Hezekiah Conley Pennell was born October 20, 1829 to James D. and Margaret M. Pennell, at Lexington, Ohio (Richland County).  He had a brother John Alexander Pennell born on June 29, 1832 and a brother Thomas Eton who died in 1827 at the age of 4 years, 9 months, and 12 days.  (See family Bible in the Otterbein Room at Otterbein College.)

H. C. Pennell enrolled at Otterbein University in 1848, just one year after the founding of the school.  According to the school records, he was listed as a student from 1848-1858, although available records indicate he signed a contract to teach for a period of three months in the Washington Township, Richland County Schools in 1849.  The last two years Pennell was at Otterbein he was listed as a “student in a scientific course.”

Otterbein University’s faculty minutes from June 18, 1958 read, “It was agreed to recommend B. R. Hanby receive the ‘first degree of Arts,’and Cyrus Hanby and H. C. Pennell received a diploma from the ‘Scientific Course.’”   There were several other graduates in this class.  This motion was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 23, 1858.  This was the second graduating class from Otterbein.  The first class consisted of two graduates, both women, Mary Katherine Winter and Sarah Jane Miller, her cousin. Mary Katherine (Kate) Winter became the wife of B. R. Hanby in 1858.  (Note:  Otterbein was called a "university" until 1917 when the name was changed to Otterbein College.  "College"  better reflects the type of institution Otterbein was.)

Hezekiah C. Pennell graduated from Otterbein in the Scientific Department on June 23, 1858.  His oration was entitled:  The Moral Hero.  He was one of the first members of the Philomathean Literary Society at Otterbein .  Ben Hanby was also a member of this particular literary society.  H. C. Pennell and Benjamin R. Hanby were close friends having been
together at Otterbein for about ten years.  Undocumented information states that Ben and H. C. were very close friends and collaborated on some music compositions.   In the book, Choose You This Day, The Legacy of the Hanbys, by Dacia Custer Shoemaker and edited by Harold Hancock and Millard J. Miller, is a picture identified as Ben Hanby and his classmates at Otterbein University.  One of the young men is Ben's close friend H. C. Pennell.  (probably the front row, right)

Hezekiah Pennell married sometime between graduation and 1860.  His wife's name was Elizabeth (Lizzie).  No more is known about her.  The Pennells are not listed in the 1860 census of Blendon Township and Westerville, so a question remains as to where they were living at that time.

An interview with Inez Crouse that is contained in the files of the Local History Center of the Westerville Public Library states, "The first school I attended was a 'select school.'  [circa 1854]  Students had to pay to attend.  It was named the Molly Angle for the head mistress and owner.  The school, a brick and frame house on West Home Street, offered its educational advantages to twenty or twenty-five pupils. The curriculum was mostly spelling and writing."  Mrs. Crouse
remembered that one of the teachers was a Mr. Pennell.  He had her "stand on the floor" for a reason she could no longer remember, although she thought it was probably for talking, which she admits she had enjoyed
.
In the book The Cormany Diaries, A Northern Family in the Civil War, by James C. Mohr, Rachael Bowman one of the books diarists, states, "I had intended to go to Mr. Pennellís school."  (January 28, 1859).  On February 25, 1859 Rachael states, "Quite a number of boys are down to Columbus to hear Mr. Pennell's trial for whipping a school boy."  After 1855, Hezekiah Pennell would have been teaching in Westerville's first public school.

Mr. Pennell served in the Civil War as part of the 13th  Maryland Volunteer Infantry, Company K.  He attained the rank of First Lieutenant on February 24, 1865.  A letter to his wife dated May 11, 1863, while he was serving in the war is housed in the Pennell collection in the Otterbein Room.  He states,  "The great battle has ceased at last.  The heavy rain that fell last week stopped operations.  We had a very (?) report from the scene of the action.  General Hooker withdrew his command to the east side of the Rappahannock and is said to be preparing for another engagement.  His loss is said not to be so heavy considering the magnitude of the battle.  He is also said to have lost but few as prisoners & taking more that he lost.  General C?(H)ooker sent out about 20,000 Cavalrymen under General Storreman (?) that went to the rear of
the Rebel army, and did a great deal of damage to the Rebel property.  Tore a great extent of RR track, burnt bridges, killed cattle, horses; and went within two miles of Richmond.   It put all the Rebel raids back in the shade.  I will warrant Old Jeff Sked addled, when he saw them coming.  We are informed that he put his command on transports on the James River and landed at Fortress Monroe.  Hope we will hear more fully soon what was done.  He is said to have lost only thirteen men.  I have not heard whether the 66th Ohio was in the engagement or not.  Much apprehension was entertained for the safety of our army.  The Rebs were one time between our army and the Rappahanneck. But Joseph brought them
out of the wilderness.  It seems, in safety.  But Richmond is not in our possession.  Not until it is taken will the rebs be humbled and rightly beaten.  Successes are reported in other places, but of no great magnitude."

It is possible that Pennell is referring to the Battle of Brandy Station, which was the largest cavalry action ever fought in North America. Hooker had ordered Pleasonton to cross the Rappahannock, discover where Lee was headed and disrupt what looked like the earliest stages of a Southern offensive.  The Union cavalry, some ten thousand strong, crashed into and equal number of Confederate cavalry in the fields around Brandy Station, Fleetwood Hill, and Beverly Ford.  Though a drawn battle by objective measures, it was considered a psychological boost for the Union side.  Pleasonton had accomplished his mission and the Federal cavalry had made Stuart look ill-prepared for a surprise attack.

H. C. and his wife Elizabeth had one daughter Hatty.  No record was found as to what happened to Elizabeth, but when Hezekiah homesteaded to Polk City, Iowa, in 1870, he took with him his daughter Hatty.  Assumption would be that Elizabeth had died.  Polk City is located seven miles north of DesMoines in the center of Iowa.  He met and married a
woman named Mary (Latta) Koons on June 24, 1871.  Her parents were William and Mary Latta.  It appears as if they are buried in the Polk City Cemetery.  Mary had been born in 1835.  She had a daughter from a previous marriage whose name was Clara Belle Koons.  Clara Belle, who had been born March 16, 1859 was the mother of Beulah Mc Bride.  Miss McBride donated the Hezekiah Pennell memorabilia to the Otterbein archives. A daughter, Minnie Adella, was born on November 30, 1874 to Hezekiah and Mary,  A second daughter, Ora Alma died in infancy.  On Ora's tombstone is the inscription:
               "There is another little hand.
               To harp strings given,
               Another gentle, (serup?) voice,
               Another star in heaven."
A handwritten letter, in the Pennell collection, contains the above information with a note.  "Ma and I go down to the graveyard and copied off the above lines.  Pa and Clara and family go to church and S.S.  So Ma and I go down there while at home alone."  Who "I" is a good question. Could it be Hatty, H.C.ís daughter from his first marriage?

About 1887 or 1888 Hezekiah decided to homestead in southwestern Nebraska.  A letter is held in the Otterbein Room to his step-daughter Clara Belle about his experiences in trying to find suitable land in Nebraska.  Probably, just prior to H.C. leaving for Nebraska, a formal picture, dated 1888, Des Moines was taken. The original is in the Otterbein Room.

In the above mentioned letter, Hezekiah indicates Ma and Minnie were with him in Nebraska.  Clara Belle presumably stayed in Polk City, Iowa when her step-father went to Nebraska.  Being she was almost 30 years old, she may have already been married to Joseph McBride.  Mention is made of several towns that Hezekiah Pennell lived in, in Nebraska.  In 1891 he was named postmaster of Eddy, Nebraska.  It is no longer shown on a map.

Hezekiah Conley Pennell died June 2, 1904.  Death was caused by a kick from a horse.