OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

 

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DEFIANCE COUNTY
OHIO

BIOGRAPHIES

These biographies have been extracted from
Commemorative Biographical Records of Northwestern Ohio
including the counties of Defiance, Henry, Williams & Fulton.
Published at Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1899.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M
N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

NOTE:  If you are interested in any of the names listed below, please contact me
 and I will put it on her sooner.  Thanks, Sharon Wick

* DALRYMPLE, Frank
* DEAN, Washington
* DEATRICK, George W.
* DEATRICK, John F., Hon.
* DEEPE, Henry
* DEINDOERFER, John Albert
* DICKEY, Moses W.
* DICKMAN, Jacob
* DIEHL, Christ., Brewing Company		 * DIETSCH, John W.
* DOWE, John F.
* DOWELL, Benjamin B.
* DOZER, D. E.
* DREXLER, John, Jr.
* DUSTIN, George W., Prof.
 
 
FRANK DALRYMPLE  This progressive and prosperous citizen of Hicksville, Defiance county, and one of its leading druggists, is of Scottish origin.
     The American ancestor of the family was Evan Darumple (or Dalrumple), as the name was then spelled, who was born August 17, 1770, in Scotland, near Edinburg it is supposed.  He left his native land for the shores of America when a young man, near the close of the eighteenth century, and here, September 7, 1799, married Mary Williams.  New Jersey is regarded as the probable place of this event, as their son Samuel Taylor, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in that State.  To this union of Evan Dalrumple and Mary Williams six children were born, their names and dates of births being as follows: Nancy, September 12, 1801; John Arall, June 1, 1803; Samuel Taylor, February 16, 1805; Sarah, April 11, 1807; George, March 17, 1809; and Elizabeth, July 15, 1811.  The mother of this family was called from earth April 8, 1812; the father survived many years, passing away May 9, 1846, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.
     Samuel Taylor Dalrymple married Miss Mary Rathban, a native of south-central New York, and after marriage the young couple made their home in Cleveland, Ohio, two years.  Mr. Dalrymple had learned the trade of a millwright in New York, and this trade he pursued there and in Clarksville, in the northwestern part of Williams county, where he was located for a while after leaving Cleveland.  He built a gristmill at Clarksville, and moving thence in 183_ to Farmer township, Defiance county, he there built a sawmill and a gristmill.  He subsequently purchased a farm of eighty acres of forest land at Lost Creek, Farmer township, upon which he settled.  Taking up the work of clearing this wild tract, he passed through many years of the toil and hardships incident to pioneer life, but assiduously labored on to the successful achievement of his undertaking, making that place his home until the spring of 1874; and at his death he was the owner of a fair estate.  He was a self-educated man; possessed great force of character; was very temperate in his habits; and was, withal, a sincere Christian worker.  He was a member of the Methodist Church, in which he was a trustee many years; he was also steward and class leader; and besides rendered other faithful service.  In politics he was a Republican.  The children of this pioneer couple were Celia Ann, George, Benjamin S., Mary E., Sarah, Samuel P., Frank, Esther, John and Laura.  The second son, Benjamin S., served as a soldier in the Union army; was a member of Company I, Fifth Michigan Volunteer Cavalry.  The father died October 1, 1879, at Monterey, Allegan county, Michigan, while visiting his married children there, and was interred in Monterey cemetery.  His son Frank, the subject of this sketch, was chosen executor of his estate, which is to remain unsettled until after the death of the mother.  She is now living at an advanced age at Monterey.
     Frank Dalrymple was born at the old homestead, in Farmer township, April 8, 1848.  On arriving at a suitable age he spent his summers assisting in the duties of the farm and his winters in school until he was nineteen years old, when he went into the pine woods of Michigan and worked nine months, then spent nearly three years at carpentry, after which he gave his attention to study, attending the Normal School at Newville nine months, one in Williams county three months, and that at Edgerton five months.  He then, in turn, became an educator, teaching eight terms in schools at Logan, Farmer Center, Six Corners and Pleasant Ridge, when he again became a student, entering Oberlin College in 1873 for a commercial course.  He was graduated the following year, and in the spring of that year (1874) he located in Hicksville, buying property here, and the winger of 1875-76 found him again engaged as an instructor in the school at Pleasant Ridge.  On the first of the following May he purchased a drug store and stock at Hicksville, and has conducted the drug business here ever since.  The cost of the store was $1,650, of the stock $1,224; and his capital being then but thirty dollars, he made the purchase trusting his profits would enable him to cancel the indebtedness thus incurred.  In this he was not disappointed, as by October, 1879, he was able to place himself on a sound financial basis, free from debt; then in January, 1882, to build a two-story brick block, 25x90 feet, to which he removed his business from its original site, near the Presbyterian church, and he has been located here ever since.  Ever active and enterprising,  he has, during his busy life, given attention to a number of business interests besides those already noted.  He has been correspondent of the Cincinnati "Commercial Gazette," the Chicago "Herald," the Chicago "Tribune," and several other papers; was associate editor of the Defiance "Republican" for a while and was editor and proprietor of the Hicksville "Independent" for several years.  In disposing of this property he took in exchange one hundred and twenty acres of land in Michigan.  He was one of the party that prospected and located oil in Hicksville; was the reporter for the Commercial Agency of R. G. Dunn & Co. for more than six years; and has been the up-town money order agent of the United States Express Co. for the past fourteen or fifteen years.
     Mr. Dalrymple was married at Hicksville, May 20, 1876, to Miss Nancy Moore, and their home, corner of Rock and Smith streets, is brightened by three children:  William H., born November 27, 1878; Albert O., born March 6, 1882; and Fred V., born Jan. 2, 1885.  Mrs. Dalrymple is a daughter of John A. and Sarah (Miller) Moore, of Hicksville.
     Mr. Dalrymple is a zealous and prominent Republican, using his influence and contributing of his means toward the support of the principles of his party, and he has served the part of County, State and Congressional Conventions.  Socially he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, all of the local offices of which order he has filled, and he is also a member of the Ohio State Grand Lodge.  The religious connection of the family is with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. Dalrymple has been a member since the winter of 1875-76, and he and his wife, who is also a member, are in hearty sympathy with the organized efforts of the Church for good.  The former has served on the official board, and the latter is an officer of the aid Society, in which she is an active worker, and also in the Foreign Missionary Society.
 
WASHINGTON DEAN.  The subject of this notice is fairly entitled to be considered not only one of the enterprising farmers of Washington township, Defiance county, but one of its respected and honored citizens, and a man of more than ordinary ability.  A native of Ohio, he was born in Vernon township, Crawford county, May 5, 1834, and in a family of eight children - four sons and four daughters - he is the eldest son and second child.  His parents, Samuel and Margaret (Tarr) Dean, were married and made their home in Crawford county for some years.  There the father, who was a carpenter by trade, was killed by falling from a scaffold, in 1849, but the mother is still living at an advanced age.
     In the county of his nativity Washington Dean was reared and educated continuing to make it his home until the fall of 1857, when with his mother he came to Defiance county.  In Washington township he purchased eighty-two acres of land, which he has since owned, although he worked in Indiana for a few years prior to his marriage.  He now has ninety-four acres under al high state of cultivation, and improved with good and substantial buildings.  The neat and thrifty appearance of the place denotes the industry and progressive spirit of the owner, showing him to be a painstaking and systematic farmer.
     In Washington township, Defiance county, Mr. Dean was married, in March, 1872, to Mrs. Clara Whitcomb.  They have reared one child, Edith Boyer, now the wife of Harvey Borrick.  The family have many warm friends, and are widely and favorably known throughout the county.
 
GEORGE WASHINGTON DEATRICK.  The State of Pennsylvania owes its high standing, among the sovereign commonwealths that make up the United States, to the high character and dauntless spirit of the settlers who made their home within her borders in the early days.  To their inspiration and work is due her wonderful progress in agriculture and manufacturing and the arts.  They opened the mines and cleared away the forests, transforming the wilderness into fertile farms; they established churches and schools in the savage wilds; laying the foundations for the grand institutions of philanthropy and learning which are the glory of the State at the present day.  Among these brave and far-sighted pioneers the hardy, industrious and frugal emigrants from Germany were leaders, and their descendants have ever been prominent factors in developing and sustaining the varied activities which, combined in a harmonious whole, constitute our modern civilization.
     The family to which the subject of this sketch belongs was represented in those early days of Pennsylvania's progress by Johann Nicholaus Dietrich (as the name was then spelled).   He was born May 15, 1727, in the village of Rigswieler, near Semmern, in the Pfalz Palatinate, Rhenish Prussia, and as a young man came to America in 1748, and entered a tract of seven hundred acres of land a short distance northeast of Gettysburg, Adams county, Pennsylvania.  There he spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits, his death occurring in 1813.  He was married in 1752 to Margaretha Haberin, who died in 1797.  Both were devout adherents of the Lutheran Church, and were greatly esteemed for their worth.  They reared a family of seven sons and three daughters.  The eldest son, Jacob, our subject's grandfather, was a soldier in the Revolutionary army.  He and his wife lived at the old homestead, where both died, the former in 1801 and the latter a few years later.
     They had two sons and seven daughters, the youngest child being our subject's father, Jacob Jacob Nicholas Deatrick, who was born at the farm near Gettysburg, March 24, 1799.  He learned the details of manufacturing linen and woolen goods in his youth, and carried on the business during his active life, first at Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and for a time at Gettysburg, but in 1834 he moved with his family to Ohio and established a woolen-factory at Fredericksburg.  In 1864 he retired from business.  In 1868 he moved to Defiance, where his last days were spent.  His wife, Elizabeth Boyer, to whom he married March 25, 1823, died there in 1875, and he breathed his last on February 23, 1888, the remains of both being laid to rest side by side in the cemetery at Defiance.
     Thirteen children blessed their union, the names with the dates of birth being as follows:  Elenora, February 21, 1824, married Henry C. Lytle of Wayne county, Ohio; Maria, January 6, 1826, died in infancy; Anna Margaret Rebecca, December 29, 1827, married James S. Ward, now deceased, and resides at Plattsburg, Missouri; John Frederick, November 26, 1829, is the present mayor of Defiance; Jacob Nicholas, November 14, 1831, died in infancy; Mary Jane, November 11, 1832, married (first) Rev. J. D. Long, who died in India, while they were serving as missionaries, and (second) wedded Rev. John Lehman, who is residing upon a farm near Sydney, Shelby county, Ohio; Daniel William, September 15, 1835, died in infancy; George Washington, July 9, 1837, is mentioned more fully below; Sarah Louise, June 9, 1840, and Henry Harrison, October 7, 1842, died in infancy; Harriet Amelia, December 19, 1844, is a successful teacher at Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Charlotte Albertine, September 10, 1847, married John H. Bleistein, of Duncannon, Pennsylvania, now deceased, and she at present makes her home at Defiance; Charles Henry, September 19, 1849, is a resident of Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
     G. W. Deatrick is a native of the Buckeye State, having first seen the light at Fredericksburg, where he grew to manhood, attending the public schools, and familiarizing himself with the details of his father's business through practical work in a factory.  On July 31, 1862, he joined the brave "boys in blue" in the struggle for the preservation of the Union, enlisting in Company H, One Hundred Second Ohio Volunteer Infantry, as a private.  He served gallantly until the close of the war, and was mustered out June 30, 1865, with the rank of sergeant.  On returning to the paths of peace he secured a position as bookkeeper at Defiance, and followed that occupation until he was appointed postmaster of Defiance by President Grant, his commission being dated February 26, 1875.  So efficient did he prove himself to be, and so thoroughly satisfied with his administration were the people of the place, that he was re-appointed by President Hayes and again by President Arthur, making three full terms.  He resigned, however, at the close of the eleventh year of service to give place to an appointee of President Cleveland.  Mr. Deatrick retired from office with honor, having won by his ability and fidelity the esteem and good will of his fellow citizens without regard to party.  He resumed his former employment as bookkeeper and accountant, in which he is regarded as an expert, and at present he has charge of the books of the Defiance Machine Works.
     On March 14, 1860, Mr. Deatrick was united in marriage with Miss Anna Mary Ober, a daughter of Henry C. and Barbara (Murphy) Ober, well-known residents of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.  Of the four children are:  Harry L., born February 24, 1861, now a salesman in a clothing store in Toledo; Alice Pearl, born November 7, 1867, is the wife of Earnest W. Ryder, of Chicago, Illinois; and William O., born June 8, 1869.  Mr. Deatrick resides at No. 209 Wayne street, Defiance, in a pleasant home purchased in 1868 and rebuilt in 1894 with modern conveniences.
     Always a stanch Republican, Mr. Deatrick is one of the leading counselors of the party in his locality, and he also takes great interest as a loyal citizen in any movement which promises to benefit his community.  For twenty years past he as been a member of the Presbyterian Church at Defiance.  Socially, he is affiliated with Bishop Post No. 22, Department of Ohio, G. A. R.; Defiance Lodge No. 147 B. P. O. Elks; and with the several Masonic bodies of the city.
 
HON. JOHN F. DEATRICK.  This gentleman for ten years (1880-86 and 1894-98) was mayor of Defiance, has been for forty-three years past prominently identified with the social, business and official life of that thriving town. He is a native of Pennsylvania, having been born at Chambersburg November 26, 1829, and is of German descent.
     Mr. Deatrick's grandparents came from the Fatherland in the latter part of the eighteenth century, and located in Pennsylvania, where they purchased farming lands. They reared a large family of children, among whom was a son, John Jacob Nicholas Deatrick, our subject's father, who was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, and there married Miss Elizabeth Boyer, also of German ancestry. He owned and operated a woolen-mill in his native county for some years, but it was destroyed by fire, and about two years later he removed with his family to Fredericksburg, Wayne county, Ohio, arriving there in 1833. He operated a woolen-mill at that place for many years, and was one of the substantial citizens of that locality. For a long time he held the office of postmaster. On his retirement from active business he and his wife removed to Defiance, where they both passed to the unseen world. This worthy couple were devout and consistent members of the Presbyterian Church, and their children, of whom there were thirteen, were carefully reared in that faith.
     The subject of this sketch, the third child in this numerous family, was educated mainly in the schools of Fredericksburg, so far as his education has been due to school instruction at all. At an early age he began to learn the practical details of work in the woolen-mill under his father's supervision, thus forming habits of industry which have contributed in no slight measure to the success attained in later years. At nineteen he left the parental roof and went to St. Paul, Minnesota, then a mere village of six hundred inhabitants, and, finding employment at the carpenter's trade, remained there a year and a half. He then returned to Fredericksburg and entered into partnership with his father in the woolen business, in which he continued until 1853, when he went to Defiance to establish a woolen-mill there. Certain parties had previously offered to furnish a suitable building if he would supply the machinery, but as their promises failed of fulfillment the project was abandoned. Mr. Deatrick did, however, put in a carding machine at a shop in Perry street, where the Defiance Woolen Mills now stand, his venture being a nucleus for the latter enterprise.
     In 1853 he was married at Defiance to his first wife, Miss Nancy Taylor, daughter of Judge John Taylor, then a member of the Ohio Senate. For some time Mr. Deatrick taught school, but, determining to enter the legal profession, he read law with a brother-in-law, David Taylor, of Defiance, and in 1856 was admitted to the Bar. Two years later at Cleveland, Ohio, he was admitted to practice in the United States courts for this district. Like most "briefless barristers," he sought at first, while waiting for strictly legal business, to take up some similar lines of work, and in 1856 he accepted an agency for the Washington Union Insurance Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, and this laid the foundation for the most extensive and profitable insurance business in this section, now conducted under the firm name of John F. Deatrick & Son. It is safe to say that they do three-fourths of the business in that line in their locality. For years past this firm has also carried on a large real-estate and loan business, and they own many valuable tracts of land, improved and unimproved. For ten years after opening his office at Defiance, Mr. Deatrick also acted as special agent for the Phoenix Insurance Co., of Hartford, Connecticut, traveling over a large territory and establishing agencies at different points. In 1861 he was appointed United States deputy marshal, and in 1872 he was made chief of the Defiance fire department; but on his election in 1880 to the office of mayor of his city he resigned both these positions. That his administration was able and efficient is proven by his re-election in 1882 and 1884; then after an interval. just long enough to teach the people the value of his services, he was recalled to the post in 1894, and was again chosen in 1896. From the close of the war until 1890 he acted as war claim and pension agent at Defiance, in addition to his other lines of business.
     Mr. Deatrick is a man of versatile talents and sound common sense, and these qualities, combined with an enterprising spirit, have naturally led him to lend a hand in many important business ventures. As one instance among many we will mention the Defiance Opera House, a handsome structure, of which he was a leading promoter. Few men in the State have as high a reputation as a judge of land values. A man of strict integrity, Mr. Deatrick enjoys the esteem and confidence of all classes, and his influence as a progressive citizen ever ready to support a worthy cause is a power for good.
     By his first marriage Mr. Deatrick had eight children, five of whom— Francis M., Claude T., Fred L., Charles L., and Ralph M.—are living. Three others—Edith May, Jeannette and Nannie K.—died in infancy. The mother of this family passed to the life beyond February 4, 1887, and on April 11, 1895, Mr. Deatrick was united in marriage with Miss Marion Strong.
     During the war and for some time afterward Mr. Deatrick affiliated with the Republican party, but in the Hayes-Tilden campaign he voted the Democratic ticket, and has since acted with that party. He is a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and also belongs to the Order of Elks and to the K. T.
 
HENRY DEEPE.
     Mr. Deepe, who is proprietor of one of the best and most highly cultivated farms of Tiffin township, Defiance county, was born in Prussia, Germany, June 8, 1833, a son of Frederick and Rachel (Schroer) Deepe, also natives of Prussia, who in the fall of 1836 emigrated to America, locating first in Stark county, Ohio. Later they came to Defiance county, and in Tiffin township spent their remaining days.
     Our subject is the eldest of their eight children—two sons and six daughters—and was three years old when brought by his parents to the New World. After ten years spent in Stark county, the family removed to Defiance county, where he has since made his home, being reared in much the usual manner of farmer boys of his day.
     In Tiffin township Mr. Deepe was married, November 8, 1855, to Miss Mary Redker, also a native of Prussia, who was born October 21, 1839. Her parents, Henry and Elizabeth Jane (Schroer) Redker, were born, reared and married in Prussia, and in 1840 crossed the broad Atlantic, becoming residents of Tiffin township, Defiance county, Ohio, where they continued to live until called from this life. In their family were ten children—two sons and eight daughters—Mrs. Deepe being the eldest. To our subject and his wife have been born twelve children, one of whom, Sarah C, died in infancy. Those yet living are as follows: Pherobey J., now the wife of Wilbur Rummell; Mary E., wife of John McComb; John W.; Elizabeth E., wife of Edward Clay; Adelia, wife of Samuel Burk; Phoebe E.? wife of Emory Elliott; Nettie; Belle, wife of Walter Dickman; William H.; Lewis C.; and Chauncey M.
     After his marriage, Mr. Deepe located in Tiffin township, where he now owns an excellent farm of two hundred acres, on which he has erected good and substantial buildings, which add greatly to the value and attractive appearance of the place. Throughout his business career he has devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits, and has met with a well merited success in his operations. For over half a century he has been a resident of Defiance county, and as a public spirited, progressive citizen, has given support to all measures for the public good. As one of the representative men of his community, he has been called upon to serve in local official positions. Over his life record there falls no shadow of wrong, his public service was most exemplary, and his private life has been marked by the utmost fidelity to duty. Both he and his wife are sincere and worthy members of the United Brethren Church.
 
JACOB DICKMAN.  One of the most intelligent and highly respected citizens of Noble township is Mr. Dickman, the subject of this memoir.  He has spent his entire life in Defiance county, having been born in Tiffin township, August 5, 1850.
     The late William Dickman, father of Jacob Dickman, was born in Hanover, Germany, October 2, 1810, emigrated to the United States in early life and took up his residence in Pennsylvania.  Soon after in the State he married Miss Rebecca A. Kanecamp, also a native of Hanover, Germany.  Shortly after their marriage they came to Wooster, Ohio, where they made their home for a time, and in 1846 removed to Tiffin township, Defiance county, continuing to live there until called to their final rest, the mother dying in 1872, the father on November 2, 1892.  Wherever known they were held in high esteem.
     In their family of eight children - six sons and two daughters - Jacob Dickman was the youngest.  Upon the old home farm in Tiffin township he grew to manhood, early becoming familiar with every department of farm work, and acquiring a good practical education in the common schools of the neighborhood.  For six winters he successfully engaged in teaching, but throughout the greater part of his active business life his attention ahs been given to agricultural pursuits.  After his marriage he located upon his present fine farm of seventy-three and one-half acres in Noble township, which he has placed under high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings.
      In Mark township, Defiance county, Mr. Dickman was married September 7, 1871, to Miss Susie Smith, who was born in that township, October 17, 1851.  Of the ten children born to them, seven are still living, namely: Nellie (now the wife of Charles Fortney), Alta (wife of A. L. Overly), Joseph Clay, Lulu, Jacob Ray, Blaine, and May.  Those deceased are:  Minnie C., Susie I., and Fay.
     Mr. Dickman  uses his right of franchise in support of the principles of the Republican party, and takes quite an active interest in local political affairs.  He is now acceptably serving as one of the trustees of the Orphans' Home in Defiance county.  In the United Brethren Church he holds membership, and takes an active part in all church work.  As a business man he has met with success, and in connection with his farming operations he is making a specialty of bee culture, having upon his place a fine apiary, and he has taken over ten thousand pounds of honey in a single year.  Mr. Dickman's articles on Bee Culture have appeared in the "American Bee Journal," "American Apiculturist," "Ohio Farmer," and "American Agriculturist."
 
JOHN W. DIETSCH.  Among the sturdy and stalwart citizens of Richland township, Defiance county, whose place of birth was in the German Fatherland, and who, with the industry and thrift so natural to the people of that country, have rapidly progressed toward that financial condition so much coveted by all, is the subject of this personal history.
     Born in Bavaria, Germany, February 27, 1822, our subject grew to manhood upon a farm there.  In 1845 he bade adieu to his native land and sailed for America, landing in Baltimore, Maryland, whence he went to Franklin county, Indiana.  There he lived until 1849, in which year he crossed the Plains to California, hoping from the gold mines of that State to secure a fortune; but during the three years he spent upon the Pacific slope he met with only ordinary success.
     On his return to the East, Mr. Dietsch came to Defiance county, Ohio and located upon land in Section 26, Richland township, which he had purchased in 1848 before going to California.  He at once began the improvement and cultivation of his land, and upon that property has made his home continuously sine 1852.  Upon the place, which comprises two hundred and seventy-three acres of fine land, he has erected good buildings, and made many other improvements which add greatly to its value and attractive appearance.
     In Richland township, January 28, 1855, Mr. Dietsch was married to Miss Sarah Gackel, who was born in Alsace, Germany, January 18, 1835, and came to America in 1847.  Eight children have been born to them, namely: Magdelena; Elizabeth, now the wife of George Wirth; Catherine, wife of Peter Engle; Louis; Henry; Phoebe, wife of Charles Thieroff; Adam and John.  The parents and children hold membership in the Lutheran Church, and are widely and favorably known.  Mr. Dietsch has ever taken an active interest in the welfare of his adopted country, and he is recognized as a valued and useful citizen of his community.  For three years he acceptably served as treasurer of Richland township.
 
D. E. DOZER.
     D. E. Dozer, attorney at law, Defiance, Defiance county, Ohio.
 
JOHN F. DOWE
     Few men are more prominent or more widely known in Defiance county than John F. Dowe, of Brunersburg, who for two terms most acceptably served as treasurer of the county.  He is public-spirited, and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of the community.  He has been an important factor in political circles, and his popularity is well deserved.
     One of Defiance county's native sons, Mr. Dowe was born in the village of Brunersburg,  Noble township, February 21, 1851.  His father, John Dowe, Sr., was born in Baden, Germany, and when a young man came to the New World.  In Defiance county he married Miss Barbara Speaker, also a native of Germany, and during most of their married life they lived in Noble township, where both died, the father at the age of sixty-six years, the mother at the age of seventy-four.  Our subject is third in the order of birth in the family of six children - three sons and three daughters.
     John F. Dowe was reared in Brunersburg, receiving a good common school education, which has well fitted him for the responsible duties of life.  Farming has been his principal occupation, and he is now the owner of a well-improved and highly cultivated farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Noble township, which he successfully operates.  He was married in Brunersburg to Miss Etta Hilton, a native of Noble township, who died in 1878, after a short married life of three years.  In April, 1883, he was again married, his second union being with Miss Ella Koons, also a native of Defiance county, by whom he has six children, namely: Florence, Pearl, Carrie, Charlie, Beatrice and Vernie.
     Since attaining his majority Mr. Dowe has taken an active and influential part in local politics; has filled the offices of clerk of Noble township and assessor for several terms; has been prominently identified with educational affairs, and for two terms he served as treasurer of Defiance county with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of the general public.  His loyalty as a citizen, and his devotion to his county's interests, have been among his marked characteristics, and the community is fortunate that numbers him among its citizens.
 
PROFESSOR GEORGE W. DUSTIN.  Although this gentleman has been identified with the history of Sherwood, Defiance county, but a comparatively short time, he is honored with a prominent place among its leading and valued citizens.
     The late Samuel Dustin was a Pennsylvanian by birth, born in Westmoreland county. As a life companion he wedded Miss Catharine Zeigler, a native of Wayne county, Ohio, and here they resided during the early part of their married life, but later he removed to a farm in Williams county, this State, where Mr. Dustin devoted the remainder of his life to agriculture. They had eight children—six sons and two daughters—George W. being the second in the order of birth. The father departed this life May 19, 1892; the widowed mother still survives.
George W. Dustin was born in the Williams county home, July 12, 1848. and was reared on the paternal farm. He obtained the foundation of a good education in the common schools of his native county, and later completed a course of study at the Normal College at Bryan, graduating in 1872. Prior to that, in 1868, he engaged in teaching in Williams county, and on his-graduation from college received the compliment of an appointment to the principalship of the public schools at Montpelier. After filling this position for more than three years, he taught at Farmer Center, Defiance county, six years, when he was chosen principal of the schools at Butler, Indiana, and accepting the position, was there one year.
     On November 14, 1875, Professor Dustin was united in marriage with Miss Esther A. Poast, a daughter of the late John and Catherine (Rodkey) Poast of Williams county. Their family consisted of ten children—four sons and six daughters—Mrs. Dustin being the sixth child. Her native place is Bryan, Ohio, where she was born May 19, 1852. The home in Williams county was saddened by the death of the father December 15, 1862, and after a long period of widowhood the mother passed away, at Bryan, February 24, 1897.
     Professor and Mrs. Dustin have become the parents of four children, as follows: Carmie A., Winnie A. (deceased in infancy), Vena A., and Loyal A. In 1892. the. Professor accepted the principalship of the Sherwood public school, which numbers about one hundred and twenty regular pupils, bringing to the work, in addition to a well-furnished and cultivated mind, an experience of nearly a quarter of a century of continuous engagement in the labors of his vocation. Possessing a just appreciation of the benefits of a liberal education, as also a love for literary pursuits, he gives assiduous attention to the duties of his calling as instructor of youth, with fruitful results; and, in addition to these labors, he has served on the county board of school examiners for a term of three years, and was reappointed August 30, 1898, for a second term of three years.
     Our subject and his wife are members of the U. B. Church, and take an active part in Church work. The former has interested himself largely in Sunday-school work and has been superintendent of several Sunday-schools. A man of ability in his calling, his position is one of influence, and he enjoys the confidence and high regard of the community.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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