For more than 30 years the history of Oberlin would be incomplete without the part Mr. Douglas has had in the making and shaping of the affairs of the city. Coming here in the fall of 1878 he did freighting for a while but as winter set in he found he and his teams had to live and there was nothing to do. He finally hired out at $15 per month and board and dug wells the rest of the winter. Douglas was always an active fellow, attended the dances, as that was about all the amusement the young people had in those times. At one of those dances held in a new store building the cracks on the boards had not been battened down and the snow drifted in the whole night thru covering the floor, but the dance went on just the same until the small hours of the morning. At one time Douglas was away and when he came home he was told that some one had invited his best girl to the next dance and as girls were scarce he was compelled to go eighteen miles down the Sappa for a partner and after he brought her to the dance was greatly chagrined to see his girl come with her own brother.

After following the livery business for a number of years he sold out and went into the general merchandise business. He made a great success for several years and then turned his attention to banking and is at present vice president of the Oberlin National Bank and president of the First National Bank of Norcatur. He lives in a fine residence in the northern part of the city and has a family of five girls and one boy. His condition has changed wonderfully in the past thirty years.

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