George W. Lohr
George W. Lohr, London, a resident of Madison County over sixty-two years, and the oldest liveryman in the business in the county, was born in Rockingham County, Va., December 24, 1813. His father, Michael Lohr, was a native of Virginia, and a farmer by occupation. He married Catherine Miller, also a native of the Old Dominion, who bore him four children -- two daughters and two sons, three living in this and one in Fayette County, Ohio. Mr. Lohr died about 1818; Mrs. Lohr married for her second husband Samuel Messmore, a native of Pennsylvania. Of the three children given them two are living. George W. Lohr accompanied his mother and step-father to Madison County in 1820, coming the entire distance from Virginia in a one-horse wagon. They located on the present site of the Kreider farm, South Charleston pike, three miles from London, and subsequently moved to Paint Creek. Mr. Lohr was apprenticed to George Phifer, to learn the saddlers trade, and finished it with William H. Squires. He then started in business, in partnership with James Q. Lotspeich, on the present site of the storeroom now occupied by Gardner & Lohr. The firm was known as Lotspeich & Lohr; a year later the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Lohr commenced business alone, on his present property (fall of 1837), making saddles, and carrying on the business for fifteen years. During the latter five years of this time, he had been running a livery on a small scale, and finally concluded to go into the business. This was 1840 or 1842, and since that time, Mr. Lohr has attended to the wants of his customers to "anything on wheels." He has been in the undertaking business with his son J. M. Lohr. for the past two years, and has been very successful in all his business operations; he owns a business block or two, and some other city property. Mr. Lohr's political views are Republican; he has served an unexpired term as Coroner of the county, and some time as Councilman of London; he was united in marriage, February 12, 1837, to Sarah F. Reeder, a native of Clark County, Ohio. Of their eight children, five are living -- James M., who married Molly K. Pringle, of Clark County, Ohio; Josephine; Mary H., wife of Martin Dungan, a merchant of London; Florence, wife of Arnold W. Gardner, of Gardner & Lohr, and William H., Jr., member of the latter firm; Irvin, George and Fannie are deceased. Mrs. Lohr departed this life December 15, 1875, aged fifty-eight years six months and twenty-two days; she was a faithful Christian a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a lady well respected by all.
From HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY - W. H. Beers [Chicago, 1883]