OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS - Defiance Co., Ohio

OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS

Welcome to
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

* HALL, Adam
* HALM, Jacob Conrad
(See Williams Co., OH)
* HAMMON, John
* HARDY, Henry, Hon.
* HARLEY, Christian
* HARLEY, C. Perry
* HAVER, Moses M.
* HAVER, Thomas W.
* HAYMAKER, Kidder V.
* HEILAND, John B., Rev.
* HELLER, Edward

* HILL, W. D., Hon.
* HIRES, John A.
* HOCKMAN, John H.
* HOFMEISTER, Jacob
* HOLGATE, William C.
* HOOKER, Edward Payson
* HORSEY, Stephen
* HORTON, Francis Newell
* HUBER, Herman H.
* HUFF, William W.
* HUFFMAN, Peter
* HULL, William D.
* HUTCHINS, Forest O.

JACOB CONRAD HALM. In all parts of the United States, whether in rural hamlet or crowded city. there may be found those who trace their descent from the studious and philosophic German race. In every walk of life their ability and energy have gained for them a foremost rank, and they constitute an important factor in the development and maintenance of American institutions. The superior advantages of this section have naturally attracted a large number of this enterprising class of citizens, and the following sketch supplies a typical instance of a family which has for many years occupied a leading place in the business and social activities of the thriving city of Bryan.
     The ancestors of our subject had their home for many generations in the south of Germany, in or near the village of Baltmannsweiler, Schorndorf, Kingdom of Wurtemberg. His grandfather, Jacob Halm, who was a wealthy land owner and agriculturist of that vicinity, throughout his life held a prominent place as a citizen by reason of his high character. Like all the members of the family, Jacob Halm was a devout believer in the doctrines of the Lutheran Church, in which he was an active worker, and he died in that faith at the advanced age of eighty years. He and his wife reared a family of children, among whom was a son, Jacob (2), our subject's father.
     Jacob Halm (2) was born in 1834, at Baltmannsweiler, and in his youth received an excellent education in the schools of that locality. Thus equipped for the battle of life, he determined in early manhood to seek in America a better opportunity for advancement than his native land promised him, and in 1854 he crossed the Atlantic. On reaching New York City he found employment in a large wholesale wine and liquor establishment, where he remained about four years. In 1858 he came to Ohio on a prospecting tour, but, being dissatisfied with the outlook, he returned to New York. In 1863 he again came west, the rapid development of this section having dispelled all doubts as to the future value of investments here, and soon after his arrival he located at Bryan, purchasing three or four lots on the north side of the public square, including the present site of the First National Bank. He at once opened a grocery and saloon there, but after carrying on the business for a year he sold the property and removed to a farm in Defiance county, five miles south of Bryan.   In 1865 he sold out and returned to Bryan, having purchased from Henry Arnold the old brewery there. It was then a common frame structure, limited in its capacity and crude in its fittings, and with characteristic foresight and energy he added various modern improvements.
     In 1873 he removed the old buildings entirely, and erected a modern brick structure, ninety feet square and four stories in height, with basement, and equipped it with the most approved appliances. His special aim was to secure a good quality of beer, absolutely free from adulteration, pure malt and hops being used instead of the cheaper substitutes which are sometimes employed by other manufacturers. The water for the plant was obtained from an artesian well, thus insuring perfect purity, and even this was carefully sterilized before being used. It is not strange that with such methods he soon established a reputation for making a first-class product, and the demand rapidly increased until he had an extensive and profitable business. At the time of his death, which occurred March 7, 1883, he was worth more than seventy-five thousand dollars, and was regarded as one of the substantial business men of the locality.
     He was a generous man, liberal in thought and in his dealings with others, and as a citizen he was public-spirited and progressive. In politics he was a Democrat, and during two terms he served acceptably as a member of the city council. For many years he was a leading member of the German Lutheran Church, and socially he was identified with the I. O. O. F. and the Masonic fraternity. His death was a sad blow to the community in which he had so long resided, especially as it came without warning. While overseeing some work in the brewery his sleeve was caught by a set screw on a rapidly revolving shaft, and he was instantly killed. His wife, Caroline Kiesel, to whom he was married in New York City October 20, 1858, survived him several years, dying June 15, 1895, and their remains now rest side by side in the Fountain City cemetery, at Bryan. Their acquaintance had begun in childhood, at Baltmannsweiler, Germany, where Mrs. Halm was born May 26, 1834, and as she came to America in 1853 they had known but little separation throughout their lives until death came between them. Of their five children—the eldest, Caroline, died at the age of twenty, unmarried; Rosa married A. G. Helwig, a stenographer, residing at Kendallsville, Indiana; Jacob C., our subject, is mentioned more fully below; Julia married F. H. Kreagloh, now the secretary of the Halm Brewing Company at Bryan; and William died (unmarried) in 1892, aged twenty-three years.
     Our subject was born July 15, 1864, at the farm then owned by his father in Defiance county, and his education was secured in the schools of Bryan. During his boyhood he began to take an interest in the management of the brewery, and in time he became thoroughly acquainted with all the details of the work. At the time of his father's death, although only eighteen years old, he took entire charge of the business, and he has ever since conducted it successfully. Under his able and progressive management the plant has been improved, any new device being added which will increase the efficiency of the works and the value of the product. The plant has a daily capacity of sixty barrels, about double the daily product at the time he took charge, and. nine men are kept constantly employed. As may be supposed, he has taken no backward steps, and, following the example set by his father, he permits no adulterants to be used in the goods bearing the name of his company. Under his able and progressive management the reputation of the product has been greatly extended, and it commands, as it should, the highest market price.
     Mr. Halm resembles his father in many respects, and especially in his courteous manner and generous and hospitable disposition. He enjoys wide popularity and socially is identified with various orders, including the F. and A. M. and I. O. O. F. In religious faith he is a Lutheran; politically he affiliates with the Democratic party. His enterprise is displayed in local affairs as well as in his private business, as he is always ready to assist in any movement which promises to benefit his community, and he has served two terms as treasurer of Pulaski township, Williams county.
     On December 15, 1887, he married Miss Millie M. Rankert, a daughter of Michael Rankert, now an honored resident of Bryan. This venerable gentleman was born in 1816 in Alsace (now a province of Germany), and for seven years was a soldier in the French cavalry, serving in the African campaigns, and the reminiscences of his long life are full of interest. Mr. and Mrs. Halm have had three children, viz.: Lorene, born January 6, 1890, and died when only eight months old; Jacob Charles, born April 5, 1891, and Arthur William, born September 30, 1893.

JOHN HAMMON. This deceased gentleman was for many years actively identified with the farming interests of Richland township, Defiance county, and was one of the representative and honored citizens of his community. He was born December 3, 1825, in Wurtemburg, Germany, but when quite young was brought to America by his mother and stepfather, being reared principally in Independence, Ohio. When about twenty-four years of age he went to Woodville, Sandusky county, where he was employed as clerk for his brother-in-law some four years.
While living at that place Mr. Hammon was married February 3, 1858, to Miss Catherine Myers, a native of Honover, Germany, born April 9, 1831. When three years old she came to America with her parents. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Hammon continued to live in Woodville for one year, and then removed to Richland township, Defiance county, locating on a farm in Section I, North Richland precinct, where he successfully engaged in farming until called from this life on October 30, 1891. He left to his family a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres, its well tilled fields and neat and thrifty appearance manifesting the enterprise and industry of the owner. He took quite an active part in all local affairs, most of his death was holding the office of Justice of the peace with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. Religiously he was connected with the Lutheran Church, of which his wife is also al faithful member.
In the family of this worthy couple were ten children, as follows: Mary C.; Eva L., now the wife of Henry Feindle; John H., who wedded Mary E. Fisher; George P., who married Mary Curns; Flora, who died at the age of nineteen years; Henry M., who married Lizzie Clemens; Lewis F., who married Sadie Champion; William, who wedded Martha Koust; Philip E.; and August Alonzo. The family is one of the highest respectability and worth.

HON. HENRY HARDY, of Defiance, who for more than a quarter of a century has been a leading member of the Defiance County Bar, is a man of strong character and marked influence. Possessing in a high degree the esteem of his fellow citizens, he has been called by them to various positions of trust and responsibility, and these he has filled with a fidelity which reflects credit upon him and upon the judgment of his constituents as well.
     A native of West Troy, New York, he was born June 28, 1827. His family was of pure Saxon origin, but by intermarriage with different families from Scotland and Ireland it acquired the admixture of blood known as the Scotch-Irish, a strain which has produced a large proportion of our eminent men. Mr. Hardy's ancestors had their home for many generations in County Donegal, Ireland, where they were mainly engaged in farming and stock raising, being also more or less interested as dealers in cattle.
     William Hardy, our subject's father, was born about 1794, near Mount Charles, or Letterkenny, in that county, and for a time in his youth followed the ancestral occupations with his father. At the age of nineteen he came to America alone, and from 1813 to 1817 remained at Warrensburg, Warren county, New York. He then located at West Troy as a dry-goods merchant, continuing in business successfully until 1836, when he came to Ohio and purchased a farm at Newcomerstown, Tuscarawas county. His wife, Mary (McCafferty, to whom he was married at West Troy, died at their home in Ohio in 1862, and his own death occurred six years later. They had eleven children, of whom four - Edwin, Eleanor, John and Henry - lived to adult age.
     The subject of this sketch first attended school in West Troy, but after the removal of the family to this State his opportunities for an education were restricted to an attendance at the district schools of Tuscarawas county, and a night school of a grade corresponding to the grammar schools of to-day. He was an apt pupil and made the most of his somewhat limited facilities, laying a good foundation for future progress. He remained with his father until nearly eighteen years of age, and then left home to take a place as driver on the canal. In this capacity he made the trip to Cleveland, but one week at the employment satisfied him, and he returned to the parental roof. He then spent eighteen months in learning the tailor's trade, which he followed for a time, but in 1850 he located at Defiance, purchasing some timbered land. In 1853 he married his first wife, Miss Mary Ann Platter, daughter of George Platter, Esq., a well-known farmer of Paulding county, residing twelve miles from Defiance. The day before his marriage Mr. Hardy went to Charloe, Paulding county, to procure a license. The first year of their wedded life was passed at Newcomerstown, Ohio, Mr. Hardy being engaged in his trade there, but afterward he bought a farm ten miles southwest of Defiance, on the Maumee river, where he lived for two years. During this time his wife died, leaving one son, George P., now a resident of Paulding county.
     In 1857 Mr. Hardy was elected recorder of Defiance county, and removed to the county seat. He served six years in that office, being re-elected in 1860; in the meantime he studied law with Thomas McBride, and was admitted to the Bar. In the same year he was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney for Defiance county, and was re-elected at the expiration of his term, serving four years in all. His law practice occupied his entire attention for a time, but in 1873 he was nominated by the Democratic party as a member of the Legislature, and was elected in the following year. At the close of his term he resumed his practice, and in 1878 he was again chosen to represent his locality in the Legislature. During that session, 1878-79, the laws of the State were codified, the statues as then revised taking effect in 1880. Mr. Hardy also served as mayor of Defiance before the place was chartered as a city, but with the exception of the time spent in these public duties, which were faithfully and ably performed, he has devoted his energies to professional work.
     In 1859 Mr. Hardy married a second wife, Miss Elizabeth Hamilton, a lineal descendant of Gaven Hamilton, mentioned in Robert Burns' poem, "Holy Willie's Prayer." Her father, who was also named Gaven Hamilton, was a prosperous miller near Newville, Indiana. Mrs. Elizabeth Hardy died in 1864, leaving two children: Mary, a successful teacher in the Defiance schools, who also keeps house for her father; and John, now engaged in railroad work in Mexico City, Mexico. Four years after the death of his second wife, Mr. Hardy married Miss Julia Dunning, daughter of Charles Dunning, captain of a boat. Her death occurred in 1889, one child surviving her: Henrietta, now Mrs. William C. Heth, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mr. Hardy resides at No. 219 Wayne street, Defiance, in a building which was used as the first court house in Williams county.
     From boyhood Mr. Hardy has been an active supporter of the Democratic party, ahs made many political speeches in this section, and served as a delegate to many conventions, Judicial, State and Congressional. In 1896 he endorsed the Chicago platform, upholding the free coinage of silver at 16 to 1. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and of the Masonic fraternity, being a Knight Templar.

CHRISTIAN HARLEY. For centuries the men of letters and learning of all countries have drawn inspiration and wisdom from the writings of the famous scholars of Germany—a country that has been so prolific in men of learning—that "studious" has become a necessary and accepted adjective in describing the national characteristics of that people. There a Luther was born, there he lived and died, and won immortality in history by his learning, piety and teachings, and there, also, was born and lived a Bismarck—one of the greatest statesmen of this or any other age; a Von Moltke—one of the greatest war generals of modern times; a Schiller and a Goethe—bright diadems in the crown of the world's poetry and literature: and countless others of matchless learning—all born in that Fatherland.
     Of less fame, but of the same race, are countless thousands who emigrated from their native shores and sought homes in the United States. where they have taken a goodly part in the settlement of the country from the earliest times in its history, and been prominent factors in all the different avenues of progress and of national life. Of that lineage and race is descended the gentleman whose name opens this sketch. The family was in the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, until the time of the father of our subject, John Harley, who was a soldier in the German army in the wars against Napoleon, was at one time taken prisoner, but escaped soon afterward. He lived in the small town of Weingarten, near Carlsruhe, in the grand duchy of Baden, and followed farming as an occupation. In 1835 he, with his wife Margaret (Bertsch) Harley, and their four children, emigrated to the United States, first locating at Buffalo, New York, later removing to Petersburg, Columbiana county, Ohio, where the father of the family died in 1850, and his widow in i860; both are buried at that place. The children of this couple were as follows: John, who died in Crawford county, Ohio; Alexander D., now a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; Jacob F., who died in Elyria, Ohio; and Christian, the subject of this sketch. The parents of this family were reared under the auspices of the Lutheran Church, but in later years became members of the Methodist Church, in which faith they died.
     Christian Harley was born February 22, 1822, at Weingarten, Germany, and therefore was thirteen years of age when he came with his father's family to the United States. He had attended school in his native land from the age of six years, thus obtaining early in life a fair education. At the age of fourteen he left his parents' home and began life for himself; at the age of sixteen he apprenticed himself to learn the shoemaker's trade at Fallston, Beaver county, Pennsylvania. At the end of four years (having completed his trade), on December 18, 1842, he was married to Miss Regina Stelzer, born May 14, 1825, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, who came to the United States with her parents when but six years of age. After his marriage our subject carried on the boot and shoe business at Florence, Erie county, Ohio, until 1849, when he embarked in the dry-goods business at the same place, and was very successful, steadily acquiring property, among which was a fine farm. In 1861 learning of a good opening for the dry-goods business at Defiance, Ohio, he moved to that place, where he rented a store and purchased a stock of goods, wholly on credit, and the following spring sold his real-estate at Florence, and with the proceeds greatly increased his business. This venture at Defiance proved a success, it becoming one of the largest stores of its kind in the city. Mr. Harley conducted the store, until April, 1877, when he sold out to his sons, having then an ample fortune, and has since lived a quiet and retired life. As an honorable merchant his record is without blemish— beginning as a youth with no financial assistance, with stout heart and strong arms, combined with good habits taught him by a Christian mother, he began the battle of life and earned his way step by step to affluence, by his own labor and a constant trust in the God of the Universe.
     In 1841 Mr. Harley became a member of the M. E. Church at Wellsville, Ohio, and has remained constant to the cause of religion through all his years of active business life; of the means that has been given to him he has been liberal in its use to sustain the good cause, contributing at one time twenty-five hundred dollars toward the erection of St. Paul's M. E. Church edifice at Defiance, and five hundred dollars toward building the St. Paul's M. E. Church at Toledo. In various other ways he shows his earnest, self-sacrificing and practical Christianity, while he ascribes his whole success in life to the comfort and help that Christianity has been to him, and has never regretted that day in 1841, when he united with the Methodist Church. After a service in the cause of religion of over fifty-five years, he constantly renders thanks for the benefit it has been to him. In politics he was formerly a Whig, and in later years an ardent Republican. His wife, Regina (Stelzer) Harley, died at Defiance, September 30, 1880, the mother of thirteen children, as follows: Ann Helena, born March 18, 1844, married Louis Tiedeman, of Defiance; Caroline Louisa, born December 20, 1845, married John Bertsch, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Charles Andrew, born October 25, 1847, married Emma Pearson, and lives in Toledo; Alonzo Franklin, born August 8, 1849, married Elizabeth Bertsch, and lives in Defiance; Henry Albert, born August 23, 1851, married Phoebe Stover, and lives in Pioneer, Williams county, Ohio; Clark Clinton, born July 31, 1853, married Jenet Strong, and died in Pueblo, Colorado, May 9, 1897; C. Perry, a sketch of whom follows; Mary Matilda, born June 6. 1858, married Robert T. Whitaker, of Defiance; Edward Melton, born December 12, i860, married Lizzie Wilson, and lives in Toledo (all born at Florence) ; the following were born at Defiance: Willie Melvin, born February 21, 1863, married Dana Durbin, and lives in Pioneer, Ohio; John Abraham Lincoln, born July 10, 1865, married Addie Bellinger (his death, caused by an accident, occurred September 23, 1868); Nellie Lillian, born September 23 1868, is unmarried; and Jay De Forest, born July 1, 1871, is married to Gertrude Rout, and lives at Defiance. The father of this family was married to his present wife, Mary Stoody, April 25, 1882, and by the union there is one child, Edith May, born March 31, 1883.
     The family are all members of the M. E. Church, of which the father has served as class-leader, steward and trustee at various times through a long period of years. They reside in a commodious and handsome modern dwelling built by Mr. Harley in 1877, at No. 610 Wayne street. As a Christian gentleman and good citizen Mr. Harley stands the peer of any, and as a business man his unquestioned integrity is well illustrated by the fact, that the prince of merchants, A. T. Stewart, offered him, while in New York City purchasing goods, a credit at one time to the amount of $100,000. Mr. Harley, at the age of seventy-six, is still hale and cheerful, with a prospect of many years of usefulness.

C. PERRY HARLEY. This gentleman is a son of Christian Harley, mentioned above, and is one of the leading prominent and enterprising business spirits of the city of Defiance, Defiance county.
     Mr. Harley was born September 10, 1855, at Florence, Ohio, but has passed most of his life at Defiance, where he came when he was but six years of age. Here, midst the best social surroundings and family influence, he was reared, and was educated in the city schools. At the age of sixteen he took his first practical business lessons in his father's store, as clerk, remaining there until he was nineteen, when, on July 9, 1874, he was married to Miss Fannie M. Holgate, a daughter of the late W. C. Holgate, of Defiance. Soon after his marriage he went to Toledo, and with a brother engaged in the fur, hat and cap business. Returning to Defiance in 1877, he and his brother, A. F. Harley, in the spring of that year bought out the father's prosperous dry-goods store, and conducted it successfully until 1882, when our subject, on account of failing health, sold out his interest to his brother, and sought other climes to find relief, passing the winter of 1881-82 at St. Augustine, Florida, and the winter of 1883-84 at San Antonio, Texas.
     Returning once more to Defiance in 1883, with health restored and generally invigorated, he in the fall of that year established a dry-goods store on the corner opposite the "Russell House," furnishing the capital, and his brother-in-law, R. T. Whitaker, having a working interest, the firm taking the name of C. P. Harley & Co. This enterprise under their energetic management proved a very successful business venture, and rapidly assumed large proportions, leading in sales any store of its kind in the city by a large per cent. In 1889 our subject sold a sufficient share of his interest to make a half interest in the business to Mr. Whitaker, the firm name being changed to Harley & Whitaker, and so remaining to the present-time (1898). It is a busy place, its salesroom is continually crowded with customers; it is generally known as the "bargain store"—this is its secret of success. The proprietors being large purchasers by wholesale, secure the lowest prices, and then by quick sales and small profits benefit both themselves and customers.
     Mr. Harley was one of the organizers and promoters of the Defiance Electric Light Co. (organized in 1886), and for some time was its treasurer, but sold out his interest in 1891 to the parties who built the street railway. On the death of his father-in-law, William C. Holgate, August 13, 1888, he was elected to succeed him as president of the Merchants National Bank of Defiance, and was also made one of the joint executors in the settlement of the William C. Holgate estate, one of the largest ever administered in Defiance county, amounting to three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Mr. Harley is still president of the bank, and has added to his career by a half interest in a boot and shoe store in Music Hall block, which, under the firm name of Harley Brothers, has been conducted since 1893; in connection with his other enterprises he is also largely interested in real estate, and in 1882 he built the Music Hall block, which he still owns; also, in 1890, the Elk block, which is owned by his wife.
     In politics Mr. Harley is an ardent Republican, and while never an office seeker, yet by means and influence he gives the party stanch and liberal support. His early training in religion was under the auspices of the M. E. Church, but for some years past he has been a member of the Presbyterian Church. A bank president, dry-goods merchant, boot and shoe merchant, real-estate dealer, and a farmer operating a tract of six hundred acres one mile north of Defiance, Mr. Harley is one of the busiest men in the city, and to so successfully care for such large and varied interests requires administrative ability of the first order. Of great energy, possessed of good judgment, and untiring industry, public-spirited and thoroughly enterprising, Mr. Harley would be a marked man in any community. He is one of the host highly honored and respected citizens of his home city.
     Mrs. Fannie (Holgate) Harley was born October 2, 1856; was educated in the Defiance school, also at the Cleveland Female Seminary, and is a talented and amiable lady. Her father, William C. Holgate, was one of the most successful and enterprising men of Defiance, and probably did more toward building up the city from a small village than any other. He was a lawyer of acknowledged and superior attainments, of broad comprehensive mind, and great financial ability. He was a bank president for many years, and was prominently identified with the interests of Defiance from 1837 to the day of his death, August 13, 1888. He was a native of Vermont, born at Burlington, November 23, 1814, of English and Scotch descent. He left two children, namely: Mrs. Fannie Harley and W. Curtis Holgate. W. Curtis Holgate was born November 29, 1854; on September 14, 1876, he was married to Florence Gleason; and to them, were born two children—William C, July 19, 1877; and Robert Gleason, October 1, 1880. The father followed farming and the breeding of fine trotting horses, and was an eminently honored and respected citizen. He spent much time in travel throughout the country. He died January 31, 1887. His widow, Mrs. Florence (Gleason) Holgate, was married May 16, 1892, to Elmer T. Clark, and now resides in Defiance.
     Mr. and Mrs. C. Perry Harley have two children: Holgate C., born June 19, 1876, now manager of his father's shoe store; and Fannie Maude, born December 5, 1884. Since 1876 the family have resided at No. 512 Holgate avenue, the old homestead of Mrs. Harley's father.

REV. JOHN B. HEILAND, pastor of St. Michael's Catholic Church, in Adams township, Defiance county, was born in the Kingdome of Bavaria, Germany, August 30, 1839, and in 1855 came to America. He was educated at St. Mary's College and Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio, and after being ordained to the priesthood was first in charge of the Rockport precinct, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, where he remained two years. His next charge was the Shelby settlement at Shelby, Ohio, and, after five years spent at that place, he was for nine months assistant pastor at St. Joseph's Church, Tiffin, Ohio. He was then for fifteen years pastor of St. John the Baptist Church, at Landeck, Allen county, Ohio, and from that place he came to Adams township, Defiance county, Jan. 1, 1893, since which time he has been the beloved pastor of St. Michael's Church.
This Church was organized in 1861 with about forty families, and the following year the present church edifice was built, it being a frame structure 77x28 feet. The Church has had several pastors, Rev. Father Bell preceding Father Heiland, and remaining two years. For several years a parochial school has been in successful operation in connection with the Church, and in 1889 a commodious and comfortable parsonage was erected.
The congregation, which now numbers about seventy families, has been constantly gaining under Father Heiland's pastorate. He is a man of good address and winning manners, is a zealous, active and efficient worker for the Church, and is held in high esteem not only by the people of his own congregation, but by the residents of the community generally.
* Page 111

HON. W. D. HILL. This gentleman holds by right of conquest a place among the ablest and most distinguished sons of the Buckeye State, his influence extending far beyond local limits. As a lawyer, politician and orator he has few equals, and the story of his rise to his present position in life, notwithstanding the disadvantages of early poverty, cannot fail to convey a helpful lesson.
     Mr. Hill comes of patriotic stock, his great-grandfathers on both sides having been soldiers in the Revolutionary army, while both his grandfathers served in the war of 1812. He was born October 1, 1833, in Nelson county, Virginia, son of Edmund M. and Elizabeth (Hargrave) Hill, who were also natives of the Old Dominion. In 1849 the family came to Ohio, settling upon a farm, near Jamestown, Greene county. As the eldest of a family of eleven children, Mr. Hill's early life was calculated to establish habits of industry, and for some years before he attained his majority he had charge of his father's farm. His prospects for an education were most discouraging, but his dauntless will was early shown in the overcoming of obstacles which to a youth of less force of character would have seemed insurmountable. In 1853 he purchased a scholarship in Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and entered as a student, supporting himself while there by sawing wood, tilling gardens, or in any other employment that could be secured. In the winter he taught school, and by using the closest economy even in his food, which he cooked for himself, he managed to spend three years at college. In the meantime he became deeply interested in political questions of the day, and being too independent to read a borrowed paper, he obtained the money to subscribe for the "Cincinnati Enquirer" by sawing wood at night. His ability as a public speaker was recognized as early as 1853, when he made an address in support of the principles of the Democratic party, and in 1854 he canvassed Greene county for his party. He was especially active in opposing the "Know-Nothing" movement. His legal studies were begun under the guidance of James M. Hunt, of Springfield, Ohio; but journalistic work tempted him aside from his profession, and in 1858 he became the editor of the "Ohio Press,'' the successor of the "Democratic Expositor." This venture ended in disaster, and Mr. Hill not only lost his previous savings but was involved in debt. He continued his preparation for his profession, and in September, 1859, was admitted to the Bar at the fall term of the district court at Springfield. From the first Mr. Hill met with a flattering degree of success, and in 1861 the law firm of Hill & Snyder was formed, which won a goodly share of the legal business of the locality. In that year Mr. Hill was elected mayor of Springfield over James L. Torbert, the Republican candidate, and this victory was the more gratifying from the fact that his opponent was a leader of his party and a popular favorite.
In June, 1863, Mr. Hill removed to Defiance, and in the following year he took an active part in the Congressional campaign, making speeches at various points in the district. He made hosts of friends, and, his powers as a leader being recognized, he was nominated in 1865 as a member of the State Legislature. He was elected against great odds by a majority of two hundred votes, and was re-elected in 1867. So marked was the impression made by his eloquence and logic that in 1869 he was invited to speak in behalf of his party in Licking, Muskingum, Coshocton, Tuscarawas and other counties in Ohio, and his effective work in that campaign added greatly to his reputation as a debater while contributing to the success of the party. He also aided in the gubernatorial contests of 1871 and 1873, his friend William Allen being elected governor in the latter campaign. In 1875 Mr. Hill was appointed by the governor to the office of superintendent of insurance for the State, without solicitation on his part, and against powerful influences exerted in behalf of other persons. He held the position three years, winning the respect of all parties as an honest and capable official, but rather than assume the attitude of an applicant for a second term he retired. On July 4, 1878, he was nominated for Congress in the Sixth District, and elected, his service during his term adding new laurels to his reputation. In June, 1882, he was again nominated for Congress, and gained the election by a majority of seven hundred and fifty-four, a most flattering vote under the circumstances, his opponent being Colonel J. H. Brigham, an able and popular man, who was then master of the Ohio State Grange. On this occasion Mr. Hill ran five hundred votes ahead of his ticket in the district and more than one hundred votes in his own county. The previous year the Republican majority was nine hundred and eighteen. In 1884 he was elected a third time, having been nominated by the convention held at Ottawa in that year.
     Mr. Hill was a delegate to the National Convention of his party at Cincinnati in 1880, when General Hancock was made the standard bearer, but he warmly supported Allen G. Thurman for the nomination, in accordance with the instructions of his constituents. Other party leaders from Ohio who had been similarly instructed deserted the "Old Roman," and Mr. Hill openly denounced their conduct with his usual force and earnestness. However, when the choice was once made he supported the ticket with characteristic zeal, making powerful and effective speeches through Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. In the campaign of 1884 he made one hundred and sixty addresses in support of Cleveland in Ohio, Indiana, Virginia and Michigan, thirty of them being given in Virginia.
     On June 3, 1862, Mr. Hill was married to Miss Augusta B. March, who was born June 14, 1839. Her father, Thomas C. March, was a native of Maine; her mother, Anna D. Cureton, was born in Camden, South Carolina, and in 1824 was one of the young girls who strewed flowers before LaFayette on the occasion of his visit to that city. Both parents were prominent adherents of the M. E. Church. Mr. March had gone to Alabama and Mississippi when a youth of nineteen, and was engaged in mercantile business there for nearly thirty years; but, as the events which preceded the Civil war gave warning of the impending trouble, he placed his large fortune in available shape and removed to the North. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have an interesting family of four children: Alice L., born April 5, 1863; Anna E., November 8, 1866; Mary V., June 3, 1870; and Mattie T., October 8, 1873.
     In 1891 Mr. Hill, finding his health badly shattered by over work, he removed to Kalispell, Montana, to renew his strength in the invigorating air of that State. He did some important professional work while there, but much of his time was spent in hunting and in camping out with no one but Indians as companions. Living thus "near to Nature's heart," his health was completely restored, and in the fall of 1896 he returned to his home and business in Defiance, and with his old fire and eloquence took part in the memorable campaign of that year.
     Mr. Hill is about five feet, nine inches in height, well proportioned, with erect carriage, and is always on the alert in mind and body. As a public speaker he is both eloquent and convincing, his political speeches being unexcelled. His gifts are of no less value in the court room, and he is especially successful in the presentation of a case before a jury. He is regarded as a most skillful examiner of witnesses, his keen and quick perceptions enabling him to bring out the truth, however obscured by a tangled web of conflicting testimony. As a student he is methodical and persevering, his researches covering a wide range. But however he may be admired for his abilities it is as the genial, generous, kindly man, pure in life and straightforward and incorruptible in character that he is best known, and upon these endearing qualities does his fame chiefly rest among his wide circle of friends.

JOHN A. HIRES. This popular and enterprising merchant of Mark Center, Defiance county, has evidently found the key to substantial success in life. As a business man he holds an enviable rank, while as a citizen he is highly esteemed among all classes.
     Mr. Hires was born July 7, 1857, in Marshall county, Illinois, but since his eleventh year he has been a resident of Ohio. In 1868 his parents, Josiah N. and Louisa (Beard) Hires, removed from the old home in Illinois to Van Wert, Ohio, and in 1880 they settled in Mark Center, where they now reside. Our subject is second in a family of five children—two sons and three daughters: Amanda (deceased), John A. (our subject), William E., Ida, Viola (Mrs. William Wagner, residing in Mark Center with her three children—Clyde, Fern and Margaret).
     During his boyhood Mr. Hires received an excellent education in the schools of Van Wert, completing his studies in the high school. In 1882 he located at Mark Center, and for three years was employed as a clerk in a store there. With the practical knowledge thus acquired, he started in mercantile life on his own account, and has since continued with marked success, his fine stock of goods, and his judicious management of his business, bringing him a constantly increasing trade. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in Mark township, and Mrs. Hires owns forty acres in the same township.
     On August 27, 1885, Mr. Hires was married at Nevada, Wyandot county, Ohio, to Miss Flora M. Welty, of that county, where her father, William Welty, is a prominent resident. Four sons have blessed this union, their names and dates of birth being as follows: Charles O., September 26, 1887; Ray Welty, July 3, 1889; Negley, August 8, 1892; and Fred E., November 10, 1896. The parents are leading members of the Methodist Church at Mark Center, Mrs. Hires being an ardent worker in the Sabbath-school and leader of the music therein; they are also identified with the I. O. G. T., and for two years Mrs. Hires has been Superintendent of the Juvenile Temple. Mr. Hires has always taken an active part in movements tending to promote the welfare of the community. Since settling at Mark Center he has been chosen to numerous township offices, in all of which he has served the public with ability and fidelity.
     Mrs. Hires was born October 9, 1859, received her education at Oak Ridge, Ohio, and for six years taught school in Wyandot county. She has five brothers and four sisters living, to-wit: Ellen is the wife of V. Pease, of Nevada, by whom she has one child—Verdie; Mary is the wife of Joseph Keifer, of Nevada, by whom she has three children—Elmer, Vioma and Loney; Louisa is the wife of Smith Gregg, of Nevada, by whom she has two sons—Albert L. and Fred M.; Henry C. and James O. (twins) come next in the order of birth, of whom—Henry lives at Boulder, Colorado, is married and has had four children—Jessie, Grace and Alma—and Howard; James Otis, the other twin, lives in Wyandot county; Marion is married and has four daughters and one son—Minnie, Lola, Nina, Chloe and There; Josephine is the wife of Frank Morris, by whom she has two daughters— Dosie and Lillie; Doctor S. F. Welty, of Hicksville, Ohio, comes next; and Garfield is the youngest. One brother, Washington, coming after Marion, died March 17, 1894. The parents of Mrs. Hires were married August 5, 1838; the mother died December 11, 1893. Grandfather John Welty was a native of Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio in early times. By his wife Catherine (Robrough), also a Pennsylvanian, he had two daughters and four sons, of whom—William (Mrs. Hires' father) is still living in Wyandot county, Ohio, at the age of eighty-two years. He purchased his present farm from the United States Government. Mrs. Hires' maternal grandfather, Ezekiel Otis, a native of Ohio, married Mary Miller, of the same State, and they had three sons and one daughter, of whom Marilla, the mother of Mrs. Hires, died in November, 1895, aged seventy-six years and six months, her death being the only one to occur in the family during the long period of half a century.
     Great-grandfather Hires came from Highland Germany, and the great-grandmother came from Scotland. The great-grandfather settled in Virginia, where Grandfather Abraham was born and raised, and there married Lorana Peterson. They migrated to Van Wert county, Ohio, where Father Hires was born and raised, and where he married Louisa Beard December 18, 1852.

EDWARD PAYSON HOOKER - To the men of "Merrie England," and their ever civilizing influences, the whole world is to a large extent indebted for its progress, during past centuries. Go where you will to any part of the habitable globe, and there you will find Englishmen in the van of commerce and enterprise. Stout-limbed, with "hearts of oak," they have been marked figures on thousands of battlefields, not only in their own "tight little island," but in every portion of the wide world. England's men of renown are innumerable; the marks they have left on the pages of law are precedents for our own code of the present day; as statesmen, they are quoted and cited from every civilized rostrum; while in religion they were the earliest champions and defenders of the inalienable right to everyone to worship God according to his conscience. To the United States England gave a Washington, the Patriot, General and President, besides thousands of others who have done with historic lustre upon the scroll of the great Republic's fame. Her citizens have ever been in the fore-front as educators and statesmen, as well as warriors upon many a bloody field, where the fight was for liberty and right. To such lineage is authentically traced the ancestry of the subject of this review.
     As far back as the fourteenth century, the Hooker family were of such prominence in wars, statesmanship and religion, that records of them were kept and inscribed on the pages of history. They were a family of substance and of the higher class of gentry, among them being Knights and Baronets, while one of them, Sir Richard Hooker, was Lord Mayor of London. The known genealogy of the Hooker family, in direct line to our subject, begins about 1450 or 1460 with John Hooker, mayor of the City of Exeter, England. His son, Robert, was also a mayor of that city, and the latter's son, John Hooker, was a member of Parliament, and also "Antiquarian and Historian Chancellor of the City of Exeter." The last named son, Thomas Hooker, was the father of the Rev. Thomas Hooker, who founded the family of America in 1633. Remotely, members of the family were among the staunchest supporters of the Church of England; but some of them became "dissenters," for which they were persecuted, notably one, the Rev. Thomas Hooker, who fled to Holland to escape arrest on account of his religious belief and practices. He was an able and devout man, one of great influence among his compatriots. He afterward secretly returned to London, and very narrowly escaped arrest, had which occurred, these lines would doubtless never have been written, as they made "short shrift" in those days, and religious martyrs were numerous. In 1632 he emigrated on the ship "Griffin" with a colony of congenial spirits, locating and for four years residing at Newtown (now Cambridge), Massachusetts, then with a company of about one hundred others, went to Connecticut, and there founded the city of Hartford, in 1636. He built and was pastor of the first church ever erected in that city, or in Connecticut, of which he wrote the greater part, and which was so like the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, that both may almost be said to have originated from his pen. He was a man of marked piety and learning, and was the author of Congregational Polity in the United States. He was born July 7, 1586, was married in 1624 to Susanna ___, and died July 7, 1647, leaving a family of five children, two sons - John and Samuel - and three daughters. John Hooker returned to England, and there became a minister of the Established Church. Many of Rev. Thomas Hooker's descendants have become historical characters of national prominence, among whom may be mentioned: Fighting Joe Hooker," a famous Union general of the great Rebellion; Commander Edward Hooker, of the United States Navy; John Hooker, chief justice of Connecticut, whose wife was Isabella Beecher, sister to Rev. Henry Ward Beecher; and others.
     Rev. Thomas Hooker's son, the Rev. Samuel Hooker, was born in 1633, was married September 22, 1658, to Mary Willett, and died in the ministry at Farmington, Connecticut, November 6, 1697. Mary Willett was a daughter of Captain Thomas Willett, who was the first mayor of New York City. She was born at Plymouth, Massachusetts, November 10, 1637, was married there September 22, 1658, and died at Norwalk, Connecticut, June 24, 1712. From her nine sons come all Hookers who are descended from Rev. Thomas Hooker, first settler of Hartford, Connecticut. Her remains lie buried in the graveyard attached to what is known as "the First Church" at Hartford, Connecticut. The grave was marked by a slate head-stone, which, after being exposed to the elements and storms of over two and a half centuries, became sadly defaced, and some of her descendants replaced the old slab by a substantial granite monument, which was finished in 1890, and now marks her grave. The contributions for its erection, costing $342, came from all points - from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts - in one case from Italy.
     Rev. Samuel Hooker and his wife had a family of eleven children, the fourth child in the order of birth being John Hooker, who was born February 20, 1664, was married in 1687, and had a family of ten children. Of this family was a son, Hezekiah Hooker, who was married October 30, 1717, and had a family of ten children, among whom was a son, William Hooker, born at Hartford, January 20, 1729, married twice, (first) to Rachel ___ and (second) to Mary ___. Rachel had four children, and Mary had eleven children, among whom was a son. Increase Mosely Hooker, born November 4, 1765, at Hartford Connecticut, and was married ___ 17, ___, to Lois Wilcox, who died in Truxton, New York, 1813. He moved to Truxton, Corland county, New York, where he was a pioneer, entered land, erected a grist and saw mill, and operated same, becoming a man of mark in his vicinity. He was possessed of fine physique, stood six feet three inches in height, and when of advanced age stood erect and straight as an arrow. He died at the residence of his son-in-law, Samuel Foreman, at Onondaga Hollow, Onondaga county, New York, in 1849, aged eighty-four years.
     Of his family, two sons, Harley Hooker and Chellis (a twin brother) were born at Hartford, Connecticut, December 9, 1792, and as soon as his education was far enough advanced Harley began the study of medicine at Auburn, New York, where he graduated. In 1827 he was married at Salina, New York, where he graduated. In 1827 he was married at Salina, New York (now included in the city of Syracuse), to Miss Mary Beardsley, who was born at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1801. Doctor Hooker began the practice of his profession in Salina in 1825, thence moved to Auburn, New York, in 1828, and for five years was the physician and surgeon for the State's prison at that place. Subsequently he practiced for six years at Henrietta, Monroe county, New York, and in 1839 migrated west with his family, locating same year at Rockton, Winnebago county, Illinois, where he continued in the practice of his profession until his death, which occurred March 16, 1867. He was a man of fine attainments, and as a member of the medical profession ranked among the foremost of his time. His widow died at Rockton May 27, 1877. They had a family of six children namely: (1) William C., born at Auburn, New York, September 13, 1828, married Mary C. McQuary; he is an attorney at Carthage, Illinois, (2) James H., born June 23, 1830, moved to Sacramento, California, in 1853, where he was engaged in fruit growing; he was married there to Elizabeth Spencer in 1871, and died there in 1874. (3) Edward Payson, the subject of this sketch, born September 1, 1832, at Auburn, New York. (4) Mary Lewis, born August 24, 1834, married Gustave Streckewald, at Rockton, Illinois, in 1862, moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1863, removing thence in 1891 to Los Angeles, California, where they now live. (5) George R., born September 24, 1836, married Minnie Martin, and died at Rockton, Illinois, in 1874, where his widow also died in 1875. (6) Frances Elizabeth, born September 18, 1838, was married in 1862 to G. Henry Hollister, at Rockton, Illinois, and is now a widow, living at Sioux falls, South Dakota.
     Edward Payson Hooker, one of the last named family, and the subject of this sketch, was born September 1, 1832, at Auburn, New York, and was a lad of seven years when he was brought by his parents to Rockton, Illinois. There he passed his early years, attending school winters and helping on his father's farm in the summers. At seventeen he attended school at Beloit, Wisconsin, which was only four miles from Rockton, to prepare for college; but on account of failing eyesight he was obliged to give up his studies, during the first year, and returned home. During the two following winters he taught school, and then spent a full year under private instruction at Rockford, Illinois, in the study of higher mathematics, surveying, civil engineering, etc. His twentieth year was the last he spent at the old homestead, at Rockton, and in the winter of 1852-53 he went to Chicago, where for three years he was employed in the wholesale and retail drug store of J. H. Reed & Co., and the succeeding three years was in the employ of M. D. Gilman & Co., wholesale grocers, same city. Having thus acquired a thorough business training, he came to Defiance, Ohio, March 3, 1859, where he had made provisions for the partnership under the firm name of Backus, Lindenberger & Hooker, they opening up a large general store, which for five years was profitably conducted. In 1864 he sold his interests in the business. In the summer of 1865 he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there engaged in the commission business - flour, grain, seeds, etc. - under the firm name of E. P. Hooker & Co., continuing the same about five years, until 1870, in which year he returned with his family to Defiance, where he took an interest in the Defiance Manufacturing Co., a large concern, of which he was made secretary and treasurer, filling the duties of that responsible position for fifteen years or until the affairs of that company were wound up. For some years he had been assistant cashier of the Merchants National Bank of Defiance, Ohio, and in 1886 was appointed cashier, succeeding Benjamin L. Abell (deceased), and has in that position efficiently looked after the best interests of the bank to the present time. In addition to his other interests, he in 1880 with John Crowe, under the firm name of Crowe & Hooker, operated a plant or the manufacture of elm staves and hoops, which was successfully conducted until 1895, when the firm closed out their business. On the death of his brother-in-law, William C. Holgate, who was president of the Merchants National Bank, August 13, 1888, Mr. Hooker, as joint executor of the large estate, has looked after the various interests faithfully, until now (1897) final settlements will soon be made, and he will be thus released from great care and responsibility, as the estate amounts to about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, or over.
     In politics he is an ardent Republican, and active in advocating the principles of the party; was chairman of the Republican County Executive Committee six or eight years, and has been sent as delegate to various Republican State and Congressional Conventions. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity; since twelve years of age he has been a member of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches, serving as elder of the latter for twenty-five years.
     On September 27, 1860, Mr. Hooker was married to Arabella E. Holgate, a half sister of William C. Holgate (deceased), who came to Defiance in 1835. Their father, Curtis Holgate, moved from Utica to Defiance in 1837, laid out and was half owner of the original plat of the village (now city) of Defiance. She was the youngest child, and was born in Defiance November 16, 1839. By their union there are four children, namely: Fannie Annette, born May 29, 1862 (unmarried); Minnie E., born December 28, 1864, married Charles F. Ferguson, of Defiance; William H., born August 9, 1868, at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Edward Bernard, born February 5, 1871. All the children born at Defiance except William H. The mother of this family died very suddenly of pulmonary apoplexy at midnight, New Year's eve, January 1, 1892. As her spirit passed into immortality the bells were ringing in the glad New York, and before their sweet cadence had ceased her soul had sought the far beyond in everlasting peace. In her life she was a true woman, wife and mother, a devout Christian, and very earnest and active in church and society work, and was sadly missed not only by the loved ones at home but by the entire community.
     In describing the salient characteristics of Edward Payson Hooker, one verdict is given by those who know him best, and that is pre-eminent and practical truthfulness and integrity, combined with great executive ability, place him upon the plane of business as the equal of any of his compeers; while as a citizen and gentleman his whole life has been one of integrity and Christian consistency. Mr. Hooker and family reside at No. 667 Jefferson street, Defiance, in a commodious house, built by himself in 1872.

EDWARD HELLER.
   This well-known resident of Delaware township, Defiance county, is a Pennsylvanian by birth, having been born Mar. 24, 1834, in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of his parents, also. Here his father, Jacob D. Heller, was married to Margaret Daniels, and for a number of years after marriage their history and interests were identified for a number of years after marriage their history and interests were identified with the familiar scenes of their native county; but in 1838, turning from these they moved to Crawford county, Ohio, which became their permanent home. Both lived to the advanced age of eighty-five years, the husband and father having nearly completed his eighty-sixth year when called to his long home. Of the thirteen children - seven sons and six daughters - born to them, our subject was seventh in the order of birth.
     Edward Heller from the time he was four years of age was reared on a farm in Crawford county, and agricultural pursuits have been his chief life vocation. When a young man he worked at the trade of a house plasterer to some extent, later in life joining the ranks of those who were gallantly offering their lives in their country's defense, enlisting, February 20, 1865, in Company D, One Hundred and Eighty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Happily the end of the bitter conflict was near at hand, and after a period of about eight months he was mustered out of service, and returned to the quiet of farm life.
     On March 18, 1857, Mr. Heller was united in marriage with Miss Mary Miller, of Crawford county. She was born in Harrison county, August 17, 1835, the youngest child of David and Mary (Shoos) Miller, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of ten children- six sons and four daughters. The father died in Crawford county, the mother in Defiance county, both being about seventy-six years of age.
     Soon after marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Heller moved to Wyandot county, Ohio. After a stay there of a little more than six years, they returned to Crawford county, where they remained nearly a year and then settled in their present home in Delaware township, coming here in March, 1864, nearly a year before Mr. Heller's enlistment. Their union has been blessed with the following children: Franklin C.; Mary A. (Mrs. William English, who died in 1895, at Bass Lake, Indiana, when about thirty-four years of age); William E.; and Laura L. (Mrs. Jacob C. Miller).
     The homestead contains forty acres of land in Section 18, and the good buildings with which it is furnished have been erected by Mr. Heller. He is a member of Hancock Post, G. A. R., and in political faith is a Republican. He is his wife are members of the United Brethren Church.

WILLIAM C. HOLGATE.
     For many years Mr. Holgate, our subject, was a leading citizen of this section, and this volume would not be complete without an account of his effective work in developing the varied activities which mark a civilized community of the highest type. To his energy, foresight, and public spirit many beneficial enterprises owed their success, and his career demonstrated that a man may gain a commanding place in business circles through methods which bring lasting good to the people at large.
     Mr. Holgate was of English descent on the paternal side, and the first ancestor of whom we have record was Dr. Holgate, a surgeon in the British army, who came to America in Colonial times, and died while in the service, his remains being buried at sea between Boston and Halifax. Dr. Holgate had but one son, Asa, our subject's grandfather, who served as a private in the British army during the French and Indian wars, and afterward settled near Brattleboro, Vermont, where he married a daughter of Captain Kathan, a Scotchman, who owned lands for nine miles along the Connecticut river in that locality. Curtis Holgate, the father of our subject, was born at Dummerston, Vermont, August 28, 1773, the youngest in a large family of children. As the real estate which he might have hoped to inherit became lost to the family, he started in business life without capital, but through industry and economy he managed to save from his earnings the sum of fifteen hundred dollars by the time he was thirty-six years old. In the meantime his first wife died, and he married Miss Alvira Prentice, the daughter of a physician in northern Vermont, and soon afterward he located at Burlington, in the same State.
     There he invested his funds in the construction of extensive wharves and docks, his enterprise gaining for him the title of "the Napoleon of Burlington." His docks were completed just before the war of 1812, and were of great service of Commodore McDonough when he fitted out his forces for the battle of Plattsburg. During the war Mr. Holgate, with others, prepared and manned a gunboat which repulsed a British vessel that had cannonaded the city, doing special damage to Mr. Holgate's house. At the close of the war he sold his docks for twenty-two thousand dollars and removed to a farm two miles south of Burlington, his real-estate holdings including at that time about eight hundred acres, a portion of which was on the other side of the lake. He laid out the town of Port Douglas, where he built a wharf, warehouse, hotel, store, and sawmill, and he also purchased six or eight vessels for lake traffic. After a year he sold Port Douglas to a steamboat company, receiving all his expenditures, with six per cent interest, and later he disposed of his other property in the vicinity and arranged to move to the West. The journey was made in one of his own boats by way of the Northern canal, and he stopped at Troy, New York, to procure a stock of general merchandise. He then proceeded by way of the Erie canal to Salina, New York, now a part of the city of Syracuse, where he spent one year conducting a store and two salt works purchased soon after his arrival. His children being of an age to require better educational facilities than the locality afforded, he removed to Utica, New York, for a time, but in 1835 he came to Ohio and located at Defiance. He was almost the first man to bring any capital to the town, and with characteristic enterprise he engaged in real-estate operations, purchasing one half of the site of Defiance and one third of the site of Napoleon. In 1836 he removed to Buffalo, New York, but in the fall of 1837 he returned to Defiance, where his death occurred January 15, 1840. He was a man of strict moral principles, and in every walk of life was governed by a high sense of honor, his sterling qualities of character winning for him the esteem of all who knew him.
     The subject of our sketch was born November 23, 1814, at Burlington, Vermont, and in 1835 was graduated from Hamilton College, near Syracuse, New York, that institution six yeas later conferring upon him the additional degree of A. M. He studied law with William Crafts, of Utica, New York, and Horace Sessions, of Defiance, being admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Ohio in 1838. His abilities commanded success from the start, and, while he served for some time as clerk of the court and as prosecuting attorney, his most notable professional achievements and as prosecuting attorney, his most notable professional achievements were in the line of general practice. In 1844 he was chosen to present a petition to the Legislature for the separation and organization of Defiance county, and during the following winter he went to Columbus, where he succeeded in securing the enactment desired, notwithstanding strenuous opposition from the enemies of the measure.
     On his return to Defiance he received a royal reception from the citizens, who fully appreciated his efforts in their behalf. He was instrumental in securing for his town the Wabash & Pacific railroad and the Baltimore & Ohio railroad on lines surveyed and laid out by himself and others, and for some time he served as a director in the latter. The town of Holgate was named for him by the citizens in recognition of his efforts in securing that railroad for the place. He was the prime mover in the organization of the Defiance County Agricultural Society, and for years took upon himself all the business cares of the society, while for many years previous to his death he was president of the Merchants National Bank, and of the Defiance Manufacturing Company. His energy and determination were irresistible when applied to the prosecution of a definite plan, all his enterprises proving successful, and his dealings characterized by unwavering integrity. He accumulated a large fortune, and at his death, which occurred August 13, 1888, he left an estate valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
     As a citizen Mr. Holgate took much interest in public questions, being first a Whig and later a Republican; in religious faith he was a Presbyterian, the church at Defiance receiving from him substantial support. In 1850 he was married to Miss Mary Hoelrich, who died June 6, 1864. He had two children: W. Curtis Holgate, born November 29, 1854, and Miss Fannie Maude Holgate, born October 2, 1856.
     W. CURTIS HOLGATE on September 14, 1876 was married to Florence Gleason, and to them were born two children - William C., July 19, 1877, an Robert Gleason, October 1, 1880. Mr. Holgate followed farming, also was interested in the breeding of fine trotting horses, and was an eminently honored and respected citizen. He spent much time in travel throughout the country. He died January 31, 1887. His widow, Mrs. Florence (Gleason) Holgate, was married May 16, 1893, to Elmer T. Clark, and now resides in Defiance.

STEPHEN HORSEY. If one desires to gain a vivid realization of the rapid advance in civilization which the last few decades have brought about, he can listen to the stories that men who are still living among us, and by no means overburdened with years, can tell of their boyhood. The log cabin home in the clearing, the still ruder school house with its rough seats made of slabs, its limited range of studies and its brief terms arranged on the subscription plan, the routine of work at home unrelieved by any of the modern devices by which machinery is made to do in a short time what formerly occupied the entire year—these and many similar descriptions will bring up in sharp contrast the advantages of to-day. The subject of this sketch, a highly respected citizen of Noble township. Defiance county, has many interesting reminiscences of this sort. He is a native of the county, his birth occurring in Defiance township, May 26, 1836, and in its development and prosperity he has borne an important part.
Thompson Horsey, father of our subject, was born in Maryland about 1811, was one of the first settlers of Defiance county, where he was united in marriage with Matilda Travis. They began housekeeping in Defiance township, and took an active and prominent part in its upbuilding and advancement. Both died in Defiance county, the father in 1853, the mother in 1843. Our subject was the only son in their family of five children, and amid scenes of frontier life he grew to manhood, aiding in the arduous task of transforming the wild land into cultivated fields. In Defiance county he was married, in 1857, to Miss Susanna Hilton, a native of Noble township, that county, and they have had eight children, namely: Walter and Wallace (twins, Wallace being deceased), Harriet (deceased), William L., Ezra, Franklin, Irvin and Ernest. Harriet died at the age of nineteen years. Of this family, Walter married Harriet Kennedy, of Noble township, Defiance county, and they reside in Toledo; William L. is in North Dakota; Ezra married Agnes Bergmyer, of Defiance township, and they make their home in the city of Defiance; Franklin wedded Mabel Smith, of Defiance, and they reside in that city; Irvin married Edith Coulp, of Defiance, and they live in Toledo.
After his marriage, Mr. Horsey located upon his present farm in Noble township, consisting of two hundred and eighteen acres of fine farming land, which he has placed under a high state of cultivation and improved with good buildings. Throughout life his occupation has been farming, and in his chosen calling he has met with excellent success. He has held the office of treasurer of Noble township, but has never cared for political positions, preferring to devote his entire time and attention to his business interests. He is always mentioned as one of the invaluable citizens of his community, and on the rolls of Defiance county's most honored pioneers his name should be found among the foremost.

HERMAN H. HUBER. "The authentic picture of any human being's life and experience," says a well-known author, "ought to possess an interest greatly beyond that which is fictitious, inasmuch as it has the charm of reality." The varied histories recorded in this volume will be of lasting value as affording a true and impartial view of the men whose work and influence wrought out the high state of civilization which we see around us to-day, and among these it is most fitting that we should name the worthy agriculturists who have made our rural districts habitable, establishing homes, churches and schools, and maintained law and order.
     The subject of this sketch, a prominent resident of Mark township, Defiance county, was born in that county, in Farmer township, July 22, 1853, a son of Anthony and Frances (Feighter) Huber, both of whom were natives of Germany. They crossed the ocean in 1840, and after spending one year in Butler county, Ohio, located permanently in Defiance county, securing a farm in Section 31, Farmer township. Both are now deceased. They had eight children, viz: George H., Lewis C., Caroline T., Eliza (wife of Matthias Thiel), Agatha R. (wife of James M. Phillips), Herman H., Francesca (who died when nine years old), and Anthony A.
     Mr. Huber, our subject, was reared to farm work, and has never been engaged in any other occupation. He remained at home until his marriage which occurred March 7, 1878, in Defiance, and since that time he has resided at his present homestead in Mark township, Section 6. This is an attractive place, containing eighty-nine acres, and his buildings and other improvements show judicious expenditure of time and means. As a citizen he is much respected, and he takes an interest in all that concerns the welfare of the community, being especially active in educational affairs. For some time he has served as a school director, and for three years past he has held the office of justice of the peace.
     Mrs. Huber, who was formerly Miss Isabella Lash, was born Aug. 1, 1857, in Williams county, Ohio, and was one of a family of ten children, seven of whom (one son and six daughters) lived to mature age. Her parents, William and Elizabeth (Maxwell) Lash, were married in Wayne county, Ohio, and soon afterward settled in Florence township, Williams county; but in the spring of 1872 they removed to Hicksville township, Defiance county, where they now reside. Eight children have blessed our subject's home, four of whom - Dessa M., Della F., Grover G., and Charlie W. - died in 1890 from diphtheria. The survivors are: Ola E., Minnie Myrtle, Gladys J., and Ruby Grace.

HON. WILLIAM HUMPHREYS HUBBARD. The family history of Judge Hubbard is a most interesting one. His descent is traced in an unbroken line from the Danish Sea King, Hubba, who, with his brother, Hingua, and a numerous following of (page 14)

WILLIAM W. HUFF. This influential and popular citizen of Sherwood is one of the ablest lawyers practicing at the Defiance County Bar. A man of sound judgment, he manages his cases with masterly skill and tact, and has gained an enviable reputation among his professional brethren.
     A natiave of Defiance county, Mr. Huff was born Feb. 15, 1858, in Delaware township, a son of John and Celestia (Haynes) Huff, the former a native of Crawford county, Ohio, the latter of Summit county. Early in the '50s they came to Defiance county, where they were married, and in Delaware township they began their domestic life, and still continue to reside there, honored and respected by the entire community.
     William W. Huff, the eldest in the family of ten children, was reared on his father's farm in Delaware township, in much the usual manner of farmer boys, obtaining his early education in the public schools of the neighborhood. Subsequently he attended the high school of Bryan, Ohio, for four years, graduating from that institution with the class of '81. In the same year he commenced the study of law in Bryan, but concluded his preparation for the legal profession with F. W. Knapp, of Defiance. Being admitted tot he Bar, he opened an office in Sherwood, in 1890, where he has since successfully engaged in practice. After his graduation he organized the Sherwood high school, which was then known as the township high school and was afterward merged into the Sherwood high school, which is a great credit to its founder. For five years he engaged in teaching.
     The Democratic party has always found in Mr. Huff an earnest advocate of its principles, and by his fellow citizens he has been honored with a number of political positions, the duties of which he has most conscientiously and satisfactorily performed. During President Cleveland's first administration, he was appointed postmaster of Sherwood, filling that office for four years, and for the nine succeeding years, ending in April, 1895, he served as justice of the peace. He has taken an active part in all local affairs, and has cheerfully supported all enterprises for the public good. Both his public and private life are above reproach, and he is held in high regard by a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Socially he affiliates with the Knights of Pythias.

PETER HUFFMAN. One of the successful and representative farmers of Milford township, Defiance county, is the subject of this sketch, who is residing the Section 31. He was born February 25, 1843, in the Preble county, Ohio, but when quite young was brought to Defiance county by his parents, Michael and Catherine Huffman, who located in Hicksville, where they spent their remaining years. Our subject is fourth in order of birth in their family of eight children, and was reared on the home farm in Hicksville township, where he remained until marriage.
In October, 1865, Mr. Huffman wedded Miss Caroline Trocht, who was born in Crawford county, Ohio, August 4, 1843, a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Trocht. They began their domestic life upon the farm of eighty acres in Section 31, Milford township, which still continues to be their home. It is a fine farm, supplied with all modern conveniences, and the buildings are in harmony with the neat and thrifty appearance of the place. Two children came to bless the home, namely: Lodema B., now the wife of Quedo Morgan; and Bina May. He lost one child, Benjamin, who died in infancy.

WILLIAM D. HULL. The present township trustee of Adams township, Defiance county, William D. Hull, our subject, was born May 15, 1864, upon the farm where he still continues to reside, and is a son of Emanuel and Jane (Osborn) Hull, both natives of Portage county, Ohio, the former born in 1830, the latter in 1837. They were married in Defiance county, and soon afterward located upon the farm in Section 36, Adams township, Defiance county, where they continued to make their home until called from this life, the father dying February 14, 1883, the mother on September 20, 1890. He was one of the most highly respected and honored citizens of the community, took an active part in local affairs, and efficiently served in some township offices.
     The subject of this sketch is fifth in the order of birth in the family of nine children—seven sons and two daughters—and throughout life he has lived upon the old homestead in Section 36, Adams township, Defiance county. He was educated in the common schools, and early became familiar with farm work in its various departments. Choosing that vocation as a life work, he has met with fair success in his undertakings. His farm comprises one hundred and ten acres of rich and productive land under a high state of cultivation.
     In Defiance county, Ohio, March 6, 1884, Mr. Hull was united in marriage with Miss Alice Geitgey, who was born in Noble township, Defiance county, in 1863, a daughter of the late Adam Geitgey, and they have seven children, namely: Zepha J., Alva E., Myrtle E., Franklin W., Emma A., Alta M., and Ray V.
     Mr. Hull is actively identified with the Democratic party, and is recognized as a leader in local political matters. He has filled the office of road supervisor in a most satisfactory manner, and in the spring of 1896 was elected trustee of Adams township, a position he is now filling with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents.

FORREST O. HUTCHINS. One of the most energetic citizens of Farmer township, Defiance county, F. O. Hutchins, is successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in Section 9.
Mr. Hutchins is a native of Ohio, born in Lorain county, February 22, 1855, and is a son of Rozelle and Susan (Ranney) Hutchins, who removed from Lorain to Defiance county in 1863, locating in Farmer township, where both died. In their family were nine children - six sons and three daughters - our subject being fifth in the order of birth. He was eight years of age when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Defiance county, and in Farmer township grew to manhood, becoming thoroughly familiar with every department of farm work. Since starting out in life for himself he has devoted his energies to agricultural pursuits, and now successfully operates one hundred and sixty-five acres, while he owns forty acres under excellent cultivation and improved with good buildings.
In Farmer township Mr. Hutchins was married to Miss Rachel Price, who was born in that township, a daughter of William and Sarah Ann (Thorp) Price, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. Eight children have been born of this union, namely: Edna, Clara, Clark, Ethel, Laura, Lowell, Ralph and Robbie.

CLICK HERE to Return to
DEFIANCE, OHIO

CLICK HERE to RETURN to
OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS