From www.heritagepursuit.com.

PETER HOOPINGARNER; retired farmer, Uhrichsville, is one of the prominent pioneers of Tuscarawas County, and was born in Washington County, Penn., June 26, 1806. He is a son of John and Katherine (Frierd) Hoopingarner, both natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent. The former enlisted in the Revolutionary war, but never served as a soldier. He was a farmer. Our subject with his parents came to Tuscarawas County in 1816, when about ten years of age, and settled six miles east of New Philadelphia, where his father began farming in the wilderness, now known as Goshen Township. There was scarcely a road in the township at that time, and the city of New Philadelphia contained but twenty-four dwellings, scattered among the timber. Where Uhrichsville now stands was nothing but a swamp. They went to mill on horseback, sometimes going twenty-five miles. There were about 100 Indians to every white man, and it was extremely dangerous for a man to be out at night, as the woods were inhabited, not only by the savage red man, but by wolves, bears and panthers. The fleet-footed deer and the wild turkey abounded in great numbers. The panthers often killed his father's cattle, and it was no unusual thing for this animal to kill people. Our subject is the only surviving member of a family of eight children-six boys and two girls, all of whom grew to maturity, were married and raised families. He secured a limited education at the rude log schoolhouse, and up to the time of his marriage followed farming. He was married, in 1829, to Martha, daughter of Daniel Hammel. She was of English and German descent, and died in 1868, leaving a family of eight children, all now surviving, viz., Eliza Ann, wife of Benjamin Clemmens, a farmer; Katherine, wife of Samuel Beluah (deceased), who was a lawyer and farmer; Martha, wife of Thomas Brock, a farmer; Abigail, wife of Daniel Murphy, a shoe-maker; Melissa, wife of Henry Baker; Daniel, a farmer; George, a school teacher; and Albert, also a teacher. now in Chicago, Ill. Our subject came to Uhrichsville in 1861, and manufactured boots and shoes for eighteen years. He has dealt largely in real estate, and laid out one addition to Uhrichsville. He is, essentially, a self-made man. His first purchase was one acre of land, and what he has accumulated since has been through his own exertions.