USA > Ohio > Representative citizens of Ohio : memorial-genealogical > Part 22
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James Manley Sealts was born at Brandon, Knox County, Ohio, on November 3, 1848, his boyhood days being spent under the paternal roof. He secured his education in the common schools of the neighborhood and early there developed in him an ambition for an active business career. Soon after attaining his majority, Mr. Sealts went to Mansfield, Ohio, and engaged in the wholesale grocery business, in which he met with success from the start, the firm being known as Bissman & Sealts. The firm continued to do a very gratifying business for a period of five years, when the firm was dissolved and Mr. Sealts came to Lima in 1883, and here engaged in the same line of business. Five years later he took his brother, Merton E., into the firm, which was thereafter known as the J. M. Sealts Company until the deaths of the brothers, which occurred in 1904, that of James M.
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occurring on January 17, and Merton E. on December 24. The business was located at the corner of Main and Wayne streets and for many years was numbered among the solid and sub- stantial commercial enterprises of Lima. Starting modestly, Mr. Sealts had gradually built up the business to large propor- tions, while at the same time he judiciously managed the affairs of the concern so that it always enjoyed an enviable reputation among business houses with which it had dealings. The house en- joyed a large trade throughout this section of Ohio, its business being conducted according to the highest business ethics.
Personally, Mr. Sealts was well liked by all who came in contact with him, and he had many friends throughout his busi- ness connections. Politically, he gave his earnest support to the Republican party, while, fraternally, he was affiliated with the Knights of Pythias.
On June 22, 1867, Mr. Sealts was united in marriage with Eleanora Atkinson, the ceremony occurring at South Charleston, Ohio, where she was born on April 3, 1849. She was a daughter of William Samuel and Ellen Jane (Smith) Atkinson, who were natives of Salisbury, Maryland, where they were reared and where their marriage occurred. Soon after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Atkinson moved to Springfield, Ohio, and thence, some- time later, to South Charleston, this State, where Mr. Atkinson continued his business as a merchant tailor the rest of his active life. He died there in February, 1892, at the age of eighty years, his wife having died in 1878, at the age of sixty-seven years. They had been reared on Maryland plantations and during the ante- bellum days their families were slave-holders and well-to-do people, prominent in their respective localities. Mrs. Sealts was the youngest of four children, the others being Oliver, who spent the major part of his life and died in Springfield, Ohio. He married and left a son, George, who now lives in Springfield. George W., the second son, was a successful practicing physician, who, some years after his marriage, went to Truro, Iowa, where he and his wife died, leaving three children, Wilber, Nellie, and Elton, who are all married. Jennie became the wife of Dr. Charles E. Case, who now lives in Los Angeles. Mrs. Case died there about four years ago. Their only child, Charles V. Case, died at about the time he attained his majority.
To James M. Sealts and wife were born the following child- ren: Sturgeon S., who is now president of the J. M. Sealts Company, was educated in the public schools of Mansfield, and is a capable and successful business man, carrying the business on
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James Manley Sealts
along the same high standard of efficiency inaugurated by his father; he married Eva Black and resides in Lima. Clinton C., of Lima, is secretary and treasurer of the J. M. Sealts Company; he married Carrie Weot, and they have two sons, J. Manley and Allen J., who are now attending school. Gertrude E. is the wife of John W. Lutz, who is connected with the freight offices of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad Company, and was for many years counsel to Chile, South America, being ap- pointed by President Mckinley. Merton M., who is vice presi- dent of the J. M. Sealts Company, married Daisy Hathaway and they reside in Lima. Frank W., who is city salesman for the J. M. Sealts Company, married Mary Blackburn and lives in Lima. Earl M., who is also connected with the J. M. Sealts Company, married Blanche Brown and resides in Lima. Roy A., who is connected with the J. M. Sealts Company, married Cleta Geulette and they have a daughter, Janet. Margaret E., who, like all the other children, received a thorough education, being a graduate of the Lima high school, is unmarried and remains at home with her mother.
The Sealts family has long occupied a leading position in Lima, moving in the best social circles, where they are deservedly popular. The eminent qualities which contributed to the suc- cess of the father have also characterized the sons, who are carry- ing forward the business with eminent success. In the civic life of the community they are important factors, at all times giving their support to those movements and policies which tend to ad- vance the highest and best interests of the community. Mrs. Eleanora Sealts is a woman of many gracious qualities of mind and heart and has long enjoyed the loyal and unreserved friend- ship of all who know her. She has reared a large family to hon- orable manhood and womanhood, whose lives are alike a crown of glory to her and a blessing to the respective communities in which they live.
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Solomon B. Diner, M.D.
HAT "man lives not to himself alone" is an assertion that is amply verified in all the affairs of life, but its pertinence is most patent in those instances where men have so employed their inherent talents, so improved their opportunities and so marshalled their forces as to gain prestige which finds its sphere of influence ever widening in beneficence and human helpfulness. Greater than in almost any other vocation is the responsibility that rests upon the physician, since in his hands repose at times the very issues of life and death. To those who attain determinate success must there be given not only technical ability, but also a broad human sym- pathy which shall pass from mere sentiment to be an actuating motive for helpfulness. Dr. Solomon B. Hiner, of Lima, Ohio, has dignified and honored the medical profession by his able and self-abnegating services, attaining notable distinction and un- qualified success. His long and useful life as one of the world's workers has been one of devotion, almost consecration, to the noble profession of which he is so worthy a representative and well does he merit a place of honor in every history touching upon the lives and deeds of those who have given the best of their powers and talents for the aiding and betterment of their kind. He has been in the most significant sense humanity's friend, and to all familiar with his life there must come a feeling of rever- ence in contemplating his services and their beneficial results. Though now descending the western slope of life's pathway, which he has trod for nearly four score years, he is able to look back over the record he has made without regret, for his life has been con- trolled by high purposes and lofty ideals, ever recognizing the uni- versal brotherhood of man. His prestige in the healing art has been the outcome of strong mentality, close application, thorough mastery of its great underlying principles, and the ability to apply theory to practice in the treatment of diseases, and to-day he is generally recognized as one of the leading members of his profession in a county long noted for the high order of its medical talent.
The family from which the subject of this sketch is descended has had a long and honorable history in this country, it having been established here sometime prior to the Revolutionary War.
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g. L. Dincr
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Solomon 38. Diner, M.D.
The family originated in Bavaria, Germany, from whence came the eminent Conrad Hiner, who, after his arrival in this country, first made settlement in Maryland, where he followed the voca- tion of farming. Later in life he went to Pennsylvania, locating in Bedford County, where his death occurred. He had a number of children, among whom were Phillip, John, and Peter, who lived to maturity, married and located in various sections of Pennsyl- vania, all dying in that State. A sister, Polly, became the wife of a Mr. Adams and moved to Richland County, Ohio, where her death occurred. Another son, William, was the paternal grand- father of the subject of this sketch. It is not definitely known whether his birth occurred in Maryland or Pennsylvania, the date being near the year 1780. He was married in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, to Elizabeth Hammond, a native of that State, though of English parentage, and a Quakeress in religious belief. William Hiner followed the vocation of his father as a tiller of the soil in Bedford County, where he reared his family until 1822, when the family made the long and tiresome journey overland, by wagons, to Wayne County, Ohio, locating on com- paratively new land in Sugar Creek Township. There they established their permanent home and spent the remainder of their lives, the mother dying there at the age of sixty-three years. She was survived a number of years by her husband. who died at the home of a daughter at Smithville, Wayne County, at the age of cighty-seven years, his remains being laid beside those of his wife near Wooster. He was a faithful member of the Luth- eran Church while she was a Quaker.
John Hiner, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, in 1812. In 1822, he accom- panicd his parents on their removal to Wayne County, Ohio, where he was reared to manhood. His carlier years were spent on the home farm, his education being received in the pioneer schools of that period. Some time after reaching maturity he went to Wooster and engaged in the grocery business, but later became a carpenter and contractor. His death occurred near Bryan, Williams County, Ohio, at the age of seventy-six years. In Wayne County he had married Rebecca Beals, who was born in that county in 1814, and whose death occurred near Bryan, Ohio, when she was about fifty-seven years old. Politically, John Hiner was first a Whig until the organization of the Republican party, with which he ever afterwards affiliated. Religiously, he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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Solomon B. Diner, M.D.
Solomon B. Hiner, direct subject of this record, received his elementary education in the common schools of Wayne County, Ohio, and, having determined to make the practice of medicine his life work, he matriculated in a medical college at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he graduated in 1864. He had begun the practice of medicine at Williams Center, Ohio, in 1860, while still a student in college. Later he located at Pioneer, Ohio, and in 1863, again attended medical college in Cincinnati where he graduated and then in 1864 entered in the army, acting as assistant surgeon, U. S. A., at Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to this he served as a private for a short period, being assigned to the Thirty-eighth Ohio, but was discharged before being mustered in. Then in 1865, he came to Lima, with which city he has since been closely identified. He was engaged in the practice of his profession continuously here until about eight years ago, when he practic- ally retired from the active practice, though some of the old families still insist on his services when in need. To a marked degree, the subject embodied the necessary qualifications for suc- cessful medical practice, and by energy and close application to his professional duties he was soon in command of a large and remunerative patronage. He brought to his chosen vocation the strength and devotion of a great soul and a broad mind, and throughout his career he lent dignity and honor to his profession. Doctor Hiner is a fine type of the self-made man. He is chari- table and benevolent; those in need or distress of body or mind seek not his aid in vain. These and many other commendable qualities have won for him the good will and esteem of the people of this section of the State. It is no very rare thing for a boy in comparatively humble circumstances in our country to be- come a prosperous and successful man and occupy a commanding position in the world's affairs, but many who have fought their way to a place of power and influence in the various relations of life retain some marks and scars of the conflict. They are often apt to be narrow and grasping, even if not sordid and scrup- ulous. Doctor Hiner, however, is an instance of a man who has achieved success without paying the price at which it is so often bought; for his success has not removed him away from his fellow men, but has brought him into closer and nearer rela- tions with them. He is universally recognized as a splendid citizen, a man of lofty character, sturdy integrity and unswerving honesty, so that he has ever enjoyed the respect and esteem of the entire community.
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Solomon B. Thiner, M.D.
Since April, 1899, Doctor Hiner has been president of the Lima Hospital Association, one of the most beneficent movements ever inaugurated here and carried to successful issue, and has also rendered efficient and appreciated service as superintendent of the institution, much of the success of which is directly due to his energy and indefatigable efforts in its behalf. Started in 1899, the hospital at once filled a long-felt want in this city, and so heavy and constant were the demands on the institution that four additions have been made to it from time to time, in addition to which there are, separate from the main buildings two nurses' homes. The hospital, which has a capacity for eighty- five patients, is provided with every modern convenience and the most up-to-date equipment for the successful treatment of diseases, including three operating rooms, sterilizing rooms, and other features to be found in the best hospitals of the day. In the surgical ward, all kinds of cases, both capital and minor, are handled, and the hospital enjoys a wide-spread reputation for its general efficiency and the success which has characterized its work. Four rooms are maintained by the Flower Mission, one by the United Brethren Church, one by the Congregational Church, and one by the Methodist Episcopal Church, while the Ladies' Board which is closely associated with the hospital and has been an important factor in its development, furnishes three rooms and makes other provisions contributing to the mainte- nance of the hospital amounting to about fifteen hundred dol- lars annually. To Doctor Hiner is unquestionably due the great- est credit for the successful career of the hospital thus far, for he has put into it his best efforts, backed by his vast professional experience and an enthusiasm which has spurred on all who have been associated with him in the work. As an expression of appreciation of his splendid work in this connection, he was, on October 25, 1908, presented with a fine pastel portrait of himself, with a suitably inscribed burnished silver plate, while in the upper hall of the hospital there was placed the inscription, "Dr. Hiner, Surgery," the act of the trustees of the hospital.
Aside from his professional labors, Doctor Hiner has been interested in several local enterprises, including a building and loan association, in all of which he has exercised the same energy and sound judgment which have characterized him in his profes- sional career.
Fraternally, Doctor Hiner is affiliated with the Free and Ac- cepted Masons and the Knights of Pythias, while, politically, he is a stanch supporter of the Republican party. He is a member
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Solomon B. Diner, M.D.
of the county, state, and national medical societies, in the pro- ceedings of which he is deeply interested, as he is in all things relating to the science of medicine. Religiously, the doctor is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is a liberal sup- porter.
Doctor Hiner has been twice married, the first time to Sarah J. Tharp, of Williams County, Ohio, whose death occurred in 1898. They became the parents of two sons, Harry C., who is employed in a manufacturing concern in Lima, and Edward, who is con- nected with the Hiner Stone Company, of Lima. Both sons are married. In 1901, Doctor Hiner was married to Mrs. Mary Beatty, (nee Hover), whose death occurred in 1905.
Personally, the subject of this sketch is a man of pleasing address and courteous manner, very approachable and an enter- taining conversationalist and companion. Of large physique, he carries himself erect, despite his seventy-six years, and impresses one as a man of more than ordinary character. Because of his long and successful career, and his forceful personal character, he has left the impress of his personality on the community with which he has been so intimately identified for nearly half a cen- tury. In his chosen field of endeavor, Doctor Hiner achieved suc- cess such as few attain, and his eminent standing among the leading medical men of his section of the State is widely recog- nized and appreciated. In addition to his long and creditable career in one of the most useful and exacting of professions, he has also proved to be an honorable member of the body politic, rising in the confidence and esteem of the public, and in every relation of life he has never fallen below the dignity of true manhood. He has been essentially a man among men, and as a citizen he has easily ranked among the most influential of his compeers in affairs looking toward the betterment of his chosen city and county.
Jurgen. Ford
eorge Henry Ford
T cannot be other than interesting to note in the series of personal sketches appearing in this memorial his- tory the varying conditions that have compassed those whose careers are outlined, and the effort has been made in each case to throw well-focused light onto the individu- ality and to bring into proper perspective the scheme of each respective character. Each man who strives to fulfill his part in connection with human life and human activity is deserving of recognition, whatever may be or have been the field of his endeavor, and it is the function of works of this nature to per- petuate for future generations an authentic record concerning those represented in its pages, and the value of such publications is certain to be cumulative for all time to come, showing forth the individual and specific accomplishments of which generic his- tory is ever engendered.
The career of the late George Henry Ford was characterized by hard work and conscientious endeavor and, though he came of one of the sterling old and prominent families of the Buckeye State, his achievements were not due to hereditary prestige. He is remembered as a man of strong mentality and rare judgment which he carried into all affairs in which he was interested. His integrity was of the most insistent and unswerving type and no shadow rests upon any portion of his career as an active business man and sterling citizen. He had his limitations, as do all, but he gave of the best of his talents to the world, and none who knew him failed to have an appreciation of his accomplishments, for he was long known as one of the most influential, best known, and most highly esteemed citizens of his community and State.
As stated in the foregoing paragraph, the subject of this sketch was descended from a prominent Ohio family, his father having been Hon. Seabury Ford, who was governor of Ohio in 1849 and 1850. The latter was the son of John and Easter Ford and was born at Cheshire, Connecticut, October 15, 1801. The Fords were of good Scotch extraction, and trace back their pedi- gree through several centuries. John Ford was a man of large and vigorous mould and great enterprise. His wife, Easter, was a daughter of Elam Cook and a sister of Judge Peter Hitchcock's wife, the Cook family line being traced clearly back to Henry
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George Whenry Ford
Cooke, who lived in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1638, and who was probably a son of the Francis Cooke who came to this country in the "Mayflower" in 1620, the family having originated in Kent County, England. The Ford family, in 1807, made the long, hazardous and tiresome journey of seven hundred miles from their New England home to the new home in the West, where Seabury, the third son in the family, was reared. Of the latter's earliest years, little of actual fact is known, his youthful years being mostly spent in assisting his father and brothers in clearing the large tract of land which had been acquired and in its cultiva- tion. He probably had but little opportunity for securing an early education, but at the age of eighteen years, he determined to secure a college education, and to this end entered an academy, where he prepared himself for the higher institution. In 1821, he started overland for New Haven, Connecticut, his conveyance being a one-horse wagon and his only companion for the long journey being Rev. D. Witter, who also intended taking a col- legiate course-in fact, these two were the first students in old Yale College from the State of Ohio. Seabury Ford took a promi- nent position in his class and in college, where he remained until his graduation in 1825. He immediately returned to Ohio and took up the study of law, which he completed in the office of his uncle, Peter Hitchcock, who became chief justice of the supreme court of Ohio. He was admitted to the bar in 1827, and opened an office at Burton, where he always continued it. He paid more especial attention to chancery cases than to general practice. As a counsellor he was regarded safe and conscientious, always avoiding litigation, often at the expense of his own pocket, rather than encouraging it. His love of home, early associations and country life prevented him from yielding to urgent solicitations to form partnerships in larger places, where the practice would be of a different character and more remunerative. His love of military affairs led him to an active and prominent part in organ- izing and disciplining the militia, and he attained the rank of major-general.
Of Seabury Ford's public life the late A. G. Riddle wrote: "He had from the first a relish for politics and an aptitude and ambition for affairs. His bias, surroundings and training were with the friends of Henry Clay, and, although not a Mason, he was not of those who deemed it advisable to organize a party in oppo- sition to Masonry, and the anti-Masons defeated him in his first canvass for the legislature. He was necessarily a Whig, and the party took final form and name in 1834. In 1835, he was elected
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a representative to the legislature, and, with the exception of a single year, served in that body until 1848, when he was elected governor. He served two or more terms in the Senate; was once speaker of the House, and twice of the Senate, as the presiding officer of that body was then called. Few men in Ohio had so long a period of service in the legislature. No one was, on the whole, so useful to the State. Within the limits of a sketch one can hardly bring within the intelligent appreciation of the newer generation the extent and value of his labors in this field. At his entrance upon public life, the State was groaning under an enormous debt for extensive, unfinished and generally unproduc- tive canals. She was without any system of finance, either as to banks or taxation, and her scheme of common schools was hardly rudimentary. Mr. Ford mastered all reports relating to finance and banking, as well as other public measures, and while a member of the legislature some of his speeches showed a com- plete mastery of the subjects and in the House he was easily recognized as a leader. He was thus the logical candidate of his party for the gubernatorial chair, to which he was elected in 1848, and his administration was characterized by a breadth of wisdom, an energy of action and an honesty in policy that earned for him ecomiums from even his political enemies. Soon after the ex- piration of his term of office in 1851, he was stricken down with paralysis, from which he was a sufferer for four years, his death occurring on May 8, 1855."
On September 10, 1828, Seabury Ford was married to Harriet Cook, and to this union were born five sons, namely, William R., born July 5, 1829, died April 19, 1847; Samuel C., born December 6, 1831, died March 9, 1835; Seabury C., born September 6, 1834, became a successful manufacturer and dealer in boots and shoes in Cleveland; George Henry is the immediate subject of this memoir; Robert Neil, born May 7, 1846, became prominent in mercantile and banking circles.
George Henry Ford was born in Burton, Ohio, on March 10, 1842, and his death occurred at his home in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 9, 1912. He was reared under the parental roof at Burton, and his preliminary educational training was received in the public schools of Columbus. He then attended Western Reserve College, where he was graduated in 1862, at the age of twenty years. During the Civil War, Mr. Ford enlisted for serv- ice, becoming a member of the Eighty-fifth Regiment Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, with which he served several months. On his re- turn from the war he came to Cleveland and became a law stu-
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