USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, Vol. I > Part 50
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General Brinkerhoff has been very successful in his business career and yet it has been other qualities that have become dominant in his life record and gained him the honor and respect which are so universally accorded him. He carly manifested aptitude in his studies and when sixteen years of age became a teacher in his native town. while at the age of eighteen he was in charge of a school near Hendersonville, Tennessee. The following year he was the tutor in the family of Andrew Jackson, Jr., at the Hermitage and there remained until 1850, when he returned to the north and took up the. study of law with Hon. Jacob Brinkerhoff, of Mansfield, Ohio, as his pre- ceptor. His thorough preliminary reading secured his admission to the bar in 1852 and he remained in active practice from that time until after the
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outbreak of hostilities over the question of secession. He was also identified with journalistic interests from June, 1855, until 1859 as one of the editors and proprietors of the Mansfield Herald.
But when the Civil war was inaugurated his interests centered in its out- come until, believing that his first duty was to his country, he joined the army in September, 1861, as first lieutenant and regimental quartermaster of the Sixty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. In November of the same year he was promoted to the position of captain and assistant quartermaster and during the first winter was on duty at Bardstown, Kentucky. Following the capture of Nashville he was placed in charge of the land and river transporta- tion in that city and after the battle of Pittsburg Landing he was ordered to the front and placed in charge of the field transportation of the Army of the Ohio. It was following the capture of Corinth that he returned home on sick leave and when he had sufficiently recovered he was ordered to Maine as chief quartermaster of that state. His next transferral took him to Pittsburg, Penn- sylvania, in charge of transportation and army stores and as post quartermaster he remained in Washington city until June, 1865, when he was made a colonel and inspector of the quartermaster's department. He was then retained on duty at the war office with Secretary Stanton until November, when he was ordered to Cincinnati as chief quartermaster of the department. In September, 1866, he was brevetted a brigadier general of volunteers and was also tendered a commission in the regular army but declined the honor. On the 1st of October, at his own request, he was mustered out of service, having for five years been continuously connected with the army on active duty. General Brinkerhoff is the author of a volume entitled The Volunteer Quartermaster, which is still the standard guide for the officers and employes of the quartermaster's department.
General Brinkerhoff was married, on the 3d of February, 1852, to Miss Mary Lake Bently, of Mansfield, a daughter of Baldwin Bently and a grand- daughter of General Robert Bently. Their family numbered two sons and two daughters: Robert Bently, a member of the New York city bar, who died in 1907; Addie Horton; Mary, deceased; and Roeliff, former judge of the probate court of Richland county.
General Brinkerhoff has figured prominently in connection with impor- tant events from the time of the repeal of the Missouri compromise until after the reconstruction period following the war. During this time he formed the acquaintance of many men eminent in public life and won the warm friend- ship and regard of such distinguished national characters as Salmon P. Chase, James G. Blaine, General Garfield and General R. B. Hayes. He took an active part in politics for a long period after the war, visited many states in campaign work in support of the principles and candidates of the party, while in its conventions his opinions carried weight and influence. He has not been an active factor in political circles, however, since 1873, in which year he accepted the position of cashier in the Mansfield Savings Bank, in which he was later chosen to the presidency, and while not active in its management at the present time, he is still filling that position. He displayed the same keen
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discernment and powers of executive control in his business affairs as he did in his political and military service.
In 1878 General Brinkerhoff was appointed a member of the board of state charities and continued in that position under different administrations until he completed his tenth term, a period of thirty years, and he was recently appointed to the eleventh term. His philanthropy is one of the salient features of his life and there is perhaps no single individual better informed concern- ing the methods of management and control in different benevolent and correctional institutions than he. To further inform himself on this subject he has visited every state in the Union except one, also institutions of this character in the Dominion of Canada, the republic of Mexico and all the countries of western Europe, and the record of his observations in these direc- tions is a history of all modern progress in dealing with the dependent, defective and criminal classes. In all of his work in this connection General Brinkerhoff may be termed a practical idealist. He has labored constantly to improve conditions, yet his work has been of a most effective character inasmuch as he has utilized the means at hand, having the ability to assimi- late, control and shape divers interests into a unified and harmonious whole. Studying the subject of management in correctional and benevolent institu- tions, he has quickly grasped the points upon which improvement could be made and has agitated the subject so that public opinion has demanded reform and advancement. To him, perhaps more than to any other, is due the abolition of mechanical restraints, and other improvements, in dealing with the insane. It was largely due to him also that the Toledo Hospital was estab- lished upon the cottage system, which really marked a new era in the treat- ment of the insane and one which the medical profession and the general public now recognizes as most beneficial. He served as a member of the commission to locate the asylum and select plans for its construction and his earnest advocacy for the segregate or cottage system secured its adoption. and the plan once termed "Brinkerhoff's Folly" has led to the adoption of what is now regarded as the model asylum of the nation.
While General Brinkerhoff has been a theorist in that he has formulated plans, he has also been a worker of the most practical order, for when his judgment sanctions a course that he has thought out or that has been pre- sented to him by others he has immediately set to work to secure its adoption. The range of his study and investigation has been most broad and comprehen- sive. He was chosen the first president when in 1875, at his home in Mans- field, the Ohio Archeological and Historical Society was organized in October, 1875. He continued as its chief executive officer for several terms and then. declining a reelection, was succeeded by General R. B. Hayes, and upon the death of ex-President Hayes General Brinkerhoff was again chosen to the presidency. while in 1907 he was elected president for life. It was at one of the meetings of this society-a banquet held in Columbus in February, 1891 -that he made the suggestion which found embodiment in a beautiful memorial group of bronze statues which now stands at the northwest corner of the capital building in Columbus. On this occasion he was put upon the program to respond to the toast. "Ohio at the Columbian Exposition." He
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had no time for preparation, but as it approached the hour in which he would be called upon there came to him the thought that it "was not bigness, or material resources that gave renown to a nation so much as the character of its men and women," and, continuing, General Brinkerhoff said, "I remem- bered Greece and Palestine and my speech was ready, for in men of inter- national renown Ohio was peerless among the states. At 11:00 o'clock, when my turn came, I amplified my idea, and wound up with the suggestion that Ohio should be represented at the fair by a group of statuary, in the center of which should be a noble matron to represent Ohio, and around her should be such children as Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Chase, Stanton and Garfield; and then upon the pedestal should be engraved the proud utterance of Cor- nelia, the 'Mother of the Gracchi,' 'These are my Jewels.' A resolution was unanimously adopted recommending the legislature to adopt the suggestion and appropriate the funds necessary to put it in granite and bronze." When the Ohio monument was dedicated at Jefferson park, in Chicago, September 14, 1893, General Brinkerhoff in his address said, "We, the citizens of Ohio, have met today in this pantheon of the nations to remember and honor our own great state. Whilst we are Americans, and proud of our nationality, we are also proud to believe that in the galaxy of states there is no star brighter than Ohio. Nowhere on the rounded globe is there another block of land of the size of Ohio which equals it in all the essentials required for the abode of civilized men. In fertility of soil, in diversity of products, in mines of coal and iron, in quarries of stone, in healthfulness of climate, in beauty of land- scape, in accessibility of location by water and by land, she is absolutely peerless. Whilst we remember all this, and are proud to remember it, we also remember and are glad to remember that the highest glory of a state or nation is not in bigness, but in mind, as manifested and represented by its men and women. So in this concourse of nations in which we are now gathered, Ohio is not ashamed to present her achievements in comparison with the proudest, both in matter and in mind; for around us today, in every department of human endeavor, the image and the superscrip- tion of Ohio is preeminent. Today, however, in the dedication of this monu- mental group, we call attention to the fact that in men of international renown Ohio is absolutely peerless among the states and nations of this western hemisphere. Like the constellation of Orion in the heavens, we have six stars of resplendent magnitude, and in the inventory of our treasures 'these are our jewels.' Who they are and what they were is known to all man- kind, and therefore for the purposes of this exposition, a biographical descrip- tion is not necessary, but for the purposes of this gathering of Ohio people it seems proper for those who knew them, not only to bear testimony to their preeminence as soldiers and statesmen, but also to give personal recollections of acquaintance with them. I knew them all, and some of them intimately. Grant, Sherman and Sheridan are the only soldiers who ever attained the full rank of general, in the United States, since the organization of our gov- ernment. In the splendor of their achievements they have never been equaled upon this continent, and they have never been surpassed by the soldiers of any other continent. They were not only great soldiers, but they
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were also patriotic citizens, and never thought a thought, or dreamed a dream that was disloyal to liberty or the institutions of their native land. So with Chase, Stanton, and Garfield; they were not only statesmen of the highest rank, but they were also noble minded gentlemen in all the relations of life."
His interest in historical matters dates from early life. Coming to Rich- land county in 1850, he advocated preserving the annals of its early history, recognizing the fact that in the course of years the record of the lives of the pioneer men and women who laid its foundation and reared its superstructure would be of value and general interest. He therefore began to gather infor- mation in regard to pioneer days and the result of his labors has been given to the public, not only in newspaper articles but also in book form. Pioneer meetings were held at irregular intervals and in November, 1898, the Rich- land County Historical Society was organized, with General Brinkerhoff as the president and A. J. Baughman secretary. For many years he has been one of the principal supporters of the Mansfield Lyceum, which he joined on its organization, and he was also active in the establishment of the Mansfield Library and the Museum, and a promoter of the Sherman-Heineman park. The plan of the park originated in his fertile brain and he labored untiringly until he saw its embodiment in a beautiful strip of country adorned by the arts of the landscape gardener and extending for a mile and a half along the western border of the city. He was made one of the park commissioners, became president of the board, and has held that office continuously since. There are few men of his years who remain so active a factor in life as does General Brinkerhoff. Old age need not suggest as a matter of course idle- ness or lack of occupation. There is on the contrary an old age which grows stronger and brighter morally and intellectually as the years pass and gives out of its rich stores of wisdom and experience. Such has been the record of General Brinkerhoff. With a mind receptive and retentive, he has continually broadened his knowledge through reading, investigation and observation, keep- ing abreast with the best thinking men of the age upon the great sociological, economic and political questions, and in his life's contacts and experiences has come into association with many important events which have left their impress upon national history, while Ohio numbers him among her most honored sons.
PIERCE J. WIGTON.
Richland county has been singularly favored in the class of men that occupies its public offices, for in most instances they have been men who have high regard for the obligations and duties of citizenship and who have considered "a public office a public trust." To this class belongs Pierce J. Wigton, now filling the position of county treasurer. He is one of Ohio's native sons, his birth having occurred in Monroe township, January 1, 1861. His father, William Wigton, a farmer by occupation, died forty-one years ago. The family were of Scotch descent, the paternal ancestors coming from Wigtonshire, Scotland, and settling in Pennsylvania, where they lived for several generations. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Susan Schrack Wigton,
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is still living at the age of seventy-six years. She is a representative of an old Pennsylvania family of German descent.
Pierce J. Wigton is the seventh in a family of ten children, six of whom are living. After attending the district school he became a pupil in the Greentown Academy, at Perryville, Ohio, and completed his course at the age of nineteen years. For the succeeding two decades he engaged in teach- ing in the country schools in the winter seasons, while the summer months were devoted to general agricultural pursuits. He became well known as an able representative of public-school education and also as an energetic, progressive farmer. He has a farm of one hundred and ninety-six acres in Monroe township, where he resided for twenty-four years, and he also owns two other farms in the same township, one of sixty-four acres and the other of one hundred and twenty-three acres. He is likewise interested to some extent in city real estate, his holdings including his own residence at No. 312 West Third street, which he purchased upon his removal to Mansfield. He likewise controls various other interests in different lines and altogether has been a very successful man.
His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, called Mr. Wigton to office by electing him in 1905 to the position of county treasurer, and in August of the following year he removed to Mansfield, where he is now busily engaged in the discharge of his duties. In politics he is an earnest democrat and has always taken an active interest in county politics, but has never been a candidate for office before.
On the 11th of November, 1883, in Monroe township Mr. Wigton was united in marriage to Miss Cora E. Peterson, a daughter of Solomon and Lavina Peterson, of Ashland county, Dr. J. A. Hall officiating. They have three children: Ruby W., the wife of Byron King, a farmer of Monroe township; Navie L., fourteen years of age, and Doyle D., ten years of age. Mr. Wigton is a genial, sociable man, but modest and unassuming. He belongs to the different Masonic bodies and the Knights of Pythias fraternities, while his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church. While called by his fellow townsmen to office he cannot justly be termed a public man in desiring to appear prominently in public affairs, for on the contrary he prefers a quiet life and the companionship of his family.
CHARLES S. MOORE.
No matter in how much fantastic theorizing one may indulge as to the secret and causation of success, it will be found after careful analysis that success is due to the possession of certain qualities, including persistency of purpose, ready adaptability, keen discrimination and most of all unwearied industry. These elements are factors in the life of Charles S. Moore and have been manifest in his successful development of the Daily Globe of Shelby.
A native son of this city, he was born September 2, 1874, and in the
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paternal line is a representative of one of the oldest families of the county. His great-grandfather, John Jay Smiley, came to this county from the state of New York about 1820. He secured a quarter section of land and cast in his lot with the early settlers who were reclaiming the region for the purpose of civilization and improvement. His daughter, Rosanna Smiley, was a native of the county and a lifelong resident of Shelby, being born and reared upon a farm that now constitutes the site of the waterworks. She became the wife of George Moore. Their son, Wallace Moore, was born and reared on a farm in Sharon township-a tract that is now inside the corporation limits of Shelby, but he is still engaged in carrying on agricultural pursuits on that place. He married Fannie Beelman, who was born in Plymouth township, this county, and Charles S. Moore is the eldest of their family of ten children, of whom eight are yet living. One of his sisters, Rosanna, is the wife of Dr. Keeler, a leading physician of Perry, Oklahoma; Edith, is attending the Indiana State Normal School at Valparaiso; Catherine, is a teacher of commercial courses; Sarah, is a trained nurse in Oklahoma City; Florence, is attending the public schools of Shelby ; Benjamin, is a student in the Chicago Dental College, and John Jay, is at home.
Charles S. Moore was educated in the public schools of Shelby and at the age of sixteen years put aside his text-books in order to learn the printer's trade in the office of the Shelby Free Press, having a natural inclination toward that work. He had for two years previous worked in a printing office without compensation before and after school, owing to the attraction which the business had for him. He remained in the Free Press office for two years and then went to Galion, Ohio, where he worked on the Leader for two years. In 1893 he went to Atchison, Kansas, and was there employed on the Atchison Patriot for two years. He also spent one year in traveling as a journeyman printer throughout the south and southwest, and upon his return to Shelby in 1897 he became connected with the Shelby Republican and later with the Shelby News, until April, 1900, when, believing that there was an advantageous opportunity for the publication of a daily paper, he borrowed the sum of one hundred and twenty-five dollars and joined forces with J. C. Stambaugh, who secured his capital by selling a team of mules. With the little sum of money which they thus secured they established the Daily Globe, their first issue being taken from the press on the 24th of April, 1900. The new journal was a folio, nine by twelve, and was run on a job press. Beginning without any support, they built up a subscription list of six hundred in forty-two days and feeling assured that their venture would be a success, they then installed a cylinder press and made their paper a five- column folio. The patronage has grown rapidly from the start and there is now a circulation of eighteen hundred copies per day in Shelby and vicinity. They began in a little room ten by eighteen feet, but after a year were forced to move into larger quarters, where they remained until 1905, when they purchased their present building at No. 37 W. Main street. It is a three-story structure, thirty by one hundred and twenty feet. They also do commercial job printing.
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At the time they started out there were three weekly papers here, some of which had been established for half a century. A little later another daily was started, but one by one they have languished and passed into oblivion and today the Globe is the only paper in Shelby. It is well worth the patronage which it receives, for it is published along the most progressive lines of modern journalism, and the business methods instituted by the firm are such as commend them to the patronage, trust and support of the general public. Mr. Moore is also interested in Shelby real estate to a considerable extent and owns his home at No. 68 Grand Boulevard, which is one of the finest residences on that street.
On the 3d of July, 1901, in Mansfield, Mr. Moore was married to Miss Mary .1. Statler, a daughter of George W. Statler, an attorney and real- estate dealer of Mansfield. They have two children, Mary and Georgiana, aged respectively six and three years. Fraternally Mr. Moore is a member of the Knights of Pythias in both the subordinate lodge and uniformed rank. He is also connected with the Maccabees, the Modern Woodmen and the Owls. Personally he gives his political support to the republican party, but is not active in politics and publishes a nonpartisan paper. It has ever been his purpose to make this an excellent advertising medium and also an equally good medium for the dissemination of general and local news, and that he has accomplished his purpose is indicated by the success which is attending him.
BENJAMIN BERRY.
The farm on which Benjamin Berry now resides, a tract of one hundred and thirty-six acres, situated in Monroe township, has been his home for more than a half century. He was born July 6, 1827, at Canton, Ohio. His boyhood and youth were spent under the parental roof and in the district schools he acquired his education. He remained at home until he had attained the age of twenty-seven years, when he bought his present farm, comprising one hundred and thirty-six acres, situated in Monroe township, whereon he has since made his home, covering more than a half century. Throughout his entire life he has engaged in general agricultural pursuits but four years ago he put aside all business cares and is now living retired. In the years that have come and gone he has made his farm a valuable tract, owing to the improvements he has placed upon it, including good buildings for the shelter of grain and stock and a good country residence.
It was in 1854 that Mr. Berry was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Smith, who was born in Stark county, Ohio. The marriage was blessed with nine children, namely: Ellen, who has departed this life; Emma, who lives near Newville, Ohio; Laura, who makes her home near St. Johns; Mary, of Bellville; Francis, a farmer of Mifflin township; Edward, Herman and Cloyde, all of whom are deceased; and Charles, who operates the home farm. The wife and mother passed to her final reward in 1886.
Mr. Berry's study of the political questions and issues of the day has led
BENJAMIN BERRY
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him to give hearty support to the principles of democracy. For two terms he served as township trustee, while at various times he has served as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Lutheran church, in which he is serving as an elder.
Mr. Berry has now passed the eighty-first milestone on life's journey and during this long period he has seen many wonderful changes in Richland county. He has lived to see this once wild region become one of the pros- perous sections of the east, dotted here and there with thriving towns and villages. He has also lived to see the crude farm machinery replaced with the more modern inventions and has witnessed the introduction of the telegraph and the telephone, and no pioneer of the county has taken a more active part in bringing about the transformation that has here been wrought than has this venerable and honored citizen.
LOUIS S. KUEBLER.
Louis S. Kuebler has been closely associated with the interests of Mansfield since 1876 as editor and publisher of the Mansfield Courier and in this connection is well known in journalistic circles throughout southern Ohio. A native of the Buckeye state, he was born in Tiffin, Seneca county, in 1854, and is of German lineage, his parents being Anthony and Frances (Schabacker) Kuebler, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father came to America about 1840, settling in Seneca county, Ohio, and following his marriage established his home in Tiffin, where he reared his family.
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