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 32
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NOAH W. BOWSER, whose attractive homestead farm is lo- cated about three miles south of the village of Fayette, in Franklin township, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of this part of the county. He was born on the home farm, in Sec- tion 32, this township, on the 19th of February, 1852, and is a son of Noah and Delilah (Zimmerman) Bowser, the former of whom was ' born on that same farm, where he passed his entire life, having died at the age of twenty-two years and three months, a short time before his only child, subject of this review, was born. Noah Bowser was a son of John Bowser, who was born in Germany, and who became one of the verly early settlers of Fulton county, taking up a tract of wild land and developing the farm upon which his son and grandson were born, as just noted. He there passed the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits, and he was also a licensed preacher in the Christian Brethren church, being zealous in the work. His remains lie at rest in the Spring Hill cemetery, as do also those of the other deceased members of this well-known family. Of the eight children of Rev. John Bowser none are living, Noah having been the young- est. Delilah (Zimmerman) Bowser was born in the eastern part of this State, being a daughter of Daniel Zimmerman, a native of Hes- sen, Germany, whence he came to America when a child, his father having been one of the Hessian soldiers employed by the British government to aid in suppressing the American Revolution; but after learning the nature of the cause for which he had come to wage war, he soon deserted from the English ranks and became a valiant sol- dier in the Continental line. After the war he established a perma- nent home in the country in the winning of whose independence he had assisted. Daniel Zimmerman was a shoemaker by trade, but devoted the greater part of his active life to farming, and after the death of his wife he came to Fulton county, where he passed his de- clining days. After the death of her youthful husband Mrs. Delilah (Zimmerman) Bowser became the wife of Solomon Snyder, and after residing about six years in Defiance county they came to Franklin township once more, here making their home until about 1877, when they removed to Metz, Steuben county, Ind., where Mr. Snyder died a few years ago and where his widow still has. her home, being sev-
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enty-seven years of age (1905). Of the three children of her second marriage two are living-Alston C., a resident of Huntington, Ind .; and Sarah M., the wife of James Porter, of Metz, Ind. Noah W. Bowser secured his early educational training in the common schools of Franklin township, later attending the public schools of Wauseon and the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware. He thereafter was engaged in farming on the old homestead for five years, after which he traded farms with his mother, being thereafter engaged in oper- ating the farm at Spring Hill about three years. In the spring of 1884 he went to Metz, Ind., where he was engaged in the hardware business about three years, after which he purchased a farm in Wil- liams county, Ohio, near West Unity, remaining on that place until 1900, when he disposed of the property and purchased his present farm, of eighty acres, in Section 5, Franklin township, where he is engaged in successful farming and stock-raising. In politics Mr. Bowser is a stanch Republican, has maintained a lively interest in the party cause, and he has been a frequent delegate to the county con- ventions. He has served as township trustee and treasurer, and is loyal and public-spirited in his attitude. He and his wife are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he is affiliated with the Fayette lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. October 19, 1874, Mr. Bowser married Miss Amanda Gortner, of Franklin township, and she died in 1878. On the 22d of April, 1880, he mar- ried Miss Ada Kump, daughter of Levi Kump, an early settler of Franklin township, where he died September 17, 1904, aged seventy- five years. Mr. Bowser has five children: Earl L. is a student in the Ohio State University, in Columbus, and the other children re- main at the parental home, namely: Frank L., Eunice D., Stanley W. and Clarence D.
SCHUYLER BRADLEY is another of the sterling citizens of Ful- ton county who have gained a competency through active association with the agricultural industry, and he is now enjoying the dignified retirement from active toil which is the just recompense for his many years of persistent application. He has a pleasant home in the village of Lyons, where he has resided since 1893, and he is further worthy of recognition in this work by reason of being a veteran of the Civil war. Mr. Bradley was born at Summerhill, Cayuga county, N. Y., November 12, 1833, a son of Delos D. and Polly (Sanford) Bradley, both of whom were born in that same county. The paternal grand- father, Micah Bradley, was born in Connecticut, a scion of stanch Pur- itan stock, and was an active participant in the War of 1812, and the latter's father rendered service as a Continental soldier in the War of the Revolution. Micah Bradley was numbered among the pioneers of Cayuga county, N. Y., where he reclaimed a farm from the wilderness, residing on the place until he was sixty years of age, after which he passed twenty years in Groton, Tompkins county, N. Y., then returning to Cayuga county and passing the remainder of his life in the village of Scipio, where he died at the patriarchal age of ninety-one years. The maiden name of his wife was Susanna Bennett. The maternal grand-
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father of the subject of this sketch was Isaac Sanford, who was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., and became a pioneer of Cayuga county, that State, where he died. In 1857 Delos D. and Polly (Sanford) Bradley settled in Waupaca county, Wis., being pioneers of that local- ity, where he reclaimed a farm in the midst of the virgin forest. In 1875 he removed to Omro, Winnebago county, Wis., where his wife died, several years later, at the age of seventy years. He then took up his residence in the city of Ironwood, in the northern peninsula of Michigan, where he died in 1896, aged ninety-one years, thus maintain- ing the family reputation for longevity. Of his twelve children nine attained to years of maturity, namely: Schuyler, Edgar, George. Wil- liam, Isaac, Helen, Delos, John and Mary. Schuyler Bradley was reared to maturity in Cayuga county, N. Y., where he received a good common-school education. When about nineteen years of age he went to Rockingham county, Va., where he served an apprenticeship at the moulder's and machinist's trades, which he followed from 1852 until 1858. He was residing in his native State at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war, and on the 15th of August, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany E, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth New York Volunteer Infan- try, which was later merged into the Ninth New York Heavy Artillery. He remained in service sixteen months and fifteen days, and on the 3Ist of December, 1863, at Central Park hospital, New York city, re- ceived his honorable discharge, on account of physical disability. For fifteen years after the close of the war Mr. Bradley was engaged in farming in Caledonia township, Waupaca county, Wis., and in 1880 he located in Fairfield township, Lenawee county, Mich., where he fol- lowed the same vocation until 1893, when he came to the adjoining county of Fulton, taking up his residence in the attractive village of Lyons, where he has since lived essentially retired. He is a member of Baxter Post, No. 238, Grand Army of the Republic, of Lyons, and his political faith is that for which the Republican party stands voucher. March 23, 1865, Mr. Bradley was married to Mrs. Frances Baxter, widow of Lieut. James H. Baxter, who was killed in the bat- tle of Fort Wagner, S. C., in the Civil war. She was born in Mora- via, Cayuga county, N. Y., and is a daughter of Cyrenus and Louisa (Gardner) Sanford, who were pioneers of Lenawee county, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley have three daughters, namely: Cora, wife of Thomas Jefferson Terry ; Grace, wife of Omer F. Harvey; and Ida, wife of Asa Munn.
CHARLES E. BRAILEY, a successful merchant of Brailey Sta- tion, is a native of Norwalk, Huron county, O., where he was born on July 13, 1852. . He is the son of Gen. Moses R. Brailey, whose life sketch appears fully in this work. His mother's maiden name was Sarah I. Maxon. The General and his wife were natives of New York State, and died in Wauseon, O., the former in January, 1896, and the latter on January 17, 1881. The following children were born to these distinguished parents : Melissa A., who died in middle life ; Al- bina, now Mrs. J. N. Michaels, of Toledo, O .; Lester C., of Toledo; James S., whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work; Charles E .;
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Elva F., the wife of Norman F. Dull, of Toledo; Sarah M., the wife of A. H. King, of Toledo; Nora A., now Mrs. Andrew McQueen, of Ful- ton county, and two others who died in infancy. Charles E. Brailey was educated in the public schools of the locality in which he was born and at the Delta and Columbus high schools. His whole life has been spent in the vicinity of the old homestead. For eighteen years he was engaged in the mercantile business at Milroy, and on the advent of the Wabash railroad he moved to his present location, eighty rods south of Milroy, and established the village of Brailey. His establishment is the only general store in the place. In addition to his village prop- erty, consisting of fine residence and two store buildings, he owns a valuable and highly cultivated farm of one hundred and forty acres. He transacts a large general merchandise business, handling all kinds of produce and selling all kinds of merchandise. In politics he. is an uncompromising Republican, wielding a strong influence in the counsels of that party as chairman or member of the county central committee. Mr. Brailey is a member of the Masonic fraternity, having been initiated into Delta lodge at the time his distinguished father was Worshipful Master. His membership is now with Swanton lodge, No. 555. He is also actively identified with the order of the Knights of Pythias. On February 21, 1875, he was married to Miss Clara B. Dixon, a native of Wisconsin and the daughter of John and Margaret A. Dixon, both natives of Fulton county, where they ended their days after spending their early married life in Wisconsin. Of the three children that have been born to this union only one is now living. Their names follow : Bessie M., born in 1876, who was married to Gerald F. Free, an employee of Mr. Brailey, and who died on April 23, 1904, leaving a daughter, Bessie, only eight days old, now a mem- ber of the Brailey family; Moses R., who was born in 1882 and died at the age of nine months, and Vera M., born in 1886, who is still at home.
HON. JAMES S. BRAILEY, prominently connected with several corporations in Ohio and Texas, and an influential citizen of Wauseon, was born in Huron county, O., December 22, 1849. He is the repre- sentative of a family whose ancestral history is especially a matter of deep interest to the reading people of Fulton county, because his father, Gen. Moses Rudolph Brailey; was one of the county's most popular and prominent men. General Brailey was a native of Canan- daigua county, N. Y., where he was born November 2, 1817. After completing his public school education at Buffalo, N. Y., he removed to Norwalk, O., where he engaged in farming and the lumber busi- ness. Here he was elected a justice of the peace, the beginning of his highly successful public career. He studied law under the tutorship of Hon. E. M. Stone, of Norwalk, and was admitted to the bar in 1846, and for eleven years practiced his profession in that city. In 1852 he was elected prosecuting attorney of Huron county and two years later re-elected. In 1857 he removed to Fulton county, where he continued the practice of law, and where he was twice elected to the office of prosecuting attorney, in 1858 and 1860. Before the expira-
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tion of the second term the Civil war broke out. Resigning his office, he tendered his services to his country, though considerably past the age of military duty. His first enlistment was early in 1861, for a period of three months. At the expiration of that term he promptly re-enlisted on August 21, and was mustered into the service as captain of Company I of the Thirty-eighth Ohio volunteer infantry. Having been wounded in a skirmish near Spring Mill, Ky., he was discharged in March, 1862. On May following he again entered the service as captain of Company G, of the Eighty-fifth Ohio regiment, and on August 22, was transferred to the One Hundred and Eleventh Ohio Infantry, with the rank of major and was put in command of the regiment. Major Brailey participated in the battles of Kentucky, and East Tennessee, and in January, 1863, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. For gallantry on the field of battle he was subse- quently promoted to brevet colonel in the regular army and brigadier- general of volunteers. By reason of impaired health, occasioned prin- cipally by his former wounds, he was obliged to leave the service, re- ceiving an honorable discharge during the winter of 1863-64. As he was averse to engaging in the pursuits of civil life while the war continued, he at the solicitation of Governor Brough, accepted the office of paymaster, a position that he held until the close of the war. In 1865 he was elected comptroller of the treasury for the State of Ohio and re-elected three years later, serving in that capacity until 1871. . Meanwhile he had been elected a member of the Board of Soldiers' Claims for his State. In 1876 he returned to Fulton county and resumed the peaceful pursuits of private life, enjoying the privacy of the farm and the practice of law at Swanton. General Brailey was married in Eden, near Buffalo, N. Y., April 21, 1837, choosing for his companion in life's journey, Miss Sarah J. Maxon, of Buffalo, the daughter of Clark and Charity Maxon. The children born to this union were as follows: Melissa, Susan D., Laura L., Sevilla A., Les- ter C., James S., Charles E., Elva F., Sarah M., Eleanor A. and Ellen E. General Brailey was the son of Gideon and Ann Brailey, of Massa- chusetts and New York respectively, who traced their ancestry back to early Colonial times. James S. Brailey having accompanied his parents to Swan Creek township, Fulton county, in 1857, spent his early years on the parental farm and attended the public schools of the county. His education, interrupted by the Civil war, was resumed at its close and completed at the Ohio State University at Columbus. His business interests have been quite varied. Just after the war he se- cured the position of secretary of the Board of Military Claims and served in that capacity until 1869. Coming to Wauseon, he secured the secretaryship of the Fulton County Building and Loan associa- tion and for fifteen years engaged in the insurance business. In 1873-4 he served as deputy county auditor. He was for some years a member of the firm of Rorick & Brailey, brokers and dealers in real estate. For six years he filled the office of secretary of the Safety, Loan and Abstract company, and during the administration of Presi- dent Harrison, was postmaster of Wauseon. In recent years he has become interested in the building and extension of independent tele-
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phone lines and in equipping telephone exchanges. Primarily the construction of independent telephone plants was restricted to the territory comprising the States of Ohio and Michigan, but later was extended into the South. Mr. Brailey is at present engaged in build- ing lines in Texas. This invasion of the territory of rival companies, whose service is far from satisfactory, was hailed with delight by the people, who see their opportunity to secure better service at consider- ably less expense. He is also one of the promoters of the Detroit and Lima railroad, an enterprise of great magnitude and flattering pros- pects. On December 29, 1870, he was married, the lady of his choice being Miss Iona P., born in Fulton county on December 28, 1852, the daughter of Orra and Catherine E. Blake, one of the most influential families in this county. Mrs. Brailey is a lady of culture and refine- ment, and possesses many admirable graces peculiar to herself. She takes a personal interest in the welfare of the veterans of the Civil war, and has always been a zealous worker in the Woman's Relief Corps, of which organization she was president for two years at Wauseon. She and her husband have entertained at their home the survivors of General Brailey's old regiment when assembled in re- union, and have always been especially interested, both with their means and words of encouragement, in making the lives of the old veterans happier and more comfortable. Mrs. Brailey is an earnest member of the Congregational church and labors unceasingly in its various interests. To James S. Brailey and wife there have been born two sons, James S. Jr., and Orra Lester. James S. Brailey, Jr., of Toledo, O., received his education in the public schools of Wauseon and at the Ohio State University, Columbus. In 1895 he was admitted to the bar as a practicing attorney. Later he turned his attention to other lines of business. After having engaged in the practice of his profession in Wauseon and Toledo for some years, he became in- terested in the telephone business, having experienced the inadequate accommodations afforded by the company that enjoyed a monopoly in that enterprise. Defying all threats of the Bell company, Mr. Brailey and Edward L. Barber, together with Mr. Brailey, Sr., assumed the aggressive and established an independent exchange at Wau- seon. Their request for long distance connections having been refused, these aggressive men proceeded to construct their own line connecting Wauseon with Toledo. As the Wauseon exchange proved a financial success, the Ohio Construction company was organized for the purpose of establishing independent telephone exchanges in other cities, building exchanges at Adrian and Tecumseh, Mich., and Clyde, Elyria and other towns in Ohio, after which J. S. Brailey, Jr., and Ed L. Barber organized the Central Construction company ; Ed L. Barber as President and J. S. Brailey, Jr., Secretary and General Manager. Up to date the company has installed independent ex- changes in Louisville, Ky., Kansas City., Mo., Utica, N. Y., Spring- field, O., Napoleon, Tiffin, Bucyrus, Delaware, Sidney, Piqua and many other Ohio towns and cities, besides building several long distance lines. Recently Mr. Brailey, Jr., has invested largely in Toledo real estate and is now connected with a company to build a half million
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dollars hotel in Toledo. He was married to Miss Eda Garret, a native of Fulton county, but a resident of Toledo, O., for some years before her marriage. They have one daughter, Lucile by name. Orra Lester, the younger son, served as a musician during the late war with Spain, serving first as regimental bugler and afterwards as band- master, after which he was located at San Antonio, Texas, engaged in the construction of independent telephone plants at San Antonio, Aus- tin and several other larger cities in Texas. At present he is in Cali- fornia, superintending the mining interests of the family. He was wedded to Miss Lottie Nelson of Knoxville, Tenn., a young lady of high social standing and rare accomplishments. She possesses a superb voice which has been cultivated under some of the masters of musical science.
ORRA M. BRAILEY, justice of the peace and notary public of Swanton, Fulton county, O., was born in Norwalk, O., May 25, 1853. He is the representative of one of the most prominent and well-known families of Fulton county, his father being a brother of Gen. M. R. Brailey, whose life sketch appears fully in the personal article of James S. Brailey. The parents of Orra M. Brailey were Lester and Anna Jane (Brewster) Brailey, the former a native of New York State and the latter of Vermont. Lester Brailey removed to Huron county, O., in an early day and located on a farm, where he spent his mature life and died at the age of seventy-three years. His widow, now seventy-four years old, still resides on the home farm. Of the six children born to these parents four are still living. The names follow : Julia and Jonah, both of whom died in infancy; Orra M., Leonard, Mary and Carrie, the last three named all living in Huron county.' Orra M. Brailey grew to manhood on the parental farm and received his education in the Normal at Milan, O., and Oberlin col- lege. After leaving school he taught in Huron and Fulton counties for fifteen years, meeting with unusual success. Then he engaged in farming in Swan Creek township until 1902, when he removed to Swanton and engaged in the agricultural implement business. In this same year he was elected justice of the peace, and two years later re- elected to the same office. For twelve years he served as director of the Fulton county infirmary and at present holds the office of clerk of Swan Creek township. In the councils of the Republican party he has for years been recognized as one of the local chieftains. Mr. Brailey is a member of Swanton Lodge, No. 555, Free and Accepted Masons, being at present Worshipful Master of the lodge, and Past Chancellor
- Commander of Swanton Lodge, No. 558, Knights of Pythias. In religious affairs he is quite liberal. While not connected with any religious organization, he sees good both in and out of the church. On June 29, 1874, he was married, the lady of his choice being Miss. Sylvania Hunter, a native of Norwalk, O. They are the parents of three sons, one of whom, Leman, is deceased. The others are: Dr. Harry E., of Swanton and Corwin, who has been traveling in the West for two years in search of health, and who now resides at Den- ver, Colo. Dr. Harry Early Brailey was born in Norwalk, Huron
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county, and accompanied his parents to Fulton county when a child. He was reared on the farm and educated in the county public schools and the high school at Delta, where he took a four years' course, grad- uating in 1894. During the two years following he was engaged in teaching and clerical work. In 1902 he graduated from the Detroit College of Medicine and at once began the practice of his profession at Swanton, where he has established a successful and remunerative business. He is a member of the Fulton County Medical Society, the Tri-State Medical and American Medical associations, and is the medical examiner of a number of insurance companies. The doctor is a stanch Republican and a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of the World. He is unmarried and still resides at home.
W. F. BRAINARD, the superintendent and a part owner of the Wauseon Lumber Company, was born near Cleveland, in Mayfield township, Cuyahoga county, O. He is the son of L. E. Brainard and Rose (Stratton) Brainard, the former born near Cleveland and the latter in Huron county. His paternal grandfather came from Connecticut, having come to Ohio in an early day. His maternal grandparents were natives of Lockport, N. Y. The subject of this sketch received a careful elementary education in the public schools of his native county and was thoroughly trained for the im- portant positions he has held and is now holding. His first business connection was with the Pilliod Lumber Company of Swanton, Fulton county, in the capacity of superintendent. During the eight years that he had charge of this concern, he displayed remarkable ability, and conducted its affairs so successfully as to endear himself to his employers. When he severed his relations with this company he carried with him their best wishes for success in whatever he might under- take. But greater responsibilities were in store for the subject of this sketch. In 1891 he became part owner and superintendent of the Wauseon Lumber Company, having come to Wauseon with the firm. The magnitude of the business done by this company may be judged from the fact that it sells seldom less than seventy thousand dollars worth of manufactured material each year. This remarkable success is due principally to the able management of the business by Mr. Brainard. He makes it his business to look after the affairs of the company just as closely as if the entire property belonged to him- self. The territory to which this firm ships the products of its large mill is not limited to the United States, for it also enjoys a large export trade. Forty-five men are employed throughout the year by this concern. Lumber, hoops, staves and telephone brackets are manufactured on an extensive scale. Mr. Brainard's wonderful success is due to the fact that he gives his undivided attention to the management of the busi- ness, for the successful management of a business of such vast dimen- sions necessarily requires the entire time of its manager.
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