USA > Ohio > Wayne County > History of Wayne County, Ohio, Volume II > Part 41
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On February 17, 1876, Mr. Gill was married to Clara C. Sidel, the daughter of John Sidel, who during his active years was a successful stock man and large land owner, his home being at Blachleyville, this county, own- ing over eleven hundred acres of land. Mr. Sidel died on January II, 1887 ; Mrs. Sidel died June 28, 1889. They are buried at Blachleyville cemetery. They had six children, four boys and two girls; the oldest son died at the age of sixty years. To the subject and his wife have been born the following. children : Ellis Boyd, born November 17, 1878, who is a traveling man, and Ray Russell, born August 23, 1882, who is interested with his father in the elevator at Richwood, this state, and is managing the business. In matters political Mr. Gill gives an enthusiastic support to the Prohibition party, be- lieving that the temperance question is the great paramount issue before the American people today and that nothing can overshadow it until the great question is forever settled in this country. He is active in his support of the party and attends all the state and national conventions. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Gill are devoted members of the Christian church, as are their two sons, and to this society they give a generous support. They live in an elegant home at No. 150 North Buckeye street. Mr. Gill gives his endorse- ment to all moral, educational, social or material interests which he believes will benefit the community, and as a man of sterling worth he justly merits the high regard in which he is held.
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
GEORGE F. FORRER.
A very large proportion of the citizens of Wayne county either came direct from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, or their forbears originated there, and almost without exception they have proved to be among the progressive, law-abiding and high-minded residents here, the old stock back in that partic- ular section of the Keystore state having been of the best. A noteworthy example of this class is George F. Forrer, a successful farmer of Baughman township, whose birth occurred in Lancaster county on January 24, 1850, the son of Henry K. and Charlotte A. (Kendig) Forrer, the former born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, the son of Martin Forrer, who emigrated to Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his life, an old pioneer there. Henry K. Forrer also remained in that county until the death of his father, soon after which event he removed to Orrville, Wayne county, Ohio, in April, 1855. He devoted his life to farming, spending his last days in Baughman township. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry K. Forrer ten children were born, namely: Martin, Eliza, Christian, Henry H., Catherine, George F., Charlotte, Mary. Susanna and Amos. Five of this number are living in 1909. George F. was the sixth in order of birth and he was five years of age when his parents brought him to Baughman township, where, when of proper age, he assisted with the work on the home farm during the summer months, attending the district schools during winter until he was six- teen years of age, after which he gave his attention exclusively to farming, remaining on the home place until his father quit farming. After farming one year for himself he took charge of the old homestead, which he rented for twenty-three years. Prospering all this time, he was enabled to buy a good farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres in section 20, Baughman township, later selling a part of it to his brother, Henry H. The subject has greatly improved the place since he took possession, remodeling the dwelling and in many ways bringing it up to the standard of modern farmsteads, his home being one of the most attractive in the township, being surrounded by beauti- ful trees,-in fact, he has a very valuable grove in his fields. He always keeps some good stock and makes a very comfortable living by diversified farming and stock raising.
Mr. Forrer was married in 1875 to Elvina Martin, who was born in Baughman township, this county, December 25, 1853, the daughter of Samuel Martin, a well-known citizen here. Mrs. Forrer received a good education in the common schools. Mr. and Mrs. Forrer are the parents of four children, namely : Nancy V., Ida M., Charlotte A. and Leroy L.
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Mr. Forrer and family are members of the Mennonite church, of which Rev. Ira J. Buckwalter is bishop. Politically, Mr. Forrer is one of the stanch Republicans of Baughman township. He has served his community as school director, and in any way he can always assists in the development of his home community.
FORBES ALCOCK.
ยท To a great extent the prosperity of our great country is due to the honest industry, the sturdy perseverance and the wise economy which so prominently characterizes the natives of "bonnie Scotland," many thousands of whom have entered into our population and have become our most desirable citizens. By comparison with their "old country" surroundings, these people have readily recognized the fact that in America lie the greatest opportunities for the man of ambition and energy. And because of this many have broken the ties of home and native land and have entered earnestly upon the task of gaining in the new world a home and competence. Among this class may be mentioned Forbes Alcock, the well-known granite manufacturer and monument designer, of Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, who, by reason of years of indefatigable labor and honest effort, has not only acquired a well-merited material pros- perity, but also richly earned the highest esteem of all with whom he has associated.
As may be inferred from the foregoing words, the blood of the sturdy Scotch race courses through the veins of Mr. Alcock, he having been born near the noted city of Aberdeen, Scotland, in the year 1851. He is the son of Benjamin and Margaret (Clark) Alcock, both of whom were reared in Scotland, and there passed the evening of their lives upon the old homestead. The subject of this sketch spent his boyhood days upon his father's farm, assisting in the multifarious duties incident to such a life in summer and receiving his mental training in the district schools during the winter months. At the age of fifteen years he was bound out to learn the trade of granite cutting, serving four years as an apprentice and thoroughly acquainting himself with the details of the business in all departments. Upon complet- ing his apprenticeship, he continued to work for six months for his employer. and then determined to try his fortune in America. He set sail in the spring of 1872, and landed at Boston harbor. Immediately he began seeking for employment and soon succeeded in securing a position in the government service on Dick's Island, cutting stone for the New York postoffice building.
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FORBES ALCOCK
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
He remained there until the following autumn, when he went to Richmond, Virginia, and was there employed in cutting stone for the state, war and navy department building, that immense structure which was then being erected at Washington, D. C., and which is now conceded to be one of the finest buildings of its kind in the world. Later Mr. Alcock engaged in cutting stone for the Philadelphia postoffice, all the work being done in Richmond. From the latter city Mr. Alcock went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and em- barked in the monumental business, purchasing an interest in a farm, which, however, he soon disposed of. In the spring of 1880 he came to Wooster, Ohio, and opened a shop. He began the manufacture of granite monuments and, being a skilled workman and possessing rare ability as a designer, he soon established a large and lucrative business in Wayne and adjoining counties. As an evidence of his ability and the standing he had attained, he was commissioned by Jacob Frick, then president of the Wayne County National Bank, to design and erect a soldiers' monument in the public square of Wooster. This work was all done by Mr. Alcock, and the result is one of the finest pieces of monumental architecture in Ohio. The design is of artistic conception and consists of a shaft, upon the summit of which stands a sol- dier at "rest arms." It is of superior workmanship and has been admired and favorably commented on by thousands who have viewed it. This monu- ment is an example of the liberality of Jacob Frick, who caused it to be erected at a cost of several thousand dollars. For a number of years Mr. Alcock has been considered the leading monument manufacturer in this sec- tion of the state and he has turned out many of the finest granite memorials to be found in this and neighboring counties. He is accommodating and painstaking and never fails to satisfy the most exacting desires in the line of artistic and tasteful monuments.
For ten years Mr. Alcock was a member of the Ohio National Guard, in which he held the rank of second lieutenant, but he resigned his com- mission in 1891. He was, however, prevailed upon to take a company to the World's Fair at Chicago in 1893 to compete for prizes, and succeeded in winning second prize for his company and a first award for himself as being the best-drilled commanding officer. In 1901, at the Ohio State Fair at Columbus, Mr. Alcock took first prize as the best commanding officer of all the organizations there. At that time he was captain of Wright Canton, No. 77, Patriarchs Militant (Odd Fellows), and this body was in competition with the best-drilled companies of the National Guard and many fraternal organizations. This same company, under Captain Alcock, in 1901 also won five hundred dollars in prizes at Indianapolis, and every prize during the year at all the state encampments in Ohio.
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In his earlier years Mr. Alcock took an active interest in athletic sports and has over five hundred prizes, with a great number of medals, to show for the victories he has won. He excelled in running, jumping and hammer throwing. At the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876 he represented the Cale- donia Athletic Club of Richmond, Virginia, and won six prizes. At Wash- ington City, two days later, he took ten prizes, and he also made the remark- able record of winning first prize in nine different events two years in suc- cession. Mr. Alcock is also an expert rifle shot and possesses many medals as evidence of his marksmanship.
In 1873 Mr. Alcock was united in marriage to Anna Hill, of Richmond, Virginia, though a native of England. This union has been blessed in the birth of the following children: Benjamin, of Wooster; George, who is as- sociated with his father in the monument business at Wooster; Bechtel is an unusually fine tenor singer now studying in New York City, and at the present time singing in the Fifth Avenue Baptist church of that city; Ella W. is at home; Forbes, Jr., is a professional ball player and is now with the Chattanooga club of the South Atlantic League; Harrison, born in 1888, is also a professional ball player in the Cotton States League.
Socially, Mr. Alcock is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, having received the degree of a Master Mason in Ebenezer Lodge, of Woos- ter, was made a Royal Arch Mason in Wooster Chapter and a Knight Tem- plar in Wooster Commandery, in which he has held several important offices. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of this city, in which he has risen to the rank of a Patriarch Militant. In politics he is an ardent and enthusiastic Republican and has served as president of the board of trustees of the city water works. Viewed in a personal light, Mr. Alcock is a strong man. His business interests have claimed much of his attention, yet he has ever found time to faithfully discharge the duties of citizenship and promote public progress through active co-operation in all measures for the general good !. He has made many warm personal friends and all who know him respect him for his sterling worth.
EZRA R. SPENCER, M. D.
The practice of medicine entails perhaps more trying situations than that of any other profession, and those who succeed in this line are deserving of the highest credit, for they must not only be well versed in the science, but
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
must possess personal qualities that win the confidence and respect of the public. A case in question is that of Dr. Ezra R. Spencer, one of the best known and most successful physicians of a locality noted for the high order of its medical talent, for his reputation has extended far beyond the bounds of Chippewa township, Wayne county. He was born in Port Lyden, Lewis county, New York, May 13, 1838, the son of Ezra R. and Phoebe ( Russell) Spencer. His paternal grandparents, Abram and Temperance (Butler) Spen- cer, were both natives of Connecticut, but they emigrated to the state of New York very early and spent the remainder of their lives there. Ezra Spencer was born in New York in 1802, in which state his first wife, Philona Tyler, was born; one child, a daughter, was born by that union. His second wife, Phoebe Russell, was also born there; she died when the subject was three years of age, and Ezra R. Spencer again married. taking as his third life companion Julia Russell, a sister of his second wife. One child was born of the first union, and three resulted from the second; the latter are living at this writing. To the third marriage one child was born, a son, DeLos. Ezra R. Spencer was a farmer and millwright and made a success of each. He was a faithful member and a worker in the Congregational church. His death occurred in August, 1883.
Dr. Ezra R. Spencer was educated in the Academy of Lowville, New York, and at the University of Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, graduating in the class of 1870, after making a splendid record for scholarship. He soon afterwards came to Wayne county, Ohio, and located at Doylestown, where he has been very successfully engaged in the practice ever since, his name having long ago become a household word to the people of Chippewa and adjoining townships, he being the oldest practicing physician in this vicinity. He has always been regarded as a man who was profoundly versed in the science of medicine, always having unusual success with his patients, but he possesses the many characteritics which make the professional man popular, such as integrity, courtesy, kindness and a due regard for the rights and wel- fare of others.
The Doctor was married in 1871 to Emma Russell, a native of Clinton, Summit county, Ohio, and the daughter of Alexander and Mary Russell, ok settlers there and highly respected people. No children have been born to the Doctor and wife.
Politically, Doctor Spencer is a Republican, and he has held several local offices, always taking proper interest in whatever tends to promote the wel- fare of his county, whether politically or otherwise. Fraternally, he is a
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
Knight Templar Mason at Akron, Ohio, and he belongs to the Wayne Coun- ty, the Ohio and the American Medical Associations, taking an active part in the various bodies. The Spencer home in Doylestown is attractively located and a place where the many friends of the Doctor and his estimable wife find genuine hospitality.
WESLEY J. WINKLER.
The most elaborate history is necessarily a merciless abridgment, the historian being compelled to select his facts and materials from manifold details. In every life of honor and usefulness there is no dearth of incident. and yet in summing up the career of any man the writer must needs touch only the more salient points, giving the keynote of the character but elim- inating all that is superfluous. Within the pages of this work will be found mention of many prominent and influential citizens whose lives have been practically passed in Wayne county and who are representatives of sturdy pioneer families who settled in this section of Ohio many years ago. Among this class is the subject of this sketch, who occupies today a prominent place in the business circles of Orrville.
WV. J. Winkler first saw the light of day about three miles west of Orr- ville on the 13th of February, 1857, and is a son of J. W. Winkler. The latter also was a native of Wayne county, having been born and reared at Paradise. He followed the pursuit of farming during his active years, and his death occurred in 1900 at the age of seventy-eight years. He was a prominent man in his community and had given efficient service as trustee. He married Elizabeth Johnson, who was born and reared about five miles west of Orrville, and who is now living in the town of Orrville, at the age of eighty-two years. By this union she became the mother of eight children, who are briefly mentioned as follows: Minerva E. died in Kansas; J. C. lives in Orrville : William F. lives about five miles north of Orrville ; L. C., who was a successful teacher and a prominent citizen of Wayne county, is deceascd; W. J., the subject of this sketch, is the next in the order of birth; Sarah is the wife of Henry Deneka, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania ; Emma lives in Orrville ; Walter E. lives at Buda, Illinois.
WV. J. Winkler remained under the parental roof during his youth and received a good common school education. He followed the pursuit of farming until he was twenty-six years old, when, in 1883, he went to Orr-
WESLEY J. WINKLER
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
ville and engaged in the buying and selling of horses. His enterprise met with success almost from the start and he carried it on alone until 1900, when a stock company was organized under the name of the Winkler Horse Company, for the purpose of enlarging the scope of operations. Of this company Mr. Winkler was elected president and has continued to direct the management of its affairs. The company has done a tremendous amount of business since its inception, some idea of which may be gained from the statement that in 1906 they deposited in the Orrville Bank the sum of four hundred and ninety-seven thousand dollars, and the business has since grown to a far greater figure. The business consists in buying, feeding, shipping and handling horses, many of which are sold to farmers throughout this section of the state. From fifteen hundred to twenty-five hundred horses are handled annually, and consists principally of feeding horses, which are developed into the perfect type of draft horses and sold to farmers in this vicinity.
In 1893 Mr. Winkler inaugurated monthly auction sales, selling con- signed horses, and this department of the business has increased to such an extent that now they have weekly auction sales. They are equipped to han- dle any number of horses which may be consigned to them, their barn hav- ing a capacity for accommodating one hundred and fifty head. They main- tain their own veterinary surgeon and hospital, so that any stock placed in their charge receives the best of care and attention. They handle much high- grade stock, many fresh western horses passing through their hands. Mr. Winkler himself is a good judge of equine flesh and often makes purchases of good horses for others who prefer to trust to his judgment.
Mr. Winkler takes a commendable interest in local affairs, and has served as a member of the Orrville town council. He is a Democrat, but does not take a very active part in political matters.
On the 27th of September, 1888, Mr. Winkler was united in marriage to Emma Kradill, the daughter of Christian Kradill, of Lewisville, Stark county, Ohio, she having been born and reared on a farm near there. To this union five children have been born, as follows: Edith May. Frederick N., Beulah E., Nellie E. and Robert J., the last-named dying at the age of four years.
Mr. Winkler gives practically his entire time to his business affairs, in which he is meeting with creditable and well-deserved success. All that he has is the reward of his own labor, and his life record proves what a potent element is diligence in the active affairs of life.
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
JOSIAH F. ROYER.
Many precious rights and customs of our rural ancestry are gone or stealing from us, due primarily to the changes always resulting from the march of civilization, but we all delight to think of the days of the "first set- tler" and the "good old times" of the pioneer, when our ancestors began life in the wilderness, contending with all manner of obstacles, but conquering all. A descendant from such historic stock is Josiah F. Royer, of Greene town- ship, Wayne county. He was born in Stark county, Ohio, August 6, 1855, the son of Gabriel and Anna (Conrad) Royer. Gabriel Royer was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, February 13. 1828, a son of Jacob Royer. In the spring of 1849 the former came to Stark county, Ohio, and in March, 1860, he came on to Wayne county and located on the farm where Josiah F. Royer, of this sketch, now resides, and here he lived until his death in 1896. His wife, Anna Conrad, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Febru- ary 28, 1828, and her death occurred on January 21, 1891. They grew to ma- turity in Lancaster county and were married there on September 1I, 1838. They owned sixty acres of land in Stark county, Ohio, and one hundred and sixty-eight acres in Wayne county. Gabriel Royer was a very successful farmer. He belonged to the German Baptist church. He and his wife were the parents of thirteen children, namely: Lusianna, William, Urias C., Cath- erine, Levi, Adam, Lydia, Daniel, Nathaniel, Josiah, Mermassas, Enos and Anna.
Josiah F. Royer was five years of age when his parents brought him to Wayne county and he has been a continuous resident here ever since, being now one of the substantial citizens of Greene township. He worked on the home farm and attended the district schools until he was twenty-one years of age in district No. I, this township. He prepared himself for a teacher, but did not follow that profession, preferring to lead the freer life of the husbandman.
Mr. Royer was married on December 19, 1885, to Anna B. Seigley, a na- tive of Pennsylvania, where she was born July 30, 1862. She is a sister of J. M. Seigley.
After his marriage, Mr. Royer located on the old homestead and man- aged the place successfully for a period of six years, then moved to Milton township, where he lived for one year, then moved to the farm, where he now resides, in 1893. He owns eighty-four acres in section 2, Greene town- ship, and he has a well-kept farm and a good home, and he raises some ex- cellent stock from year to year.
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WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO.
To Mr. and Mrs. Royer seven children have been born, namely: Della M., October 5, 1886; John A., December 23, 1887; Alpha B., September 29, 1890; Alice L., July 19, 1893; Harry O., November 26, 1895; Clarence N., February 26, 1901 ; Arthur J., January 22, 1903.
Mrs. Josiah F. Royer was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1862, the daughter of John B. Seigley. In 1867 she came with her par- ents to Wayne county, Ohio, and located in Greene township. She was edu- cated in the Smithville schools, and her parents made their home in this town- ship the remainder of their lives.
Politically, Mr. Royer is a Democrat; he has served his township as assessor and he is now a member of the school board, having held this office for a period of nineteen years. He takes a great interest in the affairs of Greene township.
DAVIS DEMPSEY WOODWARD.
It is always a great comfort and gratification to descendants to be able to affirm that their parents, and in fact, all their ancestors, were people of exemplary habits and always lived respectable and honorable lives. On the contrary, what a sensation it must be to a man of excellent traits to contem- plate the career of an immediate ancestry of low and mean instincts and dis- honorable practices. In examining the lineage of David Dempsey Wood- ward, of Chester township, Wayne county, the biographer finds that they were men and women of the highest standards of honor, many of their excel- lent traits descending to the present generation of those who bear this name. Of these, Davis D. Woodward is one of the best-known, having been born September 20. 1849, in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, the son of Davis and Mary (Boyd) Woodward. His maternal grandparents were Robert and Re- becca Boyd, natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch descent. Robert Boyd was a farmer and a prominent man in the affairs of his county, having been associate judge of Fayette county ; his death occurred in Pennsylvania. The paternal grandparents of the subject were Caleb and Phoebe Woodward, na- tives of Fayette county, though of English descent, and they spent their lives in the Keystone state. The original Woodwards in this country first located in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. The father of the subject was born in Fayette county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, and Mary Boyd, his wife, was born there in 1815. They married in their native community. Mr. Woodward spent his life farming and he became very well-to-do, being well known
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