The History of Wyandot County, Ohio, containing a history of the county, its townships, towns general and local statistics, military record, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc, Part 66

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway
Number of Pages: 1072

USA > Ohio > Wyandot County > The History of Wyandot County, Ohio, containing a history of the county, its townships, towns general and local statistics, military record, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc > Part 66

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

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cent of the amount in full for their claim against Fowler & Wicks. About the time of trial. November, 1867, Dr. Brinkerhoff and his family were poisoned by the use of butter, the Doctor being prostrated for nearly three years, with little hope of recovery. The great expense incident to this ill- ness reduced him almost to penury, and during this time the firm of Brink- erhoff & Beery was mutually dissolved. After partial recovery, in 1870 he and his son, under the firm name of Brinkerhoff & Son, engaged in the sewing machine and organ business, adding queensware and cutlery in 1872. At that time they controlled the sale of several leading organs and sewing machines in the counties of Wyandot, Crawford, Seneca and Marion, and did an extensive and profitable business, their annual sales amounting to $70,000. But from overwork, returning illness, the panic of 1873, and the shrinkage of value of goods, the firm was compelled to suspend business, owing a debt of $16,000. Bankrupt in health and fortune, he determined to make one more effort to retrieve the losses sustained by sickness and busi- ness disasters. With poor health and crushed in finances, he again went to work on the road in efforts to cure piles. In this he succeeded beyond ex- pectation, through the invention of instruments and remedies which enabled him to explore and examine the rectum and reach these maladies. After a practice of more than six years, the performance of more than 80,000 oper- ations by himself, and the adoption of the system by many physicians in nearly all the States of the Union, he is again "upon his feet," weighing 275 pounds, his financial standing being no less satisfactory. His individ- ual practice pays him $30 to $150 per day, cash receipts, this being but a part of his extensive business, now prosecuted in company with his sons. He is the patentee of five articles, surgical instruments and remedies for rectal treatment, and from these he receives a handsome income. The net receipts of their joint business from April 1, 1883, to January 1, 1884, ag- gregated $22,000. This is not the result of college education, as Mr. Brinkerhoff has never even attended a common school, and has received only sixty days' instruction since he was twelve years of age. Inventive genius, application, pluck and general business ability are the elements of charac- ter that have tided him over the turbulent sea of business life. Dr. Brink- erhoff was married the second time at Gettysburg, Penn., December 21, 1865, to Miss Margaret Lott, daughter of Henry and Magdalene (Houghtelin) Lott, of Adams County, Penn. Her father died there August 3, 1883, aged eighty-nine years. Her mother died October 4, 1879, aged seventy- nine. Mrs. Brinkerhoff was born in Adams County, Penn., December 11, 1828. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church, formerly of the United Presbyterian. Dr. Brinkerhoff is Congregational in sentiment, but in the absence of that denomination in his resident town he united with the Pres- byterian society. He has been a Republican since the organization of that party; has held no office, always declining to be a candidate when asked. He is highly esteemed as a citizen in his resident town, Upper Sandusky, where he resides in an elegant residence on Eighth street. In another part of this work we present to our readers an excellent engraving of this distin- guished citizen. He is now sixty-three years old, buoyant in spirits; has seen and felt much of the rough of life; has never yielded despairingly to misfortunes; looked ahead and pressed on, and says he would like to see 1900, but, like others, must quit when the Master calls. In connection with Philip Perdue, in 1856, he took out the first patent issued to a citizen of this county. Since then he has taken out over thirty more. Some, he says, good, others worthless. He believes in living to do, and not to weary or stop from failure-the rock on which so many stick.

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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.

MILFORD H. BRINKERHOFF, of the firm of A. W. Brinkerhoff & Son, was born in Tymochtee Township, this county, February 22, 1849; he is the son of A. W. and Martha E. Brinkerhoff, and was reared at Sycamore till seven years of age, when he removed with his parents to Upper Sandusky, ob- tained a high school education, and at the age of eighteen embarked in his present business, the sale of pianos, organs and se .ving machines. 'The firm does an extensive business, having sold over 5,000 sewing machines, making a specialty of the "New Home." He was married, October 24, 1876, to Mary Kiskadden, daughter of Alexander and Elizabeth (Williams) Kiskadden, early settlers of the county, now residents of Gilman, Ill. Mr. and Mrs. Brinkerhoff are the parents of three children-Harry A., born October 23, 1877; Grace M., born December 9, 1879; and Frank, born November 26, 1881. Mr. Brinkerhoff is a member of the Legion of Honor, Knights of Honor and Royal Arcanum. Politically, he is a Republican.

WILLIAM BROWN was born in this county December 22, 1842. He is a son of Abram and Frances (Coon) Brown, who came to this county in an early day, purchased land, and reared a family of eleven children, eight living -Henry, John, William, Jacob, Elizabeth, Sarah, Hester A. and Catharine. The mother died in August, 1870; the father in January, 1880. William, the subject of this sketch, was engaged at home till his twenty-first year. He became a member of the Ohio National Guard, and enlisted Feb- ruary 8, 1864, in Company K, Fifty-fourth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and entered the regular service. He participated in the battles of Resaca, Kene- saw Mountain, Big Shanty, Peach Tree Creek, Fort McAllister, Jonesboro, and all the battles of the Atlanta campaign, also with Sherman on his march to the sea, receiving his dischage at the close of the war at Little Rock, Ark. On returning home, Mr. Brown worked at the carpenter's trade two years, and then farmed; rented land until 1878, when he purchased his pres- ent farm of eighty acres to which he has since added sixty acres more, the whole valued at $75 per acre. He was married, March 3, 1870, to Harriet Paulin, who was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, September 22, 1850; her parents, John and Sarah (Candle) Paulin, came to this county in 1854, and still reside here. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have four children -- Alvin E., born July 24, 1871; Bertha L., February 22, 1873; Alice, March 25, 1876; and Sarah M., June 4. 1880. In politics, Mr. Brown is a Republican; he is a member of the K. of H., G. A. R., and is well respected as a citizen in his community.

SOL B. BUCKLES, proprietor of Central Hotel, Upper Sandusky, was born in Wells County, Ind., November 19, 1858. He is the son of John H. and Harriet S. (Vorhes) Buckles, natives of Greene and Ham- ilton County, Ohio, respectively. They were the parents of six children, namely: Rhoda, Elizabeth, Francis, Jennie, Sol B., William T. and Charles; the latter is deceased. John H. Buckles, the father of our subject removed from Indiana to Upper Sandusky in 1880, and assumed control of the Central Hotel. In 1883, he was succeeded by his son, Sol B., and returned to Marion, Ind., taking charge of the Grand View Hotel of that place where he is still engaged. Mrs. Buckles is deceased, her death occurr- ing at Fort Wayne, Ind., May 10, 1875. Sol B., our subject, was par- tially educated at Bluffton, Ind., where he resided till about thirteen years of age, when he removed with his parents to-Fort Wayne, completing his edu- cation in a commercial college of that city at the age of eighteen. In 1880, he removed to Upper Sandusky, and assisted his father in the management of the Central House, assuming full control in October, 1883. He has re-

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paired and refitted the establishment, and made it one of the most pleasant stopping places in the city. Mr. Buckles was married at Upper Sandusky, April 18, 1883, to Miss Emma J. Snodgrass, daughter of William and Eliza- beth Snodgrass, both now deceased. fie is increasing his patronage, both transient and regular, and has a fair prospect for success in the bus- iness for which he is so thoroughly qualified. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias, Wyandot Lodge, No. 174, a Republican, and, with his wife, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

JOHN BUSER, farmer, was born in Canton Basel, Switzerland, July 30, 1827, to Jacob and Barbara (Buser) Buser, who emigrated to America in 1845, landing in New York June 1. They soon after settled in Little Sandusky, where they purchased 200 acres at the Government land sales, and where they resided until their decease. The mother died November 24, 1869; the father December 9, 1874. The former was born February, 1801, and the latter April 6, 1800. They were the parents of four children, three living-John, Barbara and Elizabeth. The former obtained a fair educa- tion in his native country, where he also learned the trade of silk we aving; but since his advent in this country he has devoted his entire attention to ag .. riculture He was married, October 20, 1855, to Christina Stief, a native of Baden, Germany, born September 13, 1833. They have three children liv- ing, viz .: Elizabeth, born November 11, 1856; Mary, September 6, 1858; Emma C., January 3, 1872. The deceased was Catharine, born December 27, 1859, died November 12, 1862. Mr. Buser has resided on his present

farm since 1845. He has 136 acres, well improved, and in his dooryard stands a log cabin built by one Armstrong, an Indian chief. Mr. Buser served one year as School Director. and in politics is a Democrat.

DENNIS W. BYRON, M. D., is a native of Huntingdon County, Penn., and was born September 19, 1825. His father, John Byron, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated to America about the year 1807. His mother, Mary (Kerr) Byron was born in Pennsylvania where she grew to woman- hood, her marriage to Mr. Byron occurring in Adams County, of that State about 1817. They became the parents of twelve children, all of whom at- tained their majority, and nine still living. Dr. Byron removed with his parents to Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1833, and three years later to Seneca County, where he was employed on a farm till he began his professional studies. He was educated in the public schools of Bucyrus and the district schools of Seneca County, abandoning his literary studies at the age of fifteen. He began the study of medicine with Dr. Fulton, of Bucyrus, where he remained eighteen months, entering the Eclectic Medical College of Cin- cinnati in 1852, and graduating from that institution in 1855. He imme- diately began the practice of his profession at Vandalia, Ill., where he re- mained about two and one-half years, when he returned to Ohio and located about six miles north of Bucyrus. Two years later, May, 1857, he located in Upper Sandusky where he has since been established and where he has built up an extensive practice, being one of the leading physicians of the city. By a close attention to business he has obtained a fine property con- sisting of a handsome residence located on one of the most pleasant parts of Upper Sandusky. Since 1857, his entire attention has been devoted to his profession, his long and successful experience entitling him to a place in the front rank among his fellow-devotees at the shrine of Æsculapius. He is a citizen of excellent character and a zealous advocate of Republican principles. He holds the position of Examining Physician of the Knights of Honor, of which organization he has been five years a member, and with

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HISTORY OF WYANDOT COUNTY.

which he has been officially connected four years. Dr. Byron was married at Melmore, Seneca County, February 21, 1852, to Mary A. Fitzsimmons, daughter of William and Anna (Holman) Fitzsimmons, and the children born to them are Galen F., William K., George D. and M. Myrtle-also two in- fants deceased.

WILLIAM K. BYRON, M. D., was born in Vandalia, Ill., January 19, 1855, son of Dennis W. and Mary A. (Fitzsimmons) Byron. He was educated in the Union Schools of Upper Sandusky, leaving off his studies at the age of thirteen to learn the printer's trade with Pietro Cuneo. He continued in this occupation seven years, working in various States, and began the reading of medicine with his father in 1875. He studied two years with his father and one year with his uncle, Dr. J. F. Fitzsimmons, of Bucyrus, and entered the Wooster University at Cleveland in 1876. He graduated February 28, 1879, and immediately began the practice of his profession in partnership with his father, meeting with remarkable success. He was married, September 4, 1879, to Kate M. Prinney, daughter of the late Horace L. and Sarah (Saltsman) Prinney, a prominent resident of Erie, Penn., who, although a Democrat, served as Justice of the Peace in a Repub- lican township thirty consecutive years. Dr. and Mrs. Byron have one child-Stanley R. born June 3, 1881. Mrs. Byron was born May 1, 1855. The Doctor is the Examining Physician of the P. O. S. of A., and votes in the interest of Republicanism.

ROBERT CAREY, attorney at law, Upper Sandusky, was born in Onta- rio, Canada, February 17, 1845, son of Hugh and Margaret (Hamilton) Carey, both natives of Belfast, Ireland, and of Scotch-Irish ancestry. Mr. Carey is one of a family of eight children, seven of whom are still liv- ing-Mary, Archibald, John, Robert, Margaret, James and Hugh. His parents emigrated from Ireland to Prince Edward County, Canada, about 1832, and have since resided in that locality, the father now in his seventy- ninth, the mother in her seventy-fourth year. Robert Carey was educated at the Toronto Provincial Normal School, where he obtained a life certificate to teach in any school in the Province of Canada. He made teaching his profession while in Canada, beginning that work when about seventeen years of age, and continued in the same till 1873, when he removed to Upper Sandusky. He was employed as Superintendent of the Marseilles Schools one year, and the two following years had charge of the Union Schools of Upper Sandusky. Giving up his profession as teacher, he read law with D. W. Brooks, a prominent attorney of Detroit, Mich., and subsequently at- tended the Law Department of Ann Arbor University one year. From November, 1879, to May, 1880, he studied under the instructions of Judge Mott, when he was admitted to practice in all the courts. Since that time, Mr. Carey has devoted himself exclusively to his profession. He is at present one of the Board of Examiners of the city schools of Upper San- dusky. and a strong advocate of Republican principles; is the owner of 160 acres of land in Marseilles Township, and forty acres in Goshen l'own- ship, Hardin County, dealing somewhat in live stock, making a specialty of fine sheep and short-horn cattle. January 22, 1876, Mr. Carey was married to Emily A. Terry, daughter of Ethan and Barbara (Heckathorn) Terry, early settlers of this county, Mr. Terry being one of the three first Commis. sioners. Mr. and Mrs. Carey are the parents of three children -Robert H., John T. and Edward.

DARIUS D. CLAYTON, Probate Judge, was born in Pitt Township February 19, 1850. He is the son of John and Julia A. (Woolsey) Clay-

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ton, natives of Ohio and New York, and of English parentage. The latter came to this county in 1818, and the former in 1830. They were the par- ents of eight children, five living-Jeremiah W., John V., Julia A., Amanda J. and Darius D. The subject of this sketch attended the village schools of Little Sandusky till the age of seventeen, when he commenced teaching. He entered the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio, in 1869, at- tending that institution one year, when he left Delaware to attend Oberlin College, where he continued to study for the next five years, graduating from that college in the class of 1876. Mr. Clayton continued to teach school each winter during his college course, thus obtaining money to pur- sue his studies, teaching in all thirteen terms of district school, and super- intending the Union Schools of Upper Sandusky one year. He served two terms as a member of the County Board of School Examiners, and as a member of the Union School Board of Examiners of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, from 1878 till his resignation in 1883. He was married, at Oberlin, Ohio, August 27, 1877, to Ella J. Eastman, daughter of Alvin and Henrietta L. (Eastman) Eastman, residents of Oskaloosa, Iowa. Two children have been born to them-Gertrude L., born September 2, 1878, and Cora M., born July 29, 1880; Ella, their mother, was born near Oskaloosa, Iowa, Novem- ber 18, 1853, and graduated from the classical course of Oberlin College, in the class of 1877. Mr. Clayton began the study of law under the in- struction of D. D. Hare, of Upper Sandusky, in 1877, and was admitted to the bar by the Supreme Court at Columbus, Ohio, November 17, 1878. In the same year he entered upon the practice of his profession, which he con- tinued till he assumed the duties of the office of Probate Judge February 12, 1883. He has discharged his duties in his official capacity with justice and ability, and has the esteem which his impartial action so richly merits. He favors the Democratic policy of Government, and is, with Mrs. Clayton, a member of the Presbyterian Church.

JAMES T. CLOSE, the youngest member of the Wyandot County bar, was born in Alexandria City, Va., October 27, 1856. His father, Col. James T. Close, migrated from New York State to the Old Dominion in 1850, and there married Anna E. Sherman, daughter of Elisha Sherman, formerly of Bridgeport, Conn. In 1861, Col. Close, a prominent resident of Alexandria City, a place of 12,000 inhabitants, with but thirty-two fellow-citizens voted viva voce against the ordinance of secession at polls guarded by Confederate soldiers; was a State Senator of the restored Gov- ernment at Wheeling, which saved Western Virginia from the Confederacy; organized, equipped and commanded the only Union regiment in East Vir- ginia, the Sixteenth Virginia Volunteers, and was United States Marshal for the Eastern District of that State. His devotion to the Union cause made him a marked man, and the rebel Government at Richmond offered $10,000 for his capture, dead or alive. He died in 1869, while a member of the Virginia Legislature. Mr. Close's boyhood was passed in Alexan- dria, amid stirring war scenes indelibly imprinted upon his mind, and there received the rudiments of an academical education at private schools, which was finished at Gonzaga College (S. J.), Washington, D. C., and the Whitestown Seminary, Oneida County, N. Y. He began the study of law in 1874 with Judge Michael Thompson, a leading lawyer of the District of Columbia; attended lectures at the National Law University, concluding a three years' course in the office of David L. Smoot, of Alexandria, since Prosecuting Attorney of San Francisco, Cal. In 1877, admitted to the bar in Virginia and the District of Columbia, he began the practice of law

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in the latter place. In 1878, he came to this county and opened a law office in Nevada, where he remained one year, and then formed a partner- ship with his old preceptor, Judge Thompson, in St. Louis, Mo. In 1880, he visited the South and studied the workings of the courts in Louisiana and Mississippi, and strongly contemplated locating in the city of Natchez, but stronger predilections for his adopted State and its grand institutions drew him back to this county. In September, 1880, he married an estima- ble young lady of Nevada, and during the winter of 1880-81 he was em- ployed in the War Department at Washington, making an excellent record in the delicate work of digesting claims against the Government, and con- tinued at the same time his law studies in the office of Col. Robert G. In- gersoll. Returning to Nevada upon a furlough, love for his profession caused him to resign his position in the War Department, and, in Septem- ber, 1882, he formed a legal partnership with Senator M. H. Kirby at Upper Sandusky, and in 1883, upon the petition of his brother attorneys, he was appointed official stenographer of the county for a term of three years, with his office in the court house. Mr. Close is a member of the Presbyterian Church, a Jeffersonian Democrat in politics, liberal-minded, a fine conversationalist, slight in stature, and in speech and accent sugges- tive of his Scotch-Irish blood. His practice steadily increasing, possess- ing an accurate knowledge of the law, energetic and devoted to his clients, his future promises to be a useful and successful one.

WILLIAM CONSTIEN was born in Lasfelda, Kingdom Hanover, Ger- many, October 19, 1838. He is a son of Adam and Frederika (Rimrott) Constien, who were also natives of Germany, and parents of six children. namely, Doretta, Charles, Henry, Julius, Theodore and William. The father died in 1844, but the mother is still living. William. the subject of this sketch, landed in New York, June 8, 1863, bringing with him his new- made wife, Amelia, to whom he was married in Germany April 5, 1863. They spent six weeks in New York, after which time they went to Lancaster, Penn., where Mr. Constien was engaged in the harness trade till March, 1871, when they removed to Upper Sandusky. After six years' work at his trade in the latter place, Mr. Constien purchased his present farm of twenty- two acres, where he has since been engaged chiefly in gardening. He cul- tivates all kind of table vegetables, small fruits, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc., supplying hotels and city markets and doing an extensive business. His product the present year will perhaps reach $800 in value, being constantly on the increase. Mrs. Constien's parents were Christian and Adelinde (Wurm) Benecke. They were natives and residents of Ger- many, and had seven children, namely, Adolph, Amelia, Albert, Otto, Bern- hart, Eliza and Maria. The mother died in 1856, the father still living in his seventieth year. Mr. and Mrs. Constien have had nine children, namely: Theodore, born July 27, 1864; Otto, August 13, 1865; Emma, August 5, 1867; William, September 10, 1869; Albert, November 16, 1871; Adolph, March 1, 1874; Bernhart, December 22, 1877; Alvin, September 19, 1880; Oscar, May 14, 1882. Otto died September 24, 1870. Mr. Constien is an Independent in politics. He was a member of the Good Fellows, Seven Wise Men, Red Men, and K. of P., and is now, with Mrs. C., a member of the Lutheran Church.

MARTIN COURTAD was born in Alsace, France, June 16, 1819. His parents were John P. Courtad and Mary A. Frey, who emigrated to America in 1832. Martin Courtad resided with his parents in Seneca County, Ohio, till he became of age, and then went to Galena, Ill., where he graduated in

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a high school. Finishing his education, he followed carpenter work for a time. In 1848, he came to Sandusky City, Ohio, and April 12, 1849, he was married to Eve Simonis, daughter of John and Mary Simonis, of Sen. eca County, Ohio. Mrs. Courtad was born April 1, 1832. After working for several years in Sandusky City, he and family went to the Lake Supe- rior copper mines, where he followed his trade eighteen months. He then came to Seneca County, Ohio, bought a small farm, where he lived till 1861, when he sold out and came to Crane Township, and bought a farm of eighty acres valued at $80 per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Courtad are the par- ents of fourteen children, one deceased. They are as follows: Charles, born March 16, 1850; John Henry, April 28, 1852; Joseph L., born April 5, 1854; Magdalena, born May 11, 1856; George, born January 24, 1858; Anthony, born May 7, 1860; W. Frank, born December 19, 1861; Martin. born December 29, 1864; James, born January 20, 1866; Mary, born Jan- uary 11, 1868; Margaret, born March 4, 1870; Michael, born September 29, 1871; Elizabeth K., born November 1, 1875; Albert, born January 6, 1878. Martin died July 26, 1881. Mr. Courtad has a fine farm, and is highly esteemed as a citizen. He and his family are strict adherents of the Catholic faith.

PETER COURTAD was born near Strasbourg, Alsace, France, October 20, 1811. He is a son of John Peter and Mary A. (Frey) Courtad, who emigrated to America in 1832, being sixty-three days on the ocean, and the ship landed at Baltimore. They located in Seneca County, Ohio. They removed to Iowa in 1841, where they resided until 1844, at which date they returned to Seneca County, Ohio, where the father died in 1848, aged sixty- three years; the mother died in Sandusky City about 1853, aged sixty-eight years. Peter Courtad removed to this county from Seneca in 1864, and settled on his present farm. He owns ninety-six acres near Upper Sandusky, valued at $85 per acre-earned by hard labor. He was married in Seneca County, Ohio, January 20, 1840, to Catharine Simonis, four children re- sulting from this marriage, one deceased; they are Mary A., born January 23, 1842; Margaret, February 23, 1845; Lawrence, December 23, 1847, and Peter D., October 17, 1849; the latter deceased since September 15, 1873. The death of Mrs. Courtad occurred December 8, 1852, and Mr. Courtad was again married in Seneca County May, 1853, to Clementine Zircher, daugh- ter of Ignatz and Mary M. (Lehman) Zircher, and nine children were born to this union, seven living -- John, born January 4, 1855; Joseph A., March 14, 1857; Francis A., August 7, 1862; Elizabeth M., February 13, 1864- all born in Seneca County; August J., March 9, 1866; Martin J., March 14, 1868; Magdalene, February 6, 1872-born in Wyandot. John (an infant) and Louis are deceased. Mrs. Courtad was born in France December 30, 1829, and emigrated to America in 1838 with her parents, who settled in Shelby County, where the father died in 1868, the mother in 1863. Mr. and Mrs. Courtad are members of the Roman Catholic Church, he being a Democrat politically.

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The History of Wyandot County, Ohio, containing a history of the county, its townships, towns general and local statistics, military record, portraits of early settlers and prominent men etc, Part 66

Author: Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway Number of Pages: 1072

Author:
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago, Leggett, Conaway
Number of Pages: 1072