|
BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Shelby County, Ohio
and
representative citizens
Publ.
Evansville, Ind.
1913
947 pgs.
< CLICK HERE to
RETURN to 1913 BIOGRAPHICAL INDEX >
< CLICK HERE to
RETURN to LIST of BIOGRAPHICAL INDEXES AND HISTORIES
>
| |
HENRY
ACHBACH, whose well cultivated farm of forty
acres lies in section 22, Cynthian township, Shelby
county, O., was born on this farm, November 5, 1865, and
is a son of George and Louisa (Seing) Achbach.
The parents of Mr. Achbach were born in Germany,
were reared and educated there and were married two
years before coming to America. When they reached
the United States they located on land in Kentucky, it
being the intention of George Achbach to follow
farming, but conditions did not satisfy them where they
first settled and they then moved to Patterson township
in Darke county, O. Afterward they came on into
Shelby county and here Mr. Achbach secured
the present home farm, three acres of which had been
cleared and a log cabin erected. Very soon
afterward he erected a better log house and with the
help of his sons as they grew old enough, succeeded in
entirely clearing the land, keeping four acres as a wood
lot. This land has been put into fine condition
through proper draining and tiling and would command a
high price if put on the market. On this farm
George Achbach died at the age of fifty-eight years,
having led a very laborious life. His widow
survived to the age of eighty-four years and both were
interred in the Lutheran cemetery. During the
Civil war he was a brave soldier, serving for three
years and three months, and, although ever at the post
of duty, escaped all injury. George Achbach
and wife had seven children, namely:
Charles, who was born in Germany; Mary, who
is deceased, was the wife of John Stifel; and
Julius, Caroline, Annie, Henry and Amanda.
Henry Achbach attended school in the Grisey Special
School District and afterward engaged in farming,
working the home place and also renting an adjoining
farm. For the past six years he has lived
continuously on this farm, carrying on a general
agricultural line, but for nine yeas previously he
worked in the spoke factory at St. Mary's. He
married Miss Mary Hecht, who was born in
Patterson township, Darke county, O., a daughter of
Henry and Pauline Hecht, the former of whom is now
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Achbach have six
children: William, who was born in Cynthian
township; Clara, Anna and Clarence, all of
whom were born at St. Mary's; Elizabeth and
Ethel, who were born on the present home farm.
Mr. Achbach and family belong to the Lutheran
church. He is a democrat in politics and is happy
to have his neighbors agree with him on public questions
but he ahs never been willing to serve in any office
except as a member of the board of education, to which
he was elected in January, 1911.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
612 |
| |
H.
P. AILES,
one of the representative men of
Shelby County, who has served in the office of justice
of the peace in Jackson township since, 1882, has been
engaged in the mercantile business for a number of
years. He was born on the old home farm in
Franklin township, January 25, 1853, and is a son of
Alfred and Melissa Jane (Young) Ailes,
and a grandson of Moses H. Ailes, who was the
pioneer of the Ailes family in this section.
Alfred Ailes was born at Parkersburg, W. Va.,
and from there accompanied his father, Moses H. Ailes,
to Shelby county, the latter settling five miles
southwest of Montra. For a number of years
Alfred Ailes was a school teacher and afterward
acquired a one-half interest in a saw mill, which he
operated until 1868, when he retired to his farm, and
then moved to Montra, where he lived during the
remainder of his life. He was a man of importance
in this section and on the democratic ticket was seven
times elected assessor of Jackson township and was also
a justice of the peace from 1870 until the time of his
death in 1882. He was a lifelong democrat and his
sons have followed in his footsteps. In his early
years he united with the Seventh Day Baptist church.
At the time of death he was aged fifty-seven years and
his burial was in the Wesley Chapel cemetery. He
married a daughter of Philip Young, a pioneer
settler in Shelby county, and she survives and resides
with her son.
H. P. Ailes attended school in Jackson township
and later moved with his father to Montra and was
associated with him in the saw mill business. From
1886 until 1907 he engaged in clerking in a general
store, with exception of two years, and then spent three
years in other pursuits, after which he returned to the
same store and continued his mercantile life.
Mr. Ailes married Miss Rebecca Jane Beech,
who was born at St. John's, Auglaize county, a daughter
of E. and Anna Beech, who still reside at St.
John's after two years spent in Jackson township.
Four children of Mr. and Mrs. Ailes survive and
one deceased. Mr. Ailes has served as a
justice of the peace for thirty continuous years,
succeeding his father in the office, and has also been
road supervisor in Jackson township, but only for one
year. He belongs to the order of Maccabees,
attending the lodge at Anna, O.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio
and representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 -
Page 801 |
| |
DR.
HEZEKIAH STOUT AILES.
The patronymic
surname, Ailes, the subject of this sketch, of
course, is ancestral, but christening of the hopeful to
designate him in a family of fifteen children was out of
what may be deemed an excessive regard for their family
physician, Dr. Hezekiah Stout, but
notwithstanding this handicap he has survived,
flourished, and is new our esteemed and prominent
townsman, Hezekiah Stout Ailes, and has led an
eventful life in peace and war.
Hezekiah was born at Lost Creek, Harrison
County, now West Virginia, May 19, 1840, so that his
infantile prattle mingled with hurrahs for "Tippecanoe
and Tyler too."
His father sold the rugged home farm in 1842 and moved
to the northeast corner of Franklin township, this
county. Of this numerous family of fifteen
children Hezekiah is the only one living and none
lived, not even his parents, to be so old as he is now
though they outlived all their children but him.
The farm was purchased of Daniel Baldwin, now
dead, who was known in Sidney as Sassafras, for each
spring his bent form carried a basket of it to purify
and thin the blood of our people grown thick and
sluggish by too substantial food and lack of exercise.
The mansion into which they moved was a round log house
well chinked and warm, one story high, but the barn was
more pretentious, being two story. In that
sparsely settled time people were considered neighbors
two or three miles distant and in the absence of those
diversions which now prevail were neighbors in fact
willing to assist each other in any emergency.
The round log schoolhouse not crowded with conveniences
nor ease-inviting seats was one and three-quarters of a
mile distant and he had to start alone, but was joined
by the children of two other families on the way across
the fields and through the woods. His a, b, c,
teacher was Eli Bruner and his second Miss
Elizabeth Allen, who afterward married William
Edwards. He gradually absorbed the
intellectual pabulum of the menu furnished in that crude
temple of learning and when sixteen or seventeen years
old, with two other boys, aspired to better things and
as Sidney had just completed what is now the central
school building, hired the front room over Thompson
and Christian's drug store, boarded themselves,
and slept three in a bed. They went home every
Friday night and early Monday morning could be seen
returning with loaves of bread and a pound of butter.
They would occasionally buy some ginger cakes at the
grocery and when feeling convivial and careless of
expenses would indulge in a glass of spruce beer at
Washington Carroll's emporium, but refrained from taking
enough to get boisterous.
Hezekiah went one term when the schoolhouse was
first opened in 1857. His teacher was Miss
Harriet Chapin, who subsequently married John
Frankenberger. Being sufficiently advanced to
have confidence in his ability to teach school he
obtained a certificate and thus armed and equipped as
the law directed, procured a school near home and his
pedagogical pin feathers soon became full fledged
plumage for taking his experience both before and after
the war embraced a period of fifteen years. When
he had taught two weeks of his fifth term he resigned
and enlisted in Company C, 118th regiment with Edgar
Sowers, superintendent of schools at Port Jefferson
as captain, and W. H. Taylor, of Sidney, now of
Mansfield, as lieutenant.
At the battle of Resaca, Georgia; he received the only
wound he got in the war. He was shot in the shoulder and
lay on the ground by the side of George.
Murray Thompson, brother of Mrs. E. T.
Mathers and H. W. Thompson, of this city.
George's was a dangerous and painful one in the foot
and he returned home and never went back. Hezekiah
was reported dead, but pleasantly* surprised his people
by appearing clothed in his right mind and arm in a
sling. Upon recovery he went back and was promoted to
sergeant-major. In that engagement 112 soldiers out of
220 of that regiment were either killed or wounded in
five minutes time. Upon returning, as his corps did not
go with General Sherman to the sea, they
participated in the battles of Franklin, the severest
one of the war, and the struggle around Nashville which
destroyed General Hood's army. They were
also in the East Tennessee campaign and were forty-six
miles from Knoxville when: Burnside was bottled there.
As the rebel army was between them and Knoxville they
were powerless to give assistance.
When the war was drawing to a close the army to which
he belonged came north to Columbus and were transferred
in box cars to Washington where they arrived dirty and
ragged, as they had drawn no clothing nor had not
received a dollar for. six months and were lucky if they
got enough water to drink, much less to wash in. Their
dilapidated appearance provoked sneering remarks from
some of the brass buttoned parvenues at Washington.
Their commander hearing them responded through a
newspaper that, they were no feathered soldiers but had
come east to help the feather-bed army around
Washington. In a few days they boarded vessels on the
Potomac, went down the river to the ocean, around Cape
Hatteras, to Fort Fisher at the mouth of Cape Fear river
and then to Fort Anderson. They celebrated
Washingon's birthday in 1865, by taking Wilmington,
North Carolina, and after ten days made a forced march
of 100 miles to Kinston where the rebels delivered 8,000
men who had been prisoners at Andersonville and
Salisbury and were living skeletons. Many were demented
and would voraciously. devour any eatable handed them in
their insatiate hunger. Mr. Ailes was
ordered to detail ten men from his regiments to act as
nurses, among whom was Fred Doody and
John H. Kessler, of this county, who were unable to
make the forced marches. Of these all died but two of
swamp fever. The army marched to Goldsborp and to
Raleigh to meet Sherman's army coming from
Savannah through the Carolinas. Soon the news came that
Lee had surrendered and the joyful news was carried
along the lines with huzzas and tossing of caps in the
air. A part was retained for a while as an army of
occupation so he did not take part in the grand review
at Washington.
After resting for a season and burnishing his education
which had got a trifle powder burnt in the years of
patriotic conflict, he entered again the school room and
taught in Montra and vicinity for ten years more, or
fifteen years in all. Among his early pupils was Miss
Jane Elliott, then twelve years old, an
attractive and amiable girl, whose charms in
Hezekiah's eyes had grown so irresistible as to
occasion heart trouble in his bosom and again she became
his pupil from which she graduated, her diploma being a
marriage certificate of lifelong duration. This
remarkable event happened October 11, 1866, but did not
interfere with his pedagogical avocation. In 1867
Milton E. of Washington, D. C.,*appeared in their
household and was succeeded by Eva, now Mrs.
John H. Taft, and Ada, now Mrs. Hugh
Wilson, both of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Eugene,
of late years of Nome, Alaska, but part of the time in
Washington; Lulu, Olive, Chesley
and Adrian of this city. Of their ten children
two died while young.
On October 28, 1875, Mr. Ailes moved his
family to Sidney to the house now owned and occupied by
Mr. George Moeller in West street.
The monumental building was then in process of
construction.
The children were all educated in the public school
here and received graduating diplomas, with the
exception of Adrian, who has graduating symptoms, as he
is a member of the senior class and is probably
cudgeling his brains for ideas in the oratorical display
to come off the first of June.
A little over twenty years ago Milton, through
General LeFevre, then congressman;
received an appointment in Washington and became a
messenger boy for General Sewall and
Charles Chesley, government officials. He
performed his duties with such fidelity, and dispatch
that Mr. Chesley. who was an eminent
lawyer, advised him to utilize his spare hours in
studying law, a thing he had determined upon, and
offered to be his preceptor. This proposition was
accepted and he finally graduated with Bachelor of Arts
honors and subsequently with Master of Arts distinction.
His promotion was rapid and at length culminated in
being appointed assistant secretary of the treasury
under Lyman Gage, and two years under
Secretary Shaw, a position which Milton
resigned to accept the vice-presidency of the Riggs
national bank, of Washington, a position he now holds.
Eugene went to Washington, studied chemistry, became an
expert assayer and for several years has been employed
at Nome, Alaska, by a banking firm that makes a business
of buying gold from the miners. Lest it be thought that
the subject of this sketch is lost in the family
shuffle, a return to the considering of Hezekiah
will be made.
Since Mr. Ailes came to Sidney he has
been elected three times as mayor of this city, became
deputy county auditor under Orlando O. Mathers and
subsequently served two terms as auditor and was the
first county official to occupy the new courthouse.
After his terms he again became deputy county auditor
under Knox Cummins, now of Washington, thus serving for
fifteen years in the courthouse. He is now president of
the sinking fund trustees, was appointed by Judge
Hughes a member of the board of monumental
trustees to succeed the late Andrew J. Robertson
and was for six years a member of the board of
education. Before coming to Sidney he was clerk of
Jackson township for four terms. Hezekiah now has an
office of justice of the peace which keeps him out of
mischief in his serene and happy age. Few can look back
upon a busier and more blissful domestic and public life
replete with honors and with a family of children who
reflect radiance upon the name.
When Mr. Ailes returned from the war the
time of his pre-soldier certificate had expired and a
new one had to be procured. He came to Sidney to
brighten up under Ben McFarland, one of
the county examiners. Examination day and the democratic
county convention came off the same day. The candidates
for nomination to the state legislature were Jason
McVay and Gen. Ben LeFevre,
McFarland, though a republican, was very anxious
to have the General nominated as he was his particular
friend and asked Hezekiah whom he favored. The
reply was, "the General, for we were boys together."
Hearing this McFarland said, "I know your
qualifications for
teacher and I want you, to put in the day working for
the General and when the polls close come and get your
certificate." Since this sketch was written Mr.
Ailes has died.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
400 |
| |
JOHN
F. AILES, who is one of the well known and
representative men of Shelby county, owns and oversees
his well improved farm of eighty acres situated in
Jackson township, of which he has been a resident since
he was three years of age. He was born in Franklin
township, Shelby county, May 19, 1858, and is a son of
Alfred and Melissa Jane (Young) Ailes, and a
grandson of Moses H. Ailes. The father of
Mr. Ailes is decease and the mother resides with
her son.
John F. Ailes was reared in Jackson township and
received his education in the public schools and in the
Southern Ohio University, Lebanon, O. For
thirty-two years, Mr. Ailes taught school, for
thirty-one years in Jackson township and one year in
Dinsmore township, devoting his energies entirely to his
native county, but not confining himself exclusively to
his educational work. Mr. Ailes has very
often been called into public life and to every position
has devoted his best effort. For three years he
served as deputy county auditor, for one year was deputy
probate judge assisting Judge Hoskins, for eight
years was clerk of Jackson township and for the same
number of years has served as a member of the board of
county school examiners, his last appointment being in
September, 1912. In politics he is a democrat, of
that school which prefers the doctrines of the fathers,
based on the experience of the ages, to the untried
theories of innovators. Mr. Ailes traces
his family back to the founding of Philadelphia, through
the following ancestry: Alfred Ailes, Moses H.
Ailes, William Underwood Ailes, Stephen Ailes, and
Stephen Ailes who came from Wales.
Mr. Ailes was married to Miss Lovina
Drumm, who was born in Hardin county, O., a
daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Drumm, both of
whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Ailes have
four children: Melville, who is a physician
at Jackson Center; Sidney, who is a school teacher in
Jackson township; and Helen, who lives at home.
For twenty years Mr. Ailes has been identified
with the order of Odd Fellows at Jackson Center and
Sidney, for four years representing the thirty-seventh
district of Ohio in the grand lodge.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
809 |
| |
J.
HENRY ALBERS. The well cultivated farm of
100 acres which lies on the east side of the North and
South road, in section 4, Dirkson Special School
District, one-half mile west and one and one-half mile
north of Fort Loramie, O., in McLean township, Shelby
County, O., is owned by J. Henry Albers, one of
the representative men of this section. He was
born on the farm that adjoins this on the west, Jan. 16,
1864, and is a son of H. H. and Josephine Albers.
H. H. Albers, was born in Germany and came to the
United States and to Ohio when a young man. He was
married to Joseph N. Eneking, who was born in
Auglaize county, and eight children were born to them,
three of whom are deceased. After marriage H.
H. Albers and wife came to McLean township and
settled on the farm on which Mrs. Albers still
resides, being now in her sixty-fifty year. He
carried on farming there for a number of years prior to
his death, when age fifty-two years, and was a very
highly respected man. He was influential in
democratic politics and served as township supervisor
and also as a member of the school board, and was a
faithful member of St. Joseph's Catholic church to which
his widow also belongs.
J. Henry Albers obtained his education in the
Dirksen Special School District and remained at home
assisting his father until his own marriage, at which
time he bought his present farm from his mother and has
continued here ever since. He cleared about twenty
acres of the land and yet has fifteen acres in woodland,
and has made many improvements including a first class
system of drainage and the erection of the commodious
and comfortable buildings. He carries on mixed
husbandry and raises cattle, paying close attention to
his industries and having the reputation of being very
successful.
Mr. Albers was married to Miss Margaret
Hoying, who was born in McLean township, Shelby
County, O., Oct. 20, 1877, a daughter of Clemens and
Bernadine Hoying, and they have the following
children: Clemens, Bernadine, Frances, Herman, Leo,
Alphonse, Matilda and Estella. Mr. Albers
and family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic
church at Egypt, O. He is affiliated with the
democratic party, as was his late father all his life,
and is serving in his second term as a member of the
board of education in the Dirksen Special School
District.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens - Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
551 |
| |
ANTHONY J. ALLEN,
whose ninety acres of fine land lie in Franklin
township, is one of the well known and representative
agriculturists of this section. He was born in
York county, Pa.. July 24, 1843, and is a son of
Edmund K. and Alice (Harkins) Allen.
Edmund K. Allen was born in York county, his
people having been early settlers in Pennsylvania,
probably of English extraction, and he spent his entire
life in his native section, where he followed
agricultural pursuits. He married Alice Harkins,
who was born in Hartford county, Md., and she also died
in York county. They had the following children:
Anthony J., William L., Robert F.,
Thomas H., Joseph L., Hannah and
Martha Jane. Hannah married
Joseph Strawbridge and Martha Jane
married Charles Robinson. The
parents of the above children were members of the
Methodist Episcopal church.
Anthony J. Allen attended the district schools
near his father's farm and afterward was a student for
one year in the Stewartstown Academy, York county, and
for several succeeding years was mainly engaged in
teaching school, both in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
After learning the miller's trade he followed that for
some four years and in 1876 came to Shelby county,
settling first in Washington township. Mr.
Allen remained in that township for eight years and
then took advantage of a favorable offer and sold his
property there and came to Franklin township and bought
his present farm, from Joseph Barnes, it being
locally known as the William Reed farm.
Here Mr. Allen has prospered both as a farmer and
as a dairyman. He maintains his dairy with
Holstein cattle and operates a milk route, sending his
wagon to Sidney daily and disposing to regular customers
twenty gallons of rich milk. He raises other good
stock but not more in quantity than he requires for his
own use.
Mr. Allen was married first in 1865, to Miss
Eleanor Gorsuch, a daughter of Stephen Gorsuch,
who moved with his family from Maryland to Ohio.
To this marriage the following children were born:
Martha Jane, who is the widow of Frank
Fee; Anna Bell, who is the wife of
John Yinger and they have two children:
Elmer LeRoy and Neva May;
Elva May, who is the wife of Thomas
White and they have three children: Norma
Allen, Mary Lee and Ruth
Annabel; Nora B., who is the wife of
Walter Brandenberg, and they have one son,
Stanley Allen; Bertha Pearl, who is
the wife of Roy Allton, and they have one
daughter, Evaline Lois; and Minnie, who is
the wife of Frank Pfaadt, and they have
one child, Martha Elizabeth. In 1887
Mr. Allen was married to Miss Laura E.
Davis, a daughter of Hiram and Emeline (Trine)
Davis, and they have two children: Lyman
Davis, who married Kate Frazier; and
Vera. Mr. Allen and family
belong to the Methodist Episcopal church in which he is
a local preacher. He has long been active and
deeply interested in religious work and is additionally
serving as church trustee, class leader and district
steward. In politics Mr. Allen has always
been in sympathy with the principles of the republican
party.
Source: History of Shelby
County, Ohio and representative citizens - Evansville,
Ind. - 1913 - Page 698 |
| |
WILLIAM
L. ALLTON, who is associated with his son in the
ownership of the elevator at Swanders, O., is one of the
well known and reliable business men of Franklin
township. He was born in Logan Co., O., Feb. 3,
1856, and is a son of Albert G. and Martha M.
(Wheeler) Allton.
Albert G. Allton was a farmer and lumber man and
belonged to a pioneer family of Logan county. He
married Martha M. Wheeler and they had the
following children: William L., Alfred, Seymour, John
W., Wheeler, James, Anna and Emma Florence,
all surviving except Alfred Seymour and
Wheeler. Anna is the wife of James McMillen,
and Emma Florence is the wife of C. J. Graver.
The grandfather of the above family was Reason Allton,
who was probably born in Pennsylvania. Albert
G. Allton reared his family in the faith of the
Baptist church and instilled political sentiments in his
sons that made them all republicans.
William L. Allton obtained a district school
education and at first started out for himself as a day
laborer and then went to work in a saw mill. He
continued in the lumber business for twenty-eight years
and was still thus interested when he first embarked in
the elevator business, which was in April, 1896.
He had then an old plant which was subsequently torn
down, the present one being erected by the firm of
William L. Allton & Bros., in 1901, Mr. Allton's
first partner being Rinehart Smith, of Sidney, O.
A large business is done at Swanders, it being a fine
shipping point, and Mr. Allton largely controls
the grain trade.
On October, 26, 1882, Mr. Allton was married to
Miss Mary Conover, who was born in Shelby County
and is a daughter of Benjamin and Maria D. (Wells)
Conover, who were prominent people here.
Mr. and Mrs. Allton have the following children:
Emory LeRoy, who married Bertha Pearl Allen,
of Shelby county, and they have one child, Eveline
Louis; Clifford Conover; and Pearl and
Agnes. Two children are deceased, Alice,
who died at the age of eighteen years, and her
twin brother, who died in infancy. Mr. Allton
and
family belong to the Reformed church. Although a
very active citizen, Mr. Allton has never
accepted political office except on one occasion filed
with the Knights of Pythias at Sidney.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens - Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
718 |
| |
HERMAN J. ALTHOFF,
general merchant and postmaster at Kettlersville, O.,
was born on a farm near New Bremen, O., in 1852, son of
George and Anna Althoff. His parents, who
came to this country from Germany, had a family of ten
children,, namely: Laura, Henry, Catherine, John,
Catherine (second), August, Herman, Christian,
Henry (second), and Anna. Of the two
daughters named Catherine, one married
Frederick Soelmann and still resides in this county,
her husband being now deceased. John
married Anna Soelmann and they reside in Sidney,
O. August died at the age of six years.
Christian was twice married. His
first wife, Anna, dying, he married secondly
Emma May and resides in Van Buren township.
Henry first married Alvina Deckefust, who
died, and he then married Katie Hersfeldt.
They reside at New Bremen, O. Anna also
lives in New Bremen, O., and is the wife of Henry
Ellerman.
Herman J. Althoff was educated in the district
schools and subsequently followed agricultural pursuits
for many years, or until 1900. He then engaged in
mercantile business in Kettlersvile, this county, which
occupation he has followed up to the present time, being
recognized as a successful merchant. His
prosperity has been achieved by honest dealing and close
attention to business. He keeps a good stock of
such goods as are likely to be called for in a rural
community, and his many patrons find that they can
obtain as good value for their money as they could by
trading in the larger towns or cities. He was
appointed postmaster of Kettlersville in 1995 and has
conducted the office in such a manner as to satisfy both
Uncle Same and the residents of the village and
vicinity. Mr. Althoff owns the
building in which his store is located and also another
block located opposite to same. In politics he is
a Democrat and has served ably in local office, having
been trustee, treasurer; was township trustee for six
years; also served as assessor and as councilman of the
village. He is a member of the Lutheran church, in
which he has served as secretary for years.
Mr. Althoff married Doretta Meyer, a
daughter of Conrad Meyer, and has had three
children: Rosa, now deceased; Hermena, who
married William Poppe and resides in
Kettlersville, and Araminta, who married
Edward Poppe and is also a resident of Kettlersville.
The family is among the best known and most respected in
this locality.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
857 |
| |
GEORGE D. ANDERSON,
who resides on his well-improved farm of seventy-nine
acres, situated near Ballou, Shelby county, O., owns
another farm of seventy acres, which lies in Miami
county one mile south of where he lives. He was
born in Green township, Shelby county, in 1859, and is a
son of William B. and Elizabeth (Dorsey) Anderson.
Both parents of Mr.
Anderson were natives of Shelby county and their
lives were spent here, the father dying when his son,
George D., was two years old, and the mother in
1883. The father was a farmer. Eight
children were born to them, namely: John, who is
deceased; Mrs. Elvira Hume, who lives in Green
township: T. J., who lives in Champaign
county; Clara, who is deceased; W. H., who
lives in Green township; Mary and Charles,
both of whom are deceased; and George D., the
youngest born.
After his school days were over, George D. Anderson
decided to become a farmer and remained at home until he
was twenty-four years of age and then went to Kansas and
for seventeen years was a resident of that state, with
varying fortunes, and then returned to Shelby county and
ever since has been interested in improving his
properties and in carrying on his agricultural
industries. He erected a new residence on his
Miami county farm and placed everything in excellent
repair on his place near Ballous, and it was probable
that Ohio will continue his permanent home
notwithstanding the advantages that other sections may
offer. During a part of his term of residence in
Kansas, Mr. Anderson served in the office of
justice of the peace.
Mr. Anderson was married to Miss Hannah A.
Wert, who was born in Green township, Shelby county,
and they have the following children: W. O.,
Mrs. Florence Hagerman, Ray, Leroy and Earl.
In politics Mr. Anderson is a democrat. He
gives liberal support to the Christian church to which
he and family belong, and he is identified fraternally
with the Odd Fellows at Plattsville.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
594 |
| |
FERNANDO W. APPLE,
a farmer and stock dealer of Perry township, Shelby
county, O., has lived in this section of the state for
the past thirty-two years and is well known in township
and county. For many years he was active in
farming and handling stock and still retains 298 acres
of valuable land. He was born in Champaign county,
O., Aug. 16, 1858, and is a son of John and Sarah
Jane (Pence) Apple.
The parents of Mr. Apple were of solid
old Pennsylvania German stock. They lived in
Champaign county, O., for many years and died on their
farm there and their burial was in Spring Grove cemetery
at Millerstown, O. They belonged to the
Evangelical Lutheran church. Fernando W.
was their eldest child, the others being: Charles N.;
Mary Alice, wife of William
Circle; Otta and Walter.
Fernando W. Apple obtained his schooling in
Champaign county and afterward assisted his father on
the farm, doing much hard work as in those days much of
the labor-saving machinery now in use was not on the
market. In 1880 he came to Shelby county and for
sixteen years contented himself with renting land but
then started to buying and continued until he had 298
acres, all of which is fine, arable land. While he
no longer engages in the labor of the farm, he
remains interested in all its industries and is anxious
that it should be brought to the highest state of
production.
Mr. Apple was married in 1879, to
Miss Ella Wibel,
who was born in Champaign county, O., a daughter of
Jacob and Anna (Plank) Wibel. Mr. Wibel
was a prominent farmer near Millerstown. Both he
and wife are deceased and their burial was in the Spring
Grove cemetery. They had four children: Mary,
wife of Daniel Brubaker; Clara,
wife of Noah Pence; Albert; and
Ella, wife of Mr. Apple. To the
latter have been born three children, namely: Carl,
who married Pearl Fahnestock; Chloe,
who married Vern Ward and they have one
son, Virgil Richard; and Anna, who
is the wife of Frank Peppers. Mr.
Apple has always given his political support to
the democratic ticket. He and family attend the
Methodist Episcopal church at Pemberton, O.
Source: History of
Shelby County, Ohio and representative citizens,
Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page 773 |
| |
H. H. APPLE,
who is one of Loramie township's most respected citizens
and able men, for a number of years serving most
acceptably as township clerk and also on the board of
education, belongs to an old and substantial family that
was established in Shelby county, O., by his
grandfather, John Apple. He was born on his
present farm in Loramie township, where he has
ninety-five acres, Nov. 2, 1861, and is a son of
Jacob S. and Sarah E. (Creager) Apple.
Jacob S. Apple was born in Montgomery county,
O., and was fifteen years old when he came to Loramie
township, Shelby county. Here he subsequently
secured 160 acres of land for $500, and on this he cut
the first tree and erected a pioneer cabin for a home.
He cleared his land and as it required draining he at
first used oak timbers for pipes but later put down tile
and his soil became mellow and productive. He
became a man of ample means and his fellow citizens
recognized his sterling character, electing him to
offices of trust and responsibility. He served as
township trustee and township treasurer and also was a
member of the school board and was universally esteemed
for his honesty and consulted in important matters as a
tribute to his good judgment. He became an
extensive farmer and also was a successful dealer in
horses. At the time of death, in 1902, when aged
sixty-seven years, he owned three farms, aggregating 320
acres and had previously sold two eighty-acre tracts of
land in this township and bought 160 in Kansas and later
another 160 there. He was a stanch democrat and
the success of his party was always a matter of pleasure
to him as long as he lived. He married Sarah E.
Creager, who was born also in Montgomery county, O.,
where her father, William Creager, died before
she came to Shelby county. Three sons were born to
this marriage: John W., who lives in Missouri;
H. H.; and G. E., who lives in the old home
in Loramie township.
H. H. Apple and his brothers all attended the
Beech Grove school in boyhood and later he and his
brother, G. E. were students in the Ohio Normal
School at Ada, O., following which H. H. Apple
taught two terms of school in his native township.
After his first marriage he settled on the east
ninety-five acres of the homestead and has made all the
improvements here with the exception of building the
residence, his father having completed that. All
his land is in excellent condition and all under
cultivation with the exception of twenty-five acres
which is valuable as a wood lot.
H. H. Apple married Miss Carrie Allgire,
who was born in Franklin county, O., and died in Loramie
township, Shelby county, June 23, 1891, aged twenty-six
years. She was a member of the Christian church at
Houston, where her burial took place. Her parents
were Henry H. Allgire and wife, formerly of
Franklin county and later of Loramie township. One
daughter was born to this marriage, Bertha, who
is the wife of W. E. Baumgardner, a business man
of Russia, O. In 1893, Mr. Apple was
married (second) to Miss Florence Cook, who was
born in Montgomery county. O, a daughter of Ezra Cook,
and five children have been born, two of whom, Ada
and Roy, the oldest and the youngest, are now
deceased. Edgar W., Arthur F. and
Clifford L. all survive. Mr. Apple and
family belong to the Lutheran church at Bloomer.
The Apple family in Shelby county has been
notably devoted to the Lutheran church and no less so to
the democratic party and H. H. Apple has upheld
family tradition and custom. On the democratic
ticket he was first elected township clerk of Loramie
township, in 1887 and served until 1891, when he was
appointed clerk for J. H. Cruse in June, 1906,
served that term, and in January, 1907, was elected
clerk and served in the office until January, 1912.
Fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias
at Versailles, O., and is a member of the D. H. T.
Association, of which he is also secretary.
Source: History of
Shelby County, Ohio and representative citizens,
Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page 500 |
| |
H. W. APPLE,
who is one of the
representative citizens of Loramie township, Shelby
county, O., interested in all important matters in this
community and especially concerned in educational
advancement, resides on the old family homestead of 175
acres, all improved with the exception of about twenty
acres yet in valuable timber. He was born on this
farm on August 16, 1868, and is a son of George Hiram
and Elizabeth (Apple) Apple.
George Hiram Apple was born one mile west of the
above farm, also in Loramie Township, Aug. 29, 1846, a
son of Henry S. and Catherine (Gebhart) Apple.
Henry S. Apple was born in Montgomery county, O.,
and was reared there and married into a neighboring
family, Miss Catherine Gebhart becoming his wife
and subsequently the mother of the six children, namely:
Peggy (Elizabeth), who became the wife of
William Routson, residing near Rangeville, in Miami
county; Hiram S.; Jacob J., who was a twin
of Hiram S.; Henery A., who married Kate Mader
and lived in Loramie township; Louisa, who became
the wife of David Kaiser, residing in Loramie
township; and Lavina, who is deceased, was the
wife of David Fessler, of Miami county.
After marriage, Henry S. Apple and wife moved to
what was then a wild region, Loramie township, in Shelby
county and settled in the woods, securing 160 acres of
virgin land. Here he cleared off enough for a home
site and afterward replaced the first log structure with
what was probably the first brick house ever built in
the township, the bricks for the same being made on his
farm. Here is death occurred at the age of
sixty-five years, five.
NOT FINISHED
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
604 |
| |
HENRY
A. APPLE, a highly respected citizen of Loramie
township, Shelby county, O., a retired farmer living on
one of his two farms lying in Loramie township, was born
one mile east, February 15, 1849, and is a son of
Henry S. and Katie (Gephart) Apple.
Henry S. Apple was born in Jackson township, Montgomery
county, O., a son of John Apple and a
grandson of Henry Apple, whose father,
John Apple, came to America from Germany and settled
in Pennsylvania. Henry S. Apple married Katie
Gephart, a daughter of George Gephart, who
was a pioneer in Jackson township, Montgomery county,
and they came as pioneers to Loramie township, Shelby
county. Here Henry S. Apple developed a farm from
the wilderness and became a well-known and respected
man, spending forty subsequent years in this section and
dying at the age of sixty-six years. His widow survived
to the age of seventy-two years and their burial was in
the cemetery at Covington, O. They had seven children
born to them, Henry A. being the fourth in order of
birth.
Henry A. Apple was reared in an excellent home
and attended the Beech Grove school in the winter time,
until he was seventeen years of age, after which he gave
his father valued assistance in the heavy task of
clearing his large acreage of land. After marriage he
settled on the farm of 140 acres on which he yet lives
and still owns another farm in this township, while he
has also given each of his children a farm. When he
first came here he and wife went to housekeeping in a
log cabin of one room and during the next two years he
was so busy that he could do little more in the way of
building than to keep the-cabin warm and comfortable and
the barn equally so in order to shelter his few cattle.
He then built his present substantial barn and after
twelve years put up his present handsome brick house
which he has made into a comfortable modern home. At
first he had seventy-seven and one-half acres in his
farm and to that he kept on adding until he owned a
large amount of property and extensively engaged in
farming and raised stock and cattle. His home farm is
all under cultivation except nine acres of timber, and
it is situated two miles east of the Darke county line.
On October 21, 1869, Mr. Apple was married to
Miss Mary C. Mader. who was born in Loramie
township, Shelby county, O., August 27, 1848, and is a
daughter of Frederick Christopher and Margaret (Crospy)
Mader, both of whom died in Loramie township. On
April 5, 1870, Mr. and Mrs. Apple took up their
residence on this place and here all their children have
been born, namely: William E.; Louisa C, who is
the wife of Henry C. Kelch and they live in
Loramie township; and Hulda J., who is the wife
of J. Walter Brown and they live in the
Greenwood Special School District. Mr. Apple and
wife belong to the Lutheran church in which he was an
official for twenty-one years. In national affairs
Mr. Apple has always been a democrat but in local
matters in recent years has been .disposed to vote
independently. At the time this brief sketch of this
representative citizen of the county of Shelby was
written, he is filling no public office, but, like all
the members of this old and solid family, his influence
is considerable and his judgment on all matters is
valued by his fellow citizens.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
598 |
| |
J.
J. APPLE, a retired farmer and highly respected
citizen of Loramie township, Shelby county, O., who owns
two farms in the Beech Grove Special School District,
one of seventy-seven acres and the other of 100 acres,
was born in this township August 29, 1846, and is a son
of Henry S. Apple and a grandson of John
Apple and a great-grandson of Henry
Apple.
Henry Apple was born in Pennsylvania and was a
son of John Apple, who was born in
Germany. The second John Apple, grandfather of
J. J. Apple, was born after his father had settled
in Montgomery county, O., and was one of a family of
thirteen children. John Apple (2) married
Diana Saylor, who was born in Montgomery
county and they passed their lives there, where he had
160 acres of land. His death occurred on that farm and
that of his wife soon afterward, both being aged
sixty-six years, they being separated but two weeks.
This farm lies one mile north of Farmersville,
Montgomery county, O., and probably yet belongs to the
family. Mr. Apple was a man of local
prominence and at one time or another filled about all
the local offices. To him and wife six children were
born, namely: Henry S.; William, who died at
Versailles, O., was a farmer in Darke county and married
Clovina Miller; Katie; who married Jacob
Gephart and they lived in Loramie township for
twenty-five years and then settled on the grandfather's
farm in Montgomery county; Jacob S., who died in
Loramie township; Ullery, who lived first in
Shelby county and then moved to Bunker Hill, Ind., and
from there to Oregon, where he subsequently died and was
buried there, in early manhood having married Martha
Davis, of Montgomery county, O.; and Sarah,,
who is the wife of Jonathan Esler and they
live at Peru, Ind.
Henry S. Apple, father of J. J. Apple,
was born in Jackson township, Montgomery county, O.,
where he was reared and attended the early schools. He
was married there to Katie Gephart, whose
father owned a farm three miles from the Apple
farm, George Gephart being one of the
pioneers of the township. After their marriage Henry
S. Apple and his wife came to Loramie township and
settled on eighty acres of land, the same farm on which
their son, J. J. Apple, now lives. - He had
already put up a hewed log house on the place and thus
had made suitable provision for family comfort. To
Henry S. and Katie Apple
the following children were born: Peggy, who
married William Routson, and both died in
Miami county; J. J. and G. H., twins, the
latter of whom is deceased; Henry A., who is a
retired fanner in Loramie township; Louisa, who
is the wife of David Kaiser, of Loramie
township; Lavina, who is deceased, was the wife
of David Fessler, of Miami county; and
Elias, who died when three years old. Henry
S. Apple cut down the first tree ever felled on
the 160 acres which lie south of the present home farm.
on the county line, and on that place he died at the age
of sixty-six years, six months and sixteen days, and his
burial was on the fortieth anniversary of his coming to
Loramie township. His widow survived him and died in her
seventy-second year, and both now rest in the Covington
cemetery. They were members and liberal supporters of
the Lutheran church. Henry S. Apple was, for his
day, an extensive raiser of horses and cattle together
with sheep and hogs, being exceedingly successful in his
management of stock.
J. J. Apple was reared in Loramie township and
obtained his education in the Beech Grove School
District and from boyhood had his tasks assigned him on
the farm and as he grew older assisted in doing some of
the clearing. During many years of active agricultural
life he pursued farming and stock raising and success in
these lines rewarded his industry. He has lived on his
present place ever since his marriage, on October, 1,
1868, to Miss Lavina Apple. She was born in Wayne
township, Darke county, O., October 11, 1851, and is a
daughter of George and Katie (Rocher)
Apple, natives of Montgomery county, who moved to
Darke county after marriage and there their nine
children were born, six of whom survive.
The following children were born to Mr. and
Mrs. Apple: George Henry,
who lives at West Alexander, O., married Amanda
Loxley and they have one son, John;
Isaiah, who lives at Sidney, married Ida
Routson and they have the following children:
Agnes, Eden, Ivan, Chalmer,
Delmer, Lavina, Reuben and Lulu;
Mary Catherine, who is the wife of
Louis Brown, residing in Darke county and
they have three children: Silva, and Inez
and Ivan, twins; a twin sister of Mary,
who is deceased; and Perry, who lives on and
operates his father's 100-acre farm, married
Christina Reed and they have two children—Bertha
and Treva. Mr. Apple and wife are
members of the Lutheran church. Politically he is a
democrat and on numerous occasions has' been elected to
township offices, serving six years as township trustee
and several years as school director and as road
supervisor.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
599 |
| |
J.
F. APPLEGATE, who is one of the respected and
useful men of Orange township, for the past ten years a
member of the school board and interested in everything
that promises to be beneficial to this section, resides
on his well cultivated farm, which contains fifty-four
and one-third acres. He was born February 25, 1849, in
Green township, Shelby county, within a half mile of
Plattsville, and is a son of Edward and Elizabeth
(Kiser) Applegate.
Edward Applegate was born in New Jersey
and it is possible that his ancestors came from
Holland. He was twenty-five years of age when he came to
Shelby county, and bought the land in Green township on
which he spent the rest of his life, clearing and
developing it through his own industry, dying there when
aged sixty-five years. He married Elizabeth
Kiser, who was born in Miami county, O., and died at
Sidney, when aged eighty-two years. They had six
children: Sarah Catherine, who married
J. S. Loughlin; Mary E., who is the wife of
Francis Bull; John I. C., who lives at
Sidney; two who died in infancy; and J. F.
J. F. Applegate attended the district schools in
Green township in boyhood, having the usual country boy
advantages afforded at that time, and remained with his
father until he was twenty-six years old, coming then to
Orange township and for ten years afterward lived on his
father-in-law's farm. From there he moved to the one he
now occupies and successfully operates, for the past
twenty years having carried on farming and stock raising
here.
During this time he has made many changes and
improvements and has a valuable property.
Mr. Applegate
married Miss Mina T. Bull, a daughter of Hiram
Bull, and five children were born to them:
Rollo, who died when aged four years; Fleetwood,
who lives near Springfield, O.; Forrest E., who
is a resident of Sidney; Charles C., who is the
practical home farmer; and Edward, who is now
deceased, served as a soldier in the Philippine Islands,
Mr. Applegate and family are members of
the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics a democrat,
while living in Green township, Mr. Applegate
served as a trustee and has also served two times as
township clerk and has been a member of the school board
since coming to Orange township. He belongs to the Odd
Fellows, at Plattsville.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
465 |
| |
A.
E. APPLEGETT, an enterprising and prosperous
general farmer who owns two farms in Green township,
Shelby county, O., one of forty-five acres and the other
of seventy-two acres, resides on and is operating
Joseph Bolinger's farm of eighty acres, which lies
also in Green township, twelve miles southeast of
Sidney, O. He was born in Miami county, O., Jan.
12, 1862, and is a son of Goff and Hannah Ann (Davis)
Applegett.
Goff Applegett was born in Hamilton county, O., and
in early manhood went to Miami county, where he followed
the carpenter trade all through his active life.
He is a highly respected resident of Lena, O., and is
now in his eighty-sixth year. He married Hannah
Ann Davis, who also survives, and they had eight
children, seven of whom are living.
A. E. Applegett has been a general farmer
practically all his life and not only manages his own
land advantageously but brings satisfactory results to
the owner of the acres he rents. A general line of
farming is carried on and considerable stock is grown.
Mr. Applegett married Miss Emma Bolinger,
a daughter of Joseph Bolinger, an old settler of
Shelby county, and they have two children: Myrtle,
who is the wife of Clyde Harbaugh; and
Mary, who resides with her parents. In
politics Mr. Applegett is a
republican and has served in the office of township
trustee. Fraternally he is connected with
the Red Men and the Knights of the Golden Eagle.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
758 |
| |
JOHN
ARLING, who is one of the heirs of the late
Henry Arling, and who, with his brothers, Henry
and Frank Arling, carry on the agricultural
activities of the homestead, where they have 170 acres
of fine land, was born on this farm, situated in section
12, McLean township, Shelby county, O. He is a son of
Henry and Mary (Fischer) Arling.
Henry Arling was born and reared in Auglaize
county, O., and died on the present home farm in August,
1906, at the age of sixty-six years. He was a faithful
member of the Catholic church and an upright man in
every relation of life. His first marriage was in
Auglaize county, to Elizabeth Leining and they
had two children: Bernard, who lives at Fort
Loramie, O.; and Elizabeth, who is the wife of
Frank Rethman, of the same place. After his
first marriage, Henry Arling lived at
Minster until he bought his farm of 170 acres in McLean
township, Shelby county, a tract that had been but
little improved. His first wife died on this farm and
his second marriage was to Mary Fischer,
who was born in McLean township, a daughter of John
Fischer. Mrs. Arling still lives on
the old homestead, and she and her children all belong
to St. Michael's Catholic church. To the above marriage
eight children were born, namely: John, Henry, Rosa,
Katie, Anna, Frank, Caroline and Loretta, all
of whom survive except Anna.
John Arling and his brothers and sisters
attended the schools near home and the sons of the
family have all become capable farmers, industriously
carrying on general farming and raising livestock,
cattle and hogs. The old home sufficed until 1909 when
it was replaced by a more commodious and comfortable
one, erected by Mr. Arling and his two
brothers. On this farm there are gravel pits which have
supplied the material for the building of three turnpike
roads but they have not been operated since 1910.
John Arling and brothers, like their late
father, are all stanch democrats.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
567 |
| |
BERNARD
ASELAGE, a successful farmer owning 160 acres of
fine land, which is situated in section 6, McLean
township, one quarter mile southeast of Fort Loramie,
is one of the representative citizens of this township
and is serving in the office of clerk of the Berlin
Special School District. He was born in Germany, July
17, 1860, and is a son of George and
Helena Aselage, both of whom died in Germany.
Bernard Aselage
obtained his education in a German school and remained
in his native land until he was twenty-three years of
age. Being the only child of his parents he was left
alone at their death and came to America by himself, his
objective point being Fort Loramie, O. By trade a
carpenter he worked for ten years in this neighborhood
as such and for one year in Cincinnati, and then turned
his attention to farming. For eighteen months he rented
land in Cynthian township, then moved to the Adolph
Sherman farm, which he rented for nine years,
following which he purchased his present place from
Bernard Pille. As the land had been improved
and all cleared but eighteen acres of woodland, Mr.
Aselage found his first expenditure was the main
cost in securing a valuable property and a fine home,
the residence being a commodious brick structure. Mr.
Aselage took possession in the fall of 1902 and
here carries on farming and stock raising under very
favorable conditions.
Mr. Aselage
married Miss Lena Bruns, who was
born in Germany, January 1,1855, a daughter of Henry
and Lena Bruns, and they have the
following children: B. H., who lives in McLean
township, married Elizabeth Schlater and
they have one son, August; William and
John, both of whom assist their father on the farm;
Albert, who is a student in the Minster high
school; and Joseph. Mr. Aselage and
family are members of St. Michael's Catholic church, and
he belongs to the Catholic Knights of; America. In
politics he is a democrat and has served McLean township
with honest efficiency in the office of road
superintendent, and early in 1912 was elected a member
of the board of education as above .mentioned.
Source: History of Shelby County, Ohio and
representative citizens, Evansville, Ind. - 1913 - Page
469 |
|
