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About General Michael Rife Witwer
Orphaned at an early age, Michael R. Witwer was raised by his older sister, Barbara Witwer Nissley. As a young man, he traded in horses, mules, and cattle. He began his married life in Ephrata, but incurred financial losses that forced the young family to move to Lancaster. There he entered the hotel business and operated the Leopard Hotel on E. King Street, one block from the courthouse. Reflecting Witwer's lifelong interest in politics, the Leopard Hotel became a Whig party gathering place.
He earned the title "General" via participation in the pre-Civil War militias of Lancaster County, including an 1844 mobilization to put down the Nativist riots in Philadelphia. By 1849 Michael R. Witwer's chief occupation was animal trading, a skill which allowed him to procure horses and mules for the Union Army during the Civil War.
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General Michael Rife Witwer's Timeline
| 1811 |
March 16, 1811
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| 1893 |
May 30, 1893
Age 82
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