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School Year 1875-76

N.D.

CHAPTER 59.

The school year of 1875-6 ... many strong students to the N... N. school. Among them wa... Agnew Welsh, the editor of the Ada Record. Ada knows him. It is really unnecessary to say anything in praise of him, but this I will say for him, he is one of the number whom I have found who does not forget a favor. He is trustful and strictly honest. He would not wrong a man out of a cent. May he ever prosper. I must not forget to say he is a Franklin, but always fair. With Welsh came Sylvester Price, a noble young man, one whom I always loved. His widow resided in Ada. He was a Franklin.

I must not name all the new students who entered the school year of 1875-6, it would make the story too long. I must in future only name those who took a prominent part in school as I now remember. That year Myrtle Maxwell and Minnie Maning entered school. They certainly were the best society solicitors that ever joined the Philo society, while I was president of the school. Good girls, but oh, so full of fun and mischief. Miss Maxwell married that big- hearted Philo, Stanley Woodruff. She died many years ago. Minnie Maning married that prince of good fellows, E.L. Millar, the wittiest Philo of all those years. Many terms he edited the Philo Star. It was a bright, shining star, under his management. He now resides in the city of Duluth at the head of the lakes. He is still an editor. Among the prominent new Philos were the Croninger sisters, Albert Hoover, of Hastings, Ford Lewis, from near Van Wert, Will H. Wagner, from Bucyrus, J.W. Culbertson, from Wooster, J.F. Kimerline, of Wooster, J.M. De Ford, C.A. Hawley, W.V. Chambers, Jackson Lones from near Lima, H.W. Smith, D.W. Williams, J.W. Ansley, Milton H. Bain, Monroe Davison, now an M.D., Bert Barksoll, Lawrence Crow, E.E. Drown, Allie Clippenger, later Mrs. Norace Nelson, she was very strong on the stage. Phoebe Evans, W.H. Evans, T.H. Elder, Michael Eggerman, later Hon. M. Eggerman, now of Washington D.C. with a $3000 salary. Maggie Fahl and the Misses Mollie and Nettie Gates, strong leaders in all line of work. Clara Hay, I think now Mrs. Prof. John Davison, residing in Lima. Any doubter can ask the genial Prof. J.S. Hamer, Ella Kimmear, of Cleveland, a fine musician and an elegant lady. She appeared to be the essence of innocence. The Larue brothers, great society workers, C.W. Lease, also an efficient member: J.B. Ream, now one of the substantial business men of Ada, like his father and brothers an all around good fellow. I am not sure but that the daughter Mrs. Sheldon Shanks, and the host of brothers owed more of their goodness to the mother than the father. I knew her well. She was a real "queen of the household." Alice Surface, six or more Obenours, Edith Eastman, Anna Genette, S.A. Covert, of the Marion County Democrat. A.F. Stanley, now of Kansas. I am not sure whether he is now the ex-governor of Kansas, but if not the governor himself then a brother. Dora and Hessle Walters took music lessons that year. Mollie Pontius, Abbie Rankin, Jennie Ridenour, of Lima, M.A. Smalley of Upper Sandusky, an excellent performer and an ardent Philo. We still kept on our roll of students, J.H. Shanks, K.E. Shuster and G. V. Guyton, everlasting Philos. Possibly George Guyton has forgotten to which society he belongs, but J.N. Shanks will never forget where he belonged.

Among the new Franklins of that year are found the names of Emma Genrich, Emma Harper a leading student of those years, George Francis, the fine penman of whom I will speak later, Ewing Stumm, F.M. Pool, T.E. Stout, T.S. Thomas, H.V. Waltermire, Lou Barrett, Gilbert Bacon, Emmett Burnside, A.D. Cristy, D.O. Cooper, Crissie Cheney, Mollie Davenport, Esther Denyer, now Mrs. James Dobbins, residing in Ada, Sadie Daufman, R. Lance, Ralph Diehl, O.B. Ellis, R.H. Gilvert; of Collamer, Ind. He was a strong student, but I could never learned to know him. He had his ups and downs in life, I have not heard from him the last twelve or more years. W.B. Gramlich, Mollie Hill, W.W. Jump, Samuel Wooley, J.F. McDole, a leading Franklin in all lines of work and one of those prominent students of those years. H.G. Peachey, of Bellville, Pa., brought many a student to the Normal and all became Franklins. He was a royal good fellow. D.W. Steiner then known as Davy Steiner, now D.W. Steiner M.D., and the most prominent bachelor of Lima. He is wealthy and wise, but has no heirs. The Franklin ladies will take notice that he is still in the market. Mollie Lindsey came this year. She was known as the Wyandot county beauty. She is now Mrs. O.P. Wilson. C.W. Gamble, Sue E. Reade, Libbie Reid, Nettie Lynn, J.A. Powell, of Findlay. He was the first of the Powells to enter the normal. Many followed later and I think all became Franklins. J.N. Richards, the fine singer, Celina Stevenson, I think now Mrs. W.D. Woodard, an estimable lady. Ellen Tuttle, now Mrs. F.H. Houser, Belle Young, R.A. Yoder, influenced many boys and girls to enter the normal and the Franklin camp. J.F. Kimerline, of Wooster and Libbie Reid and a Miss Winkler whom I named in a former year had been my pupils in Wayne county. Mr. Kimerline and Miss Winkler in 1856, Miss Reid in 1859. I had while president of the school very many pupils whose parents had been my pupils in Wayne Ashland and Stark counties and very many who had been students at Ada. Several students came to Ada whose parents and grandparents had been my pupils, and speaking in a certain sense I am still a young man only sixty seven years old; but I began teaching in 1854, fifty-one years ago. Many of my pupils in 1854-5-6 were older that I and married in 1855, 6.

I must not forget to say that Will V. Chambers, of Van Wert was one of those students who took a personal interest in the welfare of both the school and his society. He could not have taken a deeper interest in the school had he owned an interest in it. I have had partners who took less interest in looking after the welfare of the school than Chambers, Zeller and others whom I could name, manifested. I also will remark that T.S. Thomas had to recite to me evenings for he had to begin in the first reader. He came to Ada from the Pennsylvania coal mines. He remained in school till he was a fairly good scholar. On his road home Mr. George Francis of Columbus, got into serious trouble. I will not relate what it was or how it ended. He was a fine looking student and an expert penman. A year or two later he figured in an election trouble in Columbus. It was charged by Republicans that the Democrats had employed Francis to change the returns and to assist in perpetrating various frauds. I have not heard from him, nor have I seen his name for over twenty years. He was pleasing in his manners and I loved the young man and have thought of him many, many times.