USA > Ohio > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions > Part 54
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146
Mr. Summers is a Democrat. During all his life he has been influential in the councils of that party. He is a member of the county central com- mittee and the county executive committee of his party, and was mayor of Ottawa for seven years, 1900 to 1907. Mr. Summers has also served in the Ottawa council and held other minor positions. He owns a consid- erable amount of farm land, a part of which is in Riley township and part. of which is in Hancock county. Mr. Summers is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons. He was the master of the Ottawa lodge for two years.
William Patrick Summers, the father of Hiram M., was born in County Clare, Ireland, and was the son of Thomas and Katherine (Cotter) Sum- mers, the former a native of County Clare and the latter a native of County Limerick, born on April 5, 1824. He was a contractor. William Patrick Summers was educated in Ireland and was sent to school to learn Gaelic; which he mastered. He attended the private and also the great national school. At the age of fifteen, he ran away to sea and shipped from Lim- erick as an apprentice on the "Barbara Allen." He made a voyage in the- Mediterranean and followed the sea for fourteen years, off and on. He visited almost every country on the globe. While in the Mediterranean sea. the ship upon which he was making the voyage, stuck in the sands on the coast of Greece and was rescued by a Turkish man of war. While in New York, in 1849, William Patrick Summers sailed for California by way of the Horn. They were six months in making the voyage. They landed in San Francisco late in the year 1849. He remained there for six years and, in 1852, went to Australia. He was engaged in mining gold in that country for four years, when he returned to California. About this time he joined the Masons, at Mud Springs, California. After he had remained for some time in that state. He re-embarked and again sailed around the Horn, shipping as third officer of the vessel. On this trip he was injured. Finally, they landed at Norfolk, Virginia, when Mr. Summers went to Ireland and visited his old home. After remaining there for fifteen days, he
560
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
returned to the United States, and settled in Sandusky city. He was mar- ried in Ireland and, on his return to America, his wife returned with him. They settled in Wyandotte county, and, after living there for some time, and also in Seneca county, they removed to Putnam county, settling in Kalida, where he became a ditch contractor.
William Patrick Summers was deputy sheriff of Putnam county for six years, postmaster of Kalida for four and one-half years, and township clerk for eight years. He was also street commissioner and constable. The children of William Patrick Summers and wife are as follow: Kate and John, who are deceased; William, also deceased; the others are Ellen, Hiram, Ann, Katherine and Margaret. John married Rose Clevenger. He died in Putnam county ; Ellen married George Powell, who is a school teacher at Continental; Anna married Wes Claypool, of Kalida; Katherine married Frank Edelbrock and they lived in Jackson township; Margaret is principal of the Gomer school; Michael, Thomas and John, brothers of William Pat- rick Summers, live at Delphos.
Mr. Summers is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and is past master of the blue lodge at Kalida. He was first master of the Masonic lodge at Continental.
CHARLES EUGENE WIGHT.
It is by no means easy to describe within a comparatively few words the career of a man who has been eminently active as a farmer and a busi- ness man. Biography finds its justification, nevertheless, in recording the salient points of such a life history. Charles Eugene Wight, the subject of this sketch, is not only one of the substantial and well-known farmers of Monroe township, Putnam county, Ohio, where he is one of the foremost men in the business life of this township. Mr. Wight is at present the president of the Farmers State and Savings Bank, at Continental, Ohio, an institution which was organized on January 20, 1914. Mr. Wight is not only president of the bank, but has also served as a director since the bank was organized.
Charles Eugene Wight was born on December 9, 1861, in Perry town- ship, Wood county, Ohio. It is now known as Bloomdale. Mr. Wight is the son of Reuben and Altha (Reichard) Wight.
The grandfather of Charles E. Wight, Reuben Wight, whose wife was a Van Buren, was a native of New York state. Mrs. Wight was a distant
CHARLES E. WIGHT.
561
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
relative of President Van Buren, and was also a native of New York state. They moved to Cleveland, Ohio, when that city was a mere hamlet and settled on a forty-acre tract of land, where the heart of the city is now situated. Reuben Wight died of cholera in 1830, during the plague of that year. Charles E. Wight's father, who was also Reuben Wight, was born in New York state, in April, 1828. He was reared a farmer, but also learned the carpenter's and painter's trades and followed them extensively. He was educated in the common schools and was a man of exceptional intelligence for his day.
Reuben Wight, Jr., was married in 1852, in Lorain county, Ohio, to Altha Reichard, who was born in New York state in May, 1828. They lived in Lorain county for two years, and then moved to Wood county, where they spent nine years, returning to Lorain county, where he had a sixty-acre tract of land, which he farmed. They lived there until the death of his wife, in 1894. Four children were born to this marriage, Alice, who died at an early age; William H., who lives at Glen Elder, Mitchell county, Kansas; Charles Eugene, the subject of this sketch; and Edward, who lives in New Mexico. Both parents of Charles E. Wight were active members of the Baptist church. Since the death of his wife, Reuben Wight has remarried and now lives retired in Lorain county, Ohio.
Charles E. Wight was married in Lorain county, March 12, 1884, to Emma Behner, who was born on July 10, 1866, at La Grange, Lorain county. She is the daughter of John and Lydia (Frasey) Behner. John Behner was married in Lorain county, Ohio, and later moved to Defiance county. He and his wife lived in different parts of Paulding and Putnam counties, Ohio. He at one time owned one-third interest in an extensive hoop, stave and bending company in Clinton, Illinois. He now lives at the home of Mr. Wight, and is retired. He has been a successful business man. He is a Prohibitionist. His wife was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. She died in 1912. They had three children, Emma, the wife of Mr. Wight; Nellie married John Tingle; and Mrs. Ida Miller.
Charles E .Wight left Wood county, Ohio, with his parents at the age of two years, and moved to Lorain county. Here he grew up and was educated. He taught for two years and also farmed on his father's farm. He was reared a farmer and remained on the farm until his marriage. He attended the Western Reserve Normal College, where he took a normal course. He continued to work on the farm until two years after his mar- riage, when he left his father to purchase a farm of forty acres in section 30,
36
562
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
in Monroe township, Putnam county, Ohio, in 1886, to which he moved. The land was heavily timbered and swampy and only six acres were cleared. Mr. Wight cleared, fenced and drained the land and erected buildings. He improved the land in other ways. By buying and selling, he has added to his original purchase until he has increased it to two hundred and two and one-half acres, which are well located and comprise the best land in the county. Mr. Wight has farmed this land continuously, where he still has his residence.
To Mr. and Mrs. Wight have been born seven children, Susie, who was born on March 27, 1885; Alta, born on August 31, 1889; Florence, born on June 6, 1894; Harvey, born on August 23, 1898; Mark A., born on September 14, 1901; Carl, born on May 9, 1904; and Ruth Esther, born on January 29, 1909. Susie was educated in the Continental (Ohio) schools and was graduated from the high school there. She is also a graduate of the School of Expression, at Ada, Ohio, and has taken a nor- mal course at Lima, Ohio. She taught school for seven years in Monroe township, and also in Palmer township, and in Harding county, Ohio. She is now the bookkeeper in the Farmers' State and Savings Bank, at Continental. Alta has taken a music course at Ada, Ohio, and lives at home. Florence married Frank Cleves, who is a farmer in Monroe county. Harvey was graduated from a short course of agriculture at the Ohio State University at Columbus. He is living at home. The remainder of the children also live at home.
Mr. Wight was one of the organizers of the Farmers' State and Savings Bank, at Continental. He was elected president at its organization, and re-elected to this office January 20, 1915. He is also a director of the bank. He has been president of the Farmers' Mutual Telephone Company and was one of its organizers. At the last reorganization and incorporation of the telephone company, Mr. Wight was elected treasurer and director. He is a director of the Palmer Township Mutual Fire Insurance Association and has been a director of it for a number of years. He is president of. the Continental Horse Company, which office he has filled for a number of years.
Mr. Wight is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church at Hartsburg, Ohio. He has always taken an active interest in church work and was at one time class leader, steward and Sunday school superintendent. He is a trustee of the church at the present time. Mr. Wight and all the members of the family are identified with this church. Mr. Wight is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, at Continental, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at that place. He has passed all of the chairs twice in the latter lodge. Mr. Wight is independent in politics, has served as township
563
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
trustee of Monroe township for two terms, but is not active at the present time. He has been connected with the school board of special district for about ten years.
Charles E. Wight is a progressive citizen and a successful farmer and business man. He is a liberal-minded and active in all civic improvements. He is a keen, far-sighted man and a good "mixer" and is popular through- out this section of Putnam county.
AUGUST KAHLE.
The subject of this sketch is one of those strong, self-reliant and de- termined characters who are occasionally met with and who are of such a distinct type as to seem to be born leaders of their fellow-men. Not that Mr. Kahle courts that distinction, for he is entirely unassuming, but his great force of character and his zeal and energy, in whatever he under- takes, naturally places him at the head of the crowd, and he has been a potent factor in the development of Putnam county, where he has long maintained his home and where he is well known to all classes for his honorable and industrial life, in both private and public.
The gentleman, whose name appears at the head of this review, was born in Riemsloh, Province of Hanover, Germany, March 2, 1851, and is the son of Anton and Sophia (Dutting) Kahle, both natives of Ger- many; the former was born in the town of Glandorf, the latter born in the town of Mille. Anton Kahle conducted a general store in the old country for the greater part of his life and died when August Kahle was a very young boy. To Mr. and Mrs. Anton Kahle were born seven chil- dren, August, Antonio, Clemens, deceased; Louisa, deceased; Charles, deceased, and two others who died in infancy. Of these children, August and Charles came to America in the year 1873 and, after landing in the city of New York, they decided to go to Cincinnati, where they remained a while, then went to Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio. August returned to Cincinnati and put in about four months' time there, then decided to go back to Glandorf, Ohio. On his return he remained in Glandorf and was employed by Frank Kahle, with whom he remained for six years. After this, a partnership arrangement was made with Ignatius Kahle for the starting of a tile factory in Greensburg township, this county. Sub- sequently, August bought out the interests of Ignatius Kahle, and con-
564
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
tinued the manufacture of tile for about seven years. Believing his possi- bilities would be greater in farming for a living, he made a trade for one hundred and twenty acres of land situated in Union township, Putnam county, and upon which he erected a number of splendid and commodious farm buildings. To this residential farm, where he now makes his home, were added three hundred and twenty acres more, one hundred and sixty of which is located in Jackson and eight acres in Greensburg township. Believing, also, in town lot investments, Mr. Kahle is now the owner of six lots in the town of Kalida, located near the site of St. Michael's Cath- olic church.
August Kahle was married on April 28, 1885, to Magdalena Overmeyer, a daughter of Ferdinand and Dorothea (Wilberding) Overmeyer, natives of Germany, and where her father died. Mrs. Overmeyer, together with her son Arnold and Magdalena, came to this country and settled in Glan- dorf, Ohio, where Arnold became the husband of Mary Luhn, after which he engaged in the manufacturing of cigars, in Ottawa, Ohio. Arnold died about seventeen years ago, and the mother preceded him by about two years. To August Kahle and wife there were born the following named children: August, March 25, 1886; Ferdinand, April 30, 1887; Dorothea, July 16, 1888; Antonius, June 24, 1890, deceased; Leo, May 10, 1892; Magdalena, September 17, 1893; Anthony, March 22, 1895; Clemens, March 27, 1897; Louisa, February 15, 1899; Sophia (infant born), died 1901; Sophia and Antonio, twins, October 2, 1902; Mary, February 8, 1906, died in 1911. Of these children, Ferdinand is married to Clemen- tina Bensman; they have one child, Rudolph, and reside in Jackson township; Dorothea is married to Frank Knueve, and they live in Union town- ship, having one child, Arnold; August, Jr .; Ferdinand and Dorothea attended the district schools in the neighborhood, while all the other chil- dren are now attending the parochial school belonging to St. Michael's church in Kalida, Ohio, and of which church the entire family are devout members.
Personally, Mr. Kahle is a man of broad sympathies and takes an abiding interest in the welfare of those about him, and because of his genial disposition and high character, he enjoys a large popularity in the com- munity in which he has spent so many years. To Mrs. Kahle is due a word in appreciation of her devotion and solicitude for her husband and family at all times. She has proven herself a loyal wife and mother, and has even been a source of encouragement in all of her husband's under- takings, which have brought him to notice as a successful agriculturist.
565
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
CHARLES WILFRED FOGLE, D. V S.
Within the past quarter of a century there have been many veterinary colleges springing up over the United States and Canada. In this modern day, in practically every state in the Union, a veterinary surgeon must have a state board examination before he can practice his profession, and Ohio has as stringent qualifications as any state in the Union. The treatment of animal diseases has been placed on a scientific basis within the past few years, in such a way that the courses in veterinary colleges are as thorough and scientific in their nature as the courses in medical colleges. Liepsic, Ohio, has a veterinary surgeon in the person of Charles Wilfred Fogle, D. i. S., who is a man of unusual attainments. Graduating with honors in a large class in 1907, he immediately came to Leipsic, where he has since been practicing his profession. He has already made a reputation for himself, which has extended far beyond the limits of his county.
Charles W. Fogle, D. V. S., the son of B. C. and Rebecca Fogle, was born at Williamsburg, Kansas, October 28, 1886. His father was born in Brookville, Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, and his mother in Bedford county, in the same state. B. C. Fogle located in Kansas when a lad with his father, who entered government land there. However, they did not live long on the farm, but traded it for a store about three miles from the Sacs and Fox Indian Reservation. The father of D. C. Fogle did a large and flourishing business with the Indians and the town of Williamsburg was built up around his trading post. B. C. Fogle is now a hardware mer- chant in this place.
Doctor Fogle was reared in Williamsburg, Kansas, and graduated from the high school in that place in 1905. He at once went to Toronto, Canada, and entered the Ontario Veterinary College, where he remained until he graduated in the spring of 1907. There were one hundred and fifty-seven in his graduating class and he received a gold medal for the highest and best average in his final examination. This is an exceptional honor and one for which all of the best students strive, and shows, in a marked way, the ability of Doctor Fogle. After his graduation he decided to locate in Ohio and passed the Ohio state board examination with a high average. He at once located in Leipsic, where he has since made his home.
Doctor Fogle is a member of the Ohio Veterinary Medical Associa- tion, and is a member of the legislative committee of the association. He is also president of the Northwestern Ohio Veterinary Medical Associa-
566
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
tion, secretary of the Northwestern Ohio Swine Breeders' Association and a member of the state board of veterinary examiners. He is president of the Leipsic Club, and has been a member of the Leipsic board of public affairs since 1908.
Doctor Fogle takes an active part in the affairs of the Republican party, and is a member of the central committee at the present time. He is an active worker in the Masonic lodge and is the senior warden of the Leipsic blue lodge, high priest of the Ottawa chapter, a member of the Ottawa council and of the commandery at Findlay, Ohio. In addition to his Masonic connections, he is also a member of the Knights of Pythias: Doctor Fogle is a young, unmarried man, a recognized authority on the diseases of animals and is sure to make a name for himself in the years to come.
JOSEPH GERDEMAN.
One of the young farmers of Union township, Putnam county, Ohio, who, for several years, has taken an active part in farmers' institute work, is Joseph J. Gerdeman, the owner of a splendid farm of eighty-six acres in Union township. Since moving to his present farm, Mr. Gerdeman has erected substantial buildings.
Joseph J. Gerdeman was born in Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio, December 25, 1875, and is a son of Mathias and Elizabeth (Eller- brock) Gerdeman. Joseph J. Gerdeman's paternal grandparents were Mathias Gerdeman and his wife, pioneers of Glandorf, Putnam county, Ohio, who were natives of the province of Hanover, Germany. Mathias Gerdeman and wife were the parents of the following children: Mathias, who was born in Germany; Henry, Joseph, Jasper, John and two daugh- ters, whose names were Elizabeth and Catherine. Mathias Gerdeman and wife lived in Putnam county the rest of their lives. They were devout members of the Catholic church at Glandorf.
The maternal grandparents of Joseph J. Gerdeman also came from Germany, and were early settlers in Ottawa township, Putnam county, Ohio.
Mathias Gerdeman came from Germany with his parents when he was three years of age, and settled near Glandorf, Putnam county, on a farm in Greensburg township. He attended the school at Glandorf, and was here married to Elizabeth Ellerbrock. After his marriage, he settled on a farm in Ottawa township. He learned the carpenter trade and devoted his at-
567
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
tention to this and to agriculture for thirty years. He lived on his farm in Ottawa township until his death, which occurred in 1908, while his wife died in 1906. Mathias Gerdeman, Jr., and wife were the parents of the following children: Frank H., Fred, Joseph J., Mary Anna and Theresa, all of whom are living with the exception of Mary Anna. Frank H. mar- ried Margaret Leise, and lives in Findlay, Ohio; Fred married Mary Krein- brink, and lives in Ottawa; Theresa became the wife of Joseph Herring- haus, and lives in Lima, Ohio; Anna married Andrew Ringlein, of Lima, Ohio. She died in August, 1914; Mary married Bernard Utrup, of Ottawa, where they still reside.
Joseph J. Gerdeman was educated in the district schools of Ottawa township, and lived on his father's farm until he was twenty-five years of age. He had been married three years previously, on May 31, 1898, to Katherine Steffen, a daughter of John and Mary (Kink) Steffen, who lived on a farm near Glandorf. John Steffen was a soldier, during the Civil War, serving with distinction throughout that struggle. He and his wife were parents of the following children: Elizabeth, Anna, Katherine, Amelia, Gertrude, Martha, Frank, George and Lawrence. Elizabeth be- came the wife of Barney Niese, and lives at Liberty township; Anna is the wife of Joseph Klass, a farmer of Liberty township; Amelia is unmar- ried; Gertrude is the wife of Mathias Winsinger, and they live in Henry county, Ohio; Martha became the wife of David Shaw, and they live in Hancock county, Ohio; Frank is unmarried. George married Catherine Meyers, and they live on the home place; Lawrence is unmarried.
After his marriage, Mr. Gerdeman lived for three years on his father's farm, when he moved to a farm in Union township, which consisted of eighty-six acres, and which he purchased. Here he erected substantial buildings, remodeled the house and made many other improvements and developed the land into a splendid farm.
Joseph J. Gerdeman and wife are the parents of the following chil- dren: Cornelius, born on March 25, 1899; Martha E., born on July 3. 1900; Edwin, born on February 8, 1903; Lawrence, born on June 28, 1904; Mary, born on April 6, 1908; Catherine L., born on July 21, 1910; Lucille, born on October 10, 1911; Paul, born on September 6, 1912, and Richard. born on January 12, 1914.
Mr. Gerdeman, in addition to farming, specializes in live stock on an ·extensive scale. He takes an active part in all stock shows.
568
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
Mr. Gerdeman is a Democrat, while fraternally, he is a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio. The Gerdeman family are all devout mem- bers of St. Michael's Catholic church at Kalida. Mr. Gerdeman is presi- dent of the Mutual Telephone Company, and served Union township as trustee for six years.
EBENEZER CASTEEL.
Among the farmers of Putnam county, Ohio, who have believed in. twentieth-century methods, is Ebenezer Casteel, a retired farmer and business. man, of Continental, Putnam county, Ohio. Mr. Casteel comes from a. splendid family and one that has always been strong for right living and industrious habits for education and morality-for all that contributes to the welfare of the commonwealth. Such people are welcome in any com- munity. They are empire-builders and, as such, have pushed the frontier of civilization westward and onward, leaving the green, wide-reaching wilderness and the far-stretching plains populous with contented people and beautiful with green fields. They have constituted that sterling horde which caused the great Bishop Whipple to write the memorable lines: "Westward the course of empire takes its way."
Ebenezer Casteel was born on July 4, 1838, in Licking county, Ohio. He is the son of Thomas and Salome (Livingston) Casteel, the former of whom was born near Cincinnati, Ohio, and came to Licking county when a young man, and here was married. Thomas Casteel was reared a farmer and educated in the township schools. After farming for a time in Lick- ing county, he came to Putnam county in 1858, and settled on a farm of eighty acres in Liberty township. The land was wild and it was in the region north of the Black swamp. There were no roads and wolves could be seen frequently and heard most of the time. Mr. Casteel moved into a. log cabin, abandoned by another family, and lived there for one year while he cleared the land and built a house. He farmed this land until his death, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife, who, before her marriage, was Salome Livingston, was a native of Licking county, Ohio, where she was reared. She died in Putnam county on the homestead farm. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Casteel eleven children were born, Andrew, who lives in Liberty township; Jeremiah, who also lives in this township; Ebenezer, the subject of this sketch; Eleanor, deceased; Lorenzo, who lives in Van Buren township; Mrs. Amanda Crooser, of Belmore, Ohio; Mrs. Julia Dillon, who
MR, AND MRS. EBENEZER CASTEEL.
569
PUTNAM COUNTY, OHIO.
lives in Liberty township: Thomas, of Belmore, Ohio; Elmira, deceased ; John, who lives in Henry county, Ohio; and Mrs. Adeline Miley, of Milton City, Ohio. Thomas Casteel was a Democrat throughout his life.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.