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 38
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THE BLAIR HOUSE .- Wauseon is es- pecially fortunate in many respects, but particularly so in the possession of the Blair House. Northwestern Ohio does not pos- sess a public refuge for the weary traveler in any respect superior to the "Blair" of Wauseon. This is not alone the verdict of the writer, but he is sustained in this view by the best of witnesses, the traveling pub- lic. As a basis for this conclusion it is nec- essary to particularize sufficiently to estab- lish the claim. The Blair is a handsome three-story brick structure, erected in 1896 on the site of the old Wauseon House, which was destroyed by fire. The present owner, J. Crawford Blair, was also the proprietor of the Wauseon, and he brought to his aid in the construction of the new building a ripe experience in the hotel busi- ness. Errors in arrangement, which had proven themselves such under the crucial test of experience, were carefully avoided, and the new building came into existence as nearly perfect in design and workman- ship as it was possible to make it. The site of the Blair House has been occupied for hotel purposes ever since the town of Wauseon came into existence. It is conveniently located, near the Lake Shore and Michi- gan Southern railway, and at the same time near the business portion of the city. The hotel fronts upon a neatly kept little park and the To- ledo and Indiana Electric railway passes by the door. Though the Blair is the handsomest public building in the city, the guests do not judge of a hotel by its external appearance. Internally the Blair is in perfect accord with its outside design. Every available foot of space is carefully utilized, yet without the appearance of being cramped, the nooks and corners being coverted into receptacles convenient alike to guests and the practical utility of the house. The guest rooms are large and airy, handsomely decorated, heated with steam and lighted with electricity. A perfect system of call bells communicates with the office, and assures the guests of safety from fire, while a thoroughly compe- tent night service reduces this danger to a minimum. Competent and obliging help in all departments caters to the comfort and convenience of the guest, and renders his sojourn homelike and pleasant. For the benefit of those who need the inspiration of stimulants, a handsome bar has been installed, where the best of goods may always be found, and the irrepressible "Cy" Snelbarker ready to cater to the public wants. "Cy" is as much a fixture as the house itself, having been in charge of the bar since the opening of the house on July 4, 1896. The management of the Blair is perfect in all details. There is no clashing or discord. Every one knows his or her duty and performs it with scrupulous accuracy and thoroughness. A speck of dust would be a terror to the eyes of the vigilant landlady, and the rooms, halls, stair- ways, bathrooms, closets, snowy white beds, the furniture, etc., are a standing advertisement of her ever vigilant care. But what is a hotel without a dining room? Take a peep into this, the nucleus to all suc-
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cess in hotel-keeping on the "American" plan. The room is large and commodious, handsomely decorated and adorned. The tables are tastily arranged to accommodate six guests at each. The principal meals are served in three courses. The menu includes the choicest articles afford- ed by the market, in great variety, selected and prepared with that intel- ligent consideration which comes only with long and varied experience. The culinary department is in charge of thoroughly competent per- sons, whose long connection with the house has rendered their labors doubly useful. The service is the best, the whole aim seeming to be to please and satisfy the guests. From this brief review of the salient features of the Blair House, the reader would naturally be interested in knowing something of the private life and character of him whose means and business capacity have brought this hostelry into existence and maintained it on the high plane herein described. James Craw- ford Blair was born near Honesdale, Wayne county, Pa., on November 19, 1849. He is the son of James Hunter and Sarah (Smith) Blair, natives of Pennsylvania. James H. Blair was a prosperous farmer. To him and wife eleven children were born. They are: Robert S., Frank, James C., Samuel T., Sarah, Maggie A., Wells C., Mary E., Jennie, Ellsworth E. (deceased), and Elizabeth. Ellsworth died at the age of twenty-four. All of the others are married and have homes of their own, five of the brothers being residents of Ohio and three of the sisters of Kendallville, Ind. . J. C. Blair was educated in the country schools of his native county. He began his life work by engaging for several years in lumbering in the pineries of Wayne county. For the next few years he superintended a tannery at Glade Run, Pa .; then was superin- tendent of the nitro glycerine establishment at Clarendon, Pa., for one year, after which he had charge of a lumber-camp near Saginaw, Mich., for a like period of time. On April 1, 1892, he came to Delta, O., and embarked in the hotel business, but was burned out the same year, los- ing everything except the clothing on his person. In October of the next year he removed to Wauseon and bought the Wauseon House, which was also destroyed by fire within two years of his assuming con- trol. Here he again met with heavy loss. It was to Mr. Blair's pluck and perseverance that the Blair was built on the ruins of the old Wau- seon. J. C. Blair has been a Mason for twenty-eight years, uniting with the North Star Lodge, No. 241, of Warren, Pa., and has attained to the Thirty-second degree. He also holds membership in the Warren Lodge, No. 339, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a charter member of Tent No. 133, Knights of the Maccabees at Wauseon. In politics he is a staunch Republican. Although reared in the faith of the Presbyterian church. he is not identified with any religious organi- zation. On September 16, 1886, he was married to Miss Catherine Kriegelsteiner, of Dunkirk, N. Y. She is the daughter of Wolfgang Kriegelsteiner, a native of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Blair are very affable, congenial people, who take special pains in making their house a pleasant home for those who are entertained under its roof. Music and social games are provided in the spacious parlors and the well-dis- posed and orderly guest always meets with a cordial reception. The Blair family attend the services of the Congregational church and con-
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tribute liberally towards the support of the Gospel. As a reminder of Mr. Blair's former business connections, the following is reprinted from the Warren Evening Mirror of August 19, 1886: "Crawford Blair, who constituted one of the active force of the Oil Exchange when that institution was in its glory, but who is now looking after the oil interests of some Titusville parties at Tiona, took a lingering look at Warren today."
ALBERT DEYO, a retired farmer of Wauseon (farm located in Chesterfield township), was born in Windham, Greene county, N. Y., August 21, 1828. He is the son of Aaron and Anna (Ford) Deyo. In 1834 Aaron Deyo came to Seneca county, O., and located on a farm. Four years later he removed to Huron county, where he died in 1842. Albert Deyo was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of Seneca and Huron counties. When eighteen years old he began life's work by teaching during the winter months and following the carpen- ter trade during the remainder of the year. In 1854 he married Miss Margaret Kishpaugh, of Huron county, and the following year re- moved to Chesterfield township and located in the woods and cleared up a farm of one hundred and sixty acres which he had purchased there. After clearing the land and cultivating it for eight years, he dis- posed of it and with the proceeds bought a farm of two hundred and twenty-six acres in Chesterfield township, the present homestead. The character of the residence and other farm buildings as well as the gen- eral condition of the farm mark the subject of this sketch as one of the most progressive and prosperous farmers in Fulton county. During the Civil war he enlisted for one hundred days in the One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio regiment and was commissioned captain by Governor Todd, and he was also in command of a company of militia in 1863. In 1864, he was appointed by Capt. L. J. Carrell orderly sergeant of Company D, One Hundred and Thirtieth Ohio volunteer infantry during the term of service, or until September 22, 1864. In 1863 he was elected clerk of Chesterfield township and served in that capacity for nine years. Then he was elected clerk of the court of common pleas and re-elected three years later, serving altogether six years. Five years after leaving the office he was elected to the State legislature on the Republican ticket and re-elected in 1885. During his whole active career he advocated better schools and good roads. On retiring from the legislature he returned to his farm and for three years lived there. From 1890 to 1902 he was a resident of Morenci, Mich. Having sold his Morenci property he removed to Wauseon, where he now resides in strict retirement. He is a Royal Arch Mason, having taken all of the degrees of the blue lodge and the council. He is also identified with the Eastern Star and the Grand Army of the Republic. Three children were born to the marriage of Albert Deyo and wife. They are: Ella F., the wife of Dr. L. E. Miley, now of Chicago, Ill., who at one time practiced medicine at Wauseon ; Leroy H., who married Miss Grace Pritchard, daughter of Hiram Pritchard; George H., who resides on the homestead farm, and who married Miss Dora Dull. They have three children : Ethel M., Lee A. and Burton A. Leroy H. Deyo and
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wife have one child named Anna M. After a long and successful business career Hon. Albert Deyo justly deserves absolute rest from the turmoils of active life.
ANDREW T. DISBROW, who was one of the honored citizens and prominent farmers of Royalton township and a member of one of the sterling pioneer families of Fulton county, well merits a memorial tribute in this work. He was born in Lorain county, Ohio, on the 8th of July, 1846, being a son of Orville and Fanny (Buck) Disbrow, both of whom were born in Schoharie county, New York, whence they came to Ohio in an early day, first settling in Lorain county, later mov- ing to Van Wert county, and finally taking up their residence in Fulton county, in 1859. Here Orville Disbrow reclaimed a good farm, upon which he passed the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1875. He was a son of James Disbrow, who was one of the early settlers of Lorain county, Ohio, where he continued to reside until his death. Andrew T. Disbrow was about thirteen years of age at the time when his parents came to Fulton county and settled on the pioneer farm, in Chesterfield township, where he was reared to manhood, having se- cured a good common-school education. He made farming his life vocation, and in 1870, at the age of twenty-four years, he located on the farm, in Royalton township, where his widow now resides, reclaiming a considerable portion of the land and erecting the present substantial buildings, including the attractive residence. He continued to reside on this homestead until his death, which occurred on the 23d of No- vember, 1889, at which time he was forty-four years of age, in the very prime of an honorable and useful manhood. He was baptized in the Christian church and was a man of impregnable integrity and one loyal in all the relations of life. In politics he gave his allegiance to the Republican party, but was never a seeker of office. December 4, 1870, Mr. Disbrow was united in marriage to Miss Viola Standish, a daughter of Clark and Harriet (Smith) Standish, sterling pioneers of Royalton township, and a lineal descendant of the historic Miles Stand- ish, of Plymouth colony and Mayflower fame. Mr. and Mrs. Disbrow became the parents of four children, Hattie, deceased, Leroy, Harvey and Ina. Hattie passed to the life eternal ten months after her be- loved father.
CALEB.E. DISBROW, one of the representative farmers of Royal- ton township, resumed his identification with the industrial and civic affairs of Fulton county in 1902, after an absence of many years in the State of Iowa. His parents were early settlers in Fulton county and here he himself was successfully engaged in farming for a number of years prior to his removal to the West, so that he finds himself again among old and stanch friends. Mr. Disbrow was born in LaGrange township, Lorain county, Ohio, on the 20th of May, 1842, and is a son of Orville and Fanny (Buck) Disbrow, both of whom were born in Schoharie county, New York, and they were numbered among the ster- ling pioneers of Ohio, having first settled in Lorain county, whence they removed to Van Wert county, and in 1859 they came to Fulton
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county and located in Chesterfield township, where the father improved a farm, remaining upon his homestead until his death, in the autumn of 1875, at the age of sixty-six years. His widow still survives him (1905) and resides in Chesterfield township, having attained the ex- tremely venerable age of ninety-two years. The following is a brief record of the six children: Betsey is the wife of Anthony Leonard, Adeline became the wife of Andrew Gleason and is now deceased, Caleb E. is the immediate subject of this sketch, David J. resides in Wauseon, Andrew is deceased, and Francis is a farmer of Chesterfield township. James Disbrow, father of Orville, was one of the early settlers of Lorain county, Ohio, where he died. Caleb E. Disbrow was reared in Lorain and Van Wert counties and secured such advantages as were afforded in the common schools of the day, and he was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm, being seventeen years of age at the time of accompanying his parents on their removal to Fulton county. When the War of the Rebellion was inaugurated he manifested his loyalty by enlisting in Company G, Sixth Michigan Cavalry, with which he served two years and six months, taking part in a number of engagements, and receiving an honorable discharge at the expiration of his term of enlistment. After the close of the war he returned to Fulton county and was here engaged in farming, in Royalton township, until 1874, when he removed with his family to Cass county, Iowa, where he fol- lowed the carpenter trade, as a contractor and builder, for a period of twenty-seven years, after which he was there engaged in farming four years. In 1900 he disposed of his interests in Iowa and took up his residence in Lenawee county, Michigan, where he remained until 1902, when he once more came to Fulton county. Here he purchased his present fine homestead farm, of one hundred and forty-five acres, in Royalton township, where he is devoting his attention to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade live stock. He is a stanch Republican in politics and he and his wife are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. March 24, 1866, Mr. Disbrow was united in marriage to Miss Rosaline Olds, daughter of Ferdino and Irene (Cone) Olds, of Royalton township, and they became the parents of two chil- dren, Irene, who is now the wife of Andrew Winterrowd, and Charles F., who is a resident of Lyons, Ohio. Mrs. Disbrow died in 1879, and Mr. Disbrow later wedded Miss Louisa Camburn, daughter of James and Lorenda (Brower) Camburn, of Lenawee county, Michigan. Of the four children of this marriage three are living, Lorenda, Estelle, and Ernest. Walter died in childhood.
DAVID J. DISBROW, a distinguished veteran of the Civil war and a highly esteemed citizen of Wauseon, was born in LaGrange township, Lorain county, O., on July 17, 1844. He is the representa- tive of a family which, together with that of his wife, fur- nishes an interesting history of individual effort from the far-away days of the American Revolution to the present time. The first ancestor of the Disbrows, of which the family has any rec- ord, was Thomas Disbrow, whose will was probated on February 7, 1706. He married Mercy Jones and became the father of one child,
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alsa named Thomas. The second Thomas Disbrow married Abigail Goding, of which union there were born seven children, among whom was Caleb, the great-great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Caleb Disbrow married Sarah Davis, and to these parents were born nine children, among whom was Henry the great-grandfather of our subject. Henry Disbrow married Rebecca Barnum, and to these par- ents were born eight children, among whom was James Disbrow, our subject's grandfather. James Disbrow married Polly Knapp, and of this union five children were born, among whom was the father of David J. Disbrow. The latter's parents, Orville and Fanny (Buck) Dis- brow, settled with their parents in Lorain county in pioneer days. In 1859 they removed to Chesterfield township, Fulton county, where Or- ville Disbrow purchased the farm upon which he died in 1882, aged sixty-five years. His widow survives him and resides with her son Francis. Although she has passed the ninety-first milestone on life's journey, she still possesses her natural faculties to a remarkable de- gree. The maternal grandfather of David J. Disbrow, was a brave soldier of the Revolutionary war, entering the service with the New York State troops, and sharing with them the hardships of those who established our National Independence. David, who was fifteen years old when he accompanied his parents to this county, was educated in the public schools of his native county. In 1862 he enlisted as a private in Company I of the Sixty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry and entered upon active service in the Army of the James, under the command of General Gilmore. His military experiences were thrilling and his suf- ferings intense. At the siege of Fort Sumter and Charleston his com- mand was under fire day and night for six months. At the battle of Chester Station he received three severe wounds, any one of which was sufficient to disqualify him for future active military service. Two of the wounds were in the right side and the third in the shoulder, shattering the arm. After a service of two years and three months he was discharged because of disability. Of this time he spent three months on detached service with the engineer corps, assisting in the laying of pontoons and the building of bridges across unfordable streams. This service was fraught with the greatest exposure, since the enemy usually occupied the opposite bank of the stream, determined to prevent the laying of the bridge; hence their energies were directed to picking off the workmen. Such a position tried men's souls, the nature of which cannot be fully comprehended by anyone who has never en- gaged in such a task. Upon his return from the war, David J. Dis- brow nursed himself back to a comparative state of health and resumed his labors on the parental farm. In 1865 he was united in marriage to Miss Angeline, the daughter of Colonel Alanson and Lucinda (Rogers) Briggs. A passing notice of Colonel Briggs is essential to a correct history of Fulton county. He was a native of Vermont and commanded a regiment of "Green Mountain Boys" in the War of 1812. Coming to Ohio soon after the close of that war, he interested himself in organizing the State militia, holding the rank of colonel for many years. Until the encroachments of old age forced him to resign he served as justice of the peace of Chesterfield township. Here in
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Chesterfield he was engaged in merchandising, farming and hotel keep- ing, his store being a favorite trading place for the Indians. After a residence of nine years in Cook county, Ill., he returned to Wauseon and died here at the ripe old age of eighty-two years. Colonel Briggs was the son of George Briggs, a representative of the early New Eng- land colonists. He left two daughters, Mrs. Eliza Beatty, of Wauseon, and Mrs. David J. Disbrow. The grandfather of Mr. Disbrow was a native of New York State and served in the War of 1812. He re- moved to Lorain county, O., and was one of the pioneers of LaGrange township, where he died at an advanced age. The Disbrow family traces its genealogy to English antecedents, but like the Briggs and Buck families, it has long been established on American soil. Fanny Buck, who became the wife of Orville Disbrow, was a native of New York State, where her parents were born and ended their days. Her grandfather Buck was a Revolutionary hero from the Knickerbocker State. The children of Orville Disbrow and wife now living are as follows : David J .; Caleb E., a prosperous farmer of Royalton town- ship; Francis, who resides at the old homestead in Chesterfield town- ship; Betsy, the wife of Anthony Leonard, a retired farmer of Wau- seon, and Adeline (deceased), the late wife of Andrew Gleason, of Van Wert county, O. Since the close of the war David J. Disbrow has allied himself with the Grand Army of the Republic, being Post Com- mander of Losure Post at Wauseon, and Mrs. Disbrow is a charter member of Losure. Post, No. 20, Woman's Relief Corps. . Mr. Dis- brow has been true to this fire-tested organization, and regards the little "bronze button" as an insignia of honor par excellence. He re- alizes, as do all thinking people, that the circle of membership is con- stantly narrowing with the passing years, and that soon the last mem- ber of the grand old army of the sixties will be mustered out and re- spond to "taps" on the eternal camping ground. In religious affairs he is identified with the Congregational church. To David J. Dis- brow and wife two children have been born, a son and a daughter. They are: Charles E, a prosperous young merchant at Oak Shade, Fulton county, who married Miss Retta Todd, of Dover township, and Eva, the wife of George W. Corlett, of Wauseon, a traveling rep- resentative of the wholesale hardware firm of Lockwood & Taylor, of Cleveland.
CHRISTOPHER DOMITIO, a pioneer merchant of Wauseon, O., was born in the city of Pfalzburg, Loraine, Germany, at that time be- longing to France. His father's name was also Christopher Domitio, who died when the son was only three years old. His wife survived him only eight years. Thrown on his own resources at the early age of eleven years, the subject of this sketch deserves all the more credit for having made a successful business man of himself. He received an elementary education in the public schools of Pfalzburg. After quitting school he set to work to learn the tailor's trade in his native city. Standing little show of promotion in his native city, he emigrated to America, locating first at Cincinnati, O., where he worked for a time at his trade. In 1859 he came to Wauseon, where he embarked in the
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gent's furnishing and clothing business, which he has ever since so successfully conducted. Without meddling with the affairs of others, he applied himself closely to his own business, and by dint of hard work and reasonable economy has built up a trade second to no other of the same kind in that part of the State. He came to Wauseon as a skillful mechanic, and his claims were soon acknowledged by all who had occasion to utilize his services. There is today no more popular and highly respected citizen in Wauseon than Mr. Domitio. By dealing fairly with his patrons, charging only a reasonable profit, he has de- servedly won the confidence of all who have had dealings with him. As long as the business is conducted along these lines it must con- tinue to grow, a fact well known to the subject of this sketch. He married Miss Mary Scott, the daughter of John and Mary Ann (Graham) Scott, natives of Holmes county, O., who settled on a fine farm in Clinton township, Fulton county, in an early day. Mr. and Mrs. Domitio have had two children, both daughters. They are: Nellie, the wife of T. W. Mckinley, of Denver, Colo., and Lora, now Mrs. Charles Shindler, a druggist of Toledo, O.
ORVILLE A. DONOVAN, one of the progressive farmers of the younger generation in Chesterfield township, was born in the adjoin- ing county of Lenawee, Michigan, in Seneca township, on the 6th of May, 1876. He is a son of George and Margaret Donovan, the former of whom was born in Akron, Ohio, and removed from the Buckeye State to Lenawee county, Mich., where he was engaged in farming un- til his death, which occurred in August, 1897, at which time he was fifty-three years of age. His wife was born in Ashland, Ohio, January 5, 1850, and is now living with her son, Orville A., subject of this review. The latter passed his boyhood and youth in his native county, and after attending the district schools he was a student for two years in the high school at Morenci. His vocation in life has been that of farming and he has been thus engaged in Chesterfield township since his marriage. September 9, 1896, Mr. Donovan married Miss Bertha Onweller, who was born in Chesterfield township, October 31, 1873, being a daughter of William and Mary A. (Shadle) Onweller, the former of whom was born in Chesterfield township, this county, De- cember 1, 1846, and the latter was likewise born in Fulton county, in 1849. On the Ist of April, 1897, they took up their residence in Mo- renci, Mich., where they have since maintained their home, Mr. On- weller having retired from active business, and his fine farm is now operated by his son-in-law, Mr. Donovan. William Onweller was a son of William, Sr., who was one of the pioneers of Fulton county, as was also the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Donovan, Joseph Shadle, both families being of stanch German descent. Mr. Donovan is a Re- publican in politics, and he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being affiliated with the lodge at Morenci, Mich., and both he and his wife are members of the Chesterfield Grange, and they are popular in the social life of the community. They have no chil- dren.
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