BIO: JACOB E. SHETTEL, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Joe Patterson OCRed by Judy Banja Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/cumberland/ _____________________________________________________________ >From Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 495-496 _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Use this web address to access other bios: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/cumberland/zeamer/ JACOB E. SHETTEL, an up-to-date farmer and progressive citizen as well as an honored veteran of the Civil war, comes of a family that emigrated from Germany about the time of the war of the Revolution, and settled in York county, Pennsylvania. George Shettel, grandfather of Jacob E., was born in York county in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He was a farmer by occupation, and so far as is known lived to a ripe old age. When the war of 1812 broke out he shouldered his musket and entered the service of his country. His children were: Henry, who married a Miss Strominger, of York county, by whom he had seven children, and he died when about sixty years of age; George; Philip, whomarried a Miss Wickersham, had two children, and died at his home in Lewisberry, aged about forty; Elizabeth, who married Hiram Kirk, a general merchant at Lewisberry, York county (now deceased), and died at the age of sixty, leaving three children; Catherine, who married John B. Drawbaugh (now deceased), and died at an advanced age, leaving three surviving children; and John, who was engaged in the manufacture of window springs for over forty years, and died at the age of seventy years. George Shettel, Jr., son of George and father of Jacob E., was a wagonmaker by trade, and died in 1891, at the age of seventy-nine years. He married Maria Eppley, of Cumberland county. Their children were: William, a farmer, who died in Cumberland county at the age of thirty-two; George, a farmer in York county; Catherine C., who married Robert Shettle, of Silver Springs; John D., who is engaged in farming and trucking in York county; Levi M., a farmer in Fairview, Perry county, Iowa; and Jacob E. Jacob E. Shettel was born Sept. 14, 1837, in Lower Allen township, near Eberly's Mills, the local name of the place being Milltown. He attended school at Good Hope, Monroe township, and at the age of eighteen went to work for his father, who at that time was working the Merkle farm in Lower Allen township. On Oct. 14, 1862, he enlisted at Harrisburg, as a musician, in the 3d Heavy Artillery, and was assigned to Company C, Capt. Bowen commanding. The regiment saw much active service during the war, particularly in North and South Carolina. For some time it was stationed at Fortress Monroe, and at the battle of Gettysburg, it suffered severely, and also at the battle of Antietam. In the siege of Peters- 496 CUMBERLAND COUNTY. burg, out of 900 men who entered the battle, but 200 answered "here" to the roll call afterward. During its three years of hard service the regiment lost over 1,000 men in killed, wounded and from disease. In 1865, at the close of the war, Mr. Shettel was honorably discharged. Returning home to the pursuits of peace, Mr. Shettel resumed farming, and in 1888 he bought the farm and homestead on which he now resides. This farm consists of ninety-one acres, and is in a high state of cultivation, its owner being looked upon as one of the foremost farmers in Cumberland county. He is highly esteemed by all who know him, and he is ever ready to do a good citizen's part. He was one of the first to introduce steam threshing in Cumberland county, beginning in 1870, and continuing to operate a steam thresher until 1897, when he changed and now uses gasoline. In all these years he has threshed about two million bushels of grain. In 1870 Mr. Shettel was united in marriage with Miss Ellen J. Grissinger, daughter of John S. Grissinger, of York county. Four children have come to brighten their happy home: Pearl O., who married Israel C. Wertz, a farmer in Hampden township, and has five children; Daisy V., who married William H. Cocklin, a mail carrier in Harrisburg, and has two children; Roy G., at home; and Mearl J., also at home. Mr. and Mrs. Shettel have many friends, and are looked upon as prominent among the substantial people of the county. John S. Grissinger, father of Mrs. Shettel, moved from York to Cumberland county, and engaged in farming. He died in Upper Allen township at the age of forty-nine years, leaving, besides Mrs. Shettel, the following children: Jacob H., now deceased, who married Anna Nelson, and had three children, of whom the widow and two of the children live in Minnesota, and the other, Homer N., is a machinist and lives in Philadelphia; Catherine, who married Eli Yost, and has five children living; Theodore H., who married Sybilla Yost, and died leaving a widow and seven children, of whom one son, Elwood, is an electrical engineer at Buffalo, N. Y. Edna, Stanley and George, all at home on the old homestead in York, Pa.; Rebecca J., who died unmarried; Ida V., who married (first) Robert Nelson, who died leaving her with two children, and she married (second) a Mr. Biglow, by whom she also has two children.