USA > Ohio > Putnam County > History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions > Part 57
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To Israel and Maria (Cowan) Logan were born seven children, all of whom, save one, are still living, the sixth child, Kemerer, having died in infancy, the survivors being Frank, the immediate subject of this sketch; Howard, a farmer and stock buyer of Allen county, Ohio; Finley, who manages the home place in Allen county, living with his parents; Americus V., of this county, and his twin sister, Mrs. Alice Rayle, who lives in Henry county, Ohio, and John, who lives in Billings, Montana.
Frank Logan grew to manhood in Union township, this county, was studious in his attention to his school duties in his youth and at the same time learned all there was to know about the life of a farmer, he having determined to follow the agricultural vocation as a life work. For twenty-
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three years in the period of his lifetime he taught school in Union town- ship, farming during the summer seasons, and on April 7, 1881, was united in marriage with Miss Maggie E. Boxwell, who was born in Perry township, this county, March 22, 1860, the daughter of Joseph N. and Adeline (Meyers) Boxwell, well-known residents of that township, the former of whom was a native of Maryland and the latter a native of Penn- sylvania.
After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Logan located on a farm in Union township and remained on that place until the year 1888, in which year they bought their present home farm in the same township, and here they have lived ever since, having been quite successful in the management and operation of the same. In addition to this home place, Mr. Logan owns two other farms, having one hundred and ninety-six acres in all, one hundred and twenty-nine acres in Union township and sixty-six and one-half acres in Sugar Creek township.
To the union of Frank and Maggie E. (Boxwell) Logan, five children have been born: Eva A., born August II, 1882, married Amos Jones, a farmer of Sugar Creek township, this county, and has one child, Genevieve; Joseph Franklin, born May 31, 1887, a Union township farmer, who mar- ried Naomi Fruchey and has two children, Margaret and Richard; Alice May, born May II, 1889, married John T. Thomas, a Union township farmer, and has one child, Franklin David; William Lloyd Garrison, born November 26, 1892, and Lois Margauerite, born April 21, 1900, the latter two living at home with their parents, very popular young people, who help their father and mother in extending the generous hospitalities of the Logan home.
In addition to giving prudent attention to the personal considerations of his farm, Mr. Logan, as stated in the introduction to this biography, has found time for much public service, his interest in and devotion to the com- inon weal having prompted him to accept several offices of trust and re- sponsibility, in the administration of the affairs of which offices he always has had an eye single to the public good and has given much satisfaction to his local constituency. In his twenty years' service as justice of the peace, his wise counsels often have averted expensive and unnecessary litigation among neighbors and the judgments of his court rarely have been questioned to the point of taking an appeal to a higher court. In the office of land appraiser and as assessor of his township for five terms, he, likewise, has served the public faithfully and well, and in twenty years of service as president of the local school board he has brought the schools of Union
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township to a state of excellence second to none in the county, a measure of service for which the people of that township are ever grateful and which has been appreciated there accordingly. In view of all this unselfish devo- tion to the public welfare, it was taken for granted when he received the nomination for county commissioner from his district at the last Democratic county convention, that he would be elected and this conclusion was amply verified when the returns came in, his period of office beginning with the September term of the board, in 1915.
In church work, Mr. Logan has proved liis ability for service, both he and Mrs. Logan being devoted and influential members of the Maple Grove Christian church, the congregation of which Mr. Logan long has served as trustee and clerk as well as having been closely identified with the work of the Sunday school. Mr. and Mrs. Logan and their family are very popu- lar in their neighborhood, their activity in all local good works having endeared them to all in that part of the county, and they are very properly regarded as among the leaders in all movements having the general welfare in consideration. By keen executive perception and careful attention to the details of his business, Mr. Logan has accumulated a fair share of this world's goods and has a fine farm and a pleasant home. He is deeply inter- ested in progressive up-to-date methods of farming and ever is seeking to elevate the standard of farming in his locality, at the same time being a con- sistent "booster" for all proper township improvements. He is a man of sterling character, a friend of all and "once a friend, always a friend," and has been an undoubted factor for great good in his community, his in- fluence extending beyond the mere local confines of his township. A lover of the truth, he has no use for anyone who is not sincere and is a foe of all shams, in whatever guise they may appear.
CLYDE M. FLETCHER.
Perseverance and sterling worth are almost always sure to win con- spicuous recognition in any locality. Clyde M. Fletcher has been a resident of Putnam county, Ohio, for several years, and his career is a splendid example of the successful, self-made man, who not only deserves the confi- dence reposed in him by his neighbors, but who also possesses the necessary energy and integrity fitting him to discharge the duties of a private citizen.
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He is a man of vigorous mentality and strong moral fiber and has made a signal success.
Clyde M. Fletcher was born in 1881 in Hancock county, Ohio, and is a son of Victor and Annetta (Orrem) Fletcher. He was fifteen years of age when his parents moved to near Melrose, Paulding county, Ohio, and in 1889 moved to Continental, where they still reside.
In 1907 Mr. Fletcher married Ella S. Beard, the daughter of John Beard. In 1908 he and his wife removed to a farm belonging to Mrs. Fletcher's father, where they have since lived. Mr. Fletcher is engaged in general farming, and is also a handy man at several trades, including that of paper hanging, painting, etc.
Victor Fletcher, the father of Clyde M. Fletcher, was born, May 5, 1852, in Hancock county, Ohio, the son of Charles and Catherine (Brown) Fletcher. Charles Fletcher was born in 1810 in Adams county, Pennsyl- vania, near Gettysburg, while his wife, Catherine Brown, was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1828, and was first married to Philander Emerson. She came with him to Hancock county, Ohio, where he entered government land, and here his death occurred. Charles Fletcher was first married to Jane Boyd, and moved to Hancock county about 1833. He was a lifelong farmer, and after the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Emerson, and they spent the remainder of their lives on the farm. Victor Fletcher grew up on the farm in Hancock county. He was married on October 4, 1878, to Annetta Orrem, who was born in 1855, in Hancock county, Ohio, and was a daughter of Henry Y. and Hester (Young) Orrem. Henry Y. Orrem was born in Knox county, Ohio, and was a son of Samuel and Rhoda Ann (Young) Orrem. It is believed that the Orrem family is of Spanish descent. When Annetta Orrem was a young woman, her parents moved to about three miles southeast of Leipsic, and later moved to Leipsic, where she lived when she married Mr. Fletcher.
In the spring following his marriage, Victor Fletcher moved to Hancock county, and lived there for about twelve years. He then moved to near Melrose, in Paulding county, and lived there until December, 1897, and finally moved to Continental, where he has since lived.
Victor Fletcher and wife are the parents of seven children: Izora, the wife of Lemuel S. Rice, lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan; Clyde M., the imme- diate subject of this review; Henrietta, the wife of A. S. Saegers, and died at the birth of her second child; Jessie May, the wife of O. D. Zoll, lives in Cleveland, Ohio; Clarence Edward, who died at the age of ten years; Flor- ence Edith, the twin sister of Clarence E., is the widow of Lewis Brown,
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and lives with her father in Continental; Donna Marie, who died at the age of nineteen months.
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher belong to the United Brethren church.
HERMAN SCHUBERT.
The success of men in business, or in any vocation, depends upon character as well as upon knowledge. In every community some men are known by their upright lives, strong common sense and moral worth. Their neighbors respect them, the younger generation heed their example and when they wrap the drapery of their couches about them and lie down to pleasant dreams, posterity listens with reverence to the story of their quiet and useful lives. Among such men of a past generation in Ohio was Herman Schubert, not only a progressive man of affairs, but successful in material pursuits and a man of modest and unassuming demeanor, a fine type of the reliable, self-made American, a friend to the poor, charitable to the faults of his neighbors and always active in support of laudable public en- terprises. The late Herman Schubert was proud of his residence in Put- nam county and the grand state of Ohio, and zealous for their progress and prosperity. He was a man who, in every respect, merited the high esteem in which he was universally held.
The late Herman Schubert was born on December 28, 1839, in Craw- ford county, Ohio, and died on December 31, 1914. He was the son of John Casper and Christiana (Corfmann) Schubert, the former a native of Saxony, who came to America in 1833, and settled in Crawford county, where Herman Schubert was born. Christiana Schubert was a native of Saxony, also. Most of their children were born in the old country. After coming to America, they lived in Crawford county for eight years, leaving there in 1841, and moving to Seneca county, Ohio. They lived here for a number of years. John Schubert was a farmer. He died in 1881, at the age of ninety years. His wife died about 1868. John Casper and Christiana Schubert had eight children, of whom Herman was next to the youngest. All of the children, with the exception of Mrs. Lucinda Meyers, who lives in Highland township, Defiance county, are deceased. They were Leander, Osmuth, Matilda, August, Malina, Herman and Sarah.
Herman Schubert grew up in Seneca county, Ohio, and was married there on September 29, 1887, to Susan Stahl, a native of Seneca county,
HERMAN SCHUBERT.
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born in 1850, the daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Putnam) Stahl, natives of Pennsylvania and Wayne county, Ohio, respectively. Samuel Stahl moved to Wyandot county, Ohio, when a lad. His wife moved to that county when about ten years of age. Both grew up in this county and lived there until 1857, when they moved to Seneca county, Ohio. Here they spent their remaining days. To Mr. and Mrs. Herman Schubert, three children were born, Bertie C., who lives at home; Louis Herman, who died in infancy; and Stella L., who lives at home.
Shortly after his marriage, Herman Schubert moved to MacMinn county, Tennessee, near Athens, and lived here until 1901, coming to Put- nam county at that time. He built a splendid residence in 1901, and owned one hundred and forty-four acres at the time of his death. Twenty-four acres of this land was covered by natural timber. It was all located in Putnam county. Herman Schubert was a life-long farmer, and during the last few years of his life, he made a specialty of thoroughbred Jersey cat- tle.
Herman Schubert was not a member of any lodge, at the time of his death. At one time he belonged to the Grange and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Two years before his marriage, he served as trustee in Defiance county, Ohio. He was a member of the Christian church, but was reared a Lutheran. Since there was no church in Putnam county, he joined the Methodist church at Sharon, Ohio, and was very active in Sunday school work. He was a trustee of this church for a long time while living in Putnam county, and was superintendent of the Sunday school while liv- ing in Tennessee. Herman Schubert was a splendid farmer, as his well- improved and carefully-kept farm shows. His eldest son and daughter live at home.
HENRY B. RUHE.
The Ruhe family has been represented in this county since the year 1833, in which year the progenitor of Henry B. came to America, joining the large colony of Germans which settled in the Glandorf neighborhood, about that time.
Henry B. Ruhe was born near the town of Glandorf, in Ottawa town- ship, Putnam county, Ohio, on June 8, 1881, the son of Henry W. and Barbara (Koenig) Ruhe, the former of whom was born in the same town-
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ship in the year 1849, the son of Gerhardt Joseph and Mary Anna (Musing) Ruhe, both of whom were natives of Germany. Barbara Koenig was born in Liberty township, the daughter of Charles and Matilda (Kastel) Koenig, both of whom were natives of Bavaria.
Gerhardt Joseph Ruhe, the first of the name in this section of Ohio, was born in Saarbeck, Germany, on November 2, 1812, and died in this county on December 29, 1878, at the age of sixty-six years. Following his marriage to Mary Anna Musing in the old country, he came to America and located on a farm in Ottawa township, this county, entering the same from the government at a time when the land thereabout was an unbroken wilderness, through which Indians and the wild creatures of the forest still roamed at will. The original tract entered by Mr. Ruhe was eighty acres. Upon clearing this and bringing it to a state of cultivation, he bought another eighty acres adjoining and there he spent the rest of his life, being numbered among the most progressive and influential men of that neighbor- hood in his day.
To Gerhardt Joseph and Mary Anna ( Musing) Ruhe were born twelve children, of whom six grew to maturity, as follow: Barney, Mrs. Theresia Hinken, Mrs. Josephine Knueve, deceased; Henry William, Mrs. Katherine Wortkoetter and Anthony B.
Henry William Ruhe grew to manhood on the paternal farm in Ottawa township, and on February 7, 1877, was united in marriage with Barbara Koenig, the daughter of a pioneer family of Liberty township, her parents having come here early in the establishment of the German colony in the Glandorf section. To this union there were born eight children, as follow : Joseph, living in Pleasant township, who married Veronica Ricker and has five children, Clara, George, William, Albert and Paul; Mary Anna, who married Henry Kleman and lives northeast of Ottawa; Henry B., of whom this narrative immediately treats; John, who is unmarried and lives in Mis- souri; Charles, living in Pleasant township, married Emma Ricker and has one child, a son, Rudolph; Josephine, who married Joseph Kleman, of Pleasant township, and has three children, Peter, Alexander and Sylvester; Theresia, who married John Segar and lives in Pleasant township, and Rosa, unmarried, who lives at home.
The mother of the above children died on June 4, 1897, and on June 20, 1898, Henry W. Ruhe married, secondly, Mrs. Mary Anna (Fredericks) Fortman, the widow of Henry Fortman, and to this union there were born two children, Maria Anna, who married Isaac McDowell and lives in the town
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of Continental, this county, and a son, who died in early infancy. Henry W. Ruhe is still living on the farm on which he was born in Ottawa town- ship, the farm which his grandfather entered from the government.
Henry B. Ruhe was reared on his father's farm in Ottawa township, receiving such scholastic advantages as the schools of his neighborhood offered, and there he grew to manhood, being carefully trained in the ways of farming. On May 1, 1906, he was united in marriage with Johanna Bensman, who also was born in Ottawa township, and two days later moved onto the farm on which they are now living in Monroe township, this county, four and one-half miles northwest of the town of Continental.
Johanna Bensman is the daughter of George and Anna Mary (Heising) Bensman, both of whom were born in the Glandorf neighborhood in Ottawa township, members of pioneer families of that section. George Bensman was born in 1851 and died on May 6, 1892, and his wife was born on June 24, 1852, and died on November 28, 1891. Mr. Bensman was reared a farmer and remained on the home farm until he attained manhood, when he moved to Greensburg, where he bought a farm and spent the rest of his life there. Mrs. Ruhe grew to womanhood in Greensburg township and after the death of her parents made her home with the family of Andrew Gerde- man, where she remained until her marriage. Her parents had four chil- dren besides herself, as follow: Mrs. Mary Swigart, of Perry township, this county; Mrs. Veronica Barlarger, of Greensburg township; William, who also lives in Greensburg township, and one who died in infancy.
To Henry B. and Johanna (Bensman) Ruhe have been born three children, Alexander, Marcella and Lucinda, lively young people, who make merry the pleasant home of their devoted parents.
Upon acquiring his farm in 1906, Mr. Ruhe faced the considerable task of clearing the larger part of it ready for cultivation. This, however, he has accomplished and it all is cleared with the exception of about three acres of woodland which he has retained. He has drained and fenced the place in an excellent manner. He built his home in 1906 and built a new barn in 1914. He is a farmer of progressive ideas and these are reflected in the general appointments of his farm, which is one of the best-kept places in his neighborhood.
Mr. and Mrs. Ruhe and their family are members of the Catholic church at Continental and are devoted supporters of the best interests of the parish. Mr. Ruhe is a Democrat and takes a good citizen's interest in politics, being a strong supporter of all measures designed to advance the
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cause of good government. He has never been included in the office-seeking class, however, being content to devote his best endeavors to his well-kept farm and to the comfort and happiness of his family. He is a man of pleasing reserve of manner, industrious and thrifty, a good farmer and a credit to the citizenship of Monroe township, an indulgent father, a kind husband and an excellent neighbor, well liked and popular throughout that whole section of the county.
FRANKLIN GRANT.
A great French statesman once asked James Russell Lowell how long this republic could endure, and he replied, "So long as America is true to the principles of her founders." Nothing but high civic and political ideals heroically contended for, can hold our beloved republic on its upward way. "Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." To preserve this vision fresh and untarnished is the mission of all good citizens, a noble volunteer band whose call transcends all nar- row sectional boundaries and geographical divisions. The clock has struck the hour so earnestly longed for by Christopher Gadsen when there shall be "no East or West nor North or South, but all of us Americans."
America is in the making. The blending of her various peoples into one homogeneous whole, to work out the vast problems of civilization both for herself and the entire world, is the immediate task before us. The descendants of the original settlers will be expected to stand foremost among the many, in projecting the activities of the future. There are many descend- ants of this country's original settlers who are counted among the leaders in the social and civic life of Putnam county, among whom is the gen- tleman whose name is noted above, and the biographer finds pleasure in asking the attention of the reader to a few points relating to his honorable ancestry and to his part in the affairs of this county and the township, in which his family so long have been leaders.
Franklin Grant, one of the best-known farmers and most reputable citi- zens of Monroe township, Putnam county, was born in that township on Feb- ruary 25, 1860, the son of John and Rebecca (Sanford) Grant, the former of whom was a native of Jefferson county, Ohio, born July II, 1822, and the latter of whom was a native of Sandusky county, Ohio.
John Grant, who at the time of his death was the oldest pioneer and farmer of Monroe township, was of Scottish descent. His grandfather, who
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also was named John, was a native of New Jersey, of old Colonial stock, who moved from New Jersey to Washington county, Pennsylvania, later coming to Ohio, where he settled in Starke county. There he underwent all the vicissitudes of frontier life, but eventually developed a farm of one hundred and sixty acres from the forest, on which he passed the remainder of his life. Before leaving Washington county, Pennsylvania, he had mar- ried a Miss Cosner, who, with him, died in the faith of the Presbyterian church. The elder John Grant was a man of splendid physique and, like most powerfully-built men, possessed a kindly and admirable disposition. In politics he was a Jacksonian Democrat.
David Grant, son of the elder John Grant, was reared a farmer in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and there married Rebecca Rape, to. which union there were born eleven children, of whom only one now sur- vives, the venerable Mrs. Narcissia Sherrard, who lives two miles west of Fremont, Ohio, at the age of eighty-three years. The other children of this union were: Mary A., John, father of the immediate subject of this sketch; Joseph, Harriet, David, Letitia, Eunice, Rebecca, Runie and Jeremiah.
David Grant moved from Pennsylvania with his family into Ohio and resided for four years on a farm in Jefferson county, then moving to San- dusky county, where he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres near Fremont, taking possession of it before an ax had been struck in the wilder- ness of woods which covered it. There he built a log cabin for the shelter of his family and entered upon the strenuous task of clearing the place for cultivation, eventually bringing forth a farm that was both productive and profitable. David Grant became one of the most prominent residents of Sandusky county, was a leader in the local politics of the Democratic party and a pillar in the Methodist church. He was one of the most prosperous men in his neighborhood and possessed a large influence in the direction of the affairs of the community.
Amid pioneer conditions such as above described, John Grant, son of David, grew to manhood. He was a sturdy, vigorous youth and, in addi- tion to learning all the ways of the pioneer farmer's life, obtained an excel- lent rudimentary education in the schools that were started by subscription in that section. He early developed excellent business traits and in his young manhood made a good start dealing in live stock. On April 7, 1850, John Grant was united in marriage with Rebecca Sanford, who was born in Seneca county, Ohio, the daughter of John and Rebecca (Cassidy) San- ford, and in that year moved to Putnam county, locating on the farm on
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which he spent the rest of his life, in Monroe township. At the time he settled there, there were but two spots in the entire township that had been cleared, and bear, deer and other game abounded, as well as wolves and panthers. Eventually, amid all the privations of frontier life, he wrested from the forest a home that was one of the best in Putnam county in the later years of its owner's life.
John Grant was a patriotic Unionist and, when the Civil War broke out, he volunteered in defense of the national flag, but his services were declined on account of disability. He was an ardent Republican and ever took a deep interest in the political affairs of Putnam county. He served his township faithfully and well in the capacity of township trustee and township supervisor and for nearly thirty years served as township treasurer. He and his wife were ardent members of the Methodist church and did very much toward the permanent establishment of that church in their neighborhood in the early days, being very generous contributors to all the causes which it represented. He donated the ground on which the Sharon church was built and contrib- uted five hundred dollars toward the erection of that church building. He was a man of fine and noble traits and was widely known throughout the county for his sterling character, honesty and sincerity of life. He was a good farmer and not only made a competence for himself, but was able to assist his children when the time came for them to make a start in life, and was generous in all his dealings with his fellow men.
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