From "History of Shelby County and Representative Citizens:" Henry A. Apple, a highly respected citizen of Loramie township, Shelby county, O., a retired farmer living on one of his two farms lying in Loramie township, was born one mile east, February 15, 1849, and is a son of Henry S. and Katie (Gephart) Apple.
Henry S. Apple was born in Jackson township, Montgomery county, O., a son of John Apple and a grandson of Henry Apple, whose father, John Apple, came to America from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania. Henry S. Apple married Katie Gephart, a daughter of George Gephart, who was a pioneer in Jackson township, Montgomery county, and they came as pioneers to Loramie township, Shelby county. Here Henry S. Apple developed a farm from the wilderness and became a well-known and respected man, spending forty subsequent years in this section and dying at the age of sixty-six years. His widow survived to the age of seventy-two years and their burial was in the cemetery at Covington, O. They had seven children born to them, Henry A. being the fourth in order of birth.
Henry A. Apple was reared in an excellent home and attended the Beech Grove school in the winter time, until he was seventeen years of age, after which he gave his father valued assistance in the heavy task of clearing his large acreage of land. After marriage he settled on the farm of 140 acres on which he yet lives and still owns another farm in this township, while he has also given each of his children a farm. When he first came here he and wife went to housekeeping in a log cabin of one room and during the next two years he was so busy that he could do little more in the way of building than to keep the cabin warm and comfortable and the barn equally so in order to shelter his few cattle. He then built his present substantial barn and after twelve years put up his present handsome brick house which he has made into a comfortable modern home. At first he had seventy-seven and one-half acres in his farm and to that he kept on adding until he owned a large amount of property and extensively engaged in farming and raised stock and cattle. His home farm is all under cultivation except nine acres of timber, and it is situated two miles east of the Darke county line.
On October 21, 1869, Mr. Apple was married to Miss Mary C. Mader, who was born in Loramie township, Shelby county, O., August 27, 1848, and is a daughter of Frederick Christopher and Margaret (Crospy) Mader, both of whom died in Loramie township. On April 5, 1870, Mr. and Mrs. Apple took up their residence on this place and here all their children have been born, namely: William E.; Louisa C., who is the wife of Henry C. Kelch and they live in Loramie township; and Hulda J., who is the wife of J. Walter Brown and they live in the Greenwood Special School District. Mr. Apple and wife belong the the Lutheran church in which he was an official for twenty-one years. In national affairs Mr. Apple has always been a democrat but in local matters in recent years has been disposed to vote independently. At the time this brief sketch of this representative citizen of the county of Shelby was written, he is filling no public office, but, like all the members of this old and solid family, his influence is considerable, and his judgment on all matters is valued by his fellow citizens. |
