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 74
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WILLIAM W. WHETSTONE, who is engaged in the general merchandise business at Zone, Franklin township, has built up an ex- cellent trade and is one of the popular citizens of this section of Ful- ton county. He was born in Pioneer, Williams county, on the 9th of May, 1864, and is a son of William and Louisa (Heynes) Whetstone, the former of whom was born in Mercer county, Ohio, and the latter
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in Akron, Summit county. The parents of William Whetstone were numbered among the pioneers of Mercer county, having come to Ohio from the State of Pennsylvania. William Whetstone was engaged in farming in Mercer county until about 1862, when he removed to Williams county, where he was engaged in farming for a number of years, later removing to Defiance county. He and his wife are now residents of Beaverton, Galdwin county, Mich. Of their six children William W. is the eldest; Ida is the wife of James Hutchinson, of Gladwin, Mich .; Daniel is a resident of Defiance county, Ohio; Charles is deceased; George resides in Defiance county; Ernest re- sides in Montana; and Mary remains at the parental home. William W. Whetstone was four years of age at the time of his parents' re- moval to Defiance county, in whose public schools he secured excellent educational advantages. He initiated his independent career by iden- tifying himself with the construction work on the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, remaining thus employed for a period of five years. He then came to Fulton county, being employed on a farm near Wauseon for one year, and for the following three years he was employed by the month as a farm hand in Franklin township. In 1893 he purchased a farm in this township, and in 1902 he bought another, in the same township. He has sold a portion of his land but still retains one hundred acres. He has also done considerable con- tracting and building in this county. In the spring of 1905 he pur- chased the general store of William Gunsaullus, at Zone, and he car- ries a good stock of dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, clothing, etc., so that he is enabled to meet the demands of his large and con- stantly increasing patronage. On the 28th of February, 1890, Mr. Whetstone was united in marriage to Miss Alice Ely, who was born and reared in Franklin township, being a daughter of the late Camp- bell Ely, who was an honored pioneer of Fulton county. Mr. and Mrs. Whetstone have one child, Guy. M'r. Whetstone is held in high esteem in his home community, and this fact is evidenced by his being in tenure of the office of trustee of Franklin township. He is a Demo- crat in his political adherency and is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
ENOS WELLS, one of the honored citizens and venerable pioneers of Clinton township, where he is the owner of a valuable farm, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, on the 11th of November, 1829. He is a' son of Moses Wells, who was born in the State of Maryland, in 1788, and who came to Ohio in 1809, first locating in Wayne county and later removing to Holmes county, where he engaged in agricul- tural pursuits. In that county was solemnized his marriage to Miss Kernhappoch Gorsuch, and in 1850 he came with his family to Fulton county, where he purchased a quarter-section of land, in Clinton township, securing the tract from the government, and he eventually added to the area of his landed estate until he had three hundred and twenty acres, the major portion of which he reclaimed from the virgin forest, developing one of the best farms in the locality. He and his wife continued residents of Fulton county until death, and their names
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merit a place on the roll of the sterling pioneers of this favored sec- tion of the old Buckeye state. Of their family of fourteen children only four are now living, the subject of this sketch being the eldest of the number. Leonard W. is a resident of the State of Colorado; Charles N. maintains his home in Kansas City, Missouri; and Lucy Ann is the wife of James Hodgsboon, of Wauseon, Fulton county, Ohio. Enos Wells was reared and educated in Holmes county, where he grew up to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, and his edu- cational advantages were those afforded in the somewhat primitive schools of the locality and period. He was about twenty-one years of age at the time of the family removal to Fulton county, and here he rendered yeoman service in connection with the reclaiming of the homestead farm and in the erection of the necessary buildings, and he also aided in the construction of the early roads throughout this section of the county, said highways being mostly of the primitive corduroy type. His present homestead, which is well-improved and under effective cultivation, comprises eighty-five acres, and its prac- tical operation is carried on by his eldest son. Mr. Wells is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, with which he has been identified from practically the time of its organization, and he has ever shown a loyal interest in the welfare of the township and county to whose development and progress he has contributed in no small degree. He and his wife are members of the Christian church, in which he has held the office of elder for more than a score of years. On the 6th of April, 1856, Mr. Wells was united in marriage to Miss Jane Tedrow, daughter of Isaac Tedrow, one of the sterling pioneers of Fulton county. Concerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wells the following brief record is entered: David N., who was born on the 4th of July, 1857, has charge of his father's farm and is also the owner of a well- improved farm of eighty acres in Putnam county. He married Miss Della A. Miley, daughter of Matthias Miley, member of one of the old and honored families of Fulton county. David N. Wells is a Re- publican in his political proclivities and in a fraternal way is identified with the lodge of the Knights of Pythias in Wauseon. Delilah Elzina, who was born April 22, 1860, is the wife of Jerome Loveland, at one time a prominent business man of Toledo, Ohio, but now a contractor and builder at Tedrow, Ohio. Mary E., born in 1863, is the wife of George Carl, of Shreve, Wayne county. Lucy Annetta, born Septem- ber II, 1866, is deceased. Lily Alice, born in 1869, is the wife of Edward Bayes, a successful farmer of Fulton county. Verna C., born July 7, 1872, is deceased. William W., born March 12, 1875, married Miss Cora Conway, and they reside in Kibbie, Michigan, where he is a representative merchant.
GEORGE R. WHITEHORNE, who was a prominent dealer in clothing and gents' furnishings at Delta, was born at Archbold, Fulton county, July 15, 1865. He is the son of Myron and Mary (Williams) Whitehorne, both natives of New York State, whose ancestors lived in England, Scotland and Ireland. His maternal grandfather, Henry F. Williams, was one of the first settlers of the territory now embraced
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in Northwestern Ohio. He was the builder of the first passenger boat operated on the Maumee river. In hunting and trapping he was not excelled by any other party in that country, and his wife was equally expert in marksmanship. He was quite noted in his day as a man of education and ability and assisted in surveying the lines between Ohio and Michigan and between Ohio and Indiana. Myron Whitehorne served for three and one-half years in the Union army during the Civil war and was a prisoner at Andersonville for more than a year. While General Sherman's campaign against Atlanta was in progress the Confederate authorities thought it best to remove some of the prisoners from Andersonville to Macon for safe-keeping, and while in transit Mr. Whitehorne with one companion escaped from the box- car in which they were confined and for fourteen days subsisted on such things as they could find in the fields and woods before they reached the Union lines. Of twenty-one soldiers captured at the time he was taken he saw nineteen carried out of camp dead. After the war he engaged in the hardware business, which business is now operated by his sons. He and wife were the parents of four sons and one daughter. They are: Olney J., the owner of a feed and livery establishment at Toledo, O .; George R., subject of this sketch; Frank, living at home; Bertha, still at home, and Wellington B., who lost his life in the Spanish-American war. Myron Whitehorne died at Archbold in September, 1901, having outlived his wife two years. George R. Whitehorne grew to manhood at Archbold, where he grad- uated from the high school. After taking a course in the com- mercial department of the Fayette, O., Normal he taught school two years. At the age of nineteen he was chosen bookkeeper in the store of which his father was a partner. August 15, 1893, he came to Delta and formed a partnership with J. M. Longnecker in the clothing business. He is a Past Master of Fulton Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons, a member of Octavius Waters Chapter, No. 154, Royal Arch Masons, of the Toledo, O., Commandery, and of No. 320 Scottish Rite Consistory at Cleveland. In politics he is a stanch Republican, but in no sense an aspirant to political office. His serv- ice on the Archbold board of education proves that he is interested in school affairs. While working in his father's store he was married to Miss Ida P. Zimmerman, a daughter of Simon Zimmerman of Delta, one of the oldest and most highly respected families of Fulton county. One child has blessed this union, Hugh Carr, a lad eight years old. Close application to business, sound business sense and untiring energy have enabled Mr. Whitehorne to win success in busi- ness.
JULIUS C. WHITEHORNE, who stands at the head of the well- known hardware firm of Whitehorne Brothers, of Archbold, has long been identified with the business life of Fulton county and was asso- ciated intimately with his older brother, Myron, until the latter's death, and the original firm name is still retained. In the memoir of his brother, appearing immediately following this one, due data in regard to the family genealogy are given, and also details regarding the busi-
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ness career of the two brothers, so that reference may well be made to the article mentioned, as supplementing this brief review of the career of Julius C. He was born in Pittsfield township, Hillsdale county, Michigan, September 12, 1842, and is a son of Robinson and Mary M. (Treadwell) Whitehorne, who were numbered among the very early settlers of that locality, where they continued to reside until summoned to the life eternal. Mr. Whitehorne passed his boyhood days on the home farm, and after duly attending the district schools availed himself of the advantages of the high school at Hudson, Mich. In 1863 he came to Ohio and began teaching in the public schools of Archbold, and when his brother Myron returned from his service as a soldier in the Civil war they here engaged in the milling business. After two years Julius C. rented his interest in the mill to his brother and for the ensuing three years gave his attention to teaching. There- after he was again identified with the milling enterprise until 1882, when he and his brother engaged in the hardware business, which has since been successfully continued, the concern being one of the most important of the sort in this part of the county and controlling a large and representative patronage. Julius C. Whitehorne is an enterprising business man and a liberal and loyal citizen, taking a deep interest in local affairs of a public nature, and doing all in his power to further the general welfare of the community. April 12, 1864, Mr. Whitehorne was united in marriage to Miss Sarah Maria Terpening, a daughter of Peter and Lavina . Terpening, who were well known citizens of Hudson, Mich.
MYRON WHITEHORNE, who died at his home in Archbold, on the 20th of September, 1901, at the age of sixty-seven years and twelve days, was one of the most honored citizens and prominent busi- ness men of this place, was a veteran of the Civil war and was a mem- ber of the well-known firm of Whitehorne Brothers, general hard- ware merchants, the business still being conducted under the title men- tioned. He was born at Adrian, Lenawee county. Mich .. on the 8th of September. 1834. and was a son of Robinson H. and Mary Martha (Treadwell) Whitehorne. the former of whom was born in Herkimer county, N. Y., July 12, 1806, and he came to Michigan about 1834, some three years prior to the admission of the State to the Union, becoming one of the honored pioneers of the southern part of that commonwealth, where his principal vocation was farming. In earlier years he was engaged in teaching at intervals and he also studied med- icine, though he never engaged in active practice. Both he and his wife died in Michigan, the latter also having been born in the State of New York. Both attained venerable age and left the heritage of worthy lives and worthy deeds. Robinson H. Whitehorne early set- tled in Hillsdale county, Mich., and was the first justice of the peace in Pittsfield township, having taken up one hundred and twenty acres of government land, which he reclaimed from the wilderness, and he remained resident of Hillsdale county until his death, which occurred March 15, 1889, his devoted wife having passed away July 25. 1870. Of their son, Julius C., so long associated with his brother Myron in
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business, an individual sketch appears immediately preceding this one. At the time of the outbreak of the Civil war Myron Whitehorne was a resident of Fulton county, having come here from Michigan and iden- tified himself with business enterprises. At Wauseon, on the 18th of July, 1861, he enlisted in Company D, Forty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front and did well his part as a valiant and loyal soldier. September 27, 1863, at Mud Run, near Chickamauga, he was captured by the enemy, and thereafter he lan- guished in the prisons at Rome and Atlanta, Ga., and later in Libby, Pemberton, Danville and Andersonville prisons, finally making his escape by jumping from a moving train, between Macon and Ander- sonville. He rejoined his regiment, September 27, 1864, and received his honorable discharge, at Nashville. Tenn., on the 13th of the fol- lowing September. After the close of his military career he returned to Fulton county, where he engaged in the milling business. in com- pany with his brother Julius C, at Archbold He was identified with this enterprise until 1882, and the brothers also operated stave and heading mills at Archbold and at Portland, Ind. In 1882 they engaged in the general hardware and implement business, closing out their other interests, and they built up the fine business which has ever since been conducted under the firm name of Whitehorne Brothers, the hardware establishment being well-equipped and conducted according to the highest business principles Myron Whitehorne was a man of the most unbending integrity and stood as a type of loyal and public- spirited citizenship, commanding the high regard of all who knew him. In a fraternal way he was identified with the Grand Army of the Republic. January 1, 1859, Mr. Whitehorne was united in mar- riage to Miss Mary M. Williams, who was born in Lockport. N. Y., May 1, 1841, a daughter of Henry F. and Mary ( Robinson) Williams, who were likewise natives of that State, whence they came to Fulton county, Ohio, in 1848, Mr. Williams becoming one of the prosperous farmers of German township. He passed the closing years of his life in Archbold, where he died, March 25, 1884. his wife surviving him by a few years. They became the parents of four children, namely : Mary M., wife of the subject of this memoir: George W., who met his death in the Civil war; Jemima, the wife of Daniel Monteith, of Toledo; and Elizabeth J., who married Allen McWayne and died in California. Mrs. Whitehorne preceded her husband into eternal rest. her death occurring April 4, 1899. Six children were born of their union. Olney J., born December 13, 1860, is engaged in the livery business in Toledo. George R., born July 15, 1865, is engaged in mercantile business at Delta, Fulton county : he married Miss Ida O. Zimmerman, and they have one son, Hugh C. Byron J., born October 15, 1866, died April 29. 1871. Frank H .. born April 26, 1869, is practically his father's successor in the firm of Whitehorne Brothers, in Archbold. Bertha A., born January 21, 1874, remains at the old home in this village. Wellington B., born June 9, 1880, died in the division hospital at Knoxville. Tenn., September 7. 1898. At Delta, Fulton county, January 20, 1897, he enlisted in Company G, Sixteenth Regiment, Ohio National Guards, and May 12, 1898,
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with his regiment, he was mustered into the volunteer ranks for serv- ice in the Spanish-American war. He had the attributes of the ideal soldier, but he was attacked by fever which brought to him the end of the mortal life, in the very flush and power of his noble young man- hood. All his comrades mourned his loss, and those to whom he was linked by family ties felt the most poignant grief, though realizing that he had died at the post of duty and patriotism, as truly as though he had fallen in battle.
ISAAC WILEY is the owner of one of the fine farmsteads of Ful- ton township, and when it is stated that he has resided on the place from the time he was about four years of age until the present- representing more than half a century-and that within these years has never been absent from the farm more than three consecutive weeks at any one time, it will be understood that the homestead is doubly endeared to him through the memories and associations of the past. Mr. Wiley was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., on the 24th of October, 1850, and is a son of Robert and Maria (Walters) Wiley, both of whom were natives of that same county where they maintained their home until 1851, when, with their three children, they came to Fulton county, and in 1854 they located upon the farm now owned and occupied by their son Isaac, who was about a year old at the time of the removal from the old Keystone State. The original purchase was a tract of eighty acres of wild land, and this the honored father reclaimed and improved, and on the homestead both he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. He was born March 4, 1809. His death occurred January 6, 1887, and his devoted wife passed away November 24, 1881, at the age of sixty-two years. Three children were born to them after the removal to Ful- ton county, and of the total of six only two are now living: Rebecca, the eldest, died at the age of sixteen years; Henry was two years old at time of death, and died on the homestead now owned by Mr. Wiley; Isaac was the next in order of birth; John died at the age of fourteen years; two died in infancy; Susan, wife of Harrison Hamp, died near Swanton, this county, January 7, 1904, leaving no children ; and Sarah was the wife of Eli Winchell, who died on October 30, 1905, at North Adams, Hillsdale county, Mich. Isaac Wiley, as already intimated, was reared on the home farm, in whose operations he began to assist when a boy, and in the early days he attended the pioneer log school-house, making the best use of the advantages afforded him. January 7, 1871, Mr. Wiley was married to Miss Ivey Hamp, a sister of Harrison Hamp, previously mentioned in this article. She was born within a mile of her present home, on the 27th of April, 1852, and is a daughter of John and Rebecca (Norris) Hamp. John Hamp was born in Ohio, whither his parents came from Germany, where two of their children were born. They located in Fulton township, Fulton county, in the early '30's, being numbered among the sterling pioneers of this locality, where they passed the remainder of their lives. Ivey Hamp, mother of John, attained the extremely venerable age of one hundred and seven years. John and
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Rebecca Hamp became the parents of three sons and six daughters : Catherine is the wife of George Sheffer, and they reside near Ai, Ful- ton township; Ivey, wife of Mr. Wiley, was the second child; John, born July 15, 1853, died October 6, 1865; Mary Jane is the wife of Wanton Eddy, of Harvey, Ill .; Harrison is a prosperous farmer of Ful- ton township; William is a resident of Swanton; Elizabeth is the wife of Thomas Lace, of Hudson, Mich .; Emeline died in infancy, in 1862; and Margaret Ellen, born in 1864, died December 6, 1879. John Hamp, father of these children, was born May 26, 1827, and is now residing on a farm in Williams county. His wife, who was born June 4, 1831, died April 23, 1887. Jacob Hamp, father of John, served with fidelity as a Continental soldier during the War of the Revolu- tion, having been a member of a New York regiment. Reverting also to the Wiley genealogy, it may be stated that Robert Wiley, father of the subject of this review, was twice married, his first wife dying a number of years prior to his removal to Ohio. Of the children of the first marriage two sons and one daughter attained maturity. Wil- liam died in Los Angeles, Cal. Lemuel, the other son, served five years in the regular army of the United States, having been identi- fied with the frontier warfare against the Indians and having still been in the army at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. After his discharge from the regular army he enlisted as a volunteer, and thus included in his service the entire period of the Rebellion, having been twice wounded and once taken prisoner. He is now living in the State of Oregon. Mrs. Jemima Russell, daughter of Robert Wiley by his first marriage, died in Lucas county, Ohio. Isaac and Ivey (Hamp) Wiley have two children. The elder, Lyman Eugene, a successful farmer of Fulton township, married Miss Mabel Fraker, and to their only son has been given the name of Fraker. Minnie, the younger child of Mr. Wiley, is the wife of George Percival, son of William Percival, elsewhere mentioned in this publication. They have one son, Homer. Mr. and Mrs. Wiley's marriage was solemnized in their present residence, and he has always lived on the old homestead farm, having come into possession of the same partly through inheri- tance and partly through purchase. The well improved place com- prises eighty acres purchased by his father in 1854; it is under a high state of cultivation, and he also gives considerable attention to the raising of an excellent grade of live stock, being recognized as a man of discriminating business judgment, reliability and marked enter- prise. Mr. Wiley has been a supporter of the Republican party from the time of attaining his majority, and in earlier years was somewhat active in the local party work, though never seeking office. He still takes a definite interest in the cause of the party, and is public-spirited in his attitude. He served eleven years as school director, and within this period did much to further local educational interests. In July, 1874, Mr. Wiley became a member of Swanton Lodge, No. 528, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and in the same he has passed the principal official stations. Both he and his wife are also identified with the allied organization, Fern Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah, and she is also affiliated with the Rathbone Sisters, an adjunct of the Knights
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of Pythias, of which her son is a member, and she is also a member of the Woman's Relief Corps of Swanton. She is also a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
EDWARD EVERETT WILLIAMS, of Wauseon, probate judge of Fulton county, a descendant of one of the pioneers of that county, was born in Clinton township in 1864. He is the son of Jeremiah M. and Matilda (Biddle) Williams, both natives of Ohio. Jeremiah M. Williams was born near Tiffin, Seneca county, O., in 1822, and when twelve years old came with his father, Elisha Williams, and his two brothers, John H. and Burt, and his sister, Mrs. Thomas Lingle, to Clinton township in 1834 Here he grew to manhood and took an active part in local affairs, serving as township trustee for some years. His wife, Matilda Williams. was the daughter of Samuel Biddle who came to York township, Fulton county, from Wayne county. He was deeply interested in township affairs and served as justice of the peace for a number of years. Edward Everett Williams, the subject of this sketch, was reared on a farm and educated in the public schools of Fulton county, being a graduate of the Wauseon high school. He remained on the farm until he embarked in the grocery business at Archbold, Fulton county, which business he conducted successfully for two and one-half years, when he sold it. For seven years he served as deputy probate judge of Fulton county. So well did he perform the duties of his office that in 1899 the people elected him to the office of probate judge, a just recognition of the ability that he displayed while serving as deputy. Three years later he was re-elected and he is now serving in that capacity. In him the people realize that they have an impartial judge and a man who has the moral courage to do what is right, regardless of the cost. To fill this important office successfully executive ability of no mean order and a ripened judgment are required. both of which qualities Judge Williams possesses. He is Worshipful Master of Wauseon Lodge. No. 349, Free and Accepted Masons. and a Knight Templar. He mar- ried Miss Alice B. Meeks, the daughter of William J. Meeks, Jr., and Mary J. (Cornell) Meeks. William J. Meeks. Jr .. was born in Wayne county, April 4, 1832. and married Mary Jane Cornell. They had the following children : Flora B .: Albert M .; James, deceased : Franklin and Alice B .. who is the wife of the subject of this sketch. Mr. Meeks was one of the leaders of the Democratic party of Fulton county. President Cleveland recognizing his worth, appointed him postmaster of Wauseon, in which he was serving at the time of his death. in 1885. His father. William J. Meeks, Sr., was born in Fairfield county, O., in 1800, and died in Fulton county in 1875. Mary Jane (Cornell) Meeks was the daughter of James Cornell, Jr., and Mar- garet (Baggs) Cornell. James Cornell, Jr., was born in Trenton, N. J., January 26, 1805, and come to Fulton county in 1837, being one of the pioneer settlers of Clinton township. His prominence in public affairs is shown by the fact that he served as county commissioner for three terms. He died at his home aged seventy-nine years. His father, James Cornell, Sr., together with four brothers settled in Man-
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