Daniel V. Huffman

As printed in 1910

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.

The subject of this sketch was handicapped in his early youth by the poverty of his parents. They reared him as best they could until he was ten years of age, when he came to Oak Grove, Milton township, Wa5me county, and in the schools there he secured a fair education. Subsequently he went to Michigan and there learned the trade of carpenter, which vocation he followed continuously until 1897. He was an expert and proficient workman and did much building in this part of the state. On August 5, 1897, Mr. McGufif was appointed postmaster at Creston, receiving the appointment and the hands of President McKinley, and he has continued to discharge the duties of the office since that time. He is an accommodating and painstaking official, prompt in the discharge of his duties and courteous to the customers of the office, and is held in the highest regard by all who come in contact with him.

During the early part of the Civil war Mr. McGuff gave unmistakable evidence of his patriotism by enlisting as a private in Company G, Eightysixth Regiment Ohio Aolunteer Infantry, with which he served about ten months. After remaining at home a year, he again enlisted, this time in Company G, of the One Hundred and Ninety-seventh Ohio Regiment, and served one year. Both enlistments were made at Wooster. A-Mr. McGuff gave his best possible service in the defense of his country and assisted in the capture of the rebel General Morgan, being at that time under the command of Colonel DeCoursey, who was in command of the brigade. The regiment did valiant service at Cumberland Gap and was in a number of other engagements. The subject was employed much of his time in guard duty. His old military associations are kept alive through his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, of w'hich he is a past post commander.

Politically Mr. McGuflf is a stanch Republican and has taken a prominent part in local public affairs, having served his fellow citizens in the capacity of assessor, five terms, constable, and road supervisor, giving the best of satisfaction in every position to which he has been called. Fraternally he belongs to the time-honored order of Free and Accepted Masons and also is a member of the Knights of the Maccabees. His religious belief is that of the Methodist Episcopal church, to w'hich his wife also belongs, and to that society they render an earnest and consistent support.

On November 12, 1878, Mr. McGuff was united in the holy bonds of wedlock with Hattie Benjamin, who was born in Medina county, Ohio, April 14, 1859, the daughter of Samuel and Helen Benjamin, early settlers here. Mrs. McGuff's paternal grandfather was one of the earliest settlers in this part of the state and had a prominent part in inducing the Erie railroad to survey its line through this county. To Mr. and Mrs. McGuff the following children have been born: Carl, a conductor residing at Cleveland, Ohio; Claud, a traveling salesman for Parsons & Parsons, of Cleveland, and Ethel, who remains at home. Mrs. McGuff died on January 6, 1900, and was buried at Creston cemetery. Mr. McGuff is a public-spirited citizen and a whole-souled man, ever ready to help forward any work designed for the public good. He has done much toward bringing Canaan to the front among the sisterhood of townships of Wayne county, and is recognized by all as one of its most useful citizens and is consequently greatly honored and respected.

As printed in History of Wayne County, Ohio (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.