USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 19
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
Pennsylvania, and was a daughter of John Force, who also was one of the earliest settlers of Saltcreek township, this county. Her death occurred on August 21, 1893. David Lawrence, besides being a successful farmer, also worked at the carpenter trade and assisted in the erection of many of the best buildings and churches in the county. He was also engaged for thirty years in the operation of a portable sawmill. After the death of his first wife, he married Mrs. Sarah Geiselman, who is still living. His death oc- curred on the 7th of November, 1903.
Abbott Lawrence was reared by his parents and secured his education in the district schools of the community. He was early initiated into the work of the farm, and after the completion of his education he became his father's assistant on the farm, and, with the latter, was also engaged for thirty years in the operation of the portable sawmill. Prior to going into the sawmill business, he had taken possession of his present farm in Franklin township, where he has lived continuously for thirty-one years. The place, which comprises thirty-two acres, is most eligibly located and is kept in the best of condition by the subject, who thoroughly understands the secrets of successful agriculture. He has made all the improvements on the place, in- cluding the erection of the attractive house, commodious barn and other outbuildings, and the planting of many fine fruit, forest and ornamental trees, which abound on every hand. He is progressive in his methods and is a good business manager, so that he has been enabled to realize a comfortable income in return for the labor bestowed. He raises all the crops common to this section of the country and also devotes some attention to the raising of livestock, in which also he has been fairly successful.
On November 2, 1876, Mr. Lawrence was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Elsie Hensel, who was born in Franklin township, Wayne county, Ohio, a daughter of Jacob and Susan (Geiselman) Hensel, her mother being a daughter of Valentine Geiselman. Jacob Hensel was a native of Germany and in young manhood came to Wayne county, Ohio, set- tling at Moorland, where he engaged successfully in the vocation of wagon- making. After his marriage he bought a farm in Wooster township, where he resided for some time, later moving to Wayne township, where his death occurred on December 7, 1890. His widow survived him several years, dying on June 16, 1903. Their remains lie buried in the Wooster cemetery. They were both active and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They were the parents of the following children : Aminda Jose- phine, who is the wife of F. E. Reynolds, of Cleveland, Ohio: Elenora, now deceased, was the first wife of F. E. Reynolds : Elsie is the wife of the sub-
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ject of this sketch; Edmund resides at Akron, Ohio; Alma, deceased; Irene is the wife of Angus McDonald and resides in the state of New York. To Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence have been born three children, namely: Adel- bert, who lives in Akron, Ohio, has one child, Carrey, who lives with his grandparents, the subject and wife; Laverna is the wife of Bernard Mc- Carron, of Canton, Ohio, and they have one child, L. Clayton; Pearl is the wife of Glenn Barnes and lives in Franklin township.
Politically, Mr. Lawrence is an ardent Democrat and takes the right sort of an interest in local affairs. Religiously, both Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence formerly held membership in the Lutheran church near their home, and the subject held prominent official position in the society, but they are now mem- bers of the Reformed church at Apple Creek. Mr. Lawrence has taken a prominent part in local public affairs, having served a number of years as trustee of the township and as a member of the school board. He has also served a number of times on the township central committee of his party. He is held in the highest esteem in the locality, being a man of responsibility, and he not only represents an honorable old family but also personally stands for all that is best in the life of the community. Because of his many fine personal qualities of character and the esteem in which he is generally held, and also because of the fact that the family which name he bears was one of the founders of Wayne county, he is eminently deserving of representation in this work.
WILLIAM FRANKLIN NIRODE.
Although many foreign countries have sent their citizens to Wayne county, Ohio, and they have figured in the various walks of life, the Ger- man empire has furnished a larger quota than any other, and while one, by way of comparison, could not say that these sons of the Fatherland have surpassed all others, it would be safe to say that none have outstripped them or made better supporters of our institutions, for they have become property owners, labored for the development of the county in many ways and have offered their services in our wars. Of this number, Adam Nirode, father of William F. Nirode, of this review, should be mentioned, for he was born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, in 1824, and he came to America with his parents, who were also natives of Germany, having made the slow trip across the Atlantic in 1833. The family settled at Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania. In 1860 Adam Nirode left his parents in Pennsylvania and came to Wayne county, Ohio, where he first worked as a teamster and farmer, hav-
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MR, AND MRS. ADAM NIRODE
WILLIAM F. NIRODE
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ing done a great deal of teaming with six horses. He married Sarah Sny- der, a native of Wooster township, this county. He received his education in Wayne county and lived near Blachleyville, Plain township, for many years and was living there at the time of his death. He was a Democrat in politics and had always been a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. To Adam Nirode and wife five children were born, namely: Wil- liam Franklin, of this review; George; Sarah Alice, deceased; Levina and Edward.
Joseph Snyder and wife, the maternal grandparents of William F. Nirode, were early farmers of Wayne county.
William F. Nirode was born in Wooster township, Wayne county, Ohio, January 19, 1862, and he received his education in the common schools of Greene and Plain townships. Early in life he began farming and, when a boy, he loved to watch the threshing machines when they vis- ited his vicinity, usually following them about until they went to another neighborhood, declaring that when he got to be a man he would operate one of his own; consequently he has been a thresher all his mature life. However he has also managed a saw-mill and farmed in connection with threshing, but of late years he has not engaged in the saw-mill business. He has now given up the threshing business, which is being carried on by his son Chester. He has a good farm of one hundred and fifty-two acres in Plain township which he keeps well tilled and well stocked and on which he has a cozy home and excellent barns.
Mr. Nirode was twice married, first on January 8, 1885, to Isadore Obenour, and to this union two children were born, Chester and Wayne. February 8, 1903, Mr. Nirode married for his second wife Martha Naylor, who has borne him one child, William Earl. Mrs. Nirode is the daughter of Sylvester and Julia (Colman) Naylor, of Clinton township, Wayne county. Mrs. Naylor died in March, 1903, and is buried in Newkirk cem- etery, near Lakeville, Ohio.
Religiously Mr. Nirode is a Lutheran, and in politics he supports the Democratic ticket; fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America.
JOHN C. SANDERSON.
It is a pleasing indulgence to refer to the life and achievements of a man who has been so long and so prominently identified with the material activ- ities of a community as has the subject of this review, and who stands con-
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spicuously forward among the leading factors in the continued growth and prosperity of one of the most flourishing and substantial sections of the great Buckeye commonwealth.
John C. Sanderson, who occupies an enviable position among the lead- ing agriculturists of Franklin township, Wayne county, Ohio, is a native of the township in which he now lives, his birth having occurred there on February 10, 1855. His paternal grandparents were Alexander and Re- becca Sanderson, who came by horseback overland from Pennsylvania to Wayne county in 1817. They settled in what is now section 13, Franklin township, and which at that time was densely covered with the original forest growth, in the midst of which roamed Indians and many varieties of wild animals. These worthy pioneers erected a rude log cabin and at once set themselves to the task of clearing the land and putting it in cultiva- tion. This tract entered by Alexander Sanderson comprised three hundred and twenty acres, and a part of this is still held in the Sanderson family. Mr. and Mrs. Sanderson spent the remainder of their lives on this place, and during .their active years they made great progress in the development of the land into a good farm. They were worthy and highly esteemed persons and were leaders in their community. In politics, Alexander San- derson was a Democrat, and in religion he was a member of the Presbyterian church at Fredericksburg, of which he was an elder for many years. To Alexander and Rebecca Sanderson were born the following children: James, John, Alexander, David, William, George, Nathan, Jane and Ann. Of these, all are now dead but George, who lives at Shreve, this county. Nathan died at the age of twenty-one years. Jane was the wife of Charles Kittlewell, and Ann became the wife of Robert Reed.
John Sanderson, the second in the order of birth in the above-mentioned family of Alexander and Rebecca Sanderson, was born on the Franklin town- ship farm, and was there reared, his education being received in the district schools of the township. When he had grown to manhood he married Caro- line Shaw, who was a native of Tuscarawas county, Ohio, her parents hav- ing died when she was quite young. After his marriage John Sanderson bought part of the home farm from his father and proceeded to give atten- tion to its cultivation. Being a carpenter by trade, and a very proficient workman, he erected his own house and barns and in many other ways made substantial improvements. In connection with his farming operations he did a good deal of carpenter work throughout the neighboring country. He was a widely known and highly respected man and spent his entire life on this farm where he had had his beginning. He was a stanch Demo-
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
crat in politics and a consistent member of the Presbyterian church. John and Caroline Sanderson became the parents of the following children: Rob- ert, of Niles, Ohio; John C., the immediate subject of this sketch; James, of Holmes county, Ohio; Mary Jane, who was the wife of Perry E. Sherman but is now deceased; Hiram lives in Saltcreek township, this county ; Amos, a successful dentist at Orrville, Ohio; Ida E., the wife of Charles Ramsey, of Fredericksburg, Ohio; Edward, also of Fredericksburg. The parents of these children are now deceased, and their remains lie side by side in the East cemetery at Fredericksburg. They were a worthy couple and few persons ever lived in this section who more wholly enjoyed the respect and esteem of the entire community. They were active agencies in the develop- ment of this region and their enthusiastic support was always given to move- ments that promised to benefit the community in any way.
John C. Sanderson was reared by his parents and is indebted to the common schools of the neighborhood for his mental training. He remained with his parents until his marriage, when he started out on his own account and has since been engaged continuously in agricultural pursuits. He is the owner of three hundred and thirty-eight acres of as fine land as can be found in this section of the county and, owing to his energy, enterprise and progressive spirit, he has been enabled annually to realize handsome re- turns for the labor he has bestowed on it. On this place he erected a neat and attractive residence and other buildings and has in many other ways brought the place up to the highest standard of excellence. He is method- ical in his work and gives his personal attention to every detail of the work, so that nothing is left undone that would contribute to the success of his operations. In addition to the tilling of the soil he gives some attention to the raising of livestock, in which also he has met with a gratifying degree of success.
On the 20th of January, 1881, John C. Sanderson was united in mar- riage to Maryetta Moore, who was born in Saltcreek township, Wayne county, Ohio, November 1, 1859, a daughter of William Butler and Susan (Martin) Moore. William Moore was a native of New Jersey but is now deceased, while his widow now makes her home near Fredericksburg, this county. To the subject and his wife were born the following children: Cora, Oren Martin, Susan and Ida Grace, who are all at home, and two that died in early childhood.
In his political views Mr. Sanderson clings to the faith of his fathers, the Democratic, but he has never aspired to public office or preferment of any nature. His religious membership is in the Presbyterian church at Fred-
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ericksburg, of which he is a trustee, and in other ways takes a leading and prominent part. Mr. Sanderson is known throughout the township in which he lives as an honest, industrious and enterprising man, one who has always had the good of his friends and neighbors at heart. No more loyal and help- ful man can be found in the township than he, as he has in every way possible striven to exert his influence in such a manner as to effect the best general results.
JACOB KRICK.
The German element in Wayne county, Ohio, has played a conspicu- ous part in transforming it into one of the two leading counties of the Union and of this worthy number Jacob Krick must have a place. He was born in Rheinberne, Germany, January 13, 1833, the son of Jacob and Mar- garet (Wert) Krick. They were the parents of three children, Philip, Jacob and Phoebe.
Jacob Krick, of this review, came to the United States in 1852 and settled in Wayne county, Ohio. He had limited means when he came here, consequently hired out to work on the farm by the year at about nine dol- lars per month. He was married, in 1857, to Elizabeth Wert, who was reared in Greene township, this county. After his marriage, Mr. Krick was employed by the day. In time he moved to Holmes county, adjoining Wayne on the south, and there he rented land until he moved to the present farm in 1864. He rented it until 1873, when he bought the farm of ninety acres, having made by his own efforts enough money to defray the expenses of the purchase. He has always been a hard worker and a good manager and deserves a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished consider- ing that he started with nothing. He has a good farm and it yields a com- fortable income from year to year.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Krick nine children were born, seven of whom are living in 1909, namely: Katherine, wife of George Smith, of Orrville; Mary, wife of Jacob Seigley ; Anna, wife of John Grant; Margaret, single, is living in Medina county, this state; Charles, whose sketch appears on another page of this work; Philip, who is single; Frederick has also re- mained unmarried. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Krick have ten grandchildren, namely : Ward Smith, Ellis G. Seigler, Esther Seigler, Ann and John Grant, Erin J., Gladys E., Charles and Russell Grant; Mildred, Mabel and Ruth Krick.
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Mr. Krick and members of his family belong to the Reformed church at Orrville, this county. Politically Jacob Krick is a Democrat. He is well known in the eastern part of Wayne county and is a man of fine personal traits.
THOMAS H. LITSINGER.
Year has been added to year and decade to decade until the aggregate of three-quarters of a century has been attained since the time when the subject of this sketch came to Wayne county, of which his father was a pioneer. The latter lived here until attaining a venerable age, and as a man whose life had been such as to retain to him the high esteem of his fellow men. When the family took up their residence here the section was in many respects still practically a frontier region, awaiting the awakening touch of the sturdy pioneers who would still further transform its wild lands into rich and productive farms and beautiful homes, establish villages, churches, schools and various commercial and industrial enterprises and thus continue the inceptive work of reclaiming the country for the uses and blessing of mankind. The natural advantages of this section attracted at an early day a superior class of settlers,-a thrifty, industrious, progressive and law- abiding people, whose influence has given permanent direction to the work of development and material advancement. Of this type was the father of the subject, Darius Litsinger, who was born at Towsontown, Maryland, March 25, 1805. He was there reared and educated, and on attaining man- hood's years he took unto himself a helpmeet in the person of Mary Ann Bucher. She was born at Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, October 13, 1808, and was a daughter of Christian and Elizabeth Bucher. Her mother was born January 5, 1776, and died April 16, 1873, she and her husband being now buried in the cemetery at Moorland, Ohio. In the fall of 1834 Darius Lit- singer brought his family to Wayne county, Ohio, being accompanied also by Christian and Elizabeth Bucher, and they located in the neighborhood of where the subject of this sketch now lives. Their journey overland was made in a four-horse wagon and was a long and wearisome journey. Darius and Mary Litsinger spent the remaining years of their life here and became prominently and favorably known throughout the community. He was first a Democrat in politics, but from the time of the candidacy of William Henry Harrison he remained allied with the Republican party. He and his wife were carnest and faithful members of the Methodist Episcopal church at
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Moorland, Mr. Litsinger having served efficiently as trustee of the same. They were the parents of the following children: William died young; Thomas, Joseph, Charles, Richard, Matilda and Elizabeth are deceased; Susan is the wife of Martin Scott and lives at Apple Creek; Ellen, deceased, was the wife of John Weiker. Darius Litsinger died on the Ist of April, 1885, and his wife on December 10, 1890, their remains being buried in the cemetery at Moorland.
Thomas H. Litsinger, the immediate subject of this sketch, was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, near the city of Baltimore, August 27, 1834. He was a baby when the family emigrated to their new home in the Buckeye state and here he was reared and has spent the subsequent years of his life. He secured his education in the district schools of the neighborhood, and, owing to the somewhat primitive equipment and methods which character- ized the schools of those early days, his educational opportunities were some- what limited. Besides most of his time, when old enough, was devoted to the strenuous work of clearing the land and putting it in cultivation, in which work he was an able assistant to his father. He has always resided in Franklin township and since 1860 has resided continuously on his present fine farm, which is located in section 20. He has devoted most of his time to farming, in which he has been fairly successful, owing to his enterprising and progressive methods. In connection with agriculture, he has also worked much at carpentering, in which he is proficient, and has had a hand in erect- ing some of the best buildings in this section of the county. He is energetic and has all his life been actively engaged in work of some nature. He enjoys a splendid reputation among those who know him best and all esteem him for his genuine worth.
Mr. Litsinger married Jane G. Gabriel, who was born in 1836, the daughter of Thomas and Ann (Jones) Gabriel. Her parents were natives of Pennsylvania, having come to Ohio in 1830 and located one mile east of Moorland, where they built a commodious and substantial stone house. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church and were active in all good works. Mr. Gabriel was a Republican in politics. Going further back in the ancestral record of Mrs. Litsinger, it is noted that her paternal grandfather was Jacob Gabriel and her maternal grandfather was Daniel Jones, both of whom were born, lived and died in Pennsylvania. To Thomas and Ann Ga- briel were born the following children: James, David, Jacob, Phoebe, Mar- garet, John, Caleb, Elizabeth (who married Solomon Tate), Martha, Jane (wife of the subject). Besides those mentioned above, three died in infancy, and Mrs. Litsinger is the only one of the children now living. To Mr. and
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Mrs. Litsinger have been born the following children: Ellen, of this town- ship; Hannah is the wife of William Jacot, of East Union township, this county, and they have two children, Mabel and Eleanor.
Mr. Litsinger is a stanch Democrat in his political belief and has taken a live and commendable interest in local public affairs; having rendered very satisfactory service as treasurer of the township. He and his wife are faith- ful members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is a member of the official board in the capacity of steward. He has long been numbered among the leading farmers and public-spirited citizens of his township. He has maintained his property at the highest standard of excellence, the ap- pearance of the place indicating the owner to be a man of excellent taste and sound judgment.
THOMAS PENDLETON BROWN. =
There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are always lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differ but slightly, after all; and when one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which properly encompass the whole human race.
Such thoughts are prompted by a study of the life record of Thomas Pendleton Brown, of Wooster, one of the most skillful civil engineers in this section of the Buckeye state, and he has achieved his envied position in this calling solely through individual efforts, with many obstacles against him, but he has surmounted them, one by one, and, while yet a young man, his labors have been crowned by success, and the future holds much of promise for him.
Mr. Brown is a native of Wooster, having been born here on January 19, 1876, and he has continued to make Wayne county his home. He is the son of John B. and Marilla ( Koch) Brown, being the eldest of their children. The father, for many years a well-known citizen of Wooster, was at one time deputy sheriff, filling out the unexpired term of Ethan A. Brown, turning over the office, which he had very creditably filled, to his successor in 1889.
Thomas P. Brown was always an ambitious lad, but not having a very flattering prospect to gain an education in his boyhood days, he set out to
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educate himself and he has succeeded admirably well. He passed through the Wooster high school and the Bixler Business College, and, as already intimated, learned civil engineering by studying at nights. In his younger years he engaged successfully for a time in the real estate business.
When the Spanish-American war broke out Mr. Brown was one of the first to volunteer his services in eradicating the tyranny of Spain, and en- listed in Company D, Eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, in April, 1898. The company was well drilled and was sent to Cuba, where it re- mained from July IIth to the latter part of August, but, much to the disap- pointment of Mr. Brown and his comrades, they had no opportunity to see active service on the firing line. They were ordered home and were mus- tered out at Wooster on November 10, 1908, being honorably discharged.
Mr. Brown was married on December 8, 1899, to Irene Taggart, daugh- ter of Calvin Taggart, a highly-respected family of Wooster, and this union has resulted in the birth of one child, Marilla Irene, born January 2, 1903.
Mr. Brown is an active and influential member of the Baptist church, and he belongs to the Buckeye Camp, United Spanish-American War Veterans. He was elected ditch supervisor of Wooster township, in 1909, and is giving eminent satisfaction in that capacity.
BEN DOUGLAS.
Human lives resemble the waves of the sea; they flash a few brief moments in the sunlight, marvels of power and beauty, and then are dashed upon the remorseless shores of death and disappear forever. As the mighty deep has rolled for ages past and chanted its sublime requiem and will con- tinue to roll during the coming ages until time shall be no more, so will the waves of human life follow each other in countless succession until they mingle at last with the billows of eternity's boundless sea. The passing of any human life, however humble and unknown, is sure to give rise to a pang of anguish to some heart, but when the fell destroyer knocks audibly at the door of the useful and great and removes from earthly scenes the man of honor and influence and the benefactor of his kind, it not only means bereavement to kindred and friends, but a public calamity as well. In the largest and best sense of the term, the late Ben Douglas, of Wooster, was distinctively one of the notable men of his day and generation and as such is entitled to a conspicuous place in the annals of his city, county and state. As a citizen he was enterprising and public-spirited, as a polished
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