Pinellas County FlArchives Biographies.....Ulmer, Marion Wheeler 1867 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/fl/flfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com February 3, 2008, 5:20 pm Author: B. F. Johnson Marion Wheeler Ulmer M. W. Ulmer, President of the Bank of Largo, and operator in lumber and naval stores, who is one of the most enterprising citizens of that beautiful section of Florida known as the Pinellas peninsula, was born at Early Branch, S. C., on March, 26, 1867, son of Henry D. and Anna E. (Youmans) Ulmer. His father was a farmer. The Ulmer family is of German origin. There are variations of the name which was originally Ulm, into Von Ulm and Ulmer. The seat of the family is in south Germany, and the city of Ulm in Wurtemburg probably derived its name from some ancient member of the family. The family in America goes back to the year 1735, when a mixed colony of Swiss and south Germans, mostly from the Palatinate, came to South Carolina and settled in Orangeburg district of that State. A reinforcement followed in 1736, and another in 1737. In this last installment of 1737 came the Rev. John Ulrich Giessendanner, who was the pastor and became at once the leader of the colony. He died in 1738 and was succeeded by his nephew, the Rev. John Giessendanner who was the pastor of the colony until 1761. He remained in the Lutheran communion until 1749, when being the only minister of that denomination in the State, he went to London and was ordained into the Episcopal ministry, and from that time on the congregation was in connection with the Church of England. The Ulmers came in one of the first three years, 1735, 1736 or 1737. It is not positive which one of the contingents they came with. There appears to have been two heads of families, Werner Ulmer and John Frederick Ulmer. The church records between 1737 and 1761 show the following names of Ulmers who were baptized, married or buried, as the case might be: Anne Maria, Barbara, Eva Maria, Frederick, George, Adam, Hans, John Frederick, John Jacob, John Louis, Louis, Mary Barbara, Mary Catharina, Mary Magdalene, Varina Maria and Werner Ulmer. Anne Maria was the wife of Werner; Mary Barbara was the wife of John Frederick. The other names given are the children of these two. The history, therefore, of the Ulmer family in this country goes back one hundred and seventy-five years to those excellent Lutheran settlers from Switzerland and Germany, who were the real founders of Orangeburg county, which at the time of their coming was a vast wilderness, inhabited by a few scattered settlers. The exact number who came over in those early years is unknown, but there was more than two hundred in the first contingent, and there were probably altogether six or seven hundred of these early emigrants. Mr. Ulmer is, therefore, descended from that strong German stock which in every part of our country has contributed such valuable service to its upbuilding. M. W. Ulmer's early education was obtained in the public schools of his native county, and was somewhat limited in extent. He was reared on a farm. At the age of twenty-one he began life on his own account as a lumber marker in a saw mill. He spent six years in that occupation and rose to be superintendent. Having saved up a small capital he then engaged in the mill business on his own account. From that time to the present he has been connected with various lumber manufacturing and naval stores ventures, and has met with a good degree of success in a business way. On October 9, 1895, he married Miss Dora Angeline Ellis, a daughter of James D. and Mary E. Langford Ellis. Of this marriage six children have been born, of whom four survive, as follows: Henry D., Roland Jennings, Veda E. and Marion I. Ulmer. While an adherent of the Democratic party, Mr. Ulmer has taken no active part in political life beyond that which falls to the private citizen. Like most busy men he has not been able to give any great share of his time to reading, but is very partial to historical romances. Like many lumber and naval stores operators he commenced in the Carolinas and drifted to Florida, because of a larger field. In his community he is recognized as a man of sound business judgment and of a high order of personal integrity, and since January, 1908, has served as president of the local bank. He is also connected with various other institutions of a business character. Mr. Ulmer is a communicant of the Methodist Church and is affiliated with the various Masonic bodies from the Blue Lodge to the Shrine, having risen in Masonry to the thirty-second degree. A thinking man, he has come to several settled conclusions as to what would be best for our country. He believes that industrial and training schools for our girls to qualify them as wives and mothers are very much needed and would be a most valuable contribution to the future welfare of the country. He thinks that our immigrants should be sharply scrutinized and rigidly held to the best class, in which the best minds of the country agree with him. We have had far too much laxity in this direction for many years past. Regarding success in business or profession, regardless of what it may be, in his judgment, honesty, promptness, and close attention will bring such measure of success as the individual's ability will justify. The enforcement of our laws, the punishment of all men alike, regardless of position or political influence, is in the opinion of Mr. Ulmer a matter which calls for the attention of our people, and the right settlement of this will have a very great influence upon the future prosperity and happiness of our country. A descendant himself of as good stock as our country possesses, he is living up to his antecedents by a life of good citizenship in a civic sense, by upholding morality, by the exercise of public spirit and by the practice of fraternity. Additional Comments: Extracted from: FLORIDA EDITION MAKERS OF AMERICA AN HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL WORK BY AN ABLE CORPS OF WRITERS VOL. III. Published under the patronage of The Florida Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida ADVISORY BOARD: HON. W. D. BLOXHAM COL. FRANK HARRIS HON. R. W. DAVIS SEN. H. H. McCREARY HON. F. P. FLEMING W. F. STOVALL C. A. CHOATE, SECRETARY 1909 A. B. CALDWELL ATLANTA, GA. COPYRIGHT 1909 B. F. 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