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OHIO GENEALOGY EXPRESS
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Ottawa County, Ohio
BIOGRAPHIES |
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GEORGE
L. SEELEY, one of the leading, influential and
representative men of Oak Harbor, Ottawa county, and
cashier of the Oak Harbor State Bank, is a native of
Ohio, born May 2, 1853, in Lorain county.
Morton C. Seeley, father of our subject, was of
New England birth, coming at an early day to Lorain
county, Ohio, where for many years he was engaged in
agricultural pursuits and real-estate business until his
declining years he retired into private life. He
was a progressive and honored citizen, and filled many
county offices, with honor to himself and satisfaction
to the community he represented. He married
Sophia Onstein, also a native of New England, and
they had one son, George L., the only child born
to them.
The subject proper of this sketch received his
elementary education at the public schools of his native
county, which was supplemented with a course of study at
Oberlin College, and, after graduating therefrom, he was
employed in drug business for about three years, then in
a banking business at Amherst and Chicago until 1887.
In October of that year he removed to Oak Harbor, and
assisted in the organization of the oak Harbor State
Bank, since which time he has continuously filled the
position of cashier, with recognized ability and
judgment. In 1884 he was married, in Medina
county, Ohio, to Miss Luetta M. Spitzer, daughter
of Garret and Mary Spitzer, the former of whom
died January 3, 1891, aged seventy-three years; the
latter at the present time an honored and respected
resident of Medina. To this union were born on
July 10, 1885, twin sons named respectively Morton C.
and Clifton M. Mrs. Seeley in
her native town attended the Congregational Church, but
in Oak Harbor she worships in the Methodist Church.
In his political views Mr. Seeley is a stanch
Republican.
Garret and Mary
Spitzer, parents of George L. Seeley, had
born to them a family of eight children, all of whom are
yet living, a brief record of them being as follows:
Alice is the wife of Aaron Loomis, a prominent
merchant of Wyoming, Iowa; Amherst T. is
president of the Medina Savings and Deposit Bank, with
residence at Medina, Ohio; Eva is the wife of
W. C. Lyon, editor of the Newark (Ohio) American,
and ex-lieutenant governor of the State of Ohio, his
home being in Newark; Aaron E., is a prominent
clothing merchant of Vinton, Iowa; Fancelia is
the wife of Dr. David N. Loose, a well-known
physician of Maquoketa, Iowa; Adelbrt L. is a
banker and prominent citizen of Toledo, Ohio;
Luetta M., is the wife of George L. Seeley,
the subject proper of this sketch; Bessie is the
wife of Dr. Hudson D. Bishop, a popular and
leading physician of Cleveland, Ohio. |
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JOSEPH
SLIGER, one of the representative self-made
farmer citizens of Benton township, Ottawa county, is a
native of Pennsylvania, born March 28, 1848, son of
Henry and Anna (Hardman) Sliger.
Henry Sliger was born in March, 1818, in Bedford
county, Penn., where he was reared to manhood, and on
Sept. 18, 1842, there married Anna Hardman, a
native of the same State, born Nov. 22, 1823. To
their union were born eleven children, six of whom are
living, Joseph Sliger being the only one in Ohio.
They came to Ohio in 1852, settling in Richland county,
where Mr. Sliger cleared up a farm and made a
comfortable home for his family, living there until
about 1868, when he sold out and removed to Sandusky
county. Here he cleared another farm and became
owner of a nice property, which he lost by signing
papers to assist his friends in business. Here his
wife died, and shortly afterward he went to Michigan,
where he passed away April 7, 1886. Mr. Joseph
Sliger's maternal grandfather, Jacob Hardman
was born about 1790 in Pennsylvania, and came thence
with a team to Richland county, Ohio, where he died in
1860; his wife, who was born about 1790, died in 1856.
Joseph Sliger was a mere child when his parents
came to Richland county, Ohio, where he lived until
eighteen years of age, obtaining his education in the
district schools. At the age of twenty-three he
was married Sept. 14, 1871, to Miss Jenette Smith,
of Sandusky county, Ohio, and they settled in Sandusky
county, where they remained for six years. They
then came to Section 11, Benton township, Ottawa county,
where they bought forty acres of mill land, not a foot
of which was cleared. There was not road to their
new home, and they cut a road through the timber some
distance to get onto their land, on which they built a
frame house by addition to shelter them, and at once
began clearing away the timber that they might raise
something for their sustenance. On going over the
farm now one would not realize the work that has been
accomplished by him and his faithful wife in the
developing of that part of the township; the land is all
cleared, not only of timber, but also of stumps, is well
fenced, and equipped with comfortable buildings, and the
well-kept condition of the place and all the
surroundings gives evidence of the neatness and taste of
the owners. In connection with general agriculture
he is also engaged in bee culture, having at various
times nearly forty swarms, from which he has sold 100
gallons of honey in a season, and for seven seasons he
has also operated a threshing outfit, in which business
he has made a reasonably fair success. In addition
to his own home business he has done much contracting in
the line of getting out timber for different parties.
Mr. and Mrs. Sliger have always been busy,
striving to make home pleasant for themselves and their
children, and their efforts have results in a very
cheerful and happy home.
Mrs. Jeanette (Smith) Sliger was born May 7,
1851, in Sandusky county, Ohio, where she lived until
1877, acquiring at the public schools as complete as
education as the times would afford. Her mother
dying when she was quite young, her help was needed in
the home, and this somewhat curtailed her advantages for
an education, for which she had a great desire.
Her elder sister, Calesta, was a teacher and away
from home much of the time, thus leaving a great deal
for Mrs. Sliger to do; but this early experience
has of course added much to her success in managing her
own home, and she has been of great assistance to her
husband in securing the home. To Mr. and Mrs.
Sliger have been born four children: Newton,
Aug. 31, 1872; Anna, June 18, 1874; Edwin,
Aug. 14, 1885, and May, May 8, 1890, of whom
Edwin died when only two months old. The
others are living with their parents on the farm, and
have been very faithful in helping them in various ways.
Special mention should here be made of Newton and
Anna; they have improved every opportunity to
secure an education, having adopted the profession of
teaching. In addition to their country schooling,
Newton attended the high school at Rocky Ridge
for a time, and Anna the high school at Oak
Harbor, leaving when in her senior year to accept a
position as a teacher, when occupation she has followed
for three years, and is now among the most promising
teachers in Ottawa county. Newton taught
one term, and was obliged to discontinue the work on
account of his health. They are truly ambitious,
self-made young people, and, if health permits, they
will no doubt make creditable records for themselves.
DANIEL
SMITH, father of Mrs. Sliger, was
born in Pennsylvania July 11, 1814, and Dec. 6, 1834,
was married to Miss Jeanette Holcomb, who was
born June 30, 1815. To them were born seven
children, four of whom are living - two sons and two
daughters. Daniel Smith was one of the
first justices of Sandusky county, an office he held for
thirty-three years. The grandfather, Daniel
Smith, Sr., was born about 1777, and in his family
were thirteen children. They were among the
pioneers of Sandusky county, coming to this region when
it was a forest out of which they cleared up a farm and
made for themselves a comfortable home. [To the
above sketch Mr. Sliger adds in the early part of
November, 1895: "We are packing our household goods
preparatory to starting for Los Angeles, Cal., where we
intend making our future home." - Editor |
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