Isaac Washington Krotzer was born March 23, 1842 to Peter and Leah Krotzer of Woodville twp. Sandusky, Co., OH. Both Peter and Leah were natives of Pennsylvania and moved to OH sometime prior to the 1840 census. Peter was born in Nov of 1807 and Leah in 1802. Peter was a farmer in the Woodville area. Both Peter and Leah are buried in the Eisenhour Cemetery, Pemberville. Peter and Leah had four children; Amos born about 1841, Isaac (for whom we are concerned) born March 23, 1842; Ira W. Born March 23, 1842, (Isaac’s twin brother); and Joseph born about 1850.
On May 2, 1864, Isaac W. Krotzer enlisted in the infantry in support of the Civil War. He was discharged on September 4, 1864. He attained the rank of Corporal in the Ohio Infantry Company H 169 Reg. Isaac married Mary A. Tubbs born about 1842 in November of 1863. Mary and Isaac had two children; Amos Krotzer born about 1867 and Leah born about 1870. Isaac died a young man of 46 years on January 24th of 1889. His wife filed for his military pension Aug. 1, 1889.
On July 28, 1880 Isaac Washington Krotzer purchased 80 acres of land that is now the town of Luckey. As Isaac W. Krotzer stood on the land that is now Luckey, he envisioned a town set on the ridge between the tributary of the Toussaint River and the Atlantic and Lake Erie Railroad. It would be a town dependent for it’s income on the rich limestone deposits beneath it and the fertile farmland and timber surrounding it.
The seed of the town had already been sown in 1872 when Samuel P. Hathaway built a store on the site of the future town of Luckey. This was when the grading of the Atlantic and Lake Erie Road began. When Luckey was surveyed in 1881 it was joining other villages in the area. Perrysburg had been surveyed in 1816, New Rochester in 1834, Stony Ridge in 1872, Walbridge in 1874, Lemoyne in 1877 and Dunbridge after Luckey in 1882.
While Krotzer believed in the commercial future of Luckey it was necessary to convince potential investors that his vision was practical and profitable. Evidently, he was very successful for by the end of January 1812, he had commitments from three business concerns to locate in Luckey. Besides his adventures in land development, Krotzer owned the Krotzer Limestone Quarry on the south side of Locust Street. The kiln connected with this quarry was located on the corner of Main Street and Maple. Krotzer’s dream soon became a reality and before his death he was able to see a thriving community with many homes, churches and businesses.