USA > Ohio > Darke County > The history of Darke County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men; > Part 71
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WILLIAM H. SCHULTZ, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Greenville ; born in the State of Maryland Sept. 7, 1843 ; here he was engaged in various pursuits until 1863, at which date he emigrated to Darke Co .. Ohio, and for two years was employed as a farm laborer. Upon the Sth of April, 1865, he was united in mar- riage with Martha A. Noggle ; she was born in Darke Co., Jan. 18, 1846 ; they have three children-Mary E., born March 1, 1869 : Margaret F., born Aug. 21. 1872, and Julia P., born Jan. 13, 1875. Mr. Schultz purchased his present place of 120 acres in 1867 ; it is valued at about $10,000. nearly all of which he has accumulated by his own hard labor and correct business habits : he was a son of Frederick Schultz, who was born in Pennsylvania and died in Maryland in Feb- ruary, 1876 ; he married Mary P. Poblitz, also a native of Pennsylvania ; she died in 1877. The wife of the subject of this sketch is a daughter of David Noggle. one of the old settlers of Darke Co., and who is prominently mentioned in this work.
JOHN H. SCHWABLE. proprietor of Turpen House billiard hall and sam- ple room, Greenville. Ohio ; born in Seneca Co., Ohio, March 10, 1850 ; he was left an orphan when quite young, and has since made his way through the world alone ; when 10 years of age, he went to Piqua, Miami Co., and after attending the public schools two years. learned, and worked at the baker's trade five years.
R
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and in 1872 came to Greenville, and for five years was employed as clerk of the Wagner House; in November, 1877, he purchased his present place of business. which he has since successfully followed. Mr. Schwable is very genial, gentle- manly and courteous to his large and increasing trade, and gives his personal atten- tion to his business in all its details. Upon the 24th of April, 1877, he was united in marriage with Mary Haas ; she was born in Germany ; they have two children. -Henry L. and Frank J.
JOHN SEBRING, farmer. Sec. 1, P. O. Greenville. This gentleman is another of the early pioneers of this county ; he was born near Cincinnati. Ohio. Aug. 20. 1816, and is the son of Jacob Sebring, who was born in New Jersey December, 1776. In the latter part of the eighteenth century, he was united in marriage with Eliza- beth Smalley, who was also a native of New Jersey ; they were the parents of eight children, five of whom are still living ; he emigrated West in 1816, locating tem- porarily near Cincinnati, Ohio ; after remaining here a few years, he removed with his family in 1821 to this county, settling upon a piece of land located in the same section on which our subject now resides ; at this time, this county was cov- ered with a vast stretch of wilderness, with only here and there a spot cleared off large enough to erect a log cabin ; to assist his father to clear away the dense for- ests and cultivate the soil gave our subject ample employment till he was 21 years of age ; educational facilities were then very meager, but he availed himself of all the advantages then offered in this direction, acquiring for himself a common-school education. He has been twice married, first to Matilda Clark, Nov. 23, 1837 ; they were the parents of five children, three of whom are still living ; the father and chil- dren were soon called upon to mourn the loss of an affectionate wife and loving mother. About five years later, Mr. Sebring celebrated his second marriage. with Malinda Gower. Nov. 15, 1858; they are the parents of three children. all of whom the swift messenger of death has visited and consigned to the silent tomb ; he now owns a beautiful farm, the result of his own industry and frugality, assisted by his kind companions, and is surrounded with everything that tends to lighten the burdens of declining life.
IRA SEBRING, farmer and stock-raiser, Sec. 1; P. O. Greenville. To the subject of this memoir we are pleased to accord a place to one of Darke Co.'s permanent settlers ; he was born in this township Dec. 8, 1846, and is a son of John and Matilda Sebring, who were among the early pioneers of this county, and who gave civilization, improvement and refinement a foothold in the vast wilder- ness of Ohio ; they settled here in this township in 1823, and he has been a resi- dent here ever since, having lived here continuously for fifty-seven years, and is now in declining health, as strength and vigor are gradually fading away ; Mrs. Seb- ring departed this life twenty-five years ago ; they were the parents of five children, of whom three are now living, viz., Angeline, Malinda and our subject, who was raised a farmer boy, and assisted his father in agricultural pursuits till his 18th year, when he began life for himself and engaged in farming ; through his own exertions. he stored his mind with useful information. and was prepared to enter the field of labor in imparting knowledge ; he has successfully labored in the schoolroom at irregular intervals for nine years, and is among the successful educators of the county ; he has 65 acres of fine land where he resides, all under a good state of cultivation, and his improvements are number one and comfortable in every way ; he entered the race of life with a very small capital, and by energy, perseverance and good management, he has made a good home, and is surrounded by all the comforts of life. He was united in marriage with Joanna, daughter of Samuel and Ella Dunn, Aug. 1, 1867 ; they were natives of Maryland ; afterward residents of Clark and Greene Cos., Ohio, and settled in Darke Co. in 1866, where they now reside ; Mr. and Mrs. Sebring were the parents of five children, viz .: Samuel J .. born Nov. 7, 1868, died Feb. 12, 1871 ; Elldatta. born Sept. 27, 1870 ; Oraetta May, born May 26, 1873, died Jan. 2. 1880 ; Vinnie V., born Oct. 30, 1875; Katie V .. born Feb. 10, 1878 ; they have been very unfortunate in raising their children,
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as that dreadful scourge, the scarlet fever, has carried two of their little ones from their embrace. Mr. S. has been a member of the Reformed Church for six years, and his amiable wife for a period of eight years ; they are exemplary Christian people, and through their faith they see the gateway of entrance whereby they can be re-united with the little ones that have gone before them.
C. J. SHADE, farmer ; P. O. Greenville ; although a young man, the above gentleman may be classed among the old settlers, this being his native county, and his birth occurred in 1844 ; he is a son of A. R. and Sarah Shade, who were among the early settlers, locating in this county in the year 1820, when there were but few improvements, no pikes, and but few roads were passable save on horseback ; the dense forest where they located has since been cleared, and in its place is found fine cultivated farms ; at that early day, there was also plenty of game ; deer, wild turkeys, wolves, etc., were to be seen in large numbers ; the early life of our sub- ject was that of a farmer's son, his education being confined mostly to the privi- leges offered by the common schools. His marriage with Mary Anderson was cel- ebrated in Randolph Co., Ind., in 1865 ; they have three children by this union- Sarah Catharine, Charles A. B., and Mary Eveline.
HENRY SHOVER, farmer and stock-raiser ; P. O. Greenville ; another of the old settlers of Darke Co .; born in York Township April 4, 1836; he was the youngest son of Sebastian Shover, who was probably born in Pennsyl- vania, and came to Montgomery Co. when quite young, and to Darke Co. about the year 1832; he died in York Township in 1840; he married in Mont- gomery Co. to Margaret Weaver ; she was born in Pennsylvania and died in Darke Co. in 1869. The subject of this memoir was left fatherless when 4 years of age, after which he lived with his mother until 10 years of age; he then made his home with his Grandfather Weaver, until 15 years of age, when he started out in the world for himself and served three years at the blacksmith's trade, after which he came to Greenville and was employed four years at his trade ; he then started in business for himself, and was engaged at his trade some thirteen years, when, in the spring of 1863, he gave up his business and purchased his present place, where he has since lived ; he has 40 acres of land, with good farm buildings, located two miles from Greenville, under a good state of cultivation ; his marriage with Angeline Sebring was celebrated Sept. 16, 1858 ; she was born in Greenville Township, Darke Co., Sept. 27, 1838; they have no children of their own, but have taken to raise a girl now 8 years old, whom they treat and educate as their own. Mrs. S. is a daughter of John Sebring, whose sketch appears among the biographies of Greenville Township in this work.
GEO. W. SNYDER, farmer and stock-raiser, Section 19, Greenville Township ; P. O. Mt. Heron. Among the early settlers of Darke Co. we mention the gentle- man whose name heads this sketch ; he was born in Hamilton Co., Ohio, June 5, 1830; he was a son of Geo. Snyder, who was born in Pennsylvania July 4. 1804. He married Elizabeth Dively ; she was born Oct. 9, 1799, in Pennsyl- vania ; he located in Hamilton Co. when there was but three or four log houses where Cincinnati now stands; in 1836, came to Darke Co., and in 1873 he started West, since which time all trace of him has been lost. Mrs. Snyder died Sept. 13, 1839. They were the parents of six children, viz. : George W., Elizabeth A. and Martha J. (triplets), born June 5, 1830 ; Mary A., born Jan. 30, 1834, deceased ; Abraham, born Jan. 27, 1836, and Frederick, born Aug. 21, 1838. At 9 years of age, Geo. W. was taken and raised by Emanuel Flory until 20 years of age, and by dint of hard study obtained a fair education ; at the latter age, he went to Greenville and devoted three years to carriage-making; he then started in the above business for himself, in connection with undertaking, at Hill Grove, following the same three years, during which time he did all of the undertaking for Union City ; in 1857, he purchased the farm now owned by Samuel Puterbaugh, and after clearing some 70 or 80 acres, sold out in 1865 and purchased his present place ; he now owns 150 acres four miles west from Greenville, with good farm
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buildings ; he has secured all of the above property, valued at from $10,000 to $12,000, by his own hard labor. He married Catherine Puterbaugh July 4, 1852 ; four children by this union-Amy E., born April 22, 1854; Lauretta J., Oet. 22, 1855 ; Frederick B., Aug. 18, 1856, and Fernando, July 16, 1860. March 23, 1865, he was united in marriage with Julia Ann Sink ; she was born in Darke Co. June 4, 1845 ; five children was the fruits of this union-Lewis E., born June 23, 1866, died May 15, 1867 ; Jacob E., born May 8, 1868 ; Mary L., Jan. 10, 1871 ; Nora Rosa Ellen, Sept. 27, 1873, and Murtle L., June 1, 1876.
ANDREW J. SMITH, barber and hair-dresser, Greenville; was born in Fredericksburg, Va., Oet. 5, 1828, and is a son of Robert and Sarah Smith, who are still living and reside in Piqua, and are upward of 80 years of age. Our subject came to Greenville, May 6, 1859, and has followed his profession ever since ; he has been very successful in business, having accumulated a good pro- perty, all the fruit of his own hard labor. He is one of the leading tonsorial artists, and we can advise any who want a good, clean and easy shave to give Andy a trial.
O. H. SMITH, Greenville, Ohio ; dealer in stoves and tinware. The sub- jeet of this memoir was born in Winchester, Randolph Co., Ind., in 1855, and is a son of Jeremiah and Cynthia Smith, residents of Randolph Co .; both are dead ; his father died in 1872 at the age of 68 years ; his mother died in 1873, aged 54 years. Our subject resided at home till he was 17 years of age, when he began life for himself and followed varions pursuits ; he removed to Greenville in 1877 and opened a hardware store, which business he is still engaged in. He was united in marriage in 1878, Dec. 24, to Miss Voria Southern ; her parents are residents of this place.
JACOB STEINLE, Greenville, Ohio; manufacturer and dealer in cigars and tobacco. The subject of this memoir was born in Shelby Co., Ohio, Feb. 25, 1854 ; in 1867, he commenced the cigar trade, and followed the same for two years in La Crosse, Wis. ; thence to Vandalia, Ill., for a short time ; thence to Indian- apolis, Ind., where he followed his trade seven years, and in June, 1877, came to Greenville and engaged in his present business, which he has since successfully followed. He is a practical cigar-maker, and gives his personal attention to every detail of his business, and has in his employ the year round from two to six men. His marriage with Emma S. Reeder was celebrated in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1875 ; they have two children, John H. and Anna.
JOHN STEPHENS, blacksmith, Sec. 5; P. O. Greenville ; another of the old settlers ; born in Darke Co., German Township, Nov. 11, 1825 ; he was a son of David Stephens, one of the early pioneers of Darke Co .; he was born in Washington Co., Penn., Nov. 1, 1791 ; he came to Jefferson Co., Ohio, with his parents in 1798, four years before Ohio was admitted into the Union as a State ; he came to Preble Co. in 1805 and to Darke Co., 1818 ; he was a soldier in the war of 1812, serving a part of the time as scont between Fort Nesbit and Fort Recovery, and was in the memorable forced march from Fort Greenville to Muncie, Ind., in the winter of 1814, to relieve Isaac Shelly and Gen. Winchester, Kentuek- ians, who were out of rations, and was compelled to stand guard half the night in snow knee-deep, without anything to eat ; he was, so far as known, the last sur- viving one living in this county who served at Fort Greenville ; he suffered all the hardships and privations of frontier life, and by industry and economy secured a handsome competence ; he was a man of sterling will and integrity, and won the esteem of all who knew him ; in early life, he joined the Church of the United Brethren, and in 1861 or 1862 connected himself with the Reformed Church, and lived a consistent Christian life until his death, which ocenrred Jan. 8, 1879, aged 87 years, 2 months and 8 days. He was married in Darke Co. to Lydia Wagner ; she was born in the year 1803; she is now living in German Town- ship, at the advanced age of 77 years ; they were the parents of ten children. of whom seven are now living. The subject of this sketch commenced to learn
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the blacksmithing trade at Palestine when 19 years of age, and worked at his trade in German Township, with the exception of six months' residence in Indiana, until about the year 1847, when he removed to Neave Township ; and about the year 1853 located upon his present place, where he has lived and fol- lowed his trade for a period of two and a half decades; he also owns 140 acres of land, which he rents, devoting his entire attention to his trade. He has been twice married, first, in 1851, to Maria D. Dininger, a daughter of Jacob Dinin- ger, one of the early pioneers of Darke Co .; she was born in Montgomery Co., May 6, 1830 ; she died in Darke Co, Aug. 15, 1865, leaving five children, of whom four are now living-William, Margaret, Lewis, and Lydia. His marriage with Mrs. Matilda Risser was celebrated Oct. 4, 1868 ; her maiden name was Finfrock ; she was born in Miami Co., Ohio, Dec. 17, 1832 ; they have three chil- dren by this union, viz., Alva A., Clara E., and John C.
HENRY TILLMAN, retired farmer; P. O. Greenville; one of the old settlers of Darke Co .; born in Preble Co., Ohio, Jan. 20, 1818 ; he was a son of John Tillman, Sr., who was born in Virginia April 17, 1780, and when 10 years of age removed to Tennessee, and came to the Territory of Ohio about the year 1800, two years previous to its admission into the Union as a State ; he he was married in Tennessee to Nancy Harlers ; she was also a native of Virginia, born Sept. 10. 1790 ; they were the parents of seventeen children, of whom thirteen lived to grow up ; Mr. Tillman died in Preble Co., Feb. 24, 1850 ; his wife died Sept. 1, 1863. The subject of this memoir was raised to farming in Preble Co. until 22 years of age, when, in 1840, he came to Darke Co. and located in Van Buren Township, upon 160 acres of timber land which had been entered by his father; and upon this place he resided until 1871, a period of thirty years, during which time he cleared upward of 500 acres, and brought the same from a howling wilderness to a good state of improvement, and in 1862 he was in posses- sion of 1,000 acres of land ; he has since disposed of a part of the same, and now has about 600 acres divided into improved farms. Mr. Tillman has been one of the hard-working and industrious men of Darke Co., and by his energy, in- dustry and correct business habits, has placed himself among the large land- holders of this county ; in 1872, he purchased his present residence in Greenville, with 15 acres of land within the corporation of Greenville, upon which he then located, and where he has since lived, retired from active labor, having his farm rented. June 16, 1840, he was married to Rachel Townsend ; she was born April 3, 1820, and died March 18, 1848; two children are now living by this union- Noah H. and Lydia. His marriage with Martha Thorn was celebrated Aug. 12, 1849 ; she was born in Indiana in 1824, and with her parents came to Darke Co. in 1831 ; she was a daughter of Thomas A. Thorn, one of the early pioneers of Darke Co .; he died in this county in 1852; they have three chil- dren by this union, viz. : Belle, now Mrs. Henry Hetzler ; John A., farming in Brown Township ; and Susie, now Mrs. Cliff Boyde. Mr. T. has taken a deep in- terest in the cause of religion, having been a member of the Christian Church for a period of thirty years ; his wife and four of the children also belong to the church.
WALTER J. TODD, livery and feed stable ; the subject of this memoir was born in Campbell Co., Ky., Feb. 3, 1840, and is a son of Charles W. and Catherine Todd, also natives of Kentucky. Our subject removed to Greenville in 1861. and soon after embarked in the livery stable business, in which he is still engaged ; he carries a fine stock of turn-outs, the finest in the city, and is prepared at all times to give his customers, or any who may favor him with a call. a fine rig at moderate prices. He was united in marriage with Miss Mary Coblantz, a native of Ohio, Jan. 14, 1871 ; they were the parents of two children, viz., George B., born in 1872, Chasseldown, born in 1875.
J. W. TROXELL, saw-miller and lumber dealer ; P. O. Greenville ; born in Virginia, Sept. 5, 1838, where he remained with his parents till 1845. when they
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moved to Knightstown. Ind., where he remained until 1859 or 1860 ; at this date, he purchased a saw-mill, and moved it to Illinois, where he remained some two years ; he then disposed of his mill and went to Indianapolis, where he worked at the carpenter's trade. and in 1873 came to this county, where he has since con- tinued to reside. On the 22d of December, 1873. he was united in marriage with Nancy M. Anderson ; they are the parents of four children, of whom three are living, viz .. Fannie B .. Belle and Mamie ; the deceased died in infancy.
THOMAS P. TURPEN, retired ; P. O. Greenville ; the paternal ancestry of our subject cannot be traced with any degree of certainty ; all that is definitely known is that his Grandfather Turpen was born in England, and emigrated to this country in about the year 1700 ; on the maternal side, we only know that a George Hubbard, whom we will call the first George Hubbard, was born in England in 1590 ; settled first in Hartford, Conn., married Elizabeth Watts ; came to Mid- dletown in 1650 ; had eight children. six being sons ; died March 18, 1684 ; his children's names were Mary, born Feb. 16, 1641; Joseph, born Dec. 10, 1643; Daniel, born December, 1645 ; Samuel, born May 9, 1648 ; George, born December, 1650 ; Nathaniel, born Dec. 10, 1652 ; Richard, born Jan. 15, 1655 ; Elizabeth, born 1659. II. Joseph Hubbard. son of George First, was born Dec. 10, 1643 ; died 1686 ; his children were Robert, born Oct. 30, 1673, George, born 1675; died Dec. 15, 1765. III. George Hubbard, son of Joseph, was born 1675, died Dec. 15, 1765 ; married Elizabeth Miller Dec. 22, 1703 ; their children were George, born March 9. 1705 ; Mahitable. born June 21, 1708 ; Richard, born Jan. 8, 1712 ; Abner, born April 10, 1715 ; Caleb, born Aug. 28, 1716 ; Hezekiah, born March 6, 1718 ; Abner, born July 26, 1721. IV. George Hubbard, son of George Third, born March 9, 1705 ; married Mercy Roberts ; their children were George, born Feb. 6, 1731; Abner, born 1733, was lost at sea. V. George Hubbard, son of George Fourth, was born Feb. 6, 1731, old style, died Jan. 7, 1809, new style ; married Mary Stock- ing ; their children were George, born Aug. 17, 1758; Mahitable, born Feb. 18, 1762 ; Jesse, born June 7. 1764 ; Elias, born Ang. 26, 1766; Asa, born Jan. 13, 1769 ; Zadoc, born Jan. 8, 1771 ; Ansel, born June 15, 1774 ; Mary, born April 16, 1780. Henry Turpen, father of our sketch. was born in Middletown, Conn., 1775 ; was married to Mary Hubbard in the year 1798, by whom he had twelve children, of whom six are still living ; Thomas P. Turpen was born near Lebanon, Warren Co., Ohio, Oct. 1, 1820 ; his early days were passed in the endless vari- ety of ways incident to boy life on the farm, and his educational advantages were commensurate with those early times ; he remained on the farm until the age of 32, when he came to Greenville and engaged in the dry-goods business ; after two years' experience, he was employed as Government agent ; continuing in this for three years, he went to Peru, South America ; remaining about a year. he returned to Greenville and engaged in the furniture business ; remaining in this until 1862, he was elected County Treasurer and served four years ; in 1869. he built the ". Turpen House," and presided over it till 1878, when he was succeeded by his son. His marriage with Mary J. Hunter was celebrated March 14, 1843; she was born June 17, 1824 ; they were the parents of four sons and one daughter, viz .: Lucy H., died at 3 years of age ; John C., County Auditor, whose sketch also appears in this work ; William V., now conducting the hotel, whose sketch also appears in this work ; Daniel B., and Frank ; Lucy H., born Feb. 21, 1844; John C., Oct. 31, 1845 ; William V .. July 7, 1847 ; Daniel B., July 20, 1851 ; Frank E., March 12, 1854.
JOHN C. TURPEN, County Auditor; Greenville, Ohio; born in Darke Co., Ohio, Oct. 31, 1845, and is a son of Thomas P. Turpen, whose sketch also appears in this work ; John C. attended the public schools of Greenville, and com- pleted his education by attending the Adrian College, of Adrian, Mich., one year, and the Albion College, Albion, Mich., three terms ; he then attended the Commer- cial College of Dayton. from which he graduated in 1868 ; he was then employed in the Auditor's office at Greenville several years, and in 1878 was elected to the
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above office, which he now holds. Upon the 21st of January, 1869, he was united in marriage with Mattie Wharry ; they have four children by this union, Fred H., Mary, Clara, and Maggie ; Mrs. Turpen is a daughter of Judge John Wharry, one of the early pioneers of Darke Co.
WILLIAM V. TURPEN, proprietor of the Turpen House, Greenville ; born in Greenville Township. Darke Co., Ohio, July 7, 1847, and is a son of Thomas P. Turpen, whose sketch also appears in this work. A small part of the early life of our subject was passed on the farm, during which time he attended the common school. but completed his education in the graded schools of Green- ville ; at 18 years of age, he entered the store of his father, continuing with him in his different branches of trade until the completion of the above hotel, which was erected, opened and conducted by his father until the spring of 1879, when he was succeeded by William V., who has already established a reputation as being one of the best hotel proprietors of the State, and we can say from our own experience that we have found no hotel in Ohio, where we have been so well satisfied as at the Turpen House, and predict that the genial landlord will soon find himself laboring under one difficulty, viz., want of room for the accommodation of his many pat- rons. The marriage nuptials of William V. Turpen and Mary Jones were cele- brated June 7, 1870 ; she was born in Darke Co. in 1850 ; her father, John Jones, was editor of the first paper printed in this county. Two children are the fruits of this union, viz., Benjamin and Nellie.
JOSEPH R. TURNER, firm of Turner Bros., wholesale and retail liquor dealers, Broadway, Greenville, Ohio. Greenville, like most cities of its size, has its representative business men in nearly every branch of trade, and we must accord to the above firm the honor of being the leading firm of the place in their line, carrying, as they do, a large and extensive stock of foreign and domestic goods, which they sell at the smallest margin. Joseph R. Turner is the senior member of the firm, and was born in Montgomery Co., Ohio, June 23, 1842 ; received the advantage of the common schools, and completed his education by a course of two years' study at the Wittenberg College at Springfield. In the summer of 1861, he enlisted in the 13th Mo. V. I .; was then transferred to the 22d O. V. I., serv- ing sixteen months ; he then returned home on a sick furlough ; received a commission as Second Lieutenant of Co. K, 93d O. V. I., and served with this reg- iment through Kentucky and Tennessee, participating in the battles of Fort Don- elson, Shiloh, and some battles of less importance. The hardships of army life being too severe for his constitution, after being disabled from duty some four months, he resigned, returned home, and upon the 1st of July, 1865, he made the trip overland from Omaha to Virginia City with mule teams, the trip consuming some four months. He remained in Montana some five and a half years, during which time his thermometer of success suffered many changes, he having made and lost several fortunes. He returned to Ohio in 1871. and in 1874 located in Green- ville with his brother under the above firm name, where they have since done a successful business. His marriage with Hattie A. Macy was celebrated in Mont- gomery Co. in 1872 ; they have three children by this union, viz., Mabel, Ida and Maud.
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