Phillip Moore, another one of the worthy citizens of Conneaut, who is employed as conductor on the Nickel Plate Railroad, was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, May 26, 1867, son of Elijah and Mary E. (McGuire) Moore.

Elijah Moore was born in Pennsylvania, and was twice married - first, June 4, 1845, to Mary E. McGuire, and, September 18, 1885, to Mrs. Julia (Mills) Barnum.  The latter is still an honored resident of Conneaut.  During the war Mr. Moore rendered efficient service in Company A, One Hundred and Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, enlisting August 21, 1862, and being honorably discharged May 31, 1865.  He was in the Army of the Potomac and was corporal of his company.  He came to Conneaut from Girard, Pennsylvania, in 1872, and resided here until the time of his death, October 31, 1892.  He was a teamster, worked for the Conneaut Paper Mill Company for a number of years, and by all who ever knew him was regarded as an honorable and upright man.  His first wife died May 13, 1884, at the age of sixty years.  Their four children were as follows:  Jennie, a resident of Erie, Pennsylvania, was married Feb. 3, 1869, to Joseph Hamilton, and has six children, Ella, Nelson, Willie, Martha, Eddie and Viola; Desda, of Sandusky, Ohio, was married Feb. 11, 1872, to Orlando J. Orcott, and has five children, Alice, Lloyd, Mary, Samuel and Joseph; George, of Cleveland, Ohio, was married November 25, 1887, to Margaret Stevens; and Phillip, the subject of our sketch.

Phillip Moore started out in life as a clerk, and after clerking for awhile, he kept a feed store.  Then he turned his attention to railroading and has been in railroad employ ever since.  He began as brakeman on the Nickel Plate in 1884, and in 1887, at the age of twenty, was promoted to the position of conductor.  He has been a conductor ever since, and in what employ of the same company, his efficient service making him a valued employe.

Mr. Moore is a member of the Uniformed Rank, K. of P., No. 114, and Maple lodge, No. 217, K. of P., Conneaut; also of the Nickel Plate Division, No. 145, Order Railroad Conductors.  He is a Republican.

In concluding this sketch, we relate the story connected with the life of Mr. Moore's mother, which, indeed, reminds us of the old saying that truth is often stranger than fiction.

Mary E. McGuire was born on board a clipper ship, sailing under American colors, in the waters of the Mediterranean sea, her father being captain of the vessel.  Captain Daniel McGuire and his wife were drowned off the coast of Maine.  He was in the American marine and was just returning from Japan after an absence of three years.  His wife and little daughter were with him, the former, a consumptive, being in a dying condition.  The vessel had seventy-five cabin passengers, besides a crew of twenty-five persons.  During his absence the channel had been changed.  The night was dark, a storm was approaching, his wife was thought to be dying, and he was anxious to get to land.  In this troubled and excited condition he had neglected to give the signal for a pilot.  This oversight caused the vessel to run against the breakers and she was torn to pieces.  The captain tied his daughter to some rigging, tossed her into the sea, and jumped in after her.  The dying wife and mother sank to rise no more, as also did the crew and cabin passengers.  Mary and her father were picked up the third day.  She was unhurt, but he, having been struck by timbers, was injured fatally and lived only a short time after they were brought to shore.  This occurred in 1836, when Mary E. was ten years of age.  She was adopted by Rev. R. A. Sheldon, an Episcopal clergyman, and his wife, and was reared by them.  Her father married her mother very much against the will of the latter's parents.  The young couple eloped.  This so incensed the parents that they disowned her.  The parents were immensely wealthy, and if the certificate or proof of Captain McGuire's marriage to their daughter could be produced, the descendants of Mary E. would be heir to an independent fortune.

After the little orphan had lived for some years at the home of Rev. Sheldon, he and his wife took her with them to England, and while there, they visited her grandparents.  The clergyman introduced their granddaughter to them and told them of the sad death of her parents.  The grandmother, who still had a mother's love for her erring and lost daughter, suggested to her husband that they adopt the child as their own.  After considering the matter, he replied: "No!  she looks like her father; I can't consent to it."  Those who knew the old gentleman were well aware that when he said "No" he meant it with all the impetuosity of his English nature.  She returned to America with the clergyman and wife, who gave her a happy home while she remained with them.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

Rev. R. O. Post, D. D., pastor of the Congregational Church of Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Logansport, Indiana, Oct. 1, 1850, a son of Rev. Martin M. and Eliza M. (Breed) Post, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of New Hampshire.  The father attended the Andover Theological Seminary, was one of the founders of the Wabash (Indiana) College, was one of its Trustees, and was a minister in the Presbyterian Church from 1829 to 1876.  He was an exceedingly fine linguist, could read the Hebrew bible as an English text; so could examine any candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian ministry in the original tongue.  During his long pastorate he was offered professorships in several of the leading colleges of the West, was offered the presidency of an Eastern institution, also the editorship of the Herald and Presbytery, when it was yet known as the Herald.  Dr. Post was regarded as a man of the finest literary attainments of the Central West.  He was an intimate friend of Henry Ward Beecher, the latter being a frequent visitor at his home, and also filling his pulpit many nights in succession.  Beecher wrote of him in the Christian Union:  "He was a man of essentially fine fibre, finely cultivated, of gentle heart heroism, in which patience, fidelity, suffering, labor and poverty were made beautiful.  In these gems he was rich.  Here in his only parish, Rev. Post lived and died, although he still lives in the hearts of all who ever knew him."  He was born December 3, 1805, and died October 11, 1876.  His wife, born in 1817, died in March, 1884.  She was a member of the first-class to graduate at Mt. Holyoke Seminary, taught in the Granville (Ohio) Female Seminary until her marriage, and was a very active woman, not only taking care of the affairs of her own household, but looked well into the charities of the town.  She was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was president of both the Orphans' Home at Logansport and the Ladies' Aid Society.  The poor she had with her at all times.  Dr. and Mrs. Post had seven children, of whom our subject was the sixth in order of birth.  Lucy,  the youngest daughter, is the wife of Prof. Stanley Coulter, Professor of Biology in Purdue University, of Indiana, and one of the leading educators of the State.  The five sons entered the ministry of the same church, two of whom, Alfred an d Edward, are now deceased.  Alfred died while pastor of the church at Santa Clara, California, at the age of twenty-nine years.  Edmond died at St. Andrews, aged forty-one years where he had charge of a work.  The remaining children are:  Martin, pastor of the Congregational Church at Sterling, Illinois; Aurelian, a minister in the same denomination at Tolland, Connecticut; and Mary, wife of Z. S. Ely, of New York city.  She was a fine scholar, and was offered the principalship of Rutger College before she was twenty years of age. 

Rev. R. O. Post, D. D., our subject, was educated at Wabash College, graduating in the class of 1871.  He then took a post-graduate and theological course at Yale, in the class of 1874, after which he took charge of his father's old church at Logansport, remaining there five years.  Dr. Post spent the following ten years in Springfield, and in May, 1891, came to Conneaut, Ashtabula county, Ohio, where he has ever since served acceptably in the Congregational Church.  He has received the degree of A. B. from Crewfordsville, also the honorary degrees of A. M. and B. D. from Yale, and D. D. from the Illinois College, at Jacksonville, the oldest college in the State.  Rev. Post has lectured at Chautauqua and other assemblies, but prefers pulpit work.  He has a decided talent for literary work, and for seven years made out the programs for the work of the Authors' Club.  In 1890 Rev. Post made a tour of the continent, visiting Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland and Ireland, walking over 500 miles, among the Bavarian and Swiss Alps, and through the Lake country of the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge.

In November, 1876, our subject was united in marriage to Miss Janette Morhous, a daughter of J. R. Morhous, who has been superintendent of the Redemption Division of the United States Treasury for the past twenty=seven years.  For his singular ability in his line of work he has been retained through all the administrations, and there has never been a mistake of a cent in his department.  His wife was Miss Emily Hughley, a native of New York, but now deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. Post have three sons:  Stanley, John and Roswell.  Mrs. Post is a member of the Congregational Church.  Rev. Post was for four years Chaplain of the Illinois Senate, for nine years was Chaplain of the Fifth Regiment Illinois National Guard, has badges for handling the gun, and has had the highest rank as a sharpshooter in the State of Illinois, - in short, is an "all-around man."
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

William Todd, whose rural home is located near North Sheffield, Ohio, was born in Kingsville, Ashtabula county, this State, July 1, 1817.

Erastus and Susan (Morse) Todd, his parents, both natives of Connecticut, came to Ohio in 1816 and located on a farm two miles south of Kingsville.  Erastus Todd began life a poor young man, and here on what was then the frontier he acquired a little farm, which he improved, and there he reared his family.  His life was characterized by simplicity, honesty and industry, and was adorned by Christian acts of kindness.  For over forty years he was a member of the Baptist Church, and few men in the community were held in higher esteem than he.  He was born in December, 1786, and died Feb. 5, 1863; his wife Susan, born August 10, 1792, died April 3, 1833.  Of their family of five children, we make the following record:  Martha, wife of Amos Gear, died October, 12, 1872, aged sixty-one years; Mary and her husband, Jonathan L. Haines, are both deceased, her death having occurred April 12, 1891, at the age of 76;  William Todd, whose name heads this sketch; Rev. Julius Todd, Berlin, Wisconsin, is a minister in the Seventh-Day Baptist Church; John Todd, born July 26, 1821, died May 15, 1864.  Five years after the death of his first wife Erastus Todd was united in marriage to Mrs. Asenath Bowman, who survived him ten years.

William Todd has been a farmer all his life, an energetic, thrifty, successful farmer.  He came to his present location in 1850, and has been a resident of Sheffield township since November 4, 1842.  His farm contains 86 acres, nearly all improved land, and is beautifully located, being used for the propagation of the diversity of crops.  During his long residence here he has gained the good will and high regard of a large circle of acquaintances.  He has taken a commendable interest in public affairs, having served for about 16 years as Township Trustee, not, however, successive years.

Mr. Todd was married May 14, 1842, to Miss Huldah Morse, a native of Kingsville, Ohio, born Sep. 17, 1819.  She is a modest, kindly-disposed and motherly Christian woman, and highly respected as she is widely known.  Her parents were Phineas and Abigail (Luce) Morse.  Her father was born Mar. 3, 1795, and died Jul. 2, 1876.  He was one of the pioneer farmers of this part of Ohio, having come here from his native place, Litchfield, Connecticut, about 1816, making the journey with ox teams.  His farm of 160 acres, located half a mile west of the County Infirmary, is now owned by Dick Woodburn.  Few men in Ashtabula county were better known than he.  For many years he was an active member of the Baptist Church, giving liberally to the support of the ministry.  His wife, born August 15, 1798, he wedded Nov. 18, 1818.  She, too, was a Baptist, being identified with that church for a period of sixty-seven years.  After living a long and exemplary life, she fell asleep in Jesus.  With her passed away one of Kingsville's sturdy pioneers, who had energy and pluck to leave home scenes and friends, and start afresh in a new country.  She leaves behind her, besides the members of her grief stricken family, many friends who lovingly cherish her memory with grateful hearts.  Following are the names of their nine children:  Mrs. Todd, Hiram M., Mary, Almira, Angeline, Almon, Laura, Alden, George W., all living except two.

Mr. and Mrs. Todd have had five children, viz.:  Adel, who died at the age of fourteen months; Ada; Almon, who married Ella Fascet, resides on a farm in Sheffield township; Melzo, who married Mary Santee and lives in Sheffield township, has three children, Otis, Carl and Tula; and Bertha, of the same township, is the wife of Delos VanSlyke, and has two children, Fannie and Abbie.

Our subject and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, in which he has been a Deacon for many years.  Politically, he is a Prohibitionist.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

D. L. Huntley, a well-known business man of Pierpont township, Ashtabula county, was born in this city, Oct. 25, 1832, a son of James Huntley, a native of Massachusetts, and a soldier in the war of 1812.  The latter's father, Amos Huntley, was also a native of Massachusetts, and of Scotch parentage.  James Huntley came to Ashtabula county, Ohio, early in life, and was married at Denmark, this State, to Lydia Hart, a native of Litchfield, Connecticut, and a daughter of a Revolutionary soldier.  Mr. Huntley was a farmer by occupation, a Republican in his political relations, and a Deacon in the Presbyterian Church.  His wife came from Connecticut to Ashtabula county, on horseback.  Mr. and Mrs. Huntley had five children:  William Milo (deceased), Harriette, Phoebe Wright and D. L.

D. L. Huntley, the subject of this notice, received his education in the Kingsville Academy, and was a successful school-teacher for a number of years.  He was engaged in trade at Pierpont for a time before the war,  and was also engaged in farming at the old home place.  In his political relations he votes with the Republican party, and has held the positions of Justice of the Peace and Township Trustee.

In 1871 Mr. Huntley was united in marriage with Susan Carver, a native of Pennsylvania.  They had one daughter, Ethel E.  The great loss of our subject's life was in the death of his beloved wife, which occurred Aug. 29, 1890.  She was an affectionate wife and mother, a kind neighbor, and lived a consistent Christian life.  Mr. Huntley is frank and cordial with all whom he meets, and is one of the popular citizens of Ashtabula county.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

Dr. Elizur M. Webster, physician and surgeon, Kingsville, Ohio, was born at this place, May 21, 1827.  He comes from an ancestry in which he may justly take pride, and he likewise has reason to be proud of his posterity.

The first of the Websters who came to Ohio landed in Ashtabula county in 1808, when this county was nearly all wilderness.  Among them the oldest was the great grand-father of the Doctor, Michael Webster, who was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, May 8, 1748, a direct descendant of John Webster, who came for Warwickshire, England, about the year 1636, and became Governor of Connecticut in 1856 and who was also one of the Commissioners of the United Colonies.

By occupation Michael was a farmer. He served as a soldier all through the Revolutionary war and died at Williamsfield; Ashtabula county, at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Minerva North, February 15, 1850, lacking only two months of being 102 years old.  The day he was a hundred he walked from Jefferson to Kingsville, a distance of sixteen miles.  Elizabeth (Clark) Webster, his wife, died Oct. 15, 1842, aged seventy-seven years.  They had twelve children, two of whom, Michael and Daniel, settled in Jefferson, Ohio, and their families now live in that township.  All the children's names were in order:  Clark, Elizabeth, Daniel, Michael, Jr., Luman, Leman, Polly, Sally, Elemuel, Fanny, Clarissa and Minerva.

Clark, the oldest son, was born at Litchfield, Connecticut, Dec. 3, 1774, married Naamah Hall, by whom he had seven children, namely: Michael, Hiram H., Frances Almira, Michael W. (2d), Ardavan and Sally.  Michael (1st) died in infancy.  Hiram H. was born at Lanesborough, Massachusetts, May 17, 1800, and was married to Corinna L. Loomis, Apr. 10, 1824.  They were the parents of Corinna, Elizur, Michael (our subject), Laura A., Ann Eliza, Clarinda L., Charles H., Emily F. and Henry C.

Hiram H. came with his parents to Ashtabula county, where he received his preliminary education, subsequently supplementing the same with a course at the grammar school at Conneaut.  He began the study of medicine at Kelloggsville, Ohio in the office of Dr. Vosburgh, completing his studies under the perceptorship of Dr. Coleman, of Ashtabula, in 1824.  After passing a rigid examination before the State Medical Board, he was admitted to practice and opened an office at Kingsville.  He was appointed Justice of the Peace July 8, 1839, by Governor Wilson Shannon.  He was a member of the "underground railway" association and assisted to freedom many a poor fugitive from the slavery states.  He was a charter member of Orion Lodge, F. & A. M., a member of the Disciples' Church, and a strong believer in its doctrines.  He died at Kingsville, Feb. 19, 1888, his wife having entered into eternal rest May 29, 1870.

When Dr. Hiram H. Webster was five years of age his parents moved to Franklin, Delaware county, New York.  After two years passed at this point, his father made a trip to "New Connecticut," as the Western Reserved was then called, and without making a purchase of land put in a piece of wheat on the Ashtabula flats.  This land was owned by Matthew Hubbard.  Returning to Franklin for his family, he soon started for Ohio, calculating to reach Buffalo on runners.  At Skaneateles he found two families named Pratt and Bartlett, also en route for the "promised land," and in company with them proceeded onward, and in due time arrived at Black Rock, where they found a large open boat, which was offered them at a low price, as it had become unseaworthy, - indeed was almost a wreck.  However, an arrangement was effected whereby Mr. Webster repaired the boat, and in return was given a passage for his family and goods to Ashtabula landing.  It was not altogether a safe voyage, as not one of the company was acquainted with handling a boat except Mr. Webster.  The motive power was supplied by oars and setting-poles, aided by extemporized sails of bed blankets and sheets.  There were twenty-one on board.  At night the boat was beached and made fast, the greater portion of the passengers going ashore to sleep.  Reaching Ashtabula, they tarried there until June, 1809, when the family removed to Kingsville and made a permanent settlement.  In the nineteenth year of his age Hiram Hall Webster commenced the study of medicine, and in 1824 entered upon the practice of his profession.  For over thirty years he was a practitioner at Kingsville, where he became well known and had the respect of all. 

Dr. E. M. Webster is one of a family of eight, namely:  Corinna N., who died Jan. 17, 1861, was born Mar. 10, 1825, and was the wife of Rev. Erastus C. Williams, a minister in the Presbyterian Church at Kingsville for many years; Dr. Elizur Michael, the subject of this article; Laura Ann, who died in infancy; Ann Eliza, wife of D. P. Venan, was born Dec. 14, 1830, and died Aug. 23, 1852; Clarinda L., born Aug. 19, 1833, is the wife of D. P. Venan; Charles H., born Jul. 21, 1836, lives in Kelloggsville; Emily F., born Sep. 6, 1839, is the wife of A. L. Newcomb and lives at Hiawatha, Kansas; and Henry C., born Feb. 11, 1842, a soldier in the late war, died in the hospital at Philadelphia, October 8, 1862.

The subject of this sketch had excellent education advantages for his day.  He read medicine under the instruction of his father, and in due time entered the medical department of the Western Reserve College at Cleveland, Ohio, where he was graduated Feb. 22, 1854.  He began the practice of his profession at Kingsville with his father, and has continued his professional career here up to the present time, meeting with eminent success.  He is examiner for several insurance companies, and for twenty-three years served as county physician.  In the winter of 1874-75 he was at London in Guy's Hospital with Dr. John C. Hubbard, of Ashtabula.

Dr. E. M. Webster was married June 4, 1851, to Miss Emily A. Beckwith, daughter of Lemuel and Sarah (Palen) Beckwith, her parents having located in Kingsville, Ohio, in 1838.  The Doctor and his wife have had two children:  Darwin P., who died in infancy; and Dr. George E., born July 25, 1858.  Dr. George E. is a graduate of the Western Reserve Medical College with the class of 1880.  He spent two years in the Cleveland City Hospital, and since then has been a practitioner in Ashtabula county.  He married Alice M. Blodgett, daughter of Ira A. and Alice J. (Kent) Blodgett, Dec. 31, 1883, and they have two children, George Kenneth and Alice Geraldine.

Dr. Webster and his son are Knights Templar, and affiliate with Cache Commandery, No. 27, at Conneaut.  They are Republican in politics.  Both are elders in the Presbyterian Church, of which their wives are also members.  The father and grandfather of Dr. E. M. Webster were station agents and conductors on the underground railway before the war.  They kept the sable sons of Ham in the garret in Clark Webster's house.  For many years the senior Dr. Webster has been an honored leader not only in the professional ranks but also in business and political circles.  He is still active in his profession, and, although now well advanced in years, has no occasion to retire from the large and lucrative practice which he has so successfully established.  It is but just to say of the younger Doctor that he takes rank as a leader among the rising physicians of the county.
(Transcribed from Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio; published in Chicago: Lewis Publ. Co., 1893)

Lewis Harper, a real estate dealer in Conneaut, Ohio, is a veteran of the late war and prominent and highly respected citizen of this place.  Following is a resume of his life:
     Lewis Harper was born in Perry, Lake county, Ohio, Nov. 30, 1841, son of Aaron and Sarah (Richardson) Harper, both natives of Ohio.  He is the only son and oldest child in a family of three children, his two sisters being Mrs. Laura Ford, of Conneaut, and Mary, wife of Henry Strong, a wholesale merchant of Newark, Ohio.  The mother died in 1847, at the age of twenty-three years of age, is in the enjoyment of health and strength.  His life has been one of honest industry, and by his sterling qualities he has gained the respect of all who know him.
      Mr. Harper was engaged in farming in Ashtabula county until the breaking out of the Civil war.  In September, 1861, he tendered his services to the Union cause, becoming a member of Company E, Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, First Brigade, Second Division, Twelfth Army Corps, in the Army of the Potomac.  After the battle of Winchester, in the spring of 1862, he was taken sick and was sent to the hospital at Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where he remained a month and then rejoined his regiment.  Among the important engagements in which he took part were those of Cedar Mountain, second Bull Run, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.  After the battle of Gettysburg the Eleventh and Twelfth Army Corps were transferred to the Army of the Cumberland, where they were consolidated, forming the Twentieth Army Corpos and rendering valiant service.  To give an account of all the engagements in which they participated would be to write a history of the war.  Suffice it to say that Mr. Harper was among the victorious soldiers who saw the stars and stripes floating on Lookout Mountain after the battle; took part in nearly all the battles in the Atlanta campaign; that he was with Sherman's forces on that memorable "march to the sea;" that he was in the march northward through the Carolinas, and that he witnessed the Grand Review at Washington.  He had a furlough of thirty days, beginning December 2, 1863, and with this exception and the one above referred to, he was in the service until the war closed, being mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, and discharged at Cleveland, Ohio, July 13, 1865.  And during all this time, although he was often in the thickest of the fight and in close quarters, he never received a wound nor was he ever taken prisoner.  At one time he had a lock of hair shot off just above his ear, and in two different battles had bullet holes cut through his coat.  Mr. Harper has a valuable relic of the late war, an English-make Enfield rifle, which he captured on Culp's Hill at Gettysburg, and which he carried from that time until the close of his service.  Both his paternal and maternal grandfather were in the army of 1812.  All honor to these brave, loyal soldiers who without flinching went into the heat of battle, faced the cannon's mouth, endured privation and exposure, and often subsisted on short rations - all for the love of country and the protection of the Old Flag.
     The war over, Mr. Harper turned his attention to the business of ship carpentry, which he followed for sixteen years, and afterward for three years was foreman mechanic in the shop of G. J. Record's butter-tub factory.  Sine then he has been engaged in the real-estate business of Conneaut.  He platted the Marshall Capron place, and has been successful in his business operations.  Mr. Harper was a member of the City Council for two years, from 1890 to 1892.
     He was married December 26, 1865, to Miss Augusta Dodge, daughter of James and Susan (Culver) Dodge of Conneaut.  They have four children, namely: Carrie, wife of James C. Tyler, Conneaut; Ann M., Wallace M. and Sadie O., these three being of the home circle.
     Mr. Harper and his wife are members of the Christian Church.  He is prominently identified with the Masonic fraternity, having taken the degrees in the blue lodge, chapter, council and Cache Commandery.  He is also an active member of Custer Post, No. 9, G. A. F., and has filled nearly all its offices.  Politically, he is a Republican.

Benjamin S. Snyder, foreman in the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad shop at Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Wyandot county, this State, son of Simon and Caroline (Edwards) Snyder, his father native of Virginia, and his mother of Connecticut. 
     Simon Snyder came from Virginia to Ohio at an early day and settled in Wyandot county, being one of the prominent pioneers of that county and one of its well-to-do farmers.  He died at the age of forty years.  His wife survived him a number of years, her demise occurring March 3, 1886, at which time she had reached the age of seventy-two years.  For more than twenty years she was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Benjamin S. is the youngest child of their six children, the others being as follows:  W. W., a ranchman, is married and living at Eden, Texas;  A. W., a miller by trade, married Miss Myram Peters, and resides in Licking county, Ohio;  Lucy died at the age of forty-three years: Laura, wife of Joseph Baird, died at the age of thirty-nine; and Carey M., who married Miss Anna Robertson, a resident of Tuscola, Illinois.
     B. S. Snyder has been engaged in railroading ever since he was sixteen years of age, beginning as brakeman, afterward being employed as a conductor, fireman and engineer, and at present is foreman in the shops.  With the completion of the road to Conneaut in 1882, he came from Columbus to this place.  He is engine dispatcher, and has charge of both the road men and shop men.  His long connection with the business and the many places he has filled eminently fit him for his present position which he has held the past four years.
     Mr. Snyder was married, November 17, 1872, to Miss Lizzie Hogan, who was left an orphan at an early age.  She is a member of the First Baptist Church of Conneaut.  Mr. Snyder is an enthusiastic Mason, having the reputation of being better posted on Masonry than any other man in the town.  He has taken the degrees of the blue lodge, chapter, council and commandery, and is Eminent Commander of Cache Commandery of Conneaut, No. 27.  He takes little interest in political matters, but votes the Republican ticket.
     Personally, Mr. Snyder is a most genial and courteous man, popular with his railroad employers and associates, and, indeed, with all who know home.  His home surroundings indicate culture and refinement as well as contentment and happiness.

Joseph Fifield, a retired farmer and one of the most substantial men of Ashtabula county, has been identified with this county all his life, having been born in Conneaut, October, 16, 1821.
     His parents, Benjamin F. and Hannah (Abbott) Fifield, were natives of Vermont and New Hampshire respectively.  Benjamin F. Fifield came to Ohio about 1816 with his mother, and was among the early pioneers of Ashtabula county, where he was engaged in farming until the time of his death.  During the war of 1812 he enlisted in the service, but the war closed before his regiment was called into action.  He was born in 1793 and died in 1871.  In early life he was a stanch Whig, but later was a Republican.  A Deacon in the Christian Church and an honorable and upright man, his integrity was never questioned, and few men in the county were more highly respected than he.  His wife, born in November, 1797, died in April, 1885.  She, too, was a member of the Christian Church, having obeyed the gospel in her girlhood days, and her whole life was adorned with Christian graces.  The Abbotts were also among the pioneers of Ohio, having settled on the lake shore at an early day.  Mr. and Mrs. Fifield had two children, Laura Ann and Josiah.  The former died in 1841, aged nineteen years.
     Josiah Fifield was reared a farmer, which occupation he as followed through life.  He was married April 6, 1843, to Miss Emma T. Ford, daughter of Ambrose and Amanda (Barnum) Ford.  Her mother, a cousin of of P. T. Barnum, died at the age of twenty-five years, and her father lived to be seventy-eight, his death occurring in Pierpont, this county, where he had lived on a farm for many years.  Mrs. Fifield and her sister, Abbie, widow of John Miller, are the only survivors in a family of five children. 
     The family of Josiah F. Fifield consisted of three children, namely: B. Ambrose, who was Born December 28, 1844, and died October 24, 1864, aged twenty years; Greenleaf F.; and Ella M., wife of F. W. Chidester.
     Mrs. Fifield has been a member of the Baptist Church sine her seventeenth year.  Since 1855 Mr. Fifield has been identified with the Masonic fraternity, having taken the degrees of the blue lodge, chapter and council.  He has served as Worthy Master of the lodge and High Priest of the chapter.  Politically, he is a Republican.

Charles Tatgenhorst,  foreman of the car department at the Nickel Plate shops, Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Germany, February 25, 1848, and brought with him to this country the thrift and energy so characteristic of the people of his native land.
     His parents, Frederick and Sophia (Hunterman) Tatgenhorst, both natives of Germany, landed in America about 1869, two years after the arrival of their son in this country.  Frederick Tatgenhorst did an extensive business as a shoemaker in Germany, and after coming to the United States and settling in Steubenville, Ohio, opened a shop for the same business, which he followed up to the time of his death, April 25, 1891, at the age of seventy-four years.  His wife died January 16, 1881, at the age of sixty-two.  Both were members of the Lutheran Church.  In their family were four sons and two daughters, namely:  Charles, the subject of this sketch; Didrich, who died in Steubenville, Ohio, at the age of thirty-one years; Christopher, a resident of East Liverpool, Ohio; Harman, of Wichita, Kansas; Kate, wife of Henry Cook, of East Liverpool; and Kazena, who died at the age of twelve years.
     Charles Tatgenhorst received his education in his native land.  He learned the carpenters' trade there, and worked at it from the time he was fourteen until he was nineteen, at which age he came to America.  He set sail from Bremen, April 16, and after a pleasant voyage landed in New York on the 28th of the same month, 1867.  Three days after landing in that city he was met by his uncle, William Tatgenhorst, of Albany, New York, to which place they went.  After working on the farm with his uncle one month, and feeling the need of learning our language, he obtained employment with eight other men, none of whom could speak German, and he soon learned the English tongue.  Next, we find him at Steubenville, Ohio, where he had German acquaintances, and where he worked at his trade fourteen years, his parents in the meantime having settled there.  In 1871 he spent five months in Kansas City, Missouri, at the end of which time he returned to Steubenivlle, and from there went to Dennison, Ohio, where he was employed in the Pan-Handle shops three years and a half.  After that he spent five months in East Liverpool, building houses.  Then he went to Bridgeport, Ohio and built twenty houses for the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railroad Company, after which he was employed in the same company's shops at Lorain one year.  In 1882 he entered the service of the Nickel-Plate Road.  In their employ he traveled through the West, going from La Fayette to Chicago, then to Lima, and from there to Conneaut.  Since 1882 he has been foreman of the car department of the Nickel-Plate shops at Conneaut.  Mr. Tatgenhorst made his own start in the world, and by his honest toil and careful economy has won his way to success.  He owns four beautiful houses nicely located on Liberty street.
     Mr. Tatgenhorst was married, January 16, 1868, at Steubenville, Ohio, to Augusta Ohm, daughter of Christian and Hannah Ohm, of Germany.  Four of the nine Ohm children grew to maturity, Augusta being the only one who ever came to America.  He and his wife have three children:  Sophia, Kate and Minnie.  Sophia is the wife of William Attwood, a native of Sheffield, England, who has been in this country seven years.  Mr. and Mrs. Attwood have one child, Charley.  Mr. Tatgenhorst of the Congregational Church.  He is a Mason and an Odd-Fellow, and in Politics is a Republican.

H. C. Whittekin, civil engineer and surveyor, Conneaut, Ohio, was born in Venango county, Pennsylvania, August 22, 1851.
     His parents, Frank and Martha (Koch) Whittekin,  were natives of Germany, and were married in Pennsylvania.  His father was born in June, 1799, came to America in 1836; settled in Pittsburgh; was a farmer and furnace contractor; was self-made, lived an honorable and upright life, and won the respect of all who knew him.  He died August 23, 1863.  The mother was born in June, 1822; came to America in December, 1835; settled in Cleveland, and a year later moved to Pittsburgh.  In 1842 she went with her husband to Venango county, Pennsylvania, where they bought a farm and spent the rest of their lives.  Her death occurred in June, 1891.  Both were members of the Lutheran Church.  Their four children are as follows:  Mary; Albert F., who married Edith Moore, of Venango county, is engaged in farming in Pennsylvania; H. C., the subject of our sketch; and Frank F., who learned civil engineering with his brother, and who married Addie C. Chadman, resides in Tionesta, Forest county, Pennsylvania, he being chief engineer of the Philadelphia, Honesdale & Albany Railroad.
     H. C. Whittekin received his early education behind the kitchen stove, his mother being the instructor.  She was a woman of marked intellect, and had an excellent education, being a graduate of the school at Erfurt, Germany, and also having had experience as a teacher.  She is said to have been better posted in politics than any one else in the county.  Her specialty, however, was mathematics, in which science she took particular delight.  She continued her studies all her life, being as much of a student at sixty as at twenty.
     Mr. Whittekin's first business enterprise was in drilling and prospecting for oil in Pennsylvania in 1866.  He was successful at this for a time and continued the business until 1872, when he sold his interest and took up civil engineering.  Then he spent some time in the Western States and Territories, being in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Oregon and California, a portion of the time in the employ of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company.  In 1880 he located in Forest county, Pennsylvania, and engaged in the real-estate business and surveying, making that place his home until 1891.  Then he traveled through Mexico, in the interest of the Mexican National Railroad Company, and afterward in the United States of Columbia, Brazil, Peru, Chili and Patagonia, prospecting for railroad enterprises, in the employ of the United States of Columbia.  Since locating in Conneaut he has been engaged in civil engineering and the real-estate business.
     He was married, in 1892, to Miss Alberta E. Lowden, daughter of Rev. E. T. Lowden, of Nebraska, Forest county, Pennsylvania.  They have one child, Frank L.
     Mr. Whittekin is a member of the Episcopal Church, and is prominently known in Masonic circles.  He is a member of blue lodge, No. 557, Olive, Pennsylvania; Conneaut Chapter, Conneaut, Ohio; Keystone Council, Pennsylvania; Cache Commandery, Conneaut; Pittsburgh Grand Consistory, Pennsylvania; and Syria Temple Shrine, Pittsburgh.  His political views are in harmony with Republican principles, and he has always been identified with that party.

George W. Traver, who is engaged in the real-estate and insurance business in Conneaut, Ohio, has been identified with the interests of this city since 1883.
     Mr. Traver was born in Canada, December 6, 1837, and his parents, Jonathan and Anna (Weeks) Traver, are natives respectively of Kinderbrook, New York, and St. Albans, Vermont.  Jonathan Traver was born March 17, 1801, and is now a venerable citizen of Conneaut, having resided here since 1889.  He is a veteran of the Canada Rebellion, having served on the Reformers' side.  Until the early part of the present year (1893) he has never employed the services of a physician, and for a man of his age is remarkably well preserved in both mind and body.  He has been an Elder in the Presbyterian Church for more than two generations.  His wife was a Presbyterian until quite recently, when she unitd with the Congregational Church.  They have had eight children, as follows:  Delia, widow of Peter Yager, resides with her parents in this city; Angeline, widow of Cephas Peterson, is a resident of West Superior, Wisconsin; Marshall, a resident of Bridgeman, Michigan; George W.; Rev. Albert Traver, minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Brockville, Canada, died at the age of thirty-six years; Louise, wife of Charles Arthur, of Trenton, Canada, died at the age of twenty-four years; and Edwin and Charles, hardware merchants of Conneaut.
     George W. Traver received his education in Canada, and for three years taught school there.  In 1857 he engaged in the carriage business in Chicago, Illinois, and was thus employed until the war came on.  In October, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, Seventeenth Kansas Volunteer Regiment, which company he raised in Leavenworth, Kansas.  His first battle was that of Prairie Grove, Missouri.  He afterward participated in the battle of Pea Ridge and numerous other engagements.
     After the war Mr. Traver returned to Chicago, and engaged in the stone business in Chicago and Lemont, Illinois, being thus engaged until 1876.  By the great Chicago fire he lost everything he had except his pluck and energy.  Subsequently he was connected with Kimball & Co. in Alabama, that firm having the contract to build five locks in the Tennessee river.  In 1883 he came from Alabama to Conneaut, Ohio, where he has since resided,  He was engaged in the hardware business here until the spring of 1891, when he sold out to Hubbard & Co.  Sine that time he has been doing a real - estate and insurance business, and has been very successful in his operations.  He was elected a member of the City Council in April, 1891, and is still serving as such.
     Mr. Traver was married, in 1880, to Miss Tillie Alexander, daughter of James Alexander, of Leighton, Alabama.  She is a graduate of Tuscumbia college.  They have three children: Albert, Velma and Anna.  Both he and his wife are members of the Congregational Church, of which he is now serving as Deacon, Treasurer and Trustee.  He is a Royal Arch Mason, and has been identified with the Masonic fraternity for the past twenty years.  Politically, he is a Republican, having cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln. 

L. A. Thayer, who is engaged in the lumber business at Conneaut, Ohio, was born in this county, August 11, 1826, son of Jacob and Harriet (Kent) Thayer, the former a native of Massachusetts, and the latter of Vermont.
     Jacob Thayer was one of the earliest pioneers of Conneaut.  He came here in 1812 and settled on the farm now owned by L. A. Thayer and his son, D. C. Thayer.  He and his wife had a family of six sons and three daughters, namely: Luke, Lewis, Jacob, Andrew, Galand and John, and Annis, Sallie and Abigail, most of whom have passed away.  Both parents were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and were among the most substantial and highly respected people of the community.  The father died in August, 1866, at the age of seventy-six years, and the mother died Dec. 3, 1835, aged thirty four, consumption being the fatal disease that called her to an early grave.  Her parents died at the home of Jacob Thayer many years ago.  The Kent family was composed of four children:  Hiram, Asa Harriet and Irene, all having passed away except one.
     L. A. Thayer, the subject of his sketch,    PAGE 550

SOURCE: History of Vermilion County, Illinois:
a tale of its evolution, settlement and progress for nearly a century.
Lottie E. Jones - Publ. Chicago:Pioneer Pub. Co., 1911 - 1328 pgs.

AUGUSTUS LIVINGSTON WEBSTER.
     Forty-three years ago Augustus Livingston Webster became connected with the mercantile interests of Danville and continuously throughout the intervening period he has been identified with the business interests of the city. His record is such as any man might be proud to possess, for he has never made an engagement that he has not fulfilled nor incurred obligations that he has not met. In the legitimate channels of trade he has sought his success, placing his dependence upon the substantial qualities of industry, perseverance, and the wise utilization of opportunities.
     Mr. Webster was born in Conneaut, Ashtabula County, Ohio, February 17, 1842, and is a son of Daniel Noble and Emma (Wallingford) Webster, the former a native of Swanton, Vermont, and the latter of Stanstead, Province of Quebec, Canada. Both were descended from good old New England families, our subject being of the eighth generation from John Webster, who came to this country from England about 1633 and settled in Hartford, Connecticut, where he became a member of the general court in 1637 and was elected governor of the colony of Connecticut in 1656. He died at Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1661. On the maternal side our subject traces his lineage to David and Elizabeth (Lemar) Wallingford, both natives of New Hampshire, the former having been born in Bradford in 1744 and the latter in Hollis in 1747. The Wallingford family was also of English origin and was founded in the new world in an early day.
    During his boyhood Augustus L. Webster attended Conneaut Academy at Conneaut, Ohio, but his education has principally been acquired through contact with the world after leaving school at the age of sixteen years to commence the battle of life. He was first engaged in the hardware business in Conneaut where he opened a store in 1864, but two years later removed to Aurora, Illinois, where he continued in the same line of trade until coming to Danville in 1867. Here he opened a hardware store in partnership with the late George B. Yeomans and they carried on the same together until 1879 when they sold out to Messrs. Giddings & Patterson, who continued the business for many years in the building erected by Mr. Webster at the corner of West Main and Franklin streets. After disposing of his hardware stock in 1879 Mr. Webster embarked in the wholesale grocery business with the late Robert Coddington, under the firm name of R. Coddington & Company, but in 1884 he withdrew from that firm and established a wholesale business for himself under the firm name of A. L. Webster & Company. In 1889 A. H. Heinly was admitted to partnership and for seven years the business was conducted under the style of Webster & Heinly. In February, 1896, the Webster Grocery Company was incorporated and is now doing business at the corner of North street and Washington avenue, where they own and occupy a fine large building well equipped in all its appointments. The company has a paid up capital and surplus of one hundred and forty thousand dollars and has a large trade which extends over a large amount of territory. Its officers are A. L. Webster, president, George R. Angle, vice president, and Lewis Williams, secretary and treasurer.
     Mr. Webster was married in Conneaut, Ohio, September 30, 1862, to Miss Eliza E. Innis, an adopted daughter of Dr. James and Harriet Innis. She was born at Fairview, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Thomas and Eliza Baxter, but as her mother died at her birth, she was adopted by Dr. Innis and his wife with whom she made her home until her marriage. Later she was enabled to return their great kindness by giving her foster mother a home for many years. Mr. And Mrs. Webster became the parents of four children, namely: Emma H., who died in Danville, January 5, 1898; Katie M., who died in Danville, March 7, 1899; Clara M., who was married in 1893 to Dale Remble now deceased; and Nellie E., the wife of Dr. R. L. Hatfield.
     In 1862, when the Confederate general, Kirby Smith, made a raid northward from Kentucky and threatened to march through the state of Ohio to Lake Erie, Mr. Webster enlisted as a member of the militia company belonging to the Ohio Squirrel Hunters Brigade and aided in repelling this invasion. The Republican party finds in him a staunch supporter of its principles but he has never cared for official honors, having served only as a member of the school and library boards and as assistant supervisor for two terms. As a public spirited citizen, however, he takes an active interest in those measures which he believes will prove of public benefit and has served as president of the Danville public library and as treasurer of the Spring Hill Cemetery Association. He is one of the prominent Masons of this section of the state, holding membership with all the Masonic bodies of Danville and also with the Oriental Consistory of Chicago, having attained to the thirty-second degree in the Scottish rite. He was grand commander of the Illinois Knights Templar in 1895-1896 and is also identified with Danville Lodge, No. 332, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. His business affairs, however, claim the greater part of his time and attention and he was for many years a director of the Palmer National Bank and also a director of the Vermilion County Building Association, with which he has been connected for many years. He is justly accorded a place among the prominent and representative citizens of Danville, for he belongs to that class of men whose enterprising spirit is used not alone for their own benefit. He also advances the general good and promotes the public prosperity by his able management of individual interests. He has excellent ability as an organizer, forms his plans readily and is determined in their execution. This enables him to conquer obstacles which deter many a man and it has been one of the salient features in his success.

MORE TO COME.............

FIFIELD - not ready
MIXER -  not ready
RODGERS - not ready

 

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