GEORGE
D. ZIMMERMAN. The prominent citizen of Todd
township, Crawford county, Ohio, whose familiar name is above,
was born in Wayne county, Ohio, Apr. 5, 1835, a son of
John Zimmerman, a native of Union county, Pennsylvania,
who married Eliza Davidson. The father of
John Zimmerman was killed when the latter was
five years old and John was brought by his
mother to Columbiana county, Ohio, and thence taken to Wayne
county, also in this state, where Mrs. Zimmerman
and her sons bought military land from the United States
government and where John was married.
John and Eliza (Davidson) Zimmerman had
children as follows, all living in this state:
George D.; Ephraim, who lives in Bucyrus;
Israel, who lives in Wyandot county; Nathan,
who lives in Defiance; Albert, of Findlay; and
Hannah, who married B. H. Clendenin,
of Antrim township, Wyandot county. Mr. and Mrs.
Zimmerman and their family removed to Crawford county,
Ohio, in 1846, settling in Todd township, and bought one hundred
and sixty acres of land from Judge Swan, of
Columbus, Ohio, where the village of Lemert has
since grown up. Thirty acres of the tract had been cleared
and a log house had been built upon it. There John
Zimmerman lived out the remainder of his days and died
Dec. 20, 1878, at the age of seventy-three years. From the
time of the organization of the Republican party he acted with
it in all questions of public policy. He served his
township as trustee and filled other important offices. He
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was liberal
in the support of its various interests. His wife died
Feb. 25, 1887, aged about seventy-one years.
When John Zimmerman brought his family to Todd
township the subject of this sketch was about eleven years old.
He remained with his father until he was twenty-one years of
age, assisting him about his farm work and attending the common
schools near his home as opportunity afforded during the years
of his youth. In 1856 he went to the far west by way of
the Nicaragua route. He engaged in prospecting for
minerals on the north fork of the American river and later on
Bear river, but made his headquarters about sixteen miles from
Sacramento, California. He remained on the coast about
four years, during which time he took up several mining claims,
and then returned to Ohio with the expectation of going back to
California, but at the request of his father he remained and for
two years was with him on his home farm. He married
Phoebe Jane Caughey, of Sycamore, Ohio, and
after his marriage he located on the farm in Todd township which
he has since owned and operated. The palce comprises one
hundred and ten acres of land, well improved and very
productive, much of which Mr. Zimmerman devotes
to general farming. Mr. Zimmerman is a
Repubican.
Mrs. Zimmerman,
who died Jan. 6, 1900, bore her husband six children, as
follows: Alida C., who is the wife of
William Lambright, of Nevada, Ohio;
Viola, who is the wife of Scott Ekleberry,
of Todd township; and Clara, Amy, Annie and
Daisy, who are members of their father's
household. Clara is a milliner and
Viola and Daisy and
Annie have achieved an enviable reputation as school
teachers.
Source: A Centennial Biographical History of Crawford County,
Ohio - Chicago: 1902 - Page 683 |
