Dreisbach-Dresbach Family Association

Jonathan Aurand, Sr. - 1796 - 1875

From 1827 to 1835, George and Jonathan Aurand who were sons of Margaretha Rebecca Dreisbach (the dau. of Martin Sr.) and her husband Henry Aurand, made purchases of farmland in Bucyrus Township, Crawford County, Ohio.

In the History of Crawford County and Ohio, Baskin and Battey, 1881, there are three biographies of Jonathan’s descendants.

The biography of Jonathan’s son, George Aurand, appears on page 927:

George Aurand, one of the representative agriculturists of Tod township, Crawford county, O., who owns a fine farm of 165 acres, situated two miles north of Oceola, O., was horn two miles southeast of Bucyrus, O., and has spent his life in his native state. After his school period was over, George Aurand, in 1862, came to his present farm where he has remained until the present. He erected the comfortable residence here and made all the other improvements, having completed the clearing of the land. He operates all of his 165 acres with the exception of 25 acres, which he rents. Mr. Aurand married Miss Amanda Mutchler and they have had seven children, namely: Georgia, deceased; Albert, who died young; Tillie, who is the wife of S. Heft and has two children—Russell and Laura; Stella, who is the wife of Albert Gingery and has four children—Nora, Willis, Carl and Dorsey; Ira B., who died when aged 18 years; Herbert I., who assists his father on the farm and who married Rosa Laipply, and has three children —Ethel, Wallace and George; and Esther, who is the wife of Virgil Starlin, their two children dying in infancy. Mr. Aurand is a Methodist in religious faith, Mrs. Aurand belonging to the U. B. church at Oceola. Mr. Aurand votes with the Republican party.

On pages 731 & 732, appears the following biography for Jonathan’s grandson, Robert M. Aurand, the son of Daniel:

Robert M. Aurand who for more than twenty years, has been connected with the government mail service, is second clerk on the P. F. W. & C. Railroad on the route running west from Pittsburg to Chicago, and first clerk on the route running east. He was appointed from Monroeville, Allen county, Ind., and came to Bucyrus, O., in 1891, this city being conveniently located as to his business. He was born Jan. 23, 1863, in Wyandot county, O., and is a son of Daniel and Mary A. (Deppler) Aurand.

The original spelling of the family name was Aurandt and during the life of the grandfather, Jonathan Aurandt, this orthography was preserved, after his time the final letter being dropped. Jonathan Aurandt was of German ancestry but he was born in Pennsylvania. During his earlier years he was a preacher in the German Reformed church. He was twice married and shortly after his second marriage came to Crawford county, about 1830, and here he and his wife lived into old age, their deaths occurring on their farm two miles north of Oceola. They were among the early workers in the Methodist Episcopal church. Jonathan Aurandt married sisters and all of the ten children of his second union were born in Crawford county, and of these the following survive : Jonathan, a retired carriage upholsterer, living at Mt. Gilead, who has one daughter; George, who is a farmer on the old homestead, and who has four children; Enoch, who lives in Merrick county, Neb., and has four children ; and Rufus, a retired farmer and justice of the peace, who has seven children.

Daniel Aurand, son of Jonathan and father of Robert M., was born in Crawford county, O., Jan. 26, 1835, and died near Monroeville, Ind., Jan. 4, 1908. Some years after his marriage he lived on a farm near Logansport, Ind., and then returned to Crawford county, where he resided for nine years. In 1872 he moved to Allen county, Ind. He followed farming all his life. His father had been a Whig in politics and he was a Republican. During the latter part of his life he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.  He married Mary A. Deppler, who was born in Crawford county in 1840, and died January 19, 1875. Her father, John Deppler, was born in Germany and when he came to the United States settled near Sulphur Springs, Crawford county, O., where he engaged in farming, and was eighty years old at time of death. He was thrice married and three children were born to the first wife and one to the third, the latter being George W. Aurand, who is a resident of Michigan.  Of the first union two survive:  Robert M. and Mary A.; the latter is the wife of John V. Lutz, a farmer in Crawford county, and they have two children, Esther and Maude. One son, Daniel A., who was born in 1873, died unmarried in 1893.

Robert M. Aurand was nine years old when his parents moved to Allen county, Ind., and there he attended the public schools and prepared himself for educational work, and later taught school in Indiana and also in Nebraska, spending three years in that state. He then received his appointment to the railway mail service and through fidelity and efficiency has been advanced to his present position. Mr. Aurand was married at Bucyrus to Miss Esther S. Shifley, who was born in Crawford county and was educated at Bucyrus and Toledo, and for five years was a stenographer and bookkeeper in a large business house in the latter city and for two years in the former city. Her parents were John and Anna (Krauss) Shifley, the former of whom was of German extraction but was born in New York, while the latter was of Swiss parentage but was born in Pennsylvania. They were married near Buffalo, N. Y., near which city they lived until after the birth of five children, when they came to Crawford county, where two more children were born. The father died at Bucyrus in 1876, being then in middle age. The mother of Mrs. Aurand passed away in the latter’s home, in 1907, when almost 82 years of age. Both she and husband were members of the Mennonite church, good, worthy, virtuous people, the influences of whose lives were beneficial to all with whom they came in contact.

Mr. and Mrs. Aurand have two children: Robert Ray, who was born March 4, 1895, and is a member of the class of 1913 in the Bucyrus high school; and Helen Magdalene, who was born December 10, 1896. This young lady is the possessor of musical gifts which are being developed under the direction of Prof. Snyder, a well known musician of Bucyrus. Mr. Aurand and family are members of the Baptist church. Mr. Aurand is a Knight of Pythias and belongs also to the Railway Mail Association.

On pages 802 and 803 of the History of Crawford County and Ohio, Baskin and Battey, 1881, is the biography of Jonathan’s son, Rufus.

Rufus Aurand, retired farmer and highly respected citizen, and also an honored veteran of the great Civil Way has been a resident of Bucyrus since 1903. He was born in Whetstone township, Crawford county, O., March 28, 1837, and is a son of Jonathan Aurand and a grandson of Henry Aurand. Henry Aurand, the grandfather, was born in Pennsylvania and was a son of a Revolutionary soldier who fought in the Battle of Yorktown. Henry married Margaret Trebaugh, of German ancestry, and they both died in Union county, Pa. Henry Aurand and wife were members of the Reformed church. Jonathan Aurand was born in Beaver township, Union county, Pa. He was married there to Susan Whittemeyer and they came to Ohio in 1827 and located in what was then an unimproved part of the county, although near Bucyrus. There the first wife of Jonathan Aurand died, Aug. 20, 1828. Two children survived her, both of whom are now deceased. On July 28, 1829, Jonathan Aurand was married to his sister- in-law, Rachel Wittemeyer, also a native of Pennsylvania. They continued to live in Whetstone township for a number of years and then moved to Tod township, where Jonathan Aurand died July 12, 1875, his widow surviving him until May 1, 1892. They were estimable people, active in the Reformed church, valued neighbors and worthy examples. After moving to Tod township they united with the Methodist Episcopal church and were equally interested in its good works. A family of eight sons and four daughters were born to them all of the daughters and four of the sons being now deceased. All of the survivors have married, and all, with the exception of Emanuel, who resides in Nebraska, still live in Ohio. Of these eight sons, five became soldiers in the Union Army during the Civil War: Emanuel, Rufus, John, Jonathan and Enoch. Emanuel and Rufus were members of the 56th Ill. Vol. Inf., and after this regiment was disbanded by order of the Secretary of War, both served in other regiments. John was a member of a Missouri regiment: Jonathan served in the First O. Cav. and the 174th O. Vols., and was wounded while in the service; and Enoch was a member of Co. E, 34th O. Vol. Inf., and during his enlistment of eighteen months was made a prisoner in West Virginia and for a time was incarcerated in a Richmond prison.

Rufus Aurand grew up on the home farm, attended the district school and assisted his father and brothers until Sept. 7, 1861, when, with his brother Emanuel, lie enlisted in the regiment which was later disbanded and he re-enlisted in the first O. Vol. Inf., becoming orderly sergeant of Company B, and serving as such until after the second battle of Bull Run, where he was temporarily in command. He was promoted for his soldierly qualities at this time, being made first lieutenant of Company K, a position he served in until serious ill health compelled him to resign and return home to recuperate. As soon as he was better and again able to take the field he re-enlisted, entering the 3d O. Cav., with which he continued until the close of the war. He participated in many of the most serious battles of the time, and in looking back over the long list of engagements that meant death or injury to so many of his brave comrades, he is disposed to regard the second battle of Bull Run as the one most stubbornly contended. He was a part of the command that took part in Wilson's Raid through Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia in the last months of the war, and was at Macon, Ga., when hostilities ceased. After his military service was over he was connected with the saw mill industry until 1896 and was also a farmer until 1903, when he retired to Bucyrus, well entitled to a period of ease and comfort. Politically, he is a Democrat, but has consented to serve but little in a public capacity except as a justice of the peace, in which office he passed 24 consecutive years. He has been very active in Grand Army affairs and is senior commander of Keller Post, No. 128, G. A. R., at Bucyrus.

Mr. Aurand was married in Liberty township, Crawford county, O., to Miss Eva L. Seibert, who was born in 1855, in Holmes township. Her parents, Peter and Catherine (Smith) Seibert, were well known farmers in Holmes township, where they lived into old age. Mrs. Aurand is one of the six survivors of their large farming. Mr. and Mrs. Aurand are members of the U. B. church.