The Belt Family

Robert Belt in Biographical Record of Union County, Ohio

The full biographical sketch as printed, transcribed from the public-domain book. Spelling and wording are the original author’s; a few scanning errors may remain.

ROBERT BELT, farmer, P. 0. Marysville, was born near xMewark, Ohio, June 15, 1822. His parents, Benjamin and Rachel Crouch, were natives of Maryland and Pennsylvania respect- ively. They had nine children, of whom four are living: Leiha A. (wife of Samuel Park), Ella (wife of Asa Park), Robert and Wesley. Robert was reared on the homestead in Licking County and occupied it till 1846. In April, 1864, he came to Union County and bought 146 acres, his present farm. He was married in 1844 to Mary Park, a daughter of John and Margaret Park. She bore him ten children of whom five are living, viz.: Gilbert, George, Frank, Lucy and Ella. Alvin died October 22, 1846, Benjamin died October 21, 1864, Henry, December 1, 1864, and Isabell December 14, 1864. Mrs. Belt departed this life January 5, 1865, of typhoid fe-^er. The three children, Benjamin, Henry and Isabell, who preceded her but a few days, died from the same fever. Mr. Belt was again married, January 29, 1866, to .Mrs. Mary C. Wells, widow of Joseph Wells, and daughter of Ezekiel and Sarah Cunningham. Mrs. Belt was born in Lick- ing County September 2, 1832. She had two children by her first husband ; one (Sarah E.) is living, now wife of Henry N. Amriue. Mr. Belt has cleared and well improved his farm which was covered with woods when he located on it in 1864. He has been a successful farmer; of late years he has devoted especial attention to rearing fine sheep. He and his wife are members of the M. E. Church of Marysville. He is associated with the Masonic fraternity, and in politics is a supporter of Republican principles and doctrines. He owns a farm of 148 acres, with good improvements, located near Marysville.

TOBIAS BIGLER (or Beighler), was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1805. He is a son of George and Elizabeth (Lookenbill) Beighler, who were natives of Pennsylvania. The original name was spelled Beighler, but wjas subsequently changed to Bigler and since to Beightler. The name is of German origin, the grandfather of our subject having emigrated from Germany to the United States prior to the American Revolution. Tobias, the subject of this sketch, is the second son and fifth child of a. family of eight children, of whom two are living, viz.: George, Elizabeth, Solomon, Rebecca, Sophia, Tobias, Sallie and Enoch. When our sub- ject was four years of age, his parents removed to Licking County, Ohio, and the following j ear to Fairfield County, where he spent his boyhood and early manhood. He worked by the montli at the small salary of $7 till he came to this county in the latter part of 1825. He "squatted " on land owned by James Dines for a short time then purchased one hundred acres of woodland for which he paid $450. He cleared the site for his house. His dwelling place for several years was in the solitude of nature's wild dominion which was the habitation of the deer, wolf and bear. Mr. Bigler began the work of clearing and improving his farm and making additions to his original purchase till his farm now contains 225 acres ; of this 215 acres are well-improved

and under a high state of cultivation. Mr. Bigler was married January, 1827, to Miss Sarah Aairine, a daughter of John and Ornzie Amrine, and a native of Pennsylvania. Twelve children were the fruits of this union ; of these eight are living, viz.: Samuel, Mary A., Andrew, John, Eliza, Daniel, Harrison and James M.; Abraham, Lewis, Solomon and George are deceased. Mrs. Bigler died March 25, 1862, and June 5, 1862, Mr. B. celebrated his second marriage with Nancy Burrows, daughter of Jeremiah and Mary A. Burrows. Of two children by this marriage one (Wilson H.) is living. Nancy is deceased. Mr. Bigler is one of the sturdy old pioneers of Union County ; he located within its limits when an almost unbroken forest, with no capital save his energy, whicti he diligently displayed in hewing down the monarchs of the forests and clear- ing up his farm. The broad acres with all their wealth of soil and improvements are tlie fruits of his years of arduous toil and industry. He is now bordering on the seventy-eighth year of his age, but is in possesj<ion of strong mental powers and a good physical condition.

Source: Biographical Record of Union County, Ohio. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.