Riley Township (part 2 of 2)

But the log cabins have mostly disappeared, and in their places stand the neat and tasteful residences of to-day, comfortably and even elegantly furnished, and barns and outbuildings, with all modern improvements. The beautiful and substantial dwelling now the home of the

Mr. Schultz was an energetic man. j Though not possessed of great physical | strength, he could never endure being ! idle. Through his efforts and economy he | prospered, though very likely his life was shortened by too vigorous exertion.

Mr. Schultz was an honest farmer, a good husband, a kind and indulgent par- | ent, and a respected citizen. In his business transactions it can safely be asserted that he never wronged any man. January 16, 1877, he passed peacefully from this life to the other, a victim of the j dread disease, consumption. He had been ill for nearly two years, but through i the entire period he manifested a cheerful ! disposition and uttered few complaints.

; He was a member of the Evangelical As- I sociation for twenty years, and bore the j reputation of being an upright and sincere j Christian. Politically he w'as a Republican, an anti-slavery man and a true lover ! of his country.

; May 12, 1829. She was the sixth child of a family of thirteen children, eight of whom are living, four sons and four daughters. Her parents came to the United States in 1836, and settled in Seneca county, New York, where they remained five and one-half years, removing to Rice township, where Mr. Longanbach died in July, 1861, in his fifty-fourth year.

To Mr. and Mrs. Schultz were born nine children, five of whom are living. Amelia Margaret was born October 7, 1850; married C. Frederick Jacobs, February 7, 1875; died August 8th, the same year. John Frederick, born December

18, 1852; died January 15, 1854. Ezra j Christian, born October 29, 1854; died i April 2, 1856. Lydia Ann, born December 23, 1856; died December 23, 1877. Mary Elizabeth, born March 6, 1859. Charles Martin, born May 12, 1861. Jesse Nelson, born February 26, 1863. Ida Elmira, born October 12, 1865. Estella Rosine, born June 24, 1869. Mrs. Schultz belongs to the Evangelical Associa- j tion. Now situated in a pleasant home j with all her surviving children about her, I she enjoys the peaceful consciousness that in all things she has striven to do, her duty to her family, her neighbors and associates. The Schultz family are well known and respected.

John Zeigler

Among the early pioneer farmers of Sandusky county was Martin Zeigler, a native of Hessen, Germany, born in the town of Griinberg on the 3d of April, 1795. His wife, Catharine E Kruder, was born in the same place on the 23d of November, - 1796. With a family of five children, in June, 1832, they took passage in a sailing vessel from Bremen, and after a stormy voyage of seventy two days arrived at Baltimore, Maryland. Here, Martin Zeigler was taken with the cholera, which was then raging in the city. He escaped with his life, but with feeble health, which for some time prevented him from taking active measures for his family's support, and consequently reducing his capital to a considerable extent. They removed to Zanesville, and remained there until 1835, when, having purchased a tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land in Riley township, four miles north- j east of Fremont, they settled themselves j permanently. A stranger had determined j upon the purchase of this land at the j same time with Mr. Zeigler. The former, !

with that intention, left Zanesville by stage, for the Government land office at Bucyrus, on the same morning that the latter started on foot on the same errand. The foot-traveler beat the stage by several hours, and accomplished his purpose before his disappointed competitor put in an appearance. Martin Zeigler was a man of great energy and perseverance, of sterling honesty and uprightness of character. He was of nervous disposition, showing this strongly in his conversation which he always carried on in a remarkably impressive, earnest and most excitable manner. He died at his home July 24, 1867.

His wife died in Fremont, February, 3, 1879. They reared a family of eight children, all of whom (with the exception of their oldest son, Henry, who was for twenty-five years one of the leading merchants in Fremont), carried on the occupation of farming.

John Zeigler, the subject of the engraving, was born at the residence of his parents, Martin and Catharine Zeigler, in Riley township, on the 1 5th of December, 1841. In 1865 he married Mary Jacobs, and lived up to the date of his death on the homestead left vacant by his father's demise in 1867. His death occurred in a violent manner on the 15th day of August, 1876. While working in the field on the morning of the last-mentioned date, he was kicked in the abdomen by a vicious horse, and died the same evening, at the age of thirty-four years, leaving a wife and four children. He was an exemplary father and husband and a model farmer. Through hard labor and ceaseless industry he had accumulated a small fortune, and had life been granted him, by the time he had reached middle age he would have been one of the wealthy farmers of that district, as he was then a representative man. Honesty, frugality, and industry are unfailing indicators of ultimate success.

Casper Hirt

Casper Hirt, a prominent farmer of J Riley township, was born the 3d day of | August, 1820, at Stilli, Canton Aargau, j Switzerland. His parents were in limited j circumstances, and had a large family, j Under such conditions Casper Hirt con- ! eluded, in the year 1848, after the strug- j gle of the Helvetic government, in which j he was personally engaged, against her re- !

offered a poor man than in his native j country. He came to Ohio, but not | pleased with his fortune yet, he started j about two years after for California. To | travel from Ohio to California on foot, I over the vast plains and deserts of the un- j settled territories was in that time no j small undertaking. Having arrived there t Mr. Hirt met with fortunate circumstances. Nevertheless he was discontented, and, being fond of travelling, the new reports of very rich gold mines in Australia led him to new adventures. But he was badly disappointed in his hopes. He turned l back to California again, but experienced a voyage over the Pacific of great privation and hardship. Gold could not deliver him from the suffering of homesick- j ness. He was longing painfully for his j native country. In May, 1854, he reached | Switzerland again, and remained at his 1 home until the fall of the same year, and then started, accompanied by a large number of emigrants, for America. After his arrival at Philadelphia he married Miss Fanny Vogt, born November 24, 1826, in Villigen, Canton Aargau, Switzerland. From Philadelphia he came to Ohio, and settled in Riley township, Sandusky county, the present residence of his family. In consequence of his industry, economy, and skill as a farmer, he made rapid progress in the accumulation of an estate. In the summer of 1878, he visited his native land for the second time. During his life he crossed the Atlantic Ocean five times;, and the Pacific twice. In politics he was a Democrat. His family consisted of eight sons and one daughter - John Henry, born August 16, 1855, died January 21, 1877; Charles, born February 2, 1857; Samuel I., born August 20, 1858; Anna Maria Eliza, born June 10, i860; Frederick Franklin, born February 18, 1862; Henry Albert, born April 20, 1864; Edward Ursinius, born April 20, 1867: Adolph, born April 24, 1869; Lewis S , born October 26, 1872.

In the long and severe winter of 1881 Mr. Casper Hirt died (February 3d), in consequence of a bad cold, which turned into a lung disease, aged sixty years and six months. By his death his family lost a tender husband and father, the township a good citizen, and his neighbors a true friend.