JOHN F. HEETER.
John F. Heeter, now a prominent
merchant of Arcanum, Darke county, Ohio,
is a worthy representative of an old colonial
family, being of the fifth generation in de-
scent from Isaac Heeter, a farmer, who
was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, and
came to America about 1750, with his wife
and two children, landing at Boston. He
undoubtedly died in Pennsylvania, as he took
up his residence in that state soon after his
arrival in this country.
Sebastian Heeter, a son of Isaac, was
born in Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania,
in 1760, and enlisted from that state under
General Compton at the breaking out of the
Revolutionary war, although only fifteen
years of age. He was captured by Indian
allies of the British.' compelled to run the
gauntlet and received a severe wound in
the shoulder from a tomahawk thrown by
one of the Indians, but made his escape and
rejoined his command, fighting valiantly un-
til hostilities ceased. After the war he set-
tled down to the peaceful life of a farmer
in Huntingdon county. "When a boy he
and his brother, George, would set a fish
basket in the Juniata river, and one evening
when George went to the river to look after
the catch for the day he was waylaid by the
Indians while returning home and killed.
He was sixteen years old at the time. Se-
bastian Heeter married Elizabeth Compton,
a relative of General Compton. She died
in Huntingdon county leaving four chil-
dren : John, who married Ruth Bryan and
died in Jackson township, Montgomery
county, Ohio; George, who married Eliza-
beth Heck and died at his home on Wolf
creek, Perry township, Montgomery coun-
ty, Ohio ; Barbara, who married John Rarick
and lived for a time in Perry township.
Montgomery county, Ohio, but spent her last
days in Elkhart county, Indiana; and Eliz-
abeth, who died in Pennsylvania unmarried.
For his second wife Sebastian Heeter mar-
ried Elizabeth Rarick, by whom he had
the following- children: Henry, who mar-
ried Hannah Bernamon and died in North
Manchester, Indiana; Frederick, the grand-
father of our subject; Abraham, who mar-
ried Catherine Kreitzer and died in Mont-
gomery county, Ohio; Mary, who married
John Keener and died in the same county;
David, who married Elizabeth Hay and died
in North Manchester, Indiana; Catherine,
who married John Shank; Daniel, who
married Mary Earnest and died in Clay
township, Montgomery county, Ohio; Sarah,
who married James Thompson and lives in
Huntingdon county, Indiana; Jacob, who
398
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
married Susan Keener and lives near Louis-
burg, Montgomery county, Ohio ; Samuel,
who married Ruhami Nation and died on
his father's old homestead in Montgomery
county ; and Sebastian, who married Cath-
erine Earnest and died on his farm adjoin-
ing the old homestead. The father of these
children came to Montgomery county. Ohio.
in 1814, traveling by wagons to Wheeling.
West Virginia, and from there drifted down
the Ohio river to Cincinnati on rlatboats.
He located eight miles west of Dayton on
a one-hundred-and-sixty-acre tract of land
on what is now the Dayton and Eaton pike.
and in the midst of the forest built a rude
log cabin, which was the home of the family
until a hewed-log house could be erected.
He died on that farm June 7, 1840.
Frederick Heeter, the grandfather of our
subject, was born in Huntingdon county
Pennsylvania, in 1798, and was sixteen years
of age when the family removed to Ohio,
where he passed through all the hardships
incident to pioneer life. In 1821 he mar-
ried Elizabeth Kreitzer, who was born in
Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1803, a
daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Geb-
hart) Kreitzer and granddaughter of Daniel
Gebhart. Her family came to this state in
181 1, and her father entered one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Montgomery
county, upon which he spent the remainder
of his life. After his marriage Frederick
Heeter lived on a rented farm north of Trot-
wood, Montgomery county, for a time, and
then bought sixty acres of land on Bear Creek,
Perry township, upon which farm he died
in 1861. His wife survived him many years.
dying in 1891. Their children were Diana,
the wife of Daniel Imler, of Perry town-
ship, Montgomery county; Elizabeth, the
wife of David Earnest, of Johnsville, the
same county ; David, who married Elizabeth
Clayton and lives in Dayton, Ohio ; Cath-
erine, wife of George Earnst, of Brook-
ville, Montgomery county ; Absalom, who
married, first, Elizabeth Cotterman and, sec-
ondly. Fanny Brant and lives in Johnsville;
Daniel, the father of our subject: Hannah,
who married David Rough, and died in
Montgomery county ; Mary, the wife of
Daniel Smith, of Preble county, Ohio ; Sarah,
the wife of Levi McNally,, of Louisburg,
Ohio; John, who married Elizabeth Shock
and lives in Johnsville ; Lucinda, the wife of
David Clemmer, of Johnsville; and Eli. who
married Lavina Stauffer and lives in Darke
county.
Daniel Heeter, our subject's father, was
born on the Higgins farm, Madison -town-
ship Montgomery county, June 19. 1830, and
grew to manhood on the old homestead.
When his services were not needed on that
farm, and that was seldom, he attended the
subscription and public schools until nine-
teen years of age, but the greater part of his
education was gained by subsequent read-
ing and observation. He remained at home
until his marriage, at the age of twenty-
four years, and then lived on one of his
father's farms for a time, after which he
lived on the Daniel Schneck farm, owned
by his mother-in-law. At the end of five
years he returned to the farm he had pre-
viously occupied and remained there until
1861. the following two years being passed
on his uncle Abraham Heeter's farm near
Liberty. M< mtgomery county. He then pur-
chased thirty acres of land of William Dik-
ler, and after residing there for seven years
exchanged it for a forty-acre tract in Frank-
lin township. Darke count}", t< 1 which he sub-
sequently added twenty acres, but in 1878
he sold it and moved to Arcanum, being-
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
899
employed for a time as foreman of bridges
on the Big Four Railroad. Afterward he
followed contracting, house building, etc.,
until 1892. when he retired from active life.
He is a highly esteemed citizen of Arcanum,
a consistent member of the Lutheran church,
with which he united at the age of seven-
teen years, and a stanch Democrat in politics.
On the 6th of April, 1854, he married
Catherine Schneck. who was born near Pine
Grove, Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, De-
cember 2, 1835, and is a daughter of Daniel
and Magdalena (Stine) Schneck. Her fa-
ther also was a native of Schuylkill county,
Pennsylvania, and a son of Peter and Cath-
erine Schneck. In 1839 his family came
tc Montgomery county, Ohio, and settled
on the farm in Perry township purchased
for him by his father. Owing to illness he
remained with his father in Pennsylvania
until 1848, when he joined his family in this
state. He died upon his farm in 1853, his
wife in 1869. Our subject is the eldest in a
family of seven children, the others being as
follows: Mary, born November 25, 1856,
died young; Amanda Magdalene, born Feb-
ruary 18, 1859, is the wife of George Steck,
living near Brookville, Montgomery county ;
Laura Alice, born July 12, 1862, died at the
age of twenty-two years; William Allen,
born April 24, 1867, died young; Ida Eliza-
beth, born March 10, 1870, died in infancy;
and David Orville, born April 28, 1876. is a
school teacher of Arcanum.
John F. Heeter, our subject, was born
near Pyrmont, in Perry township, Mont-
gomery county, Ohio. February 19, 1855,
and was eight years old when his parents lo-
cated near Liberty, but two years later they
removed to Perry township. He was reared
in about the usual manner of farmer boys
and attended the country schools until sev-
24
enteen years of age, the last year being spent
in Franklin township, Darke county. He
remained with his father until twenty-two
years of age, and then returned to Perry
township, Montgomery county, for a short
time. Later he worked by the day in Ar-
canum, and then had a rented farm in Frank-
lin township, this county, for a time. He
next rented the Tillman farm in Van Buren
township for two years, and at the end of that
time returned to Arcanum, where he was en-
gaged in teaming for five years. Subse-
quently he followed farming on the old
Swinger homestead near Painter, and while
engaged in agricultural pursuits devoted
considerable attention to stock-raising. In
April, 1899.be opened his present store in Ar-
canum, and although in business at that place
but a short time he has reason to be proud of
his success, for he has already built up a large
and constantly increasing trade, and by fair
and honorable dealing has gained the confi-
dence and respect of all with whom he has
come in contact. He is a faithful member
of the Dunkard church and a stanch Demo-
crat in politics. In the fall of 1876 he was
united in marriage with Miss Anna Maria
Stauffer, who was born on the Samuel Bean
farm in Franklin township, this county, in
1857, a daughter of David and Sarah
(Swinger) Stauffer. By this union have
been born three children, namely : Viola
Catherine, now the wife of George Wine, of
Adams township, Darke county; Delia Alice.
wife of Jesse Rhodes, of Franklin township;
and Charles Albert, at home.
