Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-06-19
FOSTER AND HIS HOME.
The Ohio Candidates An
tecedents.
FOStOria and it's Founder
Charles Foster as u Merchant and
EnterprisiBg Citizen.
HIS CAREER IN POLITICS.
Sent 10 Congress In Spite Of For.
mer Large Democratic
MajOrities.
FoStOria and it's Founder
HIS CAREER IN POLITICS
From the New Y ork Tribune.
CLEVELAND, May 81, 1877

CLEVELAND, May 81, 1879.
The Republican candidate for Govern
or of Ohio lives in the bright, stirring
little town of FostOria, which lies across
the line Of Seneca, Wood and Hancock
counties. 1t was named in honor of his
father, Charles w. Foster, who came out
from the East in 1882 to what was then
little better than a wilderness, dotted
with few log cabins. Northwestern
Ohio was settled very slowly, on account
of the heavy growth of timber covering
the soil. Even at this day there are ex-
tensive districts near Toledo where the
settlers little clearings have scarcely
made a beginning toward subduing the
virgin forest. The country around FOs-
tOria is unsurpassed for fertility, and
after the era of railroads it developed
rapidly. When Foster senior built his
log cabin there were two petty rival vii
lagos close at hand, separated only by
less than mile of fields and woods, one
called Rome and the other Ristlen. Mid
way between the two stood great barn
like Methodist Church, where the good
people of both hamlets wOrshiped to-
gether. In course of time the two vii
lagos grew together and became one, and
then there arose question as to which
name should be given to the united town.
The Rome people did not like the name
of Risden, and the Methodists of Risden
had a religious prejudice against the
name of Rome. Finally a compromise
satisfactory to everybody was hit upon
and the sonorous title of Fostoria was
manufactured from the name Of the
leading citizen of the place. Foster Sc
nior was in his day an admirable speci-
men of the class of men who build up
new communities. Honest, laborious,
sagaciOus and enterprising, in lifetime
of hard work he accumulated hand
some property, and enjoyed meanwhile
the confidence and affection of the people
around him. He had six sons, the oldest
of whom, and the only survivor, is
Charles. The old gentleman is still liy-
ing. He is over seventy now, and long
ago retired from business to enjoy a Sc
rene old age, and to live his life over
again in watching the prosperous career
of his son. His house is handsome
brick structure close by the smaller
frame dwelling Of the ex-COngressman.
1t is an interesting fact that the son has
never been able to persuade the father to
break the quiet uniformity of his life
long enough to visit Washington.
Charles Fosters house stands upon the
site of the log cabin his father erected
forty-seven years ago. 1t is plain two
story structure, built after the manner
of the better class of New England viii
lage homes that ante-date the era of
mansard roofs and finical ornaments
large, low rooms, gable toward the
street, and an L in the rear for the
kitchen and woodshed. In front there
is lawn, with shade trees aid flowers,
and on either side are fruit trees, behind
which the kitchen garden suns its patch
es of vegetables and its rows of currant
and raspberry bushes. The house is
comfortably furnished, but there is not
the least attempt at elegance or fashion.
The Fosters, father and son, are plain
country people, and have no mind to
change their simple habits because for
tune has smiled upon them.
FOstOria, l should have said before, Is
a town of $500 inhabitants, looking very
much like hundred other towns of like
dimensions in the belt of New England
settlement which stretches across Nor
thern Ohio, Southern Michigan and
Wisconsin, Northern Indiana and Him
ois to Iowa; that is to say, it is clean.
enterprising, we'll shaded and well be-
haved. In these towns maple trees, rose
bushes and greensward take prominent
place in the popular ideal of pleasant,
home, and there is much pride in the
possession of fine school houses and
handsome churches. One of the princi-
pal business blocks in Fostoria is that
occupied by the National Bank, of which
Charles Foster is President, and the