In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1912) is folded below the first. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
Born 1845, Medina county
From A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902), History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912)
E. M. FREESE.
The subject of this notice, the senior member of E. M. Freese & Company, manufacturers of clay-working machinery and appliances at Galion, Ohio, was born in Medina county, this state, September 23, 1845, a son Harlow and Almira (Morton) Freese, the former a native of Lee, Massachusetts, and the latter of Pittsfield, that state. Harlow Freese was a son of B. W. and Clarrissa (Beaumont) Freese, who removed from Lee, Massachusetts, when Harlow was eight years of age, in 1818, and located in Brunswick, Medina county, Ohio, becoming the owner of about one thousand acres of land, then an unbroken wilderness, and engaged extensively in farming.
[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]
E. M. Freese obtained a practical education in the public schools near his home. Early in life he developed a decided love of mechanics, and following his inclinations he became, at the age of twenty, a machinist's apprentice at the works of Turner Parks & Company, manufacturers of grain-cleaning and sewer-pipe machinery at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where during the succeeding four years he gained much proficiency in mechanical work. He then entered the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Crestline. Ohio, where he was employed until 1881. Here, by the exercise of industry and economy. he accumulated the means with which to engage in a small way in the manufacture of clay-working machinery at Plymouth, Ohio. Beginning with two partners, he successively purchased the interests of each and became sole owner of the business in i 890, and has continued the same up to the present time. By the advantage of natural mechanical genius and persistent and industrious effort, he was able to greatly improve the machinery used for the manufacture of building, street-paving and fire brick, and for terra-cotta, fire-roofing and drain tile, and was largely instrumental in this way in revolutionizing these industries, which have had a wonderful growth in the United States, the value of clay products now ( 1901 ) amounting to about one hundred million dollars yearly. Conservative methods soon placed the venture upon a firm footing and the business was constantly increased in extent and larger facilities became necessary, and in 1891 the works were removed to Gabon, Ohio, where they are permanently located, occupying extensive and commodious buildings erected for the purpose and equipped with modern machinery and appliances especially suited to this class of manufacture and with many conveniences not usually found in other works of this kind. The machinery manufactured here is sold in all parts of the United States and in some foreign countries, and is noted for originality of design, the economy of its operation and the superiority of the wares it produces.
Familiarity with all details of the manufacture and sale of the variety oJi machinery in this class now manufactured, and painstaking and conscientious attention to the demands of the trade, on the part of the subject of this sketch, have developed a large and prosperous business which is destined to continue to flourish.
In 1882 E. M. Freese was married to Miss Rosina Berger, of Gabon. They have three children, — Herbert H., Arthur J. and Horace E. Freese.
As printed in A centennial biographical history of Crawford County, Ohio .. (1902). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
EGBERT MORTON FREESE, president of the First National Bank of Gallon, O., and one of the leading business men of this section of the State, is president of the firm of E. M. Frefese & Co., manufacturers of clay-working machinery. Mr. Freese is now in the prime of life. He was born in 1845 in Medina county, O., and belongs to one of the old pioneer families of this state.
Mr. Freese's paternal grandfather, B. W. Freese, was born at Lee, Mass., where he grew to manhood and married Sally Beaumont. In 18 1 8 they set out with their children to make the long overland trip to Ohio, in the hope of carving out a home in the wilderness, pausing in Medina county, and within a mile of Brunswick, O., acquired 1,000 acres of unbroken land. Their efforts to better their condition resulted in success, and they attained a good old age, being surrounded in their latter years with the comforts to which they were entitled by reason of their industry and perseverance. They were people of thrift and intelligence and, while looking after material things, as was necessary, gave careful attention also to the moral and educational rearing of their large family of children.
Harlow Freese, eldest child of B. W. and Sally Freese, and father of the subject of this sketch, was eight years old when he accompanied his parents from Massachusetts to Ohio, and spent the larger part of his subsequent life as a farmer on a portion of the land secured by his father. His death took place in 1890, when he was about eighty years of age. He had never identified himself with any political party, but gave unqualified support to law and order. He and his wife were both active in the Methodist Episcopal church. He was married in Medina county, in 1840, to Almira Morton, who was born at Pittsfield, Mass., in 1817, a daughter of Erastus and Prudence (Butler) Morton. From Pittsfield the Mortons came to Medina county in 1833, where Erastus Morton became a brick manufacturer. He was also a lay preacher in the Methodist Episcopal church. The Butlers were of Wethersfield, Conn, ancestry. All these families were among the early and substantial people of Medina county. Harlow Freese and wife were the parents of two children— M. L., born May 12, 1852, who died in 1882, and Egbert Morton, whose name appears at the head of this article. Mrs. Harlow Freese died in 1886, at the age of 68 years. Egbert Morton Freese attended the country schools in Medina county. As his inclinations lay in the direction of mechanics rather than farming, he was permitted to learn a trade and became a skilled workman. In 1881, with John D. Fate and George Wilson as partners, he started in the business of manufacturing clay-working machinery. In the following year the firm became Fate & Freese, which style was continued until January, 1890, at which time Mr. Freese became sole proprietor of the business. Since then he has built up what is one of the largest and most important business enterprises in Crawford county. It was established at Plymouth, C, removal being made to Gabon in 1891. The present plant, one of the largest of its kind in this section of the state, ships its products to every part of this country and also to many foreign countries, and affords remuneratiAC employment to a large number of people. The extraordinary growth of this enterprise and the importance to which it has attained is due to the business and mechanical ability of Mr. Freese, which has also been displayed in other directions. Although now interested in banking, he is still active in the management of the manufacturing business and spends a considerable part of each day at his office at the plant. He has been identified with the First National Bank since 1903 and during that period the capitalization of the bank has been increased from $50,000 toSioo,ooo. As a banker and manufacturer, Mr. Freese occupies a prominent place. He has done much to advance the business and commercial interests of the city and has been a leader in various movements for the common good. His business sagacity is widely recognized and his counsels are sought and his advice acted upon with respect to many of the important commercial enterprises of Galion and the vicinity.
Mr. Freese was married at Galion, in 1882, to Miss Rosina Berger, who was born in Canton Bern, Switzerland, in November, 1853, and who accompanied her parents, Joseph and Barbara (Burgener) Berger, to America in 1869. They located on a farm near Galion, where both parents died when aged about 70 years. They reared their family of eleven children in the faith of the Reformed church, to which Mrs. Freese belongs. Mr. and Mrs. Freese have three children — Herbert H., Arthur J. and Horace E.
Herbert H. Freese, who was born in 1884, attended school in Galion and then entered Case School of Applied Science, of Cleveland, O., and was graduated in the class of 1905. He is associated with his father in business. Arthur J., born in 1887, is a graduate of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, of the class of 1909, and is active in his father's plant. Horace E., who was born in 1888, was educated in the city schools and in Case School of Applied Science and is also associated with his father in business. - The three young men are fine types of educated and interesting young American business men.
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.
Their biographies name E. M. Freese: Allen W. Ocker (b. 1859) Burt E. Place (b. 1870) Harry L. Bodley (b. 1877)
The printed record stops around 1902. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.