USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 76
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Amos Sanderson was reared on the paternal homestead, until he was nineteen years old. He received such an education as was afforded in the common schools, and in 1886 he took up the study of dentistry under the direction of Doctor Cunningham, of Fredericksburg, this county, completing his technical education by attendance at the Cincinnati College of Dental Surgery. Immediately on his graduation, Doctor Sanderson located at Dal- ton, where he was successfully engaged in the practice until 1906, when he removed to Orrville. From the beginning of his professional work, Doctor Sanderson has been stamped as a man of unusual excellence in his line and he has almost continually commanded one of the largest practices in this part of the state. During his residence at Dalton, Doctor Sanderson served for five years as mayor of that town and was also justice of the peace for sex- eral years. The Doctor has practiced a wise economy and has made a number of shrewd and safe investments, so that today he is considered fairly well-to- do, owning valuable property in Orrville and elsewhere.
In 1888 Doctor Sanderson married Jennie Shrimplin, now deceased, of Holmes county, Ohio, and they became the parents of two children, Ralph and Jennie. Some time after the death of his first wife, the Doctor married Kilah Jones, of Shreve, this county, and they had two children, both of whom died in infancy.
Socially, Doctor Sanderson is a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- sons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Macca- bees. In politics he is a Democrat and takes a deep interest in the success of
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his party. Generous to a fault and social to a high degree, Doctor Sanderson wins friends easily, and he has the happy faculty of drawing them closer to him as the years go by. Viewed in a personal light, he is a strong man, of excellent judgment, fair in his views and highly honorable in his relations with his fellow men.
FRANK E. STEWART, M. D.
Among the representative professional men of Wayne county is he whose name appears at the head of this brief review, and who sustains an enviable reputation as one of the leading dentists in Orrville. To such men as Doctor Stewart the writer turns with particular satisfaction as offering in their life histories justification for works of this nature,-not that their lives have been such as to gain them wide reputation or the admiring plaudits of men, but that they have been true to the trusts reposed, have shown such attributes of character as entitle them to the regard of all, and have been useful in their spheres of action.
F. E. Stewart was born at Marietta, Ohio, on the 22d of March, 1887, and is a son of John and Jennie ( Hutchison) Stewart. John Stewart was also a native of Marietta, Ohio, and was a farmer, following this vocation practically all his life, being at the same time extensively engaged in the selling of fertilizers. He died in 1902, at the age of fifty years. The Stewart family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry and they inherit those sterling qualities of character which belong to those races. John and Jennie Stewart became the parents of six children, namely: Mrs. Effie Orwig, of Zanesville, Ohio; Mrs. Bertha Bode, of Monroe county, this state; Mrs. Grace Myers, also of Monroe county ; F. E., the subject of this sketch; Raymond, and Luna, at home.
Doctor Stewart was reared on the home farm until he was eighteen years of age and received his education in the common schools. Having de- cided to take up the practice of dentistry, he, in 1905, entered the Starling Medical College, at Columbus, Ohio, where he graduated in the spring of 1908. He first entered upon the practice of his profession at Columbus, but in February, 1909, he came to Orrville and opened his office. He has dental rooms on East Market street and here he is already in command of a large and lucrative practice. He is a young man of great promise and will no doubt command his full share of the public patronage. Possessed of those
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sterling qualities of character which commend any man, he has already won and retains the confidence and friendship of all who have formed his acquain- tance.
W. L. DESVOIGNES.
The gentleman to a brief review of whose life and characteristics the reader's attention is directed is numbered among the foremost business men of Orrville, Wayne county, and has by his enterprise and progressive meth- ods contributed in a material way to the commercial advancement of the city and county. He has in the course of an honorable career been most success- ful in the business enterprise of which he is the head, and is well deserving of mention in the present work. Mr. DesVoignes is descended from Swiss ancestry on the paternal side, his father, August DesVoignes, having been born in that little republic in 1834. He came to Wayne county about sixty- five years ago, and was one of the pioneer merchants of the county. He first settled at Mount Eaton, where he began life as a clerk in a general store. After working in this capacity for five years, he bought out his employer and continued the business at that place for twenty years or more. In 1876 he came to Orrville and established himself in the grocery business and some time later he opened a hardware store. He was successful in his enterprises and he continued to run the hardware store up to about 1894, when he re- tired from active business pursuits, and has since been enjoying that rest which he had so richly earned. During his active life he held several local offices and always stood high in the esteem of his fellow citizens. Now, in the golden sunset of life, he is able to look back over the vista of the years and can feel that for him the "lines have indeed fallen in pleasant places." He is a man whose sterling qualities of character commended him to the high regard and confidence of all with whom he had dealings and this feeling he reciprocated by ever holding his word inviolate and treating his fellows ac- cording to his highest conception of the right. He is a member of the Pres- byterian church and has always been deeply interested in the moral. intel- lectual and material development of his community.
August Des Voignes was united in marriage to Hannah Lucas, who was a native of Wayne county, born near Mount Eaton. To this union two chil- dren were born, a girl who died in early life, and the subject of this sketch.
W. L. DesVoignes was born at Mount Eaton. Wayne county, in 1865
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and removed to Orrville with his parents in 1876. He received his educa- tion in the public schools of Orrville, and supplemented this by attendance at the Poughkeepsie Business College, at Poughkeepsie, New York, gradu- ating from the latter institution. Eighteen years ago he established himself in the dry goods business at Orrville and has been very successful in this enterprise. About twelve years ago he moved into his present commodious and well arranged store, which is located on the northeast corner of the public square. He carries a large, complete and well-selected line of dry goods, comprising all the lines usually carried in a first-class and up-to-date store, and here he has received a full share of the public patronage. He employs a large force of accommodating clerks and every effort is made to please every customer who enters the store.
Socially Mr. DesVoignes is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Ma- sons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His many admirable qualities of head and heart have gained for him a large circle of friends, and he is widely and favorably known in Wayne county.
J. F. SEAS.
In the death of the honored subject of this memoir, June 15, 1902, at his home in Orrville, there passed away another member of that group of distinctively representative business men who were the leaders in inaugurat- ing and building up the industrial and commercial interests of Wayne and other counties of northeastern Ohio. His name is familiar to all who have been informed in regard to the history of this particular section of the Buck- eye state. He was identified with the growth of Wayne county for many years and contributed to its material progress and prosperity to an extent equalled by few. He early had the sagacity and prescience to discern the eminence which the future had in store for this great and growing section of the commonwealth, and acting in accordance with the dictates of faith and judgment, he reaped, in the fullness of time, the generous benefits which are the just recompense of indomitable energy, spotless integrity and marvelous enterprise. Prominently connected with the business history of Orrville, the career of J. F. Seas is one eminently worthy of permanent record. Great- er fortunes have been accumulated by others, but few lives furnish so striking an example of the wide application of sound business principles and safe con- servatism as does his. The story of his success is not long nor does it contain
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any exciting chapters, but in it lies one of the most valuable secrets of the prosperity which it records ; his business and private life are replete with inter- est and incentive, no matter how lacking in dramatic action-the record of a noble life, consistent with itself and its possibilities in every direction.
J. F. Seas was born in Stark county, Ohio, on the 9th of March, 1831, and was a son of Henry and Gertrude Seas. These worthy parents were both natives of Germany and the father followed the vocation of a stone- mason, in which he was an expert workman. Mr. Seas secured a fair educa- tion in the common schools near his boyhood home. Prior to the Civil war Mr. Seas, believing that Orrville had a promising commercial future, went into the hardware business in that town. His judgment was sound and he met with gratifying success in the venture, remaining identified with this business uninterruptedly until the date of his death, which occurred, as stated in the first lines of this memoir, on the 15th of June, 1902. Mr. Seas's suc- cess was remarkable and was mainly attributable to the principles on which the business was conducted. Honesty was one of Mr. Seas's strong char- acteristics and this alone gained for him the confidence of the public. And. too, Mr. Seas possessed to a remarkable degree that intuition which guides the successful merchant in anticipating the wants of the people. He made every effort to accommodate those who came to deal with him and he made a friend of every customer. Courteous in manner and obliging in disposition, it was no wonder he succeeded in building up a trade remarkable in its size and which remained loyal to him during the more than forty years in which he was in active business.
Since the death of Mr. Seas the business has been conducted by his sons. J. Fred Seas and D. Edward Seas. Mr. Seas's death was caused by cancer. the end coming when he was in his seventy-second year. He was married on the 3d of January, 1865, to Mary A. Pontius, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, September 12, 1848. They became the parents of six children, namely : Proctor E., of Cleveland, Ohio; Almeda died in infancy; Victoria died in young womanhood ; J. Fred and D. Edward, who are now conducting the business founded by their father; Mrs. Gertrude Baker, of Orrville. Of these, J. Fred Seas married Margaret Santche; D. Edward married Martha Geyer; Proctor married Margaret Altman, and they have one son, Vincent. Mrs. Mary Pontius Seas resides on North Main street, Orrville, in the beau- tiful and commodious home built by Mr. Seas a number of years ago. She is a woman of gracious personality, possessing many of those pleasing qual- ities which have endeared her to all who are acquainted with her.
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Coming to Wayne county in young manhood, Mr. Seas started in busi- ness unostentatiously and without the blare of trumpet, but through his steady and persistent application of sound business principles he succeeded in winning, not only financial independence, but, better still, the respect of his fellow men. His long and honorable career as a citizen, neighbor and friend is a precious heirloom not only to those immediately left to mourn his de- parture, but a priceless legacy to the community at large. It is a true and comforting fact that life is measured, not by years alone, but rather by a pur- pose achieved, by noble deeds accredited to it. If this be true, few lives in this community have been entitled to greater honor than that of Mr. Seas.
LYMAN R. CRITCHFIELD, JR.
Lyman R. Critchfield, Jr., one of the foremost members of the Wooster county bar, is a native of Millersburg, Ohio, where he was born on April 17, 1868. He is a son of Hon. L. R. Critchfield, one of the ablest lawyers in Ohio, who was at one time attorney-general of Ohio ; also state senator, judge, etc. His sketch appears elsewhere in this work. Lyman R. Critchfield's mother was Adelaide M. Shaffer, daughter of Dr. Moses Shaffer, a man of great force of character and high moral and physical courage. He was espe- cially successful as a medical practitioner at Wooster and was known for his great skill as a surgeon. Mr. Critchfield graduated from the high school of Millersburg in 1886 and attended the Ohio Wesleyan University at Dela- ware, Ohio, studied law under the instruction of his father, and was associated with him for eighteen years. He was admitted to practice before the supreme court of Ohio at Columbus, June 4, 1891, and has followed his profession ever since, both in Wayne and Holmes counties, having located at Wooster in 1892. As a lawyer, he is thorough and conscientious in all cases. Among one of his important cases was that of defending Harry White, charged with the murder of Thomas Dye, of Orrville, a case that presented but little hope of success. Politically, Mr. Critchfield is an ardent Democrat, and is a great admirer of William Jennings Bryan. He served as solicitor of the city of Wooster and has always taken an active part in the things in which his party was most interested.
Mr. Critchfield enlisted in Company D, Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, during the war with Spain, and served from April 26, 1898, to No- vember 21st of that year. when he was mustered out with his regiment. He
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Lyman
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served in the expedition of Santiago de Cuba, and took part in the surrender of that city. He somewhat impaired his health as a result of his service. When in the service, he won more than ordinary distinction as a war cor- respondent, several newspapers having issued special editions on account of his letters home. He is a member of the Society of the Army of Santiago de Cuba. He was elected commander of Buckeye Camp, No. 51, United Spanish- American War Veterans, Wooster, Ohio. He belongs to the Modern Wood- men of America, Knights of Pythias, Brotherhood of American Yeomen and the Improved Order. of Red Men, all of Wooster.
September 28, 1898, Mr. Critchfield married Rose Brown, youngest daughter of Allen Brown, of Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, and they have three interesting children : Lyman Robert, born 1903 : Henry Brown. born 1905; and Dorothy Emily, born 1907. Mr. Critchfield is an exemplary member of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Wooster, and resides at No. 64 North Buckeye street, while his office is located on the public square.
Mr. Douglas, in his "Lawyers of Wayne County," published in the year 1900, says of him: "Although but a young man in years, and in his profes- sion, he is foreshadowing qualities that insure a successful professional career. He has the bearing of one who has worthy aspirations, and who will move steadily, and, as experience comes, strongly, on along the lines he has marked. His natural ability, aided by opportunity, reinforced by industry and study. justify this expectation. He is unaffectedly kind, accommodating and genial, and as a consequence his personal popularity is as extensive as his acquain- tances. His frankness and courtesy to his colleagues of the bar cause all his professional relations to be of a most pleasant character." This prophecy has been realized.
In 1908, after a spirited contest with able competitors, Mr. Critchfield was nominated for prosecuting attorney of Wayne county, and was elected to that office, running ahead of his ticket. He has a very remarkable faculty for making friends and has more devoted personal friends than many of his age in Wayne county. As prosecuting attorney he has distinguished himself by his industry and ability in managing and increasing volume of public busi- ness. Both in public and private practice, he has displayed superior qualities that characterize the good lawyer. For close and discriminating analysis of legal questions, he has but few superiors ; for that labor necessary for the preparation of evidence and the study of legal principles he is untiring, and the result is, the usual result of success. He brings to bear in his legal prac- tice an hereditary courage and perseverance. For many years he has answered
(45)
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the call for public addresses, literary and political, and has gained excellence in public speaking and very often manifests a genius for admirable expression. He is rapidly gaining a high standing at the bar, and as a citizen of Wayne county, for his ability and accommodating spirit in his office and practice, and but few enjoy as great popularity. In the study of political questions, but few young men took such interest. Measures of administration, as well as con- stitutional questions, were familiar topics with him in early life, and when William Jennings Bryan arose as the great luminary of Democratic ideas, he became attracted to him by a strong political affection. This interest in politics had the preconception of patriotic emotion. One of his ancestors at the age of eighteen enlisted under Washington. Of the same family, many were in the war of 1812 and the Mexican war. Of both lines of his descent, many served and some died in the Civil war, and when the United States went to the rescue of the oppressed people of Cuba, he enlisted in the Cuban war and served until the people were free. He is especially to be recognized as a citizen of Wayne county. Jacob Shaffer, his great-grandfather, lived and died in and near Doylestown, in Chippewa township, after holding many local offices in its early organization. His grandfather, or Moses Shaffer, practised medicine for fifty years in Wooster; in skill, moral courage and benevolence one of the pre-eminent men of Wayne county. His grandmother, Margaret McClure Shaffer, was of a numerous, influential, and intelligent family of McClures, early settlers of the county. His three uncles, Hiram, James and Horace Shaffer, were in the Civil war, and Hiram was a great physician. His intense affection for his mother, Adelaide, a daughter of Dr. Moses Shaffer, attaches itself to the soil upon which she was reared. Married into the Brown and Musser families, in the southeast part of Wayne county, he is identified with those honorable families. In the meshes of metaphysics, the foregoing are involved in character, and the subject of this sketch rightfully is entitled to the respect of the people, and it may be reasonably hoped that as the lapse of time creates a demand for able and honest public men, there are lines of pre- ferment for his increasing ability and usefulness.
SAMUEL M. TAGGART.
It is proper to judge of the success of a man's life by the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his work, in his family circle, hear his views on public questions, observe the operations of
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his code of morals, witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of society and civilization, and are therefore competent to judge of his merits and his demerits. After a long course of years of such observation, it would be out of the question for his neighbors not to know of his worth, for, as has been said, "actions speak louder than words." In this connection it is not too much to say that the subject of this sketch passed a life of unusual honor, that he was industrious and had the confidence of all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. He was born on a farm that is now a part of Orrville, his natal day having been the 14th of July, 1828, and he died on the 17th of August, 1907, in the eightieth year of his age. His paternal grandfather, James Taggart, was a native of county Antrim, Ireland, and em- igrated to America prior to the war of the Revolution. The subject's father, Samuel Taggart, was born December 17, 1790, and died April 24, 1853. He came to Wayne county in April, 1815, and settled on a quarter section of land near Orrville, where he reared his family of twelve children.
Samuel M. Taggart was reared under the parental roof and secured his education in the primitive schools of that early day. He was early inured to the labors of farming, which in those pioneer days meant the clearing of the land and the cultivation of the same under conditions which would in the present day be considered almost impossible. He continued to carry on farm- ing operations until about twenty-five years ago, when, feeling the weight of years and being in a financial condition which justified him in throwing off the active duties of the farm, he retired to the beautiful town of Orrville, where he had erected a comfortable home and there he resided until his death. He was practical and methodical in his farming operations, giving his personal attention to every detail of the work, and was considered a very successful man.
Mr. Taggart married, on October 31, 1854, Sarah Jane Slusser, a daughter of Jacob and Anna Maria (Ilgenfritz) Slusser, her birth having occurred on March 15, 1835, at Wooster, Wayne county. She was reared in York, Pennsylvania. Her parents were natives of Ohio, and her father was a very successful tobacconist, coming to Wayne county in an early day. They were the parents of seven children, of whom the only survivor, besides Mrs. Taggart, is Mrs. Harrison Wertz, of Dalton, Ohio. Mrs. Taggart's family is of German origin, her great-grandfather having been a resident of Baden, Germany, where a principal street was named in his honor. To Mr. and Mrs. Taggart were born seven children, of whom brief mention is as follows : (1) Laura Ellen, who was born November 25, 1855, died in infancy. (2)
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Francis Darwin, born January 16, 1857, is a graduate of Wooster Univer- sity and now resides at Denver, Colorado. (3) Major Elmore Finley, who was born October 6, 1858, was educated at Wooster University and at the West Point Military Academy, having graduated from the latter institution. He was appointed to the academy by the late President Mckinley, of whom he was a special favorite. Major Taggart is now stationed at Fort Ontario, New York. (4) One died in infancy unnamed. (5) Mrs. Alice Amelia Kimberlin, who is a widow and now lives with her five children near Orr- ville. (6) David S., born May 10, 1865, is now deceased. (7) Howard, born April 21, 1875, lives at Baltimore, Maryland.
At the outbreak of the Civil war, Mr. Taggart gave unmistakable evi- dence of his patriotism by enlisting for military service, but because of ill health he was discharged before being mustered into the service. He was a faithful member and liberal supporter of the Presbyterian church, and Mrs. Taggart has held membership in this body since her young girlhood. She is deeply interested in the society and is generous in her support of its various interests. Fraternally. Mr. Taggart was identified with the Knights of Hon- or and the Royal Arcanum. A man of many splendid qualities of character, he made friends of all who knew him and his death was deeply regretted throughout the community. Mrs. Taggart now resides in the family home- stead on South Main street, which was erected by her late husband on ground that had formerly been a part of his farm. She is a woman of culture and learning and takes an abiding interest in all moral and educational subjects, being especially opposed to the liquor traffic. She is a delightful conversa- tionalist and a Christian woman of high and noble ideals.
RAYMOND F. CHRISTY.
The life history of him whose name introduces this review was for many years identified with the history of Wayne county, of which he was a native son and honored citizen. His business career was begun in this county, and throughout the years in which he was identified with her commercial inter- ests he was closely allied with her growth and upbuilding. His life was one of untiring activity and was crowned with a degree of success attained by comparatively few. He was of the highest type of business man, and none more than he deserves representation in a work of this nature. His business career furnishes a splendid example of what may be accomplished through
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