Adina, Is this John S. Sheetz, the judge. Good picture of him. The Sheetz went to church with my ancestors and Asa Allen, don't know whose son he was, married on of Frederick's daughters. Bill ----------------------------------------------------- Bill Pyles, Titusville, FL --New e-mail address: WPyles@cfl.rr.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Adina Dyer" <adyer@nfe.com> To: <WVHAMPSH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2000 3:02 AM Subject: [WVHAMPSH-L] John S. Sheetz Bio > Bill and other Sheetz researchers - > > Here is a biography I found in a history of Benton County, Indiana, > regarding John S. Sheetz, son of Frederick Sheetz and Nancy Emerson. I > question the accuracy of the information in the first paragraph which > says that Frederick Sheetz was born in Germany. From information from > others and my own research, it doesn't seem very likely that Frederick > was born in Germany. His grandfather was a Johann Friderich SCHÜTZ, who > later was known as Frederick, and it is thought that he immigrated from > Germany in 1732. > > I have a photo of John S. Sheetz on the Tippecanoe Co. INGenWeb site: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~intippec/JSSheetz.html > ================================================= > History of Benton County, Indiana > By Barce and Jones > > Chapter 18 > The Sheetz Family > > Frederick Sheetz, while a boy in Germany, had received a good common > school training, wrote an unusually good hand and both his Spelling and > English were far ahead of his day and time. About 1827 he received from > the government of Frankfort, in Hampshire County, and being a > progressive man, he established the first school in that part of the > country, a flour mill, known as the Sheetz Mill, that was burned by the > Union forces during the Civil War, a tannery and a store. He served > several terms as Sheriff of Hampshire County and was at one time a > member of the Virginia Legislature. An excellent photograph of this > fine old gentleman is now in the possession of Harry Sheetz of Fowler, > his great-grandson. > In the year 1836 the land fever in the Wabash Country was at its > height. A speculation in real estate was rife. The first division of > the Wabash and Erie Canal had been completed on the Fourth of July, and > the first canal boat, the Indiana, had passed through Huntington. The > vast army of Irish laborers was digging toward Wabash and Peru. Over > the old National Road from Cumberland, Maryland, a steady stream of > "movers" with their covered wagons, droves of cattle, hogs and sheep, > poured into Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. For months at a time there was > no moment of the daytime that a family was not in sight. At night the > road appeared like a picket line of an army. > Over the National Highway passed many who, like the sons of > Frederick Sheetz, believed that the Northwest was the land of > opportunity. True to their German blood and instincts, they held the > institution of human slavery as wrong. They looked upon the great > Ordinance of 1787, prohibiting involuntary servitude and providing for a > system of free schools and that the means of free education should > forever be encouraged, as a character of liberty and security. On > December 31, 1835, Robert King Sheetz, the eldest son, entered the N. E. > of the S.W. section 1-24-7 and either the same year or the next his two > brothers, Frederick Jr. and John S. came to Indiana. The story of > Robert King Sheetz seems to have been brief, for it is recorded in the > family history that his wife Matilda Tantlinger Sheetz died in the > Wabash country and was brought back, in a covered wagon, to Hampshire > County, Virginia. He afterwards married again and lived in Virginia. > Frederick Jr. married had married Elizabeth Taylor and John S. married > Isabelle Parker, an aunt of Capt. James F. Parker of Oxford. They > remained in the west. Frederick settled in Tippecanoe County and was > the father of Warren B. Sheetz of Co. D 10th Indiana Infantry, and > Harriet Sheetz, who married William S. Van Natta of Fowler. His > grandson, David Sheetz, is now a respected farmer in Pine Township, a > short distance above the old Robert Hawkins place. He became at once > one of the most influential men in his community and later took an > active part and prominent part in the establishment of the new county of > Benton. James Edward Sheetz, son of Frederick the elder, remained in > Hampshire County and was at one time the Postmaster at Romney, > Virginia. His son Frederick Warren (Warner) was educated at Virginia > Military Institute and later joined the Confederate Army. Thus the > family was divided into a northern and a southern wing. > Continuing our sketch of John S., afterwards known as Judge Sheetz, > it is recorded that when it was decided to ask the Legislature of the > State for the erection a new county, Judge Sheetz, owing to his ability > and intelligence, was entrusted with the circulation of the petition > that was afterwards presented to Gov. David Wallace by Henry Robertson, > and which resulted in the act of 1840, creating Benton County. At the > May term 1843 of the Commissioners Court, he was appointed as the first > county agent entrusted with the sale of lots and lands dedicated by > Henry L. Ellsworth and David Watkinson for the establishment of a new > seat of Justice. He afterward let the contract for, and took an active > part in the building of the frame courthouse in the dense thickets and > timber of White Oak Grove. On August 11, 1846, he was duly elected as > an Associate Justice of Benton County Circuit Court for a term of seven > years, from July 1, 1847, serving honorably and efficiently, and > resigning his office on March 17, 1851. While he acted in this > capacity, the Presiding Judge of the First Circuit Court, of which > Benton was a part, was the Hon. Isaac Naylor of Crawfordsville. The > other Associate Justice, serving with Judge Sheetz, was Basil Justus of > Oxford. > Like his father, Frederick Sheetz, Judge Sheetz manifest a deep > interest in all affairs looking to the education and enlightenment of > the young, and like his father, he aided in the building of the first > school house in his community. This was a log school house erected in > 1845 on the pioneer farm of Esquire William R. Johnson, southeast of the > old village of Aydelotte, and in which Hartley T. Howard, later Clerk of > Benton County Court, was the first teacher. Judge Sheetz was a man of > the most humanitarian principles, deeply interested in all matters > affecting the advancement of the public weal and a gentleman of the > utmost honor and integrity. To the last he was deeply interested in > livestock farming. > The children of Judge Sheetz and Isabelle, his wife, were John > Robert Sheetz, father of Bert Sheetz, of Gilboa; Mrs. Frances M. > Eastburn, of West Lafayette; and Newton Sheetz, at one time Recorder of > Benton County; Nancy, wife of William Hawkins; Margaret, wife of John > Hawkins; James Sheetz; Hannah, a maiden lady; and Frederick Sheetz, a > veteran of the 10th Indiana Regiment during the Civil War, and father of > Harry Sheetz of Fowler. > Late in life, Judge Sheetz went to the town of Chauncey, now West > Lafayette, where a public street bears his name.** He died on the fifth > day of December 1877, aged 69 years, 11 months, 24 days, and is buried > beside his wife in Greenbush or Linwood Cemetery. The Lafayette Daily > Journal of December 6, 1877, contains the following: > "Judge Sheetz, as he was familiarly known, died at his residence in > Chauncey, yesterday morning at 6 o'clock, after a short and painful > illness. Mr. Sheetz was well advanced in years, and until a few months > past had remarkably good health. His wife died on the same day of the > week five months ago. Since her disease his health has been rapidly > failing. He was a man of sterling integrity and a very benevolent > dispostion." > > **Sheetz Street is located in Purdue University, West Lafayette, > Indiana. > > Adina Dyer > West Lafayette, IN > > >