History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 112

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 112

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Henry Knueven's father presented him with eighty acres of land in the south part of Liberty township, about two years before his marriage. This land cost about ten dollars an acre, and when Mr. Knueven moved to- this farm, it had only a shanty on it and a round log barn, in the way of improvements. The land was covered with timber and the soil was very swampy, but with unceasing industry Mr. Knueven gradually improved the land, draining the soil, and clearing off the heavy timber until he now has a splendid farm where once there was a wilderness, and has added ninety acres. more to the place. He has built a splendid new house and a good barn and other outbuildings, necessary in the perfect equipment of an up-to-date farm.

To Henry and Catherine (Ellerbrock) Knueven five children have been born, of whom one daughter, Bertha, died when two years of age. The four living children are: Bernard, Emma, Minnie and Lawrence. Bernard makes. his home with his father; Emma is the wife of Jacob Backies, and lives at Milan, Michigan; Minnie is the wife of John Schmenk, and lives three miles- north of Mr. Knueven, and they have three children, Arthur, Jacob and Catherine : Lawrence married Maggie Rump, and lives on a farm five miles north of Miller City. He has one daughter, Isabelle.

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Henry Knueven is a member of the Democratic party, but has never taken a very active interest in political matters, preferring rather to devote his entire time and attention to his farming interests. The family are all devout members of the Catholic church. Mr. Khueven is interested in the common welfare of his community, and takes an active part in all questions. concerning the good of his fellow citizens.

FRANK H. MORMAN.

The pioneers of Putnam county, Ohio, suffered innumerable hardships. Some of the most prosperous farmers and some of the earliest pioneers are of German descent and their success is due to their untiring energy and per- severance. Wherever Germans locate, they prosper and become valuable citizens.

One of the prosperous citizens of Liberty township, Putnam county, is- Frank H. Morman, who came from good German stock. He was born in 1852, in Glandorf, Putnam connty, the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Oster- feld) Morman. His father was born in Osnabruck, Hanover, Germany, and at the age of twelve years came to America with his parents, Anthony and Dorothea (Treme) Morman.

They came very soon after Professor Horstman and his company settled in Glandorf. Henry Morman lived in Cincinnati until manhood and was living there when he married Elizabeth Osterfeld. His brothers came to Putnam county, Ohio, and worked at digging on the old canal. Henry Mor- man was a cook in a Cincinnati hotel. His wife, Elizabeth Osterfeld, was born in Germany, the daughter of George Osterfeld and wife, who came from Oldenburg, Germany, and who lived on a farm at Minster, Ohio. Henry Morman moved to Glandorf, after his marriage, and engaged in the general mercantile business, two or three years, until his death. His wife died six months later and Frank H. Morman, left an orphan one year old, was reared by his father's parents in Greensburg township. When the boy was twelve years of age, his grandparents moved to Glandorf and Frank H. worked out until about twenty-five years old.

He traded about seventeen acres, at Glandorf, for one hundred and sixty acres, in Liberty township, northeast of Elm Center, in 1875. He worked out four years more and then moved to his farm in 1879, which consisted of heavy timber with no improvements. The place was almost

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impassable on account of the heavy timber, the brush and the water. He cleared it, ditched it and has over one hundred and forty acres under cultiva- tion and well improved, with good houses, barns and other buildings. Mr. Morman was one of the first settlers in his community. He started in an humble way and has made good.

He was married in 1882 to Catherine Borer. She was born at New Cleveland, in Ottawa township, and is the daughter of Joseph and Bridgetta (Hudinger) Borer. Joseph Borer was born in Switzerland and came to America at the age of twelve with his parents, who settled near Glandorf, where Joseph Borer grew up and married. His first wife died while Mrs. Morman was a little girl and he married again. He was both a farmer and a carpenter.

Frank H. and Catherine ( Borer) Morman have five children, four living and one dead, Joseph, Rosa, Gertrude, Caroline and Mary. Joseph married Gertrude Schmenk and lives on a farm two miles north of his father. He has three children, Edmond, Adolph and Mildred; Rosa died at the age of six; Gertrude is the wife of Valentine Schmenk and lives in the southern part of Liberty township; Caroline, the wife of Louis Lammers, lives about two miles north of Elm Center and has three children, Helen, Catherine and Alice. Mary is still single and is at home.

Frank H. Morman is a member of the Democratic party. He and his family are members of the Catholic church at Miller City. They are among the most highly respected citizens of the vicinity where they live and are in- terested in all questions concerning the common good of the community.

JOHN W. HOHENBRINK.

When we behold the large fertile farms in Putnam county, Ohio, and the splendid homes there, it is hard to believe that these tracts of land were once mere marshes of stagnant water and underbrush and that the splendid homes have replaced log cabins and shacks. When we of the present gen- eration complain of our labor and our struggles, it is well to remember the hardships of our pioneer fathers. Thus we are enabled to appreciate what they have accomplished and under what great hardships success has been at- tained. Many men have contributed to make Putnam county, Ohio, a garden spot, and one of these men is John William Hohenbrink, of Liberty town- ship.

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John W. Hohenbrink was born on March 31, 1860, at Glandorf, Putnam county, the son of Matthias and Kate (Halker) Hohenbrink. Matthias Hohenbrink was born in Glandorf, Germany, and lived there until he was twenty-two years of age, when he came to Putnam county. After working out for a year, he bought a farm of eighty acres of heavily timbered land, one and one-half miles northwest of Ottawa. There he established his home, made out of it a fertile farm and lived there all of his life. His first wife was Kate Halker, a daughter of William Halker, a native of Ger- many and an early settler of Putnam county. She died when John W. was a week old. After her death, Matthias Hohenbrink married Theresia Huester, who still lives on the old home farm near Glandorf. Matthias Hohenbrink died on July 20, 1894.

John W. Hohenbrink lived at home until he was married, on September 15, 1885, to Mary Koenig. She was born in Liberty township, one-half mile north of the Nickel Plate railroad, the daughter of Charles and Theresia (Roderer) Koenig. Charles Koenig was born in Prussia and grew up there. He was a soldier in the Prussian army before he came to America, after which he married Theresia Roderer, a native of Rheinpfalz. After living two years in Dayton, they moved to Putnam county, about 1850. He bought two eighty-acre tracts in Liberty township, all wild land, timber and swamps, a part of the famous Black swamp. For many years after, they were troubled with frequent high water which ruined the crops. The taxes at first on eighty acres was only two dollars and the good wife paid that from selling butter and eggs. Timber was valueless and it was necessary to burn it to get it out of the way. Here Charles Koenig and wife lived and reared their six children, and here they died, the father on January 25, 1895, and the mother on March 17, 1903.

After Mr. Hohenbrink's marriage, he cultivated his father's farm for two years and then moved a mile north of his present home, in Liberty township, and bought forty acres. He lived there for about four years and then moved to the old Koenig farm, where he has lived ever since. When he moved to the Koenig farm, only two fields were drained, but since that time he has drained all the land, built a good brick house, a large barn, with tile roof, and now has a farm which produces remarkable crops.

John W. and Mary (Koenig) Hohenbrink have eight children, William John, Mary Theresa Theodora, Edward John, Louis John, Mary Emma Frances, Martha Anna Philomena, Hilda Regina Marghereta and Edna Rosa Marguerite. William married Anna Brown and lives on a farm in Henry county. They have two children, Edmund John and Mary Agnes; Theodora

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is the wife of John Niese and lives two and one-half miles northeast of her parents. She has one daughter, Leona Mary Elizabeth.

John W. Hohenbrink is a member of the Democratic party. He and his family are members of the Catholic church at Miller City and are prom- inent in all affairs of the community.

PETER J. MANGUS.

For more than thirty years, Peter J. Mangus has been a resident of Liberty township, Putnam county, Ohio. Born and reared in Henry county, Ohio, he came to this county immediately after his marriage and located in Liberty township on a farm where he has since made his home. Starting in with a farm of seventy acres, he has added to it as he has prospered year after year until he now owns one hundred and fifty acres in Liberty and Palmer townships. He comes of German ancestry and his life has been characterized by that thrift which has made the people of Germany so suc- cessful in this country.

Peter J. Mangus, the son of Peter and Sarah (Jackman) Mangus, was born in New Bavaria, Henry county, Ohio, in 1856. His parents were both natives of Germany, his father being born in the fall of 1824. Peter Mangus was five years of age when he came to America with his parents, Caspar and Mary Mangus, and located in Henry county, Ohio. At that time practically the whole county was covered with dense forests, and the family was com- pelled to thread their way along devious Indian trails in order to get to the farm which they had entered from the government. Caspar Mangus was a baker in Germany and made a good living in his native land. He came to this country because land was so cheap, but he had the misfortune to locate in a county which was still unsettled and very swampy. Wild animals of all kinds were roaming the forest when the family located in Henry county. Caspar Mangus lived to see his farm greatly improved and in such a state of cultivation as to make a comfortable living for the family. Peter Mangus grew to manhood on this farm, and, before his marriage, was a canal driver on the old canal from Toledo to Defiance. He drove as many as six mules at a time, one behind the other, and in middle life still retained sufficient agility to mount a mule from the ground without any difficulty. After he drove the mules for some time, he was made captain of a crew of canal drivers, and after his marriage he still continued working on the towpath for two years.

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Peter Mangus married Sarah Jackman, a native of France, a daughter of Joseph and Mary Jane Jackman, early settlers in Seneca county, New York, and still later, in Henry county, Ohio. After Peter Mangus stopped working on the canal, he became a stock-buyer and, for a quarter of a century, was engaged in this industry. He bought a farm at New Bavaria, in Henry county, which was operated by his sons, while he continued to give his time and attention to the buying and shipping of live stock. He spent his last years in Defiance, where his death occurred, and where his wife died later, in June, 1913. Peter J. Mangus, Sr., and wife were the parents of nine sons and two daughters, eight of whom are still living, Henry, Frank B., Peter, Jr., Albert, George, Joseph, Andrew and Fred. Theodore died at the age of twenty-one, and the two daughters, Cornelia and Ella, died in childhood.

Peter J. Mangus, Jr., was reared on his father's farm in Henry county, and remained at home until his marriage. He and his brother, Frank, mar- ried sisters, and at the time of their marriage, each brother owned a small tract of land at New Bavaria, and their wives also owned a small tract which lay in the northwestern part of Liberty township, in Putnam county. By exchanging with Frank, Peter and his wife became the owners of seventy acres of land in the northwestern part of Liberty township, in Putnam county, and on this farm they have since made their home. When they came to this vicinity they found the land practically covered with a heavy growth of timber and it was necessary to clear away a spot on which to build a little log cabin. Things must have looked very discouraging at first, but with a hearty will they started to work and soon had the satisfaction of seeing their farm yield a very comfortable living. Mr. Mangus erected a large barn in 1893 and two years later built a comfortable home. As the years have gone by, he has been able to add to his land holdings and now owns one hundred and ten acres of fine land in Liberty township and forty acres across the road in Palmer township. He always keeps a high grade of stock and has been particularly successful in the raising of Jersey cattle and Poland China hogs.

Peter J. Mangus was married, in 1882, to Mary Thiebaut, who was born at Findlay, Ohio, and is a daughter of John and Jennie ( Marschel) Thie- baut, and to this union have been born four children, Ella, Mary J., Laura and Emily. Ella is the wife of Joseph Swary, a farmer of this county, and has three children, Germaine, Julius and Evaline; Mary J. is the wife of Joseph Oakley, a farmer of this county, and has one son, Virgil; Laura is the wife of Henry Shoemaker, a farmer of this county, and has one daughter, Elma; Emily, the youngest of the four daughters, is single and still living with her parents.

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John Thiebaut, the father of Mrs. Mangus, was born in France, in July, 1831, and at the age of twenty-one, came to America and located at Findlay, Ohio, where he secured employment in a grist-mill. Later, he moved on a farm two miles northeast of Leipsic, in Putnam county, Ohio, and in 1863 moved to the northwestern part of Liberty township, where he bought a farm and lived the remainder of his life. He started in with forty acres, but by good management increased it to one hundred and fifty acres before his death. The wife of John Thiebaut, Jennie Marschel, was also a native of France. Her husband died on the sea on their way to America, and her mother came on and located in Findlay, Ohio. John Thiebaut died in July, 1907, at the age of seventy-six, his wife having died seventeen years prev- iously. Two children were born to John Thiebaut and wife, Mary, the wife of Peter Mangus, and Jennie, the wife of Frank B. Mangus.

Peter Mangus and his family are loyal members of the Sacred Heart Catholic church at New Bavaria. He is a Republican, but has never had any inclination to take an active part in political matters. He is a man of essentially domestic taste and is never happier than when seated at his own fireside and surrounded by members of his family. He is a quiet and unos- tentatious citizen, who has taken his full share of the burdens of civic life, and in all things tried to do his duty as a good American citizen.

GEORGE MULLETT.

Men who clear the rough land, drain the soil and erect attractive and commodious barns and buildings are benefactors to any community. Farm- ing has become a problem of brain as well as brawn, and men, to succeed, must be capable to mastering every phase of scientific agriculture. George Mullett is one of the successful farmers of Liberty township, Putnam county, Ohio, and was born on August 7, 1848, in Licking county, Ohio, the son of John and Maria (Ratz) Mullett. John Mullett was born in Canton Berne, Switzerland, near the town of Richte, in January, 1809. Maria Ratz was born in the same place in December, 1808. They were married on October 13, 1832, and had five sons and three daughters. They came to America in 1848, and were forty-eight days on the sea in a sailing vessel. They spent the winter in Rochester, New York, and the next spring came to Licking county, living there a year, when they moved to Columbus and Mr. Mullett worked in a brick yard. He then worked one year in building the National

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road from Washington, D. C., to the Mississippi river. In the fall of 1853 he moved to Putnam county and located on section 28 of Liberty township, where he entered eighty acres of government land, all in the woods. They were compelled to follow a blazed trail to Glandorf and Ottawa. Many wild animals and game were found in the vicinity. Mr. Mullett and some of his sons helped to make the grade of the Nickel Plate railroad in 1856, working for one dollar a day, and by this means earned much-needed money to pay on the farm. He was at one time road supervisor. It cost one dollar to get his commission and at the close of the year he received just one dollar for salary. John Mullett died on January 19, 1892, nine days before his eighty- third birthday. At that time he had forty-eight grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.

George Mullett is one of eight children, the others being John, Maria, David, Jacob, Barbara, all born in Switzerland, William and Elizabeth. All are now deceased, except George and Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the wife of Charles Ellsworth and lives in Ithaca, Michigan.

George Mullett was married on April 15, 1875, to Matilda Wirth, who- was born in Liberty township, the daughter of Samuel and Magdalena (Bauer) Wirth.

Samuel Wirth and wife were natives of Wurttemberg, Germany, but were married in America and lived near Elm Center, Liberty township, Put- nam county. Mr. Wirth was a lifelong farmer after his marriage, though he did railroad construction work before his marriage.

After George Mullett married, he spent twelve years farming on his- father's farm. He bought eighty acres in section 5, Liberty township, in 1887, where he has since lived. When he bought the farm, there was on old log house and about forty acres cleared. He has built a new house, cleared the land, drained it and now has a splendid farm. He bought twenty acres more at forty-five dollars an acre in 1899. Now it is worth several times that much.

To George and Matilda (Wirth) Mullett have been born four children, three of whom are living, Henry E., George R. and Albert Samuel. Edith B. died at the age of fifteen. Henry E., born on March 24, 1876, married Ida May Leinsetter, and has three children, Alvin, Bertha and Clarence, lives on a farm near his father ; George R., July 30, 1878, and lives at home; Albert S., August 30, 1885, and also lives at home. Mrs. Mullett, the mother of these children, died on February 12, 1909. She was a quiet, unassuming woman, of a cheerful disposition and a faithful member of the Evangelical

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Lutheran church, living according to the teachings of her faith. Mr. Mul- lett himself is a member of the Lutheran church.

He is a member of the Democratic party and has always been held in the highest esteem by all his neighbors.

HENRY JOSEPH HERMILLER.

Usually the finest words that can be collected to be said of a man are those epitomizing a life history after he has passed from this life. Among the progressive and industrious farmers of any community those citizens are always admired most who take an interest, not only in the welfare of the present, but also in the development of better conditions of future generations. The position of school trustee is an honorable one and a man trusted by the community with this responsible position is deserving of no little praise. He discharges his duties to the good of future generations and is honored long after his work is ended. All this may be said by way of preface to the sketch of Henry Joseph Hermiller, for six years the efficient school trustee of Ot- tawa township, Putnam county, Ohio.

Henry Joseph Hermiller was born on February 14, 1862, in Ottawa township, the son of Bernard and Bernardina (Nadler) Hermiller and a brother of F. B. Hermiller, whose sketch, found elsewhere in this volume, gives further facts of the parental history.

Henry J. Hermiller lived at home until maturity and was then married, shortly before his twenty-fifth birthday, to Elizabeth Gerdeman. She was born south of Glandorf, Putnam county, the daughter of John D. and Anna (Recker) Gerdeman. She is a sister of Andrew Gerdeman, whose sketch, found elsewhere in the pages of this volume, gives the history of her parents.

After Mr. Hermiller's marriage he moved to the farm where he now lives. He owns eighty acres at home and one hundred and sixty-five and one-half acres in Pleasant township. He had a splendid house built the year before his marriage and remodeled in 1913, it now being thoroughly mod- ern. He also built a large barn and raised a high grade of live stock.

To Henry Joseph and Elizabeth (Gerdeman) Hermiller six children have been born: Minnie, who is the wife of John Kreinbrink, and lives one- half mile south of her father's home, is the mother of two children, Helen and Paul; Harry, born on January 8, 1891 ; Laura, born on April 14, 1895; Vin- cent, born on January 16, 1899; Pauline, born on December IT, 1902, and

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May, born on December II, 1902, the two latter being twins. All of the children except Minnie are still at home.

When Henry J. Hermiller left his home to work among his machinery and in his saw-mill, no greater caution could have been given him than that in the beautiful quotation, "Watch, for ye know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh." In perfect health, in high spirits, full of am- bition and happy, he left his home with the caution of his faithful wife to be very careful, as she had a premonition of danger. While sawing wood on a saw that was being run by a gasoline engine, a belt slipped on the machin- ery, and when Mr. Hermiller attempted to adjust the belt his coat sleeve was caught in a fly-wheel, he was drawn into the machinery and met almost in- stant death. He met his death on April 3, 1915, at the age of fifty-three years, and was buried in the Ottawa Catholic cemetery. He leaves behind him to mourn their loss a loving wife, two sons, four daughters and many sincere and loyal friends.

During his life Mr. Hermiller served six years as township trustee. He was a member of the Democratic party. He and his family were members of the SS. Peter and Paul Catholic church at Ottawa. He was also a mem- ber of the Catholic Knights of Ohio and the Aid Society. He was an enter- prising and successful farmer, a credit to the community where he lived and in which he was. extremely popular. He was known everywhere for his honesty and genial disposition.

CHESTER L. SIMON.

Chester L. Simon stands out in the agricultural arena whose life has been one of untiring activity and has been crowned with a rather unusual degree of success in his chosen vocation. By his straightforward, honorable course, Mr. Simon has prospered in the world. While he has prospered he has retained the respect and confidence of his neighbors and fellow citizens. His life is a splendid example of what an American youth, endowed with common sense, energy and determination, can accomplish. Mr. Simon comes from a very old family of Putnam county, one that has always stood for honesty, frugality and industry, and one that has always been admired and respected for its many good works.

Chester L. Simon was born on January 28, 1878, in Greensburg town-

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ship, on a farm. He is the son of Lewis and Jennie (Apger) Simon. Lewis Simon has long been one of the leading farmers of Greensburg township, but is now living retired. He was born in Putnam county on April 24, 1838, and was the son of John P. and Savilla (Genshimer ) Simon. John P. Simon was born in Germany, on the Rhine, and was there married to Savilla Gens- himer, also a native of Germany, born in 1812. Thirteen children were born to this marriage, as follow: John, a farmer near Dupont, Ohio; Cath- erine and Philip, who died young; Lewis, the father of Chester L .; Jacob, who died in childhood; Barbara, the wife of Michael Rinkle, of Dupont; Louisa, deceased; Sophia, who married Rev. Philip Kesler, of Dupont; Mrs. A. L. Hauck, of Ottawa; Anna, the wife of W. J. Varner, of Greensburg township; Savilla, who married J. W. Purnell, of Greensburg township; Elizabeth, deceased, and John Adam, who died at the age of ten years.

After coming to the United States, John P. and Savilla Simon located in Philadelphia, but subsequently removed to Richland county, Ohio, where they were pioneers and where they lived for some time. They located in Putnam county in 1836, where he purchased a tract of land in the woods and where he built a house of logs. They lived on the farm until 1863, when John P. Simon moved to Ottawa and there engaged in the mercantile busi- ness, in which he was very successful. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and belonged to the lodge at Defiance, Ohio. Later, he became a. charter member of the lodge at Kalida. For many years he was a commis- sioned officer in the state militia. Before the Civil War, he was a stanch Democrat, but later became independent in politics. He died on April 29, 1888. At this time, he was a member of the Presbyterian church. His first wife, who was a member of the Lutheran church, died in 1856. He, subse- quently, married Mrs. Margaret M. Landis, who bore him one son, Adam, in 1859. John P. Simon was married, a third time, to Mrs. Margaret Hedges, who died on March 25, 1895.

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History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 112

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