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BIOGRAPHIES
Source:
History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania
ILLUSTRATED
Publ.
Chicago:
Warner, Beers & Co.,
1887
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HENRY
OMWAKE, P. O. Greencastle. The name
was originally in German "Amweg," by which some
of the members of the family are still known in
Lancaster County, Pann. The first of the
name to settle in Franklin County was Jacob
Omwake, a native of Berks County, Penn; he
located in Washington Township, near Besore's
(now Salem) Church, and in the spring of 1808
moved on a tract of land which he bought of
Samuel Sell. He died Nov. 17, 1814, at
the age of forty-one years. He was a
member of the Reformed Church, and is buried in
the Old Salem churchyard. His wife's name
before marriage was Catharine Hassler;
they had a family of two sons and four
daughters. His widow was afterward married
to Daniel Mowen. John Omwake, son
of Jacob, was also a native of Berks
County, being eight years old when the family
came to this county. He was married to
Elizabeth Ledy, a daughter of Henry and
Elizabeth (Miller) Ledy. From the time
of his marriage in 1821, to the time of his
death in 1865, he lived on the old homestead,
which first became his residence in 1808; his
remains lie in the Salem ground. His widow
is still on the old home place with her son
Samuel, and is now in her ninety-third year;
until about ninety years of age, she was able to
visit her neighbors on foot, and preferred
walking to church, a distance of three-fourths
of a mile; since then she is partially disabled
in body, but her mental faculties are
comparatively good, her memory running back to
occurrences which took place before the war of
1812. They were both members, and faithful
attendants upon the services, of the Reformed
Church, in the faith and doctrines of which they
also brought up their children, of whom they had
ten: Catharine, married to
Wesley Koons; Samuel, married to
Elizabeth Keckler; John, married in
Ohio, where he died of cholera; Jacob,
who died at Tiffin, Ohio, in 1854;
Jeremiah, married at Tiffin, Ohio, to Ann
Sheets, and now living in Henry County,
Ohio; Henry; Susan, married to
Christian Lesher, of near Waynesboro, Penn.;
Elisabeth, married to Wm. S. Koons
(now both deceased); Mary Ann and
Rebecca, both of whom died single.
Henry Omwake, the subject proper of this
sketch, was born Dec. 6, 1830, and was reared to
farming; he attended the common schools, but
fitted himself for teaching mainly by his
efforts at home. When nineteen he began
teaching school in Salem District, and followed
it during winter terms, for sixteen years.
He was married in 1854 to Eveline Beaver,
and moved to Antrim Township. In 1867 he
bought the Peter Witmer homestead near
Greencastle, now consisting of ninety acres,
where his family are enjoying the fruits of the
farm as the result of their industry. As
an ardent supporter of the common schools he has
served his Township three several terms as
director. In 1881 he was elected to the
office of county commissioner, in which he
served three years. He and his wife are
also members of the Reformed faith. Their
family consists of nine children; John O.,
Wm. T., Mary K., Augustus B. (at home and a
teacher), James E., Jeremiah S., George L.,
Chalmers P. and Howard R. John O.,
living in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Wm. T.,
who is an attorney in Waynesboro, Penn., are the
only ones of the children not now at home.
Source: History of Franklin County, Pennsylvania
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ILLUSTRATED -
Publ. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1887 - Page 722 |
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