USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 30
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JOHN CRAVEN.
It cannot be other than gratifying to note that within the pages of this compilation will be found mention of many prominent and successful citizens of the county who have here passed their entire lives and who stand repre- sentative of the sturdy pioneer element which instituted the herculean task of reclaiming this section of the state from the wilderness, carrying the work valiantly forward and leaving it to their sons and daughters to rear the super- structure upon the foundations thus firmly laid. Those who have been the founders and builders of Wayne county are the ones who chiefly find place in this work, and in this number mention should not be omitted of the per- sonal career of the gentleman whose name appears at the head of this article, and who is one of the representative citizens of the county in which he has passed practically his entire life.
John Craven, who now owns a fine farm in Wooster township, but who is living practically retired from active life, is a native of Wayne county, Ohio, having been born in Paint township, near Mount Eaton, on the 15th of December, 1840. He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Kizer) Craven, both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania, the father having been born in Washington county. John Craven, Sr., came to Wayne county, Ohio, in young manhood and settled on land in Paint township which at that time was densely covered with timber. He was one of the earliest pioneers and founders of the county and he always occupied a prominent position in the community. He spent the remainder of his life here and his remains are now buried in the Mount Eaton cemetery. He was a strong Democrat in
JOHN CRAVEN
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his political views and took an active part in local public affairs. His wife died in 1850. To John and Elizabeth Craven were born the following children : Samuel, who enlisted as a private in the Seventh Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, and died from sickness during his service; Julia was the wife of Jackson Reed and died at LaGrange, Indiana; the subject of this sketch was the next in order of birth; Elizabeth is the widow of John Bowers and re- sides in Wooster; Lucinda became the wife of Mr. Foraker and they are now both deceased.
The subject of this sketch was reared in the parental home, but at the age of fifteen years death deprived him of a mother's care and guidance. He received a fair education in the district school and during the vacation periods he assisted in the labors of the farm. The routine of his life was suddenly interrupted, however, by the outbreak of the great Southern rebellion, and, heeding his country's call for defenders, he enlisted as a private, on Septem- ber 7, 1861, joining Company F, Nineteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer In- fantry, the command rendezvousing at Wilmot, Stark county. The regiment was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and participated in a number of the fiercest battles of that great struggle, including those at Shiloh, Stone River, Mission Ridge, Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and many other minor engagements in connection with the Atlanta campaign. The regiment then returned to Nashville, Tennessee, under the command of General Thomas, and at Chattanooga, in 1864, Mr. Craven received an honorable discharge. He re-enlisted in the same company, however, before being dis- charged, and was finally honorably discharged and mustered out at Colum- Lus, Ohio, in 1865. During all the period of his military service Mr. Craven was a valiant and dauntless defender of Old Glory and he enjoyed the esteem and regard of his superior officers.
Upon the conclusion of his military service, the subject returned to Franklin township, where his father had located two miles east of Moorland. During the first year he followed the carpenter's trade, and later he followed threshing for two years. At the end of that period he took up the pursuit of agriculture in Wooster township, and was continuously engaged in that line of effort until his retirement from active labor a few years ago. He was a successful and progressive farmer and during his active years was numbered among the representative men of his calling in the township. His property has always been maintained at the highest standard of excellence and be- cause of his persistent industry and the exercise of sound judgment he was enabled to realize a handsome income in return for his labor.
On the 28th of November, 1867, Mr. Craven was united in marriage
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with Elizabeth McIntire, the daughter of Cornelius McIntire, who is men- tioned elsewhere in this work. To them have been born the following chil- dren : Lula Bell is the wife of George Biddle, of East Union township, and they have four children, John, Charles, George and Elizabeth; Lillie is en- gaged in the millinery business at Orrville, Ohio; Nancy is the wife of Wil- liam Musselman and they are the parents of three children, Ralph, Odessa and Clarence; John lives at Mount Vernon, Ohio; Cornelius resides at Cleve- land, this state; Harry, who lives in East Union township, this county, mar- ried Ora Harper; Flora is the wife of William Faud, of Wooster, and they have one child, Ruth; Charles lives at Mount Vernon ; Idella May, at home; Blanche, who is the wife of Harry Miller, of Wayne township.
Mr. Craven is a stanch Democrat in his political views and takes a com- mendable interest in local public affairs, having rendered efficient and appre- ciated service as a member of the township school board. Fraternally, he is a member of Given Post, No. 133, Grand Army of the Republic, at Wooster, this membership being entirely consistent with the faithful service he ren- dered his country during her hour of need. He is now the recipient of a fiberal pension from the government. In every avenue of life's activities Mr. Craven has performed his full part and he has at all times enjoyed the un- bounded confidence of those with whom he has been associated. A man of genial disposition and accommodating manner, all who know him esteem him for his genuine worth.
ULRICH STEINER.
Ulrich Steiner is a worthy representative of one of the old and highly respected families of Wayne county, and since his childhood, which was passed amid the great epoch of development, following the early pioneer days, he has been actively identified with the growth and progress of this locality. He is a native of Milton township, where he was born October 14, 1846, the son of Christian and Marie ( Steiner) Steiner, who were about third cousins. Christian Steiner was born in Alsace-Lorraine ( formerly a province of France, but now belonging to Germany), his birth occurring in 1814. He came to the United States when eighteen years of age and settled in Milton township, Wayne county, Ohio. He was single when he arrived here and he had accumulated a few hundred dollars. He took up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land, which he at once began to clear and improve, and under his skillful management, it became the ideal farm of Milton township.
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Here he married, first, Catherine Amstutz, who became the mother of five children, namely : Peter, C. E., J. C., Barbara and Anna. Peter and Barbara are still living. His first wife dying, Christian Steiner married Marie Steiner and to this union seven children were born, namely : Daniel, Fannie, Ulrich, Amos, Gideon, Catherine and David. Christian Steiner spent the remainder of his life on the farm where he first settled, dying there in 1890. He was popular in his community. having been an upright and conscientious man in all that these terms imply. He was a very successful farmer, and although he started out in life with but little he was worth twenty-five thousand dollars at the time of his death, all of which he made himself by hard work. He was a member of the Mennonite church, and he took much interest in church affairs and other movements for the betterment of his community.
Ulrich Steiner spent his boyhood days assisting with the work on the home farm, attending the common schools during the winter months, receiving a fairly good education. He remained under his parental rooftree until he was twenty-four years of age, and the last three years spent there he got a portion of the proceeds of the place. He was married in 1872 to Catherine Holser, a native of Greene township, where she first saw the light of day on January 29, 1848. She was reared on the farm and got a common school education. Her father, Daniel Holser, was a well known citizen of Greene township.
To Mr. and Mrs. Ulrich Steiner eight children have been born, named in order of birth as follows: Amy, born October 20, 1872, is the wife of Alvin Rich, of Wooster ; Melvin, born May 18, 1874, is a graduate of the National Normal School of Lebanon, Ohio, and he is now engaged in the hardware business in Chicago; he married Mary Murdock; Professor C. D., born July 30, 1876, was a student in the University of Wooster, and a graduate of the Northwestern University of Chicago, now has charge of the high school at Pendora, Ohio, and he married Margaret Krohn of that place; Ivan, who married Merle Holter of Columbus, was born April 15, 1883, is a graduate of the State University at Columbus; Ivan is an assistant professor in the dairying department of the University of Ohio; Elizabeth, born January 11, 1881, is single and living at home ; Elma, born February 19, 1886, is a trained nurse at the Lakeside Hospital in Cleveland; Emmett, born December 15. 1889, is a graduate of the Orrville high school and is single.
After Mr. Steiner's marriage he settled on the farm where he now lives, and he has devoted his attention exclusively to farming of a general character and to stock raising. He owns one of the best farms of Greene township, consisting of one hundred and five acres in section 15. He has improved it
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in every way possible and he reaps bounteous harvests from year to year. He has a beautifully located and commodious residence and such outbuildings and farming machinery as his needs require. He has been especially inter- ested in raising and dealing in horses. He has taken a great deal of interest in the education of his children. Aside from his farming he was an agent for an insurance company for a period of about twelve years. In politics he is a Democrat and a member of the school board of Greene township, and religiously he is a member of the Mennonite church. Members of the Steiner family rank deservedly high in all circles of Wayne county's best citizenship.
GEORGE A. FIKE.
A substantial and influential citizen of Greene township, Wayne county, is George A. Fike, who is managing his well improved farm with that fore- sight and discretion that stamps- him as a modern agriculturist of a high order. He is the son of George and Catherine ( Rinehart) Fike, and was born in Clinton township, Wayne county, November 27, 1854. He was reared on the home farm which he helped work and received his primary education in the common schools. He also studied at Professor Eberly's school at Smithville, this county, where he took a teacher's course and received a good education, enabling him to begin teaching, which he continued from the time he was seventeen until he was twenty-four years of age, teaching during the winter months and attending school in the summertime. He won considerable local reputation as an educator.
Mr. Fike was married on May 15, 1879, to Ida E. Caskey, who was born in Wayne county on December 1, 1860. She was a student in one of Mr. Fike's schools. Her family has long been a very highly respected one in this county.
After his marriage Mr. Fike abandoned teaching and began merchandis- ing, managing a general store at Smithville, this county, succeeding J. S. Paul. having remained there during the building of the Wheeling railroad. He made a success of this venture, but in time sold his store and purchased a farm . in Canaan township, this county, on which he remained for four and one- half years, then bought a farm of eighty acres at Geyers Chapel and he then moved to his present farm in the northeast quarter of section 16, township 17 north, range 12 west. He has a finely improved farm and an attractive and commodious dwelling and other buildings. He carries on general farm-
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ing in a manner that shows him to be fully abreast of the times in all matters pertaining to agricultural pursuits. As a stock raiser and dealer in thorough- bred stock he has won a wide reputation, no small portion of his income being derived from this source. He has made a specialty of Shetland ponies and English Berkshires. He has been very successful in whatever he has under- taken, and is now one of the substantial citizens of his township.
To Mr. and Mrs. Fike five children have been born, namely: Della, born July 7, 1880, is the wife of Willard Chaffin, of Akron, Ohio; Pearl, born May 4, 1886, is a graduate of the Smithville Normal School and is teaching : George C., born September 19, 1889, graduated from the Smithville high school ; he also has taught school; Harry, born July 21, 1892 ; Eva, born May 27, 1896.
Mr. Fike and family are members of the Lutheran church at Smithville. In politics Mr. Fike is a Democrat, and he has taken considerable interest in local political affairs, having served very acceptably as justice of the peace. This family stands deservedly high in all circles of the county.
WILLIAM A. FIKE.
Improvement and progress may well be said to form the keynote of the character of William A. Fike, and he has not only been interested in individ- ual affairs, but his influence is felt in the upbuilding of the community where his eminently successful life has been spent. He has ever been a very indus- trious man, striving to keep abreast of the times in every respect, and as a result every mile-post of the years he has passed has found him further ad- vanced, more prosperous, more sedate and with a larger number of friends than the preceding. He was born in Canaan township, Wayne county, Febru- ary 12, 1853, the son of George and Catherine ( Rinehart) Fike, the former an American by adoption only, having been born in Alsace-Lorraine ( for- merly a part of France, but now in Germany ), his birth occurring November 7, 1825. His parents, Michael and Eva Fike, brought him to the United States in 1837. They came to Ohio, locating in Canaan township, Wayne county. When a boy George Fike worked on the farm which his father de- veloped from the primitive wilderness. He received only a limited education in the inefficient schools of his time. When seventeen years of age he de- cided to become a merchant and accordingly began working in a combined bakery and store; later he clerked in a store at Mansfield, Ohio. Later in
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life he purchased a foundry at Loudonville, Ohio, where he engaged in the manufacture of stoves. He was very successful in this venture and when he sold the foundry he purchased a farm in Canaan township, Wayne county. which he managed in a manner that stamped him as an up-to-date agricul- turist.
George Fike was married to Catherine Rinehart in 1850. She was also a native of Alsace-Lorraine, having been born there on October 25, 1825. To this union the following children were born : Louisa E., William A., George A., Joseph B., Jacob M. and Mary J., all living in 1909. George Fike was a member of the English Lutheran church, and a trustee in the same, also acted as treasurer for many years. He was a strong character and in- fluential in church and all circles.
William A. Fike was reared on the home farm and received a common school education in his native community. Later he attended Professor Eberly's school at Smithville, Ohio. He was married in 1876 to Mary A. Hoover, who was born in Greene township, June 4, 1854, the only child born to Henry B. and Elizabeth (Christman) Hoover. Henry Hoover was the son of John and Catherine ( Bair) Hoover; and John was the son of Henry Hoover, who was the son of Benjamin Hoover. The last named was born in Germany, and he came to America before the Revolutionary war. Benja- min Hoover had the distinction of serving as a soldier in the war of the colonists for independence. When a girl, Mrs. Fike attended the common schools and received a fairly good education.
After his marriage Mr. Fike, having chosen farming as his life work, located in Greene township, renting land for some time until he could get a start. Being a good manager, a hard worker and a man who laid well his plans and always saw to it that they were carefully executed, he prospered and in a short time was able to buy land. Later he sold this land and moved onto a farm of one hundred and seventy-three acres, which his wife inherited from her father, comprising one of the model farms of this favored section of the great Buckeye state. No more beautiful place could be found in the county. It is highly cultivated and under an advanced state of improvement in every particular. The crops have been so skillfully rotated and otherwise managed that the fertility of the soil has not depreciated, and bounteous har- vests are annually reaped from its fields. Only a cursory glance over this model farm is necessary to show that a gentleman of thrift, excellent taste and sound judgment has its management in hand. He has one of the finest residences in Greene township, and it is one of the most attractive in the county, being modern in every detail, of beautiful architectural design and
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pleasantly located in the midst of well-kept lawns and inviting shade trees. It is commodious, imposing and at the same time cozy, and its furnishings are in keeping with its external appearance. Here the many friends of the family delight to gather, for here they always find hospitality and genu- ine old-time courtesy and good-will.
The following children have blessed this home: Ada, born November 27, 1878, received a good common school education and three years in music ; she has remained single and is living at home. Ida G. was born December 20, 1880, and died at the age of eleven months. Alpha B. was born Au- gust 12, 1881, and received a common school education. H. F. Fike, who was born June 1, 1885, was in Company A, First Regiment United States Infantry, serving with distinction in the same for a period of three years in the Philippine Islands. Being a keen observer, his trip abroad was of great benefit to him; he is now employed in an automobile shop in Akron, Ohio. Cree A. was born March 31, 1890, and she is a graduate of the Orrville high school. Besides their own family of interesting and intelligent chil- dren, Mr. and Mrs. Fike have reared Cora Maud Ainsworth, who has been in their home since she was six years of age.
With the exception of one year spent in Wooster Mr. Fike and his family have lived on their farm. They are consistent members of the Re- formed church of Christ at Orrville. in which Mr. Fike has served as elder and also deacon, having long been an active worker in this congregation and a liberal supporter of this church. In politics he is a Democrat and he has served very acceptably as one of the trustees of Greene township: also served as school director. He is a pleasant man to meet, always companionable, friendly and straightforward, and he and his entire family stand deservedly high in the social, business and religious circles of Wayne county.
ANDREW J. REHM.
One of Wayne county's native sons who have become leaders in their community is Andrew J. Rehm, a business man of more than ordinary fore- sight, and as a citizen, public spirited and progressive in all that these terms imply. For a number of years he has been an important factor in promoting the progress of Baughman township, of which he is a native. having been born July 6, 1876, and although yet a young man, he has been successful to a gratifying degree in his chosen line. He is the son of George and
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Mary C. (Sickman) Rehm, both being now deceased, the father having died when Andrew was six years of age. He was a man of sterling char- acter and he made a success, having been very industrious and a man who was honest in his business and social life. The Sickman family was also a highly respected one. When George Rehm died, his son Andrew was sent to school until he was eighteen years of age by his mother, who kept house until he was twenty years of age. He received a fairly good educa- tion and early in life gave evidence of becoming a man of affairs.
Mr. Rehm was united in marriage with Sarah Summers, who was born in Pennsylvania and reared in Tennessee. She is the representative of an excellent family, and she was given a good education. To Mr. and Mrs. Rehm three children were born, namely: Vernon, who at this writing is eight years of age; Earl, seven years old; Olen, two years old.
After his marriage Mr. Rehm engaged in farming very successfully until December, 1908, when he purchased a stock of groceries, and he is now conducting a general store at Burton City. He has a complete line of carefully selected goods, and his store is well arranged, well managed and is up to date in every respect, and an excellent trade is enjoyed with the surrounding community. Because of his obliging disposition and his scrupu- lous honesty in all his dealings, he has won the confidence and good will of all those who know him.
In politics Mr. Rehm is a Democrat and at present he is one of the school directors of his district, and he takes a great deal of interest in the cause of education in his district. Fraternally, he is a member of Arlington Lodge, No. 775, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being past noble grand of the same, and he has always taken considerable interest in this order. Religiously, he belongs to the Lutheran church and is a liberal supporter of the same.
JOSEPH W. BRINKERHOFF, M. D.
Among the able and successful practitioners of the medical profession in Wayne county, Ohio, the subject of this sketch stands among the leaders. For nearly forty years he has practiced the healing art at Burbank, and dur- ing this period he has always enjoyed the unbounded confidence and high regard of all with whom he is acquainted. He has been highly successful in his profession and has also been an active supporter of every movement which has had for its object the upbuilding of the community or the betterment
J.W. Brinkerhof In. D
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of local conditions, and he is eminently entitled to representation in this vol- time.
The history of the Brinkerhoff family as far as recorded goes back to the early emigrant ancestor, Joris Dircksen Brinkenhuff (as it was then spelled), who in 1638 emigrated from Holland to New Amsterdam and became the first elder of the Dutch church in Brooklyn. The family acquired considerable wealth and became known as one of the old-line families of New York state. One member of the family, Col. John Brinkenhuff, who was born in 1702 and lived in Fairfax county, New York, served in the Revolutionary army and was a close friend to George Washington. At one time during that struggle Washington was visiting at Colonel Brinkenhuff's home and the latter wished very much that the General would tell him of a certain move which the army was expected to make. Finally Washington leaned over the table and said, "Colonel, can you keep a secret?" The Colonel protested that he was a man of honor and could, of course. "Well," said General Washington, "so can I." Subsequently the family moved to Pennsylvania and they owned much of the land on which the battle of Gettysburg was fought during the Civil war. Another member of this family, William Brinkerhoff, became president of Franklin College, at New Athens, Ohio, but died soon after being inducted into office.
The subject's paternal grandparents were Daniel and Rebecca (Frazier) Brinkerhoff, the former of whom was born near Carlisle, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, March 14, 1780, and died in 1848, and the latter was born in the same county on June 15, 1783, and died in 1872. They were married in 1809 and in about 1820 came to Wayne county, Ohio. Shortly after locat- ing here they bought an uncleared farm of one hundre.l and sixty acres in Congress township, and proceeded at once to clear a little spot and erected a small log cabin, to which they moved. They were energetic and eventually made a splendid farm of this rough tract.
Doctor Brinkerhoff's maternal grandparents were George and Barbara Sommers, who were among the earliest settlers of Canaan township. Great- grandfather Abraham Sommers was one of the first settlers of Wayne county, having entered from the government all of sections 29 and 32 in Canaan townt- ship and the east half of sections 5 and 8 in Wayne township.
The subject's father, John Brinkerhoff, was born June 9. 1813, in Cui- berland county, Pennsylvania, and in his boyhood he accompanied his father. Daniel Brinkerhoff, on his migration to Ohio. Here he took an active part in the task of reclaiming the land. which at that time was densely covered with the primeval forest growth. He secured what education he could in the
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