The Huffman Family of Wayne County, Ohio

DANIEL V. HUFFMAN.

A descendant of sturdy Swiss ancestors and a highly respected citizen of Chippewa township, Wayne county, is Daniel V. Huffman, a native of this township, having been born here April 15, 1830, the son of Daniel and Abigail (Franks) Huffman, the former a native of Switzerland, having been born near Geneva in 1798. and the latter born in Pennsylvania about 1800. In 1803 the father came to America with his parents, who located in AVashington county, Pennsylvania, and there remained until 1816, when they moved to Ohio and settled in Chippeva township, AVayne county. Daniel, father of the subject, was five years old when he landed in America. The paternal grandparents of the subject, Daniel and Anna Huffman, entered one hundred and sixty acres of land, which they cleared and improved and there reared their family. They first located at Easton, Chippewa township, in which vicinity they spent their lives. The subject’s maternal grandfather, Henry Franks, was a native of Pennsylvania and in an early day came to Wayne county, Ohio, and here he and his wife lived and died. The subject’s father and mother married in Wayne county. Buying land two miles south of Doylestown, they developed a comfortable home, owning eventually one hundred and ninety-two acres. They were loyal supporters of the Methodist Episcopal church, and they lived quiet, retired lives. They were the parents of seven children. Daniel Huffman, father of the subject, married twice and became the father of seven children by his second wife also, the subject being the only member of the first set of children now living; five survive of the second marriage. The subject’s father died in 1868 and his mother in

Daniel V. Huffman received a common school education in the schools of Chipiiewa township, working on the home farm in the meantime. He received a good education for those class and taught school very acceptably for a period of seven years, then began farming, which he followed for two years, then became superintendent of a mine at Doylestown, remaining in that position for a period of twenty-one years. Then after working at something else for a time, he returned to the mine and was superintendent of the same for three more years. During that time he did all the civil engineering of the mine, having learned this profession in the district school under C. Bell, who was afterwards county surveyor for many years. In 1887 Mr. Huffman bought coal on option in Tuscarawas county for the Beaver Dam Coal Company, of Cleveland, Ohio. Then he bought the coal and drilled it for this company. In 1903 he retired from active life and has been living quietly at his beautiful home in Doylestown. He has prospered by reason of his close application to his work and now in his old age he is surrounded by plenty as the evidence of his former years of industry. He is the owner of a very valuable farm in Chippewa township.

Mr. Huffman was married, December 29, 1853, to Susan Miller, a native of Stark county, Ohio, the daughter of Louis and Mary Miller, old settlers in Stark county, where they lived and died, having been influential and highly respected in their vicinity.

To IMr. and Mrs. Daniel Huffman two children have been born, namely: Isaac Wellington, a farmer living in Stark county, on his grandfather's old farm; Louis Daniel is deceased. Mr. Huffman’s first wife died in Stark county, at Canal Fulton, in June, 1860. Mr. Huffman was again married April 8, 1862, to Catherine Wilhelm, a native of Medina county and the daughter of Christian and Mary C. Mhlhelm. They were natives of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and came to Ohio about 1837, locating in Medina county. Mr. Wilhelm was a shoemaker by trade, which he followed for thirty-six years; then he bought a farm and retired.

Henry Franks was captured by Indians when sixteen years of age and held a prisoner for three years, when he escaped. Being a great hunter, he was given many liberties by the Indians and in this way made his escape. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Huffman's second wife, Mathew and Margaret Wagner, were also natives of Pennsylvania, as were her paternal grandparents. Her parents were regarded as leading citizens of their locality. I'o Mr. Huffman and his second wife four children were born, namely: Crelia, who died in infancy; Sherman J.. who is engaged in the shoe business in Akron; Eliza May; Cora Ellen, the wife of Nathan Boger.

Politically Mr. Huffman is a Republican, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Although Mr. Huffman’s early life was one of hard toil, he has been well rewarded. He has accomplished much good for his fellow men at the same time that he has been laying by a competency for himself and family, and he has won the respect and honor of all with whom he has been associated.

Highly respected as a citizen and honored as a patriotic defender of the stars and stripes in a war which tested the solidity and perpetuity of America’s free institutions, the subject of this brief review is distinctively one of the leading men of the township where he maintains his residence and is in every way worthy of mention with the progressive and representative citizens of Wayne county.

John McGuff is a native of the dominion of Canada, having been born in Quebec on the lath of April, 1846. His parents, Michael and Mary McGuff, were both natives of Castle Bar, Ireland, and came to America in 1843, locating first in Quebec, where the father was employed as a laborer. In about 1848 they moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and eventually settled at Macedonia, Ohio, where their deaths occurred, the father dying in 1863. They were the parents of four sons, two having been born in Ireland and two in Canada.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HERMAN J. HUFFMAN. This popular young merchant was born in Chippewa Township, Wayne County, January 10, 1805, and is a son of Daniel V. and Catherine (Wilhelm) Huffman. His paternal grandfather and great-grandfather settled in Chippewa, Township, this county, in 181-1. Our subject was reared in his native township, and was educated in the public schools of Doylestown. In ISS3 he engaged in the drug business in Doylestown, as a partner with Charles McCormish, with whom he

3 OS was associated six months. In 1885 lie entered the employ of the Cleveland, Lorain it Wheeling Railroad Company as agent for their Doyles town trade, which position lie held eight months. Jn October, 1880, he embarked in the boot and shoe business, and by his uniform courtesy to all and strict attention to the wants of Ids customers lie has built up a large business, which is daily increasing. November 10, 1SS7, he married Minnie ! 11, (laughter of Jacob Hollinger, of Cliny ton, Ohio. Ilo is a member of the Methodist episcopal Church and Knights of Pythias. Ln politics he is a Republican.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.