F. D. CARPENTER
F. D. CARPENTER, vice- president and general manager
of the Western Ohio Railway Company, has been a resident of Lima since
1900. He was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in July, 1850, and is a son
of Richard and Mary J. (Dimock) Carpenter.
Richard Carpenter, father of F. D., was born in Dover, Vermont, and
was a son of John Carpenter, one of the first settlers on the Cuyahoga
River. He made the journey from New England with an ox team, but did
not settle in the rich valley land, thinking the sandy soil not adapted
to agriculture. He established his home some 11 miles from the river,
in the midst of the forest. In association with Judge Coe, another of
the first settlers, he bought up a large tract of country and a part of
this was later cleared laid out and sold to settlers, and thus the town
of Dover, named for the old Vermont home, came into being. The mother
of our subject was a daughter of Rev. Solomon Dimock, one of the pioneer
Baptist ministers of Ohio, who rode over a wide circuit and encountered
many hardships in order to fill appointments in isolated regions.
F. D. Carpenter's schooling included several terms at Oberlin
College; but he grew up on a farm from which he did not move until 25
years of age, when he engaged in the flouring-mill business at Cedar
Point, Ohio. He remained in that business for seven years and then
organized the Walton Fertilizing Company, which was incorporated with a
capital stock of $20,000, and began the manufacture of fertilizers. Mr.
Carpenter was president of the company and owned three-fifths the stock
and continued to push this business for eight years. It was during this
time that he organized the Cleveland & Elyria Electric Railway, which
was afterward consolidated and operated as the Cleveland & Southwestern
Traction Company. He was associated with L. M. Coe and continued a
member of the board of directors of the former road until he came to
Lima, still retaining an interest n the latter company. He was also one
of the promoters and general manager of the Cleveland & Chagrin Falls
Railway, which he operated for one year.
In 1899 Mr. Carpenter came to Lima to secure the right of way and to
build the Western Ohio Railway, and he has been superintendent of all
its work ever since. A company was formed and incorporated with a
capital stock of $3,000,000, with E. A. Akins, of Cleveland as president
and Mr. Carpenter, as vice-president and general manager. This road
extends from Piqua to Findlay, with branches from Wapakoneta to St.
Marys and Celina, Bremen and Minster, with a total mileage of 112 miles.
Mr. Carpenter is also a director in the Ohio Central Traction Company.
His fine homestead is situated 12 miles west of Cleveland.
Mr. Carpenter was married, in 1872, to Levia A. Coe, who is a
daughter of the late Judge Coe mentioned before as one of the early
settlers of Cuyahoga County, and they have two children, viz: Richard
H., a graduate of the Cleveland Business College, who is general
passenger agent of the Western Ohio Railway Company; and Harriet, who is
the wife of Howard Storer, who is in the insurance and real estate
business in Cleveland. Mr. Carpenter and family belong to Pilgrim
Church, of Cleveland. He takes no active part in politics, but served
as township trustee while living on the farm. He belongs to the Masonic
order.
W. H. TOMPKINS
W. H. TOMPKINS, the well- known dealer in staple and
fancy groceries at No. 236 South Pine street, Lima, is one of the
progressive business men of the city. He was born in Mifflin County,
Pennsylvania, July 24, 1845, and is a son of Joel Tompkins.
The father of Mr. Tompkins was born in Pennsylvania and for 18 years
was a car- builder in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
at Altoona, where he was also a prominent citizen and a member of the
City Council. At the opening of the Civil War Joel Tompkins enlisted as
a private in the Pennsylvania Reserves, but later resigned, having in
the interim been promoted to a 2nd lieutenancy. He then reenlisted in
the 20th Regiment, Pennsylvania Vol, Cav., and for a time was in charge
of the Commissary department of the regiment. His death took place in
1884.
W. H. Tompkins was reared and educated in Huntingdon County,
Pennsylvania, and left school when 18 years of age in order to enlist
for service in the Civil War. His first service of six months was in
Company E, 20th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Cav., during which time he was
engaged mainly in West Virginia. On August 29, 1864, he reenlisted in
Company F, 19th Reg., Pennsylvania Vol. Cav, at Memphis, Tennessee, and
took part in the closing campaigns of the war in Alabama, Mississippi
and Tennessee. He was discharged in June, 1865, having served his
country with loyalty and devotion. Mr. Tompkins then returned to
Huntingdon County and entered the railroad shops at Altoona, where he
worked as a car- builder until 1881, when he came to Lima and resumed
work of the same kind in the shops of the L. E. & W. Railroad. Here he
was made assistant foreman, in which position he continued until 1887
when he was placed in charge of the car-building department. Mr.
Tompkins continued in this responsible position until he retired from
the service in April, 1905, after an association of 24 years with this
company, during 17 of which he was in charge of the car department. The
department in which he was most interested was at that time moved to the
shops at Collinwood; but Mr. Tompkins had made investments at Lima and
had formed pleasant social ties here and was not disposed to change his
home. Hence he entered into a new line of business, opening up a fine
grocery store which has prospered from the beginning.
Mr. Tompkins was married September 17, 1865, to Clara Johnston,
who died in August, 1901, leaving five children, viz: Emma, wife of J.
F. Van Horn, of Lima; Laura May, widow of W. H. McClellan, a railroad
fireman who was killed while on duty; Charles E., a carpenter; A. J., in
charge of the "Red Cross" drug-store at Lima; and William Roy, a
machinist in the L. E. & W. Railroad shops at Lima. On October 7, 1903,
Mr. Tompkins was married to Sarah McClellan, who is a daughter of John
McClellan, a retired citizen of Lima.
Mr. Tompkins is a member of the order of Odd Fellows and belongs
also to the Mart Armstrong Post, No. 202, G. A. R. He is a member of
the First Baptist Church of Lima.
JACOB HALL
JACOB HALL, a veteran farmer of Monroe township,
owning 110 acres of land in sections 26 and 35, to the improvement of
which he has devoted the past 50 years, was born in Hunterdon County,
New Jersey, October 5, 1830. His parents moved to Carroll County, Ohio,
when he was three years old and one year later settled in Tuscarawas
County where they lived for about 12 years, coming to Allen County in
1854. His parents were William and Christina (Smith) Halll, natives of
New Jersey. They were farmers and owned about 300 acres of land in
Monroe township. The father died at the age of 74 years, while the wife
reached her 87th year. They were the parents of nine children, namely:
Delila, Mary, John, Abraham, Diadama (Lackey), Sarah Ann, Jacob, Salinda
(Jennings) and Isaac. Except our subject and Mrs. Jennings, who resides
in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, these children have all passed away.
Jacob Hall resided with his parents until his 24th year, renting his
father's farm for two years previous to purchasing his present property
of 110 acres. At the time of purchase, this land was covered with a
heavy growth of timber, all of which has since been cleared off. The
property has all been put under cultivation except about 25 acres of
pasture land. During the war, Mr. Hall was extensively engaged in
shipping stock, but has since been doing general farming and has
improved his place until it is among the best in the vicinity.
Mr. Hall was married August 16, 1855, to Harriet Wallace, who was
born in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, April 29, 1836, and came to
Allen County 10 years later with her parents, who were John and Rebecca
(Poyer) Wallace, of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. They died in
Allen County. The mother had one daughter by a previous marriage and
four children by her union with John Wallace, namely: Charles, of Van
Wert County; Harriet; Willaim, of Monroe township; and John M., who
moved to Kansas, where he died. Five children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Hall, as follows: Hilas, who died at the age of 32 years; Annetta
Bell, wife of Albert Herron; Rebecca Alice, wife of Adam Roberts , of
Columbus Grove; Christina, wife of Jacob Miller; and William O. Except
Mrs. Roberts, all the children live in Monroe township, the son living
on 40 acres of the homestead. Mr. Hall has been a Republican since
casting his ballot for Gen. John C. Fremont. He is a member of the
Methodist Church and a man universally respected and esteemed.
W. L. McCLAIN
W. L. McCLAIN, who is engaged in the mercantile
business at Lima, belongs to one of the pioneer families of Allen
County. He was born in 1866 in Perry township, and ia a son of Isaac
and Mary (Crumrine) McClain.
Isaac McClain was born in 1837 on the McClain homestead, one and a
half miles north of Lima, and is a son of Andrew and Nancy McClain. The
former was born near Lancaster Fairfield County, Ohio, and was a son of
Thomas McClain, who came to Allen County in 1832 and located in Bath
township, where few of his contemporaries still live. Not one tree on
that land had yet fallen by the hand of man of the farm which he cleared
and where he died in 1842. His wife survived him until 1873. They had
nine children and Isaac was the seventh of the family.
Isaac McClain went first to school in a church in Lima, and then to a
select school kept on the old farm in a little log building, which had
been constructed for the purpose. After the death of his father, he
remained at home with is mother until his marriage, and then moved to
the McDonel place. Here he lived one year and then built a shanty on
the site of his present comfortable residence. His wife owned 40 acres
and Isaac McClain bought 40 east and 80 west, thus making a very
fair-sized farm. In 1873 the present excellent home was built, which is
supplied with gas from the wells flowing on the place.
In 1864 Isaac McClain married Mary Crumrine, who was born September
20, 1841, and is a daughter of Martin and Catherine (Brocies) Crumrine.
The nine children born to this marriage were: Lucinda, wife of U. C.
Apple, born September 21, 1864; William Leonard, born November 15, 1866;
Charles Albert, born December 13, 1868; Henry Edward, born April 13,
1871; Florenc May, born September 10, 1873; John Timothy, born March 6,
1875; Roscoe Franklin, born March 31, 1877; George Webster, born May 23,
1879; and Minnie Rachel, born March 10, 1886.
The farm occupied by Mr. McClain is known as the "Central Ridge
Farm," where great attention is paid to the breeding of fine sheep. Mr.
McClain owns a very valuable full-bred Shropshire sheep, which was bred
by Carpenter, of Toronto. Politically he is a Republican. He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
William Leonard McClain, our immediate subject, was reared and
prepared for college in Allen County, and spent two years at the Tri-
State Normal School at Angola, Indiana. After completing his collegiate
course, he went into business in the oil field of his native State and
continued thus engaged for 14 years. In 1901 Mr. McClain came to Lima
and embarked in the grocery business under the firm name of W. L.
McClain & Company. He carries a complete stock of both staple and fancy
groceries, at his location, NO. 720 South Main street.
In 1890 Mr. McClain was married to Florence A. Jamison, who is a
daughter of A. W. Jamison, who has interest in the Ohio oil fields. Mr.
and Mrs. McClain have two children, viz: Merlin Bonard, born March 22,
1902; and Mildred, born August 4, 1905. He is a member of the Odd
Fellows. In political sentiment he is a Republican and at the present
writing (1905) is the nominee of his party for the City Council as
councilman-at-large.
WILLIAM WILSON
WILLIAM WILSON, a respected citizen of Lima, member
of the Board of Public Service and a leader in Democratic politics, was
born in 1851 in Scotland, and came to America when a youth of 18 years.
Although Mr. Wilson was not much more than a boy when he landed in a
strange country, he was already provided with a self-supporting trade,
that of blacksmith. He had been left an unprotected orphan when 10
years of age, and from that time to the present he has made his own way
in the world. It was pretty hard at first, working in a brick-yard
where all the bricks were made by hand and he could earn but three pence
a day; but Scotch pluck provided the courage and he managed to improve
his condition gradually and, as stated, learned the blacksmith trade.
He located first at Detroit, Michigan, and immediately found work with
the Detroit Bridge & Iron Works, remaining with that company for three
years. He then went to Adrian, Illinois. There he worked for some 18
months in the ships of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and
then went to Elkhart, Indiana, where he found employment in the shops of
the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway for a shore time; later he
returned to Adrian, Michigan, and was assistant foreman in the railroad
ships there for 12 years.
Mr. Wilson then came to Lima and still continued in the railroad
shops for about seven years and since then has been foreman for The
Sinclair & Morrison Company's shops. For nine years he was also
interested in a shoe business on the corner of Main and Kibby streets,
this enterprise not interfering with is employment at his trade. Mr.
Wilson is one of the directors in the South Side Building & Loan
Association. In 905 he was nominated by the Democratic party for
membership on the Board of Public Service at Lima, and was elected by a
majority of 449, although the city is considered Republican.
Mr. Wilson was married November 15, 1870, to Mary Viola Hill, who is
a daughter of Cyrus Hill, and they have one daughter Margaret who is the
wife of Edward Helser, a photographer at Lima.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are members of the Main Street Presbyterian
Church, and he is a member of the board of trustees. He belongs to the
Masons and to the Odd Fellows.