USA > Ohio > Shelby County > History of Shelby County, Ohio, and representative citizens > Part 65
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Mr. Apple married Miss Corda Grise, who was born in Darke county, O .. a daughter of Peter and Margaret Grise. The father of Mrs. Apple, who is now deceased, at one time was the largest landowner in Darke county. When he died, at the age of eighty-three years, he left the sum of ninety thou- sand dollars to his family, together with eleven highly improved farms. All this wealth he accumulated himself, being a shrewd financier and a man of unceasing industry during all his active life. His burial was at Gettysburg, O. He was a native of Montgomery county but his first wife, Matilda Wyi- son, was a native of Darke county, as was also his second wife, Margaret Mann. The latter survives and resides at Gettysburg, O., where Mr. Grise, in his later years, owned the First National Bank. Both wives were the mothers of twelve children and of the two families there are seventeen chil- dren still living, Mrs. Apple being one of the heirs to her father's very large estate.
Mr. and Mrs. Apple have had four children: Clarence, Ralph, Martha and Orville, the last named being now deceased, having been accidentally
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drowned when aged six years. Mr. Apple and family belong to the Lutheran church. In politics Mr. Apple has been a lifelong democrat and at times has consented to serve in township offices, especially on the school board, and has also been turnpike superintendent.
H. W. CAVEN, one of the best known citizens of Orange township, Shelby county, O., now serving in his second term as township trustee, resides on his mother's farm of 100 acres, which lies six miles southeast of Sidney, and here he was born in 1877.
James M. Caven, father of H. W. Caven, was born in Miami county, O., three miles south of the present farm of the family, and after reaching manhood engaged there in farming until 1874, when he came to Orange township, purchasing 100 acres of land and cultivating and improving it until 1904, when he retired and then moved to Fletcher, O., where his death occurred in 1908, when he was aged seventy-three years. He had put the farm in fine condition, erecting all the buildings which now stand except the residence, which he remodeled. He married Annetta S. Sayers, who was born in Miami county and is now a highly esteemed resident of Fletcher. They had four children, namely : William M., who lives in Green township: James S., who is a resident of Miami county ; H. W .; and Mrs. Bertha M. Wyatt, who lives at Detroit, Mich.
H. W. Caven attended the public schools of Orange township and after- ward a business college at Piqua, O., being thus well prepared for other lines of activity than agriculture, but farming and stock raising perfectly satisfies him and he makes a success of the business, taking care of the home farm for his mother. Grain, hay, fruits and other products are raised and Mr. Caven usually has some as excellent stock as is found in the township.
On March II, 1903, Mr. Caven married Miss Lottie E. Fergus, who was born in 1878, on a farm west of Kirkwood, in Shelby county, O. She is a daughter of T. H. and Mary ( Valentine) Fergus, one of a family of four children, the others being: Frank P., Leonard C. and Mrs. Olive Knox, the latter of Dayton, O. Mr. and Mrs. Caven have three children : Frances S., who was born April 20, 1905; Vertus V., who was born August 20, 1908; and Kathryn Lois, who was born September 15, 191I.
In his views on public questions, Mr. Caven has always been a democrat, and his party standing and the place he occupies in the regard of his fellow citizens, may be indicated by the fact that since he was elected township trus- tee in 1909, he has been continued in office.
PETER PAULUS, who is one of the leading men of Loramie township, a successful farmer and for eight years a member of the school board of the Huffman Special School District, lives on the north side of the east and west road, where he owns eighty-two and one-half acres of excellent land. He was born one and one-half miles north of Frenchtown in Wayne township, Darke county, O., February 29, 1872, and is a son of John and Lena Paulus.
Peter Paulus attended the public schools of Wayne township and after-
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ward learned the carpenter trade and then went into the threshing business which he followed for eleven years in Shelby county after having success- fully followed the business for five years in Darke county. He then pur- chased his present farm, all of which with the exception of ten acres of wood- land, he has drained and tiled. fenced and otherwise improved, and here car- ries on general farming and stock raising.
Mr. Paulus married Miss Elizabeth Francis, who was born in Loramie township, a daughter of Stephen and Catherine ( Pepiot) Francis, who reside in the Francis Special School District. Mr. and Mrs. Paulus have had chil- dren as follows: Catherine, Lawrence, Thomas, Stephen John, deceased, Stephen, Martha and Christine. The children have enjoyed excellent school advantages as their father has always believed in general education. They give great promise as to future usefulness. Mr. Paulus has been a lifelong democrat and several times has been elected to important township offices by his party and has served most acceptably as supervisor and road superintend- ent. With his family he belongs to the Roman Catholic church at Russia, O.
HENRY F. SHERMAN, president of the board of education of the Tur- ner Special School District in Cynthian township, is a prominent farmer, owning 100 acres of fine land situated in section 27, all of which, with the exception of ten acres of woodland, he has under cultivation. Mr. Sherman was born in McLean township, Shelby county, March 30, 1868; and is a son of Joseph and Mary ( Rottinghaus) Sherman.
Joseph Sherman was born in Germany October 22, 1816, and was sixteen years old when his parents came to the United States and settled in Shelby county, O., locating in McLean township. There he grew to manhood and married Elizabeth Gelir, of Minster, O., and of the ten children born to that marriage there is but one survivor, a resident of Troy, O. His second mar- riage was to Mary Rottinghaus and of the ten children born to this union there are five survivors, namely : Elizabeth, wife of John Zimmerman; John, residing in Cynthian township; Henry F .; Frank, residing in Cynthian town- ship; and Annie, wife of Frank Turner of Cynthian township. Mr. Sherman owned a farm of 150 acres and there passed the larger part of his life, his death occurring in his seventy-seventh year. His second wife lived to be thirty-eight years of age. They were faithful members of St. Michael's Catholic church at Fort Loramie. During many years he was elected to town- ship offices on the democratic ticket and was known to be an upright, honorable man.
Henry F. Sherman continued on the home farm for three years after his father's death and then sold his interest and since his marriage lias lived on his present farm in Cynthian township. Through his own efforts this place has been brought to its fine condition as to productiveness and improvements, including a complete system of drainage and tiling. He raises both grain and stock, using his corn for feeding purposes but selling wheat and oats, his land producing more than the average in grain.
Mr. Sherman married Miss Lucy Gaier, who was born in McLean town-
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ship, and they have the following children: William, Emma, Edward, Leo, August and Ida. Mr. Sherman and family are members of St. Peter and St. Paul's church, at Newport, O., of which he was warden for four years. In politics Mr. Sherman is a democrat. For four years he was one of the trus- tees of Cynthian township and during two years of that period was president of the board, while he has been president of the board of education of the Turner Special School District for about six years.
T. C. SKILLEN, who is a representative citizen of Loramie township and for three years treasurer of the board of education of the Houston Special School District, resides on his valuable farm of 140 acres, eighty of which lies in the Oran Special School District, and an additional thirty-seven acres of fine woodland. He was born in Loramie township, Shelby county, O., December 19, 1850, and is a son of Thomas Skillen and a grandson of William Skillen.
Thomas Skillen was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., and he accom- panied his parents and several other families to Ohio, a part of the journey being made on rafts on the Ohio river. They all finally settled in Loramie township and here William Skillen reared a large family of children, one of whom subsequently became a probate judge. Thomas Skillen was mar- ried three times, his second wife, Amanda Griffis, being the mother of but two children : T. C. and Oran, who died in infancy. The mother died when aged thirty-seven years, T. C. being then aged eighteen months. Both parents were members. of the Presbyterian church. Thomas Skillen was born in 1815 and died in 1900, his burial being at Houston, O.
T. C. Skillen was reared in Loramie township and attended the public schools, which have always been better conducted and supported here than in many sections, and afterward found farm duties awaiting him. He has fol- lowed agricultural pursuits all his life and since his marriage has lived con- tinuously at Dawson.
Mr. Skillen married Miss California M. Cox, who was born in San Joaquin county, California, a daughter of I. S. and Catherine Cox, both of whom died in Loramie township. Mr. and Mrs. Skillen have but one surviv- ing child, Theodore Benson, who is a bright pupil in the public school. Others died in childhood, Thomas, Forest S. and Pearl LeRoy. Mr. and Mrs. Skil- len are members of the Presbyterian church at Dawson, in which he is an elder and also a member of the board of trustees. In his later years the father of Mr. Skillen was a republican and the latter belongs to the progressive wing of the party. He served eleven years as a notary public, and, as indicated above, has taken a deep interest in educational matters. Mr. Skillen as a citizen is held in high esteem and commands the respect of his fellow citizens by those evidences of a sterling character which Americans are proud to claim as a national characteristic.
LEVI D. FESSLER, who is one of the leading citizens of Loramie town- ship, Shelby county, O., for many years has been especially interested in the
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public schools and their advancement, and is a general farmer, his forty acres of well-improved land lying one mile north of the Miami and Shelby county line and nine miles from the city of Piqua, O. Mr. Fessler was born on this farm, August 28, 1862, and is a son of John J. and Catherine (Ganger) Fessler.
John J. Fessler was born in Baden, Germany, February 21, 1825, and was twenty-one years old when he accompanied his widowed mother, Salome Fes- sler, to America. His father died in Germany leaving ten children, the eldest of whom, George Fessler, was the first of the family to cross the Atlantic ocean and begin life in the United States. When the mother and nine chil- dren followed they all lived at Cincinnati, O., for a time, while they sought a desirable section in which to settle permanently, finally selecting eighty acres in Loramie township, Shelby county, forty acres of which Levi D. Fes- sler now owns. They were among the pioneers when they came here, very little clearing having been done in the township and neighbors were few. They went through all the hardships of pioneer life but never parted with their land and each year made it more valuable.
John J. Fessler married Catherine Ganger, who was born in Montgom- ery county, O., April 1, 1831, and her death occurred January 10, 1895, and her burial was in the Bloomer cemetery in Miami county, and by her side her husband was laid five years later, his death taking place in March, 1900, his age being seventy-five years, one month and seven days. They were mem- bers and conscientious supporters of the Lutheran church. Politically he was a democrat and on two occasions was elected a trustee of Loramie township and served with fairness and honesty. They settled in Loramie township and here their children were reared as follows: Margaret, Mary, Barbara and Catherine, all of whom are now deceased; Louisa, who lives in Cynthian township; John, who is a resident of Elkhart, Ind .; Jacob, who is in business at Piqua ; Levi D .; William, who also lives at Piqua; and Minnie, who is the wife of J. H. Fritz, of Loramie township.
Levi D. Fessler attended the district schools and remained on the home farm and took care of his parents until they passed away and then purchased the south forty acres of the homestead. Since then he has greatly improved his property and all the substantial buildings here were erected by him and all other improvements made. Like his father he has always been a demo- crat and has taken a good citizen's interest in township affairs and has felt especially responsible concerning the permanence and efficiency of the public schools, serving for seven years as clerk of the board of education of the Beech Grove Special School District. He served three terms as assessor of Loramie township and for four years as a trustee, during the second two years being president of the board.
On June 5, 1892, Mr. Fessler was married to Miss Barbara Elizabeth Wehneman, who was born in Loramie township, April 2, 1864, a daughter of John H. and Ann Elizabeth Wehneman, and they have five children : Clarence Ferdinand, Mabel Ruth, Alice Pearl, Ruby Leona and Clissie Marie. These children are all bright students in the same school their father attended. The family belongs to the Lutheran church.
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GEORGE N. FRANCIS, one of the enterprising young agriculturists of Loramie township, where he works eighty acres of well improved land, owned by his father, has spent his life in his native county and belongs to a well known family here. He was born at Russia, Shelby county, January 13, 1883, and is a son of Celestine and Rosalie (Cordonnier) Francis, who are resi- dents of Russia, O.
After his school days were over, George N. Francis learned the carpenter trade at which he worked throughout Shelby county, living at Russia from 1908 until 1911, when he put aside his tools with which he had proved him- self very skillful, and since then has been engaged in general farming and has all this land under cultivation with the exception of twelve acres still in timber. Mr. Francis is a democrat in politics and is one of the leading and active citizens of his township. Since January, 1912, he has been clerk of Loramie township and also a notary public, and for two years has been clerk of the Russia Special School District.
On June 2, 1908, Mr. Francis was married to Miss Leontine Monnin, a daughter of Justin and Emelia (Millet) Monnin, and they have three chil- dren : Lyndon, Yvonne and Linus. Mr. Francis and wife are members of the Catholic church at Russia. Until the order of Knights of St. John was dis- continued at Russia, Mr. Francis was secretary of the organization.
CHARLES A. WOLAVER, president of the board of trustees of Loramie township, is a well known resident of Houston, O., where he follows the car- penter trade, his pleasant home and comfortable residence being situated on the east side of the Piqua and St. Mary's turnpike road. He was born two miles west of Newport, O., in Cynthian township, Shelby county, February 9, 1863, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Dunn) Wolaver.
Henry Wolaver died on his farm in Loramie township, when in his fifty- fiftlı year and was laid to rest in the cemetery of the Christian church, being a member of that religious body. He married Elizabeth Dunn, who was born in Loramie township and still resides on her farm there, her son, John R., carrying on the farm industries. To Henry and Elizabeth Wolaver four chil- dren were born : Charles A., John R., William H. and Laura A., who is the wife of Henry Wick.
Charles A. Wolaver was educated in the schools of Cynthian and Loramie townships, and since 1882 has been a permanent resident of the latter town- ship, where he has farm interests. Since February, 1912, he has occupied his present home. For the past two years he has been president of the Farmers Elevator Company, of Houston, of which he is a director and was one of the founders, and for the past three years he has been agent for one of the latest improved cream separators, an indispensable article for dairymen.
On December 27, 1890, Mr. Wolaver was married to Miss Annie E. Cromes, who was born in Miami county, O., June 30, 1869, and is a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Cromes, both of whom are now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Wolaver three children were born: Forrest Raymond, a resident of Houston, who married Florence E. Flavert; Arthur Emerson, who is in the
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Houston high school as a student; and Walter Elwood, who attends the public schools. . Mr. Wolaver has been a lifelong democrat, as was his father, and is now serving in his second year as a member of the township board of trus- tees, having been president of this body since January, 1912. He is recognized as one of the reliable men of Loramie township, ever ready to perform any public duty and honest and efficient in whatver he attempts, whether in busi- ness or as a public official.
B. S. CECIL, who is a well known citizen of Dawson, where he is engaged in the blacksmith business, is a native of Shelby county, born at Oran, O., a son of E. R. and Sarah (Whitney) Cecil. The father died in Cynthian town- ship at the age of forty-four years and the mother died when aged thirty years. They had five children, three of whom are deceased, the two surviv- ors living in Shelby county. The father was a veteran of the Civil war and his record was that of a brave man.
B. S. Cecil celebrated his forty-fifth birthday on October 5, 1912. He was reared on the home farm and obtained his education in Cynthian town- ship and at Oran and in early manhood engaged in farming but later learned the blacksmiith trade and has been established in his own shop at Dawson for the past sixteen years. He is known as an excellent workman and there is never a time when he is not busy. He not only does blacksmith work but all kinds of repairing.
Mr. Cecil married Mrs. Florence Louella (Cornell) Mills, widow of Charles Mills, and they have had the following children: Goldie May, deceased; Albert E., Lester C., Clifford L., and Murrey Leo, deceased. Mr. Cecil belongs to the independent wing of the republican party but has never been willing to accept any office other than membership on the school board, for the past four years having been president of the Houston Special School District of Loramie township. He is one of the town's sturdy and reliable citizens and is held in general esteem.
GEORGE W. FOSTER, a prosperous agriculturist and representative citizen of Loramie township, resides one and one-quarter mile south of Hous- ton, O., on the Piqua and St. Mary's turnpike road, where he owns 120 acres of fine land, was born February 28, 1860, at Canton, O., and is a son of John H. and Augusta Foster.
John H. Foster and wife were born in Germany and when they first reached the United States, settled at Wheeling, W. Va., and in a short time came to Canton, O., and in 1863 to Piqua, from which city, in 1870, they came to Loramie township, where they passed the rest of their lives. They were members of the Brethren church at Piqua. John H. Foster died when aged fifty-nine years and his wife when ten years older and their burial was at Houston. They were parents of five sons and one daughter and four of the sons survive.
George W. Foster attended the public schools of Piqua and in the Beech Grove District in Loramie township. Afterward he became a farmer and
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lived five years in Washington township prior to his marriage, and twelve years afterward, and then came to his present farm in Loramie township. When he settled here his land was covered with brush and thickets and it required much hard toil and a considerable expenditure of money to clear, cultivate and drain, and to place the many substantial improvements here. Farming and stock raising employ Mr. Foster's attention, his two youngest sons now assuming many of the heaviest responsibilities.
Mr. Foster married Miss Anna Snaveley, who was born in Washington township, a daughter of the late Washington Snaveley, and they have three children : Theda B., who married E. H. Billing, of Swanders, O .; and Guy E. and Marion O. Mr. Foster and family are members of the Presbyterian church at Mt. Jefferson, in which he is an elder and is also church treasurer and a trustee. He is a republican in politics.
HENRY ACHBACH, whose well cultivated farm of forty acres lies in section 22, Cynthian township, Shelby county, O., was born on this farm, November 5, 1865, and is a son of George and Louisa (Seing) Achbach.
The parents of Mr. Achbach were born in Germany, were reared and educated there and were married two years before coming to America. When they reached the United States they located on land in Kentucky, it being the intention of George Achbach to follow farming, but conditions did not satisfy them where they first settled and they then moved to Patterson township in Darke county, O. Afterward they came on into Shelby county and here Mr. Achbach secured the present home farm, three acres of which had been cleared and a log cabin erected. Very soon afterward he erected a better log house and with the help of his sons as they grew old enough, succeeded in entirely clearing the land, keeping four acres as a wood lot. This land has been put into fine condition through proper draining and tiling and would command a high price if put on the market. On this farm George Achbach died at the age of fifty-eight years, having led a very laborious life. His widow survived to the age of eighty-four years and both were interred in the Lutheran cemetery. During the Civil war he was a brave soldier, serving for three years and three months, and, although ever at the post of duty, escaped all injury. George Achbach and wife had seven children, namely: Charles, who was born in Germany; Mary, who is deceased, was the wife of John Stifel; and Julius, Caroline, Annie, Henry and Amanda.
Henry Achbach attended school in the Grisey Special School District and afterward engaged in farming, working the home place and also renting an adjoining farm. For the past six years he has lived continuously on this farm, carrying on a general agricultural line, but for nine years previously he worked in the spoke factory at St. Mary's. He married Miss Mary Hecht, who was born in Patterson township, Darke county, O., a daughter of Henry and Pauline Hecht, the former of whom is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Achbach have six children: William, who was born in Cynthian township: Clara, Anna and Clarence, all of whom were born at St. Mary's: Elizabeth and Ethel, who were born on the present home farm. Mr. Achbach and fam-
P. O. STOCKSTILL
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ily belong to the Lutheran church. He is a democrat in politics and is happy to have his neighbors agree with him on public questions but he has never been willing to serve in any office except as a member of the board of education, to which he was elected in January, 191I.
P. O. STOCKSTILL, one of the progressive agriculturists of Orange township, Shelby county, O., whose valuable and well improved farm of eighty acres is situated two miles southeast of Sidney, was born where he now lives, in 1867, and is a son of Thomas and a grandson of Elias Stock- still, who was one of the pioneers in Shelby county, coming at a very early day from near Midway, in Miami county, where possibly he was born. He settled near Maplewood, in Shelby county, and he and wife died here. They were solid, reliable people and their descendants have reflected credit on them to the present day.
Thomas Stockstill was born on his father's farm near Maplewood in Shelby county, and in manhood moved to Orange township, where he carried on general farming for many years and then retired to Sidney, but still owns two valuable tracts of land, one of eighty acres and a second one of thirty acres. He married Martha Mitchell, who passed away about 1906, the mother of eleven children, ninÄ— of whom are yet living.
P. O. Stockstill was reared and educated in Orange township. When prepared to go into business on his own account he purchased a part of the old homestead from his father, paying $10,000 for this eighty-acre tract. He has improved the same since it came into his possession, having rented it for ten years previously, and here carries on farming and stock raising according to scientific methods and has one of the most productive farms in this section of the county.
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