Isaac Beal

REV. ISAAC BEAL, a highly respected retired farmer of Bucyrus, O., and a lay preacher in the German Methodist church, was born in Lycoming county, Pa., August 28, 1828, and is a son of George and a grandson of John Michael Beal, the latter of w bom married in their native village near Stuttgart, Germany. He was born September 3, 1 7 59> an(l she was but a few years younger. After the birth of their children, namely: John Michael, Jr., George, Frederick and Dorothea, they joined a colony that had determined to seek a country where religious opinions were not regulated by law. With this party of their friends and neighbors, the Beals came down the Rhine river to a secluded seaport and on June 9, 1804, embarked on a sailing vessel, the Margaretta, for America. 'They were tossed on the waves of the Atlantic for two and one-half months before they reached their safe haven, at Philadelphia, Pa.

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The grandmother of Rev. Isaac Beal, and one daughter, died in Pennsylvania, but the grandfather survived until lie was eighty-nine years old and died in 1848, in Crawford county. His sons became farmers here and all have been noted for good citizenship. A few of the older members of the family have always subscribed to the doctrine of the Pietist community, that being the name given the religious colony, while others have become identified with more liberal sects. While still residing in Pennsylvania, George Beal was married to Barbara Sherer, who was also horn in Germany and came to America with her parents when she was five years old. George Beal and wife were among those members of the family who continued in communion with the Pietists. They were worthy, virtuous, self denying people, examples of Christianity, and they were permitted to live long lives together, his death occurring in 1882, two years after that of his wife, when they were about eighty-seven years of age. Four children were born to them, Isaac, the eldest, being the only survivor. Mary, the second in order of birth, died in December, 1910. She was the wife of Nathan Mutchler, who is also deceased. Jacob, the third member of the family, died at Youngstown, O., in 1909, and is survived by a family. Benjamin, the youngest, was a citizen of Bucyrus and for many years was secretary of the Crawford County Mutual hire Insurance Company. A family survives him.

Isaac Beal was reared in Lycoming county and was with the first section of the Beal family that came pioneering to Crawford county in 1842 and has been identified with this section ever since. After his father’s death he became owner of a part of the old homestead and for many years has carried on extensive operations both in farming and stock-raising. During his active years on the farm lie made a specialty of growing sheep. He continued his agricultural activities until 1891, when he retired to Bucyrus, where he has resided ever since. For many years a member of the German Methodist church, he has also been a trustee and lay preacher, and in the latter relation is valued by a congregation that holds him in the highest esteem.

Mr. Beal was married in September, 1853, to Miss Christina Hurr, who was born in Pennsylvania, December 25, 1831, and was a member of the Pietist colony that came to Crawford from Lycoming county. She is a member of the German Methodist church, in which faith the children have been reared. They are as follows: Simon George, who is a farmer in Crawford county, married Catherine Sherer, who died December 17, 1910, leaving one son, Milton S.; Mary A., who is the wife of H. F. Miller; Lizzie, who is the wife of J. G. Flipp, of Bucyrus, and has five children— Raymond, Rufus, Mary, Naomi and Martha; Benjamin F., a minister of the German Methodist church, and a graduate of Wallace Theological college, having a charge at Cleveland, who married Josephine Deitrich and has six children — Carl, Paul, Theodore, Maria, Catherine and Wilbur; Catherine, who is the wife of Rev. J. C. Gerlach, a German Methodist minister at Cincinnati, a graduate of Wallace college; Ellen B., who lives with her parents; and Martha M., who graduated from the Bucyrus High school in the class of 1894 and for ten years has been an acceptable teacher in the city public schools. The Beal family enjoyed a reunion on August 29, 1911, and among the other entertainments was an interesting history of the family that had been prepared with much care by Miss Martha and w as read by her to those present. The record showed a long line of sober, faithful, honest, industrious, law-abiding and God fearing ancestors.

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As printed in History of Crawford County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.