Andrew Serfass
It should be a source of gratification to us if we can point to our ancestors and say that their reputations were always above the reproach of their fellow men, their careers being free from the shadow of wrong or the suspicion of evil. This Andrew Serfass can do, although he modestly refrains from any undue laudation of his family history, but those who are conversant with the facts regarding the several members of this well known family of Chippewa township will not hestitate to speak of their good qualities and their honorable lives.
Andrew Serfass was born in Summit county, Ohio, July 24, 1851, the son of Cornelius and Elizabeth (Henich) Serfass. His parents were born in Pennsylvania and in a very early day removed to Ohio and settled in Chippewa township, where Cornelius Serfass died in 11866. His widow re-married and moved to Missouri, and after a residence of twenty-four years in that state, she returned to Wayne county, Ohio, where her death occurred in 1905. She lived a quiet and retired life, as did her husband, who took little part in public affairs. To Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Serfass seven children were born, six of whom are living in 1909. The paternal grandparents of Andrew Serfass were Peter and Eva Serfass, who came to Ohio, where Peter Serfass died. The subject's maternal grandparents lived in Pennsylvania.
Andrew Serfass was educated in the Norton public shcools, working on the farm during the summer months. When he reached maturity he worked on the farm by the day, then purchased an interest in a threshing oufit and followed this line of work for a period of twenty-four years, becoming known throughout this locality as one of the leading threshers and he had an excellent patronage. Desiring to devote his atttention exclusively to farming, he purchased a farm of fifty acres in 1905 within the corporation of Doylestown and has since lived retired, merely overseeing his place. He remodeled the house and barn and now has a very attractive and comfortable home in which to spend his declining years. His place is well managed and general farming is made to pay.
Mr. Serfass was married on October 23, 1870, to Harriet Myers, a native of Summit county, Ohio, but was reared in Wayne county. She is the daughter of John and Katherine Myers, old settlers in this county and a highly respected family, having come here from Pennsylvania early in 1837, making the journey in a wagon overland. Mr. Myers died February 27, 1882, and Mrs. Myers survived him until December 8, 1895. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Serfass, namely; Orpha, wife of Jacob Reagle; Harry died in infancey; George, who married Stella Calpetzer.
The father and two uncles of Mrs. Serfass assisted in clearing one hundred and sixty acres of land in Chippewa townsip, and they were all quite active in the local affairs of the township in those early days.
In politics Mr. Serfass is a Democrat and he has taken considerable interest in local affairs. He served on the school board for a period of three years. Both he and Mrs. Serfass belong to the Lutheran church; fraternally Mr Serfass belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekahs, Mrs. Serfass also belonging to the last named order.
From The History of Wayne County, Ohio, B. E. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis, 1910