David Rudy

As printed in 1910

DAVID RUDY.

Among the citizens of Sugar Creek township, \Vayne county, who have built up a comfortable home and surrounded themselves with large evidences of their thrift and ingenuity, few have attained a greater degree of success or won a higher place in the citizenship of the community than David Rudy, a member of one of the old and prominent families of this section of the Buckeye state. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where mem-, lies of the family have been well known for a century and a half, the date of his birth being given as Deceml)er 21, 1816. Thus his life has been prolonged well toward the century mile-post, and now in its golden evening it is a blessing to all those who come into contact with this upright and useful patriarch, a link between the primitive past and the opulent present. He is the son of Christian and Barbara (Alayers) Rndy, the former born December 1, 1790, and the latter born on September 27, 1793, both in Lancaster. Pennsylvania. On October 9, 1834, Christian Rudy came to W’a_\ne county, Ohio, and located where the north edge of Dalton now extends. purchasing ninety acres, on which the family remained until the spring of 1835. when they moved on the farm where David L. Rudy now lives. He secured a good piece of land, which he greatly improved, making a comfortable home, and he became prosperous, being an up-to-date farmer for his day, finally becoming the owner of most of the land adjoining the town of Dalton, in all eight hundred and forty-four acres. He also became the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land in Iowa. He is remembered as a very liberal man, doing many acts of kindness for his neighbors. He was a member of the Mennonite church, and politically a Whig, later a Republican when that party was organized. The death of this excellent man occurred on July 13, 1875, and that of his wife on October 3, 1858. They had a large family, David Rudy, subject of this biographical review, being the second in order of birth. He was a young man when he came with his parents to Wayne county, Ohio. Here he assisted in clearing the land secured by his father, attending the common schools during a brief time each winter until he had obtained a fairly good education for those early days, most of his education having been secured in Pennsylvania. He soon devoted all his attention to farming. He delights to tell of the removal of the family from their old home in Lancaster county to Wayne county, the trip overland being made with a five-horse team which he drove. He assisted with the work on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age.

Mr. Rudy was married on January 15, 1839, to Mary Martin, who was born in Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, September 9, 1819. Soon afterwards David’s father gave him one of his farms, consisting of one hundred and twenty-eight acres, on which he and his bride settled; prospering, they added ninety acres to the same, where the city of Orrville now stands, and at this writing Mr. Rudy is the owner of two hundred acres of fine land where he now resides in Sugar Creek township. He operated a threshing machine very successfully for some time. In 1852 he bought his present farm and in 1853 moved on the same. He met with the misfortune to lose his right leg in 1855, it being caught in the threshing machine, but notwithstanding this handicap he managed to farm until his boys were large enough to carry on the work.

Mr. and Mrs. Rudy became the parents of eight children, namely; Henry, deceased: Fannie, deceased; Levi S., born October 8, 1843: Sarah, born March 19, 1845; David C., born November 1, 1846; Mary A., deceased; Elizabeth M. and Barbara, deceased. All these children received a good common school education. David C. married Julia Chatelain.

Mr. Rudy is a member of the Mennonite church, and politically he is a Republican. He is a man in whom the people of his neighborhood have placed a great deal of confidence and he has settled thirty-one good states. He is well informed regarding the statutes of the state of Ohio, and he is one of the most useful and honored men of Sugar Creek township.

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.