HENRY KOLBE, the popular civil engineer of Napoleon and ex-county surveyor of Henry county, was born in Dueshoin, Hanover, Germany, on June 7, 1841, and is the son of Frederick and Johanna (Koenig) Kolbe. He attended school to the age of fourteen years and then learned practical surveying with his brother-in-law, Henry Miller, who was in the employ of the German government, and who also taught him in other studies. After spending four years in this manner, Mr. Kolbe volunteered for military service, being promoted to the ranks of corporal and sergeant, and serving three years. In the spring of 1862 he came to the United States and after spending a few months with a brother in Defiance county, Ohio, he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Seventh Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being mustered in as a corporal at Cleveland in September of that year. After drilling at Camp Chase they were sent to Covington, Kentucky, thence to Camp Delaware, Ohio. In the early winter the regiment was sent to Alexandria, Virginia, where it joined the Army of the Potomac, with which they participated in the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, etc., and were then sent to join the Southern Army, going to Florida. They co-operated with Sherman's army during its march to the sea, and on July 10, 1865, Mr. Kolbe received an honorable discharge at Charleston, South Carolina, with the rank of orderly sergeant, though during the preceding year he had for three months acted as company commander. After the war Mr. Kolbe returned to Henry county and helped his brother at farm work. He then went to Defiance and for eight months was a clerk in a hardware store, but returned to Henry county and spent some time with his brother and father. In 1868 he became a clerk in a dry goods store in Napoleon, where he continued for six months. In 1871 he was elected county surveyor of Henry county and was re-elected, thus serving six years in all. He was then for some time employed in the office of the county auditor, but the undertaking of a number of important ditches in the county called him back to his profession of surveying. From time to time he has served as deputy county surveyor and has been several times in the direct employ of the county commissioners, and at this time is acting in these two capacities, while in a private capacity he also does much road and land surveying. During the last eight years Mr. Kolbe has been interested in the oil business and was one of the men who opened the Klondike well near Toledo, also helping to drill a well in Henry county, and one near Ironville, East Toledo, which is still one of the best wells in the state of Ohio. He also owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Monroe township, this county, which he rents. Fraternally he is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, while in religion he subscribes to the faith of the Emanuel Lutheran church.
Mr. Kolbe married Miss Anna Elizabeth Holterman, born in Hanover, Germany, in 1844, and they have the following children: Freda married George Roller, of Tiffin, Ohio, but died a year afterwards; Karl H. studied veterinary surgery at Toronto, Canada, and is now practicing his profession and running a livery business in Napoleon. He married Amelia Koch; August L. is a dentist at Waukeegan, Illinois; Johanna, wife of T. H. Koffman, of Napoleon; Katie, wife of C. L. Kissel, of Napoleon; Henry, who died at the age of ten years, and Annetta.