USA > Ohio > Guernsey County > Portrait and biographical record of Guernsey County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 58
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Iliram, of this sketcli, although an intelligent and well informed man, has gained the greater part of his knowledge by reading and observation, as he never was permitted to attend school but three months in a year, going about one-third of the time. The log cabin in which his studies were conducted was a very rude structure; the furnish- ings were of a most primitive character, and very unlike the temple of learning in which the youth of the present day are educated.
On attaining his majority our subject began to make his own way in the world, and three years later married and established a home of his own. Ile at once located on one hundred and sixty acres of land which he had purchased from his father, paying for the tract $2,500. This he lived upon and improved until the death of his father, when he bought the old homestead and moved upon it. Mr. Williams is very progressive and is awake to
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all the latest methods of cultivating his land, and has developed the cstate until it is one of the most productive in the county. Since the place has come into his possession he has erected a large, fine residence, modern in architectural design and taste- fully furnished. For the past five years he has devoted almost his entire attention to the breed- ing of Holstein cattle. His animals are very fine, and the last three years he has taken the premium at the county fairs where they have been exhibited. Mr. Williams has given his eldest son the original homestead, and sold ten acres to a coal company. The latter is now the site of Somerdale.
December 31, 1850, the subject of this sketch was married to Miss Cynthia M. Dixon, who was born in Sandyville, Ohio, on the 13th of January 1832. She is the daughter of Daniel and Jane (Boon) Dixon, and on the paternal side of the house is of Scotch descent. Her father was an early settler in this county, carrying on the com- bined occupations of merchant, farmer and black- smith. The mother of Mrs. Williams came to this state from Washington County, l'a., with her par- ents in 1822. She was a Presbyterian in religion, while her husband belonged to the Methodist Epis- copal denominatien. The latter was born in Octo- tober, 1804, and his good wife's birth occurred in October, 1812. They became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom lived to attain their ma- jority. Cynthia is the eldest; then came Robert, living in Denver, Colo .; William, a minister of the Methodist Church, served as Captain of Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio Infantry; Lizzie J. is deceased; John H. was a soldier of the Sixtieth Indiana Regiment; James M. is living in Somerdale; Abner was a veteran of the Civil War, as was also Daniel, now deceased; and Mary L. is the wife of Rev. Jefferson Williams.
Mr. and Mrs Williams have had born to them five children, but two sons died in infancy. Alden I. B. received a good education, and was married to Catherine Rippel; Jane A. is the wife of Rev. Ephraim E. Sparks; Hiram P. married Alice M. Iraise, and is now attending Mt. Union College, preparing for the ministry. Mrs. Williams has been a member of the Methodist Church since childhood, and our subject joined that denomina-
tion over thirty years ago. He is active in church work, and has been Steward for some time. They have many warm personal friends in the commu- nity, and command the respect and confidence of all who have the honor of their acquaintance.
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D ANIEL HAAS. Tuscarawas County fur- nished its quota of noble men to the rank and file of the Union army, among whom our subject occupied an honorable place. He is now residing in Shanesville, in which town he is held in the highest possible esteem, and has the confidence of all who know him.
Mr. Haas is a native of this county, having been born in Franklin Township, December 11, 1841. His father, I. A. Haas, was born across the waters, in Rhonsweiler, Bavaria, January 1, 1800. He spent the first thirty-two years of his life in his native land, where he was given a good education in the model schools of that country. Determin- ing to see what fortune awaited him in the New World, he embarked on a sailing-vessel in June, 1832, and after a very tedious voyage was landed in New York Harbor.
I. A. Ilaas spent a short time in the metropolis, and then came to this state, locating in Franklin Township, where he first purchased ten acres of land. On this he erected a dwelling for his fam- ily, and commenced working at his trade, that of a shoemaker. Four years prior to leaving his na- tive land, he was married to Miss Catherine Smith, also born in Bavaria. As time passed on and he became more prosperous, the elder Mr. Haas took up his abode in Wayne Township, and became the proprietor of one hundred and seventy-one acres of fine farming land. This he cultivated in a very intelligent manner, and at the time of his decease had a good competence.
The original of this sketch was the recipient of a good education, received in the district school, and when attaining his majority, in 1862, left
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home and offered his services in defense of his country's flag. He was mustered into Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Ohio Infantry, commanded by Capt. William L. Dixon. The regiment, which was organized at Steubenville, was ordered, in September of that year, to Parkers- burg, W. Va., where they rendezvoused for sev- eral weeks, and were thoroughly drilled. They next went to Cumberland, Md., from there to North Mountain, and later to Martinsburg, where they were placed on guard duty, serving from December to June of the following year. That month they were driven by Lee's army to Harper's Ferry, the regiment sustaining a severe loss at that place. They were compelled to wade the Po- tomac River, and sleeping without shelter of any kind caused much sickness among the boys in blue. During this encounter Company I, of the Twenty-sixth Regiment, were all taken prisoners by the rebels.
Mr. Haas participated in many of the important battles of the war, among them being Fisher's Gap, fought in September, 1863; Culpeper Court House, September of that year; Kelley's Ford, in November; and Mine Run, in December; after which they marched to Brandy Station, and were organ- ized and assigned to the Sixth South Carolina. They afterward took part in all the engagements of Grant's army, including the Wilderness, Mon- ocacy and Cold Harbor, where Mr. Haas was twice wounded. September 19, 1864, he was shot through the arm by a sharpshooter, who had taken up his position in the top of a large pine tree, and had succeeded in killing several officers before his hid- ing-place was discovered by an Indian belonging to the Union regiment.
After the battle of Fisher's Hill, the Union forces drove the enemy back to Port Republic, with much hard fighting and great suffering on the part of the soldiers. At Cedar Creek the Cor- poral of Company 1 was surprised by the rebel, General Early, who drove them hack about two miles, when General Sheridan came to their relief. They then turned and put to flight the other forces, capturing three thousand prisoners, and the ambulance and wagon trains. April 6, 1865, Mr. Haas was present and participated in the bat-
tle of Richmond, Va., and at Petersburg followed the retreating army to Taylor's Creek, where they succeeded in capturing eight hundred Confeder- ates. Thinking that the war was nearing its close, the Twenty-sixth Regiment . marched to Danville, where they received the news of Johnston's sur- render to Sherman. Then they returned to Rich- mond, from which place they were ordered to Washington to participate in the last Grand Re- view, and were then honorably discharged and mustered out.
Our subject, on returning home after the estab- lishment of peace, has ever since made his resi- dence in Shanesville. He is now engaged in carry- ing on a good trade as a groceryman, and at the same time runs a restaurant with good success. He is very progressive and wide-awake, and his fel- low-men hold him in good repute.
Mr. Haas was married, October 15, 1879, to Lydia Ruse, who was born in Wayne Township, this county, June 12, 1845. To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born two children. Samuel C., born August 10, 1871, died September 1, 1873; and Upton A., born August 23, 1873, is engaged with his father in business in this place.
S AMUEL D. WALTZ, a leading agricultur- ist of Fairfield Township, is the owner of a very valuable farm, which he purchased in May, 1893. Rich veins of coal have been dis- covered on his place, and the land in which it is situated has been leased by an organized mining company, who have made satisfactory terms with the owner. Though he has never been an aspirant for political honors, Mr. Waltz has proved his abil- ity and trustworthiness as Township Clerk and Township Trustee, and in addition to those offices has served as School Director, and has been in- fluential in the building of five schoolhouses in his township.
The birth of our subject occurred in the town- ship where he still resides, February 18, 1840. He
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is of German descent, though his parents, Bazalell and Catherine (Dibert) Waltz, were natives of Maryland. The father came to this county as early as 1812, took up some land, and also fol- lowed his trade as a cooper. To himself and wife were born the following children: Ebenezer, who died in infancy; Lavina, wife of Jeremiah Weaver, of Allen County, this state; Samuel D .; Elizabeth, deceased; Alvin, who is a minister, and also a farmer of New Cumberland; Sarah, Mrs. Pop- ham, also of New Cumberland; and Catherine J., Mrs. George Gooderding, of Allen County, Ohio.
The boyhood days of Samuel D. Waltz were quietly passed on his father's farm, and his pri- mary education was obtained in the district schools of the neighborhood. Ilis higher studies were pursued by himself mainly, though it was his priv- ilege to take a term at Point Washington Acad- emy. Subsequently he taught school for six terms in the counties of Allen, Van Wert and Tus- carawas. In 1867 he embarked on his career as a farmer, and for twenty-six years was a resident of Fairfield Township, where he improved and cul- tivated a good homestead. For the past year and a-half he has lived on his farm in Fairfield Town- ship, which, as previously stated, bids fair to yield a good income to the owner on account of its mineral wealth alone.
Mr. Waltz is one who believes a man should have more than one trade, so that if disabled for one he will have another to fall back on, and has learned the cooper's, carpenter's, harness-maker's, shoe- maker's and blacksmith's trades. Ile is an old- timer with the rifle, and in 1893 drove a nail five times out of seven off hand, at a distance of sixty feet.
March 8, 1862, Mr. Waltz married Miss Harriet, daughter of Jacob Way, of Carroll County, Ohio. Five children have graced their union, the eldest of whom, Grant, is a resident of Midvale. Cath- crine is the wife of John Ryan, of this county; Nora is the wife of William Beans, also of Mid- vale; Jolın S., the next in order of birth, was born on the 29th of August, 1869, and Lillie M. is also still under the parental roof. John S. is a graduate in all the common branches, but as he desired to ascend higher in the intellectual
field, took a course at the Oak Grove Academy at Canal Dover. Ile is now fitted to fill any position or office in the county where a good and thorough education is required. He has been a successful canvasser for various articles in the counties of Tuscarawas, Ilolmes and Coshocton, but at present his whole time is devoted to agriculture and horti- culture on his farm, for which it is well adapted, being situated in the beautiful valley of the Tus- carawas River, one mile from Zoar Station.
Mr. and Mrs. Waltz are faithful members of the Lutheran Church, and the former is Superintendent of the Sunday-school. IIe uses his right of fran- chise in favor of Republican nominees, and has always been faithful to the party since casting lis first Presidential vote for the martyr and patriot, Abraham Lincoln.
REDERICK WARNER, one of the propri- ctors of the Warner Bros. Flouring-mill, stands among the foremost of the promi- nent business men who have contributed so largely to the financial prosperity of this part of the coun- try. With true publie spirit and characteristic liberality, he has aided in every enterprise that would in any way advance the welfare of Gnad- enhutten, where he resides.
Our subject comes of good old pioneer stock, and numbers among his ancestry some of the ear- liest settlers of the state. Ile is a native of Ohio, born at Lockport, in this county, September 24, 1851. His parents were Frederick and Wilhelmina Warner, both of whom were born in the Father- land. Coming to America and being in sympathy with the Unionists during the late war, the father volunteered in defense of the Stars and Stripes. He was accepted and mustered into Company B, Fifty-first Ohio Infantry, with which fie remained eighteen months, suffering all the hardships and privations of a soldier's life, and participating in many of the well known battles in which his regi-
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ment was engaged. He departed this life in 1872, at the age of forty-three years. ITis good wife is still living, making her home in New Philadelphia, where she has hosts of warm friends.
Frederick and Wilhelmina Warner were married in their native land, and reared a family of three sons and four daughters, of whom our subject is the eldest. Panline is the wife of C. Henninger, and makes her home in New Philadelphia; Samnel is a partner in the flouring-mills at Gnadenhutten; Mary married Elmer Wilson, and is also a resident of New Philadelphia; Emmie is now Mrs. Benja- min Niederhiser, and is located in the above city; Katie is the wife of John Mueller, foreman of the pipe works in New Philadelphia, where Louise also makes her home.
The parents of our subject took np their abode in Lockport, this state, in the year 1851. The fa- ther at once commenced boating on the eanal, and hy honest and npright methods of transacting bus- iness became well-to-do, and at the time of his death left his family a valuable property. Ile was a peaceable, law-abiding citizen, just to liis neigh- bors and of a friendly spirit, and was well respect- ed by those who knew him and pointed ont as a fine example of the self-made man.
The subject of this sketch remained under the parental roof until attaining his eighteenth year, when he left home to make his own way in the world. His first work was in the Byers Flourmills, where he obtained a thorough knowledge of the business, and remained for a period of seventeen years. At the end of that time we find him located in Gnadenhutten, in the employ of R. S. Hogne, a miller of this place. At the expiration of two years the mill was traded by its original owner, and a short time thereafter Mr. Warner, in com- pany with Fred Spring, purchased the plant, which they operated together for a twelvemonths. The junior member of the firm then retiring, Samuel Warner, a brother of our subject, purchased his in- terest in the business, and the firm of Warner Bros. was thus formed. Their mill is well supplied with the most improved machinery, and has a large ca- pacity for making flour of a fine quality.
Mr. Warner and Miss Susanna Anman were mar- ried in 1875. The lady is the daughter of Anan-
ias and Catherine Anman. Mrs. Warner was the eldest of their family of children, her brothers and sisters being Fred, living in New Philadelphia; Lizzie, the wife of John B. Casselman, a resident of Canal Dover; Katie, wife of Mr. Sission, of St. Louis, Mo .; Lottie, now Mrs. McCarthy, of New Philadelphia; and Millie Emma. The wife and mother departed this life in 1878. Ananias An- man is still living, and leading a retired life in Wooster, this state. He served as a soldier during the Civil War, and as an old veteran commands the respect of all who know him.
To our subject and his estimable wife there have been born the following-named three children: Corilla, at home attending school, as are also Will- iam F. and Arthur A. Mr. Warner is a self-made man in the truest sense of the word. His prompt and methodical business habits, good financial talent and tact in the management of affairs have brought him success. He is a man of much decis- ion of character, and intelligent and pronounced views on all subjects. The Moravian Church finds in him one of its most valued members, and to the support of the congregation at Gnadenhutten he is a liberal contributor.
ACOB SEEMANN comes of the hardy old German stock, and is one of the pioneers of Sandy Township, within the boundaries of which his birth occurred. He owns a well im- proved farm, comprising one hundred and one acres, on wlieli is his residence, and in addition to this has also an interest in a farm of one hundred and sev- enty-three acres and in his father's estate, which comprises three hundred and fifty acres in Carroll County.
The paternal grandfather of Jacob Seemann, whose Christian name was Adam, was a native of Everdinger, Wurtemberg, Germany. Of bis chil- dren who lived to grow to manhood and woman- hood, Adam died in Shelby County, this state; Henry is our subject's father; and five daughters
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married and settled in various parts of the United States. Adam Seemann, Sr., died in Shelby Coun- ty, Ohio, in the faith of the Lutheran Church. . He came to the New World with his family in 1833, and for many years was engaged in farming in this township, where his wife was called to her final rest.
Henry Secmann, the father of the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, was born in Ger- many in 1807, and died in Rose Township, Carroll County, at the age of seventy-nine years. In 1833 he had settled in Sandy Township, but in 1856 removed to Carroll County, where he passed the remainder of his life. Politically he was a Demo- crat. He was a charter member and official of the Reformed Church in this township. Ile was twice married, his first union being with a Miss Keise, who bore him three children: Frederick, of Steu- ben County, Ind .; Henry, who hired a substitute during the late war, and is now living in Iroquois County, Ill .; and George A., who enlisted as a member of the Eighty-first Ohio Regiment, and when on his way home disappeared at Cleveland, Ohio, and, it was supposed, was murdered, as he was never heard from. After the death of his first wife, Henry Seemann married Miss Mary Kugler. Their twelve children all lived to maturity and became useful and respected citizens wherever they settled. They were as follows: Jacob; Peter, of Stark County; Daniel; Frank, who is in Carroll County; Mary, Mrs. Rice; Louisa, now deceased; Charles, an attorney of Stark County; Solomon, a minister of the Reformed Church, and now in Columbus, Ohio; Lewis, of Stark County; Calvin, an attorney in Canton, Ohio; Emanuel, who lives in Carroll County; and Alice. The mother of these children, who was a native of France, was a daughter of Peter and Mary (Wanner) Kugler, also of France, who came to the United States about 1833. The father was a weaver by trade, but after coming. to America engaged in farming. He first settled in Sandy Township, but passed his last years in Carroll County, where he died in 1872, aged eighty-four years. Ile served in the French army under the great Napoleon. Po- litically he was a Democrat, and in religion he was identified with the Reformed Church. To himself
and wife were born eleven children. Mrs. Kugler was called to her final rest in the year 1867. Mrs. Mary Seemann died in Canton, this state, in De- cember, 1889, at the age of sixty-three years.
Jacob Seemann was born October 12, 1846, and worked for his father until twenty-one years of age. lle then started out to "paddle his own canoe" by working on a rented farm. He spent a year in Illinois, and then traveled in the South for a short time. After his marriage he resided for a year in the Prairie State, and then, returning to his na- tive township, purchased one hundred and one acres, the place where he has since lived. As pre- viously stated, he has a part interest in his father's estate and in still another tract of land. The fatlier left five hundred and thirty-five acres at the time of his demise, and the property has never been divided among the heirs.
January 9, 1870, Mr. Seemann married Matilda Holshay, who was born in this township, March 17, 1847, and is a daughter of Frederick and Fronia S. (Brodt) Holshay, natives of Germany. The father came to the United States with his parents when he was nine years old, and his wife became a resident of this country in her twenty-first year. She was born in 1808, and died in 1886, while her husband, who was born in 1807, died in 1873. For a few months after setting foot on the shores of the New World, Mr. Holshay lived in Pennsylvania. Thence he went to Zoar, where he accumulated a farm com- prising two hundred and forty-two acres, and on this place his death occurred. His father, whose given name was Gotleib, also died near Zoar, on his farm of one hundred acres, in 1851. In his early manhood he learned the tailor's trade, which he followed to some extent during his entire life. In the Fatherland he was a member of the Lutheran Church; but subsequently became a Zoarite. Mrs. Fronia Holshay was a daughter of Jacob F. and Catherine Brodt, who emigrated to the United States about 1828. They had three sons and two daughters, namely: Fred; Tobias, who died in Cleveland; Gottleib, Fronia D. and Lizzie, Mrs. Sattler.
Mrs. Matilda Seemann is one of seven children, the others being John; Elizabeth; Pauline, Mrs. Tipps, of Stark County; Eliza, Mrs. Warner, of
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Fairfield Township; Mary, Mrs. Deringer, of Stark County; and Catherine, also Mrs. Deringer, of the same county.
To Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Seemann were born nine children: Daniel F., who is a telegraph operator in Warren, Ohio; Nelson H., Charles E., Elva E., John E., Emerson F., Clark E., Walter R. and Law- rence G. Mr. Seemann has been identified with
the Reformed Church since he was sixteen years of age, and is an able and efficient worker in its va- rious departments of activity. His wife has been connected with that denomination since her nine- teenth year. In politics our subject supports the Democratic party. He is honored and respected by all who know him, and has the entire confidenc of a host of friends and well-wishers.
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
453
JOHN LOOR LOCKE.
J OHN LOOR LOCKE is one of the most en- terprising members of the Guernsey County Bar, and has his office and home at Cam- bridge. Ile is also an enthusiastic Republi- can, and in February, 1893, was elected President of the Ohio State Republican League, in a spirited convention in which candidates from Cuyahoga and Hamilton Counties were defeated. In the same year he was tendered the nomination, practi- cally unanimous, for Prosecuting Attorney of this county, and was elected in the fall. He is known in the state and congressional conventions, as a man of force and ability, and his eloquence, strong powers of advocacy, and apt manner of setting forth the merits of the case, make his serv- ices in great demand during campaigns. For the past ten years he has been engaged in legal prac- tice alone, and his clientage is perhaps not ex- ceeded in this county. As a jury lawyer he has been prominent in the important civil and crim- inal cases, and his clientel embraces many of the insurance companies and corporation and business interests of the community.
For several generations the Locke family were residents of Maryland. The first of the name who came to America from England was one John Locke, who settled in Massachusetts. The family is a notable one in English annals, and has also been prominent in the history of the United States. The first representative of the same in Baltimore was William Locke, who traded between that city and the Barbadoes. William's son, Nathaniel,. was born on a ship plying between those points, and in mature life became a citizen and merchant in Baltimore. His son, Nathaniel, a wood-turner
by trade, was the next in the line of descent. In 1837 he moved to Pittsburg, l'a., where he estal- lished extensive furniture works for those days. To himself and wife, whose maiden name was Mary Stewart, were born three sons and four daughters. Thomas died in early youth; Rev. William II. is the eldest; { harles E. is city editor of the Pittsburg Press; Mrs. Virginia Goff lives in Allegheny City, Pa .; Mrs. Mary Baker's home is in New York; and Mrs. Sarah Hoffman and Mrs. Belle Semple are inhabitants of Pittsburg.
Rev. W. 11. Locke. D. D., the father of our sub- jeet, was born in Baltimore, Md., and educated in the Allegheny public schools and in Western Uni- versity. In 1840 he learned the printer's trade in the office of the Pittsburg Gazette. Later he be- came a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and had charge of many pastorates according to the itinerancy method pursued by that denomina- tion. Ilis wife, Margaret E. Locke, was the daugh- ter of John Loor, of Greensburg, Pa. Mrs. Locke was born in Fayette County, l'a., and by her mar- riage became the mother of five children, namely: Charles .E., a well known minister of the Method- ist Episcopal Church and a Doctor of Divinity, who is located in Portland, Ore .; John L., Kath- erine, Margaret and Elizabeth.
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