USA > Ohio > Fulton County > The County of Fulton: A History of Fulton County, Ohio, from the Earliest Days, with Special Chapters on Various Subjects, Including Each of the Different Townships; Also a Biographical Department. > Part 31
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WESLEY A. BLAKE is one of the representative farmers and stock-growers of Fulton county, being the owner of a well improved landed estate in Clinton township, and being a member of a family whose name has long been identified with the annals of the Buckeye State. The founder of the family in Ohio, and in Fulton county, was
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Orrin Blake, father of the subject of this sketch. Orrin Blake was born in historic old Litchfield, Conn., in the year 1802, being of stanch English lineage, while the original progenitors in the new world came over with the Pilgrim Fathers, in 1620. Orrin Blake was reared to manhood in his native State, receiving a common-school education and adopting farming as his vocation. Upon reaching maturity he came to Ohio, which was then considered on the veritable frontier, and he lo- cated in Brimfield township, Portage county, where he devoted his at- tention to farming for about a decade, after which he removed to Me- dina county, becoming one of the pioneers of that section, where he took up a considerable body of wild land, reclaiming a portion of the same to cultivation. For several years during his residence in that county he devoted special attention to the tanning of hides and the man- ufacturing of gloves and mittens, for which he found a ready demand throughout the various pioneer counties, through which he traveled somewhat extensively. In 1858 he came to Fulton county, purchasing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Section 27, Clinton township, where he maintained his home for a number of years, passing the clos- ing days of his long and signally useful and honorable life in Hardin county. In Litchfield, Conn., Orrin Blake was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Thomas, who was born and reared in that place, and who died in 1846 at Litchfield, Medina county, Ohio. Following is a brief record concerning their six children : Jane is the widow of Low- rane L. Svercool, and resides in Medina, Ohio; Jennette is the widow of Justin Allis, of Kansas; Nancy is the wife of Harrison Stowell, of Franklin township, Fulton county; Angelo W. resides in West Unity, Williams county ; May is the wife of Daniel Gray, of Fostoria, Seneca county ; and Wesley A. is the immediate subject of this sketch. Wes- ley A. Blake was born in Chatham, Medina county, Ohio, on the 28th of December, 1841, and was reared to manhood in that county, attend- ing the common schools and also a select school in Chatham, and there- after he continued his studies one year in Oberlin College, at Oberlin, this State. In his native town he served an apprenticeship at the trade of harness-making, becoming a thoroughly skilled workman, and he followed his trade as a vocation for six years in Wauseon, having come to Fulton county with his father. His health finally became much im- paired through the close and sedentary work, and he then turned his attention to the work of the homestead farm, just west of the town, where he has ever since lived and been successfully engaged in farming and stock-growing, having become the owner of the property in 1861. He is giving special attention to the breeding of fine horses, giving preference to the heavy Clydesdale type of draft horses, and in this connection he has gained a reputation that far transcends local limita- tions. His farm comprises 120 acres, and a more eligible location could not be asked, the fine improvements which he has made on the place bringing it into prominence as one of the model farms of the county. In politics he accords allegiance to the Republican party, and both he and his wife are attendants and supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church in Wauseon. Mr. Blake is a charter member of the lodge, chap- ter and council of the Masonic fraternity as represented in Wauseon,
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as well as of the local chapter of the adjunct organization, the Order of the Eastern Star, and since 1873 he has been a member of Toledo Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templar. He is also a charter member of the Grange of Wauseon. In 1863 Mr. Blake was united in marriage to. Miss Hester Ann Newcomer, daughter of John Newcomer, a pioneer citizen of Fulton county, as is evident when it is stated that Mrs. Blake was the first white child born in what is now the thriving little city of Wauseon. Mr. and Mrs. Blake have four children: George W. re- sides in Hudson, Mich .; Charles A. is associated in the operation of the home farm; Cora May is the wife of Rev. D. F. Helms, a clergy- man of the M. E. Church, and now a resident of Hicksville, Ohio; and Bertha N. is the wife of Charles H. Hodges, of Wauseon.
HENRY BLUBAUGH, one of the prosperous and representative farmers and stock-growers of Fulton township, was born in this town- ship, on the 7th of June, 1847, and is a son of Elijah and Sarah (Schrock) Blubaugh, both of whom were born in Somerset county, Pa., of German lineage, and they were numbered among the earliest pioneer settlers of Fulton county. Here the father took up a tract of govern- ment land, near Luke's Corners, Fulton township, and he initiated the work of reclaiming his land from the forest wilds, but died in the very prime of his active manhood, in 1857, at which time he was thirty-three years of age. His widow subsequently became the wife of Charles Mason, of Lucas county, and they remained on the old homestead until the death of Mr. Mason, when his widow went to the home of her son Samuel, in Toledo, where she passed the remainder of her life, having been seventy-two years of age at the time of her demise. Of the six children of Elijah and Sarah Blubaugh, Henry was the first born; Mary is the wife of Joseph Griesinger, of Fulton township; Samuel, a retired farmer, resides in the city of Toledo; Drusilla died at Pettisville, Fulton county, having been the wife of Haman Bulger ; the fifth child, a son, died in infancy, unnamed; and Melvina is the wife of George Dennis, of York township. As Henry Blubaugh was the eldest of the children, being a lad of ten years at the time of his father's death, much of the burden involved in providing for the family and securing the improve- ment of the home farm devolved upon him. As a boy he went out to work at a shilling a day in order to repay men for cultivating the land of the home farm-work which he was not able to perform-and he carried bundles of grain after three cradlers, when all harvesting was done in this way, for the princely stipend of ten cents a day. Thus it may be seen that his early life was fraught with strenuous discipline and arduous toil, and self-denial was his portion in all relations of life in that period, his school privileges being limited to an irregular attend- ance in the school at Luke's Corners. He early manifested a marked predilection for mechanical pursuits, in which line he possesses much natural ability. As a young man he learned the carpenter's trade, to which he devoted his attention for several years, and he erected the house and barn on his present farm, where he has lived for many years. For several years he gave more or less attention to market gardening, but his principal vocation during his active career has been that of
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farming and stock-growing, through which important lines of industry he has gained a well merited success and prosperity. He has resided on his present homestead for thirty years, having at first rented the same from his father-in-law, John Farner, after whose death, with consequent settlement of the estate, he purchased the interests of the other heirs and came into the absolute ownership of the fine farm, in conjunction with his faithful wife, who has been a true helpmeet. The farm comprises eighty-one acres, and Mr. Blubaugh has been its owner since 1890. Under his direction prior to and since that time notewor- thy improvements have been made on the place, a considerable amount of the land having been reclaimed from the native forest, and that which had been under cultivation has been cleared of stumps and brush, and everything about the farm placed in good repair, making it one of the model places of the township. In addition to diversified agriculture, Mr. Blubaugh has been specially successful in the raising of high-grade cattle and swine, and he is essentially progressive in his attitude. In national and State affairs he has always given a stanch suport to the Republican party, but in a local way he supports men and measures rath- er than adhering to strict partisan lines. Mr. Blubaugh has been affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for a quarter of a century, and has been identified with the Encampment of the order for fifteen years, at Delta. He is past noble grand of Swanton Lodge, No. 528, and has also taken the degrees of the grand lodge, taking a very active interest in the affairs of this well known and beneficent fraternal organ- ization. Mrs. Blubaugh is identified with the adjunct organization, the Daughters of Rebekah, as is also the wife of her son. The family home is a most attractive one, and its conveniences and beauties have been materially enhanced through the handicraft of Mr. Blubaugh and his son, both of whom have much mechanical ability. January 16, 1873, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blubaugh to Miss Elmira Farner, a daughter of John and Catherine (Rhodes) Farner, who were born in Pennsylvania, whence they came to Ohio, settling in Fulton county in 1849. Mr. and Mrs. Blubaugh became the parents of four children, and two of the sons are deceased-John Edward, who died at the age of eight years, and Oma, who died at the age of fourteen months. Harvey E. lives on the home farm and is associated with his father in its work and management. He is a member of the lodges of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias at Swanton, and in politics he is a stanch Republican. He married Miss Margaret Bayes, a member of the old and well known pioneer family of that name. Orrie Elva is residing at the paternal home.
CHARLES FREDERICK BOGART, a prominent real estate dealer and loan agent of Wauseon, was born in Spencer, Tioga county, N. Y., in 1843. He is the son of Isaiah and Roxea (Handy) Bogart, both na- tives of Ohio. After the close of the Civil war Isaiah Bogart settled in Wauseon, where he died April 6th, 1898, at the age of eighty-seven years. His wife was a sister of Hon. Michael Handy, during life a prominent attorney-at-law of this city. Francis Bogart, the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, resided in Danby, Tompkins county,
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N. Y., where he followed the occupation of farming. The maiden name of his wife was Martha Manning. His great-grandfather Bogart resided in Dutchess and Tompkins counties, N. Y. Charles F. Bogart was educated in the public schools of his native county. At the breaking out of the Civil war he, his father and his twin brother enlisted in the One Hundred and Ninth New York regiment, all three being in the same company. Their regiment was commanded by Col. B. F. Tracy, afterwards Secretary of the Navy, and was a part of the Ninth army corps, commanded by General Burnside. This regiment took an active part in most of the battles after the Wilderness campaign. The father and his twin sons served three years, and all returned without having received an injury. In 1866 Charles and his twin brother, Frederick Charles, attended the Bryant & Stratton commercial college of To- ledo, O., where both fitted themselves for an active business life. After graduating from this school they settled in Wauseon, where they for several years were engaged in the marble business, being the first to start such an enterprise there. From Wauseon they removed to Kan- sas, where for eight years they were engaged in sheep-raising. Selling their sheep ranch, they removed to California, where Charles F. re- .nained for two years. In 1889 he returned to Wauseon, where he is now actively engaged in the real estate and loan business. For the past fifteen years he has handled the money of an Eastern capitalist as loan agent, doing a business of more than two hundred thousand dollars annually, this amount being left in his care for reinvesting. He has operated in Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Williams and Defiance. counties. He has dis- played such good judgment in placing his loans that he enjoys the full confidence of the capitalist whom he represents. So complete is this confidence that all deeds and abstracts of title to lands on which loans have been made are entrusted to his keeping. Of course this confidence is due to his extraordinary success in all of his business transactions. For two years he served on the council of the city of his abode. That he has prospered in his business is demonstrated by the fact that he with his father and brother erected a fine brick business block on Main street, called the Bogart block, which he now owns, and which, by the way, is one of the finest in Wauseon. Having served his country so patriot- ically, it follows that he takes an active interest in the Grand Army of the Republic. He and his twin brother own large tracts of land in the oil fields of Texas, where his brother, Frederick Charles, is now resid- ing, and attending to that part of their business. For some years both were interested in a telephone company in Houston, Texas, of which Frederick Charles was vice president and treasurer. Before going to. Texas and California Frederick Charles was a resident of Wauseon .. The Bogart family were originally Holland Dutch, the original name. being Vande-Bogart. The two boys, Charles Frederick and Frederick Charles, were promoted from privates to corporals for soldierly con -- duct in the field.
NELSON E. BOLLES, a pioneer of the livery and sales stable busi- ness of Delta, was born in Royalton township, Cuyahoga county, O., November 6, 1839. He is the son of Gurdon and Harriet (Paull)
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Bolles, the former a native of Connecticut, of English descent, and the latter of Pennsylvania, of German descent. Gurdon Bolles was a farmer by occupation and in an early day removed to Summit county from Cuyahoga county. After retiring from active labor he lived for a time with his eldest son in Ashland county, O. . Later he removed to Oberlin, O., where he died in July, 1865. He was thrice married, the mother of Nelson E. Bolles being his second wife, who died when Nel- son was only eight years old. They were the parents of three sons: Nelson E., the eldest; Avillo, who died at Ada, O., from the effects of disabilities incurred in the Civil war ; Julius D., a druggist of Bowling Green, Wood county, who also served as a Union soldier. The third wife of Gurdon Bolles was Catherine Spooner, who survived him about twelve years. They had three children, only one of whom is living, Emma Davis of. Lenawee, Mich. Nelson E. Bolles remained in his native county until he was twelve years old, when the family home was transferred to Summit county, he receiving his education in these two counties. He began his life work as a farmer, hauling his grain prin- cipally to Akron. In March, 1865, he removed to Fulton county, en- gaging for two years in the hotel business. Then he embarked in the present business, which he has conducted very successfully for nearly forty years. For the same length of time he has been identified with the Masonic fraternity, having been made a master mason in Richfield, Summit county, and demitted to Fulton Lodge, No. 248, thirty-nine years ago. He received the Chapter degrees at Wauseon, is a charter member of Octavius Waters Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, and has been a member of Delta Lodge No. 460, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; since its organization in 1870. At present he is a member of Fulton Encampment, No. 197, being Past Chief Patriarch and past representa- tive of the grand lodge and the grand encampment. For twenty-three years he has served as scribe of the encampment and has just been re- elected for another year. In poltics he is an uncompromising Republi- can, having served for twenty-three years as constable of York town- ship, in which Delta is located. The official record of Mr. Bolles, both in lodges and in civil offices, is probably the equal of that of any other person in Fulton county. In 1859, in Akron, he was wedded to Miss Martha A. Fauble, born in Richfield, Summit county, in 1842. They have had three children : Samuel E., a traveling salesman, with head- quarters in New York City, where he resides with his wife and one child; Marion E., a druggist of Stryker,.O., a soldier in the late Span- ish-American war, who is married and has one child, Vaughn E. Bolles, and Dora C., a stenographer by occupation, and at present em- ployed in Delta.
JACOB BONNELL, a retired farmer of Wauseon, was born near the Jersey shore in Lycoming county, Pa., in 1837. He is the son of William and Anna Margaret (Beugter) Boanell, both natives of Penn- sylvania. His grandfather was John Bonnell, who married Miss Catherine N. Miller. His great-grandfather was a soldier of the Revo- lutionary war, serving on the Colonial side. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, George Buyter, was a field officer in the
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German army at the time of the Napoleonic wars. William Bonnell was born in Lycoming county, Pa. He came to Seneca county, O., in 1839, where he bought timbered land, and, after having cleared it, erected a comfortable house on the ground. Always taking an active part in public affairs, he served both as justice of the peace and trustee of Pleasant township, Seneca county. No other farmer in that com- munity was more successful and more highly respected than he. His wife was born in Philadelphia, and with her parents removed to Tioga county, Pa. Both died on the home farm. The children of William Bonnell and wife are as follows: Ann; John, of Seneca county, who served as a member of the One Hundred and First Ohio volunteer infantry in the Civil war; Jacob, the subject of this sketch; Margaret, the wife of Daniel Callow, of Seneca county; Richard (deceased), who enlisted in the One Hundred and First Ohio volunteer infantry and died at Nashville, Tenn .; James, of Fulton county, Ind., who served during the Civil war in the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio infantry, and Alfred, of Seneca county. Jacob Bonnell, the sub- ject of this sketch, was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of his home county. He chose farming as his life's work, having found it very agreeable while growing up on his father's farm. In 1864 he enlisted in Company C of the One Hundred and Sixty- fourth Ohio infantry and served four months in the army of the Poto- mac under General Augur. He married Miss Sarah Ann Norris, the daughter of Lott and Lorranor (Todd) Norris, natives of Frederick county, Md., who entered land in Seneca county in an early day. Lott Norris took an active part in local affairs, having held practically all of the township offices. His parents were Thomas and Susan Norris. The following are the children of Jacob Bonnell and wife: Ulysses Grant of Clinton township; Margaret Estella, the wife of Herbert L. Whiteman, of Liberty township, Henry county, and Herbert Ros- coe, of York township, Fulton county. The children of Lott Norris and wife are: William Henry, of Tiffin, O., who served during the Civil war in the One Hundred and Sixty-fourth Ohio infantry ; Eph- raim, of Adams township, Seneca county; Mary (deceased), who was the wife of Peter Vandeveer, of Scipio township, Seneca county ; John T., of Tiffin; Sarah, the wife of the subject of this sketch; Charles (deceased), who enlisted in the One Hundred and First Ohio infantry and died in Louisville, Ky., while in service; Susan, the wife of Peter J. Vandeveer, of Scipio township, Seneca county, and Emma, the wife of Alfred Bonnell, a brother of Jacob Bonnell, of Pleasant township, Seneca county.
JAMES J. BORN, a progressive farmer and popular citizen of Ful- ton township, was born on the farm which is now his home, on the 9th of March, 1855, and is a son of David and Margaret (Kline) Born. David Born was born in Berks county, Pa., in 1815, and as a young man he came to Ohio and located in Tuscarawas county. He was a millwright and wagon-maker, and operated a wagon shop in Trenton, that county, until November 10, 1853, when he came to Fulton county and located on the farm now owned by his son, James J., subject of this
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sketch. He purchased forty acres, for a consideration of four hun- dred dollars, and at the same time paid one hundred dollars for one acre adjoining, this investment having been made by reason of the fact that a log house had been already erected on the plat. This cabin he desired to prevent near neighbors and to use as a wagon shop. He was an excellent mechanic and erected many houses and barns in this section in the earlier years. He was successful as a money-maker, but lost heavily through his going security for his friends, some of whom were unfortunate, while others took deliberate advantage of his kind- ness. He later purchased adjoining land, making the aggregate area of his farm eighty-one acres, and practically the entire tract was re- claimed from the forest by him and his sons. He died June 4, 1894, secured in the high regard of all who knew him. He was associated with Wells Watkins in the organization of the first Sunday school in Fulton township, Mr. Watkins being still resident of the township. David Born was one of those concerned in the organization of Fulton county, and he served many years in township office, having been trus- tee of Fulton township during the Civil war and later. He had been previously married as had also his wife. By his first union four chil- dren were born, two attaining maturity. Albert met his death while serving as a soldier in the Civil war, and Priscilla is the wife of John Pulcher, of Tuscarawas county. The first husband of Margaret (Kline) Born was Samuel Cogan, and they had four children, namely : William H., who died as a result of a wound received while he was serving in the Civil war; John is a resident of Toledo; Julia A. is the wife of Richard M. Watkins, of Delta, this county; and Mary is the widow of O. W. Parish, of Ontario, Ind. David and Margaret Born became the parents of five children: David Franklin died in Delta, May 6, 1895 ; Hannah Joan is the wife of A. S. VanNortwick, and they reside in Tennessee; Jacob Sylvester died in early manhood; James J: is the immediate subject of this sketch; and Ella died at the age of seven years. The loved mother was summoned into eternal rest on the 13th of May, 1893. James J. Born was reared on the home farm, and is indebted to the district school for his educational discipline in his youth. He assisted in the work of the farm as a young man, and for a period of about six years was engaged as a traveling salesman, sell- ing a washing machine which had been invented and patented by his father and brother, who manufactured the same. He did a fine busi- ness in the placing of these machines, and he still handles the same, though no longer giving active attention to the manufacture and sale 'of the article. In 1895 he purchased the old homestead farm, and he has since devoted himself to its operation, being one of the energetic and enterprising farmers of the township, while for the past two years he has given considerable attention to the raising of sugar beets, find- ing this branch of his farm enterprise profitable. In politics he is a stanch Republican, taking a loyal interest in public affairs but never seeking official preferment. He was for a number of years a member of the township school board, and has been a strong advocate of the centralization of the school interests of the township. He was for many years secretary of the Union church Sunday school and is active in
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church work at the present time, both he and his wife holding member ship in the Methodist Episcopal church. He is affiliated with Delta Lodge, No. 199, Knights of Pythias, and with its adjunct organization, the Rathbone Sisters, of which Mrs. Born also is a member, and both are identified with Berry Grange, No. 11II, in which he has held office. December 29, 1881, Mr. Born married Miss Lavina Saeger, who was born and reared in Fulton township, being a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Nobbs) Saeger, well-known residents of the county. Mr. Saeger was born in Pennsylvania, of stanch German ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Born have two children: Grace, who was born January 28, 1883, is the wife of Minor Smith, a farmer of Fulton township; and Charles, who was born July 9, 1888, is associated with his father in the work and management of the home farm.
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