Ephraim Lehman

As printed in 1889

EPHRAIM LEHMAN. The Lehman family originally came from

' Germany, where Martin Lehman was born in 1744, and whence, when two years old, he accompanied his parents to America. He was reared in Berks County, Penn., where he was married to F. Christina Speck, who was born in Alsace, Germany, in 1751; her parents were sold to pay their passage to this country. Martin Lehman remained in Berks County until 1796, when, with his wife, he removed to Lancaster County, in the same State, settling on a small tract of land, where he died in 1801; his widow survived him many years, her death occurring in

1822. They had a family of seven child"en: Catherine, Henry, Christian, George, Mary, Martin and John, all of whom reached years of maturity.

John Lehman, the youngest of the family, was born in Berks County, Penn., in 1790. He lived in his native State until

1823, when he moved to Wayne County, Ohio, and purchased of Dennis Driscoll

160 acres of laud in Vayne Township, for which he paid 800. He was a miller liy trade, which he carried on until he moved to "Wayue County, Ohio, from which time he followed farming, and by hard labor and good management he acquired a competency. Public-spirited and enterprising, he was not only ambitious to obtain property for his own use, but was also interested in the material welfare of his township and county, and always gave liberally of his means to all enterprises promising to advance, either financially or morally, the prosperity of the community. He occupied various official positions of trust and responsibility; was justice of the peace a number of years; was township clerk, trustee, treasurer and overseer of the poor. He was twice married, his first wife being Christina Smith, who bore him five children: Benjamin, Mary Ann, Catherine, Eliza and Nancy. His second wife was Nancy Bair, and by her he had a family of twelve children: Sarah, Ephraim, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, Susan, John H., Caroline, Martin, Maria, Christi Ann. George D. and Cyrus E. Mr. Lehman lived to see his land cleared of primeval forest, and the wilderness become the home of a civilized and prosperous community, being at the time of his death one of the oldest citizens in AVayne County. Ephraim Lehman, the second child and eldest son of John and Nancy (Bair)

Lehman, was born August 11, 182B, in Wayne Township. He has all his life followed farming, and now owns the land purchased by his father. In 1852 he married Miss Susan, daujjhter of Jacob and Saloma (Billman) Freese, of Wayne Township, and by her has had seven children, viz.: Luther V., born November 29,1854; Cecelia Odessa, born in 1856; John E., in 1859; Franklin F., in 1861; Cora Bell, in 1864; Herman L., in 1871. and Floyd V., in 1874. Mr. Lehman has served his township in the varied capacities of trustee, clerk and treasurer, having held some official position for the past twenty-two years. He is recognized as one of the most prominent and public-spirited citizens of Wayne County, and is highly esteemed and cordially liked by all who know him. Like his father, he is a Democrat.

As printed in Commemorative biographical record of Wayne County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families .. (1889). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.