USA > Ohio > Logan County > The historical review of Logan County, Ohio > Part 37
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1843, when he was but forty years of age. day on which he was twenty years of age, He had been reared in the faith of the Democracy, but during the Harrison cam- paign of 1840 he saw fit to transfer his political allegiance to the Whig party, with which he affiliated during the remain- der of his days. His wife. who bore the maiden name of Rebecca Watters, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1807, a daughter of John Wat- ters, also a native of Washington county, Pennsylvania. He was of Irish-German descent, was a farmer by occupation and died in Newport, Kentucky. His wife. Mrs. Luellyn Watters was likewise born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, and reared a large family, including Mrs. Swisher, and surviving her husband for many years, passed away in Champaign county, Ohio, at an advanced age. Mrs. Swisher was a member of the Baptist church until about four years prior to her death, when as there was no church or- ganization of her denomination in the lo- cality in which she lived, she attended and joined the Methodist church. Her death occurred in February, 1865, when she was fifty-eight years of age. By her marriage she had become the mother of nine chil- dren: John; Joseph; Henry; Richard; Mrs. Temperance Williams; Abraham; Malinda, deceased: Rebecca, who has also passed away, and one that died in infancy.
Major Swisher was not yet two years of age when taken by his parents to Cham- paign county, where upon the home farm he was reared, his primary education being there received in one of the pioneer log school-houses of that day with an in- mense fire-place. mud and stick chimney. a puncheon floor, slab seats and other primitive furnishings. In 1851, on the
he began teaching in a log school-house and through the winter months for some years he followed that profession, while in the summer seasons he carried on farm work until the call to arms after the out- break of the Civil war. This aroused his patriotic spirit and on the 15th of August, 1862, he donned his suit of blue and shoul- dered his musket as a member of Com- pany E, One Hundred and Thirteenth Regiment of Ohio Infantry. He was mus- tered in at Zanesville, this state, after which he went to Louisville, Kentucky, where he joined a division under General Gilbert, proceeding thence down the river and up the Cumberland to Nashville, Ten- nessee. Just before leaving the boat at Nashville, he was commissioned second lieut- tenant. From there he went to Franklin, Tennessee, where he was transferred to the reserve corps under General Granger and his corps became the right wing of the Army of the Cumberland commanded by General Rosecrans. At this place our sub- ject was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and made quartermaster of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Regi- ment. He participated in the Tullahoma campaign. was afterward in the campaign of Chickamauga and for two and a half years was on staff duty for Colonel John G. Mitchell, who commanded the second brigade of the reserve corps of the Army of the Cumberland during the battle of Chickamauga, in which one hundred and sixty-three men of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Regiment were killed or wounded, while the total number of the division in killed and wounded amounted to seventeen hundred. Major Swisher participated in the battle of Missionary
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Ridge just after the reorganization of the with Sherman on the celebrated march army under General Grant and sub- sequently he went on the campaign for the relief of General Burnsides at Knox- ville, acting on the staff of General Baty, and as they marched along collected sup- plies to feed six thousand soldiers.
After the relief of General Burnsides at Knoxville. Major Swisher returned to Chattanooga, where he remained in winter quarters until May. 1864, and there he was detailed as quartermaster of the Sec- ond Brigade, Second Division of the Four- teenth Army Corps of the Army of the Cumberland, while later he went on the campaign from Chattanooga to Atlanta. being under fire for one hundred days. After the fall of Atlanta our subject was commissioned captain and was sent back with the division to Florence, Alabama, to drive General Forrest out of Tennessee. During the campaign to Florence in pur- suit of the rebel general. Forrest the di- vision quartermaster being absent, Major Swisher was detailed by General Morgan. who commanded the division, to serve as division quartermaster during the cam- paign. He drew supplies as division quartermaster issued to himself as brigade quartermaster and then as brigade quar- termaster issued to himself as regimental quartermaster of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, thus making three separate reports to the quar- termaster general's department for the month of October, 1864.
Returning from that trip he met Gen- eral Sherman's army at Gaylesville, \la- bama. He then returned toward Atlanta, stopping at Kingston, Georgia, at which place the Union troops severed communi- cation with the outside world and started
to the sea, burning Atlanta. on the way. After arriving at Savannah, Major Swisher obtained leave of absence for twenty days and during that brief period rested at home from the turmoil of war. On the expiration of his furlough he rejoined Gen- eral Sherman's troops at Savannah and participated in the campaign through the Carolinas, taking part in the battles of Averysboro and Bentonville. At the last named place he was brevetted major of the United States staff department in rec- ognition of long continued merito- rious service, and after being present at the surrender of General Johnston's army he started for home, marching through Richmond and over the battle-fields of the Army of the Potomac participating in the grand review of the Union troops in Washington, D. C., where he was mus- tered out on the 14th of June, 1865, hav- ing served for two years and nine months and twenty-nine days.
When Major Swisher again reached home he took up the pursuit of farm life and was continuously connected with ag- ricultural interests until 1877, while his work as an educator was also continued until 1892. From 1877 until 1888 he was a teacher in the schools of Cable, Ohio, and then spent seven years as superintend- ent of the North Lewisburg public school. He then moved to Logan county and was for five years superintendent of the De Graff public schools. Since 1892 he has been almost continuously in public office. In his political views he is a stanch Re- publican and while living in Champaign county he served his township as assessor and justice of the peace. In 1892 he was appointed deputy treasurer of Logan
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county and in 1896 he was elected county recorder on the Republican ticket, in which office he has since served, having been re-elected in 1901.
On the 27th of May. 1862. prior to going to the war Major Swisher was mar- ried to Miss Amanda Bamberger, a native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, born in 1833. They became the parents of five children. four of whom are living : Argus B., Isolina D. V., Malinda and William B. Mrs. Swisher was an active member of the Methodist church and died in that faith on the 18th of May, 1871. after which the Major was again married, on the IIth of September. 1873. his second union being with Mrs. Henrietta Scott. a native of Lima, Ohio, born February 17, 1837. The Major and his wife are the parents of one child, Don Byron, who is now deputy re- corder of Logan county.
In his fraternal relations the Major is prominent. belonging to the Masonic or- der and to Eugene Reynolds Post, G. A. R., of Bellefontaine, of which he has served as senior vice-commander, while he had served as commander of the post at both North Lewisburg and De Graff. At the thirty-fifth a. nual encampment of the department of Ohio, held in Bellefontaine in May, 1901. he was elected senior vice department commander. receiving four hundred and nineteen votes out of a total of five hundred and seventy-four votes cast. At the next annual encampment in Lancas- ter in May, 1902. he made a valuable re- port before the organization. The Major is widely known in Logan county and is a man whose loyalty and patriotic spirit and whose fidelity to duty have ever been above question. He is genial and kindly and therefore popular with his fellow men
and the circle of his friends is an extensive one. Major Swisher still owns property in De Graff, which place he will make his residence after the close of his termi of office.
JOHN W. WIEGMAN.
John W. Wiegman, a well-known deal- er in hardware and manufacturer of stoves. tinware, roofing and spouting at DeGraff. was born near Hamburg, Germany, on the 9th of April, 1851, but was only two years and a half old when brought to America by his parents, Frederick and Dora ( Foder- berg ) Wiegman. The family landed in New York, and after spending about three weeks in the eastern metropolis proceeded to Piqua, Ohio, where the father engaged in wagon-making. that being his life work. He was born in November, 1824, and is still living. but the mother of our subject died in Lena, Ohio, in 1864, and there the father married again. After spending two years in Piqua, he removed to Tippe- canoe, where the following two years were passed, and from there went to St. Paris, and later to Millerstown. Subsequently he returned to St. Paris and from there re- moved to Lena. Miami county, Ohio, re- maining there until the close of the Civil war. In the fall of 1865 he removed to Mason county, Illinois, and was engaged in wagon-making at Topeka for a time.
Up to this time Jolin W. Wiegman had accompanied his father on his various re- movals and had attended school as oppor- tunity permitted. Then, at the age of four- teen years, he began learning the miller's trade in a country mill near Topeka, where
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he remained for a year and a half, when he returned to De Graff, and again embarked was taken ill. In the meantime his father in the hardware business in the Weller block. A few months later he admitted Mr. Hanks to a partnership, but the latter soon sold out to William Boyer, who was in busi- ness with our subject for two years and a half. They purchased the lot on which the present store now stands, paying for the same eighteen hundred dollars, and in the winter of 1887, sold a third interest in it to Benjamin Pool. The following spring they sold sixty-six feet at the north end for one thousand dollars, leaving twenty-eight feet at the northwest corner of Main and Hayes streets, on which they began the erectioni of a store building the next spring, known as the Genesee block. The firm removed their stock of hardware to this building be- fore its completion, in January, 1888, and here Mr. Wiegman has since carried on business. Mr. Boyer sold his interest in 1889 to L. A. Doane, and in March, 1897. cur subject bought out the latter, becoming sole owner. He is a very active and ener- getic business man and is meeting with well- deserved success. had removed to Havana, Illinois, where he attended school one winter, and. in the spring of 1870 began learning the tinner's trade at that place, being bound out for three years to James A. Bennett. Besides his board and washing he received seventy-five dollars the first year, one hundred dollars the second, and two hundred dollars the third year. At the end of that time he continued to work for his former employer two years, being paid from thirty-five to fifty dollars per mouth, and he managed to save about one hundred and fifty dollars. Mr. Wiegman then went to St. Louis to seek employment. but soon gave it up and returned to Havana. In 1872 he went to Chicago, where he worked until Christmas of that year. In the mean- time his father had returned to Lena. Ohio, and after visiting him for a time, our sub- ject returned to Chicago. While there he was offered a position at Menominee in the northern peninusla of Michigan, and spent two years in that place. While there he took a pleasure trip around Lake Superior. He then returned to Lena, and in the spring of 1875, his father started out to find him a good location and decided on De Graff, where they located that year. Here our subject began buriness with a small stock of tinware and stoves in a frame building, and soon afterward admitted to partnership Jacob Klupfer, who continued with him un- til 1876, but at the end of six years he con- tracted the western fever and moved to Har- vard, Clay county, Nebraska, where he bought an interest in a hardware store which was destroyed by fire the following Septem- ber. 1880. The same fall, Mr. Wiegman
On the 16th of November, 1876, in Har- (lin. Shelby county, Ohio, Mr. Wiegman was united in marriage to Miss Ella Ross, a na- tive of Champaign county, this state, and a daughter of John W. and Christina (Wambaugh ) Ross. By this union four- teen children have been born of whom twelve are still living. In order of birth they are as follows: Fred Lower, who was born in DeGraff. October 2, 1877: Edmond Steele, who was born April 7. 1879, and wedded Mary Kumler; Dora F., born in Harvard, Nebraska. September 8, 1880; William Ross, born January 8, 1884; Ar- chie Dwight, born January 9, 1886; Andrew L., born December 9, 1887; Hortense, born
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June 3, 1889; Paul W., born June 10. 1890; Ralph G., born March 30, 1892: Mary C., born May 22, 1895; Leonard M., born May 30, 1897, and Hulda C., born September 10, 1899. Edmond, Dora and Ross are all graduates of the DeGraff high school and Dwight is a member of the class of 1904. William Ross is now a student in Oberlin College. The parents and four of the chil- dren are members of the Presbyterian church.
Since casting his first presidential vote for General Grant in 1872. Mr. Wiegman has been a stalwart supporter of the Re- publican party and its principles, and has taken quite an active interest in public af- fairs, especially along educational lines. He has served on the city council in DeGraff, and was a member of the committee that had charge of putting in the electric lights. He eminently deserves classification among the purely self-made men of Logan county, who have distinguished themselves for their abil- ity to master the opposing forces of life and wrest from fate a large measure of success and an honorable name.
FREDERICK MOHR.
Frederick Mohr, deceased, was num- bered among the honored pioneers of Lo- gan county, locating here when much of this locality was wild and unimproved. In the work of development he took an act- ive part in the early days and aided in opening up the county to civilization. As the years passed he faithfully performed his duties of citizenship, and his interest in the welfare and progress of the community never abated. Becoming widely and fa-
vorably known, he made many friends, and his death was a loss to the entire county.
Mr. Mohr was probably born in Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania, February 24, 1828, a son of Frederick G. and Catharine (Rexer) Mohr, natives of Germany, where they were married and continued to re- side until after the birth of their eldest child. In 1817 they emigrated to America and settled in Pennsylvania, whence they came to Ohio, the journey being made by wagon. They first located in Dayton, where the father followed his trade, that of a tailor. for a short time, and then bought a farm of fifty-four acres eight miles north of that city, paying for the same three hundred and fifty dollars. There his first wife died in 1832, leaving six children, namely: Conrad; Catharine; John. who is still living in Union township, Logan county; Mary: Frederick; and Christopher. who moved to Iroquois county. Illinois, and died in Sheldon, that state. For his second wife the father mar- ried Sarah Purkey, by whom he had three children, David, Elizabeth and Martha. Elizabeth married Gabriel Shoemaker and lives in Bellefontaine. In 1837 Frederick G. Mohr, accompanied by his family, came to Logan county and bought two hundred acres of land in the southwestern part of Union township for ten dollars per acre. He prospered in his new home and at length became the owner of three farms, being one of the well-to-do and substan- tial citizens of his community. He was a stalwart supporter of the Democratic party and a consistent and earnest member of the German Baptist church. In March, 1862, he passed away at his home in Union township and was survived by his second wife about ten years.
FREDERICK MOHR.
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Until twenty-two years of age Fred- unquestioned fact in his history-endowed erick Molir of this review remained at by nature with a sound judgment and an accurate, discriminating mind, he feared not the laborious attention to business so necessary to achieve success. In man- ner he was pleasant and cordial, which, combined with his sterling worth, made him one of the popular citizens of his com- munity. Religiously he was a member of the Lutheran church, while Mrs. Mohr is a member of the German Baptist church. to which some of their children also be- long, and others to the Lutheran church. home and gave his father the benefit of his labors in operating the farm. He then be- gan earning his own livelihood by running a threshing machine for several years and also operated a saw-mill for some time. On the 28th of February, 1857, in Union township, he married Miss Barbara. Ded- rick, who was born in that township . April 19. 1835. Her parents, Peter and Susan- nah (Kauffman) Dedrick, were born, reared and married in Rockingham county, Virginia, which was also the birth- place of three of their children. Mrs. Mohr was the seventh child in their fam- ily of ten children.
Our subject and his wife began their domestic life in a little cabin of two rooms and a small lean-to, which was scarcely large enough to accommodate one chair. At that time Mr. Mohr owned eighty acres of land where his widow now lives. After residing in the little house for about eight years he erected the commodious two-story brick residence which was his home up to the time of his death, and which is still occupied by Mrs. Mohr. In his farming operations he steadily pros- pered, becoming one of the wealthiest men of his locality, having eleven farms in Union, Harrison and Miami townships, Logan county, and in Harrison township. Champaign county. At his death, which occurred on the 29th of October. 1901, he left to each of his children a good farm, making his widow administratrix of the estate, which was quite large. He was a very industrious, energetic and progres- sive business man and usually carried for- ward to successful completion whatever he undertook. His integrity stands as an 19
Unto Mr. and Mrs. Molir were born seven children. as follows: Delora Ann Mohr, the eldest, was born on the home farm in Union township. November 15, 1856. and was married December 24. 1872, to George Rausenberger, who con- ducted a meat market i.1 Bellefontaine and (lied there on the 15th of January, 1903. They had four children: Carrie Ada mar- ried Rev. C. A. Hackenberg and has one child, Dorothy Delora, born in Troy. Ohio. November 8, 1902: Bertha Alvina is at home with her mother; Dora May is the wife of Charles Kuert, of Bellefon- taine; and John Frederick, who was born March 5. 1885, is also at home.
Emma Jane, the second child of our subjeet, was born February 2, 1858, and died October 26. 1859.
Sarah Alice Mohr, born May 30, 1859. was married February 26, 1880, to George L. Forry and resides in DeGraff. They have three chiklren: Laren M., born in Union township, March 22, 1883, is a grad- uate of the pharmacy school at Ada, Ohio; John Loyal was born in Harrison town- ship, Champaign county. October 29, 1887, and Frederick Emerson was also
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born in Champaign county, September 2, deacon for eleven years, and in politics he 1890.
Mary M. Mohr, born January 12. 1861, was married on the 10th of February, 1881, to Lewis S. Huber, who was born in Union township, September 27, 1857, and now owns and operates a farm near Gretna. Ohio. They became the parents of three children, whose names and dates of birth are as follows: Floyd Marcellus, March 10, 1883: Ollie Frederick Wissler, March 14, 1891, and Blanche Barbara Swilkey. July 20, 1898. The oldest child was an invalid, being unable to sit up for eight years before his death, which oc- curred October 9. 1895. He was, how- ever, able to do fancy needlework and pieced more than one quilt, including a crazy quilt.
Lucy Ellen Mohr was born on the old homestead in Union township, May 28, 1862, and like the other members of the family was educated in the common schools. On the 19th of February, 1882, she gave her hand in marriage to Jacob E. Huber, who was born in Harrison township, this county, February 1. 1855. and is the third child of George Conrad and Henrietta (Swilkey) Huber. For some years after his marriage he operated a farm which he rented of his father and then bought eighty-three acres of land, on which he lived for three years. At the end of that time he removed to Shelby county, Ohio, where he purchased another eighty- acre tract and there made his home for nine years. On selling that place he rented his present farm at Gretna, which property his wife subsequently inherited from lier father in 1903. Both are mem- bers of the German Baptist Brethren church, in which Mr. Huber has served as
is a Democrat. They had five children, namely: Arie May, born in Harrison township, Logan county. May 21, 1883; Laurence Cleveland, born in the same township, November 4. 1884; George Frederick, born in Perry township, Shelby county, March 26, 1887; Herman Jacob, born in Perry township, August 23. 1891, and Zelma Lucile, who was born in Har- rison township, Logan county. April 13, 1898, and died on the 4th of the following September.
Charles Frederick Mohr, the only son of our subject, was born in Union town- ship on the 2d of February, 1858, and was reared to manhood upon the home farm. early becoming familiar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist. The education he obtained in the country schools was supplemented by a course in Nelson Business College in Springfield, Ohio. At the home of the bride in Union township, he was married February 12. 1889, to Miss Ottie May Brenner. who was born in that township May 8, 1865. and is a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Kaylor) Brenner, who are still living. Five children blessed this union: Alvin Arthur, born December 29, 1889; Flossie Fern. born March 14, 1891 ; Leslie Leon, born September 27, 1892; Stanley Her- man, who was born February, 1894. and died August 9, 1894, and Barbara Eliza- beth, born February 22. 1899. For some years Charles F. Mohr was engaged in farming at Gretna and then removed to the farm in Union township where his family now resides. He was killed on the 30th of November, 1900, by the explosion of a boiler while shredding corn at a neighbor's, and his death was widely and
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deeply mourned, for he was a man who married. In 1816 he became a resident commanded the respect and esteem of all with whom he came in contact. either in business or social life. He was laid to rest in the Philadelphia cemetery. Union township, near the spot where his child- hood and youth were passed.
Clara Susannah Mohr. the youngest child of our subject. was born September 20, 1873. and was married on the 9th of December. 1891. to James N. Cretcher. who is engaged in farming in Union town- ship. They have become the parents of two children, Freda Helen, born on the home farm. January 30. 1893. and Clifford N .. born March 8. 1901. The Mohr family is one of prominence in the community where they reside and the hospitality of the best homes are extended to them.
JACOB Y. TROYER.
Jacob Y. Troyer, who has engaged in farming in Logan county for twenty-five years, and has been a practitioner of veter- inary surgery for twenty years, was born in Wayne county. this state, on the 23d of June. 1844. His father. Jacob Troyer. was a native of Somerset county, Pennsyl- vania, and the family is of Swiss lineage. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject came to this country about 1776. being but a boy at that time. He was a native of Canton Berne. Switzerland, and on crossing the Atlantic he landed at Philadelphia, where he was bound out to a farmer in order to pay for his passage. He afterward located in Germantown, Pa., and subsequently became a resident of Somerset county. that state. where he was
of Holmes county, Ohio, where he spent his remaining days and was eventually laid to rest. He had sixteen children, all of whom reached years of maturity and became heads of families. The great- grandfather was a member of the Amish Mennonite church and his descendants have adhered to the same religious faith. Michael Troyer. the grandfather, removed from Somerset county, Pennsylvania. to Holmes county, Ohio, in 1816, and there he also resided until his demise.
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