Frederick John Sager
was the son of Dr. John George "George" Sager (1744-1824) was the
only son of George Seger, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1737, and
his wife, Anna Maria Kloeter. Dr. John George "George" Sager
was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania on 19 Jan 1744, and was married
to Elizabeth Sheets in 1767. They lived in Cumberland County,
Pennsylvania, Maryland and several places in Virginia (including Loudon
County) before settling in Union County, Ohio in 1805. George Sager
and Elizabeth Sheets had the following children:
(1) John Sager (1768-1850) who left a family in Virginia and came alone to Union County, Ohio in the early 1820's. In 1830 he married Frederica Wright, leaving her a widow in Madison County, Ohio in 1850.
(2) Christian Sager
(1769-1866). He married (1st) Maria Elizabeth Shover in 1800 in Faurquier
County, Virginia. They had 13 children: (1) Adam Sager (1801) married
Elizabeth Smith; (2) Christian Jr. (1801-1818); (3) Barbara (1802-1847)
married (1st) Jeptha Peasely, married (2nd) William Marquis and married
(3rd) Appelles Eastman; (4) Rosana (1804-1848) married. John Bartholomew;
(5) Henry Sager (1805-1844) married Naomi Carney; (6) Samuel Sager (1808-1874)
married Maria Martin; (7) Frederick Sager (1810-1858) married Micell Jolly;
(8) Abraham Sager (1812-1884) married Emaline Smith; (9) Solomon Sager
(1813-1868) married Mary Ann Whittock; (10) Simon Sager (1814-1892) married
Eliza Adler; (11) John (1818-1856) married Miranda Hunter; (12) Elizabeth
(1821-1899) married John Brown; and (13) David (1822-1887) married Elizabeth
Jolly.
Christian married (2nd) Elizabeth
Rupell in 1835, in Union County, Ohio. They later divorced.
He married (3rd) Rebecca Donley in 1847. Christian was a very prominent
member of the Union County society and was the only one of his family to
remain in the area. The church and cemetery in Unionville Center
were located on his original farm.
(3) George John Sager, Jr. (1771-1838) married Christienia Firestone, and their children were: Mary Ann; Benjamin M., Elizabeth and Margaret.
(4) Elizabeth Sager (1773-1865) married Moses Bartholomew and their children were: John, George, Mary Ann, Henry, Lydia, Samuel, Amos, Abraham and Rebecca.
(5) Frederick Sager (the husband of Hannah Harrison).
(6) Samuel Sager (1778-1852). He farmed the home farm of Dr. George Sager while his father doctored. He married Elizabeth Sanbower and their children were: Susannah, Joseph, Sarah, and Lydia.
(7) Jacob Sager (1781-1847) married Susannah Garmong in 1804, and moved to Carrol County, Indiana in 1828. Their children were: Sarah Jane, Mary Ann, Rebecca, Nancy, Jacob Jr., Cynthia, Hiram, Elias, William and Isiah Sager.
(8) Barbara Sager (1783-1846) married James Marquis in 1811, he was a Methodist minister. Their children were: Elizabeth, Nancy, Martha, James B., George G., and Mary Marquis.
(9) James Henry "Henry" Sager
(1785-1832)
married in 1807, Levina Haines (a cousin of Bathsheba Jane Oglesby Harrison)
He was the Union County
Commissioner and Justice of the Peace. Their
children were: Lafayette, Hannah, Wells, Newton, Malinda, Harvey, James
Henry Jr., Chancy and Lucinda Sager.
(10) Abraham Sager (1787-)
He was a bachelor, however helped to raise many of his nieces and nephews.
From the Union County, Ohio history; page 225
of Darby Township history:
" The exact date of the settlement of the Sagers is not known. It was about 1805. This family was not only one of the earliest, but probably the largest in the vicinity. It consisted of George Sager, Sr. and his children; George; Christian; Elizabeth; Frederick; Jacob; Henry; Samuel; Abraham and Barbara. The children were grown, and some of the sons were married when they came. Within a few years after they arrived, the cabins of the various members of the Sager family dotted the valley of Big Darby from Union to Jerome Twp. They were German and emigrated from Loudon Co., VA. The farm upon which they first settled was in Survey 3,272, on the south bank of Darby, about a halfmile below Unionville. Until they had erected their cabin, the family took up their abode in the cabin of James Robinson, across the creek. In early days they were all Jackson Democrats.Page 272:
"Frederick Sager owned a large farm, comprising the land in Survey 3,686, on the east bank of Darby Creek, now the property of T.T. Kilbury and Perry Douglass. His first cabin stood near the present residence of Mr. Kilbury. Mr. Sager had the honor of erecting the first mill in the territory now comprising Union County. He was a generous man, but, like many of the pioneers, rough in manners. He married Hannah Harrison, raised a large family and ultimately removed with it to her family settlement in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, where he spent the remainder of his life."Page 24,25:
"The first mill erected in the township was by Frederick Sager, who settled on Darby Creek in the early years of 1800. Before his mill was erected, the settlers had to use a pestle and stone mortar, the same as those in use by the Indians. In this manner they would mash the corn and make coarse meal and hominy. At intervals they would place a wooden pack-saddle on the back of a strong horse and load it up with sacks of shelled corn. The pioneer would mount his hunting horse and start on a long and tedious journey to Lancaster or Chillicothe, followed by the packhorse. This trip would consume several days and his return was anxiously awaited by the family and neighbors, as he would not only bring the precious meal, but the capacious leather saddle bags would be filled to full capacity with newspapers and other reading matter, which would be liberally distributed among the settlers. The site of the old mill erected by Frederick Sager is just above the bridge on the California and Plain City Road, on the east bank near the farm of Samuel H. Ruehlen. The dam was built of logs and brush and this work was very largely done through the volunteer assistance of the settlers. The building was erected in the same manner, as they were all intensely interested in this new enterprise. The first burrs for this mill were chiseled out of boulder that Mr. Sager found on the farm of John Taylor. After weeks of tedious work the boulder was split open and the stone dressed ready for use. As soon as the mill was in running order, there was a great rush by the pioneers and also by the Indians, and they came both on foot and horseback from many miles around with their sacks of corn. For a few years he only ground corn, but there was soon a demand for flour, as the farmers began to raise wheat, and he installed a flouring bolt. For many years the bolting was done by hand. During the dry season the mill could run but little, as there was not sufficient water, but when the creek was not frozen in the winter and spring months, it was a very busy place, as farmers came with their grain from great distances, and when the water power was sufficient the mill ran day and night. Mr. Sager also erected the first sawmill in the township, attached to his grist mill and run by the same water, thus furnishing the first boards and sawed lumber used in the cabins. Before that date the floors and doors were made of puncheons split out of timber and smoothed by a drawing knife and adz.
Genealogy of Frederick John Sager:
Frederick John Sager was the son of Dr. George Johann Sager, whom was the son of George Sager, whom was born 1 Feb 1720, Pfungstadt, Germany, arrived in Philadelphia on the ship, "Townsend," from Amsterdam, on October 5, 1737. He settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and later Union County, Ohio. It was very important for the Sager family to be assimilated as Americans and so they stopped speaking German at once. George was the son of Andreas Sager (1676-1750) and Maria Weicker, a stone mason of Pfunstadt. Andreas was the son of Johann Melchior Seeger (1648-1732), he was a councilman, judge, village mayor of Brandau, Germany and his wife was Anna Maria. Johann was the son of Adam Seeger (1622-1702), he was commander of Lichtenberg Castle, accountant for the church of Neunkirchen, and for over 30 years the mayor of Brandau. Adam's wife was, Anna Michel. Adam was the son of Hans Seeger (1576-1643), he was a council man of Hausen, royal Hessian winemaker and a vineyard master of Lichtenberg. He married Margarethea Krieg. Hans was the son of Casper Seeger (1550-1615), a council man of Hausen, Germany. Seeger, Seager, Shager, Schager were all adaptations of the same family, the American version was Sager, however another close branch spelled it "Sayger."
Information compiled on the Sagers:
Justin Herbst, Kathleen Sones, Bill Sayger, Jean Nepsund, John Donnell
and history of Union County, Ohio.
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