USA > Ohio > Richland County > History of Richland County, Ohio, from 1808 to 1908, Vol. II > Part 3
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HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Pittenger were born nine children, of whom but three are now living, as follows: Lucretia, the second born, is the wife of Jacob Farree, of Weller township; Clyde, who was the seventh in order of birth, lives on the home place with his father. He wedded Annie Day and they have become the parents of three children-Elsie, Myrell and Valmer. Jasper, who is about two years younger than Clyde, resides in Mifflin town- ship. The other six are now but a memory and a link to bind to eternity those who are bereft of their companionship. Their names are: Rufus, Gaylord, Jessie, Iona, Luella, and one, the last born, who died in infancy.
In 1850, three years after his marriage, Mr. Pittenger purchased a tract of fifty-three acres of land, and built on it a blacksmith shop, one end of which he fitted up with living rooms. This was the family home for four years, at the expiration of which time a residence was built. Mr. Pittenger has since sold all of this land but fourteen acres to his son Clyde, with whom he now makes his home since the death of his wife, which occurred on July 17, 1907. Two years ago they had the misfortune to lose their home by fire, but since that time the son has built a fine residence, finished through- out in solid oak and modern in every respect. He and his brother have relieved their father of all responsibility connected with the work of the place, although he is hale and hearty and says that he can do a good day's work yet. He possesses a remarkable memory, and it is considered a .rare treat to hear him tell of episodes connected with the past relating to the early settlement and development of the county.
Politically Mr. Pittenger has been a lifelong republican. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Methodist church.
SIMON HOLTZ.
Simon Holtz, who is now living retired in Ganges, was born within three miles of Shelby, in Richland county, Ohio, April 20, 1839. His grandfather, Frederick Holtz, was a native of Germany. The latter was en route to the United States on an old sailing vessel when a storm came up and the boat drifted on the shoals and was wrecked. As the entire hull of the vessel was submerged, Frederick Holtz and two others climbed the masts, there awaiting rescue. Before deliverance came, however, one of the men, finding it impos- sible to maintain his hold any longer, dropped into the water and was drowned. After about forty-eight hours Mr. Holtz and his companion were rescued, taken to New York and put to work in a powder mill in order that they might pay for the service which had been rendered them. Mr. Holtz only remained there until he had earned the sum demanded for his rescue, but his companion continued working until he met a tragic death in the mill. On leaving New York, Mr. Holtz took up his abode in Adams county, Penn- sylvania, where he made his home until called to his final rest.
The parents of our subject were Jacob and Catherine (Shambaugh) Holtz, the former a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, whence he
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removed to Perry county, that state. In 1832 Jacob Holtz came to Richland county, Ohio, settling on the farm where the birth of his son Simon occurred, and there continued to reside until death claimed him in 1881. He had sur- vived his wife for about ten years, and his remains were interred in London cemetery. Throughout his active business life he had been connected with agricultural interests and had met with a well merited measure of success in his undertakings. His family numbered twelve children, namely: Peggy, Michael, Nancy, Sarah, Jacob and Liza, all of whom are deceased; Frederick and David, twins, who have also passed away; George, who carries on farm- ing near Shelby; Hannah, the widow of Henry Artz, residing near Shelby ; Simon, of this review, and Mary, the wife of Henry Light, of Putnam county, Ohio.
Simon Holtz acquired his education in the district schools near Shelby and remained with his father until he had attained the age of twenty-four years. Subsequently he started out in life on his own account and for seven- teen years successfully carried on agricultural pursuits in Franklin township. He then took up his abode in Blooming Grove township, where he continued for twenty-one years. Here he conducted a popular summer resort, which was annually visited by thousands of people, who thus showed their apprecia- tion of its many comforts and attractive surroundings. It was situated along the Black Fork river, thus affording excellent boating and fishing, and for twelve years it was the picnic ground of the farmers. At one time Mr. Holtz accommodated seven thousand resorters by actual count, though this was by no means the greatest number who patronized his place. A merry-go- round contributed to the amusement of the visitors, and Mr. Holtz also con- ducted an extensive hotel for their accommodation. Five years ago, however, he removed to Ganges and has here since lived retired in the enjoyment of a well-earned rest. In association with his son he owns eighty acres near Shenandoah and also has some town property, including seven acres of ground. In the spring of 1908 he disposed of one hundred and eighty acres. The success which has come to him is but the merited reward of his untiring industry and capable management in the conduct of his farming interests, and he is widely and favorably known as one of the self-made, substantial and progressive citizens of the county.
In 1861 Mr. Holtz was united in marriage to Miss Angeline Cutler, who was born in Richland county, but is of German extraction. The children who have blessed this union are seven in number, namely: Jacob, of Bloom- ing Grove township: Eliza, the wife of John Siders, of Ganges; Clara, the wife of Tobias Reynolds, of Blooming Grove township: Emma, who is the wife of Jacob Zellars and also resides in Blooming Grove township; Wesley. of Cass township; Albert, who is a carpenter residing in Blooming Grove, and Sylvester, who is also a carpenter by trade, at home. Mr. Holtz has given each of these children one thousand dollars, thus enabling them to make a good start in life.
In his political views Mr. Holtz is a stalwart democrat, and has served as trustee for five years. His wife is a member of the German Reform church, in the work of which she takes an active and helpful interest. For almost
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seventy years, or throughout his entire life, Mr. Holtz has been a resident of this county, and his successful, straightforward and honorable career has made him well worthy the respect and admiration which are everywhere accorded him.
ISAAC GASS.
Among the members of the Richland county bar who won success and distinction by well-merited ability and proved an able minister in the temple of justice was Isaac Gass, who is yet remembered by many of the older resi- dents of Mansfield, although a third of a century has passed since he was called from this life. He was born in Richland county, Ohio, in 1819, and was therefore a representative of one of the oldest families. His father, William Gass, arrived here in pioneer times, taking up his abode in what was then the little village of Mansfield, in 1812, but the Indians occasioned him so much trouble that he left the neighborhood and not until a few years passed did he return. However, he afterward became a resident of Troy township, and from the government entered a section of land. He improved his property and became one of the influential residents of his community, which was known as the Gass neighborhood. He reared his sons to farm life and afterward gave to each of his four boys a quarter of a section of land, on which they all lived and died. Now one of his great-grandsons still occupies a portion of the old homestead and is today the only living repre- sentative of the Gass family, which in pioneer times bore a prominent, active and helpful part in the upbuilding and development of this section of the country.
Isaac Gass, a son of William Gass, was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm, and after completing his public-school education he pre- pared for the bar and devoted his attention earnestly to the building up of a good clientage and to the interests of his patrons in the law, until the out- break of the Civil war, when he felt that his duty to his country was para- mount to all else. He therefore, in 1861, raised a company of volunteers which became a part of the Sixty-fourth Ohio Regiment of Infantry. Mr. Gass was appointed captain of the company and was afterward promoted through successive grades to the rank of lieutenant colonel. When he had been at the front for a year his health failed to such an extent that he was obliged to resign. In the meantime, however, he had participated in the battle of Shiloh and in many others of lesser note.
Returning to Mansfield, Colonel Gass resumed the practice of law in which he continued up to the time of his death. He was an able repre- sentative of the bar, thorough and painstaking in the preparation of his cases, while in the courts he displayed marked ability in handling his points so as to make the strongest position for his clients. He won many favorable verdicts, and the court records show that he was connected with much of the
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important litigation that was heard in his district during the years of his active connection with the bar.
On May 22, 1848, Colonel Gass was united in marriage to Miss Amelia B. Coates, who was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1831. They became the parents of three children: F. P. Gass, who is now living in Dayton, Ohio; Mary. Amelia, who died aged nineteen years, and Bertie L., wife of M. F. Cline, a resident of Mansfield. After the death of her first husband, October 18, 1875, Mrs. Gass became the wife of George W. Geddes, who is mentioned on another page of this volume. Mr. Gass was an exemplary representative of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
His political allegiance was given to the republican party and he always took a very active part in politics, doing everything to promote the growth and insure the success of the party in which he had firm faith. That his fel- low townsmen recognized in him one well qualified for leadership is indicated by the fact that in the early sixties he was elected to serve in the general assembly as state senator, and they still showed their confidence in him when later they called him to the highest office within their gift, that of mayor. and in the position he gave a public spirited and progressive administration. He also served at one time as revenue collector and was always most loyal to the trust reposed in him. His life was guided by manly principles and he stood in his community as a man among men, honored and esteemed by all who knew him.
HON. HUNTINGTON BROWN.
The commercial and financial interests of Mansfield find a worthy repre- sentative in Huntington Brown, whose business discernment and enterprise have secured him positions of leadership in industrial and financial circles. While he is not connected at the present time with the active management of business affairs, he is still a stockholder in various interests upon which rest the material prosperity of the city, and is today most closely associated with municipal affairs as the chief executive of affairs of Mansfield. His entire life has been passed in Ohio and he possesses that spirit of enterprise and progress which has been the dominant factor in the rapid upbuilding of this portion of the state.
His birth occurred in Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1849. ' He is a son of James Monroe and Mary (Hicks) Brown, and a grandson of the Hon. Ephraim Brown, the original proprietor of Bloomfield township, Trumbull county, and the coadjutor of those early anti-slavery men of the Western Reserve. He represented his district in the lower house of the general assembly in 1824 and left his impress upon the legislature enacted during that period.
During his childhood days Huntington Brown accompanied his parents on their removal to Massillon, Ohio, where he became a pupil in the public schools, while later he attended Nazareth Hall, a Moravian academy, in Penn- sylvania. A year or two after his father's death, which occurred in 1867, he removed to Mansfield and was identified with mercantile interests here in
Huntington Brown
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connection with Hon. M. D. Harter. He celebrated his majority by touring Europe and thereby gained that broad culture and experience which only travel can bring. Following his return to his native land he entered the employ of the Aultman-Taylor Company, a widely known and very extensive manufacturing establishment. There his fidelity, ability and laudable ambi- tion won him recognition in successive promotions until he became superin- tendent of the business in 1879. He served in that capacity for ten years and then passed on to other positions of executive control, becoming manager of the Hicks-Brown Company, operating one of the largest flouring mills in the west.
In 1887, when a franchise was about to be granted for the establishing of a street car line in Mansfield, Mr. Brown interested himself with some capitalists from New York city, securing a franchise from the city council for an electrical street car line, which was erected and which was the first electric street car line erected and operated in the state of Ohio. Mr. Brown had the honor of being the vice president of this company.
Later Mr. Brown retired permanently from active management of business affairs, but in the meantime had made judicious investments in various enter- prises which constitute valuable income paying property. He is now the president of the Western Strawboard Company and also a director of the Mansfield Savings Bank. The importance of these enterprises is proof of his high standing in commercial and financial circles. Throughout his business career his course was marked by irreproachable integrity as well as unfaltering enterprise and keen discernment. He not only maintained justice in his relations with his employes but showed to them marked consideration and encouraged them to put forth their best efforts that their individual success might be promoted thereby.
In his political views Mr. Brown is a stalwart republican and a recognized champion of the interests of the party in Mansfield and Richland county. In 1899 he was elected to the mayoralty and gave a businesslike public adminis- tration, watching over the municipal interests with the same fidelity which he displayed in the control of his private business affairs. He is now serving his third term. During his first term as mayor the "Dowieites" under instruc- tion of their leader, John Alexander Dowie, invaded Mansfield and caused a great internal trouble among the citizens of Mansfield, resulting in turmoil during the entire summer of 1899. During this period the streets of the city were often the scene of mob violence. In handling this condition of things Mr. Brown showed his ability as the chief conservator of the peace and his keen perception of the situation. While looking after the interests of the citizens of Mansfield at the same time he protected the lives of those who were the cause of all of the trouble. Mr. Brown desired to stop the unlawful actions of some of the citizens of Mansfield, who were inclined to take the law in their own hands and do violence, and in this he succeeded to the satisfaction of the citizens of Mansfield, and after three months of excitement and mob violence he finally brought "order out of chaos," and that, too, without the loss of life or property, resulting in the withdrawal of the "Dowieites" from Mansfield, from which time nothing has been heard of them or their cult.
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In speaking of his official record a contemporary biographer said: "His fearless courage and consciousness of right have made him a model mayor. Bringing to the performance of his official duties a high appreciation of the importance of his trust, he has executed the laws of state and city with a determination and excellency which have marked him a strong man and gained for him the admiration of all good citizens. In his court he adminis- ters the law with the utmost justice, tempered always with that mercy which befits a humane magistrate. During his official term his careful and intelli- gent management of the city government has added manifold to its revenues from police control. and his untiring zeal in solving the sewage problem entitles him to the highest commendation. No city in Ohio possesses a citizen at the head of its government uniting more of the elements which go to make ap a man possessing the qualities of a gentleman everywhere than does Mans- field in the person of Huntington Brown, and his life's record is filled with honor and the gratitude of the people.
Mr. Brown is prominent in Masonry, having attained the thirty-third degree. In 1892 he served as grand commander of the Grand Commandery of Ohio Knights Templar, and is a life member of the Ohio consistory and an honorary member of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Masonry of the thirty-third and last degree. To Mr. Brown is due the fact that the Masonic bodies of Mansfield have secured a prominent home. This idea originated with him and he organized a Temple Company, of which he was chosen presi- dent, carrying forward its purposes until the Masonic Temple was erected and dedicated. He still remains its president and is its directing spirit. When an act was passed by the general assembly to erect the Soldiers' and Sailors' Memorial Library building, the court, recognizing his business fitness, appointed him a member of the first board of trustees, which position he has continuously occupied with great credit and eminent satisfaction. His life has been one of activity, reaching out to various interests in its social, political, fraternal and commercial relations, and all of these have profited by his cooperation and keen discernment manifested in positions of executive control. He possesses the qualities essential in leadership and he has done much to mold public thought and action. Easily approachable, he is always ready to extend to any the courtesy of an interview, and he judges an individual not by his possessions but by his character. He is frank and fearless in conduct, a believer in justice and truth, and an opponent of hypocrisy and cant. Viewed in a personal light he is a strong man, strong in his ability to plan and perform. strong in his honor and good name.
DAVID BRICKER.
David Bricker, an enterprising and prosperous farmer of Franklin town- ship, where he owns and operates four hundred and twenty-five acres of land, was born in the township where he now resides in a log cabin built upon the land where David Arnold now lives on October 23, 1839, the son of Levi and Catherine (Warner) Bricker.
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His father was born in Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, and with his wife and one child made his first trip to Richland county in the spring of 1839 in a one-horse wagon, no railroads as yet having been built into this section. He was a farmer and stock dealer, and finding in Richland county a demand for horses he made a number of trips back into his home country, buying them up and leading them through to this county, where he found a ready and profitable sale for same. When he first came to Richland county he possessed only a wagon-load of household goods, but by careful management and good business ability he acquired possession of between eight hundred and one thousand acres of Richland county's fertile land prior to his death, which occurred in March of 1882, in his sixty-fifth year. In early manhood he wedded Catherine Warner, and they became the parents of nine children, namely: Catherine, the widow of John Arnold, a resident of Franklin township; David, of this review; George, a former horse-dealer, who is now living retired in Philadelphia; Rosanna, the wife of David Light, of Putnam county, Ohio; Sarah, the wife of Jiles St. John, a resident of Blooming Grove township; Malinda, the widow of William Charles, of Car- bondale, Illinois; Mary, deceased, who wedded John Lautermilch, also deceased; Nancy, the wife of William Boles, of Blooming Grove township, and Levi, who is deceased. The mother of these children died in 1854 and Mr. Bricker was again married, his second union being with Mrs. Harriett Slusman, who died in 1890.
David Bricker received his education in the country schools of the com- munity, the sessions being held in a log schoolhouse one and one-half miles from his home, to which he walked, and aided his father in his farming operations up to the time he was twenty-one years of age. He then engaged in farming on his own account, his success in this direction being indicated by the amount of property he has accumulated, the larger part of which has been wholly acquired through his own industry and ability. He engages in mixed husbandry and has lived on his present farm for forty years. The land, though separated by a roadway running through it, is all adjoining and is under the personal supervision of Mr. Bricker. The house and barn were designed and built by himself, as well as were all the other improvements on the place. His landed holdings comprise some three farms in all.
On December 15, 1860, Mr. Bricker was united in marriage to Miss Susanna Urich, a native of Franklin township. Unto this union were born nine children, namely: Catherine, the wife of Martin Clossin. of Blooming Grove township; George W., a resident of Mansfield, Ohio; Harriett, the wife of D. R. Martin, of Mansfield, Ohio; Jennie, the wife of Curtis Vinson; Carrie, residing at home; Addie H., the wife of Samuel Sellers, of Shelby, Ohio; Mary E., the wife of John Stough, of Mansfield, Ohio; Charles R., a civil engineer, residing in Cleveland, and David A., who died in 1883. On October 22, 1902, Mr. Bricker was called upon to mourn the loss of his devoted wife and companion of nearly half a century, who was called to her eternal rest.
Mr. Bricker has ever taken an active interest in affairs of local concern and served as township treasurer for twenty-three and one-half years, and
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has been trustee of the Children's Home for over twelve years. Politically he is identified with the democratic party. Religiously he is a member of the Christian church.
REID CARPENTER.
Reid Carpenter, the extent of whose interests along many lines entitles him to representation in this volume as one of the prominent and influential citizens of Mansfield, his native city, was born on the 6th of June, 1853. His father, George F. Carpenter, was likewise a native of Richland county and resided here as a practicing attorney until the time of his death in 1901. He was one of the founders of the Citizens National Bank and served as its president from the time of its organization until his demise. After having clerked for about a year in a mercantile store in Philadelphia, he removed to Mansfield in 1847 and took up the study of law, being admitted to the bar in 1850. He at once associated himself in practice with General Mclaughlin, but the following year went to California during the time of the gold excite- ment there, remaining in that state for almost a year and meeting with a reasonable measure of success. In 1852 he was united in marriage to Miss Jeannette Reid, whose mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Reid, the widow of Rev. Robert Reid, resided for many years on the present site of the courthouse. Unto Mr. and Mrs. George F. Carpenter were born the following children: Reid, the subject of this review, is the eldest of the family. Frank G. is a newspaper correspondent of Washington, D. C. John L., who was associated for some years as a traveling salesman for the Aultman-Taylor Company and afterward became a banker and broker in central Nebraska, died in that state as the result of an accident in 1884. Elizabeth S. is the wife of S. E. Findley, of Mansfield. Dan died in Colorado at the age of twenty-three years, having for several years previously been connected with the wholesale lumber business in Kentucky, West Virginia and Ohio. Jeannette C. is the wife of C. S. Tandy, of Vevay, Indiana.
Reid Carpenter was educated in the public schools of Mansfield and in the University of Wooster, Ohio, being graduated from the latter institution in 1875. Subsequently pursuing a course in the law department of the Uni- versity of Michigan, he was admitted to the bar in 1877, and for a number of years was successfully engaged in practice here with H. B. Dirlan. He also became associated with the Humphrys Manufacturing Company at the time of its establishment and for a number of years has been its treasurer. He was likewise one of the original incorporators of the Ohio Brass Com- pany and has since served as a director of the concern. In 1891, together with the late Hon. M. B. Harter, Rush Taggart, of New York city, and S. N. Ford, he purchased the Citizens Electric Railway, Light & Power Company, of Mansfield, which company afterward built the Shelby Interurban Rail- way. In 1901 he became president of the Citizens National Bank and thus added the executive control of an important financial institution to the varied
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