George Clouse
1816-1859
1840 Census (#2008)
1850 Census (#1073)
George Clouse in Allan and Van Wert County Ohio History
(#1017
- #1017a -
#1017b)
John George Clouse baptism record
(#158A)
Will of Michael Clouse Sr.
(#164 -
#164a -
#164b -
#164c)
John George Clouse is buried in Ridge (Slater) Cemetery, Van Wert Co., Ohio
History The first settler in the Van Wert County, Liberty Township area, was James Hemphill from Richland County, Ohio, in 1837. There were no others until the spring of 1838 when George Clouse, Jeremiah Agler, Peter Putman, Madison White, John Shaffer, John Schlater and George Shaffer arrived.
George Clouse was the second householder to locate in Liberty Township, Van Wert County, arriving when the entire country was covered with its native growth of timber, when the Indians still claimed much of the land and, by their unfriendly attitude, caused much uneasiness among the scattered settlers. George Clouse was born in Fayette County, German Township, Pennsylvania on 1 Oct 1816. He was christened John George Clouse at the Jacob Lutheran Church in Fayette County on 14 Oct 1816. His family moved to Wayne County, Congress Township, Ohio, when he was young, about 1820. George grew up in Wayne County, Ohio on his parents farm before marrying Elizabeth Kesler and relocating to Van Wert County., Ohio. He was a son of Michael Clouse 1789-1867, a native of Alsace, Germany, and Anna Mariah Bonewitz 1784-1872 from Berks County, Pennsylvania. George’s father Michael Clouse obtained 160 acres of land in Van Wert, Co., Liberty Township, in 1837 which he divided between his two sons, George and Michael. Michael sold his 80 acres to his brother George, who, with his wife Elizabeth, settled there on September 2, 1838.
When George and Elizabeth reached their land, they unloaded their goods under two oak trees. They were located in the woods and George Clouse immediately set to work to fashion some kind of a shelter for his young wife Elizabeth. He succeeded in putting together a room of logs, as complete a structure as one man could erect without assistance, which could not be denominated a cabin in the accepted definition of the word, but was far removed from a tent. In this humble little home, in the great wilderness, with the wild animals peering through the darkness of the forest, the first of nine children, Jacob Clouse was born on November 19, 1838. Jacob was the first white person born in what would soon become Liberty Township.
When the logs were cut for a more permanent cabin, the neighbors helped to raise it and then George and Elizabeth split clap-boards for the roof and door and puncheons for the floor, these being hewn with a common axe. They had brought a cow with them from Wayne County but she died the next year so they sold their bureau to obtain money to buy another cow. They at one time were so hard pressed for food that George dug up seed potatoes that had been planted and roasted them but could not eat them. At one time Elizabeth’s father, Jacob Kesler, came to visit them. Seeing their destitute condition he went to Shane's Crossing and bought them 12 pounds of flour for which he paid $1.
George and Elizabeth’s other children were: Solomon, who died in infancy 1840-1840; Michael 1842-1909; William 1843-1923; George Washington 1845-1931; Mary Jane (Clouse) Duncan 1848-1927; Elizabeth 1849-?, who died in infancy; Esli 1851-1926; and Hugh 1854-1856, who died aged two years.
In the March 1840 meeting of the Van Wert County Commissioners the Township of Liberty was formed. George Clouse was one of 12 petitioners for the organization of the township. The first township election was held at the house of Peter Putman on the first Monday of April, 1840. The officers elected at that election were as follows: Trustees—Peter Putman, Asahel Culver and George Clouse; clerk, John Shaffer; treasurer, William Reed; constable, Thomas Redman. The first justice of the peace was Emanuel Cummings.
George Clouse clung to the task of clearing his land until the time of his death, which occurred June 26, 1859, his wife Elizabeth surviving him until her death on 27 Mar 1882. She was a woman of remarkable force of character and had passed through the pioneer hardships with courage and cheerfulness. George Clouse and Elizabeth (Kesler) Clouse are buried in Ridge (Slater) Cemetery, Van Wert Co., Ohio.
(Compiled from the History of Van Wert County, published by Richmond and Arnold George Richmond; C. R. Arnold Chicago, Illinois1906 and other genealogical records)
