Cabell County, West Virginia          Biography of John F. SCHMIDLAPP

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The History of West Virginia, Old and New
Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc.,
Chicago and New York, Volume II,
pg. 266-267

	John F. Schmidlapp, superintendent of motive power for the Ohio Valley
Electric Railway Company, with residence and official headquarters in the
City of Huntington, West Virginia, was born at Piqua, Ohio, August 14,
1872.  His father, Carl Schmidlapp, was born in the city of Berlin,
Germany, in 1849, and died at Piqua, Ohio, in 1911.  The grandfather, John
F. Schmidlapp, was reared near Berlin and followed farm enterprise in his
native land until 1855, when he came with his family to the United States
and settled near Piqua, Ohio, where he became a very successful farmer and
where he and his wife passed the remainder  of their lives.  Both were
devout communicants of the Lutheran Church, and he espoused the cause of
the democratic party.   John F. Schmidlapp was forty-four years of age at
the time of his death.  His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth
Sanzenbacher, was born in the City of Berlin in 1827, and died at Piqua,
Ohio, in 1912, their only child having been Carl, father of the subject of
this review.
	In the public schools of Miami County, Ohio, Carl Schmidlapp continued his
studies until he had profited by the advantages of the high school at
Piqua, and eventually he succeeded to the ownership of the fine old
homestead farm, 2 1/2 miles north of Piqua, where he long held precedence
as one of the substantial and progressive agriculturists and stock-growers
of that part of the old Buckeye State.  He was for thirty years president
of the school board of his district, was influential in community affairs
in general, was democrat in politics, and was a most zealous communicant
and supporter of the Lutheran Church, of which his wife likewise was a
devoted member.  he was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity for many
years prior to his death.  His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Roberts,
was born in Miami County, Ohio, in 1855, and she died while visiting her
son John F. at Huntington, West Virginia, on the 29th of April, 1921, her
remains being returned to Piqua and interred beside those of her husband. 
Of the children John F., of this sketch, is the eldest; Ida is the wife of
William Zimmerman, manager of the Piqua (Ohio) Water Company; Harry owns
and has active management of the old home farm; and Russell likewise is a
progressive farmer near Piqua.
	The public schools of Piqua afforded John F. Schmidlapp his early
education, and there he was graduated in the high school as a member of the
class of 1888.  For one year thereafter he was employed as a laborer by
what is now the Toledo Railway & Light Company at Toledo, Ohio, and his
ability and effective service eventually led to his promotion to the
position of superintendent of equipment.   After leaving this position he
was for three years chief electrician with the Sprague Electric company at
Lima, Ohio, and for a total period of twelve years, in three different
intervals, he was in executive service with the Miami Valley Railway
Company, with headquarters at Piqua, where he held the office of
superintendent of equipment.  In the interims of his service with this
company he gave seven years of effective administration as superintendent
of construction for the Cleveland Construction Company, the general offices
of which are in the City of Cleveland, Ohio.  In 1911 Mr. Schmidlapp became
superintendent of equipment for the People's Railway Company of Dayton,
Ohio, and in 1912 the company transferred him to Huntington, West Virginia,
where he has since served as superintendent of motive power for the
corporation now known as the Ohio Valley Electric Railway company, the same
having absorbed the People's Railway company.  With offices at Eighteenth
Street, West, and Washington Avenue.  Mr. Schmidlapp now has supervision of
the activities of seventy employees, and technically and in an executive
way he is well equipped for the responsible office of which he is the
incumbent.  He is independent in politics, is a member of the Huntington
Chamber of commerce and the West End Business men's Club, and is the owner
of his residence and other real estate in Huntington.  In Ohio, he still
retains affiliation with Tippecanoe City Lodge No. 151, I. O. O. F.; and
Piqua Wigwam No. 153, I. O. R. M.
	In the World war period Mr. Schmidlapp was a vigorous and loyal worker in
all local patriotic service, he having served as a member of the committees
in charge of the campaigns in support of  the Government war loans and
having made his personal subscriptions as large as possible.
	In 1897 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Schmidlapp and Miss Edith
Hartman, who was born and reared at Piqua, Ohio, and who is a daughter of
the late Louis and Fannie (Loganstein) Hartman, her father having long been
superintendent of a furniture factory at Piqua.  Mr. and Mrs. Schmidlapp
have one son, Harold, who was born November 16, 1900, who resides at
Huntington and who is a salesman for the Republic Truck Company.  He was
not yet eighteen years of age when he entered the nation's military service
in connection with the World war.  He was stationed at Camp Sherman, Ohio, 
his command not having been called into overseas service.