USA > Ohio > Ross County > A Standard History of Ross County, Ohio > Part 55
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Reared on the home farm, Harrison Shasteen left home at an early age and gained his success by relying on his own enterprise. After the
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war he went to Pennsylvania, spending three years in the oil fields there, but with that exception has been a resident of Ross County for almost half a century continuously. For twenty years he was grain buyer for the Mansfield Mills.
Mr. Shasteen was three times married. His first wife was Nancy Minear, daughter of Solomon and Charity (Noble) Minear. Mrs. Shas- teen died at the age of twenty-three, leaving one son, Walter. His second wife was Mary J. Rowe, a daughter of Thomas Rowe. When she passed away at the age of twenty-eight she left two children, Marion and Harry. The present Mrs. Shasteen before her marriage was Augusta Sauerbrei, a daughter of William and Lena Sauerbrei. Mr. and Mrs. Shasteen have four children :. Lena, James W., John Logan and Viola. The family are members of the German Evangelical church and Mr. Shasteen is a republican.
JAMES S. HANAWALT. A prominent and highly esteemed citizen of Chillicothe, James S. Hanawalt has been active and influential in public matters, and is identified with the mercantile interests of the city as a druggist. He was born, January 29, 1843, in the village of Bourneville, Twin Township, Ross County, a son of John Hanawalt. He is of German descent, his Grandfather Hanawalt, having emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania, settling in Mifflin County on a farm near the locality since known as Hanawalt's Cave.
One of a family of five sons, John Hanawalt was born, October 28, 1799, in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, where he grew to man's estate. In 1824 he came to Ohio, and soon after his arrival was engaged to carry the mail from Steubenville to Gallipolis, and to the post offices estab- lished along the route. He had previously learned the tailor's trade, and on retiring from the mail service opened a tailor's shop at Bourne- ville, where he continued in business until 1855, when he was forced to give up, on account of failing eyesight. He subsequently lived retired in Bourneville until his death in 1873. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Jefferson Hill, was born in Union Township, Ross County, February 22, 1812. Her father, Christian Hill, a native of Ellicotts Mills, Maryland, came to Ohio with his family, and after living a few years in Union Township, purchased land in Fayette County, and there spent his remaining days, at his death his body being laid to rest in the Dry Run Cemetery, in Union Township. His wife died about 1816, when her daughter, Mary Jefferson, was about four years old, leaving six children. The wife of John Hanawalt survived him four years, pass- ing away in 1877. She reared six children, as follows: Amelia, John Christopher, George P., James S., and Florance.
James S. Hanawalt was educated in the public schools of Bourne- ville. In 1862 he entered the United States service, becoming a nurse at the Douglas Hospital, in Washington, District of Columbia, where his brother George was assistant surgeon, remaining there until 1864. Returning home, Mr. Hanawalt was later engaged in the grocery busi- ness with William A. Jones, continuing junior member of the firm of
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Jones & Hanawalt until 1884. He was subsequently employed by Capt. Rufus Hosler, county treasurer, as delinquent collector, and continued with Mr. Hosler's successors, Nelson Purdum, F. A. Sosman, and Luther B. Hurst, and Milton J. Scott. In 1906 Mr. Hanawalt embarked in the drug business at the corner of High and Mill streets, being in partnership with his son Max, and has since built up a large trade.
Mr. Hanawalt married, May 1, 1877, Anna C. Maxwell, who was born in Green Township, a daughter of Alexander and Leah (Ranck) Max- well, her father's family being from Virginia, and the Ranck family from Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Hanawalt have two children, namely : John Maxwell and William F. John M., in partnership with his father, married Edna Scriver. William F., residing in Denver, Colorado, married Irene Snyder, and they have three children, James Maxwell, Shirley, and William F. Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Hanawalt belong to the First Presbyterian Church.
JUDGE GEORGE B. BITZER. Possessing a profound knowledge of law, and being blessed with a keenness of comprehension that allows nothing connected with his profession to escape his observation, Judge George B. Bitzer, of Chillicothe, has achieved distinction in legal circles, being known as one of the most experienced and successful attorneys of Ross County. A native of Ross County, he was born, April 15, 1852, in Adelphi, a son of Anthony Bitzer.
His Grandfather Conrad Bitzer, was born in Pennsylvania, in Bucks County, coming from stock known as Pennsylvania Dutch. Following the tide of emigration westward, he settled in Ross County, Ohio, in the very early part of the nineteenth century. Buying a tract of timbered land in Green Township, near its eastern boundary, he hewed a farm from the forest, and there lived and labored until his death, at the age of ninety-two years, being hale and hearty until the last. He and his good wife reared seven children, all of whom, with the exception of Anthony, settled in a newer country, much farther west than . Ohio.
Born on the home farm, in Green Township, in 1809, Anthony Bitzer was brought up in true pioneer style. In his boyhood days the wild beasts of the forest had not fled before the advancing steps of civilization, but, with the dusky savage, roamed the forests. There being neither railroads nor canals, and no near-by markets, the people subsisted prin- cipally upon game, and the products of the soil. The women of the different households, all skilled in domestic arts, used to card, spin and weave the homespun material in which they dressed their families. Dur- ing his earlier life, Anthony Bitzer bought a farm in Colerain Township, but instead of occupying it established a hotel in Adelphi. That was in stage-coach days, when circuses traveled the highways, and the Van Amburg and Robinson train put up at his inn. He continued as a hotel keeper, being popular with the traveling public, until about 1870, from that time until his death, at the age of seventy-six years, living retired from business cares.
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The maiden name of the wife of Anthony Bitzer was Catherine Strawser. She was born in Adelphi, and there spent the greater part of her long life of eighty-six years. Her father Henry Strawser, came from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to Colerain Township in 1803, and having bought a tract of land a mile south of Adelphi built a log cabin, and began the improvement of a homestead. He was a soldier in the War of 1812. An expert marksman, he was fond of hunting, and kept the family well supplied with game of all kinds. He lived to be eighty- two years old, while his wife, whose maiden name was Druzilla Hinton, died when but seventy-four years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Bitzer reared six children, as follows: Susan, who married Edward Reedy; Henry; George B .; Alfred; Edward; and Margaret, who became the wife of George Coombs.
Having when quite young completed the course of study in the district school, George B. Bitzer attended the Ohio Wesleyan University, at Delaware, and at the age of fifteen years commenced teaching in a log . schoolhouse, in Vinton County. He had sixty-five pupils, ranging in age from five years to twenty-five years, and was paid a salary of $33 a month. He alternately taught school and attended school until 1877, in the meantime devoting all of his spare time to hard study. In 1878 Mr. Bitzer was admitted to the bar, and has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession at Chillicothe, excepting, of course, the time when his official duties demanded his entire attention. He was elected prosecuting attorney for Ross County in 1878, and served one term. In 1887 he was elected probate judge, and re-elected to the same office in 1890. Politically Judge Bitzer has been identified with the republican party since casting his first presidential vote, in 1876, for Rutherford B. Hayes, and has rendered efficient service as a member of the Chillicothe City Council.
Judge Bitzer married, December 15, 1880, Louisa J. Grimes, who was born near New Holland, Pickaway County, a daughter of George and Rachel (Bowdle) Grimes. The judge and Mrs. Bitzer have four children, namely : Altha Maria, Edwin S., Florence C., and Clarkson B. The judge is a member of Tecumseh Lodge No. 8, Independent . Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church on Walnut Street.
CHARLES CHRISTIAN RINDT. Eminently deserving of mention in this volume is Charles Christian Rindt, a veteran of the Civil war, now living in Chillicothe, where he is actively identified with the mercantile interests of the city. He was born, June 14, 1830, in the Village of Dielekopf, near Keisel, in Bavaria, Germany, where the birth of his father, Christian Rindt, occurred in 1802.
Born, reared, and married in his native village, Christian Rindt came with his wife and their only child to America in 1834, being several weeks in making the voyage. Landing in New York, he started for Ohio, going via the Hudson River and Erie Canal to Buffalo, thence by way of Lake Erie to Cleveland, and from that place to Chillicothe, on the canal,
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all traveling in those primitive days, ere there were any railroads in the state, having been on the rivers, lakes and canals wherever possible. He was subsequently employed at various kinds of work, in the meantime looking earnestly for a desirable location. He soon purchased, near Piketon, a tract of land, on which a log cabin had been erected on a small clearing. He began the improvement of a homestead, and having built a commodious house of hewed logs he embarked in farming and stock-raising. Selling at an advance eight years later, he opened a grocery store in Chillicothe, on Main Street, between Walnut and Paint streets. Subsequently trading that property, which included the store and dwelling house, for a farm located three miles south of Chillicothe, he there engaged in agricultural pursuits for about twelve years. Selling out then, he resumed business in Chillicothe, his grocery being located at the corner of Fifth and Hickory streets, but soon made another change, trading his store and stock for a farm located on the old Portsmouth Road, six miles south of the city limits, and there he continued to reside until his death, in 1874, at the age of seventy-two years. He married Charlotte Bonnet, who was born in Germany, of French Hugenot ances- try, and died in Ohio, in 1863. Three children were born of their union, as follows: Charles Christian, born in Germany; and Charlotte and Henrietta, born in Ross County.
Four years old when he came from the fatherland with his parents, Charles Christian Rindt attended the Chillicothe schools until twelve years old, when he found employment in a clothing store, where he made himself generally useful for two years, giving up the position only when the store was closed, owing to financial reverses. He was subse- quently employed as a clerk for several years, first working for Ed Adams, and later for Thomas Woodrow, with whom he remained until 1862. Resigning the position in that year, Mr. Rindt enlisted in Com- pany B, Sixty-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Going south with his command, he served under General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign, taking part in the various engagments along the route, and after the siege and capture of Atlanta continued with his brave leader to Savannah, thence through the Carolinas, and on to Washington, where he was in the line of march during the Grand Review. Receiving his honorable discharge in June, 1865, Mr. Rindt returned to Chillicothe, and having purchased the property at the corner of Paint and Seventh streets has there been actively and prosperously engaged in business since.
On July 15, 1858, Mr. Rindt was united in marriage with Sophia Fischer, who was born in Kallstadt, Bavaria, April 26, 1836, a daughter of Ludwig and Sophia Fischer. Her parents came with their family to America in 1840, being fifty-three days crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel. Settling near Pittsburgh, they spent the remainder of their days in that vicinty. After the death of her parents, Sophia Fischer went to Cincinnati, in 1856, and there lived with an uncle until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Rindt have four children, namely : Henrietta, Charles L., Elizabeth H., and William Henry. They are both members of the Presbyterian Church.
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WILLIAM MILLER. For half a century a resident of Chillicothe, Wil- liam Miller has always been regarded as a man of integrity and honor, and is held in high respect throughout the community in which he lives, and in whose advancement and prosperity he is ever ready to lend a helping hand. A German by birth and breeding, he was born, Septem- ber 18, 1840, in the Village of Schladehausen, Hanover, where his par- ents, John Henry and Elizabeth (Ziegemeier) Miller, spent their entire lives, being there engaged in agricultural pursuits. They reared a family of six children, Catherine, William, Elizabeth, Hannah, Mary, and Henry. William, the special subject of this sketch, and his sister Mary, who married William Schwan, were the only members of the family to leave the fatherland.
Obtaining his early education in his native village, William Miller subsequently served for three years as an apprentice at the miller's trade, which he afterwards followed in Hanover until 1865. In that year, impressed by the superior advantages America offered a young man just starting in life, he immigrated to this country, and for a few months worked in a flour mill at Cincinnati. Coming from that city to Chilli- cothe in December, 1865, Mr. Miller, in company with John Smith, purchased a small mill, operated by steam power, and located on South Paint Street, and continued business with his partner until the death of Mr. Smith in 1878. Buying then the interest of the Smith heirs in the property, he became sole owner of the mill, which he managed suc- cessfully until meeting with reverses, in 1903. Mr. Miller was subse- , quently out of business for awhile, but in 1904 embarked in the insurance business, with which he has since been actively and prosperously identified.
Mr. Miller married, in 1866, Eliza Eggers, a native of Rothenfelde, Hanover, Germany, and to them five children have been born, namely : Charles H .; Attilla; Anna; Alvin, who died at the age of forty years; and Charlotte. Although not an aspirant for official honors, Mr. Miller was appointed, in 1906, justice of the peace to fill out an unexpired term, and in 1907 was elected to that position, which he has filled con- tinuously since, having been re-elected in 1911. Religiously both Mr. and Mrs. Miller are conscientious members of the Salem German Evangelical Church.
GEORGE J. HEINZELMAN, JR. A well-known and highly esteemed resident of Chillicothe, George J. Heinzelman, Jr., is one of the more active and prominent insurance men of Ross County, at the present time being special agent for the Columbus Mutual Life Insurance Com- pany. He was born November 15, 1873, in Chillicothe, a son of George J. Heinzelman, Sr., being the third in direct line of descent to bear his name.
His grandfather, named George J. Heinzelman, was born, bred and educated in Alsace, Germany, and as a young man immigrated to America, the land of hope and promise. Taking up his residence in Chillicothe, he was employed for awhile in the Frazier Packing House,
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but later purchased land, and embarked in truck farming, becoming the pioneer raiser of onion sets, which proved a profitable industry. Suc- cessful in his undertakings, he resided in this city until his death, at the age of seventy-five years. He married Margaret Teusch, who was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and came to this country with a party of young ladies when but fifteen years old. She died at the age of sixty-eight years, just two hours before the death of her husband, and both were buried in the same grave. They reared five children, George J., John, Mary, Margaret, and Magdaline.
George J. Heinzelman, Sr., was born September 12, 1848, in Chilli- cothe, and after completing his early education in the city schools became associated with his father in truck gardening. He now has twenty-eight acres of rich and fertile land adjoining Chillicothe, all under a high state of culture, and is carrying on a remunerative busi- ness. The maiden name of his wife was Eva Metzel. She is a native of Chillicothe, where her parents, Jacob and Christina Metzel, located on coming from Hesse Darmstadt, their birthplace, to the United States some time in the '40s. Mr. Metzel died at the age of fifty-five years, and his wife at the age of seventy-seven years. They reared four children, as follows: Eva, now Mrs. Heinzelman; Jacob; John; and Elizabeth. George J. Heinzelman, Sr., and his wife had but two children, Jacob and George J.
George J. Heinzelman, Jr., was educated in the Chillicothe public schools, and subsequently worked with his father in truck gardening until twenty-eight years of age. The following six years he was employed in a foundry in Cincinnati, and for two years thereafter worked in a paper mill at Chillicothe. Embarking then in the life insurance busi- ness, Mr. Heinzelman became agent for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and proved himself so thoroughly capable in that capacity that he was made assistant manager within a few months, and later was promoted to the position of deputy manager. Mr. Heinzelman continued as such until 1914, when he resigned to make the race for the office of county clerk. In 1915 he accepted his present position with the Colum- bus Mutual, becoming special agent for the State of Ohio.
Mr. Heinzelman married, April 23, 1902, Loretta M. Zeller, who was born in Columbus, Ohio, a daughter of Fred and Matilda (Le Bean) Zeller. Mr. and Mrs. Heinzelman have three sons, Harold Logan, George John, and Frederick J. Religiously Mr. and Mrs. Heinzelman are active members of the First Presbyterian Church, in which he is a ruling elder. Fraternally Mr. Heinzelman is a member of Scioto Lodge No. 6, Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons.
ORLEY W. MILLER. Among the old family farms that have descended from father and son in Ross County, Ohio, the valuable one belonging to Orley W. Miller may be noted, for over 100 years have passed since his grandfather, John Miller, bought the 130 acres that John Mooney had entered in 1812. John Miller erected the first cabin in Jefferson Township and in it reared a family of nine children, all of these having
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passed away with the exception of one son, William, who is a. resident of Jackson County, Ohio. John Miller cleared the greater part of this land and subsequently owned three other farms in the county.
Orley W. Miller was born on the farm he owns, in Jefferson Town- ship, Ross County, Ohio, March 7, 1876. His parents were Sherman and Drucilla (Wills) Miller. His father was born on this farm July 16, 1843, a son of John and Mary (Nichols) Miller, and his mother in Jackson County, January 4, 1848. Sherman Miller followed an agri- cultural life and was considered an excellent farmer. The old farm became his property by purchase in 1876, and here he resided until his death, March 30, 1915. He was a church member, a worthy man and a good citizen. His children are: Corwin L., who is a railroad man, is train dispatcher at one of the terminals in Chillicothe; Myrton, who is a carpenter in the shops of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad at Chilli- cothe; Orley W .; and Daisy, who is the wife of J. T. Snyder, of Jeffer- son Township.
Orley W. Miller attended the public schools in Jefferson Township, the Richmond Dale schools and the Chillicothe High School, after which he taught school for ten years. Mr. Miller carries on general farming, living perhaps a quieter but not less busy life than his brothers. He is a highly respected citizen of Ross County.
Mr. Miller was married to Miss Ethel Dixon, who died October 27, 1912, the mother of three children : Donald, Mary and Lucile. Mr. Miller was married August 7, 1915, to Miss Ruth Nagle, of Portsmouth, Ohio. In politics he is a democrat.
CHARLES MARTIN HAYNES. A practical and prosperous business man of Chillicothe, as a jeweler being associated with its manufacturing and mercantile interests, Charles Martin Haynes is in truth of pioneer stock, belonging to a family that has been well known in Ross County for upwards of 100 years. He was born June 19, 1866, in Concord Township, while his father, Col. James Henry Haynes, was born in Ross County, January 28, 1836, and his grandfather, Martin Haynes, was likewise a native of this county, his birth having occurred in 1809, in Scioto Township.
John Haynes, son of Nicholas and Sophia (Sheetz) Haynes, the paternal great-grandfather of Charles Martin Haynes, was born October 14, 1769, in the State of Pennsylvania, York County, Dover Township, near the Blue Mountains, and during his earlier life resided for many years in Charleston, Virginia. Soon after the first settlements of Ohio were made, he crossed the intervening country six times, coming and going on three trips, making the first two prospecting trips on foot, and the third one on horseback. In 1808, accompanied by his family, he came to Ross County with teams, bringing all of his worldly effects with him. He located in the Paint Creek Valley, near Haynes Creek Ford, which was named in his honor. He purchased from the Govern- ment a tract of heavily timbered land, and on the clearing which he made erected a log cabin, in the construction of which not a nail was
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used. He rived by hand the clapboards which covered the roof, weight- ing them in place with poles. He was a man of undaunted energy and enterprise, and at one time owned three mills in Ross County, one being located on the Narrows, one on Paint Creek, and the other in Scioto Township. He lived to a venerable age, passing away March 28, 1859. His wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Sheetz, born August 23, 1775, at Shephards Town on the Potomac, Virginia, died September 5, 1836. Seven sons and five daughters were born of this union: Elizabeth, 1791; Julian, 1793; Jacob, 1795; Henry, 1798; Mary, 1800; one died at birth, 1803, not named; John, 1804; Sarah, 1807; Martin and Margaret, twins, 1809; Daniel, 1812; Benjamin, 1815.
Martin Haynes was reared and educated in pioneer days, beginning and ending his school life in a log house, primitively furnished. The rude slab benches, with wooden pins for legs, had no desks, but a plank placed along the wall served as a place for the scholars to write, the quill pens used being made by the teacher, while the ink was made at home by boiling the inner bark of young maple trees in water impregnated with sulphate of iron. The floor was of puncheon, and the chimney was made of earth and sticks. Fond of the chase, Martin Haynes was very skilful as a deer hunter, and his gun, now in the possession of the subject of this sketch, is said to have killed more deer than any other gun in Ohio.
After attaining his majority, Martin Haynes purchased land in Con- cord Township, on the north fork of Paint Creek, and there operated a saw mill, and a grist mill which was equipped with bolts for making flour. People from many miles around used to go there with their grist. He built up a fine business, and was there a resident until his death. He married Caroline Hoover, a daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth Kellenberger Hoover, and they became the parents of six children, as follows: Louisa, 1834; James Henry, 1836; Elizabeth, 1839; Sarah, 1840; William Martin, 1846; Eliza, 1854.
Col. James Henry Haynes acquired the rudiments of his education in the district schools, and later attended the Ohio State University. Enlisting for service during the Civil war, he was commissioned by Governor Dennison, August 1, 1861, as second lieutenant of Company A, Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Going with his command to the front, he participated in many important engagements, including among others those at Bowling Green, Kentucky ; Huntsville, Alabama; Bridge- port, Alabama; Manchester, Stewart Creek, Tullahoma, and Dug Gap, in Tennessee; and at Chickamauga, Georgia. In November, 1862, he resigned on account of ill health, and returned home to recuperate. On September 26, 1863, he was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Twenty-seventh Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Militia, by Governor Tod, but was never called into active service. After leaving the army he resumed charge of the mill in Concord Township, and operated it until 1877, when he went to South Bloomfield, Ohio, where he was engaged in milling two years. The following year he was similarly employed at Circleville, from there going to Austin, where he had charge of the Thompson Mill two years. He then settled in Chillicothe and continued
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