USA > Ohio > Representative citizens of Ohio : memorial-genealogical > Part 18
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50
Levi Hetrick comes of old Dutch Huguenot stock, his fore- fathers having been driven from France by religious persecution, going to Holland, from whence, some generations later, members of the family came to America. The subject's paternal great- grandfather, Captain John Nicholas Hetrick, was born near Sunburn, Pennsylvania, and he served valiantly in the cause of the colonists through the Revolutionary War, being captain of a company and distinguishing himself by his gallantry. He was paid off at the close of the war in continental money, which soon became valueless and was stored up among the rafters of his home, where it remained for many years. He was a farmer by vocation, lived a life of honor and respectability and at his death his remains were laid in Hymal church cemetery, near Sunburn. The lady who became his wife was also a native of Pennsylvania, and bore him John, Nicholas, George, Michael, Philip, Peter, Elizabeth, Barbara, Cath- erine, Julia and Margaret. The family was reared on the paternal farmstead near Sunburn. Peter, the godfather of the subject, was a man of great strength and unusual size, being so tall that, when wearing his silk hat, as he usually did, it was necessary for him to stoop in order to pass through ordinary doors. He mar- ried a Miss Smith and lived in his native community a few years,
182
183
Lebi Thetrick
during which time their eldest son, Jacob, father of the subject of this sketch, was born, about 1812. In 1815, the family came to Perry County, Ohio, and settled in the midst of a veritable wilderness, for they were among the pioneers of that locality. Their new home was in the woods, eighteen miles west of Zanes- ville, to which place they were compelled to journey for all their supplies. To the clearing and improvement of this wild land they energetically applied themselves, and eventually their one hun- dred and sixty-acre tract was numbered among the best farms of that locality. There Peter Hetrick and his wife spent the re- mainder of their days, and died, he at the age of seventy-three years, and she a few years later, at a more advanced age. Though they had been reared in the faith of the Dutch Reformed Church, they identified themselves here with the German Reformed Church, of which they remained faithful members all their lives. Politically, Peter Hetrick was a strong supporter of the Demo- cratic party. They were the parents of the following children: Jacob, father of the subject; Peter, George, one daughter became the wife of a Mr. Riedenouer and died in Allen County, this State; another daughter, who married a Mr. Cotterman, lived and died in Perry County, this State; another, Mrs. Rousculp, also died in Perry County; another daughter, Polly, died in young woman- hood from the effects of being bitten by a rattlesnake. The sons all married and reared families. Farming was the vocation usually followed by the members of this family, the only two exceptions in the family line being the subject of this sketch and his brother, John.
Jacob Hetrick was reared on his father's farm, which voca- tion he afterwards followed, in connection with which he oper- ated a blacksmith shop, he being located adjacent to his father's farm near Glenford. He spent his entire life there and died there when seventy-three years old. He was a stanch Democrat in his political faith, while, religiously, he and his wife were members of the Reformed Church. He married Sarah Focht, who was born and reared in that community, her death occurring there at the advanced age of eighty-five years. They were the parents of the following children: Samuel, a farmer, who spent his entire life in Hardin County, Ohio; he married and left four sons and a daughter; John, who is a gunsmith at Newark, this State, is mar- ried, he and his wife both being past eighty-four years of age; they are the parents of two sons; Elizabeth married Frederick Humbarger, both of whom are deceased, leaving one son and three daughters; Mary became the wife of Henry Alspaugh, a
184
Lebi Thetrick
farmer in Perry County, Ohio, he being deceased, but she still lives at the age of eighty years. They left two sons and three daughters; Jacob, a farmer, married, lived and died on his father's old homestead, which he owned; he left two sons and seven daughters; Noah is married and lives on a farm near Ada, Ohio, being the father of one son; Sallie died at the age of twenty-five years, unmarried; Levi, the immediate subject of this sketch; Caroline, who is the widow of the late William Schrider, lives with her brother, Levi; she has a son, Alfred, a farmer, who married and has had three children.
Levi Hetrick was born in Perry County, Ohio, on January 31, 1844. He was there reared on his father's farm and secured a good practical education in the local schools of that neighbor- hood. In 1861, he applied himself to learning the blacksmith's trade, at which he was employed about a year and a half. In 1866, he went to Newark, Ohio, and went to work in the gunsmith shop of his brother, John, with whom he remained a year, thor- oughly learning the trade. He then went to the State of Indiana, and, locating near Columbia City, worked at that vocation on his own account, eventually locating in that city. Seeking a better location, he went to Michigan, but, nine months later, he again located at Columbia City, and still later went to Warsaw, Indiana, where he remained about eight years. In 1879, Mr. Het- rick came to Lima Ohio, and opened a gunsmith shop on Main Street, moving eight years later, to No. 127 East Wayne Street, where he has since remained until 1912, when he disposed of his business. Mr. Hetrick's mechanical ability is above the ordinary and his long experience before locating here gave him the ability to handle satisfactorily any work entrusted to him, so that from the time he located here he commanded the largest patronage in his line in the city. He was a good manager and wisely invested his profits from the business, until he became the owner of several valuable properties in Lima, as well as one hundred and seventy- seven acres of splendid land situated near the state hospital and which is kept in a fine state of cultivation. As an enterprising business man and progressive citizen, Mr. Hetrick has long en- joyed a high standing in the community with which he has been identified for so many years, enjoying to an eminent degree the confidence and good will of all who know him.
Politically, Mr. Hetrick was formerly a Democrat, but since 1896, he has been an independent Republican, voting generally for the men whom he deems best fitted for office. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in which he
185
Lebi Detrick
has taken all the degrees of the York Rite, being a member of Lima Commandery, Knights Templars. His religious sympathies are with the Reformed Church, in which faith he was reared. In every phase of life's activities in which he has engaged, Mr. Hetrick performed his part to the best of his ability, and, because of his success and his genuine worth he enjoys the esteem of all who know him. He has ever stood for the best things in the this condition, regardless of personal interests, thinking only of community, his support being given to every movement which has promised to benefit the city or neighborhood in any way.
-
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
IT is not always easy to discover and define the hidden forces that have moved a life of ceaseless activity and large professional success; little more can be done than to note their manifestation in the career of the individ- ual under consideration. In view of this fact the life of the dis- tinguished physician and public-spirited man of affairs whose name appears above, affords a striking example of well defined purpose, with the ability to make that purpose subserve not only his own ends, but the good of his fellow men as well. Doctor Baxter long held distinctive prestige in a calling which requires for its basis, sound mentality and intellectual discipline of a high order, supplemented by the rigid professional training and thor- ough mastery of technical knowledge with the skill to apply the same, without which one cannot hope to rise above mediocrity. In his first chosen field of endeavor, Doctor Baxter achieved suc- cess such as few attain and his eminent standing among the lead- ing medical men of Ohio was duly recognized and appreciated not only in Lima, the city so long honored by his residence, but also throughout the northwestern part of the State. In addition to his creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, Doctor Baxter also proved an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, and in every relation of life never falling below the dignity of true manhood. In financial and commercial affairs he attained a high degree of success far above the average, being for a long period of years prominently identified with practically every enterprise of any importance in this locality. In all these under- takings he showed a strength of purpose, breadth of vision and a capacity for comprehension of the entire scope of any plan, that peculiarly qualified him as a leader. As such, he never disap- pointed those who put their faith in him. He was essentially a man among men, having ever moved as one who commanded re- spect by innate force as well as by superior ability. As a citizen he easily ranked with the most influential of his compeers in affairs looking toward the betterment of his chosen city and county. His course was ever above suspicion and those who were favored with an intimate acquaintance with him were ever profuse
186
Samuel AQuatre
187
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
in their praise of his many virtues and upright character, that of the true gentleman.
Samuel A. Baxter came of a long line of sterling ancestry, the family having been established in this county many years prior to the war of the Revolution. The Baxters of Virginia and the Carolinas, from which he was descended, were of English stock, and members of the family have been prominent in many walks of life since colonial days. Samuel A. Baxter, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born in southwestern Maryland about 1803, and in young manhood he came to Ohio, locating at Lancaster, Fairfield County. He lived there a number of years, where he followed the trade of hat making, at which he became an expert, the fine old beaver hats turned out by him being noted for their excellent quality. Sometime during the twenties, Samuel A. Baxter brought his family, consisting of wife and two sons to Lima, where he continued to follow his trade as hatter for a time. Later he went to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he studied law. Returning to Lima, he spent the rest of his days here, and was very closely identified with the life of the community for many years. He served as a justice of the peace, mayor of the city, and in other positions of public trust and responsibility, in all of which his services were characterized by a faithful performance of duty. He was prospered in his material affairs, becoming the owner of a large amount of real estate and other personal property and was counted one of the leading men of the city up to the time of his death, which occurred when he was sixty-five years old. Politically, he was a Democrat of the Jackson type, strong and persistent in his political faith as he was in everything else.
Soon after locating in Lancaster, Ohio, Samuel A. Baxter, Sr., married Miranda A. Mason, daughter of John Mason, a native probably of Pennsylvania or Maryland, being a kinsman of Gen- eral Mason. In young manhood, John Mason had settled in Fair- field County as a pioneer, taking up large tracts of government lands and eventually becoming a very extensive land owner and successful farmer. After locating in Fairfield County, Mr. Mason was twice married, both wives dying there, and his death occurred there at an advanced age. He and both of his wives were Meth- odists in their religious faith and were highly respected in the community.
To Samuel A. and Miranda Baxter, two sons, George and Alfred, were born in Fairfield County, and the subject of this sketch was born after the family removed to Lima. In this city, Mrs. Miranda Baxter died and he afterwards married her sister,
188
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
Ann, who survived her husband a number of years. She became the mother of a daughter, Nancy, who is now the wife of William Booth, of Lima.
Of the children mentioned above, Captain George M. Baxter, the eldest son, married Margaret Cheney. During the Civil War he enlisted for service and was commissioned captain of a company in the Thirty-second Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry. While in the active service he was taken sick and was brought home, where his death occurred before the close of the war. He left a daughter, Fannie, who became the wife of Jolin K. Brice, a brother of Senator Calvin Brice. The second son born to Samuel and Miranda Baxter, Alfred, was actively engaged in the hard- ware business and also served as express agent and in other lines of activity. His death occurred in Toledo, Ohio. He was twice married, first to Catherine, the daughter of Doctor McHenry, a well-known pioneer physician. His second marriage was to Frances M. the daughter of Thornton T. Mitchell, another old pioneer. She survives and is the mother of a son, Rex.
Samuel A. Baxter, Jr., after completing his studies in the public schools of Lima, decided to make the practice of medicine his life work, and graduated first at Starling Ohio Medical Col- lege at Columbus, Ohio, then at the medical college, graduating at the latter in 1863. The young doctor's first practical experience in the active practice of his profession was gained in the army, for the need of medical assistance in the army was then very urgent. He received a surgeon's commission direct from Edwin M. Stanton, the great secretary of war, and by Governor John Brough he was commissioned surgeon of the Eighteenth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was commanded by Colonel (aft- erwards General) Grosvenor, a personal friend of Doctor Baxter from his youth. Later, under Gen. James B. Steadman, he served efficiently both as assistant and acting medical director of the department of Georgia. The experience thus afforded was of immense value to Doctor Baxter and when he left the army at the close of the war and returned to Lima he was well qualified for the work before him. Taking up the active practice of his profession here, he found it up-hill work for a time, but fortune at length came to him in disguise. A terrible epidemic of small- pox broke out in Lima and the surrounding country, and Doctor Baxter was appointed health officer and placed in charge of all these cases. At that time, be it remembered, the science of medi- cine had not reached the advanced ground where it stands to-day, and smallpox then had greater terror for both practitioner and
189
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
layman than the bubonic plague does to-day. In the face of the poor, helpless victims of the scourge, the young doctor bravely ministered to those in his charge, nursing the sick, feeding them, and when they died he buried them with his own hands.
His courageous and unselfish labors, performed amid condi- tions that would have thwarted one of less heroic mold, gained for Doctor Baxter not only a wide reputation, but also brought to him a large increase in professional practice. Not only did he command a large share of the medical practice in the city of Lima, but for a radius of fifty miles about the city he was in con- stant demand. His quickly-gained popularity was not a "flash in the pan," either, for his ability was of such a superior order that success could not be denied him and during the years in which he remained engaged in professional work he was in command of the largest practice in the community, during which time he not only gained wide notoriety in his chosen vocation, but also estab- lished a sound reputation for uprightness and noble character in all the relations of life. He realized that to those who would at- tain determinate success in the medical profession there must be given not only technical ability, but also a broad human sympathy which must pass from mere sentiment to be an actuating motive for helpfulness. So he dignified and honored the profession by his able and self-abnegating services. He was in the most signifi- cant sense, humanity's friend, and to those familiar with his life there must come a feeling of reverence in contemplating his serv- ices and their beneficial results. Doctor Baxter became surgeon for a number of railways and in all lines of professional activity he stood in the front ranks.
Eventually, Doctor Baxter became interested in affairs aside from his profession and was equally successful, some of the largest enterprises in this community being indebted to him for the impetus which he gave to their growth and development. He was distinctly a man of action and when he applied himself to a propo- sition he allowed nothing to defeat its successful outcome. He served as secretary of the original gas company in Lima, and then entered the banking business, in which he found abundant scope for the exercise of his peculiar talents as a financier. Establishing the City Bank of Lima, he so conducted its affairs that for a long time it was conceded to be one of the most successful financial in- stitutions in the Northwest; later he became president of the First National Bank of Lima, and this concern also he brought up to a high place in banking circles, giving it a substantial and perma- nent basis. He managed the artificial gas plant and constructed
190
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
the natural gas plant, and was an important and influential factor in the organization and building of the street car line, and in the promotion and subsequent sale of the Indiana & Ohio gas pipe line. He took an active and leading part in securing the location here of the car works, then assisted in the consolidation of these works with the Lima Locomotive and Machine Works, which, under the name of Lima Locomotive Corporation, is now one of Lima's greatest industries. The Lake Erie & Western railroad shops, and the Chicago & Erie, and the C. H. & D. railroads were all secured for Lima largely through Doctor Baxter's personal in- fluence and efforts.
In the midst of the multitudinous details of the business af- fairs with which he was now connected, it would appear almost impossible that Doctor Baxter could have much time left for the consideration of social and ethical interests, but such was the perfect balance of his nature and so many-sided his makeup that each sphere of human activity seemed to receive from him its just share of appreciation and attention. He had been uni- formly successful in his investments and financial operations, but the pursuit of wealth never warped his kindly nature, for he pre- served the warmth of his heart for the broadening and helpful in- fluences of human life. Among his large benefactions to the com- munity were liberal donations to the Lima Young Men's Christian Association and Lima College, while every church erected in Lima during the last forty years of his life received substantial assis- tance from him. He was a generous giver to charitable and benevolent objects, and no needy person or worthy cause ever appealed to him in vain. He was entirely unostentatious in his giving and no thought of public notice or applause ever actuated him, for to him "all the world was akin," and he was only doing good as a privilege, rather than a duty. Doctor Baxter was above mediocrity in everything, and in the elements of his make- up there was none of meanness or deceit. His life was as an open book before the world, and he was appreciated and honored because of the transcendant elements of his character.
In the public life of his community and State, Doctor Baxter occupied a prominent place, not because of any ambition on his part for office or honor, but because he recognized the citizen's responsibility to the State, and he answered the call to duty as a loyal citizen. Thus he served the commonwealth as trustee of the state asylums for the insane at Dayton and Toledo, and there, as elsewhere, he gave his best service. As mayor of the city of
191
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
Lima, he gave the city one of the best administrations it has ever had, and he could have been re-elected had he so desired.
In his private life Doctor Baxter was a man of high ideals and rare attainments. Intellectually, he was a man of unusual force and influence and all who came in contact with him felt the impress of his personality. He was a deep and constant stu- dent along many lines of research and possessed a wide and ac- curate fund of information, which made him at all times a most interesting and instructive conversationalist. History was his favorite pursuit in literature and for many years he was generally recognized as the leading historical authority on Lima and Allen County, he having made a comprehensive study of everything pertaining to this locality from the earliest days and possessing a splendid collection of books, manuscripts, and memoranda along this line. Doctor Baxter loved friends and delighted in their company, for there was in him none of the misanthrope. He had no personal enemies and provoked no one to enmity, for the sim- plicity and cordiality of his nature and manners invited friend- ship and forbade or disarmed enmity. His personal character was above reproach. He was a man of pleasing presence, pure morals, temperate and self-controlled. His domestic life was exemplary, his home was a genial and happy one. He was a hospitable man and cordially responsive to all social claims, and his home was well equipped and attractive to all who were num- bered among his list of friends, and they were legion. Probably no better estimate of the life of Doctor Baxter has been written than the following words from the pen of Rev. I. J. Swanson:
"The eminence of Dr. S. A. Baxter in the city of Lima and the county of Allen is conceded by all. His place in public con- fidence, esteem, and honor is secure. It has been won by a life of unsullied business integrity, of identification with commercial, educational, and philanthropic interests, and of devotion to the public good. It is interesting to trace the factors in the making of such a career. 'Blood will tell' and, while aristocracy of rank is unknown among us, the aristocracy of culture, character, and ability will always have our respect.
"The Baxters of Virginia and the Carolinas, from whom he descended, are of the fine old English stock of colonial days, and have contributed names to their country's history, distinguished in the professions and in political life. Doubtless, Doctor Bax- ter owes to his honored ancestors his talents for public service and his deep sense of obligation to further the common good. Suc- cessful in his own affairs, he has watched over and contributed
192
Dr. Samuel A. Baxter
to the development of Lima from a country town to a busy, thriv- ing and growing city. As physician, banker, promoter of indus- tries and organizer of important commercial interests, his life has been one of untiring industry, business sagacity and unques- tioned uprightness. Philanthropic movements have found in him a stanch supporter. The hospital, churches, and charitable societies generally, have had his help. The poor in him have found a friend. The extent of his benevolent contributions will probably never be known, for he has not sounded a trumpet before him. The educational interests of the city had in him an enthusiastic supporter and a sound counsellor. He served for years on the board of Lima College, which is at last merging into a place of great usefulness and promise.
"A minor matter, and yet one that has endeared Doctor Baxter to thousands, is the hospitality which has marked 'Baxter Place.' Its beautiful grounds have welcomed many public gath- erings, high school reunions, sacred concerts on Sunday after- noons, or, perchance, a reception to a governor or public official, in which cases the spacious residence was always the scene of a hospitality which kept alive the fine old traditions of the courtly South. On such occasions, and, indeed, throughout his entire career, the winning, gracious, and cultured personality of Mrs. Baxter (loved in all relationships, though modest and retiring as the violet) contributed to their success.
"Such a life is a valuable asset to any community. To young men of ambition, industry, and ability, it is an incentive to seek a career that will not serve selfish interests alone, but, by integrity of conduct and promotion of public good, to lead their age a little higher on humanity's upward path, which at last shall be crowned with the light of a perfect civilization.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.