and worked at this for a few years and then came to West Alexandria, Ohio. There he did various kinds of work and later engaged in farming with his father-in-law, until he purchased a farm near Eaton, Ohio. In 1870 he removed to Lanier town- ship and purchased eighty acres in section 15. He made some extensive im- provements upon this land and farmed it until his death in 1900. His wife, who was the mother of Charles D., was born in 1838 in Butler county, Ohio, and died in 1907. She was the daughter of George and Mary Ann (Kesling) Saures.

Both parents of Mr. Fadler were highly respected and esteemed citizens in the various communities in which they lived.

Charles D. Fadler was reared on the farm where he now lives and at- tended the district schools of Lanier township and, subsequently, the high school at West Alexandria, for one year. In 1897 he purchased from his father eighty-three acres of land in Gasper township and farmed this until his father's death. Upon his father's death, Charles D. Fadler sold out and removed to the old home place, which he bought in 1901. He now owns one hundred and twenty acres of land, five acres of which is natural timber. It is a splendid farm and Mr. Fadler is an excellent, up-to-date, enterprising farmer. Since removing to and purchasing the old home place, Mr. Fadler has remodeled his house and has made it thoroughly modern and up-to-date. This home is a credit to any farmer and Mr. Fadler naturally is proud of it, as he has every right to be.

In 1897 Charles D. Fadler was married to Ida Flory, who was born in 1878, in Gasper township, the daughter of Henry and Louise (Wagner) Flory. The Flory family were natives of Preble county and the Wagners

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came from Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles D. Fadler, two children, Paul and Ruth, have been born, both of whom are at home.

Mr. Fadler has been prominent in the educational circles of his town- ship and has served as a member of the school board for many years.

MARION A. EARHART.

To attain a worthy citizenship by a life that is honored and respected from childhood deserves more than mere mention. One may take his place in public life through some vigorous stroke of public policy, and even retain the affection of his friends and neighbors, but gradually to rise to the same position through sterling worth and faithfulness to trust rather than by crav- ing for exaltation and popularity. is worthy the highest praise and com- mendation. Thus has Marion A. Earhart, a farmer living on Route No. 9, out of Eaton, Ohio, risen in the world.

Marion A. Earhart was born near Somerville, Butler county, Ohio, May 27. 1853, a son of Samuel and Sarah ( Halk ) Earhart, the former of whom was born in Butler county, Ohio, in 1832, and died in March, 1904, and the latter of whom was born in the same county in 1834. Samuel Earhart and wife were the parents of two children, Marion A. and Lewis C., the latter of whom is a farmer of Dixon township.

Marion A. Farhart came to Preble county. Ohio, at the age of fifteen. He had attended school in his home county of Butler before coming here, and continued his education in the district schools of Preble county. He re- mained at home until his marriage in 1888, at which time he began farming for himself.

On May 23, 1888, Mr. Earhart was married to Susan A. Hagan, who was born in Missouri, a daughter of William and Sedelia (Wells) Hagan. Mr. Earhart became acquainted with her while on a visit to Missouri. To this union two sons have been born, Albert M. and Ivan H. Albert M., a farmer in Dixon township, was born August 1, 1889. He married Florence Moore and is the father of one daughter, Mary, who is now about two years old. Ivan H., born August 23, 1891, was graduated from the common schools and also from the high school, and is now a student in the Ohio State Uni- versity.

Mr. Earhart is a descendant of one of the oldest and most honored fami- lies of Dixon township. Throughout his life he has been a successful farmer,

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MARION A. EARHART AND FAMILY.

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and besides raising all the crops common to this section of the state has been very successful in the raising of good live stock for the markets. He is the owner of two hundred and twenty-three acres of good farming land in Dixon township, and is one of the substantial farmers of his section of the county.

Mr. Earhart is an adherent of the Republican party, and has served as trustee of his township, and also served two years as township treasurer, and was clerk of his township for thirteen years. Thus it is evident that Mr. Earhart exercises an important influence politically in the community in which he resides. He and his family are members of the Concord Christian church, in which Mr. Earhart is one of the deacons. He is a liberal supporter of this church and keenly interested in its work and welfare.

CHARLES LONGSTREET YOUNG.

To attain the rank of a worthy citizen by a life that is always honored and respected, even from childhood, deserves more than mere mention. Young men do not find it easy to resist the temptations of youth and estab- lish a reputation in the minds and hearts of their associates that will remain unstained at all times. Yet there is a sufficient incentive for young men to guard well their associations and that incentive is the reputation of a pure and noble manhood which the young man may have always before him as his ideal. The example of a worthy father is of great assistance to the son, and one of the comparatively young farmers of Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, who had the advantage of a worthy example on the part of his father, is Charles Longstreet Young, who was born October 10, 1876, in Gratis township, Preble county, Ohio.

Mr. Young is the son of Daniel and Martha E. (Longstreet) Young, to whom two children were born, the younger one dying in infancy. Daniel Young was born March 2. 1846, in Lanier township, Preble county. He farmed throughout his life and owned the farm upon which his son now lives until his death in 1912. His wife, who before her marriage was Mar- tha E. Longstreet, was born August 27, 1848, and died August 26, 1911. Both Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Young were devoted members of the Christian church and left, besides the competence which they had acquired, the heritage of a Christian life to their only living child, Charles Longstreet. .

Charles Longstreet Young was reared on the farm near West Alexan- (37)

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dria, and, after finishing his education in the public schools of West Alexan- dria, he attended Heidelburg College, at Tiffin, Ohio, where he took a gen- eral classical course. In 1904 he went to Dayton, Ohio, and was employed there as an electric motorman for seven years. He then took a business course at Jacobs' Business College,at. Dayton, Ohio, and subsequently did contracting, excavating and team, work. Eighteen months later, however, he came back to Preble county, where he, for a time, owned a farm on the Eaton and West Alexandria pike. Not long ago, however, Mr. Young be- came the heir to one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 21, in Lanier township, and removed to this farm on January 28, 1915. As a farmer he is an extensive breeder of Poland China hogs and Red-Polled cattle, and is enjoying a remarkable success in this business.

Charles L. Young was married in 1900 to Fay Dewitt, who was born May 7, 1873, in Butler county, Ohio, the daughter of Jacob and Mahla (Freeman) Dewitt. Mr. Freeman, the father of Mrs. Jacob Dewitt, was one of the largest owners of farm real estate and one of the largest stock- men in Butler county, Ohio. He employed from fifteen to twenty men the 'year around. Mrs. Young was graduated from the Gratis, Ohio, schools and taught school for two terms. To Charles L. and Fay (Dewitt) Young one child, Nellie L., was born, in 1901.

Politically, Mr. Young is a stanch Republican and has been active in the `councils of his party, although he has never held office. He and his wife attend the Reformed church. Fraternally, Mr. Young is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Dayton, Ohio.

IRA FUDGE.

In the history of Preble county, Ira Fudge, a prominent farmer and stockman of Lanier township, has occupied a conspicuous place for many years. He is not only a representative farmer, but his present standing has been attained by progressive, enterprising and persevering habits of mind. Such qualities always win success and they have brought Mr. Fudge a satis- factory reward for his efforts. Mr. Fudge has long been an influential factor in the educational, civic and financial life of the community which has been favored by his residence.

Ira Fudge was born on January 31, 1851. in Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, the son of Franklin and Susannah (Markey) Fudge. to whom

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eight children were born. Franklin Fudge was born, December 15, 1826, in section 34, of Lanier township, Preble county. Throughout his life he was a hard-working man and enjoyed the good will of all of his neighbors. At the time of his death he owned several farms, which have been divided among his children. He died in February, 1897, and his wife, who was Susannah Markey, was born on August 5, 1830, and died, October 30, 1906. She was born in Frederick county, Maryland, and came to Preble county, Ohio, with her parents when seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Fudge were married on September 2, 1849. She was a devout member of the Dunkard church during her entire life.

Ira Fudge was the eldest child born to his parents. Because of the ex- ceptionally hard labor on the farm and the need of help, Ira Fudge never was able to obtain an extensive education, but what he did obtain, he sup- plemented by home study and has become a well-informed farmer and citi- · zen. Mr. Fudge inherited altogether one hundred and eighteen acres of land, but he now owns more than twice this amount, in all two hundred and sixty-eight acres, fifty acres of which are covered with natural timber. Ira Fudge is one of the large stockholders of the Twin Valley Bank, of West Alexandria, and is also a stockholder in the telephone company and in the Page Fence Company, of Menenses, Pennsylvania.

Ira Fudge was married on March 31, 1875, to Eliza K. Clark, who was born on October 26, 1853, in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Jesse F. and Nancy ( Halteman) Clark. Jesse F. Clark was reared on a farm and was the proprietor of a grocery store for a short time at Dayton, Ohio. Later in life he engaged in farming near Dayton. He was born at Dayton, Ohio, and his wife was a native of Pennsylvania. Both of Mrs. Fudge's parents are deceased.

To Ira and Ella K. (Clark) Fudge four children have been born, as follow: Mrs. Edna Brubaker, who is the wife of Doctor Brubaker, of Cov- ington, Ohio; Mrs. Ada N. Kimmel, of Gratis, Ohio; one who died in in- fancy; and Jesse, who is directing the operations of the home farm.

Ira Fudge is an ardent Democrat and has been active in the councils of his party in Preble county. In 1887 he was the Democratic candidate for county commissioner but was defeated. He served as township trustee of Lanier township for two terms, and in this office made a commendable record, giving complete satisfaction to his constituents, the people of this township. Mr. and Mrs. Fudge and family are members of the Brethren church and have always been among the stanch supporters of this denomi- nation.

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CASPER GRIEM.

Among the earnest residents of Preble county, Ohio, whose enterprise and strength of character have gained for them a prominent place in the community life of Lanier township, as well as the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens, is Casper Griem, a prominent farmer and stockman. Mr. Griem is well known in Lanier township, where he resides, and is a man of decided opinions and laudable ambitions. His influence ever has been ex- erted for the advancement of his vocation and he now ranks among the representative farmers of Preble county.

Casper Griem, farmer and stockman, was born on August 8, 1863, in Germany, a son of John and Dorothy (Fauldorf) Griem, to whom ten chil- dren were born, eight of whom are still living. John Griem was born in Germany, about 1838, and remained in his native land during his entire life, where he followed the vocation of a farmer. His death occurred in 1906. His wife, who was Dorothy Fauldorf, was born in 1833 in Germany, and died in 1888.

Casper Griem left his native land in 1882, and, after an uneventful voyage across the Atlantic, arrived in this country, coming at once to Preble county and locating at West Alexandria. For some time he worked at farm labor in the vicinity of West Alexandria, but later he removed to Mont- gomery county, Ohio, and worked as a farm hand in that county. He then rented land for a period of five years in Montgomery county, but in 1898 he returned to Preble county and purchased eighty acres of unimproved land in Lanier township. Mr. Griem, however, was not discouraged by the stren- uous task that confronted him and out of the profits in operating this farm he has since been able to build a substantial brick house, as well as a large and commodious barn and other outbuildings. He has been a hard-working and industrious farmer and is a loyal, naturalized citizen of this great coun- try. Casper Griem, by his earnest efforts and untiring industry, has done what many of our native-born citizens have failed to do. He has, during his comparatively brief residence in this country, accumulated a competence for old age, and in so doing has won the distinction which belongs to a man who is willing to forsake the ties which bind him to his native land and take up the burdens of life in a new country. Mr. Griem is a prominent stock- holder in the Twin Valley Bank, of West Alexandria, Ohio.

Casper Griem was married, in 1892, a few years after his arrival in this country, to Margaret Myers, a native of Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, born in 1862, a daughter of John and Katherine (Ahler) Myers, both

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natives of Germany. Mrs. Griem's parents were early settlers of Preble county. Mr. and Mrs. Griem are the parents of one daughter, Ruth, who is living at home with her parents.

Although Mr. Griem votes the Democratic ticket, he has never taken an exceptional interest in politics, but has devoted his time and his energies to his own personal business affairs. He and his wife are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church and contribute liberally of their means to this denomination.

DANIEL E. LESH.

Among the men of sterling worth and strength of character, who have made an impression on the life of the locality in which they live, no one has achieved a larger degree of popular respect than Daniel E. Lesh. His life- long residence in this one locality has given the people an opportunity to know him in every phase of his character. That he has been true to life in its every phase is manifest by the esteem and regard in which he is held by all those who know him. He has won success by his own honest endeavor and indomitable energy and has placed himself in the front ranks of the farmers of his community by exercising these excellent qualities. Mr. Lesh has outstripped the less active plodders on the highway of life and has achieved marked success in agricultural affairs. He has won for himself a name that all men who know him delight to honor.

Daniel E. Lesh, a prominent farmer and stockman of Lanier township, Preble county, Ohio, was born on February 28, 1855, in Lanier township. He is the son of John and Julia Ann (Furry) Lesh, the former of whom was born on September 4, 1818, on the farm which Daniel E. Lesh now owns, and the latter born, August 20, 1819, in Gratis township. John Lesh died on December 29, 1887, and his wife died, December 3, 1890.

To the union of John and Julia Ann (Furry) Lesh, six children were born, Mrs. Elizabeth Young, born on August 12, 1850, who lives at South Bend, Indiana; Mrs. Katherine Brubaker, born on July 8, 1853; Daniel E., the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Maria Wherly, born on February 9, 1857, and died in 1901 ; Mrs. Julia A. Driskel, born on October 18, 1858, and Mrs. Mary E. Driskel, born on July 16, 1862. The two latter sisters married brothers and are now living under one roof in Warren county, Ohio, where they are farmers.

John Lesh's marriage to Julia Ann Furry was his second marriage, he

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previously having married Catherine Miller, who died in 1845, at the age of twenty-nine years. She left Mr. Lesh two children, Jacob, who lives in Wisconsin, and Mrs. Nancy W. Young, who is deceased.

John Lesh was the son of Jacob and Mary (Landis) Lesh, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter a native of Virginia. Jacob Lesh entered the farm now owned by Daniel Lesh and received a patent for it from the government. This farm is located in section 18 of Lanier town- ship and has been in the Lesh family for one hundred years. Jacob Lesh was born in 1786 in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and was a soldier in the War of 1812. The Lesh family has a written family history, comprising six hundred names. They are descended from Balthaser and Susannah Phil- lipina Loesch, Palatines, who were driven by religious persecution from Gersheim, near Worms, Germany. Balthaser Loesch died at sea on the way to America, but his family came on and settled first in Berks county, Penn- sylvania. The three children were Johann Adam, Wilhelm and Johann George.

Daniel E. Lesh received his schooling in district No. 7 in Lanier town- ship. Mr. Lesh purchased his present farm from the estate of his grand- father, Jacob Lesh, which comprises one hundred and sixty-four acres. Mr. Lesh has remodeled many of the buildings and made many other substantial improvements. He has built a two-story brick house, which cost in the neighborhood of seventeen hundred dollars and erected a barn, forty-four by sixty-four feet, at a cost of approximately twelve hundred dollars. Mr. Lesh now owns two hundred and twenty-five acres of land. He rents it to his son, Enos, who lives on the home farm. Both father and son are pro- gressive and use only the very latest farm implements, including a gasoline tractor plow, one of the very few in this part of Ohio. This indicates the progressive and enterprising spirit of the Lesh family and explains to some extent their unusual success in farming.

Daniel E. Lesh has been married twice. He was first married, January 15, 1880, to Lavina E. Young, who was born in Gasper township, Preble county, Ohio, November 17, 1858, and died on June 20, 1883, leaving one son, Ora A., who was born on June 7, 1883, and died on August 3, 1901. Mr. Lesh was married, secondly, on January 21, 1886, to Eliza A. Baker, who was born on March 30, 1862, the daughter of Jacob and Nancy (Cloyd) Baker, both natives of Ohio. Jacob Baker, a life-long farmer, died August 29, 1874, in Montgomery county. He was a son of John and Mary (Warner) Baker. Nancy (Cloyd) Baker was a sister of William S. Cloyd,

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whose sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume, gives her ancestry. She died on July 20, 1869.

Mrs. Lesh is one of six children born to her parents Phares, who died at the age of twenty-five; Harvey C., born on February 18, 1856, lives in Chicago, Illinois; Mrs. Hannah Jordan, of Montgomery county, Ohio; Eliza, the wife of Mr. Lesh; Mrs. Sophia Brubaker, of Gasper township, and Levi, who lives in Oklahoma.

'To Mr. and Mrs. Daniel E. Lesh, three children have been born, one who died in infancy; Enos, born on February 11, 1887, who is at home, and Anna C., wife of Edwin Donlinger, born on September 14, 1891, and who lives in Lanier township. Mr. and Mrs. Lesh also reared a child taken from the Cincinnati orphans' home. Her name was Oman and in 1912 she mar- ried Frank Glander. She and her husband are the parents of two children, Earl and Richard.

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History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 55

Author: R. E. Lowry Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 985

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985