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BIOGRAPHIES
Found in:
A Portrait and biographical record of Allen and Van Wert Counties, Ohio :
containing biographical sketches of many prominent and representative
citizens : together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents
of the United States, and biographies of the governors of Ohio.
Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co., 1896, 1458 pgs.
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ISAIAH P. MAY, one of the
present trustees of Tully township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and a
leading farmer, is a son of William May, who was born in
Columbiana county, Ohio, July 24, 1817, of Pennsylvania-German
descent. William May was reared a farmer and a carpenter, and married
Sophia Rummel, who was born August 28, 1825, a daughter
of George Rummel, and to this union were born ten children, viz:
Moses, born April 8, 1844, died a soldier in the Civil war;
Abialine, born November 2, 1845; Emroy, born April 23,
1850, now deceased; Louisa, born July 31, 1852; Charles,
born July 15, 1855; Isaiah P., born August 12, 1859; Oliver,
born April 29, 1863; Parmelia, born March 16, 1866, and two
that died infants. William May moved from Ohio to Adams
county, lad., in 1846, and entered 160 acres in the woods, which, with
the assistance of his sons, he cleared up and converted into a
pleasant farm. He became popular and useful, and as a democrat served
as township assessor, even at the age of seventy-seven years, although
he has invariably declined to accept nomination for county office.
Mrs. May is a member of the Lutheran church and all the
family are highly respected in the community in which they live.
Isaiah P. May was born on his father's farm in
Adams county, Ind., was fairly educated, and at the age of twenty-six
years, March 15, 1885, married Matilda Kever, daughter
of Aaron and Sarah A. (Clem) Kever, and to Mr. and
Mrs. May two children have been born—Walter and Sarah M.
A year after his marriage Mr. May bought his present
farm of forty acres, to which he has since added twenty-two and
one-half of the old May homestead across the state line,
containing the home building. In politics he is a democrat and is well
known to the people of Tully township, whom he has served one year as
township trustee with credit to himself and satisfaction to the
people. His veracity is unimpeachable and his ability unquestioned. |
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  ALEXANDER
R. McCOY is a native of Madison county, Ohio, born Oct. 8,
1835. His parents were Alexander and Eliza (Gillespie)
McCoy. Alexander McCoy, Sr., was born in Greenbrier
county, Va. (now W. Va.), July 27, 1800. His father, Joseph
McCoy, was a soldier in the war of 1812. When twelve years
of age Alexander, the father of Alexander R.,
emigrated, with his parents, westward and located in Ohio, living in
the counties of Ross, Fayette, Madison and Van Wert in succession.
When fifteen years of age he apprenticed himself to the blacksmith's
trade, which he followed eleven years. At this time, his
health failing him, he purchased a farm and lived the remainder of
his life a tiller of the soil. In 1825 he wa married to
Eliza Gillispie, a native of New York, whose parents were
John and Margaret (Gunning) Gillispie, both of whom were born in
Ireland and emigrated to this country with their parents when quite
young. To the union of Alexander and Eliza McCoy were
born eleven children, nine sons and two daughters (see sketch of
Moses H. McCoy)
When four years of age Alexander McCoy, with
his parents, moved to Van Wert county, and was reared to manhood on
the farm, working for his father and attending the common schools;
he was a good student, and so assiduously did he pursue his studies
that he became qualified to teach while still a youth. He
followed pedagogy and farm labor until twenty-six years of age, when
he laid aside the plow and ferrule at his nation's call and
enlisted, Aug. 5, 1862; was elected corporal in company A,
Ninety-ninth Ohio volunteer infantry. Col. Langworthy
commanding, later Col. P. T. Swain. He received an
honorable discharge in July, 1865, and returned home, wearing a
sergeant's stripes. Early in the service he contracted a
malady known as varicose veins, superinduced by excessive marching,
and which confined him in the hospital at McMinnville six months.
He was thereby prevented from engaging in the many battles of his
regiment. Still, he saw active service, chiefly in the army of
the Cumberland, under Gen. Sherman. He was in the whole
of the Atlanta campaign, which, historical students will remember,
was a protracted battle of three months' duration; also, the battle
of Nashville - two days. Notwithstanding his defect in
walking, caused by above-mentioned disease, he has a good record as
a fighting soldier. This patriotism seems to have been a
family heritage, as four other brothers defended the Union during
that darkest of hours when the "Dogs of war" were let loose.
On his return to Van Wert county, in 1865, after the
war, Mr. McCoy resumed his profession of teaching, with which
he combined carpenter work, having also learned that trade at odd
times, and stave joining with the Eagle Stave factory, of which he
was a part owner. In 1874 he opened a grocery store in east
Van Wert, which he operated eleven years, and sold to William
Collett in 1885. After two years of farm life he
re-entered the grocery business in Van Wert in the room opposite the
Pioneer drug store, and which he now occupies.
Oct. 1, 1868, the marriage of Mr. McCoy to
Mary Ann Anderson was celebrated. She was born near
Findlay, Ohio, Dec. 25, 1848. Her parents were John and
Elizabeth Anderson and paternal grandparents were John Sr.
and Louise (Cross) Anderson; her maternal grandparents were
Sanford and Cynthia (McClimans) Dorman. When one year old
Mary A. Anderson moved with her parents to Wayne county,
Ohio. When eight years of age her parents died and she made
her home with William Anderson, in Van Wert, up to the time
of her marriage, in 1868. To the union of Alexander R. and
Mary A. McCoy were born six children - four boys and two girls,
all of whom are living: Nettie I., born Oct. 2, 1869,
educated in Van Wert, unmarried; Charles, born Apr. 3, 1873,
a clerk in his father's store; Minnie C., born Aug. 8, 1875,
graduated in 1895 in music at Angola, and has taken up professional
music teaching, in which she is acknowledged by all to be a fine
instructress; Horace A., born in 1878; Estella, born
in 1881, and Clara, born in 1884. The last three are
attending the pubic schools of Van Wert.
In religion Mr. McCoy has a leaning toward
Methodism, but is not a member of any denomination. He is a
stanch republican, having voted for the first candidate of that
party for the presidency - John C. Fremont - and also for all
succeeding candidates up to the present time. He has never
sought nor held office except that of justice of the peace of Ridge
township, which office he resigned soon after qualifying. As a
pioneer, Mr. McCoy is a typical one, as he has been a
resident of Van Wert county since 1839 - fifty six years. He
has seen the country develop from a howling and uninviting
wilderness into one of the most beautiful and productive
agricultural districts extant, studded up numerous bustling and
thriving municipalities; he has seen Van Wert city in all its
successive stages of hamlet, village town and city; forsooth, he has
grown up and kept pace with the county, never surrendering the
integrity and honesty of purpose that has characterized his whole
life.
~ Page 508 |
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  MRS. MARY E. McCOY, relict
of Charles H. McCoy, and daughter of John and Sarah (Chenowith)
Franklin, was born in Allen county, Ohio, August 3, in the year
1845. The father of John was born in New York state in
February, 1809, was named Thomas, and died in Allen county, Ohio,
about 1848. It is probable that John Franklin came to
Ohio with his parents, and was reared among the early settlers of
Allen county. Here he married Sarah Chenowith about
1828, and to his marriage were born ten children: Rueben C., of
Monroeville, Ind.; William T., who served in the Civil war;
Hannah A., deceased; John H., deceased; Amos, killed in the
army; Sarah E., deceased; Nancy C., wife of A.
Snyder, of Lima, Ohio; Mrs. C. H. McCoy; James A.,
of Allen county, and Joseph I., who died in infancy. The mother
of the family was called away June 23, 1873. John Franklin, the
father, was at one time a large land owner and a successful farmer of
Allen county, owning a part of the land on which the city of Lima now
stands. He took no active part in politics, but supported the
principles of the republican party; he and his wife were devout
members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the faith of which he
lived and died, February 7, 1875.
Mrs. McCoy grew to womanhood in the country home
of her parents and was united in marriage, April 9, 1861, to
Charles H. McCoy, and to this felicitous union nine children were
born in the following order: Joseph, deceased, Henry W.,
Sarah C., John N., Elijah C, Frank H.,
Jesse L., Lulu M. (deceased in childhood) and Reuben A.,
The father of this family, Charles H. McCoy, was a son of
Elijah and Sarah (West) McCoy. Elijah was
born in Pennsylvania about the year 1812, of sterling Irish parentage;
he was a pioneer of Allen county, Ohio, became one of its substantial
farmers, and there died in 1872. Sarah (West) McCoy was a lady
of many virtues, beloved by friends and acquaintances where-ever
known. She was the mother of four children, viz: Caroline,
deceased wife of Joseph Boggs; Andrew, deceased;
Charles H., deceased, and Amanda J., deceased wife of
Nelson Stephenson. This aimable and loving; mother was
called away in 1847. Charles H. was born in Allen county, Ohio,
March 16,. 1841. Being early deprived of a mother's care, he lived
among relatives and friends, but manfully struggled to repay them for
furnishing him a living. At the age of sixteen he went to Champaign
county and for some time worked on a farm, then returned to Allen
county, and,. after his marriage, here purchased a farm, on which he
lived eighteen months and then sold out; he then purchased the present
home of the family in Van Wert county, in 1872, but continued to lived
in Allen county, on rented land, until 1889, when he came to his farm
in Van Wert county, and here made his residence until his death, which
occurred November 16, 1893. Mr. McCoy had had some army
experience; he responded to the first call for troops in May, 1861,
and enlisted in company A, Twentieth Ohio volunteer infantry, for
three months, but soon, however, was attacked with measles, which,
with exposure, brought on a serious illness, and he was sent to the
hospital, but on his recovery he rejoined his command and served out
his term; in 1862 he enlisted in company D, One Hundred and
Fifty-first Ohio state troops, and went to the defense of Washington,
and for these services he was granted a pension of $6 per month. In
politics, Mr. McCoy was a republican, and in religion he was,
as his widow now is, a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He
was an affectionate and kind husband, an indulgent father, a firm
friend and an honorable man, and died an honored and respected member
of the community in which he had lived so many years. |
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MOSES H. McCOY |
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THOMAS STEEN McKIM,
deceased, a native of Ross county, Ohio, was born April 17, 1818. His
parents, Thomas and Jane (Steen) McKim, were born and married
in Ireland, where the father was a farmer. In 1810 these parents came
to America, located in New York state, but later came to Ross county,
Ohio, and finally settled in Wabash county, Ind., where they passed
the remainder of their lives on a farm. Of their eight children our
subject was the sixth in order of birth, and was ten or twelve years
of age when his parents removed form Ross county, Ohio, where he had
been a water carrier on the old canal running through that section. He
was reared to manhood in Wabash county, Ind., and was there educated
in the common schools. He early learned the tinner's trade, and at
this he worked throughout Indiana and Ohio until his locating in
Willshire, Ohio, where he engaged in general merchandising until 1855,
when he made his permanent home in the city of Van Wert, where he
erected the store building now occupied by Seelburg & Co., corner of
Main and North Washington streets, and re-embarked in general
mercantile trade. Although he had had three partners in this business,
the firms were ever known as T. S. McKim & Son. He
continued in trade until 1890, when he retired to a life of ease and
privacy. He was also largely interested in the Van Wert tannery and
many other local interests, and being a man of indomitable enterprise
and enlarged patriotism, was energetic in his promotion of the
railroad interests of the city. He was a royal arch Mason, a member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and in politics a republican. Ever
affable and gentlemanly, he won friends every where, his liberality
and generous disposition being subjects of universal comment. His
death, which occurred June 10, 1892, cast a shade of sorrow over the
entire community and was deeply deplored.
The marriage of Mr. McKim was solemnized
in Mercer county, Ohio, September 20, 1851, with Miss
Elizabeth Barks, who was born in Fairfield county, Ohio,
April 24, 1822, a daughter of Solomon and Jane (Shault)
Barks, natives of Virginia, but at the time of this marriage
Residents of Ohio. They were the parents of seven children, of whom
only two survive. To the union of Mr. McKim and Elizabeth Barks
were born three children, viz: Emma, wife of G. W. McGavren,
one of the prominent physicians of Van Wert; Joseph L.,
deceased, and Luella Maud. Mrs. McKim is a
devout believer of the Methodist Episcopal faith and is a leading
member of the congregation attending First M. E. church; she is also a
member of the W. C. T. U. and of the Missionary society, and is
regarded as one of the most charitable and aimable ladies . of
the city of Van Wert. |
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DR. CHARLES A. MELSHEIMER,
deceased, and late efficient treasurer of Van Wert city and Pleasant
township, was born in Stark county, Ohio, January 8, 1826, a son of
Henry E. and Mary (Kimmell) Melsheimer. The father of Henry E.
Melsheimer was a great favorite among the nobility of Europe and
was a very highly educated man, having written several volumes on
entomology, which were very much valued. His son, Henry E.,
father of this subject, was born in Germany and early in life came to
America and located in York county, Pa., and there engaged in the
saddlery business until 1816, when he came to Ohio, located in Canton,
and continued in the saddlery trade until 1820, when he became a
minister in the Lutheran church, in which church he continued to labor
until his death, which occurred February 29, 1864. He had
married, in Hanover, Pa., Mary Kimmell, who was a native
of Pennsylvania, and by this union four children were born, viz:
Edwin, deceased; Timothy, a printer, of Indianapolis, Ind.;
Malinda, wife of E. M. Slough, of Indianapolis;
Charles Augustus, our subject.
Charles A. Melsheimer, was reared to
manhood in Stark county, Ohio, and there received his education in
Canton. He read medicine under Dr. L. M. Whiting for four
years; then began the practice of medicine in New Corydon, Ind., where
he remained three years; then removed to Willshire, Van Wert county,
Ohio, where he remained six years, then, in 1860, when he quit the
practice, he opened a drug store in Van Wert, where, in 1864, he built
his business block, the room being 22x75 feet which he occupied until
his death. He was married in Milwaukee, Wis., April 27, 1852, to
Miss Eliza Ann Hawk, a native of Pennsylvania. By this union
five children were born, viz: Wallace W., Laura F., Etta A., Ellis
E. and Leon. Dr. Melsheimer was a member of the
Lutheran church, and was an Odd Fellow. In 1884, he was elected city
treasurer; in 1876 was elected township treasurer; in 1869 he was
elected treasurer of the Van Wert Agricultural society, which position
he held until the spring of 1894. He was a candidate for
representative in 1877, but was defeated. He was a stanch republican
and a good, honored citizen, well respected by all who knew him. His
lamented death occurred on the 21st day of January, 1895, and the
funeral obsequies were held at the Lutheran church on the afternoon of
the 24th day of January, under the imposing auspices of the I. O. O.
F. |
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ELLIS E. MELSHEIMER,
a prosperous young farmer of Union township, Van Wert county, Ohio,
was born in the city of Van Wert, July 22, 1862, a son of Dr.
Charles A. Melsheimer, whose biography is given above. Ellis E.
was educated in the schools of Van Wert city, and at the age of
eighteen years entered the office of the P., Ft. W. & C. railroad
company to learn telegraphy, and was so apt a pupil that he was
retained in the employ of the company for six years. His next
engagement with the Western Union Telegraph company, was at Chicago,
where he remained a year and a half, and then was employed by the
Postal Telegraph company at Bryan, Ohio, with which he remained until
1889. He then took a course in the Bryant & Stratton Commercial
college at Chicago, whence he went to Georgetown, Ky., where he had
charge of the office of the Cincinnati Southern railroad, whence he
was transferred to the office at Sadieville, Ky.; from that point he
was sent to Sherwood, Ohio, and, after two years of faithful service,
was placed in the office at Canton, Ohio, where he remained one year.
Although an expert at telegraphy, he preferred the peaceful and
health-giving vocation of the husbandman, and in the fall of 1894
purchased forty acres of land in section No. 33, in Union township,
Van Wert county, upon which he moved in November in the same year, and
still makes it his happy home.
The marriage of Mr. Melsheimer took place at
Logansport, Ind., October 20, 1886, to Miss Flora A. Neff,
who was born in Champaign, 111., in 1870, a daughter of Alfred J.
Neff, by which marriage there has been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Melsheimer one child—Charles A. The parents are members of
the Lutheran church, and in politics the father is a republican.
Mr. Melsheimer has been as prosperous as an agriculturist as he
was successful as a telegrapher, and enjoys the respect of all who
know him. He is progressive and skillful, and is very well up to the
times in the management of his well tilled farm. |
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WALLACE W. MELSHEIMER,
an accomplished druggist and expert pharmaceutist of-Van Wert, Ohio,
was born in Willshire, Van Wert county, January 29, 1855, the eldest
son of Dr. C. A. Melsheimer, late city treasurer, whose
biography appears above, was but five years of age when his parents
located in the city of Van Wert, in the public schools of which city
he received his education, attending them until sixteen years of age,
rendering assistance to his father, in the meantime, in the drug
store, from the age of ten years. On quitting school he entered this
store permanently, and, under his father, received a practical
education in pharmacy, and in 1876 became a partner in the business.
June 19, 1884, Mr. Melsheimer was happily united in the bonds
of matrimony with Miss Ada May Moltz, a daughter of G. W.
and Mary (Hall) Moltz, and born in Richland county, Ohio, April
17, 1858. To this union have been born three children, viz : Ethel,
Anna (deceased) and Eva. Mr. Melsheimer has been treasurer
of the National Union ever since its organization, and he and wife are
members of St. Mark's Lutheran church.
Leon Melsheimer, youngest son of Dr. C. A.
Melsheimer, was born in the city of Van Wert, August 10, 1869. He
attended the city schools until sixteen years of age, when he began
learning telegraphy at the depot of the P., Ft. W. & C. railroad,
studying one year, and then took charge of the city telegraph office,
which for nine years he conducted in his father's store, where, during
intervals in the telegraph business, he also rendered assistance in
the drug business. His marriage took place May 16, 1892, in Van Wert,
to Miss Nettie Campbell, who was born in Van Wert September 27,
1870, a daughter of Jacob and Belle (Engler-eight) Campbell.
Mr. and Mrs. Melsheimer are members the Lutheran church and are
highly thought of by a large circle of friends. |
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ALEXANDER MENTZER, JR.,
of Tully township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is a son of Alexander
Mentzer, Sr., whose biography will be found as an appendix to this
sketch. Our subject was born on his father's farm January 19, 1852,
and was there reared. April 28, 1887, he married Hattie
Miller, who was born November 13, 1860, a daughter of Smith
and Calisto (Bronson) Miller, who were old
settlers of Van Wert county. The Miller family were of
Pennsylvania descent and the Bronsons came from New England.
William Miller, grandfather of Mrs. Mentzer,
came from Fayette county, Ohio, in 1835, and died in February, 1894,
at the age of eighty-eight years. His children were ten in number, and
were named Smith, Martha, Sarah, Mary A.,
Samuel, Calvin, Elizabeth, Nancy, John N., and Simeon.
After his marriage, Alexander Mentzer, Jr., began
farming on land he had bought in 1879, which then comprised ninety-two
acres, but which he has since increased to 160 acres, and this tract,
which is now his home, he has brought under a most excellent state of
cultivation, having cleared all from the woods, with the exception of
forty acres only. Mr. and Mrs. Mentzer are the happy parents of
two children—Marian and Leila M., who are being reared
within the pale of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the mother
has been a member since she was sixteen years of age. In politics
Mr. Mentzer is a democrat, and under the auspices of that
party has served as trustee of his township two terms, and also two
terms as assessor. Fraternally, Mr. Mentzer is a member
of the Improved Order of Red Men, and of the P. of H. He is a man of
undoubted business talent, and has been a member of the school board
since 1890.
Alexander Mentzer, Sr., a pioneer of Tully
township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and the father of the gentleman whose
name heads this brief sketch, as given in the preceding paragraph, was
formerly a farmer of great repute in Tully township and well deserves
the reputation he has gained as a practical farmer. He sprang from an
old colonial family of Pennsylvania, and descended from Conrad
Mentzer, of Swiss origin, who settled in Pennsylvania about the
year 1724. Conrad had one son, Michael, who married Ann Maria;
and to their marriage were born seven sons and seven daughters. Prior
to the Revolution, Michael moved to Washington county, Md., where he
died at a very advanced age. George Mentzer, son of
Michael, and the father of Alexander, Sr., was born
in Lancaster county, Pa., April 24, 1766, and was a boy when his
father moved to Maryland. He learned the trade of tailor and for seven
years worked as a journeyman at Hagerstown. He married Susannah
Hoover, who bore eleven children, named Mary, Nancy,
Susan, Elizabeth, John, Christine,
Sarah, George, Samuel, an unnamed infant,
deceased, and Alexander. In 1814, the parents of this family
moved to Columbiana county, Ohio, where the father bought a half
section of land, on which he lived until 1832, when he moved to
Crawford county, bought 160 acres, and there passed the remainder of
his days, dying in 1838, at the age of seventy-two years—a member of
the Lutheran church. His widow lived to be eighty years old, a member
of the Dunkard church. Alexander Mentzer, Sr.,
was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, March 31, 1819, and was reared a
farmer. At the .age of thirteen years he accompanied his father to
Crawford county, and October 8, 1843, married Elizabeth Roop,
a daughter of Peter and Elizabeth Roop,
who were old settlers of Crawford county, Ohio, and to this union were
born four children— Susannah, Joseph, Elizabeth,
and John. Both parents died in Crawford county, members of the
Lutheran church.
Mr. Mentzer settled in Tully township, Van Wert
county, on October 8, 1846, on the land which Mr. Roop—his
wife's father—had entered, and which covered 160 acres in the wild
woods, but which Mr. Mentzer afterward converted into a
beautiful farm, and increased to 800 acres, of which he gave 400 to
his children, and later sold 160 acres. To Alexander Mentzer
and his wife were born seven children, named Rebecca, Sarah
Susanah, Peter R., Alexander, Mary (deceased), George
deceased, and Samuel deceased. The mother of this family died
November 5, 1857, and the father was next married, June 24, 1858, to
Miss Eliza Reed, who died June 24, 1864, leaving no children;
the next marriage was with Mrs. McClure, April 3, 1866, to
which union was born one child—living—Millie. Mr.
Mentzer, now seventy-six years old, is retired from active
work. He is a democrat, has been justice of the peace, commissioner
three terms and has served in numerous township offices. He is a Mason
and is most highly honored by his fellow-citizens. |
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GEORGE MERICLE, a.
pioneer of Jackson township, Van Wert county, Ohio, is of German
descent primarily,' but comes from an old New York family more
directly. His grandfather, John Mericle, was a native of
the Empire state and a pioneer of Fairfield county, Ohio, where he
cleared up a good farm from the woods and reared the following
children: Solomon, John, Emanuel, Abe,
Polly, Katie, Sallie, Lydia and Betsey.
Solomon Mericle, father of George,
our subject, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in February, 1808,
and married Catherine Blosser, daughter of George and
Rebecca (Garrison) Blosser, to which union were born the following
children: Sallie, Mary, George, Rose
Ann, Isaac, Margaret, John, Catherine,
Solomon and Lydia. Solomon Mericle
resided on 160 acres of land in Hocking county until 1865, when he
moved to Allen county and settled six miles east of Delphos, where he
passed the remainder of his days. His son, Solomon, served in
the Fourteenth Ohio volunteer infantry during the late war, and he
also had two other sons in the service—George and John.
He died a sincere Christian.
George Mericle, the subject proper of this sketch, was
born in Hocking county, Ohio, March 14, 1833, and was married in the
same county, September 25, 1855, to Miss Barbara
Beery, who was born in Fairfield county, May 18, 1838, a daughter
of Peter and Margaret (Pulce) Beery. Peter
Beery was of German descent and was a son of Joseph, who
was a native of Rockingham county, Va., and was the father of Jacob,
Samuel, Joseph, Peter, Franz and
Barbara, and died on his farm before the outbreak of the Civil
war. Peter Beery, the father of Mrs. Mericle, was born
in Rockingham county, Va., January 11, 1807, was married in that
county to Margaret Pulce, and by that union became the
father of eight children, viz: Elizabeth A., Sarah, Henry, Barbara,
Abraham, Mary, Peter and Margaret. After making two or
three moves at intervals of two years each, Mr. Beery finally
settled on a farm of 400 acres in Hocking county, Ohio, but has since
sold all but 190 acres of the home farm. He later bought 300 acres in
Jackson township, Van Wert county, and on eighty acres of this
George Mericle makes his home. Mr. Beery was a most
enterprising citizen and was always prominent in the various counties
in which he lived, settled up or administered several estates, and at
one time was the owner of over 700 acres of land. He had two sons in
the late Civil war—Capt. Henry and Sergt. Abraham, both
in Ohio regiments.
After marriage Mr. Mericle located in
Fair-field county, Ohio, and for a season worked for his uncle,
John Mericle, then moved to Hocking county and worked for
his father-in-law, Peter Beery, in a saw-mill for three
years. In the fall of i860 he came to Van Wert county and settled on
eighty acres in the woods his father-in-law had given him, where he
cleared up a farm. March 13, 1865, Mr. Mericle enlisted
at Van Wert, Ohio, in company F, One Hundred and Ninety-sixth Ohio
volunteer infantry, and was discharged at the close of the war, having
served in Virginia and Delaware. To the union of Mr. and Mrs.
Mericle have been born five children, named as follows:
Margaret, Isaiah, Sarah, Noah and Minerva—all
born in Van Wert county with the exception of Margaret, who is
a native of Fairfield county, and Isaiah, a native of Hocking
county. While her husband was in the war, Mrs. Mericle
did her own farming, with the exception of plowing—thus showing
herself to be a worthy daughter of her illustrious father. She lived
on fifteen acres and tilled five acres of corn, producing the best
crop in the neighborhood—the season being a dry one. Mr.
Mericle is now the owner of 120 acres, and is in quite comfortable
circumstances. He and wife are members of United Brethren church, and
in politics he is a republican. He is a highly respected citizen and
an excellent farmer, holds the esteem of the entire community, and
ranks second to no one in his enterprise and active interest in the
progress of his township and county. |
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GEORGE MILLER,
one of the oldest citizens of Washington township, Van Wert county,
Ohio, but now deceased, was a native of Saxony, Germany born in 1816.
He came over to America when a young man, and for a number of years
worked on public works in Virginia, Maryland and others states.
He was married in Putnam county, Ohio, in 1845, to Susan Rader.
In about 1847 he purchased forty acres of land from the government in
section No. 13, Washington township, Van Wert county, and moved upon
it; the country was at that time but sparsely settled and was mostly
woods, with few roads. From time to time he added to his
original purchase until he owned altogether 112 acres, and had owned
sixty acres more, which he sold to his son Henry. To
Mr. and Mrs. Miller ten children were born, as follows:
Henry, Carley, Ferd, John, Louis, Tilla, Edward, Mary and Gust,
all living, and one daughter who died in childhood. April 17,
1894, Mr. Miller and wife, celebrated their golden wedding
anniversary, and the day was celebrated with a family gathering and a
big supper, on which happy occasion all the children but two were
present.
When Mr. Miller settled in Van
Wert county there was nothing of Delphos but a few canal shanties.
It was then known as Section Ten, so Mr. Miller has lived to
see what was once a dense forest cleared and turned into as fine a
farming country as can be found in the state, and saw Delphos grow
from a few log houses into a thriving little city.
Henry Miller, eldest son of George Miller,
was born on April 27, 1846. He remained on the farm with his
parents until he was eighteen years old, and then left home. In
may 1864, he went into the Union army as a soldier, joining company A,
One Hundred and Fifty-first Ohio volunteers. He was mustered in
at Camp Chase and with the regiment was on duty principally at
Washington, D. C., and in the Shenandoah valley. He was mustered
out at Camp Chase, Columbus, the last of August, 1864, having been in
the 100 day service. After the war he began railroading, first
on the Pennsylvania in Ohio, and then on the Big Four in Indiana, and
continued on that for over nine years. He then worked for about
five years in the Ohio Wheel works at Delphos, and then moved upon
sixty acres of land in section No. 12, Washington Township, which he
had purchased some time before from his father. The land was
then all wild and unimproved, but he cleared it up. Since then
he has added to his land by the purchase of sixty acres in section No.
1, now having altogether 120 acres. In 1889 he erected a large
barn, 40 x 60 feet, which is one of the best in the township.
Henry Miller was married November 10,
1872 to Ida Wurzburg, who was born in Saxony, Germany, May 9,
1852, and is the daughter of August Wurzburg. Her parents
did not come to America, both having died in the old country before
she came over, she being eighteen years old when she crossed the
ocean. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller three children have been
born, tow sons and one daughter: Arthur, born July 20, 1874;
Oscar, born November 12, 1876; Laura, born March 25, 1883.
Mr. Miller and family are members of the Lutheran church, and are
highly respected by all. George Miller departed this life
November 18, 1895, a member of the Lutheran church, of which his widow
is still a devout communicant. |
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CHARLES
J. MOORE was born near Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 2, 1858. He
is the son of W. G. S. Moore, whose
biographical sketch also appears in full in this volume, to which
the attention of the reader is invited.
Charles J. Moore was educated in the public
schools, which, by the time he attended them, had become superior to
those of a generation before. Early in life he began to work
at various branches of trade and industry, remaining with his father
until he arrived at his majority, at which time he began on his own
account, working at what was his principal trade, that of brick
molder, though he was unusually handy with tools of all kinds, and,
being of a very ingenious turn of mind, he could have succeeded as
has succeeded in other lines.
On June 7, 1884, he was married to Miss Ida Bucher
of Van Wert, and of German descent. After his marriage he
still continued to work at his trade for a considerable time, until
he was appointed car inspector on the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw
railroad, at which he was engaged two years. At the end of
this time he began draying in the city of Van Wert, and he has
continued at this line of work ever since. In politics Mr.
Moore is a republican, and in religious faith he is a Lutheran.
He is a member of five different fraternal lodges, viz: The I.
O. R. M., K. of P., National Union, Rathbone and Pocahontas.
Ida Bucher, wife of Mr. Moore, was born
July 25, 1865. Her father, Peter Bucher, was born in
Dauphin county, Pa., July 3, 1801, and was of German ancestry.
He was reared on a farm and followed agricultural pursuits until his
death, which occurred July 24, 1880. He married Miss
Lighter, of Richland county, Ohio, by whom he had eight
children, viz: Amos, Eliza, John, Harriet, Henry, Joseph, Mary
and one that died in infancy. Mary and Harriet
married and have since died. All those who are living are also
married. The mother of these children died in 1843, and in
1852 Mr. Bucher married Miss Sophia Fiddler, of Adams
county, Pa., by whom he had nine children, viz: Samuel L.,
Margaret, Albert F., Lydia C., Adeline A., Oliver J., Alice S., Ida
C. and Angeline A. Only three of these children are
living, viz: Albert F., Lydia C. and Ida C., and all
are married. The mother of these children died in Van Wert,
Ohio, in 1886. She was of German descent and a member of the
German Reform church. She ws an excellent woman in every way
and her loss was greatly felt by her family and a large circle of
friends.
Miss Ida Bucher was born on a farm in Van Wert
county and received her education in the country schools. When
sixteen years of age she came to the city of Van Wert, and here met
Mr. Moore, whom she married when she was eighteen years of
age. She is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of the
Rathbone Sisters, and also of Pocahontas lodge. she and her
husband are the parents of one child viz: Willie E.,
born in 1884. He is an unusually bright boy, is attending Van
Wert public schools, and is the pride and hope of his parents.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Moore are excellent people and are
respected by all that know them.
~ Page 560 |
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JOSEPH
J. MOORE, car inspector for the Cincinnati, Jackson &
Mackinaw railroad company, in Van Wert, was born Dec. 30, 1855, and
is a son of W. S. G. and Amanda M.
(Butler) Moore, a full history of both of whom appears
herein.
Joseph J. Moore spent his boyhood days at home,
assisting his father on the farm and in the brick-yard, attending
school as opportunity offered. When his parents removed to Van
Wert county in 1864 he removed with them, and has been a resident of
the county ever since. At the age of twenty he left home and
went to work as a section hand on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne &
Chicago railroad, and was thus employed four years. He was
then appointed a night policeman of Van Wert, and served in that
capacity three years, giving satisfaction to all persons interested.
Resigning this place in 1887, he accepted a position with the
Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw railroad company as car inspector, in
that company's Van Wert yards, and this position he has held ever
since, a period of nine years, giving entire satisfaction to the
company that employs him.
Mr. Moore was married, Nov. 17, 1878, to Mrs.
Louisa J. Keller nńe
Guinn, whose parents were David and Mary (VanSenter) Guinn,
natives respectively of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but, at the
time of this marriage, old residents of Van Wert, the father being a
prominent farmer of Pleasant township. Mr. Guinn,
though himself unable to go to the war, sent two of his sons, who
rendered faithful service to their country in its hour of need.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Guinn are now deceased.
Mr. Moore is a member of the Improved Order of
Red Men, of which order he has passed all the chairs, and is now
representative-elect of the Abenaka tribe, No. 77, of Van Wert, to
the grand council of Ohio. He is also a member of Van Wert
lodge, No. 130, K. of P., in which lodge he has held all the chairs
but one, and he is also a member of the Odd Fellow lodge, No. 251,
of Van Wert. In religious belief both he and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal church and in politics he is a
republican. Mrs. Moore is a member of the Order of
Pocahontas and has filled all the offices. They live in a
modern home of their own on South Walnut street, with their one
child, George W., aged fifteen, surrounded by many warm and
kind-hearted friends.
~Page 906 |
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W.
S. G. MOORE, a retired farmer of Van Wert county, was born
May 1, 1825. He is a son of JOSEPH W. MOORE, who was
born in Westmoreland county, Pa., in 1786. Having a natural
aptitude for the carpenter's trade, he began to work at that
vocation at a very early age, and followed it successfully until
1830. He then bought a farm in Franklin county, Ohio, and
became a farmer for the remainder of his life, also meeting with
success in this calling. His death occurred Nov. 16, 1862.
JOSEPH W. MOORE was married three times - first
to Elizabeth McCutchen, of Pennsylvania, at Greensburg.
To this marriage there were born two children, viz: James and
William, both of whom are now deceased - William dying in
infancy and James in 1878. The mother of these two children
died in Pennsylvania in 1810. Mr. Moore was married, the
second time, to Miss Elizabeth Jones, of Jefferson county, Pa., and
by her he had one child, David, still living near Brookville,
Jefferson county, Pa. Mr. Moore's second wife died in 1812,
and he was married, the third time, to Miss Rhodie Grant, of
Gettysburg, Pa. To this marriage there were born ten children,
as follows: Jane, Joseph, Sarah, John, Elizabeth, William,
Mary, Isaac, Catherine and Jane. The father of these children
was a democrat in politics and served as justice of the peace of
Franklin county, Ohio. He served in the war of 1812 as a
brave, patriotic soldier. He was a member of the Methodist
Episcopal church, and was in every way an upright, honorable man.
W. S. G. Moore born in Franklin county, Ohio, and
resided with his parents until the war of the Rebellion broke out.
On May 1, 1864, he enlisted in company B, One Hundred and
Thirty-third Ohio voluntary infantry, and served under Gen. Franz
Sigel. When he left home for the war he had no money to
leave his wife for her support and that of the children, but
supplied her as well as he could out of his soldier's pay. He
was at the time thirty-nine years old, and he had a family of seven
children. He was wounded at Buffalo Gap, Va., but would not
stop fighting, continuing to fight in the fight until the battle was
over. He was also wounded in the battle of Petersburg, Va.,
and was discharged Aug. 18, 1864. He is now receiving a
pension of $30 per month, and when his claim was granted he received
$1,350 back pension. He is also suffering from a slight stroke
of paralysis.
On Aug. 9, 1843, he was married to Miss Amanda M.
Butler, of Van Wert, Ohio, by whom he became the father of
thirteen children viz: Rosa, William F., Mary E., J. J., C. J.,
David, Charles, Amanda, Marion E., Alice E., Louis V., Isaac and
A. W. Seven of these children are still living.
Mr. Moore was in the early days a whig, but upon the
organization of the republican party he became a republican, and has
adhered thereto ever since. In religion he is a Methodist, and
lives consistently with his profession.
Amanda M. Butler, wife of Mr. Moore, was
born in 1830. Her father, James, was born in Culpeper
county, Va., and followed farming for a livelihood all his life.
He was married to Elizabeth Baumgardner, and to their
marriage there were born ten children, viz: James, Nancy, Adrian,
Amanda M., William H.; Elizabeth, Eliza, John, Washington and
Mary. Amanda M. Butler, who married Mr.
Moore, and who died in Van Wert, Jan. 9, 1893, was born in
Franklin county, Ohio, and was a member of the Friends' society.
She was a modest, and a good woman, wife and mother, respected by
all who knew her, and her memory is revered by all. Mr.
Moore, now living retired from active business life, has always
been an honorable, upright man, and is held in high esteem by the
community in which he lives. He has won for himself a
name which he will bequeath to his posterity, and which they will
doubtless transmit, which is an honor to himself, to his family and
to mankind in general. |
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JOHN
I. MOOREHEAD, a respected citizen of Tully township, Van Wert
county, Ohio, and an ex-soldier of the Civil war, is a son of
Alexander and Delilah (Pickens) Moorehead, and of Scotch-Irish
descent through an old Pennsylvania colonial family.
Alexander Moorehead came from
Pennsylvania with his parents to Ohio and located in Fairfield
county in the pioneer days, and was first married there, after which
event he moved to Putnam county. His children by his first
marriage were named Winton, Emanuel, Thomas, Elija, Lorena,
Rebecca, and several who died while still young. The
first wife died in Putnam county, and Mr. Moorehead there
married Delilah Pickens, and to this union were born nine
children, viz.: David, Jefferson, Rachael, Henry, John I.,
Calvin, Phebe, Delilah and Emma. December 25, 1839,
Mr. Moorehead came to Van Wert county and settled in
Willshire township, where he entered 240 acres in the forest afar
from any other settler. With the assistance of his sons he
wrought out a good farm from the wilderness, and reared a family of
sturdy pioneers. In politics he was a democrat until the first
Lincoln campaign, when he joined the republican party and became an
ardent Union man; although over sixty-five years of age, would have
enlisted to preserve the nation from disruption, but was, of course,
rejected by the government on account of age; however, he furnished
five sons for the defense of the Union, as follows: David,
who served three years in the Forty-sixth Ohio infantry, company
H; Henry, in the same company, was drowned by being crowded
off a boat while at the battle of Pittsburg Landing; Jefferson
died from sickness at Moscow, Tenn., while serving in an Indiana
regiment; Calvin, at first in the fifteenth Ohio infantry,
veteranized, and had a record running through five years, being
promoted to orderly-sergeant; teh experience of John I. will
be related further on in this sketch. The father of these
soldiers lived to be about seventy-five years old, and died near
Leipsic, Putnam county, am member of the United Brethren church, an
honored citizen and a substantial farmer.
John I. Moorehead, whose name introduces this
biography, was born in Putnam county, Ohio, Dec. 23, 1837k, and when
but two years of age was brought by his father to Van Wert county,
and here reared on a farm. He married Miss Edith,
daughter of William and Rhuama Brown, on the 25th day of
December, 1859, and had born to him nine children, who were named
Eliza, Alzina, Susan, Calvin, Sherman, John J., George M., Leonne M.
and Ettie M. Mr. Moorehead, after his marriage, first
went to housekeeping on his father's farm and next settled on sixty
acres in Liberty township, Van Wert county. This land he
labored hard at improving, until his enlistment for 100 days, on May
2, 1864, in company H, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Ohio infantry,
under Capt. Singleton W. Davis, and on the organization of
the company was elected corporal. He served ten days over his
time, and during his service, which was chiefly at Point Lookout,
was stricken with cholera and also had a severe sunstroke, from
which latter he has never fully recovered. He was honorably
discharged in August, 1864, and on his return home resumed farming
in Liberty township. He had the misfortune to lose his wife
June 17, 1888, and lived a widower until 1892, when he sold out,
moved to Mercer county, bought twenty acres of land, and on Dec. 29,
1892, married the widow Hannah M. Shope, whose maiden name
was Snediker. In the spring of 8194 he came to Convoy
and bought the pleasant home in which he at present resides.
Mrs. Moorehead is a member of the Society of Friends, while
her husband is a member of the United Brethren Church, in which he
has been a steward, class leader, exhorter for two years, and a
licensed preacher for ten years. In politics Mr. Moorehead
is a republican, has filled the office of township trustee, and has
ever been a gentleman in whom the community has never hesitated to
repose its confidence.
James Snediker, the father of Mrs. Hannah M.
Moorehead, was born in Pennsylvania, east of the Allegheny
mountains, and in the pioneer days came to Ohio with his parents,
who settled near Yellow Springs, in Greene county. Here he
married Martha Hopkins, daughter of Moses Hopkins, the
union resulting in the birth of four children, named as follows:
Hannah M., Mary J., Emily and Joseph. The
Snediker family was of German and the Hopkins family of Irish
ancestry. The Snediker family were early settlers of
Jay county, Ind., and for a time resided three or four miles from
any neighbor in a dense wood without roads and swarming with wolves
and other wild animals. Mr. Snediker reached the age of
sixty-six years, and died a devout member of the Methodist church.
Mrs. Moorehead was first married to George Clauson, of
Adams county, Ind., and next to William Shopp, and last to
Mr. Moorehad. The daughter of John I. Moorehead, Rhuama,
was married to George W. Jones, a stationary engineer of
Willshire township, Van Wert county, Ohio, and became the mother of
six children: Emma Eliza, married Philip Krisher, a
farmer of Tully township, and has five children; Susanna
married Sylvester Myers, of Harrison township, and has four
children; Calvin married Lizzie Ackom, and has two
children; he is a railroad man and lives in Glenmore; Ira S.
married Mary Holder, and the rest of Mr. Moorehead's
family are unmarried and at home.
~ Page 781 |
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