Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/902

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��SUTTER, SAMUEL, is one of the few business men left who have seen Shelby grow from small beginnings to its present prosperous condition. Mr. Sutter was born in the Canton of Basil, Switzerland, in May, 1823, where he remained until he was 4 years of age, when, with his mother, his father having died, he went to OrisdorfF, in Basil, and remained there until 1841. There he learned his trade, that of cabinet- maker. It is a wjsU-known fact that throughout Europe, and especially in Germany and Switzerland, learning a trade means more than it does in this country. Mr. Sutter, after having served his apprenticeship, spent two years, after the manner of his country- men, in traveling through his native country, work- ing at his trade ; in April, 1844, he started from Basil to come to this country, having heard that here skilled labor was more generously rewarded than In fatherland ; about the 26th of April, 1844, he em- barked at Havre for America, and after a pleasant voy- age, landed in New York about June 1 ; he went up the Hudson to Albany by steamer, and from there to Buffalo, where he took steamer for Port Huron, on Lake Erie, and "from there he came to Shelby, arriving here about the 11th day of June, 1844 ; in the spring of 1846 he purchased an interest with a Mr. Row in that portion of Shelby known as Texas, where he re- mained for about two years ; about this time Robert Mickey, with others, began to lay out and build up East Shelby ; Mr. Sutter came to Shelby an entire stranger, being the first European German to locate in this place, and at this time could neither speak nor write a word of English ; this was not an enviable po- sition in which to be placed, to say the least ; a stranger in a strange land, unacquainted with its language and customs, and yet dependent upon the re- sources of his own brain and muscle to hew out a path to future comfort and a competency for old age ; in Mr. Sutter's vocabulary there was no such word as fail ; he had, as all who are acquainted with him know, under a quiet exterior an indomitable will, that would bend be- fore no obstacle, and overcome all opposition ; he could not but succeed ; Mr. Sutter commenced business for himself as a cabinet-maker in 1848, in the present Samuel Clapper house, where he manufactured furni- ture by hand for the home trade ; so well had he learned his trade in Switzerland, that the finish and strength of his work commended itself to all, and orders poured in so rapidly that he had no idle hours ; he continued to manufacture furniture by hand up to 1863, when his business became so extensive as to compel him to bring steam and machinery to his aid in manufacturing for home trade ; in 1875, he largely ex- tended his facilities, and began to manufacture on a large scale, supplying numerous orders, not only throughout Ohio, but also having an extensive trade in adjoining States ; he is now extensively engaged in the manufacture of furniture, employing many hands, and supplying the trade with a class of goods not excelled by any manufacturer in the country ; Mr. Sutter has long been identified with the interests and growth of Shelby ; he erected all the buildings on the north side of Main street, from the dwelling of L. Clapper to the Black Fork. He also built and ran the first steam saw- mill in the village, and beside all this, erected five

��dwelling-houses in diflFerent parts of Shelby ; thus Mr. Sutter has, without doubt, done more to build up his adopted place than any other within its limits ; Mr. Sutter was married, Dec. 24, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth Will, who was born in the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1825, and by whom he has had nine chil- dren, eight of whom are now living ; their names are V. W., Lovina, Elizabeth, John Calvin, Margaretta, Samuel Zwingly, George Koch, Sarah Rebecca and Fred- erick. It is well for our country that there are such men as Mr. Sutter, who leave the crowded marts and workshops of the Old World, and, emigrating to this country, add so largely of their skill in advancing and developing its resources.

SUTTER, SAMUEL J., furniture and undertaking; is a son of Samuel Sutter, mentioned above, and pos- sesses in a remarkable degree his characteristic pluck and energy ; he was born in Shelby, Ohio, Sept. 20, 1856 ; he remained with his parents until he was 20 years old, attending school in Shelby until he was 16 years of age, when he went to Zanesville and took a thorough business course in the business college of that place, and the thoroughness of the instruction and aptness of the pupil are well exemplified in his splendid business ; Mr. Sutter learned thoroughly every depart- ment of the furniture and undertaking business, under the tuition of his father, who has no superior in this country in either branch ; thus making him an ex- cellent judge in the selection and purchase of furniture with which to supply the market ; as to the other branch, undertaking, though young in years he is old in experience, having served a long apprenticeship under his father, and learned thoroughly every branch of the business ; he has a magnificent hearse, and is bountifully supplied with the very latest and best ap- pliances for properly taking care of the dead ; Mr. Sutter only commenced business a little over two years ago, yet such are his energy, pluck, perseverance and business ability, that he has already built up a retail trade in Shelby and surrounding country never before equaled by any other furniture dealer in the place ; his fame has gone abroad, until he now does a large business in retailing to citizens of neighboring towns and cities, who come to him to buy in preference to purchasing at home, on account of the superior quality as well as the extremely low price at which he offers his goods. In the undertaking branch of Mr. Sutter's business, he has become deservedly popular ; Mr. Sutter possesses qualities that fit him in an eminent degree to perform these duties, and the greatly in- creasing demand for his services in this department of his business testifies the high esteem in which he is held by the citizens of Shelby and ' the surrounding country. Mr. S. J. Sutter was married to a Miss Shiffer on the 16th day of January, 1877.

TAYLOR, JOHN W., machinist, Shelby ; was born in Weller Township, Richland Co., Dec. 18, 1820; remained there on a farm until he was 22 years of age, when he went with Hoy & Williams to Lexington, Mo., and engaged in the fanning-mill business ; stayed there two years and then went to Kentucky. In 1846, enlisted in the Louisville Legion and served as a private soldier under Zachary Taylor, in the Mexican war, and was discharged at Vera Cruz ; from there he moved to

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