George W. Wetzel
George W. Wetzel was born on December 25, 1826, in North Middleton, Pennsylvania, to John and Catherine Wetzel. His father died in the 1840s. He married Sarah Ellen Shade in the late 1840s, and they had at least eight children: John, born around 1850; Charles, born around 1852; Sarah, born around 1856; Florena, born around 1858; Mary, born around 1860; George, born around 1862; Annie, born around 1864; and Ida, born around 1867.
They lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Wetzel worked as a wagon maker. By 1860, he owned $500 of personal property. By 1870, he was working as a hotel keeper, and he owned $700 of real estate and $4,000 of personal property. He supported the Democratic Party, and he served one term as county treasurer in the early 1870s.
His wife died in 1891. He remained in Carlisle, and by 1900, he had resumed his work as a wagon maker. A local writer described him as a “man of strong character and individuality—intense in his feelings, and active in the support and promotion of organizations to which he belonged.” He was a “good hearted gentleman, a loving father and a type of the splendid citizen.” He died of pneumonia in Carlisle on January 12, 1907.
DATABASE CONTENT
| (2172) | Wetzel, George W. | 1826-12-25 | 1907-01-12 |
- Conflict Side: Union
- Role: Civilian
- Rank in:
- Rank out:
- Rank highest:
- Gender: Male
- Race: White
People - Records: 5
Places - Records: 2
Groups - Records: 1
- (1) [member/supporter] ~ Democratic Party
SOURCES
1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1900 United States Federal Censuses, available from Ancestry.com; Pennsylvania Death Certificates, 1906-1968, available from Ancestryc.com; The Sentinel (Carlisle, PA), 14 January 1907.
