B. F. Lauck

BENJAMIN F. LAUCK, a representative business man of Bucyrus, O., dealing largely in wool, was born May 27, 1839, in Crawford county, O., hot far from this city, and is a son of George and Mary (Deardofl) Lauck, and a grandson of Peter Lauck.

Peter Lauck was born in Holland, married there and together he and wife came to America about the time of the Revolutionary War, locating in Lancaster county, Pa., where he became a successful farmer. His wife died there at the age of 78 years and afterward, Peter Lauck came to Ohio and died at the home of his son, near Bucyrus. His family consisted of two sons and two daughters: George; Lydia, who married a Mr. Diller, of York County, Pa., where their son lived and died; Mary, who married a Mr. Fries; and John, who was a farmer and miller in Perry county. Pa.

AND REPRESEiXTATIVE CITIZENS

George Lauck was born in Lancaster county, Jr'a., in 1800 and died in 1852 on his farm in Crawtord county, O., to which state he had come in 1827. He married Mary Deardoff, in Lancaster county, a member of a well known old Pennsylvania Dutch family, and her death occurred in 1859. They were members of the Lutheran church. George Lauck was prominent and influential in the Democratic party in Crawford county and served in local offices and three terms as county treasurer. To George and Mary Lauck the following children were born: John, who died at the age of two years; Jane, who married Andrew Failor, formerly a merchant at Bucyrus but later a resident of Iowa, where both he and wife died, leaving seven children — Emma, Andrew, George, Mary, Samuel, Charles and Frank; Amanda, who was the wife of Judge Josiah S. Plantz, both now deceased, who had four children — Justinian, Gailor, Frank and Anna; Henrietta, deceased, who was the wife of C. W. Fisher and left six children — Mary, deceased, Edwin, Charles, Frank, Blanche and Grace, deceased; Nettie, who married L. B. Lyday and died in Texas, while Mr. Lyday died at Indianapolis, Ind., they having had four children, the one survivor being Mary, who lives with her family in California; Benjamin F., whose name heads this article; and George, who died at Toledo, O. For some years he was a merchant at Bucyrus. He and wife were survived by four children: Qarence, Stella and Ella, twins, and Mary.

Benjamin F. Lauck was educated at Bucyrus, later was a student at Wittenberg College and still later had educational advantages at Newton, la. In 1860 he went into the grocery business but closed it out shortly afterward in order to become a soldier in answer to President Lincoln's call for volunteers. He enlisted in Co. I, 86th O. Vol. Inf., and served four months under Captain Stone and Col. Burns, in this connection, and then reenlisted, becoming a member of the 57th O. Vol. Inf., under Captain Skelton and Colonel Munyon, and one year later was honorably discharged at Black River, Miss. He participated in the siege of Vicksburg and the following battles: Deer Creek, Haines' Bluff, Jackson, Chapin Mills, Blue Ridge, Chickamauga, Holly Springs, Black River Bridge and many others and saw hard and continuous service. He was ever at the post of duty and was a cheerful, efficient and dependable soldier.

For some years following his army experience, he was a clerk in business houses and in 1866 he embarked in the dry goods business with a partner, under the firm name of Fisher & Lauck, which continued for nine years. Flailing health caused Mr. Lauck to retire from the above firm and for some years afterward he traveled as a representative of a grocery house. In 1880 he became a partner in a grain buying house and continued for 21 years and then went into the wool buying business, purchasing largely for Jeremiah Williams & Co., of Boston, Mass. He has the northwestern part of Ohio as his territory and in 191 1 handled the enormous amount of 700,000 pounds of wool. He is widely known and has both business and personal friends jn every section.

Mr. Lauck was married at Plymouth, O., in 1860 to Miss Laura E. Bodine, who was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., Feb. i, 1838. She was one year old when her parents, Peter and Susan (Erving) Bodine, moved to Plymouth, O. Peter Bodine was born in 1784, in Pennsylvania, and his wife in 1796, in New Jersey. They were married in 1814 at Niles, N. Y. Her father, Peter Erving, was a native of England and later came to the colonies and served as an officer in the Patriot army. Peter and Susan Bodine came to Richland county in 1837 and he acquired much land and became a man of substance. His death occurred there Sept. 20, 1849. His widow survived until Oct. 28, 1868, her death occurring at the home of Mrs. Lauck. They were members of the Presbyterian church. Of their 12 children, three are living. One daughter is the widow of D. R. Locke, the author of the Nasby Letters, once editor of the Bucyrus Journal, founder of the Plymoutli Advertiser and later owner of the Toledo Blade, which she yet owns. One daughter, Martina, who is the widow of Alfred Parks, was married first to Daniel Locke, a brother of D. R. Locke. She resides at Bucyrus and has a family.

Mr. and Mrs. Lauck have had three children: Anna L., who is the widow of James Franey, and has one daughter, Marion Alice, who was born Nov. 13, 1896; Frank B., a machinist by trade, who is shop superintendent in one of the large plants at Bucyrus; and James L., who died in 1908. He was a merchant. He married Grace Reed, of Mansfield, 0., who survived him for two years.

In politics Mr. Lauck is a Republican and has always been an active and interested citizen. He served five terms, eleven years, as a member of the city council. He is past commander of Keller Post, No. 128, G. A. R., Bucyrus, and is a Royal Arch Mason.

As printed in History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.