Henry H. Wierwille

HENRY H. WIERWILLE, one of Washington township's best known veteran farmers and a substantial landowner living on rural mail route No. 3 out of St. Marys, is a "Buckeye" by birth and has lived in this state all his life, a resident of Auglaize county for nearly fifty years. Mr. Wierwille was born on a pioneer farm down in Van- Buren township, in the neighboring county of Shelby, December 16, 1851, and is a son of Adolph and Elizabeth (Kattman) Wierwille, both of whom were born in Germany, and who had come to this country with their respective parents in the days of their youth, the Wierwilles and the Kattmans becoming pioneer residents of this section of Ohio. Adolph Wierwille was about twenty years of age when he came here, and he helped his father clear and develop a woodland farm in Shelby county. After his marriage he began farming on his own account and became the owner of an excellent farm of 140 acres in VanBuren township (Shelby county), where he spent his last days. He and his wife were the parents of seven children, five of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch having two sisters, Sophia and Mary, and two brothers, William and Ernest Wierwille. Reared on the home farm in VanBuren township, Shelby county, Henry H. Wierwille received his schooling in the neighborhood schools and remained with his father on the farm until after his marriage, when he began farming "on his own," renting a place from his father. A year later, in 1875, he came up here into Auglaize county and bought the place on which he is now living, in Washington township, and has ever since resided there. Mr. Wierwille's first purchase there was of a tract of 120 acres, but he later bought an adjoining tract and now has 160 acres, which he has improved in admirable fashion, and on which he has a well-equipped farm plant. Though now living practically retired from the active operations of the farm, Mr. Wierwille continues to keep a pretty close supervisory eye on things and has lost none of his old-time interest in affairs. In his political views Mr. Wierwille is an "independent" Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the First Reformed church of New Knoxville, in which faith their children were reared. Mr. Wierwille has ever taken a warm interest in church affairs and has served as a deacon of the congregation. It was in 1874 that Henry Wierwille was united in marriage to Sophia Katter, a resident of the New Knoxville neighborhood, and to this union nine children have been born, of whom seven are living—Henry G., Benjamin, Edward, Louis, Anna, Bertha and Frances, all of whom are married. Henry G. Wierwille married Matilda Kuck and has six children, Adiel, Ezra, Aurora, Orville, Woodrow and Leora. Benjamin Wierwille married Minnie Fledderjohann and has three children, Velma, Luella and Nathan. Edward Wierwille married Lydia Holtkamp and has two children, Eunice and Audrey. Louis Wierwille married Dora Gruebmeyer and has two children, Agnes and Curtis. Anna Wierwille married John Kuck and has one child, a son, Oliver. Bertha Wierville married Benjamin Haverkamp, and Frances Wierwille married Herbert Katterheinrich. Mrs. Sophia Wierwille born in Germany and was but nine years of age when she came to this country with her parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Peterjohann) Katter, the family proceeding on out into Ohio and settling on woodland farm one mile west of New Knoxville, in Washington township, this county, where the family home was established, and where Mrs. Wierwille grew to womanhood and was married. When Henry Katter and his wife came to this country from Germany they had five children. Seven other children were born to them here. Of these twelve children eight are still living, Mrs. Wierwille eldest) having three sisters, Dina, Marie and Matilda, and four. brothers, Henry, William, August and Frederick Katter, the descendants of these in the present generation forming a considerable connection, Mr. and Mrs. Wierwille alone having fourteen grandchildren, "and plenty of time for more."