USA > Ohio > Seneca County > History of Seneca County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vo. II > Part 10
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In 1893 Mr. Hilsinger entered the hardware business in con- nection with his brother-in-law, B. D. Wyant, and located in the town of Republic, where he and his family now reside. They conduct a very thriving business.
On December 23, 1890, Mr. Hilsinger laid the foundation of an ideally happy married life by his union with Alice M. De Witt. born in May, 1867, and the daughter of Samuel H. and Catherine (Miller) DeWitt, both of whom are natives of the Keystone state. In 1831 the De Witts located in Marion county and in 1837 settled in Clinton township, Seneca county. At that date the land was dense forest, which they proceeded to clear, their property becom- ing one of the finest thereabout. During the gold fever period (in 1848) Samuel DeWitt with Jacob Miller and others went to California, and they were among the minority who found success awaiting them. Mr. DeWitt died a man of means, among other properties leaving three hundred and twenty acres of land. Mr. and Mrs. Hilsinger are the parents of two daughters, Veda Mae. born October 15, 1896, and Vera Dae, May 30, 1898, and both being in attendance at the schools of Republic.
Mr. Hilsinger, in the matter of politics, has Democratie in-
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clinations, but he is sufficiently independent to esteem the right man for the office above mere partisanship. He has given effi- cient public service, having been township clerk for eight years, and also having been a member of the school board, while at the present time he is clerk of the township school board. He is a charter member of the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics. His grandfather. Joseph Hilsinger, whose life was briefly sketched above, was one of the township's prominent men and took an active and intelligent interest in the affairs of the township and county. As early as 1876 Mr. Hilsinger remembers his grandfather predicting that in time the moneyed interests would control the country and Mr. Hilsinger believes that subsequent events have proved his honored forbear to have been a true prophet. The elder man was an unfaltering Democrat and a great reader and he kept well in touch with the issues of the day. The year 1878 witnessed the termination of a life of great usefulness and honor.
OLIVER S. WATSON .- For many years one of the leading agri- culturists of Seneca county, Oliver S. Watson accumulated a hand- some property and is now enjoying a well deserved leisure in the city of Tiffin, having a pleasant and attractive home at No. 36 Clinton avenue. A son of the late James S. Watson, he was born on a farm in Pleasant township, Seneca county, November 11, 1843. James S. Watson was born and reared in Pennsylvania, and there married Mary Saltsman. He came to Seneca county in 1835 for the first time, his wife, however, not coming until 1841. Of their seven children, six were living in 1910.
Completing his early education in the Western Reserve Nor- mal School, Oliver S. Watson was engaged in professional work for nine years, being a most successful teacher. He subsequently turned his attention to farming, and still owns a valuable estate of two hundred and three and one-half acres, which is devoted to general farming and stock raising.
Mr. Watson married, December 22, 1875, Flora A. Titus. a daughter of the late IIon. R. R. Titus, a native of Connecticut. Mr. Titus was a typical New England man, well educated, possess- ing sound sense and superior judgment, and was quite successful as a farmer. He was influential in public affairs and represented Seneca county in the state legislature during the troublous times of the Civil war. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Elvira Clark, four daughters were born, all of whom are now liv- ing, as follows: Augusta, wife of F. J. Fry; Calena. wife of A. L. Abbott; Lettie L .. wife of R. H. Watson; and Flora A., wife of Oliver S. Watson. the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Watson re- ceived excellent educational advantages, after leaving the public schools attending the Fremont High School and Heidelberg College.
Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Watson, namely : Paul T., born November 3. 1883; and Inez, born May 24. 1890. Paul T. Watson was graduated from the Tiffin High School, and after continuing his studies for two years at the Ohio Medical College took a business course at Oberlin College. He married
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Clemence Hubbard, a daughter of the Hon. R. Hubbard, former member of the state legislature. Inez Watson, also a graduate of the Tiffin High School, is now, in 1910, a student at Adelbert College, Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Mrs. Wat- son is also an extensive landholder, owning three hundred and eighty-eight acres of rich and fertile land. She is an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and regent of Dollie Todd Madison Chapter. Politically Mr. Watson is a Democrat, and has been a member of the board of public service in the city of Tiffin. Both he and his wife belong to the Presby- terian church.
JACOB A. METZGER .- In America with its unrest and constant change it is indeed a pleasant and interesting exception to the general rule to find a home remaining the seat of a family for three or four generations. This, however, is the case of the Metzger family, Jacob A. Metzger, one of its representatives, and one of the representative farmers of Adams township, living upon land which was originally entered by his great-grandfather. His ancestors some of them came from Pennsylvania, making the journey through many dangers on horseback, blazing a way through the forest primeval and snatching the necessary sleep to the dismal accom- paniment of the howling of wolves and hooting of owls.
Jacob A. Metzger is thus of pure American stock. He was born June 13, 1877, in the township of Venice, and is the son of HI. V. and Elizabeth (Petticord) Metzger. £ His father was born in Adams township in 1847, and his grandparents were Daniel and Sarah (Whiteman) Metzger, the latter being a daughter of that well remembered pioneer, Daniel Whiteman, who was among the first to enter land in Seneca county, the original parchment giving him a right to the land bearing the signature of President Andrew Jackson. The Petticord family was originally of Maryland and they upon their identification with Ohio became large land owners and men and women whose citizenship was above reproach. their hand being ever given to good causes, such as religion and educa- tion, in which respect they resembled the Metzgers. The parents of the subject were married November 8, 1866, and located upon a farm on the Clyde road inherited by the mother. They lived there a number of years, made several changes, among them a removal to Fulton county, but eventually came back to the old homestead upon which they still reside. He whose name initiates this article was
one of six children. Homer is a resident of Clyde, where he en- gages in the practice of the law; Burton is identified with the for- tunes of Adams township; Charles is deceased; Eva resides in Henry county ; and Leroy is a citizen of Fremont, Ohio. £
A de- tailed sketch of the lives of these worthy people is contained upon other pages of this work.
Jacob A. Metzger was educated in the district schools of the township, afterward attending Heidelberg College at Tiffin and securing a commercial education in a business college in Sandusky. He completed his training in 1903, and having meantime come to the conclusion to adopt that honorable calling which so many of
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his forbears had represented. he engaged in the cultivation of the Metzger acres. Previous to this. however, he had taught several terms of school in Seneca county and his services in a pedagogical capacity had been much esteemed, his education and intelligence making him ideally fitted for the guidance of the youthful mind. He engages in general farming and has been very successful. He now owns the original homestead and resides there.
Mr. Metzger is a Democrat and has been well known in con- nection with public life. IIe is the present assessor. Like all good citizens he keeps in touch of the issues of the day and is well informed on all subjects pertaining to the welfare of the whole community.
The marriage of Mr. Metzger was celebrated December 21, 1904, the lady to become his wife being Miss Alma Loose. She was born June 22. 1885, her parents being William and Marguerite (Bickle) Loose, natives of Pennsylvania, who came to Ohio about the year 1869, locating upon an eighty acre farm in Thompson township. William Loose gives allegiance to the Democratic party and is of the Dunkard faith. Mrs. Metzger was educated in the district schools. Mr. and Mrs. Metzger have one child, a son, named Forest V., born July 2, 1908.
SILAS W. BAKER .- Born and reared in Clinton township. his birth occurring February 2. 1856. on the farm where he has spent his entire life, Silas W. Baker is an honored representative of the early pioneers of Seneca county and a true type of the energetic, hardy and enterprising men who have actively assisted in the development of this fertile and productive agricultural region. His father. the late F. A. Baker, was born in Frederick county, Mary- land, and when quite young came to Ohio. locating in Seneca coun- ty. He married in Clinton township Ann C. Holts. also a native of Frederick county. Maryland. and began life for himself on the farm now owned and occupied by his son Silas. He was there prosperously engaged in cultivating the soil until his death, June 5, 1885. His wife survived him, passing away January 12, 1891. They were the parents of three children. as follows: Jennie, wife of N. J. Gaumer. of Clinton township; Rosa, wife of B. A. Par- meter. of Adams township; and Silas W .. the subject of this brief personal record.
Profiting by the educational advantages offered him when young, Silas W. Baker attended the district schools as a boy and youth. continuing as a pupil during the winter terms until eigh- teen years of age. Choosing the congenial occupation to which he was reared. he eventualy succeeded to the ownership of the parental acres, which under his intelligent management are now highly culti- vated and well improved. He is a systematic and thorough farmer. and is meeting with well merited success in his agricultural operations.
Mr. Baker married. November 29. 1881, Hattie L. Miller, who was born in Pleasant township, Seneca county, December 9, 1861. Her father, Andrew J. Miller, a native of New York state, came to Ohio when young, locating in Seneca county. He married Anna
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M. Morton, who was born in Tiffin. Ohio, and he now resides on the old Morton homestead in Pleasant township. Mrs. Miller died on the homestead August 22, 1896. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Baker. namely: Maud. whose birth occurred February 23. 1883; Ollie. born July 18. 1884. is the wife of J. P. Stover; and Ruth. born August 1. 1895. For thirty-five years Mr. Baker has been a member of the local Grange, to which Mrs. Baker also belongs. Politically he is identified with the Democratic party, and is now a member of the Clinton township school board.
ELMER E. EMERY is a native of Seneca county, and has spent forty-three years on his present homestead. during which time he has seen remarkable progress in this part of Ohio and has contrib- uted to the same in the capacity of a public spirited citizen and an agriculturist of advanced methods. He was born November 7. 1851, in Henry county, Ohio, and is the son of Horace and Mary R. (West) Emery, the former a native of Rockland. Maine. and the mother of Vermont. Horace Emery, who was born February 4, 1821, and died November 14, 1908, was the son of Tristram and Lidy Emery. Mary Emery, who was born September 17. 1818, and died April 18. 1909. at the age of ninty-one years, was the daughter of Ezra and Prudence West, who cast their fortunes with the Buckeye state early in the ninteenth century. After their marriage Mr. Emery's parents located on a farm in Seneca county. near Tiffin, later removing to Adams township and taking up land near Greenspring, where the father also pursued the vocation of a blacksmith.
Mr. Emery resided under the home roof until his marriage, enjoying the educational advantages of the schools of Andrews township and becoming proficient in the several branches of the honorable calling of agriculture. On December 6. 1876. he was wedded to Mary E. Jopp and shortly thereafter they removed to Hedgetown, Ohio. where they established their household and re- mained for about five years. after which they removed to their present home, where they have ever since resided. Their farm. cleared by them. is a valuable property. comprising some one hundred acres. Mr. Emery is a Republican and he has held various township offices, among them that of school director and committee of the election board of Seneca county. and he was a member of the school board for several years. He finds much pleasure in his affiliation with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, in which organization he has filled all of the chairs.
Mr. and Mrs. Emery have given seven good citizens to the country, in the persons of six sons and one daughter. Charles E .. the eldest, was born December 28. 1877. he married Nellie White- man December 7. 1901. and they have three children: Holice. Florence and Robert. The second son. Asahel W .. born April , 1880, married Jennie Holly. February 23, 1909. and resides in Chicago ; Elbert C .. born January 3, 1883, married Bessie Whited in the year 1905, and they have one child. a little daughter named Irene, born May 1. 1908 : George N., born September 6. 1885. took as his wife Nettie Mead on October 14, 1908, and they have one son.
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named Harold, born August 24, 1910; Orm J .. born July 27, 1888; Mabel L .. horn September 6. 1892. and Frederick L., born March 20, 1895. all are at home.
Mr. Emery's maternal grandfather Ezra West. was born March 3. 1770, and his wife Prudence had her nativity on the same day. Their children were Samuel McGee West, born May 30, 1813; James Henry West. March 26. 1816; Mary R. West, September 17, 1818; Sarah West. September 10. 1820; Asahel West, February 26, 1823; John S. West. April 7. 1825; Nathan C. West. June 1, 1828; Mabel M. West. November 29, 1833; Clementine West, April 6, 1837. Of these the daughter, Mary, married Mr. Horace Emery, and the following eight children were the issue of the union : Cor- delia. born January 20. 1845; Elizabeth A., born November 18, 1846; Samuel N .. born April 24. 1849; Mr. Emery ; Mabel S., born February 12. 1854: Charles N .. born September 7, 1856; William J., born December 16, 1858; and Ella C., born December 7, 1864.
Mrs. Emery's parents were Orrin and Mary A. (McIntyre) Jopp. the former born August 17 and the latter, May 16, 1822, both of them being natives of the state of New York. After their marriage, December 12, 1853. they located on a two hundred acre farm in Pleasant township and here their two daughters were reared, grew to womanhood and married .. Mary E., became the wife of the subject of this biography and Eva married William Horton and resides in Pleasant township.
JOHN R. BRADNER .-- The present able and popular mayor of the city of Fostoria is well upholding the prestige that has been one of prominence in connection with the history of Seneca county for nearly a half century. He is one of the influential citizens and representative business men of his native city and as its chief exec- utive is fostering all municipal interests with the same scrupulous . care and fidelity as did his honored father, who was incumbent of the same office for a period of six years and who is the subject of a special memoir on other pages of this work, so that further refer- enre to the family history is not demanded in the present connection.
John R. Bradner, the youngest in the family of nine children. was born in the city of Fostoria on the 15th of January. 1875. and is a son of John A. and Catherine E. (Phillips) Bradner. After completing the curriculum of the public schools, including the high school. Mr. Bradner continued his studies in the Fostoria Academy. of this city. for two years, after which he engaged in reading law for a number of years. He has been engaged in the real estate and insurance business in Fostoria since 1894 and is one of the leading representatives of these important lines of enterprise in Seneca county. He is well informed concerning the value of real estate in this section of Ohio and has handled many important property interests. in connection with which he has negotiated deals that have involved heavy investments. The insurance department of his business is one of most prosperous order and he does a large amount of underwriting each year, as representative of several of the standard life and fire insurance companies.
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Mr. Bradner has at all times shown a lively and loval interest in all that touches the welfare of his home city and county and lends his aid and co-operation in furtherance of all measures and enterprises tending to conserve the best interests of the community. He is aligned as an uncompromising advocate of the principles and policies of the Republican party and from 1896 to 1901 he served as constable of London township. Seneca county. From 1901 to 1906 he was incumbent of the office of justice of the peace and he has served as mayor of his native city since 1910, giving an administration that has met with the unqualified popular approval. He is affiliated with the Home Guards. the Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks. the Knights of the Maccabees, the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics, the Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is an associate member. Both he and his wife hold membership in the United Brethren church.
On the 16th of October. 1906. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bradner to Miss Laura M. Earl. who was born in Wood county. this state, and who is the daughter of Leroy Earl. now a repre- sentative citizen of Fostoria. Mr. and Mrs. Bradner have six children, J. Alonzo, Earl Milton, Virgil C., Harry R., Leroy J. and Catherine L.
JOHN A. BRADNER .- By the death of this honorable and upright citizen Fostoria and Seneca county, and indeed the state of Ohio. sustained an irreparable loss and were deprived of the presence of one who had come to be looked upon as a guardian and friend. Death often removes from our midst those whom we can ill afford to lose. those whose lives have been exemplar of the true and good and who are therefore really great citizens. Such a man was John Alonzo Bradner. whose entire career. both business and social. served as an inspiration to the aged and as a model to the young. His work as a member of the legal profession. and more especially as a railroad builder. was of the greatest benefit to the state. and his usefulness and general benevolence he created a memory whose perpetuation does not depend upon sculptured stone or elaborate mortuary crypt, but rather upon the spontaneous and freewill offering of a grateful and enlightened people. His connection with Fostoria's development and growth and with the cumulative work of material improvement was largely instrumental in placing the city in the proud position it today occupies.
Mr. Bradner was born August 13. 1833, at Niagara Falls. New York, a son of William and Laura (Everingham) Bradner. He spent his early life in the place of his nativity. pursued his educa- tion in the Lewiston Academy. and in 1849 removed with his parents to Perry township. Wood county, Ohio. His father estah- lished a store at West Mill Grove and he became a salesman therein. After clerking for six years he bought the store from his father and for two years carried on the enterprise individually. In 1859 he removed to Fremont, Sandusky county, where he was manager of a warehouse for the ensuing four years. In March. 1863. Mr. Bradner arrived in Fostoria, where he established a warehouse and
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stove business, conducting the same with adequate success for a period of nine years, or until 1872, when the demands made upon his attention by other business enterprises caused him to dispose of the store to devote his entire time to the development of other interests.
For thirty-five years Mr. Bradner was . engaged in railroad building. He aided in securing the right of way, and was en- gaged in the construction of the Hocking Valley. the Ohio Central and the Nickel Plate Railroads: and he also took the contract for the construction of nineteen miles of the old Mansfield. Coldwater and Lake Michigan Railroad and thirty-five miles of the Clover Leaf Railroad. Thus, as a railroad contractor. he was closely associated with the work of improvement. for no other one agency has so direct or so important bearing upon the upbuilding and progress of a country as the introduction of railroads. He also secured the right of way for the Toledo, Fostoria & Findlay Eler- tric Railroad, and at the time of his death he was the secretary and treasurer and the general manager of the Ohio & Northwestern Electric Railroad. In the winter of 1900-01 he secured for this corporation the right of way from Fostoria to Jerry City, and while engaged in that work was taken ill. passing away on the 9th of July. 1901. at the age of sixty-eight years.
When the state had been largely supplied with railroads for transportation by the power of steam, his progressive spirit led him to take up the new methods of travel by the aid of electrical power. and thus he was associated with the upbuilding of interur- ban lines. This, however, did not comprise the extent of Mr. Bradner's connection with business interests. He macadamized the principal streets of Fostoria ; was engaged in the stone and lime business, having been a large stockholder and president of the Fostoria Stone and Lime Company; was one of the organizers of the first gas company here; and in all ways was known as a pro- gressive, public spirited and influential citizen. He was a man of keen sagacity, capable of looking beyond the exigencies of the moment to the possibilities of the future. He labored not alone for himself or for his own generation but also for posterity. for through many years to come his efforts will benefit those who fol- low him. His interests were of important order and of great magnitude, and although his business career was so successful as to seem almost phenomenal. it but represented the fit utilization of his powers along the lines where mature judgment led the way, and his prosperity was the result of his own efforts. While he was en- gaged in building the Hocking Valley Railroad Mr. Bradner was associated with Mr. Ransom Crocker in the founding and platting of a town in Wood county. located on the line of this railroad. and the same was named in honor of the subject of this memoir. Brad- ner is now a very attractive and prosperous town of about two thousand population, being located in the center of the oil belt and having before it an unmistakably auspicious future.
On the 3rd of March. 1856. Mr. Bradner was united in mar- riage to Miss Catherine Phillips, a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Phillips, of Jerry City, Ohio, and unto them were born the follow- Vol. II -- 6
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ing named children : Catherine. the eldest, is the wife of Samuel Lynn, of Toledo; May, became the wife of Pliny Jones, of Fostoria, and is now deceased : Rosa, who was the wife of Brice M. Stout, of Fostoria. is likewise deceased; Martin, who was editor of the Evening News, of Fostoria. died at the age of twenty-seven years, leaving a wife and two children, John A. and Frederick ; Jessie. is the wife of Edward Cooper, of Denver, Colorado; Franc, is the wife of Frank Stout. a furniture dealer in Fostoria. which city like- wise continues to be the home of one other son, John R .; and Harry E .. now resides in Fremont. Ohio.
In addition to all his other interests John A. Bradner studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1879. and he became the first city solicitor of Fostoria. For twenty-one years he was incum- bent of the office of justice of the peace, and his rulings were ever fair and impartial. He served for seven consecutive terms in that office in Loudon township. and was elected for the eighth term. For six years he was the mayor of Fostoria, and his exe- cutive duties were so ably and faithfully performed that one could readily have believed that he had no extraneous interests. and was giving his entire time to the interests and administration of the municipal government. He was a man remarkable in the breadth of his wisdom, in his indomitable perseverance and in his strong individuality. His entire life had not one esoteric phase, being an open scroll. inviting and challenging closest scrutiny. True his were "massive deeds and great" in one sense. and vet his entire life accomplishment but represented the result of the exercise of the intrinsic talent which was his and the directing of his efforts along those legitimate and prolific lines where mature judgment and rare discrimination led the way. A man of indefatigable enterprise and fertility of resource, he carved his name deeply on the records of the industrial and professional history of this section of the great state of Ohio, which owes much of its advancement to his labors. Though he had no personal political ambition, Mr. Bradner was a stalwart Republican in his political adherency, and was ever signally true to the duties of citizenship. while his religious faith was that of the Presbyterian church. His home life was ideal in character, and those to whom he was nearest and dearest find in the grateful memory of his noble and useful life a perpetual benediction ; his widow survived him and maintained her home in Fostoria until her death on the 22nd .of February, 1904.
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