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 58
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marked unselfishness and oftimes at great personal discomfort. He continued. in active practice for more than half a century, and he now has the distinction of being the oldest physician in the county, even as he is one of its most honored pioneer practitioners. The Doctor re- calls with appreciation his early and herculean struggles with the all- pervading ague, or "chills and fever," and in the early days his prac- tice extended for a radius of from twenty-five to thirty miles from Delta, and he did his best to overcome the ravages of the ague and other human ills, the first mentioned being largely due to the swampy condition of much of the land in this section-land which is today as fertile and productive as can be found in the State. For many years he made his visitations almost exclusively on horseback, as the roads, if existing at all, were impassable for vehicles much of the time, in many cases being mere bridle-paths or blazed trails through the virgin forest. The Doctor was successful in his profession and also in the accumulation of property. In the early days Dr. Odell stood at the head of his profession in this section in the matter of treating certain prevalent types of disease, following the Eclectic system largely in his practice. Dr. Odell has always been known as a public-spirited citizen, and from the pioneer days to the present his aid and influence have been given in the promotion of those enterprises and under- takings which have conserved the general welfare of the community. Through industry, economy and good judgment in the making of in- vestments, Dr. Odell has accumulated a competency, though he has never been concerned in any speculative enterprises. He has contrib- uted to the upbuilding and civic advancement of his home town and county, and in the summer of 1905 he gave the latest exhibition of his progressive spirit by erecting a handsome business block on the prin- cipal business street of Delta, the same being an ornament to the town, a monument to his memory and a source of definite and merited in- come to him during his declining years. The Doctor has been identi- fied with the Republican party, as a stanch supporter of its principles, from the time of its organization to the present, and while he has never sought office, he served several years as coroner of the county, and for twelve years was a valued member of the municipal council of Delta. Of him an appreciative acquaintance has written as fol- lows: "Dr. Odell is independent and liberal in his religious views and has never allied himself with any religious organization. He has the deepest reverence for the spiritual and ethical verities and his be- lief emphasizes only the cardinal principles of right and justice, with- out the formalities of creeds, dogmas or public professions. He be- lieves that the Golden Rule embraces within its scope all religious es- sentials, both for personal guidance and salvation and for judgment of the motives and actions of others." It is needless to say, in view of the foregoing, that he is broad, tolerant and charitable in his views, and his life-record stands as the best evidence of his kindly helpful- ness. His cherished wife, through a period of more than half a cen- tury, has proven a devoted companion and helpmeet, and mutual love and sympathy have brightened their pathway as they passed along through the uncertain journey of life. Mrs. Odell has long been .a
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faithful and zealous member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and her gentle and gracious personality has endeared her to all who have come within the sphere of her influence. Dr. and Mrs. Odell have an attractive home in Delta, and the golden evening of their days is being passed under most grateful surroundings. In Fulton county, in 1852, Dr. Odell was united in marriage to Miss Harriet Ellen Zimmerman; who was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1833, being a daughter of John and Hannah (McQuilling) Zimmerman, both of whom were born in Pennsylvania. Her parents came from Holmes county, Ohio, to Fulton county in 1839 and here passed the remainder of their lives, having been honored pioneers of Pike township. They became the parents of twelve children, all of whom attained maturity and five of whom are still living .. Dr. and Mrs. Odell became the parents of three children: Dencie is the wife of Wesley J. Clizbe, of Chicago; and they have three sons: Roscoe J., Floyd Odell, and Harry John; Ida May, the second child, died at the age of twenty-one years, un- married; John L. married Miss Bell Boughton and they reside in Chi- cago, having no children, but by a former marriage he has one daugh- ter, Marguerite, who now resides in Wauseon, Ohio.
SAMUEL ODELL, M. D .- No other physician in Fulton county is more highly rated as a successful practitioner than Dr. Samuel Odell, of Swanton. He is a native of Olena, Huron county, O., born September 15, 1853. His parents, Samuel and Margaret (Wickham) Odell, natives of New York State, of English ancestry, were married in Huron county, where their parents had located in pioneer days. Samuel Odell died in his native county at the age of seventy-six years and is survived by his widow, now eighty years old. He was thrice married. By his first marriage there was one child, three by the sec- ond, and seven by the third marriage. The child of the first marriage is William, of Milan, 'Huron county, who served for nearly four years as a soldier in the One Hundred and Twenty-third Ohio volunteer in- fantry. Those by the second marriage are Joseph, a resident of Nor- walk, O., and a farmer by occupation; Mrs. Anson Kellogg, a widow, of Norwalk ; and Mrs. D. K. Gauff, a widow of Milan. The two sons above mentioned are widowers. The seven children of the third mar- riage are Mrs. C. H. Brainard, of Fairchild; Allen, unmarried, who lives with his mother; Samuel, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Jacob Truxell, a resident of Swanton township, Lucas county; Olive and Ida, unmarried, dressmakers of Norwalk, and Mrs. Marion Dowell, whose husband is a prominent farmer of Fulton township. Dr. Sam- uel Odell was educated in the public schools of North Fairchild, where the parental family lived for some time. He was professionally edu- cated at the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, from which in- stitution he received.a certificate, and the Toledo Medical College, graduating in 1885. His first professional work was done at Metz, Ind., from which place he soon after removed to the village of Ai, Fulton county, where he practiced about three years. Then he located at Swanton, where he has been in continuous practice ever since. The large and lucrative practice that he now enjoys is the best evidence of
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his knowledge and skill. He is actively identified with the Fulton county, the Northwestern Ohio and the Ohio State Medical societies. While his practice is general, he holds a special diploma as an oculist and aurist. Dr. Odell has also for years been largely interested in buying timber-land, establishing saw-mills, cutting the timber, and disposing of the products and lands. His success in business has been as marked as that of his professional career. He owns a fine farm of one hundred and thirty acres, well improved with substantial buildings, and a half-interest in a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Ful- ton county. To his married son and daughter each he has given a valuable farm. In his fine home place in Swanton there are five acres of land, making it one of the most desirable properties in the town. Dr. Odell is prominent in the councils of the Republican party, having served one term as coroner of the county, as member of the Swanton council four years, and for the past two years as a member of the county central committee, and in November of 1905 he was elected mayor of Swanton. His marriage to Miss Louie A. Travis was sol- emnized on August 28, 1876. She is a native of Indiana, but was a resident of Huron county, O., at the time of her marriage. To this union there have been born three children. They are: Bertha, still at home; Fred, a farmer of Swan Creek township, and Jennie, the wife of Frederick Neis, a farmer of Swan Creek township.
REV. WILLIAM S. OGLE, the able and honored pastor of St. Mary's church, at St. Mary's Corners, Amboy township, is one of the prominent members of the priesthood of the Catholic church in this section and is eminently entitled to representation in this volume. William Samuel Ogle was born in Cascade, Sheboygan county, Wis., and is of English and Irish extraction. . He was reared in the faith of Holy Mother the Church and after attending the public schools entered St. Joseph's College, Dubuque, Iowa, where he completed his classical education, and his theological course was taken in Mount St. Mary's Seminary, in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was or- dained to the priesthood on the 25th of May, 1902, at the apostolic hands of Bishop Horstmann. Father Ogle was at once assigned to his present parish, taking charge of the church and parish on the 14th of June, 1902. He entered upon the work of his high calling with great zeal, and he has infused marked vitality into all portions of the parish work, advancing the spiritual and temporal welfare of the church and having the earnest and appreciative co-operation of his people. Many improvements have been made during his short pastorate which have greatly increased the beauty and material value of the church prop- erty. The congregation now numbers about one hundred and fifty families and the parish is in a flourishing condition. Father Ogle is not only a power in his pastoral relations but is a forceful and inter- esting speaker and a man of most gracious presence. He has the high regard of the community in general and is doing a worthy work in his field of endeavor.
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THE OVAL WOOD DISH COMPANY, with principal offices at Delta, and works at Traverse City, Mich., is one of the leading busi- ness enterprises of Fulton county. It was incorporated in 1884 by J. M. Longnecker, of Delta; Henry S. , Hull, of Wauseon; and A. S. Flack, of Tiffin, with a capital stock of $50,000. The primary purpose of the company was the manufacture of the oval wood dish, but since it first commenced business its scope has been widened to include among its products wire end dishes, clothes-pins, wooden wash-boards, and certain grades of lumber. As the hard or sugar-maple is the only wood used in the manufacture of the wooden butter-dish the works were established at .Traverse City, soon after incorporation, in order to more easily obtain suitable timber. The plant is under the personal supervision of the president, Henry S. Hull, and the offices at Delta, where the general business of the company is transacted, are in charge of Mr. Longnecker and a corps of capable assistants. Over three hundred people find remunerative employment in the various depart- ments of this concern; the original incorporators still control the af- fairs of the company, and the output has grown to mammoth propor- tions. The wooden butter-dish came as an innovation and a boon to grocers and dealers in meats. It has been generally introduced to the trade throughout the United States and Canada, and is fast coming into popular favor in European countries. The wooden dish was in- vented by S. H. Smith, formerly a resident of Delta, but now of Hills- dale, Mich., but it remained for J. M. Longnecker to apply the basic principle underlying its production. It is largely due to his business sagacity that the Oval Wood Dish Company owes its existence, and the great degree of success it has attained is largely due to his unceas- ing efforts, his business acumen and the high order of his executive ability and of those who he has associated with him. But the estab- lishment of this industry-of itself a great triumph in the industrial world-is not the only line in which Mr. Longnecker has shown him- self to be a useful, public-spirited and consequently a highly appre- ciated citizen of the community in which he lives. He was largely instrumental in securing the passage through Delta and Fulton county of the Toledo and Indiana electric railway, one of the best-equipped electric lines in the State of Ohio. As president of this corporation he has always been a potent factor in shaping its affairs, and with that same quick perception and tenacity of purpose that have distinguished his course in other undertakings, he has. placed the road among the popular and successful lines of the country. In 1900 he erected a fine, three-story brick hotel, furnished it throughout and made it ready for guests. The result is that Delta has one of the best-appointed and most popular hotels in Northwestern Ohio, "The Lincoln," comparing favorably with the leading hostelries of some cities twice as large. Mr. Longnecker is a native of the "Keystone State," having been born in Cumberland county, Pa., and there reared and educated. While still in his 'teens he, like many another gallant youth of that great com- monwealth, heard the call of his country, and in the dark days of the Civil war enrolled as a musician in Company B, Forty-seventh Penn- sylvania volunteer militia. After three months in this service he en-
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listed in C. npany K, One Hundred and Ninety-second Pennsylvania volunteer infantry, where he served until the close of the war. In both organizations his lot was cast with the Army of the Potomac, where he was an active participant in some of the most stirring and decisive engagements of the war. When war against Spain was de- clared in the spring of 1898 he again offered his services to his coun- try and was made a United States paymaster. In this capacity he was stationed most of the time at Washington, D. C., where he was en- gaged in paying mileage and allowances to officers and men. His duties in this line of work were discharged with the same thorough- ness and fidelity that have marked the conduct of his private under- takings. Mr. Longnecker located at Delta in 1870, and soon became identified with the progress and development of that beautiful little city. Throughout his entire residence, of more than a third of a cen- tury there, his career has been distinguished by patriotism, progressive- ness and persistence. Always true to his local, state and national in- stitutions, yet filled with a desire to see them keep pace with the world's progress, he never swerves a line from what he conceives to be the highest duties of a citizen. Politically he is a stanch supporter of Re- publican principles, but has never been a seeker for public office, find- ing his highest satisfaction in assisting worthy men to positions of trust and responsibility, that his political principles may be properly sustained and his party's creed vindicated. In the councils of Free Masonry Mr. Longnecker occupies a high place and takes special in- terest in the deliberations of that ancient and honorable fraternity. In his domestic relations he is to be emulated, if pot envied. For a life companion he selected Miss Almeda, daughter of Simon Zimmerman, one of the pioneers of Fulton county. To this happy union have been born four sons, each an honor to his parents. Charles S. is the owner of the Delta electric light plant, in which he is doing a prosperous busi- ness, and has displayed many of those sterling qualities that have char- acterized his worthy father; Fred M. is associated with his father in -business ; Benjamin F. is a graduate of the New York School of Law and is rapidly working his way to eminence in the legal profession, and Edgar B. is attending college at Cleveland, Ohio.
JOHN CALVIN PALMER, a builder and contractor of Wauseon, was born in that city in 1869. He is the son of Myron T. and Eugenia (Jacobs) Palmer, both natives of Ohio, the former having been born near Norwalk, Ridgefield township, Huron county, and the latter in the same county. His paternal grandfather, John Palmer, came from New York in an early day and located in Huron county, settling on the farm on which M. T. Palmer lived. The Palmers originally came from near Stonington, Conn. Myron Palmer before attaining to his majority enlisted in the Sixth United States cavalry and served four years. His regiment was a part of the Army of the Potomac and served under both Generals McClellan and Sheridan. He took part in no less than thirty-five battles and skirmishes, and was twice slightly wounded. In 1868 he came to Wauseon, where for three years he en- gaged in the mercantile business. Then he took up the work of con-
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tracting and building, which occupation he followed as long as he lived. For several terms he was a member of the city council, for he always took an active part as a Democrat in - local politics. Having served his country so faithfully, he naturally took a deep interest in the affairs of the Grand Army of the Republic. His wife was the daughter of Whitney and Clyth (Mix) Jacobs, the former the son of E. W. Jacobs and the grandson of Asa and Elizabeth (Whiting) Jacobs, both natives of Brattleboro, Vt. The members of this family were among the pioneer settlers of Huron county. The father of the subject of this sketch died on the home farm on February 15, 1902. The children of Myron T. and Eugenia Palmer are: Harlow, a resi- dent of Wauseon; Luella, now Mrs. Charles McHenry, of Chicago; Centilla, the wife of Harry Berry, of Toledo; Lina, wife of Ed. New- comer, a druggist of Wauseon, and John Calvin, the subject of this. sketch. J. C. Palmer received a liberal education in the public schools of his native city, and was carefully trained for a business career. After completing his education he became a member of the firm of Palmer & Palmer, contractors and builders, of which firm he is the surviving member. For eighteen years he has been actively engaged in this work. The greater part of the fine private dwellings of Wau- seon are the handiwork of Palmer & Palmer. This firm has met with phenomenal success because it has. uniformly dealt honestly with its patrons by charging only moderate prices and using the very best of material. The many beautiful residences of the city are monuments to the skill and workmanship of the firm. For one term he served as mayor of his native city, having been elected to that office as a Demo- crat. The fact that he is the second Democratic mayor the city has ever had certainly proves that he stands high with his fellow-citizens, and that his real worth is fully appreciated by them. Honest and straightforward in all of his dealings, Mr. Palmer richly deserves the good will and respect of the people of Wauseon. He is also actively identified with the Masons and Woodmen. He married Miss Christine Martin, formerly of Chicago, whose father, a contractor and builder, lost his fortune in the great fire of that city. Only one child, Letha by name, has blessed this union.
WILLIAM PERCIVAL, one of the well-known and highly es- teemed farmers and stock-growers of Swan Creek township, was born in the county of Cumberland, England, on the 12th of March, 1845, and in August, 1849, his parents came to America and located in Elyria, Lorain county, Ohio, and in this State they passed the remain- der of their lives. Mr. Percival is a son of William and Hannah (Hutchison) Percival, both of whom were born and reared in Cumber- -land county, England. They became the parents of six children, of whom the subject of this review was the only son. The mother died in Lorain county, in 1860, and the father passed away in 1871. William Percival, Jr., was reared to maturity in Lorain county, receiving a com- -mon-school education of somewhat circumscribed character and early becoming dependent upon his own resources. His life has been filled with earnest and consecutive endeavor and he has the utmost appre- ciation for the dignity of honest toil and the worthiness of him who
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performs it, so that he is essentially a judge of the true values of human existence and is charitable and kindly in his relations with his fellow- men. At the age of seventeen years Mr. Percival manifested his in- trinsic loyalty to the Republic by enlisting in Company K, Tenth Ohio volunteer cavalry, in the year 1862. His command was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland, and he served under General' Kilpatrick, taking part in the battle of Chickamauga, and the siege of Tullahoma, and being under fire for thirty-one days in the Elk river campaign. He was a participant in seventeen general engagements, besides numer- ous minor conflicts, and while he escaped wounds he was seriously dis- abled in a train wreck, was also taken prisoner, and he lost the sight of his right eye by paralysis, while in the service. While he was on picket duty near Huntsville, Ala., all the pickets except himself were captured. He reached the regimental headquarters and gave the alarm, thus saving the entire command from practically certain capture. For this valiant service he was tendered promotion, and at his own request was advanced simply to the position of guard at General John B. Turchin's headquarters. Mr. Percival received his honorable discharge on the 17th of February, 1864, and then came to Fulton county, where he remained until the following February, when he re-enlisted, in Swan Creek township, becoming a member of Company C, One Hundred and Eighty-second Ohio volunteer infantry, and he received his final discharge in July following, the war having then closed. He returned to Fulton county, and that he had a definite attraction to draw him to this section is evident when we revert to the circumstance that, on the 3d of September, 1865, he was here united in marriage to Miss Ellen Koder, who was born in Ashland county, and who proved a devoted companion and helpmeet during the years of his struggle to gain a firm footing on the plane of independence and prosperity. She died Feb- ruary 6th, 1886, and is survived by four children: Agnes is the wife of Jacob Kriger, of Amboy township; George is a successful carpenter and builder in Swanton; Jennie is the wife of Charles Sisson, of Swan Creek township; and. Oril is employed in the State Hospital for the Insane in the city of Toledo. In 1888 Mr. Percival married his present wife, whose maiden name was Arabella Spaulding, and who was born and reared in Swan Creek township. They became the parents of two children, one of whom is living, Eva, who remains at the parental home. Floyd died in 1893, at the age of four years. In politics Mr. Percival is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and he is affili- ated with Swanton Lodge, No. 528, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and with Fulton Encampment, No. 289, of the same order, at Delta, having passed the principal official chairs in each body. Mrs. Percival is a member of the Rebekah Lodge of the I. O. O. F. Mr. Percival has cleared and reclaimed fully one hundred acres of land. in Fulton county, mostly in Fulton township, having been an indefa- tigable worker throughout life, though frequently handicapped by phy- sical infirmities, having had to use crutches at intervals, and, as before stated, he has the use of but one eye. He now has a well-improved farm of twenty acres, in Swan Creek township, and is in independent circumstances.
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HARRISON PATTERSON is a native son of the Buckeye State, which he loyally represented as a Union soldier during the Civil war, and he is numbered among the prominent farmers of Royalton township, where he is the owner of a well-improved farm of eighty acres in Section 16, and he maintains his residence in the village of Lyons, from which his farm is a short dis- tance. He was born in Trumbull township, Ashtabula county, Ohio, April 16, 1841, a son of Abel and Amy (Comstock) Patter- son, the former born in Connecticut and the latter in the State of New York. The pa- ternal grandfather, likewise a native of Connecticut and a representa- tive of old Colonial stock, was numbered among the pioneers of Ash- tabula county, Ohio, having located in Trumbull township, where he remained until the close of his life. The maternal grandfather, David Comstock, was likewise an early settler in Ashtabula county, whither he came from New York State, and later he located in Fairfield town- ship, Lenawee county, Mich., where he passed the remainder of his days. Abel and Amy (Comstock) Patterson came to Fulton county in 1844, at which time the subject of this review was about three years of age, and the father purchased twenty-six acres of land in Section 12, Royalton township, and an adjoining fifty-four acres in Fairfield township, Lenawee county, Mich. He cleared and improved his farm and became one of the influential men of his section, continuing to re- side on the old homestead until his death, in 1892, at the age of sev- enty-six years, and his devoted wife was called to the life eternal on the ad of January, 1904, aged eighty-five years. They became the parents of eleven children, namely : Sylvester, Harrison, John, Emily, Adeline, Adelbert, Alonzo, Jason, Thomas, Davis, and Elnora. Syl- vester died while serving as a member of an Ohio regiment in the Civil war; Emily is the wife of Lewis Hackett; Adeline is the wife of James Royce; and Elnora is the wife of James Smith. Harrison Patterson passed his boyhood and youth on the old homestead farm, availing him- self of such advantages as were offered in the local schools, and con- tributing his quota to the strenuous work of the farm. Finally he re- sponded to the call of higher duty, tendering his services in defense of his country, whose integrity was jeopardized by armed rebellion. Oc- tober 2, 1862, when twenty-one years of age, he enlisted as a private in Company F, Sixty-seventh Ohio volunteer infantry, with which he proceeded to the front, taking part in the battles of Fort Wagner, City Point, Malvern Hill, Deep Bottom, the Wilderness, and many minor conflicts, and being with his regiment at the capture of Fort Gregg, in front of Petersburg, and thence taking part in the campaign through to Appomattox, being present at the surrender of General Lee, and having received his honorable discharge at Charlottesville, Va., in Sep- tember, 1865. On his return home he engaged in work at the carpen-
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