by J.C. Overmeyer, Columbus, Ohio
George Waggoner, fourth son and fifth child of John Sr and Elizabeth Leach Waggoner, was
born near Hagerstown, Maryland, November 30, 1795. Moved with his parents to Bedford
County, Pennsylvania, in 1797, and from there to to Perry County, Ohio, in 1803. The
subject of this sketch was but a lad, eight years of age, when they reached Perry County,
Ohio. He grew to manhood on
the frontier of civilization as it existed among the pioneer settlers of that day, inured
to hardships, penury and toil; and there developed those traits of thrift, industry,
honesty, and sacrifice for others, which were the outstanding characteristics of his long
and useful life. His educational advantages were very meager, as public schools did not
exist at that time. The only means of securing an education was by "Subscription
Schools", where the parents subscribed and paid certain amount which were used in
hiring a teacher for several months service during the winter season. In addition to these
"Subscription Schools", there was often a church or parochial school, taught by
the minister of the congregation, or some student for the ministry. Frequently the
parochial school was the only school in the community. In each of these schools much of
the instruction was given in the German language, and many of these pioneer scholars were
much more proficient in reading and writing the German language than they were the English
language.
Under these conditions George Waggoner grew to manhood, and on August 4, 1818, was united
in marriage with Margaret (Peggy) Klingler, Rev Andrew Henkel, Lutheran n\minister at
Somerset, officiating. Perry County was organized in 1818, and the record of this marriage
was one of the first recorded in the records of Perry County, Volume One, Page
Three.
Margaret Klingler Waggoner was born January 15, 1797, the daughter of Adam and Margaret E
Klingler, pioneer settlers of Perry County. Their remains are interred in the Zion
Cemetary in Thorne Township, Perry County, about three miles southeast of the village of
Thorneville. Adam Klingler was born August 30, 1759; died January 2, 1843. His wife, born
in 1754, died in 1819. Sarah Klingler married Henry Bayshore November 17, 1818. Mary
Klingler married David Bayshore November 17, 1836. No doubt Sarah was a sister to
Margaret, and mary may also have been a younger sister, as the Bayshores, both John and
Henry, settled in Sandusky Copunty about 1833 to 1836, and were neighbors of George and
Margaret Waggoner.
George Waggoner evidently purchased a small tract of land in Reading Township, Section
Nine, just west of Somerset, before their marriage, as Deed Records, Volume "A",
Page Thirty-seven, conveyed seven acres from Jacob Miller to George Waggoner, January 31,
1818. They purchased other tracts of land in Perry County from time to time, and no doubt
engaged in clearing the land and farming until the Waggoner family began to migrate to
Seneca and Sandusky Counties, where we find they began to sell their holdings in Perry
County, and from 1823 to 1830, they sold various tracts preparatory to moving to those
counties.
The first tract purchased by George Waggoner in Sandusky County was the Southeast 1/4,
Section Thirteen, Washington Township, 160 acres, which he purchased from James Graham,
July 15, 1829, while he was still a resident of Perry County, Ohio. Mr Graham was a
resident of Ross County, Ohio, and entered this quarter section from the government, April
9, 1828.
George and his family moved by wagon over the trails from Perry County to their new home
in Sandusky County in 1830, and settled on the banks of Little mud Creek, in the northwest
corner of Section Twenty-four.
The family consisted of the parents and five or six children, the oldest being about ten
years of age. They moved into a small lod cabin which stood at the south side of the pike;
opposite the brick house, the present home of Charles Waggoner, a grandson.
They resided in this log cabin for awhile and in the meantime built a larger log house and
barn on the north side of Maumee Pike, which many years later was replaced by the large
and imposing brick house and bank barn, later owned by their son, Samuel. The labor
required to erect such buildings at that time can hardly be realized today with our modern
methods and the ease with which any kind of building material can now be obtained.
The brick used in the construction of that house, like many others built during that
period, were made from clay on the banks of the Little Mud Creek by a crude form of mill
operated by a horse going around in a circle hitched to a "sweep" or lever which
turned the mill and ground or pulverized the clay, mixed it to the proper consistancy and
pressed into the "molds" holding four or six bricks each. These freshly made
bricks were set on edge on boards or racks to dry slowly, and later piled into huge piles
with arches for fireplaces beneath. These were called "kilns" and were then
fired with cord-wood through these arches, thus burning or baking the brick to the proper
degree of hardness. This required continuous firing for about a week. The brick nearest
the fire became hard-burned and were used for face brick, while the degree of hardness
diminished as the distance fron the arches and fires increased. The softer burned brick
were used for the inside walls and inside layers of outside walls or "backing
up". The stones used for foundation walls were quarried by hand with the use of bars,
wedges, picks and sledges, without even the aid of blasting powder, and was secured from
the limestone ridges which existed in various localities. The stones were drawn by horses
or oxen to the site of the building where stone-masons dressed them into proper shape and
built the foundation walls with the aid of lime-and-sand mortar; in such a lasting and
durable manner that they still attract the admiration of present generations.
The lime was procurred by burning the limestone in kilns at the limestone quarries and
drawn in bulk, often while still hot, to the building site, where it was slaked and mixed
with sand into mortar which was used in building brick and stone walls and for plastering.
The sand was secured from the river beds or creek beds in the locality, while the timber
used in the construction was native timber and selected from the best trees in the forest
which covered the "Black Swamp" with some of the most beautiful timber to be
found in the state.
Frames and joists were usually hewn from oak timber, while siding, doors and windows were
made from yellow poplar. The finishing lumber was ofter made from oak or black walnut,
while floors were constructed fron ash and hard maple. The writer distinctly recalls that
a log house on his farther's farm contained doors of standard size which in each case
would be constructed of a single board of poplar, without a joint or knot in any of the
doors. The upper or second floor was also made of the same wide poplar boards which had
been sawed with a "whip-saw", as a saw with an up-and-down motion was called,
and were all dressed and grooved or "matched" by hand.
Circular saws of sufficient diameter to saw logs of such large diameter were unknown, and
sawmills were usually operated by water power and located along creeks or rivers. The
steam sawmill or portable mill of today was not known or dreamed of at that time. Larger
frame barns and permanently built brick houses were characteristic of the Wagner,
Waggoner, Wagoner families, from about 1860 to 1890. This can easily be observed today by
a casual trip through the community where they resided.
George Waggoner, the subject of this sketch, was no exception to this general rule and
many of his daughters and their husbands, as well as their grandchildren, built fine,
substantial buildings and owned well-improved farms stocked with fine horses and cattle.
He had the distinction, during his lifetime, of being the most extensive land and real
estate owner of any member of the Waggoner family, and the extent of his holdings was
rarely exceeded by any one person in his community during a period of years. The tax
duplicate credits him with owning 658 acres in Sections 13, 14, 16, and 24, in Washington
Township alone, and in subsequent years he acquired more land in Sandusky County, as well
as considerable real estate in Toledo and Lucas County.
Many incidents are related by his descendants telling of his thrift, industry, and
endurance. Before the days of steam, electricity, and motor vehicles, when travel by
wagons and even on horseback through the "Black Swamp" was almost impossible, he
would walk from his home to Toledo, a
distance of thirty miles, transact the necessary business in the rent and repairs on his
property there, and walk back home the same day. Later when the L.S. & M.S. R.R. began
to operate trains between Norwalk and Toledo, he would walk to Lindsey, and sometimes
Elmore, then travel by train the balance of the distance.
He was punctual and dependable in meeting his obligations and expected the same
cooperation from those whit whom he had business transactions. In 1861 he sold his
"Home Farm" and much of the adjoining land to his son Samuel, who resided with
his parents in Section Twenty-four, Washington Township, and after the death of his wife
in 1865, he disposed of additional property from time to time which in many cases passed
to his children and grandchildren.
After forty-seven years of married life and rearing a large family to maturity in the
forests of the "Black Swamp"; Margaret, his wife, was taken by the hand of death
August 15, 1865, at the age of sixty-five years.
George Waggoner, the husband, continued to reside on the "Home Farm", living
with his son Samuel and family more than twenty-six years aftewr the death of his wife. He
died Monday morning, December 28, 1891, aged 96 years and 28 days.Funeral services were
held at the Reformed Church, Four Mile House. His remains were interred by the side of
those of his wife and several of their children in the Four-Mile Cemetary. His sister,
Nancy, whom he had assisted in many ways since the death of her husband, preceeded him in
death just six months. At the time of his death, his brother Solomon, living at Rochester,
Indiana, was the only child of John Waggoner Sr, of Revolutionary fame, that was left, and
he passed away about eighteen months later. Thus with the passing of George Waggoner,
Sandusky County lost one of it's rugged, thrifty, active pioneers, who was one of the
first generation to locate in the fever-and-ague infested region known as the "Black
Swamp". He was among the last of that generation of pioneers who have long since
passed from this earthly scene of action and who did so much to make that community a fit
place in which to live and one of the most prosperous and productive in the state of Ohio
today. He was never known to have his picture or "likeness" made and could not
be persuaded by his descendants in later years to yield to their wishes and procure a
photograph of himself, so future generations will be deprived of that treasure. However,
the work he accomplished and the influence he exerted during a long and useful life still
endures, and will, no doubt, be a cherished memory and vitalizing force on present and
future generations for years to come.
George and Margaret Klingler Waggoner were the parents of eleven children, four sons and
seven daughters as follows:
by Ruth Shreffler Woland, Cleveland, Ohio
Margaret Elizabeth Waggoner, born December 17, 1818; died June 3, 1856, at Kankakee,
Illinois. Buried in Limestone Cemetary, eleven miles east of Kankakee. Married Aaron
Shreffler, 1845, son of Peter and Regina Sprague Shreffler. Born 1817; died 1903, at Alma,
Illinois. Graves marked. Their children are: Melvina Shreffler "Jolley", 1845 to
1922; George Washington Shreffler, 1847 to 1941; Regina Shreffler "Druitt", 1849
to 1922; and Alonzo Aaron Shreffler, 1856 to 1857.
by Nancy M Bigelow, R.R. 7, Toledo, Ohio
Nancy Waggoner, second child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born March
17, 1819; died March 13, 1897. Buried in Forest Cemetary, Toledo, Ohio. Married, September
27, 1840, to David B Walker, born December 6, 1814; died October 7, 1891. Buried in
State-Line Cemetary, Toledo, Ohio. Parents of twelve children: George Walker, 1841 to
1877; Margaret A Walker "Overmeyer", 1843 to 1931; Sarah E Walker
"Knight", 1844 to ?; Mary J Walker, 1848 to 1884; Caroline Walker
"Hughes", 1850 to 1939; Charlotta Walker "Hahn", 1852; John B Walker,
1854 to 1854; Israel Walker, 1855 to 1924; Willie G Walker, 1857 to 1938; Nancy M Walker
"Bigelow", 1860; David H Walker, 1862 to 1936; and James Walker, 1861 to
1918.
by Ruth Shreffler Woland, Cleveland, Ohio
John Waggoner, third child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born in Perry
County, Ohio, December 15, 1821; came with his parents to Sandusky County, Ohio, in 1830,
at the age of nine years. He was born to pioneer conditions and surroundings and knew
naught else. He was married and the father of two children, a son and a daughter. The date
of his marriage, as well as the names of the woman he married, are not known by the
members of the family. Neither are the dates of the birth of his children, nor their names
known.
After the death and burial of John Waggoner, which occurred march 23, 1864, his widow and
their two children left Sandusky County, Ohio, for some point in the east to make their
home. Since their leaving Ohio, absolutely nothing is known concerning them.The body of
John Waggoner is interred by the side of his father in the Four-Mile House Cemetary, near
Fremont, Ohio. A suitable gravestone marks his last resting place. He served as a soldier
in the Civil War. The record of that service is not given.
by Ruth Shreffler Woland, Cleveland, Ohio
Mary (Polly) Waggoner, fourth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born
in 1823, and died in 1843. On August 27, 1842, was united in marriage with Watterman
Coffin at Fremont, Ohio. The place of her burial is not known. Mary (Polly), as she was
known by her family, left no issue.
by Mrs Mary Waggoner-Reid Gainer, Fremont, Ohio Mrs Ruth Shreffler
Woland, Cleveland, Ohio Mrs Grace Roush, Lindsey, Ohio
Abigail Waggoner, fifth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born
December 6, 1825, in Perry County, Ohio; died December 22, 1890 at Lindsey, Ohio. Buried
in Four-Mile Cemetary. On March 25, 1845, united in marriage with William Overmyer, born
June 6, 1821, in Union County, Pennsylvania. Parents of five children: Homer Overmeyer,
1846; Caroline Overmeyer "Boyer", 1847; Orange Overmeyer, 1850 to 1913; Margaret
Overmeyer "Cochran", 1853 to 1926; and Alma Overmeyer "Benner",
1859.
by Ruth Shreffler Woland, Cleveland, Ohio
Samuel Waggoner, sixth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born
December 12, 1827, in Perry County, Ohio. Married Sarah Miller, February 18, 1851, John
Berry, J.P., officiating. Sarah was born August 28, 1831; died January 4, 1904. Samuel
died January 24, 1914. Both are buried in Four-Mile Cemetary. Graves marked. Children are:
George Homer Waggoner, 1851 to 1931; Charlotte Waggoner, died in infancy; Clara Waggoner
"Bolen", 1857; Eugene Waggoner; Henry Waggoner, 1862 to 1920; Melvina Waggoner
"Keefer", 1865 to 1938; Charles Waggoner, 1868; Hattie Waggoner
"Wolf", 1870; and Milan Waggoner, 1874.
Margaret Waggoner, seventh child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born
January 22, 1830; the same year coming with her parents to Sandusky County, Ohio. On
January 2, 1848, united in marriage with Philip A Overmeyer, born in Union County,
Pernnsylvania, December 19, 1823; died January 22, 1897. Buried in Oakwood Cemetary,
Fremont, Ohio. Grave marked.
Margaret died February 12, 1865. Buried at Lindsey, Ohio. Grave marked. Parents of eight
children: Catharine Overmyer, 1848 to 1849; Mary Etta Overmyer "Auxter", 1850 to
1936; Newton W Overmyer, 1852; Jacob M Overmyer, 1854; Isadore B Overmyer, 1856; Abraham H
Overmyer, 1858 to 1931; Abigail Overmyer "Kalb", 1863; and William Sherman
Overmyer, 1864 to 1865.
by Mrs Mary Waggoner-Reid Gainer, Fremont, Ohio
Catharine Charlotte Waggoner, eighth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner,
was born September 22, 1833; died April 12, 1881. Buried in Four-Mile Cemetary, near
Fremont, Ohio. Grave marked. On October 13, 1853, married David Grant, John Berry, J.P.,
officiating. Parents of two daughters: Margaret Grant "Reed", 1855; and Hattie
Grant "Atkinson", 1857 to 1923.
by Mrs Mary Waggoner-Reid Gainer, Fremont, Ohio
Homer Waggoner, ninth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was born January
16, 1835. Baptized, July 12, 1835. Died in infancy. Buried in Four-Mile Cemetary, near
Fremont, Ohio.
by Mrs Mary Waggoner-Reid Gainer, Fremont, Ohio
George Washington Waggoner, tenth child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler Waggoner, was
born July 4, 1837. Baptized February 28, 1838. Died in childhood. Buried in Four-Mile
Cemetary, near Fremont, Ohio.
by Mrs Mary Waggoner-Reid Gainer, Fremont, Ohio
Caroline Waggoner, eleventh and youngest child of George Sr and Margaret Klingler
Waggoner, was born in Sandusky County, Ohio, June 27, 1839. On November 29, 1855, united
in marriage with Michael Thierwechter, son of Samuel and Mary Groh Thierwechter; Rev Henry
Lang officiating. Michael D was born june 5, 1831; died in 1890, at fifty-nine years of
age. Caroline, his wife, died December 7, 1930. Both are buried in Oak Harbor Cemetary.
Graves are marked. Parents of four children: Alice Thierwechter "Miller", 1856
to 1931; Abraham Dervin Thierwechter, 1858 to 1901; Emery Thierwechter, 1860 to 1928; and
George Thierwechter, 1862 to 1935.