The Mundhenk Families of Montgomery County, Ohio

DANIEL MUNDHENK (deceased), born in Philadelphia January 18, 1814, is a son of Daniel and Anna Maria Mundhenk, whose history is given in sketch of Charles Mundhenk in this work. Daniel (deceased) came to this county with his father and grew to maturity, injured to the hardships of pioneer life. Was married November 27, 1834, to Mary, daughter of Joshua and Lucy Mills, whose history appears in sketch of George M. Mills in this work; by this union they had eleven children; six now survive— Mary Ann, Rebecca, Eleanor, Daniel, Perry and Charles H. Mr. Mundhenk died October 9, 1875. He was a quiet, unassuming man, who attended closely to his own business; a man of strict integrity; a kind husband and father, providing well for his family; living honored and respected by all who knew him, and died mourned by a large circle of friends, and regretted by a confiding people. He and wife were members of the United Brethren Church to which they belonged for forty years. His widow is still living on a part of the home farm, where she has a good brick house constituting a fine home and residence.

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

HENRY MUNDHENK, retired, Brookville, was born in Lancaster County, Penn, April 17, 1816, and is a son of David and Anna Maria Mundhenk, whose history is fully given in Perry Township. Our subject came with his parents to this county, and here grew to manhood, receiving a fair education in the schools of his township. He was married May 22, 1851, to Mary Ann Read, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, January 18, 1829, and a daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Read, natives of New Jersey. Her father was born in 1801, and came to this county about 1826, where he lived many years, and was universally respected. He finally moved to Iowa, where he pory chased a large tract of land, with the intention of settling all his children upon it, and there died several years ago. To Henry and Mary Ann Mundhenk have been born three children, viz.: Josephine, the wife of William Beardsheare, who is President of the Western College, Iowa; Sarah A., deceased; and Charlie L., who is a student at the Western College. Mr. Mundhenk has followed milling nearly all his life, and has been one of the successful men of Perry Township, but is now retired from active business, living in Brookville, on the fruits of his early industry. Politically, he is a Repub I;1 lican, and he and wife are members of the United Brethren Church. They are modest, unassuming people, and benevolent, kind neighbors, who are ever ready to assist the poor and needy, as well as to give their means in helping along every worthy enterprise. Intelligent, well read, and courteous, they are respected by all who know them.

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

FREDERICK MUNDHENK, farmer, P. 0. Pyrmont, a native of this county, born July 4, 1818, is a son of Daniel and Anna Maria Mundhenk. whose history appears in a sketch of Charles Mundhenk, in this work. Mr. Mundhenk remained with his father till twenty-six years of age. He was married, November 30, 1843, to Catharine, daughter of John Hook, a native of Virginia, who became a resident of Montgomery County about 1830 to 1832. By this union they had five children, three of whom survive — James, William, and Minnie Etta — and two deceased, Mary Elizabeth and Luella. His wife died June 4, 1870. On June 6, 1872, was celebrated his marriage with Martha, daughter of Charles and Catharine (Share) Fiet, he a native of Germany and she of Pennsylvania. Mr. Fiet emigrated to America in 1805, locating in Pennsylvania, where he was married and resided till 1823, when he removed to Ohio, locating in Warren County, where he resided two years; thence to Preble County, and resided one year; thence into Montgomery County, where he resided till his death, which occurred January 16, 1850. They were parents of ten children, five of whom now survive — Mary, Catharine, Barbara, Martha and Emma. His widow is still living, and is now making her home with her daughter, Mrs. F. Mundhenk. Mr. Mundhenk by his second wife has one child, Frederick. Mr. Mundhenk’s entire life has been spent in this county, and in the immediate vicinity of Pyrmont. He has been an active and industrious man, and, like his father before him, has done much for the interests and benefit of his community. He ran a steam saw-mill for twenty-seven years, seventeen years of which was on the mill built by his father, and was the first saw-mill built in Perry Township. He and his brothers, Augustus and Henry, built the first grist mill and the only one ever erected in Perry Township, which mill they ran about sixteen years, when they sold it, and it was removed to Baltimore, on the border of Parke County. Since that time Mr. Mundhenk has lived retired from all active business. We feel justified in saying that his life has been one of activity, honor and usefulness, which can detract nothing from, but rather add further laurels to the history of the Mundhenk family.

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

JOHN MUNDHENK, farmer, P. 0. Pyrmont, born in this county and township October 14, 1820, is a son of Daniel and Anna Maria Mundhenk, whose history appears in a sketch of Charles Mundhenk in this work. Our subject maintained his home with his father till twenty-seven years of age. He was married in 1847 (the exact date being lost through fire) to Mary, daughter of John and Margaret (May) Levingston, natives of Virginia, by whom he had one child, Samantha, now Mrs. Joseph Shaffer. With her he only lived about two years, when the reaper, Death, took her away. On May 10, 1855. was celebrated his second marriage, with Mary Jane, daughter of William and Martha Sodders, he a native of Pennsylvania, and she of Warren County, Ohio, by whom he has had five children — Ida M., Clarence J., Cora, Howard, and Charles. Mr. Mundhenk, after his marriage, located in Pyrmont, where he entered upon mercantile trade in partnership with George Beid, and about one year after they were burned out, losing their entire stock, when Mr. Mundhenk found himself $1,600 in debt. But their creditors requested them to go on with business again, and they would furnish \ them with goods. They did so, and continued about eight or nine years, when Mr. Mundhenk, having paid up his indebtedness, bought out his partner, Mr. Reid, and [ continued the business about three years. He then sold out, and entered upon farming, purchasing the place where he now lives, being a part of the old Mundhenk farm, and here he has since resided. Mr. Mundhenk is a man who has held the confidence of his community. He has been Township Clerk eight years, and a Justice of the Peace six years. Politically, Mr. Mundhenk is a stanch Republican.

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

CHARLES MUNDHENK, farmer, P. O. Pyrmont, a native of Montgomery County, born October 7, 1832, is a son of Daniel and Anna Maria (Hagerman) Mundhenk; natives of Germany. Daniel was born at Pyrmont. Germany, December 28, 1777. He lived with his father till he grew to manhood, and at about twenty years of age, being of an enterprising spirit, he gained the idea that there might be better country for a poor man than that in which he was raised, and he went to Hamburg, and from there, after a residence of over a year, he shipped on board a whaling vessel, and on his voyage reached Greenland; returned to Hamburg, and finally arrived home to his parents in September, 1800. Was married, in 1803, to Sophia Louisa Sprengel, a native of Holzhausen, by whom he had five children, all now deceased. In 1807, Mr. Mundhenk, with his family and brother Henry, his sister Dorothy, and his uncle, Christian Heydon, after a journey of twenty-eight days, through Prussia and Holland, arrived at Texel, and shipped on board the vessel “ William P. Johnson,” under Capt. Moses Wells, bound for America, and set sail August 22, 1807. After an extremely stormy voyage, during which more than once they gave themselves up as lost and resigned themselves to the care of a merciful God, they arrived safely upon the American coast, and on the 2d of December of the above year landed at Philadelphia Here he lived till September 9, 1808, when he went with his family to New York,; thence to Hartford, Conn., where he entered upon farming, remaining only one or two years; returned to Philadelphia, and here, on November 11, 1811, was called to mourn the death of his beloved wife. On July 30, 1812, he married Anna Maria Hagerman, by whom he had eight children; four now survive — Henry, Frederick, John and Charles. From Philadelphia, about 1815, he removed to Lancaster County, Penn., and early in 1817 came to Ohio, and shortly after located in Montgomery County. Here he: became a pioneer in Perry Township, entering one-fourth section of land, entered upon the arduous task of clearing up the land from its primeval growth of forest timber to make a farm and a home. He toiled on from year to year, and in a short time became owner of more land, and finally became possessor of 600 acres, embracing the very ground upon which the village of Pyrmont now stands. He laid out the town, gave it its name after the name of his native place in Germany, and in honor and memory of which stands engraved upon his tombstone his name as proprietor of Pyrmont. On July 4, 1835, he was called to mourn the death of his second wife. On August 3, 1841, he married Mrs. Margaret Hubler, by whom he had one child, Caroline. He died in March, 1859, honored and beloved by a large circle of friends, and by all who knew him — a man of undaunted integrity — one who had seen the rough side and endured the many trials and hardships of pioneer life, having seen this country in its wildest state; but through his and others’ sturdy strokes lived to see the forests disappear, and having fields of grain to take their place; the rude and primitive log-cabin and schoolhouses supplanted by fine frame and brick houses, and the comforts and conveniences which labor and wealth are sure to bring to prevail. His life was one of success and usefulness; having the unbounded confidence of the people, he was elected to and served in nearly all the offices of his township. A man of great heart, kind, and given to ail just and benevolent purposes, truly public spirited, always first and foremost in all public enterprises; and in his death his family lost a kind father and husband, and the public a great benefactor. Our subject, the youngest son of his father, remained with him till after his majority, was married, November 23, 1854, to Rachel, daughter of George and Rachel Ivens, natives of New Jersey, but who became early settlers of this county, probably locating here about 1825. Rachel was born November 19, 1835, in this county and township. By this union they have had five children; four now survive — Elizabeth F., Carrie, Mary and Berdie. Mattie, the second child, died April 11, 1874, nearly sixteen years of age, just budding into womanhood. Mr. Mundhenk has always remained upon the old home place; has a beautiful home, with good buildings and improvements, and all the conveniences, constituting a pleasant home and residence, and which are doubly endeared to him by the fond recollections of his childhood, and the many works in sight the handiwork of his noble father. Mr. Mundhenk, though holding no offices of public trust, is such from choice, having refused repeatedly to accept them, which have often been pressed upon him by a confiding people, as he is a man of good literary attainments, great moral worth and undoubted integrity. This brief sketch is of a family whose life’s labors form such a part of the history of this township, and are held in such high esteem by all who know them, that we feel we have been incompetent in the space we have to devote to this subject to do them the justice they deserve; but trust we have so far portrayed the general character of their useful lives as to carry their memory down to future generations, who shall cherish and honor them long after their forms shall lay ruddering in the dust.

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

WILLIAM SCHUEY MUNDHENK, M. D.

Dr. William Schuey Mundhenk, a prominent and successful physician of Brookville, is associated in practice with his son, Llerbert Conner Mundhenk, under the style of Drs. W. S. & LI. C. Mundhenk. His birth occurred in Pyrmont, Montgomery county, Ohio, on the 19th of August, 1851. The paternal grandfather, Daniel G. Mundhenk, who was born in Germany in 1777, wedded Miss Louisa Sprangel in 1803. On the 7th of July, 1807, he set sail for the new world in the ship “William P. Johnson," arriving at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the 2d of December of the same year. When a young man he was a sailor in service upon whaling vessels and visited the Arctic ocean and Greenland. After retiring from a seafaring life he became a farmer and a mechanic. By his first wife, who died shortly after reaching Philadelphia, Mr. Mundhenk had two children, August and Louisa. For his second wife he married Maria Hagerman, by whom he had eight children, as follows: Daniel, Henry, Mary A., Michael Joseph, Charles, Frederick and John. Daniel G. Mundhenk settled in Montgomery county in 1817 and founded the town of Pyrmont, laying it out on his own land, of which he had from five to six hundred acres. Upon this farm his second wife died, and for his third wife he married Margaret Hubler, by whom he had one child, Caroline. He was engaged in both farming and milling in Pyrmont, erecting both saw and grist mills early in the history of Montgomery county. He was well known and highly esteemed as a man of sterling character and a valued citizen. Early in life he was a Quaker but after reaching Ohio joined the United Brethren church, in the faith of which he passed away at the age of eighty-one years, his demise occurring in Pyrmont in 1859.

Frederick Mundhenk, father of Dr. W. S. Mundhenk, was born at Pyrmont on the 4th of July, 1818, being the first child born in the settlement. He was one of a family of fourteen children and his education was received in the common schools, while early in life he became familiar with the milling business, operating both saw and grist mills. He resided at Pyrmont during the greater portion of his life, where he was engaged in milling for many years and was well and widely known as a substantial and honored citizen. He was an industrious, hard-working and prosperous man, owning some five hundred acres of land. His political allegiance was given to the republican party, while his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the United Brethren church, of which he was a liberal supporter. On the 3d of November, 1843, M Pyrmont, he wedded Miss Mary C. Hook, whose birth occurred in Rockingham county, Virginia, November 11, 1823, her parents being John and Ann (Chandler) Hook. The former, a native of Rockingham county, Virginia, was of English descent on his father’s side and of German ancestry on the material side. He served as a soldier in the war of 1812, being stationed for a time at Norfolk, Virginia. For some years he followed the harness and saddlery business in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and at an early day emigrated to Missouri, while about 1830 he located at Pyrmont, Ohio. He was twice married and by his first union had one child, Mary C. By his second wife he had two children, Uriah and Sarah. He was called to his final rest in 1869, when seventy-six years of age. Frederick Mundhenk, who was also twice married, had the following children by his first wife: James, who participated in the Civil war as a member of the One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry; William S., of this review; and Minnie. By his second wife he had one son. Frederick.

William S. Mundhenk, whose name introduces this review, obtained his education in the public schools and then, having decided upon the practice of medicine as a life work, he began the study of the profession under the direction of Dr. J. R. Conner, a prominent physician of Montgomery county. He was graduated from the Ohio Medical College at Cincinnati in 1876 and immediately began practice at Brookville, his skill and ability in the line of his chosen calling soon bringing him an extensive and lucrative patronage. He keeps in touch with the progress that is continually being made by the profession through his membership in the Montgomery County Medical Society, the Ohio State Medical Association and the American Medical Association and has an enviable reputation among his brethren of the fraternity. He is now serving as the vice president of the Citizens Banking Company and has long been numbered among the most prosperous, progressive and esteemed residents of his native county.

In 1872 Dr. Mundhenk was united in marriage to Miss Emma Conner, who was born in 1853, her parents being Dr. J. R. and Mary (Cusick) Conner. The father, a native of Maryland, removed to Clinton county, Ohio, in early manhood and in 1851 came to Montgomery county, locating in Pyrmont, where he was engaged in the practice of medicine until 1872. He was widely recognized as a prominent representative of the medical profession and during the last ten years of his life practiced in Brookville, dying there in 1882, at the age of fifty-three years. His children were as follows: Emma, Eberle, Flora and Rose. Unto Dr. and Mrs. Mundhenk have been born two children: Herbert Conner; and Miriam, whose birth occurred in 1898. In his political views the Doctor is a stalwart republican, while fraternally he is connected with the Knights of Pythias. He has now been engaged in practice in Brookville for a third of a century, manifesting at all times a close conformity to a high standard of professional ethics, and if patronage is any criterion of ability he ranks high among the leading physicians of the county.

Herbert Conner Mundhenk, who is associated in practice with his father, was born in Brookville in 1877. He supplemented his preliminary education, obtained in the city schools, by a course in the Ohio State University at Columbus, from which institution he was graduated in 1899. Subsequently he entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and upon completing the course there in 1902 he at once joined his father in practice, in which connection he has since remained an active and successful representative of the medical profession. Like his father, he is a worthy member of the Montgomery County Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His fraternal relations are with the Knights of Pythias and the Masons. In 1904 he was united in marriage to Miss June Jenks, of Greenville, Ohio, by whom he has two children, William J. and Marian.

As printed in the source³. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

L. WILLIAM MUNDHENK, farmer, P. 0. Pyrmont, is the youngest son of Mary Ann Mundhenk, who was born in Germany, February 13, 1790, and is a daughter of John Henry and Anna Maria Feit, natives of Germany. In the fall of 1806 they determined to.emigrate to America, their country then being engaged in war, it was expected that all their sons old enough to do military duty would be forced into the army, it was arranged that the mother and her children should proceed to America and Mr. Feit should follow the next year, or as soon as possible By strategy and careful management, the family eluded the sentries, and arrived at Amsterdam, where they obtained passes to America and set sail on the ship “ Cornelia,” under Capt. Delmore. But before reaching the ocean, while passing through the English Channel, the mother was taken sick and died, and by the kindness of the Captain they were permitted to take her body on shore where it was buried. Then the children were left alone, without father or mother, and continued their journey, and in due time landed safely at Philadelphia where the children were 11 sold” or bound out to pay their passage. The father, who remained in Germany, tried to follow his family, but as he was aged and no friends with him, he was refused passage, and before an opportunity came for him to get away he was taken sick and died. Mary Ann, the mother of our subject, after serving three years in Philadelphia to pay her passage, continued to work out till June 4, 1812, when she married Lewis Mundhenk, a native of Germany, and on the next day they departed for New York, where they resided four years; thence removed to Ohio, locating in Montgomery County, near Germantown, and a few years after located on the place where she now lives and has since resided; being the first and only settler at that time between Lewisburg and Brookville. Here they opened out in the woods in an open log cabin in November in the midst of a deep snow; here they toiled and labored year after year to make a farm and a home, “ Aunt Mary” proving a true helpmeet, being robust and healthy. She would chop wood, grub, make fence, etc., would do more work than half the men. They knew no such word as “ fail,” and they did not, but cleared up and became owners of a large farm, erected large and commodious buildings, and now have a beautiful home and farmer’s residence. But for twenty-one years before the death of Mr. Mundhenk, his mind became affected from religious excitement, so that he was unfitted for business; and during this time especially appeared the great powers, mentally and physically, of “ Aunt Mary,” who, with her children, took charge of and kept the business of the farm moving right along; and we may safely say that not one woman in a thousand has gone through or could go through the hardships and trials she has endured. She has been the mother of eleven children, seven grew to maturity; five now survive — Anna Maria, Philip, Lewis, Daniel E. and L. William. Mr. Mundhenk departed this life April 10, 1859. Since his death his wife has resided with our subject on the old home farm. William was married September 11, 1857. to Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. William and Martha Sodders, he a native of Pennsylvania and she of Ohio. William and wife have three children — Martha Dell, Clarence W. and Lizzie Forest. We have here a brief sketch of one of the early pioneers, and whose labors and hardships are but partially portrayed, yet we trust we have placed enough on these pages of history to carry her in grateful remembrance to the descendants of future generations, who shall have to sow and reap much from the benefits of her many labors.

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