Loutzenhiser Family   

THE LOUTZENHISERS were among the earliest settlers of West Salem Township, as their descendants are also among its most numerous inhabitants. In the spring of 1800 Peter and John Loutzenhiser, accompanied by their father, Joseph, removed from Westmoreland County to Mercer County, Penn., whither their brother Jacob had preceded them about three years. They were natives of Germany, and had immigrated to Westmoreland County with their parents in early youth, where their mother died when John was quite young. Their only sister married a Frenchman named Probst, of Westmoreland County, and remained there. Her husband was a member of the Lodge, Probst & Walker Land Company, who owned a large amount of lands in the Shenango Valley, including that on which Greenville was afterward laid out. Peter Loutzenhiser was unmarried, and settled immediately west of the site of Greenville, on the farms now owned by James McElheney and John Loutzenhiser, Jr., which lands have ever since been in possession of the family. His brother John settled in what is now the southwest corner of West Salem Township, northeast of Orangeville, at which point his brother Jacob had located in 1797. About two years after his settlement was effected Peter died, and willed his land to his father, who soon after traded it to John, and the latter located upon it, and resided there up to his death. His father spent the balance of his days at John’s home. The latter married Margaret Harnit before coming to Mercer County, and had then a family of three children: Mary, who married John Smail, and afterward John Mattocks, and reared four sons and two daughters, and died in West Salem; Jacob, deceased, and John, deceased. The following children were born in West Salem Township: Ann, deceased wife of James Leech, deceased; Elizabeth, deceased wife of Solomon Callahan, deceased; Samuel, deceased; William, deceased; Joseph, of West Salem Township; Sarah A.. deceased wife of David Callahan; David, deceased, and Margaret, wife of James McElheney, of West Salem. Mrs. Loutzenhiser died December 29, 1810. aged sixty-two, and her husband survived her till November 12, 1861, reaching the remarkable age of ninety-two years.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888, page 1186  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.