History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 109

Author: Kinder, George D., 1836-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1744

USA > Ohio > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions > Part 109

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Henry W. Little is not a member of any lodges. Throughout his life, he has been an active Democrat and served as township clerk for two terms and also as township assessor for two terms. On August II, 1914, Mr. Little was elected as a member of the board of county commissioners of Putnam county.

Henry W. Little's fine farm shows his keen professional spirit. He has always been a hard worker, but, nevertheless, is a congenial man and well liked by his neighbors and the people of Putnam county. Mrs. Little is keenly interested in poultry and has come to be well known as a poultry fancier. She has a fine lot of over two hundred and fifty white Leghorn chickens. The Littles are well known in this section of the county and merit the confidence and esteem in which they are held by their fellow citizens and neighbors.

BOSTWICK F. BURGESS.

The present generation of readers in Putnam county needs no intro- duction to Bostwick F. Burgess, former sheriff of this county, but in making up history the compiler is actuated by a sense of duty to future generations ; hence, no history of Putnam county would be complete without proper men- tion of the life and services of this former official of the county.

Bostwick F. Burgess was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, on February 18, 1846, the son of Archibald and Agnes (Brownlee) Burgess. His father was a native of Pennsylvania, born about the year 1803, and met a tragic death in this county in June, 1869, having been crushed to death by a train of cars near the town of Columbus Grove, Ohio. His mother was a native of Scotland and was born in the year 1811 and died on Novem- ber 5, 1858.

To Archibald and Agnes (Brownlee) Burgess were born the following children, James W., Alexander, Elizabeth, Robert, Andrew J., Bostwick F., William C., Charles, Mary, Letitia, John and Agnes. Upon the death of his first wife, Archibald Burgess married Mrs. Martha Davis, to which union were born two children, Dora and Ellen. Archibald Burgess came to Put- nam county at an early day and purchased from the government two hundred

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acres of land in Pleasant township, the greater part of which he cleared and - to which he made additions at various times until he was one of the largest owners of real estate in his part of the county. He was a man of great in- · dustry and in addition to his extensive farming operations was locally noted as a breeder of fine stock, especially sheep.

Bostwick F. Burgess was reared a farmer, receiving his education in the schools of Pleasant township where he remained under the parental roof until the year 1864. In February of that year he enlisted in. Company D, Twenty-first Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until mustered out at Columbus, Ohio, in July, 1865. During his period of service, Mr. Burgess participated in a number of the bloodiest battles of the war, including Buzzard's Roost, Resaca, Jonesboro, and other engagements of the Atlanta campaign, he having been with Sherman in the celebrated march to the sea. On December 16, 1864, while on a foraging expedition about four miles from Savannah, he was captured by the enemy and held a prisoner of war at Florence and Andersonville, until his release on February 26, 1865. At the time of his capture, Mr. Burgess weighed one hundred and ninety- six pounds, but such was the treatment he received, while in the southern military prisons, that his weight at the time of his release had diminished to less than ninety pounds.

Following his discharge from the service of his country, Mr. Burgess returned to Putnam county and remained with his father on the farm in Pleasant township, until his marriage, in September, 1866, when he began farming for himself and in due time gained possession of a farm of one hundred and seventy acres of finely-improved land in Pleasant township. He remained on this farm for a period of twenty-six years, or until his elec- tion to the office of sheriff, in 1894, at which time he moved to the city of Ottawa, where he remained a couple of years following the expiration of his second term of office in 1898, returning to the farm in 1900. He, mean- while, had added to his original home farm by the presence of an adjoining tract and now owns two hundred and forty-four acres in sections 15 and 22, in Pleasant township, all of which is under a high state of cultivation. Following his retirement to the farm, Mr. Burgess remained there for four years, after which he returned to Ottawa and has lived in the county seat ever since, being very comfortably situated in his modern home at the north- east corner of the public square.

During his two terms of office, sheriff- Burgess created a record of service in that office. It was during this time that the hard times of 1894 to 1898 precipitated the foreclosure of several mortgages in Putnam county,

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entailing upon the sheriff a most disagreeable duty. It was said, by compet- ent authority, that during this period the sheriff was compelled to act in more foreclosure actions than had been brought during the whole term of sixteen preceding sheriffs. It also fell to his lot to take three of Putnam county's convicted officials to the state's prison at Columbus. Mr. Burgess's official activity has not been confined to the shrievalty, he having served for seven- teen years as a member of the school board of Pleasant township and for six years as a member of the city council at Ottawa, in which latter capacity he had much to do with public improvements in the county seat.

On September 6, 1866, Bostwick F. Burgess was united in marriage to Rebecca Norton, a well-known teacher of Putnam county, and to this union were born six children, two of whom, Zella L. and Margaret A., are deceased. Of the survivors, Eva A. married George Gettman, a prosperous farmer of Pleasant township, and has three children, all sons, Clifford, Loyd and George, the former of whom married Grace Teegarden, of Columbus Grove; Cora, who married O. L. Smith, lives at Leipsic, where Mr. Smith is engaged in business as a street building contractor, building stone roads and paved streets. During sheriff Burgess's incumbency, Mr. Smith served as deputy sheriff. He and Mrs. Smith have three sons, Gordon, Raymond and Fred; Francis N., the only son, who lives at Delphos, Ohio, married Ethel Heasley, daughter of Solomon Heasley and wife, and has two sons, Alva and Donald; Zoa, the youngest daughter, who is an accomplished musician, married J. F. Kline, a druggist, and lives at Spencerville, Ohio. The mother of these children died on March 7, 1914, and was widely mourned throughout the county, where she was held in the very highest regard by all. She was a member of the Methodist church and lived her goodness every day, always thinking of the welfare of others, always happiest when making others happy. She was a kind neighbor and friend of all, a faithful wife and loving mother. She was a member of the Pythian Sisters, in which lodge she was highly esteemed.

The parents of Mrs. Burgess were John and Elizabeth (McDole) Nor- ton, natives, respectively, of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The Nortons were an old New England family and the grandfather of Mrs. Burgess came to Putnam county as early as 1832, entering a tract of government land in section 13 of Pleasant township. This was the family home for many years and there Joel Norton, the grandfather died, and it was on the same farm that John Norton departed this life in May, 1866. Mrs. John Norton's par- ents were natives of Ireland and came to this country, following their mar- riage. Mrs. Norton died at her home, in Putnam county, in the year 1850,

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at the age of thirty-eight. To John and Elizabeth (McDole) Norton were born six children, as follow : Melissa J., wife of J. W. Fuller ; Elizabeth, de- ceased; Rebecca A., the late Mrs. Burgess; Rosetta and Violette, twins, the former of whom is the wife of George I. Best, of Columbus Grove, and the latter the wife of John Core, also of Columbus Grove; Margaret is the wife of David T. Mccullough, of Gilboa. John Norton married, secondly, Eliza- beth Frost, to which union were born five children, Sarah, Joel, John W., Hiram and an infant daughter, all of whom are now deceased.

Few men in Putnam county have as wide an acquaintance as former Sheriff Burgess and his genial ways, kindness of heart and substantial man- hood have endeared him to all who know him. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic post at Ottawa and a member of the Masonic and Pythian fraternities, in the affairs of which organizations he takes an active interest. He has been a life-long Democrat and his voice is not without its weight in the councils of that party in this county. His various official positions have brought him in close touch with the public and have given him a thorough acquaintance with its needs, and he is always found in the front ranks of those who are laboring for the best interests of the common- wealth.

RUDOLPH NEWMAN.

In these days of hustle and bustle for fame and fortune among our native born sons and daughters, it is refreshing to thumb the pages in the career of a venerable citizen of Putnam county, Ohio, now living in his beautiful country home and past the age of ninety years. That Rudolph Newman, who was born nearly a century ago in a foreign land, has been able, with no other assistance than the help of a willing and faithful wife, to ac- quire a large fortune in farm property in his adopted country, is a tribute to his economy, his industry and his wise and prudent management. In many respects, his career resembles the pages gleaned from some old volume of romance, rather than a statement of fact in the life of a man who still lives to bear testimony of his work as a citizen in this splendid country.

Born in Mecklenburg, Germany, August 9, 1825, Rudolph Newman, a well-to-do retired farmer of Putnam county, Ohio, is now the only member living of his father's family. John and Fred, two brothers, are deceased. His father having died early in his youth, he had little chance to obtain an education, and, at the age of eleven years was compelled to leave home and

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work for strangers, applying his earnings to the support of an invalid and widowed mother.

Married in Mecklenburg, Germany, at six o'clock in the evening of May 28, 1855, Rudolph Newman and his young bride, who, before her mar- riage was Elizabeth Genkel, born in Mecklenburg, Germany, November 8, 1824, sailed at midnight for America. The voyage to America constituted the honeymoon trip of this splendid German couple, who were very poor in purse, but who came to a new country to seek fame and fortune with good health and willing hands, as well as a determination that proved invincible. Steamships were by no means common in that day and the voyage, which was made on a sailing vessel and which was extremely perilous, required a period of eight weeks. Several severe storms were encountered during the voyage. Rudolph Newman and his bride had no relatives in the new country, but they were never beset with lonesomeness, for they were fond of each other and satisfied wholly with each other's companionship.

How Rudolph Newman and his young wife struggled from year to year, saving a little of each year's earnings, constitute a most interesting story. For a long time, however, all they had in money consisted of one copper penny, which they had saved and to which they added little by little, until it grew into a splendid fortune. Eventually, they were able to pay for five hundred and sixty acres of the best farming land to be found anywhere in Putnam county. The accumulation of this vast tract of land was the direct result of their own hard toil and frugality.

Landing in New York city, in the latter part of July, 1855, Rudolph Newman came direct to Arcadia, where he was employed for one hundred dollars a year. Out of this sum he was compelled to buy food for himself and wife. For nine years he continued in the employ of this man, and from his savings was able to purchase eighty acres of land, four miles east of McComb, to which farm he moved. Finding out, subsequently, that he could handle more land, he purchased the farm where he now lives, containing a hundred and sixty acres. There is little resemblance between the farm as it appeared then and as it appears now. Today it is one of the most attractive farms in Putnam county. Then it was little more than a vast forest, covered with trees on soil that was very wet. Excellent buildings are now standing on the farm; it is well drained, well fenced and well kept in every respect.

Rudolph Newman has given to each of his children a farm, and each is, therefore, provided with a home of his or her own. The Newman family consisted originally of six children, but two of them are now deceased. John Newman lived at home, working on the home farm and caring for his par-

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ents until the time of his death; Minnie died in infancy; Mary Newman lives at home and is at present caring for her aged father; Mrs. Ricca Imhoff lives near Leipsic; Mrs. Lena Shafer lives in McComb; and the other child is Mrs. Sarah Beisheim, of Bellmore. The mother of these children died, May 22, 1910, and on June 1, 1912, John Newman, the only son and brother in the family, passed away. Rudolph Newman has lived on the farm he now oc- cupies for more than forty-three years.

In youth Rudolph Newman was baptised and confirmed in the Lutheran faith, and remained a stanch Lutheran throughout his life. His wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Newman, during her life, was a devout member of that church. Rudolph Newman has always been a Democrat, but he has never been especi- ally active in politics, devoting his life rather to the interests of his family and his home. It seems eminently fitting, therefore, that in his declining years he should have, as he does, the loving care and kindness of the daughter who lives with him. He has been a good citizen of this great country, and a man eminently worthy of the generation in which he has lived.

GEORGE RIDENOUR.

In the early days the Middle West was often a tempting field for the energetic, ambitious and strong-minded men. Ohio was filled with them during the time she was struggling to a respectable position in the sisterhood of states. Before Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1802, a comparatively small number of people had settled within the boundaries of this state. There was a fascination in the broad fields of great promise which this new region presented to activity of men and which induced them to brave the discom- forts of early life here for the pleasure and gratification of constructing their fortunes in their own way and after their own methods. It is this class of men more than any other who give shape, direction and character to the life of any community. It is an axiom of history that it is the strong-willed and most energetic men who lead the van of the frontiersmen in any new and undeveloped country. George Ridenour, the subject of this sketch, and a farmer well known in Perry township, Putnam county, Ohio, is descended from old pioneer stock, men who have had much to do with the early history of Putnam county.

George Ridenour was born on October 27, 1860, in Perry township, Putnam county, across from the Blanchard river. He is the son of Jacob

GEORGE RIDENOUR AND FAMILY.

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and Fanny (Fretz) Ridenour. Jacob Ridenour was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, on March 2, 1815, and spent his boyhood days on the farm. He did not attend school until eighteen years of age. When the gold fever was abroad in 1851 he joined the caravan going west, and, traveling around the isthmus of Panama, finally reached California. Two years later he returned to Putnam county, where, on March 2, 1847, he had married Fanny Fretz, the daughter of John Fretz and wife, who was a Miss Shelby. Fanny Fretz was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on August 27, 1825, and came to Putnam county with her parents when she was a small child. Her father was a native of Pennsylvania of Dutch parentage and settled in Putnam county in 1835 on a tract of land which he entered from the government. Jacob Ridenour's father was John Ridenour, of Pennsylvania Dutch par- entage, who came to Fairfield county in the early twenties, and in 1826 to Putnam county, where he entered several tracts of government land, or in all about four hundred acres. He built a log cabin on the Blanchard river and began carving out a home in the wilderness. He entered forty acres of land where the town of Dupont now stands, and also a tract in Paulding county, Ohio. The children of John Ridenour were Michael, Jacob, Daniel, Elinor, Mary and Priscilla. Elinor married Dewitt McGill; Mary married Hugh Scott, and Priscilla married Rev. P. B. Holden.

Jacob Ridenour divided his land among his children before his death. He died in 1888, at the age of seventy-two years. Although he had been elected township treasurer at one time, he did not serve in this office. He was a Democrat in politics, and was not a member of any church.

Jacob and Fanny (Fretz) Ridenour were the parents of ten children : William, who died in infancy on October 1I, 1849; Mrs. Jane Wollam, of Wichita, Kansas; John, who died in Perry township in 1914; Albert, who died on March 9, 1899; Mrs. Mary A. Bibler, who lives in Perry township on the homestead farm; Mrs. Elizabeth Marriott, who died on January 22, 1889, in Perry township; George, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Emma Shirley, who lives in Monroe township; Orlando, who died in February, 1889, and Clara, who died at the age of sixteen years, in 1887.

George Ridenour grew to manhood in Perry township, and, with the exception of a few visits, has never been out of the township. He left home after his marriage and removed to his present farm of two hundred and sixty acres. This farm comprises several dicerent tracts. Mr. Ridenour is a general farmer and made all of the present improvements upon his land, in- cluding the buildings. He has also cleared most of the land.

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George Ridenour was married on December I, 1887, to Rona Simon, the daughter of Louis and Margaret (Dangler) Simon. Mrs. Ridenour was born on November 14, 1864, in Greensburg township, near Cuba. To this union two children, Lewis and Ottie, have been born, both of whom are liv- ing at home.

George Ridenour is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Continental, and is a Democrat. Mrs. Ridenour is a member of Mt. Zion Chapel, United Brethren church.

George Ridenour is one of the worthy citizens of Perry township. Al- though he has never been active in political affairs, he has been a leader in the civic, moral and educational movements of his township. Mr. Ridenour is a man who believes thoroughly in public movements and has been foremost in promoting them in his section of Putnam county. He is a man of splen- did poise and a very fine sensibility. He is highly respected.by his neigh- bors and admired by a wide circle of frends and acquaintances.

MICHAEL F. DOBMEYER.

Success comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by ex- perience that a man gets out of his life just about what he puts into it, with a reasonable interest on his investment. The man who starts in the world largely unaided, and who, by sheer force of will, industrious habits and good management, forges ahead and takes a position of honor and trust and busi- ness responsibility among his neighbors and fellow citizens, is a man to be admired and honored. Michael F. Dobmeyer, a well-known hardware em- ploye of Miller City, Ohio, is a man who has made a notable success in the business life of Palmer township. He belongs to that class of men who have contributed much to the bone and sinew of Putnam county, and added to the stability of government and its institutions generally.

Michael F. Dobmeyer was born on September 27, 1878, in Palmer town- ship, Putnam county, Ohio, one and one-fourth miles northeast of Miller City. He is a son of Frank and Barbara (Steinbauer) Bobmeyer.

The maternal grandparents of Michael Dobmeyer were natives of Bavaria, Germany, and lived and died in their native land. His paternal grandparents were natives also of Bavaria, Germany, who emigrated to America in the early days and settled first near Columbus, Ohio, where they remained for about three years. Later they came to Putnam county, Ohio,

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and were among the pioneers of this section, later moving to North Dakota, where they died.

Frank Dobmeyer, the father of Michael F., was born in Bavaria, Ger- many, and grew to manhood in that country. After coming to America, he settled in Columbus, Ohio, where he remained for several years. He was married to Barbara Steinbauer, who was also a native of Bavaria, and who came to this country and located in Columbus, Ohio. She had come to America alone. After their marriage, they settled on a farm in Palmer township, in Putnam county, Ohio, which farm consisted of forty acres, and which had previously been purchased by Mr. Dobmeyer. Besides farming, he worked as a carpenter, which trade he had learned in his native land, and which he had followed to some extent in that country. His services in this line were in great demand in Putnam county, and he was considered a skilled workman. Prior to coming to Putnam county he worked as a car repairer, at Columbus, Ohio. He is now living retired in Miller City. He is a Democrat in politics and served as township supervisor. He and his family are members of St. Nicholas's Catholic church, at Miller City.

Of the children born to Frank and Barbara (Steinbauer) Dobmeyer, Frank lives at Oakland, California; John lives at Defiance, Ohio; Michael is the immediate subject of this sketch; Joseph is mayor of Miller City, and Mary died in infancy.

Michael F. Dobmeyer spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, re- maining there until 1908. He received his education in the township schools. Michael F. Dobmeyer was married on May 31, 1905, to Emma Rechtine, who was born on September 26, 1887, in Ottawa township, south of Glan- dorf, the daughter of Anton and Mary (Kottenbrock ) Rechtine.

After his marriage, Mr. Dobmeyer remained on his father's farm for three years, when he moved to Miller City, where he engaged in the retail liquor business for three years. He disposed of this business and served as marshal of Miller City for two years, and worked for the German-American Sugar Beet Company, of Paulding, Ohio. On June 15, 1914, Mr. Dobmeyer engaged in the hardware and implement business of Frank Giesken, as an employe, at Miller City, where he assists in the management of the business. This firm does an extensive business among the farmers of the surrounding community. At present Mr. Dobmeyer is in the restaurant business at Miller City, which is both increasing and prosperous.

Michael F. Dobmeyer and wife are the parents of four children, Cor- nelius, born on May 31, 1906; Clara, January 22, 1908; Raymond, June I, 19II, and Arthur, September 16, 1913. Cornelius and Clara are attending school at Miller City.

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Michael F. Dobmeyer is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America at Miller City. He and his family are earnest and devoted members of St. Nicholas's Catholic church. Mr. Dobmeyer is a Democrat, and has served as township supervisor and also as marshal. He still owns his farm of forty- seven acres in Palmer township, and is justly rated as one of the substantial and representative citizens of his part of the county.

JOHN J. MILLER.

Among those men of high personal attainment and strength of char- acter who have reflected honor on the community, and at the same time attained to a commendable position among their fellow men, is the gentle- man whose name appears at the head of this paragraph, a man who, in every walk of life, has performed his full part, and who has given his unreserved support to every movement for the public welfare.

John J. Miller was born in Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, Ohio, on May 10, 1872, and is a son of Jacob W. and Catherine (Best) Miller. Jacob W. Miller was born near Piqua, Ohio, on September 19, 1831, a son of Jackson and Margaret (Teegarden) Miller. Jackson Miller and wife were both natives of Pennsylvania who emigrated early in pioneer days to Piqua, Ohio, where they were married, shortly after which time they moved to Putnam county, locating on what became a part of Sugar Creek township, Allen county, where they spent the remainder of their days. Jacob W. Miller was married to Catherine Best when he was twenty-seven years of age. To them were born the following children: William, deceased; George, Sarah, deceased; John J., Jane, Ann, Margaret, deceased; Mary and Allen.

John J. Miller was reared under the parental roof and secured his edu- cation in the old Michael district school. Upon leaving school he applied himself to the operation of the home farm, where he remained until thirty- one years of age, when he was married, and then located on forty acres of the southwest portion of the homestead farm, which has been his residence, continuously, since. He has made many permanent and substantial improve- ments on this place, including an eight-room residence, modern in every respect, a large and commodious barn and other necessary farm buildings. He has added ten acres to his home place, thus giving him an estate of fifty acres, and, in addition to this, he also farms forty acres adjoining him on

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History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 109

Author: Kinder, George D., 1836- Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1744

Author: Kinder, George D., 1836-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1744