Fred H. Voight Family

Fred H. Voight was born in Germany in 1850, and decided to come to the United States, a land of opportunities for the young, when he was eighteen years old.

He served a two year apprenticeship in a drug store in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then came to Holgate, Ohio. He and Mr. Kaufman built a building and opened a drug store and also sold watches and jewelry.

Fred Voight was one of the early settlers and saw the town grow from a few homes into a thriving community with new businesses and a number of lumber mills for sawing the virgin timber of the area. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was just being built when he came to Holgate.

John Brayer, of Rochester, New York, and his sons started a stave mill in Holgate about the same time.

Fred Voight had a safe in his store for his business, and soon he was being asked by the people of Holgate to store their money in his safe. This led to the first bank in Holgate that Voight and the two Brayer brothers started in Holgate. Mr. Voight took an active part in the growth and improvement of the town.

Fred Voight married Mary Vogel whose father was a cabinet maker and undertaker in town. The Voight's had nine children: Fred J., Winnie married Will Zachrich, Gust, Anna married Roy Mann, Gene, Emma, Tillie married Clarence Richholt, Madeline married Porter, and DorOthy married Edwin Rakestraw.

About 1900, Mr. Voight bought Girty's Island and developed it into a summer resort with amusements that included a dance hall, a pavilion for stage shows, a bowling alley, a baseball field and grandstand, shooting gallery, food stand, dining hall, and bathing beach.

He purchased an old canal boat with a large rear paddle wheel and had it made into a pleasure boat which held about one hundred people. This boat made the trip between the island and Napoleon four times a day. There was also a ferry boat that crossed the river on the south side and was large enough to carry a team of horses with a surrey and about fifteen men and women. This ferry was also used on moonlight nights, pushed up .the river by a motor boat, by the young people who wanted to sing and have a jolly time.

The island was a popular resort for a number of years. At the present time, the island is used as a wild life preserve, and is owned by the State of Ohio.

In Holgate, Mr. Voight built his own water pressure system, which was a three story tower, the top floor held a 2500 gallon wooden tank which was filled with water that was pumped into it by the big windmill, then piped into the house. This was used until Holgate had its own water system.

Mrs. Voight was busy with her family but had time to coach the town plays at the city hall, and help with other town activities, and also was a faithful worker in her church.

From the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Voight there were about 102 descendants and about 94 are living in 1978. Mr. and Mrs. Lester Memmer live in the Voight homeplace now.

Submitted by: Mrs. E.E. Rakestraw, Holgate