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 35
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FRANK A. CAMBURN, a representative farmer of Royalton town- ship, was born in the adjoining township of Seneca, in Lenawee county, Michigan, on the 31st of July, 1854, and is a son of James and Lorinda (Brower) Camburn, both of whom were born and reared in Dutchess county, New York. They came from the old Empire State to Michi- gan and the respective families became pioneer settlers in Lenawee county, where Willis Camburn, father of James, secured one hundred and sixty acres of government land, in Seneca township, developing a good farm and remaining on the same for a number of years. He finally removed to Hillsdale county, Michigan, where he passed the re- mainder of his life. Jacob Brower, maternal grandfather of the sub-
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ject of this sketch, likewise came to Lenawee county, Michigan, from New York State, and was one of the pioneers of Fairfield township, where he developed a farm, one and one-half miles west of the village of Weston. He died in Seneca township, that county. James Cam- burn was reared to maturity in Lenawee county, Michigan, and upon attaining his majority purchased a tract of wild land, in Seneca town- ship, improving the place and making it one of the valuable places of the county. That continued to be his home until his death, which occurred in 1871. He was killed by a railroad train, at Westfield, New York, while taking a carload of cattle to the Eastern markets, being forty-eight years of age at the time of his death. His widow is still living. They became the parents of nine children of whom seven are living: Minerva married Clark Standish; Ann became the wife of Alonzo Richardson; Almond ; William; Frank A .; Louisa became the wife of Caleb E. Disbrow; Elias; Hattie became the wife of Oliver Dunbar; and Cora married Frank Carlton. Frank A. Camburn was reared to maturity in his native county and secured his educational training in the public schools, and his vocation throughout his entire adult life has been that of farming, in connection with which he has met with gratifying success. In 1878 he took up his residence in Roy- alton township, where he now has a fine landed estate of two hundred and thirty-nine acres, all under effective cultivation and improved with good buildings and other essential accessories. In politics he maintains an independent attitude, supporting men and measures approved by his judgment, and fraternally he is identified with Lyons Lodge, No. 622, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Both he and his wife are mem- bers of the Universalist church. October 24, 1878, Mr. Camburn was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Standish, a daughter of Clark and Harriet (Smith) Standish, pioneers of Royalton township, and a descendant of the historic character, Miles Standish, the Pilgrim and the hero of the well-known poem of Longfellow, "The Courtship of Miles Standish." Mr. and Mrs. Camburn have three children : How- ard, who is engaged in the grocery business at Lyons; Ethel, who is the wife of Herbert Hinkle; and Edith, who is the wife of Ira Smith.
GEORGE W. CAMERON is the owner of a fine farm of eighty acres, in Pike township, and is one of the popular citizens and repre- sentative agriculturists of this section of the county. Mr. Cameron was born in Wayne county, Ohio, on the 20th of March, 1849, being a son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Andrews) Cameron, who removed from Wayne county to Henry county in an early day, and they passed the closing years of their lives in Henry county, the father having been a farmer by vocation. George W. Cameron was a child at the time of his parents' removal to Henry county, where he was reared to manhood on the farm, receiving a common-school education. He has made the basic industry of agriculture his vocation in life, and through well-directed effort has gained success of no indifferent order. In 1874 Mr. Cameron purchased a farm in Clinton township, Fulton county, retaining possession of the same for some years, when he dis-
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posed of the property and purchased his present homestead, which is one of the valuable farms of Pike township, the same having excellent improvements and being maintained under a high state of cultivation. He has personally effected the greater part of the permanent improve- ment of the place and is known as a progressive farmer and as a re- liable and loyal citizen, worthy of the high regard in which he is held in the community. He is a Republican in his political proclivities, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Ottokee. On the 4th of September, 1874, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Cameron to Miss Martha Howden, who was born in Ful- ton county, September 2, 1848, being a daughter of John and Jane (Gaston) Howden, the former of whom was born in England and the latter in New York City. They came to Fulton county in an early day, and Mr. Howden later returned to New York City, where he died on the 10th of December, 1848, and his wife passed away on the 7th of the following February, their orphan daughter, Mrs. Cameron, having been reared and educated in Fulton county. One of her brothers was a valiant soldier of the Union in the War of the Rebellion, in which he sacrificed his life. Mr. and Mrs. Cameron have one daughter, Ger- trude Irene, who was born February 14, 1880, and who is now the wife of Frank Waldeck, of Delta, Ohio.
WILLIAM H. CAMPBELL is a native of Fulton county, a scion of one of its well-known pioneer families and is an enterprising farmer and popular citizen of Clinton township, his well-improved homestead being located six miles northwest of the city of Wauseon. He was born in Clinton township, this county, on the 6th of February, 1850, is a son of Reason and Temperance (Cornell) Campbell, the former being of Scotch and the latter of English lineage. Reason Campbell was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1820, and he came to Fulton county in 1846, locating on a farm in Clinton township and developing the same into a valuable property, and he was one of the prominent and influential citizens of his community. He continued to reside on this homestead until his death, which occurred on the 14th of February, 1885. He served most acceptably as township trustee, and was a man of that sterling integrity and honesty of purpose which ever beget popular confidence and esteem. On the 8th of October, 1846, he was married to Miss Temperance Cornell, at Shreve, Wayne county, his wife having been born in that county March 20, 1829, and her death occurred September 11, 1899. They came to Fulton county shortly after their marriage. They became the parents of seven sons and four daughters, and of that number three are living. William H. Campbell assisted in the reclamation of the old home farm on which he was reared, and he attended the common schools of the locality and gained a good, practical education. After his marriage he purchased and located upon his present farm, in Clinton township, the place having been partially cleared, and he has reclaimed the remainder of the land, has provided an effective system of drainage, erected substantial build- ings and made the homestead one of the valuable farms of this section,
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and for a number of years past he has also operated a threshing ma- chine each season, finding this enterprise profitable. Politically Mr. Campbell is found arrayed as a stalwart supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and he has served as township trustee, road super- visor and member of the school board. He is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and the Patrons of Husbandry and attends the Christian church, of which Mrs. Campbell is a member. November 5, 1874, Mr. Campbell was married to Miss Mary Gasche, who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, August 8, 1854, being a daughter of George and Catherine (Hoenburger) Gasche. Her father was born in Wetzlar, Prussia, May 2, 1819, and in 1832 he immigrated to Amer- ica, locating in Cumberland county, Pa., in 1834, and thence coming to Ohio in 1840, locating in Holmes county, where he remained until April 18, 1855, when he came with his family to Fulton county, pur- chasing land in Clinton township, where he passed the remainder of his life. On January 1, 1847, he married Mrs. Catherine (Hoenberger) Gasche, widow of his brother William, and she is still living, residing with her daughter, Amelia Sower, wife of S. H. Sower, in German township. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell have three children: Lulu, born March 20, 1876, is the wife of John E. Plettner, of Clinton township; Nettie A., born February 2, 1881, is the wife of Levi Barton, and they reside in Dover township; George, born January 30, 1885, is associated with his father in the operation of the home farm.
ARTHUR B. CANFIELD, one of the extensive farmers and in- fluential business men of Fulton county, was born in Chesterfield township, this county, on the 9th of August, 1859, and is a son of Heman A. and Amanda G. (Brown) Canfield. The father was born in West Bloomfield, Ontario county, N. Y., on the 25th of January, 1816, and he was reared and educated in the old Empire State. In 1838 he came to Fulton county, Ohio, where he purchased land and erected a house of the primitive type common to the pioneer days. He then returned to New York, whence he brought his family to the new home in the spring of 1839. They remained resident of Chester- field township until 1860, when they removed to a farm in Gorham township, where the father was engaged in agricultural pursuits until about six years prior to his death, having passed the closing years of his life in Fayette, retired from active business. His death there occurred on the 10th of May, 1901. He was a man of much ability and was prominent in public affairs of a local nature, and he held various offices. He served for a number of years as justice of the peace in Chesterfield township, acquiring an excellent knowledge of the law, and his friends and neighbors showed unlimited confidence in his judgment and sense of justice, his services being in much requi- sition in the trial of minor cases. He and his wife were leading mem- bers of the Grange of Fulton county for more than thirty years, and they were held in unqualified regard by all who knew them. Mrs. Canfield was a prominent member of the Presbyterian church at Fay- ette at the time of her death.
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For eight years Heman A. Canfield operated a saw-mill in the southeastern part of Gorham township, doing an extensive business, as timber was very plentiful in this section at that time. During the Civil war he was clerk in the quartermaster's department, as was also his son Henry. His grandfather, Titus Canfield, was a soldier in the War of 1812. The latter was a son of Daniel Canfield, who was born in Connecticut, of stanch Colonial stock, and who was numbered among the pioneers of Ontario county, N. Y. He served with the Connecticut troops in the War of the Revolution, and the subject of this sketch has in his possession and prizes as a valued heirloom the musket which his great-grandfather carried during his military service in the cause of independence. On the brass trimmings of the weapon is found the following inscription, "Dan Canfield, 1778." Amanda G. (Brown) Canfield was likewise born and reared in On- tario county, N. Y., where was solemnized her marriage to Heman A. Canfield, and she died on the 26th of March, 1901, at the age of eighty-one years. Of the six children in the family the following is a brief record: Delia is the wife of John W. Smith, of Fremont, N. H .; Henry Titus is a resident of Wichita Falls, Tex .; Ellen is the wife of D. Anderson Bennett, of Chico, Cal .; Clara is the wife of Dr. Henry D. Kurtz, of Allentown, Pa .; Edward Theodore is a resident of Pettisville, Fulton county; and Arthur Brown is the immediate sub ject of this review. Arthur B. Canfield passed his boyhood days on the home farm, and after attending the district schools until he had mastered the fundamental branches of learning he continued his studies in the normal schools at Bryan, Ohio, and Valparaiso, Ind., and he taught seven terms of school in his native county, being very successful in his pedagogic endeavors. He has been actively identi- fied with agricultural pursuits from his youth to the present time, having initiated his independent operations in the line upon attain- ing his legal majority, and having been associated with his father in his farming industry for twenty years prior to the death of the latter. He now has a fine landed estate of three hundred and fifty-six acres, the entire property being under his direct personal management, and he employs competent men to assist in the practical details of the work. Mr. Canfield is a stockholder in the Chappel Furnace Company, of Morenci, Mich., and is one of the stock-holders of the Fulton County Co-operative Company, of Fayette, which has a large general store, being president of the company at the present time. For the past six years he has been president of the Fulton County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Association. In politics Mr. Canfield is a stalwart advocate of the principles and policies of the Republi- can party, and he has served in various local offices, being at this time president of the school-board of Gorham township. He is an active member of the Grange and is affiliated with the lodge of Free and Accepted Masons at Fayette. October 5, 1881, Mr. Canfield was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Stowell, who was born in Chatham, Medina county, Ohio, October 13, 1858, being a daughter of William H. and Nancy E. (Blake) Stowell, old and respected resi-
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dents of Fulton county, and the children of this union are five in number, namely: Ada, Heman A., Iva, Carolyn, and Hale H.
CHARLES W. CARREL, a veteran of the Civil war and for a number of years prominently identified with railroading business, is now one of the enterprising farmers of Royalton township, within whose limits he was born, being a member of a well-known pioneer family of Fulton township. He was born in Lyons, this township, August 25, 1846, a son of Daniel and Lucina M. (Welsh) Carrel, both of whom were natives of the State of New York. The father settled in Royalton township in 1846, shortly before the birth of his son, Charles W., taking up eighty acres of land, in Section 16, reclaiming the same from the forest wilds and disposing of the property in 1866, for fifty dollars an acre, a fact which indicates that he had put forth marked energy and ability in conserving its development and improve- ment. He then removed to Quincy, Branch county, Mich., where he was engaged in the hotel business seven years, at the expiration of which he removed to Allegan county, that State, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death, his wife also dying in that county, and both lie at rest in the cemetery at Lyons, Fulton county, Ohio. They reared seven sons, namely: Charles W., Chester J., Eu- gene J., Chauncey C., Isaac W., Alfred D., and Thomas B. Chester, Eugene and Alfred are deceased. Hustus Welsh, maternal grandfather of the subject of this review, was a pioneer of Royalton township, where he continued to reside until his death. Charles W. Carrel grew to maturity on the home farm in this township, and is indebted to the common schools of the locality for his early educational privileges. Upon attaining his majority he secured a position as local night watch- man for the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, and he rose step by step until he was made incumbent of the responsible position of station agent, in which capacity he served six years, having been identified with railroading affairs for a total of eighteen years. In 1887 he located on the Edson farm, in Royalton township, where he has since been successfully engaged in general farming and stock- growing. In 1864, when eighteen years of age, Mr. Carrel enlisted as a private in Company D, One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he went to the front and served one hundred and. forty days, principally on skirmishing and guard duty, being honorably discharged at the expiration of his term of enlistment. He is a popu- lar member of Baxter Post, No. 238, G. A. R., at Lyons, and of the lodge of Knights of Pythias at Kendallville, Ind., where he was sta- tioned for some time during his railroad career. In politics he is a stal- wart Republican. In 1870, Mr. Carrel was united in marriage to Miss Marian A. Edson, daughter of Ichabod and Jane (Fenner) Edson, pioneers of Royalton township, where Mr. Edson cleared and improved the farm now occupied by the subject of this sketch. He and his wife here resided until death, interment being made in the Lyons cemetery. His first wife having died, Mr. Carrel married Mrs. Sarah Goodwin, of Delta, Ohio. To this union no children have been born, but Mrs.
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Carrel by a former marriage is the mother of a daughter-Mrs. Belle Bartley, of Norwalk, Ohio. Mrs. Carrel is a member of the M. E. church at Delta.
CLYDE O. CASTLE, B. S., superintendent of schools of Swanton, was born at Whitehouse, Lucas county, O., on August 31, 1873. He is the son of Jehiel and Lorinda ( Norris) Castle, the former born in Erie county, Ohio, in 1837, and the latter in Genesee county, N. Y., in 1842. Lorinda Castle died at Swanton on March 25, 1903. To these parents were born five children, four sons and one daughter. They are: Charles N., a railroad conductor at Salt Lake City, Utah ; John N., a resident of Quartz, Cal., where he is engaged in the transfer business ; Clyde O .; George F., a locomotive engineer at Norfolk, Neb., and Carrie E., a teacher in the public schools of Waterville, Lucas county. Clyde O. Castle received his elementary education in the pub- lic schools of Whitehouse, after which he entered the Ohio Northern University at Ada, in 1896, and graduated from the scientific course of that institution with the class of 1901. During his collegiate course he was also engaged in teaching, being thus employed for about two years while attending college. After serving one year as principal of the Swanton schools, and for a like period of time as superintendent of the Waterville schools, he was, in 1902, elected superintendent of schools at Swanton for a period of two years. His administration was so satisfactory to the patrons and school authorities that he was last year reappointed ·for a second period of two years. The school curric- ulum embraces a high-school course of four years. The three hundred pupils in attendance are in charge of eight teachers, including the superintendent. Recently a new school-building has been erected at a cost of about $40,000. This building is modern in all of its appoint- ments, being steam heated, with blast ventilation, and is pronounced to be one of the finest in Northwestern Ohio. Clyde O. Castle is promi- nently identified with the Masonic fraternity, holding membership in Swanton Lodge, No. 555, Free and Accepted Masons; Octavius Waters Chapter, No. 154, Delta ; Wauseon Council, No. 68, R. & S. M., and Toledo Commandery, No. 7, Knights Templar. He is also a member of Swanton lodge, Knights of Pythias. In politics he is affili- ated with the Republican party, and in September, 1903, was appointed . for a term of three years one of the school examiners of Fulton county.
ALFRED A. CHATFIELD merits representation in this work by reason of his standing as one of the popular and successful farmers and honored citizens of Pike township, where he has a well-improved farm of eighty acres. Mr. Chatfield was born in the neighboring county of Hillsdale, Michigan, on the 28th of November, 1851, but has passed the major portion of his life in Fulton county, where his father took up his residence in 1858, his mother having died in Hillsdale county. Mr. Chatfield is a son of Joel L. and Catherine (Heckle) Chatfield, the former of whom devoted his life to farming, and was one of the prosperous farmers of Fulton county, but he now resides
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on a farm in Gentry county, Mo. Alfred A. Chatfield was reared to manhood in this county, in whose common schools he secured his edu- cational training, and in his youth he learned the blacksmith trade, which he followed as a vocation for a quarter of a century, during the greater portion of which time he was established in business where he now resides. In 1882 he located on his present farm, and the same energy and enterprise which conserved his success as a general black- smith have characterized his efforts as a farmer, so that he has been successful in his operations and is known as one of the representative farmers and stock-growers of Pike township. In politics Mr. Chatfield is independent and votes for the best man. Mr. Chatfield is a member of the famous insurance organization, known as the Gleaners. On January 19, 1879, he chose as his life companion Ella M. Graves, the daughter. of Marvin B. and Mariett (Kilom) Graves. To this union one child, Ida M., was born, on May 20, 1880, and she is now the wife of Louis Fouty and resides on a farm in Pike township.
CAREY A. CLARK is another of the progressive and successful young farmers of Fulton county who have here resided from the time of birth and have upheld the prestige of the agricultural industry in this section. He was born on the farm which is now his home, in Amboy township, on the 7th of August, 1875, being a son of George D. and Susan Matilda (Bair) Clark, the former having been a son of David Clark, who was born in Massachusetts, of old colonial stock, and who became one of the pioneer farmers near Huntington, Lorain county, Ohio. The maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was a pioneer of Medina county, Ohio. George D. Clark was born in Becket, Berkshire county, Mass., October 23, 1839, and his wife was born at Mount Vernon, Knox county, Ohio, December 25, 1844, and her death occurred July 7, 1897, their marriage having been solemnized September 26, 1860. They became the parents of five children, of whom three are living-William O., Carey A. and Alcestia, the last named being the wife of George A. Pifer. After his marriage to Su- san M. Bair George D. Clark resided in Medina county, Ohio, about five years, having come to Fulton county about 1865 and there settled in Amboy township, where he secured one hundred and fifty acres of land, a large portion of which he reclaimed from the forest, developing one of the valuable farms of the county. He resided on this homestead until 1890, when he retired, taking up his abode in a pleasant home in Swanton, where he died on the 8th of January, 1904, in his sixty-fifth year. January 1, 1900, he consummated a second marriage, wedding Sarah Colbath, of Bangor, Maine, who survives him. He was a con- sistent member of the Baptist church, with which he was identified for nearly a half century, and he was one of the prominent farmers and honored citizens of Amboy township. Carey A. Clark was born and bred on the old homestead farm which has been his home thus far through life. He completed the curriculum of the public schools and thereafter took a course in the Normal School at Fayette. He has never severed his allegiance to the life of the farm and is consistently
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designated as a model farmer. For three years he was also engaged in the manufacture of cheese at Metamora, but has closed out his in- terests in this line. The home farm is improved with excellent build- ings and is maintained under a high state of cultivation, and Mr. Clark also gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock, finding a due combination of the two departments of en- terprise the most profitable. He is a stalwart in the ranks of the Re- publican party, though never an aspirant for office, and he is identified with the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. February 28, 1898, witnessed the marriage of Mr. Clark to Miss Carrie A. Crockett, daughter of Almon and Sarah J. (Wilmot) Crockett, of Lenawee county, Mich. The only child of this union was Ethel Fay, who died in infancy.
WILLIAM R. CLARK, a prominent and highly-successful veterin- -ary surgeon of Wauseon, was born in Clinton township, Fulton county, in 1862. He is the son of John A. and Elizabeth (Krontz) Clark, both natives of Ohio. John A. Clark was the son of Ebenezer and (Dey) Clark, the former a native of Maryland and the latter of, Ohio, having been born in Holmes county in 1801. John A. Clark was a farmer and stock-raiser by occupation, in both of which callings he was very suc- cessful. He came to Wauseon in 1839, being one of the pioneer set- tlers of that section of the country. His farm of one hundred and eighty acres is one of the most valuable and productive in the county. The accumulation of so much fine land proves that he was possessed of thrift and enterprise. He died at his home place in March, 1890, aged sixty years. At the time he came to Wauseon with his parents he was only twelve years old. Elizabeth Clark, the wife of John A., is the daughter of Mr. Krontz of German township, Fulton county, who came to Ohio from Pennsylvania. She is still living, having reached the ripe age of seventy-one years. Grandmother Dey, the daughter of William Dey, traces her ancestors back to the arrival of the Mayflower. The children of John E. and Elizabeth Clark, other than our subject, are: James M., a farmer residing in Clinton town- ship; Noah, a farmer of the same township; S. J., connected with the Wauseon Brick and Tile company, and Elizabeth J., now Mrs. Ben Morningstar, of Clinton township. William R. Clark, the subject of this sketch, received a liberal education in his home schools. After completing his education he devoted his time for the next ten years to the breeding and training of race horses. So successful was he in this business that not a few horses with fine records were developed by his training. At this time he decided to become a veterinary surgeon, for whose services there was then a great demand. The fact is that the future success of stock-raising depends largely on the work of the veterinary surgeon. His knowledge of horses, as well as his experi- ence in training them, is of great assistance to Dr. Clark in the practice of his profession. In 1898 he graduated from the Ontario Veterinary college and the McPherson Veterinary Dental college, both located at Toronto, Canada. Immediately after graduating he passed success-
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