William Franklin Boogher
William Franklin Boogher, who for many years has been the most prominent businessman and citizen of Hume, is a man of great business capacity, and has successfully engaged in various ventures. He is a man of public spirit and enterprise and for years has performed his share in making Hume an active business point. He is at the present extensively engaged in the grain business, serves as agent and operator for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, and is postmaster of the town.
Mr. Boogher was born in Greene County, Ohio, May 15, 1861, and is a son of Seely and Margaret (Helwig) Boogher. His grandfather, Daniel G. Boogher, who was a native of Pennsylvania, located in Montgomery County, Ohio, when the city of Dayton had but four houses. His farm was situated on the Green County Line, and a part of the family lived in that county. He resided there until his death in 1882. He married Rachel Danford and the had a large family of children.
Seely Boogher, father of our subject, was born in Montgomery County, Ohio, and upon marrying located across the line in Greene County. His wife, Margaret Helwig, a native of Allegheny, Pennsylvania, was seven years old when she moved from Pennsylvania to Cincinnati with her father, William Helwig. Two children were born of this union, William Franklin, the subject of this sketch, and Alvin G., who lives in Santa Fe, Auglaize County, Ohio.
William F. Boogher was a boy when his parents moved to Montgomery County and there received his educational training in district schools and in the public schools of Dayton until he was 13 years old, when his widowed mother moved to New Bremen, Ohio, in 1874. He then entered the post office at that place, and continued there until 1880, when he came to Hume, accepting the position of agent and operator for the Lake Erie & Western Railroad. He served as such until 1890, and after that date served solely as agent until 1900, since which time he has again discharged the duties of operator as well.
In 1881 he bought the general store and grain business of William L. Metheany and has been in the grain business ever since. He disposed of his store in 1895. In December 1881, he was also appointed postmaster and has served as such ever since, except from 1893 to 1897, during Cleveland's second administration.
He also operated a sawmill and engaged in the lumber business from 1885 to 1900. In addition to the many duties devolving on him in the capacities enumerated, he was engaged as oil producer and contractor during the oil activity in his section of the county, continuing during the 12 years ending in 1902. He has an unlimited capacity for work and at the time mentioned was putting in about 20 hours a day in hard work. It is to his untiring efforts and a natural capacity for business he owes his continued success.
On August 13, 1882, Mr. Boogher married Louisa Fritz, a native of St. Marys, Ohio, and a daughter of Adam Fritz, of New Bremen. Six children blessed their union, of whom the following are living: Alice M., William F., Jr., Charles Oscar and Hazel Augusta. Those deceased are: Nellie E. and Edward L.
Politically, Mr. Boogher has always been an ardent Republican and has held numerous township offices; among them township clerk for two years, and member of the School Board for six years, serving one year as president of the board. He was candidate for county recorder one year in opposition to Peter T. Mell, and although defeated made a remarkable race in the Democratic stronghold of Shawnee township he received the handsome majority of 52 votes. It was the first and the only time the township has ever gone Republican on a State election. For three years he served on the board of directors of the Allen County Fair. Fraterally, he is a member of the Knights of Pythias and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles.
Although a comparatively young man, just entering middle life, Mr. Boogher is a man of wide experience and has been the longest resident of the town, being sometimes referred to as the "Father of Hume."