Biographies
(Transcribed by Sharon Wick)

Source:
 A Portrait and Biographical Record of
Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio
Containing Biographical Sketches of Many Prominent and Representative Citizens,
together with Biographies and Portraits of all the
Presidents of the United States
and Biographies of the Governors of Ohio
CHICAGO: A. W. BOWEN & CO.
1896

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HENRY VANTILBURG, now a retired business man and farmer of Rockford, Mercer county, Ohio, was born in Jefferson county, Jan. 8, 1821, a son of Henry and Jane (Shaw) Vantilburg, natives of Princeton, N. J., and of genuine Dutch descent, the great-grandfather having come from Holland.  This immigrant reared a family in New Jersey, and of his sons, two - John  and Henry - grew to maturity.  John Vantilburg,  the elder of these two, came to Ohio and settled in Warren county, and from him has descended the numerous family bearing his name and now scattered through the counties of Warren, Butler, Montgomery and Darke, Ohio, and Jay county, Ind., all of whom have made reputable names, either in business or public life.      Henry Vantilburg, the grandfather of our subject, was one of the pioneers of Jefferson county, Ohio, and from him descended most of the family bearing the name of Vantilburg in the northwestern part of Ohio at the present day.  One of the sons of this gentleman was a lieutenant in war of 1812, and several others reached prominent positions in professional and political careers.      Henry Vantilburg, son of Henry Vantilburg above mentioned and father of our subject, was reared on a farm in Jefferson county, Ohio, was married there and reared a family of six children.  He later removed to that part of Richland county now known as Ashland county, where he cleared up from the woods a farm of 160 acres, on which he died at the age of eighty-five years, his ancestors having lived until ninety-five years old, and his grandfather until the patriarchal age of 105 years.  Mrs. Jane (Shaw) Vantilburg, the mother of our subject, also reached advanced years, dying at the age of eighty-four.  She was the mother of the following-named children:  Julia, deceased wife of Charles Riley; Jane, deceased wife of Ezekiel Robinson; Nathan, a deceased farmer of Mercer county; Matilda, deceased wife of William Worley of Illinois; Mary, deceased wife of H. F. Holbrook; Henry, the subject of this sketch; Elizabeth, wife of William Goudy, of Fulton county, Ill.; Sarah, deceased wife of Samuel Shannon, and Sainaiett, deceased wife of A. C. Goudy and mother of Frank Goudy, attorney, of Denver, Colo.      Henry Vantilburg, our subject, was reared in Ashland county, Ohio, from the age of three months until about twenty-eight years old, when he came, in 1849, to Mercer county.  He had received a good academic education and had taught school two or three terms in Ashland county and also taught two or three winters after coming to Shanesville (now Rockford), Mercer county.  Here, however, he devoted his chief attention to farming, ditching and plank-road building, and in the fall of 1849 cut the first ditch in the county for the purpose of draining his own land, and the result was so satisfactory that his neighbors all followed his example; in the spring of 1869 he introduced tile draining, the result being that this part of Mercer county, which was then one of vast swamp, is now the garden spot of the state.      After Mr. Vantilburg had been about four years in Mercer county he purchased the first stock of general merchandise, of any considerable amount, that had been placed in the township, and from 1853 until 1863 carried on a successful trade; then, owning to failing health, he sold his stock, but three or four years later in partnership with D. H. Robinson, repurchased the same establishment and co-operated together for fourteen years, when Mr. Vantilburg again disposed of his interest and for five years carried on a grocery business, after which he retired to private life.      During his long mercantile career, Mr. Vantilburg was also engaged in agricultural pursuits, having begun, in 1849, with 176 acres in sections Nos. 7 and 18, in Dublin township, to which he added thirty acres in section No. 18; in 1859, he purchased seventy-six additional acres in section No. 17, same township, where his homested is located, and in 1863 purchased twenty-five acres to the north, a part of which he has laid off in towns lots, and on which part of the village of Rockford now stands.  In 1888 he erected a fine brick residence on his far, which is one of hte best cared for and best cultivated in the county and is the pride of the neighborhood.  Mr. Vantilburg also owns a tract of 160 acres in Dublin township in section No. 20, and he has cleared up in the county a total of 326 acres of his own property.  In conjunction with his old friend, David Work, Mr. Vantilburg was largely instrumental in securing to Rockford the railroad line, but during this effort Mr. Work died and the task was left in the hands of Vantilburg alone - but his determination was indomitable and he succeeded.      In his political affiliations Mr. Vantilburg was first a democrat, but in 1855 changed his politics and became identified with the newly organized free-soil or republican party.  He has filled all the township offices, and among them that of member of the school board for twenty-five years - and during his incumbency of this position the present fine school-building of Rockford was erected.  He has always been liberal in his aid to the churches and schools within a radius of eight miles or more from Rockford, and no public work of any merit has gone by without his hearty support.      The marriage of Mr. Vantilburg took place Sept. 2, 1858, to Miss Mary Gill, of Bucks county, Pa., and the result of his happy union was the birth of Flora J., wife of C. C. Zimmerman, a miller of Manchester, Ohio; Orlando, farming on the homestead; Oliver C., married to Minnie Hardesty and farming on the home place; Carrie, wife of William Henley, of Ohio City, and agent of the Cincinnati, Jackson & Mackinaw Railway company; Orrin, a printer, and Olin, at home.  The lamented death of Mrs. Vantilburg occurred Dec. 29, 1895, she dying firm in the faith of the Presbyterian church and her remains being interred in the Rockford cemetery. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 595

LUTHER VANTILBURG, a prominent and successful farmer of Black Creek township, was born on the farm upon which he now lives, Sept. 28, 1850.  He is a son of Nathan and Nancy (Figley) Vantilburg, the former of whom was born in Jefferson county, Ohio, in January, 1816.      Nathan Vantilburg was reared on his father's farm, and in 1839 removed to Mercer county, where  he entered 160 acres of land - that upon which the subject of this sketch now lives.  This land he cleared and improved, first erecting a cabin for the reception of his future wife, whom he married in 1840 in Ashland county, and who was Nancy Figley.  She was a daughter of Jacob Figley, was a native of Pennsylvania, and was born in 1817.  To their marriage there were born seven children, as follows:  Henry who died at the age of two years; two boys, that died in infancy unnamed; Sarah Jane, wife of James Williams, of Black Creek township; an infant that died unnamed; Luther, the subject of this sketch, and Hulbert, who lives on the homestead.      Having married in 1840, as stated above, Mr. Vantilburg returned to Mercer county, moved in to his rude log cabin, and began the hard and serious work of clearing his land, and there he passed the remainder of his days, dying Nov. 15, 1880.  Politically he was a democrat, served one term as county commissioner, several terms as township trustee, and also in other minor offices.  He was an able man, prominent in many ways, liberal in the use of his money, public spirited and enterprising.  Religiously he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church was very regular in attendance, but in manner and demeanor was a very quiet man.  He was a member of the farmers' grange of this county, and was alway interested in whatever tended to promote agriculture and other departments of industry and labor..  His wife's death occurred Sept. 4, 1873.      Luther Vantilburg was reared on his father's farm and was educated in the common schools, in district No. 7.  On the 1st of March, 1874, he married Telitha Jane Rutledge, a daughter of William and Euphema (Dysert) Rutledge.  To this marriage there were born five children, as follows:  Alma, born Nov. 4, 1876; William Nathan, born Dec. 16, 1878; Nellie, born Oct. 12, 1880; Pleasant, born May 4, 1882, and Blaine, born January 17, 1889.  The mother of these children was born in Mercer county, Jan. 12, 1868.  A full account of the genealogy of her family appears in connection with the biography of her father, WILLIAM RUTLEDGE, in a succeeding paragraph.  She was educated in Dublin township and early in life united with the United Brethren church.  Later she became a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.      After his marriage Luther Vantilburg located on his present farm, and in 1883 built his present dwelling house.  He has himself made all the improvements he now has upon it.  At the time of his settlement thereon it was only partly cleared; the rest of the clearing he has done himself.   He is a general farmer, but has also to a greater or less extent been engaged in raising, and in buying and selling stock.  His life has been a success in every particular.  Politically he is a republican, and has voted the republican ticket ever since the election of James A. Garfield to the presidency in 1880.  He takes an active interest in the welfare of the county, is a member of the township board of education, and is a wide-awake, public-spirited man.  He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, a leader in the community, and in all respects a high-toned, much esteemed citizen of Mercer county.      WILLIAM RUTLEDGE, father of Mrs. Luther Vantilburg, was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, Jan. 19, 1834, a son of Luther and Ruth (Matthews) Rutledge,  William the father of Lulther, great-grandfather of Mrs. Vantilburg, was born in Ireland, was a son of John Rutledge, and a brother of Gov. Rutledge of Virginia.  William, the great-grandfather, was married in Ireland to a Scotch lady, Eleanor Dugrase, and soon afterward came to America and settled near Baltimore, Md., and was killed while defending that city against an attack of the British. Source: A Portrait & Biographical Record of Mercer and Van Wert Counties, Ohio - Publ. Chicago: A. W. Bowen & Co. - 1896 - Page 596

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