268 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO CHAPTER XXXI. GRAND RAPIDS TOWNSHIP. ITS ORIGIN AND NOMENCLATURE -ORGANIZATION AND OFFICIALS-EARLY SETTLEMENTS -THE HUCKLEBERRY WAR-THE WAR OF 1835-THE CHOLERA-HOLIDAY ACCIDENT-COMMON SCHOOLS-CHURCHES ; GRAND RAPIDS VILLAGE-EARLY AND OTHER TRADERS, ENTERPRISES, ETC.-INCORPORATION AND OFFICIAL LISTS-SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS-CHURCHES, SCHOOLS AND SOCIETIES. GRAND RAPIDS was unknown as a township until 1888, having previously been a part of Weston. Though the first settlements were made near the Head of the Rapids (where the surveys were made in 1819 and 1821), the township of Weston organized there, and the beginnings of civilization made there, the persons and events have generally been' grouped under the head of Weston township, and these groupings have been continued so long it is now difficult to separate them. The Census of 1890 credits the township with 1,021 inhabitants. In 1829, the residents in the neighborhood of the present town of Grand Rapids, petitioned the commissioners to authorize a new township. On June 14, 1830, the petition was granted, and Ottawa township was formed out of the territory in Range 9, south of the Maumee, including the islands adjacent. The place of meeting was fixed at Edward Howard's house, but, for some reason, the meeting was not held. On December 6, 1830, the commissioners changed the name to "Weston," and ordered a township meeting to be held on April 4, 183!. The officers then elected were those mentioned in the chapter devoted to Weston township and village. The efforts of the pioneers did not rest with the organization of the township, for in 1832 they petitioned the Post Office Department for an office in their principal village, and December 15, 1832, Weston post office was established with Edward Howard in charge. On March 30, 1837, the name was changed to Gilead, and, in 1868, to Grand Rapids. Organization and Officials.-The township was organized September 25, 1888, when the officers, elected on the 17th of that month, met to transact business. Ebenezer Donaldson, W. B. Kerr and J. W. Brown (the first trustees), A. J. Friess (the first clerk), and Thomas D. Avery (the first treasurer) were present. Asher Thurstin was elected trustee in 1890; John Katon, elected in 1891, resigned in 1892, when Jerry E. Huffman was appointed to fill the vacancy; W. B. Kerr was re-elected in 1892; John Long in 1893; John McLain in 1894; W. B. Kerr in 1895 and jasper N. Mosier in 1896. Azor Thurstin was elected clerk in 1889, to succeed Friess, and served until April, 1893; the present (1896) clerk, Frank L. Sheats, was elected in 1894; Thomas D. Avery was elected treasurer in 1896. The first justice of the peace was S. G. Robinson, elected in 1891; the second, Ebenezer Donaldson, elected as an additional justice in 1893, under an order of the probate judge; the third, J. S. Benschoter, elected in 1894; in 1896, Frank A. Crosby was elected justice of the peace. In 1895, I. Huffman was chosen assessor, W. A. Katon, J. N. Mosier and M. G. Judson, road supervisors, and J. S. Foor, with Martin Kecheley, school directors. In April, 1895, over thirty women voted for school officers, Mrs. B. F. Kerr being the first of them to cast a ballot. There were 156 votes cast for trustee and clerk, and 153 for assessor. In 1896 Truman Rigg, L. A. Pettys, and Lester Heyman were elected members of the school board, the other members being A. W. Nafus (1894), and Napoleon Conrad (1895). In April, 1894, the question of building stone roads was submitted, but defeated on a vote of 136 against 108. The last session of the Legislature authorized the village and township trustees to build a town hall, but so far no serious action has been taken in the matter. Early Settlements.-In the reminiscences of Dresden W. H. Howard, it is related that, in May, 1821, his grandfather, Thomas (aged 63 years), his father, Edward (aged 43), his uncle, Robert A. (aged 23), with their wives and children, left Yates county, New York, embarked on Capt. Anson Reed's schooner at Cleveland, and on June WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 269 17, that year, landed at Orleans of the North. The Indians were then encamped along the river bank, and Major Stickney, the agent, was among them. When first seen from the schooner, they were engaged inn dancing and various sports; but when the vessel approached they set up a fearful yell, and ran to the water's edge to see her. The grandfather of D. W. H. Howard entered the land where Woodville village was subsequently founded, but, in 1822, the party moved to Grand Rapids, where they erected three cabins, and from which to the Indian mission, eight miles below, they cut a road in 1823, settling opposite the Indian village of " Kinjoino." Dresden attended the old mission school for three years, being the only Caucasian pupil (save a few French-Indian half-breed children), and learned their language. Later, he engaged in trading with the tribes; in 1831, his uncle, William, and family arrived; in 1832, he aided in transporting Indians across the country to new reservations, and in 1837 and 1839 assisted in removing them to the Osage river, in Kansas. The principal chiefs of the Ottawas, remembered by him, are Nawash, Ottuso, Charlo, Ocquenoxie, Kinjoino, Ottokee, Waseon and Waseoniquet; of the Pottawatamies-Wawbonsee, Bawbeese, Meteah, Winamac; of the Miamis - LaFontaine and Richardville; and of the Shawnees- Joseph and William Parks. James Sassaquas, the last full-blooded representative of the once great Miami nation, in the old hunting-grounds, died at Peru, Indiana, February 13, 1895, aged eighty-four years. He hunted with the Ottawas of the Maumee in his boyhood, and lived to see the last of the old warriors pass to the " Happy Hunting Grounds." At that time the principal town of the Indians was located not far from the site of the " Howard Hotel, " while along Beaver creek and on the sand ridges were other Indian lodges. They were the only neighbors of the Howards, until William Pratt and Joseph Keith appeared upon the scene and, shortly after, Richard Howard, then aged nineteen years. Dr. Spencer, of Weston, speaking on this settlement at the Rapids, gives the following particulars: " They entered land in what is now Section 8. Edward Howard's farm faced the river in the northwest corner of the section, and the school house and part of the village are on land entered by Edward Howard. He was a shrewd business man, and began at once the improvement of his farm, and opened trade with the Indians. He built a house and kept the first tavern in Gilead or in Weston township. It was at his house that the first election was held. Travelers along the river road below Grand Rapids, and but a short distance below the wagon bridge over the river, cannot pass by unnoticed, the ancient looking building facing the river from the south side of the road, with its great wooden colonades or pillars. That is the location of Ed. Howard's house. Robert Howard owned the farm on the south of Edward's, while Richard located down the river, near the mouth of Beaver creek. The first death in the settlement was that of Thomas Howard, who died May 25, 1825. A wooded bluff, on the banks of a sharp little ravine at the northwest corner of Ed. Howard's farm, was chosen as a site for a burying ground. This cemetery is the family burial place of the Howards. Here lie buried, among others of the family: Thomas Howard, May 25, 1825, aged 66; William, January 2, 1833, aged 53; Richard, January 26, 1834, aged 32; Edward, February 2, 1841, aged 63; and Robert Howard, November 26, 1872, aged 74." Alexander Brown and his father-in-law, Joseph North, were the first to move back from the river, up Minard's creek toward Keeler's Prairie. This venture was made in 1828, and must be considered the beginning of settlement in Westo township. Within seven years of Brown's and North's migration from the Rapids, there were no less than eighty-four adult males having their homes within the township. The names of the pioneers are given in the following list: Emanuel Arnold, Alexander Brown, P. B. Brown, William Biggar, -- Bartlett, Bela Bennett, Edmund Battles, Lewis Bortle, John Crom, Sr., Daniel Crom, -- Cooper, William Collett, James Donaldson, Levi Felton, John Fowler, J. N. Graham, William Gruber, Alva Gillett, Edward Howard, B. W. Howard, D. W. H. Howard, E. W. Hedges, D. Harbogle, Samuel Junkins, Henry Kimberlin, Ralph O. Keeler, Robert Keith, Peter Troup, Moses P. Morgan, Jacob Macklin, David Murdock, William and Joseph North, Guy Nearing, Andrew Oliver, Matthias Oberdorf, Alexander Peugh, P. C. Parker, John Rice, Thomas Silsbee, John Skinner, Jacob Walters, Sr., A. R. Williams, William Wonderly, Thomas Davis, Samuel Dull, David Edwards, Andrew Foster, Robert Bamber, Harvey Burritt, William Baker, Jacob Crom, John Crom, Jr., J. W. Culbertson, Gideon Cornel, A. B. Crosby, E. Foote, John Gingery, Enoch Gruber, Gabriel Guyer, George Nicholas, R. A. Howard, R. M. Howard, David Hedges, Jacob Harris, F. Hinsdale, Thomas Junkins, John Kimberlin, James Kling, Henry Kerr, William Loughrey, B. McCue, John McKee, James McGeehan, William Martin, Nep 270 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. tune Nearing, Benjamin Olney, Anson Owens, William Pratt, William Patton, Matthias Reams, John Soash, Hiram Scovill, D. Taylor, John Ward, Hiram Wade, and Samuel Van Horn. In January, 1884, Dr. J. B. Spencer contributed his historical reminiscences to the Sentinel, and from his paper the following references to the old settlers and their homesteads are taken: In. 1834, Thomas Taylor, Sr., located land and built a log house very near where the " old Taylor house" at Weston stands; at the same time, James Hutchinson, and his son Andrew were building a house five miles farther south, near what is now Groff's Corners,. on the edge of the Jackson prairie. John Gingery was also venturesome enough to settle back from the river in the thick forests. In 1830 he settled on the farm later owned by D. H. Bassett, near the. McKee school house. The next year he moved back to Gilead. Jacob Walters, Sr., about this time also settled on the farm, later owned by his son Jacob. Jacob Crom, in 1830, located the farm later owned by Capt. McKee. John Crom, Sr., located the land where Rev. James Kerr lived in 1884, and built his house where the old orchard is, north of the U. B. church. Alex. .Peugh located the farm later owned by Albert Heyman. He was' a single man, and kept bachelor's hall for a few years, traveling nine miles through swamps and forests to see Eliza Hutchinson, who afterward became his wife. John Rice, step-father of Thomas and Samuel Junkins, located the farm in 1833, later owned by Phillip Heyman; Henry Kimberlin located at the mouth of Beaver creek in 1832; Jacob Macklin, on the farm later known as the Carson ,farm; William Martin, the farm later owned by William Martin; Samuel Dull, the farm later owned by Joseph Wright, just south of Potter settlement; John Crom, Jr., occupied the farm owned by D. H. Bassett, at McKee's Corners; J. Gingery first settled there, but never owned the land; Jonathan Crom, son of Rev. John Crom, Sr., settled the farm later owned by Lester Pettys; Daniel Crom settled on the farm later owned by Floyd McKee, on the Wapakoneta road; one daughter of Rev. John Crom, Elizabeth, married Jacob Walters, Sr. She was eighty years old in May, 1883. Another daughter, Sarah, married Matthias Reams, in Harrison county, Ohio, and moved into Weston township, settling on Beaver creek, living on the same farm until Mr. Reams' death about 1881. Another daughter of John Crom, Susan, married Peter Dull, and settled on the farm where she lived in 1884 with her sons, David L. and John. Gabriel Guyer, in 1833, located the farm later owned by Jacob Steinman; Samuel VanHorn settled the farm later owned by William Donnel. Bortel and Oberdorf settled a little south and west of the Floyd McKee house; Jacob Dull located the farm later owned by Jacob Barrier, Sr.; James Donaldson moved up the river and bought the farm just west of Beaver Creek cemetery; then shortly afterward he bought Emanuel Arnold's farm, later owned by A. C. Judson. This process of extending settlements continued until the original township of Weston was converted into rich, productive farms. The Huckleberry War was an echo of the desire of the Sacs and the Foxes to push back the whites. In the Mississippi Valley it was more serious than an echo. A council was held at the Rapids, where were present Peter Minard, John E. Hunt, George Knaggs, Indian Agent Jackson, Edward Howard, R. A. Forsythe, Petonquet, Kinjoino, and Nackichewa, to learn the cause of the Indian discontent. The chiefs told the whites what they knew, and so terror-stricken were the settlers that they repaired to the Edward Howard Stone House at the Rapids, to the log house of Henry Kimberlin, or to the log house of Joseph Keith, whose brother had killed an Indian and fled-the leaders of the people requiring the Indians to send to the Stone House the wives and children of the chiefs, who were held as hostages for the good behavior of their warriors. White women,. such as the late Mrs. Charlotte Pratt, the Lahartz girl and Lucy Keith guarded the Indian women. The alarm was caused by two foreign Indians appearing to a few Ottawa girls, who were picking huckleberries near the Rapids, and the report that they were emissaries of the Sacs sent hither to enlist the Ottawas in a war against the settlers. The Ottawas were, however, more alarmed than the whites, and kept great fires burning every night, to prove to their white neighbors that they were not on the war path. The War of 1835, or the Toledo war, was another alarm. All the able-bodied men of the settlement were called to arms, and, as told in the general history, went to the front. The desertion of Dan Sickman with a musket and blanket, belonging to Ohio, and the sale of 100 head of cattle to the Michigan troops by Ralph O. Keeler, appear to have been the only wise deeds credited to the Grand Rapids, or other volunteers in that war. The Cholera.-The death of Alonzo Bowerman and wife, of Providence, on July 5, 1854, was followed by fourteen others. Dr. Blotter, who attended them, was infected, but recovered; WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 271 he was stricken later, and died immediately. R. A. Snively's daughter, and Squire Davis, who died at Toledo while fleeing from New York, were among its first victims. Only three died in the village of Grand Rapids, while Cornell and his son and others died in the adjacent territory. Of 22 cases treated by Dr. Gardner, thirteen were cured, the other nine having collapsed before the Doctor's aid was called. Not more than five families remained in the village, namely those of Emanuel Arnold, Dr. A. J. Gardner, Seth McDonald, Alva Gillett, and Wm. Gruber. Of eighteen men employed in Seth McDonald's sawmill, only one-John Long--remained. The disease is said to have set in after a ball, held at Fancher's, July 4, just as it did at Perrysburg, after the celebration of that day. Holiday Accident.-In July, 1856, the people of Grand Rapids imported the old Croghan cannon from, Perrysburg. Placing it in position, the gunners found it spiked with an old rat-tail file. That was removed by T. J. Sterling, and the cannon loaded. When firing, it exploded, sent the ramrod across the river, and crippled Joseph Shannon. Common Schools.-The first school was simply a gathering of eight or ten tow-headed pioneers in home-spun clothes, by Charlotte Howard. This was in 1831. The school was held in the log house of Richard Howard. At the spring election of 1832 the voters discussed the question of schools and school districts, and the result was a division of the township into five school districts, by the trustees for 1832. The districts were as follows: No. 1 began at the Henry county line on the river, extended two miles down the river and one mile back, making two square miles, and taking in the village of Gilead. This was the district in which Miss Howard had already taught two seasons. No. 2 was two miles square, just east of No. 1. No. 3 inclosed all that portion of Weston township that has since been set off into Washington township, embracing the village of Otsego. No. 4 started one mile back from the river, and took a strip two miles wide on the west side of the township, from that point south to the county line. No. 5 was the ' , boss" school district, including all the remainder of the township, being fifteen miles long and four miles wide. The first school building in the township was in No. 1, on land owned by the Howards. It was a low log hut, with shake roof and puncheon floor, desks and seats, and was located about eighty rods south of the present brick school building. The first large school building of the township, erected in the forties,'' is now the '' Commercial Hotel," of the village. An early school was held in 1834 or 1835 at Alexander Peugh's house, near where Albert Heyman lives, and there Thomas Junkins and one or more of his brothers and sisters attended as pupils. CHURCHES. The United Brethren Society, the first Church body in Weston or Grand Rapids township, was organized at Henry Kimberlin's house in 1832, by Henry Kimberlin, John Crom, Sr., and Jacob Crom, who were local preachers Messrs. Strong, Moore, Michael Long and John Long preached at Beaver Creek at intervals until 1833, when Stephen Lillibridge came as preacher-in-charge. In 1843, the Conference was held at Beaver Creek. In 1848 George Gilmore was steward and D. Glancy, preacher. At that time a subscription was collected for Church purposes, and in 1850 the building on the Weston and Grand Rapids road, west of Beaver Creek, was erected. The names of the members, in 1856, were Sarah Henry, John, Jacob, Sally and Mary Kimberlin, Elizabeth Guyer, Matthias, Noah and Sarah Reames, Eva Oberdorf, Sabina Kimberlin, Susan Bowser, John and Mary Walters, James, Charlotte, Henry and Mary-Jane Barton, John and Delilah Dull, Eli and Andrew Van Horn, Emily and Hannah Older, Catherine and Eliza Long, James and Sarah Brown, Philip and Mary Hineman, Martha McLain and Barbara Swarm. Rev. John Davis, " The Hatter," and John Bell were the preachers in 1856; Silas Foster in 1857; and J. Fink in 1859. Following Mr. Lillibridge was Jonathan Thomas, who preached here several years. Daniel Glancy was here again in 1860; Samuel Essex in 1862; and S. Jacoby in 1864. The Liberal U. B. Society, of which Messrs. Heyman, Thorley, Harris, Russell and- Gundy are trustees, own the old building since 1889, when the division took place. Of the eighty members who once formed the society, only ten are left. The East Beaver Creek U. B. Society erected a house of worship near the line of Plain township, just before the war, which, when the Church disbanded, was sold to Mr. Gill, who leased it to the Christian Union. The Radical United Brethren Society was organized, in 1889, out of the old U. B. Church, of Beaver Creek, and its neighbor of East Beaver Creek, or "The Gingery Church." The original members were D. L. and Alice L. Dull, Lester A. and Sarah E. Pettis, Rev. John and Elizabeth French, William C. and Clara French, John Gingery, Dorothy Wade, Rev. Joseph and 272 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. Sarah Burkett, John Bortel, Jacob and Sabina Kimberlin, John and Mary Conrad, Albert Long and wife, and A. P. Schlappi. The trustees are L. A. Pettis, Jacob Kimberlin, D. L. Dull, John Conrad and G. C. Lashley. They were the builders of the church on the Dull farm, and now represent the forty-five members who worship there. The United Presbyterian Church, on the southeast corner of Sec. 19, was organized early in the "fifties," by Rev. James Miller, a Scotchman, who preached at Scotch Ridge as early as 1845. Among the members were Jesse and Jane Kerr, James P. Katon and wife, Hugh and Sarah Barton, Samuel and Fanny Barton, McCabe and wife, Samuel Barton, Sr., and wife, James, William, Joseph and Mrs. Mary Ross, William, B. Kerr, and Mrs. Eliza Van Horn. Of all named, William B. Kerr is the only resident of this county. Rev. Jackson Duff, of the Webster Church, preached here from 1852 to 1868, followed by others named in Webster (tp.) history. J. C. Bigham was here in 1875; Rev. William Wright and Rev. Wainwright (the last named a teacher in the Grand Rapids school) have been pastors since Centennial year. Jesse Kerr, J. P. Katon and Mr. McCabe were elders for many years. Death created vacancies, and W. B. Kerr, now the senior elder, was elected to fill the first; R. R. McKnight and William Donnell were elders as early as 1869; J. E. Kerr was chosen in the -seventies," and W. L. Ross in 1878. The meeting house was erected in 1859, and is now owned by the forty-two members of the society. GRAND RAPIDS VILLAGE. It is said that John A. Graham established the village of Gilead in 1831, and that early in 1832 he employed Lewis Bortle and Gabriel Guyer to clear that portion where the depot building and B. F. Kerr's new residence now stand, for a wheat and potato field. The plat in the recorder's office shows that the town was surveyed in June, 1833, by Ambrose Rice for John N. Graham, on the N. E. 1/4 of Sec. 7, T. 5, R. 9. Graham was the owner of the quarter section, and also of Island No. 2. In April, 1836, John C. Spink's addition was surveyed by Hiram Davis. In 1835 J. C. Spink bought the Ed. Howard farm and the " Stone Tavern, " as the "Howard House " was called, because a portion of it was built of stone. - In 1837, Spink rented the hotel to Hiram Scovill, who moved in and took possession August 31. Scovill was married to a sister of George Laskey, and Laskey, who was then a little boy, came along with them to the hotel as general utility boy. Scovill started a ferry from the "Howard House" to the opposite side of the river, for public convenience, and it was in constant use for more than twenty years. Young Laskey attended to the ferry and the hotel barn as long as Scovill kept the hotel, or until 1840, when he moved to the village of Florida, Laskey going with his brother-in-law. In the "fifties," C. W. McDonald rented the house, and made hotelkeeping a department of his extensive business. Early Traders.-Dr. A. J. Gardner, in his reminiscences of early merchants and druggists, states that "the first merchant to open a store was Nicholas Gee, who came here in 1833 and opened his goods in a log building owned by Tomer Davis, on the corner of First and West streets. A Mr. Culbertson, brother of the late James G. Culbertson, came shortly afterward, and went into partnership with Mr. Gee for a short time, but sold out to Gee in 1835. Frank Hinsdale, who had been a clerk for John Hollister, at Perrysburg, for some time, bought the remnant of Hollister's store, and formed a partnership with Gee, and they built the store room now occupied by Dr. A. J. Gardner & Co. In 1840 Gee sold out to Hinsdale, who continued in business until he died in 1851. George Laskey came here, as before stated, in 1836, and afterward was chief clerk to Mr. Hinsdale at the princely salary of $8 per month and board. He saved at the end of each of the three first years $50, and bought three forty-acre pieces of land; which he sold a few years ago for $50 an acre. After Hinsdale's death Mrs. Hinsdale and Mr. Laskey formed a partnership, built a store room, and continued in business together until 1857, when Mrs. Hinsdale retired and Delos Pratt and Stephen Laskey became members of the firm, under the firm name of Laskeys, Pratt & Co. George P. Hinsdale took an interest in the business a year or two afterward. In 1861 Pratt and Hinsdale withdrew from the firm, and built the first story of the building now occupied by B. F. Kerr, who has since added a second story. "In 1835 Philander P. Brown and Enoch Gruber, built a small store room on the bank of the river. They were succeeded by Tobias Rudsell. In 1834 Mr. Culbertson built a store room, since burned, west of the Laskey building, into which he moved from Otsego. He was succeeded by Samuel Clymer, who afterward moved the stock to Otsego. Seth C. McDonald, in 1857, bought a bankrupt stock of goods in Toledo, and occupied the building. At the end of a year or two the stock and building were destroyed by fire. In WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 273 1850, Galen B. Able occupied the above mentioned store room. About this time Hughes & Camp built a one-story room and opened a small store. In 1854 they sold to Charles Bucklin and Mr. Gunn. Bucklin soon bought out Gunn's interest, and in turn sold to Atkinson & Ashley. In 1853 Robert Mead built a one-story building, and opened the first grocery. He afterward took in Foster Pratt, and they carried on a livery stable in connection with their other business. In 1860 George P. Crosby built the store room occupied by Evans, and did business with George Hospelhorn; afterward sold to Delos Pratt and Stephen Laskey, who, in turn, sold to John H. Fisher. In 1856 C. W. McDonald opened a drug store in the room now occupied by John Roberts. The next year he built the building now occupied by Richardson's grocery, and added a small stock of books and groceries. Dr. J. H. Watson and C. E. Beardsley succeeded him in the drug business for a short time, and then sold out to J. H. Campbell and Robert Pratt, who were followed by A. Sterling, who moved the stock into the building now occupied by Anton Schuster. In the fall of 1860, Dr. Gardner came back from Cleveland, and, in company with Laskey, Pratt & Co., bought out Sterling and opened the first regular drug store. He has conducted the business since '62 with Laskey brothers as the Co., they having bought Pratt and Hinsdale's interests." Prior to Gee's time two peddlers from Mansfield, named Bartlett and Cooper, came on the suggestion of James Purdy, and opened a stock of goods in a hut which stood near the south end of Main street. If we except the Indian traders, they were the first to engage in mercantile business here. Francis Hinsdale, who was a clerk in Hollister's store at Perrysburg, came a year or two after, with a small stock of dry goods, notions, groceries and hardware, so that the commercial beginnings were made before Gee established his store at this point. Waterpower and Mills.-John A. Graham, built a mill-race and dam; a sawmill was built, and a set of buhrs for grinding corn added to it. Emanuel Arnold built and operated the only tannery ever in the village or township. Hutchinson opened a hotel, at which the young people of the settlement were wont to meet in social dances, much to the elation of the boozy descendants of the Ottawas, who yet hung about the white settlements. In 1836, James Purdy, then a lawyer in active practice in Mansfield, bought the water privilege at the head of the rapids from John Graham. Purdy had traveled through the Maumee region as early as 1822. It was through his influence that Bartlett & Cooper came from Mansfield with the first stock of merchandise. The keen eye of Purdy saw that a proprietorship at the head of such -power would be a good investment, but it was just at this time that the Miami and Erie canal was being established from Cincinnati to Toledo, and it is probable that Purdy saw that the slack water at the head of the rapids must furnish the water for the canal from that point to Toledo, and if he became proprietor of the water privilege he could dictate terms to the great corporation, which he did do in after years, to the lasting benefit of Grand Rapids. Great excitement was created through the Beaver Creek settlements in 1845 by the action of the board of public works, in attempting to destroy Purdy's rights as owner of the dam and water power at Gilead, by building a dam just above Purdy's and deflecting the current to the north of Island No. 2 and through the canal. The citizens of Gilead turned out one night and cut the canal dam, and, so restored the water power to Gilead mills. A compromise was finally effected, by the State constructing what is called the "Gilead canal" from the State dam to Purdy's mill race. The whole works costing the State over $20,000, and by this means making Gilead a canal port. Purdy built a gristmill and in 1848, water was let into the Gilead canal, and business again picked up for there were good gristmills and sawmills, and the merchants could pay high prices for all kinds of produce, for the canal gave them means of putting the produce of the country into market. Traders of the " Fifties. "-Among other residents of the "fifties" may be named Cloud Bro's. hardware and tin shop, about 1855, George Gries, an old German who started the first tin shop in the town; Faucher & Abbott, blacksmiths, 1855; Bucklin & Gunn, dry-goods store and ashery, 1854; Fisher & Gruber, gristmill, 1856; David Failor, blacksmith, 1854; McDonald & Beales, sawmill, and Pratt & Mead, grocery, 1855. Dr. Harvey Burritt, referred to in the chapter on the Medical profession, removed to Maumee in 1852; a lawyer referred to in the chapter on the Bench and Bar was also here. Old citizens yet tell of Dr. Burritt's long and dismal rides through the swamps and forests from Gilead to the Hutchinson settlement, now Groff's Corners, or to the Collister Haskins settlement on the Portage river. McDonald's Enterprises. -Seth McDonald came to Gilead in 1850, and rented the waterpower sawmill referred to. The old mill stood very nearly where the pulp-mill now stands, and 274 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. when at its best, with its two old upright saws at work, it could cut 3,000 feet of hardwood lumber in a day. McDonald was a public-spirited man, who built more houses, and did as much to advance the material interests of the village as any man who ever lived there. After Seth had run the old water-mill about two years, his brother, Clark W. McDonald, who lived at Weston, moved to Gilead and went into partnership with him in the sawmill. In 1854, Seth McDonald built a steam sawmill, very nearly on the ground once occupied by Sturgis' livery barn, across from the " Patterson House," and also bought Samuel Clymer's stock of goods and storeroom. His store burned down in 1856, and Seth McDonald moved to Toledo. C. W. McDonald rented the mill at the mouth of Beaver creek, and another at Providence; established a line of canal boats; operated a lime kiln; conducted the "Howard House," from 1854 to 1856; hired a little English tailor, and established the first tailoring shop in the village; hired a journeyman harness-maker, and established a harness shop; bought John Morrison's interest in a blacksmith shop, hired blacksmiths, and went into the horseshoeing and repair business; hired Dr. Philo in 1854 for six months, and established a medical department; shipped a lot of drugs from Cincinnati in 1855, and, with Dr. Philo as partner, established a drug store, which he sold in 1858 to Beardsley & Watson. The harness shop was sold the same year to H. J. Pike, and, by degrees, he ridded himself of his manifold business, and moved to Weston in 1863, where he died in 1895. The Purdy sawmill was leased by the Wabash Railroad Co. in 1855, and there all the timber used in bridge building along its eastern line was sawed. Sundry Items.-The hotel building, known now as the " Commercial House," was erected in the " forties," for school purposes. The contract was awarded to William Flynn, who erected it on the plateau, near the Methodist church. When the present brick school house was completed, in 1878, the old building was used for town meetings, and as a Grand Army hall; but R. Patterson purchased it, moved it to the site of Arnold's tannery and refitted it for hotel purposes. The hotel, known in the " eighties" as the " Yost House," was established by Robert Mead, in 1860. The ferry, referred to above, the owners of which are named in the general history, gave place to a bridge, which may be said to have been in use until February, 1879, when three spans of it were carried away. In July, of that year, the present county bridge was constructed. The contracts for building the Toledo & Grand Rapids narrow guage railroad were awarded in April, 1877, by D. W. H. Howard, Thomas Pray, H. B. Shanks and B. F. Kerr, the directors. On June 28, 1877, the road was completed southwest to Waterville, and soon after to the Rapids, where a bridge was constructed, as related in the sketch of the Clover Leaf railroad. . The first shipment of grain from the settlements on the Rapids was in 1825, when Ed. Howard, also Peter Manor, who settled on the opposite side of the river, took a flatboat load of corn, which they sold to the garrison of Fort Wayne, at Detroit, returning with a cargo of goods and groceries purchased at Detroit and Malden, and being over two weeks in making the trip. Peter Manor and Ed. Howard were both traders with the Indians. There was quite a trade established up the river from the east; goods from Buffalo came to Fort Meigs, thence by land transportation or light boat, to Gilead, where they were loaded into larger boats, and so carried up the river to Forts Defiance and Wayne, and in return brought down vast quantities of peltries and valuable furs. William Pratt, the husband of Charlotte Howard, had a large warehouse above town, from which had been transmitted vast stores of goods going up and down the river. In 1836, a small steamboat was launched in the deep water above the Rapids, and made regular trips to the mouth of the Auglaize, and in high-water times to Fort Wayne. To-day a small steamer runs up to Napoleon, but the upper river marine of to-day is dedicated to pleasure rather than to trade. Incorporation, and Official Lists.-The petition from residents of the town of Gilead was presented to the commissioners by Dr. A. J. Gardner and G. E. Guyer, December 5, 1855, asking that it be organized into an incorporated village to be called Grand Rapids. In March, 1856, the petition was amended so as to read "Gilead" vice "Grand Rapids," and the following described territory, so much of the N. E. of Sec. 7, T. 5, R. 9, as was included in the original plat of Gilead, and the several subsequent additions thereto," was recognized as a village. In June, 1858, some contiguous territory was annexed. On September 5, 1856, Emanuel Arnold was elected mayor; A. C. Davis, recorder; Thomas J. Sterling, R. B. Mead, William Gruber, and George Hospelhorn, councilmen, were elected to serve until April, 1857. At that time A. J. Gardner, E. Arnold and A. Alcorn were elected councilmen, Sterling and Guyer WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 275 being re-elected. They were re-elected in 1858, but in April, 1859, new officers were chosen. The following lists show the names of all who have filled the offices of mayor, clerk and councilmen: The mayors of the town were Emanuel Arnold, 1856; George Laskey, 1857; A. Sterling, 1859; Jeremiah Atkinson, 1860 to 1869; James J. Vorhes, 1869; G. P. Hinsdale, 1870; Dr. A. J. Gardner, 1872; Levi Sterling, 1873, 1875 and 1890; J. H. Metkeff, 1874; B. L. Ashley, 1878 to 1884; S. G. Robinson, 1884; Henry S. Laskey, 1886; John C. Bucklin, 1892; John E. Stevens, appointed in August, 1893; and F. M. Arnold, elected 1894. J. E. Stevens, the present mayor, was elected in 1895 and 1896. The office of clerk has been filled by the following named citizens: A. C. Davis, 1856, and 1859 to 1863; George Hospelhorn, 1857; B. L. Ashley, 1864; John Campbell, 1868; James Kerr, 1872; Robert A. Snively, 1874, vice Pike who did not qualify; George A. Bell, 1878; Geo. Hospelhorn, 1879; Alex. Williamson, 1884 to 1888; A. J. Friese, 1888; J. K. Henderson, 1888; E. H. Eckert, 1890; S. T. Laskey, 1892; Roswell R. Sherer, who qualified August 7, 1893; and Chas. O. Brewster, elected in 1896. The councilmen, other than those named, who have been elected since April, 1859, were as follows: 1859-John Fisher, R. B. Mead, O. C. Carr, J. B. Snively, T. J. Sterling. 1860-61-R. B. Mead, Geo. Hospelhorn, Milo Caton, J. E. McGowan, O. C. Carr. 1862-J. R. Huff, Geo. Hospelhorn, J. B. Snively, T. J. Sterling, O. C. Carr. 1863-J. R. Huff, D. A. Avery, J. J. Vorhes, T. J. Sterling, O. B. Carr. 1864-J. R. Huff, D. A. Avery, J. J. Vorhes, T. J. Sterling, R. C. O'Donnell. 1865-George Hinsdale, W. A. Pryor, Geo. Hospelhorn, J. J. Vorhes, R. C. O'Donnell. 1866-W. A, Pryor, Delos Pratt, Jacob Heeter, Samuel Vorhes, A. J Gardner. 1867-George Laskey, Samuel Bossard, Jacob Heeter, T. J. Sterling, J. J. Vorhes. 1868--Wm. Gruber, Lewis Bortel, Jacob Heeter, T. J. Sterling, J. J. Vorhes. 1869-Wm. Gruber, Jeremiah Atkinson, 1). W. Peugh, T. J. Sterling, S. C. Pike. 1870-William Gruber, I). W. Peugh and T. J. Sterling (2 years), J. J. Clark, 1. Groff, M. Kecheley (1 year). The trio elected annually since 1871, are named as follows: 1871-J. Atkinson, Isaac Groff and J H. Metkeff. 1872--Jacob Hackenberger, S. C. Pike and Jesse L. Peugh. 1873-T. J Sterling, R. Park, G. P. Hinsdale (2 years), J. Metkeff (1 year). 1874-H. P. Shanks, J. L. Peugh, E. Donaldson. 1875-J. Heller, T. J. Sterling, E. G. Laskey. 1876-H. P. Shanks, J L. Gillett, J. Hackenberger. 1877-Jacob Heeter, Lewis Bortel, T. J. Sterling. 1878-J. Hackenberger, H. B. Pike, Peter Yost. 1879-Jacob Hackman, Jacob Heeter, M. Kecheley. 1880-R. H. Housley, H. B. Pike, J. L. Peugh. 1881-W. Markloff, H. C. Bortel, Jacob Heeter. 1882-David Peugh, Martin Kecheley, J N. Yantiss. 1883-W. Markloff, H. C. Bortel, H. S. Laskey. 1884-J. M. Stump, Geo. J. Freiss, John Rowland. 1885-J. C. Blake, G. P. Hensley, G. P. Hinsdale. 1886-F. A. Crosby, Justin Jennings, E. Donaldson (in July, 1886, the vote for Prohibition Ordinance was 59, against it, 65). 1887-James S. Foor, W. Megginson, Henry P. Shanks (2 years), Geo. L. Holder (1 year). 1888-John C. Bucklin, Geo. L. Holder, Frank A. Crosby. 1889-R. A. Housely, J. S. Foor, Fred. Heeter. 1890-S. G. Robinson, E. G. Laskey, Henry Sherer. 1891-W. Megginson, A. B. Long, M. Kecheley. 1892-S. G. Robinson, H. C. Bortel, J. S. Lamb. 1893-M. Kecheley, Jerry Huffman, E. Donaldson. 1894-H. J. Yelter, William Box, William Schultz. The election of April, 1895, resulted in the choice of J. E. Stevens (R.), mayor, who received sixty-seven votes against C. A. Gary (D.), who received fifteen votes. R. Sherer (R.), clerk; R. A. Housley, H. C. Bortel and Israel Huffman (Republicans), councilmen; William Mailey (R.), street commissioner; and Azor Thurstin, treasurer. In the spring election of 1896, Azor: Thurstin, who has held the office of treasurer many years, was re-elected; Peter Snyder was elected marshal; E. R. Hopkins, Claud Inman, and Geo. Rooney were chosen members of the council; and R. B. Saltz, Wm. Megginson, and W. K. Evans, members of the school board. Special School District.-In the history of the township, reference is made to the pioneer schools and school teachers. The old record of Gilead School District dates back to January 31, 1859, when the voters were notified to meet on that day for the purpose of voting for or against the adoption of the Akron School Law. There were thirty-eight votes for the law, and fourteen contra. On February 10 six directors were elected, namely: W. Pratt, George Hospelhorn, A. Sterling,: R. B. Mead, William Flynn and John Fisher. That board appointed A. J. Gardner, J. W. Hamilton and J. E. McGowen school examiners, and, in March, appointed D. A. Avery teacher at a salary of $360 per annum. Mary E. Lacy. was then teacher of the primary school. The directors of this special district are, practically, the same men who have served as councilmen of the„ village, so that it is unnecessary to report their names here. . In September, 1875, Donaldson, Gillett, Williamson, Bell, Powell and Kerr, members of school board, and the contract for building the present school house was awarded to S. N. Beach, of Perrysburg, on his bid of $10,000. In March, 1876, George P. Hinsdale, H. P. Shanks and T. J. Sterling were elected members of the board. In 276 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. May the assessed value of the district was $304,442, on which a levy of four mills for tuition and four mills for interest on school bonds was made. In December, 1876, a 220-pound bell was purchased. In 1878 the elegant building was dedicated to education. David Donaldson was clerk in 1859; succeeded by George Hospelhorn, who served until 1863, when A. C. Davis was appointed. In 1864, G. P. Hinsdale was appointed; in 1869, J. N. Mead; in 1870, G. P. Hinsdale; in 1875, B. F. Kerr, who served until April, 1882, when Alexander Williamson succeeded him. In 1888, F. L. Sheats was appointed; but H. P. Shanks succeeded him. In 1890, G. P. Hinsdale signs as clerk; but D. A. Avery succeeded him in. May of that year, and, in January, 1891, F. L. Sheats held the office, followed by W. E. Kerr, in April, 1891; J. C. Bucklin in October, 1891 ; B. F. Kerr in 1893; and J. S. Foor, in April, 1894. The Post Office is an old institution at the head of the Rapids. As early as 1822, when the Presbyterian mission was organized below the present village, the mail carrier passed that way at intervals. In the year 1832 an office was established under the name " Weston, " and Edward Howard appointed postmaster December 15, that year. During Dr. Burritt's long residence there he was postmaster (with the exception of the term beginning March 30, 1837, when John W. Culbertson held the office, then named "Gilead"), and when he left in 1852 the office was favored with at least one mail a week. When Dr. Gardner came to reside here, in 1853, he suggested the employment of a special carrier, who would cross the river to Providence daily, and return with the mail for the people on this side of the river. In March, 1868, the name " Gilead " was changed to "Grand Rapids." Fires.-From 1850 to the present time the destruction of houses in the village by fire has been often chronicled. In October, 1887, the Sturgess livery stable was burned. The fire of December 28, 1888, destroyed Bucklin's brick block and stock of hardware, J. K. Henderson's stock of dry goods, and damaged the " Commercial House " and Wolford's livery stable, the total loss being estimated at $15,000. A few large brick buildings have taken the place of those destroyed, and the fire proved a blessing in disguise. Gas Wells.-The Grand Rapids Natural Gas & Oil Co. was organized September 23, 1887, with B. F. Kerr, president; G. P. Hinsdale, secretary and treasurer; R. A. Housley, F. A. Crosby, J. C. Blake, William Megginson and B. F. Kerr, directors. In October, J.- W. Carrothers began drilling No. 1. On December 10, the drill entered the Trenton at 1,640 feet. At 1,659 feet the well was shot, and a heavy flow of gas responded. Within a few weeks the well exhausted itself. In 1889, the corporation authorized bonds for $5,000 to be expended in drilling for gas and laying mains in the principal streets. Of this sum, $2,500 was expended in drilling Corporation Well No. 1. That well produced gas for a short time, when, like Company Well No. 1, it ceased to flow, and the casing was pulled. Churches.-In 1833, the first Methodist class was organized, with Samuel Van Horn as leader. The other six members of the class, as recorded, were Jacob and Catharine Macklin, Mrs. VanHorn, Sarah Arnold, Annie Donaldson, and Mrs. Rice, who was the mother of Samuel and Thomas Junkins. This was the planting of the Methodist Church in Weston township, and the organization was known on Conference records as " the Gilead Mission," in charge of the Perrysburg circuit. During 1834, the Rev. Elam Day, father of Elam Day, who a few years since practiced law in Weston, was the preacher. In 1835, Rev. Cyrus Brooks was appointed, and in 1837 the Church became a portion of the regular Perrysburg circuit with Rev. Wesley Shortis as pastor. In that year the first quarterly meeting was held at the log school house in Gilead, Rev. Leonard B. Gurley, presiding elder. In 1848, a house of worship, the first church in the town-. J, ship, was built at Gilead by the combined efforts of Methodists and Presbyterians, neither society been able to erect a building alone. Col. James McGeehan gave one-half the amount necessary to build the church now owned by the Presbyterian Society. Samuel Clymer, John Evers, James Conway, A. Alcorn, J. W. Condit, Samuel Bossard and Edwin Tuller were the builders. The Methodist house of worship of the present day is' a brick structure, erected in 1880, on the plateau, above the planing-mill. In October, 1862, George Mather was pastor of the Gilead circuit, which embraced Gilead, Beaver Creek, Westfield and Washington, and of which Henry Warner was recording steward, and John Graham, presiding elder. Sturgeon class was added in 1863, Otsego in November of that year; Damascus in 1864; Weston, Ellsworth and Lewiston the same year, over which circuit Horatio S. Bradley presided as elder. In 1865, John Farley was preacher-in-charge. In November, 1865, Duke's class is mentioned, but nothing is said of Lewiston and Ellsworth. In 1866, James White was pastor, and, in 1867, E. C. WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 277 Gavitt, was elder, and Rev. D. Bulle, preacher-in-charge. In 1868, Bamber's class is noticed, and in 1869 the record of the pastorates of James White and H. VanGundy are recorded. In October, 1869, reports from Custar and Park's classes were made; the name " Gilead" was written " Grand Rapids;" Charles Hoag was named as preacher-in-charge, and E. M. Warner as recording steward. The Presbyterian Church was organized September 18, 1848, by Rev. J. M. Crabb (on foundation placed by Rev. Phillip Condit), when Alexander Peugh and James T. Martin were elected ruling elders, and Mr. Condit, pastor. The first members included the elders named, and their wives, John Carson and wife, William Martin, Sr., John Rowland, Jr., Samuel Kirkendale, and their wives, with Sarah Marks and Sarah Arnold. In 1853, Mr. Condit led a colony to Oregon, and his place as pastor was taken by Rev. J. M. Crabb. Rev. J. H. Layman became pastor in 1856; Rev. J. W. Hamilton, in 1858; W. H. Reed, 1860; D. H. Richardson, 1862; Robert Edgar, 1865; J. E. Vance, 1870; M. L. Donahey, stated supply 1875 to 1881; A. E. Baichley, 1882 to 1884; Rev. Thomas E. Burrow, from July 18, 1886, to, January, 1888; Rev. J. B. Hawkins, 1890, to April, 1894, and Rev. C. L. Herald, June, 1895, to the present time. The list of elders succeeding the first elders, comprises the following names: Silas Rowland, John Campbell, R. Parks (one year), J. E. Carson, Dr. A. J. Gardner, Thomas D. Avery, B. F. Kerr, J. E. Stevens and Jesse Trapp. The old house of worship, erected in 1848 by this society in union with the Methodists, is to-day as it has been since 1880, the property of the Presbyterians of the village. The Union Sabbath-school ceased in 1880, when each denomination organized separately. The Gilead United Brethern Church purchased land in the N. E. 1/4 Sec. 7, T. 5. R. 9, on February 11, 1862, from James Purdy. The society has now a good church building. Since 1880, when the Union Sabbath-school was abolished, the United Brethren have carried on a purely denominational school, which has a large attendance. The old Baptist Society worshiped in various buildings until its dissolution. Elder Brown was the old-time organizer and preacher. Late in the "fifties," Elder Turner, a resident of Portage, visited the Church, and for a while it was prosperous. During the war, the society, like that of Perrysburg, dissolved. Secret and Benevolent Societies.-Grand Rapids Lodge, No. 289, A. F. & A. M., was organized under dispensation July 31, 1856, and chartered October 23, that year, with Alvah Gillett, Samuel Blythe, E. Arnold, A. J. Gardner, O. C. Carr, John Edgar, S. A. Bacon, S. H. Steedman, Daniel Barton, Emilus Wood and E. R. Wood, members. The masters, since organization, are named as follows: S. A. Bacon, 185659, and 1862 and 1866; 0. C. Carr, 1859-61, 1863 and 1870-71; T. J. Sterling. 1864, 1869, 1873, 1874 and 1877; D. A. Avery, 1865; Milo Caton, 1867; A. J. Gardner, 1868 and 1872; Alex. Williamson, 1875, 1876, 1881, 1883, 1884, and 1891; Lewis Bortel, 1878, 1879 and 1880; S. L. Irwin, 1882; J. A. Backus, 1885, 1886 and 1887; R. B. Saltz, 1888, 1889, 1890, 1892 and 1893; J. S. Benschoter, 1894 and 1895. The secretaries have been S. H. Steedman, 1856 and 1858; A. J. Gardner, 1857, 1870 and 1876; J. Dwyer, 1860; D. A. Avery, 1861, 1862 and 1863; O. C. Carr, 1864; J. J. Vorhes, 1865, 1867, 1868 and 1871; C. E. Vorhes, 1869; J. S. Benschoter, 1893; George A. Bell, 1874; C. C. Sterling, 1877 and 1886; J. L. Gillett, 1878; E. Donaldson, 1879; L. D'. Heller, 1880 and 1881; F. M. Young, 1882; W. Callihan, 1883; Alexander Williamson, 1885 and 1887; J. C. Bucklin, 1894; J. A. Backus, 1884, 1889 to 1893 (inclusive) and 1895. In May, 1895, there were fifty-one members, who owned the lodge building erected in the " sixties." Turkey Foot Lodge, No. 529, I. O. O. F., was chartered July 27, 1872, with the following members: D. W. Peugh, Thomas J. Lake, L. Bortel, R. Parke, John A. Lake, A. Mead, Hamilton Lake, Thomas Scott, J. W. Yantiss, J. N. Yantiss, Jacob Yantiss. The first noble grand was D. W. Peugh, and the recording secretary, J. A. Lake. The past grands are named as follows: D. W. Peugh, 1872; Lewis Bortel, 1873; James P. Ragan, 1874; and J. L. Gillett and R. B. Saltz, 1875; H, B. Pike and John Ward, 1876; T. L. Wood and Eli Culbertson, 1877; Eli Culbertson and George W. Shepard, 1878; W. E. Kerr and Peter Hockman, 1879; J. B. Wheeland and G. N. Mosier, 1880; G. L. Holder and W. E. Kerr, 1881; C. E. Rowland and M. L. Heller, 1882; J. G. Markley, 1883; R. B. Saltz and Charles Kerstetter, 1884; R. A. Housley and N. N. Kunkle, 1885; Edward Hopkins and J. S. Foor, 1886; Joseph Shull and F. L. Sheets, 1887; Azor Thurstin and J. K. Henderson, 1888; William McCauley and W. M. Stocking, 1889; William Finkenbinder and J. A. Backus, 1890; A. B. Long and H. C. Bortel, 1891; W. K. Evans and 278 - WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. George E. Miller, 1892; T. D. Avery and W. D. Kerstetter, 1893; C. F. Patton and B. F. Box, 1894; L. W. Crosby and W. S. Patton, 1895. J. S. Foor was elected permanent secretary in 1888, and has served since, except one term. There were fifty-seven members in May, 1895, who owned a half interest in the W. E. Kerr brick building of 1886, in which their hall is. Rapids Encampment, No. 240, I. O. O. F., was chartered May 2, 1888, with J. A. Backus, Azor Thurstin, R. A. Housley, Eli Culbertson. G. L. Holder, J. K. Henderson, W. E. Kerr, John H. Stover, R. B. Saltz, Lewis Bortel, E. H. Hopkins, Wm. McCauley, J. S. Foor, M. A. Ducket, R. J. Eger and C. M. Fizer, members, The patriarchs are named as follows: J: A. Backus, 1888; R. B. Saltz and Eli Culbertson, 1889; Azor Thurstin and Lewis Bortel, 1890; George L. Holder and J. H. Stover; 1891; Charles Kerstetter and W. D. Kerstetter, 1892; J. S. Foor and W. D. Kerstetter, 1893; L. W. Crosby and C. F. Patton, 1894; C. M. Fiser and George E. Miller, 1895. The first scribe, J. K. Henderson, was succeeded in 1889 by Dr. Backus, who had served since that time, and is now grand senior warden of the Grand Encampment. The number of members is forty-five. Grand Rapids Lodge, No. 289, K. of P., was chartered April 20, 1888, with G. F. Markloff (1), P. C.; A.. Pilliod (2), C. C.; W. B. Carr (3), W. A. Watson (12), F. Heeter, S. T. Laskey, J. C. Bucklin, Edward Hanna, C. O. Brewster and E. L. Vanscoder, officers in order of rank, with Adam Bell (7), Adam Keller, Hi Ludwig, Daniel Carr, George Hersh, Eph. Swanson, J. K. Nelson, John Rock, O. C. Robinson, J. D. Parke, Lee Stump, Mel. Robinson, R. B. Grafton, Cash. Gibson, Frank Van Horn, Alex. Donaldson, T. J. Grisell, G. Walgenbach, C. C. Sterling, J. D. Bresler, W. Van Tassel, H. Cramer, Fred Krill, and K. Bowser. The names marked 1, 2, 3, 7, and 12, served as chancellor commanders, with E. A. Hanna for the fourth term, W. D. Kerstetter (5), E. A. McLain (6), J. S. Miller (8), J. S. Lamb (9), L. L. Stump (10), Warren Brown (11), Frank Thorley (13), and Wm. Miller (14). The office of K. of R. & S. has been occupied by the following named members: Geo. F. Markloff, J. C. Bucklin, S. T. Laskey, E. A. Hanna, R. Sherer and C. O. Brewster. Geo. F. Walter was the recorder in June, 1895, when the lodge had thirty-four members. Jeptha Tent, No. 145, K. O. T. M., was organized U. D., March 4, 1893, and under charter of October 19, 1893, with Wilbur K. Evans, John A. Backus, Lorenzo D. Long, Roswell R. Sherer, Azor Thurstin, James H. Williams, J. A. Backus (M. E.), W. A. Watson, C. F. Patton, Harvey Sherer, Byron S. Nefus, V. P. Huffman and E. E. Huffman, officers ranking from P. Sir Knight Commander to Sir Knight Picket, with the following named unofficial members: C. Fulckemer, F. A. Chapman, L. D. Judson, Frank Garry, Floyd Huffman, J. S. Foor, William E. Poling, W. A. Ludwig and Charles Lang. The past commanders include the two named above, and Lorenzo D. Long; while Roswell R. Sherer has been secretary since the beginning. There are now nineteen members, with lodge room in Housley's Hall. Post No. 75, G. A. R., was chartered March 14, 1867, with B. F. Kerr, David Donaldson, J. S. Benschoter, A. D. Newell, E. W. Bossard, O. N. Gunn, M. Caton, W. H. Wood, M. Kecheley, Carlos Vorhes, W. B. Kerr, J. L. Peugh, E. R. Hinsdale, B. M. Campbell, E. D. Groff, Samuel Holder, W. A. Benschoter, James White, Albert Shively, D. W. Peugh, Henry C. Bortel and S. S. Laskey. This post ceased work in 1872. Bond Post, No. 24, G. A. R., was organized December 8, and mustered December 22, 1879. The roster of the original members is as follows: John McLain, B. F. Kerr, W. R. Barton, R. A. Snively, D. B. Burwell, J. B. Snively, P. T. Groff, S. G. Robinson, E. Guyer, E. Donaldson, N. P. Sturgess, T. D. Rowland, John P. Katon, and Thomas J. Sterling, Peter Johnston, Jr., Martin L. Heller, - Hiram Fishburn, Spencer Crowshaw, Israel Snyder, Michael H. Head, Levi Batt, Thomas Mawer and James Barrett were enrolled members prior to the close of June, 1880. The commanders are named as follows: John McLain, 1879, re-elected in 1880-81; William Callihan, elected in December, 1882; John McLain, 1883; S. G. Robinson, 1884; John McLain, 1885; D. P. Knapp, 1886; John McLain, 1887; L. A. Kunkle, elected in December, 1888; Alex. Williamson, 1889 and 1890; John McLain, 1891-94, and T. D. Avery, elected in December, 1894. In a memorandum made by the present adjutant, John Katon is mentioned as commander in 1889. The adjutants were: R. A. Snively, 1879, re-elected in 1880, and served for several years; J. S. Benschoter, 1888; J. Reynolds, acting adjutant, 1891, adjutant in 1892; J. S. Benschoter, 1894; P. B. Wallace, 1894; and John McLain, 1895. Capt. Trapp Camp No. 485, S. Of V., was chartered May 22, 1891, with W. H. Richardson, WOOD COUNTY, OHIO. - 279 L. D. Long, W. W. Katon, G. F. Walters, V. P. Huffman, A. E. McLain, A. K. Nafus, W. E. Walter, C. A. Rowland, Ed J. Long, A. B. Hersh, H. F. Powell, C. B. Cole, F. G. Nafus, G. E. Hersh, Orlo Brown, E. O. Wallace, George Feather and Grant Beam members. Temperance organizations, under one name or another, have been organized here, but few of them existed more than half a decade. In January, 1871, the Sons of Temperance organized a lodge here. The Union League of Gilead was organized May 30, 1863, with John McKee, president, and James Kerr, secretary. There were twenty-five male and ninety-nine female members. RETURN TO THE TITLE PAGE