History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 40

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 40

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John G. Diller, the father of Amos C., grew up on the old homestead. He attended the typical log cabin school, and helped his father clear the land. When he was ten years old, his father built the house which still stands. Two years later, in 1853, he built the barn which is also in a splen- did state of preservation.

When John G. Diller was twenty-seven years old, he was married to Elizabeth Schumacher, the wedding taking place on March 14, 1868. She was born on March 15, 1848, in Richland township, Allen county, and who is the daughter of John and Barbara (Steiner) Schumacher. John Schu- macher was the brother of Peter Schumacher, who was the father of six- teen children, among whom was Christian P., the life-story of whom is told elsewhere in this volume. After his marriage, John G. Diller remained on the old place. He took a trip to California for his health and died there on March 7, 1908. He led a very active life and was engaged as a general farmer, having been quite successful in this vocation. He was a Democrat and served as school director for a number of years. He was a member of the Mennonite church. John G. Diller and wife had nine children, the eldest of whom died in infancy. The others were William, Amos, Bertha, Levina, Noah, Lena, Elmer and Sarah, all of whom are now living and all married except Bertha. Mrs. John G. Diller died on April 1, 1881.

Amos C. Diller was born on the old homestead of his father and grandfather and here grew to manhood. He first attended the old district school, No. 6, and later district No. 10. After finishing the common schools,

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he took three terms of work at the Tri-State Normal School, at Angola, Indiana, and then attended the Bluffton high school the next winter. The following winter he taught school and the summer following this had special normal work in Findlay College. After this, for about ten years, he con- tinued teaching, and then took a teacher's summer course at Bluffton Col- lege, after which he taught again. Altogether, Mr. Diller taught ten years.

When twenty-seven years old, he was married to Lena Schumacher, the marriage taking place on September 25, 1898. She was born on January 24, 1875, in Richland township, Allen county, and is the daughter of John and Barbara (Geiger) Schumacher. John Schumacher was a son of Christian Schumacher. He was one of the strongest men, physically, in this part of the state. He was born on August 5, 1849, and died on November 7, 1907. His wife, who was Barbara Geiger before her marriage, was born on October 1, 1855, and died May 3, 1897. They had thirteen children, Lena, Susan, Mary, Peter, Elias, Gideon, Lizzie, Jesse, Salome, Martha, John Adam and Minnis, the two latter being deceased.

Amos C. Diller continued to teach for four years after his marriage and then located on the farm of David Diller, which was originally a part of Peter Diller's estate, and which Amos C. Diller purchased from Ferdinand Reichenbach. This farm he still owns and here he lives today.

In addition to farming, Mr. Diller has been engaged in the manufacture of tile for about twenty years, being associated with his uncle, Benjamin Diller, and his brother, William. This concern does a large and lucrative business, and for the past eight years Amos C. Diller has owned and operated this business alone.

In addition to his other activiies, Mr. Diller is an expert breeder of Rose Comb Rhode Island Red poultry. He has taken first prize on this breed at Bluffton, Lima, Findlay, Delphos, Pandora and at the Ohio State Poultry exhibit at Columbus. In addition to these prizes, many of Mr. Diller's birds have taken prizes for their owners at other places.

Amos C. Diller is a stockholder and president of the Jenera Merchan- dise Company, of Jenera, Ohio. He is also a stockholder and secretary of the D. C. Shank Company, of Pandora, Ohio, and is treasurer of the Men- nonite Mutual Aid Society and Insurance Company.

To Mr. and Mrs. Amos C. Diller, seven children have been born, Orlo, born on August 23, 1899; Bessie, born on September 4, 1902; Edna, born on April 15, 1904; Edison, born on May 26, 1905; Jennie, born on July 14, 1906; Ray, born on April 15, 1911, and Lester, born on August 27, 1913.

Mr. Diller is a Democrat. He is one of Riley township's most interest-

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ing and successful citizens, an aggressive and alert business man, a success- ful farmer and a well-informed and valuable citizen. He and his wife and family are members of the Mennonite church.

JAMES MACDONALD.

Putnam county has many residents who have prospered in business .. One of her citizens, who has made a notable success in the lumber business,. is James MacDonald, who is thoroughly acquainted with his line of business, from the ground up, which fact undoubtedly accounts for much of his. success.

James MacDonald was born on February 23, 1873, in Leipsic, Putnam county, Ohio, the son of William John and Margaret (McKeen) MacDon- ald. William J. MacDonald was born in the parish of Killyman, County Ty- rone, Ireland, in 1839. His father in turn came from Scotland and was a soldier in the British army, serving in South Africa. By reason of his serv- ices as a soldier, he became the possessor of a tract of land in Ireland, and made his home there. W. J. MacDonald was probably twenty-five years of age when he came to America and located at Cleveland, Ohio. He was mar- ried in Belfast, Ireland, to Margaret McKeen, a native of Carmoney, near Belfast, County Antrim, a daughter of James and Elizabeth (Roberts) McKeen. She lived in Ireland until after her marriage, and before they came to America, one daughter was born, now the wife of I. Pressley Sher- rard, living on the MacDonald farm at the north edge of Leipsic.

Mr. and Mrs. MacDonald lived in Cleveland from 1865 until 1871, where he followed his trade as a bricklayer and stonemason. He came to Putnam county in 1871, and purchased twenty acres of land at the north edge of Leipsic, where he has resided since. Here he continued at his trade and contracted for a number of years. He had a part in the erection of most of the larger brick buildings in Leipsic. While at work on the Metho- dist church in 1895 he met with an accident in which several bones were broken, which weakened him so that he was compelled to relinquish his life work.

Five children were born to William J. MacDonald and wife, Mrs. Min- nie Sherrard, a resident of this county; William J., of Liberty township; George W., a contractor, who died at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1911; Alexander, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and James, of Leipsic. The mother of these .

MR. AND MRS, JAMES MAC DONALD.

RESIDENCE OF JAMES MAC DONALD.

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children died on August 4, 1914, at the age of eighty-three. She was an active supporter of the Presbyterian church, as was her husband. W. J. MacDonald was a charter member of the Knights of Pythias lodge at Leip- sic, and died December II, 1914, at his home in Leipsic.

James MacDonald grew up at Leipsic and learned bricklaying and stone- cutting with his brother. He worked at the trade about fifteen years, during which time he engaged in contracting. He continued in that capacity until 1908. He also engaged in the retail builders' supply business at Leipsic about the year 1899. He opened up a lumber yard at Leipsic in 1905. With it he combined a line of builders' supplies, and has since continued in. that business. Mr. MacDonald has been conspicuously successful and does a very large business in his line.

He built one of the handsomest brick residences in 1912 in Leipsic, where he now resides. Mr. MacDonald was married on May 3, 1893, to- Capitola Isabelle Close. She was born between Gilboa and Benton Ridge, in. the west part of Hancock county, Ohio, the daughter of Solomon Markley and Sarah Elizabeth (Kindle) Close. Solomon Close was born in October, 1834, in Putnam county, not far from Bluffton, and was a son of Michael. and Jane Close. Solomon Close was a farmer until he reached old age and lived part of the time between Gilboa and Benton Ridge. He later moved to Van Buren township, in this county, and now lives in West Leipsic. He- was a soldier in the Civil War, a member of Company G, One Hundred and Eighteenth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served for three and. one-half years. He was never wounded nor in a hospital. He is now a member of the Post of the Grand Army of the Republic at Leipsic, in which. fraternal order he takes a great interest.

Mrs. MacDonald grew to womanhood in Putnam county. To James- MacDonald and wife eight children were born, three of whom died in in- fancy. The five living children are Florence Menetta, Lawrence James,. Serge R. C., Vivian Beatrice and Evelyn Rose.

Mr. MacDonald is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, but takes no active interest in political affairs, preferring rather to devote all his time- and attention to his extensive business interests. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, while Mrs. MacDonald is a member of the Pythian Sisters. Both Mr. MacDonald and his wife are loyal and earnest members. of the Presbyterian church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested, and to whose support they are liberal contributors. They are highly respected citizens of their community, enjoying the esteem of a large number of neigh- bors and friends.

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JOHN THEODORE MOENING.

Among the best-remembered successful farmers of the past generation in Putnam county was the late John Theodore Moening. Of this man it may be said that he possessed strong and active sympathies; his tempera- ment was warm and ardent, his feelings deep and intense, and these and other characteristics unconsciously drew him an unusual number of devoted friends, upon whom, under all circumstances, he could rely, and who, now that he has passed away from earthly scenes, revere his memory. He was a close student of human nature and comprehended with little effort, the motives and purposes of men, and he was a lover of truth and sincerity. In brief, he is remembered as a manly man, of pleasing but dignified presence, a student of many subjects and an influential man in the circles in which he moved. Of sound character and unflagging energy, he stood as a con- spicuous example of the well-developed American, and his position as one of the community's representative citizens was conceded by all who knew him.

John Theodore Moening was born in Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, September 2, 1867, and was the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Ellerbrock) Moening, whose life history is given elsewhere in this work, under the caption, "Henry Moening."

Mr. Moening remained on his father's farm near Glandorf, Ohio, and received his education in the neighboring schools. At the age of twenty- two he was married to Matilda Brockman, which event occurred on Novem- ber 19, 1889. His wife was the daughter of Joseph and Caroline (Lam- vehr) Brockman and was born in Fort Jennings, Putnam county, Ohio. Her father was a native of Assurbrick, which is not far from Glandorf, Ger- many, and came to this country alone when a very young man. Having ac- quired a thorough knowledge of the carpenter's trade in Germany and be- lieving there were good opportunities for a man of his ability in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, he first went there, but later decided to go to Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, where he farmed for a while and did some carpenter work, then removed to Fort Jennings, this county, where he was employed to build the St. Joseph's Catholic church and which was started in 1852. After completing this work he retired from active work in the carpenter line and went to live on a small tract near town, which he farmed in a small way until the time of his death in 1896, in the eighty-second year of his age. He was a Democrat, but took no active part in these affairs. He was a devout member of the St. Joseph's Catholic church. His wife, Caroline

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(Lamvehr) Brockman, was a native of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, and was born on September 25, 1845. She is now residing on the home- stead place, near Fort Jennings, this county, and at the present time is in the seventy-ninth year of her age. To their union were born eight children as follows : Joseph, of Fort Jennings ; Caroline ( Mrs. Reavie), of Ottawa town- ship, this county; Henry, of Dayton, Ohio; Elizabeth (Mrs. Moening), of Glandorf, Ohio; Mary (Mrs. Westfelt), of Kalida, Ohio; Matilda, wife of our subject ; Lewis, who resides on the old homestead near Fort Jennings, and Christena, deceased; Josephine ( Mrs. Helcamp), of Ft. Jennings, was a daughter by a former marriage.

After the marriage of John T. Moening and wife, he went to live on his farm, which consisted of eighty-two acres, and continued to live on this place until the time of his death, April 6, 1914. When he bought this tract, there were but forty acres of clear land and the rest of it was in heavy timber. A great deal of his time was occupied in clearing the place, ditching, draining and fencing, and today this place is considered one of the most productive small farms in this section. When Mr. Moening was a young man of eighteen he took a great deal of interest in threshing ma- chinery, and having bought himself an outfit of this kind he proceeded to go about the county threshing for the farmers and thus gained a wide acquaintance and was generally known to be absolutely upright and fair in his dealings, and had the respect and high esteem of everyone who knew him. The direct cause of his death was cancer of the liver, from which he was a quiet and patient sufferer. His attending physician constantly warned him of the danger and repeatedly told him that he had but a short time to live, nevertheless he kept the true facts, pertaining to his condition, from his wife and family and always appeared before them with such a cheerful man- ner that they little suspected his grave physical condition.

To Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Moening were born five children, as follow : Levina (Mrs. Louis Schroeder), who lives on a farm in Pleasant township, this county ; Adaline (Mrs. Arnold Schroeder) who lives in Pleasant town- ship and has a son, Harold; Amanda, Clarence and Hilerious, who live at home with their mother.

Mr. Moening was not an aggressive politician in his day, but at one time was a member of the board of school directors. He was a Democrat and at all times stood for the progressive methods proposed by that party. The entire family were regular members of the Catholic church and Mr. Moening was a member of the board of church trustees for four years.

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Personally, he was a man of broad ideas and ever alert to lend any assist- ance he could toward all meritorious propositions that purported to be to the best interests of the community, and on account of his wide acquaint- ance and familiar figure in important gatherings, his death will always be: keenly felt by every one who knew him.

JOHN W. MEYER.

One of the best-known young farmers and stock dealers in Putnam county is John W. Meyer, whose attractive place in Union township is the subject of admiring attention on the part of travelers on the highway which leads past the place, and whose stable of full-blooded Belgian horses is known far and near throughout the county. Mr. Meyer is one of the younger generation of farmers who are taking advantage of all the latest research along agricultural lines and in consequence has one of the best-kept and most productive small farms in his part of the county. He is alert in all that pertains to his business, for he is a farmer who looks upon farming as a real business and not a mere haphazard strewing of grain, and holds a high place in his community. His progressive methods certainly ,entitle him to mention among the men of enterprise in Putnam county and the biographer finds pleasure in presenting, at this point, a brief outline of the salient points in his career.

John W. Meyer was born in Pleasant township, Putnam county, Ohio, on Christmas Day, 1887, a son of John B. and Catherine (Smith) Meyer, both of whom were born in Ottawa township, in the same county.

John B. Meyer, who is now living a retired life in the city of Ottawa, the county seat of Putnam county, is the son of George Meyer, a former well-known and influential farmer of Union township, this county, who came to this country from Germany, first settling on a farm near Glandorf, this county, where he married and where his children were born, and where he lived until the death of his wife, after which he bought a farm in Union township, the place at present owned and occupied by his son-in-law, Joseph Unverfurth, where he spent the rest of his life. George Meyer and his wife were the parents of the following children : John B., Joseph, Elizabeth, Theresa, Katherine and Caroline, all of whom were brought up in the Catholic faith.

John B. Meyer was reared on the paternal farm and was educated in

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the nearby school at Glandorf. Until his marriage to Catherine Smith, whose parents were among the early settlers in Putnam county, he lived on his father's farm, but previous to his marriage had bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Ottawa township, to which he moved upon his marriage, and rapidly brought it to a good state of cultivation. He lived there for about twenty years, at the end of which time he bought a farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres on section 17, in Union township, on which he erected as fine a set of farm buildings as there was in that part of the county at that time. His dwelling house was large, roomy and com- fortable, substantial in every detail, and the farm buildings were in keeping with the same. The barn, which Mr. Meyer erected at that time, was for many years a veritable landmark in that section, its peculiar style of archi- tecture attracting general attention, it being built in circular shape and was regarded as one of the finest in the county. Mr. Meyer lived on this place for about fourteen years and then sold that part of the farm containing the house and farm buildings, comprising forty acres, to his son, John W., who now lives there. He then purchased a home in Ottawa and moved to the county seat, where he is now living in comfortable retirement from the activities of life, enjoying the fruits of his earlier days of industrious appli- cation to the business of the farm. About twenty years ago Mrs. Meyer, mother of the immediate subject of this sketch, died, and Mr. Meyer took to himself a second wife, marrying Catherine Hark.

To John B. and Catherine (Smith) Meyer were born four children, as follow : Mary, who married Michael Donnersbauch and lives on a farm near St. Clair, Michigan; August, who married Laura Erhart and lives in the town of Glandorf, this county; John W., the subject of this sketch, and Frederick, who married Susan Sleeter and lives in Ft. Jennings, this county.

John W. Meyer was reared on the paternal farm, attending both the district school of that neighborhood and the school at Glandorf. He mar- ried Josephine Dangler on July 8, 1913, daughter of Edward and Margaret Dangler, both natives of this state, who, after their marriage, located on a farm near Ottawa, this county, later moving to Defiance, Ohio, where they lived for ten years, at the end of which time they moved back to Putnam county, locating on a farm in Union township, on which they still live. They are the parents of three children, Josephine, Alva and Genevieve, all of whom are members of St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida, with which Mr. Meyer also is connected.

On his small, but highly-cultivated farm Mr. Meyer is obtaining ex-

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cellent results. In connection with his work of general farming he is deeply interested in the raising of full-blooded Belgian horses and is developing- this branch of his operations into a very well-defined business. He gives close attention to the general public affairs of his community and is regarded as one of the coming men of advanced thought in farming lore in that part of the county. He is one of the directors of the Mutual Telephone Com- pany at Kalida. He and his wife take an active part in the social affairs of the neighborhood and are very popular among their large circle of ac- quaintances.

SHERMAN A. WILKINS.

Among the enterprising farmers and citizens of Putnam county, none stands higher in the esteem of his fellow citizens than Sherman A. Wilkins. He has long been actively engaged in farming in Putnam county and the years of his residence have but served to strengthen the feeling of admiration on the part of his fellow men. He has led an honorable life in every par- ticular and set a worthy example for the young and rising generation. He is entitled to representation in any work which purports to set forth the achievements of the citizens of Putnam county. He has applied himself very closely to the work mapped out in his life's. career and has waited for the future to bring its reward, and today he is one of the substantial men of Putnam county.

Sherman A. Wilkins, one of the well-known farmers of Putnam county, was born in Blanchard township, Hancock county, Ohio, August 21, 1868, the son of Jacob and Harriett (Stover) Wilkins. Jacob Wilkins was born in Licking county, Ohio, April 30, 1837, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Kritsinger) Wilkins, the former a native of Virginia and a pioneer of Licking and Putnam counties.

Jacob Wilkins came from Licking county when four years old, with his: parents, who settled in Blanchard township, Putnam county. His father lived in different places in Putnam and Hancock counties and spent the year 1846 in Iowa, returning at the end of that year to Putnam county. Jacob Wilkins spent his youth in Riley and Blanchard townships in Putnam county and here he received his early education. At the age of twenty-nine, he was. married to Harriett Stover, in April, 1866. Mrs. Wilkins was the daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Claybaugh) Stover, who were pioneers of Putnam. county. Daniel Stover entered land from the government during President

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Jackson's administration, in 1827. After Mr. Wilkins's marriage, hc lived for eight years in Blanchard township in Hancock county and then moved to Riley township, Putnam county, where he received fifty acres of land from the Stover estate. He later purchased ninety acres. The original farm had contained only two acres that were cleared. This farm of fifty acres had a rude log cabin and no barn. Jacob Wilkins proceeded to clear the land. This work he almost accomplished during his lifetime. He followed general. farming and was very successful. He was a Democrat. He died on March 8, 1905, at the age of sixty-eight. His wife died the following November, 1906. She was a member of the Church of God and was a loving mother and a devoted wife. To this union ten children were born, Orpha, deceased,. who was the wife of David Fulton; Sherman, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of Wesley Neighbarger; Curtis, de- ceased; William, who died in infancy; Gertrude, who died at the age of four- teen; Della, the wife of Herbert Harris; Callie, the wife of William Hart- man; Grover, who married Lou Kissinger; Charles, who is supposed to have- been drowned in California in 1914.

Sherman A. Wilkins was four years old when his parents moved to. Riley township, Putnam county, and here he spent his childhood, attending the old district school No. I. After finishing the common schools, he took a. special normal course in Leipsic, and then taught school for two terms. Mr. Wilkins was a successful teacher, but was inclined to farming and, after teaching two years, turned his attention to this vocation.

When Mr. Wilkins was thirty-seven years old, he was married to. Lydia McDowell, who was born on August 20, 1867, in Licking county and who is the daughter of Philitus and Nancy ( Harris) McDowell, who were among the early pioneers of Putnam county. Philitus McDowell was born. in Licking county in 1832.

After his marriage, Mr. Wilkins continued to farm the old home place. He has always done general farming and has been one of the most success- ful men in his community.

Mrs. Wilkins belongs to the Methodist Protestant church. He is a Democrat and has served his township efficiently as trustee. He is a wide- awake, intelligent and progressive farmer, one of Riley township's most. valued citizens. He is well and favorably known throughout Riley township and Putnam county, and his reputation for honesty and square-dealing has. never been questioned. Sherman A. Wilkins is not only a highly respected citizen of his community, but he is a man of genial disposition and a man who is much admired for his pleasing personality. He is known as a man. who "does things."

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History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 40

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