USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume I > Part 86
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In 1879 Charles E. Burchfield was united in marriage with Ida Hough, a sister of Isaac N. Hough, the present auditor of Wayne county, and to them have been born three children, namely : Earl, who is deceased ; Maude, the wife of Delano Moore, of Akron, Ohio; Mabel, who died at the age of seventeen years.
Politically Mr. Burchfield gives an unqualified support to the Republi- can party and takes a keen interest in the trend of public events. He is an influential worker in the ranks of his party, but is in no sense a seeker after office or public preferment. Fraternally he is a member of Apple Creek Lodge No. 674, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Apple Creek Lodge No. 374, Knights of Pythias. He has passed the chairs in both of these sub- ordinate bodies and is a member of the grand lodge in each order. His re- ligious belief is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the Apple Creek church of which denomination he and his wife are devoted members. Mr. Burchfield is a leader in the work of the church and is now a member of the board of trustees.
Mr. Burchfield has been public spirited and progressive in his attitude towards all movements having for their object the betterment of the com- munity morally, educationally, religiously or materially, and he has honestly won and retains the respect of the entire community.
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ALBERT DIX.
Examples that impress force of character on all who study them are worthy of record. By a few general observations may be conveyed some idea of the high standing of Albert Dix, publisher of the Wooster Republican, as a man of affairs and a citizen, as a public benefactor or an editor of un- usual felicity of expression, whose facile pen delights hundreds of readers. United in his composition are so many elements of a solid and practical na- ture, which during a series of years have brought him into prominent notice and earned for him a conspicuous place among the enterprising men of the county of his residence, that it is but just recognition of his worth to speak of his life and achievements in a work of the province of the one at hand, al- though he is conservative and unpretentious, caring little for the admiring plaudits of men, satisfied if he is conscious of doing his duty well in the several relations of life.
Mr. Dix was born in Portage county, Ohio, October 8, 1845. His moth- er died when he was eighteen months of age. His father owned a small farm of fifty-two acres, and in addition he was a stone cutter and mason, and for years he was a stone contractor. He is remembered as a hard-work- ing, honest and well-liked gentleman who took considerably more than a passing interest in the development of his community.
Albert Dix was taught the use of stone cutter's tools at an early age, and when fifteen years old he left home for the purpose of working as a stone cutter on the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio railroad, now the Erie. He worked at his trade in the summer and attended select schools in the winter- time for a period of four years. He taught school during the winter months for a short time. When twenty-one years of age he entered a general store in which he remained for twelve years. But not fancying the mercantile business as a vocation he turned his attention to the newspaper field and in 1879, with C. M. Campbell, he established the Hamilton (Ohio) Daily News and continued as manager of the same up to 1897. In 1898 he and his son, Emmett C. Dix, purchased the Wooster Republican, which they have devel- oped into a fine property and which has the support of the people to a large degree. Under their management the publication took new life, the father taking charge of the business department and the son as editorial manager, with George Kettler in the news department. The circulation increased rap- idly, the mechanical appearance of the paper was greatly improved, and the Republican became much more valuable as an advertising medium which is now liberally patronized. They have sought to keep abreast of modern
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methods and they have left nothing undone to give the people what they want. New equipment has been added and this is one of the best, if not the best, newspaper properties in the Buckeye state of cities the size of Wooster. A Duplex printing press has been installed, printing the paper from the roll. thus being able to "run off" the rapidly-growing circulation within a few min- utes. The composing room is equipped with two up-to-date linotype ma- chines.
HUGH M. MEIER.
The record of Mr. Meier is that of a man who by his own unaided efforts worked his way from a modest beginning to a position of comparative af- fluence in the business world. His life has been of unceasing industry and perseverance and the systematic and honorable methods which he has fol- lowed have won for him the unbounded confidence of his fellow citizens of Apple Creek and East Union township.
Hugh M. Meier is a native son of the county in which he now resides, he having first seen the light of day at Fredericksburg, Wayne county, Ohio, on the 29th day of April, 1870. He is a son of James and Eliza (McCul- lough) Meier. The father died September 19, 1907, while his widow now lives on the home farm. James Meier was a native of Switzerland, having been born April 8, 1836. He was reared and educated in his native land and. desiring larger opportunities for advancement, he came, in 1860, to the United States. He came at once to Holmes county, Ohio, where he was married. He was a shoemaker by trade, and was considered a proficient workman, but later in life he took up farming, of which he made a success. He was a poor man when he first came to this country, but at his death he was conservatively estimated to be worth twelve thousand dollars. He was a member of the Lutheran church and was highly respected throughout the community where he lived. James and Eliza Meier became the parents of fifteen children, named as follows : A. J., G. E., W. H., Lucinda, Hugh M., E. B., I. V., John F. (deceased), Cornelius, J. M., Mainard, C. W., Etna, Joseph and Virgil. It is a remarkable fact that of this large family only one has died. and all of the survivors are prosperous and most of them heads of families.
Hugh M. Meier was reared under the parental roof and secured his ed- ucation in the district schools of the neighborhood. He remained at home. assisting in the work of the farm until he was twenty-five years old, when, tiring of an agricultural life, and believing he could do better along another
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line, he learned the trade of a harness-maker, at which he has worked contin- uously since. On March II, 1898, he located at Apple Creek and since that time he has been numbered among the enterprising and successful merchants of this place. The quality of his work and his courteous and accommodating treatment of his customers has resulted in attracting to his shop a full share of the trade in his line and he is handling a nice business which is increasing steadily year after year. He carries in stock everything pertaining to harness supplies, such as robes, blankets, whips, etc., and is eminently deserving of the large patronage which is accorded him.
In January, 1897, Mr. Meier married Emma Keister, a native of Holmes county, Ohio, and to them have been born three children, namely: Ralph M., born July 25, 1898; Stewart J., born July 27, 1901, and Pearl M., born April 14, 1904. In religion Mr. and Mrs. Meier are faithful and consistent mem- bers of the Presbyterian church, to which they give an earnest and generous support. Fraternally he is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees, while his political affiliation is with the Democratic party. He has taken a deep and commendable interest in local public affairs and was elected mayor of Apple Creek, in which position he served from 1900 to 1905, giving a strong and business-like administration. He is now serving as chairman of the water works board, and is rendering efficient service. In the fall of 1909 he was elected treasurer of his township. A few years ago five public-spirited . citizens of Apple Creek organized and incorporated the Franklin Union Tele- phone Company, the incorporators being J. E. Frank, John Tate, F. R. Beazell, Alvah Eyman and Hugh M. Meier. There are now fifty stock- holders in this company and Mr. Meier is serving as treasurer.
In this necessarily brief review of the life of the subject enough has been said to indicate to even the casual reader the leading characteristics of the man. Wide awake to his best opportunities, with a candor and courage that has enabled him to take advantage of them, he has gone forward, step by step, until today no man in the community where he lives enjoys a larger measure of popular regard than does he. A man of acknowledged ability, absolute integrity in word and action, and of courteous manner, he has no trouble win- ning friends, which are in number as his acquaintances.
HARRY KOUNTZ.
Back to stanch old German stock does Harry Kountz trace his lineage, and that in his character abide those sterling qualities which have ever marked the true type of the German nation, is manifest when we come to
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consider the more salient points in his life history, which has been marked by consecutive industry and invincible spirit, eventuating in his securing a high place in the confidence and respect of his fellow men.
Harry Kountz is a native son of Wayne county, having been born on West North street, Wooster, on the 10th of August, 1862. He is a son of George Harry and Jane (Gregor) Kountz, the former of whom was born at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 22, 1842, the latter the daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Hill) Gregor, of Franklin township, Wayne county, Ohio. Her parents, who are both deceased, were born in Pennsylvania and came to Ohio and bought land when the locality was still inhabited by In- dians. Mr. and Mrs. Kountz were married on March 19, 1860. The sub- ject's paternal grandfather was Michael Kountz, a native of Baden, Ger- many. He was a boilermaker by trade and came to the United States with his wife in 1825, locating at Pittsburgh, where he was employed at his trade and where he and his wife spent their remaining years and died. Their son, Harry Kountz, father of the subject, was reared in Pittsburgh and se- cured a fair education in the public schools of that city. He learned the trade of a painter and in 1859 he came to Massillon, Ohio, where for about a year he was engaged at his trade. In 1860 he came to Wooster and in 1863 he enlisted for service in defense of his country. He proved a brave and valiant soldier and received an honorable discharge at the end of his period of enlistment. After his return he was employed at his trade by the McDon- alds until 1875, when he ceased that line of work and moved onto a farm which he owned in East Union township. The farm comprised about forty acres and he devoted himself with success to its operation. He is now de- ceased, but his widow is still living. They were the parents of two children, Harry, the subject of this sketch, and Alice, who remains unmarried.
Harry Kountz, Jr., was reared principally on his father's farm and he possesses a practical knowledge of agriculture, having been his father's as- sistant in that work. He received a good education in the common schools of the township, and has liberally supplemented this by much close reading of the world's best literature as well as the current periodicals of the day, so that today he is considered an unusually well informed man. He has been pros- pered in all his undertakings and is now the owner of a fine farm of one hun- dred and thirty-five acres in East Union township, besides residence property in Wooster. He is a heavy stockholder and general manager of the Wayne County Telephone Company, besides being a stockholder in three mining companies. Mr. Kountz is of an inventive turn of mind and has secured
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several patents on devices for leveling purposes, a number of which he has sold. His devices have been pronounced by good authorities as possessing considerable merit and indicate the patentee to be a man of practical ideas. Mr. Kountz is wide awake and progressive in his makeup and gives an un- qualified support to every movement having for its object the upbuilding of the community, morally, educationally, socially or materially. His public- spirited attitude has given him prestige in the community and he occupies an enviable standing among his fellow citizens.
In matters political Mr. Kountz has always given an ardent support to the Republican party, and has rendered effective service to his party in the capacity of committeeman. He has not, however, been a seeker after office or public preferment of any nature. In every relation of life in which he has been placed, the subject has proven faithful to his duties and obligations and because of his business ability, personal qualities and unimpeached integ- rity he enjoys the unbounded confidence of all who know him.
COL. CURTIS VOLOSCO HARD.
A citizen of the United States can wear no greater badge of honor than the distinction of having faithfully served the government in the war between the states. It is a sacred family inheritance of renown, to be prized like a jewel by all future descendants and kept bright and untarnished by other acts of valor, patriotism and loyalty in the interests of free government. But the ranks of the old phalanx are rapidly going down before the only foe that they could not meet, and ere long none will be left to recount the actual experiences of those stirring times that tried men's souls. In the meantime, while they are still with us, let us pay suitable honor to their sacrifices, patriotism and suffer- ings. Col. Curtis V. Hard, whose life record is briefly outlined in the follow- ing paragraphs, is one of the brave heroes of the great Northland who gave up the pleasures of home, business and society, and through many a trying cam- paign and bloody battle risked life to save the honor of the old flag. Not only in his military life has this gentleman distinguished himself, but since its close his private and public life have been such as to gain for him the distinction of being one of the most distinguished citizens of Wayne county, Ohio. He is a native of Wooster, having been born here August 3, 1845, the son of Moses Knapp Hard, a native of the adjoining county of Medina, to which vicinity the paternal grandparents of Colonel Hard came from Vermont in 1816 when
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this country was a wilderness and wild beasts roamed through its jungles, and the tracks of the red men had scarcely faded from the primitive soil. The an- cestral lines on both sides of the house extend far back in the annals of Amer- ican history. On the father's side several members of the family bore arms in the struggle of the colonists for independence, having been with the famous Ethan Allen at the storming and capture of Ticonderoga, New York. Orig- inally the family stock was English, having come to America about the middle of the seventeenth century and ever since that time to the present day members of the same have distinguished themselves wherever they have dispersed. whether in public or private life. Moses K. Hard, father of the Colonel, grew to manhood in his native county, where he was educated, and he directed his attention for a time to the study of medicine, but later entered the ministry, in which vocation he spent twenty-five or thirty years, winning a wide repuation as a pulpit orator of rare force and earnestness, doing a great work for the establishment of the Gospel throughout this part of the state. He married Mi- randa Booth, a native of Medina county, and to them six children were born. They permanently located in Wooster in 1870 for the purpose of spending their declining years in retirement.
Curtis V. Hard received the advantages of the common schools of his native town, later entered Berea College, near Cleveland, then returned to Wooster, where his subsequent life has been spent. In 1864, while yet a boy, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Thirty-fifth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which formed a part of Sheridan's army in the Shenandoah valley. After a very creditable record as a soldier he received an honorable discharge in 1865 and returned home. In 1866 he became identified with the banking house of Bonewitz, Emrich & Company, which in 1867 was reorganized into the Commercial Bank of Wooster, and at its re-organization into the National Bank of Wooster in 1871, with David Robison, Jr., as president, he became the cashier of the institution, remaining in that capacity until April. 1898. when he resigned to take his regiment into Cuba.
Colonel Hard did not allow his patriotism and love for military life to wane after the close of the Civil war, but remained active and as a reward for his industry and fitness he became a lieutenant-colonel of the Ohio National Guard, and in 1898 during the Spanish-American war he became colonel of the Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, his regiment being the only one from Ohio which had the distinction of seeing active service in Cuba. During that brief but decisive war, Colonel Hard added fresh laurels to his military fame.
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Colonel Hard is associated with the Cleveland & Wooster Electric Rail- way in the capacity of manager, whose exacting and responsible duties he discharges with rare business foresight and judgment, having been very large- ly instrumental in making this enterprise very successful. He has won a high standing in both business and social circles in Wayne county which he has honored with his citizenship during nearly the entirety of his life. He promoted the Cleveland, Ashland & Mansfield Traction Company, and was connected with it until its completion in April, 1909. Colonel Hard was in- strumental in the organization of the Wooster Electric Company which fur- nishes light, heat and power for Wooster, the first of the kind in northern Ohio outside of Cleveland, and of which he is the largest stockholder and its manager and treasurer. He is also president of the Cleveland Light and Power Company, the largest independent lighting company in that city. He played an active part in inducing the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to enter Wooster and was very largely instrumental in inducing the board of control of the Ohio agricultural experiment station to locate at Wooster.
Colonel Hard was married in 1870 to Addie Jackson, daughter of Cyrus Jackson, a prominent citizen of Wayne county. Mrs. Hard received a liberal education and was a teacher in the Wooster public schools. To this union four children have been born, namely : Dudley J. Hard, of Cleveland; Emily L. Hard; Agatha G. Hard, now Mrs. Willard Ohliger, of Detroit, and Miriam B. Hard. Mrs. Hard died April 6, 1910.
Politically the Colonel is a Republican and active in the ranks. He is a Knights Templar Mason and belongs to the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a man of exceptional business qualifications, having the fine military bearing of the true soldier, and socially he is a polite, cultured gentleman.
P. S. BLOSSER.
The county of Wayne numbers among its citizens many skillful physi- cians, lawyers of state repute, well-known manufacturers and business men of much more than local reputation ; while proud of them, she is not lacking in others which have achieved distinction in callings requiring intellectual abilities of a high order. Among the latter, P. S. Blosser, of East Union township, occupies a deservedly conspicuous place. No one is more entitled to the thoughtful consideration of a free and enlightened people than he who shapes and directs the minds of the young, adds to the value of their
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intellectual treasures and moulds their characters. This is pre-eminently the mission of the faithful and conscientious teacher and to such noble work has the life of the subject of this sketch been largely devoted.
P. S. Blosser is a native of Paint township, Wayne county, Ohio, having been born on the 9th day of January, 1850, and is a son of Christian and Susan (Ruegsegger) Blosser. These parents were natives of canton Berne, Switzerland, though they were not married until after they had come to the United States. Christian Blosser accompanied his parents to this coun- try and the family settled in Paint township, Wayne county, where they lived many years, the father and mother dying there. The father bought eighty acres of farming land and carried on agriculture during his active years. Christian was eighteen years old when brought to this country and he was reared on the Paint township farm, eventually becoming one of the prom- inent and well-known farmers of that section. He was seventy-five years old at the time of his death, which was caused by injuries received from a hay hook. He was a man of splendid qualities and his death was considered a distinct loss by the entire community. He and his wife were the parents of twelve children, namely: Susan, John, Mary, Elizabeth, Christ C., P. S., Louise, Caroline, Matilda and William. Of these, the two last named are deceased, and ten of the surviving members of the family are respected resi- dents of Wayne county.
P. S. Blosser was reared to the life of a farmer and during the years of his youth he assisted his father in the farm work. In the meantime he at- tended the common schools during the winter months and proved such an apt scholar that, upon examination, he was granted a license to teach. In this profession he at once scored a distinct success and such was the prestige he gained as an instructor that for twenty-eight successive terms he was en- gaged to teach in his immediate neighborhood, certainly a most emphatic testimonial to his professional efficiency and his worth as a man. In 1892 Mr. Blosser became the Democratic candidate for commissioner of Wayne county and at the ensuing election he was elected. He assumed his official duties on the Ist of the following January, and so satisfactory were his serv- ices that he was re-elected to the position, his second official term expiring September 19, 1899. He proved a most able and efficient officer, ever hold- ing the best interests of the people at heart, and he retired from this responsi- ble position with the approval and good will of all the people. During his administration the recent county jail was erected and many other permanent and substantial improvements were made throughout the county, especially pertaining to public highways and bridges.
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Mr. Blosser is the owner of one hundred and ninety-one acres of fine land in East Union and Saltcreek townships, to which he devotes his atten- tion during the summer, teaching school during the winter months. He has ably and honestly performed his full duty in whatever position he has been placed and no man in Wayne county occupies a more exalted position in the minds of those who know him.
In politics Mr. Blosser is an ardent Democrat and has ever been actively interested in the success of his party. Besides the official preferment already referred to, Mr. Blosser has given efficient service as justice of the peace in both East Union and Saltcreek townships. His religious membership is with the Reformed church at Apple Creek, to which he gives an earnest and cor- dial support. Fraternally he is a member of Apple Creek Lodge No. 324, Knights of Pythias, in which he has passed all the chairs, being now a mem- ber of the grand lodge.
On the 24th of January, 1876, Mr. Blosser was united in marriage to Emmeline Tracy, who was born in East Union township, the daughter of Jacob and Phoebe Tracy. These parents bore the distinction of having been the first settlers in East Union township, they having come here in 1814. The land which they entered at that time is now the farm owned by Mr. Blosser and is considered one of the best estates in the township. To Mr. and Mrs. Blosser have been born the following children: Louella G., born October 25, 1876, is the possessor of a license to teach; Harry C .; Rev. M. E., who received a splendid secular and religious education and is now occu- pying some of the best pulpits of the Methodist Episcopal church in the West; Cleveland graduated from the civil engineering course at the Ohio Northern University at Ada and is now a successful teacher; C. M. graduated in the public schools at Apple Creek in 1909; three children are deceased.
DAVID D. ARMSTRONG.
At this point we are permitted to touch upon the life history of one who, if for no other reason, merits recognition in this connection by reason of his having been a lifelong resident of Wayne county and a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of this section of the state. But super- added to this circumstance are others which render the appearance of his biography within these pages all the more consistent, for he has here attained a position of prominence in connection with the agricultural activities of the
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