Arthur Swartz was of German decent. Arthur’s forefather, Johann Frederic, and his wife Miss Anna Katharina Metzger and children including John Frederick (Jr.) came to us from Hof, Wurttemberg, Germany. Johann worked as a farmer and weaver. Johann was described in his immigration papers as being 5’ 9” tall, stout, long-faced, with healthy complexion, dark brown hair, grey eyes, small mouth, straight legs, and rather poor teeth. Johann and his wife settled in an area of Medina County, OH along with many other families from the Wurttemberg area. In 1834 an epidemic swept through the Medina area killing Johann and his eldest daughter Katharina. After the death of Johann, the family fell on hard times. The eldest John Jr. and mother worked hard to keep the family and farm. The records show that some of the children had to be put in foster homes. Son, John Jr. was married March 1838 to Fredericka Dorothy Rappol and soon had a family of his own to support. In 1850 brothers John Frederick Jr. and John George moved to Wood County in hopes of finding more fertile soil. John George purchased 60 acres of land two miles south of the village of Stony Ridge on the Lower Sandusky Pike. Their farm was just miles from Woodville and Solomon Lutheran Church where it is believed John George met his wife Dorthea Karcher.
John Frederick Jr. and wife Fredericka had the following children;
*Frederick John Swartz (10 Jan 1841 – 1924) buried in Troy Township Cemetery, Civil War (Company K 111th Ohio
Volunteer Infantry of Sherman’s 23rd Army) Frederick John Swartz is also a notable person of Troy
Township Cemetery qualifying for the honor as a Civil War veteran.
*John George Swartz (10 Oct 1844)
*John Lucian Swartz (10 Sep 1846 – death in Perrysburg)
*Jacob Swartz Civil War casualty died in Kentucky (Company K 111th Ohio Volunteer Infantry of Sherman’s 23rd Army)
*Andrew J. Swartz (24 Oct 1851 – 12 Apr 1947) [Andrew J. Swartz is the father of our notable person Arthur August Swartz.]
Arthur August Swartz was born the 20th of July 1881 to Andrew (1851 – 1947) and Karoline (Lena) Graves (1852 – 1939) Swartz of Webster Twp., Wood Co., OH. His draft card describes him as average build with auburn hair and brown eyes. Although Arthur was born in Wood County, he lived in Toledo, OH most of his life and passed away in Toledo, OH on the 23rd of Jul 1964. He is buried in the mausoleum in Troy Township Cemetery in Luckey. In the 1900 Census, Arthur is still living in Webster Twp. with his parents and siblings Henry C., Warren E. and Carl A. As a young man, Arthur taught school in Wood County. Arthur taught at Phillips Public School District No. 6 Webster Twp., Wood Co., Ohio located at the end of Caris Rd. & Devils Hole Rd. He taught for at least two years those being the school year 1903 – 1904 and 1904 – 1905. He attended Ohio Northern University and received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1908. Arthur was married the 27th of Aug. 1908 to Emily E. Dent (1880 – 1919). To Arthur and Emily were born two children Barton (Arthur Barton) and Helen. His wife Emily died in 1919 when the children were young. Arthur hired women to help in the rearing of his children and by 1930 remarried. His second wife’s name was Blanch N. Van Arsdale (1879 – 1958).
Arthur was a leader in is field. He practiced law until his retirement in 1943 and was a member of the Toledo, Lucas County, Michigan, Ohio and American Bar Associations. He was secretary to the law department and an instructor in law at the University of Toledo eight years. Besides his importance in contributions to Law in Northwest OH and Michigan, Arthur was also a leader in The Boy Scouts of America, the Epworth Methodist Church, Rubicon Lodge and served as a Commissioner for the city of Toledo.