David Hostetler

As printed in 1910

DAVID HOSTETLER.

Among the honored and venerable citizens of Wayne county is the subject of this review, who has here maintained his home for a period of nearly three-quarters of a century, winning a definite success by means of the agricultural industry, to which he devoted his attention during the long years of an active business life. He is now retired and is enjoying that repose and rest which are due to him now that the shadows of his life begin to lengthen in the golden west. His career has been without shadow of wrong or suspicion of evil, and thus he has ever commanded the confidence and esteem of his fellow men, his three score and ten years resting lightly upon him and being crowned with honor.

David Hostetler was born in Wayne township, Wayne county, Ohio, March io, 1839, and he is a son of Christian and Elizabeth (Yoder) Hostetler. Christian Hostetler was born in Pennsylvania in 1800, and he was a son of John Hostetler, also a native of the Keystone state. Christian Hostetler came with his family by wagon from Pennsylvania to Wayne county, Ohio, about 1829, and settled in Wayne township, about four miles east of Wooster. Here he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, nearly all of which was densely covered with the primeval forest. This he cleared and brought to an excellent state of cultivation, so that in the course of time it became one of the best farms in the locality. He also acquired the ownership of other farms and at the time of his death was considered a man of means. He was a member of the Amish Mennonite church. He was the father of the following children: An infant that died unnamed; Samuel, Lydia, John, Jeptha, Barbara, Christian, Nancy, David and Jonathan.

Of these. David was reared under the parental roof and secured his education in the district schools of his home township. He remained on the home farm until he had attained his majority, and then he started out for himself, working on farms by the day and also as a member of a threshing machine crew. He was energetic and economical and when he was married, in 1864, he was the owner of a fine farm, which he continued to operate until the spring of 1906, when he gave up active farm work and moved to Weilersville, where he now resides. He is a quiet, unassuming man, and his life has been so ordered as to win for him the sincere respect and esteem of all who know him.

In 1864 Mr. Hostetler married Barbara Yoder, who was born in Wayne county January 2, 1841, and to them the following children were born: Ma-. linda, the wife of M. W. Hurst, of Baughman township; Samuel, who died at the age of four years; Elizabeth, who died at the age of two years; Levi F. married Amanda Steele and lives in Greene township (see sketch elsewhere in this work); Amanda died at the age of twenty-two years; David died at the age of ten years; Minnie is unmarried and lives with her parents.

Religiously the family are members of the Mennonite church, and of this society the subject is an active minister, having been ordained to this sacred calling in 1872. He is a man of many splendid qualifications and has richly earned the high standing which he now enjoys in the community.

As printed in History of Wayne County Ohio (1910). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.