Adam Baker

ADAM BAKER.

Adam Baker, who carries on general farming and stock raising in German township, was born April 26, 1841, on the farm where he now lives. His parents, Adam and Susan (Klinefelter) Baker, were both natives of York county, Pennsylvania, where they were reared, educated and married, coming thence to Ohio in _1836. For a few months they conducted a hotel in Springfield and then the father purchased a farm of one hundred and thirty acres, upon which our subject is now living. There was upon the place a mill and distillery, and he not only engaged in the cultivation of his land, but operated both the mill and the still for eight or ten years, when he sold them, giving his entire attention to farming and He lived to be about sixty-seven years of age, departing this life in 1863. In politics he was a Republican, and for a number of years he served as county commissioner,

In the family there were twelve children, of whom Adam is the eleventh in order of birth. These are as follows: George W., who died at the age of eighteen years; Sarah Ann, who died at the age of thirty; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Peter Ferree, and died in Clark county, leaving three children; William B., who married Huldah Baker and died in this county, leaving five children; Cornelius, of Springfield, who married Sarah Amick, by whom he had three children, and after her death wedded Mrs. Vorce; Joana, the wife of Alexander Baker, of Springfield, by whom she has two children; Elnora, who is living in_Springfield; and John W., who married Letitia Snyder, by whom he has two children, their home being in Topeka, Kansas.

Adam Baker, whose name this record, was reared on the home farm and in the public schools he acquired a fair

“English education. He received ample training at farm labor and when twenty-two years of age he began to provide for himself, start” ing out on his own account soon after his father's death. He carried on the home farm for his mother for some time, an estate then comprising eight hundred acres. Today Mr. Baker owns three hundred and twenty acres of that property, constituting one of the valuable and well improved farms in his locality. A glance at his place indicates to the passed-by that the owner is thrifty and enterprising and that he follows progressive methods and uses the latest improved machinery in the care ot his land. He also deals in stock, keeping on his place good grades of cattle, horses and hogs.

On the loth of October, 1869, Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Miss Amanda Wilson, who was born in Champaign county, January 2, 1846, a daughter of John and Sarah Ann (Swartz) Wilson. Her father introduces was also a native of Champaign county, Ohio, but her mother's birth occurred in Virginia. They were married in Champaign county and there continued to reside until 1854, when they removed to German township, Clark county, where they made their home throughout the remainder of their lives, both dying in 1893, when seventy-three years of age. Throughout his active business career Mr. Wilson was engaged in buying and selling stock. He was a Democrat in politics, and being one of the prominent men of his community, he was called upon to fill many local offices. In his family were nine children, four and five daughters.

In his political views Mr. Baker is a Republican, but he has never sought or desired office, though he has frequently served as a delegate to the conventions of his party. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias lodge at Tremont and is a very prominent Mason. When about thirty years of age he became a member of Clark Lodge, No. 101, F.& A. M., of Springfield, and has now attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the consistory at Cincinnati and belongs to the Mystic Shrine at Dayton.

sons boo = EDWARD: BUCHWALTER.

In the year 1873 Edward L. Buchwalter became a resident of Springfield and has since been identified with business interests here—interests which have grown and developed until they have become of much importance to the city, as well as to the owner, for to-day Mr. Buchwalter is at the head of one of the leading industrial concerns of this part of the state, being the president of the Superior Drill Company.

He was born in Ross county, Ohio, June 1, 1841, a son of Levi and Margaret (Lyons) Buchwalter. The father died in 1900, when eighty-seven years of age, but the mother is still living at the age of eighty-five years. Born and reared upon a farm, our subject acquired his preliminary education in the district schools and, later became a student in the Ohio University at Athens, Ohio, where he pursued a scientific course. He was about twenty years of age at the time of the outbreak of the Civil war. He enlisted as a private in Company A, One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Infantry, and served for three years and seven months, during which time he was successively appointed. to the ranks of sergeant, lieutenant and captain. He was with the department of the Mississippi in the campaign under General Sherman in the fall of 1862, and was under General Grant at Vicksburg in the spring and summer of 1863, being present at thé time of the surrender of that great Confederate stronghold. He was twice wounded, the first time when before Vicksburg under General Sherman, December 28, 1862, being struck by an exploding shell. The regiment retreating two hundred yards, he was left upon the field among the dead, it being supposed that his life was also extinct, but after a half hour he regained! consciousness and crawled back over the field to his regiment. This wound left him hard of hearing, which is the only ill effect he had received from his army experience. Mr. Buchwalter was a second time wounded by a mine ball, May 1,1863. This was again before Vicksburg, but he was then under General Grant in the engagement called the Thompson Hill fight. He sustained a flesh wound, which caused him much pain and trouble for several weeks. His promotion to the rank of captain came in 1864, and he was honorably discharged at Vicksburg. Returning to his home in Ross county, Mr. Buchwalter began farming and stock raising, devoting all of his energies. to this. vocation in connection with his father until 1873, when he came to Springfield and accepted a position with James Leffel & Company, water wheel and engine manufacturers, continuing with the firm until the fall of 1883. At that time he joined Robert. Johnson, A. Winger, Richard H. Rodgers. and C. E. Patric in the organization of the Superior Drill Company, of which Mr. Buchwalter became the president. Later Charles S. Kay and others became members of the company. When the organization was effected the company bought out the firm of Thomas, Ludlow & Rodgers, manufacturers of grain drills. The success of the Superior Drill Company is a matter well known. The merit of the Superior drill has made it the leading seeding machine of the country. They make large shipments annually to Australia and other foreign countries, in addition to their extensive home trade. In December, 1898, the Citizens National Bank of Springfield was organized and Mr. Buchwalter was chosen its president and has held that position continuously since. He stands today among the strong and representative business men of the city.

In his political views Mr. Buchwalter is an earnest Republican, with firm faith in the principles of the party, but he has resolutely declined to hold office, having many times declined to become a candidate, He has, however, been active 1n matters of citizenship and of progress pertaining to the public good. For twenty-five years he has been a most efficient member of the library board, and for twenty years has been its att PLOGKAPRICAL RECORD.

president. He is a member of the board of trade and serves on the legislation and finance committees. Socially he is connected with Mitchell Post, G. A. R., and with the Ohio Commandery of the Loyal Legion.

On the 18th of September, 1868, Mr.

Buchwalter was united in marriage to Miss Clementine Berry, a native of Ohio. She ‘is a graduate of the seminary in Delaware, Ohio, and for a time engaged in teaching in a seminary of Indianapolis, Indiana, and in Jacksonville, Illinois. nent in club circles and takes a deep interest in library work, being one of the promoters of the traveling libraries. She has been appointed a member of the women’s board of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis and was made first vice president.

Mr. Buchwalter still has great fondness for the country and finds pleasure and recreation visiting his fine farm a few miles east of Springfield. He also owns the farm upon which he was born in Ross county, Ohio, and it is one of the finest farms of the state. In business matters his strict integrity, business conservatism and judgment have been uniformly recognized and therefore he has enjoyed the public confidence to an enviable degree, while naturally this.has brought to the house of which he stands at the head, and tothe banking institutions of which he is the chief a lucrative and growing patronage.

She is very promi-

As printed in A Biographical Record of Clark County Ohio (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.