Category: Biographies

Eli Wilson (1789-1869)

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Eli Wilson was one of the original pioneers of Shelby, arriving in 1818 with the Henry Whitney and Stephen Marvin families.

Eli was born August 29, 1789 in Weston, Fairfield County, Connecticut, of a poor family who bound him out for service until he was 14. He then apprenticed to learn carpentry and married Mabel Barnes on Oct. 10, 1807.

When he was 23, the War of 1812 broke out and he enlisted in the 25th Infantry Regiment in Hartford, Conn. He fell sick on the march from Connecticut to Burlington, Vermont and was left at Cambridge, New York for two months until he was ordered to return to Hartford with Capt. Peter Bradley to recruit a second company.[Ibid.]

In the spring of 1813, they again joined their regiment, which was then stationed within four miles of Lake Ontario. The unit crossed the Niagara River to the Canadian side to attack Ft. George. Despite heavy fire,they captured the fort. The unit remained at the fort until October when they set sights on Montreal. They collected about 300 boats and proceeded to the head of the St. Lawrence River, where they encountered heavy fire, lost some vessels, and finally abandoned the campaign. His obituary headline reads “Death of Gen. Eli Wilson” but it was an honorary title as he was enlisted.

He was mustered out and went back to work as a carpenter until 1818, when a group of 20, including the Marvins and Whitneys, set out for the state of Ohio. They made the journey by wagon, crossing the Allegheny mountains to arrive in April 1818.

Eli first purchased land just south of Main Street on Gamble behind where the First National Bank now stands, and set up a saw mill on Blackfork Creek, remaining there six years, then selling about 45 acres to James Gamble. The land encompassed the eastern limit of Blackfork Creek to Gamble Street.

The Wilsons’ second home was located on high ground on what is now Mansfield Avenue between Subway and the power plant. The mansion is still standing. The front door was originally facing west, in anticipation of the S.M. & N.R. railroad coming to town. The citizens of Mansfield and beyond were in favor of routing the railroad through Ganges. When the charter was applied for, Eli Wilson was named one of the commissioners to form the company.
Eli persuaded the company to ride along the route he proposed through Shelby. When the engineer passed through Shelby, he deemed it to be the most practical and cheapest route. The first train stopped by the Wilson mansion in 1846.

Eli provided land for the first cemetery in Shelby, just west of his home, where the Shelby Salesbook, and now Shelby Fire Department now stand. It was named Wilson Cemetery after him, but also sometimes called May Cemetery after another land owner. Eli was buried in the cemetery after he died June 17, 1869 at about 80 years old. His remains, and others, were moved to Oakland Cemetery when the Salesbook negotiated with the city for more land.

Condensed from Independent News, July 1, 1869.

Submitted by Christina Yetzer Drain

John Strock Seltzer 1875-1962

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John Strock Seltzer

John Strock Seltzer was an adventurer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, whose legacy included one of the most recognized products in Shelby history – the Shelby bicycle.

John was the son of Joseph and Mary Seltzer, graduating from Shelby High School in 1893, the only male in a class of five. His style of composition and delivery during his oration on “Common Sense” was said to have taken “the house by storm,” according to the Shelby Times. John was active in the alumni association for a number of years.

After graduation, he followed in his father’s footsteps as a successful businessman at Seltzer and Steele hardware store, already a successful 20-year enterprise; the name was changed to Seltzer & Sons.

Virginia, John and Dudley Seltzer in front of home in Canada.

In 1910, John, wife Pearl and two children, Dudley, 7, and Virginia, 5, left Shelby for Saskatchewan Valley, Canada. John and his father bought 650 acres of land, which John would farm and eventually develop. They lived there 10 years.

When John returned to Shelby, he purchased half interest in the J.C. Morris Elevator with a high school friend, and the name was changed to Morris and Seltzer Coal and Grain. He also opened an automotive paint shop and 75-bay automobile storage in a renovated horse barn on Wall Street, as homes did not have garages in those days.

In 1924, John began working at the Shelby Cycle Co. Father Joe had infused the struggling cycle company with additional capital, and was president. When Joe died in 1929, John became president. Already 54, he was president of the Shelby Cycle Co. for 16 years, more than half the company’s existence, during the most prosperous years of operation, retiring in 1945. The company kept hundreds of men and women employed through the Great Depression.

John was as much a philanthropist as his father. He was president of the Shelby Advertising Club, and raised money for the Shelby Hospital, Shelby Country Club, and a YMCA youth group. While Joe funded the building of Seltzer Park and pool, John added amenities such as a comfort station and gazebo in 1938. He organized many events in town, from auto shows to 4th of July Parades and Halloween parties.

John spent his retirement years helping son Dudley in sales with Seltzer Electric Company, and working in his wood shop creating wonderful projects, including Whippet figure wind vanes for Skiles Field. John died in 1962.

Submitted by Christina Yetzer Drain. Photos courtesy Patricia Seltzer Moehring.

Dr. Frances Roush Sutter 1871 – 1953

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Dr. Frances Roush Sutter
Photo courtesy of Shelby Museum

Dr. Frances Roush Sutter was a physician, surgeon and neurologist in Shelby from 1899 to 1923,1 in a time when few women went to college, let alone studied medicine. But what many may not know is the legacy she and her husband left to the citizens of Shelby.

Frances was born to George W. Roush (1843-1922) and Sarah Catherine Holtz (1852-1927) on the old Holtz farm five miles southeast of Shelby. Her brother, Claude Sherland Roush (1878-1951) was born seven years later.

She graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where she studied piano, but felt she could do more good as a physician. Frances graduated first in her class from the Woman’s Medical College of Cincinnati in 1896 and interned at the Presbyterian Hospital in Cincinnati before opening her office in Shelby. She is believed to be the first female doctor in the city. Most of her patients were women. In those days, she maintained an office in town, but often visited her patients by horse and buggy.2

To the surprise of many in town, Frances eloped in Cleveland via an early morning train June 14, 18993 with John C. Sutter (1853-1931), 18 years her senior, a merchant and member of the Sutter Furniture family.

When John retired, the couple bought a winter home in Ortega, Florida; John died of pneumonia there Feb. 3, 1931. He was brought back to Shelby to be buried at Oakland Cemetery.

After John died, Frances began to travel with her cousin Mattie Garrett, of New Haven. In 1936, they spent six weeks touring Alaska and California.4

In 1937, Frances and Mattie embarked on a world cruise, encountering many adventures along the way. The trip took five and one half months, covering 30,000 miles. They sailed from New York Oct. 17, 1937 going to California via the Panama Canal to the Hawaiian Islands, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippine Islands. They spent two weeks touring the islands of Java and Bali, five weeks in India, Egypt, Italy, and sailed home via France to New York, landing March 15.5

While in Japan, they transferred ships from the President Hoover to the President Pierce for a larger room and better food.6 Family and friends did not realize they had changed ships when news broke that the President Hoover ran aground on remote Hoishota Island. About 600 passengers and 333 crew members were evacuated by small boat to the island. The President Pierce was among the ships diverted to take on the stranded passengers and crew. They took aboard about 200 crew members, baggage and mail, reuniting the travelers briefly with those who had served them for the earlier portion of the cruise.

In 1939, they made another six-week trip to Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.

Frances transferred her home at 23 E. Main Street to the city Oct. 25,19497, to be used for city offices and meeting space. She continued to live in part of the house until she died. A member of many women’s groups in town, Frances also requested that a portion of the house be used as a meeting place for women in the community. The Shelby Museum was also housed there for a period of time.

The property was over 12,160 square feet, including an L-shaped building that wrapped around behind the Masonic building to Mohican Street.8 The house was built in 1876 by Valentine Sutter, son of Samuel Sutter, who came to Shelby from Switzerland in the 1840’s.9

The house was eventually torn down to make way for the city utility building, which houses the Shelby Museum and Sutter Roush meeting room.

Frances was interred with other family members in the Sutter Mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery.

Endnotes

1 Daily Globe, Nov. 2, 1953.

2 Daily Globe, Jan. 12, 1961.

3 Daily Globe, June 16, 1899.

4 Daily Globe, Oct. 1, 1936.

5 Daily Globe, April 1, 1938.

6 Daily Globe Jan. 14, 1938.

7 Daily Globe, April 24, 1950.

8 Daily Globe, Oct. 26, 1949.

9 Daily Globe, July 3, 1984.

George S. Keller 1827-1901

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George S. Keller

George S. Keller was born in Aargau, Switzerland on 9 Nov. 1827. He came to the Shelby Settlement (Bethlehem) in May of 1854 via the port of New Orleans on the ship Henry Pratt. It is thought he had friends or family in Ohio, because he traveled directly to the area from the port of entry.

He married Catharine Kurtzman in 1856 at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church.

George declared his intent to become an American citizen on 3 Jun 1858. The 1860 census listed his occupation as a shoemaker, but by the 1870 census, he was listed as a farmer. Family members have passed down an interesting note – George had a blue eye and a brown eye.

George farmed 80 acres and built a home from lumber cut fron the land in the late 1800s which is still standing on 3437 Hinesville Rd. in Sharon Township.

Catharine Kurtzman

Catharine Kurtzman was born on 5 Jan 1819 and came to America from France when she was just four years old. She was the secretary of Sacred Heart Church when George met her. A stained glass window in the church is dedicated to Catharine Kurtzman, although it is not known whether the window was purchased as a donation or given in appreciation for her work at the church.

George died 25 Feb 1901 at the age of 73 and Catharine died 22 May 1904 at the age of 85. Both are buried in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, Bethlehem. George’s headstone reads George F. Keller.

George and Catharine raised three children – Mary, Martin, and Peter Paul.

Mary Keller and Martin Keller married spouses who were first cousins. Mary married Fredolin Buchholz and Martin married Catharine Buchholz Landers, a widow with two girls. Mary and Fredolin had one son, Joseph. Mary died from complications from diabetes when she was 22.

Martin Keller married Catharine Buchholz Landers in 1901. A widow, Catharine had two daughters, Elizabeth and Sophia, from her marriage to John Landers. Mary Catharine Regina, Emma, George and Paul Peter were all born to this couple.

The family lived with George S. Keller until Martin built a home about 1912 at what is now 3846 Brannon Road from timber cut from the property. At one point, there were three Catharine Kellers living in the Hinesville home; mother Catharine Kurtzman Keller, daughter-in-law Catharine Buchholz Keller and granddaughter Catharine Regina Keller. Both Keller homesteads are still in excellent condition and well-cared for.

Martin and Catharine Keller also farmed an 80-acre homestead and evidently were successful in the venture. An inventory and appraisement listing at Catharine’s death listed 125 chickens, 29 hogs, and 10 cows, along with crops of corn, hay, wheat, oats, and soybeans.

Peter Keller went blind from complications of diabetes at the age of 26. He was engaged at the time, but never married. He lived the rest of his life with his brother, Martin. He still lived a very productive life, despite the lack of vision. Niece Catharine Regina Keller Yetzer told stories about Uncle Pete milking cows and building a shed after he became blind. He loved his nieces and nephews and built them a playhouse, complete with a window and door. At Christmastime, they got gifts to go in the playhouse. Catharine and her sisters, Mary and Emma, spent many hours playing there, she said.

Submitted by John and Doris Yetzer and Christina Yetzer Drain.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Marvin De Very 1874-1945

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One of the most ardent, well-spoken women in the Shelby suffrage movement lies in an unmarked grave in Oakland Cemetery.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Marvin was born to John Quincy Adams Marvin (1837 – 1927) and Mary Anita McDonald Martin (1823-1921) on Sept. 15, 1874. John was the son of Silas Marvin, who came to the area with his father Isaac, one of the earliest settlers, in about 1816.

In 1893, when she was just 19, she briefly printed and published the Shelby Weekly Echo, but halted production the next year because of ill health.

Lizzie quickly became involved in social issues, first with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, then as vice president of the newly formed offshoot Equal Franchise Association in 1912. Lizzie was one of about 60 Shelby women who led the effort to give women the right to vote. She began writing for the Daily Globe, covering visiting speakers, both for and against the suffrage movement. But, her writing had a decidedly pro-suffrage slant. Of anti-suffragist Miss Minnie Bronson, who visited Shelby in 1912, Lizzie wrote –

“The speaker gave a heartrending, tear-starting, hysteric-provoking picture of the disrupted homes to follow the enfranchisement of women. This was high class farcical comedy, in which even the leading lady must have found amusement. To say that homes would be disrupted, should one more of its members be given the power of self-government, is an insult to the manhood and a libel upon the womanhood of Ohio. The American home still stands in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington and California.”[1]  

Although Shelby men voted for suffrage, the state, as a whole, did not, and the 1912 proposed amendment failed. Lizzie and others began to visit nearby towns to speak about women’s right to vote. And she continued to write for the Daily Globe, covering debates. Well known anti-suffragist Lucy Price came to town in August 1913, claiming Shelby to be an anti-suffrage stronghold, with only three suffragists in the place. She claimed, “The men all seem to be antis or else on the fence waiting to learn what the women want.”[2]

Lizzie lashed out out in a rebuttal after Price’s speech –

“The anti suffrage speaker at the city hall Monday evening instead of presenting logical reasons why women should be denied the ballot, spent much of the time in eulogizing legislation on non-suffrage states and in veiled sarcasm toward the body of suffragists who were fair enough to add their presence to an exceedingly small crowd.”[3]

Lizzie remained an ardent supporter, helping to expand Shelby’s Equal Franchise Association to the Woman Suffrage Association of Richland County. She was a member of the Congressional Union for Women’s Suffrage, which campaigned for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women’s suffrage. Nationally, women were given the right to vote August, 1920 through the adoption of the 19th Amendment.

A prominent Democrat in the community, Lizzie immediately filed a petition with the county board of elections as a candidate for Charter Commissioner, which would draft a charter form of government for Shelby. She was the only woman of sixteen candidates. Fifteen were to be chosen through voters. An unofficial vote had Lizzie winning the final spot over Howard D. Seltzer by one vote. A more careful review of the election figures showed that two votes weren’t counted for Seltzer.[4]  A recount was made, showing 153 votes for Lizzie, 154 for Seltzer and 155 for M. E. Roberts. Fifteen men had been chosen for the commission.[5]

Lizzie also ran for mayor in 1921 against three-time mayor, C.E. Morris. The illness of her mother, who died just a few days after the election, along with a lack of campaign funding, as well as the immense popularity of the incumbent, hindered Lizzie’s chances for election.[6]

In 1927, while in her 50’s, Lizzie married itinerant umbrella mender Charles De Very. Although she had known him for 5 years, the marriage was a short one. Lizzie filed for divorce after 3 months on the grounds of habitual drunkenness and extreme cruelty.[7]  The marriage ended in 8 months. The feud started with coffee grounds. De Very wanted her to reuse them and she threw them out. There were further allegations of De Very’s stinginess. A final fight ended with a call to the police about wife beating. In a very public trial, Lizzie claimed he was a drunk, and he claimed she was a gold digger. She asked for her name to be restored to Marvin but at the time of the divorce, she kept the De Very name for “business reasons.” She was awarded $500 alimony.[8]

Lizzie became a columnist for the Daily Globe in the early 1930’s, drawing from her memories of her younger days in a series called “Do You Remember.”  The popular columns included places of the past, like the fair grounds and roller skating rink, hotels, homes of citizens, and mentioned notable people. 

She remained loyal to the Democratic party, helping to form the Eleanor Roosevelt Club in 1936 to support those running for office.

In 1945, while walking along Mohican Street where she lived, Lizzie suffered a stroke. She was taken to the hospital, where she died the next morning, on May 1, 1945. Lizzie was 69 years old.

Endnotes

[1] Daily Globe, August 22, 1912

[2] Daily Globe, August 2, 1913

[3] Daily Globe, August 7, 1913

[4] Daily Globe, May 23, 1921

[5] Daily Globe, May 24, 1921

[6] Daily Globe, November 10, 1921

[7] Daily Globe, Feb. 15, 1928

[8] Daily Globe, June 4, 1928

Submitted by Christina Yetzer Drain

Giles Swan 1793-1849

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Giles Swan, along with his brother Adam, were among the earliest settlers in the Shelby area, in what was then Blooming Grove Township, about 1816.1 They came from Fairfield County, Connecticut, following Indian trails the last few miles as there were no roads cut yet. The area was densely forested with birch, beech, ash, sugar and oak.2 Deer and turkey, among other wildlife, were abundant, so much so, it was a favorite hunting area for the Wyandot Indians who lived to the west.

Giles made a final payment for 160 acres of land from the US government in 1819, on Section 10 of Township 022N, Range 019W, at the southwest corner of what is now SR 96 and Plymouth Springmill Road. He had already erected a cabin on the property and was living there with his wife Jane Rockwell. Jane traveled with her parents Joseph and Mercy Rockwell to the the area shortly after the Swans arrived.3 They married July 27,1817, believed to be the first marriage in the township.4

The Swans were friends with many of those who came in later years. Stephen and Sarah Marvin, Deborah Moyer, Eli and Mabel Barnes Wilson, and Henry and Lucy Grumman Whitney, who settled in what is now the city of Shelby, came in 1818 from Fairfield County, Connecticut. The three families stayed with the Swans the summer of 1818 while they cleared the land and built their cabins about a mile away.

The Independent News in 1869 relayed a wonderful story about the friendship among the families and their Native neighbors.


While the above mentioned families were all living together, one night, there came there a small band of Indians, numbering about ten or twelve, among whom were several well known Indians; one called ‘Jacob’ and another ‘Williams.’ This latter Indian was said to be a very intelligent Indian, and spoke English quite fluently. The Indians were well supplied with whiskey, as were also the settlers; and after the greetings were exchanged, the bottle was passed around quite freely, both whites and Indians drinking out of the same bottle, and the very best feeling pervaded both sides. When both sides were pretty well warmed up, the settlers proposed that the Indians should exhibit their war dance. At first the Indians objected, alleging their want of preparation, and of the proper materials for paint, &c., and of the proper implements, such as a drum; &c. But they were finally persuaded to proceed with the dance and the whites proceeded to kindle a fire in front of the cabin of Mr. Swan. One old Indian took a seat on a log, and was furnished with a clap-board, which he placed on his knees, and commenced a song in the Indian language, keeping time on the clap-board with his knife and hatchet, while the others ranged themselves around the fire, and commenced the war dance, yelling like demons, gesticulating furiously, and leaping around in the most grotesque and violent manner. The subject of the old Indian’s song, as he informed the settlers, was the ancient exploits of his tribe in war, and their triumph over their enemies. It was in fact an epic poem in the Indian vernacular, and although no doubt far below our standard, in point of merit, yet it is said this rude song had some striking and beautiful passages. After the Indians had concluded their dance, they then proposed that the whites should dance after their fashion, and they would join. Accordingly the whites formed on the floor, to dance the “French Four,” and two Indians danced, one with Mrs. Moyer, mother of the late Stephen Marvin’s wife, and the other with Mrs. Swan. The Indians unexpectedly, proved to be very graceful dancers, gliding around in a very easy manner. After each dance, the bottle passed around freely, and the dance was kept up till about two in the morning. The music was furnished by the white women, who sang the tune.5

Sharon Township was created from part of Blooming Grove Township February 9, 1819, which included one-half of the territory that is present-day Jackson Township, and Giles Swan’s farm. At the first election in 1823, fourteen settlers were present: Giles H. Swan, John B. Taylor, Joseph Curran, Eli Wilson, Almon Hayes, Harvey Camp, Henry Whitney, Matthew Curran, James Smith, Adam Swan, James Kerr, James Rockwell, Levi Bargaheiser and DeLanson Rockwell. Giles Swan, John B. Taylor and James Rockwell were elected trustees.6

In 1823 and 1824, Giles Swan purchased two more land patents from the US government totaling 160 acres on the north side of what is now SR 96, with the northern border as present day East Smiley Road.

Two girls and a boy were born to Giles and Jane – Maria (1818), John (1820), and Lucy (1825).

Around 1820, the first schoolhouse was erected near the crossroads, and not far from the residence of Giles Swan.7 He likely was a proponent of the schoolhouse and education; Giles and Adam both graduated from Yale College.

A newspaper account from 1928 mentions Giles Swan’s death in detail. The story was not true – 

Giles Swan was killed at a log rolling, and its the first death on record in Jackson Township of our early settlers. He was buried along the bank of Bear Run, directly east of the Wm Gilchest home 1 1/2 miles east of Shelby.8

When Lucy was 18, in about 1843, the family moved west to Missouri. They lived there about four years, then moved to Polk, Iowa, where Giles again homesteaded 80 acres, purchased from the US government.9 He barely had time to clear land before he died two years later. Jane died in 1876 in Iowa. Little is known about brother Adam.

Giles Hallam Swan
B: 29 Apr 1793, Stonington, New London, Connecticut
M: 27 July 1817, Sharon Township, Richland, Ohio
D: Dec 1849, Polk City, Polk, Iowa

Jane Rockwell
B: 5 Jan 1798, Wilton, Fairfield, Connecticut
D: Mar 1876, Des Moines, Polk, Iowa

Children
Maria Swan
B: 1818, Jackson Township, Richland, Ohio
M: 1837, to Eli Mosier
D: 11 Apr 1862, Madison Township, Polk, Iowa

John R. Swan
B: 31 May 1820, Jackson Township, Richland, Ohio
M: 7 Mar 1844, Elizabeth Warren Strode, Clay, Missouri
D: 28 Feb 1900, Clay, Missouri

Lucy Swan
B: Apr 1825, Jackson Township, Richland, Ohio
M: 12 Sep 1856, Oliver Ralph Jones, Des Moines, Polk, Iowa
D: 2 May 1908, Des Moines, Polk, Iowa

Endnotes

  1. A.A. Graham, 1880, History of Richland County, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio, A.A. Graham & Co., Publishers, 421
  2. Original land survey.
  3. A.A. Graham, 1880, History of Richland County, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio, A.A. Graham & Co., Publishers, 421. 
  4. A.A. Graham, 1880, History of Richland County, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio, A.A. Graham & Co., Publishers, 422.
  5. Independent News, Shelby Ohio August 19, 1869. Story relayed by T.H. Wiggins, who interviewed Samuel Rockwell, nephew of Jane Rockwell. Mrs. Marvin was alive and present at the dance. 
  6. A.A. Graham, 1880, History of Richland County, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio, A.A. Graham & Co., Publishers, 572.
  7. A.A. Graham, 1880, History of Richland County, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio, A.A. Graham & Co., Publishers, 422.
  8. A History of Shelby, The Shelby Daily Globe, 5-9-1928. The story is not true. Giles died in Iowa in 1849. The writer may have meant Joseph Rockwell, who was the first recorded death of an adult in Sharon Township in 1818.
  9. The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Polk, Iowa, 3 May 1908, page 9, obituary of Lucy Swan Jones.

Submitted by Christina Yetzer Drain.

Henry Wentz, Jr.

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In 1834, Henry Wentz Sr. brought his family to Cass Township, Ohio from Perry Co., PA where Henry Jr. was born on Dec. 9, 1839. Henry worked on the family farm until age 18 when he began to learn the carpentry trade. At age 21, he moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana where he worked in the railroad car assembly shops.

At the start of the Civil War, on July 11, 1861, Henry enlisted as a private in Co. E., 11th Ind. Vol. Inf. and he served throughout the war in various capacities in campaigns including – Vicksburg, Winchester, Fisher Hill and finally Cedar Creek on Oct. 19, 1864.

After the war Henry returned to Crestline, Ohio. On June 8, 1865, Henry married Abraham Bushey’s oldest daughter Sarah and entered the lumber business. After a year, he sold the business and began a hardware store that he ran until about
1875. In 1875 he began an interest in the fire insurance business which he followed until 1880 when he became the secretary the Underwriter’s Mutual Fire Insurance Company, which would become the Shelby Mutual Insurance Company. Also during the mid 1880s, Henry served as the clerk for the Sharon Township Trustees and was a member of the Crestline city council.

Henry and Sarah were the parents of two sons and a daughter.

Submitted by Lisa Wentz-Steiner

 

Jacob Fletcher

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Jacob Fletcher was born in Bedford County, PA. ca. 1809. His parents, Baltzer & Mary Means/Fletcher moved to PA from the Frederick Co., MD area. They were listed as living in Cumberland Valley Twp., Bedford County, PA, during the census years 1830-1850.

Jacob first married Elizabeth Robison, daughter of Thomas & Sarah Conrad/Robison. This marriage was of very short duration and there are no known children.

Jacob then married Hannah McFerren, daughter of William & Barbara (Weirich,Weyrich,Wirick) /McFerren, in about 1832, in Bedford County, PA. Barbara is a daughter of Valentine & Catherine Ann unknown / Weirich, Weyrich,Wirick.

Laverne Ingram Piatt notes: Any woman descending through Hannah McFerren Fletcher would be eligible to join the DAR on an existing line due to the descendency from Valentine Weirich,Weyrich,Wirick, who is in the DAR patriot index.

By 1852, Jacob and Hannah were raising a family of at least 9 children, 8 sons and 1 daughter:

David Fletcher b: April 28, 1833 in Bedford Co., Penn.
William Fletcher b: December 25, 1834 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Charles Baltzer Fletcher b: October 30, 1836 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Rebecca Fletcher b: March 11, 1839 in Bedford Co., Penn.
John Fletcher b: May 13, 1841 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Samuel Fletcher b: July 19, 1843 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Henry Fletcher b: June 15, 1845 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Franklin Fletcher b: Abt. 1847 in Bedford Co., Penn.
Hiram Fletcher b: Abt. 1851 in Bedford Co., Penn.

In about 1853-54, they sold their property in PA and moved to Sharon Twp., Richland County, Ohio. Jacob and family are listed as living in Sharon Twp., Richland County, Ohio in the 1860-1880 census years. During the period of 1856 to the start of the Civil War, Jacob and the younger sons were area farmers.
David was listed in the 1860 census as a carpenter and living at home on the family farm.

The start of the Civil War changed this family dramatically.  Sons: David, John, Samuel, William, and Henry, all enlisted in the Union cause.

David enlisted in Co. I., 15th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf.
John joined Co. B., 121st Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf.
Samuel enlisted as a pvt. in Co. D., 15th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf.
William joined Co. H., 64th Regt., Ohio Vol. Inf.
Henry served as a pvt. in 84th Ohio Vol. Inf. for 3 months, then
reenlisted in Co. I. 15th Ohio Vol. Inf and served until the end of the war.

A 6th son enlisted on the confederate side. (Not yet determined, but probably Charles Baltzer)

William got sick at Chattanooga, Tenn, was discharged to return home, where he died after only two days.

Samuel enlisted, April 17, 1861 in Shelby, just slightly before his 18th birthday. His first enlistment lasted 3 months, and he was discharged at Camp Chase, Ohio after spending his 3 months primarily in W.VA. and Maryland. He reenlisted and was sent to Camp Dennison, Ohio. During the following years, Samuel saw action in the battles at: Shiloh, Chattanooga, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, and the siege of Atlanta. Samuel was discharged at Chattanooga, Tenn,
Sept. 17, 1864, after 3 yrs., 4 mos., and 21 days of active service.

Henry enlisted as a pvt. in the 84th Regt. Ohio Vols., and served 3 months. He returned home for about a year and then reenlisted in Co. I., 15th Ohio Vol. Inf. He was in the battles of: Chattanoga, Mission Ridge, and Nashvile. He was discharged at the end of the war, at San Antonio, Texas.
After their service, four sons returned to Sharon Twp. to start their families.

David Fletcher married Nancy Hawk (born about 1845) on October 01, 1868.

On November 22, 1866, Samuel Fletcher married Catherine E. Laser
(born May 05, 1843) daughter of Samuel & Catherine Henry/Laser.

Henry Fletcher married Elizabeth S. Hershiser (born June 02, 1846) on
September 03, 1868.

Charles Baltzer Fletcher appears to have been married c. 1862. He married Margaret ?
and their first child Louisa was born December, 1862. Their other child Katherine “Katie”
was born c. 1868. Both children were born in Ohio. In 1870 Charles Fletcher and family
were living in St. Louis, Mo. and Charles was 2nd mate on a steam boat.

Submitted by Tom Clabaugh

David Crall

David Crall was born in Dauphin County, PA in Nov. 25, 1821. David was a son of
Henry (born abt 1779) and Elizabeth Henshaw / Crall. David was the youngest of
six children:

Simon
John
Elizabeth
Susannah
Henry II
David

David worked on the family farm until he was about 22 years of age. In 1844,
David and his oldest brother Simon, came to Ohio on horseback and purchased
about 230 acres of land in Sharon Township, Section 19. He returned to PA and
stayed for about a year before returning in 1845, to “improve” his land. On
April 12, 1846, in Richland County, David married Mariah “Mary” Stentz
(or Stein) born March, 1825. David and Mary had nine children:

Elizabeth
John
Sophronia
William Rhinehart
Susan
Mary Sophia
Emily Alice
Henry Nelson
Anna Eliza

David and Mary also owned land in Section 24, Sharon Twp. Their land was a large
part of that which became the center of Junction City (and later Vernon Junction), founded in 1872.

Submitted by Iris Crall.