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Note: Ohio Genealogy Express
DAVID BRENNEMAN, of Marion township, Allen county, Ohio, is a son of Jacob and Caroline (Ogden) Brenneman, and was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, Nov. 28, 1840. He was brought to Allen county in September, 1853, by his parents, and was here reared to manhood. Aug. 12, 1862, he enlisted in company A, One Hundred and Eighteenth Ohio volunteer infantry, to serve three years or during the war, and was honorably discharged at Knoxville, Tenn., June 20, 1865. His regiment left Lima Sept. 12, 1862, and in Oct. of same year was engaged in guard duty on the Kentucky Central railroad; later, he was at the siege of Knoxville, and was twenty-one days and nights under fire; next had a hard fight at Mossy Creek, in Tennessee; then returned to Knoxville and was engaged in building pontoon boats until the spring of 1864, when he went on the Atlanta campaign, fighting at Resaca, Buzzard's Roost, Kenesaw Mountain, Snake Creek Gap, Peach Tree Creek, and at Atlanta. After the fall of that city Mr. Brenneman was with Gen. Thomas in Tennessee, was at Strawberry Plains, Jonesboro, Morristown, and on to Salisbury, N. C.; was also at Lynchburg, Va., and several other points, doing good work in the engineer branch of the service until his final discharge.
Returning from the war, Mr. Brenneman engaged in the saw mill business for four years, but in the meantime, Sept. 27, 1866, married Phebe A. Lutz, who was born Dec. 13, 1846, a daughter of John and Sarah A. (Griffith) Lutz. John Lutz was of German descent and his wife of Welsh extraction. The former was born in Perry county, Ohio, Jan. 13, 1820, a son of John Lutz, who was born in Maryland in 1787 and married Louise Leese, who was born Oct. 14, 1794. To John and Louisa Lutz, the father of Mrs. Brenneman, was thrice married - first to Sarah A. Griffith, who was born Mar. 19, 1837, a daughter of David Griffith, who bore him four children; his second wife Elizabeth Miller, who also became the mother of four children, and his third wife was Sarah Doner, who bore him four children, likewise.
After his marriage, Mr. Brenneman located in Amanda township, Allen county, lived there four years, and then came to his present farm of 160 acres in Marion township. There have been born to him four children, named Laura A., Irvin E., Sarah E. and Stephen A. Mr. and Mrs. Brenneman are members of the Methodist church, and for nine years Mr. Benneman has been trustee in that body. In politics he is independent, and has served as trustee of his township four years. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, belonging to Armstrong post, at Lima. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Brenneman, Laura married David Williams, a farmer of Van Wert county, and is the mother of three children, named Groen Lenora, William David and Anna; Irvin married Ollie Kircofe, and is working on the home farm; Sarah E. is married to Albert Morris, a blacksmith in the Lake Erie & Western Railroad shops, at Lima.
The Brenneman homestead was first settled by Christian Stukey, the deed having been signed by President Andrew Jackson, May 2, 1833. The next owner was Daniel Conrad, and by him it was transferred to Jacob Brenneman in March, 1853. It is now one of the finest farms in the township, is one of the oldest settled in the neighborhood, and Mr. Brenneman has cleared up the greater pat of it. Mr. Brenneman relates many reminiscences of the Civil war, which are too voluminous for repetition in the sketch of this character. He was a brave and faithful soldier, and his conduct in civil life ahs been such as to win the esteem and heartfelt regard of all who know him. He is upright, public spirited, and generous in his impulses, and few citizens of Marion township stand in a better light before the public than he.
The family originally were German Mennonites, who fled from persecution in Germany and sought shelter in the country where all religions and sects are given freedom to worship in their own way. They were faithful followers of Menno Symons, and the founder of the branch of the family to which John L. Brenneman belongs was Abraham, his grandfather, who was born about 1745, so that it was probable that the family first settled in southeastern Pennsylvania, some time prior to the Revolutionary war. Abraham Brenneman first married a young lady named Maria, who was born about 1747, and died March 29, 1788, the mother of seven children, viz: Magdalene, born Dec. 6, 1770; Elizabeth, born Feb. 10, 1773; Malachi, born May 11, 1775; Francis, born Oct. 18, 1777; Barbara, born Jan. 13, 1780; Daniel, born Mar. 24, 1782, and Abraham, after the death of his first wife, married Magdalena Schenk, who was the mother of seven children, viz: Henry, John, Jacob, Catherine, Mary, David and Abraham.
Abraham Brenneman, when grown to manhood, left the home in Pennsylvania, and settled on a farm in Rockingham county, Va., where he prospered and reared his family, and there died Mar. 8, 1815, in his seventy-first year. He was well remembered by many people of his latter day, as he was noted for his hospitality and liberality to all poor people; he always kept a large store of wheat on hands to give to the poor and needy, and many were those who could look to him as their benefactor. He was honored and respected by all, and from him fourteen children have descended, of whom all grew to manhood and womanhood and raised families, excepting Catherine, who had no children. All the Brenneman family who are settled in Allen county, except Christian Brenneman, who lives in Sugar Creek township, trace their descent back to this Abraham Brenneman, while Christian Brenneman traces his descent to a brother of Abraham.
Jacob Brenneman, the third son of Abraham, by his second wife, was the father of the subject of this sketch, and was born on the old homestead in Rockingham county, Va., Oct. 7, 1796, and married Mary, the daughter of John Berry. After marriage he settled on the old homestead in Rockingham county and eight children were born to them, the four oldest of whom, John L. Abraham, Barbara and Isaac, grew up the reared families; the four youngest died while quite young after moving to Ohio. About 1828 Mr. Brenneman moved his family from the old home in Virginia to Fairfield county, Ohio, where he bought a farm of 120 acres of partly cleared land; this he improved and was prospering when his wife died, about October, 1832. In the fall of 1836 he married Caroline, the daughter of David and Rebecca (Frey) Ogden, who were natives of Virginia and of English descent. By this marriage Mr. Brenneman had eight children, viz: Catherine, David, Jacob, Rebecca, Noah, William F. (deceased), Sarah A. and Charles B.
About September, 1853, Mr. Brenneman moved his family to Marion township, Allen county, and settled on a farm of 160 acres, a small part of which had been cleared. He improved this land and made it his home the remainder of his life, dying Jan. 1, 1865, being in his sixty-ninth year. He was a prosperous and very successful farmer, and a hard-working and honest man, and taught his children that hard work was honorable, and that they should be honest and upright in all things. It may be well said that his word was as good as his bond. He was a democrat in politics, and a faithful member of the Mennonite church, and was honored and respected by all who knew him. (Source #1 - Page 212)
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