Seymour Daily Democrat newspaper, Seymour, IN
Tuesday 11 September 1888; Page 3, Column 5

THE TOMB
SWARTZ - At her home in Jeffersonville, Monday evening, September 10th, 1888, Mrs. Nancy Swartz, aged eighty-five years.

Mrs. Nancy Swartz, was the wife of Rev. George Swartz. Her maiden name was Fry and she was born near Middletown, KY, and was married to her husband in Clark County, IN, August 21, 1823, by Rev. Rezin Hammond.

To the couple were born twelve children, of whom the following survive: Wiley Swartz, Mrs. Lizzie Cook, Frank Swartz, Mrs. William Adams and Mrs. Laura Hollis.

Rev. and Mrs. Swartz were conceded to be the oldest living married couple in the state of Indiana, the husband being the oldest native born citizen, and the oldest Methodist minister. He was born in Clark County, Indiana, January 18, 1808, and, despite his old age, is a hale man.
(Contributed by Gaye Hill, Find A Grave #46915711)

Jeffersonville Daily Evening News 07 AUG 1890. Rev. George Schwartz. The Oldest Native Indianan and Methodist Minister. A Man Who Knew Gen. Clark and Gen. Lafayette and Who Beheld The First Steam Boat on Her First Trip. A Sketch Of His Life. The venerable Rev. George Schwartz known to almost everybody, is lying vey low at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Calvin Cook and the sands of an honorable Christian life are almost run out. His many friends will regret to learn this. He has done important and useful work in the building up of this country as the following sketch will show. Rev. George Schwartz the oldest native Indianian. He was born in Utica, Clark county, Ind., on January 13, 1802. His father John Schwartz emigrated from Lancaster, Pa., in 1752, having owned a farm on which part of that city now stands. He located on 270 acres, eight miles above the Falls and one and a half miles from where Utica stands. John Schwartz, was one of the hardy German pioneers, who had made Pennsylvania a great State and he set himself to work with zeal in his new home. In 1802 shortly after locating here, himself and Basil Prather and their families organized the first Methodist church in Indiana which has since grown into a prosperous and large congregation of New Chapel.(Still active today) The elder Schwartz was intimately acquainted with the Elder Harrison and hauled the rock for his home in Jeffersonville, during the short period that it was the seat of the territorial government. Governor Harrison however, never occupied the building. John Schwartz was thrown against a tree, by a runaway team and killed in 1824. Rev. Swartz received much education as was then attainable in the sparsely settled region. The first school-house in that vicinity and perhaps the first in this section of Indiana was built in 1808 of rough hewn logs, its floor was puncheon and its windows little square holes covered with oiled paper. There was a great scarcity of school books and they were very dear. A Dillsworth speller was worth $1.00 equal to $4.00 today and arithmetics of that day were generally in manuscript prepared by some educated person in the vicinity. During his school days Clark county was a howling wilderness, where the deer, turkey, bear, panther and sometimes Indians wandered. Louisville was hardly a good sized hamlet and Jeffersonville and New Albany consisted of a few houses near the river. During this time fell the Pigeon Roost massacre and general alarm, and the flight of the settlers to the stockades. He remembers well the terror of the people, who feared, that a general attack by the Indians would follow. In his seventeenth year he joined the Methodist church and two years later was licensed to preach, being consequently the oldest licensed to preacher in the West. He never took circuit, however, and at the age of twenty married Nancy Fry. The Fry family, then as now, was a prominent and wealthy and descended from John Fry who obtained a patent from the British Crown for 2084 acres in Lancaster County Ky., which was surveyed and located by the then Col. George Washington in 1765. The father of our country carved his name on one of the corner trees and the mark of the knife remained visible until recent times. The city of Louise stands on the same ground. In 1824 George Schwartz and his young wife started in life by buying seventy acres of land near New Chapel. A clearing was soon made and a double log cabin finished and occupied in 1825, himself and wife living continuously at that old homestead until 1838, adding to the farm and erecting a commodious brick house in place of the worn out log house. In 1851 he represented the county in the Legislature, which was the only political office he ever held. In 1888 he gave active life and removed to Jeffersonville to his daughter, Mrs. Calvin Cook. On September 10, of that year, Mrs. Schwartz died and left him widowed after a married life of sixty-six years. Their golden wedding was a great occasion in the county and again the sixtieth anniversary, after which each recurring year it was celebrated at the old homestead and became one of the events of the township, hundreds sometimes attending the celebration of the wedding day. The union was blessed with twelve children, all attained man and womanhood, but of whom only four are living now. They are Geo. W. and Wiley Swartz, of Utica Township, Mrs. Elizabeth Adams , of Jeffersonville, Township and Mrs. Calvin Cook of Jeffersonville. There are twenty grand and thirteen great grandchildren. The dead children are Mrs. Susan Jacobs, Abram Schwartz, Mrs. Frank Adams, Mrs. Nancy Crum, James B. Swartz, P. H. Schwartz, Hester A Hollis and Mrs. Laura Hollis. Among the earliest recollections of the venerable pioneer are his first meeting with Gen. George Rodgers Cark in 1812. There was debate at the school house which the General attended. While taking part in it, he became thirsty and offered four pence to any boy, who would get a bucket of water at the springs. Mr. Schwartz, a lad of nine, eagerly ran after the water and received from the General the first money he ever possessed. In 1825 he, with a number of other young men, met General Lafayette at Jeffersonville. He saw the first steamboat, the Robert Fulton, make her first trip down the Ohio. A man named Dizler, living below Utica, saw the lights and heard the noise and knowing nothing of steamboats, thought Judgement day had come and set up fearful lamentation over his sinfulness. After that night he was a changed man, joined church and led a good life. This was in 1815. Mr. Schwartz was the first man to stop the use of whiskey in the harvest field in this section. His house was the rendezvous for the ministers and among the earliest preachers whom he entertained were Revs Crawford, Lindley, McMahon, Shroder, Ruter, Sharps, Baker, Hall, Glass, Hamilton, Armstrong, and Wiley, all well known names. Until within about a week ago he retained all his facilities and considerable strength for one so old, but during the last few days he failed rapidly with old age.

Contributor: Darrell G Mounts (46934892)