From "History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and 
Representative Citizens," by Hon. Gibson Lamb Cranmer, 1902. 

Typed by Laurie Birks Dean

pp. 482-483

Otto KALBITZER, one of the organizers of the Cooperative Stove 
Company, of Wheeling, West Virginia, is one of the most prominent 
business men of Wheeling, and is at present the manager of the 
fitting department for the company.
	Mr. Kalbitzer was born in Germany, in 1856, and is a son of 
Louis and Julia (Helmbright) Kalbitzer, both of whom were also 
natives of Germany.  Otto was one of a family of five children, 
namely:  Henry, a merchant on Market street in Wheeling; David, who 
lives in Germany; Christian, a successful butcher of Wheeling, 
Carrie, who married Peter Claus, a merchant, on the Island; and Otto.  
Otto's father died in his forty-sixth year, and his mother passed 
away in her fifty-third year.
	Mr. Kalbitzer came from Germany to the United States in 1871, 
and located in Wheeling, immediately after his arrival in this 
country.  When a boy he was a stogie (cigar) maker.  He afterward 
worked in Joseph Ball's foundry, where they manufactured stove ovens, 
and remained there seven years.  He next went to Fisher & Son's 
foundry, and remained until 1898, when he started out for himself.  
He helped to organize the Cooperative Stove Company, of which concern 
George Seybold is president, and R. V. Green, manager.  The board of 
directors is composed of, - Eugene Deiters, John Johnson, George 
Seybold, Otto Kalbitzer, and R. V. Green.  When the firm was first 
organized, the capital stock was $2,500, which has since been 
increased to $8,000.  The company manufactures the "Valley Star" and 
"Torchlight" cook stoves, and does all kinds of machinery work.  It 
is most useful to Wheeling in the line of work it pursues, and its 
removal would be no small loss to the city.
	On May 2, 1879, Mr. Kalbitzer was united in marriage with 
Hannah Fischer, a daughter of August and Hannah Fischer, natives of 
Germany, who are deceased.  Mr. and Mrs. Kalbitzer have eight 
children, as follows:  Louis, John, Bertha, Emma, Carrie, Nora, Julia 
and Peter.
	Mr. Kalbitzer is a member of St. Paul's German Independent 
Evangelical Protestant church.  In politics he is a Republican, and 
was elected, in 1899, to the second branch of the city council from 
the eighth ward, serving with such great satisfaction to his 
constituents that he was re-elected in 1901.  He belongs to the 
Mozart Singing Society, and is a member of the Ancient Orger of 
United Workmen, and also affiliates with the Improved Order of Red 
Men.  Mr. Kalbitzer attends strictly to business and is popular among 
his friends.