History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 72

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 72

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markets in connection with the present movement to improve the productions of farm products.

James H. Teegardin was born on March 19, 1866, in Sugar Creek town- ship, Putnam county, Ohio. He is the son of Joseph and Sarah (Mayberry) Teegardin. Joseph Teegardin was born in Sugar Creek township, Allen county, Ohio, on March 19, 1840, and died in Pleasant township, Putnam county, on March 10, 1892. He was the son of Henry and Rachel (Decker) Teegardin. Henry Teegardin was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, three miles from Groveport, and came to Sugar Creek township, Allen county, in 1830. He was the son of William Teegardin, who was a native of Pennsylvania and. who settled in Fairfield county, where he spent the remainder of his life on the original Teegardin homestead. He died at the age of about eighty-two years. It was William Teegardin who entered the land in Sugar Creek township, Allen county, from the government, which has been turned over to several successive generations of his descendants. As in the past, this property was given to his sons, though he himself had never moved to Allen county, always remaining in Fairfield county. He had ten children, four daughters and six sons, one of whom was Henry, the grandfather of James H.

Henry Teegardin settled on one of the farms of one hundred and sixty acres which was entered by his father, where he lived and died. He passed through all of the pioneer experiences of the men of his generation, was a very industrious farmer and, for his time, was considered very prosperous. He died at about the age of fifty years of pneumonia. Henry and Rachel Teegardin had nine children, Mary, who was familiarly known as "Polly"; Elizabeth, Joseph, the father of James H .; Peter, John, William, Daniel and a son and a daughter, who died in childhood. Rachel Teegardin survived her husband many years and was married again to James Mayberry. She died at the advanced age of eighty-two years, in February, 1899. Joseph Tee- gardin, who was the eldest son, took charge of the old homestead in Allen county after his father's death. It was on this old place that he spent his childhood and youth at the time he attended the typical log cabin school. At the age of twenty-three, on May 23, 1863, he was married to Sarah Elizabeth Mayberry, who was born in Pleasant township, Putnam county, on May 13, 1843, and who was the daughter of James and Mary (Jamison) Mayberry. It was James Mayberry who, after his first wife's death, married Rachel Teegardin. Joseph and Sarah Teegardin, the parents of James H. Teegar- din, were, therefore, step brother and sister, as well as husband and wife.

After Joseph Teegardin's marriage he settled in the southeast corner of Sugar Creek township, Putnam county, on eighty acres of land belonging to

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his father, which farm he purchased after the latter's death from the re- mainder of the heirs. In about nine years, or in 1870, he sold this farm and moved to Columbus Grove, where he lived for nine years. He then moved to a small farm two and one-half miles north of Columbus Grove, where he lived the remainder of his life, dying on March 10, 1892. Although not a member of any church, he died in the Christian faith. He was ill about seven years prior to his death. He was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was a Democrat. Joseph and Sarah (Mayberry) Tee- gardin had five children, Emma, James H., the subject of this sketch ; William A., Thomas M. and Alice, who died in infancy. Mrs. Joseph Teegardin still lives and resides with her grandchild, Mrs. May Darbyshire, of Lima, Ohio.

James H. Teegardin spent his early childhood on his father's farm in Sugar Creek township. His boyhood was spent in Columbus Grove and later on the farm north of Columbus Grove. Here he attended the public schools and after finishing school helped his father on the farm. At the age of sixteen he started in life for himself and began working for neighboring farmers, which he continued to do until he became twenty years of age, when he married.

James H. Teegardin was married on April 14, 1886, to Etta Sherman, who was born in Putnam county in September, 1870, and who is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Utter) Sherman. To this union were born two children, Bessie, who died at the age of six weeks, and Nellie, who died at the age of four. Mrs. Etta Teegardin died in March, 1897, and after her death Mr. Teegardin was married a second time, on April 14, 1898, to Mrs. Jane (Myers) Vandemark, the widow of James M. Vandemark. Mrs. Tee- gardin had five children by her first marriage, Clarence, Emmet, Clara, Vena, who died at the age of two years, and Alva J. All four of these children are living and are married. Mrs. Teegardin is the daughter of James and Deborah (McDale) Myers, the former of whom was born in Pleasant town- ship, Putnam county, on September 4, 1830, and died in Union township in February, 1912, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife, Deborah McDale, was born on June 29, 1835, in Pleasant township and is still living.

After Mr. Teegardin's first marriage he rented a farm in Pleasant town- ship for two years. During the following ten years he was engaged in factory work at Columbus Grove and Carey, Ohio. Later and after his second mar- riage he took up his residence on the James Vandemark farm, where he has resided ever since.

James H. and Jane (Myers) Teegardin have had two children, Lewis

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W., born on May 2, 1899, and Joseph C., May 30, 1903. After Mr. Tee- gardin's second marriage he negotiated with the heirs of the James Vande- mark estate and purchased their interest in the farm, which he now owns. His farm consists of one hundred and forty-six acres and is located two and one-half miles northwest of Vaughnsville. His land is in a fine state of cul- tivation, is well improved and no better farm can be found anywhere. Mr. Teegardin had the misfortune, on November 23, 1914, to lose a fine barn that had just been erected and which was destroyed by fire. He has since duplicated this structure with a barn which is modern to the smallest detail. He has a comfortable residence and neatly and well-kept outbuildings. Mr. Teegardin has always done general farming and has paid considerable atten- tion to the Ohio. Improved Chester hogs and keeps only thoroughbreds. He also raises Shorthorn cattle for dairy and beef purposes.

James H. Teegardin and wife are members of the Ottawa River Chris- tian church, while Mr. Teegardin is a member of Vaughnsville Lodge, No. 711, Knights of Pythias. He has passed all of the chairs in his local lodge except one. Mr. Teegardin is a Democrat, although he has never been par- ticularly active. He is a progressive farmer of Sugar Creek township, clean- cut and favorably known.

CHARLES R. SMITH.

The farmers' interest in road-building is universally recognized. Good roads furnish easy access to market and reduce the wear of his vehicles and machinery. They are civilizing agents that open up to him the outside world, even more than railroads or trolley lines. Moreover, the farmer is interested, not so much in gigantic expenditures for road-building, which amount to six hundred million dollars each year, but in getting the worth of his money invested in this enterprise. He has a right to know whether the forty-four million dollars, expended in state aid of road-building in 1914, was economi- cally used. He ought to know enough about making roads to find the answer for himself. One of the prominent farmers of Sugar Creek township, Put- nam county, Ohio, who is extremely interested in road-building and in markets, is Charles R. Smith.

Charles R. Smith was born on June 28, 1863, in Allen county, Ohio. He is the son of Benjamin O. and Margaret A. (Hines) Smith. Benjamin Smith was born in Culpeper county, Virginia, in October, 1832, and was the

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son of James and Mary (Stover) Smith. James Smith was born in Cul- pepper county, Virginia, in 1810, and died in 1893. He was a farmer in Virginia, where he grew to manhood and was married. He came to Ohio, overland, in a covered wagon, arriving in Vaughnsville on January 1, 1837. He then entered land from the government in section 22, about two miles northeast of Vaughnsville. He remained in Vaughnsville until he had built a cabin and then moved to his new-found home. He proceeded to clear his land and succeeded in getting about fifty acres in cultivation. He spent the remainder of his life on the old homestead, where his wife died in April, 1888, he surviving her by five years. They had eleven children, six sons and five daughters, of whom Charles R. Smith's father, Benjamin O. Smith, was next to the eldest. Benjamin O. Smith was only five years of age when his parents came to Putnam county, where he grew to manhood. He attended the district schools and helped his father to clear the land and farm the home place. At twenty-seven years of age he was married to Margaret A. Hines, who was born in Culpepper county, Virginia, in 1836, and who was the daughter of Peter and Fanny (Stover) Hines, who in turn were both natives of Virginia and immigrated to Randolph county, Missouri, when their daugh- ter, Margaret, was a child. Here her parents settled on a farm and remained the balance of their lives. Margaret Hines was one of seven children, five sons and two daughters.

Benjamin O. Smith went to Missouri, where he met and married Mar- garet Hines. After their marriage, they returned to Ohio and settled just northwest of his father's homestead, where they remained for a short time. Subsequently, they removed to a farm in the extreme northern part of Allen county, two miles west of Columbus Grove. It was here that Charles R. Smith was born. Benjamin O. Smith moved again, shortly afterward, to a farm northeast of Gomer in Allen county, where he remained for a few years. Later, he moved to a farm in Allen county, about one and one-half miles west of Charles R. Smith's birthplace. He bought this farm, but two years later, sold out on account of his wife's health, and moved to Missouri, in the fall of 1871. Here she died, in January, 1872. They had four children, three sons and one daughter, Cornelius F., Charles R., the subject of this sketch; Paschal M. and Mary F., deceased, who married George W. Foltz, and has one child living, Donald. Benjamin O. Smith returned to Ohio, with his family, immediately after the death of his wife, to the old home- stead, where Benjamin O. was again married, in 1876, to Mrs. Rebecca (Stover) Pearson. To this union were born three children, Clayton, who died in childhood; Carl, who died in infancy, and Nellie, who died about the

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age of seventeen. Benjamin O. Smith died on the old home place on De- cember 16, 1888. At one time he was a member of the Christian church. He was a Democrat in politics.

Charles R. Smith was eight years old when his father returned from Missouri and has continued to live on the home place of his father and grandfather since that time. He attended the Smith district school and, after finishing the common school, helped his father on the farm until he became of age, after which time he went to Randolph county, Missouri. There he 'remained for one and one-half years. At the end of this period, he returned to his home to take charge of the farm, after his father's death in 1888.

Charles R. Smith continued to farm here until 1890, when he again went to Missouri and was married to Susie W. Furnish, who was born in California, in January, 1861. She was the daughter of Samuel and Eliza (Riggs) Furnish. After his marriage, Mr. Smith again returned to Ohio, and has resided here ever since. Charles R. and Susie W. (Furnish) Smith have had three children, Earl F., who was born on December 10, 1891 ; Erma C., June 12, 1893, and who is the wife of William J. Jones, and Paul Ray- mond, May 21, 1895. Both boys are students of Defiance College. Mrs. Smith died on June 19, 1899. About three years after the death of Mrs. Susie Smith, Mr. Smith was again married on January 1, 1902, to Mrs. Lillie V. (Jenkins) Gordon, who was born in Union county, Ohio, September 2, 1867. She is the daughter of William and Lucinda (Holycross) Jenkins. The former was born in Muskingham county, Virginia, December 25, 1840, and died in Paulding county, Ohio, September 23, 1905. Lucinda Holycross was born on August 21, 1836, and died on July 31, 1900, at Grover Hill, Paulding county, Ohio. William and Lucinda Jenkins had eleven children, six daughters and five sons, Abraham M., Lydia A., William Lawrence, Tabitha J., John A., Lillie B., the wife of Mr. Smith; Eli Clemens, Earl P., Mattie B., Nellie W. and Cassie Maude, all of whom are living, except Eli C. To Charles R. and Lillie V. (Jenkins) Smith have been born two chil- dren, one daughter, who died at birth, and Russell Dale, on June 3, 1905.

Charles R. Smith has always done general farming and has been suc- cessful. He, with his wife, are members of the Christian church. Mr. Smith has been clerk, treasurer and trustee of the church. Mr. Smith is a member of Vaughnsville Lodge No. 711, Knights of Pythias. He is a Democrat and has served as a member of the school board. He was a member at the time the new school house was built at Vaughnsville. Charles R. Smith is well and favorably known in Sugar Creek township and well merits the esteem and confidence in which he is held by his neighbors and fellow citizens.

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FRANK J. SMITH.

For four generations the Smith family, one of the best known of the many families of German origin in Putnam county, has been counted as a factor of the development of that section of the county in which their in- fluence has been most largely felt. In all that time the influence for good ex- erted by this family has been steadfast and sure, and there can be no doubt that it has been potent in aiding the advancement of the cause of good local government wherever it has been felt. In thus making its impress upon the life of the community this family is entitled to mention in any work that attempts to deal with the history of this county, and the attention of the reader is called to this brief biography of the gentleman, a prosperous repre- sentative of the family here referred to, one of the most progressive farmers of Union township.

Frank J. Smith was born on a farm in section 34, in Union township, Putnam county, Ohio, on April 28, 1873, the son of L. Jacob and Florentine (Verhoff) Smith, the former of whom was a native of Germany, the son of Jacob and Wilhelmina (Harb) Smith, and the latter of whom was a native. of Erie county, Ohio, the daughter of Francis and Anna Maria (Kramer) Verhoff. For further details regarding the genealogy of the Verhoff family the reader's attention is directed to the biographical sketch of Theodore Vern- hoff, presented elsewhere in this volume.

Jacob Smith, who was born in Germany, was one of the issue of his father's second marriage. By his father's first marriage there were two chil- dren, Peter and John Jacob, both of whom are now deceased; and by the second marriage there were eight children, all of whom are deceased: Jacob, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, Joseph, Anthony, Frank, Mary, Christina, and two whose names have been lost to the present generation. All these children were born in Germany and came to America with their parents, the family settling on a farm in Erie county, Ohio, where the par- ents spent the remainder of their days. The Smith home was five miles south of the city of Sandusky, and the various members of the family became prom- inent members of that section. All were members of the Catholic church and were devoted to the affairs of the local parish; also being diligent in the good works of the community in general. It was there that Jacob Smith grew to manhood, and there he married Wilhelmina Harb, the daughter of Hubert and Cecelia (Anselm) Harb, the latter of whom was born in Ger- many, and upon their marriage came to America, settling in Erie county, Ohio, where they made their home on a farm during the remainder of their

MR. AND MRS. L. JACOB SMITIL

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lives, and where they reared a family of six children: Wilhelmina, Uplonia, Cecelia, Amelia, Louis, Anthony and Hubert.

Jacob Smith remained in Erie county for three years after his marriage, and then came to Putnam county, locating on a farm of forty acres in Union township, to which he later added sixty acres, and on this farm he and his. wife reared their family and he spent the remainder of his life. To Jacob. and Wilhelmina (Harb) Smith there were born eight children: L. Jacob, Hubert, Cecelia, Wilhelmina, John, Mary, Theresa and Anthony. These children were brought up in the Catholic faith and were members of the church at Glandorf, as were their parents. Jacob Smith predeceased his. wife, and upon his death she married, secondly, William Rampe, a shoe manu- facturer at Glandorf, who, after this marriage, moved to Ottawa, and there the paternal grandmother of Frank J. Smith spent the remainder of her days.

L. Jacob Smith, first-born of Jacob and Wilhelmina ( Harb) Smith, was. reared on the paternal farm in Union township, this county, and received his education in the schools of Union and Greensburg townships. During the early years of his young manhood he worked on his father's farm, but after his marriage moved to a farm of one hundred acres in section 34, in Union township. He found this tract practically unimproved, and has brought it up to a state of cultivation second to none in that part of the county. As his- farming operations extended, and their success became amply proved, he gradually added to his holdings, until at the time of his retirement from the active work of the farm he was the owner of slightly more than three hun- dred acres of choice farm land. Upon deciding to retire, he divided the greater portion of his lands among his children and bought five acres in the town of Kalida, on which he erected a splendid residence, and there he and his wife are now living in quiet retirement, enjoying the fruits of their early industry. In order that he might not "rust" in his old age, Mr. Smith, at the time of his retirement, bought twenty-three acres near his new home, to the cultivation of which he gave considerable attention. Though practically re- tired, he is active enough to do a good day's work yet and would reject with scorn any implication that he is "on the shelf." Mr. Smith is an active, intel- ligent old gentleman, highly respected, as is his good wife, both of whom en- joy the esteem of all who know them. In his more active days, Mr. Smith gave much attention to the public affairs of his neighborhood and had served the community very acceptably in the capacity of township trustee. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church, in which faith they reared their children, and he is a member of St. Joseph's Benevolent Society at Kalida.

On June 10, 1872, L. Jacob Smith was united in marriage with Floren-

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tine Verhoff, a member of one of the county's old families, and to this union there were born seven children, as follow: Frank J., with whom this sketch particularly treats; Hubert, born on January 26, 1875; Wilhelmina, born on April 5, 1877; J. August, born on May 13, 1882; Anthony, born on April 17, 1885; Harry, born on June 19, 1888, and died on September 1, 1892, and William.

Frank J. Smith, first born of the above union, received his early edu- cation at St. Michael's parochial school, assisting his father on the farm during the vacation periods. During the years of his young manhood he "worked out"' for three years and on June 10, 1903, was united in marriage with Helena Kahle, the daughter of Frank and Bernardina (Brinkman) Kahle, members of an old family in this county, whose genealogy is given special mention in the biographical sketch which appears elsewhere in this volume under the name of Frank Kahle, the father of Mrs. Smith.

After his marriage, Frank J. Smith moved onto the farm on which he now resides and which he bought from his father a couple of months previous to his marriage. This farm originally consisted of one hundred acres, which Mr. Smith enlarged in 1911 by the purchase of forty acres in Greensburg township, which he uses for pasture. Since taking over this farm, he has greatly improved the same and now has one of the best and most completely appointed farms in that part of the county. In addition to general farming, Mr. Smith engages quite extensively in the raising of cattle, his herd of full- blooded Herefords providing him with considerable profit.

To Frank J. and Helena (Kahle) Smith there have been born six chil- dren, as follow: Ignatius Albert Jacob, born on May 8, 1904; Franz Oth- mar Heironomous, born on December 1 , 1906; Hubert Norbert Oscar, born on May 15, 1908; Franz William Harold, born on January 10, 1910; Marie Francesca Clara, born on November 13, 1911, and Maria Anna Wilhelmina, born on July 1, 1913.

Frank T. Smith and wife are devoted members of St. Michael's Catho- lic church at Kalida and are earnest workers in all the beneficences of that parish. Mr. Smith is a member of St. Joseph's Benevolent Society and is likewise interested in all the good works of his community, he and Mrs. Smith being active in the various local movements designed to elevate the common welfare. He is one of the trustees of the Kalida Mutual Telephone Company and finds time, in connection with the multifarious duties of his farm to give proper attention to the public affairs of the township, in the good government of which he is deeply interested. The Smith family are known far and near for their amiability and hospitality and are quite popu- lar among all classes throughout that section of the county.

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MOSTON WOOD.

To a great extent the prosperity of the agricultural sections of our country is due to the honest industry, the steady persistence, the unswerving perseverance and the wise economy which commonly characterize the farming element of the Buckeye state. Among this class may be mentioned Moston Wood, who, by reason of years of indefatigable labor and honest effort, has not only acquired a well-merited material prosperity, but has also richly earned the highest esteem of all with whom he has been associated.

Moston Wood was born near West Cairo, Allen county, Ohio, on Sep- tember 21, 1869, and is descended from sterling English ancestry. His parents were Sanford B. and Susan (Trice) Wood. Sanford Wood was born in Allen county on December 31, 1846, the son of Albert G. Wood, a native of Logan county, Ohio. Albert G. came to Allen county in young manhood with his parents, who had entered land from the government, adjoining what is now the city of Lima. Albert Wood's father, Christopher Wood, the great-grandfather of Moston Wood, was one of the most promi- nent and active men of his community in pioneer days. He helped to lay out the city of Lima, in 1831, became the first judge of Allen county and was one of the commissioners appointed to locate the county seat. He was born in Kentucky in 1769, and was in many respects a remarkable man, serving on the frontier as an Indian scout and engaging in many of the border cam- paigns, including those of the War of 1812. He settled on Sugar creek in Allen county about 1824, where he continued to reside for many years. Albert Wood, who had come to Allen county when about fifteen or sixteen years of age, was twice married and to his first union were born nine children, of whom Sanford B., the father of Moston, was the youngest. Sanford B. Wood was about six years of age when his mother died and his father after- ward married Mrs. Mary (Snyder) Trice, to which union were born five children, three girls and two boys. Albert Wood bought a farm two miles south of West Cairo and on that place Sanford B. Wood was reared to man- hood. He enlisted as a private in the Sixty-fourth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in 1863, and served throughout the remainder of that struggle, participating in eleven battles and taking part with Sherman in his famous march to the sea. Upon the conclusion of hostilities he returned home and was married to Susan Trice, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland. Her father dying in Maryland, Mrs. Wood was brought by her mother to West Cairo, Ohio, where she grew to womanhood and remained until her marriage to Sanford Wood. After his marriage Mr. Wood operated the old home farm

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for a number of years, and when Moston Wood was eleven years old the family came to Putnam county, locating on eighty acres of land two miles northwest of Vaughnsville, in Sugar Creek township, which is Moston Wood's present residence. To these parents were born eight children, Mollie, the wife of J. E. Deffenbaugh; Moston, the immediate subject of this review ; Charlie, who married Tillie Syfert; William T., who married Grace Weaner; Albert E., who married Bertha Griffith; Garfield, who married Bessie Rimer ; Walter W., who married Ellie Syfert, and one who died in infancy.

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History of Putnam County, Ohio : its peoples, industries, and institutions, Part 72

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