The Heffner Families of Pickaway County, Ohio

DANIEL L. HEFFNER, assessor of Salt Creek township, a popular citizen and a successful agriculturist, resides on the Circleville and Adelphi turnpike, along which he owns a farm of 145 acres of well-tilled land. Mr. Heffner was born in Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, June 19, 1853, and is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Holler) Heffner.

The Heffner family is of German descent and many of the name are substantial farmers ami good citizens of Pennsylvania, whence came Abraham Heffner, the grandfather of Daniel L., to Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, at a very early day. Here he reared his family.

Samuel Heffner was born in Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, in which township he passed his whole life, dying November 1, 1895. He married Elizabeth Holler, who survived him just one year. He was a prominent and useful citizen of Salt Creek township, a quiet, industrious, law-abiding man, who supported schools and churches and did his full duty in every relation of life. He served as trustee of his township but was not willing to accept other offices. He was a worthy member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Whisler. In politics he was a Democrat. His three surviving children are: Jacob H., Daniel L. and Wilson, all of Salt Creek township.

Daniel L. Heffner was reared and educated in his native township and received excellent agricultural training on the home farm. His main business in life has been the development and improvement of his land and he is justly numbered with the leading agriculturists of his section of Pickaway County.

On February 5, 1873, Mr. Heffner was united in marriage with Sarah A. Reichelderfer, who was born May 27, 1855, in Salt Creek township. Pickaway County, Ohio, and is a (laughter of Samuel and Sarah Reichelderfer, the former of whom was born in Salt Creek township and the latter in Pennsylvania. Her paternal grandfather, Henry Reichelderfer, was one of the earliest settlers in Salt Creek township and the family has always been one of prominence and substance here. Of the children of Samuel Reichelderfer and wife, four survive, namely: Ira, of Salt Creek township; James, of Circleville; Sarah A., wife of Daniel L. Heffner; and Francis, of Amanda, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Heffner have one son, George W., a practicing physician at Circleville. He is a graduate of Starling Medical College at Columbus. Dr. Heffner is meeting with success in his profession. Prior to entering upon the study of medicine, he taught school and is well known over a large part of the county. Mr. and Mrs. Heffner had two other sons, George and Lafayette, both of whom are deceased.

In Mr. Heffner the Democratic party in Pickaway County has an influential factor. He is now serving his third term as assessor of Salt Creek township and formerly served one term as land appraiser and several terms as township trustee, during a portion of which period he was president of the board. In 1905 Mr. Heffner’s party prominence was recognized signally by his being sent as a delegate to the Ohio State Democratic convention from Pickaway County. ‘Both Mr. Heffner and wife are members of the Evangelical Association, Pleasant View Church.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

FAYETTE HEFFNER, deceased, was a well-known and most highly respected citizen of Salt Creek township, where he was born May 2, 1855, and died October 27. 1897. His parents were Samuel and Elizabeth (Holler) Heffner. Extended mention of this prominent I old family of this county will be found in another part of this work.

Lafayette Heffner attended the district schools through his boyhood and into youth, until farm work claimed all his time. He grew up a thorough farmer, well acquainted with all the details which make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful agriculturist. He was industrious and possessed excellent business judgment. His estate consisted of a farm of 135 acres, all of which he placed under an excellent state of cultivation. Pie also owned excellent stock and had his farm equipped with good buildings and the best of farm machinery.

On February 11, 1886, Mr. Heffner was married to Laura Ivarshner, who was born in Hocking County, Ohio, and is a daughter of Daniel and Priizabeth (Wiggins) Ivarshner. who still reside in Hocking County. Mr. and Mrs. Pleffner had two sons born to them, Clarence and Earl. They, with their estimable mother, have suffered a great loss in the death of the husband and father. In the former relation he was kind and careful, affectionate and thoughtful, and in the latter he was all that a devoted parent could be.

In his neighborhood and township, Mr. Pleffner was most highly thought of. He was chosen school director of District No. 5, because his fellow-citizens knew that he would give close attention to the duties of the office and he was seldom absent from the appointed meetings and did much to make his district school a credit to the locality. Mr. Heffner was a worthy member of the Evangelical Association. as is his widow, and both heartily seconded the benevolent work suggested and followed out by their pastor. The family is very well known and regret was universal that Salt Creek township should lose so excellent a citizen as was the late Lafayette Pleffner.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

GORGE W. HEFFNER, M. D., physician and surgeon at Circleville, is a native of this great State, born in 1871, in Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, and is a son of the well-known Daniel E. Heffner, of Salt Creek township. whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work.

Probably no family in Pickaway County commands a higher degree of respect than does the old pioneer family of Heffner. It was established here by Abraham Heffner, the paternal great-grandfather of Dr. Heffner, who crossed the mountains of Pennsylvania, and settled in what were then the deep forests of Salt Creek township, Pickaway County, Ohio, choosing land, as did most of the first settlers, along a water-course. Here Samuel Heffner was born and lived all his life, dying on November 1, 1895. Here Daniel L. Heffner, father of Dr. Heffner, was born June 19, 1853. He became one of the county's large agriculturists.

George W. Heffner was reared on his father's farm and after completing the common-school course in his native county spent one year at Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware. He then began the study of medicine and also commenced teaching district school and in the course of nine months was prepared to enter Starling Medical College at Columbus, where he was graduated in 1895. The next year was spent as house physician at St. Francis Hospital, after which he located in Circleville and opened an office for the practice of his profession.

In 1899 Dr. Heffner erected a substantial building on East Main street and here he has his office and a private hospital for the treatment of patients requiring special methods. His apartments are thoroughly equipped and his treatments are along modern, scientific methods, including the use of an X-Ray machine. He is one of the enthusiasts of his profession and keeps posted concerning all the advancement made therein. He belongs to the Columbus Academy of Medicine, the Ohio State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.

In 1897 Dr. Heffner was married to Belle M. Walling, who is a daughter of Hon. A. T. Walling, formerly member of Congress.

Dr. Heffner shows his interest in civic matters by serving on the Board of Education of the city and as secretary of the Library Board. Fraternally he is a Mason.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

NRY R. HEFFNER, of the Heffner Milling Company, at Circleville, has been a resident of this city since 1868. He was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, in 1834, and is a son of Henry

The father of Mr. Heffner was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and came to

Fairfield County, Ohio, in young manhood. He operated a sawmill and became the possessor of a pioneer farm.

Henry R. Heffner was reared in Fairfield County and attended the little log schoolhouse in the neighborhood of his father’s farm and mill. In 1868 he came to what was then the village of Circleville and carried on a large grocery business here for some two years and then became interested in a grain and milling business. He purchased a corn and flour mill at Brooklyn, New York, and bought grain at Circleville and shipped it to Brooklyn for grinding. After operating the Brooklyn mill for some three years, partly as owner and partly as lessee, with his brother William he erected another mill, which was subsequently burned. In 1897 and 1898 Mr. Heffner, together with his brother William and Harvey S. Heffner and William F. Heffner, built the present substantial com mill, which has a capacity of 1,500 barrels of meal per day and 100 tons of feed. The company makes a great quantity of export meal, the main brands being “Sagamore” and “Dixie.”

In addition to his large mill interests, Mr. Heffner owns other property and considerable real estate, his fine residence at the comer of Pickaway and Watt streets having been erected at a cost of about $12,000.

In 1856 Mr. Heffner was married to Sarah A. Brobst, who was born in Pickaway County, Ohio,and is a daughter of Daniel Brobst, one of the early settlers of the county. The eight children of this marriage have all passed away. Mr. and Mrs. Heffner are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, in which Mr. Heffner has been an officer for a half century. Mr. Heffner is one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Circleville.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.