My Genealogy Hound

George Sengel was born near Strassburg, France, November 11, 1852, and is a son of John and Siloam (Metzger) Sengel, natives of Alsace, France. The father served fourteen years in the French army, and was stationed at France during the deposition of Louis Phillippe. He remained in the army from the age of twenty until thirty-four years old, and when thirty-six years of age married, coming some years after from Alsace directly to Fort Smith, with his wife and three sons, Charles, John and George. Louis, the fourth son was born at New Orleans, and Edward was born at Fort Smith. Of this family only Charles, George and Edward survive. John Sengel, Jr., died, leaving a family of three sons and two daughters, and Louis was drowned when twelve years of age. The father died at the advanced age of seventy-eight years. When thirteen years old our subject left school to clerk in a hardware store. When twenty-five he went into business, and until 1888 did business under the firm name of Sengel & Schutte, at which time he purchased Mr. Schutte’s interest. Mr. Sengel is a self-made man, and is secretary of the Fort Smith Board of Trade, president of the Fort Smith Home Land Company, and a director and the secretary of the Fort Smith Gas Light Company. He assisted materially in the organization of the Western Arkansas Fair Association, and until 1888 was one of its directors. He is now the treasurer of the Fort Smith Evaporating Company, president of the Hayes Ferry Company, and was a director of the Merchants’ and American National Banks, both of which he helped to organize. Mr. Sengel married Miss Nannie Kirchherr, a lady of fine education, who is now the mother of three sons and one daughter: Ethel, George, Jerome and an infant. Both himself and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and for over twenty years Mr. Sengel has taught in the Sunday-school. He is one of the leading merchants of Fort Smith, and controls a business aggregating about $100,000 per annum. He is a member of the Chapter of the Masonic fraternity, and belongs to the German Saengerverein.