The House Family

The House family from which are descended the Deshler people of that name was founded in America by the two sons of an English trader who dealt at New England and eastern ports. Following his death, which occurred on one of these voyages, his widow and two sons settled in New England.

William House, born presumably in England about 1642, died at Glastonbury, Connecticut, in 1703 or 4. Among his children was a son William, who also had a son named William. This third William had a son named Lazarus, who had a son also named Lazarus. This second Lazarus was the father of Selah Freeman Truman Henry House, whose son, George Lewis House, came to Deshler in 1887.

In Glastonbury, Connecticut, were many Houses and many Lovelands, who often intermarried. There are records of Lovelands who served in the Revolutionary War, and undoubtedly the Houses did, too. Selah House, born in Glastonbury in 1808, married Harriet Loveland there in 1827. They died in Perkins Township, Erie County, Ohio.

The British burned and destroyed much property in Glastonbury during the war. Afterwards the government granted lands, known as the Firelands, in Erie County, Ohio, free to the people who wanted to go west and farm there. Among them were Lazarus House, Selah's father, who came to Ohio in 1823. Selah came with the family but returned to Glastonbury for a few years, marrying Hannah there. They then returned to Erie County.

Among their eight children was a son, George Lewis, born in 1834, who was reared and educated in Erie County. In 1856 he married Mary Ann Lambert, who was born in Sandusky County in 1836, the daughter of Joseph Lambert, a native of Germany. They farmed in Erie County and then bought a 120 acre farm in Sandusky County, near Fremont. In 1886 George House rented his farm and moved to Ottawa County, where he engaged in merchandising for about a year and a half in Curtice.

In 1887 he came to Deshler with his wife and four children, Merritt S., Homer L., Etta (Heflinger), and Frank J. He and his oldest son, Merritt, who had married Margaret Gonawein in Erie County, bought considerable property in Deshler. Later, his son, Homer, who had married Carrie Gilson in Sandusky County, also moved to Deshler and acquired property.

Mr. George L. House built a fine home in 1888, later owned by his son, Frank, and now by Frank's daughter, Mary Elizabeth. Both Merritt and Homer built homes with the same floor plan as their father's within a block. Mr. George House's home is at the southeast corner of the block squire Deshler park, and Merritt's, now the property of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Rutter, the southwest corner. Mr. Homer House's home, now owned by Dennis Myers, is just to the west of it.

Mr. George House and his son, Homer L., in 1896 erected the first good brick business block in the town, being 100x110 feet in size and standing on a prominent corner. One half of the block is still owned by the widow of his son, W. Scott House. Mr. G. L. House and his son-in-law, George Heflinger, in 1890 purchased the Deshler Electric Light Plant, which they ran until 1901, when they sold it. Mr. House was also interested in the Deshler Manufacturing Company, which gave employment to 30 men. He also operated a dry goods store, retiring in 1901. He served as a member of the city council and the school board and was a member of the Masonic fraternity. The family attended the United Methodist Church. Mr. House was struck and killed by a B&O train in 1903.

G. L. House's oldest son, Merritt, after attending Fremont High School, taught school for eight terms before he married Margaret Gonawein. They had three children: Howard, Virgie, and Ray. Following his parents to Deshler, he bought a farm near Bel-more, later selling it and entering business with his father and brother-in-law in the firm of House and Heflinger in Deshler. He bought an entire block except for lots owned by Mr. Clark Robison, who later was in the hardware and implement business with Mr. H. L. House and Mr. Frank J. House. On this land at the west end of the Deshler park Merritt House built his home. Mr. Homer House bought land from his brother and built his home just west of Homer's.

Merritt House suffered a stroke and the family moved to Toledo, where they lived for many years. In 1973 the two remaining members of his family, Howard G. and Ray A. House, moved back to Deshler. Howard is now in the Oak Grove Manor Nursing Home. He is 94 and owns farms in the Deshler area. Ray (88) had an apartment in the Deshler Hotel until his death on February 18, 1975.

Homer L. House founded the H. L. House Hardware and Implement Company, Incorporated, which bore his name for more than 40 years. He and his brother Frank and Mr. Robison and later H. L.'s son, W. Scott, were members of the firm at various times. H. L. attended Milan Normal School as a young man and taught school for seven years. He also farmed for ten years before establishing his hardware and implement business. He served aspost master from 1909 to 1911, and helped found the Corn City State Bank on November 7, 1911. He became its second president on January 1, 1920, and continued in that position until his death on July 2, 1951. He would have been 92 in fourteen days. He and his wife, Carrie (Gilson) had six daughters and two sons, one of whom died in infancy. The other, W. Scott House, was a Deshler resident most of his life.

H. L. later turned over his business interest to Scott, who had sold his clothing store after the death of his wife Gail (Jaqua). They had one child, Homer Alfred. Scott later married Mary Lois Reinbarth.

H. L. House was succeeded as bank president by his son-in-law, Terrence B. King, who was married to Mildred (House). W. Scott House became the bank's vice-president on July 13, 1951, serving until his death on March 3, 1963. His widow, Mary Lois, is the present vice-president. T. B. King, who was also the Deshler post master, became bank president following H. L.'s death, until he resigned a short time before his own death on July 8, 1965. Mr. Lee Challen, the present president, succeeded Mr. King on January 1, 1965.

Mr. H. L. House had served as post master from 1909 to 1911, and was a member of the Henry County Fair Board for a number of years. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives (1926-28) and was a member of several lodges and the Deshler United Methodist Church.

Two of his daughters, Edna, who married an attorney-at-law, Fred Gribbell, and Helen, who married Charles Harley Boyer, an employee of the B&O Railroad, and now both widows, still live in Deshler. Mrs. Gribbell's son, Justin J., is a local attorney and active in civic affairs. Another son and daughter do not live in Deshler. J. J. Gribbell attended Ohio State University, graduating from its law school with a J.D. degree in 1939. He served 37 months, from November, 1942, to December, 1945, in the Signal Corps attached to the Air Corps as an aircraft radar maintenance mechanic, stationed part of the time in Hawaii. He practiced law with his father, who had begun his practice in 1911 and who retired in 1948. J. J. Gribbell served as city attorney for 20 years. He is married to the former Ruth Hanna, and their son and two daughters live elsewhere.

The Charles Boyers had three children, two sons and a daughter. The older son, W. Scott, is cashier and secretary and also a director of the Corn City State Bank. He is married to the former Dolores Schulte, and they have seven children, six girls and one boy. W. Scott Boyer served 48 months in the U.S. Air Force, from March 12, 1951, to March 12, 1955. He was a staff sergeant in the Air Force Police and spent ten months overseas in French Morocco during the Korean conflict. He was employed as a B&O telegraph operator on the Chicago Division for 13 years before going into the bank. He has been a private pilot since 1952 and owns antique and classic aircraft and is an amateur painter. He is very active in civic affairs.

Frank Joseph House, the youngest son of George L. House, attended Ohio Wesleyan University and was associated with his father before accepting a position with Swift and Company in Chicago, where from 1899 to 1903 he was assistant cashier of the packing house market. He then was associated with his brother-in-law, Fred Barton, in his publishing company in Cleveland before coming back to Deshler to join his brother Homer in the. hardware and implement business. He was married to the former Helen Barton in 1900, and they had one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, a retired high school teacher now living in Deshler in the home built by G. L. House. Mrs. F. J. House died in 1927.

Mr. Frank House served as secretary-treasurer of the business for more than 40 years, retiring in 1946 and dying at 93 on May 15, 1966. He was active in civic affairs and in the Masonic Lodge and the United Methodist Church. At the time of his death he was the oldest Ohio member of the national social fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. He was at one time Bartlow Township treasurer and was a charter member of the Board of Trustees of the Community and School library.

His daughter, Mary Elizabeth, attended Lake Erie College for Women for two years and was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University. She received a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. She taught English and history and journalism and was adviser of publications at Deshler High School for nine years. She then accepted a position at Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, where for 30 years she taught English and journalism, advised both the school newspaper and the yearbook, and was chairman of public relations for the school of 3500. Her publications won top honors for years, and Miss House was twice president of the Chicago Scholastic Press Guild, secretary of the Illinois Association of Teachers of Journalism and a frequent speaker at state and national association conventions. She was also a contributor of material for several textbooks and in 1963 received a Gold Key for meritorious service to high school journalism given by the IATJ. In Chicago Heights she was active in the United Methodist Church choir, the American Association of University Women, a Community theatre group, and the D.A.R. She is a past president (1974) of the Henry County Retired Teachers Association, treasurer of the Deshler United Methodist Sunday School, and secretarytreasurer-reporter for the Deshler Research Club. She will assume the presidency for the second time in the fall of 1975. She is also a Past Worthy Matron of the Deshler Chapter No. 68 of the Ohio Eastern Star.

Submitted by the Family