Pal Hess

Daniel Hess, the great grandfather of Pal Hess, came from Germany and settled in Napoleon in the late 1850's. He married Sabina Rehl in 1860. He fought in the Civil War, 100th Regiment, Company B from Ohio for the duration of the War. Daniel died in 1928 at age 87 while Sabina died in 1929 at age 88. Pal's grandfather, William Hess resided in Napoleon and was a brick and stone mason. Most of the older brick homes and buildings in Napoleon were constructed by William and his sons. William's wife, Sophia (Bockelman) Hess came to Napoleon from Hanover, Germany, at age six. They had eight children, two of whom died in infancy. William and Sophia died in 1943, at age 82.

Mr. and Mrs. Pal Hess

Pal's father, Otto W. Hess, a well-known trial lawyer in northwestern Ohio for over fifty years, married Frances (Blank) Hess in 1916. To this union were born: William Palmer, Marolyn J., and Ria Rita. Otto died in 1971 at age 79; his widow still resides at the home farm. The parents of Frances were John Palmer Blank and Annetta (Long) Blank, who lived on their farm in Harrison Township. They had three daughters. John Blank's parents were Amos and Emma (Clifford) Blank. Amos was a prosperous farmer in Harrison Township, too. He was one of the founders and president of Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company. Annetta's family can be traced back to the 1600's in eastern Maryland. The Long family fought in the Revolutionary War for freedom and in the War of 1812.

The great, great grandfather of Virginia (Engel) Hess was Henry Sauer, who immigrated at age 19 from Hesse-Cassel, Germany, in 1832, arriving in Cleveland in 1834. There he married Wilhelmina Hoffrichter in 1835. With her parents, George A. and Julia Hoffrichter, the pioneers reached Pleasant Township, Henry County, by an Indian trail through the dense forest from Independence, Ohio. Virginia's great grandfather, William Sauer was the third white child born in Pleasant Township. When he was 4, his Grandmother Julia was abducted while hunting hickory nuts in the forest; no trace of her was ever found. William Sauer married Elizabeth Biderwell and they had eight children. William died at age 97, in 1935, while his wife Elizabeth died in 1927, at age 85. Virginia's grandmother Maria Sauer, married a farmer, Jacob Engel. They were the parents of four children. Jacob was the son of Frank and Magdalene (Eis) Engel; both parents came from Germany. Maria died at age 79 in 1946, while Jacob died at age 88 in 1950.

Virginia's father, Clarence was a farmer in Pleasant Township and he married Clara Eitzman. Their children were Virginia and Dr. Paul Engel, a dentist in Defiance, Ohio. Clarence died in 1954 at age 60 and Clara died in 1970 at age 75. Clara's mother, Anna (Voight) Eitzman came from Hanover, Germany, at age 18 to stay with her uncle, Fred Voight, a Holgate banker. She met and later married Henry Eitzman; he, too, came from Hanover, Germany, at age six, with his parents. To this union were born seven children. Henry died at age 69 in 1935, and Anna died at age 73, in 1945.

Pal, a well-known farmer of Harrison Township, Henry County, Ohio, was born in 1917 at Napoleon. He graduated from Napoleon High Schoolin 1935; he attended Defiance College and Bowling Green State University, with a major in history. He has been an active farmer for 35 years, working up to one thousand acres of land during this time. Between 1954 and 1961, he was co-manager of the Pal-Mar-Ita Farm Store in downtown Napoleon. At present, Pal is retired. He is a 40-year member of First Presbyterian Church in Napoleon. He is a licensed realtor and a member of the following organizations: Elks Club, Northwestern Board of Realtors, Henry County Historical Society of which he is presently vice-president and a trustee; and the Veteran Motor Car Club of America. He has always had an interest in antique automobiles.

Virginia (Engel) Hess was born in Pleasant Township in 1919, the daughter of Clarence and Clara Engel. She was graduated from Holgate High School in 1937 and attended Davis Junior College. She is an accredited record technician and the head of the medical record department of Heller Memorial Hospital for approximately fourteen years; also, she is a licensed realtor. She is a member of First Presbyterian Church; charter member of Alpha Literary Society; Northwestern Ohio Board of Realtors; American Medical Records Association, as well as Ohio State Medical Record Association; and the Henry County Historical Society.

Married in 1939, Pal and Virginia have lived in Harrison Township since their marriage. They have two daughters: Linda (Hess) Otermat, born in 1940 and Barbara (Hess) Thayer, born in 1948. To Linda (Hess) Otermat was born a son, Tom, in 1960; and he is one of the youngest individual members of the Henry County Historical Society. Linda (Hess) Otermat, a graduate of Napoleon High School in 1958, attended Bowling Green State University, majoring in Art. She is married to Michael Otermat, construction superintendent for Mosser Construction Company. They now reside in Harrison Township. Barbara (Hess) Thayer graduated from Napoleon High School in 1966 and attended Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. She received her B.A. degree Magna Cum Laude in Speech and Theatre in 1970. Barbara attended Ohio State University Graduate School in Theatre for one year. In 1971 she married Dr. Glenn R. Thayer, an optometrist who practices in Defiance, Ohio. They live in Defiance Township, Defiance, Ohio.

Submitted by Pal Hess