50 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY themselves to civilized ways of living, and of work. The government is doing a good work in educating the Indian of today, and there may be found at Haskell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, about b0o Indian boys and girls. They are making rapid and substantial advancement. The Indian loves music, and can learn very readily to produce it. The bands of the Carlisle Indian School and Haskell Institute are famous, and they are widely known in foreign countries. The Haskell Institute Band is at present in Europe. Their music is of high grade. The Indian learns rapidly, and he has taken a high place in athletics. Soxalexis, the Indian, was one of the world's greatest baseball players, and as a sprinter he never had an equal. He was "wined and dined" by society until the Indian's innate love of "fire-water" caused his ruin. On the gridiron the Indian holds a high place. His playing is marked by intelligence and great speed. In fact the Indian is naturally an athlete, but education does not change him in this respect. Education only gives the Indian greater confidence and skill in his work. Graduates of these Indian schools are holding good positions, such as bank cashiers, State librarians and teachers of art. A most interesting incident relating to the educated Indian comes to us from the far West. An educated gentleman was hunting in the Rocky Mountains when suddenly he found himself face to face with an Indian in full war paint and arms, seated on a log in an open spot in a densely wooded ravine. The hunter fully expected an immediate attack, but was greatly surprised as well as relieved, when the painted monarch of the forest addressed him in elegant English, bidding him accept a seat by his side. The Indian held an open book in his hand, A COPY OF "HOMER," which he had been reading while resting himself from the fatigue of the -chase. He proved to be a graduate of the Carlisle Indian School, and had donned the old attire, "just to see how it felt." The Indian is, likewise, a natural born orator. It is said that Tecumseh's voice and gesture had wonderful power, and the natural sweetness of his tone was convincing. The fame 0f the speech of Logan, the Mingo chief, is world-wide. It elevated the character of the native of the forest throughout the world, and it will be remembered "so long as touching eloquence is admired by men." LOGAN'S SPEECH. "I appeal to any white man to say, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry, and I gave him not meat ; if ever he came cold or naked and I gave him not clothing. "During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained in his tent an advocate of peace. Nay, such was my love for the white, that those of my own country pointed at me as they passed by and said, 'Logan is the friend of the white men.' I had even thought to live with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, cut off all the relatives of Logan ; not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any human creature. This called on me fOr revenge. I have sought it. I have killed many. I have fully glutted my vengeance. For my country, I rejoice at the beams of peace, yet, do not harbor the thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan ? Not one." This noted piece of eloquent sorrow, pride and courage was delivered by Logan, the murder of whose family caused the Dunmore War, under the "Logan Elm," in Pickaway County, Ohio, six miles south of Circleville. One of the most noted Indian schools in the world is the famous Carlisle Indian School, located at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This school was organized, and opened November 1, 1879, and has had a steady growth each year until it has at the present time 800 students coming from 55 different tribes, scattered all over the United States. The government has spent on the Haskell Institute more than half a million dollars, for buildings and grounds, and it willingly expends $200,000 each year in maintaining the school. The Department of the Interior, through a regularly appointed agent, looks after the edu- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 51 cational interests of the Indian, and the work is well done. A large number of unselfish and devoted teachers have given their lives to the service of the Indian youth, and not a few of these teachers are of Ohio birth, among whom might be named Mr. and Mrs. George G. Davis, who for a number, of years have so successfully conducted the school at the Rosebud Agency, South Dakota. It will be remembered that it was at this place, in 1881, that Crow Dog shot and killed the great Sioux Chieftain, Spotted Tail, who was at peace with the whites, and who had befriended them, and especially Custer, when engaged in the bloody contest with Sitting Bull. These schools have long since demonstrated the fact that the Indian youth, properly trained, will become a valuable American citizen, and surely we should be ever willing to make the necessary expenditures. The government, in past years, has done, very poorly in its treatment of these aborigines. The rascally Indian agents have cheated and robbed them, again and again. Often for personal gain have these agents recommended to the government that whole tribes be removed from the hunting grounds of their fathers, fertile as the valley of the Po, into some torrid, arid desert. Of course they would fight ; who would not under the same conditions ? Then the government would send a vastly superior force against this "rebellious" tribe, and the red man was doomed. This is exactly what was done with old Victoria, chief of the Warm Spring Indians. He had been living as a farmer chief in the fertile valley at the foot of the San Mateo Mountains, in New Mexico, raising cattle, hogs and sheep and learning from Duncan, the farmer, how to cultivate the soil. A thieving Indian agent at San Carlos, Arizona, wanted this tribe sent to him that he might rob them as he was robbing those tribes already under his control. Acting on his urgent advice, the government had twice sent this peaceful tribe from their beautiful and fertile home into Arizona, to a hot and barren land. Twice they had gone back to their old home, and on being again ordered to return to Arizona, old Victoria and his little band of 85 warriors took to the mountains. "Andy" Kelly, an interpreter and trader, was sent to Victoria, to ask him to wait until the officer in charge of the troops sent against him could get an answer by telegraph from Washington. The old leader, burning with indignation at the treatment he was receiving, gave the following reply to Kelly : "Me wait. Me no want fight. Big Chief make long tongue"—the telegraph—"say me stay reservation, me no fight. Me want stay my old home. If Great Father make long tongue say all right, me come in. But if long tongue say me go San Carlos, me fight all time, and you no more come back with white flag. You come back, me kill you, too." (Crawford.) When the scout, who had been sent 100 miles to the nearest telegraph station, was seen by Victoria, returning on his jaded pony, and no answer came from "long tongue" saying "me stay here," Victoria began to fight for his rights. For two long years he successfully fought the United States troops, and in that time he and his little band of warriors killed more than 600 men, women and children. He was finally entrapped in the Beratcha (Drunken) Mountains, Mexico, and was slain by Mexican soldiers, fighting manfully for his rights. All this was unnecessary, a tragedy brought on by the villainy of a trusted agent of the government. This chapter cannot be more fittingly closed than to quote in full Charles Sprague's master.-piece, so often read by our fathers and grandfathers :— THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN. Not many generations ago, where you now sit, encircled with all that exalts and embellishes civilized life, the rank thistle nodded in the wind, and the wild fox dug his hole unscared. Here lived and loved another race of beings. Beneath the same sun that rolls over your head, the Indian hunter pursued the panting deer ; gazing on the same moon that smiles for you, the Indian lover wooed his dusky mate. 52 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY  Here the wigwam-blaze beamed on the tender and the helpless ; the council-fire glared on the wise and the daring. Now they dipped their noble limbs in your sedgy lakes, and now they paddled their light canoe along your rocky shores. Here they warred ; the echoing whoop, the bloody grapple, the defying death song, all were here ; and, when the tiger-strife was over, here curled the smoke of peace. Here, too, they worshipped ; and from many a dark bosom went up a pure prayer, to the Great Spirit. He had not written his laws for them on tables of stone, but he had traced them on the table of their hearts. The poor child of Nature knew not the God of revelation, but the God of the universe he acknowledged in everything around. He beheld him in the star that sank in beauty behind his lonely dwelling ; in the sacred orb that flamed on him from his mid-day throne ; in the flower that snapped in the morning breeze; in the lofty pine that had defied a thousand whirlwinds ; in the timid warbler that never left his native grove; in the fearless eagle whose untired pinion was wet in clouds ; in the worm that crawled at his feet ; and in his own matchless form, glowing with a spark of that light to whose mysterious source he bent in humble though blind adoration. And all this has passed away. Across the ocean came a pilgrim bark, bearing the seeds. of life and death. The former were sown for you ; the latter sprang up in the path of the simple native. Two hundred years have changed the character of a great continent, and blotted forever from its face a whole, peculiar people. Art has usurped the bowers of Nature, and the anointed children of education have been too powerful for the tribes of the ignorant. Here and there a stricken few remain ; but how unlike their bold, untamed, untamable progenitors ! The Indian of falcon-glance, and lion-bearing, the theme of the touching ballad, the hero of the pathetic tale, is gone ! and his degraded offspring crawl upon the soil where he walked in majesty, to remind us how miserable is man when the foot of the conqueror is on his neck. As a race they have withered from the land. Their arrows are broken. Their springs are dried up, their cabins are in the dust. Their council-fire has long since gone out on the shore, and their war-cry is fast dying away to the untrodden West. Slowly and sadly they climb the distant mountains and read their doom in the setting sun. They are shrinking before the mighty tide that is pressing them away ; they must soon hear the roar of the last wave which will settle over them forever. Ages hence, the inquisitive white man, as he stands by some growing city, will ponder on the structure of their disturbed remains, and wonder to what manner of persons they belonged. They will live only in songs and chronicles of their, exterminators. Let these be faithful to their rude virtues as men, and pay due tribute to their unhappy fate as a people. CHAPTER IV DAWN OF CIVILIZATION IN THE COUNTY Name and Formation of Allen County—First Settlers — First White Child Born in Allen County, on Hog Creek and in Lima—Address of T. E. Cunningham, Esq., Before the Pioneer Association—Good Offices of Quilna—Organization and Naming of Lima—Removal of the Shawnees—Early County Officers and Judges—"Auglaize City"—Fort Amanda—Sawnnill and Navy Yard—Pht—Herocs of the Forest—"Johnny Appleseed" —Elida Pioneer Association—Roadways—Political History—Roster of County Officials, Common Pleas Judges, Members of the General Assembly and Congressmen. Every great war has left its mark in some way upon the earth's surface. It may be a scar, deep, long and broad; it may be the lasting hatred of two nations, each for the other ; it may be the dawn of better things. In the case of Allen County, however, the War of 1812 left its mark by the contribution of a name, ALLEN County. One of the brave men, a colonel, in the War of 1812, whose name was Allen, gave his name to this county, which was formed April I, 1820, from Indian Territory. A number, of other counties were formed at the same time. In the first years of its organization, Allen County was attached to Mercer County for judicial purposes, and in that way much of the early general history is the same as that of Mercer County. The history of the organization of the various counties of Ohio will be of general interest here. By the Ordinance of 1787, Ohio sprang into existence, and, when the Territory was organized, Washington County was established with its western limits resting on the Scioto River and its northern on Lake Erie. In 1790 Hamilton County was organized. In 1796 Wayne County was set off and within the two following years five more counties were established. In 1800 Fairfield and Trumbull were established. In 1803 the counties of Gallia, Scioto, Franklin, Columbiana, Butler, Warren, Greene and Montgomery were added. In 1805 - 3 - Athens was formed from Washington County. In 1804 Muskingum was established; in 1805 Highland and Champaign ; in 1807 Ashtabula, Portage, Cuyahoga and Miami ; in 1808, Stark, Preble, Knox, Licking, Delaware and Tuscarawas ; in 1809 Darke and Huron; in 1810 Pickaway, Madison, Clinton, Fayette and Guernsey ; in 1811 Coshocton; in 1812 Medina ; in 1813 Monroe and Richland ; in 1814 Hocking and Harrison ; in 1815 Pike ; in 1816 Jackson and Lawrence ; in 1817 Clark, Logan, Perry and Brown; in 1818 Morgan ; in 1819 Shelby and Meigs ; in 1820 Allen, Crawford, Marion, Mercer, Hardin, Hancock, Henry, Williams, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky, Seneca, Union, Van Wert and Wood. The last named counties, including Allen, were set off from Indian Territory, and were not organized for years after their establishment, and in the case of Allen County not for 14 years after the treaty of Maumee Rapids, which was made September 29, 1817. The organic act of 1820 provided that the lands ceded by the Indians in the treaty of Maumee Rapids should be divided into 14 counties, viz. : Townships 1, 2 and 3 south, in ranges I, 2, 3 and 4 to form Van Wert County ; all of ranges I, 2, 3 and 4, south of townships I, 2 and 3 south to form Mercer County ; all of townships 1 and 2 south and 1 and 2 north in ranges 5, 6, 7 and 8 to form Putnam County ; and, lastly, all of the second townships to the 54 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY northern limits of the organized counties to 'form Allen County. This act further provided that Allen County be attached to Shelby County for judicial purposes. Subsequently Allen was attached to Mercer until the organization in 1831. In 1829 Christopher Wood, of Allen County, was nominated by the Legislature, with Justin Hamilton, of Mercer County, and Adam Barber, of Putnam County, a board of commissioners to locate the seat of justice for each of the counties which they represented. This was accomplished and the organization of the county followed in 1831. The soil of Allen County is of great ferility, forming at one time a part of the great .Black Swamp. The area of the county is 440 square miles. The county has 13 townships, viz. : Amanda, Auglaize, Bath, German, Jackson, Marion, Monroe, Ottawa, Perry, Richland, Shawnee, Spencer and Sugar Creek. The 'county has many Germans to-clay, nearly all 'of them springing from the sturdy old German pioneers of the log-cabin days. These hardy and industrious people have helped to make Allen County what it is to-day. The growth in population presents an inter-resting question : In 1830 there were only 578 residents; in 1850 there were 12,116 in 1860, there were 19,185 ; in 1880, 31,314. Of this number in 1880, there were 4 Chinese and only 4 Indians. But there were 25,625 native-born Ohio inhabitants. In 1900, the population was 45,000, and is now (1906) about 50,000. The first occupancy by white men of any part of what is now Allen County was on the site of Fort Amanda. We are always interested in first events. The world has ever paid tribute to those men -who first accomplished some particular thing. For this reason the inventor, the discoverer, and the explorer will ever appeal to us. Sir Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus, Mungo Park, Stanley, Cook and Lieutenant Peary will continue to challenge the admiration of all readers. The man who first reaches the North Pole will win an enduring monument. None the less interesting, but in a local sense, is the record of the first white man who lived within the bounds of Allen County. His name and his blood were French, Francis Deuchoquette, and the former, if not the latter, may be found upon the map of Auglaize County. Deuchoquette, who was an Indian interpreter, was present at the burning of Colonel Crawford in Wyandotte County, and is said to have used his most persuasive powers with Simon Girty and others, to prevent that terrible tragedy. In later years many of the old settlers remembered Deuchoquette for his kindness and aid to them in times of great distress. About 1817, a number of other hardy pioneers came to live in the wilderness, among them being Andrew Russell, Peter Diltz and William Van Ausdall. In all probability the farm which Andrew Russell opened on the Auglaize was the first farm of the county. On this farm was born, in 1817, the first white child, a girl, known as the "Daughter of Allen County." This girl became, in after years, Mrs. Charles C. Marshall, of Delphos. She lived until 1871. Absalom Brown was the first white citizen of Lima, and his daughter, Maria Mitchell Brown, was the first white child born in Lima. The growth of Lima and, in fact, all parts of the county, has been constant and substantial. In Chapter V is shown a view of Lima in 1846, taken from a point on the Wapakoneta r0ad south of the town. The picture shows quite plainly the Court House of 1842, part of the village, the famous "Swinonia" of Count Coffinberry and the covered bridge over this stream. Many versions are given as to AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 55 the origin of the name "Hog Creek," the one generally credited being as follows : In 1786 a British Indian agent by the name of McKee was, during the incursions of General Logan in that year, obliged to flee with all his property. He took along his swine, and had them driven to the stream ; here they remained, running wild in the woods. The Indians discovered them and named the stream "Koshko Sepe," or Hog River. At this point it will be proper to introduce the splendid narrative of T. E. Cunningham, Esq., of Lima. Mr. Cunningham gives his facts as they were gleaned from those who made the history, and "a good part of which he himself was", as Livy expresses it in regard to the true historian. LEAVES FROM THE EARLY HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY. Address of T. E. Cunningham, Esq.; Delivered before the Pioneer Association, at the Fair Grounds, Lima, September 22, 1871. Fifty years ago the territory which now constitutes the county of Allen was an almost unbroken wilderness ; I say almost, for on the banks of the Auglaize River, in the neighborhood of where once stood the village of Hartford, a settlement was commenced by the whites about the year 1817. To the young these 50 years appear a long time ; but there Are men and women about me, who can look back over a period longer than that, and realize how swiftly the years have flown, freighted as they were with sorrows, hopes, keen disappointments and truest joys. Births and deaths alternated with the days ; and memory is crowded with shadowy forms who lived and died in the long ago. Allen County is a portion of that division of the State, commonly known as Northwestern Ohio. This section was the last opened for settlement by the whites. The Shawnee Indian Reservation embraced a large part of the county, and the migration of the Indians did not occur until the month of August, 1832, although they ceded their lands to the general government some time before. The whites, however, had begun to come in before the cession took place, and the white man and the red for years occupied the country together, and illustrated the savage and civilized modes of life. A family named Russell were the first whites who settled within the bounds of the county. On the Auglaize, in 1817, they opened the first farm, and there the first white child was born. That child, who afterwards became the wife of Charles C. Marshall, of Delphos, was familiarly called by the neighbors the "Daughter of Allen County." She died during the present summer, in the 54th year of her age. Samuel McClure, now living at the age of 78 years, settled on Hog Creek, five miles northeast of where Lima now stands, in the month of November, 1825-46 years ago. He has ever since remained on the farm upon which he then built a cabin. The nearest white neighbors of whom he knew were two families named Leper and Kidd, living one mile below, where Roundhead now is—about 20 miles to the nearest known neighbor. On that farm, in the year 1826, was born Moses McClure, the first white child born 0n the waters of Hog Creek. Mr. McClure's first neighbor was Joseph Ward. He helped cut the road when McClure came, and afterwards brought his family, and put them into McClure's cabin, while he built one for himself on the tract where he afterwards erected what was known as Ward's mill. The next family was that of Joseph Walton ; they came in March, 1826. Shawneetown, an Indian village, was situated eight miles below the McClure settlement, at the mouth of Little Hog Creek. A portion of the village was on the old Ezekiel Hover farm, and a portion upon the Breese farm. Mr. McClure and his little neighborhood soon became acquainted, and upon good terms with their red neighbors. He says Pht, the war chief, had he been civilized, would have been a man of mark in any community. Quilna was the great business man of the tribe hereabouts. Soon after the McClure settlement was commenced, they heard from the Indians at Shawneetown that the United States government had erected a mill at Wapakoneta. The settlers had no road to the mill, but Quilna 56 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY assisted them to open one. He surveyed the line of their road without compass, designating it by his own knowledge of the different points, and the Indian method of reaching them. There are many of the children of the early settlers to whom the name of Quilna is a household word. To his business qualities were added great kindness of heart, and a thorough regard for the white people. No sacrifice of his personal ease was too much, if by any effort he could benefit his new neighbors. I think this community has been ungrateful. Some enduring memorial of him should have long ago been made. How much better and more appropriate it would have been, to have given his name to the new township recently erected in our county, out of territory over which his tired feet have so often trodden in the bestowal of kindness and benefactions upon the white strangers, who had come to displace his tribe, and efface the little hillocks which marked the places where his f0refathers slept. Why cannot we have Ottawa changed to Quilna yet ? [It certainly should be done.—Ed.] In the month of June, 1826, Morgan Lip. pincott, Joseph Wood, Benjamin Dolph, whilst out hunting, found the McClure settlement. To his great surprise, Mr. McClure learned that he had been for months living within a few miles of another white settlement, located on Sugar Creek. He learned from the hunters that there were five families,—those of Christopher Wood, Morgan Lippincott, Samuel Jacobs, Joseph Wood and Samuel Purdy. It is his belief that Christopher Wood settled on Sugar Creek as early as 1824, on what is now known as the old Miller farm. In the spring of 1831, John Ridenour, now living at the age of 89 years, with his family, Jacob Ridenour (then a young married man) and David Ridenour (bachelor), removed from Perry County, and settled one mile south of Lima, on the lands the families of that name have occupied ever since. The State of Ohio conveyed to the people of Allen County a quarter section of land upon which to erect a county town. The title was vested in the commissioners of the county, in trust, for the purpose expressed. It was not a gift, however, as many suppose. Two hundred dollars was paid for it out of the county treasury, while Thomas K. Jacobs was treasurer. In the summer of 1831 the town was surveyed by W. L. Henderson, of Findlay, the same gentleman who was recently prominent in the survey and location of the Fremont & Indiana Railroad. Patrick G. Goode, at that time a distinguished citizen of the State, who afterwards became a member of Congress, president judge of the judicial district and a Methodist minister, had the honor of naming it. He borrowed the name from the capital of Chile, South America, and to his last day would not forgive the public for their resolute abandonment of the Spanish pronunciation of the name. It was pronounced Lena, where he obtained the name—but our people insisted upon the long "i"; and Lima it has been to this. day, and will continue to be when the walls of a city shall stand upon its foundations, and when the name of the good man who stood its sponsor shall have been forgotten. In the month of August, 1831, a public sale of lots took place, and during the following fall and winter came John P. Mitchell, Absalom Brown, John F. Cole, Dr. William Cunningham, Abraham Bowers, John Brewster, David Tracy, John Mark and John Bashore, with their families, except Brewster, who was. a bachelor. John F. Cole, who is now almost alone amongst the new generation of men who have come around him, settled a mile below town, on a portion of what is now the Faurot farm. Enos Terry, a noble gentleman, a brother-in-law of Mr. Cole's, settled upon an adjoining tract .still nearer town. The children of those men and women, who made this venture in the wilderness—some of them in the dead of winter—can form no idea of the toils endured, the anxiety suffered, and the struggles which accompanied the frontier life of their fathers and mothers. Nor can we, at this day, with our crowding upon each other in the race of life, contemplate without wonder the sympathy they felt for each other, and the constant mutual aid extended. I have heard my own mother tell how John P. Mitchell once walked nine miles to a horse-mill AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 57 and brought home a bushel of cornmeal on his back, and divided it out amongst half a dozen families. This proves the goodness of human nature, and I believe the sons and daughters of these persons would do the like if they were surrounded with the same circumstances. I have heard John F. Cole describe his travels through the woods with his ox team, making but-five or six miles a day, and at night turning out his oxen to find their own supper, while he, covered with mud, and frequently with no dry thread of clothing, crept into his wagon and slept the night away. They had no railroads then, you know. I can recollect back to the time when the country about Urbana was called "the settlement," whence supplies were drawn, and it required several strong yoke of oxen and many days of travel, to make the trip to and from "the settlement." In the month of August, 1832, the Shawnees took up their line 0f march for the far West—away so far, it was thought, that many generations would come and go before they would again be disturbed. But one generation had not passed, before the advancing tide of civilization swept against and over them, till, tired of the struggle, the majority of what remains of this once powerful and warlike tribe have quietly yielded to the surrounding influences, and are learning and practicing the arts of civilized life. Dr. William McHenry, one of the committee of this Pioneer Association, came to Lima in the spring of 1834. There were then living in the village: John P. Mitchell; Col. James Cunningham, Dr. William Cunningham, Gen. John Ward, Dr. Samuel Black, Daniel D. Tompkins, Charles Baker, James A. Anderson, David Tracy, Hudson Watt, Miles Cowan, Crain Valentine, John Bashore, John Mark, Abraham Aldridge, Alexander Beatty, William Scott, Thurston Mosier, David Reese, Daniel Musser, Sr., Martin Musser, Daniel Musser, Jr., Elisha Jolly, Abraham S. Nichols, Rev. George Sheldon, Elder William Chaffee, John Jackson, Hamilton Davison, Amos Clutter, Robert Terry, F. H. Binkley and Abraham Bowers, Sr. Rev. John Alexander and Rev. James Finley were ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church upon the circuit at that time. Rev. Mr. Sheldon preached to the Presbyterians, and Elder Chaffee to the Baptists. Within Dr. McHenry's recollection of the persons named, who were, with one or two exceptions, heads of families then, there remain in this vicinity but Mrs. Bowers, Daniel Musser, Jr., Mrs. Musser (then Mrs. Mitchell), Hudson Watt and Mrs. Watt, Elisha Jolly and Mrs. Jolly, Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Patrick (then Mrs. Tracy), and Mrs. Bashore. John F. Cole and Mrs. Cole are still living now, and for many years residents of the town, but at that time they were upon their farm below town. Tompkins is in Oregon ; Baker is in Marion ; Watt, Jolly and McHenry remain in Lima; Valentine is in Michigan. The whereabouts, if alive, of Mosier, Reese, Nichols, Cowan and Clutter; is unknown ; Sheldon is in Indiana, and Davison is at Defiance. The remainder of the names on the list will be found cut in marble—"In Memoriam." The first white citizen of Lima was Absolom Brown, whose daughter, Marion Mitchell Brown, named after the present Mrs. Musser, was the first white child born in the town. The second was Katherine Bashore, now Mrs. John P. Adams. The first marriage in the town was that of James Saxon and Miss Jones, a sister-in-law. of John Mark. They were married by Rev. Mr. Pryor, a missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. As late as the fall of 1834, Daniel Musser killed two deer on the present plat of Lima ; one about where King's warehouse stands, and the other about where the West Union School house is. I am indebted to John Cunningham for the result of the census of Lima, actual count completed yesterday, September 21, 1871. The total number of families is 1,013 ; the number of souls, 4,979 ; an increase of between three and four hundred since the census was taken in 1870. The county was organized in June, 1831. James S. Daniel, John G. Wood and Samuel Stewart were the first county commissioners. * * * 58 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY The first Court of Common Pleas for Allen County was held in a log cabin, the residence of James S. Daniels, near the crossing of Hog Creek at the east end of Market street, in May, 1833. Hon. George B. Holt, of Dayton, was the president judge, and Christopher Wood, James Crozier and William Watt were associates. John Ward was clerk, and Henry Lippincott, sheriff ; Patrick G. Goode, of Montgomery County, was special prosecuting attorney, appointed by the court. Judge Holt was in 1838 succeeded by Judge W. L. Helfenstein; he in turn, in 1839, by Emory D. Potter. Judge Potter went to Congress in 1842, and was succeeded on the bench by Myron H. Tilden, and he was succeeded in 1845 by Patrick G. Goode, who remained upon the bench until he was superseded under the new constitution in February, 1852, by Benjamin F. Metcalf. In 1857, Judge Metcalf was succeeded by William Lawrence, of Logan County, but in 1859 he again returned to the bench, in a newly formed district, and remained in office until his death, which occurred in 1865. Among the very able men who 'have flourished in this section of Ohio, it is safe to say Judge Metcalf had no superior in intellectual qualities, and few equals. He was succeeded by O. W. Rose, of Van Wert, who remained upon the bench but a few months, when James Mackenzie, our townsman, was elected in the fall of 1865, and immediately assumed the duties of the office, where if the sincere wishes of the public can avail, and a kind Providence will spare him, he will remain for many years to come. Shortly after his retirement, Judge Rose's health gave way and he soon after died. He was a gentleman of singularly gentle manners, and his was a spirit as pure as ever inhabited our human form. Suffer me here to digress from my narrative of the judiciary, to pay a passing tribute to the memory of one who came into our midst about a quarter of a century ago. He was known to most all of you. I allude to Mathias H. Nichols. To a brilliant imagination was added untiring industry, and in his early manhood he gave as much promise of distinction as any who has ever come amongst us. He was a brilliant and successful lawyer, and went to Congress at the age of 27. He served six years in a most exciting epoch, but he survived his congressional career only about three years. The associate judges of our old court, in addition to the ones already named, were Charles Levering, Joseph Hover, John Jamieson, John Elliott, George B. Shriner, Charles H. Adgate and John P. Fay. * * * The Probate Court, created by the- constitution of 1851, has been presided over by William S. Rose, Michael Leatherman, Thomas M. Robb, Charles M. Hughes and Luther, M. Meily, present incumbent. Under the Constitution of 1851, Allen County became entitled to a separate representation in the General Assembly. Lester Bliss was the first, and was followed by Charles Crites, Charles Post, Charles" C. Marshall, Thomas K. Jacobs, John Monroe, Dr. R. E. Jones and William Armstrong. Michael Leatherman and Gen. William Blackburn represented districts under the old constitution. Col. James Cunningham and Charles C. Marshall each served one term in the Senate. The amount of the grand duplicate of 1833 was $92,611. The amount of the grand duplicate for 1871 is $9,583,830. In addition to Lima, thrifty towns have sprung. up in various parts 0f the county. Section Ten (now Delphos) promised at one time to be the commercial center of the counties of Allen, Putnam and Van Wert; Spencerville (once known as Spencer), then Acadia, Lafayette, Westminster, Bluffton (once known as Shannon), Beaver Dam, Cairo, Allentown, Elida, Gomer, West Newton, Rockport, Maysville, Hartford and Amherst, like the cities of the plain, are known only in history. There is one paper city, which was to have been in Allen County, which deserves more than a passing notice. Judge Helfenstein projected one on some lands of his in the western part of the county. He got up a splendid map, by which he provided for stately avenues and magnificent squares, which put to blush the smaller pretensions of most of the Ohio cities. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 59 But its avenues continue to be shaded by the primeval forest trees ; while spring time and summer alone prove it inhabited, by the singing frogs and humming mosquitoes. But you can yet find, among the eastern creditors of Judge Helfenstein, ample proof that "Auglaize City" did once exist ; for the corner lots took up many of the Judge's floating notes. In the winter of 1834-35, the United States Land Office was removed from Wapakoneta to Lima; and with it came, as receiver, Gen. William Blackburn. I have seen a great many men of fine presence, but I do not recollect of ever having met a finer specimen of physical power and manly beauty, than Blackburn was when I first saw him. He was then in the full flush of middle life—was considerably more than six feet in height, and weighed over 300 pounds. He was a military enthusiast, and the militia musters of those early days gave his enthusiasm full vent. He was, I believe, the first major general commanding the 12th Division Ohio Militia. Gen. John Ward was a brigadier, commanding one of his brigades. At Ward's death, he was succeeded by Gen. William Armstrong, who remained in command until the whole militia system became obsolete. In the early days of this county, general muster day was second only to the Fourth of July, in the calendar of the great days. After the "troops" were dismissed, it was the "common law" that all grievances and personal controversies arising during the year, and which had been postponed to general muster, were to be settled. Rings would be formed, the combatants stepped in, and the result was generally that both parties were terribly whipped. Looking back over half a century, behold what has been accomplished! The immense forests our fathers and mothers found have melted away and now in their stead are ripening fields of corn. The cabins they built are replaced with comfortable farm mansions. The corduroy roads, over which they plodded their way back to the older settlements, have been replaced by railroads ; and the iron horse. in harness. pulls annually to the great markets a surplus of products, greater in value by far, than the grand duplicate of 1833. We have much, very much, for which to thank Our Heavenly Father ; we have much, very much to be proud of in our history ; but the proudest 0f all, we should be, of our brave ancestry, who amidst poverty, and sickness and privations,. laid broad and deep the foundations of our present prosperity. * * * FORT AMANDA. The appointment of Gen. W. H. Harrison was made September 17, 1812, and he, without delay, entered upon the duties of commander-in-chief of the Northwestern Army. He directed that troops be massed at Wooster, Urbana, St. Marys and Defiance and made the southern line of the Black Swamp, from Upper Sandusky to St. Marys, the base or left line of his proposed operations. In the report of military affairs, following his appointment, we find the first mention of posts on the Auglaize. Here also reference is made to the Ohio cavalry under Colonel Finley, the Kentucky cavalry under Col. R. M.. Johnson, and the infantry under Colonels Poague, Barbee and Jennings, the former of whom erected Fort Amanda and the latter Fort Jennings. Front General Harrison's letter of February 11, 1813, it is inferred that the forces under the officers just mentioned had been called in, prior to September 30, 1812, to join the main battalion of Ohio militia, and a company of regular troops from Fort Winchester. It is, therefore, conceded that Colonel Poague, with his. command, built a fort on the west bank of the Auglaize in September, 1812. The pickets were about eleven feet high, forming a guard for four block-houses. The second story of each house projected three or our feet over the pickets. The block-house located in the southeast corner was the largest, and was used for officers' quarters. In the center of the quadrangle was the storehouse. A national cemetery was established here in 1812-14, which has been continued by the settlers. Seventy-five mounds mark the burial places of as many soldiers of the War of 1812. 60 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY The records of the garrison of this post fell into the hands of the British and were destroyed by the vandals. Fort Auglaize, east of Wapakoneta, was built by the French in 1748, was in existence in 1812-15, and was used by troops and travelers passing north. Fort Amanda was used as the first post-office in Allen County, and also as the first religious meeting-house. It was named after Colonel Poague's wife—"Amanda." While General Harrison was encamped at Wapakoneta, William Oliver, who had a trading post at Fort Wayne, came to him and asked him to notify the Fort Wayne garrison of Hull's surrender. Harrison stated that he had no one to send. Oliver offered to go should anyone volunteer to accompany him. Logan, the Indian scout, offered his services. Both set out on the dreary journey of 100 miles and arrived at Fort Wayne in safety. This party passed through the wilderness of Allen, but no mention is made of Fort Amanda. According to a statement made in Green Clay's letter, dated "Camp Meigs, June 20, 1813," to General Harrison, a large consignment of flour in barrels was received from Fort Amanda through Ensign Gray. It is said, with some degree of authenticity, that one of the scows built here in 1813 was subsequently used by Commodore Perry in buoying his large ships over the shallows at Put-in-Bay. SAWMILL AND NAVY YARD. "During the winter of 1812-13 the garrison of Fort Amanda was constituted a ship-building company. A number of men were told off to select trees, another company to cut them down, a third company to saw them into boards and posts, and a fourth company to convert the manufactured lumber into flat-boats. This work was accomplished by a company of Ohio militia and a few regular troops from Fort Winchester, who replaced Colonel Poague's command. The boats constructed at this point were in use for years, and are said to have eclipsed in construction and strength any or all of the boats turned out of Fort Defiance Navy Yard at the same time. Years prior to this, however, the genius of 'Mad Anthony' Wayne saw in the neighborhood a point of some military importance. In the history of the war of 1794-1812, the fight of the Ottawas on the Auglaize and the destruction of their untenanted village, August 8, 1793, are of record. It appears that when Fort Recovery was recaptured by the Union troops, General Wayne ordered the construction of several military roads, one of which was laid out between the present village of St. Marys, the home of the Girty desperadoes, and a point on the Auglaize where stood the Ottawa village, near the spot where Fort Amanda was built. This formed a portion of the road known as `Wayne's Trace.' "Among the first white men who lived at the fort was Francis Deuchoquette, a Frenchman of excellent mold, who was venerated by the Indians and loved by the settlers of later years. In 1817 Andrew Russell, Peter Diltz and William Van Ausdall came as the vanguard of settlement and then followed that band of pioneers whose names will be forever identified with the settlement and progress of this division of Ohio." PHT. It is a sad sight to witness the death of a man who is the last of his race—especially is this true of a leader. Of all the Indians of this county, Pht is most widely known and honored. He was the last Shawnee chief in Ohio. He built the Shawnee Council House in 1831, a cut of which, and also of his cabin, is seen elsewhere in this work. He was a .remarkable man, and in any age, or in any land he would have been a leader. Around his cabin, which stood near the Council House, gathered the warriors in their prime, and plotted against their foes—but they are all gone. After a long illness, the old chief died in 1832, and he was buried by his wife and daughter in his garden. The rude coffin was made of puncheons. All his trinkets and valuables were buried with him. His name will not perish from the earth —it should not. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 63 HEROES OF THE FOREST. Christopher Wood, a Kentuckian, a scout in the American service from 1790 to 1794, and a soldier of the War of 1812, may be said to be a pioneer of 1824, since in that year he accompanied his sons, Joseph and Albert G., and his son-in-law, Benjamin Dolph, into the wilds of this county. In 1826 John G. Wood entered a parcel of land in Bath township. In 1829 Christopher Wood was appointed a commissioner to locate the seat of justice for Allen County ; an associate judge of Common Pleas in 1831; director of the town of Lima for the sale of lots the same year, and subsequently was appointed to many positions of trust. He was born in 1769, and died at Lima in 1856. Joseph Wood and other members of that family were all among the pioneers. William G. Wood was the first county auditor. Theodore E. Cunningham, whose personal recollections appear in this chapter, was one of the senior old residents, and one of the oldest lawyers of the county. In 1866 he was a delegate to the Johnson Constitutional Convention. In 1873-74 he was a member of the Ohio Constitutional Convention, and for years took a leading part in everything relating to the progress of this division of the State. He came with his father, Dr. William Cunningham, to Lima, in 1832. Samuel McClure, a soldier of the War of 1812, and a participant in the defeat of the British at the battle of the Thames, in upper Canada in 1813, came to this county in 1825, and erected his cabin on the west side of Hog Creek -on section 28, Bath township. He was accompanied hither by his brothers Thomas and Moses, together with Joseph Ward and Aaron Loomis. In 1826 he brought his wife and family to reside here. Mrs. McClure died September 21, 1844. Her husband's death took place December 29, 1875. Daniel Musser, a Pennsylvanian, came with his parents and the family of William Weller, to Lima, in 1833, having resided for a short time before this in Marion township. He was one of the early tavern-keepers, and also operated the first tannery in 1833-34. His death took place April 12, 1880, in his 77th year. John F. Cole, accompanied by his family, came to Allen C0unty in 1831 and located near Lima, November 7th of that year. A few months later he was present at the burial of Chief Pht, and after that time he continued to witness the removal by death of many if not all the early settlers. He died in 1882. His son, also John F. Cole, is an old resident of Lima. (See "Recollections of E. T. Cole.," in Chapter VI.) Mrs. Nancy Cole, widow of the late John F. Cole, settled with her husband in Bath township in 1831, moved to Lima subsequently and died here October 24, 1880. "JOHNNY APPLESEED." John Chapman, or "Johnny Appleseed," a Swedenborgian, was in Jefferson County, Ohio, as early as 1801. He planted 16 bushels of apple seed on the Butler farm on the Walhonding River. On entering a house he would lie down on the floor and ask the people : "Will you have some. fresh news from Heaven?" He was born in Boston in 1775. In April, 1828, he leased a farm from William B. Hedges below Shanesville. His death took place near Fort Wayne in 1845, aged 72 years. This Chapman was a composition 0f eccentricities. S. C. McCullough, in his reminiscenses, states that he visited a nursery on the Sunderland farm in Amanda township, soon after he commenced to clear his own farm in 1835. He was told that the trees were planted by John Chapman some years before; and further, that the old man had been along the Ottawa and Auglaize rivers, seeking out alluvial lands to set out orchards, before white men had effected a settlement in Allen County. It is probable that "Johnny" carried out his benevolent work here even prior to the building of Fort Amanda in September, 1812. That he was here about 1812 or 1813 is manifested in the number, variety and age of the trees which sprung from the seeds planted by him along "Wayne's Trace." "He who plants a tree, plants a hope." 64 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY THE ELIDA PIONEER ASSOCIATION Was organized at Elida in the summer of 1895 and the first annual pioneer meeting was held on Thursday, August 11, of that year. The annual gatherings are held in the natural grove of Elias Crites, one half-mile east of the village of Elida, on the second Thursday in August of each year. The meetings have grown in interest and importance till not only Northwestern Ohio but visitors from other States as well look forward to these annual gatherings and reunions. The object of the organization is to give the people, both young and old, an opportunity of assembling once each year to spend the day in renewing acquaintances and to learn the lessons which the lives of the sturdy forefathers teach. Veneration for the brave fathers and mothers to whom our country owes s0 much, whose struggles displaced the forest and wigwam for the schoolhouse, the church and the emblems of thrift, contentment and culture that decorate our land, cannot fail to have a salutary effect upon tire youthful mind. In these days of "graft" and "grab" it is indeed a wholesome diversion to wait a little while in the grove—God's first to listen to words that encourage to better action. Herein lies the power that calls such vast assemblies of people to the yearly meetings of the society. M. J. Sanford was the organizer of the association and for five years served as secretary. Among its present officers are many who have served from the first. For the year 1896 the officers were: Dr. R. E. Jones, president; Dr. W. H. Harper, Henry Boose, William Bice, W. L. Bowdle, John Mell, vice-presidents ; M. J. Sanford, secretary ; Joseph Brower, Dr. S. A. Hitchcock, Eli McBride, Arthur Poling, James H. Johnson, E. S. Crites, George Kesler, John Enslen, Sr., and J. D. Crites, executive committee. At the annual meeting held on August I I, 1905, the following were elected : Dr. R. E. Jones, president; A. J. Sherrick, secretary ; E. Owens, historian; Dr. S. A. Baxter, Dr. C. B. Steman, Thomas H. Jones, J. L. B. Leatherman and Elias Crites, vice-presidents; Joseph Brower, John D. Crites, W. D. Poling, Eli McBride, John G. Roberts, Otis Fraunfelter, H. J. Sherrick, E. H. Ervin and James Baxter,. Jr., executive committee. ROADWAYS OF THE COUNTY. The Romans were the greatest road builders in history. The Roman roads have been noted in all ages, and in all countries. Perhaps the most celebrated road in all history is the Appian Way, built by Appius Claudius, the Censor, in 313 B. C., leading south from Rome, "straight as the eagle's flight." Parts of this road are in just as good condition as when constructed 2,218 years ago. They knew how to construct a road that would stand the test of time. That is the great question now before the people of Allen County, and this demand for better roads is national. In this county the movement has centered around an organization called the "Allen County Good Roads Association," of which D. J. Cable is president, and McDougal Emmett, secretary. Mr. Cable is also vice-president of the State association for the same purpose. The plan of construction is now under consideration by this association, and by many it is urged that there should be two roads, side by side, leading across the county, one a dirt road for summer use, the other a high-grade macadamized road, both well drained and sufficiently elevated. In this connection it might be of interest to note the manner of construction of the celebrated Roman road referred to above—the Appian Way. Much time and expense was put upon the foundation. The ground was thoroughly drained, then all soil was removed from the substructure, then various layers of fine stone cemented by lime were put down. Lastly came the pavement, consisting of large, hard, hexagonal blocks of stone, of basaltic lava, or marble, and so perfectly joined that it is yet impossible for one to discover the joints. These blocks are yet so perfect as to defy inspection, and when the long years of usage are taken into consideration the workmanship seems marvelous. The same is true of the old Roman AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 65 roads in England, upon which the modern railways have placed their tracks, thus forming the best possible road-beds. The great question now giving trouble in this matter is one of finance. The county commissioners are putting down most excellent roads on the main lines leading to Lima. A fine crushed stone is used ; this is placed upon an elevated bed of earth and heavier crushed stone, then the whole mass is soaked with water and rolled by an immense road-roller. The tendency is to make a cement road very smooth, and fairly durable. But the great trouble is in. the insufficient foundation. The Appian Way has long since shown the great importance of a thorough foundation. This is now the leading thought with the Allen County Good Roads Association, and good results will surely follow. Allen has many good roads, but the heavy hauling by oil men has very much injured them in some parts. The old "Findlay Road," the "Allentown Road," the "Spencerville Road," the "Elida and Delphos Road," the "Waupuck Road," the "Westminster Road," the "St. Johns Road," the "Bellefontaine Road," and the "Shawnee Road" are household words in Allen County. As the question of finance becomes settled, money will be more available, and the various roads of the county will be greatly improved. Each township and village corporation sets aside from 1.5 mills to 3 mills for road purposes for the township, while there is a county road fund, in addition, of 2.1 mills. Good roads enhance the value of land and all other property. In fact the value of real property anywhere is commensurate with transportation facilities. Edmund Burke claimed : "There be three things that make a nation great and prosperous—a fertile soil, busy work-shops and easy communication from place to place." Allen County has all three of these requisites. Nothing can prove this statement more conclusively than the fact that in 1834 the assessed valuation of all property in the county was $69,461, while to-day it is $26,252,045. POLITICAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTY. Every citizen is deeply interested in making and executing the laws. While the law-making power is largely vested in the State, yet much of this power is delegated to the county authorities, and no part of this history will be read with more interest than the part relating to the political growth, development and conditions of the county. From the organization of the county, in 1831, until 1855, the politics of the county was divided between Whig and Democrat. With John C. Fremont in 1856, the Republican party was born, and from that time on the dominant political parties in the county are known as Democratic and Republican. During these years many difficult questions have been advocated, some of them very mildly, others with zeal and even ferocity. In 1833 the abolition question caused a ripple of disunion to make itself apparent. Two years later the cry of "Abolition and Liberty" raised a storm of feeling, but the echo soon died away. The Liberty party, as it was called, went down in its contest with Clay and Polk in 1844, and thereupon the American or "Know Nothing" party was organized. The Mexican War gave added impetus to political life, making the presidential contests more animated, and drawing the ties of party closer. In 1856 the Whigs as a party passed out of existence, and in their place was formed the Republican party of to-day. In 1864 Lincoln was elected over George B. McClellan, and shortly thereafter the great life of Lincoln was ended by the assassin's bullet, and Vice-President Johnson assumed the reins of government. In 1876 the long and unfortunate contest between the supporters of Samuel J. Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes caused intense excitement, and for a time unsettled the affairs of the nation. The contest, however, was decided by means of the Electoral Commission. All of these questions have entered into the political conditions of Allen County, and the results may be seen in the following pages. in which are given the officers, from the earliest times 66 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY to the present, who have had charge of the affairs of the county. ROSTER OF COUNTY OFFICIALS. Probate Judges.—(Under the Constitution of 1802, the associate judges of the Court of Common Pleas in each county had jurisdiction in matters of probate, according to Section 5, Article 3, of the State Constitution, which is as follows : "The Court of Common Pleas in each county shall have jurisdiction in all matters of probate and testamentary matters, granting administration, the appointment of guardians, and such other cases as shall be prescribed by law"). Christopher Wood, James Crozier and William Watt (associate judges of Common Pleas), 1831; Charles Levering, Joseph Hover and John Jamieson (associate judges), 1837; John Elliott and George B. Shriner (associate judges), 1841; Charles W. Adgate and John P. Fay (associate judges), 1845. (By the Constitution of 1851, a Probate Court was established in each county, according to Section 7, Article 4: "There shall be established in each county a Probate Court, which shall .be a court of record, open at all times, and holden by one judge, elected by the voters of the county, who shall hold. his office for the term of three years and shall receive such compensation, payable out of the county treasury, or by fees, or both, as shall be provided by law.") William S. Rose, 1851 ; Michael Leatherman (appointed vice William S. Rose, resigned), 1852; Michael Leatherman, 1854; Thomas M. Robb, 1857; Charles M. Hughes, 1863; Luther M. Meily, 1869 ; George W. Overmeyer, 1875; Samuel S. Yoder, 1881; John F. Lindeman, 1886; Theodore D. Robb, 1893; A. D. Miller, 1899 ; J. N. Hutchinson, 1905—. Treasurers.—Adam White, 1831; Dr. William Cunningham, 1833 ; Charles Baker, 1835; -Col. James Cunningham, 1837; Thomas K. Jacobs, 1841 ; Alexander Beatty, 1845 ; Thomas K. Jacobs (appointed), 1847; Thomas K. Jacobs, 1849 ; William Armstrong, 1853; George W. Fickle, 1855 ; William Armstrong, 1857; Shelby Taylor, 1859; Miles W. Vance, 1861 ; Emanuel Fisher, 1865; Washington R. Partello, 1867; Richard T. Hughes, 1871; David East, 1875; James Armstrong, 1879 ; David M. Fisher, 1881; Jacob B. Sunderland, 1883 ; Edward Holman, 1887; Amos Young, 1892 ; Aaron J. Osman, 1893; Amos Young, 1894; August G. Lutz, 1895; John W. Gensel, 1899; Thomas H. Jones, 1903—. Clerks of the Court of Common Pleas.—John -Ward, 1831; John Alexander, Jr., 1842 ; Richard Metheany, 1849; Joseph H. Richardson, 1851 ; James Cunningham, Sr., 1854; John M. Meily, 1857; Ormund E. Griffith, 1863; Robert Mehaffey, 1869 ; Daniel L. Crites, 1875; Eugene C. Mackenzie, 1881 ; David H. Tolan, 1887; M. Shappell, 1893 M. J. Sullivan, 1899 ; Thomas J. Edwards, 1903—. Auditors. — William G. Woods, 1831; Samuel Black, 1835; H. D. V. Williams, 1838; John W. Thomas. 1841; Joseph H. Richardson, 1845; David Dalzell, 1849; William Dowling, 1853; Richard Metheany, 1855 ; George W. Overmeyer, 1859 ; John P. Haller, 1861; William Dowling, 1865; Sylvester J. Brand, 1869; Nelson McBride, 1874; Samuel D. Chambers, 1878; William D. Poling, 1881 ; Cyrus D. Crites, 1887; Philip Walther, 1893 George Feltz, 1899; Edwin C. Akerman, 1905—. Recorders.--Nathan Daniels, 1831; John Ward, 1835 ; John Alexander, Jr., 1840 ; John M. Anderson, 1843 ; John B. Wamsley, 1844 ; Horatio N. Maguire, 1846 ; Edmund S. Linn, 1847 (appointed in January vice H. N. Maguire) ; John B. Wamsley (elected) 1847; John W. Thomas, 1850 ; Hugh Dobbins, 1851 (elected vice John W. Thomas) ; John B. Wamsley, 1854; John G. Ridenour, 1857; Jacob M. Haller, 1863 ; Albertus R. Krebs, 1869; Henry H. Heman, 1875; William Timberlake, 1881; George Monroe, 1887; Abram Harrod, 1893 ; P. T. Mell, 1899 ; Fred Zeitz, 1905—. Sheriffs.—Henry Lippincott, 1831; John Keller, 1835; Alexander Beatty, 1839; John Keller, 1843 ; Charles H. Williams, 1845 ; Hiram Stotts, 1849 ; Mathias Ridenour, 1853; William Tingle, 1855; Samuel R. Buckmas- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 67 ter, 1857; Samuel Collins, 1861 ; Isaac Bailey, 1865; James A. Colbath, 1869 ; William Miller, 1873 ; John Franks, 1877; William H. Harter, 1881; M. P. Hoagland, 1885 ; Lawrence O'Neill, 1889 ; Aaron Fisher, 1893 Elias A. Bogart, 1898 ; Eugene Barr, 1902 ; Henry Van Gunten, 1905—. Prosecuting Attorneys.—Aaron M. Miller (appointed August term of court), 1831 ; Patrick G. Goode (appointed), 1833 ; Hamilton Davison, 1834; Lorin Kennedy, 1837; George W. Andrews, 1845 ; Lester Bliss, 1847; Mathias H. Nichols, 1851 (resigned in 1852 to enter Congress) ; Charles N. Lamison (elected vice Nichols resigned), 1852; Jasper N. Gutridge, 1855 ; Charles N. Lamison, 1857 ; Jasper N. Gutridge, 1859 ; James Mackenzie, 1861; Isaiah S. Pillars, 1865 ; John F. Brother-ton, 1867; Ed. A. Ballard, 1871; Charles M. Hughes, 1873 ; Hinchman S. Prophet, 1877; James B. Townsend, 1881 ; Isaac S. Matter, 1887; Jacob C. Ridenour, 1893 ; William Klinger, 1901; B. F. Welty, 1905—. Surveyors.—John Jackson, 1831 ; Hamilton Davison, 1837 ; Michael Leatherman, 1840 ; William Dowling, 1844; John P. Haller, 1850; D. W. Littlefield, 1859 ; S. J. Brand, 1861; David D. Nicholas, 1867; John Keeth, 1879 ; James S. Pillars, 1885 ; John C. Cronley, 1891; George Taylor, 1894 ; John C. Cronley, 1898 ; Charles E. Craig, 1904. Coroners.—H. Clippenger, 1844; Mathias Ridenour, 1845 ; Jacob S. Baker, 1850 ; William Myers, 1854; Samuel Sanford, 1856; William Sullivan, 1860 ; _____ , 1862 ; Samuel Sanford, 1866 ; Charles Metzger, 1868; Gustavus Feiss, 1870 ; Elijah Curtis, 1872 ; Tobias H. Foltz, 1880; Peter H. Brooks, 1883; Levi Reichelderfer, 1884 ; John C. Convery, 1885 ; S. S. Herman, 1889 ; Louis G. Stueber, 1893 ; Enos G. Burton, 1898; Andrew W. Bice, 1902 ; Oliver Steiner, 1905. Board of County Commissioners.—So far as has been possible the personnel of the board is shown at the end of the year after the. fall elections and the first person named is in most cases the commissioner elected that year. In the late years of this list, since the term of office began in September following the election, it has been difficult to show how the board. is constituted at the end of the year, for really four names should be shown, including both the outgoing and the incoming commissioners. 1831.—( June) James S. Daniels, John G.. Wood and Samuel Stewart. 1831.—(December) Morgan Lippincott, James S. Daniels and John G. Wood. 1832.—John P. Mitchell, Morgan Lippincott and James S. Daniels. 1833.—Griffith John, John P. Mitchell and James S. Daniels. 1834.—James H. Coleman, Griffith John and James A. Anderson. 1835.—Henry B. Thorn, Griffith John and James H. Coleman. 1836.—John Brand, Henry B. Thorn and Griffith John. 1837.—Michael Leatherman, H. B. Thorn. and John Brand. 1838.—John Schooler, Henry B. Thorn and John Brand. 1839.—John M. Wilson, John Schooler and John Brand. 1840.—Henry B. Thorn, John M. Wilson and John Brand. 1841.—Shadrach Montgomery, Charles H. Williams and John Brand. 1842.—Charles C. Marshall, Shadrach Montgomery and Charles H. Williams. 1843.—Matthew Dobbins, Charles C. Marshall and Shadrach Montgomery. 1844.—Nicholas Zanglein, Matthew Dobbins and Charles C. Marshall. 1845.—Jacob B. Haller, Nicholas Zanglein and Matthew Dobbins. 1846.—Samuel B. Walker, Jacob B. Haller and Nicholas Zanglein. 1847.—William Akerman, Samuel B. Walker and Jacob B. Haller. 1848.—Samuel Rockhill, William Aker-man and Jacob B. Haller. 1849.—Burgess Dickey, Samuel Rockhill and William Akerman, 1850.__William Akerman, Burgess Dickey and Samuel Rockhill. 1851.—Samuel Rockhill, William Akerman and Burgess Dickey. 68 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY 1852.-Burgess Dickey, Samuel Rockhill and William Akerman. 1853.-Christian Steman, Burgess Dickey and Samuel Rockhill. 1854.-Moses Patterson, Christian Steman and Burgess Dickey. 1855.-Horace Bixby, Moses Patterson and Christian Steman. 1856.-Joseph Griffith, Horace Bixby and Moses Patterson. 1857.-Cadwallader W. Jacobs, Joseph Griffith and Horace Bixby. 1858.-Freeman Bell, Cadwallader W. Jacobs and Joseph Griffith. 1859.-Almon E. Hadsell, Freeman Bell and Cadwallader W. Jacobs. 1860.-Cadwallader W. Jacobs, Almon E. Hadsell and Freeman Bell. 1861.-Horace Bixby, Cadwallader W. Jacobs and Almon E. Hadsell. 1862.-Almon E. Hadsell, Horace Bixby and Cadwallader W. Jacobs. 1863.-Samuel Ice, Almon E. Hadsell and Horace Bixby. 1864.-Freeman Bell, Samuel Ice and Almon E. Hadsell. 1865.-George W. Goble, Johnzey Keeth and Samuel Ice. 1866.-Samuel Ice, George W. Goble and Johnzey Keeth. 1867.-Johnzey Keeth, Samuel Ice and George W. Goble. i868.-George W. Goble, Johnzey Keeth and Samuel Ice. 1869.-James McBeth, George W. Goble and Johnzey Keeth.  1870-Bernard Esch, James McBeth and George W. Goble. 1871.-William Akerman, Bernard Esch and James McBeth. 1872.-James McBeth, William Akerman and Bernard Esch. 1873.-Bernard Esch, James McBeth and William Akerman. 1874.-William Akerman, Bernard Esch and James McBeth. 1875.-William W. Williams, William Akerman and Bernard Esch. 1876.-Jacob Crites, William W. Williams and William Akerman. 1877.-Francis M. Clum, Jacob Crites and William W. Williams. 1878.-William W. Williams, Francis M. Clum and Jacob Crites. 1879.-Jacob Crites, William W. Williams and Francis M. Clum. 1880.-Francis M. Clum, Jacob Crites and William W. Williams. 1881.-Joseph A. States, Francis M. Clum and Jacob Crites. 1882.-Abraham Crider, Joseph A. States and Francis M. Clum. 1883.-Charles C. Marshall, Abraham Crider and Joseph A. States. 1884.-Joseph A. States, Alexander Shenk (vice Marshall) and Abraham Crider. 1885.-Abraham Crider, Joseph A. States and Alexander Shenk. 1886.-Alexander Shenk, Abraham Crider and Joseph A. States. 1887.-John Akerman, Alexander Shenk and Abraham Crider. 1888.-William Bice, John Akerman and Alexander Shenk. 1890.-John Akerman, John Amstutz, Jr., and William Bice. 1891.-William Bice, John Akerman and John Amstutz, Jr. 1892.-John Amstutz, Jr., William Bice and John Akerman. 1893.-George D. Kanawl, John Amstutz, Jr., and William Bice. 1894.-James A. Jacobs, Aaron J. Osman and John Amstutz, Jr. 1895.-Samuel T. Winegardner, James A. Jacobs and Aaron J. Osman. 1896.-Thomas C. Burns, Samuel T. Winegardner and James A. Jacobs. 1897.-George D. Kanawl, Thomas C. Burns and Samuel T. Winegardner. 1898.-Samuel T. Winegardner, George D. Kanawl and Thomas C. Burns. 1899.-Thomas C. Burns, Samuel T. Winegardner and George D. Kanawl. 1900.-George D. Kanawl, Thomas C. Burns and Samuel T. Winegardner. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 71 1901.-Albert Hefner, George D. Kanawl and Thomas C. Burns. 1902.-Samuel W. Wright, Albert Hefner and George D. Kanawl. 1903.-Alexander L. Conrad, Samuel W. Wright and Albert Hefner. 1904.-Charles W. Johnston, Alexander L. Conrad and Samuel W. Wright. 1905.-Samuel W. Wright, Charles W. Johnston and Alexander Conrad. County Infirmary Directors.-Before the election of 1858 Curtis Baxter, Shelby Taylor and David Bryte served as directors by appointment. The records of some years are wanting : 1858.-John B. Reeder, David Bryte and James Chenoweth. 1859.-James Chenoweth, John B. Reeder and David Bryte. 1860.-James Baxter, James Chenoweth and John B. Reeder. 1861.-John B. Reeder, James Baxter and James Chenoweth. 1862.-____ ____, John B. Reeder and James Baxter. 1863.-James Baxter, ____ ___ , and John B. Reeder. 1864.-John Sprott, James Baxter and ____ ____ 1865.-Peter S. Metzler, John Sprott and James Baxter. 1866.-Elias Everett, Peter S. Metzler and John Sprott. 1867.-John Sprott, Elias Everett and Peter S. Metzler. 1868.-Peter S. Metzler, John Sprott and Elias Everett. 1869.-Elias Everett, Peter S. Metzler and John Sprott. 1870.-Michael L. Baker, Elias Everett and Peter S. Metzler. 1871.-John Enslen, Gabriel Hefner and Elias Everett. 1872.-Samuel Sanford, John Enslen and Gabriel Hefner. 1873.-Gabriel Hefner, Samuel Sanford and John Enslen. 1874.-John Enslen, Gabriel Hefner and :Samuel Sanford. 1875.-Samuel Sanford, John Enslen and Gabriel Hefner. 1876.-Joseph B. Chipman, Samuel Sanford and John Enslen. 1877.-Martin V. Blair, Joseph B. Chipman and Samuel Sanford. 1878.-Samuel Boose, Martin V. Blair and Joseph B. Chipman. 1879.-Joseph B. Chipman, Samuel Boose and Martin V. Blair. 1880.-Martin V. Blair, Joseph B. Chipman and Samuel Boose. 1881.-____ ____, Martin V. Blair, and Joseph B. Chipman. 1882.-Andrew J. Chapman, _____ ____ and Martin V. Blair. 1883.-Solomon H. Arnold, Andrew J. Chapman and ____ ____ 1884.-Levi Reichelderfer, Solomon H. Arnold and Andrew J. Chapman. 1885.-_____ ____, Levi Reichelderfer and Solomon H. Arnold. 1886.-William Hill, James P. Wilson and William J. Graham. 1887.-William Hill, James P. Wilson and William J. Graham. 1888.-Levi Reichelderfer, Solomon H. Arnold and Samuel Light. 1889.-Samuel Light, Levi Reichelderfer and Solomon H. Arnold. 1890.-John K. Roush, Samuel Light and Levi Reichelderfer. 1891.-John C. Jettinghoff, John K. Roush and Samuel Light. 1892.-Samuel Light, John K. Roush and John C. Jettinghoff. 1893.-John C. Jettinghoff, Samuel Light and John K. Roush. 1894.-Ephraim Berryman, E. F. Davis and John C. Jettinghoff. 1895.-E. F. Davis, Peter Leis and Eli Meckling. 1896.-Peter Leis, E. F. Davis and Eli Meckling. 1897.-Eli Meckling, Peter Leis and E. F. Davis. 1898.-Isaac B. Steman, Peter Leis and Eli Meckling. 72 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY 1899.—Peter Leis, Isaac B. Steman and Eli Meckling. 1900.—Eli Meckling, Peter Leis and Isaac B. Steman. 1901.—Isaac B. Steman, Peter Leis and Eli Meckling. 1902.—David Stepleton, William E. Grubb and Isaac B. Steman. 1903.—Isaac B. Steman, David Stepleton, and William E. Grubb. 1904.—Christian H. Mosier, J. E. Ever-sole and David Stepleton. 1905.—David Stepleton, William E. Grubb and Isaac B. Steman. PRESENT COUNTY OFFICERS. Probate Judge—J. N. Hutchinson ; treasurer—Thomas H. Jones; clerk—Thomas J. Edwards ; auditor—Edwin C. Akerman; recorder—Fred Zeitz; sheriff—Henry Van Gunten ; prosecuting attorney—B. F. Welty; surveyor—Charles E. Craig; coroner—Oliver Steiner ; county commissioners—Samuel W. Wright, Charles W. Johnston and Alexander L. Conrad; county infirmary directors—David Stepleton, William E. Grubb and Isaac B. Steman. COMMON PLEAS JUDGES. In the "Ohio Hundred Year Book," published in 1901 by the authority of the 74th General Assembly of Ohio, it. says that James Crozier, William Watt and Christopher Wood were elected associate judges of the Common Pleas for Allen County in 1831, and that George B. Holt was their president judge. From the oldest records we find that George B. Holt, of Montgomery County, held the first court of Common Pleas for Allen County in James S. Daniels' cabin at the east end of Market street in May, 1833, and that he was assisted by Associate Judges Watt, Crozier and Wood. Judge Holt was followed by William L. Helfenstein,of Montgomery County, elected in 1836; Emory D. Potter, of Lucas County, elected in 1839; Myron H. Tilden, of Lucas County, elected in 1844; and Patrick G. Goode, of Shelby County, elected in 1845. In 1851 the district was reorganized and known as District No. 3, Sub-Division No. 1, and was composed of Allen, Hardin, Shelby, Auglaize, Marion, Union and Logan counties. Benjamin F. Metcalf served from February, 1852, to February, 1857. William Lawrence, of Logan County, served from February, 1857, to October, 1864; Jacob S. Conklin, of Shelby County (vice Lawrence), from October, 1864, to February, 1872. In 1858 the district was again reorganized and was composed of Allen, Auglaize, Mercer, Van Wert and Putnam counties. Judge Metcalf was judge from November, 1858, till his death in March, 1865, when 0. W. Rose, of Lima, took his place till November, 1865. James Mackenzie served as judge from November, 1865, to February, 1879. Edwin M. Phelps, of Mercer County, was elected judge in 1869, under an act creating an additional judge for Sub-Division No. 1. In 1879 the district was again reorganized, adding Shelby County and dropping Putnam County, and so it remains today. Upon the reorganization of the Third Judicial District, Sub-Division No. 1, Charles M. Hughes, of Allen County, became judge and served from February, 1879, to February, 1889, when he was succeeded by John E. Richie, of Allen County, who served until February, 1899, when he in turn was succeeded by W. H. Cunningham, also of Allen County. James H. Day, of Mercer County, went upon the bench in February, 1880, and served until lie resigned in September, 1892. He was succeeded in October, 1892, by Hiram C. Glenn, of Van Wert County, who served until December of that year., when W. T. Mooney, of Mercer County, took his place. Judge Mooney resigned in February, 1901, to accept a position on the circuit bench ; his death occurred November 29, 1904. William D. Davis, of Shelby County, was appointed by the Governor as Judge Mooney's successor on the common-pleas bench until the next election, in November, 1903, when Hugh T. Mathers was elected. Judge Mathers filled the unexpired term of Judge Mooney or until February 9, 1905, when, having been re-elected at the election of AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 73 November, 1904, he succeeded himself in office. S.A.Armstrong, of Mercer County, has served continuously on the bench since January, 1889. Three judges, therefore, on the common pleas bench at the present time are : Hon. S. A. Armstrong, whose term expires on the second Monday in January, 1909 ; Hon. W. H. Cunningham, whose term will expire February 8, 1909; and Hon. Hugh T. Mathers, whose term will expire February 8, 1910. MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. Representatives.—The following is a list of members of the State House of Representatives from Allen County, beginning with the 36th General Assembly which began its session on December 4, 1837: James Cook, R. I. Skinner, Edwin Fisher, George B. May, J. F. Hinkle, John W. Walters, James B. Steed-man, G. C. Mudgett, S. S. Sprague. Isaac Spear, Michael Leatherman, P. J. Hines, Cyrenus Elliott, Samuel R. Mott, Henry Lipps, William Blackburn, Lester Bliss, Charles Crites, Charles Post, Charles C. Marshall, Thomas K. Jacobs, John Monroe, Dr. R. E. Jones, William Armstrong, Isaiah Pillars, Thomas M. Robb, M. L. Baker, W. H. McCullough, George W. Hull, William E. Watkins, D. C. Cunningham, William Ruler, C: H. Adkins, John W. Manges and Howard W. Pears, the present incumbent. Senators.—The following is a list of the members of the State Senate from the districts that included Allen County, from the date of the 32nd General Assembly which began its session on December 2, 1833. Beginning with the 50th General Assembly which began its session on January 5, 1852, the district has been known as the 32nd Senatorial District and has included the counties of Allen, Mercer, Auglaize, Van Wert, Paulding, Defiance and Williams : James Johnson, John E. Hunt, Curtis Bates. John E. Hunt, Jacob Clark, Alfred P. Edgerton, Sabirt Scott, James Cunningham, John Taylor, Ed. M. Phelps, Edward Foster, - 4 - Charles C. Marshall, Meredith R. Willett, Thomas J. Godfrey, W. Carter, Charles Boesel, P. W. Hardesty, William Sheridan, Jr., G. W. Andrews, G. M. Saltzgaber, Thomas J. Godfrey, Elmer White, Robert Mehaffey, J. P. Schmeider, Robert Mehaffey, M. D. Shaw, John L. Geyer, Henry J. Lawlor, James D. Johnson, William F. Conley, William G. Brorein, William E. Decker, S. D. Crites, and Thomas M. Berry and W. M. Denman, the present incumbents. CONGRESSMEN. Herewith is given a list of the Congressmen from the congressional districts, of which Allen County has been a part, the periods of service and the changes in the districts being shown. Third Congressional District.—Joseph H. Crane, of Montgomery County, 1831-36; Patrick G. Goode, of Shelby County, 1837-42. Fifth Congressional District.—Emory D. Potter, of Lucas County, 1843-44; William Sawyer, of Mercer County, 1845-48; Emory D. Potter, of Lucas County, 1849-50; Alfred P. Edgerton, of Defiance County, 1851-52. Fourth Congressional District.—Mathias H. Nichols, of Allen County, 1853-58 ; William Allen, of Darke County, 1859-62. Fifth Congressional District.—Francis C. LeBlond, of Mercer County, 1863-66; William Mungen, of Hancock County, 1867-70; Charles N. Lamison, of Allen County, 1871-74; Americus Rice, of Putnam County, 1875-78 ; Benjamin Le Fevre, of Shelby County, 1879-82. Fourth Congressional District.—Benjamin Le Fevre, of Shelby County, 1883-84 ; Charles M. Anderson, of Darke County, 1885-86 ; S. S. Yoder, of Allen County, 1887-90 ; Fred C. Layton, of Auglaize County, 1891-96 ; George A. Marshall, of Auglaize County, 1897-98 Robert B. Gordon, of Auglaize County, 1899- 1902 ; Harvey C. Garber, of Darke County, 1903—. CHAPTER V LIMA-THE COUNTY SEAT BY DR. SAMUEL A. BAXTER. Establishment of the County Seat—Lima's Godfather—Sale of Town Lots—The Court Houses—Christopher Wood, Director—Lima's First Settler—Maria Mitchell Brown, First White Child Born in Lima—The First Five Families—James Peltier, First Dry Goods Merchant—Dr. William Cunningham, Lima's First Physician—Hog Creek—Lima's First Officers—Henry D. V. Williams, the First Mayor—General Blackburn—Muster Day—Thomas K. Jacobs, a Builder of Lima—John Ward, the First Schoolmaster—The Distinguished Teacher, Joseph H. Richardson—The Cholera Visitation—The First Saloon—Early History of the Public and Parochial Schools of Lima—Dr. William McHenry—Allen County Medical Society—"Uncle Joe" Hover and His Market Street Bridge—Mills, Bridges and Roads—Alexander Beatty— Robert Bowers' Reminiscences—Silas Faurot—Lima's First Hotel—The Bashores—Daniel Musser—The Early Stores—Col. James Cunningham—Richard Metheany—The First Railroad —John Meily—John P. Haller, the Builder. By an act of the Legislature of the State of Ohio, dated February 12, 1820, the metes and bounds of four counties, Van Wert, Mercer, Putnam and Allen, were established. Nine years later a commissioner, Christopher Wood, was appointed to locate one quarter-section of land belonging to the State of Ohio, as county seat. The location was made, and by another act of the Legislature, passed March 3, 1831, the seat of justice of Allen County was established. The town was surveyed in April, 1831, by Justin Hamilton, county surveyor of Allen County. Hon. Patrick G. Goode as godfather named the new child "Lima" after the Peruvian capital, which was then attracting attention. It is said that he was highly indignant that our plain, plodding pioneers objected to pronouncing the name "Lemah," but their objections ruled and Lima it was then and has always remained. In June, 1831, James S. Daniels, John G. Wood, and Samuel Stewart were, by law, appointed commissioners, and they named Christopher Wood director of the town of Lima, ordering that town l0ts be sold at auction. This sale was made in July or August following. The lots averaged about $25 apiece. For a whole square fronting on Elm and Elizabeth streets, Dr. Cunningham paid $36.75. The first Court of Common Pleas for Allen County was held August 31, 1831, in James S. Daniels' cabin, which stood near the present Market street bridge. The next year a Court House was built just below the southeast corner of the square. In 1840 a contract for a AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 75 new brick Court House was let to Orlando Boughton of Wooster, Ohio, and was finished in 1842. This building stood where the Cincinnati Block now stands, and for more than 40 years served the purpose of both Court House and County Jail. The corner-stone of the present Court House was laid July 4, 1882, and the building was formally opened in the fall of 1884. It cost, with the adjacent stone jail, $350,000. Christopher Wood, our, first director, was a noted character. Born in Washington County, Virginia, March 9, 1772, he resided there until he was 15 years of age, when he removed to Maysville, Kentucky. He was one of Kentucky's pioneers and used to charm his children with the thrilling tales of his experiences in the border-land. Families guarded one another while planting their crops and many times whole settlements were compelled to flee to the forts to escape the savage attacks of the Indians. Mr. Wood was frequently employed as a scout and often met Daniel Boone on his excursions into the unbroken wilderness. In this service he traversed a large part of Western Ohio and Kentucky. In 1826 he moved his family to Allen County, and was elected first town director and first justice of the peace of Lima. His home was for many years a place of worship for everyone and the first Sunday-school of Allen County was organized at his house. The eastern counties of our State did much to populate Allen County. These pioneers came with a view of casting in their fortunes with the new county seat and were eminently possessed of those strong traits which enabled them to subdue the wilderness and to lay the foundations for that civilization which supplanted savagery and transformed the forests into a great busy commonwealth. We who today are in touch with the improvements of the early l0th century must regard moving as mere child's play compared with the moving of former times. Journeys were then made in covered wagons in which were stored all the worldly possessions, including members of the family. Through dense forests and trackless wildernesses the pioneers traveled, stopping for the night wherever, darkness overtook them, and then up betimes in the morning to resume their weary way. At the journey's end the wagon still served as a shelter until the logs were hewn and the cabin built. They had need to be fearless, self-reliant, and industrious and withal generous and hospitable. Absolom Brown was Lima's first settler. He came in the spring of 1831 on a prospecting tour and brought his family the following September. On February 5, 1832, a daughter was born to the Brown family, who has the distinction of being the first white child born in Lima. She was named Maria Mitchell in honor of Mrs. John P. Mitchell. Only a few days after Mr. Brown, came John Porter Mitchell, whose family consisted of his wife, his two sons (William H. C., born May 30, 1825, in Perry County, and Thornton T., born August 27, 1827) and one daughter, Minerva, born April 29, 1830. Mary, the youngest child, was born in Lima, January 30, 1833. Mr. Mitchell built his house where the Methodist Church now stands, but kept hotel on the present site of the Union Block. When Mr. Mitchell came to Lima, he found John Mark's cabin tenantless, the latter having gone for his family, and Mr. Mitchell at once occupied it. Upon the return of the owner, Mr. Mitchell was obliged to move into his own abode, though it had not yet a roof. By this time Joseph Edwards and family had arrived and they lived with the Mitchells until their own cabin was built. Mr. Mitchell died August 27, 1834. Just here may be mentioned the fact that the first five families—the Browns, Mitchells, Marks, Edwardses, and Peltiers—were Whigs, and the following two—the Bashores and Cunninghams—were Democrats. James Peltier was our first dry goods merchant. He came to the vicinity of Lima as an employee of Carlin & Company, of Findlay, Ohio, in 1828. He built a cabin near where the Market street bridge now stands and kept a stock of miscellaneous character, which he traded to the Indians for furs and sold to the few white settlers. The Indians belonged 76 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY to the Shawnees. Some names prominent among them were Pht, Swaba, Turkey Foot, Little Fox, Tutaw and Quilna. On the establishment of Lima as the county seat, Mr. Peltier bought a lot, was married September 5, 1831, bought the business of Carlin and established a business on the site which was occupied in later years by Marmon's drugstore. Two years later he sold out to Henry Lippincott and removed to a farm near Sugar Creek. Charles Baker was another of Lima's pioneer merchants. He with his brother-in-law, J. M. Anderson, formed the firm of Anderson & Baker. They occupied a room in the first Court House, for, the rent of which they paid $1.25 a month. We came across the following account : Am't. of Anderson & Baker's bill for sundry articles furnished county $20.000 Deduct rent of Court House 4.375 Balance due Anderson & Baker $15.625 Charles Baker was born on the banks of the Kennebec River, Lincoln County, Maine, December 8, 1804. He came to Ohio with his parents, who were the earliest pioneers of Ma-1 ion, Ohio. In 1828 he married Mary Anderson, and November, 5, 1832, came to Lima and at once began to sell merchandise. Dr. William Cunningham was born in Pennsylvania in 1798, and came in 1802 to Ohio, where he resided until he moved his family to Lima in 1832. He was Lima's first physician and at this time his family consisted of his wife Anna (Ewalt), two daughters—Anna S. (Tingle), deceased, and Eliza H. (Williams)—and two sons—William H., who died years later while on a visit to Mount Vernon, and Theodore E., who filled many positions of honor and trust creditably and well. Clementine (Mrs. W. K. Brice), John N. and Sarah V., deceased, were born in Lima. Dr. and Mrs. Cunningham were among the first organizers of the Presbyterian Church in Lima. The Doctor's practice extended over a large territory. His visits into the country were often through unbroken forests, along a bridle-path, and through mud and water. In summer, moreover, myriads of mosquitoes added to the pleasure of these lonely trips, yet night and day he was always ready to give his best efforts to relieve those in distress, even when the hope of remuneration was without the bounds of reasonable probability. He served the county as treasurer one term by appointment but was never a candidate, being averse to personal contest. He died in 1842. At an early time in Lima's history there were no mills nearer than Wapakoneta, and the families were compelled to depend upon traders who peddled the flour from town to town. In the winter of 1831-32, there was no breadstuff in the town and people were suffering. Mr. Mitchell took a half-bushel of corn ou his back and carried it to Rhodes' Mills, where, Vaughnsville now stands, and had it ground into meal, which he distributed among the families residing here, making a little over three pounds apiece. The Public Square was in those days a mud-hole so deep that, it is said, two horses could not draw an empty wagon 0ver it. There was a bridge from the corner where the Collins Block stands to the present site of the Mitchell Block, and one across East Market street, where Colvin's barn stands. Water ran in the Square as far north as High street, in which the boys used to fish. Hog Creek, before the forests were cleared AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 77 away and the lands drained by canals, was as pretty a little stream as any to be found. It also abounded in fish. Old residents claim to have spent many a day fishing on its banks and the story is told that F. H. Binkley, one of the merchants back in the '30's went one rainy day to fish in the Ottawa River. He remained away so long that his wife became alarmed. Late in the afternoon, however, she saw her husband and another man coming, bearing a sapling on their shoulders, which was literally filled with pike, most of them a yard long. They gave fish to everybody in town and had enough to last their own family a week, until the sight of fish was well nigh unbearable. The name "Hog Creek" originated in this way : During the War of 1812, a party of men was sent with hogs to Fort Meigs ; when they reached the Ottawa River, the Indians stampeded them and they fled for their lives, leaving the hogs to roam at will. For years after the first settlement was made, wild hogs were found here. Count Coffinberry, in order to make the meter right in one of his poems, dubbed the river "Swinonia," which name is still a prime favorite with newspaper men. The town of Lima was officially organized March 29, 1842, with H. D. V. Williams, mayor ; Dr. William McHenry, recorder; John Alexander, Jr., Samuel Black, Hamilton- Davison, Thomas K. Jacobs, Daniel D. Thompkins, trustees. The Council elected John B. Wamsley, treasurer ; Amos Clutter, marshal ; Alexander Beatty, Daniel Boyer and R. E. Thomas, street commissioners, and Daniel Musser, supervisor. In May, 1842, the question of grading the streets was discussed on plans submitted by D. H. Morrison, engineer. Henry DeVilliers Williams, one of Lima's most prominent pioneers and the first mayor, was born in Pompey, New York, September 13, 1804. He graduated at Williams College with first honors. He married Cornelia Estelle Hill, of Hillsdale, New York, October 12, 1825. Mr. Williams came to Ohio in 1834. The next year he became connected with General Blackburn in the United States Land Office, then located at Wapakoneta, and came to Lima in June of that year, when the office was moved to this place. In 1826 he was joined by his family, which consisted of his wife and daughter, Henrietta C., who came to Toledo by boat and from there to Lima by wagon, through the Black Swamp and the wilderness which was almost unbroken. From the time of lhs bringing his family here, Mr. Williams became identified with the interests and enterprises of the town in a marked degree. He was elected county auditor in 1838 and served in that capacity until 1841. He was also at one time justice of the peace and was commissioned colonel of the first militia regiment. Mr. Williams was a unique character. Dressed in buckskin breeches, loose shirt and fur cap, with a pack of dogs at his heels, he tramped the country over. He was a great huntsman, and had a penchant for swapping arms, horses and other property. He was a generous-hearted, reckless, easy-going man, who would divide his last morsel with one in need. He was a great raconteur, and would sit for hours relating some of his experiences. As mayor he introduced his own peculiar views of what constituted the "Blind Goddess." South of town there lived a strapping big fellow, by the name of Ridenour, who was as powerful as he was massive. He came to town one day and in the course of his travels ran across a little fellow who wanted some fun at his expense. Ridenour ordered him to shut up and, as he was slow in complying with the command, he picked him up and set him down in the middle of a mud puddle. Ridenour was arrested and brought before the mayor charged with disorderly conduct. When he pleaded guilty, his Honor gave him a severe lecture on his violation of the law, and fined him $5, after which he said : "Now, Jacob, for having administered a well-merited punishment to a bully, I will allow you $5.25 and here is the change." Colonel Williams met with a tragic death. He and Daniel Musser, Jr., were almost inseparable, and on one of their excursions to Marion for some fruit trees, Mr. Williams purchased at Kenton, a dog which he very much admired. In handling it, he was bitten on the hand. Some weeks later he was attacked with 78 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY hydrophobia, and with all the attendant horrors of that malady, died December 19, 1846. Colonel Williams was the father of four children : Effingham ; Mrs. P. G. Granel, deceased; Mrs. Fannie G. Church, of Janesville, Wisconsin ; and S. Barney Williams, of Dayton, who owns the "Old Reliable Fur Store" at Dayton, Ohio. One of the most noted of the pioneers of this part of the State was Maj.-Gen. William Blackburn, who came to Wapakoneta in 1835, in charge of the United States Land Office, to which position he was appointed by President Jackson. General Blackburn was born in Maryland June 23, 1787. In his early youth his parents moved to Pennsylvania, and while he was still a small boy they located in Columbiana County, Ohio. After General Hull surrendered his army in 1813, young Blackburn raised a company of volunteers, marched to the frontier and participated in that memorable winter campaign which followed the surrender of Hull. Through the storms of midwinter he was sent with his little band to Frenchtown on the Raisin. He made his way by forced marches through storm and snow, wading swamps and swollen streams, not reaching his destination till after the battle and defeat of General Winchester, but in time to save many of the fugitives from the tomahawks of the painted fiends. After the battle he returned to Maumee, and assisted in the construction of Fort Meigs. In 1817 General Blackburn was elected to the State Legislature from Columbiana County and by re-election continued in that office till the spring of 1835, when he resigned to take charge of the Land Office at Wapakoneta. He moved with the office to Lima, being reappointed by President Van Buren and serving until the removal of the office to Upper Sandusky, May 31, 1843. A position of very great responsibility was the handling and accounting for large sums of silver and gold, without the convenience of a modern safe. Nothing but coin was receivable, all of which had to be transported to Columbus by wagon. Only one error was made while the General held this office. He failed to retain the amount due him at settlement and it was sent to the General's family after his death. General Blackburn was a military enthusiast. He had seen actual service and was commissioned a major general of militia, in the organization and drill of which he took an active part. Companies were organized and uniformed at their own expense, and all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 45 years were required by law to appear for military drill two days in each year. These training days were the delight of the youth of those pioneer times. The muster was held at Lima, and the bugle call, the rub-a-dub-dub of the drum, the shrill screaming fife, marching columns, plumed chapeaus, glittering epaulettes, bright swords and gaily caparisoned horses, filled the youthful mind almost to ecstacy. Conspicuous on all such occasions was General Blackburn. He was of commanding appearance, being full six feet tall, of 300 pounds weight, yet sitting upon his horse like a cavalier and looking the general from plume to spurs. His horse was a fit bearer of such a load—a tall chestnut sorrel—a "single-footer" of tremendous stride, who shared in all the enthusiasm of the drill. Old "Tam O'Shanter" is still remembered as a horse of undoubted excellence. General Blackburn was elected to the State Legislature from this district. He moved from Lima to Allentown and enjoyed a life of quiet until his death, May 7, 1858, and was buried at Lima with military honors, followed to his last resting place by a large concourse of friends. Thomas K. Jacobs was another of the makers of Lima's history. He came to Lima in 1838, following the tailoring trade for some time. From that he went into the general merchandise business, from which he retired to speculate in real estate. In this business he was eminently successful. In 1851, in conjunction with S. A. Baxter, Sr., F. H. Binkley and Daniel Boyer, he platted what is known as the "East Addition" to Lima. This addition lies on the east side of the C., H. & D. Railway, and extends from north of North street to south of the gas works, and includes North, AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 79 High and Market streets, east to Pine street. Ten years later Mr. Jacobs platted the land from the above addition south to the river, and still later he platted Pine and Jackson streets south to a point between Eureka and Kibby streets. Nearly the whole of East Lima passed through his hands and upon his death he left a large tract of land lying south of Elm street and east of Cemetery street, extending south to Kibby street. No other man in Lima handled so much real estate as did Mr. Jacobs. These tracts cost on an average $50 an acre. In politics Mr. Jacobs was a Democrat, serving the county nearly 10 years as treasurer. In 1860 he was chosen Representative and was at Columbus when the firing at Fort Sumter took place. He at once voted to put Ohio on a war footing. He served the county with distinction in the Legislature, and was the originator of the measure to provide for the families of soldiers absent in the field. At the close of his term as Representative, he returned home and enlisted in the 99th Ohio, of which he was appointed quartermaster. He served with distinction until March, 1865, when he resigned on account of disability. He died suddenly November 12, 1884. John Ward, Lima's first schoolmaster, was born October 14, 1795, at Moorfield, Virginia. He came to Champaign County, Ohio, with his grandfather, Joseph Ward, in 1806. Joseph Ward was a veteran of the War of the Revolution and had served under Lord Dunmore and later under Washington. John Ward volunteered in the War of 1812 at the age of 17 years, but was not mustered into service because he did not fill the standard of height required. In 1830 he moved with his family to Allen County, and began the arduous task of making a farm in an unbroken forest, remote from mills, stores, churches, kindred, intelligent associates and most of the social advantages left behind in more populous districts. On May 4, 1831, a daughter, Rebecca, was born. In the winter of 1831-32 he taught school near where Hawke's mill stood later and in the spring following, several of his pupils came and paid their tuition by clearing ground and making rails. In April, 1832, the family came to Lima, where a fourth daughter, Elizabeth, was born June 6, 1833. From the date of the survey of Lima, Mr. Ward took an active part in all that pertained to the best interests of the town. He was appointed clerk of the court pro tempore upon the organization of the county in 1831. He had received but three months' schooling but he supplemented this training until he was able to receive a first-class certificate. In 183233 he taught school in the north room of the old Court House, which stood on the east side of Main street between the Square and Spring street. Mr. Ward died Christmas Day, 1842. One of the very best teachers who have ever held sway in Allen County was Joseph H. Richardson, who came from Xenia to this county in 1836. He was born in Wythe County, Virginia. His wife, Eda Withro Smith, was a native of North Carolina. Mr. Richardson was a relative of Andrew Jackson —whom he is said to have much resembled—and his wife was a relative of James Madison. Their children were : Mary (Mrs. Robert Mehaffey, William, Martha (Mrs. Ballard), America, Virginia and Charles. On coming to this county, Mr. Richardson entered land in German township, where he built a log schoolhouse in which he taught for years. Sixteen years afterward his daughter Mary taught in a new frame building erected upon the same spot. His daughters have nobly carried on their father's profession. Mrs. Ballard taught for 25 years in the schools of Lima and was one of our very best teachers and one of the most dearly beloved. She was also a member of the County Board of Examiners, being the first woman in the State to serve in that capacity. Mr. Richardson was a self-made man and remarkably well educated for the times in which lie lived. He was a fine reader, a rare accomplishment then as now, and was a fine mathematician and grammarian. After teaching for several years in German township, he moved to Lima and taught some years. Lima has honored Mr. Richardson's name during the past year by giving to one of her new ward buildings the name "Richardson." 80 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY The subject of this sketch was a born politician and did credit to his Jacksonian blood. He conducted Nichols' first campaign and visited the entire district on horseback. The result was that his man was elected by a handsome majority. Mr. Richardson served as county auditor in 1844 and as clerk of the court in 1851. When the Richardsons came to the county, Mary. now Mrs. Mehaffey, was but two years old. She remembers distinctly the trials and perils of pioneer life. The family moved into their house before the windows and doors were put in blankets were hung up to keep out wolves and weather. She recalls the terrifying howling of the wolves, which were frightened by nothing but the immense fires which were built in the open fireplaces. Mrs. Richardson was a typical pioneer mother who reared her children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, making them good citizens. From 1840 to 1855, McDonald's sugar camp was a rendezvous for the boys and girls who went there when children to get the first sugar water, and later, when they had grown to youths and maidens, there they went to do their courting. Not longer ago than 1845 there was a natural forest extending from where Jacob Keve now lives. Lima was a great -place for picnics of the "go early and stay late" variety. They told of a picnic managed by "Aunt" Jane McGuire and her husband, where the table "fairly groaned" with roast pig, sheep, turkey, chicken, duck, nine kinds of pie and preserves and everything else in the gastronomic line beautifully proportioned. Those were the days when life was worth living, for certainly no dyspeptic could have lived in this part of the country. In June, 1851, Lima suffered a visitation of the cholera. It created consternation greater than the bubonic plague would now. Ministers deserted their pulpits and fled and the average citizen took occasion to visit his country cousins. Edmund S. Linn, an active young business man, was the first attacked. He and his wife and child died within a few days. There were a number of other cases, several fatal. In the early days of Lima the saloon had not assumed its present magnificent grandeur ; a barrel of whiskey would be brought into town occasionally and retailed at five cents a glass. The masculine part of the population had then to be content until 1853, when Wolf & Meyers brought the first large saloon to Lima and commenced operations on the northwest corner of Market street and the Square. This was the first storeroom built in Lima, it having been erected by Daniel Musser. This saloon had the fetching title of "The Old Fort" and its tragedy is one that all old settlers remember. One Saturday night, on Christmas Eve, a crowd of fellows became involved in a quarrel and turned the contents of bottles and barrels into the street, setting fire to it. All Christmas Day the gutters burned with a blue flame and riot reigned supreme. The schools of the olden times compared with our modern ones are as moonlight unto sunlight, with the advantage of sunlight eminently manifest. Books were few and method, that much abused term, was almost, if not entirely, unknown. Time was given to the "Three R's" and all this fin de siecle curriculum was undreamed of. There were no schoolhouses for several years, schools being held in the Court House, churches and various buildings. Gen. John Ward was the first schoolmaster, of whom mention has been made elsewhere. The early schools were of the subscription variety—that is, each householder subscribed a certain number of pupils for which he paid. The .first school enrollment in- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 83 cluded 39 pupils who were instructed for 66 days. Col. John Cunningham taught during the winter of 1833-34 in the cabin of Jacob Downs on Water street, where the tannery now stands. Margaret Poague conducted a summer school in Valentine's cooper shop on West Elm street in 1834. The shop being floorless, it behooved her to teach in the summer time. Miss Poague, who was afterwards Mrs. William Cunningham, was Lima's first "new woman," and made her initial bow to the public over 70 years ago. The first general school law was passed when Lima was a howling wilderness and until 1832 "female school teachers" were not. In December, 1831, an act was passed providing that "on the petition of the inhabitants of a district, when the school examiners had granted such petition, the school directors should appoint a female to teach spelling, reading and writing." In the early '50's free schools were established and the town was divided into three. districts : The first south of Market and west. of Main ; the second north of Market and west of Main ; the third the rest of the city. In each district was a small frame schoolhouse. The one east of Main was located at the present site of the Union Street Lutheran Church and was nicknamed "Onion College" from the pupils having at one time scented it with .onions. The Lima Academy was opened in 1852 with Rev. James Campbell as principal. It was a successful institution, patronized by Lima's best citizens and continued until 1856, when the organization of the Union School took from it the most of its students and the instructors went elsewhere. Mr. Wilhelm, the superintendent in 1858, cut the High School course of study down to the common branches, but in 1860 the present system of schools was inaugurated. The curriculum at this time included Greek, and instruction in painting, drawing, French and German was provided at an extra charge. Public oral examinations by the superintendent were held in each department. A Board of Education was formed at this time, and was composed of W. H. C. Mitchell, William E. Lee and Mathias H. Nichols. William A. Shaw was superintendent. He was followed in 1862 by John Hanson, at which time the High School had its first lady assistant in the person of Mrs. J. R. Hughes. The first class was graduated the 3d of June, 1864, and consisted of three young ladies : Mary Watt (afterwards Mrs. Nichols), Fidelia Bennett (Mrs. Dr. Hunter) and Josie Cunningham (Mrs. O. W. Smith). The commencement exercises were held in Ashton's Hall, now the I. 0. 0. F. Hall, Thomas M. Cheever, of Lane Seminary, delivering the address. In 1865 there was but one graduate,—Miss Emma Cunningham (Mrs. Hutchison). For two years there were no graduates, but since 1868 the list of graduates has steadily increased. William E. Crosby was superintendent in 1868. Following Mr. Crosby. G. W. Walker successfully served for 14 years and was followed by J. M. Greenslade. In 1895 Dr. C. C. Miller, one of the best known superintendents in the State, was called to the head of the schools and under his broad and progressive administration the schools have attained a high standard of efficiency. In 1871 a new building was built on Pine street between High and North. This building was destroyed by the wind storm of 1898 and was replaced in 1900 by the present handsome structure. During the last quarter of a century many ward buildings have been built to meet the rapid growth of the schools and the year just closed has witnessed the completion of the new High School, which is accorded one of the finest in Ohio. In 1865 the first resident pastor of the parish of St. Rose's Catholic Church built a little frame schoolhouse in which the children of the parish were gathered. They were placed under the care of three ladies, Miss Richardson. Miss McGucken and Miss McGuire. In 1868 the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary took charge and were followed by the Franciscan Sisters, of Milwaukee. After these came the Dominican Sisters and these again were followed by the Sisters of Charity from Mount St. Joseph. 84 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY In 1889 the little frame schoolhouse, with its additions, was abandoned for the beautiful 10-room, brick structure on West street, just north of the church. This building is a standing monument to the labors and efforts of Rev. James O'Leary and to the generosity of St. Rose parish. In 1904 another new school building was built on McKibben street, to the rear of the church. The school in 1904-05 enrolled 512 children. St. John's Parochial School was erected on South Main street in 1901. It enrolled last year 258 children, who are under the able instruction of the Sisters of Charity. The Catholic schools maintain a high standard of excellence. Their teachers are finely educated and the intellectual progress in education is combined with the spiritual. Dr. William McHenry was Lima's second physician. He came in the month of May, 1834, soon after his graduation from the Philadelphia College of Medicine and began at once the practice of his profession. The lot of the pioneer doctor was as hard a one as could be found. The pools and ponds were full of stagnant water, which the driftwood and decaying vegetation rendered perfect breeders of disease, especially malaria. Dr. McHenry manfully met all demands upon his patience and skill, making himself at the same time the friend of all his patrons. In addition to his regular practice, he had almost all the cases of surgery within a radius of 20 miles for 10 years or more. On December 17, 1835, Dr. McHenry married Malvina Thompkins, sister of Daniel D. Thompkins. They made their wedding journey on horseback—as was the custom in those days—taking the trip to Xenia and return. The Doctor always kept pace with the times and was ever ready to adopt new remedies as soon as they had been thoroughly tested. He was a man of rare ability, a scholar of high order, a profound reasoner and was peculiarly concise in expression. He was watchful of the city's welfare, and was a warm advocate of any educational progress in the city. He died with the satisfaction of having done all he could for his day and generation, after having acquired a fortune by his industry, economy and honorable dealing. To Dr. and Mrs. McHenry were born nine children, five of whom survived him.—Mrs. Isaac Satherthwaite, of Lima ; Mrs. McCauley. of Detroit; Mrs. C. B. Shepler ; William T., of Lima, and Frank T., of St. Louis. Dr. McHenry died August 19, 1890, aged 78 years. His wife survived until 1892, being 75 years. of age. Dr. Samuel Sanford came to Lima in 1847 in company with Dr. N. B. Howard and es tablished a business in drugs, paints, oils, etc. In 1849 he married Jane, the second daughter. of William Scott, and began the practice of medicine, still retaining his interest in the drugstore. In several issues of the Lima Weekly Gazette of 1867 are accounts of the meetings of the Allen County Medical Society. Some familiar names among the members that are mentioned are : Drs. McHenry, Ashton, Neff, Thrift, Baxter and Hiner. William Scott came to Lima with his wife. in 1834, and established himself near the Market street bridge in East Lima. This bridge-was the subject of a great deal of controversy in its day, and "Uncle Joe" Hover was unmercifully ridiculed about it. One of the-earliest editions of our very first paper burst. forth into song as follows : O Joe, my Joe, dear Uncle Joe, How much we like your temper- It varies so from top to toe 'Tis much like t'other gender. O Joe, my Joe, dear Uncle Joe, Your fame is everlasting ; Your bridge stands there so high in air With scarcely any fastening. Mr. Scott owned all of the land that was: afterwards platted into town lots as "Scott's= Addition," together with lands east to the Lima Northern Railroad, and north to High street. He operated a sawmill, by means of water just above the bridge, and supplied the early settlers. with lumber. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 85 Among the items in the old Allen County records none are more interesting than those concerning the mills, bridges and roads. We read of Quilna, a friendly Indian, assisting the settlers to open a road to the mill at Wapakoneta. He surveyed the line of this 'road, without compass, using only his knowledge of different points and the Indian method of reaching them. This Quilna belonged to the Shawnee Indians, who in the month Of August, 1832, took up their line of march for the far West. The first bridge authorized by the commissioners of Allen County was at the session of December 4, 1839, when "Alexander Beatty reported the expenditure of fifty dollars in erecting a bridge over Little Hog Creek, where the road from Lima to Wapakoneta crosses said stream." Alexander Beatty was one of Allen County's early sheriffs and at the session of December 3, 1833, he and Daniel Musser and Griffith Breese were appointed commissioners to view a public road commencing at Lima and running to St. Marys--and again December 5, 1839, "Commissioners agreed to meet in Roundhead, Logan County, on the 2d day of January, A. D., 1840, for the purpose of proceeding to Columbus to examine the State and county buildings, in reference to erecting a Court House and Jail in Allen County, Ohio." We read further that Columbus was in those times as many days away from Lima as it now requires hours to traverse the distance. Robert Bowers in his reminiscences gives us an interesting picture, real or imaginary, of the road conditions of the early '30's. He says Lima had then "no outlet or inlet either by rail or earth. In the spring we traveled below, in the summer we traveled on top. As an illustration of the impassable condition of the roads, we would frequently pick up a hat, and upon close examination would find a man and a horse still further down. Our roads were trails and section lines. Emigrants were constantly changing the trails, seeking better and drier land for their footing 'and wheeling." Mr. Bowers gives us also a charming view of the domestic life of the times :—"The latchstring was always out and often the last pint of meal was divided regardless where the next would come from. The horse and hand-mill or the tin grater were always reliable and in constant use as the means of preparing our breadstuff. I was my father's miller, just the age to perform the task. My daily labor was to gather corn and dry it in a kiln, after which I took it on a grater made from an old copper kettle or tin bucket, and after supper made meal for the johnny cake for breakfast; after breakfast I made meal for the pone for dinner after dinner I made meal for the mush for supper. Our home was a cabin, containing parlor, kitchen and dining room. Connected was a shoe shop, also a broom and repair shop. To save fuel and light and to have everything handy, we had the whole thing in one room, which brought us all together so we could oversee each other better. After supper each 0ne knew his place. In our house there were four mechanics. I was a shoemaker and corn grater. My father could make a sledge and the other two boys could strip broom corn. My sisters spun yarn, and mother knit and made garments. Imagine you see us all at work. Sister Margaret sings a song, father makes chips and mother pokes up the fire. Isaac spins a yarn—John laughs at him—and thus our evenings were spent in our wild home, for we were all simple, honest people and feared no harm from our neighbors." Silas Faurot followed the trade of wheelwright, purchasing James S. Daniels' stock in 1839 or. 1840. He made spinning-wheels for the spinning of flax or wool. As every housewife did her own spinning then, the wheel business was almost as much of a fad as it now is. Each producer was also a manufacturer and consumer, so that political economy was not then the vexed problem that it is to-day. Mr. Faurot was elected justice of the peace soon after coming to Lima, and one of the first cases he had was the trial of two men for counterfeiting. Eli Manville and Titus Locy were the guilty ones. Amos Alfred was constable at the time and had brought the men 86 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY from the northern part of the State at the instance of J. W. King, who had been duped into accepting a counterfeit $100 bill. There was no jail strong enough to hold them, so they were quartered in Mr. Faurot's .house for a time. David Fay, a nephew of Mr. Faurot, occupied an upstairs room adjoining that of the prisoners. The poor child could not sleep and rose at 3 o'clock in the morning, starting down the stairs. A. J. Ward, Samuel Musser and C. E. Faurot were the guards and were armed to the teeth with billets of wood and iron pokers. There they stood ready to spring upon the poor youth, when luckily they discovered their mistake. Mr. Faurot, Crain Valentine, Samuel McClure, David Tracy and James S. Cheever went up to Fort Meigs on the Maumee River to hear General Harrison speak at a mass meeting held June 11, 1840. This little jingle compares very favorably with the campaign and poster poetry of to-day : There's ne'er a lass in all the land, Unless she's very silly, Will e'er refuse her heart and hand To him who fights for Willy. (The People's Choice, March 4, 1841.) The first hotel in Lima was kept by John P. Mitchell at the southeast corner of Market and Main streets, where the Union Block now stands. Another hotel keeper and also one of the true pioneers, was John Bashore, he being the seventh man to take up his abode in Lima. He brought his family in February of 1832. He was here at the sale of lots and had engaged workmen to build him a cabin. Upon arriving however, he was disappointed to find that no cabin had materialized. Dr. Cunningham, who had been here scarcely a month, with large and true-hearted hospitality characteristic of the man, took the Bashore family into his own cabin of two rooms. The cabin was without windows or doors, coverlets and carpets serving in their stead. "Doan" was then a baby of 18 months, and Mrs. Cunningham took her child in her arms, and climbed the ladder to the loft above, giving the room below to her unexpected guests. Kate Bashore was born in the Cunningham cabin March T0, 1832, being the second child born in Lima. Clementine Cunningham, now Mrs. W. K. Brice, was born the September following. Mr. and Mrs. Bashore were the parents of the following children : Mary B., born in Perry County, Pennsylvania, who died at Findlay; Edward Strohl, born at Findlay, who died at Lima February 20, 1892 ; Susannah Catherine, born March 10, 1832, and married to John Adams ; Elnora, born January 28, 1834, now Mrs. Cyrus Mowen ; John Washington, born 1836; William Jefferson, born March 5, 1837, who died December 18, 1869 ; Henrietta Malinda, born January 16, 1839, afterwards Mrs. J. C. Musser; and Harriet, born February 23, 1844, now Mrs. James Langan. Mr. Bashore kept hotel in Lima for a number of years. The old American House was located between Spring and Elm streets and furnished entertainment for "man and beast." The structure has long since been torn down and in later years the grounds passed into the hands of Judge Collett, who erected a pleasant home there. Mr. Bashore died at Lima April 13, 1849. He was a good man and a good citizen, beloved by all who knew him. His wife died August 10, 1891, having lived to see a village of a few souls grow into a prosperous city. Daniel Musser, in 1836, married Mrs. John P. Mitchell and kept hotel at the old Mitchell stand for a number of years. This was a favorite place for travelers and was one of the best buildings then in the town. Mr. Musser came to Lima in 1833 where he passed the remainder of his life. He was one of the pioneers who helped to hew the city out of the wilderness and his energy and enterprise made him for many years a central figure in the community. Many amusing incidents are told of "Uncle Dan," as he was familiarly called. He was a great huntsman and in his time killed many deer. They tell one story of his craftiness as a huntsman, or rather woodsman. Having been lost in his excursions for cattle which had strayed after wild pea-vines, his plan was to rush suddenly at his cattle and frighten them, whereupon they would make for AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 87 Lima. All Mr. Musser had to do to find himself at home, was to follow the cattle. To Mr. and Mrs. Musser were born Julius C., November 15, 1837; Lavinia, May 20, 1839, died March 1, 1845 ; Evelyn H., March, 1842, died January 15, 1847, and Harriet L. (Harrington). Mr. Musser sold his hotel to Hollias Fisher, whose daughter became the wife of that eminent man, Mathias H. Nichols. Among the regular boarders at Fisher's were the eccentric but gifted Abelard Guthrie, Gen. Lester Bliss, Julius C. Curtis, Moses B. Newman and Lorin Kennedy, all of whom were prominent men, well known to the oldest inhabitants. The general merchandise stores, of which there were three in the early '40's, embraced stock of rather a promiscuous and diversified nature. There were coonskins (which were then a legal tender for all they were worth), stoves, tinware, "stoga boots," pegged shoes for the women, Kentucky jeans, drugs, calicoes and other things. Productions of the farm lands were also kept. James Peltier, our first merchant, sold out to Henry Lippincott, and he in turn sold his stock to Daniel Musser, Sr. Mr. Musser built the first frame business room in Lima. It was afterwards known as "The Old Fort" and was situated on the northwest corner of Main and Market streets. Rev. John Alexander, who had been a missionary minister when the Indians inhabited the country, and Adgate Hoover were a mercantile firm occupying a room on the Public Square near Musser's tavern. These stores all extended credit, it being the general belief that there was no money in the country with which to pay for necessaries required for even the very limited wants of the people. Later, howver, J. W. King, a merchant from the East, appeared with a stock of goods well adapted to the needs of the country, and offered bargains for cash and cash only. His price rates tempted the people and brought forth hidden treasures from old stockings and other secret places. James Cunningham came to Allen County in the spring of 1833. He was one of Lima's early school teachers, became partner in a store and finally secured a position in the Land Office. under General Blackburn. At this time he was appointed colonel of the militia, whence his title. Colonel Cunningham was married February 1, 1837, to Martha Kennedy, only daughter of Thomas and Hannah Kennedy, who. came to Lima from Portage County in 1836. The Kennedy family consisted of the oldest son Russell, and Lorin, who was elected prosecuting attorney in 1837, at the time Colonel Cunningham was elected treasurer. The oldest son and the mother died in 1840. The most important events in Lorin Kennedy's life are told in the quaint and humorous. language of Mr. Williams, our first mayor and a royal gentleman of the old school. It is taken from his diary : "Jan. T0, 1843.—This, evening-we attend a Bridal party of our neighbors. Bachelor Lorin has concluded to take unto-himself a Rib at the ripe age of thirty-five. The wedding to be celebrated at J. C. Curtis, our next door neighbor." "Aug. 30, 1844.--This morning about five o'clock Lorin Kennedy, a lawyer, died at his residence on Elm street at the house we formerly owned and lived in. He has left an amiable and affectionate wife who will most truly feel and deeply mourn his loss." Mr. Kennedy was here. but a short time, but he made himself felt in the community. He was a remarkably bril liant man and fine lawyer. In 1849 Colonel Cunningham was elected to the State Senate on the Democratic ticket. He carefully studied the needs and wishes of the people, serving them with ability. He was an active Democrat all his life. He was at onetime provost marshal, and was succeeded in 1863 by Captain Brown. Colonel Cunningham bought the land now covered by South Lima, from the river, south,. 200 acres. The farm buildings were located upon what is n0w known as "Coulson's Hill." Here he resided until his death, March 15,. 1864. Mrs. Cunningham survived the hardships of pioneer life, and lived to see her family of eight children grown and settled in life. Colonel Cunningham was a representative pioneer, combining the qualities of hospitality 88 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY and liberality with the desire to do the best he could for his family, his neighbors and his friends. Another prominent name in the early official history of Lima is that of Richard Metheany. He was born June 16, 1805, and died June 22, 1879. The following review of his life is taken from the tribute delivered by T. E. Cunningham at the funeral of Mr. Matheany, which occurred on Wednesday, June 25, 1879. "In the month of March, 1844, he came to Lima from his farm three miles north of Wapakoneta, which at that time was within the territorial boundaries of Allen County. Under the old judicial system, he was appointed to be clerk of the courts, in place of John Alexander, who had just died. Mr. Metheany was then less than forty years old, mild in his manners, but always self-sustained and dignified. He fast won the respect and affections of the people, and, happier in this respect than most men who are in public life, he retained the public esteem without abatement, until the end of his life. He remained in the clerk's office until 1852, when his office was terminated by the operation of the new constitution of the State. At this juncture the Ohio & Indiana Railroad was projected and Mr. Metheany at once comprehended its importance as a link of the great thoroughfare, which the near future was to realize in the great road which now connects the valley of the Mississippi with the Atlantic seaboard. He was the right-hand man of Judge Hanna, of Fort Wayne, who was the inspiring genius of this great work. The road could not be built unless the counties would lend their credit and to the difficult task of securing this county, Mr. Metheany bent every energy of his mind and heart. Dr. McHenry was a noble coadjutor in the work of bringing public opinion in favor of the project, and success crowned their efforts. The magnificent railroad from Pittsburg to Fort Wayne is one of the monuments he aided to build in his life, which living after him perpetuates one of the results of his labors. "In 1855 Mr. Metheany was elected to the office of county auditor, the duties of which, for one term, he discharged with singular fidelity. After this he embarked in business and remained in business until a few months past. But while in business he was repeatedly chosen to be mayor, justice of the peace, and member of the School Board, until at last he refused any further public employments. "But it was in his social life that Mr. Metheany was loved the most. His kind and genial face was always shining for his friends. He always had a good word with which to encourage his weaker neighbors, and no worthy object of charity was ever dismissed empty-handed from his presence. "On the 16th of June, 1836, he was married to Esther Ann Levering, daughter of Judge Charles Levering, one of the associate judges of the county, and together they climbed the hill of life for more than 40 years. Twelve children were born to them and 11 are here, with their mother, with bowed heads before their father's coffin. The other one, with three of his grandchildren, 'met 'him last Sabbath when it was afternoon here, but there it was in the perpetual morning of Eternity." John Meily was born at Lebanon, Penn. sylvania, December 15, 1817, and died at Lima, December 25, 1883. His wife, Catherine Fisher, was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1820. They were married in Mansfield, Ohio, December 3, 1839. Mr. Meily was part owner of a foundry in Mansfield, but sold out and moved to Lima in 1845, when the town was but a little village. It was at that time that our second Court House, which used to stand at the corner of Main and Market streets, and which by its grand Doric columns put to shame the unpretentious log dwellings of the town, was new and the pride of the county. Mr. Meily's eldest daughter Olivia cried to live in that edifice, but her vaulting ambition had to content itself by living in a little log hut of no particular style of architecture. Olivia, however, lived to become the wife of one of Ohio's noted United States Senators. When Mr. Meily came to Lima, he followed the trade of weaver for two or three years, weaving coverlids and carpets. These cover- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 89 lids now pass for examples of American tapestries. Afterwards he engaged in the foundry and brick business. To Mr. and Mrs. Meily were born the following children : Olivia (Brice), Luther, married to Miss Young, Anna Eliza (Freeman), —these three born in Mansfield ; Ringgold, married to Miss Orbison, George Henry, married to Miss Tucker, Frances Josephine (Orr), Harriet Amelia (Motter), Mary Vanda (Irwin) and Sarah Elizabeth, who died in 1887 at the age of 24. Luther passed away in 1894. Mr. Meily was at one time township clerk, receiving $8 a year. That was in our infant days. Later he was clerk of the court. Judge Mackenzie says of him : "He was firm and steady in his opinions and thinkings, and sometimes apt to express himself with severity of indignation at what he judged to be public or private wrong; but I have rarely known a man more free from all malice and personal to neighbor or citizen than the deceased or who thought more kindly or generously of others. He was in force of character all he aimed to appear, of simple manners, of good intellect, not ambitious, of strong sense, and fair and genrrous judgment, a kind neighbor and an unselfish friend." John P. Haller was for several years connected with Lima's municipal affairs. He was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and was the son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Beck) Haller, who came to Ohio in 1835, and to Allen County in 1839. Our subject, who was educated in the c0untry schools, studied civil engineering under Mr. Washburn. He was elected county surveyor in 1850 and re-elected in 1853 and 1856, serving nine years. In 1861 he was elected county auditor, re-elected in 1863, continuing in same until 1866. From 1866 to 1870 he was employed by the City Council as engineer. In 1880 he was elected city engineer and re-elected in 1882 and 1884. He was also contractor for a number of years and built the first large brick schoolhouse in the city—the old West Building, one of the most substantial ever constructed. His name appears as contractor for the first County Infirmary built in 1856-57. He finished the front of the old Court House, putting up its Doric columns and stone steps, and laid the large brick sewer running from High street through Main street and the Public Square to the creek. In excavating for this sewer the workmen came upon logs in a good state of preservation, which had been thrown in years before to help fill up the Square. The sewer is five feet in diameter and upon its completion Mr. Haller gave it final inspection by walking through it from beginning to end. He died June 3, 1886. CHAPTER VI A CHAPTER OF REMINISCENCES BY DR. SAMUEL A. BAXTER. Deer Hunting in Lima—A Great Nimrod—Samuel McClure and the Honey—Josh Hover's Pranks—Friendly Intercourse with the Indians—Fun at School—An Old-Time Political Jollification—The Pioneer Gentlemen in Full Dress—Pauper Poor Sold at Auction —A Pioneer School Teacher—"Caesar and the Devil's Gait"—Going to Mill—An Experience with Fire-Water—Quilna, the Friend of the White Man-Mrs. Baxter and the Soap—Judge Metcalf and His Virginia Story—An Accident to the Supreme Court—Dr. Baxter's Famous Accounts of Lima's First Circus and of The Democratic Ox Roast—Recollections of E. T. Cole—Robb's Revenge—The First Allen County Fair—The Old Sulphur Spring. The old settler, in the matter of tall stories, distances all competitors. A pioneer who has not an Indian, panther, or wolf story, which for blood-curdling details surpasses all other stories of the like, is not a pioneer worthy of the name. It was the writer's good fortune to come upon a party of these "old boys," while they were holding a festival of reminiscences. "What's come o' old man so and so ?" and "Don't you recollect" prefaced all remarks. And then the stories—I cannot begin to recollect the half of them, but I caught several that may serve to "drive dull care away" for a few minutes at least. It is impossible to give you the animated faces and hearty laughter of these "lads" of the proverbial three score and ten. No "old fellow had got mixed with the boys." The years had rolled back and they were 20 again, back in the golden age of their lives. All of these men had slain the graceful deer, and had hobnobbed with "Lo" in his native simplicity, before he, for gold, had humbled himself to become a part of the "great and only Wild West." They had fought their country's battles, with credit to themselves and great discomfiture to their foes. Of these famous Nimrods few are left to tell the stirring tales of early days. As late as 1834, Daniel Musser killed two deer on the present site of Lima ; one where the factory of The Deisel-Wemmer Company now stands, the other where the old West School Building stood. Joseph Ward shot two deer one evening within a few minutes of each other, and Mr. Williams, our first mayor—whowas the sportsman par excellence of the town—mentions in his diary the killing of a deer with 13 prongs to its antlers. Hunting consumed much valuable time, but the law of compensation was as active then as now and the balsamic-odors of the woods, the clear blue of the sky, the beautiful verdure of the meadows could not have failed to have a salutary effect upon the huntsman. Mr. Williams spent the most of his life hunting and driving and no one could better il- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 94 lustrate the benefits of such a life than he. His whole being seemed a part of Nature. He was a rare pantheist and his life was a continued thanksgiving that the world had been so kind. During the first year or two of our settlement there was little else to do besides hunt. The men often spent a great deal of time hunting bee trees. These trees were hollow and were filled with honey left by the wild bees. The trees were cut down, the honey strained and used. Mr. Ward's father shipped two barrels of honey to Urbana, for which he received 50 cents a gallon. Samuel McClure found a great lot of honey which was not fit to eat, and he made it into a drink called "methelgin," which affected one as quickly as whisky and in somewhat the same way. It is needless to say it was a prime favorite with the Indians. Josh Hover was the greatest of wags. There was nothing he would not do when bantered to, and no reminiscence would be complete without one or two of Josh's pranks. He is a bright spot on the mental horizon of the "oldest inhabitant." One day when the rain was descending in that peculiarly steady and soaking fashion common in this locality, Cole Pangle made the offer of half a dollar to any one who would go out and sit in the middle of the Square for half an hour. Josh got up, filled and lighted his pipe, took his chair, and proceeded to earn his s0 cents. The Indians as a rule were very friendly to the whites and particularly so to the young boys of the settlement. W. H. C. Mitchell used to accompany them on their hunting expeditions when he was but a lad of seven or eight years. When he became tired, the chief Quilna would carry him on his back. The Indian traded with the settler much to the advantage of the latter ; often in exchange for a. cup of salt, the settler would receive an entire deer. When Flit or Fallen Timber died, the entire male population for miles around attended his funeral. The chief was buried near the old Council House in Shawnee township. His wife and daughter dug the grave ; split puncheons were used for a coffin, and a large number of trinkets were cast into the grave. After the burial, a beef was killed and a feast held - 5 - after the custom of the Indians. Mr. Mitchell, together with his father and some neighbors,. took dinner at the home of Little Fox, and Mr.. Mitchell says it was as good a meal as lie ever ate. When Mr. Richardson taught school in and old building where A. N. Smith's foundry afterward was, the pupils had some merry, times. Geese at that stage in the town's development ran at will over the village and were regarded as common property ; the first one get-, ting the eggs possessed them in fee simple. One: old goose had a nest in the shavings under. Edmuned S. Linn's wood-pile, where Musser'si house afterward stood. One noon the boys;. and girls saw the goose go onto her nest, but as luck would have it the academy bell just then, pealed out its unwelcome call to duty and the children were compelled to obey the summons,, as the schoolmaster was a stern disciplinarian,. whose word was law. But there was little studying done that afternoon. Had the goose! been of the golden egg variety, she would not have been the subject of greater solicitude. As soon as school was dismissed there was a stam- pede made for the nest, Will Watt and Pauline Tompkins taking the lead. After a struggle. short but exciting, Watt won, and taking the prize home he cooked it, generously dividing it with his brother Jack. In 1848 when the Whig President, Zachary Taylor, was elected, there was a jollification meeting held in the Public Square, con-. ducted by W. H. C. Mitchell. They had gum sycamore tree, T0 barrels of tar and three-. or four loads of fire-balls. It was near mid--night and most of the crowd had dispersed.. Hance Crookstan, his brother Tom, Miller Soules, George Saint, E. P. and E. S. Cole, Jake Watt and little Sammie Baxter with a. few others were still on the ground waiting, as. did the immortal Micawber, "for something to turn up." Unlike that unfortunate gentleman's. experience, what they waited for did happen and in this wise : An old one-horse wagon came; in sight filled with a crowd, of fellows who at. once began to bother the town boys and wanted to fight. The captain of the crowd got down, from the wagon and said he would whip the 92 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY "hull" crowd. The boys after a council of war decided to accept the challenge. Six or eight armed themselves with stones and because he 'was the youngest and the smallest they put Baxter forward to give the lid to their opponents. Samuel stepped to the front and yelled, "You lie and dassent take it up" and -then the fun began. The captain landed several 'telling blows on poor Baxter, whereupon there developed a general free-for-all fight. The doughty captain was pounded into something bearing a strong resemblance to jelly. His friends put him into the wagon and started for Allentown. The next day he left for Wisconsin and has never been heard of since. The pioneer gentlemen in full dress made a handsome picture—"Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these:" There was the blue broadcloth coat with brass buttons, 'white vest, yellow buckram trousers, low shoes, white socks, white beaver hat, and a black silk stock about four inches high around -the neck, surmounted by a white collar. The outfit was pretty, was always constructed of the richest material, was very generally worn and always accompanied by a gold-headed cane. In those days there was no County Infirmary, nor comfortable Children's Home and it frequently happened that the pauper poor—men, women and children—were sold at auction at the door of the Court House in Lima. Rev. Constant Southworth taught a winter term of school in the Presbyterian Church in 1836-37, which was in some respects at least the counterpart of Dickens' "Dotheboy's Hall." On warm days he brought a yoke of oxen to school, with which he demonstrated natural philosophy. After warming up the boys and oxen, by having them hustle the logs about on the adjacent lots, the pupils were treated to learned dissertations on the inclined plane, and :many more interesting things which, no doubt, failed to make a lasting impression upon the youthful minds of the day. Mr. Southworth combined, with this practical school of his, instruction on the peripatetic plan, for while the boys were plowing the girls took lessons in botany, which consisted in roaming at will through the fields plucking spring beauties and anemones. The following story of Dr. Cunningham is one which illustrates the dry humor of the man : After an arduous day's work he was summoned to make a call five miles away. His horse, having gone hard all day, did not start out with the alacrity the messenger wished, who called Out : "Doc, you must ride like the devil, she's awful sick." "Well," replied the Doctor, "I don't know his gait, but you try it, and old Caesar and I will try to imitate you the best we can." In 1843 or 1844 the creek had gone dry as it often did in the summer. The water-mills had stopped grinding and the people went hungry until the horse or ox-mills did the grinding. One day the bread gave out at the home of John Fay and David, one of the boys, had shelled the corn and started out early in the morning with the corn loaded on horseback, toward Carnes' mill, some seven miles distant, northeast of Lima. David had to wait all day for his flour, and left the mill just at dusk. He was a timid child and the prospect was anything but pleasant. The way lay through a dense forest most of the distance, and the report that a panther had been seen lurking in that part of the country added to the terror of his night's ride ; every rustle of the leaves, every sound in the underbrush, had the effect of raising the poor boy's hair on his .head. The little fellow got safely home, and no doubt the necessity of doing his duty, although it was hard, prepared him for many experiences in after life. It was in such a school that these early settlers were trained, and it developed in them that sterner stuff from which heroes are made. Cooking in the pioneer families was done by means of a fireplace. Ask any old settler, and he will tell you that nothing can rival in flavor the corn cakes spread on a board and baked before the fire. The following story is told of "Lo," which goes to confirm the saying that the only good Indian is a dead one. One day in the fall of 1841, attention was attracted by a noise in the AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 93 rear of Musser's tavern. Upon investigation there was discovered an Indian who had 'taken a drop too much of fire-water, and the mental aberration induced thereby caused him to rest his head between the two upper bars of the gate. He was slowly hut surely choking to death, being too far gone to assist himself in the least. He bellowed like the scriptural bull of Bashan, and his roaring aroused the cattle in the adjoining stables who caught up the refrain, and pandemonium reigned supreme. The noise brought all the people in the village, both Indians and whites, to the scene, and as soon as it was ascertained what the matter was, the 'captive was released and went on his way, if not exactly rejoicing, a sadder and a wiser man. Mathias H. Nichols, vividly remembered by but few, was perhaps the brightest as well as the most prominent citizen of the county 50 years ago. He was nominated and elected to Congress at 26 years of age and was twice reelected. Michael Leatherman was the first probate judge under the new constitution, and was also a member of the Legislature. Nichols used to tell this story : He was traveling through the country on horseback, when at an awful mud-hole he found Leatherman sitting in a horseless buggy sound asleep. After considerable effort he aroused the sleeper. Rubbing his eyes, Leatherman remarked : "Well, Nick, if I'm Mike Leatherman, I've lost a horse. If I'm not Mike Leatherman, I've found a buggy." Leatherman and John Collett occupied the same office. In order that each might have a key they put two locks on the door. Mike went out, locked the door and John crawled out the window. Quilna, one of the Indians, was a very smart and crafty old man. Mr. Breese made a bargain with the old chief whereby he was to give Quilna a hog in exchange for a deer, which was to be a young fat doe. Quilno killed the deer, but hung it in the woods for two or three days until it commenced to turn. The hog therefore was not forthcoming. Mr. Breese explained why he Aid not want the deer, but Quilna pretended not to understand. "He fat," said the chief. "Yes," responded Mr. Breese. "He doe." "Very true," admitted Breese. "He young," continued the Indian. "Yes, I'll admit that, but I don't want it, it's bad, it doesn't smell good." Quilna seemed sunk in a deep quandary, but finally gave a grunt of satisfaction, saying, "Ah, me know, he too dead." The Baxter and Mealy families were the best of friends, and at one time lived together in the same dwelling. Mrs. Baxter had an old woman who used to come and help her about the house. She never demanded cash payment for her labors but always wanted some commodity in exchange for her toil. As she finished one day, Mrs. Baxter said : "Well, Auntie, what shall I give you for your day's work ?" The old lady said she would like to have some soap with which to wash her clothes. Mrs. Baxter responded that she had no -good soap, that what she had come from the ashery and made the clothes yellow. Mrs. Meily, hearing the conversation, sent downstairs by her daughter Olivia (afterward Mrs. Calvin S. Brice) some soap which she had just made. Mrs. Baxter took the soap, and turning to the old lady said : "Auntie, the Lord has heard you and sent you some soap." "Why, he didn't, either," said the child, "my mother sent it." She did not propose that Providence should get. the credit that was due her mother. The late Judge Metcalf would relate the following : Under the ancient regime in good old Virginia, the mother of States and of lawyers, the fundamental law of that Commonwealth raised the senior justice of the peace of the county to the dignity of sheriff. An old gentleman, who had passed through the several grades of justice and finally attained to the office of sheriff, determined to cast his lot across the border on Ohio soil and engage in law practice. With this view, and under the impression that by virtue of the official experience above mentioned, he would be competent to discharge the duties of an attorney before any Ohio court, he confidently demanded admission to the bar in the county he had selected for his residence. He was advised, however, that under the Ohio system it would be necessary to 94 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY pursue a course of study with a preceptor, which would entitle him in due form to be admitted to the bar. He accordingly entered his name but being under the firm conviction that he possessed a better knowledge of law than the Ohio attorneys he put very little time in study. At the end of the two years he presented himself to the committee of the bar. A few questions relating to elementary principles of law were put to him which he was unable to answer satisfactorily. The Virginian, finally, in much perplexity observed : "I tell you what it is, gentlemen, I never did pretend to be much of a Blackstun lawyer, but you once take me on the Virginny statoots, and you'll find me thar." He retired from the disgusting ordeal in high and dignified dudgeon. When an early term of the Supreme Court was held at Findlay, Judge Wood presiding, he in company with the usual party of lawyers left Findlay for Defiance and Kalida. Their law-books, papers, etc., were carried around with them and were packed in saddle-bags, which were thrown across the backs of the horses. At a certain house they halted to get some water to wash down their "drink." Hitching their horses to the outside of the fence, the party went inside the yard. One of the horses reached his nose over and upset a bee-hive which stood pust inside, upon which ensued a lively scene. The horses made for "tall timber," scattering saddle-bags and contents far and wide. The court pursued the fugitive horses, recovering them only after much delay and racing through the woods and after much fretting and fuming. The "library," saddle-bags, and bridles also, had suffered much damage. LIMA'S FIRST CIRCUS. It was in August of 1850, just 55 years ago this month, that the coming of the first circus caused such a flutter of excitement throughout Lima. The bill posters came into the little straggling village without warning one summer morning, and by night their wonderful banners were on the outer walls of the whole town. Maybe the posters were not as large as those employed at the present, maybe the drawing was not so artistic, nor the blending of the colors so harmonious as critics of the present day might demand, but in that happier time they left nothing to be desired. It really seemed that every dead wall, every fence, every surface which could carry a poster had been drafted into service; and there was a gorgeous, bewildering, extravagant, but delirious promise of joy, wherever the eye might turn. How well I remember those pictures ; the three stupendous elephants, dancing in an apparent delight, which tallied with the genuine pleasure they inspired ; the great golden chariot, which linked this coming marvel with the magnificence of King David ; William Strong,. the daring four-horse rider, who set the older boys to trying such feats as cost them many a fall ; Yankee Sullivan, the great American clown, who was funny even in this counter feit presentment. And there were ponies so small and so, beautiful that it seemed not impossible that they might trot right down from their place in the printed bills to become our pets and companions. There were acrobats doing feats which the Hercules of that distant day confessed himself unable to accomplish. There were pictured young women with skirts astonishingly short, and with such wealth of gauzy finery as convinced us that they must be more than human. Men stood and gazed at these posters, forgetting that circuses were most immoral. Children ran away from. school and crept with some difficulty through the groups of men about the bill-boards. Women, for once, like the Priest and the Levite,. passed by on the other side, and only the bravest among them glanced across, for they might not expect the rewards of virtue if they shared the delights of sin. The circus came from the West. Allentown, four miles out, was the gathering point for scores of young men that morning. It was. the home of Major General Blackburn, commander of the Militia in Northwestern Ohio, and the circus must pass his place. That wel coming delegation, that escort company, was an excited throng. Wagers were offered that: AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 95 the mighty elephants would break through the bridge at Hog Creek, and all were sadly disappointed when the intelligent creatures took to the water, waded across and continued their journey. The country was new. Forests stretched endlessly in every direction. The roads kept to the high places where possible, finding security at the expense of distance, or when a swamp must be crossed the cheap device of corduroys jolted the vehicles to firmer ground. The escort company came hurrying along with the elephants and wagons, keeping alongside, commenting between breaths and telling to their belated comrades the sights they had seen. The tent was pitched on an open common where the crossing of High and Elizabeth streets falls now. Ah ! What a crowd was there! Where they came from in that day of scattered settlements, I cannot understand. Perhaps there were not so many as there seemed. But it was a host—and every member was devoted to a day of -pleasure unalloyed. Will Watt had no money ; but his native ingenuity got him on the enchanted ground, and into the enchanted tent and his native fortitude carried him through the walloping that followed when the day was done. Martha Richardson's father took her to the "show," and she has confessed in later years that she has never been nearer Heaven than on that wondrous day. It was a fair morning and the young women wore their finery. The young men dressed in their Sunday clothes. They strolled about the unpaved streets, went in and out of the meagre stores, fell into groups and greeted friends ; but mainly kept the big flapping tent of the circus in sight. Some of the men drank more than they should. Some tried their luck at games and -tricks which shrewd strangers brought, and were despoiled of their money. But when the moment came for opening the doors, all common things were forgotten in the rush for entrance. There was a strange mass about the ticket wagon, where a most deft man made change, and then it was a nervous excited column, kept into limits by the waist-high ropes and directed through the labyrinths of canvas to the new world of a circus interior. Before the tardy ones came in, the rain began to fall. It was a mild and unimportant shower at first, then it swelled into a storm, and the drenching sluices of the rain poured against the tent. The wind blew but not enough to frighten. And in this wonderland the show went on. In the precious half hour that preceded the play, we wandered about and looked at the "great menagerie." It must have been slender enough in all conscience, but everything was wonderful. And when the seats were filled, when all the unbacked benches stretching in a rising slope from earth to the distant wind-swept eaves of the tent were occupied, there came that blast of music from the band, and then the "Grand Entrance." The women with silks and velvets and much finery, with cheeks marvelously red, and with a grace unspeakable, the men in coats of gorgeous hue, with gold and silver lavishly adorning them, the horses with such saddles and such bridles as Northwestern Ohio had not seen, the band with melodies that finished and completed all our transports of delight, and the circus had begun. The strident cries of the impertinent young men, selling confections or summer drinks, had ceased. The wind might blow, the rain might fall, the world might cease its revolution, nothing could disturb the deep and rooted fascination of the show. The feats of jugglery ; the man who rode the four horses and lashed them till they seemed to fly like light about the ring ; the strong man who challenged any one to lift his weights ; the women who rode horses and blew kisses from their fingertips to the young men best attended. No one can tell it all. It is not a thing of earth to be reduced to ink and type. And it was all over at last. The clown had sung his last song and had "cracked" his last joke. The boy with his candies and the sharper with his tools were again at work. But the crowd drifted past them. Women were drenched, for the rain had come through the 96 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY canvas which may have been rent and torn. Men were muddy, and not so patient as they might have been. The ground outside was spongy from the storm, and trodden into mire by unnumbered feet. The drooping horses, waiting shelterless, were ready for the heavy home journey. And then came the hour for settling scores. Boys who ran away must pay the penalty. Women who had gone must pass the gauntlet of reproving eyes as they hurried home with feathers draggled. Men who knew it was immoral must make apologies as they could. It was rather the greater half of the price they paid. And then the circus ground next day ! Sand's Circus was way to the east—maybe Sandusky way. But there was the common earth which had been Elysian fields but yesterday. The ring was marvelously smaller. The pegs were still standing in many places. The great hole where the center pole had stood was now filled with water. But from these meagre things we reconstructed in fancy the marvel of it all. We came in at the place where a maze of canvas walls had been confused as yesterday. We ran about the ring which was almost hallowed ground but yesterday. And we explored the spaces where the "dressing room," mystery of mysteries, had stood. We picked up relics of the great event. A jack knife some swain had dropped ; a breast pin which some lady was regretting, and one boy won enduring fame by finding, near where the ticket wagon had been, a soaked and rumpled dollar bill. Backward, turn backward, 0 time in your flight And bring back that circus, just for one night. The city of Lima has long been distinguished or the number of professional men who have become leading citizens, and an example is found in the late Samuel A. Baxter, who was born in Washington County, Maryland, September 26, 1807, and was a son of Samuel A. Baxter. The traveler today along the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia and in the Carolinas will meet Baxters in every community, most frequently in the professions, and these undoubtedly came from the same old. English stock, whence descended the late Samuel A. Baxter. In his early youth the boy learned the trade of hatter and furrier, one which required both taste and skill, when all the work was done by hand. That he was unusually competent was demonstrated by the fact of a position seeking him instead of his seeking the place. While purchasing a stock of goods for his employer, in an Eastern city, his thorough knowledge of the business so impressed a hatter and furrier of Lancaster, Ohio, who was there on the same errand, that he offered the management of his business to the competent young man. The latter accepted and hastened to make his arrangements. It is related that as another young man was making the same trip they arranged that one horse should carry them both, they alternately riding and walking. When Mr. Baxter reached Lancaster, he was pleased with the prospect offered, took charge of the business and subsequently purchased it. However, while succeeding materially as well as he could expect, his ambitions were not satisfied, his aspirations leading to a professional life. Meeting with encouragement from that able lawyer, Ex-Governor William Medill, he began to study law in the intervals, when business duties permitted. In 1838 he came to Lima, still carrying his law books with his hat boxes, and opening a hat store here he still pursued his law studies, supplementing them with a winter of lectures in. Cincinnati. He was admitted to the bar in 1847, having closed out his mercantile interests in the previous year. From that time until the close of his busy life, he continued in the practice of the law at Lima, reaching a considerable degree of distinction. He became a man of large property interests, was thoroughly identified with all the city's public enterprises and was noted for his largesses to the poor. Mr. Baxter was twice married ; first, in 1833, to Nancy Mason. They had three children, the two survivors being Alfred C. and. AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 97 Samuel A. The mother died in 1862. He married, for his second wife, Annie M. Mason, and they had one daughter, Nancy M. THE DEMOCRATIC OX ROAST. (As told at the Pioneer Picnic.) I one time heard Sam Jones, the notorious, if not famous, lecturer, say to a magnificent audience that "he had been a Democrat as long as any decent, self-respecting, upright, honest Christian gentleman could be a Democrat, and then he left the party." As usual there was a loud-mouthed fellow in the audience who yelled out, "and turned Republican." To which Sam made quick reply, "No; thank God, I was never mean enough to be a Republican." Well, the conditions Sam named for leaving the Democratic party have not been quite reached from my standpoint, although they often get pretty close to the edge. I am, at least, near enough to my old love to claim the privilege of not spoiling a story because it's my own tribe and kindred. Being a farmer myself, I claim the farmer's privilege of calling things by their right names in this talk ; and shall so do. You will learn, however, before this thing is finished, that my idea of farm life is not so hilarious as that of the little boy who came out from town to spend a few days with his uncle, over here on the Auglaize, and wrote to his anxious mother : "I got here all right, but I forgot to write before. A feller and I went out in a boat and the boat tipped over and a man got me out. I was so full of water that I didn't know anything for a long time. The other boy has to be buried after they find him. A horse kicked me over and I've got to have some money for fixin' my head. We are goin' to set a barn on fire to-night, and I should smile if we don't have some bully fun. I am goin' to bring home a tame wood-chuck if I can get him in my trunk." Speaking of farms and farmers, I am looking forward with a great deal of interest to the time when our burthens will be made a great deal lighter. Already we have the telephone,. electric lines, mail delivery, and now some-fellow says that invention of the Devil, that. thing that was conceived in iniquity, born in. sin and that has given rise to more profanity and is a greater nuisance than all the Canada thistles that ever sprouted—the A:: tomobileis to be our very best friend. That is where I draw the line. Only think of it ; after we have plowed all day, or raked the hay in the meadows gay, from early morn to close of day, we can, instead of going to bed, don our automobile clothes, jump into our "Red Devil," "White Destroyer" or "Blue Demon," and whirl away to the town or city, where the beer flows freely and the mint julep sheds its fragrance on the air. We can enter the club and have a game of checkers or poker, according to taste, discuss the political situation, get home in time to go to bed before breakfast, while the "auto" can be attached to the family churn, or grindstone or feed cutter, thus utilizing its power day or night. When these suggestions are acted on by the farmers, a nice, tame, gentle, kindly disposed automobile will be worth more than all the other. stock on the farm. A 33d degree pioneer, having lived here since the beginning of time so far as I am concerned, and hoping to stay until the day of judgment so far as I am concerned, I claim the privilege of telling my pioneer story in my own way, and in accordance with exact facts. It will not go down in history as a "classic," but as a simple tale—the tail of an ox. "Would I live my life over again?" What? And go through the mumps, measles, itch, stumped toes, stone bruises, boils where I sit down, toothache, worms and ague ; work on old Elliott's farm for board, clothes and three months' schooling in winter ; get up at 4 a. m., walk out to the barn through the lovely, oozey mud and so forth, and feed the sweet pigs and squeeze a little milk out of dear old "bossy ;" split half a cord of wood and pile it in the kitchen ; eat with the appetite of a roaring lion a delightfully informal breakfast 98 - HISTORY OF ALLEN COUNTY of leathery flap-jacks and fried pig; flee again as a bird to the barn, yoke up the oxen and 'harrow the sea of mush known as the "back 40" before dinner ; gulp down some more pig, lot biscuit half-done and half pearl ash, and 'repeat the harrowing process in, the afternoon? Not any more of that kind of sweet and gentle repose for me. To live over again all that species of humming bird gossip, that travels with eagle -wings and has a voice like a fog-horn, and that has caused more trouble than all the bedbugs, licks, fleas, lice, flies, mosquitoes, rattlesnakes, grass hoppers and blizzards this great United States have ever known, or will know when the universe shuts up shop and begins the final invoice. From these manifold evils, O Lord, deliver your humble servant. To have to learn over again how many 'kinds of a fool a fellow can be and not half :try. No! No! It would be a bore to travel again the weary, tortuous road, more especially if one would have to be haunted his allotted time by the memory of that famous Democratic ox roast. Never heard of the "ox roast?" Why that event will go down in history, and is one of the things that happened in my career, that whenever memory is mean enough to "hike" lack to it makes me feel like accepting at any time, Gabriel's bugle-call with perfect satisfaction. The campaign was an exciting one, and 'both parties were well lined up for the fray. At the north end of the Square floated the proud pennant of pure Democracy at the tip of a tall hickory—at the south end, the opposition bade defiance from an equally tall cash. An amiable rivalry, a desire to outdo the other fellows, alas and alack, an o'erweening ambition to do things up so magnificently that our political opponents would bow their heads in sorrow, resulted in Democracy's humiliation and their rivals' exultation. Sam Collins, then as now, was an ardent Democrat, always willing to do something for the good of the cause. He wasn't much on the talk ; couldn't fling beautiful sentences, rounded periods, flights of eloquence and freaks of oratory from his tongue's end on slight provocation, but he could invent ways and methods for entertaining crowds and influencing voters. He is with us to-day, loved, honored and respected. When he is laid away, it can be said of him what can be said of few of us. "The world was better by reason of his having lived." Instigated by the Devil, or having looked at the new moon over his left shoulder or met a cat on the stair-case, Editor Dave Fisher of the Allen County Democrat, published an account of a Kentucky barbecue. The description of the fragrant burgoo, the juicy joints of meat, the good bread and butter, the fine tasting pickles and the aroma from the steaming coffee, made Uncle Sam Collins' mouth water, and he resolved on a grand Democratic rally, an ox roasted whole, the crowning event, the multitude fed and another glorious Democratic victory in little Allen. With much sign of importance and a large draping of dignity, preliminaries were held in which committees were appointed and glory was bundled up in small packages to be delivered to the heads of the Sanhedrim. Your humble servant was assigned to the "COMMITTEE ON BANQUET," with large capital letters, the accessories in outrage being Sam Collins, Dave Fisher, Bill Richardson and Jim Townsend, the last named being then a young and tender but most promising statesman, with buds all over him that seemed ready to burst into full bloom at the very next refreshing political shower, and who was largely responsible for the whole "blasted" business. In view of subsequent events, as has already been shadowed forth in this story, I can say in all truthfulness that right then and there would have been a good time for me to have taken passage with old Charon across the river Styx, or any other wet boundary between this and the "Big Divide." Many of us stay too long on this side any- AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS - 99 how, and when one has to be haunted all the way through a busy and bothersome life with such memories as of that ox roast, it is one too many horses on him—night horses at that. That things might be done in perfect style, and worth while, we sent a commissioner clown to Kentucky to secure the services of a real live Kentucky colonel, who knew all about the barbecue business and then some more. He came, and he was "IT." He was for several days the advance agent of the show. He was tall and typical. His frock coat and broad slouch hat, his high-heeled boots and spring-bottomed trousers, his long and rebellious black hair, his able-bodied and roseate nose, his "Yes-suh" and "No-suh" were all "thar," and he was the observed of all observers. What he did not know about roasting an ox had yet to be dug out of the opaque hereafter. He buttoned his coat about his manly chest, told of his "pusn'l acquaintance" with Tom Marshall, Henry Clay, George D. Prentice, and other great men of that land of orators and oratory, beautiful women, fast horses and bourbon whiskey, but boasted especially of his friendship for "Harry of the West," the greatest orator of them all ; for Marshall, the wit and "ablest clrinkah on earth," and particularly for Prentice, "who notwithstanding his opposition to Democracy finally saw the error of his way, and was the most remarkable editor that evah slung a quill, suh." He informed me privately that it had often been his pleasure to dance with Prentice's lovely daughters. I discovered in after years that Prentice had no daughters. In the hiatus between the glimpses of glory and the awful sequel, the Colonel, a personification of self-satisfied and yet unobtrusive conceit, spent the greater part of his time at old Mad Anthony's saloon, swallowing processions of whiskey straights and chasing them down with rear guards of anything else that was "spirituous." The time was September, in one' of those seasons when the summer had laid up an over-plus of hot weather to be crowded into the end of dog days. It was intensely hot—that kind of hot that only comes in September when all the earth is parched, cracked, dry, dusty, dirty, when vegetable decay has reached its zenith, nasty hot—that kind of hot that makes one feel mean enough to say ugly things to his mother-in-law, when perspiration will neither dry up nor wipe off, when dogs are too lazy to hunt a bone, when chickens crawl under the barn too indolent to cackle and inform their husbands when they have laid an egg; so hot that you wish you might sit in your bones ; so blankety hot, that hell, as described by my Hard-shell Baptist friend, lost all its terrors. The slaughter house was over in the northwestern part of town, on the Cairo road. There was no effort made in those day to utilize any part of an animal except the solid meat; all other parts were tumbled wherever most convenient for them to land, and the whole field was covered with an assortment of heads, hoofs, horns, legs and inwards. Oh, it was the sight and the scent of a lifetime. In the midst of this boneyard, this morgue, this charnel field, this everything that was nasty, our Kentucky Colonel had a pit dug, filled with dry hickory wood which was burned clown into a fine mass of coals, and then the ox, a magnificent animal from the Hefner