John Spitler

As printed in 1897

OHN SPITLER, a descendant of one of the pioneer families of Clay township, Montgomery county, Ohio, was born here, on the original Spitler homestead, April 10, 1814, and is now one of the oldest citizens of his native township.

Jacob Spitler, his grandfather, was a native of Lancaster county, Pa. Jacob’s father was slaughtered by Indians in a massacre in that county about the time of Braddock's defeat, but his mother escaped with her three children — Jacob, John and a daughter. Jacob married in Pennsylvania a lady who had borne the maiden name of Bookwalter, but who was the mother of four children by a former husband, named Lane, from whom descended the Gen. James Lane, of Kansas border war fame. After his marriage Jacob Spitler removed from Pennsylvania to Berkeley county, Va., thence to Rappanhannock county, and finally to Botetourt county, where he died at the age of sixty years, his wife following him to the grave within a week. Their children were named Cally, Joseph, Jacob, Betsey, John, Polly, Samuel and Anna.

John Spitler, son of Jacob and father of subject, was born in Berkeley county, Va., February 9, 1785, was reared a farmer, and came to Ohio in 1805, in company with his sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Buntraeger, riding horseback more than 500 miles. Late in the same year Mr. Spitler settled in Clay township, Montgomery county, on the present site of Brookville, and in 1807 married Miss Barbara Rohrer, who was born in 1789, in Lancaster county, Pa., a daughter of Joseph Rohrer, who settled in Clay township in 1804, being the first of the pioneers. Joseph Rohrer, a native of Pennsylvania, was left an orphan at the age of six years, was reared a farmer, and married Mary Raesor. He became well to do, owned about 1,400 acres of land in Clay township, and at his death, when fifty-five years of age, gave 320 acres to each of his living children, who were named Barbara, John, Joseph and Daniel; two others died young, one of whom was a boy that was drowned at the Pinnacles, at the first settlement on the Miami river.

After marriage John Spitler cleared up a large farm in Clay township, and during his active life became possessor of about 2,000 acres. He bequeathed 160 acres to each of his eleven children, who were born and named in the following order: Polly, Jacob, Joseph,

John, Susan, Andrew, Elizabeth, Samuel, Hannah, Barbara and Solomon, all of whom lived to reach mature age. Mr. Spitler was a man of great strength of character, and made his mark as a leader of men, being wise in counsel, and always consulted when it became necessary to adjudicate or arbitrate difficulties among his neighbors. He lived to the advanced age of nearly ninety-years and died in 1874, a conscientious member of the German Baptist church, of which his wife was also a member.

John Spitler, whose name opens thissketch, was educated in the first school-house erected in Clay township and was reared to be a thorough farmer. April 1 1, 1839, he married Miss Esther Warner, who was born in Randolph township, March 5, 1820, a daughter of Jacob and Rosannah (Ligenfelter) Warner. Her father, Jacob, was born on a farm in Bedford county, Pa., and came to Montgomery county, Ohio, in 1812, settled in Randolph township and cleared a farm of 160 acres. Py his first wife he was the father of thirteen children, of whom Mrs. Spitler was next to the youngest, and by his second wife there were born four children. The second wife bore the maiden name of Susan Bruebaker, but at the time of her marriage with Mr. Spitler was the widow of a Mr. Warner, a distant relative of Mrs. Spitler’s mother. Jacob Warner lived to be sixty-two years of age, and his widow survived hirmthirty years, dying at the great age of ninety-seven.

For some little time after marriage John Spitler lived on the homestead, but in 1841 moved to Darke county, where he cleared from the woods a farm of 160 acres, and later returned to Clay township, Montgomery county, where he pursued his vocation as a farmer until 1894, when he retired. Mr. and Mrs. Spitler had born to them a family of fourteen children, born in the following order: Oliver,

Barbara, Elizabeth, Solomon, Susan, William, Hannah, Lydia, John, Benjamin, May E., Ephraim W., Flora M. and Charles S. In their religion Mr. and Mrs. Spitler are German Baptists, and in politics Mr. Spitler was in his early years a whig, casting his first presidential vote for Gen. William Henry Harrison, but with the change of parties fell into line with the republicans, and was a sound Union man. His son Solomon served for three years in company H, Sixty-third Ohio volunteer infantry, in defense of the national flag during the Civil war.

Dr. Ephraim W. Spitler, son of John and Esther Spitler, was born July 2, 1859, and received an excellent academic and collegiate education; he taught school five years in Darke, Miami and Montgomery counties, studied medicine under Dr. J. H. Spitler, and graduated from the Medical college of Ohio, at Cincinnati, in 1885. He began the practice of his profession in Jamton, moved to Phillipsburg in 1886 and is a successful and progressive physician.

The marriage of the doctor took place April 26, 1885, in Miami county,- to Miss

Emma A. Hershey, who was born in that county, March 20, 1861, a daughter of John P. and Elizabeth (Kolp) Hershey. Her father, John P. Hershey, is a native of Lancaster county, Pa., and before coming to Ohio, in 1849, was the first conductor on the Pennsylvania railroad between Mount Joy and Philadelphia. He is the father of seven living children and still survives at the age of seventy-five years. In politics Dr. Spitler is a republican, and fraternally is an Odd Fellow.

As printed in Centennial portrait and biographical record of the city of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, together with the biographi (1897). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.