Orwig Family

The Orwig family, well known throughout the surrounding territory because of the Northwest-News, a newspaper purchased by Luther Orwig in the year 1872 and because of Don C. Orwig's civic pride and ceaseless efforts for the good of the Community. Napoleon has an American Legion Hall due to this tireless effort and the first Fourth of July fireworks display, for Napoleon, was presented by him, on the south bank of the Maumee River.

The founder of the name Orwig in America, Gottfried Orwig, was born in Brunswick, Germany, on August 24, 1719. On October 2, 1741, at the age of twenty-two he arrived at the port of Philadelphia from Rotterdam on the ship St. Andrew, Chas. Stedman, Master. He was compelled, as were all males over age sixteen, to take the oath of allegiance to King George II.

However, during the Revolutionary War he joined the Old Men's Company, Germans, eighty in all. Their captain was nearly one hundred, drummer, ninety-four, and youngest member nearly seventy. Later Gottfried and his wife purchased lands from the Iroquois Indians and in 1747 founded Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. They were among the very earliest settlers north of the Blue Mountains.

Five generations later Luther Lemuel was born February 12, 1844, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and died of bronchial pneumonia at his beautiful three story home in Napoleon, Ohio, March 3, 1926. His father owned a hotel in Fort Wayne and a guest of the hotel started a smallpox epidemic which took his father's life. At that time smallpox would wipe out an entire community. Shortly after this death and before Luther was two, his mother took her three small children in a wagon over corduroy roads (made of logs) to Tiffin, Ohio.

Don Orwig, last editor and publisher of the Northwest News, and president of the Orwig Printing Company. He entered the newspaper business in 1911.

At the age of fifteen, Luther left school to contribute his share to the family support. In 1859 he entered the employ of the Seneca County Advertiser, published in Tiffin and in the twelve years association with that newspaper, he became an efficient craftsman and a forceful writer. His brother, John Benton, had become a member of Co. I, 101st Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. He was wounded at the Battle of Stone River and taken prisoner at the Battle of Chickamauga. He died shortly after being released from Andersonville, Georgia prison on his way home, April 8, 1864, at age 25.

It was while working on the Cincinnati Enquirer that Luther's thoughts turned toward owning his own newspaper and in 1872 he purchased the Democratic Northwest published in Napoleon, changing the name to Northwest News, continuing as editor and publisher up to the time of his death. His sons Gale B. and Don C. were associated with him in the newspaper management.

The same year on December 18, 1872, he married Mary Elizabeth Harriott Davis, of Kellogg, Iowa. They had four children. Their daughter Corinne Hanna married Otto P. Tietjens September 10, 1902. Their sons were Norman Orwig and Bruce Edwin. The eldest son, Gale Benton married Elsie Marie Bradley May 26, 1898. They had one son Benton Bradley. The youngest son Ralph Leon married Phyllis S. Frease April 8, 1915. They had one son John Frease.

Don Carl, born January 24, 1889, married Dorothy Louise Born and they had one daughter, Joyce Louise. Don was the last editor and publisher of the Northwest-News, one of Ohio's oldest weeklies, dating back to 1852, and president of the Orwig Printing Company.

He was a leader in Napoleon civic affairs and Ohio newspaper activities. He was a past president of the Buckeye Press Association and a charter trustee of the Ohio Newspaper Association, an officer of the Northwestern Ohio Newspaper Association and a member of the National Editorial Association. He entered the newspaper business in 1911.

Mr. Orwig was a veteran of World War I and attended the College of Wooster and Case Institute of Technology. He received an electrical engineering degree from Case and invented the first electric water heater.

He also was an ordained elder of the Presbyterian Church and a member of the Masonic and Elks Lodges, the American Legion, and the Kiwanis Club.

In 1952 he was one of 25 publishers to be guests of the Navy during maneuvers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization fleet in the North Atlantic.

In 1956 the Northwest-News moved into its new building incorporating many of Mr. Orwigs ideas about a printing plant and thus became one of the best equipped in the state.

"He was held in the highest esteem by his employees as their friend on whom they could depend when his help was needed." On August 4, 1958, Fred Sattler, his City Editor, remarked, "In his passing Napoleon has lost a fine citizen and an outstanding businessman who had the interest of his community at heart."

Submitted by Dorothy Orwig