George W. Rummel was the second child in a family of sixteen children born to Henry and Elizabeth Rummel. He was born June 7, 1827, at New Lisbon, Columbiana County, Ohio. In 1844 his parents moved their family, then numbering twelve children, to Steuben County, Indiana, settling in Richland township, on the farm known many years later as the Kinney farm. After about four years they moved to the farm a mile and a half northeast of Hamilton, where they lived until the death of the parents and the children had formed homes for themselves in this new country. Thus it will be seen that the Rummels composed a remarkable pioneer family of Steuben County and have had an important part in changing our country from a wilderness to its present state of prosperity and happiness. We record their names as follows: Daniel P., George W., Henry, Jacob, Sarah, Falma (sic), Jane, William, John and Alexander (twins), Elizabeth, Alfred, Oliver, Caroline, David, and Benjamin. Of this number only five survive, viz: Jacob of Hamilton, Ind.; John, of Kites, Okla.; Elizabeth, of Goodland, Kansas; Caroline of Hamilton, Ind.; and Benjamin, of Parsons, Kansas.
The deceased was united in marriage on Oct. 14, 1855, with Cynthiana Burch, and they began housekeeping just east of his father's farm. After three years they moved to the Chester Burch farm, in the same neighborhood, where they lived one year. In the spring of 1859, they moved into the new house that he built on the farm in the north part of Otsego township, where they lived for forty-nine years. It had but recently been deeded from the government and so he had the pioneer task of clearing it of the great native forest.
The subject of this sketch, with five of his brothers responded to his country's call for defenders of the union in the Civil War. Henry and Alexander served in the 65th N.Y. regiment; George and Jacob in Co. H, of the 74th Indiana Vol. Inf.; Alfred in the 8th Ill., and David in Co. K of the 153d Ind. George enlisted Aug. 1, 1862, and served until the close of the war in 1865, and was in all of the battles fought by the Fourteenth Army Corps, the most important being Chickamauga, Peach Tree Creek, and the battles around Atlanta. He was in Sherman's march to the sea and the last battle in which he took part was at Jonesboro, Georgia, Sept. 1, 1864. Two of his brothers, Alfred and David, died at 20 years, in the prime of their young manhood, while serving in the army.
Eight children were born to Mr. Rummel and his good wife, five boys and three girls. One boy, Nathan, died in infancy. Those who survive him are Mrs. Stella Segur, of Hiram, Ohio; Mrs. Alma Wiggins, of Brockton, Montana; George, of Denver, Col.; Mrs. Mary Irvan, of near Angola; Cyrus, of Napoleon, Mich.; William, of Ray, Ind., and Shirley of Clarkston, Wash.
Eight years ago Mr. and Mrs. Rummel moved from their old home in Otsego township to their home just north of Angola, where he died August 21, 1916, aged 89 years, 2 months, and 14 days.
In 1851 he united with the Christian church at Metz. Later he with his wife placed their membership at South Scott Christian church and when they moved north of Angola they moved their membership to the Fairview church in Angola, and thus he continued with his wife according to their strength faithful to the end.
This brief outline is eloquent with the tribute which the achievements of his noble, though humble, life pay to his memory. As a husband and father he was kind; as a neighbor he was helpful and obliging; as a citizen he had high ideals and was ever ready to stand for the things which he believed to be right and for the good of the community and his country; as a soldier he was ever faithful and fearless in the discharge of his duty, and the inspiration and foundation for his long life of honest, earnest endeavor may be seen in his reverence for the Bible and his childlike faith in Jesus Christ as a personal Saviour. So he died in the triumph of his faith.
The funeral discourse was preached by Elder J.O. Rose at South Scott
church on Thursday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m., and the burial services were
conducted at the South Scott cemetery by the Angola lodge of Free
Masons, of which Mr. Rummel was a member.
Submitted by: LadyJo4155@aol.com