My Genealogy Hound

GEORGE W. WHITMER, merchant, Pleasant Hill. Prominent in the list of business men of Pleasant Hill is the subject of our sketch, who was born within the present corporate limits of this village in May, 1844; he is the son of John Whitmer, an eminent citizen of this place; he (John Whitmer) was born in Union Co., Penn., March 20, 1811, and is of German extraction; he is the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Whitmer, natives of Pennsylvania; by a diligent application of his time and talents, he early qualified himself for the profession of teaching, which he followed for ten years; in the meantime, he engaged to some extent in the mercantile trade, which has been the principal occupation of his life; in the spring of 1842, he emigrated to Ohio, locating within the present limits of the village of Pleasant Hill; two years subsequent, he embarked in the mercantile business, starting the second store in this place; this he continued, with an interval of a few years when he was in business at Covington, till about ten years ago, when he practically retired from active life; he is known throughout the community as an enterprising business man, of integrity and intelligence. Although no political aspirant, he has been elected to all the important offices of the township; he is now serving as Justice of the Peace, which office he has filled for fifteen years. He is, in politics, a Jacksonian Democrat. His first marriage occurred in 1836, with Miss Elizabeth Stewart; one child was born to this union, now living in Kansas; his second marriage was with Miss Sarah Lenhart, in 1840; eleven children are the fruits of this union, three of whom have died; the rest are living in this immediate vicinity. Our subject grew up accustomed to the mercantile trade, which has been his life occupation. He exchanged the comforts of home during the late civil war, for the dangers and hardships of the camp and battlefield; as a member of the noble 110th O. V. I., he participated in the three days’ fight of Winchester, where the regiment suffered severely, the battles at Brandy Station, Mine Run, Kelly’s Ford, and many skirmishes; on the first night of the battle of the Wilderness, he received a severe wound, a large ball passing entirely through the back portion of his neck, thus disabling him from any further active duty in the field; he was honorably discharged in June, 1865, and returned home. After engaging tor a time in the general produce business, he embarked in a mercantile career in 1867; he carries a large stock of all kinds of merchandise, including a full stock of goods in the harness line; he also, under the firm name of Whitmer & Patty, deals in all kinds of grain, for the handling of which they have erected a large elevator with all the modern fixtures; in all his transactions, he strictly adheres to the principle of honesty. He has been twice elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, now holds the commission of Notary Public, and was once elected Mayor of the town. He has been twice married; his first marriage was celebrated in 1867, and his second in 1877; of each union a child has been born.