USA > Ohio > Fairfield County > Pioneer period and pioneer people of Fairfield County, Ohio > Part 23
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THE BRANDT FAMILY OF THE EARLY DAYS A NUMEROUS AND HONORABLE ONE
" The brief duration of our families, as a hereditary household, renders it next to a certainty that the great- grandchildren will not know their father's grandfa- ther." Thus wrote Nathaniel Hawthorne. But since his time, in many parts of our country, especially in Pennsylvania and New England, people are waking up to the importance of family history.
" In this the closing year of the nineteenth century it is fitting to write up the events of the past," and espe- cially the history of the families that settled and cleared up this country and brought it to its present state of civilization. Among the early settlers there were but few families if any, who stood higher than the Brandts. Three sons and one daughter of the original stock came to Fairfield County from Pennsylvania.
Ludwig Brandt in 1745 left his home in Germany and came in a sailing vessel to America. He had a long, stormy and perilous passage, but the time passed away pleasantly in the society of a pretty German girl, Catharine Mueller, whom he met on the vessel. They landed in Philadelphia June, 1745, were married July 4, and settled at Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Penn- sylvania. To this union came five sons and four daugh- ters. Adam, the second son, was the father of Jacob, Adam and David Brandt, and their sister, Mrs. Jacob Pence.
Ludwig Brandt, a relative of Adam Brandt, founder of the Fairfield County family, came to this
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county as early as 1800. He purchased about 500 acres. of land, since known as the Pence and John Brandt farms. On this land he paid taxes up to 1806. About that time he returned to Pennsylvania and sold his land to Adam Brandt and Isaac Pence, who in time settled his son-in-law, Jacob Pence and his sons Jacob and Adam upon it. ·
Jacob Pence and wife, in May, 1802, left Pennsyl- vania, came through an unbroken wilderness to this county, and settled upon a part of this land - the tract now owned by Geo. B. Brasee, for more than 50 years. known as the Pence farm. Mrs. Eve Metzler Brandt, mother of Mrs. Pence, with the sons, Jacob and Adam,. came out on horseback and made a visit of two weeks. in 1805, and the long journey homeward was made in the same way.
Jacob Brandt married Frances Baughman, of Cum- berland County, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1808, and departed the next day in a two-horse wagon for Ohio, making the trip in two weeks, about as soon as it could be made now. They settled near Mrs. Barbara Pence's, now the Reefe farm. Adam Brandt was married to Rachel Dunlap in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, April 14, 1812, and on the day of his marriage started in a two-horse wagon for the west. They did not make the quick trip recorded of Jacob. Their trip was a tedious one. They took a farm near their brother Jacob, where they spent their lives, the farm now owned by H. M. Brandt. David Brandt, the oldest of the brothers, came to Greenfield in 1814, and settled upon 80 acres of land, on what is now the Baltimore road, the Brooks farm, six miles north of Lancaster. Besides being farmers, Adam was a shoemaker and David a saddler and school teacher. He taught school
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
in the winter season from 1815 to 1838, in both the German and English languages. He took an interest in politics, and served as a Justice of the Peace for several years.
The son Isaac inherited many of the good qualities of this old scholar and has been recognized in Iowa as a good politician and distinguished citizen for many years. He was a member of the Iowa Legislature, Deputy State Auditor and Postmaster of Des Moines. under Harrison. He has kindly sent in for this sketch an old Whig song of 1840, from which we make an extract :
"THE HERO OF TIPPECANOE."
" Ye jolly young Whigs of the nation, And all ve sick Democrats, too, Come out from amongst the foul party, And vote for old Tippecanoe."
CHORUS-
" And vote for old Tippecanoe, And vote for old Tippecanoe,
Come out from amongst the foul party, And vote for old Tippecanoe."
He sends also a brass medal or badge, with like- ness of General Harrison, which was worn by himself in 1840.
" When parties were formed David Brandt became a Whig and was a close friend of Thomas Ewing, Sr., Henry Stanbery, John M. Creed and Col. Van Trump, all of Lancaster.
In the presidential election in 1828, Fairfield County was almost unanimous for General Andrew Jackson. In Greenfield township, in which David Brandt lived and voted, there were but two votes cast for John Q.
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Adams, and they were cast by David Brandt and Ja- 'cob Graybill. When the votes were counted out the Jackson men said that the two Adams men must accom- pany them to Lancaster-they wanted to exhibit them 'as curiosities. They went and had a grand good time. General Sanderson and Thomas Ewing said they were jewels found in Greenfield township.
In 1836 the political campaign assumed a wider range. Parties had been organized. The Democratic party nominated Martin Van Buren as their candidate for president, and the Whig party nominated General William Henry Harrison. Fairfield County cast 2,906 votes for Van Buren and 1,846 votes for General Har- rison. Greenfield township nearly divided her vote between the two candidates. In 1840, the memorable political campaign in the history of our country, the Democratic party placed Martin Van Buren in nomina- tion for the second term, and the Whig party nomi- nated General William Henry Harrison for the second time and dubbed him the hero of Tippecanoe. In June, 1840, General Harrison visited Lancaster. There was a wonderful gathering of the people. It seemed as if the hills and valleys, and the highways and byways were alive with people, with coons and coonskins, buckeyes and log cabins. It was the largest gathering ever held in Lancaster up to that date. It was soon followed by a monster gathering of the Democrats, which excelled that held by the Whigs. The speakers were Governor Wilson Shannon and William Medill. In September there was a joint discussion on the polit- ical issues of the campaign between Richard M. John- son, the Democratic candidate for Vice President, Wil- liam Allen, on the Democratic side, and Thomas Cor- win and Samuel F. Vinton in behalf of the Whigs.
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
The meeting was held in the woods near the foot of Mt. Pleasant. This meeting eclipsed all other gather- ings held in the county, and the friends of each party returned to their homes satisfied that they would win the day. Fairfield County cast 3,318 votes for Van. Buren and 2,463 votes for Harrison. Greenfield town- ship, in which the Brandts were numerous, gave a small majority for General Harrison. The ticket voted at the presidential election in 1840 was only for electors. Ohio was then entitled to 21 electors. Their names. were :
WHIG TICKET, 1840.
William R. Putnam, Resin Beall, Alexander May- hew, Henry Harter, Aurora Spafford, Joshua Collett,. Abram Miley, Samuel F. Vinton, John I. Van Meter, Aquilla Toland, Perley B. Johnson, John Dukes, Otho, Brashear, James Ruguet, Christopher S. Miller, John Carey, David King, Storm Rosa, John Beatty, John Augustine, John Jamison.
This ticket in Greenfield township was voted by Da- vid Brandt, Sr., and David Brandt, second; Adam Brandt, second; Adam Brandt, third; Jacob Brandt,. Sr., and Jacob Brandt, second ; John Brandt, first ; John Brandt, second; George Brandt, Martin Brandt, Jesse- Brandt, and Henry M. Brandt, Jacob Pence, Adam Pence, Philip Pence, Joseph Pence and Henry Pence. These, with eight sons-in-law, made 21 straight votes for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too, from the Brandt fami- lies. Adam Brandt, Sr., voted for Van Buren.
David Brandt, Sr., was the father of seven sons and five daughters. David Brandt, Sr., died October 27, 1851, aged 78 years. On April 1, 1899, his children- were all dead except David Brandt, second, who lives in Eaton, Delaware County, Indiana, aged 84 years,
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and Isaac Brandt, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa, aged 72 years.
Barbara Brandt Pence was the mother of seven sons and four daughters. Barbara Brandt Pence died April 7, 1850, aged 72 years. AH her children were dead on April 1, 1899, except Henry Pence, who lives in Nodaway County, Missouri, aged 79 years.
Jacob Brandt, Sr., was the father of five sons and five daughters. Jacob Brandt, Sr., died December 15, 1849, aged 67 years. All his sons and daughters were dead on April 1, 1899, except Adam Brandt, third, who lives near Lancaster, Ohio, aged 88 years ; John Brandt, who lives in Barnes, Kansas, aged 82 years, and Jesse Brandt, who lives near Carroll, Fairfield County, Ohio, aged 80 years.
Adam Brandt, Sr., was the father of seven sons and six daughters. Adam Brandt died March 26, 1844. On April 1, 1899, all his children were dead except Henry M. Brandt, who lives near Carroll, aged 80 years, and Elizabeth Brandt Martin, aged 72 years, who lives near Carroll, Ohio.
The families of the Brandts were generally large. There were two, however, that were very large, of the second generation. Adam Brandt, second, the oldest son of David Brandt, Sr., married Rebecca Cooper, in Greenfield township, on September 10, 1821. They raised a family of seventeen children, nine sons and eight daughters.
Adam Brandt, the third, the oldest son of Jacob Brandt, Sr., married Elizabeth Rugh, on March 7, 1833. They raised a family of fifteen children, six sons and nine daughters.
The second, third and fourth generations are now living in all parts of this great country, in the east,
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
west, north and south, some in Cuba and some in the Philippines.
There are two traits of character that predominate in the Brandt families-that of Christianity and pat- riotism. Ninety-five per cent. of the Brandts and their descendants are members of Church. Ludwig Brandt, who came to America in 1745, was a member of the Dunkard Church, and also his grandsons, who came to Fairfield County in the first years of the nine- teenth century. The younger generations, however, have not remained in the faith of their fathers, for now they are members of a great many different religious denominations. Several of them are ministers and have taken high rank as evangelists and ministers of the Gospel.
Their patriotism was developed in the revolutionary war. Adam Brandt and Martin Brandt were with General Washington during America's great struggle for independence. In the war of 1812 many of the Brandts were under the command of General Wayne and General Harrison. In the Mexican war in 1846 the third generation of Brandts were with General Taylor and Scott, when they entered the halls of Montezuma.
In the war of the rebellion the name of Brandt was upon the muster rolls in ten of the northern states. They marched with Sherman to the sea and were with General Grant at the surrender of Appomattox.
In the late Spanish-Cuban war the Brandts were among the first to enlist in the war for humanity's sake. The blood of the Brandts has stained the battle fields from 1776 to 1899.
The Brandts as a general rule were farmers, me- chanics, merchants and business men. Some became
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quite noted as horticulturists, particularly in the line of having fine orchards of apples, peaches, pears and cherries. On the farm that was settled first by Jacob Brandt, in 1808, is a pear tree that is among the oldest fruit bearing trees in the state of Ohio. The main stock is a white thorn. It was grafted with pear in April, 1809, by Jacob Snyder. It has been bearing now for 85 years. It is 50 feet in height and covers an area of about 40 feet. It has yielded in one year as high as 35 bushels of pears.
Adam Brandt, second, had in 1850, one of the larg- est and best apple and cherry orchards in the county. From 1840 to 1860 a large number of the second gen- eration emigrated, going to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin. The third and fourth gen- erations are still more widely scattered; while quite a number still remain in Fairfield County, and are classed among our best citizens.
Adam Brandt, son of David Brandt, and long known by his neighbors as Boss Brandt, lived and died in Greenfield. He was born in Pennsylvania, June 24, 1800. His wife, Rebecca Ann Cooper, was born in Virginia, August 5, 1802. Her father emancipated his slaves and was forced to leave Virginia. He brought his family to Lancaster as early as 1806, and followed the business of harness maker. The young people were married September 10, 1821. To this union were born 17 children, nine sons and eight daughters, 14 of whom grew to manhood and womanhood. Six sons and three sons-in-law were in the Union army. Cap- tain O. B. Brandt, who enlisted as a private, was cap- tured and taken to Richmond, and endured for many months the horrors of Libby prison. He married Elizabeth Holmes. Henry C., Jonathan C., Isaac C.,
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
William H. and Wesley L. were the other soldiers. The soldier sons-in-law were Samuel Radebaugh, who died in the service; Samuel Apt, and S. S. Wiest. Nine good soldiers for one family is a record unap- proachable in this county or any other. At the close of the war they returned to their homes and usual occupa- tions, and are among our best and most respected citi- zens. Adam Brandt died in June, 1874, his wife hav- ing preceded him to the grave, dying in 1870. The de- scendants of the pioneer brothers are divided into many large families. The two Adams, one a son of Jacob and the other of Daniel, being the largest. A daughter Harriet, is the wife of N. S. Ebright. Of the children of Adam Brandt and his wife Elizabeth Rugh, daughter of Solomon Rugh, Jacob R. Brandt is the most widely known member, a good citizen and a pop- ular man. He reared and educated a large family of children. Mr. Brandt, besides being a good farmer, is a splendid mechanic - a famous bridge builder. He is the legitimate successor of Jonathan Coulson in that line. A few years since he was the Republican candi- date for County Commissioner, and came within 265 votes of an election. Jesse H. Brandt, of Bloom, a good man, and once a brave soldier, is a brother of a Rev. John Brandt, of St. Louis, Missouri. He, too, was a good soldier. Mrs. Madison Kemerer is a sister, with whom Adam Brandt resides, aged 88 years.
Willliam Brandt, of Basil, is a son of this Adam. James Brandt, a justice of the peace in Cincinnati, is a grandson.
The descendants of Adam Brandt, of Pennsylvania, who purchased 500 acres here in 1800, and sent out his daughter, Mrs. Jacob Pence, and his sons, Jacob, Adam
24
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and David, to subdue the forest and till the land, are more numerous than any family we can recall. They are not like the sands of the sea, too numerous to be counted, but it would be a very tedious job.
The family of Adam Brandt, second, " Boss," alone numbered 17, II of whom married and reared families. The Brandts were plain, quiet, intelligent, and indus- trious farmers, discharging every duty pertaining to good citizenship.
The word of a Brandt was always good, and their integrity beyond any question. This is a family of good old Scripture names. Their parents were famil- iar with the Bible, and they have certainly fulfilled one injunction of the Scriptures, "increase, multiply and replenish the earth."
For this sketch we have quoted largely from a man- uscript of Isaac Brandt, of Iowa, kindly furnished by him for the purpose.
COLONEL SAMUEL SPANGLER ONE OF THE GREATEST OF PIONEERS
Colonel Samuel Spangler was one of the very dis- tinguished men of Fairfield County. Distinguished for great ability, integrity and in a rare degree as a Dem- ocratic politician and legislator. From 1825 to 1850 his influence in his party was second to no man in this county. He was consulted by all of the party leaders, including Governor Medill, and in many things his wish was law, and in all things his opinions were weighty and influential.
Eight or ten years before his death the township in which he had spent his life, Perry, was cut off from this county and added to Hocking. This embittered the closing years of his life and made him unhappy, for
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Of Fairfield County, Ohio.
he loved old Fairfield, the county he so long served and helped to make famous.
Samuel Spangler was born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, March 30, 1783. His father was a farmer, and when Ohio was attracting the first settlers he sold his farm, intending to move west, but before he was ready to start his money became worthless and he abandoned the trip and apprenticed his son Samuel to a cabinet maker in Harrisburg. He was to have received three months schooling each year during his term of service. He had a hard master, and received but three months schooling during the whole term.
When twenty-one years of age he bid adieu to his parents, and with the family of George Defenbaugh emigrated to Ohio; after leaving Lancaster they cut a road through brush and timber to Perry township. This was in the year 1801. Cabinet makers were undertakers, and he was soon called upon to bury a woman on Clearcreek. There were then no saw mills in Fairfield County. He cut down a dry walnut tree, split it into puncheons, and with ax and adz dressed them down sufficient to make a rude coffin.
In 1807 he married Miss Susan Fogler of the neigh- borhood. She was born in Pennsylvania September 25, 1788. Both she and her husband were of German descent. To them were born one son who died in in- fancy, and three daughters. The daughters were : Barbara, who married Ezra Wolfe; Minerva, who married Alexander McClelland ; they settled near Adel- phi and reared seven sons and one daughter. Elizabeth married John Karshner and they settled near Adelphi. To them were born five sons and five daughters.
Up to the time of his marriage Colonel Spangler had a very poor education, but thirsting for knowledge
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he began at the foot and purchased Cobb's speller, a grammar, geography and an arithmetic. He possessed fine natural ability and soon became thorough master of these rudimentary books, and throughout his life he was a student and reader, and a thoroughly well informed man. In the first twenty-five years of his life in Ohio he had a few very intelligent neighbors, the most prominent being Dr. Ballard, of Tarlton, Joseph Shumaker and Esquire Foust. Otis Baliard, now of Toledo, sold goods in Tarlton in an early day, and speaks in high praise of Colonel Spangler at that time. He served as a justice of the peace in Perry township for twenty-one years. In 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, he was a member of the lower house ot the Ohio Legislature, and again in 1831. In 1832 he was elected a State Senator and was re-elected each year for nine years, closing his public career in 1842.
As a legislator he took part, and a prominent part, in the legislation that secured for us the Ohio Canal and our common school system. This was the most inter- esting period in the history of Ohio, and this legislation so ardently and ably supported by Spangler was the turning point in the history of Ohio. When reference is made to the real beginning of Ohio, we go back to the canals and the common schools.
At the Democratic State Convention in 1836, and again in 1838, his friends presented his name as a can- didate for Governor. One authority states that he came within two votes of securing the nomination.
He was the special friend of our benevolent insti- tutions and gave them his special care and support. During his public career he was the friend and inti- mate of such Democrats as Governor Medill, John Brough, Sam Medary and Micajah T. Williams, one
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of the fathers of the public works. In 1843 Colonel Spangler retired from public life and gave his attention to his farm and his family. About this time both he and his wife became members of the Lutheran Church, and lived consistent Christian lives. Colonel Spangler was a Christian in every sense of the word, both at home and abroad.
For the war of 1812 he raised a rifle company and served his country in two campaigns as Captain of his company. During the sickness of his Colonel he was the acting Colonel of the regiment. His service in the army was such as to receive special complimen- · tary mention by his superior officer.
Colonel Spangler was a successful farmer and busi- ness man for his day, and gave each of his children a farm, and some money was left them at his death, De- cember 13, 1863. His body was buried at the Adelphi cemetery, a few miles from his home. His wife died July 7, 1871, and was buried by his side.
Colonel Spangler was six feet, one inch in height, straight as an Indian, finely proportioned, and a man of commanding presence. He loved a fine horse and was a splendid horseman. He was a great hunter, and in the early days was very successful, killing as many as seven deer in one day, and shooting plenty of game from the windows of houses he was finishing. Samuel Spangler Wolfe has his watch, books and cane. The cane was cut on the Mt. Vernon estate, Virginia, by Governor Medill, and presented to Colonel Spangler. The men of this county, who have come down from the period in which Colonel Spangler lived, speak of him in the highest terms.
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Pioneer Period and Pioneer People
Like Dr. Williams and Dr. Hyde, he educated him- self without a teacher, and while not so great a scholar, he was great in many things, self made and self reliant.
The writer is indebted to Salem S. Wolfe for valu- able information.
Valentine Wolfe, one of the honored pioneers of Madison township, was born and raised near Fred- erick, Maryland. About the year 1814 he, with his family, emigrated to Ohio, and cast his lot in Madison township, where he raised his boys and sent them with good habits and strong constitutions out into the world.
His sons were Ezra, Salem and Isaac. James Rice, long an honored and esteemed business man of Lan- caster, was a step son. James Rice was for quite a number of years a partner of George Ring in the woolen mill business, at the foot of Broadway, Lancaster. He was also a partner of Silas Hedges for a short time in the dry goods business, and in his old age was the clerk of John Work in the tin and stove business. He was the father of William P. Rice, who died in Cali- fornia, and whom John Sherman mentions as one of his schoolmate at Howe's Academy. He is men- tioned by the Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar, who vis- ited his factory and complimented his goods in the year 1825. Ezra Wolfe married Barbara, daughter of Col- onel Samuel Spangler. He settled on a farm, two miles. south of Clearport, where he lived a prosperous, useful life, and where he reared a large family of children. His sons were Salem Spangler, Samuel V., Dr. M. F. Wolfe, of Parsons, Kansas; Charles F., of Ottawa, Kansas, and John L., of Humboldt, Kansas. Salem S. Wolfe is a very prosperous man, and a highly esteemed and respected citizen of Adelphi, Ohio. He at one time represented Hocking County in the General
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Assembly of Ohio, serving two terms. Samuel V. Wolfe, of Clearport, is one of the very successful farmers of this county. He is intelligent, a good citi- zen, a leading man of his neighborhood and of the Methodist Church. He lives in good style and dis- penses a generous hospitality. The other brothers are unknown to the writer, but it is known that they stand well in the communities in which they live.
The daughters of Ezra Wolfe were Mrs. Jacob Beck, Mrs. Charles Eversole, Mrs. Jacob Miller and Mrs. Salem Shaeffer.
Salem Wolfe was born near Frederick, Maryland, in the year 1809. He came to Ohio with his father in 1814. In the year 1830 he was married to Jane Young, a daughter of William Young, one of three brothers who were pioneers of Madison township. She was a cousin of Mrs. Isaac Strickler. He early moved to Lancaster, and served an apprenticeship to the tanning business with Pratt & Thorne. In 1849 he bought the tannery at the foot of Main street, and conducted it for a few years.
In 1853 he sold his tannery and purchased a fine farm in Madison township, to which he removed his family. He continued to live there, farming, serving as justice of the peace and township clerk, and perform- ing other duties devolving upon a good citizen, for seven years.
In 1854 he sold his farm and purchased the old home place of Judge Irvin, just south of Lancaster. To this farm he brought his family and continued to reside there until 1869, when he sold out and moved into Lancaster. Here he spent a quiet old age among old friends, and departed this life in the year 1875. His body was buried at Clearport.
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His son Ezra is a resident of Lancaster. During most of his life he has been an accomplished teacher of instrumental music. Band was his specialty.
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