William Mahlon Rockel

As printed in 1908

WILLIAM MAHLON ROCKEL, the only child of Peter and Margaret Rockel, was born on the banks of Mad River, one mile east of Tremont City, July 18, 1855. It is tradition that the ancestor of the Rockel family was a German schoolmaster, who came to the colonies in 1752. The great-grandfather, Peter Rockel, having intermarried with one Anna Maria Brown, lived near Allentown, Pennsylvania, until 1822; he was a miller by occupation. At this latter date he gathered together his belongings and with his wife and six children, leaving three elder ones, started in a wagon overland and landed one mile south of Tremont City in the same year. Here he purchased a small tract of ninety-sis acres, which is still in the Rockel family. As his will on file in the probate judge's office shows, he died in 1824, when sixty-three years of age, his family here remaining being his wife, who died about 1841, and his son Adam and five daughters. Adam was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, November 12, 1793, and died May 13, 1884. In 1829 be married Mary M. Baker, daughter of Phillip and Elizabeth Baker. She was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia, in 1810, and came with ber father's and grandfather's family in 1813 to a tract of land which ber grandfather had purchased a short distance west of Eagle City. She died in 1886.

Adam Rockel did service in the War of 1812, under General Henry Shearing. He had learned the shoemaker's trade, but was well educated, speaking and writing both the English and German languages, and served in various official capacities in German Townsbip.

Peter Rockel, father of the subject of this sketch, was the eldest son of Adam. He was born on the old homestead one mile south of Tremont City in May, 1831. In 1854 be married Margaret Shick, who was born in Harrison County, Obio, in 1833, and came with ber father to Logan County, Obio, in 1837. William Shick, her father, was born on the banks of the Potomac River, twelve miles above Washington, in 1808. In 1825 be started for the West, stopping in Harrison Coimty, where in 1829 he married Catherine Shawver. William Shick died in 1894, his wife having preceded him to the grave in 1891. They were people of good repute and resided for over a half-century one mile north of Bellefontaine. Margaret, the mother of the subject of this sketch, died in April, 1864.

In 1866 the father remarried, his bride being Sarah Ilges. After his first marriage he moved east of Tremont City on the banks of Mad River, and after his second marriage in 1867 moved two miles further east on the Urbana Pike, where he died in 1896, having never changed his post office address. He was an active, energetic citizen, well liked and popular in his community. For a number of years he was justice of the peace in Moorefield Township.

William M. Rockel had the lot usually falling to farmers' sons, forty-five years ago the loss of his mother, at an early age, depriving him of the loving kindness and tender care that only a mother knows how to bestow upon a child. The means of attending school were not as good then as at this time, and being a small and rather delicate child, he did not start until eight years of age. The first schoolhouse wbicb he attended was one of the old-time log school buildings, located al the southeast corner of the cross roads west of Bowlusville. This building was shortly afterwards burned. It was a typical schoolhouse of the early days. A log had been omitted or taken out along the sides of the building. In this space single window panes or two of small dimensions were put in horizontally, furnishing the light for the schoolroom. This was up so high that the little fellows had no opportunity of gazing outside, unless it were at the sky. Immediately below this window on each side was a broad board, which served for a desk, the larger pupils sitting with their faces to the light. The smaller pupils sat on benches around a stove in the center of the building. The next schoolhouse young Rockel attended was what is known as Dears, in the same neighborhood, the brick for the building of which, in 1864, he helped to haul.

In 1867-72 he attended the Franklin school district, on the Urbana Pike. He was very desirous of going to Wittenberg College, but other arrangements were made which ultimately defeated his intention of obtaining a collegiate education, and he accordingly went to live with his grandfather near Bellefontaine, where he attended the high school, being graduated in 1876.

In order to earn some money to assist in his education, in the winter of 1875 and 1876 he taught the common school at Franklin, and while teaching this school he also kept up his studies in the high school. This was too much of a strain on his eyes and he had serious trouble with them, which materially interfered with his further education.

In the fall of 1876, however, he graduated in the business department of the Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and as his eyes would permit, took up some special studies in the following year.

In 1877, having the previous winter commenced the study of Blackstone, he entered, as a student, the law office of Keifer & White, afterwards Keifer, White & Rabbitts. General Keifer was then in his first year in Congress. Charles R. White afterwards became Common Pleas

As printed in 20th century history of Springfield, and Clark County, Ohio, and representative citizens (1908). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.