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Allen County, Ohio Biographies
| George R. Fetter, a thriving young farmer
and rising citizen of Bath township, Allen county, Ohio, his birthplace,
is a son of George and Sarah (Dent) Fetter, and was born
on the homestead November 15, 1863, and here his life has been spent up
to the present time.
George Fetter, Sr., paternal grandfather of the subject of
this biography, came from Baden, Germany, in 1835, bringing his family,
consisting of himself, wife (who had borne the name of Cupp), and
four children, named George, Catherine, Jacob and Daniel, of whom George
and Jacob are now deceased. The family, on landing in the United States,
at once came to Ohio, where the father entered eighty acres of wild land
in bath township, Allen county, which he cleared up and transformed into
a productive farm, and on which he passed the remainder of his days, a
respected citizen, a democrat in politics, and in religion a Lutheran.
George Fetter, Jr., eldest son of George, Sr., and father of
our subject, was born in Germany in 1826, came to America with his
father, and was reared to manhood on the Bath township homestead,
receiving his education in the frontier log schoolhouse. After assisting
in clearing and cultivating the home place until twenty-six years of
age, he married and settled down in section No., 27, where J.K., his
son, now resides, and later added to his landed possessions until he
became one of the largest land-owners in Bath township, his broad acres
being now divided up into farms and occupied by his children. His wife
bore the maiden name of Sarah Ward and was a daughter of William Ward,
of German township, Allen county. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Fetter
were born nine children, in the following order; John W.; Elizabeth,
wife of Edward Gray; Eliza E., wife of James C. Hull;
Daniel P., George R., Jacob E., Sarah I., wife of Owen Griffith;
Julius K., and Alberta, wife of Joshua Bibel. The mother of this
family died in 1885 and the father in January, 1895, both members of the
Lutheran church, and the remains of both lie interred in Zion
churchyard, Bath township. Mr. Fetter was in politics a democrat,
and was a man who took considerable interest in the affairs of his
township and county. He served for many years as a school director, was
for a long time township trustee, and was universally looked up to by
his fellow-townsmen as a man of great sagacity and as one to be relied
on in all emergencies.
George R. Fetter, the subject proper of this sketch, remained
on the home farm, assisting his father, until the latter's death, when
he came into possession of his present farm, in section No., 27, on the
Lafayette road, four miles east of Lima. His marriage took place in
1885, with Miss Nancy A. Hefner, daughter of Amos Hefner,
of Bath township, the union resulting in the birth of five children-
George A., Hattie B., Orrie A., Retta B., and Aaron W. Mr. Fetter
had acquired a good knowledge of business as well as farming, and is now
quite extensively engaged in developing the stone quarries on his land,
operating lime-kilns, etc. In poltics he is a democrat, and for four or
five years has been honored with the position of township trustee, an
office he has filled with credit to himself and to the satisfaction of
the public. As a business man the name of Mr. Fetter stands
without a blemish, and his social standing is a very desirable one.
A Portrait and Biographical record of Allen and Van Wert Counties by
A.W. Bowen & Co., 1896-pgs 280, 281
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| Samuel W. Kemp was born in Amanda
township, Allen county, Ohio February 16, 1853, is now one
of the representative business men of the village of
Kempton, and is the third child and only son of a family of
six children born to John W. and Nancy J. (Andrews) Kemp,
who are now both deceased. The father John W. Kemp,
was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, February 1, 1828 and died
October 5, 1891, in Allen county, where he had lived the
life of a pioneer, having settled here in 1847. John W. Kemp
was a son of Joseph and Lucinda Kemp, was a single
man at the time he located in Allen county, and with his
father located upon land in section No., 36, Amanda
township, which was an unbroken wilderness, there being at
that time only three families in the township. The
grandfather, Joseph Kemp, cleared up to 120 acres of
land on which he lived until his death; he reared a
family of seven children, of whom John W. Kemp, the
father of our subject, was the eldest, and remained under
the parental roof until he was married in 1849, which event
took place two years after coming to the county. He
immediately thereafter purchased forty acres of timberland,
which he owned however, but a short time, when he sold and
bought eighty acres in section No., 1, same township, where
the village of Kempton now stands. This tract was also in
the unbroken wilderness, but he set about cutting away the
forest, and cleared therefrom a good farm, and while doing
so, experienced many of the privations attendant on the life
of an early settler; he lived upon this farm until the time
of his death, after having accumulated a fair competence,
the result of an industrious and active life. He was a
prominent and active member of the Odd Fellows' order and a
member of the G.A.R. having been a soldier in the war of the
Rebellion. He enlisted twice- first for three months and
afterward for one year, and the war closed prior to the
expiration of his term of enlistment. He was mustered out as
a third sergeant. His first wife, Miss Nancy J. Andrews,
was born in Fayette county, Ohio, November 21, 1826, and
died December 24, 1876. To this union six children were
born; Catherine and Lucinda, deceased, the latter the wife
of Charles Barrick; Samuel W., with whom this sketch
mostly deals; Margaret E., wife of T. B. Bowersock,
of German township, deceased, Sarah A., wife of C. B. Crites,
of Amanda township, and Emma, deceased.
Samuel W. Kemp received his education in the
public schools of the county. After marrying, he rented a
farm for two years, after which he engaged in the grocery
business, which he followed for five years, when he came to
his present location at Kempton, opened a general store and
for six years gave his exclusive attention to his trade,
after which time, however, he divided his occupation by
buying and shipping corn, and after a year thus employed,
associated himself with A. E. Clutter, of Lima,
Ohio, in buying and shipping hay and together they are now
doing an extensive business, their transactions aggregating
$25,000 annually. In the year of 1894 Mr. Kemp began
handling Jersey cattle for breeding purposes and has brought
into Allen county some of the choicest blood of the famous
stock. In his various branches of business, Mr. Kemp
employs from fifteen to twenty-five men, and is himself one
of the most energetic business men of Allen county. He is
wide-awake, up and doing and progressive. He is one of the
leading and substantial men of the community, and his
business and financial success is due to his own personal
efforts and push, combined with those of his wife, who is an
intelligent and energetic woman, who aids his best efforts
with her counsel. He is one of the solid democrats of the
county and has filled the office of township treasurer and
justice of the peace, two terms each. His marriage to Miss
Eudora Bice occurred November 18, 1875. She was the
daughter of William and Tibitha Bice, of Amanda
township, and was born September 21, 1857. One child has
been born to them- William Guy Kemp. Mr. Kemp was
appointed postmaster of Kempton in 1878, and with the
exception of four years has held the office up to the
present time.
A Portrait and Biographical record of Allen and Van Wert
Counties by A.W. Bowen & Co., 1896-pgs 347,348
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