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Note: HENRY SAUM, an extensive land owner of Van Wert County, has for many years been engaged in agricultural pursuits on a farm of 96 acres-48 acres of which are located in section 6, Washington township, and 48 acres in section 1, Ridge township. He also owns 114 acres in Jackson township. He was born July 14, 1828, and is a son of Adam and Margaret (Miller) Saum. Adam Saum was born in 1795 in Shenandoah County, Virginia, and was a son of Nicholas Saum, who was born in Germany and came to the United States when 18 years of age. Nicholas Saum first settled near Richmond, Virginia, and later moved to Shenandoah County, that State, where lie was first married. Altogether he was married four times and became the father of 22 children, the father of our subject, Adam Saum, being the youngest. Margaret (Miller) Saum, the mother, was a daughter of George Miller, who served during the entire Revolutionary War. During three years of this period he was a captive of the Indians; when he finally escaped he rejoined the patriot army; he was at Valley Forge, during the winter of 1778 and at the siege of Yorktown. For his captain, Mr. Miller had that noted Indian fighter and frontiersman, Daniel Boone. In consideration of his loyal services, the government gave him land where Little York, Pennsylvania, now stands. Adam Saum was reared and educated in Virginia and there was married. In 1826 he came to Ohio, at that time being the father of six children. Later seven more children were born to him. Adam Saum died in 1855 and his wife two years afterward. Henry Saum, who was the eighth child in his father's family, was practically raised in Knox County, whither his father moved from Licking County when Henry was but three years of age. The father owned a farm of 160 acres in Knox County which he sold in 1845, two years later removing to Van Wert County, where he first bought 80 acres of land. The family occupied a log cabin and the land was principally covered with timber, which necessitated clearing. In 1853 Henry Saum was married to Rebecca Clendenning, a daughter of John Clendenning, of Van Wert, and by this marriage he had seven children : Antoinette, who married Wesley Johnson, of Ridge township, and has six children; Frank, who lives in Paulding County, where he is the owner of 240 acres of land; Ella, who married David Weaver and died in 1895, leaving four children-two of whom (Amanda and Rill) are living with Henry Saum, the other two being Homer and Nellie; Vasta, who married Ed. Kershaw and died leaving six children; Jennie (Mrs. William Clapper), of Washington township; John, who lives in Paulding County and owns 75 acres of land; and Belle, who died at the age of 16 years. Mrs. Rebecca Saum died in 1875. Mr. Saum's present wife was Mrs. Jennie Potts, widow of Henry Potts and daughter of Thomas and Margaret Redding, who lived in Indiana and died when their daughter was quite young. She had five children by her first husband, namely : Henry Albert, who died aged four years ; James Franklin, who died at the age of 20; Perry Ladoyt, who entered the army ' at the time of the Spanish-American War, and died in the Sternberg Hospital at Macon, Georgia, when 22 years of age, the body being brought home and buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Van Wert; Jesse Lawrence, who lives in Ridge township and is the owner of 40 acres of land ; and one child, who died in infancy. By Mr. Saum's second marriage, he had two children-Reuben and Garfield. After his first marriage, Henry Saum moved from his father's farm to his present location, where he built a log house, having originally 129 acres of land. He formed a partnership with Messrs. Clendenning and Neff, embarked in the sawmill business and finally lost everything he owned. But, being young and persistent, he started anew and by hard and intelligent work recovered a part of his farm, being now the owner of 202 acres of land. In 1866 he built his present house, which is a large, substantial, brick building. During his younger days he was a cooper by trade and was engaged in this business for about 35 years. Henry Saum is a Mason, being the oldest living member of the Delphos lodge, having been :connected with it for over 40 years. He is a member of the Methodist Church, whose house of worship stands on his farm. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Saum accompany this sketch.
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