Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 45

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189

USA > Ohio > Hancock County > Findlay > Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens > Part 45

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occurring in 1871, when he was aged seventy- nine years.

Elias Fox grew to manhood on the old farm which he helped to clear and spent some of his boyhood days in the old log school house, one of the primitive kind, with slab benches, pun- cheon floor and great fireplace which had to be supplied with fuel by the boys who brought logs in from the forest. After he reached man- hood he spent a few years in Wisconsin and after he came back entered his first tract of land, forty acres. He kept it until he was able to sell at a profit of about $400, and this was the capital with which he started his business operations which have grown to be so impor- tant. Just before he married he bought thirty- seven acres in Section 13, Washington Town- ship, paying $27 an acre, and in a log house there he and bride commenced housekeeping. For many years he carried on general farming and did much business also in shipping stock. He has believed in improving his land and on almost all the farms he has put up good build- ings and has laid, in all probability, 200,000 tiles. He is a stockholder in the bank at Brad- ner, O., and was one of the organizers of the Union National Bank at Fostoria, of which he is a director.

On March 22, 1860, Mr. Fox was married to Miss Louisa Felkley, a daughter of William and Catherine (Fritcher) Felkley. The par- ents of Mrs. Fox were born in Germany but were not married until they met in Pennsyl- vania, where Mrs. Fox was born. She was four- teen years of age when her parents came to Washigton Township, Hancock County. Nine children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fox, as follows: Amelia, now deceased, was the wife of Andrew Coleman and two children sur- vive her-Emma and Della, the latter of whom

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is the wife of David Hines; Charles married Nellie Greene; Bailey married Lela Kiser and they have three children-Harold, Ray and Al- verta; Clara is the wife of Fred Crannell; John married Cora Grubb and they have two chil- dren-Clarence and Howard; Curtis A. mar- ried Sophia Burroff and they have five children -Rosetta, Marcella, Janetta, Ruth and Helen; William, who is unmarried; Lulu, is the wife of Charles Good; and Elias, who married Iva Kendell. They have one son, Alfred. Mr. and Mrs. Fox have the satisfaction of having all their children, with one exception, settled near them in Washington Township. Clara, Mrs. Crannell, lives at Johnstown, Pa. In pol- itics, Mr. Fox is a Democrat. He has served in township offices, being township trustee for three terms. Mr. Fox has become a man of large estate through frugality and good busi- ness judgment.

CYRUS HENRY CARR, one of the lead- ing agriculturists and representative citizens of Allen Township, Hancock County, O., is the owner of two tracts of farm land, one of 140 acres on which he lives, is located in Section 20, and the other of twenty acres is located in Section 19. He was born Angust 8, 1853, in a log house, which was situated on a portion of his present farm, and is a son of Charles Wes- ley and Rebecca (Barnd) Carr.

Charles Wesley Carr was born in Ashland County, O., and when a boy came to Hancock County, where he always followed agricultural pursuits, and died on the farm in Allen Town- ship, August 1, 1909, aged eighty-four years. He married Rebecca Barnd, whose death oc- curred in 1899, and who was a daughter of John Barnd, one of the pioneers of Allen Town-

ship and a justice of the peace for over twenty years.

Cyrus Henry Carr has always lived on his present farm and has made farming his life occupation. On June 27, 1907, a fine large barn and the residence of our subject were entirely destroyed by fire, but have since been replaced by new and commodious structures. Mr. Carr married Sarah V. Taylor, who was born and reared in Allen Township, and is a daughter of Washington Taylor. Mr. and Mrs. Carr have the following children: Linne E., who died aged twenty-seven years; Harvey O., who married Mary Brust and has two children- Bernadine and Genevieve; and Estella, who is the wife of Paul Goeke, resides at home with her parents. The religious connection of the family is with the Van Buren Presbyterian church.

SAMUEL SNIVELY, a leading citizen of Portage Township, and one of the suc- cessful farmers and stock raisers of Hancock County, owns eighty acres of fine farm land in this township and also a second farm of eighty acres which lies in Section 10, Pleas- ant Township. He resides on the first men- tioned farm, all of which with the exception of three acres in Section 29, lies in Section 20, Portage Township. Mr. Snively was born at London, Madison County, O., Feb- ruary 26, 1853, and is a son of John and Mar- garet (Barnhart) Snively.

The parents of Mr. Snively were natives of Pennsylvania. They came to Ohio and lived for a short time in Madison County but moved to Union County when Samuel was a babe and there the father followed his trade of wagonmaker. The mother died in 1861 and the father in the following year.

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Left an orphan when nine years old, Mr. every cent of his money, he again shouldered Snively had but few of the pleasures and his kit of carpenter's tools and set his face toward the West. Within one year Mr. Snively sent for the waiting wife who imme- diately joined him and for twelve years after- ward they lived on a farm in Nebraska and prospered there. advantages that the normal boy craves but what he lost in some ways perhaps he gained in others. He grew up self reliant and as soon as old enough learned the carpenter's trade, which proved to be one of the best steps he ever took. With his kit of tools In 1896 Mr. Snively returned to Hancock County on a visit and old home associations proved too strong. He purchased the farm of eighty acres in Portage Township on which he now resides. It was unimproved and all the substantial and appropriate buildings now standing thereon were erected by him as rapidly as possible. When he sold his farm of eighty acres in Nebraska, he bought his eighty-acre farm in Pleasant Township. and the knowledge of how to use them, he has traveled over a large part of his native land and has left specimens of his handi- work in fifteen states of the Union. His journeying took him all over Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Ken- tucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas and on even to the Black Hills. At Buffalo, N. Y., he was foreman for a time for a large lumber firm and in 1880 came from there to Hancock County to buy Mr. Snively was married in 1881 to Miss Rachel Montgomery, a daughter of George W. Montgomery. Her father was an auc- tioneer in Portage Township who had much more than a local reputation and he also was postmaster at Portage Center, which was the second post-office established in Hancock County. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Snively, namely: Elmer F., Edna I., Ethel Fern, Dorothy and Lottie M. Elmer F. Snively resides on his father's farm in Pleasant Township. He married Jessie Pingle, who died April 20, 1910, and is survived by a son, Cloyce, who is now aged eighteen months. Edna I. is the wife of T. E. Bond. Dorothy is the wife of Clarence Freed. Elmer Snively is known all over this section, having been a popular school teacher for some years and later mail clerk on the C. H. & D. Railroad. Neither he nor his father are very active politically but they are numbered with the reliable, de- timber. The first tract he purchased was the farm adjoining the one he now owns and it was while on this business expedition that he first met the young lady who subse- quently became his wife, their marriage tak- ing place in the following year. For one year after he continued in the lumber busi- ness and then rented the farm which he has subsequently acquired, with the intention of settling down to an agricultural life, but shortly afterward his house was burned and he lost practically all he owned here. He then moved to the Wood County line where he bought eighty acres of woodland, but for good reasons he remained there but a short time and then removed to what was the Samuel Culp farm in Portage Township. However, prosperity did not attend him and so he turned again to the excellent trade which had previously proved so valuable an asset. Leaving his wife with substantially

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MR. AND MRS. JASPER F. HARRY

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pendable men of this section of Hancock County.

JASPER F. HARRY, one of the substantial farmers and much esteemed citizens of Allen Township, who resides on a farm of 76 acres about four and a half miles north of Findlay, has been living on this farm since 1869. He was born November 8, 1836, on a farm four miles east of Van Buren in Cass Township, Hancock County, Ohio, and is a son of Samuel and Rachel (Franks) Harry. His parents were both born and reared in Pennsylvania, and after their marriage located in Hancock County, where the father died when our sub- ject was very young. The mother subse- quently removed to Seneca County, Ohio, where she settled on a farm, and many years later married William Myers, who died about 1856. Our subject and mother then returned to Hancock County and located for a time on a farm one mile northwest of his present place. In 1869 they purchased the farm on which Mr. Harry now resides, and the mother later re- moved to Van Buren, where her death occurred.

Mr. Harry has made all of the improve- ments on his place, and erected his fine frame residence in 1889. When gas was first dis- covered in this locality, it was struck on his farm, and he received $1,500 a year as royalty for it. He now rents out his farm, and is taking a well earned rest after years of unceas- ing activity.

In 1871 Mr. Harry married Sarah Jane Decker, a daughter of Mahlon and Minerva (Dull) Decker, who in their day were very prominent citizens of Allen Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Harry were born the following children: Lilly Adosia, died aged nineteen

months; Maud Nora, who is the wife of Bur- gett Murray of Findlay, and has two children, Margaret and Caroline; Charles B., who is en- gaged in agricultural pursuits on a farm three miles east of Van Buren in Cass Township; Edith, who died aged two weeks; and Augusta, who is the wife of Franklin Spaythe, of Akron, Ohio.

JOSEPH ALGE, junior member of the firm of Alge Brothers, well known stone, concrete and brick contractors of Findlay, O., was born February 24, 1869, in Martins- town, Hancock County, O., and is a son of Joseph and Theresa (Beck) Alge.

Joseph Alge, Sr., was born in 1839, in Baden, Germany, and when eighteen years of age came to America and settled in Han- cock County, O. He first located in Mar- tinstown, where he purchased forty acres of land, and in 1871 went into business in Find- lay Township, where he operated a brick yard near Findlay and in 1888 came to Find- lay, where his death occurred February 16, 1910. He was one of the prominent pioneer contractors of this city, having followed that business here since previous to the Civil War. He was contractor for many of the dwellings and business blocks of Findlay, the last building for which he contracted having been the Karst Block of this city. One son, Charles Alge, was associated in business with him from 1884, and ten years later his son Joseph became a member of the firm. Mr. Alge was the owner of 268 acres of fine farm land in Hancock County at the time of his death, having made in- vestments not many years after locating in the county. He married Theresa Beck, who is still living.

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Joseph Alge, the subject of this sketch, was reared west of Findlay, O., where his parents located when he was about four years old, and he began working in the Alge brick yard when about eighteen years of age and continued working there until 1894, when he became identified with his brother in the contracting business at Find- lay, O., and has since been junior member of the substantial firm of Alge Brothers, stone, concrete and brick contractors.

Mr. Alge was joined in marriage with Mary Cahill, and of their union have been born five children: Edwin J., Mary, Verna, Lewis, and Robert. Lewis died aged twenty-five months.

Mr. Alge is a Democrat politically and served two years as a member of the city council. He is a member of the Catholic church, and belongs to the Knights of Columbus.

CYRUS F. KING, M. D., who is the only registered drug physician in Hancock County, O., has been in active practice at Mt. Cory, since the summer of 1895 and is one of the best known members of his profession in this section. He was born in Portage Township, Hancock County, Jan- uary 26, 1855, and is a son of John and Louisa (Hart) King.

John King, who is probably the oldest resident of Hancock County, was born in Ashland County, O. In earlier years he taught school through Portage and Liberty Townships and for many years resided near McComb. He married Louisa Hart, also of Ashland County, who died July 10, 1898, at Findlay.

Cyrus F. King was reared in Portage

Township and obtained his early education in the old No. 9 district school, after which he completed the school course at Findlay. He started to read medicine with Dr. Wat- son, a practitioner at that time at McComb, and from under his instruction entered the Eclectic Medical College at Cincinnati, where he was graduated June 8, 1878. He started into practice at Arlington, O., where he opened the first drug store, also opening the first one at Mt. Cory, and maintained his home at Arlington for seventeen years. He came to Mt. Cory, June 19, 1895, and has been a leading citizen, serving as mayor of the town for two years, and for two years was a member of the town council. He was a member of the board of pension examiners at Findlay, for ten years.

Dr. King was married December 17, 1876, to Miss Manerva Porter, a daughter of Amos and Sarah (Comer) Porter, the former of whom died April 6, 1899, and the latter August 9, 1900, near Findlay. To Dr. and Mrs. King a family of twelve chil- dren was born, as follows: Dwight J., who formerly was superintendent of schools at Vanlue, O., for four summers has been at- tending the Illinois Medical College at Chi- cago, married May Brenneman of Mt. Cory and they have two children-Ralph and Wendell; Alvin E., who, for the past year has been a student at his father's old col- lege, formerly taught school for five years at Van Buren, one year in Orange Town- ship and four years in Union Township, mar- ried Coza M. Light, of Mt. Cory; Merrell S., who also studied medicine at Chicago, Ill., married Ida Hubler, of Mt. Cory ; Bessie, who died September 22, 1906, at the age of twenty years, was a teacher in Cass

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Township; Wade, who is a student at the Ohio Normal University at Ada, O .; Carrie, who is employed in the Farmers' Bank of Mt. Cory; Marco, Sarah, Martha and Mary, who are at home; and two who died in in- fancy. Three sons: Merrell S., Dwight J. and Alvin E. are attending the Eclectic Med- ical College at Cincinnati. A number of Dr. King's children have been successful teachers and for five years before entering on medical practice he taught school in Blanchard, Pleasant, Liberty, and Findlay Townships. The family is an unusually in- tellectual one. They are members of the Evangelical church at Mt. Cory, Dr. King being one of its trustees. In politics he is a Republican. He is identified with several fraternal organizations, belonging to the Modern Woodmen at Bluffton, to the Mac- cabees at Mt. Cory, and to the Royal Ar- canum at Findlay.

PETER J. SMITH, township trustee in Van Buren Township, Hancock County, O., where he is a prominent farmer, owning eighty acres of excellent land, situated in Section 22, was born in this township, Feb- ruary 9, 1857. His parents were Peter and Christina (Hickler) Smith.

Peter Smith was born in Germany and was about seven years old when his parents brought him to America. They settled in Madison Township, Hancock County, and there Peter Smith grew to manhood and later married Christina Hickler, a daughter of Andrew Hickler, of Van Buren Town- ship. Thirteen children were born to this marriage and eleven of these still survive. Both parents lived into honored old age, the father dying when almost eighty years old

and the mother in her seventy-third year and their burial was in the German Luth- eran Cemetery, southeast of Jenera. They were good, Christian people, devoted mem- bers of the Lutheran church. The father cast his vote with the Democratic party.

Peter J. Smith, with his brothers and sisters, attended the district schools and he was twenty years old when he spent his last winter in the school room. He helped his father on the home farm for four years more and then married and for two years afterward lived in Madison Township and then moved on a farm situated just east of his present one. After selling that place he purchased his present farm in Section 22. He has made many improvements here and all the buildings now standing have been re- modeled. He carries on general farming and stock raising. Mr. Smith is one of the representative men of this section and in no way can his reliability be better shown than by the fact that he is serving in his fourth year as township trustee. He enjoys the entire confidence of his fellow citizens. In politics he is a Democrat.

In 1881, Mr. Smith was married to Miss Mary Piper, a daughter of Adam Piper, of Madison Township, and they have had four children : Henry, who married Minnie Traucht; Charles, who married Amy Piper, a daughter of Adam Piper; George, who married Dora. Bame, a daughter of David Bame, of Madison Township; and Emma, who died when three years old. Mr. Smith and family are members of the Lutheran church at Jenera. .

GEORGE W. KEERAN, a representa- tive citizen and prominent farmer of Pleas-

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ant Township, Hancock County, O., who owns eighty acres of well improved land lo- cated one-half mile north of McComb, was born in Sandusky County, O., in 1853, and is a son of Nathaniel and Eliza (Linch) Keeran.

The parents of Mr. Keeran came to Han- cock County and settled in Portage Town- ship about two miles east and two miles north of McComb, about 1863. Previously the father had followed the blacksmith trade but after coming to this section engaged in farming and died on his own land in Portage Township, in 1879. His parents were of Scotch-Irish ancestry and came from the north of Ireland to Sandusky County, O., where he was born. Nathaniel Keeran mar- ried Eliza Linch, who died in 1886. They had twelve children born to them : William, Cornelius, Nancy, John, Mary Ann, Malinda, Esther, Reuben, George W., Eli, Adaline, and one that died an infant. William was a farmer and at the time of his death, in 1909, he lived in Illinois. Cornelius, who spent some years in Kansas, returned to Ohio be- fore his death, which took place at Belmore, in Putnam County. Nancy was the wife of Lawrence Brown and they both died at Toledo. John was killed when serving as a soldier in the War of the Rebellion, at the battle of Antietam. Mary Ann is the wife of Frank Brown. Malinda is the widow of John Buchanan and resides in Wood County, O. Esther, who died in August, 1910, was the wife of William P. Routson, of Portage Township. Reuben is a promi- nent physician at Findlay. Eli is a farmer in Putnam County. Adaline is the wife of J. J. Routson and they live in Michigan. The father and mother of the above family were

members of the Baptist church. In politics the father was a Republican.

George W. Keeran obtained a district school education and worked on the home farm for his father until he was twenty-one years of age and after that time was em- ployed by his father for some years. Farm- ing has been his main business and he has engaged in it at several points, spending six years west of Deweyville and for twenty years before settling on his farm in Pleasant Township, he lived in Henry County, where he owned 120 acres of land. After selling that place, in the spring of 1908, he pur- chased what was known both as the Griffin farm and the Wall farm. Mr. Keeran has made many improvements here, including the building of a fine modern residence and a substantial hip-roof barn. His farm indus- tries are all in fine shape, all of his land with the exception of eight acres being now under cultivation. He may be numbered with the comfortably independent men of the township but his prosperity has been brought about through his own efforts. When he decided to purchase his first farm he borrowed the money for his first payment from his kind mother. Misfortune pursued him apparently at first, as he lost seventy- five head of fat hogs from cholera and later lost his barn in Henry County, from fire. In spite of many discouragements, how- ever, Mr. Keeran kept up his courage and where he had worked hard before, worked still a little harder and applied himself a little closer and the time came when he no longer owed a dollar and, on the other hand, had lands and herds which made him a man of ample means. In politics he is a Re- publican.

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Mr. Keeran married Miss Mary Yantis, a daughter of George Yantis of Pleasant Township. They are members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church.

C. F. JACKSON COMPANY, proprietors and founders of one of the largest business en- terprises of Hancock County, O., conduct an immense department store at Findlay which is locally known as the Glass Block. The presi- dent of this company is C. F. Jackson, while the general manager is his son, Edward E. Jackson, both of whom are men of large busi- ness experience and unquestioned integrity.

Before investing in property at Findlay, the members of the above firm visited the place and carefully considered its possibilities as be- came astute men of business and after deciding that the field was a promising one in which to establish their proposed great store, they soon secured an excellent location. They pur- chased the old hotel building formerly known as the Joy House, on the corner of Main and W. Sandusky Streets, and after completely re- modeling the same and installing modern con- veniences and appliances, opened for business in 1905. This store inaugurated an entirely new scale of merchandising at Findlay. Prior to this no merchant had ever had the courage to gather together so complete and valuable a stock under one roof, or had the enterprise to put forth the efforts which have made the Glass Block, at Findlay, a complete success, so great a one that in the year following its beginning a business of over a half million dollars was transacted. The different departments, some twenty in number, include those devoted to meats, gro- ceries, notions, ladies' and gentlemen's furnish- ings, shoes, clothing, furniture, millinery, car- pets musical instruments, in fact here may be

found almost every object, utensil, commodity or convenience that establishments of this kind in metropolitan cities offer. The company maintains a very large force, more than 105 names being on the pay roll, these including salesmen, salesladies, window trimmers, book- keepers, managers and others in more humble capacities, all being necessary to the smooth running of so large a business. . The company occupies the entire building at Nos. 500-508 Main Street, which is three stories high, to- gether with a portion that reaches up another story. The company has provided also for the enjoyment of their patrons by establishing aesthetic surroundings, few mercantile houses in this part of the state having what may be termed a foyer with comfortable seats sur- rounding a playing fountain as may be seen in the Glass Block. In addition to other goods of modern design and up-to-date ideas, the com- pany has one department devoted to the display and sale of automobiles, their garage being lo- cated on Park Place, near the Court House. Here may be seen cars of every price and de- scription that have been favorably received by the public, together with automobile tires and sundries. To successfully manage a stupend- ous business like this requires much more than the usual amount of ability and the members of the firm of C. F. Jackson Company are thus accredited.

C. F. Jackson, the president of the C. F. Jackson Company, was born and reared at Norwalk, O. He obtained his education and entered into business there, in the course of time becoming a member of the firm of Marsh & Jackson. Later he sold his interest in that firm and moved to Minneapolis, where he was engaged in business for ten years, when he returned to Ohio and subsequently opened the

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Glass Block department store which the com- pany still conducts, at Norwalk, O., where Mr. C. F. Jackson resides. This was in 1894.

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Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 45

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell Publication date: 1910 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1189

Author: Jacob Anthony Kimmell
Publication date: 1910
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1189