Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 59

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 59

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Richard M. Foreman was reared and has always lived on the farm where he now resides, and his educational training was obtained in the local schools. Mr. Foreman has always followed farming, and his land is well tiled and ditched, has good substantial buildings, and is up-to-date in every respect.

On January 26, 1909, Mr. Foreman was married to Alta Fenestmaker, a daughter of William and Sarah Ann Fenestmaker, who were prominent farmers of Eagle Township, Hancock County. Mr. Fenestmaker died on his farm in this township, in 1885, and was survived by his widow until 1898. The fol- lowing children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Foreman: Ethel, Ralph, Lena, Gertrude and Ray.

WILLIAM D. McCAUGHEY, secretary and treasurer of the Buckeye Traction Ditcher Company, which is the largest independent

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concern at Findlay, O., is a native of Hancock County and was born in a log cabin on a farm, in Allen Township, June 26, 1846, and is a son of John W. and Eliza (Alban) Mc- Caughey.

John W. McCaughey was born in Stark County, O., amid pioneer surroundings, and was a son of John McCaughey who was born in Londonderry, Ireland. He married Eliza Alban, who was also born in Stark County and was a daughter of Capt. William Alban, who served in the War of 1812, under General Hull. John W. McCaughey and wife moved to Hancock County in 1842.

William McCaughey was reared on what was then a back-woods farm and his educa- tional advantages were limited. He remained a farmer until he was thirty-two years of age and then came to Findlay, where, for a num- ber of years he was entrusted with interests connected with the administration of estates and receivership duties. During 1887 he served as a member of the school board; from 1890 until 1900 he was a member of the board of equalization, in the latter year being presi- dent of this body, and from May, 1904, until January 1, 1907, he was a member of the board of public service, elected to the same on the Republican ticket. In 1891 he was appointed gas trustee of Findlay. Thus Mr. McCaughey was well known to the business men, financiers and public officials of Findlay before he identi- fied himself with his present enterprise and it must be acknowledged that his name added great stability to it.

The Buckeye Traction Ditcher Company came to Findlay under the name of Van Bu- ren, Heck & Marvin, in February, 1903, and Mr. McCaughey took charge on January 1, 1905. At that time the business was in what

is termed bad shape and already a petition of the creditors of the company had been filed asking that a receiver be appointed, but when it was learned that Mr. McCaughey had been placed in charge, this petition was recalled. The panic of 1907 affected this concern as it did so many others, but there came no suspen- sion either of work or the payment of wages, Mr. McCaughey and the president of the com- pany, Dr. N. M. McLachlin, attending to these matters personally. The present board of offi- cers is as follows: Dr. N. M. McLachlin, president; Collin D. Hayward, vice-president; William D. McCaughey, secretary and treas- urer ; and C. S. Brown, superintendent of man- ufacture. Employment is afforded 165 men which will shortly be increased to more than 300 when contemplated improvements are com- pleted.

In 1870, Mr. McCaughey was married to Miss Harriet Miller, a daughter of William Miller, of Hancock County. Mrs. McCaughey was born at Lockport, N. Y., but came to Seneca County when three years of age, and to Hancock County when fifteen years old.

GEORGE F. HAMMOND, a progressive and successful farmer and stock raiser of Un- ion Township, owning 118 acres of valuable land situated in Section 6, has been a resident of Hancock County for fifty-eight years. He was born in Carroll County, O., September 19, 1838, and is a son of George and Anna Ham- mond.

George Hammond was born in Virginia and was taken to Carroll County, O., by his pa- rents and later was married there to Anna Kin- ney, who died in 1863. She was a native of Maryland. The death of George Hammond occurred in Adams County, Ind., where he had

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spent the closing years of his life. He was a Emma married a Mr. Zucker, of Columbus cooper by trade.

George F. Hammond was reared in Carroll County and obtained his education in the coun- try schools. When Civil War was declared, he was one of the first to enlist for service in the Union army, at Findlay, O., on August 25, 1861, becoming a member of the 21st O. Vol. Inf. He took part in a number of the most important battles of the war, including Stone River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge and Atlanta, was with Sherman in his great march to the sea and saw hardship of every kind but survived it all and was mustered out at Louis- ville, Ky., and received his honorable discharge at Columbus, O., July 25, 1865. He then re- turned to peaceful pursuits and settled in Un- ion Township, Hancock County. He has a valuable property which is well improved and well tiled. While he raises no registered stock he has an abundance of the ordinary variety and finds stock raising one of his most profita- ble industries.

On October 28, 1858, Mr. Hammond was married to Miss Elizabeth Seitz, who died July 31, 1892, at the age of sixty years. She was born and reared in Blanchard Township, Han- cock County, where her parents, Samuel and Martha Seitz were farming people. Six chil- dren were born to this union: Jane, Sherman, Alfred, Emma, Amanda and George. Jane married Samuel Peterson, of Union Township and they have the following children: William, Dora, Pearl, Everett, Molly, Mary, Hazel, Bes- sie, Glenn and Roy. Sherman married Adelia Burkholter of Putnam County, and they have two children: Martin and Wilbur. Alfred married a Miss Perkins. of Union Township and they have seven children: Francis, Velma, John, Leona, Harry, Howard and Bertha.

Grove, and they have two children: Merl and Delmar. George married Lucy Cyrus, of Put- nam County, and they have two children: Ray and Oliver. Amanda died in August, 1903, at the age of twenty-nine years. Mr. Hammond has twenty-three grandchildren and he has rea- son to be proud of his descendants and they often gather at the old farm to gladden him with their tokens of respect and affection.

JOHN S. BEAGLE, township trustee of Orange Township, Hancock County, O., and a leading farmer of this section, owns 192 acres of valuable land which lies in Section I. He was born in Jackson Township, Hancock County, January 31, 1853, and is a son of Alva and Martha (Fox) Beagle.

Alva Beagle was born in Muskingum County, O., and came to Hancock County in 1852, and in the same year was married to Martha Fox, a daughter of Samuel Fox, who was a native of Pennsylvania. Five children were born to this marriage, namely: John S., Anna, William Edwin, Martin and Sadie I. Alva Beagle and wife had settled in Jackson Township where he secured eighty acres of land and cleared the larger part of it himself. All the children were born there. He and wife were members of the German Baptist church in which he took much interest and con- tributed to building the present edifice.

John S. Beagle attended school in Jackson Township and helped his father on the farm where he lived until his own marriage, when he came to his present place in Orange Town- ship. This land had all been cleared, but few improvements had been made and Mr. Beagle erected the fine buildings now standing. He has shown much enterprise in carrying on his

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agricultural work and is numbered with the 1786, and came to the Western Reserve substantial and successful men of this section.

In 1880, Mr. Beagle was married to Miss Lyda D. Marshall, a daughter of William Mar- shall, of Orange Township, and they have nine children, all of whom are at home except the eldest son, William, who married Luella Crow- ell, of Union Township, and they have a daughter, Catherine D. The other members of the family are: H. C., Mattie, Nellie, Myr- tle, Marshall, Rhoda, Samuel and Helen. Mr. Beagle and family attend the Evangelical church. He is a Republican in politics, and is serving in his second term as township trustee.

JOHN E. BETTS, a representative citizen of Findlay, O., a member of the city council, representing the First Ward, is the junior member of the law firm of Axline & Betts, one which is entrusted with a large amount of the important litigation of city and county. Mr. Betts was born on a farm in Wood County, O., November 3, 1863, and is a son of Edward C. and Elizabeth (Walters) Betts.

Mr. Betts is of pioneer ancestry and Revolu- tionary stock. His great-grandfather was Capt. Hezekiah Betts, who entered the Conti- nental army when a mere boy and gained pro- motion under Major Willis and General Webb and was captain of his company, although not yet quite twenty-one years of age, at the sur- render of General Cornwallis, and the subject of this sketch has in his possession the com- mission issued by Oliver Wolcott, then gover- nor of Connecticut.

He was born in Connecticut, July 31, 1760, and died May 31, 1837, at Norwalk, Conn.

Dr. Alfred Hanford Betts, son of Captain Hezekiah and grandfather of John E. Betts, was born at Norwalk, Conn., September 2,

about 1815-16. He was a scholarly man and was one of the founders of the Western Re- serve University which was established first at Hudson, O., but is now one of the great edu- cational centers at Cleveland, and assisted in establishing Oberlin College. He was one of the early medical practitioners and appears to have been a man of more than ordinary capac- ity in many ways.

Edward C. Betts, father of John E. Betts, was about three years old when his father came to the Western Reserve. In 1836 he engaged in teaching school in Defiance County, O., but later acquired land in Wood County, and there engaged in agricultural pursuits for a number of years. After his son, John E. Betts, had become well established at Findlay, with his wife he came to this city and here his death oc- curred on October 6, 1908, being then in his ninety-sixth year. His venerable widow yet survives and is still a resident of Findlay.

John E. Betts was reared on his father's farm in Wood County and attended the coun- try schools until he was sixteen years of age, when he accepted a position in a village general store, with the understanding that he should receive a yearly salary of $50, with board and washing. After nine months, however, Mr. Betts had changed his mind about being a mer- chant and withdrew from the contract and on being paid what was owing to him, made other plans for the future. These included a better educational training and after a short period in a school in Michigan, he entered the Wes- leyan University, at Delaware, O. In 1889, Mr. Betts came to Findlay and entered the law office of his uncle, the late Judge Jacob F. Bur- kett, who was formerly Supreme Justice of Ohio. Mr. Betts was admitted to the Ohio bar

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in 1890 and in 1900 became associated in the practice of law, with J. Frank Axline, under the firm style of Axline & Betts. The business of the firm covers all branches of general prac- tice and their suite of four well appointed of- fices are at No. 65-66, in the Adams Block, Findlay.

Mr. Betts was married in 1902, to Miss Elizabeth F. Fisher, a daughter of A. J. and Martha E. (Hart) Fisher, of Findlay, O. The father of Mrs. Betts was born in Cass Town- ship, Hancock County, O., February 19, 1849, a son of John and Katherine A. (Dunlop) Fisher, both natives of Lancaster County, Pa. They came to Hancock County in 1835 and settled on a partly cleared farm in Cass Town- ship. A. J. Fisher was educated in the schools at Findlay and for fifteen winters taught school while engaging in farming during the sum- mers. His first school was in Washington Township. He became a man of consequence in Hancock County, on many occasions served with efficiency in township offices. In 1872 he married Martha E. Hart, a daughter of Cyrus and Elizabeth Hart, who were pioneers in Han- cock County. Mrs. Fisher died November 1, 1902. Mr. Fisher was early interested in the oil industry in this section and was president of the oil company that opened the first field north of Findlay.

Mr. and Mrs. Betts have one son, Jackson E. Betts. With his family Mr. Betts belongs to the Episcopal church. He has been an ac- tive and interested citizen ever since making Findlay his home. He has been interested in many business and manufacturing concerns, and his name appears in the directorate of many of Findlay's important enterprises. He is identified with the Knights of Pythias and with the Sons of the American Revolution.

CHESTER L. GREEN, general farmer and stock raiser, residing on his well kept farm of eighty-five acres, situated in Sec- tion 7, Union Township, Hancock County, O., lying on the Ridge road, five and one- half miles northwest of Mt. Cory, O., was born in this township, July 10, 1858. He is a son of William and Rachel (Weünger) Green.

William Green was born in Pennsylvania and was a son of William Green who was one of the pioneers in Hancock County and died in Union Township. His son, William Green, was then a young man and he still lives on the old home farm. His wife died in 1866.

Chester L. Green was eight years old when he lost his mother. He grew up at home and attended school and later taught school for fourteen terms in Putnam County. Mr. Green has made farming and stock rais- ing, however, his main business and has prospered far beyond the average. His well kept buildings and carefully cultivated fields indicate that he takes pride and pleasure in his work and that success should reward him is not merely a matter of chance. Within the past seven years he has greatly improved his place, rebuilding his house and barn and tiling the land. These improve- ments have been costly but they have made his property much more valuable.

On October 25, 1883, Mr. Green was mar- ried to Miss Emma Crow, of Putnam County, O., a daughter of William R. and Bersheba (Brower) Crow, the former of whom was a substantial farmer. He died in Putnam County in 1892, aged seventy-one years and was survived but two years by his widow, who was aged seventy-four years.

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Mr. and Mrs. Green seven children were born : Atlee C., Clare R., William Everett, Joycie G., Leslie C., Milford V. and Jessie, all of whom survive except Jessie, who died when nine days old. Atlee C., the eldest, attended the High School at Mt. Cory, O., where he was graduated in 1903 and taught two terms in the district schools of Han- cock County. Clare R. was graduated from the Pandora High School in 1907, follow- ing which he taught school in District No. 5, Liberty Township, Putnam County, and in 1909 the grammar school at Benton Ridge, O., and in the summer of 1910 was super- intendent of the High School at Depont, O., also attending Otterbein College at Westerville. He is a very close student and seemingly has a bright future ahead of him in the educational field. The third son, William Everett, graduated from the Pan- dora High School in 1910 and is employed to teach in Putnam County. Mr. and Mrs. Green are giving their children every ad- vantage in their power. They are members of the United Brethren church at Pleasant View where Mr. Green has been superin- tendent of the Sunday-school for nine years.

PETER RAUSCH, who is engaged in general farming on a tract of 100 acres in Orange Township, Hancock County, O., was born June 13, 1846, in Germany, and is a son of John and Barbara Rausch, both of whom always lived in Germany. The mother died when our subject was but eleven years of age.

Peter Rausch was reared and obtained his education in his native country, and at the

Mrs. Green was educated in Putnam County age of twenty-two years came to America, and taught one term of school there. To landing in New York City after a voyage of thirteen days. He then came to Findlay, O., and soon purchased a tract of sixty acres in Eagle Township. This land had origin- ally been entered from the Government by the former owner, and about thirty acres of it had been cleared when Mr. Rausch made his purchase. He subsequently sold this farm, and purchased his present farm of 100 acres in Section 1, Orange Township, and here carries on farming in a general way. About five acres of the farm are yet in tim- ber, but Mr. Rausch has done considerable draining and otherwise improved the land, including the building of nearly all of the fences on the place.

Mr. Rausch was married about one week after landing in America, his wife, who was Susanna Krichbaum, having come to this country on the same vessel. Of their union were born the following children: Peter, Philip, Katie, William, John, George, Jacob, and Charles. John died at the age of seven years.

Mr. Rausch has been a resident of Han- cock County for thirty years, and is one of the representative and public spirited citi- zens of Orange Township. Politically he is an Independent Democrat, but has never sought office for himself. He is a charter member of the German Lutheran church of which he is secretary.

J. E. BICKNELL, who is engaged in the production of oil in Hancock County, O., has been a resident of Findlay since 1889, and was born September 10, 1863, in Morris- ville, Madison County, N. Y., a son of J. Bennett and Hannah W. (Wagner) Bick-

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nell. J. Bennett Bicknell was a merchant during his early life, but after removing with his family to Cleveland, O., in 1879, he en- gaged in paper manufacturing with the Cleveland Paper Company. He died in Cleveland in 1899, and is survived by his widow.

J. E. Bicknell was about sixteen years old when his parents removed to Cleveland, and after attending the High School there one year, began working in the Valley Paper Mill, of which his father was manager, and two years later entered the employ of the Meriam and Morgan Paraffine Company, with whom he continued six years, and who were the pioneers of the paraffine business. In 1886 he went to Oil City, Pa., where he became manager of the Keystone Refinery and in 1889 came to Findlay as superin- tendent of the Peerless Refining Company, with which concern he was identified seven years. Since that time he has been engaged in the production of oil in Indiana, Illinois, Kansas and Hancock County, O., and de- votes the greater part of his time to this business. He was appointed the receiver for the Findlay Ax & Tool Company.

Mr. Bicknell was married in 1890 to Ida Grove, who is a native of Belmont County, O., and they have one daughter, Helen G. Bicknell. He is affiliated with the Elks, the Maccabees and the Masons.

JOSEPH PUGH, who resides on his val- uable farm of eighty acres, which is situated in Section 35, Madison Township, Hancock County, O., was born in Van Buren Town- ship, Hancock County, April 30, 1843, and is a son of John W. and Sarah Pugh.

The parents of Mr. Pugh were early set- tlers in Hancock County. His father en- tered 160 acres in Van Buren Township, one mile west of Mr. Pugh's present farm, and there carried on agricultural pursuits until the close of his life. He was a man of some consequence in his township and served some eight years as a justice of the peace.

Joseph Pugh was reared in Van Buren Township and obtained his schooling there. From youth he has been engaged in farm- ing, locating on this place after his marriage. He devotes his land to general agriculture, grain growing and stock raising, and is num- bered with the prosperous and successful farmers of Madison Township although in late years he has practically resigned the management of his farm to his son, John W. Pugh.

Joseph Pugh was married in 1865 to Miss Martha Johnson, a lady who was born in Van Wert County, and they have had three children: Zenobia, who is the wife of John Steinman of Van Buren Township, and they have eight children-Della, Bertha, Marie, Cloyd, Ivin, Franklin, Howard and Ray- mond; John W., who was born and reared and attended school in Madison Township and now is manager of his father's farm, married Mattie Chestnut, of Hardin County, O., and they have three children-Cuma, Emma and Wilbert; and Arlando, who died in infancy. Mr. Pugh has always been one of the responsible men of his township since locating here and for fourteen years served as a member of the school board in District No. 6, Madison Township. J. W. Pugh is identified with the order of Maccabees and attends Lodge No. 471 at Williamstown

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RESIDENCE OF P. P. SWINEHART, BLANCHARD TOWNSHIP

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JOHN D. RENSHLER, funeral director

to the Elks, Odd Fellows, Maccabees, Tribe and embalmer, has been established in this bus- of Ben Hur, Modern Woodmen, Red Men and iness at Findlay, O., since 1895. He was the Home Guards. born on a farm east of Findlay, near the Van Horn Cemetery, in Amanda Township, Han- cock County, May 6, 1871, and is a son of Levi W: and Mary J. (Harrison) Renshler. The father of Mr. Renshler moved from Pennsyl- vania to Ohio.

John D. Renshler attended the local schools and when he embarked in the undertaking bus- iness, with J. Clark Bright, of McComb, he was entirely without capital. He was associ- ated with Mr. Bright at McComb for about six years and is still interested there although re- siding at Findlay, and is also a member of the firm of Renshler & Deeds, at Rawson, O. Mr. Renshler is also proprietor and manager of the Twentieth Century Couch Manufacturing Company, which manufactures couches, cas- kets and davenports, together with a general line of funeral furnishings, making a specialty of a davenport which he has patented, as he has also a casket with an old iron finish. They also manufacture the Landon Patent Cement Grave Vault. This factory has been in opera- tion since 1906. Mr. Renshler is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Embalming at Boston, Mass., of the class of 1894. He is a member of the Guaranteed Undertakers' Co- operative Syndicate and Exchange List Com- pany, of Philadelphia. He has well appointed quarters and keeps a full line of all parapher- nalia pertaining to the necessities or demands of his business.

Mr. Renshler married Miss Harriet R. Lanck, of Findlay, a daughter of Michael Lanck, and they have two children: Nellie and Clarence J. With his family he is a member of the Central Church of Christ. He belongs

P. P. SWINEHART, a retired farmer of Blanchard Township, where he owns 227 acres of valuable land and is one of the highly re- spected citizens, was born in Hopewell Town- ship, Perry County, O., July 23, 1848, and is a son of Andrew and Lydia Ann (Stimmel) Swinehart.

Andrew Swinehart was born also in Perry County and was a son of John Swinehart, who was a native of Pennsylvania, and came from there to Perry County, O. John married in Pennsylvania, Christiana Gruber and they had a family of twelve children, which was not an unusual one in those days. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and escaped all injury in the service. He and his wife died in Perry County. Andrew Swinehart learned the plas- terer's trade and he was also a farmer, pur- chasing forty acres of land in Wood County, of his brother, Daniel Swinehart, and on that farm he died in October, 1897, and was buried in the Weaver Cemetery, Wood County. His widow remains on the homestead. They at- tended the Lutheran church. Andrew married Lydia Ann Stimmel, a daughter of Peter Stim- mel, of Perry County, but a native of Mary- land. Andrew Swinehart and wife became the parents of twelve children, eight of whom sur- vive. Of these, the subject of this sketch and one of his sisters are the only ones to make their home in Hancock County.

P. P. Swinehart attended school until he was about sixteen years of age in Perry County, with the exception of one term in Wood County. From his boyhood he helped his father, he being a renter, and followed his

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trade in Perry County and afterwards in riage with his present wife, who was formerly Wood County, remaining at home until he Miss Mary M. Merryman, a daughter of Fred was twenty-seven years of age. In 1865 he Merryman, of Marion, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Swinehart are members of the North Balti- more Lutheran church, being charter members of the same. The former casts his vote inde- pendently, not being a strict party man. moved to Wood County and helped to clear the farm. After his marriage he settled on his own farm in Wood County, on which he re- mained for over fifteen years. He then moved to another farm in Wood County and lived there seven years. Subsequently coming to Hancock County, he settled, in September, 1908, on his present farm. The property re- quired but little improving, as the land and buildings were in good condition. While act- ive he carried on farming along general lines, all his land being tillable except twenty acres, which is yet in timber.

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Twentieth Century History of Findlay and Hancock County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens, Part 59

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

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