David Hartman was a former sheriff in Lancaster County .
He was also instrumental in establishing what is now known as Millersville University
and owned a lumber business. He lived, for most of his young years, in Clinton County ,
returning to Lancaster
when he was 18. It was in Lancaster
that he married Miss Miller. He died on 10 October 1881 at his home on North Queen Street .
He was 79 years old.
His obituary reads:
David Hartman, ex-sheriff of Lancaster county, and one
of our oldest and most highly respected citizens, died this forenoon at his
residence No. 438 North Queen Street, in the 79th year of his age,
after an illness of about two weeks, brought on by overexertion during a long
journey to the West, which he and E.M. Schaeffer made a few weeks ago in the
interest of the estate of John S. Gable, deceased, of which they were
executors.
Messrs. Hartman and Schaeffer left Lancaster during the latter part of August and proceeded direct
to Iowa ,
where Mr. Gable had large tracts of valuable land. They traveled through five
or six counties, often traversing very bad roads, by private conveyance and in
very inclement weather. Mr. Hartman was indefatigable in his labor of examining
titles, making surveys of the various properties, examining and satisfying
mortgages, paying accrued taxes and in some cases making arrangements for the
lease or sale of some of the properties. His arduous duties, continued for a
month, under trying circumstances, together with a change of climate, diet and
water, at last began to tell upon his health, and he was attacked with
dysentery about the time he had concluded his labors, but his case was not
considered serious until he had reached Chicago
on his return home. On reaching Fort
Wayne he was so seriously ill that Mr. Schaeffer
thought he had better stop there to recuperate, but Mr. Hartman, as if foreseeing
what the end would be, insisted on continuing the journey home. He reached Lancaster on last
Thursday week, and though he received the most unremitting attention from affectionate
relatives and friends, and of distinguished physicians, he gradually grew
worse, and died this morning as above stated.
Mr. Hartman was born in Lancaster county, Pa. ,
on the 13th of December 1832. In early life he removed to Clinton county, where he
remained until he was about 18 years old. Returning to Lancaster
county he married a Miss Miller, sister of the late Tobias Miller, and opened a
fulling mill in East Hempfield . Entering into
political life he took an active part in local, state and nationally politics.
In 1842 he was nominated by the anti-Masonic Whigs as their candidate for
sheriff, but was beaten by John Ehler, who ran as an independent, and was
supported by the Democrats. In 1845 Mr. Hartman was renominated and elected by
a large majority, serving for three years and having to perform the
disagreeable task of hanging John Haggerty, the murderer of the Fortney family.
About the time of his election to the
shrievalty Mr. Hartman removed from East Hempfield to Lancaster , and resided here until the time of
his death. After the expiration of his term as sheriff Mr. Hartman entered into
the lumber trade, which he carried on successfully for many years. He was also
an active worker in opening and improving the East Chestnut street tract, formerly
known as the “Common,” and at the time of his death he was the largest owner of
that valuable property. He was one of the most active workers in the
establishment of the state normal school at Millersville, and was a member of
the board of trustees at the time of his death. He was also a director of the
Home Mutual fire insurance company, and a trustee of the Duke street Methodist Episcopal church.
He was an enumerator of the United States
census for this city in 1850 and 1870, and he was a member of the Lancaster school board
for nearly a quarter of a century – being the oldest member of the board except
Christian Zecher.
In all his relations of life, whether
public or private, Mr. Hartman was earnest, active, intelligent and honest, and
he had the entire confidence of all with whom he had intercourse. As a husband
and father he was kind, affectionate and indulgent; as a neighbor and friend,
courteous, genial and obliging, and as a private or public officer true to his
trust; dying, it may be said, in the discharge of duties imposed him by an old
and esteemed friend.
Mr. Hartman leaves a wife and five
children – three sons and two daughters. One of the latter, Miss Annie, has
long been a teacher in the Millersville normal school; the other, Mary, is the
wife of Luther S. Kauffman and resides in Denver ,
Colorado . Of his sons, David is
business manager for John Best; Samuel L. (sic) is an agent; and Harry H. is a
civil and mining engineer in Houtzdale, Clearfield
county, Pa.
All are now in the city except Mrs. Kauffman.
Sources:
The
Daily Intelligencer. (Lancaster , PA ), 9 October 1881. Chronicling America :
Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress.
Sunday’s Obituary is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers.
© Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015
Comments
Post a Comment