When George Shedenhelm and Catherine (Shedenhelm) Lease moved to Seneca County, Ohio and settled on what would become a family farm near Tiffin, they were accompanied by their sons, Grafton McClellan and his older brother, Levi Adam... who became a successful member of Hopewell Township himself. Hopewell Township was little more than wilderness when its first election was held on December 25, 1824. It is interesting to note that family relatives. John Stoner and John Rosenberger, were elected as trustees at that time. Later in time, 1846-1852, Levi Shedenhelm served as a trustee in his own right. Levi might have remained in Seneca County for the rest of his life, except that he had married Margaret Elizabeth Rosenberger. It is impossible to talk about the Shedenhelm family without talking about the Rosenberger family and, for that matter, the Schall family because their lives and journeys were intertwined for decades and decades.
Levi's father-in-law, John Anthony Rosenberger, was a significant figure in Seneca County, Ohio, serving as Justice of the Peace for 33 years, but he was also an adventurous man who became aware that land was being sold for $1.25 an acre in Iowa. So... on September 5, 1853, he organized a team of 26 wagons and set forth from Bascom, Ohio, for Marengo, Iowa, which was 520 miles away. The wagon train from Ohio arrived in Marengo 23 days later, on September 28, 1853, but since John Anthony and his wife, Catherine Schall, were deeply religious people, they did not travel on Sundays. Land was "cheap" in Iowa at the time, and Levi Shedenhelm, who was an integral part of the team, purchased 800 acres. Many of our ancestors did well in Iowa, but it wasn't easy for them. Their land had to be cleared and they had to travel to Iowa City (45 miles away) to purchase the goods and supplies they needed. In addition, the early settlers were threatened by "barn-burners," who set fire to their buildings and grain to drive them out of Iowa. Indeed, several of our ancestors returned to Ohio until the barn-burners were subdued. Nicholas Rosenberger, however, refused to leave, choosing instead to stay and defend his property. He built the first, and at the time, the only, cabin between Marengo and Millersburg, Iowa, and it was in his house that a group of settlers decided to hold a town hall meeting in Marengo, where they would resolve to stand together against the "barn-burners," and threaten retaliation against them in the future.
In any event, the Rosenberger-Shedenhelm-Schall family made a significant contribution to both Sumner and Hartford Townships in Iowa County. When Hartford Township was originally organized, 1854/55, Anthony Rosenberger was elected as a trustee and Levi Shedenhelm was elected as the township's clerk. The first land entries in the township belong to Alexander Reynolds and J.A. Rosenberger, and the first school, a frame building costing $500, in the township was called the "Shedenhelm" school. In Sumner Township, Nicholas Rosenberger and Michael B. Rosenberger are listed among the earliest settlers. The first school house in the township was called the "Ohio" school, and the first church, which was formed by the Methodists, was called the "Ohio chapel." Indeed, John Anthony Rosenberger was known as the "Bishop of Iowa County," and the original members of the church he started were: he and his wife, Catherine; his son, Nicholas, and his wife, Hannell; his son, Michael B. , and his wife, Lavina; John and Nancy Bair; Levi A. Shedenhelm and his wife, Martha Ellen Rosenberger; their son, John Nicholas Shedenhelm and Mary C. Shedenhelm, Daniel Broachey and his wife, Mary; Anthony Rosenberger, and Elizabeth Rosenberger. It should also be noted that no one in Hartford Township was more respected that Dr. John Bricker, who set up his medical practice in 1854. John first married Mary Catherine Shedenhelm (April 6, 1856) and then Elizabeth Jane Shedenhelm (October 1, 1858). Dr. Bricker also came from Ohio and he was the first physician in the township.
R. W. Rosenberger (b. 1841) enlisted in Company E, of Iowa's 24th Infantry (aka. "The Methodist Battalion) and so did John Nicholas Shedenhelm. Both men participated in the Battles of Port Gibson, Champion's Hill. Rosenberger also saw action at Sabine Crossroads, and he was captured on two occasions. Shedenhelm was at Black River Bridge and Vicksburg as well. After the war, the record shows that he and his wife, Ann C Schall, owned 250 acres of farmland and a 5 acre orchard. Levi Adam Shedenhelm and Margaret Rosenberger had 4 children. Private John N, and Dr. Bricker's two wives, Mary C and Elizabeth, J, among them. Their 4th child was Barbara Ellen Shedenhelm, who died at one year of age. Thus, this part of our 3rd generation settled in Iowa County, and I am proud to call them "family." It's no wonder that I feel very much at home in central Iowa.
No comments:
Post a Comment