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JOHN MILTON KILLITS.
Mr. Killits, who is prosecuting attorney for Williams county, is one of
the most talented lawyers of this section, and his success in his
difficult and responsible position and in general practice furnishes
convincing evidence of his ability. His preparation for his work was
thorough, and his keen and active intellect enables him to grasp the
most abstruse legal principles, and to apply them effectively to the
complicated problems that come under his notice. His gifts as a speaker
are of a high order, making his presentation of a case both forceful and
pleasing, and his many friends look forward with confidence to a bright
future for him.
The Killits family is of German origin, the name having
formerly been spelled Killitz, and for many generations our subject's
ancestors made their home near Hamburg, North Germany. In 1805 his
grandfather, John Killitz, then a young man, came to America and located
at Womelsdorf, Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he married, and
established his permanent home. He prospered in business, and was also
prominent in public affairs, being especially well known for his able
service as ''State armorer'' for the entire militia of Pennsylvania.
This position he held for many years previous to his death, which
occurred in 1847 from violence, his murderer robbing him and throwing
his lifeless body into the Susquehanna river, from which it .was not
recovered for some time. His widow died in 1849, and the remains of both
were interred in the cemetery at Womelsdorf. They had seven children, of
whom our subject's father, Andrew Welser Killits, was the youngest. The
other children were as follows: Frederick, married Margaret Arnold;
Eliza, married Frederick Clous, of Reading, Pennsylvania;
Charles; Henry; Levi; and Caroline, now Mrs. Bash, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
Andrew Welser Killits, the father of our subject, was
born in 1836 in Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he attended school in
early boyhood and later found employment in a cigar factory. In 1855,
when about nineteen years old, he came to Ohio and located at Lithopolis,
Fairfield county, where he was employed in a dry-goods store until 1861.
During this time he was married at Lithopolis to Miss Clarissa Crumley.,
and in 1861 he removed with his family to Findlay, Hancock county, where
for a time he clerked in a dry-goods store. In 1862 he removed to Kalida,
then the county seat of Putnam county, and established a dry-goods
business on his own account, but in 1867 he settled at Bryan and engaged
in a similar enterprise which he conducted successfully for fourteen
years. He then retired from mercantile life and engaged in agricultural
work, continuing for about nine years; but in 1890 he removed to Chicago
and again became interested actively in business. As he had always been
an ardent supporter of Republican principles and had been a valued
adviser of the local organization wherever he had resided, he naturally
took an active interest in partisan work in his new home in Illinois.
His business relations threw him into companionship with many prominent
Republicans of that State, who quickly recognized his superior executive
ability, and in 1896 he was appointed superintendent of the Illinois
Industrial Home for the Blind, a position which he resigned after a year
to go into business.
Our subject is the eldest of five sons, the others
being: Charles C, Miner L., George H., and Arthur C, all of whom reside
in Chicago.
The Crumley family originated in South Germany, the
ancestral home being in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg. At an early date
members of the family, including the great-grandfather of Mrs. Clarissa Killits, came to America and became pioneer settlers in eastern
Pennsylvania, while their descendants moved gradually west as the
frontier line was pushed in that direction by the advancing tide of
civilization, many of them locating in central and western Pennsylvania.
They were chiefly engaged in agriculture and Mrs. Killits' father, the
late Daniel Crumley, was a well-to-do farmer in Fairfield county, this
State, where he was also prominent in local affairs, serving as justice
of the peace for many years. He was married in Fairfield county, in
1827, to Miss Jane Betser, and both died there some years ago. Of their
fourteen children only five lived to adult age, viz.: Israel, who
married Celia Baugher; Clarissa, our subject's mother;
Martha, wife of
C. J. Arnold; Emma, wife of William Stahlsmith, and Miner, who married
Miss Lillie Ballentine.
Our subject was born October 7, 1858, at Lithopolis.
Ohio, and his elementary education was obtained in the common schools of
the various localities in which his parents resided during his boyhood.
He has always been an earnest student, making the most of every
opportunity for advancement, and at the age of sixteen entered the
preparatory department of Oberlin College. In 1876 he matriculated at
Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, where he was graduated in
1880 with the degree of A. B., ranking among the best in the class. In
the same year he went to Red Oak, Iowa, to engage in journalism,
purchasing the plant of "The Red Oak Express," a daily and weekly
newspaper of Republican proclivities. In this venture he succeeded, but
his strong inclination toward the legal profession led him to return to
Bryan in 1883 in order to begin his studies under the direction of the
well-known firm of Pratt & Bentley (the latter being lately
Judge Bentley of the Ohio Circuit Bench). In March, 1884,
Mr. Killits was
appointed to a clerkship in the War Department at Washington, D. C, and
this position he held until October 31, 1887, when he resigned.
Washington offered special advantages to a student of law, and on going
there he lost no time in entering upon a course in the Columbia
University Law School, where he received the degree of LL. B. in 1885.
Not content with this he took a post-graduate course in the same
institution, preparing himself for the higher branches of the
profession. In 1886 he was admitted to the Bar of the District, and in
December, 1887, having returned to Ohio, he was admitted at Columbus, to
practice before the Supreme Court of this State.
On February 1, 1888, he began the practice of his profession in Bryan,
where he has steadily made his way upward, gaining a large and lucrative
business. He has never ceased to be a student, his professional reading
covering an unusually wide range, and no task seems too arduous in the
pursuit of his chosen calling. In 1892 he was nominated, by the
Republicans of Williams county, for the position of prosecuting
attorney, and was elected by a majority of only fifty-one votes; but so
acceptably did he perform the duties of the office during his first term
that on his renomination in 1895 he was chosen by a majority of one
thousand one hundred and twenty-five votes. His administration has been
marked by some important cases which were prosecuted by him against a
formidable array of legal talent, including the best lawyers of
northwestern Ohio, but he has always succeeded in enforcing the demands
of justice. One of the most notable of these cases was that of the State
vs. Plummer, in which he secured a verdict of murder in the second
degree; and another was that of the State against Elkins, for the murder
of Arthur Brown, in which a similar verdict was obtained after a trial
lasting twenty-two days and requiring the examination of one hundred and
seventy-eight witnesses. In all his dealings Mr. Killits has shown a
high sense of honor, and this, united with a most courteous and pleasing
address, has brought him an enviable popularity. He is connected with
various social orders, being an active member of the K. of P., and of
the Masonic fraternity, being high priest of Northwest Chapter, R. A.
M., at Bryan.
In 1887 Mr. Killits married Miss Alice N. Stuart, of
Washington, D. C, and two bright and interesting daughters have blessed
the union: Alice Milton, born March 28, 1888, and Edith Stuart, born
December 4, 1891. Mrs. Killits was born in 1863, near Corpus Christi,
Texas, a daughter of Captain Alexander S. Stuart, who was extensively
engaged in the raising of cattle and horses in the Lone Star State, and
was robbed and murdered by Mexican bandits, while attending to his
ranches there. He was a descendant of the famous Stuart family of
Scotland, but his ancestors settled in Maryland in Colonial times. The
American branch of the family has been distinguished for military valor,
members having served in the Revolutionary war, the war of 1812, the
Mexican war, and the war of .the Rebellion, during which some fought
with the North and others with the South. Captain Stuart himself being
an officer in the Confederate army. He married Miss Emily Nourse, of
Washington, D. C.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of Northwestern Ohio
- Chicago - J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 |
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HENRY
KIMBLE
- This deceased gentleman was for many
years one of the leading and prominent farmers of Pulaski
township, Williams county, and was also an honored veteran
of the Civil war. His entire life was passed in
Williams county, his birth occurring in Springfield
township, December 15, 1842. His father, Daniel
Kimble, a native of New York State, was one of the earliest
settlers of Williams county, and died in Springfield
township when about fifty-one years of age. He made
the first wooden auger for boring wells in this part of the
county.
In his native township, Henry Kimble grew to manhood,
early becoming familiar with all the duties which fall to
the lot of the agriculturist, and remaining with his parents
until his marriage, with the exception of the time spent in
the Union army. Hardly had the echoes from Fort
Sumter's guns died away when he enlisted at the call for
three months' men, and when his term had expired he
re-enlisted, becoming a member of Company D, Thirty-eighth
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, with which he served for three
years, taking part in many hotly-contested engagements.
He was a brave and fearless soldier, always found at his
post of duty, valiantly fighting for the old flag and the
cause it represented.
Returning to the old homestead in Springfield township,
Mr. Kimble there engaged in farming for two hears, after
which he established a home of his own. On September
30, 1866, he was married to Miss Sarah Treon, who was born
in Montgomery county, Ohio, August 26, 1848, a daughter of
Henry Treon, who came to Williams county in 1854 and died in
the Pulaski township, January 16, 1867. Six children
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Kimble, namely: Mary L., wife of
William Himes; William H., who married Corda Grey; Oris F.,
who married Della Iferd; Cora B., wife of Chauncey Dohner;
Henry B., who died at the age of four years; and Harry E.
After his marriage Mr. Kimble located on the Treon
farm
in Pulaski township, where he continued to make his home
until called to his final rest on July 31, 1896. For
several years he served as trustee of Pulaski township.
He was a charter member of the Elm Grove Grange, No. 644, of
Pulaski township, and for several terms filled the position
of master of the Grange; he was also a member of the State
Grange, in which he was prominent.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of Northwestern Ohio
- Chicago - J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 |
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BENJAMIN
F.
KNIFFIN. The world instinctively pays deference to the man who
has achieved success, overcoming the obstacles and difficulties in his
path until he reaches a high position in the business world. This
is a progressive age, and he who does not advance in soon left far
behind. Mr. Kniffin, by the improvement of opportunities by which
all are surrounded, has steadily and honorably worked his way upward,
and has attained a fair degree of prosperity. He now numbered
among the wealthiest citizens of Williams county, his home being in
Stryker.
Mr. Kniffin was born April 13, 1825, in Huron county, a
son of Benjamin and Bloomy C. (Hobby) Kniffin. The father on
coming to Ohio from Cayuga county, New York, in 1817, located upon an
old Revolutionary claim in Greenwich township, Huron county, but
afterward returned to Cayuga county. In 1823, however, he located
permanently upon his claim, and upon that place his death occurred when
he was eighty-one years of age. His wife also died there at the
age of seventy-five years.
The subject of this sketch is second in the order of
birth in their family of six children, and in the county of his nativity
he continued to make his home until forty years of age. In the
meantime, however (in 1850), he made a trip to California, spending two
years in gold mining on the Pacific slope, and meeting with a fair
degree of success. On his return to Huron county, Ohio, he engaged
in buying and driving stock over the Allegheny Mountains for two years,
and in 1854 purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in that
county, operating it in connection with stock dealing until coming to
Williams county in 1865. For many years he shipped his stock to
New York, doing a large and profitable business along that line.
He is now the owner of one thousand one hundred acres of valuable land
in Springfield township, Williams county, also owns two farms in Huron
county and some western lands. He continued to be actively engaged
in agricultural pursuits upon his home farm in Springfield township
until November, 1893, when he removed to the village of Stryker, where
he is surrounded by many comforts and luxuries which honest toil in
previous years have brought him.
At Kalamazoo, Michigan, in November, 1859, Mr. Kniffin
married Miss Margaret E. Popino, a native of Richland county, Ohio, and
a relative of the late Bishop Harris. Five children were born to
them, as follows: Josephine, now the wife of R. L. Schaeffer; Arminda
C., Benjamin F., Jr., Harry W. and Alta. The family is
widely known, and is one of prominence in Williams county. Mr. Kniffin
has made for himself an honorable record in business, and as a
citizen, friend and neighbor, he is true to every duty, therefore
winning the high regard of all with whom he comes in contact.
Source: Commemorative Biographical Record of Northwestern Ohio
- Chicago - J. H. Beers & Co. 1899 |
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DAVID KOLLAR, one of the early settlers of Florence Township,
was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, Aug. 14, 1812. He is one of
the nine children of George and Susan Kollar, of which number but
four are now living. Our subject remained at home until his
twenty-second year, at which period - May, 1835 - he was married to
Amelia Van Buskirk, who is still living. He followed farming
for a number of years, coming to Williams County in 1846, although
previous to this time he had entered 160 acres of Government land; he
has now 240 acres, with good buildings, one-half of which is under
cultivation. He has had a family of six - Henry, Thomas,
Martha, Hiram, George and Maria; three of his sons are
stock-dealers. Mr. and Mrs. Kollar belong to the Lutheran
Church. Mr. Kollar's life may be said to have been a
successful one. When he located on his present farm it was in an
unbroken forest, and he was obliged to cut roads, through the woods in
order to reach his site. It was late in the fall, but he got a
cabin built, moved in and cleared up as the weather permitted. The
first year after his arrival, he spent twenty-six days in attending
"raisings," and the next year he passed twelve days in assisting his
neighbors.
Source: County of Williams, Ohio, Historical & Biographical
- Illustrated - Publ.
Weston A. Goodspeed, Historical Editor - Charles Blanchard, Biographical
Editor - Chicago: F. A. Battey & Co., Publishers - 1882 - Page 750 |
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