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GEORGE P. VAN
ORMAN - Ashtabula county has been the home of George
P. Van Orman for many years, but he was born in Painesville, Ohio,
August 25, 1836, the eldest son of Lyman S. and Mary (Falkenburg)
Van Orman. Lyman S. Van Orman came from Canada when a
young man to Painesville, also in Chardon. His father had lived
for some years in the states, but eventually returned to Canada, and
several of his daughters married Canadian officials. In 1854 or
1855 Lyman S. Van Orman came to Rock Creek and accepted
employment with the firm of Randall, Cook & Company, who
conducted a large store and tannery here. Mr. Van Orman
was principally engaged in obtaining wool for them in exchange for
pelts, and he continued with the firm for many years, or until they
eventually retired from the business. He spent the remainder of
his life at Rock Creek and died in 1873, when he had attained the age
of sixty-two years. At Painesville he had wedded Mary
Falkenburg, whose father, Charles Falkenburg, was a farmer
for some time in Monmouth county, New Jersey, and also owned a
coasting vessel which plied between the cities of Philadelphia and New
York, while in 1797 he served as lieutenant in the state militia.
After a time he sold his old home to his brother, whose sons still
reside there, and they are among the wealthy citizens of New Jersey,
and during the war of 1812 he came to Ohio and settled in Lake county,
a few miles south of Painesville, and he afterward lived at Concord
and his son Samuel, and died when past eighty years of age.
His sons were Brown, Asa, James and Samuel, and he also
had three daughters, Harriet, Nancy and Mary. Mary
was one or two years older than her husband, but she survived him for
more than thirty years, and was past ninety at the time of her death.
Lyman S. and Mary Van Orman reared to maturity two sons, George
P. and Howard, and the younger being a resident of Rock
Creek.
George Van Orman was a young man
of eighteen when he became a resident of Rock Creek, and for a time he
was employed by the same firm as his father, Randall, Cook &
Company, but subsequently learning the carpenter's trade he worked
at that occupation for some years, and in 1883 he started a saw mill.
This mill has continued in operation during all the intervening years,
and Mr. Van Orman continued as its promoter for thirty-six
years, or until April of 1909, when he sold his interest to his son
and Ira Brown. He resides on his farm near Rock Creek.
Mr. Van Orman married first in the fall of 1858, Lydia A.
Covell, a daughter of Silas and Eunice Covell, who first
secured the farm where Mr. Van Orman now lives. Mrs.
Van Orman died in 1880, leaving six children: Carlton, a
resident of Rock Creek; Stanley, who operates a mill there;
Alice, the wife of Allen Clark and a James Latimer,
of Youngstown; Lyman, a policeman in Cleveland, who was
quartermaster sergeant in Company E, Thirty-fifth Michigan Infantry,
in the Spanish American war; and George, a traveling salesman.
In 1882 Mr. Van Orman wedded Villa Covell, a niece of
his first wife and a daughter of Elijah and Salina (Bunnell) Covell.
The four sons of this union are Lee, whose home is in Rock
Creek; Clair, a student in the Ohio State University;
Ellison and Gerald. Mr. Van Orman has been a
member of the Masonic fraternity since 1861, and is now affiliated
with Grand River Chapter, No. 104. In 1861 he enlisted in
Company D, Nineteenth Ohio Infantry, for three months' service, and on
the 7th of November, 1862, he again enlisted, this time in Company E,
Sixth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, being transferred from that to the
Veteran Reserve Corps. He was mustered out June 26, 1865, as
sergeant and returned home.
Silas
and Eunice (Latimer) Covell, the parents of Van Orman's
first wife, were married in Connecticut, but came to Ohio during their
early lives, and the farm which they secured in those early days is
now the home of Mr. Van Orman. Silas Covell became
a wealthy citizen, and the house which he built is still standing, and
there he died in about the year 1853, while his wife survived him
about twelve years and passed away about 1865. Their children
were: Herman, who was born in 1818, never married, and
died at the age of seventy-three years; Elijah, a carpenter,
married Salina Bunnell of Jefferson, and lived and died at Rock
Creek, passing away at the age of seventy-three years; Mills
was for many years president of the Rock Creek Bank, and he died at
the age of seventy-six years; Alfred lived for many years in
Trumbull township, Ashtabula county, and died at the age of eighty-one
years; Eunice married Harvey Wilbur and lived in New
York for twenty-five years, but returned to Rock Creek and died there;
Ward died at Rock Creek at the age of seventy-two; Harvey
served as a major of the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteer Infantry during
the Civil war, two terms as a county sheriff, and was a prominent
local politician; and Lydia, who became the first wife of
Mr. Van Orman. Elijah Covell, the second son and child of
Silas Covell, married as above stated, Salina Bunnell,
and she died at the age of sixty-two years. They had three
children: Villa, who became Mrs. Van Orman;
Selden, a resident of Niles, Ohio; and Edith, who
married Elson Wornald and lives in Conneautville, Pennsylvania.
(Source: History of The Western Reserve - Vol. III by Harriet Taylor
Upton - Publ. 1910, page 1274) |
MAJOR FRANK
VIETS. - No more worthy representative of an old and honored
Ohio family is to be found than the subject of this sketch, to whose
services in defense of his country is added a long life of
usefulness and activity in peaceful affairs, calculated to upbuild
and beautify that land which he helped to save to liberty and right.
The founder of the family in America was the great
grandfather of the subject of this sketch, who came from Germany and
settled in Vermont in an early day, and it is very probable that he
spelled his name "Vietz," instead of the manner employed by
his descendants. His son, Jesse Viets, was born in the
Green Mountain State in 1785, and was a farmer and pioneer Methodist
minister. when about thirty-two years of age, he concluded to
try his fortunes west of the Alleghany mountains and accordingly
turned his steps toward Ohio, then a new and slightly settled
country. He made his way overland by the slow and tedious
means of an ox team, consuming as many weeks in the undertaking as
it now takes day to cover the same distance. Finally arriving
in Ohio, he settled in Amboy, where he passed the remainder of his
days, when not traveling on his ministerial missions. These
latter usually took him along the shore of Lake Erie, from Buffalo
probably as far as Cleveland,, and the greater number of Methodist
congregations in that part of the country were organized by him.
He was exceedingly enthusiastic in his work and more widely known
than any other man in the same district. Highly intellectual,
probably, possessed of a splendid education, a fluent speaker, of
unexampled energy and perseverance, combined with great personal
magnetism, he was well calculated to wage war against the powers of
darkness, and used his talents to great effect. This great and
good man died in Amboy about 1848, his loss carrying widespread
sorrow to many hearts and homes, where he was universally beloved
and revered. His six children were as follows:
Rodney, born in 1807; Dolly Ann, married Horatio
Lovejoy, and they both died in Conneaut; Roland died;
Mary Ann, became the wife of Henry Benson, and both died
in Conneaut; Lucinda married John Watson, and both
died in Iowa.
Rodney Viets, father of the subject of this
sketch, was born in Vermont, and accompanied his parents to
Ashtabula county, Ohio, in 1817, and it was ever afterward his home.
He received a good education under the able guidance of his
illustrious father, and when a young man was engaged for a time in
teaching. This he discontinued at the age of twenty-four to
enter the ministry of the Disciple Church, preaching his first
sermon in Ashtabula county, probably at Amboy. He inherited
his father's genius and indomitable spirit for good, and would often
ride long distances and encounter the fiercest weather to comfort
those needing spiritual aid. He never held a regular
appointment, but worked wherever he could do the most good. He
was married, in Ashtabula county, to Lucinda Wood, a woman of
rare force of intellect and sweetness of character, the youngest in
a large family of children of a prominent pioneer of this county.
Her father is now buried in Amboy, of which city he was an early
settler. They had ten children: Rodney, who died
when young; one died in infancy; Amandona, deceased, was the
wife of H. A. Walton, of Saybrook; Byron is a farmer
of Geauga county; Melissa A., is the wife of D. H. Gaylord,
of Geneva; Frank is the subject of this sketch; Mary,
married, is now deceased; Henry Warren; Celestia, wife of
C. E. Cooper, resides in North Dakota; and Durell,
whereabouts unknown. The family were called upon to mourn the
loss of the father in 1887, who died at a ripe old age, greatly
lamented by all who knew him. No one in this vicinity, unless
it was his father, ever did more to strengthen and advance the moral
welfare of the community than he, and he richly deserves the high
regard in which he is universally held.
Major Frank Viets, whose name heads this brief
biography, was born in Saybrook, Ashtabula county, Ohio, Mar. 12,
1839, and received his education in the common schools of that city.
He resided at home until his majority, being employed on the farm in
the lumber camp. At the end of this time, the Civil war broke
out and he hastened with all the ardor of youthful patriotism to
tender his services to his country. He enlisted for four
months in Company F, of the State militia, which was a part of the
Ohio Volunteer Artillery. This company was at once ordered to
the front and fired the fist gun at the battle of Philippi, in West
Virginia. The battles of Laurel Hill and Carrick's Ford were
fought before the expiration of the first term of enlistment.
The company was afterward ordered to Camp Chase, and there underwent
two musters in and out of the Federal service in one day.
Major Viets then returned home and assisted in raising and
organizing Battery C, in which he was commissioned Second
Lieutenant, by Governor Tod. This company was then
ordered in Camp Dennison, near Cincinnati, Ohio, and on Sept. 9,
1861, they were mustered into the three years' service.
Kentucky was the scene of immediate action and the battle of Wild
Cat was the first battle, which was followed by that at Mill
Springs, where Major Viets was within reach of the rebel
general Zollicoffer, when that officer was killed.
Thence the command of Major Viets went to Fort Donelson,
whence they proceeded to Nashville and Pittsburg Landing, and
subsequently participated in the siege of Corinth. Here the
Confederate forces, under General Bragg, got behind the
Federal troops and drove the latter back across Kentucky, engaging
them in battle at Perryville, in Oct. 1862. The
Confederates, however, were repulsed, and were forced to retire into
the Confederacy, whither Major Viets' command followed them
to near Nashville, Tennessee. The Major's command then swung
off after General Morgan, whom they met at Hartwell's
Ferry, and again at Rolling Fork river, at which latter point the
Union forces defeated the Confederate troops, whom the Federals
followed out of the State to Nashville and LaVerge. At the
latter point, owing to an injury received by Major Viets some
time previously, he resigned his commission of First Lieutenant and
returned home, having been in the service just two years.
He then secured a sub-contract in the construction of
the Jamestown & Franklin Railroad, which, from the standpoint of
finances, was disastrous to every contractor on the work. This
adverse turn in the Major's fortunes caused him to look to the West,
as the place best calculated to enable him to retrieve his finances,
and he accordingly established himself, in 1868, in Kansas City,
Missouri, where he entered the commission business, dealing with the
commissary of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, then being built.
As the road extended from point to point beyond Kansas City, the
Major removed his business to each succeeding headquarters as far as
Denver. At this time, the Major's attention was attracted to
the Red River country in Dakota, by the building of the Northern
Pacific railroad, which he decided was a country of wonderful
resources, with a brilliant future before it. He was so
favorably impressed with its prospects that, in the fall of 1870, he
removed his family to the Red River valley, 200 miles in advance of
any railroad, and established himself in Grand Forks. Here he
engaged in the real estate business, in merchandising and milling
and various other profitable ventures, as time and the development
of the city warranted. He was half-owner of the town site, and
was exceedingly active in all financial enterprises. Mrs.
Viets was the first white woman in the village, and it was not
until the following fall that another white woman put in an
appearance. After thirteen years of frontier life, becoming
weary of incessant activity, the Major determined to return to Ohio
and provide himself with a good home, in which to pass his declining
days, still, however, regaining his extensive interests in Grand
Forks, which city he visits annually. Here, in Ohio, the Major
owns a large and well improved firm near Ashtabula, where he makes
his home, enjoying in comfort the makes his home, enjoying in
comfort the means accumulated by the toil of former years.
Besides his other enterprises, he is largely interested in the
Ashtabula Driving Park Association, and is a stockholder in the
London Company, of Ashtabula, in which he is also president.
In fact, having been a man of activity for so many years, the Major
finds it difficult to keep his determination of eschewing all
business pursuits.
On Nov. 30, 1865, Major Viets was married to
Miss Nancy L. Dow, a lady of sterling qualities of mind and
heart, who is a daughter of John Dow, a well-known pioneer of
this county, who married a Miss Butterfield, also a
representative of an old and respected family. Major and
Mrs. Viets have one child, Gertrude, born Mar. 5, 1866,
who was educated in Faribault, Minnesota, and married M. S. Titus,
now a banker at Minto, North Dakota. Their marriage occurred
in July, 1887, and they have two children: Annie, aged four
years; and Frances, aged eighteen months.
Politically, Major Viets adheres to the
principles of the Republican party, but has not served officially
except as Commissioner of his county in Dakota and as Councilman of
Grand Forks, although his financial training and upright character,
combined with rare executive ability, amply fit him for the
creditable discharge of any important public duties.
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