A Stark County farmer held firmly to his religious beliefs a century ago, even though a handful of his children had died of illnesses for which he failed to seek medical attention. Although five of his 18 children have died, reported The Sunday Repository on April 3, 1921, Adam Hartong, a farmer living three miles west of North Canton, still remains a staunch follower of the Dowie religious sect, which according to Hartong, brands medicine as the work of the devil, fit only for beasts.
The newspaper reported that public attention has been focused on Hartong and Coroner T.C. McQuate had been called in to investigate after three of the children in Hartong s family died within a week.