D. N. Gengler
D. N. Gengler, justice of the peace at Landeck, and the owner of a fine farm of 320 acres of well- improved land in sections 2, 10 and 11, Marion township, and 40 additional acres in the adjoining township, and joint proprietor of the Landeck Tile Factory, was born in Germany, December 24,1842, and is a son of Peter and Mary (Boifas) Gengler.
Peter Gengler, emigrated to America in 1845 with his wife and our subject, Dominick, the eldest of the family of six children, the other survivors of which are: Louis, who is a notary public in Indiana; Felix, who resides near Coldwater; and Thomas, who is a farmer in Putnam County. Peter Gengler came to Ohio and located on a small tract of 50 acres, then in the woods of Seneca County, where he lived for 17 years, having with the help of his children, cleared and developed it into a fine farm. In 1863, after disposing of it to advantage, he came to Allen County and purchased 160 acres of land south of the village of Landeck, in Marion township, and this land he improved and lived upon until his death on January 31, 1894, aged 78 years. He was one of the liberal contributors to the building of the beautiful edifice of St. John the Baptist Church at Landeck, and for a number of years was a member of its board of trustees.
Dominic N. Gengler attended the public schools in Seneca County, and under his father's direction grew into a capable, practical farmer. After his marriage he settled on a part of his present farm, consisting then of 80 acres. He now owns 360 acres of fine land, 40 of which were willed to him and the remainder has come into his possession by purchase. When Mr. Gengler settled here, the surrounding timber was full of game. He built a log house for immediate occupancy, drained and cleared his farm and gradually bought it to its present state of rich cultivation. In 1890 he erected his beautiful brick residence, one which arouses general admiration from the passing stranger and which is a model of comfort and convenience for its inmates. It is beautifully situated south of the main road, and is enclosed with a neat, ornamental iron fence. In the charming arrangement of flowers and shrubbery, the good taste of both Mr. and Mrs. Gengler is shown. It is one of the most beautifully attractive homes in this section of Allen County. Mr. Gengler has important interests in the Landeck Tile Factory which he opened on his farm in 1880. Here tiles are manufactured ranging in size from 3 to 12 inches.
On November 29, 1870, Mr. Gengler was married to Mary Ardner, who is a daughter of Nicholas and Susan (Adantz) Ardner, the former of whom was born in Germany, May 5, 1822. Mr. Ardner came to America in 1846 and located at Tiffin, Ohio, where he was married in 1863. He came then to Allen County and settled on a farm of 80 acres, situated three miles southeast of Landeck, which he has increased to 200 acres. Here he remained until 1884 when he removed to a 10 acre farm near Landeck, in order to enjoy church privileges, being a devout ember of the Church of St. John the Baptist. He owns other tracts of land which have been developed out of the wilderness of Allen County. Mr. and Mrs. Gengler have five children: Nicholas, residing in section 10, where his father has built a nice home, who married Helena Roerig and has two children Raymond and Rosala; John, residing in section 2, also owning a comfortable home, who married Clara Roerig, a cousin of Mrs. Nicholas Gengler, and has two children Loretta and Sylvester; Margaret, who married Louis Karst, resides in a nice home in section 10 and has one son Albert; Thomas, who is unmarried and remains at home managing the farms and the tile works; and Susan, who married C. H. Falter, of Seneca County, Ohio, and has three children Armilla, Alwisa and John.
In politics Mr. Gengler is a Democrat. He has served on the School Board and is an ardent friend of the public schools. He has done his full share in the material development of his section of the county. In his earlier years he worked many a day on the roads of Marion township, giving his time to advance the general welfare. Since 1880 he has been a justice of the peace, and it has always been his endeavor in his official position to serve as far as possible as a peacemaker while administering the law. He is a Catholic and is one of the leading members of the Church of St. John the Baptist and, like his father before him, is a member of the church choir.